[1:05:07] It.
[1:08:34] Has overstayed her two minute bathroom break.
[1:08:48] It is now time for the regular meeting of the Richmond City Council.
[1:08:51] We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.
[1:08:57] Jesus. To the.
[1:09:07] One nation with liberty and justice for all.
[1:09:11] Liberty and justice for all.
[1:09:38] Are we ready for roll call?
[1:09:45] Yes. Roll call, please. Council member Ghana. Here.
[1:09:50] Council member Brown. Here. Council member Jimenez.
[1:09:54] Presente. Council member Robinson. Here. Council member Wilson.
[1:09:58] Here. Vice Mayor Zepeda. Here. And Mayor Martinez.
[1:10:03] Presente. Okay,
[1:10:07] our next item is statement of conflict of interest. Are there any none
[1:10:14] hearing? None. Item J was
[1:10:18] left on the agenda by mistake.
[1:10:22] It should go to the January 20th agenda.
[1:10:26] So item J has
[1:10:30] been withdrawn from the agenda.
[1:10:34] Okay. We're under agenda review. Item P1 has
[1:10:38] been continued to February 3rd and
[1:10:44] that's by staff's request. We have
[1:10:48] two. Oh, okay. We want me to
[1:10:52] announce we have two emergency items. Yep. I was going to bring
[1:10:56] forward an emergency item. Is this the right time?
[1:11:00] I'm sorry. P1 was moved to when?
[1:11:04] February 3rd.
[1:11:13] Council member Wilson. Is 03A
[1:11:17] still on the agenda for the SS readout victory?
[1:11:21] I'd like to take that off. Consent. Okay, hold on one second.
[1:11:28] Okay, so is this the item where you were speaking with.
[1:11:32] Okay, so that's the item. I'm sorry, P1. Yeah.
[1:11:36] I remain with your MP1 tonight. I was hoping to have.
[1:11:39] Have 03A continued. Yeah,
[1:11:42] 03A is continued to February 3rd. Okay.
[1:11:46] That's the item. You got that? Correction. So does that mean that P.
[1:11:50] P1 is. P1 is still on the agenda. Okay, thank you.
[1:11:55] Okay, then we have two. I would like to bring
[1:12:00] up a emergency agenda item and
[1:12:05] then this. I'll need some assistance from our city attorney.
[1:12:07] Bringing in an item and I think everyone has a
[1:12:12] copy of it which is a censorship item. As the emergency
[1:12:16] item, per Government Code Section 549542 A2
[1:12:21] of the Brown act, which states that the need for action arose after
[1:12:25] the agenda was published. And in fact the agenda was published one
[1:12:29] day before the post controversy came to light. And waiting until
[1:12:33] next meeting will continue to cause harm to our community. Many of our Richland residents
[1:12:37] feel unsafe by the mayor's actions. And also we have a lot of people here
[1:12:41] to speak on the. The item potentially.
[1:12:48] So I'm asking of a legal. Does it meet the requirements
[1:12:52] for an emergency item? I can give you the leg standard,
[1:12:56] but it's up to you all to make the determination. And there's a vote
[1:13:00] needed, 2/3 majority vote to add an
[1:13:04] item on which is an exception to the Brown Act. And I
[1:13:08] can re articulate the exception or the exception now if that would be helpful.
[1:13:12] The first prong of this immediate
[1:13:15] action exception is that the need for the action
[1:13:19] arose after the agenda was published. And my
[1:13:24] understanding is the agenda was published for the January 6th meeting on
[1:13:28] Wednesday.
[1:13:31] You can clarify that it was published on Friday,
[1:13:34] December 19th. Okay, Friday, December 19th.
[1:13:37] And there is a need for immediate action.
[1:13:41] Immediate action is required because
[1:13:46] of undue harm. And it would be required to act now
[1:13:50] instead of on the regular regularly scheduled
[1:13:54] next meeting, which would be January 20th. I can articulate
[1:13:58] the standard, but it's up to you all to make. To make a vote and
[1:14:01] to make that determination.
[1:14:07] Okay, thank you. So I also. An emergency
[1:14:11] it. We. We should do them one at a time.
[1:14:15] Okay. Okay. So emotion part of
[1:14:20] that request as well will be to hear this agenda item because there's a lot
[1:14:23] of people here, I'm assuming, to. To speak on it one side or the other,
[1:14:26] that this item be heard above any other agenda items tonight
[1:14:31] so that there would be. The motion is to accept this agenda
[1:14:35] item of censorship as the emergency item before
[1:14:39] any other items. Okay. I want a clarification.
[1:14:42] Are you saying before consent calendar? Yes.
[1:14:50] I'd like to make a friendly amendment that we,
[1:14:53] if this passes, that we do consent calendar first because it's
[1:14:58] items that are essential to the movement of the city forward.
[1:15:01] I can take that. Okay. Do we have a second? I Second.
[1:15:07] Yes. Are we doing this? Not yet.
[1:15:11] We need to vote.
[1:15:15] Do we discuss whether to put it. To put it on emergency?
[1:15:19] Yeah. Is that a discussion? Yes, because I'm ready to discuss that.
[1:15:26] So there's a standard for putting last minute items.
[1:15:30] So for those of you who aren't policy. City council
[1:15:34] policy nerds. We are governed by what's called the Brown
[1:15:38] act, which. Which are the rules for open and transparent meetings.
[1:15:43] And the idea is that the public should have a
[1:15:47] chance to know what's on an agenda before it reaches
[1:15:50] an agenda. And certainly those of us on the city council should have an
[1:15:55] opportunity to know what's on an agenda more than 72 hours
[1:15:59] before we're asked to make a decision on it.
[1:16:03] And there are certain cases in which
[1:16:07] so there's some emergency or some extreme harm that's
[1:16:11] going to come from us following those rules.
[1:16:15] I want to say that while I want to acknowledge that
[1:16:19] I know that there is a lot of anger and frustration
[1:16:22] on every side of this issue, I do think it's
[1:16:27] really important that we properly agendize council
[1:16:31] items. I have not read this censure
[1:16:37] proposal, this emergency. I know some of you it's circulated in the community.
[1:16:40] Some people are telling me what's in it. I have never seen it before.
[1:16:44] And so to ask me right now to make a decision on it, I think
[1:16:48] is bad public policy. I don't think that it rises.
[1:16:52] So I think it's important that I, as a council member and the
[1:16:56] public have a chance to see it on an agenda and review it before
[1:17:00] a decision is made. And upholding these sort of Brown act
[1:17:04] standards for transparency. It's important even when there's
[1:17:08] a group of people waiting to speak and even when we're feeling pressured. I would
[1:17:12] actually say it's more important to uphold these standards when
[1:17:16] people are here putting pressure on us to just toss them aside and throw something
[1:17:21] on the agenda because they want to talk about it. I could say more,
[1:17:24] but I'm going to stop there. I just want folks to realize that. That I
[1:17:29] don't think it rises to the standard of an emergency item. I don't think
[1:17:33] there's harm that will come from waiting two weeks to have
[1:17:37] it on a proper agenda item on a city council meeting.
[1:17:40] So I'm going to vote no on the emergency item.
[1:17:49] Yeah. Thank you, Council member Wilson, for.
[1:17:54] I think I feel like there is a lot of other harm
[1:17:59] that had happened. Louder. There's a lot
[1:18:03] of harm that had happened in our community for many, many reasons. And it doesn't
[1:18:07] get to this point of putting it on our agenda.
[1:18:11] And I feel like we cannot just
[1:18:16] rule by political reasons in a
[1:18:20] way that divide our community.
[1:18:24] I feel like if this agenda item
[1:18:28] can be a discussion and it can
[1:18:32] be putting into an agenda item for another
[1:18:36] time with the proper rules and procedures
[1:18:40] that we follow, and that could be
[1:18:44] the way that we can do it in the community
[1:18:48] that is here, can speak in open forum.
[1:18:52] It's not like we are censoring what you are going to
[1:18:57] say, whether one or another. But I feel like bringing
[1:19:01] something that it doesn't meet
[1:19:05] all the standards of an emergency item,
[1:19:09] then it put us in a situation where everything could be an
[1:19:13] emergency in many ways.
[1:19:17] So I feel like it's important that
[1:19:21] this issue is discussed.
[1:19:24] There is different opinions. I am not going to say
[1:19:29] or to be open about
[1:19:33] that because these are complicating issues that we are discussing
[1:19:37] here. But I just feel like in some
[1:19:42] ways this is the
[1:19:45] first time in the year we should be talking
[1:19:50] about how we do an example
[1:19:54] of how we can follow rules and procedures
[1:19:58] for the meetings and just putting
[1:20:03] something that we haven't read that we are not going to be
[1:20:07] informed, that the community is not going to be informed.
[1:20:11] As I said before in my comments,
[1:20:14] I think is an overreaching of a
[1:20:19] really complicated political issue because this
[1:20:23] city and this progressive council has been outspoken
[1:20:27] about the horrific things that are happening in
[1:20:31] Palestine. So I will be voting no on this emergency
[1:20:36] item and I will be voting no on these resolution.
