Council Hypocrisy: Mayor Welch's Ethics Violation Ignored

Refusing Welch Charge, City Council Majority Politicizes Code of Ethics

Weaponizing the Code Against Political Enemies, Council Majority Uses New Law to Make Themselves Unaccountable

Welch Guilty But Cannot Be Touched

Meanwhile

Priforce To Be Brought Down

In September, after the City Council received a citizen complaint against the Mayor for violations of Emeryville's Code of Ethics described by the City Attorney, the Council majority chose to ignore it and instead they have taken up a complaint of their own against their colleague, Kalimah Priforce, for what the Mayor says are violations of the same Code.  This City Council politicizing of our Code of Ethics was predicted and warned against in 2023 by the City Manager, the City Attorney and ironically, Council member John Bauters who joined in at the time, cautioning the rest of the Council about “weaponizing” the Code as the Council prepared to certify it.  Council member Bauters is one of the gang of four Council members now weaponizing Emeryville's Code of Ethics.  Mayor Welch violated the Code by engaging in name calling against a citizen from her social media account, a specified prohibited act according to the City Attorney.
  

Mayor Courtney Welch
She is not constrained by the Code of Ethics
but her political enemy on the Council is.
It's an enviable amount of power she's
 been granted by her friends on the Council.

Emeryville citizens are now privy to antics at City Hall around this new law - they are going to see minority Council member Priforce censured by the Council for violating the Code of Ethics, but not the majoritarian Mayor Welch for doing the same thing; the very definition of politicizing.

The violations committed by Mayor Courtney Welch are direct and clearly identified by the City Attorney John Kennedy, author of the Code, but the charges against Council member Priforce have not yet been named by the Mayor, who brought the charges at the November 5th Council meeting to be followed through at the December 3rd Council meeting.  The City Council voted 4-1 (Priforce dissenting) to forward the Mayor's charges to censure Mr Priforce.  The charges against Mayor Welch on the other hand were brought by the editor of the Tattler and ignored by the Council majority, the favor of even an acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint, was not received. 

Council Majority Weaponizes New Law 

In September 2023 when the Council was voting to adopt the new law, then mayor John Bauters joined with the City Attorney and the City Manager, apprising his colleagues against the temptation to “weaponize” the new Code of Ethics in order to damage political opponents.  Mr Bauters told his colleagues, “The Code of Ethics is not intended to create winners and losers.”

The double standard exhibited by this behavior of the Council majority can be described as hypocritical and cynical but also it reveals a willingness to subvert and politicize the Code.  Council member Bauters is now himself complicit in the  politicized polarization of this law meant to rein in misconduct by the Council and other City officials.  Also complicit is Vice Mayor David Mourra,  Council member Sukhdeep Kaur and of course Mayor Courtney Welch.

This Council majority have succumbed to the allure of using the Code to hold a political adversary to account while at the same time refusing to be held to the same standard themselves; a clear politicization and weaponization of the new law. Without a check or a balance that could be gotten from an independent ethics commission as other cities have, Emeryville’s Code of Ethics has been revealed to be flawed law, flawed to the point that it is stoking discord, something the City Attorney specifically warned the Council against.

Mayor Welch Violates the Code

City Attorney Kennedy and City Manager Paul Buddenhagen produced an instructional video (see below) for the Council (and other City officials) to assist them in how to not violate the Code.  Mr Buddenhagen was explicit, “We don’t want this [Code of Ethics] to be weaponized.  We don’t want this to be a thing that initiates discord.”   

Mr Kennedy went on to describe exact prohibitions in the law violated by Courtney Welch against members of the public, “When they are acting in social media, they [the Council] are acting in their roll as a city official”, Mr Kennedy said in the training video.  He continued, “The Code of [Ethics and] Conduct is intended to show there is a certain threshold you have to follow here.  One is that you need to practice civility and decorum in discussion and debate.  So name calling, personal attacks, all of those things could potentially violate the Code.” (italics added)

The Code of Ethics is explicit and implicit in its description of unacceptable behavior like what the Mayor frequently exhibits.  From the Code: "Members shall refrain from abusive conduct, personal charges or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other Members, the public and staff.  This requirement is applicable to Members at all times."

 

After the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct was certified by the Council, Mayor Courtney Welch went on a rampage of name calling from her Twitter/X account, (cw4emeryville) calling the Editor of the Tattler a “misogynist” and a “liar” added to the earlier epithets “fuck boy” and “racist” (the latter two names were issued before the Council certified the new law and so she can’t be held accountable under the law for those two).

An independent ethics commission, like Emeryville’s neighboring cities have, would not likely have let the Mayor off the hook for so blatantly violating the Code in this case and fittingly, it was Council member Priforce that did try for a commission to be set up simultaneously with the Code of Ethics.  But the Council majority refused Mr Priforce’s request at their September 2023 meeting.  Vice Mayor David Mourra said he was not against the idea of an independent commission but he thought the Code should be certified first, “As a first step, it makes a lot of sense” he said.  However, the Council has not moved on setting up a commission and in fact, Mr Bauters subsequently said NO to the prospect.

Mayor Welch was contacted for comment on this story but she did not reply.  

The 'Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed City Officials' (Resolution 23-125) strangely, cannot be accessed at the City of Emeryville's website but the citizen activist group Emery Rising has provided a URL to it HERE.  

The meeting where the Mayor will bring charges against Council member Priforce for violations of the Code of Ethics and Conduct is Tuesday December 3rd at a 'Special Meeting' in the Council Chambers at 6:30 pm.  Anyone can attend.

Instructional Video for the City Council on how not to violate 

the Code of Ethics.

5:00: A City staff member asks about social media accounts

5:55: The City Attorney explains they have to act with decorum, even on their social media accounts.

They cannot call people names on their social media he says emphatically.

Mayor Welch heard this but she violated it anyway.

Bauters losing ground in County Supervisor's Race, Now Trailing Bas

 Breaking News

The latest tranche of votes were just released by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters and they show Emeryville City Councilman John Bauters now trailing Nikki Fortunato Bas 68,630 to 68,736 votes in the Alameda County Board of Supervisor's race (district 5).  According to sources in the Bas campaign, a "few more hundreds' of votes still need to be counted.  The County Registrar has not said from what regions within the district the last few votes that remain to be counted are.  Today's tranche leaves Mr Bauters 106 votes short in the 49.96% to 50.04% race.  

Breaking: City Council Majority Votes to Agendize Censure of Council Member Priforce

Breaking News:

Tonight at a special Emeryville City Council meeting, Mayor Courtney Welch moved to censure her colleague Kalimah Priforce for “numerous violations” of Emeryville’s new Code of Ethics to be voted on at a future City Council meeting.  The vote was 4-1 to agendize the item (Priforce dissenting).  

This is the first use of the Code of Ethics since it was certified by the City Council last year.

The Mayor did not describe what ethics violations she thinks Mr Priforce violated but even without any general description, her three colleagues voted to place the item on a future agenda.  None of the three Council members who voted with Ms Welch to agendize a censure, not David Mourra, John Bauters or Sukhdeep Kaur, publicly asked the Mayor what violations they were being asked to vote on, raising the specter of a possible private pre-discussion by Council members.  If such a discussion happened behind closed doors, that could constitute a Brown Act violation.  

