San Diego supervisors approve updates to human relations commission bylaws

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve the updated bylaws of the county’s human relations commission.

The changes to the bylaws were proposed by the Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission at the heels of controversy within the commission, in which a commissioner expressed disparaging opinions about the LGBTQ community and transgender individuals.

While the new bylaws will now include a code of conduct, attendance policy and new process to remove a commissioner for cause, commission Chair Ellen Nash says they will not apply retroactively to past incidents. The bylaws are effective only on the day the board’s vote was cast.

In the last few months, the board has received various requests from LGBTQ supporters, including some commissioners, that they intercede in the conflict and remove Commissioner Dennis Hodges, who during a November commission meeting abstained from voting with other commissioners to endorse a letter condemning transphobia and recommitting to work to end discrimination against transgender people.

When asked about his abstention, Hodges, pastor of the nondenominational Church of Yeshua Ha Mashiach in Lemon Grove, made controversial remarks about transgender and LGBTQ people including that “transgenderism ... is an abomination in the eyes of God.”

However, rather than vote to remove Hodges following the incident, board Chair Nathan Fletcher and Vice-Chair Nora Vargas last month recommended the commission update its bylaws and create a code of conduct so it can resolve its own issues and can remain independent of the Board of Supervisors.

Nash said the commission had already created a subcommittee to update its bylaws prior to the incident. The subcommittee had been meeting to update the bylaws language and formalize the commission’s mission.

According to the updated bylaws, the purpose of the commission is to “promote positive human relations, respect and the integrity of every individual regardless of gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or citizenship status.”

Among the members of the public who spoke during Tuesday’s meeting was Hodges, who quoted that purpose in his reason for opposing the motion.

“We’re not respecting the integrity of every individual when we seek to create bylaws that silence and censor the voices of those individuals, and we’re not promoting positive human relations when we create laws that do not support the freedom of faith and belief,” Hodges said.

Hodges says the commission has the opportunity to be a leading example of how to address conflict in a thoughtful and nondiscriminatory approach, which he says the updated bylaws do not allow for.

The board received about 75 public comments on the matter, a majority of which were in favor of the motion.

Supervisor Jim Desmond was the only one who voted against the motion, saying that freedom of speech and religion should be upheld, and moreover, that he thinks it should be up to the board to remove or replace commissioners.

“To me, this is kind of going down a slippery slope, which I think is not a good place to go,” Desmond said. “We have to allow other voices, even though we don’t like hearing them or we disagree vehemently with them. “

Commissioner Cara Dessert, CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center, spoke out against Hodges’ remarks and sent various letters calling for his removal. Dessert said Tuesday the updated bylaws specifically require commissioners to refrain from discriminatory and harassing remarks during meetings.

“Commissioner Hodges did just that — he attacked the transgender and LGBTQ community in an official commission correspondence, and we will not tolerate transphobia or homophobia at the human relations commission,” Dessert added. “I look forward to his removal to be docketed for our next commission meeting.”

The board also approved in their motion Tuesday a requirement to provide training on the bylaws and code of conduct for commissioners, along with a requirement to make the recording of each human relations commission meeting available to the public.

On Wednesday, Nash told the U-T she is pleased with the outcome of the vote, praising the bylaws subcommittee under Commissioner David Garcias’ leadership for its work to update them thoroughly.

She says training on the updates will commence during the human relations commission’s next meeting, which is scheduled for April 19.

Nash said the commission is also continuing to conduct community forums centered on finding ways to promote positive human relations and how to handle similar issues.