[1:20:41] So thank you.
[1:20:53] So, any other council members?
[1:20:57] Council member Brown, thank you so much.
[1:21:04] I think that when we talk about an emergency item, it's just that it's an
[1:21:09] emergency. So we don't anticipate it. We didn't anticipate
[1:21:13] this. I think that if you have a pulse and
[1:21:18] you're in the city of Richmond, then you know what's transpired,
[1:21:22] you know what's going on. So to say that
[1:21:27] you didn't have an opportunity to read a resolution does
[1:21:32] not negate the fact that we have
[1:21:36] a responsibility as a council to answer to the community.
[1:21:40] Again, this resolution is not about assigning intent
[1:21:44] or punishment, but about acknowledging the harm
[1:21:48] that there's a consensus on the council that harm was done.
[1:21:52] This resolution is about restabilizing our community,
[1:21:58] whatever side you're on. It's about restabilizing the city of Richmond being
[1:22:02] one Richmond also, it's about, again,
[1:22:06] fulfilling our responsibility as a council. We don't get to escape
[1:22:10] and say we didn't have time to read or we don't
[1:22:14] want to take out time to read the resolution. It's not really dense.
[1:22:18] It's a quick read. So I think again, we have a responsibility
[1:22:23] to answer to the public. We can't say that justice
[1:22:29] can wait for people who are. Who have
[1:22:32] expressed harm, who have expressed feeling unprotected
[1:22:37] in our community. And as the sitting government,
[1:22:40] we don't take heed to that or we don't rise
[1:22:45] it to the level of seriousness. So while it may not
[1:22:49] impact you directly. It impacts someone. And when someone
[1:22:53] is impacted, we can't tell them how to feel, how to not feel offended,
[1:22:57] or you need to wait to have a resolve.
[1:23:01] So, again, I'll stop there. I will be voting yes
[1:23:04] on this resolution. I actually called.
[1:23:13] All right. Vice versa. Mayor Cepeda.
[1:23:17] I wasn't. I wasn't finished. I wasn't finished. I wasn't
[1:23:21] finished. I actually called for the mayor's resignation. However,
[1:23:25] I think the censorship is the least that the
[1:23:29] council can do. There's. There's no time to
[1:23:33] go into hiding and not answer and respond to the public. You can
[1:23:38] continue to. To put it
[1:23:41] off. Harm doesn't go away when you impact someone
[1:23:46] and when you impact the community. So I really think that, again,
[1:23:50] it's our due diligence to respond as a governing body with
[1:23:55] being entrusted by the residents of Richmond. Thank you, Vice Mayor
[1:23:59] Cepeda.
[1:24:10] It actually does meet the standard for an emergency item.
[1:24:14] We have heard other items that met even less of a threshold
[1:24:18] for that, and we've heard it because we felt that it was important for our
[1:24:21] community. And we up here have that authority to
[1:24:25] make making sure that we measure what is important and
[1:24:29] what is not. So not giving this the importance,
[1:24:32] then it shows. And this is for the people that I've read
[1:24:36] it, and I think there should be copies around for everyone. You can
[1:24:40] see that it's not placing. We're not censoring
[1:24:44] the mayor from speaking. This is actually trying to help heal the
[1:24:48] community. And now some of the actions he's already started doing, from what I understand,
[1:24:52] he already started talking with the rabbi.
[1:24:55] He's already started looking into how to start healing. So a lot
[1:24:59] of that is already in there. We just want to solidify it. And as a
[1:25:02] council, this is on us. So there's two different things
[1:25:07] happening with the resolution. One of them is what should the mayor do?
[1:25:11] And the other one, just as important, is what
[1:25:15] should the council do? And do we stand
[1:25:19] with, or do we try to move forward and try to heal the community as
[1:25:23] we're moving forward? We'll be back on the 20th if we have to, and it
[1:25:27] will be agendized if that's what it has to be. And everyone will come back,
[1:25:30] but we're continuing to not help heal for the next two weeks when
[1:25:35] we can start the healing as early as tomorrow or even as later today.
[1:25:39] That's the purpose of this resolution,
[1:25:42] is to try to start healing and healing now. So if
[1:25:46] you haven't had a chance to read it, take A look at it again.
[1:25:48] A lot of the stuff the mayor has already started doing, so it's nothing much
[1:25:52] newer. It's just putting it into words. But that
[1:25:56] is where it is. So thank you,
[1:26:00] Council Member Robinson. Good evening, everybody.
[1:26:04] So,
[1:26:09] First want to say that I have already expressed
[1:26:14] my feelings about the repost directly to Mayor Eduardo.
[1:26:18] I felt like they were wrong. They were absolutely anti Semitic
[1:26:22] and they were.
[1:26:28] Disappointing. I think that they did cause
[1:26:33] harm. They do feel like, make people feel unsafe.
[1:26:36] Those particular posts were.
[1:26:42] Were. Were wrong.
[1:26:46] We're just wrong. And I've already
[1:26:50] expressed that. What I'm
[1:26:54] reading here tonight in this resolution that I just got and
[1:26:58] I just read goes beyond acknowledging
[1:27:03] what I just said. It includes, if I'm reading
[1:27:06] it correctly, the Mayor taking.
[1:27:10] Not participating, not doing his job, not participating in
[1:27:14] regional committees, taking part of his salary
[1:27:18] and doing other things with it, having just a bunch of other things. It also
[1:27:23] has language in here that leans towards
[1:27:27] criticizing political speech in a couple of the sections,
[1:27:30] and political speech that I feel is very warranted and very
[1:27:34] right. And we should be speaking out. About 70,000 people
[1:27:39] murdered. So this,
[1:27:43] to me, needs more time. I think that we do need
[1:27:48] to say and send a clear message about what those reposts
[1:27:52] did. I think that I wouldn't. I don't think that I'm overstepping
[1:27:56] to say that. I think the Mayor understands this and.
[1:28:07] I think this needs more time and we need to do it right. So I'll
[1:28:11] be voting no on this tonight.
[1:28:16] Councilmember Banham. Thank you.
[1:28:20] I would like to thank everyone who has come here tonight to
[1:28:25] express their perspective and also thank everyone
[1:28:29] who has sent us email or came to visit us in person.
[1:28:33] I just want to be clear that I condemn hateful language
[1:28:37] and actions in all forms, including antisemitism
[1:28:42] and Islamophobia. I stand firmly
[1:28:45] against hate and intimidation directed at any
[1:28:50] community. What the mayor said on LinkedIn was hurtful
[1:28:54] and deeply troubling to many in our Jewish community.
[1:28:59] The fear, pain and distress experience expressed by any
[1:29:03] community targeted by hate must be taken seriously.
[1:29:08] As a council member, my responsibility is
[1:29:13] to focus on the safety,
[1:29:16] dignity and well being of all
[1:29:20] Richmond residents and to work towards
[1:29:24] solutions that help heal our community rather
[1:29:28] than deepen wounds. Because in unity,
[1:29:32] we rise. Thank you.
[1:29:40] I'm not going to speak to this unless it's time
[1:29:45] to speak to it, but I will say that I am concerned about process today.
[1:29:55] This afternoon, Vice Mayor Cepeda and
[1:29:59] Council Member Brown came to my office to discuss
[1:30:04] this item with me to see if we could make changes
[1:30:08] to it before it even gets out
[1:30:13] to the public. So I don't know if their intention
[1:30:17] was to talk to all council members, but I had
[1:30:21] told him that I had already talked to a council member about it, and he
[1:30:24] kept insisting. And I had to become a broken record,
[1:30:27] saying, I've talked to another council member, I've talked to another council
[1:30:32] member. So I don't think process is
[1:30:37] being taken seriously here. I'm sorry, are you talking
[1:30:41] about the Brown act violation? Yes, I am.
[1:30:45] And it's amazing to me
[1:30:49] that he would come to me at the last minute to talk
[1:30:53] about changes, and he would not talk to me at the
[1:30:57] very beginning to find out what I thought, what I
[1:31:02] did, what we could do together to move forward.
[1:31:06] None of the people who put this on had any conversations
[1:31:10] with me about that. Instead, they chose to
[1:31:15] do something which they say is not punitive, but it is punitive.
[1:31:20] And so because of the lack of respect and
[1:31:25] the lack of rule of law,
[1:31:29] I will have to vote no. So let's
[1:31:36] roll, Paul.
[1:31:45] Okay. And this is to add the emergency item. Council member
[1:31:49] Brown. Yes.
[1:31:52] Council member Bana. No. Council member Jimenez?
[1:31:57] No. Council member Wilson? No. Council member
[1:32:02] Robinson, No. Vice Mayor Zepeda,
[1:32:04] yes. And Mayor Martinez? No.
[1:32:09] Motion fails with council member.
[1:32:19] The motion. The motion fails with council members Brown
[1:32:23] and Vice Mayor Zepeda voting yes.
[1:32:27] Now, I. I realize that this is a vote for
[1:32:31] the rule of law, and. And that.
[1:32:35] And that it will come back properly agenda
[1:32:39] agendized. So question
[1:32:45] to legal. Because it failed.