The City Attorney, John Kennedy, gave a presentation to the City Council some months ago wherein he described that Council members or even City committee members are proscribed by the Code of Ethics; among the violations he listed is “calling people names” on social media.  Because the Mayor Courtney Welch (and Planning Commissioner Dianne Martinez) both violated this mandate, the Tattler submitted a complaint to the Council in October but they refused to hear it.  This fact plus tonight’s opaque misadventure shows how the new Code of Ethics has already been politicized by this Council majority.  The Tattler will report on how the Code of Ethics is being abused by the City Council in a future story.

Council member Priforce responded to the Council's action tonight, telling the Tattler, "None of this is a surprise to me or should be a surprise to anyone who has been following the hostility of this council towards me since before I took office with their collegiality pledge, the attacks I received on the evening I took office, and on multiple occasions they've attempted to silence or trivialize my presence on the council. They are afraid of my voice. They are afraid of the people's voice. It's not about me, it's about what I represent. So rather than laugh at their theatrics, I focused on the task at hand, support Calvin and Mia in their campaign to be our future council members and return city hall back into the hands of the people."

Cryptocurrency Titan's Last Minute Money Dump to Mayor Welch for Her Re-Election Bid

Breaking News:

Cryptocurrancy Bro
Jesse Pollak
He sees a good investment 
in Courtney Welch.

Emeryville City Council member (mayor) Courtney Welch’s re-election campaign received $5000 from right wing cryptocurrency entrepreneur Jesse Pollak in the last FPPC cycle before the election.  Ms Welch, who has long denied any connection to corporations and taken on a campaign slogan of “Working for the People”, seems to have waited until the very end to accept the money, upping her chances at election without having to explain the corporate money. Council member John Bauters has also taken money from the tech bro gazillionaire (and others) even as he denied it to various groups he sought endorsement from. 

Councilwoman Welch has flat out denied allegations of being a corporate Democrat from many progressives in the East Bay and she has publicly punched back against any making the allegation.  

Mr Pollak is part of a group of very wealthy right wing campaign donors who are funding the anti-labor candidacy of John Bauters for County Board of Supervisors and to swing the recall campaigns against the Alameda County DA and the Mayor of Oakland.

After the election, Ms Welch will presumably have a harder time denying she is a corporate Democrat (unless she goes with a Trump style double down).

Mayor Welch Says She's a Targeted Victim of a Green Party Typo

Election Nuttiness:

Fueled By 'Outrage Porn', Emeryville's Mayor Says Green Party's Typo Was Done On Purpose

Mayor Claims Victim Status Regardless of Apology

She Made the Same Error Herself in 2021, But Her Error 

Was Just "A Simple Mistake" She Says 

Emeryville’s mayor is crying foul over a typographical error made by the Green Party in their voter guide that she says was purposeful and meant to demean her and she is refusing to accept an official retraction for the error offered by the Greens.  Instead, she is repeating the slight all over social media despite the fact that she made the same mistake in her official candidate’s statement run up for her 2021 City Council run.  

The Green Party error came in their Green Voter Guide that left out the word ‘non-incumbents’ in a block of text.  So the original stated, “Council member Priforce’s slate of two, the only African Americans running for council, are Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty.”  As corrected, it was changed to “Council member Priforce’s slate of two, the only African Americans non-incumbents running for council, are Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty" (our italics).

Mayor Welch says she's Black and the Green Party is trying
to take that away from her.  It's so unfair!  But it's exactly like
how she tried to take away Brynnda Collins' Blackness in 2021. 
Brynnda has been Black since her birth but Courtney just ain't seein' it.

But in 2021, Council member Welch was on the other side of the same error, an error SHE made.  In her official Alameda County Candidate Statement from 2021, candidate Welch stated she is “…the first Black woman in 34 years to seek a seat on the Council.”  In fact, a Black woman, Brynnda Collins, sought a seat on the City Council in 2016.  After her statement was shown to be factually incorrect, the statement Ms Welch submitted to the County Registrar under oath as being factual, Ms Welch was forced to file voluminous legal paperwork with the County, correcting the mistake. 

Candidate Welch admitted she made a mistake with her 
false claims in 2021.  She admitted it only when Alameda County 
forced her to correct the error. 

At the time, the Tattler didn’t report on the story because we took Ms Welch at her word it was a simple mistake.  However, after she won the 2021 election, Council member Welch has been shown to be a petulant vulgarian, quick to lay accusations on and name call her constituents who disagree with her policies and her dissenting City Council colleague, Kalimah Priforce.

Not satisfied with the Green Party’s apology and retraction of the typo, Mayor Welch has continued to bring up the issue on social media, claiming without evidence, the first version of the voter guide was not a mistake.  She is not mentioning to her followers that the Green Party has corrected the error.  

What Mayor Welch is claiming is that the Green Party of Alameda County, by their typo, they're trying to take away her 'Blackness', the same thing, exactly, that candidate Welch did in 2021 to Brynnda Collins with the typo in her Candidate Statement when she tried to take away Ms Collin's 'Blackness'.

Perhaps sensing further political gain that could be made, Mayor Welch, who is Vice President of the organization Black Elected Officials of California (BEOC), released a public letter of condemnation against the Green Party of Alameda County stating the typographical error by the Greens had “deliberately misled” the people and they had therefore “undermined the democratic process".  Further, BEOC claimed, without providing evidence, “We are especially troubled by what appears to be a pattern of targeted disinformation against people of color and women.”  However, BEOC refused to provide any examples that would bolster their claim of such a pattern created by the Green Party, a political party that has anti-racism and anti-sexism among its Ten Core Values.  Finishing up their letter, BEOC demanded another public apology from the Greens.  

 However, the Greens were having none of that.  After calling the hyperbole from Mayor Welch a "political tactic", Green Party County Council member Greg Jan wrote a responce to the BEOC that explained they had already publicly apologized for the typo error and made the correction in their Voter Guide the same day they were alerted to it.  Mr Jan's letter shamed the Mayor and even connected Council member John Bauters into the Welch fabricated imbroglio, stating: “We do ask that Courtney Welch refrain from using her position as Vice-President of your body from further bullying the Green Party of Alameda County and our electorate with baseless attacks just as she and John Bauters have done with their elected positions against their council member colleagues.”

Seemingly incapable of shame, Mayor Welch has continued on with her attacks on the Green Party, inferring bad faith in their motives, prompting a response from Mr Jan who told the Tattler yesterday, “This Mayor doesn’t seem to want to accept our apology we publicly announced for the typographical error (in our Green Party Voter Guide).  It’s strange since the Mayor herself made the same error in her Candidate’s Statement last time when she ran for Council. We apologized for the typo and we’re moving on.  We think the Mayor should too.” 

Mayor Welch did not answer our requests for comment.

Outrage porn (also called outrage discourse, outrage media and outrage journalism) is any type of media or narrative designed to use outrage to provoke strong emotional reactions for the purpose of expanding audiences or increasing engagement.

Election '24: Elsie Joyce Lee Represents a Change for Emery Unified School District

Change Needed at Emeryville's Schools:

Elsie Joyce Lee For Emery School Board

Vetted by the People, Not the School Board

Opinion

By Tattler Editor Brian Donahue

The Tattler has long reported on the dysfunction at our little school district and this year it’s no different. Because we should not let dysfunctional government continue and because Emeryville’s schools are highly dysfunctional, we should vote for a new face with new ideas to break up the ossified insularity here.  We should vote for Elsie Joyce Lee for Emery Board of Trustees (School Board) because she represents the change that’s needed.

