City Council votes to censure Lau

The Fernley City Council voted Sept. 17 to censure Councilman Stan Lau and remove him from his committee assignments representing the city.

The action came after contentious debate among the council about Lau’s conduct in two separate budget meetings last April and May and his arrest on Aug. 18, as well as whether the council should even be discussing those matters while investigations are still pending.

Ultimately, the council voted 3-1-1 to censure, with Lau abstaining and Councilman Ryan Hanan opposed. Deputy City Attorney Brandi Jensen defined a censure as the equivalent of a public, verbal or a written reprimand that is a public record from that point forward. 

The item was requested by Councilman Joe Mendoza, who opened the discussion by reading a statement apologizing to the community for the lack of a response by the city and its leadership regarding the recent arrest and outbursts during council meetings by Lau. Mendoza said he requested in an email to the city attorney for guidance on how the city could address the matter and said he considered what he received to be a hastily prepared and incomplete legal brief.

“To date, no further response has been provided to my inquiry, and our mayor has also failed to address this issue publicly,” Mendoza said. “In my opinion, the outbursts and the serious allegations concerning Councilman Lau are wholly unacceptable for anyone entrusted with public office.”

Mendoza then asked Lau if he was willing to take responsibility for his actions and resign from his position, to which Lau said no.

Mendoza said that Lau’s actions do not represent or reflect the standards or values of the community. 

“Our community deserves leaders who act with integrity today and not excuses about yesterday,” he said. 

Mendoza referenced the lessons he learned from his own arrest when he was 19 years old. “Speaking as someone who has made mistakes in the past, I understand the importance of accountability, growth and change,” he said. “I can only hope Councilman Lau recognizes his own need to take responsibility and seek the help he needs.”

Hanan had requested an item to discuss Mendoza’s character, alleged misconduct and professional competence. He said he requested the item on the agenda and reached out to Mendoza offering to pull the item from the agenda if Mendoza would be willing to have a conversation about Mendoza’s agenda item about Lau.

When Hanan began speaking about that item, Mendoza asked that the discussion about him be held under the other agenda item. When McIntyre asked for clarification, Jensen said it was up to the mayor whether the two items would be discussed separately or together. McIntyre said he would prefer to keep them separate.

Hanan made an impassioned plea for the council to wait on taking any action against Lau until his court case and the investigations into his conduct during those April and May meetings were completed.

“Councilman Lau has the right to due process,” Hanan said. “Due process is that we don’t take action arbitrarily because we heard rumors. Our Constitution and the laws of the land and due process dictate that you’re innocent until you are proven guilty. I’ve asked some of the folks up here to wait and let that process transpire.”

Hanan then said Lau’s arrest should not be part of the discussion since there has been no evidence presented.

Councilman Albert Torres said his understanding was that because due process has not been completed on Lau’s battery charge, the agenda item was based on Lau’s violent outbursts during the April and May budget hearings.

“Both of those events happened during a public council meeting with all the departments here as witnesses,” Torres said, adding that there was audio and video recordings of the incidents. “However, with those recordings being part of public record, I believe that we can make a decision on those two items and totally not involve anything happening with the councilman and the gentleman from the public.”

Rebecca Bruch, the attorney from Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool and the Public Agency Compensation Trust (POOL/PACT), initially said the investigations into complaints about Lau’s outbursts in the April and May meetings were not complete and should not be discussed. When she later questioned whether Lau had been properly noticed about a discussion about that, Jensen read the notice, including the list of topics that were provided to Lau which specifically mentioned the City Council budget meeting on April 3, 2025.

“Okay, so there is at least a mention there that this discussion also could include the conduct at those meetings,” Bruch said.

Hanan then continued his pleas to the council to hold off on taking any action until a future meeting and disagreed with Torres’ description of those outbursts as violent.

“I’m not defending his actions, I’m defending his rights,” Hanan said. “I would be cautioned to use the word violent when you yell out something.”

“You would caution me that telling me to go outside and go to the parking lot is not violent? What would that be called?” Torres asked. “That is, by definition, a violent act towards another person in the performance of their duty as a public official.”

Torres said the city has a statutory duty to protect its employees, which includes council and its citizens, from violent acts in the workplace.

“And they have not done that,” he said.

Councilwoman Felicity Zoberski said the city not issuing a statement about Lau’s actions made it seem like they were being swept under the rug.

“I just feel like a lot of this, and especially this battle, could have been avoided with a statement from our mayor that said we’re aware that this has happened,” she said. “Not saying anything says a lot.”

McIntyre responded that he didn’t make a statement because of the investigations.

Bruch reiterated that those investigations have not been completed, and no conclusions have been reached. 

“Those investigations were put in place based on allegations that were reported to your insurance company by members, and I stepped into help respond properly,” she said.

Hanan argued that not making a statement at the time the incidents happened was one reason the item was contentious now.

“When somebody up here does something that is nonprofessional or inappropriate, it is incumbent upon the city to address that at that time, not store three or four things,” he said.

After all the council members’ comments, Mendoza asked Lau for a second time to resign voluntarily before he made a motion. When Lau declined again, Mendoza read a resolution censuring Lau for conduct unbecoming of a Councilmember; removing him from all committee assignments; and directing him to refrain from any behavior that misrepresents, discredits or otherwise harms the City of Fernley, its residents or the integrity of the council. 

Following the vote, Mendoza asked whether Hanan also should have recused himself from voting, or whether there is a conflict of interest or ethical violation because he posted bail in the amount of $2,240 on behalf of Lau.

Bruch said that would be a determination made by the state Ethics Commission if a complaint was brought against Hanan.