[1:32:49] Can they speak to this during Open
[1:32:54] Forum? They can make comments.
[1:32:57] They can make comments about anything not on the agenda during Open Forum.
[1:33:02] And since this item is not on the agenda, that's the proper place
[1:33:06] to make comments. Okay, thank you.
[1:33:09] There was another emergency item. Yes. Thank you.
[1:33:14] So some of us are still saying Happy New Year to each other,
[1:33:17] but there are families that are going through grief and trauma.
[1:33:21] Although the city of Richmond had the lowest number
[1:33:25] of homicides in 2025, we had five cases
[1:33:30] of homicide and gun violence. And my emergency
[1:33:34] item is about acknowledging the pain and trauma of the families
[1:33:38] that are going through it and acknowledging the responsibility of the City Council
[1:33:43] just by a few moments of silence. I'm sorry, but do
[1:33:47] you have the agenda item? I have it, but I failed to make copies
[1:33:51] for everyone. I'm so sorry. Should I make copies and bring it back?
[1:33:54] It can't be properly agendized unless there's an agenda.
[1:33:58] I sent it to the C. City clerk.
[1:34:03] Can I propose all
[1:34:08] I'm asking for is a few moments of silence to recognize what's
[1:34:12] going on. So I propose.
[1:34:17] So can I. Can I just re articulate the standard here that
[1:34:21] we want to follow for an exception to the Brown act
[1:34:25] because this agenda item was not properly agendized. So we want to.
[1:34:29] Can I explain why it was delayed? Sure. But there's a two pronged step.
[1:34:33] So the information and the
[1:34:37] agenda item was not. Was received after the agenda was posted.
[1:34:41] That's the first one. And then there's an immediate need to act.
[1:34:46] I can explain or there's an emergency of some
[1:34:50] type. The reason I think we have a moral duty
[1:34:54] that that's what establishes the emergency. The reason why it was late.
[1:34:58] I've been waiting for the name of the victims to say their names loud.
[1:35:02] But first of all the police department took time and then
[1:35:06] the city attorney mentioned me that we don't have the consent of
[1:35:10] their families to say their names loud here in
[1:35:14] public at the city council. And I waited until the last minute. That's why
[1:35:18] it is late. And I'm sorry that the city could. Clerk hasn't published
[1:35:22] it. But basically all I'm asking for just a few moments of
[1:35:26] silence. I think it is very important to honor
[1:35:30] the sanctity of life at the city of Richmond.
[1:35:33] Despite all the success and gratitude to the office of Neighborhood
[1:35:38] Safety, Police Department, nonprofit community based organizations
[1:35:42] and volunteers to acknowledge our own role at the City
[1:35:46] Council to reduce it to zero. We generally
[1:35:54] do moments
[1:35:58] of silence for people at closing.
[1:36:01] So why can we not do it at the
[1:36:04] time that we usually do it? This is different. This is to
[1:36:10] remember the victims of gun violence. They did not just die or pass away.
[1:36:15] It's. It's different from what we do for people who pass
[1:36:19] away and we know and want to honor them. It's to honor
[1:36:22] the sanctity of life at the City Council.
[1:36:26] Let's take a vote and I'll be happy
[1:36:29] to answer any questions.
[1:36:35] Can we propose that instead of at the
[1:36:39] end of the. Because what council bana is proposing is
[1:36:44] a minute of silence. Can we start the meeting with
[1:36:47] that meaning of silence saying that it's for gun violence and
[1:36:52] instead of just like a big emergency if you. The chair can
[1:36:56] change that and we agree that could be.
[1:37:00] We can start. And it's not an emergency item. It's just to
[1:37:04] start this meeting with a moment of silence for those who
[1:37:09] we had lost in gun violence in the city. We have to do an agenda
[1:37:13] item because we would be adding to.
[1:37:17] So, so, so we can't Just change things. Unless it's agendized.
[1:37:22] So does
[1:37:26] this, does this meet the limits?
[1:37:30] Again, I'm going to turn it. It's your decision to make. But you
[1:37:34] know, it's unclear to me what's the action and I haven't reviewed
[1:37:38] the agenda item. What's the recommended action? Just so
[1:37:42] that even members of the council can understand what they're voting on.
[1:37:46] Just hold a few moments of silence to reflect
[1:37:50] on the loss of life, the pain felt by surviving
[1:37:54] families and the urgency of continuing this vital
[1:37:58] work. Okay, so the vote right now would be on whether this item
[1:38:02] constitutes an emergency to bypass the 72 hour
[1:38:06] notice requirements for agenda items. So I can re articulate the standard or
[1:38:10] you all can vote.
[1:38:14] She's made a motion. Point of order. So council member Moden
[1:38:18] made a motion to put this on as an emergency item. Has it been seconded?
[1:38:27] It dies from lack of second.
[1:38:40] Okay. We'll move on to the.
[1:38:46] Report from the city attorney for final decisions made during
[1:38:50] closed session. Good evening, mayor and council. During tonight's
[1:38:54] closed session, all three listed items were discussed but no final
[1:38:58] report action was taken. Thank you.
[1:39:03] Our next item is a report from the city manager. And this will include a
[1:39:07] new employee report. No report this evening. Given the
[1:39:12] number of public speakers. Thank you.
[1:39:15] We do have a new employee report or no,
[1:39:18] no report this evening. Ok.
[1:39:27] Okay. Our next item is open forum. An open forum
[1:39:31] is an opportunity to address accounts on items that remain on the consent calendar.
[1:39:36] And As a reminder, item 03A
[1:39:43] was continued to February 3rd.
[1:39:46] Okay.
[1:39:51] During open Forum dialogue between the council and speakers prohibited tonight.
[1:39:56] We have 72 speakers in
[1:39:59] person here. We have 50.
[1:40:03] 52 speakers in the auditorium.
[1:40:07] And if there's anyone joining us online that would like to speak under open
[1:40:11] forum, please raise your hand at this time.
[1:40:15] Okay. We'll start with in person speakers and then move to the online
[1:40:19] speakers and then move to the auditorium. When you
[1:40:23] are called to address the council, state your name and your city of residence is
[1:40:27] optional. Please terminate your address to the council when your
[1:40:30] time expires. And mayor and
[1:40:34] council, do we want to reduce the time from two minutes to one minute or
[1:40:38] how many speakers are there? We have 72 in person
[1:40:42] here and then we have 52 in the auditorium. And the
[1:40:47] right now we have 39 with their hands raised online.
[1:40:50] Well, the agenda says that if there's 25 or more, we reduce it to one
[1:40:54] minute. Okay, so we'll reduce. Each speaker will have
[1:40:58] one minute to address the council. Mayor, Madam Clerk.
[1:41:02] Mayor, if I may, through the Chair. Given that it appears as though there are
[1:41:06] approximately 160ish
[1:41:10] public speakers, I would like to formally note that city staff
[1:41:15] that are here under the auspices of new business may be relieved to
[1:41:19] go home for the evening and their items will be considered at a subsequent meeting.
[1:41:22] If we have consent with that. Thank you very much. Yes.
[1:41:29] Okay, so each speaker will have up to two minutes to address the council.
[1:41:34] One minute. One minute. Sorry,
[1:41:39] almost got me. No.
[1:41:42] Okay. The City of Richmond, we welcome your comments and request that you
[1:41:46] present your remarks in a respectful and appropriate manner within the established
[1:41:51] 1 minute time limit. So I'm going to call groups
[1:41:55] of 10 and please line up behind
[1:41:59] the speakers podium so that we can move quickly through the speakers.
[1:42:02] Zach Cohen,
[1:42:06] Myra Collins, Mindy Pines,
[1:42:12] Tim o', Brien,
[1:42:16] Sophia O. I'm sorry, o'. Brien. I'm trying
[1:42:21] to read the names. Julie Sax
[1:42:25] Teller, Joan Peters,
[1:42:28] Elaine S.
[1:42:31] Lorena Riza and
[1:42:34] Robert Bowen, please come forward.
[1:42:38] Reduce this to one minute.
[1:42:51] This is that. And also one person here
[1:42:55] said that I could have their minute. Would that be all right? No, we do
[1:42:59] not see minutes. Okay, thank you. Mr.
[1:43:02] Mayor and members of the City Council. My name is Rob. I'm a Bay
[1:43:06] Area resident. I'm here today to ask for the resignation of
[1:43:10] the mayor. I don't do so lightly. I do not
[1:43:14] have time here to debate the points of the Israel, Palestine conflict,
[1:43:18] though I would love to do so. Nor do I have the time to
[1:43:22] express all the ways that I consider the words and actions of the
[1:43:26] mayor anti Semitic, although I would love to do so.
[1:43:29] I know that there are many here who disagree with me,
[1:43:32] but I also know that there are many, many more who feel like I do.
[1:43:37] I would ask, if the mayor does not resign, that he and
[1:43:41] the members of the council, at a minimum, meet with us to discuss our
[1:43:45] concerns, listen to us, take us seriously,
[1:43:49] hear us with an open mind and an open heart.