Emery School Board Candidate
Elsie Joyce Lee
A new voice for EUSD, vetted by
the people, not the School Board.

There are two Board seats in contention.  The incumbent running for re-election and the husband of the existing Board member Regina Chagolla, who’s also running, represent the status quo, the ‘no change team’.  Challenging them is Ms Lee, the change agent. 

My name, Brian Donahue, also appears on the ballot but I don’t want to be on the School Board.  I don’t want to win.  I only ran to force an election and give voters a chance to have a say in how their schools are governed.  Because I don’t want to be on the School Board this year, I’m directing anyone that would vote for me to vote instead for Elsie Joyce Lee and only Elsie Joyce Lee, a classic ‘bullet vote’ strategy.  This 'one vote only' strategy provides pro-change voters the best chance to get Ms Lee elected.  

Because I entered the race and forced an election, my job is here is finished.  Now it’s the job of the electorate to put a new face with new ideas on our School Board.

Emery Unified School District is academically the second worst school district in Alameda County (when controlled for the percentage of student English learners) and Emery gets the most funding, by far, over any other school district in the county.  Emery is funded at almost $28,000 per student per year.  The second highest funded district in Alameda County is Piedmont Unified at about $18,000 per student.  

Low scores and high funding: that’s a unique level of dysfunction that highlights Emery's unique level of mismanagement.  

Shockingly, the existing School Board members are defending the dysfunction, stating inexplicably, that we need to “keep Emery on track” .  They excitedly point to the fact that two years ago, Emery was the school district with the worst academic results of all 15 districts in Alameda County but now we’ve moved up to second worst, and that’s somehow worth rewarding them with your vote.  What they're not saying is at this rate of improvement, Emery will finally be a good school district in half a century hence. 

We Emeryville residents are very generous to the schools.  Our school parcel tax rate is legendary among districts around the Bay Area.  Other districts are jealous of the money Emeryville property owners lavish on their schools.  But while it's imperative for voters to adequately fund public schools in the community as we have done, we can't then just walk away.   We can't just continue to throw money at the school district and expect our job to be done.  We also need to hire good stewards for all the money we're investing.  The existing Board is remiss in their duty to the taxpayers, yes.  But more importantly, they are failing the students at Emery.  We need a change here in this locus of dysfunction.  Candidate Elsie Lee provides a chance for such a change. 

Ms Lee was not informed about this opinion piece before posting. 

Please see Ms Lee's impressive performance at the League of Woman Voters Candidate's Forum: School Board Forum HERE

https://youtu.be/Zs7RTtnwhFA?si=CcEKXHqj--czjX34

Emery's test score results are the second worst among Alameda County school districts
(when controlled for percentage of English learners).

Source: California Department of Education

Low test scores and high funding means
Emery is poorly managed.  The children suffer
when the schools are so terribly managed. 
Even though Emery is by far the highest funded
school district in the county, they spend the smallest
percentage on instruction (19% of budget).  Most of the
money goes to corporate educational consultants.

Source: California Department of Education

The Tattler Delivers to the People of Emeryville, a Choice in the Governance of Their Schools

 The Tattler Brings You 

An Election!

Emeryville Citizens Will Be Able To Vote For School Board This Year Because of the Tattler

Commentary

By Tattler Editor Brian Donahue

I’ve lived in Emeryville for 42 years and during that time, the citizens here have been able to vote for their school board only a few times.  Usually, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters does not hold an election in Emeryville because nobody seems to want to run for the school board position if incumbents are running, which they almost always are.  This year is different.  Because I decided to run, there will be an election and the people get to have their say about who runs their schools, a rare occurrence in Emeryville history.  Insularity is the thing at Emery Unified School District, democracy, generally not well-received.

How individuals rise up and become new Emery School Board members is by appointment by the Board rather than by election by the people.  It’s all legal. Insularity is locked in at Emery.

Here’s how it works in six steps:

1)  A Board member tells their colleagues they want to resign before their term is up.

2)  The rest of the Board appoints a favored replacement for a short term (until the next election).

3)  The appointed new Board member announces they are running as an incumbent in the next election, benefiting from the incumbent advantage.

4)  Nobody rises up to challenge because of the well known incumbent advantage.

5)  The County Registrar of Voters does not hold an election.

6)  The friend, newly appointed by the Board, gets to be on the Board for a full new term (unless they too quit early) without ever facing Emeryville voters.

This year I threw a monkey wrench into all that.  

Here’s how I forced an election this year:

1)  The two incumbents indicated they were going to run for re-election to the two seats in contention.

2)  I waited until two days before the deadline to see if anybody registered to challenge the two incumbents (which I hoped for but doubted would happen).

3)  Sure enough, nobody registered to challenge the two incumbents.

4)  I quickly registered, thereby forcing an election.

5)  The incumbent, Kimberly Solis, who was herself earlier appointed to the Board, withdrew her registration to run for re-election.  She obviously was waiting to resign until right after winning a second term with no election, enabling the Board to appoint her replacement (until I messed that up).  Her withdrawal forced step 6 to happen.

6)  The Alameda County Registrar extended the deadline to register by one week as they legally are required to do when this happens.

7)  During the extended registration period, with two seats up and only one incumbent, a new challenger who wants the seat and who would be good at it (Elsie Joyce Lee), quickly registered.  Democracy flowered.

8)  The Board quickly found a favored replacement to run for the open seat against Elsie Lee (and I); the Board's choice is the husband of an existing Board member (who will get something close to an incumbent advantage in the election with the whole Board’s endorsement). 

Elsie Joyce Lee was not going to run for the Board until she saw a seat open without an incumbent. As a result, now there are four people running for two seats; one a straight incumbent, one, the husband (a near incumbent who may not get the full incumbent advantage), Elsie Lee and I.  This brings the possibility of the rarest of things, a new face and new ideas at Emery Unified, vetted by the people instead of the School Board.  

Seeing how Ms Lee, a very good candidate for any school board, is trying for the one open seat against two competitors (me and the husband of the existing Board member), I will make an announcement about this soon.

Emery schools are terribly run, just as they have been for years.  We’re the second worst school district in Alameda County (more on that in a future Tattler story).  At the same time, Emery is the best funded school district by far, in the county.  To be second from the bottom and at the top for funding means the management is terrible.  The culture that enables this terrible condition at Emery to continue for decade after decade is the cynical insularity promulgated by the School Board, their friends and family members.  A real election with the people of Emeryville deciding, could be the beginning of much needed change.  

My Turn: Council Member Kalimah Priforce

 Council Member Kalimah 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.  

The submittal from Mr Priforce this time is a little unusual in that he requested the Tattler ask him questions regarding the November election and his run for changing the mayoral selection process in Emeryville.  He said he would respond for the Tattler's My Turn feature.  Here then is the result of that, for your edification:

The Tattler: Emeryville voters don’t elect our mayors and yet you were endorsed to be mayor by Our Revolution East Bay and Igor Tregub, Chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party recently accused your voter guide mailers as confusing voters. Can you elaborate?

