Priforce: Protect Press Freedom in Emeryville - Stand With Local Journalism

 Council Member Priforce Weighs In -

My Turn

Council Member Kalimah Priforce

The Tattler has always made itself available to all elected officials in Emeryville to use as a platform to reach out to the citizens for whatever reason they wish.  We call it 'My Turn'.  All electeds are always invited at any time to submit information in the public interest and the Tattler will post it verbatim.  Council member Priforce has requested a Tattler space in kind and we accommodate all Emeryville elected officials in this request.   This story submission was not suggested by the Tattler in any way. 

Protect Press Freedom in Emeryville—Stand with Local Journalism

By Council member Kalimah Priforce

Emeryville may be small, but we’ve always dreamed big—community kindness, safe and clean streets, mobility in our lives and on the road, and the power of everyday people - creating and innovating.

But none of that works without a free press - our collective voice.  Journalists like Brian Donahue of the Emeryville Tattler and local news hub, the E’ville Eye, shine a light where others won’t.  Whether you love his reporting or can’t stand it, Brian challenges our leaders to be honest.  And that’s something we all benefit from.

But today, that vital freedom—the right to know—is under attack.

For over 15 years, Mr Donahue has reported on Emeryville politics, exposing the stories that matter.  From toxic waste sites to addressing the genocide in Gaza, his annoying tenacity has rattled some powerful cages, and now those forces are striking back.

City Attorney John Kennedy is trying to silence him and the Emeryville Tattler — first with a "communication plan" barring city staff from speaking to him and threatening legal action just for asking questions outside public meetings to now pursuing a permanent restraining order against him.

It’s not unlike my own censure and sanction.  Both were pushed through during a time when Emeryville was without a permanent city manager—a vacuum where the city attorney had too much power from a majority of the city council and no one to rein him in.

This kind of overreach doesn’t just happen in closed sessions—it’s happening right here, out in the open. And it’s expensive: the city’s push for a restraining order against Mr Donahue has already cost us taxpayers over $50,000 and could easily double that when it's over. That's money that could be going to essential city services, alleviating rent burdens, or our public arts.

If we had a public ethics commission watching over City Hall, these abuses of power would be prevented.

And this isn’t the first time Emeryville has battled corruption.  In the 1920s, Chief Justice Earl Warren called us “the Rottenest City on the Pacific Coast” because of widespread corruption.  In the decades that followed, Police Chief John LaCoste ruled unchecked until the community demanded reform.  We’ve been here before.  And we’ve fought back.

The rights of journalists are under threat, across the country, freedoms we once took for granted are being chipped away.  I took an oath to defend the Constitution and to democratically serve the people of Emeryville.  I’ve had my share of disagreements with Brian Donahue, but this fight isn’t about liking a reporter or not.  It sets a legal precedent that can suppress the information flow of local news coverage stretching beyond Emeryville - and that hurts democracy.  It’s about protecting the right to hold power accountable.  If they can silence him and the Emeryville Tattler, they can silence any voice that challenges the status quo.

This is bigger than Brian Donahue and the Tattler.  It’s about who gets to speak truth to power.  You do.

I know asking for help isn’t easy for any of us and especially for Brian Donahue—it can sometimes feel like an admission of weakness.  But let me remind you: every time you've come to me about an eviction notice, a broken park seat, or a threat to your small business, I show up because asking for help is strength. That’s how we take care of each other. That’s how we win, by being stronger together.

These are our taxpayer dollars, our neighborhoods, our roads and parks.  Emeryville isn’t just buildings. It’s the people who call this city home.

I’m asking you to stand with me and protect what makes Emeryville special.  Show up.  Speak out.  Send your statements of support to priforce@emeryville.org and attend Mr Donahue’s court hearing on May 22, 2025, at 1:30 PM.  Let’s remind those in power that we won’t let journalism—and accountability—be silenced in our city.

Local journalism is about more than headlines. It’s about lifting every voice.

Let’s show this city what we're made of -

In solidarity,

Kalimah Priforce

Councilmember, City of Emeryville

FPPC Reports: Emeryville Mayor Guilty of FPPC Violations

 Mayor Mourra is Guilty of Violating FPPC Regulations

Double Standard on Council FPPC Rules Called Into Question

After investigation as a result of a Tattler inquiry, Emeryville’s mayor has been found guilty of violating California Fair Political Practices Commission regulations, the FPPC recently announced.  The investigation found Emeryville mayor David Mourra guilty of “violations”  but they found the violations were “de minimus” and because the mayor had since corrected his violations, they would not take action against him.  Earlier, the FPPC had also found Emeryville City Council member Kalimah Priforce guilty of violations that he (Priforce) had also corrected.  Like Mayor Mourra, the FPPC dropped their investigation against Mr Priforce because he had also since corrected his violations. 

Emeryville Mayor David Mourra
Guilty of violating FPPC regulations. 

Regardless of the guilty verdicts from the FPPC against Mr Mourra and Mr Priforce, the finding against Mr Priforce was cited as a reason to conduct an investigation of him by the City Council and ultimately to censure and sanction him for violations of Emeryville's  Code of Ethics.  The City Council was notably aware at the time of the censure and sanction against Councilman Priforce he had corrected his FPPC violations.

The letter about Mayor Mourra from the FPPC to the Tattler by James M Lindsay, the Chief Enforcement Officer for the State sanctioned agency, was unequivocal: Emeryville’s mayor is guilty of rules violations but because Mr Mourra had corrected his violations after the agency received a Tattler complaint that sparked their investigation, the FPPC would “not pursue an enforcement action in this matter”.   Mayor Mourra for his part, diminished the FPPC letter the Tattler received and to which he was cc’ed, when he was asked to comment for the public’s benefit.  He has made no statement on the matter since.

After Mayor Mourra failed to complete all his FPPC required filings, the Tattler filed a complaint with the agency resulting in a February story where it was reported he had an ongoing FPPC investigation against him.  Council member Priforce's late filings on the other hand, were made public by Mr Priforce himself, it should be noted.

No City Council member has yet initiated an inquiry into Mayor Mourra’s FPPC violations, drawing questions about the propriety of the Council’s Priforce investigation and action.  Because FPPC violations were used as the primary reason for the Priforce Council investigation and punishment, notably the same violations that the Mayor is guilty of, citizens would have a natural reason to inquire about the seeming double standard but the Tattler could not get a responce from any Council member, the City Manager or the City Attorney for this story.  

Because a double standard with regard to FPPC violations by Council members would be unethical and possibly illegal , the Tattler will continue to investigate this story.