Recusals
Below is the list of the 62 instances where Raj Salwan has had to recuse himself from voting on an issue as a City Councilmember and Planning Commissioner due to his property holdings and campaign contributions he has received. Does Fremont want a Mayor that can’t even vote on many matters because they own so much land in Fremont?
It should also be noted that Councilmembers and the Mayor vote on citywide issues such as rental ordinances and development fees. As a landlord and major landowner, he can benefit financially from these citywide decisions. One could easily argue that people with a significant financial interest in the outcome should not be allowed to vote on these citywide decisions.
Note that two of the recusals were done when he was on the Planning Commission. He had to recuse himself from voting on the Henkel development in Niles and the Warm Springs / South Fremont Community Plan due to campaign contributions he received from the developers of those projects. Oddly, as a Councilmember you can directly take a contribution from a developer, and then vote for one of their developments. You can’t take a contribution over $250 as a Planning Commissioner and then vote on one of their projects.*
*In 2022 the law changed so that this requirement now applies to City Councilmembers as well (SB 1439).
| Date | Issue | Recusal Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 3/5/2013 | Warm Springs / South Fremont Community Meeting | Property holdings |
| 6/18/2013 | 42410 Palm Avenue | Property holdings |
| 9/17/2013 | Centerville Unified Site Remediation Services | Property holdings |
| 4/8/2014 | Service Agreement with TRC Engineers, Inc. | Property holdings |
| 7/22/2014 | Warm Springs/South Fremont Community Plan | Property holdings |
| 7/22/2014 | General Plan Amendment for South Fremont | Property holdings |
| 9/9/2014 | Warm Spring / South Fremont Master Fee Schedule Update | Property holdings |
| 2/12/2015 | (Planning Commission) Warm Springs / South Fremont Community Plan | Property holdings |
| 2/12/2015 | (Planning Commission) Henkle Development Campaign Contributions | Property holdings |
| 12/20/2016 | Final map for 44960 Warm Springs Blvd. | Property holdings |
| 6/6/2017 | Warm Springs BART West Access Bridge and Plaza Project | Property holdings |
| 6/6/2017 | Master Plan for development in Warm Springs | Property holdings |
| 9/5/2017 | Warm Springs BART West Access Bridge and Plaza Project | Property holdings |
| 9/12/2017 | Remediation Services at the Centerville Unified site | Property holdings |
| 10/17/2017 | Warm Springs Public Facilities | Property holdings |
| 11/21/2017 | Formation of CFD No. 2 and Incur Bond Indebtedness | Property holdings |
| 11/21/2017 | Issuance of Bonds for CFD No. 2 | Property holdings |
| 11/21/2017 | Levying Special Taxes in CFD No. 2 | Property holdings |
| 12/5/2017 | Community Facilities District No. 2 | Property holdings |
| 2/6/2018 | Historic Centerville Pioneer Cemetary | Property holdings |
| 2/20/2018 | Fremont Boulevard Rezoning, second reading | Property holdings |
| 3/20/2018 | Centerville Train Depot Paid Parking Program | Property holdings |
| 4/3/2018 | Centerville Train Depot Paid Parking Program, second reading | Property holdings |
| 5/1/2018 | Pedestrian Overcrossing at Warm Springs BART | Property holdings |
| 5/15/2018 | Warm Springs Public Services CFD No. 3 | Property holdings |
| 6/19/2018 | Warm Springs Public Services CFD No. 3 | Property holdings |
| 9/8/2018 | Centerville Unified Site Located at 37070 Fremont Boulevard | Property holdings |
| 5/7/2019 | Centerville Train Depot Paid Parking Program | Property holdings |
| 5/7/2019 | Summarily vacate various city rights-of-way | Property holdings |
| 6/18/2019 | Issuance and Sale of Special Tax Bonds | Property holdings |
| 7/16/2019 | Irvington BART Station Area Plan | Property holdings |
| 10/1/2019 | Amending Fremont Municipal Code Sections 18.165.080, … | Property holdings |
| 12/10/2019 | Warm Springs/South Fremont Community Plan | Property holdings |
| 1/14/2020 | Development at 45388 Warm Springs Boulevard | Property holdings |
| 3/27/2020 | Regulations related to evictions of small-scale commercial tenants | Property holdings |
| 5/5/2020 | Request to delay minimum wage increase | Property holdings |
| 7/21/2020 | Irvington BART Station Project | Property holdings |
| 9/1/2020 | Public easement at 45500 Fremont Boulevard | Property holdings |
| 9/1/2020 | Faithful Performance Bond Posted by Lennar Homes | Property holdings |
| 9/1/2020 | Faithful Performance Bond Posted by Lennar Homes | Property holdings |
| 9/15/2020 | Landscape Maintenance Services for Innovation Plaza | Property holdings |
| 9/15/2020 | Toll Brothers’ Metro Crossing Urban Plaza | Property holdings |
| 10/13/2020 | City Council consider formally endorsing California Proposition 15 | Property holdings |
| 12/8/2020 | Dedication of Public Easements for Tract 8465 | Property holdings |
| 1/12/2021 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant | Property holdings |
| 2/16/2021 | Agreement with New Image Landscape Company | Property holdings |
| 4/13/2021 | Fremont Boulevard Safe and Smart Corridor Project | Property holdings |
| 5/4/2021 | Permanent Public Art Installation Within Warm Springs Plaza | Property holdings |
| 5/4/2021 | Restructure and Reassess Landscaping Assessment District 88 | Property holdings |
| 7/13/2021 | Resolution Declaring the abandonment of Proceedings for the Restructure and Reassessment of the Fremont Landscaping District 88 | Property holdings |
| 7/20/2021 | Fremont Boulevard Traffic Signal Modernization | Property holdings |
| 9/21/2021 | Consulting and Administrative Services for District 88 | Property holdings |
| 10/12/2021 | Construction Contract to Bear Electrical Solutions, Inc. | Property holdings |
| 12/14/2021 | Creating Train Horn Quiet Zones | Property holdings |
| 2/8/2022 | Street Design Along Fremont Boulevard | Property holdings |
| 3/1/2022 | Warm Springs BART West Access Bridge and Plaza Project | Property holdings |
| 6/7/2022 | Annual Assessments for Landscaping Assessment District 88 | Property holdings |
| 10/4/2022 | Metro West Development Project | Property holdings |
| 11/1/2022 | Metro West Phase 2 Development Project | Property holdings |
| 2/21/2023 | Centerville Complete Streets Project | Property holdings |
| 3/14/2023 | Landscaping Assessment District 88 for Fiscal Year 2023/24 | Property holdings |
| 5/9/2023 | Centerville Unified Site | Property holdings |
| 5/9/2023 | Fremont Landscaping Assessment District 88 | Property holdings |
| 5/9/2023 | Senior Commission Appointment | Relative being appointed |
| 9/19/2023 | Centerville Railroad Corridor Safety Improvement | Property holdings |