Kalimah Priforce: Emeryville’s mayor is selected, not elected.  It’s a broken system that can be fixed with this Nov. 5th election by voting for Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty.  If you aren't registered to vote in Emeryville, you can still vote in person at the voting booth. Just bring proof of residence with you just in case.

When Mae Jamison became the first Black woman to be in space on the Endeavor shuttle in 1992, she was approached about what this history-making moment meant for her. Her response was that it was an opportunity to bring more seats to the table.

The problem with our politics in Emeryville is that the table is shrinking as the city is growing.  That table is the affordability to work, live, and thrive in Emeryville. The table is the ability to own a residence as a first time home buyer.  The table is the ability to move into Emeryville and stay in Emeryville.

As we were designing the voter guide mailers that had drawn so much attention, I labeled the ideas and feedback from the Emery Rising Neighborhood Group into a folder on my computer as “Project Folding Chair.”  The mailer would be a folded piece that featured Mia and Calvin as the candidates to vote for, and allowed me to remind Emeryville voters what is at stake with this upcoming election by sharing how I was skipped as their next mayor.  If it can happen to me, it can happen to all of us.

Shirley Chisholm is popularly quoted as saying, “If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”  The most important table that is shrinking in Emeryville is how decisions are made and how city planning is directed by the city council.  That is why we are facing a budgetary shortfall. The same ideas are being circulated because they are generated by the same special interests.

So, no - no one can “vote” me as mayor, but as I shared in my blog (www.votepriforce.com) about this controversy, my running for mayor is about supporting candidates who have the vision and character to restore what was broken and will return us to our rotational mayorship model but codified to give everyone a fair chance to be mayor, including myself - the lone dissenting and progressive voice on this council.  I’m Haitian.  I never have a problem standing up to colonizers and their sycophants.

I’d like to thank Our Revolution East Bay for endorsing my mayoral run and all those who believe in my work in Emeryville, including Van Jones who also endorsed my mayorship run.  For some reason, they get it, but Igor Tregub of the Alameda County Democratic Party doesn’t.  But then again, he’s just looking out for his friend, Courtney Welch, and turning friendship into politics at a time when our local party is facing not one, but two recalls.

Tell our readers more about Emery Rising.  Is it like Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE) that helped elect council members into office?

Emery Rising is very different from RULE.  We are a neighborhood group spun out of the Emeryville Tenant Union which is based on the Berkeley Tenant Union.  Calvin and Mia are members of the ETU that grew out of the Courtyards 65th Tenant Board.  The basis for the growth of community organizing was our recognized need for single-family homeowners, workers and small businesses, and even churches to have a seat at the table.

If you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu.  These groups have all seen the corporatization of Emeryville and how planning decisions are being made without community input - just surveys city hall sends out that are barely responded to in a city of 13,000.  Just as the Berkeley Tenant Union is helping to guide the Emeryville Tenant Union, REP-SF which stands for Race and Equity in all Planning Coalition have been successful in San Francisco at bringing diverse voices together to build collective power at the city planning level that prioritizes the dignity, health, stability, and aspirations of our communities, by placing the needs of the people over profit.

Emery Rising is coalition structured so we can not accept individual members.  We can only accept groups. Group membership can be as small as five people and as big as a thousand.  This encourages grassroots organizing within pocket communities in Emeryville, and we will soon be set up so that these groups will be non-profit fiscally sponsored so they can raise their own tax-exempt funds, take out insurance, and operate as legal entities but without being over-burden with paperwork.  That is what makes us a neighborhood group that can transform our politics, because Emeryville needs it.  We will be hosting workshops and events after the November election.

Although it was my FPPC ID on the mailers, it was designed with community input by the Emery Rising community.

There has been controversy surrounding the Green Party of Alameda County endorsement of Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty and of you as mayor with their distributed voter guide and Courtney Welch’s claim that her race wasn’t acknowledged.  Can you address this?

Yes, and Igor Tregub “denounced” and called on everyone in the Alameda County Democratic Party to denounce the Green Party’s typographical error.  There are only so many times a person can “cry wolf” before people get the idea of what is happening and tune out. I'm glad Emeryville is getting this attention, so I thank Igor for that.

Currently of the six candidates for city council, only three have been endorsed by a local political party, Courtney Welch (Democratic Party), Mia Esperanza Brown (Green Party), and Calvin Dillahunty (Green Party).  All six candidates are registered democrats vying for three city council seats, two of them incumbents.

In order to be endorsed by the Democratic Party, there had to be a voting threshold to be met by its voting body - none of whom live in Emeryville. Only Courtney Welch met that threshold, and there’s a reason why.  Voting members were called and instructed to only vote for her. Some of them refused, others were outright disgusted by their request (gentle threats) and informed me, while others, those closest to her, capitulated.

I will add the voting results to my blog so everyone can see that she was bullet-voted several times when there were three possible picks out of six.  That tells me several things: (1) the people who chose to only vote one person don’t give a damn about us in Emeryville, especially since they don’t live here and are not vulnerable to their voting-outcomes, and (2) the other candidates who she endorsed and have endorsed her never had a chance for an endorsement and were essentially sabotaged.

Some people voted ideologically or were persuaded by the endorsement forum to support Mia and Calvin because they strongly oppose what is happening in Emeryville and stand with the Emery Rising movement, but those who decided to only vote for her when Sukhdeep, Matthew, and Sam agree with the mayor on practically everything - shame on them.  At the end of the day, no matter the beef, tension, or outright opposition I have with Sukhdeep, Matthew, and Sam, all three are still Emeryville (Sukhdeep alone has lived here two more years longer than I have), so when you mess with Emeryville, you mess with me (well maybe not Sam…I’ll go into details as to why with one of the next questions).  Growing up in Brooklyn taught me that.

The Green Party of Alameda County responded to my request that they correct their endorsement text. They explained to me that “non-incumbent” was unintentionally not included and that they would rectify it and produce a statement to address the outrage theatrics that were being performed by my fellow democrats.  I took them by their word and they did what they said they would do.  From what I know the Green Party takes a lot of cues from the Tattler, but the people I messaged were separate and kind enough to make those changes.  You didn’t write that endorsement and I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to allude that you did.

There are three seats available for City Council, would you consider a third candidate besides Mia Brown and Calvin Dillahunty?

Out of the remaining four, I’d be open to consider Matthew Solomon for the third seat.  I think Matthew can better listen to constituents once he finds his bearings as a leader.  My impression of Matthew is that of a follower.  If caught between choosing to side with the people versus the status quo, I think he would buck to convention.  With all the housing committee meetings I’ve attended, I study body language and Matthew seemed to always look towards Ned Resnick, the California YIMBY policy director, for approval.  He considers himself a YIMBY which raises several red flags. 

For example, when John Bauters pushed for Emeryville to have the East Bay’s tallest high-rise (dubbed Mount Bauters) with the Onni Group that would have had 638 apartments and only 55 of them three bedrooms - all rentals, would he have sided with the people or Bauters?  Or when Bauters pushed for the Trader Vic’s development by Trachtenberg Architects that would have placed a rental property next to a condo haven without community input.  When the people of Watergate stood up for themselves and rejected the plans, would he have sided with Bauters or the people of Watergate? 

