Believing themselves righteously above the law, RPA candidates continue to flout State of California campaign laws
with impudence, knowing that officials in charge of enforcing the laws will take no action. When the illegal campaign piece shown below was brought to the attention of the city attorney, it was simply removed by Jimenez with no further consequences.
Figure 1 – Claudia Jimenez posing with uniformed ROCK staff, a violation of California Government Code § 3206
California Government Code § 3206 Prohibits public employees — including police officers, firefighters, and other
City staff — from participating in political or advocacy activities while wearing their official uniforms. Violations are punishable as misdemeanors with maximum fines of $1,000 or six months in jail. There can be other serious consequences for violating
City policy and California Government Code § 3206, including formal reprimands, unpaid suspension, demotion, termination, civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day the violation occurs, and if the photo was taken while the employee was on-duty or utilizing city
property, the action may constitute an illegal use of public funds for political purposes and be prosecuted as a misdemeanor. The FPPC can also issue administrative fines of up to $5,000 per violation.
Similarly, California Government Code § 8314
explicitly prohibits the use of
taxpayer-funded municipal assets—like fire trucks and stations—for political campaigns.
Public Resources includes state/local assets such as buildings, equipment, and
vehicles. While off-duty firefighters can support candidates, using municipal facilities or equipment for campaigns is
prohibited. Violations may lead to civil penalties, including fines up to $1,000 per day plus three times the value of the used resource, according to Section 8314(c)(1).
RPA candidates in Richmond, as well as City employees, routinely violate these provisions, but they have always had a “get out of jail
free” card courtesy of the City Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office.
Here are some examples of violations without consequences:
Figure 2 – Mayoral candidate Claudia Jimenez posing with a uniformed Richmond firefighter, Union President Mike Velazzquez, on her campaign Facebook page, a violation of
California Government Code § 3206
Figure 3 – The woman in the blue jacket is (third from left) wearing a badge that identifies her as “Richmond Fire Department.” The woman on the far right is wearing a badge that identifies her as, “Richmond YouthWORKS.”
Figure 2 – Here is mayoral candidate Claudia Jimenez posing with Youthworks staff and a firefighter in uniform, a violation of
California Government Code § 3206
Figure 4 – Is wearing a Youthworks lanyard and badge being in uniform?
Claudia Jimenez routinely misuses YouthWORKS employees for personal and political purposes. In her 2024 DSA (Democratic Socialist of America),questionnaire
for D6 re-election campaign, Claudia stated, "However, I make a point to take on young interns who I mentor extensively,
train to organize, and also provide constituent services. Two of my former interns helped build the coalition and sculpt the policy for non-citizen voting rights,
and my interns and I regularly doorknock in my district.” (June 2024 EB-DSA Convention Packet Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fyxl9e41fxPVyvnJlYCVD2B_GgVmjUazFNmgmfcn3uU/edit?tab=t.0
and Direct Link to Questionnaire: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F8e5t3Ms6Dg5qzwE3BXTskStttev926j/view)
In her 2026 DSA questionnaire, she stated,
"As a councilmember I took on young
interns who I mentored extensively, trained to organize, and also to provide constituent services. This practice will continue when I am mayor.” (March
2026 General Meeting Agenda Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zCPVHc41e72U0rJzgKZw49yOk5ZRNULoRIjhXM16lqI/edit?tab=t.0
and Direct Link to Questionnaire: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B2gN1Red4PHZHJqfcqO-TIpizvSDNWXm/view)
Jimenez trained and used YouthWORKS interns, who are City employees,
to organize, build a coalition and campaign for her 2024 D6 re-election via “door knocking.”
Figure 5 – Excerpt of Jimenez’ response to a question in a from campaign questionnaire form Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Figure 6 – Excerpt of Jimenez’ response to a question in a from campaign questionnaire form Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Figure 7 – Youthworks, a City funded program, is listed as a supporter of a political rally, the "Fossil Free Futures Festival."
Moving on to mayoral candidate Eduardo Martinez and District 3 candidate Doria Robinson, we see both of them posing
in front of a fire engine, a violation of California Government Code § 8314, along with a uniformed firefighter, a violation of
California Government Code § 3206.
Figure 8 – Martinez, Robinson and Richmond firefighter in uniform in front of a fire engine, violations of California Government Code § 8314 and § 3206.
Figure 9 – Martinez, Robinson and Richmond firefighter in uniform in front of a fire engine, violations of California Government Code § 8314 and § 3206.
Figure 10 – Robinson posing in front of a fire engine, a violation of California Government Code § 3206.
Figure 11 – Martinez, Robinson and Richmond firefighter in uniform in front of a fire engine, violations of California Government Code § 8314 and § 3206.
When I was mayor, the RPA and the city attorney erroneously alleged that I had violated some laws, and they, like Trump, used the full force of their office to go after me.
They passed resolutions condemning and censoring me, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars investigating me, and sued me, all to no avail.
The RPA, however, has a free pass; a “get of out jail free” card that apparently goes along with RPA membership.
It is important to bring these violations to the attention of the public, but we know that there will be no consequences for the Teflon-coated RPA candidates who perpetuate
them.
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