The AC Transit board majority says it won't discipline Director Joel Young, even after an independent investigation found he violated the agency's gender-based harassment policy. Critics, including the director involved, say the board is minimizing the finding, The Oaklandside reported.

What happened at the Oct. 15 meeting

El Cerrito Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Saltzman, a former BART director, urged the board in person to censure Young. Saltzman organized an Oct. 5 letter signed by 33 current and former Bay Area elected officials calling for censure. "Failing to take action sends the wrong message to AC Transit staff and women everywhere," she said.

Board President Diane Shaw answered with a prepared statement. "After considering those findings, the board determined that disciplinary action was not warranted," she said, adding that the letter "does not change this well-informed determination." Director Sarah Syed, attending by video, raised a point of order while Shaw spoke. Syed argued that the Brown Act requires substantive replies to public comment to be put on the agenda first.

What the investigation found

According to an AC Transit statement from board members, an independent investigator found that unwanted physical contact occurred during a recess of the Sept. 24, 2025, board meeting. The agency was mourning a longtime board member at the time. The investigator found the conduct did not violate the anti-bullying or workplace violence policies but did violate the Policy Prohibiting Gender-Based Harassment. The Oaklandside reported the contact was a bear hug from behind of Syed. The investigator was the Oakland law firm Meyers Nave.

That board statement was revised on Sept. 21, 2026, to clarify how it described the findings. Syed told The Oaklandside the first version, from Shaw and directors Murphy McCalley, Anthony Silva and Harpreet Sandhu, wrongly said the allegation was unsubstantiated. The statement notes that Young has served on the board since 2009 and that any discipline must be considered in a public meeting. It also says no such meeting had been scheduled.

Reaction

  • Young previously told The Oaklandside his intent was to offer "comfort and support" during an emotional night, and said, "I respect that her experience was different from my intent."
  • Director Jean Walsh called Shaw's statement "painful to watch."
  • Syed said Shaw's actions "compounded the harm of the original harassment."
  • Transit advocates Bryan Culbertson and Alfred Twu criticized the board online, and an AC Transit staffer wrote to the board objecting to its handling.

The board's next meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m. in the second-floor board room at 1600 Franklin St. in Oakland, according to The Oaklandside.

Background: 33 officials ask AC Transit to censure Joel Young.