Or when John Bauters invited an electric scooter competition to race through our streets but could not raise the sponsorship to pay for it and thus if we would have pursued it, our taxpayers would have footed a million dollar bill, would he have sided with the people or Bauters?   I just don’t see him as a strong candidate but a repeat of the last ten years of the YIMBY takeover of our city, but he has potential to be more.

I couldn't even see Sukhdeep Kaur’s 'pizza bribe' mailer coming from a mile away.  Last week I had to deal with two resident evictions in Emeryville.  The last thing the people of Emeryville need is a pizza discount and it's disappointing that she thought it was okay and not tone deaf when people are struggling to pay their own bills.  It delivered a, “let them eat pizza/cake,“ message to neighbors of mine who didn’t take it kindly and tossed them in the mailroom trash.

If Ally Medina hadn’t intentionally held on to her seat until after the November election, Brooke Westling would have been a council member.  Unfortunately, Emeryville lost out on a brilliant woman with a lot of love for Emeryville who would have been strong enough to stand up to the status quo.

From the 49 minute video mark on the December 19, 2023 meeting to the 2 hour 2 minute mark, Emeryville residents can view on YouTube an opportunity for city council to enact better-than-ADA policies around easier door access and mobility for our seniors and differently abled - get flushed down the drain.  And for some reason, Sukhdeep Kaur blames others for why the legislation did not pass rather than take responsibility for not getting it through and I made a lot of effort for it to.  Sometimes Sukhdeep can stand on her own, but it's extremely rare because she looks for her power to come from the top and not from the people.

While I was collecting signatures for Mia and Calvin at the Emeryville Public Market, I was with my sister and her trivia team when I was approached by Sam Gould.  He asked me who I was gathering signatures for and I told him it was for city council candidates.  He asked me if I were able to gather them on behalf of the other candidates.  I directed him to speak to the city clerk if he had any elections-related questions or to schedule office hours with me - as his council member, and ended the conversation.

I was sitting down and he was standing over us - this unhinged White man questioning a diverse table of people that included women, Black, queer, and differently-abled just off of work and wanting to have a relaxing time.  You and I have had conflicts about why I don’t approve or excuse when it’s done by you.

He then turns to my sister and asks her who I am gathering signatures for.  My sister, a Black woman from Brooklyn, looked at me with an uncomfortable expression on her face, and so did everyone else at the table. I got upset and demanded he leave us alone.  He wouldn’t. Another friend of ours at the table told him to go away and that he was creeping everyone out.  I suggested that they take out their cameras, and that was when he walked away.

If you have noticed a surge in online negative comments on matters related to Emeryville, Sam Gould creates most of them.  I tried warning the Emeryville public that his trolling behaviors were problematic, but it remains his preferred method of attack, by using anonymous postings with pseudonyms.

As a hacker, there are ways for me to uncover this kind of activity, and with a network of friends to help me, all the digital fingerprints lead back to him and his friends.  As negative as his postings are, the biggest issue I take with him is a lack of service.  I don’t believe he is someone Emeryville voters can trust to fight for them.

At the student’s candidate forum, he gave Emeryville the grade of “A-” for how the city is doing.  He not only tows the YIMBY line like Matthew, he sincerely believes in it.   If you read his answers to questionnaires, he talks more about trickle-down housing economics or transportation than he does about the people of Emeryville.  I believe that if he is elected, he would be Emeryville’s next Ally Medina.

Overall, I don’t care for their group-think politicization of ECAP. Early on as council member, I supported the city investing more into ECAP so that the food bank can be more independent and my plan involved providing them org-to-org mentorship, a residence for Nellie Hannon, and support for a succession plan. They didn’t get that because city staff were directed to lock ECAP into their housing plan.  I left it alone because those decisions were being made around John Bauters' ego and that’s never a good thing. 

As a non-profit, ECAP is in a vulnerable place to be so dependent on the city for support and then is touted for photos-ops, or in the case of the League of Women Voters (Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville) as a candidate question about food insecurity in Emeryville when a majority of those who use our food bank are not residents of Emeryville.  I’ve spoken to the heads of food banks in our region and they have commented on the politicizing of ECAP that prevents the organization from merging with others to provide better services to the public.

What are your politics? You claim to be a progressive and a Democrat but you seem to be non-typical. What can Emeryville voters expect from a Mayor Priforce, should Calvin and Mia win and vote to change our mayorship selections?

I am a Progressive, but in California so many claim to be.  I don’t believe in playing the game “who is more progressive.”  A woman’s right to choose, marriage equality, Black Lives Matter, don’t ruin the earth - all these things shouldn’t be what makes people progressive.  They should be what makes us American, because these values are American values - the bare minimum.

To be a progressive is to see and want progress towards the fulfillment of what our constitution promises but fails to deliver.  On the ballot are issues like removing carceral slavery and rent control - in 2024.  That means that as blue as our state claims to be, there is something broken with our politics and that liberalism is highly subjective when faced against corporate greed and monopolization forces (neoliberalism).

So I can be considered a progressive populist.  Populism right now has been hijacked by the right-wing because the left have failed, with each election, to connect with those who want systemic and structural change - on both sides of the political spectrum.  Platitudes don’t keep our lights on or help us find childcare or even feed our babies.

For example, if I were mayor, my first future agenda item would be placing on the ballot box a change to Emeryville’s status from being a general law city to being a chartered city.  Not only will this help us financially, but would require us to have an independent public ethics commission. 

Why is this important?

Some people have heard of the incident of Mayor Courtney Welch screaming and yelling at me that it reached the entire building.  Mia Esperanza Brown was one of the first people to talk to me about it. If she were to make an ethics complaint with the city attorney, it would be rejected.  The way the newly formed code of ethics process works is that only a council member can make a complaint against a council member, not a constituent.

If a council member wants to bring a formal complaint against another council member, that council member must first request a future agenda item at an upcoming public council meeting and receive majority support of the council for that matter to be placed on the agenda.  The council member bringing the complaint is required to submit to the city attorney the factual allegations and relief requested within 10 days after the council agreed to place the matter on a future council meeting agenda.

The council member against whom the complaint was filed must be afforded notice of any proposed action to be taken by the council and an opportunity to refute the allegations.  Finally, any discipline imposed by the council is determined by majority vote of a quorum of council members.  This can be found on page 10, Section C of “Council Members” under “Sanctions for Violations of Code of Ethics and Conduct by Members”.  This convoluted process was created to keep the power within the city council and thus we don’t have credible oversight.

What’s also not my politics is this trend of delegitimizing.  Delegitimizing was a tactic that was made popular by Republicans during the birther controversy created by Donald Trump used against President Obama. Nancy Rosenblum of Harvard U in 2016 wrote “Why Americans Must Resist Delegitimizing Partisan Combat,” which talks about how people are silenced for disagreeing with one another.

Courtney Welch and Igor Tregub launched a “denouncement” attack against the Green Party of Alameda County for their mistake, but Courtney Welch made a similar mistake in 2021 when she claimed she was the first Black woman in 38 years (at that time) to run for office when it was found to be untrue.  Do I think she should have been delegitimized for that?  No. Less than one year later, Eugene Tssui made a similar mistake by claiming he would be the first Asian on city council, and didn’t acknowledge that Emeryville had a Filipino mayor.  He didn’t know, but who jumped on him about that? John Bauters, Courtney Welch, Ally Medina, and Dianne Martinez - the person this offended.

