The West County Democratic Club, which claims to represent over 80,000 Democrats, undertakes an endorsement process for every election that affects West County. The club has some arcane rules, including a requirement that endorsees have to have been a registered Democrat twelve months before filing for office, and a candidate needs 51% of the vote to be endorsed.

Over the years, the club leadership has come to be dominated by certain groups, and for the last few years, the Richmond Progressive Alliance has been that dominating group. The current president is Jamin Purcell, RPA member and former RPA (unsuccessful) candidate for City Council.

The recent endorsement process for Richmond City Council has been interesting and may foreshadow a decline in the RPA dominance of Richmond politics.

There were three Richmond City Council races considered in the recent endorsement process:

• In District 1, challenger Jamela Brown got 50.43% of the vote, and incumbent Melvin Willis got only 24.79% of the vote. There was no endorsement because Brown had not been a registered Democrat for a year.
• In District 5, Ahmad Anderson got 78.63% of the vote while Sue Wilson received only 17.09%. Anderson met the one-year rule and was endorsed.
• In District 6, challenger Shawn Dunning got 60.23% of the vote while Claudia Jimenez received only 26.50% of the vote. There was no endorsement because Dunning had not been a registered Democrat for a year.

Also, EBRPD incumbent Elizabeth Echols, an RPA sympathizer, was disqualified for failing to submit responses to a questionnaire.

Anderson only Richmond Council candidate to earn West County Democratic Club endorsement

Ahmad Anderson marches in Richmond's Juneteenth parade on June 22, 2024. Photo/Linda Hemmila

Of the seven council hopefuls seeking one of three seats on the dias, District 5 resident Ahmad Anderson was the only Richmond City Council candidate to earn an endorsement from the West County Democratic Club endorsement.

Anderson, a resident of the Laurel Park neighborhood, received 92 of the 117 votes cast, or more than 78 percent. Richmond Annex resident Sue Wilson received 20 votes. Five people voted for the no-endorsement option.

The West County Democratic Club’s membership is open to registered Democrats in West Contra Costa County cities and unincorporated areas. The club supports members in registering voters and endorsing Democrats and issues.

Anderson said he is grateful for the endorsement, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

“I am out there doing all I can do in this community, being all I can be in this community and building relationships in the community,” Anderson said. “I hope this becomes a message that can be shared amongst all people in the City of Richmond about my concern, compassion, and empathic leadership–not just for District 5 but for the entire city and the region.”

Anderson said he is a collaborator, wants to share his skills with his fellow city council members, and wants to be an active listener to the community. 

“I am truly a voice for this great city of pride and purpose and will deliver on my promise of making this a better place to live for all,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s campaign website lists endorsements from the 23rd Street Merchants, Contra Costa Buildings and Construction Trades Council, Willie Brown, Tony Thurmond, Nancy Skinner, Lateefah Simon, Jesse Arreguin, and former Richmond mayors Nat Bates, Tom Butt, and Rosemary Corbin.

Anderson's opponent, Wilson, is endorsed by the Sierra Club, Richmond Progressive Alliance, Working Families Party, Contra Costa County Central Labor Council, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, State Senate Candidate Jovanka Beckles, Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez, and councilmembers Gayle McLaughlin, Melvin Willis, Claudia Jimenez, and Doria Robinson.

In District 1, Jamelia Brown received 59 votes, while incumbent Melvin Willis and the "no-endorsement" option received 29 votes. Brown did not qualify for the West County Democratic Club endorsement and hasn’t listed endorsements on her campaign website.

West County Democratic Club bylaws for endorsements require candidates to have been Democrats for 12 months prior and to have submitted endorsement questionnaires.

Willis lists endorsements from the Sierra Club, Richmond Progressive Alliance, East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, and United Teachers of Richmond. Beckles, Gioia, Martinez, McLaughlin Jimenez, and Robinson also endorsed Willis.

In District 6, Shawn Dunning received 81 votes but did not qualify for endorsement. Incumbent Claudia Jimenez received 31 votes.

Dunning lists endorsements from former Richmond mayors and council members Tom Butt and Rosemary Corbin, Jeff Ritterman, John Márquez and John Ziesenhenne, Mental Health Clinician Rodney A. Brown, Trails for Richmond Action Committee Chair Bruce Beyaert and Point Richmond Business Association Scott Harris.

Jimenez lists endorsements from SEIU 1021, United Teachers of Richmond, Democratic Socialists of America, Richmond Progressive Alliance, Sierra Club, and the Working Families Party. Beckles, Gioia, Martinez, McLaughlin, Willis, and Robinson also endorsed Jimenez.