[1:43:53] Thank you very much. Zach Cohen.
[1:44:00] Hi, my name is Tim O'. Brien. Over two years ago, on October 25,
[1:44:04] 2023, Tim O', Brien,
[1:44:07] the JCRC, condemned Mayor I.
[1:44:11] Rodriguez for proposing a ceasefire resolution that promotes
[1:44:15] propaganda, weaponizes historical inaccuracy, and accuses Israel of
[1:44:19] ethnic cleansing and apartheid in Gaza.
[1:44:22] That is your true sin, Mayor. Standing up to the Israeli lobby
[1:44:27] for the human rights of all people, without exception. There's been a target on
[1:44:30] your back since that day to the City Council. I will say the mayor acted
[1:44:35] rashly and insensitively. He has apologized. We are not
[1:44:38] a one strike and you're out society Especially when you have championed so many
[1:44:43] community and human rights causes on behalf of black and brown and
[1:44:47] all people over the years. Due to the Israel lobby's
[1:44:51] intentional conflation of criticism of a rogue state with anti Semitism, that word
[1:44:56] has lost much of its meaning today. But as recent events in Venezuela
[1:45:00] have shown, there are other nefarious isms out there, all predicated on white
[1:45:04] supremacy, that demand our attention.
[1:45:07] Imperialism, colonialism, fascism,
[1:45:10] racism, Zionism. We need to look no further
[1:45:14] than what? Your time has expired. Okay, thank you.
[1:45:18] There's real work to do. Don't listen to the noise.
[1:45:21] The next speaker is Zach Cohen.
[1:45:28] No, they're just. Okay.
[1:45:33] Myra collins. Myra collins.
[1:45:44] Hello. Thank you for letting me speak today. Hello,
[1:45:47] council members and Mayor.
[1:45:50] My name is Mara Collins. I'm a Jew living here in Berkeley. In Berkeley.
[1:45:53] And I'm here today to express my support for Mayor Martinez.
[1:45:59] We know the mayor's record demonstrates that he's good for Richmond,
[1:46:02] is an asset to Richmond. We know that he has done what he said he
[1:46:06] would do and that Richmond is better for it. Now, on the matter of this
[1:46:10] attack on his statement,
[1:46:13] first, I need to say, first and foremost,
[1:46:18] the JCRC does not speak for all Jews. It certainly does not speak
[1:46:22] for me. And we as Jews cannot call everything we don't agree with
[1:46:26] anti Semitism. To silence and punish the mayor
[1:46:30] is to silence and punish those who oppose genocide and who stand on the right
[1:46:34] side of history. Harm has been done, it's true.
[1:46:38] But let's be clear. The genocide is what is harmful.
[1:46:41] Not the offended people who are choosing to use that
[1:46:45] what has happened as an opportunity to uphold murderous policies of Zionism.
[1:46:48] I know. My time's over. Thank you,
[1:46:53] Mindy Pines. And she'll
[1:46:57] be followed by Sophia O'. Brien. Mindy Pines.
[1:47:01] Good evening. I'm Mindy Pines, 20 year resident of Richmond.
[1:47:06] This isn't about Palestine or Gaza. It's about fitness
[1:47:10] for public office and your responsibility as a governing body.
[1:47:14] When our mayor echoes antisemitic conspiracy theories
[1:47:18] that Jews carried out their own mass murder at a Hanukkah celebration
[1:47:22] in Sydney, the harm is real. It lands on real people in
[1:47:27] our community. Censor is a basic tool of accountability
[1:47:31] available to you should the mayor not resign,
[1:47:35] not using it signals that there are no consequences for behavior
[1:47:39] that undermines public trust. This is not about free speech.
[1:47:44] It is about responsible leadership. Institutions fail
[1:47:48] not only because of those who act recklessly, but because of those who
[1:47:52] remain silent when standards are breached. Each of you
[1:47:56] is going on record your actions or lack thereof. Will be remembered
[1:48:01] by our community and by history. Will you be complicit?
[1:48:05] Sophia o'. Brien.
[1:48:13] My name is Safiya o'. Brien.
[1:48:17] Oh, it started. Okay. So I'm here to
[1:48:20] express my support for Mayor Martinez and
[1:48:25] how he represents not only the people of Richmond,
[1:48:29] but also the progressive movement that is here and live in
[1:48:33] the Bay Area. And Eduardo represents these values as
[1:48:37] a staunch anti war advocate, a pivotal leader for environmental
[1:48:41] justice, and a representative who stands with the undocumented community,
[1:48:44] which is direly, direly needed right now in this moment.
[1:48:48] And if we let such a small group
[1:48:51] of residents speak louder over the majority
[1:48:56] of the residents, it's very clear that these attacks are rooted in
[1:48:59] their political agenda and not for the
[1:49:04] betterment of Richmond. And the Richmond residents that so,
[1:49:07] so direly need his support and his advocacy in
[1:49:12] the city of Richmond, and they are not in the interest or the best interest
[1:49:15] of these people. Time has expired.
[1:49:19] Julie Sachs Taylor.
[1:49:25] Julie Sachs Taylor, followed by Joan.
[1:49:28] Peter.
[1:49:33] Thank you. I'm pleased to be here.
[1:49:36] I'm not pleased with the lack of listening,
[1:49:40] but I'm pleased to be here and to be facing the council.
[1:49:43] I'm Julie Sachs Toller. I'm the rabbi of Temple Beth Hillel, the primary
[1:49:48] organized Jewish community of Richmond.
[1:49:51] After the numerous posts which many
[1:49:56] council members, as well as the mayor have acknowledged, spread antisemitism.
[1:50:00] Mayor, you've reached out to me to meet and I will meet with you.
[1:50:05] In Judaism, repair is called teshuvah.
[1:50:09] It means return, and it means also answer.
[1:50:14] And it starts with acknowledgment and
[1:50:18] apology. And it completes with a full building
[1:50:22] of relationship and a repair of harm done. So I hope that
[1:50:26] our meeting will begin a real process and.
[1:50:30] Our country is in crisis. Our world is in
[1:50:34] crisis. Our neighbors are afraid to go out for fear of ice. Our country has
[1:50:38] just invaded Venezuela and other countries are next. We are
[1:50:42] in desperate need not to be divided
[1:50:48] by anti SEM.
[1:50:54] Joan peters.
[1:51:02] Okay, Joan Peters. Going once.
[1:51:06] Elaine S. Excuse me.
[1:51:12] Excuse me. Let's.
[1:51:16] Let's remain civil. Press the red
[1:51:20] button. Press the red button right
[1:51:29] There you go. My name is Joan Peters. I voted for Mayor
[1:51:33] Martinez and I think he should not resign.
[1:51:37] The news about mayors resigning were
[1:51:42] intended to stop criminal activity. He's not a criminal.
[1:51:46] He's not committed any crime of
[1:51:50] any kind. What's going on right now is bullying.
[1:51:55] It's not about Jewish people nor Palestine.
[1:51:58] A hot button issue has been chosen to stop Mayor Martinez
[1:52:03] from being mayor. This kind of bullying was used against President
[1:52:07] Clinton to hamper his ability to function as our president.
[1:52:11] The hot button issue used against Clinton was phone
[1:52:15] sex. The hot button issue being used against
[1:52:19] Mayor Martinez is the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
[1:52:24] It's simply a power grab masquerading
[1:52:28] as concern for the Jewish people. The bullying needs
[1:52:32] to stop. Your time has expired. The bullying needs to stop.
[1:52:36] Our next speaker is Elaine S.
[1:52:40] Should be followed by Lorraine Riza.
[1:52:43] I press this button. Okay.
[1:52:46] Dear honorable counsel and Mayor Martinez,
[1:52:50] I am a teacher and I come to you hoping
[1:52:54] for a teaching moment when I teach my children about
[1:52:58] lies that are spread throughout the classroom.
[1:53:03] Things like lies and gossip, which are very hurtful. I take
[1:53:07] them out to the playground and I give them a pillow, a feather pillow,
[1:53:11] and we shake it and we spread the feathers everywhere. And I tell
[1:53:16] them those lies that. Those gossip that you spread,
[1:53:20] those are not retractable. I urge the kids to go
[1:53:24] out and try and collect all the feathers, and they can't.
[1:53:27] And social media has made the situation so much
[1:53:32] worse. So, Mayor, you have caused great harm.
[1:53:35] It's gone far beyond the perimeters of Richmond.
[1:53:39] It has spread throughout the entire world. And you
[1:53:43] need to resign.
[1:53:47] And I implore the adults. Your time is expired.
[1:53:51] Your time is expired, ma'. Am. You are the adults in the
[1:53:55] room. Unfortunately, we have to.
[1:54:04] Your. Your time is up. And.
[1:54:08] Excuse me,
[1:54:10] audience. Everyone.
[1:54:13] We need to allow.
[1:54:19] We need decorum. Decorum means. Decorum means
[1:54:23] stopping when it's time to stop.
[1:54:26] So. So. So if you are at
[1:54:30] the podium and the clerk says time
[1:54:35] expired, you need to stop speaking. Thank you. Thank you.