I offered to Dianne Martinez an opportunity for Eugene Tssui to apologize to her and make amends.  She refused. I had then suspected that it was because the “outrage” was playing so well on social media.  At the next candidate forum, I squashed it by suggesting we all move on from the gaffe. I think that was the moment they all realized I was not like them and never could be.  It’s also why I’ve muted them all from my social media, but constituents who find their attacks reprehensible send me screenshots then I apologize to them on behalf of the city for their behavior.  I believe that should Calvin and Mia not be elected, this politics will continue.

So it's not surprising all their efforts to delegitimize The Emeryville Tattler.  What people don't understand is that if this publication didn't exist, what and who would fill the void of holding elected officials accountable?  I don't see anyone else stepping up and unfortunately The E'ville Eye isn't enough.  The E'ville Eye serves a different purpose and sometimes a different audience, but some of the breaking news and exposé stories that have appeared here are part of our history as a city.

Do I agree with everything the Tattler does?  No.  Do we agree to disagree when it comes to your tactics? Yes. But somehow Americans want to feel safe without asking how our military actually does that, or what our police officers actually have to go through.  I'm vegan and I see people eating animals without ever stepping into a slaughterhouse and killing livestock themselves.  We want the product, not the process.

Some of the Tattler's methods are questionable, but the things you uncover have tremendous value to the people of this city.  The Black Panther Party were once considered a nuisance and now they have attained legendary status.  So it's not surprising that many of them would prefer The Emeryville Tattler be out of the picture.

I'd like to put to rest this delegitimizing that you are somehow racist or misogynistic because you dare question women or Black people.  Fraudulent identity politics is exhausting.  You certainly can get obsessed and funnel visioned, but are you the one that plummeted Emeryville's Black home ownership numbers?  City Hall did that, and yet you're the racist?  God save us all from these political platitudes.

My only request is that you tone down your physical presence in front of people once they have shared that they are uncomfortable and that you don't show up to private events and private spaces asking your questions or while people are working (because you wouldn't want them to show up to your job site) when they reject your questioning.  I understand you take these steps because city hall and elected officials have not been responsive in ways that they could not get away with if this was Sacramento or even Oakland.

Just the fact that I can trust you to publish my admonishment of these matters demonstrates integrity.  The Emeryville Tattler has an important place in our political accountability discourse.  We govern better as public servants because of both publications, the E'ville Eye and the Emeryville Tattler and I'm probably the first elected in Emeryville history to state that on the record.  You need to come up with a succession plan!

What if Mia and Calvin don’t win and you don’t become mayor?

I’ll continue to serve the people of Emeryville in my current capacity as council member.  Of course, I won’t be able to lead better tenant protections or help institute policies that would make Emeryville nationally renown for public safety and affordability, but I’m still a hacker, so I’ll figure out ways to make an impact, because that is what we do.

The Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party has named me Bay Area Vice-Chair and so my ideas and talents will continue to be channeled politically, but to support progressives regionally and statewide.

I’ve learned in life that when things don’t work out, it’s usually because I was thinking too small and God wants me to go bigger.  That is why all those petty social media comments from any of Sam Gould’s fake online personas or by some random astroturfing YIMBY doesn’t land on me and aren’t worth a response.

If anything I find them quite amusing, because my day-to-day world is only local when it comes to addressing the needs of Emeryville residents, businesses, and workers, but my non-municipal life is so much bigger and global in reach.  I also have a memoir to finish, “How To Raise A Hacker.”

I do need to work on my self-care admittedly.  I showed up to the harvest festival with a catheter attached to me that I hid from public view but needed to inform people in case they were expecting one of my famous hugs.  I came straight from the emergency room, napped for an hour, and sat with Our Revolution East Bay's first appearance in Emeryville, along with Calvin. 

I also want to be of better support to my baby brother who just got married.  In a few days will be the 24th anniversary of our eighteen year old brother who was shot and killed.  I just need to take care of myself better.  Not being mayor may actually be a relief!

I’ve done incredible work in my life and I’ll continue to do so. I’ve come too far to let anyone stop me.

City Council Election '24 Questionnaire: Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty

 This City Council election season, the Tattler continues its 15 year tradition of  disseminating answers put to City Council candidates for the edification of the voting public.  The upcoming City Council election features six candidates competing for three seats.  The six are: Mia Esperanza Brown, Calvin Dillahunty, Sam Gould, Sukhdeep Kaur, Matthew Solomon and Courtney Welch.  Courtney Welch is an incumbent as well as Sukhdeep Kaur (who was appointed to her position following the resignation of Council member Medina).   Unfortunately, both Ms Welch and Ms Kaur declined to take part in this opportunity to inform the voters about their ideas for our town.  Accountability being an integral part of any democratic polity, voters should take into consideration, candidates who don’t respect the community enough to answer questions.  

We thank each candidate that took the time to answer these questions for the voters to consider.  Our City Council is improved when democratic norms are followed, when the politicians show deference and respect to the voters.  We thank Sam Gould, Matthew Solomon, Calvin Dillahunty and Mia Esperanza Brown.

Each of the other candidate’s answers to these questions will be posted in succession, the names were picked at random.  Next up are two candidates running together as a slate, Mia Esperanza Brown and Calvin Dillahunty.

Mia Esperanza Brown

https://www.miaforemeryville.com/

1)  Name the three biggest issues facing Emeryville right now and what are your ideas to address them?

Decorum: Making our politics in Emeryville better and more accessible to everyone. We need to change how we select our mayors and make it about an election and not a selection

Affordability and lack of tenant protections: Lowering barriers to home ownership in Emeryville & reversing the downward trend of declining Black and Brown home ownership.  Allowing tenants the right to organize, allowing tenants to be first bidders to purchase rental property once it enters the market. This would be similar to Berkeley’s TOPA but before it was weakened.

   

Public safety and working with our officers to ensure the community feels safer and working with Kalimah and Calvin to gather community feedback about a substation (mini police station) in South Emeryville.  I would add more license plate reader cameras but with significant oversight from the public.

2)  Emeryville is the East Bay city with the lowest number of families per housing unit.  Why is that and what do you suggest should be done about it (if anything)?

I’m a mother of two children under three who has had to deal with eviction notices in Emeryville.  I believe the affordability of living in Emeryville is slipping away from us because we haven’t had people in office who are fighting for working families.  Before getting my current apartment, I was on a waiting list for a year.  We don’t have enough units that people can afford, but some developers are tired of this “no-parking” trend that our city council has demanded from them.  Carless cities for families aren't real and aren't pragmatic, practical, or progressive. It’s elitist.

This can be very frustrating and disheartening for families who do not have time to wait and need housing and SPACE!  Also having adequate parks and parking spaces for families can be crucial.  We also need to provide better support for our schools.  I have a friend in Emeryville who may be leaving just because she wants her daughter to attend better schools.  No parent should have to move just to afford opportunities for their children, and it isn’t EUSD’s fault, it’s ours for not coming up with an education master plan as a city.

3)   What do you think about Council collegiality?  Is being collegial with each other important to help facilitate the people’s work?

I think that council members should respect each other’s views even if they do not agree or have the same beliefs.  All council members should be doing what is best for the community and the people of Emeryville.

