City Council Candidates
In what may be the biggest electoral victory in the Richmond Progressive Alliance’s 13-year history, the political group has won two more City Council seats—giving it a majority on the council.
More photos from the scenes of Richmond’s elections.
Photos from around Richmond on Election Day.
Back in 2004, Richmond voters saw local election posters encouraging them to “Reach for a better Richmond” and promising them “New Leadership, New Ideas, New Ethics.” Now, six elections later, the up-and-coming political faction behind those fliers, the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), could wield more influence over City Hall than ever before.
Election day is just around the corner. Before everything comes to a close, we walked around Richmond, stopping at Civic Center Plaza and Marina Bay, to ask residents what they thought about the upcoming vote.
Who’s your money on for the Richmond City Council election? And where are you from? A local election doesn’t necessarily mean local money.
Cesar Zepeda may be new to Richmond’s politics, but he’s no stranger to community organizing. The longtime Richmond resident is the president of both the Hilltop District Neighborhood Council and the Hilltop District Homeowners and Stakeholders Association. He’s a co-founder of Richmond Rainbow Pride, the city’s first known LGBT organization.
Women have run in every Richmond City Council election since at least 1997. But this year, Richmond residents will have an all-male ballot of council candidates to choose from on November 8.
Melvin Willis, 26, is the youngest candidate vying for a seat on the Richmond City Council. He served as a Richmond Planning Commissioner from 2012 to 2014.