[1:54:41] Our next next speaker is Lorraine Riza. And will
[1:54:45] the following individuals please line up behind speakers podium podium.
[1:54:49] Francisco Ortiz, Harry Weiner,
[1:54:53] Alleg Lindstrom. David Cooper,
[1:54:57] Stefan London, Mark Wasberg,
[1:55:01] Robert Lipton, Vanessa Thiel,
[1:55:06] Kate Laster and George
[1:55:10] Marks. Lorraine,
[1:55:13] press the red button.
[1:55:17] There you go. I'm a proud Richmond
[1:55:20] resident of nine years. I have been witness to how our city has improved since
[1:55:24] Mayor Martinez has taken office. I 100% support him and urge you
[1:55:28] to throw out the censure resolution. Groups and organizations
[1:55:32] that are not locally based in Richmond are jumping at any chance to weaponize anti
[1:55:36] Semitism against a progressive Latino brown mayor who's
[1:55:40] doing so much to help me and fellow rich residents, especially our immigrant
[1:55:44] communities. Because of the community work I do. I've personally witnessed
[1:55:48] him in his office support free legal clinics and host a
[1:55:52] community preparedness event to educate residents about their constitutional rights.
[1:55:56] He helped structure our strong city ordinance and carries it out by helping to confirm
[1:56:01] if ICE is active in our Community. He supports our own Richmond Rapid
[1:56:05] Response Team, and he voted for a $1 million grant that's made all this possible,
[1:56:08] which also funds the three local orgs to support these communities at risk.
[1:56:12] He shows he actually cares. It goes without saying that restorative justice
[1:56:16] is required. But please allow Mayor Martinez to continue doing his work and
[1:56:21] throw out the resolution. Francisco Ortiz.
[1:56:27] Francisco Ortiz.
[1:56:33] Good evening, council. My name is Francisco Ortiz and I'm president of United
[1:56:37] Teachers of Richmond. I want to begin by expressing our union sincere
[1:56:41] appreciation for this council. During the recent educator strike, this council and
[1:56:46] mayor showed up for Richmond students and families in real and tangible ways. You joined
[1:56:50] educators on the picket line, spoke at rallies, and helped secure families,
[1:56:54] ensure that families had access to resources and safe spaces during a difficult
[1:56:58] moment. That leadership mattered to our students, our members and our community. We are
[1:57:02] especially grateful for the mayor's efforts that helped move the strike towards a prompt resolution
[1:57:06] so students could return to the classrooms and be reunited with their teachers.
[1:57:09] That work made a real difference. Speaking now my personal professional capacity,
[1:57:14] I want to acknowledge my experience working with Eduardo Martinez. As a former Richmond
[1:57:18] educator and now as mayor, he has consistently centered student success and community empowerment.
[1:57:22] I've seen firsthand his commitment to strengthening public education,
[1:57:26] including his support for the community schools movement. Alongside community partners,
[1:57:30] our students learn not from perfection, but from accountability.
[1:57:33] Repair and curse do better. And that is a standard I hope we continue to
[1:57:37] model as a city. Thank you, Council. Harry Weiner.
[1:57:47] Good evening, Mayor. City Council on council, please.
[1:57:51] My name is Harry Weiner. I live in Far East Richmond.
[1:57:57] I'm Jewish. I was born in 1948. In that
[1:58:00] year, the United nations was established and the document entitled the
[1:58:04] Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was
[1:58:09] ratified by the un A document I have personally read recently.
[1:58:13] The UN has declared the state of Israel guilty of genocide,
[1:58:16] a grave crime against humanity. Israel has declared
[1:58:20] that the judgment is anti Semitic and the result of worldwide
[1:58:24] hatred for the Jewish people. Israel does not speak for me.
[1:58:28] Today, American pro Israel genocide thugs are here
[1:58:32] participating in a nationwide public relations campaign to
[1:58:36] silence supporters of Palestinians rights to exist as a
[1:58:40] people or a place. Remember, Richmond has eloquently written
[1:58:44] in support of the dignity of Palestinians and these people are gathered
[1:58:48] here to punish us for it. Hello.
[1:58:54] Alega Lindstrom. Alaiga Lindstrom.
[1:58:58] Oh, sorry. So sorry.
[1:59:03] Hello. My name is Aliyah.
[1:59:06] Oh, sorry. My name is Alia and I'm a teacher and I live in Richmond.
[1:59:10] I'm here today because, well, we all know what was said and in times
[1:59:14] of uncertainty and anger, people's safety cannot be written off or handled lightly. But the
[1:59:19] question we are considering is what does accountability look like? I don't believe
[1:59:23] removal is the answer when someone has acknowledged harm and remains open to meeting directly
[1:59:26] with those who were hurt. Real accountability is about repair, not simply punishment.
[1:59:30] Mayor Martinez cares about people in Richmond, and it's reflected in
[1:59:34] how he's improved our city. Reducing crime, improving infrastructure, and increasing sustainability
[1:59:37] efforts. Richmond will be best served by holding leaders accountable while giving
[1:59:41] space for repair to happen. Through continued dialogue, we can and should demand both justice
[1:59:46] for Palestinians and safety for our Jewish neighbors. I urge the council to choose
[1:59:50] a path forward that keeps healing centered. Thank you.
[1:59:53] David Cooper. David Cooper
[1:59:57] followed by Steven London.
[2:00:03] I'm Rabbi David Cooper. I've been a longtime supporter
[2:00:07] and activist for Palestinian freedom, including doing protective presence
[2:00:12] work for west bank villagers facing violence from Jewish Israeli settlers.
[2:00:16] I do support your continued work as Richland's mayor.
[2:00:20] Over the decades, I have done this work. Over that, I've done
[2:00:23] this work. I know how antisemitism can affect the work we do.
[2:00:27] Antisemitism is the water we swim in, just like racism is.
[2:00:31] We cannot reduce racism or antisemitism to an individual characteristic.
[2:00:36] These are systemic ideological frameworks and we absorb
[2:00:40] them and live within them in different ways. Racism and antisemitism
[2:00:44] serve the purpose of dividing us and setting us against each other.
[2:00:48] If we are to support and defend the Palestinian people,
[2:00:51] we must constantly examine how we've absorbed anti Semitic
[2:00:55] biases. Because if we don't, we will make serious errors that can only
[2:00:59] help AIPAC and those who support the oppression of Palestinians.
[2:01:03] Mr. Mayor, with all respect, I feel you've made such. Your time has expired.
[2:01:08] And that you, Stephen London, next speaker.
[2:01:17] Stephen london.
[2:01:24] Okay. Hello.
[2:01:27] My name is Stephen London. I've been a resident in the Marina Bay neighborhood of
[2:01:31] Richmond for seven years. Last summer, I learned that in a
[2:01:35] speech, Mayor Martinez not only offered up a justification for hamas
[2:01:39] atrocities on October 7, but he also wore a hat that bore
[2:01:43] a slogan calling for the death of the Israeli Defense Forces. In a next door
[2:01:47] thread, I told the Mayor how appalled I was that he had called for the
[2:01:50] death of my Israeli family members.
[2:01:54] Let me tell you about them. Like the Mayor, they're socialists. They're kibbutzniks who demonstrate
[2:01:59] against Bibi Netanyahu's right wing government. But when called upon to do their
[2:02:03] mandatory military service to defend their country, they serve.
[2:02:07] I am curious of the over 70 other armed conflicts
[2:02:11] taking place in the world does our mayor call for the deaths of any other
[2:02:15] soldiers? Or is there something uniquely evil about the Jewish soldiers?
[2:02:19] And is the mayor even remotely aware of the historical context calling
[2:02:23] for their deaths? Has he ever heard of the medieval chance of hep, hep,
[2:02:27] death to the Jews? Time has expired.
[2:02:31] Mark Wasberg,
[2:02:38] Aguado did preach hate and murder and violence.
[2:02:41] He even bragged about he wanted to be with Hamas.
[2:02:45] And this is what he did. See that people? He was
[2:02:49] laughing when he was praising killing people in Israel.
[2:02:53] And this is your mayor that took a note to the Constitution,
[2:02:59] right? Is that what you. Is that what you are? You take a
[2:03:03] note to the Constitution? You plead hate and violence against the world,
[2:03:06] and you people are stupid enough to put him back into office? This is
[2:03:11] the most stupidest thing. Take a look at it, people. He's smiling to
[2:03:15] kill the people of Israel. The people in Richmond is going to make sure that
[2:03:19] he's not going to be mayor. That's not a threat. It's going to be a
[2:03:22] promise. Because people are going to remember what he have done. Because the election is
[2:03:27] only two months away. So you better start gearing up
[2:03:30] to get this terrorist, this son of a out of office.
[2:03:35] Take a good look at it, people. Take a good look at it.
[2:03:38] Take a good look at it.
[2:03:44] Robert Lipton,
[2:03:59] Police. Can you like.
[2:04:03] I'd like to be able. Thank you. If.
[2:04:07] If Mr. Walsberg continues to incite the crowd,
[2:04:11] can you please eject him?