I’m guessing those who don’t understand why this is important also have the privilege of not being aware of workplace discrimination, especially as a woman, woman of color.  Being passed up for opportunities because you have a difference of opinion or because you are different should not have a place in city hall.

As council member, I would vote to put back in place the rotating of mayors to end favoritism.

4)  Is there enough accountability between Council members and the constituents?  If not, what is the solution?

Absolutely not. The hurdles it takes just for someone like me, for anyone to file a grievance about council members is impossible.  I’ve been in Emeryville for a few years but I used to think like everyone else that Emeryville was like Oakland and Berkeley in how we govern and prevent corruption. It’s not!

We could be better at accountability and responsibility by holding our elected officials to a higher standard.

5)  Is it important to build more park land in Emeryville going forward?  If so, how much do we need and how will you deliver it?

Yes. I would follow the general plan.

6)  What tells you how much market rate housing to build in Emeryville?  Is it knowable (measurable)?

RHNA, but I think we have had more than enough market rate housing. The other candidates are build, baby, build, but we’re not building low-income and low low income units like we should.

7)  Is the ratio of rental housing to ownership housing in Emeryville good?  If not, how will you address this issue for the Black and Brown community there are more renters than homeowners in Emeryville.

I think we are in a renter’s phase that could last fifty years from now, especially when we keep using bonds to borrow money that we’re paying for, for over a century.  As a below-market-rate renter we need to have a voice on our city council.  There is a below-market-rate renter on there but she’s all about the build, baby, build along with the other YIMBYs.  We need real advocacy so the barriers that were created in our BMR home ownership program that reduced the number of new homeowners just to ONE over a span of years, never happens again.

8)  Should Emeryville have a public library?  If so, how?

No. The Golden Gate branch should suffice especially since we are in a budget deficit.

9)  The City Council resolved support for the people of Ukraine, but not for a ceasefire in Gaza.  Was that correct in your view?

I support ceasefires worldwide.

10)  What should be done about all the empty storefront retail space in town?  Do developers have a responsibility to rent out their retail space they built?

One of the reasons why we have empty storefronts is because we don’t support our local businesses like the 40th Street Multi-Modal project that threatens to shut down our legacy businesses.  Calvin and I would join Council member Priforce in proposing a vacancy tax for residences and commercial properties and units.  If you have the space, fill it up, if not, pay a fee that will go to support eviction-prevention and our schools.

.                        .                        .

Calvin Dillahunty

https://vote4calvind.com/

1)  Name the three biggest issues facing Emeryville right now and what are your ideas to address them?

I believe the three most important opportunities for growth in Emeryville that I happen to be focused on are public safety, lack of support for small businesses and their workers, and our climbing deficit. Our slate, “Emery Rising,” is about new city leadership learning from the mistakes of the past so we can govern in a better way than what exists now.

Council member Priforce has been preparing Mia and I for these roles, whereas Mia Esperanza Brown is focused on some areas, I’m focused on others and then there’s some overlap. I believe in progressive policing and that the relationship between the city and our police force should be healthy and Emeryville as a whole should feel safer for everyone. Public safety is more than just policing. It includes fire, hazard, and disaster preparedness systems, but we can’t be prepared for the worst if we are in a deep financial hole.

I was picked to be on the slate because of my business background and maybe I can be considered naive for bringing my customer service and technical expertise into city government to resolve our deficit, but we do have to do a better job of keeping our local businesses around in Emeryville like the 40th Street Multi-Model and how it’s hurting businesses that have been with us for years.

By hearing from them rather than dictating to them, we can come to a better compromise than what they are getting. What’s currently on the books of how we treat people in Emeryville isn’t working, so I would help with better small business support, widen our police presence with a substation in South Emeryville, and fix our deficit by reforming the city’s relationship with big developers. No more of these shady dealings to finance political campaigns.




2)  Emeryville is the East Bay city with the lowest number of families per housing unit. Why is that and what do you suggest should be done about it (if anything)?

We need better tenant protections, and we have to make sure landlords actually rent out properties. This is both for residential and commercial. Emeryville feels empty, like we are building for companies that won’t come and sticking residents with the bill for them not showing up. To support families in Emeryville we have to increase home ownership opportunities and improve our BMR (Below Market Rate) program for owners and renters.

Most of all, we need a Vacancy Tax similar to other cities so properties and units won’t sit empty for long without there being a cost.




3)  What do you think about Council collegiality? Is being collegial with each other important to help facilitate the people’s work?

It is, but not at the expense of independence. If I were a council member, I would represent my constituents, not my own interests. I attended a council meeting last month and several times while I was there it was giving me “high school,” vibes. I probably wouldn’t be in politics if it weren’t for Councilmember Priforce because he showed me that my voice matters.

I admit, Mia and I waited until the last minute to get our paperwork because we heard that politics gets ugly in Emeryville and I stay away from drama. All this talk about Kalimah using us as political tools is disrespectful and the people making these comments (I heard it’s just one guy) are cowards. You have something to say, say it to my face. Don’t be a coward. Keep the drama to yourself and respect that Mia and I want this because it’s time for change in Emeryville.

My building was sold right from under us and my car was broken into, and they act like everything is golden. The way the city council carry themselves, they make it seem like they only want certain people belonging up there. That’s not collegial. It’s high school.




4)  Is there enough accountability between Council members and the constituents? If not, what is the solution?

It’s hard to have accountability when everyone is expected to sound the same and care about the same things. Does everyone have to be so focused on housing and transportation? What about other parts of the city? What about balancing our budget? We need better ethics. Let the people decide.

The best way to have accountability is to have different people on the council so there’s a greater balance of viewpoints and experiences, but that’s not our current council.




5)  Is it important to build more park land in Emeryville going forward? If so, how much do we need and how will you deliver it?

I think we should follow our General Plan that tells us we should be building more parks. We just got a new park extension, which is great, but we are so behind from where we should be. I don’t want to promise to build more parks until we fix our budget, but I’m open to it.




6)  What tells you how much market rate housing to build in Emeryville? Is it knowable (measurable)?

We have the RHNA numbers that informs us how many units we should build, but we are building more luxury housing than affordable housing, and so we’re not even following those numbers.




7)  Is the ratio of rental housing to ownership housing in Emeryville good? If not, how will you address this issue?

I’m a renter so I think it’s good, or else I wouldn’t be here, but I don’t want to be a renter forever, and I would like to stay in Emeryville. The weather is much better here than Arizona.

Home ownership is key to any city that wants to grow, but it’s also a vehicle for economic mobility, a wealth builder, and I was pretty pissed off that we created ways to stop people applying for our BMR ownership program in the past. It was discrimination and it wasn’t during my father or grandfather’s day, it was within this decade. We need more homes we can own in Emeryville and we can protect renters while also protecting single-family homeowners.




8)  Should Emeryville have a public library? If so, how?

My first instinct is yes. It's everyone's gut reaction to say yes because who doesn’t like libraries? When Council member Priforce explained to me the cost of having one rather than supporting the Golden Gate branch, I understood why we don’t have one. I’d rather we focus on the art center instead as a priority.




9)  The City Council resolved support for the people of Ukraine, but not for a ceasefire in Gaza. Was that correct in your view?

I support all ceasefires worldwide.




