Vote for Mayor: Ahmad Anderson, City Council: Brandon Evans and Soheila Bana.
A common thread that runs through candidates Claudia Jimenez, Eduardo Martinez and Jamin Purcell is their affiliation with, support of, and support
by the Democratic Socialists of America which has endorsed RPA candidates going back over two decades.
Claudia was endorsed in 2020, 2024 and 2026. Eduardo was endorsed in 2018 and 2022. Other RPA members repeatedly endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America
East Bay Chapter (DSAEBC), include Melvin Willis, Gayle McLaughlin Jamin Purcell, Ada Recinos
and Jovanka Beckles.
In an interview with
Socialist Forum in 2018, Gayle McLaughlin recalled:
I embraced democratic socialism as young person back in the early 1970s right as the Vietnam War was ending. I was engaged with people who were involved with different
socialist organizations, and it was a consciousness-raising period for me. Once I came to understand that it’s an uneven playing field and the capitalists are manipulating the situation for their own benefit, it became clear that this isn’t the home of the
free and the United States isn’t a place that offers equal opportunity for all.
The Demcratic Socialists of America is not just an ultra-progressive organization; it is a strong mix of socialism, Marxism and communism, particularly
the East Bay Chapter. The East Bay Chapter regularly conducts events that some would see as anti-American, regardless of what political party you belong to, such as “Burn the Constitution: A Political Education Event with the EBDSA “ and the “Marxist Reading
Group. ” And then there is the “Socialists Fundamentals Communist Manifesto Pancake Breakfast,” where before chowing down, “We’ll read Marx and Engels’ Commumust Manifesto.”
For those unfamiliar with the Communist Manifesto, it includes as a core concept the abolition of provite property. “The
primary political goal of communism is not the elimination of personal belongings, but the abolition of bourgeois private property—specifically, private ownership of the means of production (like factories, land, and machinery).”
A major platform plank of the EBDSA is getting rid of police. Not reforming, not improving. Simply gone. From the EBDSA Platform:
For all of the working class to achieve collective liberation, we must constrain, diminish and abolish the carceral forces of the state, from prisons and police themselves to their
manifestation in all forms throughout society
and
“transition functions, such as traffic enforcement and mental health away from police departments into well-paid, public sector union jobs, “ and “disarm and demilitarize police.”
All RPA candidates have exchewed traditional arrest and a fair trial for alleged lawbreakers in favor of “education”
to prevent crime. This has worked really well, particularly with illegal fireworks and sideshows. “Sideshow Eduardo” even advocated making sideshows city-sanctioned events to provide healthy entertainment for young people.
Current City Council Member and candidate for mayor Claudia Jimenez is the most committed socialist of them all.
Like millions of other patriotic Americans, Claudia is a naturalized citizen, and took an Oath of Allegiance, as follows:
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I
have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
…that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
…that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
…that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
…that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law;
…that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and
…that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
When the Pledge of Allegiance is recited prior to City Council meetings, Claudia chooses not to participate.
Figure 1 – Caludia standing silently with arms at her sides during the Pledge of Allegiance
Her decsion not to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance is Constitutionally protected, so what is the issue?
It’s a First Amendment right. Well, so is burning the flag, rendering a Nazi salute and all of the hate filled, xenophopic and homophoblic rants of perennial mayoral candidate Mark Wassberg. Claudia’s choice violates no laws, but rather it is consistent with
a “burn it down” attitude about societal challenges. Do we work within the system to make a better America, or do we, like the Democratic Socialists of America, proclaim that the system is so broken that it has to be dismantled, including abolishng the ownership
of private property and eliminating police?
For years, RPA City Council members have urged that Wassberg be banned from City Council meetings becaiue of
his offensive rants, but those rants are protected by the same First Amendment to the Constitution that allows anyone to elect not to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.I had to eject Wassberg from City Council meetings dozens of times, not because of
the content of his speech, but usually for refusal to conform to speaker time limits. I got a lot of criticism from RPA members because I didn’t do more. The Constitution is their friend for some things but not for others.
Jimenez said the East Bay DSA’s expertise and participation were crucial to Richmond Mayor Eduardo’s win in 2022
and wrote in the questionnaire, “We’re hopeful we can replicate those amazing efforts this cycle, too.” In the questionnaire, Jimenez, who is now running for mayor, herself, said she is a democratic socialist who believes no one should profit from basic human
needs and that social and economic equity should guide political and economic decisions. She says she is most connected to organizing work around police accountability, police budget reallocation, environmental justice, and tenants’ rights.
While her campaign website mentions
community issues, such as “road repair, traffic safety, park enhancements, library renovations, landscaping, and other practical improvements that make Richmond a nicer place
to live,” she is most committed to reducing police budgets and has been a stalwart champion of Richmond’s police budget reallocation efforts. Jimenez has said the DSA can
play a crucial role in shaping her policies, and she will be accountable to the DSA by devoting her time and energy to causes supported by them. “I subscribe to the framework of co-governance, in which grassroots movements and politicians collaborate on policy-building
and exercising political power,” Jimenez wrote.
Jimenez has stated that she believes the housing market suffers from severe under-regulation, contributing to
the ongoing housing crisis. She would oppose proposals to increase the density of residences without affordability requirements and pledges to support proposals by anti-gentrification groups. “I am not aware of any tenants’ rights expansions that I would not
support,” Claudia has consistently opposed new housing projects that would have incuded hundreds of affordable units, characterizig them as “gentrification.” She made all housing more expensive by supporting the most expensive business tax structure in California,
which includes landlords.