[2:04:16] My name is George Marks. I live at 518 36th
[2:04:20] street in Richmond. I'm Jewish. Israel's first Nobel laureate,
[2:04:24] Shire Sy Agnon, was my great uncle.
[2:04:28] I care about Jewish people. I care about Palestinian people.
[2:04:33] I don't like hearing all this hatred.
[2:04:36] And I want to say I've experienced
[2:04:40] Mayor Martinez as a loving, supporting, caring person. He may have made a
[2:04:44] mistake, he may have done things, but he's not a hateful person.
[2:04:48] I hear a lot of hate here. We need to talk with each other
[2:04:52] and listen to each other. And I'm open to listening to any
[2:04:56] of you. I wrote a letter to the entire city council in the. The mayor.
[2:04:58] I don't think I expected the hatred of anyone here. And I'm
[2:05:02] happy to talk forward. I think censorship is ridiculous.
[2:05:06] Caring about the genocide, and it is genocide,
[2:05:10] is ultimately important. And we need to talk and
[2:05:14] listen to each other and care. And I adlib this entire speech. Thank you.
[2:05:20] Robert Lipton.
[2:05:28] Robert Lipton. Vanessa.
[2:05:32] Vanessa Thiel.
[2:05:36] Hi, my name is Vanessa Till. I am a Jewish resident of Richmond.
[2:05:41] I have a friend in Gaza I talk to every single day.
[2:05:44] He's very sick right now and he can't access basic medicine,
[2:05:48] warmth or food. People are still dying every day in Gaza and
[2:05:52] in the West Bank. The Israeli government has renamed our sister city Samaria
[2:05:57] and plans to destroy a major historical site in Sebastia
[2:06:01] to build an amusement park there. I'm here to remind you that Zionist
[2:06:06] grievances are hurt feelings about language. Palestinian grievances are
[2:06:10] about living through war crimes, torture, deprivation, land seizure
[2:06:14] and genocide. It is absurd to take direction on confronting
[2:06:19] real antisemitism and racism from people who only consider
[2:06:23] anti Jewish racism as worthy
[2:06:27] of concern. JCRC does not speak for me. I am
[2:06:31] a Richmond Jew. And,
[2:06:37] yeah, those are my remarks. Thank you for listening.
[2:06:41] Kate Vaster.
[2:06:45] Hello. Hi, my name is Kate Laster.
[2:06:49] I walked here from work. I work at Niad Art center in
[2:06:53] Richmond. I am so happy to speak to Mayor
[2:06:58] Martinez in gratitude not only for what you stand
[2:07:02] up for in Palestine, but what you stand up for in Richmond.
[2:07:06] There's a lot of talk about harm here,
[2:07:09] but there's not a lot of talk about material solidarity,
[2:07:12] which you have given consistently to the people of Richmond,
[2:07:16] to the people of Palestine.
[2:07:19] It's really important to think about the power
[2:07:23] of standing up to Chevron, which is a material
[2:07:26] form of not only to the people of Richmond, but to the
[2:07:30] people of Palestine. I speak to you as a Jewish
[2:07:34] person, as a public service provider in Richmond, as someone
[2:07:39] who deeply cares about the moment we're in and not
[2:07:42] the farce of conflating harm as reality.
[2:07:47] Thank you.
[2:07:52] Our next speaker is zoegalas.
[2:07:56] And will the following individuals please line up behind the speakers podium.
[2:08:01] Turno Abbott, Melvin Willis,
[2:08:04] Mary R. Teresa A. Asha Windsor
[2:08:09] or Nizar. Judy Greenspan and
[2:08:14] Ryan Kazeen. Diana Ware and
[2:08:20] Matt Reiner. Zoe?
[2:08:24] Hi. My name is Zoe Rivka Penagopoulos.
[2:08:28] I'm a Jewish resident of the Hilltop neighborhood here in Richmond. And I'm
[2:08:32] here because my grandparents both survived the Holocaust. And what
[2:08:36] that taught me is that when someone comes and takes your property,
[2:08:41] tries to establish residence in your home and your community and kills
[2:08:46] your family, that that is wrong and that people should stand
[2:08:50] up for you as their neighbors. I am here to stand
[2:08:53] up for the Palestinian members of my community here,
[2:08:57] Arab members and Muslim members, and to let them know that
[2:09:01] they are welcome. And Mayor Martinez, I applaud you for your
[2:09:04] efforts to do this as well. And I fear that your resignation would lead
[2:09:08] to a stop to that progress and could lead to some residents no longer feeling
[2:09:13] welcome in Our neighborhood, which I do not wish to happen. So thank you
[2:09:17] for your work for Palestine and for the members of our community impacted
[2:09:21] by genocide. There.
[2:09:34] Tarnow abbott.
[2:09:40] Tarnell Abbott. I'm a resident, a longtime resident of Richmond.
[2:09:45] Mayor Martinez is a courageous person with a big
[2:09:50] heart. Richmond residents know
[2:09:53] that he leads with compassion and empathy this
[2:09:58] diverse community for those in need, with no power,
[2:10:02] no voice. He has tried to rectify
[2:10:06] inequalities and injustices.
[2:10:10] That is what unites this community. For those
[2:10:14] of you who are. Who have been hurt and are upset at his words,
[2:10:19] I urge you to remember that there is still a genocide
[2:10:23] going on in Gaza. 20,000 children are
[2:10:27] dead, probably many more that
[2:10:31] will never be counted because they're buried under the rubble. Even The Israelis
[2:10:35] admit 80%, at least, are civilians.
[2:10:40] Being anti genocide is not the same as being
[2:10:44] anti Jewish.
[2:10:47] Melvin Willis.
[2:10:51] Melvin Willis.
[2:10:55] Good evening, Mayor. Members of the City Council. Melvin Willis here in
[2:10:59] my capacity with Bridman Progressive Alliance.
[2:11:07] Acknowledging one's mistakes and taking ownership for
[2:11:10] it takes a lot of courage. I've been in these City Council chambers as a
[2:11:14] serving council member and as a constituent, and there's been many,
[2:11:18] many, many offensive things that have been said in this chamber
[2:11:22] that never resulted in leading to somebody being censured, even as much as public information
[2:11:26] being shared. We need moral leadership that's willing
[2:11:30] to step up and admit when they're wrong and try to remedy those mistakes.
[2:11:33] And I feel the same frustration a mayor does every time I
[2:11:37] turn on the news and hereabouts. 72,000 people killed and over 170,000
[2:11:42] injured. Same way I'm frustrated when I hear that our
[2:11:45] own government sees fit to kidnap somebody else's president and run their government for their
[2:11:49] oil. We should never be scared of speaking out against injustice.
[2:11:54] So thank you for always speaking out against injustice and taking responsibility. Mayor Mary
[2:12:01] R. Mary R.
[2:12:06] Followed by Teresa A.
[2:12:10] I'm a District 6 Richmond resident and
[2:12:15] I support you, Mayor. We will not be forced into a manufacturer debate over
[2:12:20] a meme. This is a transparent tactic. It's a chance for the jcrc,
[2:12:24] a racist Zionist organization, to get involved and censor a
[2:12:28] pro Palestinian mayor. What this shameful organization or
[2:12:33] any Zionist at all has to say is meaningless. This is
[2:12:37] distracting us from the real issue. The US and Israel are committing a genocide in
[2:12:41] Palestine. Right here in Richmond, Residents paid over $6 million last
[2:12:46] year in federal taxes that went to weapons for Israel. Imagine what
[2:12:50] we could do for housing, schools, community services with that money.
[2:12:53] Meanwhile, the US just approved another $8.6 billion in weapons.
[2:12:58] Thank you for your continued work for justice in Palestine and Richmond.
[2:13:02] You understand what it means to think globally and act locally.
[2:13:06] The same ICE that terrorizes our people here trains alongside
[2:13:10] the idf. The same Chevron that palooza fuels
[2:13:15] Israel's genocide. I see your courage,
[2:13:22] Teresa A. Press the
[2:13:26] button, Theresa.
[2:13:30] I'm Theresa A. I have lived on the border of El Cerrito and Richmond
[2:13:34] for the past 10 years. And I just want to say thank you, Mayor Martinez,
[2:13:38] for all the work that you've done for Richmond. I think I just knew a
[2:13:42] little bit of it. And the more that I hear about everything that you've done,
[2:13:44] that you really care about the people here, really.
[2:13:47] And that's crazy. You really
[2:13:51] care about people. And I know that there are others maybe in this room who
[2:13:54] don't, but I do want to just say that the water that we swim in
[2:13:59] is white supremacy. It is imperialism. Like, one of you did mention
[2:14:04] that before. And we do have to address that. Like,
[2:14:08] complaining about feelings over a repost is white supremacism.
[2:14:12] That's white supremacy. Because these people in this
[2:14:16] room have the safety to be able to randomly make comments like that.
[2:14:19] They are okay. They are well fed. They are
[2:14:23] safe. Their children can go to school. People in Gaza cannot. They are the people
[2:14:27] who are harmed here. What happened in 1948,
[2:14:31] remember, the Nakba.
