Council Meeting - November 9, 2026

The Foster City Council/Estero Municipal Improvement District special meeting was held November 9, 2026, to discuss whether Council Member Phoebe Venkat’s personal social media posts violated the city’s code of conduct and whether council action was warranted. Public comments were divided: many speakers opposed censure and emphasized free expression and the importance of discussing racial experiences; others argued the posts disparaged a protected group and called for accountability. Council Member Venkat said she shared the article to encourage discussion of equity and acknowledged that its impact could differ from her intent. Council members also discussed the code of conduct, free speech, and their responsibilities to represent the community.

The council adopted a motion, 3–2, finding that Venkat violated the code of conduct and asking the full council to undertake extended bias and diversity training in addition to required ethics training. The motion did not impose censure. Public safety, including traffic incidents involving children, and residents displaced by the Sea Spray fire were raised during comments, but no related spending or procurement action was taken. No procurement activity was identified.