22 Jan Richmond Mayor Dodges One Censure, Another Is Pushed Back as He Proposes ‘Restorative Process’

One attempt to censure Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez was shot down Tuesday and another was pushed back, but a “restorative process” he suggested was approved. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The newest attempt to censure Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez over antisemitic social media posts that shared conspiracy theories about the Bondi Beach attack has failed, and it’s unclear when the original push could come back.

City Council members on Tuesday voted to accept a “restorative process” proposed by Martinez that includes participation in antisemitism training — which council members can also participate in — and meeting with local Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller. But they shot down a weakened censure attempt in a split vote.

Ahead of the vote and dozens of public comments, Martinez offered another apology to “take full responsibility” for the harm caused by the reposts.

“I understand that learning alone is not the same as repair, but learning is essential if repair is to be real and lasting. Richmond is a proud multifaith community, and our city is strong because we meet our challenges together,” said Martinez. “I believe in a future we can be proud of, not because we avoided mistakes, but because we face them together with courage and honesty.”

But Martinez also said that it was difficult to apologize, “not because one is insincere, but because there are people who are not ready to accept an apology.”

That was true of several who showed up to call for Martinez’s censure. Stephen London, a resident of the Marina Bay neighborhood, said he doubts Martinez recognizes the harm caused and that the meetings with Saxe-Taller were the “bare minimum for damage control.”

Martinez’s restorative process comes about a month after his LinkedIn reposts were publicized and he issued an apology and reasoning for some of the posts — including him being sick and misreading a post.

Calls for him to be censured or resign have mounted since. Over 80 elected officials called for him to repair his harm or resign, and the Jewish Community Relations Council has remained consistent in calls for resignation despite corrective action and apologies.

Support is pouring in too. At the last two meetings, Jewish community members and others have accepted Martinez’s apology and uplifted the work he’s done for the community.

Some of that work is what’s driving the backlash, supporters have said. The East Bay Democratic Socialists of America called for members to pack City Hall at the Jan. 6 council meeting to defend against “national Zionist political groups and corporate lobbyists in Richmond [which] have united to undo” the progressive movement’s wins.

Martinez and council member Claudia Jimenez — both endorsed by East Bay DSA in previous elections — as well as Vice Mayor Doria Robinson and Council member Soheila Bana signed on to the country’s first ceasefire resolution that calls Israel’s behavior against Palestinians in Gaza a “genocide.”

Those critiques and others against Israel are anti-Zionism, not antisemitism, Martinez supporters say. JCRC chapters, the Bay Area one of which also called to pack City Hall, often considers anti-Zionist ideas to be the same as antisemitic ones.

That view’s not shared by all Jewish organizations. Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area acknowledged the hurt created by the mayor’s posts in a statement following calls for his resignation but said that it is not antisemitic to criticize Israel.

“It is harmful to the Jewish community when a major pro-Israel advocacy organization sows division in city government and the community by attacking the Mayor in the way that it has,” JVP Bay Area said then.

Censure authors split on next steps

The original censure resolution authored by council members Cesar Zepeda and Jamelia Brown was not heard at the Tuesday meeting because of time running out, and it’s unclear when it could come back.

Ahead of the original censure, Zepeda proposed changes that would have included a line to the restorative process, stating: “The City Council formally censures Mayor Eduardo Martinez for engaging in conduct that reinforced antisemitic narratives, caused harm to the Jewish community and fell below the standard of care judgment and responsibility required of the mayor’s office; and unequivocally condemns antisemitism, including conspiracy theories, collective blame and rhetoric that normalizes or excuses violence against Jewish people and affirms that such conduct has no place in the city of Richmond.”

That was rejected, with Bana, Jimenez, Sue Wilson and Martinez voting against the revision. Robinson, Brown and Zepeda voted in favor of that language.

The continuation of the original censure also saw Zepeda and Brown diverging on how to proceed.

Council members shot down considering the censure at the Jan. 6 meeting, allowing Zepeda and Brown to place it on the Tuesday agenda. But Zepeda said he would continue the censure this time at an unknown future date.

“This is a complete embarrassment as a City Council member that we will stand in solidarity and say that this was antisemitic conduct and behavior, yet we don’t want to formalize it,” said Brown.

Brown said she agreed with “whatever you are all talking about because it’s very strategic.” Earlier, Brown had said she believed the restorative process was brought forward in an attempt for Martinez to avoid being censured.

And Brown was also critical of Martinez attempting to add language to the restorative process that would have said all council members were going to attend the antisemitism training.

“It just diminishes and undermines the conduct that took place when we’re all agreeing to go
to this training as if we’re going on a field trip,” said Brown.

Brown, who said it wasn’t that she wasn’t going to participate in training, suggested that the training should be mandatory for Martinez.

Martinez rejected that suggestion. “I do not need someone to say you must do this because when someone is forced to do something, you question the sincerity,” he said.

Council members passed the original restorative process proposal, with added language from Wilson that said most council members had also agreed to attend antisemitism training.