Residents ask District 6 City Council candidates what they will do about sideshows and smoke shops.

More than 100 people attended the District 6 City Council forum Monday night at Memorial Auditorium, pressing candidates Claudia Jiménez and Shawn Dunning about sideshows, smoke shops, rent control, public safety and the $550 Chevron settlement.

About 70% of the residents who came in person live in District 6. The forum also was accessible on Zoom. It was the second of three candidates’ nights to be co-hosted by media outlets Richmond Confidential, Richmondside, The Contra Costa Pulse, and El Tímpano.

Jiménez, an incumbent running for her second term, highlighted her efforts to secure the Chevron settlement, free the city from a predatory loan and create 500 youth employment opportunities. She said that while the community will determine how to spend the Chevron money, the city needs to “create an economy that is not as dependent as we are right now on the fossil fuel industry.”

Dunning, a conflict resolution consultant who has never held public office, pointed out the Chevron settlement is temporary, lasting for 10 years, and earmarked for the general fund. He said the council needs to address the budget more responsibly. He promoted a more collaborative model of government, mentioning more than a dozen times the need to bring residents’ voices to the table.

Former Councilmember Courtland “Corky” Booze asked what candidates would do about unlicensed vendors and smoke shops.

Jimenez mentioned that the previous 45-day moratorium on tobacco retail permits was extended until April 15, 2025, and that more enforcement staff will be added to address unlicensed street vendors.

Dunning replied, “There’s a lot of rules on the books, as has been mentioned, that are simply not enforced.” While saying he wasn’t promoting a larger police force as the solution to the city’s problems, he said the current staffing is inadequate to ensure enforcement. 

Another audience member asked Jiménez how the city’s education program to address sideshows was working. Jiménez said the city has made strides by investing $1.2 million in a traffic calming program as well as by adding more cameras and license plate readers. She said the council chose those tactics over more punitive measures. 

Dunning pointed out that sideshows remain a safety problem, and that last weekend, parked cars were damaged during an especially large event in the Hilltop neighborhood.

“I think the only education happening out there is how to do doughnuts more effectively, ” he quipped. 

District 6 includes North & East, East Richmond and Park Plaza. Its neighborhoods cut across ethnic and socio-economic groups. About half of the 19,000 district residents are Latino. And about 35% of families earn between $100,000 and $200,000 annually, which is higher than the Richmond average, according to U.S. Census data for the four census tracts that include the district.

Jiménez advocated for better representation of the Latino community, including bilingual members on city boards and support for immigrant street vendors. 

Tomasa Espinoza, a Richmond Rent Board member, asked in Spanish how candidates are going to approach rent control to protect tenants. She attended the forum with a group of residents wearing T-shirts that said “Rising Juntos,” an organization that advocates for racial, economic and health justice for Contra Costa families. 

Jimenez noted that Richmond’s Rent Board is entirely bilingual. She said the priority should be in supporting low-income renters.

Dunning said he agreed with state laws that protect tenants but added that there should be better policies to protect “mom and pop landlords.” He then questioned the salary being paid to the Richmond Rent Program director. 

“You cannot say you support rent control and then criticize how much money the director of the rent program makes,” Jimenez replied.

Jiménez, co-chair of the Richmond Progressive Alliance Steering Committee, is one of three council candidates backed by the RPA, which is trying to hold on to the majority it gained in the 2020 election, when Jiménez joined the council. RPA members have invested in her reelection.  

Campaign finance records at the end of September showed Jiménez had raised $55,303, more than any of the seven candidates running for council seats.  And donors affiliated with the RPA contributed about 22% of that total. Among them are Sue Wilson, a candidate for the District 5 council seat, who contributed $2,400, and Martha Gruelle, the RPA Steering Committee secretary, who gave the maximum $2,500.  

Dunning, who came in second behind RPA candidate Eduardo Martinez in the 2022 mayoral election, has raised $35,536. Some of his biggest contributors are Richmond philanthropist Stephen Chamberlin and PG&E. He also has support among many business owners and said at the forum that the Richmond business community has been demonized. 

Both candidates have support from labor unions. 

The news organizations will be co-hosting a District 5 election forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, at Easter Hill United Methodist Church, 3911 Cutting Blvd.

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District 1 City Council forum: Candidates tackle questions on how the city should spend new Chevron money, and other issues