10)  What should be done about all the empty storefront retail space in town? Do developers have a responsibility to rent out their retail space they built?

We should put a vacancy tax on them until they find a tenant.

City Council Election '24 Questionnaire: Matthew Solomon

This City Council election season, the Tattler continues its 15 year tradition of  disseminating answers put to City Council candidates for the edification of the voting public.  The upcoming City Council election features six candidates competing for three seats.  The six are: Mia Esperanza Brown, Calvin Dillahunty, Sam Gould, Sukhdeep Kaur, Matthew Solomon and Courtney Welch.  Courtney Welch is an incumbent as well as Sukhdeep Kaur (who was appointed to her position following the resignation of Council member Medina).   Unfortunately, both Ms Welch and Ms Kaur declined to take part in this opportunity to inform the voters about their ideas for our town.  Accountability being an integral part of any democratic polity, voters should take into consideration, candidates who don’t respect the community enough to answer questions.  

We thank each candidate that took the time to answer these questions for the voters to consider.  Our City Council is improved when democratic norms are followed, when the politicians show deference and respect to the voters.  We thank Sam Gould, Matthew Solomon, Calvin Dillahunty and Mia Esperanza Brown.

Each of the other candidate’s answers to these questions will be posted in succession, the names were picked at random.  Next up is Matthew Solomon.

Matthew Solomon

https://www.solomonforemeryville.com/

1)  Name the three biggest issues facing Emeryville right now and what are your ideas to address them?

The three biggest issues facing Emeryville right now are: 1) a high cost of living for residents, particularly for housing; 2) a budget deficit and challenging trends for city revenues; and 3) businesses struggling with changes to the Bay Area economy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I plan to address these in the following ways: 

1. Lower housing costs by allowing more housing of all types to be built for all types of residents to ensure people have options that work for their needs. At the same time, we should ensure tenant protections and provide support to keep people in the housing they currently have or provide housing that meets their needs. 


2. Work with city staff to preserve essential services in a more cost-effective manner, and identify other sources of revenue as needed including new development and businesses.


3. Identify pain points for local businesses and promote businesses in the city to ensure regional competitiveness. 

2)  Emeryville is the East Bay city with the lowest number of families per housing unit.  Why is that and what do you suggest should be done about it (if anything)?

Some factors that might lead to this include the current housing stock (which is 64% studios and one bedrooms) not offering enough space for families to grow; a historical focus on developing the city for young professionals commuting to SF; and a school system that ranks lower than surrounding cities, especially for upper grades. Specific policies to address the housing stock can include more family-friendly housing of 2- and 3-bedrooms units, which Emeryville currently requires in all new developments and of which we should potentially incentivize more. Emeryville should also pursue demand-side solutions such as the first-time homebuyer program. I contributed to the revamp of this program as a member of the Housing Committee, and it would enable current residents to see a long-term future in Emeryville.

The Council can increase livability, vibrancy, and affordability for residents by ensuring people can easily move around the city and to surrounding areas without needing a large car to transport children to all activities, including and especially on major arteries such as 40th Street, Shellmound Street, and San Pablo Avenue.

3)   What do you think about Council collegiality?  Is being collegial with each other important to help facilitate the people’s work?

I’ve served on and chaired two Emeryville advisory committees, and on each have prioritized member participation and representation. This includes leading an effort on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to increase diversity and community engagement. While we do not always agree on every issue, these committees have been impactful because they have been collaborative and found common ground. City Council collaboration could lead to improved policymaking, as each Council member brings a different perspective and can ensure that policies are addressing residents’ needs and achieve their desired effect. With that said, conflict on the Council is sometimes inevitable when people have different opinions, and these situations should be dealt with professionally and respectfully with the focus being on helping residents and the city.

4)  Is there enough accountability between Council members and the constituents?  If not, what is the solution?

Council members are accountable to constituents through elections, but if elected I would aim to be accessible to and communicative with residents on an ongoing basis to ensure I understand the community’s needs and perspectives. This would include responding to resident emails, hosting town halls, and engaging with the city’s advisory committees.

5)  Is it important to build more park land in Emeryville going forward?  If so, how much do we need and how will you deliver it?

I work professionally at a climate change research nonprofit and understand how important parks are for residents’ mental health, the climate and environment, and for offering a community a space to gather and grow. Emeryville should deliver more park space by creating a city-wide parks plan, identifying specific lots that can be converted to parks (as was done recently at the Boyd’s Auto Body lot), and by ensuring that new developments have open space that is truly accessible to all residents, as was accomplished with the Emery development. 

6)  What tells you how much market rate housing to build in Emeryville?  Is it knowable (measurable)?

The numbers from the Association of Bay Area Government’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation provide a reasonable minimum starting point for how much market rate housing should be built in Emeryville. However, I do not believe our focus should be on identifying the exact right amount of market-rate housing to build, and instead we should acknowledge that more housing will provide benefits to all, including current residents. Emeryville will be better off allowing more dense housing of all types as it creates a more vibrant city by paying for more park space, infrastructure improvements, and deed-restricted affordable housing, and increases tax revenue which supports essential services such as public safety, education, and support for small businesses. In addition, current Emeryville policy requires market-rate housing developments to include a certain percentage of units as affordable, so allowing more market-rate housing means Emeryville gets more affordable housing without needing to pay for it from our city budget. Current economic conditions are making developers rethink developing and constructing new units, so we should work with them to ensure that projects move forward on a timely basis so that Emeryville residents can see the benefits.

7)  Is the ratio of rental housing to ownership housing in Emeryville good?  If not, how will you address this issue?

There is no perfect ratio of rental housing to ownership housing, but the city should pursue a balance so that people at all stages of life can achieve the housing they want, with an eye towards supporting those in our community who need the most help. A policy of housing abundance will be able to provide more overall rental and ownership housing. To the extent new developments are disproportionately rental units due to Bay Area housing economics, the Council should review what the barriers to development of new ownership housing are to understand whether there are interventions that would be worthwhile.

8)  Should Emeryville have a public library?  If so, how?

I support the idea of better access to public libraries for all residents and am a frequent user of the Golden Gate Library on San Pablo. I’m open to learning more about the costs and benefits of Emeryville opening its own public library, but I do not currently think that the convenience benefits of opening a new library in the city will justify the ongoing costs. As a lower-cost starting point, we should make it easier for all residents to easily access the library system for which we already pay, especially those with families or mobility challenges.

9) The City Council resolved support for the people of Ukraine, but not for a ceasefire in Gaza.  Was that correct in your view?

Acknowledging the importance of the issue and the immense pain and suffering that Gazans and Israelis are experiencing, I do not think that the City Council should focus on foreign policy issues, especially those with complex and divisive histories. The Council’s priority should be on policies that are in the city government’s jurisdiction and can address residents’ needs, particularly local and regional issues where we can have the most impact. 

10)  What should be done about all the empty storefront retail space in town?  Do developers have a responsibility to rent out their retail space they built?

It is in the best interests of all in Emeryville for empty storefront retail space to be occupied. New businesses would serve local residents, provide revenue for property owners and the city, and increase vibrancy and public safety. No one likes walking by a building and seeing a half block of empty windows. The City Council should work with property owners to identify the barriers to filling their retail space and understand the costs and benefits of policies that could address these barriers.