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The Berkeley City Council’s resolution to support former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson was discussed passionately but a decision was put off until the council’s July 25 meeting.  

The measure calls on Los Angeles District Attorney to drop all charges against Olson and request that Governor Gray Davis pardon her. 

Before a vote could be taken, a motion to end the meeting was accepted by the body. City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque, citing the California Open Meeting Act, told councilmembers that continuing the discussion would be a violation and moved the measure to old business where it will reappear on the July 25 agenda. 

In her statements, Councilmember Polly Armstrong seemed to link Olson to the murder of Oakland African-American educator Marcus Foster, for which the Symbionese Liberation Army claimed responsibility in 1973. 

Armstrong refused to elaborate the alleged connection between Olson and Foster, whom she accidentally referred to as Marcus Garvey, and when spurred by Councilmember Kriss Worthington said, “I don’t have to answer, my statement stands by itself.” 

Worthington, who supports the resolution put forward by the Peace and Justice Commission, said Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti is using Olson’s case “as a way to get publicity and votes.” He added that Olson reportedly joined the SLA after Foster’s murder. 

The 53-year-old Olson was arrested after 23 years of living as a fugitive shortly after she was featured on television’s “America’s Most Wanted.” 

Formerly known as Kathleen Ann Soliah, Olson faces conspiracy charges in connection with an alleged attempt to bomb police cars in 1975 in retaliation for the deaths of six members of the SLA during a shoot-out with police.  

A wife and mother of three daughters, Olson was arrested in St. Paul, Minn. where, according to her resolution, she was a “productive, civic-minded member of her community.” She was released on a $1 million bail and returned home under the electronic-monitoring plan.