Reso 2026-021 Discipline - Councilmember Aguilar

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21 gaslighted her and other women and cites the example of the Planning Meeting where he continually claimed that Bowen bombarded and blindsided him and gaslighted Robustelli. Robustelli recalls that initially, Celina Reynes (who filled Deborah Cox’s seat on the City Council) was aligned with Simon and Aguilar on issues, but within a few months, Reynes’ relationship with them appeared to deteriorate and she would refer to Simon and Aguilar as “misogynists.” Reynes disclosed to Robustelli that they were dismissive and gaslit her and other women, which aligned with what Bowen told her. Robustelli observed that Aguilar would attack Reynes and tried to undermine her whenever he disagreed with her. Robustelli recounted that Aguilar would also respond differently when it was called out by Ballew. She contrasts this with how they would attack Reynes whenever she would raise issues. Then Gonzalez would intervene to shut down the vitriol, Aguilar would not attack Gonzalez. These witness accounts corroborate Bowen’s accounts that Simon and Aguilar have engaged in disrespectful, demeaning, and ultimately abusive conduct that contributed to a hostile work environment for women. H. Simon and Aguilar Favored the Selection of a Less Qualified Male Employee Over Janelle Cameron for The City Manager Position, Which Reflects Gender Bias After Robustelli announced her resignation, Robustelli and Bowen advocated for the selection of Janelle Cameron to fill the City Manager position based on her qualifications and relevant experience for the position. Cameron served as the Assistant City Manager under Robustelli and then after Robustelli’s departure, as the Interim City Manager. Robustelli and Bowen’s support for Cameron was consistent with the recommendations of an outside consultant hired by the City Council to find a replacement for Robustelli, who informed City Council Members that there was no better choice to fill the position than Cameron. Bowen recounted that both Simon and Aguilar were adamant that Cameron not be selected for the position. They both insisted that the Deputy City Manager Eric Engelbart, who had no direct reports and was less qualified, be selected instead. Simon did not believe that Cameron was a good fit for the City Manager position because of an alleged negative interaction she had with a reporter from the Telemundo network. Aguilar revealed that he heard about this negative encounter from former City Councilmember Corina Lopez, but he acknowledged that he had not asked Cameron about this particular interaction for which he and Simon sought to disqualify Cameron for the City Manager position. Bowen believes that the absence of a logical explanation for their opposition to the appointment of Cameron, a highly qualified female candidate in favor of a less qualified male, is indicative of gender bias. Aguilar discussed with Simon the need to bring in someone new for the City Manager position and that Simon proposed Engelbart to fill the position. Aguilar claims that he asked Engelbart if he was interested in the position and that Engelbart assured him that he was interested in being the City Manager but was not ready to undertake the role and responsibilities at the time. Aguilar stated that “Eric would have been great for the job.” When queried about which criteria he applied in evaluating a candidate’s qualifications for the position, Aguilar claimed that he considered experience in the following areas: policy development, advocacy, ability to work with council members, candor, and tact. However, he did not review the job description for the City Manager’s position, nor did he review Engelbart’s performance reviews or resume. He acknowledged that he does not have a background in human resources so did not consider these as relevant to his decision. When pressed about whether other City Council Members had discussed their experiences working with Engelbart, Aguilar acknowledged that Viveros-Walton had worked with Engelbart and did not think highly of his leadership skills, which did not dim Aguilar’s support of his selection of Engelbart. However, later in his interview, Aguilar claimed that ultimately, he did support selecting Cameron for the position. This likely occurred after Viveros-Walton asked if he was ready to “go public” with his vote against Cameron’s selection as City Manager. Exhibit A Resolution No. 2026-021 Page 21