On June 2, Richmond voters will decide whether to reelect incumbent Mayor Eduardo Martinez or choose one of his four challengers instead.
Martinez, a former teacher, was elected mayor in the November 2022 election. Now, current Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, former Councilmember Demnlus Johnson III, Ahmad Anderson, and Mark Wassberg are challenging his reelection bid.
A candidate will need to secure a majority of votes to win the election. If no candidate can secure a majority, the two candidates with the most votes will continue to campaign, and voters will choose between the two in the November election.
Eduardo Martinez
After a career as a teacher with the West Contra Costa Unified School District, Martinez was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2014 and 2018, before winning the mayoral election in 2022.
According to his campaign website, one of the highlights from his first mayoral term was leading negotiations that secured a $550 million settlement from Chevron for the city.
In a statement posted to the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, he expressed support for raising the minimum wage, immigrant rights, rent control, and protections for renters against eviction without cause.
If reelected, he wants to reduce homicides in the city, develop downtown Richmond, and eliminate pollution from the Chevron refinery.
“I’m not a career politician,” his website reads, “I’m a retired teacher who believes in showing up for my neighbors.”
Claudia Jimenez
Councilmember Claudia Jimenez is one of the challengers running against Martinez. An immigrant from Colombia with a background in architecture and environmental planning, she was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2020 to represent District 6, which spans the northern and eastern parts of the city.
Jimenez counts strengthening sanctuary city protections, raising funds to address racial inequities, and increasing the city budget for infrastructure development among her achievements as a councilmember, according to her campaign website.
In her statement to the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, she said, “As mayor, I will continue to seek new sources of revenue and invest city money in practical solutions that Richmond residents have wanted for years.”
Demnlus Johnson III
Johnson was elected to the City Council in 2018 and served as the vice mayor of the city but did not run for reelection to the council in 2022.
In his statement, he lists crime, housing affordability, illegal dumping, and businesses leaving Richmond as some of the major problems in the city.
“Public safety is my top priority,” Johnson said in the statement. “I’ll support effective policing, invest in violence prevention, and expand programs that create opportunity and guide young people toward success.”
Councilmember Jamelia Brown and Contra Costa County District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover have endorsed his candidacy. His campaign website can be found here.
Ahmad Anderson
For Anderson, public safety, small business, infrastructure development, and environmental protection are priorities, according to his campaign website.
He refers to himself as someone with decades of experience in the private sector and has been the chair of the Richmond Economic Development Commission and Richmond NAACP Economic Development Committee.
In his statement to the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, he said, “Safety is not just about enforcement; it’s about creating conditions where crime is less likely to occur. I’ll lead investments in mental health response, violence prevention, youth opportunity, and housing stability.”
State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, state Sen. Jesse Arreguin, D-Oakland, Richmond Councilmembers Soheila Bana and Cesar Zepeda, and former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt have endorsed Anderson’s candidacy, among other elected officials.
Mark Wassberg
Wassberg is an actor, filmmaker, and television talk show host who is the fifth candidate in this mayoral election.
According to a candidate statement published on the city of Richmond’s website, he wants to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement affordable housing projects in the city. He also sees rising crime in homeless encampments as a serious public safety issue.
He points out public safety as one of his priorities and alleges the current City Council is making Richmond into a “welfare city.”
“If [I’m] mayor, I’ll be against it,” he said in the statement. “That money should be used for police, fire, and city maintenance.”