[2:14:37] Time is expired. All right?
[2:14:41] We need to maintain decorum. That means people
[2:14:45] in the audience should not be interrupting people on the
[2:14:49] dais. So please remain silent. Otherwise you
[2:14:57] will have to be ejected. I don't want to
[2:15:01] do that. Next speaker is Asha Nazar.
[2:15:08] Hello, my name is Aisha.
[2:15:13] Hello, my name is Aisha Nazar. I'm a resident of Alameda County,
[2:15:17] a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, and I'm here to stand
[2:15:21] with Mayor Martinez. As a Palestinian resident whose family was
[2:15:25] killed during this genocide, I have rarely seen leadership that reflects the values
[2:15:29] that I share with my community. Let's be clear. This censorship
[2:15:33] resolution is not about good governance. It's not about Richmond. It's a
[2:15:37] blatant act of political retaliation. It is an attempt to punish
[2:15:41] Mayor Martinez and this city for having the consciousness to say that
[2:15:45] genocide is wrong. And let me say one more thing, and I
[2:15:49] want to say it very clearly. To conflate the Jewish people with the idf,
[2:15:53] a military that has enacted a genocide of my people over the last
[2:15:57] 78 years, like the JCRC has done. That is
[2:16:01] anti Semitism. The JCRC and its
[2:16:05] conservative allies have targeted Mayor Martinez since Richmond became the first city
[2:16:09] in the country to pass a ceasefire resolution. Their goal is not to correct him,
[2:16:14] it is to make an example out of him. They seek to turn Richmond.
[2:16:18] Thank you,
[2:16:28] Judy Greenspan, followed by Ryan
[2:16:32] Kazane. Is this
[2:16:35] Judy Greenspan? I understand. I think some of these people have
[2:16:40] to be. They're so disrespectful to all the speakers. They should. And Mark
[2:16:44] Waltzberg. Mr. Walsberg needs to be out
[2:16:49] of here. You.
[2:17:03] God.
[2:17:14] Never came. You're not going to be married. You don't vote for ass out.
[2:17:18] You remember that.
[2:17:44] Hey, Judy. I got away too late. I have a
[2:17:48] loud voice, but I want to wait till they're done yelling.
[2:17:51] There's a few more that need to go. Okay, Our next speaker is
[2:17:55] Judy Greenspan.
[2:18:00] Hi, everyone. My name is Judy Greenspan. I am a former Richmond
[2:18:06] teacher and that's when I met Eduardo Martinez.
[2:18:09] He came to my class, spoke to the students. He helped me sponsor
[2:18:13] field trips at a school where we had absolutely no money
[2:18:17] for field trips and really represented civic government for
[2:18:22] my students and was very, very popular. It was before he was
[2:18:25] mayor, when he was a city council person and Gail McLaughlin was the mayor at
[2:18:29] the time. And they all came to my class and it was a wonderful event.
[2:18:33] Since then, I've moved on to Oakland and I just want to say, the Oakland
[2:18:36] Education Association. I'm on the executive board and we are in full support of
[2:18:41] Mayor Martinez and we say we
[2:18:45] are so impressed with everything that he has done over the
[2:18:49] years to support teachers and to support the community. And I just want to say
[2:18:53] one thing. Right now, teachers are being punished for talking about Palestine in
[2:18:57] their classroom. The JCRC is one of the groups that
[2:19:01] is doing that persecution of teachers. There is
[2:19:05] a First Amendment problem, and JCRC is part
[2:19:09] of the problem. Ryan Kazine.
[2:19:16] Hi there, everybody. I'm Ryan.
[2:19:20] I live and work here in Richmond as a public speaking coach.
[2:19:24] And I just want to speak really quickly and say that honestly,
[2:19:28] I'm. I'm really heartbroken by the way people have been behaving
[2:19:32] in this room on all sides of this issue.
[2:19:36] I stand with a free Palestine. I believe
[2:19:40] in that with all my heart. I'm Lebanese, you know.
[2:19:43] But we cannot rise
[2:19:47] to the level of hatred that we're seeing in this room. And the way that
[2:19:50] I've seen some of my siblings engage with people across
[2:19:54] the aisle is not the way that I think things should be done. I believe
[2:19:58] in restorative justice. I believe that we have to try to attempt to understand
[2:20:02] each other. People are here because they
[2:20:06] genuinely believe and they know That, I mean,
[2:20:10] what happened in Sydney was an atrocity, but also what is happening in Gaza
[2:20:14] is an atrocity as well. And we can acknowledge and hold both
[2:20:18] those things to be true. Thank you.
[2:20:21] Diana Ware,
[2:20:28] Mayor and City Council. I speak tonight
[2:20:32] in support of Mayor Eduardo Martinez. My name is Diana Ware
[2:20:36] and I'm a Richmond resident and have known the Mayor for over a decade.
[2:20:40] For years, the mayor has opposed war, valiantly supported
[2:20:44] protection for refugees and immigrants, and championed the cause for
[2:20:48] the Palestinian people. This last issue has sparked the
[2:20:53] current kerfuffle, but this opposition against Mayo
[2:20:57] Martinez is both misguided and misdirected.
[2:21:00] He is not, nor has he been, anti Semitic.
[2:21:05] His recent social media posts were indeed harmful and
[2:21:08] wrong. He apologized, offered to listen,
[2:21:12] learn and forge lines of peace in our community.
[2:21:15] We would be well to emulate the mayor and become sources of solidarity
[2:21:20] for those who want a lasting ceasefire,
[2:21:23] justice and freedom for the Palestinian people.
[2:21:26] That's who Mayor Martinez is. A stalwart
[2:21:30] and courageous war of peace.
[2:21:35] Our next speaker is Matt Reiner with the following individual individuals,
[2:21:39] please come forward. Line up behind the Speaker's podium.
[2:21:42] Susan. Beatrice. Ruth.
[2:21:45] Kimono. M.
[2:21:48] Dan Machanik. Michael.
[2:21:51] Khan. Khan. Julie Solomon.
[2:21:55] Lynn. Horseshire. Sarah Hershner.
[2:22:00] Rocky Chow. Matt.
[2:22:04] Council Mayor. Thank you. I want to start by appreciating you
[2:22:08] all and recognizing the humanity and the effort that goes into dealing with these hard
[2:22:12] issues. You all have done amazing job grappling
[2:22:16] with this and I trust the Mayor to continue to do so. As a Jewish
[2:22:20] parent and resident of Richmond, I want to just make it really clear
[2:22:24] that I don't appreciate people coming from outside the city to tell us
[2:22:27] what to do.
[2:22:31] And I want to thank the staff of the City of Richmond and the public
[2:22:35] servants who are here tonight keeping us safe. It is a luxury and an
[2:22:39] honor and a pleasure to be able to be safe in this world. And I
[2:22:43] appreciate it deeply when my heart is so open feeling for people on
[2:22:48] all sides of these issues who are suffering, but especially those who are currently experiencing
[2:22:52] a genocide. Thank you, Mayor Martinez, for continued leadership on
[2:22:56] this and for how you've handled it. And to the City Council, let's keep the
[2:22:59] eyes on the prize and get that money from Chevron allocated correctly.
[2:23:04] Thank you.
[2:23:06] Susan.
[2:23:09] Susan. Susan.
[2:23:13] Hi, my name is Susan. I live in the Bay Area.
[2:23:17] I believe that Mayor Martinez. I believe that Mayor Martinez
[2:23:21] must resign from his anti Semitic rhetoric and the Richmond
[2:23:25] City Council must take action to assure the safety and well being of all
[2:23:29] of Richmond's Jewish community. In December of 2024,
[2:23:33] a major Jewish organization made a report called From Fear to
[2:23:39] Women Facing Anti Semitism. The key findings that the
[2:23:42] survey respondents felt because of anti Semitism's rise were
[2:23:46] isolated, afraid, threatened and concealed. I can't go
[2:23:50] into the details because time is limited, but here's my point.
[2:23:54] We shouldn't have to feel this way. Words can make it worse or words
[2:23:58] can make it better. We believe that community matters and kindness and
[2:24:02] non biased speech matters, especially from elected officials. Sadly, the mayor
[2:24:06] has not exhibited this. Let's hear a true sincere recognition by the mayor
[2:24:10] of what his words have done. Mayors are supposed to be trusted sources of
[2:24:14] information for their communities. Thank you very much, Viejas.
[2:24:25] Eduardo, you and I were once friends many years ago
[2:24:29] as fellow rebels and members of the Progressive Teachers of Richmond,
[2:24:33] trying to improve our union. I worked hard for years
[2:24:37] trying to improve the lives of our students. You know this,
[2:24:40] but you didn't know me well. I lived in Jerusalem for many
[2:24:44] years and together with my partner or had little school for young children,
[2:24:49] both Jewish and Arab together. I'm a proud Jew and
[2:24:52] a proud Israeli. I long for peace and have worked many years for peace.
