Incident

On Saturday, February 23, Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly held a Community and Volunteer Appreciation Open House  thanking individuals and volunteers who helped with his campaign. Some protesters from NEST, the organization comprised of Stonelake residents who are opposed to the California Northstate University proposed hospital, showed up and had an encounter with Major Ty Sorci. Major Ty Sorci is the External Affairs Liason to Mayor Steve Ly.

Some of the protesters in the video accused Sorci of pedophilia for taking pictures of minors at the protest. Sorci himself indicated that he was taking pictures of the protest itself and was not targeting minors.

Afterwards, Mayor Steve Ly released a response to this incident.

Mayor Steve Ly’s Response

As your Mayor, I am a staunch supporter of free speech and the right to assemble – it is critical to our democracy. Freedom of expression is a cherished American value established by our Founding Fathers and it must be respected at all times for the inclusion of diversity of thought. It is important to me that all citizens are heard and because I believe in this core value, I want to ensure that all citizens can exercise this fundamental right. Any conduct by employees, consultants, volunteers or interns affiliated with my office or me interfering with the exercise of these freedoms will not be tolerated and will be met with a swift action.

I am working with city officials to make sure employees understand this, so that future appropriate interactions with community members include identifying themselves as city employees when asked,  to avoid confusion and the appearance of impropriety.

Any new developments considered in the City of Elk Grove, regardless of the location, needs to be properly vetted by all stakeholders and the community. It is important that we take all viewpoints into consideration before deciding to proceed. I encourage and support all stakeholders and community members to participate throughout the public hearing process to track any development. The community’s input is important and I appreciate your patience throughout this extended process.”

Mayor Steve Ly