Like other RPA members, Claudia is always right as well as self-rightious. She is quick to codemn others for
their actions but refuses to take responsbility for her own. Not too long after Rent Control was adopted (Claudia was a prime author), she failed to register her own rental with the City, excusing it as simply an an oversight.
More recenty, Claudia took credit for the establishment of
YouthWORKS, a City of Richmond program with the mission of equipping, “very Richmond youth ages 16-24 with the knowledge and experience they’ll need to be successful in real-world work environments through
work-based learning, financial literacy/work-readiness workshops, and personalized one-on-one career counseling.” Then she bragged about recruiting YouthWORKS participants to do community organizing for her. They were, she said in 2024, “out there door-knocking”
for her.
Claudia, who is the City Council liaison to the Citizens Police Review Commission, voted along with Eduardo,
Doria and Sue, against an independent ethics investigation following former Investigative Officer Threet’s resignation and whistleblowing, which would have examined Threet’s allegations and embroiled
Claudia and Sue’s husband. Both Claudia and Sue should have recused themselves..
Item N.7.a of the May 19, 2026, City Council meeting was “Approval of Write-Off of Uncollectable Accounts Receivable.”
It included $12,679.00 for the “UC Regents c/o Haas Institute – F[air] and Inclusive Society” (Now called “Othering and Belonging Institute”) Claudia’s (soon to be ex-) husband Eli Moore is
Director of the Community Power and Policy Partnerships Program (formerly the California Community Partnerships Program) at the Othering
and Belonging Institute. By law, Claudia should have recused herself, or at least explained her connection to the nonprofit, but she didn’t.
Similarly, Doria Robinson should have recused herself because of $4,883.00 for Urban Tilth, and she announced
that she was recusing, but instead of actully recusing herself, which means not participating in any dscussion, she wnent on the debate the item:
Doria: "I have a conflict of interest on N.7.a. Um, I believe that it’s actually an error that may have been corrected. But if it is not corrected, my organization, Urban Tilth, is mentioned in this,
um, accounts receivables. Um, I am the Executive Director of that organization, so that I need to recuse myself from that item.”
Eduardo: “Actually, N.7.a. will be…”
Pam: “Withdrawn.”
Eduardo; “Withdrawn by staff.”
Doria: “Yeah, because there were lots of errors…”
Deputy CM Mastay: “Uh, yes…”
Doria: “…including my organization being on there.”
Deputy CM Mastay: “Yes, Mr. Mayor, we will be pulling that…Staff will be pulling that item to go over and review the items, sms which will result in a new write-off list that we will present later.
And we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone.”
Doria: “Thank you.”
Eduardo: “We’re still on Conflict of Interest…”
Doria: “Then I … no longer. Thank you."
Eduardo: “So that’s resolved.”
Doria: “Thank you."
Like past Richmond elections, the 2026 race features a strugge between largely mainstrean California Democrats
and several candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
The California
Democratic Party platform, which is arguably the most progressive in America, falls far short for the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA),which has moved on to a socialist platform espoused by the East Bay Democratic
Socialists of America (EBDSA) and has previously endorsed Eduardo Martinez, Jamin Purcell, and Claudia Jimenez.
Moving on to Eduardo Martinez, he is also a self-proclaimed socialist who believes that all businesses providing
essential services should be owned by the government, as in Cuba and North Korea. If he had his way, farms, grocery stores, restaurants, barbers, clothiers, automobile factories, and homebuilders would all be run by the government under control of people like
him. “Any public good on which people’s lives depend should be publicly owned…” wrote Martinez in a EBDSA endorsement questionnaire. “I expect my support will primarily come from left-leaning voters..” Martinez and Jimemez visited Cuba in 2025, and Martinez
has been a frequent visitor to China.
Figure 2 – Martinez and Jimenez in Cuba
You don’t’ however, want the RPA running businesses, and you don’t want to give the RPA any more power over Richmond,
which is, itself, essentially a $300 million business. Fiscal responsibility is essential for a healthy city. At one time, fully half of the RPA city council members had experienced personal bankruptcy. While there is no shame in filing for bankruptcy, it’s
probably not the best qualification for public office; you certainly don’t see it listed as a qualification in their campaign literature.
The Richmond Progressive Alliance has built a solid base in Richmond that includes 30-40 percent of voters. That
base came through in the 2020 and 2024 elections to provide an RPA majority on the City Council.
But residents are showing increasing discontent with the direction the RPA majority is taking Richmond and appear
to be ready for a change. People are not happy with the RPA priorities of defunding police, perpetuating homeless camps, promoting sideshows and illegal fireworks, stopping effective street sweeping, penalizing businesses, putting the brakes on economic development,
and stopping new housing projects, including much needed affordable housing. Richmond residents would rather have a safe community, fewer homeless camps, and more housing than a public bank.
The RPA wants to spend your taxpayers’ money to fund a public bank run by their Berkeley friends to provide low-interest
loans to their other socialist friends. We already have public banks – four of them – in Richmond. They are called credit unions. Credit
unions are not-for-profit organizations that exist to serve their members. Like banks, credit unions accept deposits, make loans, and provide a wide array of other financial services. But as member-owned and cooperative institutions, credit unions
provide a safe place to save and borrow at reasonable rates.
Mainstream Democrats have a good platform and will pursue popular progressive polices without trying to stop
economic development, tax businesses out of Richmond, pursue NIMBYism, and turn Richmond into a socialist utopia.
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