33 East Bay Officials Ask AC Transit to Censure Director Joel Young After Harassment Finding

A group of 33 current and former East Bay elected officials is pressing the AC Transit Board of Directors to discipline one of its own members, at-large Director Joel Young, after an independent investigation found he subjected a colleague to unwanted physical contact.

What the investigation found

The incident happened on Sept. 24, 2025, during a recess of a board meeting that included a remembrance of Ward 1 Director H.E. Christian Peeples, who had died earlier that year. Young put his arms around Ward 3 Director Sarah Syed, and video released by the agency shows the moment. An investigator from the Oakland law firm Meyers Nave concluded the touching was unwanted and violated the board's policy prohibiting gender-based harassment, though not its anti-bullying or workplace violence policies, according to The Oaklandside.

A split over what to do

In a statement posted by AC Transit, four of the board's seven directors, including President Diane Shaw, said they respected the findings but believed Young "was offering solace and support to a colleague during an extraordinarily difficult and emotional moment." The statement noted that any discipline would have to be considered in a public meeting and that none had been scheduled.

The officials' Oct. 5 letter asks the board to censure Young and remove him from his committee assignments and outside appointments, including his seat on the Alameda County Transportation Commission. Signers include Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii, several Berkeley and Oakland councilmembers, and Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas. The letter also lists older allegations against Young, including a 2011 domestic violence accusation, a 2012 police report in which an Oakland council aide said Young threatened and spat at him, and a 2013 board censure for violating ethics bylaws.

Former BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman, who helped organize the letter, told The Daily Californian the board majority had misstated the investigation's results. BART Director Barnali Ghosh suggested a statement agreed to privately by four of seven directors could raise open-meeting law questions under the Brown Act.

On the ballot

Because of redistricting, Young is running in the Nov. 3 election for the Ward 3 seat that covers parts of central and north Oakland. Neither Young nor the board had responded to the Daily Californian's requests for comment.