Reso 2026-021 Discipline - Councilmember Aguilar

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4 It was clear to me that the actions of trying to take me off the only intergovernmental board I was appointed to and trying to prevent me from become [sic] Vice Mayor after last month’s censure hearing appears retaliatory and inappropriate. I have included our City Attorney in this email so that he is aware of my concerns. Sincerely, Xouhoa Simon did not respond to Bowen’s email, but Simon’s refusal to support Bowen’s designation as Vice Mayor for 2025 after she stepped aside and allowed him to be Vice Mayor in 2024 is likely the tipping point that spurred Bowen to file her complaint against Council Members Simon and Aguilar for gender-based discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation based on a series of events that have occurred since last year. After the City Attorney received Bowen’s email, the City decided to retain an outside investigator to examine whether her claim of retaliation had any merit. In the course of this investigation, Bowen contended that both Simon and Aguilar had subjected her to retaliation after she voted in favor of censuring each of them following an investigation conducted by Carl Botterud, an outside investigator into former City Manager Fran Robustelli’s complaint against both Simon and Aguilar for gender discrimination and interference with her job duties. Bowen asserts that in addition to their attempts to thwart her nomination for Vice Mayor in retaliation for her vote in favor of censure, these two male Council Members also subjected her and other women to gender-based bias, bullying and harassment, creating a hostile environment for women. C. Bowen’s Complaint of Gender Bias, Harassment, Bullying (Abusive Conduct), and Retaliation Against Aguilar and Simon Bowen believes that both Simon and Aguilar have displayed a gender-based animus, harassment (hostile work environment), and bullying towards her and other women at the City. In the course of this investigation, during her interviews and in her March 4, 2025, March 7, 2025, and May 6, 2025 emails to this investigator, Bowen recounted incidents and events to support her complaint against Simon and Aguilar, each of which were examined as part of this investigation. Bowen cited the experiences of other women who allegedly have experienced the same type of mistreatment by Simon and Aguilar. On May 6, 2025, Bowen sent another email summarizing what transpired at the end of the March 17, 2025 City Council Meeting after she disclosed that she had been physically violated by Daniel Parra, a City Council Member of Fowler and immediate past President of the League of California Cities. The incident had taken place while she was attending the November 13, 2024, National League of Cities Conference in Tampa, Florida. Bowen discussed this incident and why she decided to speak up: On November 13th, 2024, while I was attending an event at the National League of Cities annual conference in Tampa, Florida, Daniel Parra, a member of the City of Fowler city council, physically violated me. Mr. Parra is an immediate past president of the League of California Cities. I filed a report with the city of Tampa Police Department. The Tampa Police Department commenced a criminal investigation into Daniel Parra's actions. Following the investigation of battery, the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office, 13th Judicial Circuit, has charged Mr. Parra with one count of first-degree misdemeanor battery.4 It is also 4 According to a March 20, 2025, ABC News report, “[a]long with his role on Fowler's city council, Parra also serves as the city manager of Orange Cove. Court documents obtained by Action News show Parra was Exhibit A Resolution No. 2026-021 Page 4