Otay Water District President Mark Robak said he “followed through” with a censure when he removed one of his fellow board members from participating on any organizational and outside committees.
A censure imposed last week on OWD Area 4 Director Hector Gastelum “…requests that the board president under the powers granted to him, conduct a review of the current committee assignments for director Gastelum and determine whether a temporary or permanent removal of some or all said committee assignments might be appropriate at the present time.”
The censure served as a public reprimand after Gastelum posted what protestors say are anti-Muslim remarks on his Twitter account in February, in which they say Gastelum called Muslims “scum.”
Gastelum has said his Tweets have been taken out of context.
Gastelum, 42, was pulled from sitting on the Engineering, Operations and Water Resource Committee; and the Ad Hoc Salt Creek Golf Course Development Committee. Robak also replaced Gastelum on the Chula Vista Redevelopment Oversight Board. Gastelum said there are plans to dissolve the oversight board so he said his removal on that commission was already planned.
For Gastelum to get back on any of these committees, Robak said Gastelum needs to sincerely apologize for his Twitter comments.
“I supposed if he was contrite; and issued a genuine apology, and they (the public) accepted it, we would move on,” Robak said.
Gastelum said he has offered numerous apologies but that they have not been accepted.
OWD directors make $100 on a per diem basis for each day of attendance at meetings. Directors cannot exceed 10 meetings in a calendar month. Since Gastelum no longer sits on any committees, he will lose about $300 per month or more. He said he is not worried about the loss wages. Gastelum will only get paid for his attendance at regular OWD board meetings.
Gastelum said he is not concerned with missing out on committees because he said he can still do the job his constituents elected to do.
“At the end of the day the only thing that matters is what I do on the dais,” he said. Gastelum still has voting power with issues that affect ratepayers.
