Vacaville mayor refuses to recognize Pride Month

by John Ferrannini

V acaville Mayor John Carli will not be issuing a proclamation to recognize Pride Month, and will not raise the rainbow flag, according to the Solano County Pride Center.

“Solano Pride Center met with Vacaville Mayor Carli on May 24, 2023, to discuss celebrating and acknowledging Pride Month,” Sarah White of the Pride center in the North Bay stated in a May 25 news release. “Breaking precedent, Mayor Carli is refusing to raise the Pride flag, or issue a proclamation recognizing June 2023 as LGBTQ Pride Month in Vacaville.”

Indeed, as White stated, Vacaville’s two previous mayors recog -

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At the end of last year’s celebration there were false reports of a mass-casualty shooting that caused a stampede in Civic Center Plaza. Separately, there were physical fights, and someone sprayed pepper spray into the crowd.

“It was very unfortunate that occurred, but overall it was a very safe event and parade, which I was so grateful for on the other side Monday,” SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, a trans woman, said when asked about security by the B.A.R. in April

Ford had said that JJLA, the Los Angeles-based live event and entertainment company that will be producing the event, will be bringing in new security.

“There’s one security contractor that reports to them and reports to me,” Ford said. “We will obviously be hiring other security companies. Not just one. And we will hire some queer-owned security companies that will help too.”

JJLA did not respond to requests for comment for that article or for this report.

Ford also had told the B.A.R. there will be metal detectors at the entrance to the celebration grounds, as there have been in years past.

Since the April interview, the B.A.R. reached out to the SF Pride organization 11 times for more details on safety before receiving the May 30 statement. Initially, on May 1, a source with the organization stated simply that SF Pride has a similar level of investment from state and federal law enforcement as the Super Bowl, and issued a statement from Ford that “SF Pride is working with local authorities and our security team to coordinate a comprehensive plan to protect our community.”

Requests to identify the companies providing security, and to interview a representative, have still not been answered.

“As we approach this joyous celebration of love, diversity, and equality, we want to take a moment to reassure the public of our unwavering commitment to keeping all participants safe,” the statement reads. “We understand the significance of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can express their authentic selves without fear or hesitation. With this in mind, we have implemented comprehensive measures to safeguard the Pride festivities and ensure a positive experience for everyone involved.”

SF Pride’s statement came after New York City’s Heritage of Pride issued a thorough news release May 25 on its safety policies, stating that it was moved to provide “transparency for how community members can be safe as we care for ourselves, our communities, and our environment.”

The New York release links to a page stating that personnel will be trained on evacuation, exit and communication plans; active shooters and other threats; de-escalation training; and capacity and nized June as Pride Month and for the last two years has flown the rainbow flag. According to White, Carli’s refusal means Vacaville will be the only city in Solano County not to recognize Pride Month in some fashion.

“Now more than ever, LGBTQ rights across the U.S. are under assault,” White stated. “With over 400 bills introduced targeting trans/ nonbinary people, attempting to ban drag shows, seeking to block access to gender-affirming healthcare, and banning books in schools that mention LGBTQ people.

“At this inflection point in our nation’s struggle for LGBTQ equality, it is unfortunate Mayor Carli has decided to move Vacaville in the wrong direction by not stand - spacing policies imposed by event venues and government agencies. ing in solidarity with the LGBTQ community,” White added.

It also tells people planning on attending the Big Apple’s Pride festivities what they can do to stay safe, such as advising people of one’s whereabouts or changes in plans, keeping electronic devices charged and writing down emergency contacts, designating an emergency meet up spot, and avoiding drunken or otherwise impaired driving.

A spokesperson for the city of Vacaville told a B.A.R. reporter May 25 via phone that he “should be hearing back from the mayor” and took down his number.

In 2020, Dixon was the sole city in Solano County not to recognize the Pride Month, which celebrates the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots as the beginning of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the United States, as the Bay Area Reporter reported contemporaneously

At that time, Dixon’s mayor, Thom Bogue, did not respond to the B.A.R.’s questions.

Carli, a former police chief of seven years, was elected to a four-

Tense environment

The concern over security comes in an increasingly tense environment for LGBTQ Americans – including the mass shooting at a Colorado Springs queer nightclub last year.

Five hundred anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year thus far, and already people are moving from Florida, Texas and other states, citing a hostile environment created by measures ranging from the Sunshine year term as Vacaville’s mayor last November. He’d been with Vacaville police since 1989.

The Pride center noted its longstanding work in the city and county.

“Solano Pride Center has supported the LGBTQ community of Vacaville for 25 years, and will continue to stand united with LGBTQ people in Vacaville and across Solano County,” the center’s statement continued. “The unwillingness and resistance by Vacaville’s mayor illustrates why it is necessary to host Vacaville Pride annually.”

The Solano Pride Center will be hosting its third annual Vacaville Pride Saturday, June 3, from noon to 4 p.m. in Andrews Park, 614 E. Monte Vista Avenue. t

State’s newly-expanded “Don’t Say Gay” law to those targeting drag shows and banning gender-affirming care for minors, as the B.A.R. previously reported

Speaking in general terms, SF Pride’s statement read, “We’ve provided extensive training to our volunteers and staff members on safety protocols, emergency response procedures, and conflict de-escalation techniques.” It states that medical services will be available throughout the festival grounds, that there’ll be “accessible seating areas, wheelchair-accessible stages, ASL interpretation, and accessible restrooms,” and a zero-tolerance policy on harassment.

The San Francisco Police Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Last year, the SFPD issued a statement that it would provide “adequate public safety staffing at pride events throughout Pride

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