Lincoln City Council responds to Councilmember William Lauritsen's alleged assault

Updated Friday, April 29 at 12:23 p.m. On Thursday afternoon, the Lincoln City Council published a press release asking Lincoln Councilman William Lauritsen to step down and encouraging the community to initiate a recall election against Lauritsen. During Tuesday's Lincoln City Council meeting's public comment section, four individuals, plus business owner Matthew Oliver and his wife, Siobhan Oliver, demanded that Lauritsen be removed from City Council. On Monday night, Oliver was live streaming at the Third Congressional Candidate Forum via Facebook at William Jessup University in Rocklin. During his live stream, Oliver encountered Lauritsen and the two men began speaking to one another, discussing politics and other matters. Later in the live stream, Lauritsen is seen touching Oliver's shoulder and gesturing his hand toward Oliver's face. Lauritsen was not allowed to give any response to the mayor and the public during Tuesday's meeting about Monday's alleged assault, although the mayor, the Olivers and four other individuals each accused Lauritsen of the alleged assault and asked him to resign. There were no charges \ filed against Lauritsen. On Wednesday afternoon, Lauritsen spoke to The News Messenger about the allegations against him and his perspective of what took place Monday night. According to Lauritsen, "He (Oliver) kept pushing and bumping up against me and forcing his phone in my face. When the phone got too close (touching my nose), I took it from him and told him to stop. I then gave it back and walked away." Lauritsen told The News Messenger that he did not assault Oliver. On Wednesday afternoon, the Lincoln City Council held a closed session meeting to discuss the allegations against Lauritsen. Four council members, Mayor Holly Andreatta, Vice Mayor Paul Joiner, Councilman Dan Karleskint, and Councilwoman Alyssa Silhi, emailed a press release Thursday afternoon to The News Messenger. The four City Council members, Andreatta, Joiner, Karleskint and Silhi wrote: "The Lincoln City Council took a step toward addressing the behavior of Councilmember William Lauritsen on April 27, 2022 providing direction to City staff after a meeting in closed session that lasted under an hour, resulting in staff direction to prepare a resolution of censure. Censure is a disciplinary procedure condemning the actions of a member of the legislative body and is the sternest discipline a City Council can administer to one of its members. The motion for censure will include a statement of charges and a resolution, which will be heard during general business at the next regular meeting of the City Council on May 10, 2022. Councilmember Lauritsen will have an opportunity at that meeting to defend his conduct. In addition, at the same meeting the Council will consider removing Councilmember Lauritsen from all City and regional Boards, committees, commissions, task forces, and group assignments." In Thursday's press release, the four Lincoln City Council members are also encouraging citizens to initiate a voter-driven recall election of Lauritsen. "'Only the voters have the power of recall and removal from office – which we strongly endorse'," the four council members wrote in the press release. "It is my understanding of the law that members of a City Council cannot become directly involved in a recall election of one of their colleagues," former Lincoln City Councilman Peter Gilbert told The News Messenger Friday morning. Lauritsen told The News Messenger that he felt "blindsided" by Thursday's press release, and the idea of a recall election. Lauritsen said he had no part in drafting the release and that there's "a lot of dishonesty" from the remaining four council members. "I will fight back and I'll give my opinion," Lauritsen said to the idea of a recall election. "There's no reason to have to resign. This whole thing is overblown." It was not until Thursday afternoon that Lauritsen watched the live stream video of himself and Oliver from Monday night. "Both of us were laughing (in the video)," Lauritsen said Friday morning. "There was no aggression. We were just horsing around. No one was assaulted."