18 Jan Richmond Council Gets First Female Supermajority, Loses RPA Majority

Claudia Jimenez, from left with hand raised, Sue Wilson and Jamelia Brown being sworn in Tuesday for their terms on Richmond City Council after winning seats in the November 2024 election. (Photo for CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Richmond’s swearing-in ceremony this week welcomed three incoming City Council members, two of which take the place of some of the city’s most visible progressive figures.

Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez, who won reelection in District 6, and new council members Sue Wilson of District 5 and Jamelia Brown of District 1 took their seats Tuesday to a room filled with supporters.

With the addition of the two, said Mayor Eduardo Martinez, women make up a supermajority on the council for the first time. It was “a historic moment,” he said.

“I owe this resounding victory to all Richmond residents in District 6 who believe in what I have done and voted for my platform,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez, whose daughter read her oath of office in Spanish, won with 62% of the vote to secure her second term.

Wilson, who takes the place of the retiring Gayle McLaughlin, also thanked those who voted for her. For those who didn’t vote for her or are outside her district, she said she’ll be serving them as well.

“Though I’m elected by the people of District 5, I know that each of us on the City Council has a responsibility to act in the best interest of all Richmond residents,” she said, “not just the people who voted for us in our home districts.”

Brown, who defeated incumbent Melvin Willis, similarly thanked her voters and spoke about working together.

“I look forward to strengthening the relationships with the council, the city staff and Richmond residents all across this city as we work together to build a brighter, more prosperous future for our communities,” Brown said. “I know that we will achieve great things, and I’m excited for what lies ahead.”

All three said they know there is work to be done.

“The pressing issues that we discussed during the campaign were heard loud and clear,” Brown said.

“We also have to think about the future, what the next generation of Richmonders will wish what we did with the time we have now,” Wilson said.

Jimenez said that was also true on the national level, pointing to President-elect Donald Trump’s win.

“I am committed to supporting our immigrant community, particularly our undocumented brothers and sisters, so everyone, despite their immigration status, has a voice on the council, feels represented, feels safe in our community,” she said. “Our diversity is our strength, and as an immigrant woman, I deeply understand the lack of representation and the fear that families can be ripped apart by domestic and foreign policies.”

Thanks to outgoing members

Over the past 20 years, either McLaughlin or Willis has always been seated on the council. Appreciation from the local, state and federal level was given at Tuesday’s meeting for their work.

Jimenez said that McLaughlin, who co-founded the Richmond Progressive Alliance and was first elected in 2004, “paved the way.”

“Your commitment to progressive policies and supporting residents without compromising your values were incredible,” she said.

During her time on council, of which eight of those years were as mayor, McLaughlin pushed for several progressive policies. Some of those, including a ceasefire back in 2023, were the first in the nation (a resolution Willis also supported).

>>>Read: City of Richmond Officially Stands With People of Palestine<<<

“The Richmond City Council honors and commends Gayle McLaughlin for her transformative leadership and unwavering dedication to the people of Richmond,” Martinez, reading from a proclamation for McLaughlin, said.

McLaughlin and Willis also received recognition from Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors District 1 Supervisor John Gioia and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi.

McLaughlin’s work on “addressing homelessness and listening to the voices of those who are homeless is an example of the commitment to really translate peoples’ voices into action,” said Gioia.

Willis has worked “tirelessly to support the residents of the city of Richmond,” Harpreet Sandhu of Garamendi’s office said of Willis, noting his work on increasing the minimum wage and extending healthcare to undocumented residents.

McLaughlin and Willis shared some of their plans and hopes for the future.

“As for me, some of you know that I am in an anthropology graduate program, and I will be doing some major research that will intersect with Richmond,” she said. “Just let me end by saying, City Council, city staff and community, it’s been an honor.”

“Make sure that we’re leading — you are leading — with integrity, respect, honor,” he said. “Any issues or personal grievances we may have with one another or the situation, try to keep them outside the door.”

Those departures mean the end of RPA-endorsed candidates holding a majority on the council.

“However, we remain hopeful that we as an organization still wield the influence needed to hold our elected officials accountable,” the RPA said on its website.

The next Richmond City Council meeting, where council members will vote on a new vice mayor, is Jan. 21.