[2:24:57] I'm also an infidel, as are you. You have been
[2:25:01] parroting racist ideology far more dangerous than that
[2:25:05] of the grand wizards of the Ku Klux Klan and of all the abhorrent
[2:25:09] supremacist groups put together.
[2:25:12] Do you even have a clue about this? And why not? And you
[2:25:16] supposedly taught children to be curious, to seek knowledge,
[2:25:20] to think critically. If the people whose jihadist ideology
[2:25:24] you have parroted had their way, you and I as would
[2:25:30] be taken out of the expired to be shot.
[2:25:34] Start reading real books.
[2:25:40] I have asked for decorum. I have asked
[2:25:44] for decorum. And decorum begins at the podium.
[2:25:48] When your time is expired, you need to stop so
[2:25:53] that others don't react.
[2:25:58] Because your time is expired.
[2:26:03] This is. This is the organism.
[2:26:06] We have responsibilities. Your responsibility is to stop when
[2:26:11] your time expires. Because if you don't. Because if you don't, you create
[2:26:15] a reaction from the audience. So if you
[2:26:19] don't want that reaction, stop when it's time to stop.
[2:26:25] Your time is up.
[2:26:33] Your time is up.
[2:26:37] Mayor. Mayor.
[2:26:41] All right, please, I. I'm asking all of
[2:26:45] us to be respectful.
[2:26:49] I'm sorry I said. You asked that several
[2:26:53] times and the same folks are still interrupting,
[2:27:06] So. So next
[2:27:10] time for decorum, don't just speak out, ask for you.
[2:27:16] Ask me a question. Yeah, but. Okay, so if you didn't ask me
[2:27:19] a question, I wouldn't have responded. Yeah, But I responded to something that you said
[2:27:24] before. I ask the question. So you said. Excuse.
[2:27:28] So. So go ahead. Next. Next speaker,
[2:27:31] please. Ruth K.
[2:27:42] Ruth K. We heard you. Your time
[2:27:46] is up. Next speaker. Next speaker.
[2:27:54] Ruth. Ruth. God.
[2:28:01] You need to press the red button. Thank you.
[2:28:04] Better. Good evening, Mayor and council members.
[2:28:07] And a special thank you to Cesar Zepeda and Jamila
[2:28:12] Brown for bringing the center forward. I'm here, Eduardo,
[2:28:16] to ask for your resignation.
[2:28:19] It's not easy to do that. I would love to be
[2:28:23] supporting you. When friends and colleagues began reaching out to me with stories
[2:28:28] of being bullied and harassed in our community, in schools and in
[2:28:32] the general community, I began reaching out to public officials,
[2:28:35] leaders in the school district as well. Every leader
[2:28:40] I spoke with, from the California State Department of Education to
[2:28:44] elected officials, to the school district, district office,
[2:28:49] administration, spoke to me. And there was one exception
[2:28:53] to this group. I sent you a message and asked to
[2:28:57] speak to you about the adoption, potential adoption of the IHRA
[2:29:01] definition of antisemitism, because I felt
[2:29:05] that was a good way to start you.
[2:29:10] Time is excellent. Told me you would talk to me about
[2:29:13] a part. Your time is up.
[2:29:22] Hold on.
[2:29:26] My name is Lenny Hochschild. Good evening, Mayor. Good evening,
[2:29:30] Councilman. Good evening, residents. I'm a Jewish resident.
[2:29:34] I'm from Marin, and I'm a small business owner focusing on clean
[2:29:39] energy. Until recently, I spent time here frequenting restaurants and
[2:29:44] bars with my family and my friends. I'm here to ask
[2:29:47] that you resign because I believe that the role of an
[2:29:51] elected leader is to bring people together to make
[2:29:55] all of our lives better. This man is clearly doing the opposite.
[2:29:59] Look at the last few hours. Is that bringing us together?
[2:30:02] Obviously not. He spends his time spreading
[2:30:06] misinformation, and whether he realizes it or not,
[2:30:11] as an elected official, he meaningfully contributes to the permission
[2:30:15] structure that has led to anti Semitic acts of violence.
[2:30:19] His actions, whether intentional or not, contributes to the
[2:30:22] likely endgame of getting innocent Bay Area Jews hurt or killed.
[2:30:26] Please resign. And shame on you.
[2:30:33] Last name is.
[2:30:38] Mayor Martinez. By using your social media platform
[2:30:42] to spread baseless conspiracy theories regarding
[2:30:46] the horrific Bondi massacre, you have failed your constituency.
[2:30:51] While the Jewish community was mourning innocent lives lost to
[2:30:55] senseless violence, you chose to amplify narratives
[2:30:59] that dehumanize victims and fuel the fires of
[2:31:03] antisemitism. Words are not harmless. For a community already
[2:31:07] facing a historic rise in hate crime, your rhetoric
[2:31:11] acts as a dog whistle that puts real lives at risk. Here in Richmond,
[2:31:16] you have shattered the bond of trust necessary to leave this
[2:31:20] Diverse City. We can no longer look to you for moral clarity.
[2:31:24] The only honorable path forward is for you to step down.
[2:31:28] For our community's sake and for the dignity of your office. We ask
[2:31:32] for your immediate resignation.
[2:31:39] Julie solomon.
[2:31:46] She left.
[2:31:52] Dan machinick.
[2:31:58] My name is Dan. I am a homeowner in Marina Bay
[2:32:03] for 15 years, a taxpayer and a voter. I'm sure you guys remember me from
[2:32:06] October 23rd. You guys know me also as a comedian. I work all over
[2:32:10] the world. I'll tell you that. When I travel around America, Richmond is
[2:32:14] known for two things. A movie called Coach Carter, which I think we all love.
[2:32:18] And it's known as a hotbed of anti Semitism and Jew hatred.
[2:32:21] It's known around. Listen, I'm the one going around the country doing
[2:32:26] podcasts, talking on tv, going on the radio, meeting with people, and they go,
[2:32:29] where are you from? You go, richmond. Oh, that's where you have the mayor that
[2:32:32] hates the Jews. So that's your legacy, whether you want
[2:32:36] it or not. And, sue, you're with them, too. I'm from Marina Bay. Sue,
[2:32:40] look at me. I'm from Marina Bay. You don't represent me, okay?
[2:32:44] You make my skin crawl. I'm so embarrassed to have you as my rep,
[2:32:48] but all I'm asking is, please resign. You've divided
[2:32:52] the community. Take a look. This is your legacy. Look at this divided room.
[2:32:56] This is what you have accomplished with your Jew hatred. I'm not trying
[2:33:00] to be funny. Michael Hahn.
[2:33:07] Michael Han.
[2:33:12] Michael, Are you Michael Hahn?
[2:33:15] Michael Hahn? Is that. Is it Sarah Kirschner? No.
[2:33:19] Yes. Or should. Okay.
[2:33:23] I'm a mother of a fifth grader, and I'm part of the team that built
[2:33:28] Rise Youth center in Richmond. I'm a Jewish community organizer,
[2:33:32] and I'm a service provider. Thank you, Mayor,
[2:33:35] for your unwavering condemnation of Israel's
[2:33:39] genocide against Palestinians. Now, more than ever,
[2:33:43] we want public servants who are not complicit with genocide.
[2:33:46] JCRC's entire job is to deflect
[2:33:50] the genocide and Israel's deadly racism through false claims
[2:33:55] of antisemitism and retaliate against those who speak against
[2:33:59] it. Their attacks on political speech erode protections for those
[2:34:03] that protected speech were intended to protect, such as
[2:34:07] Palestinian communities here and all over the Bay Area.
[2:34:11] Facing the loss of hundreds of family members over the
[2:34:14] past 27 months. Being uncomfortable with the truth is not the same thing
[2:34:18] as being unsafe. You should feel uncomfortable when you celebrate genocide.
[2:34:22] The resolution being proposed is an outrageous weaponization of
[2:34:26] anti Semitism, and it portrays my own Family's history of genocide.
[2:34:30] Thank you,
[2:34:34] Michael Hahn. Michael Hahn.
[2:34:42] Rocky chow.
[2:34:50] Good evening, council members. My name is Rocky Chow
[2:34:54] and I am a Richmond resident living in District 2 of Richmond. I'm giving
[2:34:58] public comments to show my support for Mayor Eduardo. The times I've
[2:35:02] interacted with Mayor Eduardo, he's shown that he's nothing but a principled, kind and humble
[2:35:06] individual who cares about his fellow humans in and outside of Richmond. It's unfortunate
[2:35:10] to expect that a good number of politicians to take big money at their behest
[2:35:13] from God awful entities that destroy lives, whether it is the Military Industrial
[2:35:17] Corporation or fossil fuel industries or apac. But not Mayor Eduardo.
[2:35:21] Mayor Eduardo ran his campaign, now serving as a progressive working
[2:35:25] class elected official. And now he's leading the city to moving away from fossil
[2:35:29] fuels and into a greener city, creating good
[2:35:34] local jobs here in Richmond. This is a mayor that leads and delivers for his
[2:35:37] constituents locally and speaking up, all the while speaking up against the genocide of
[2:35:41] Palestinian people funded by the US Tax dollars abroad, and even taking accountability
[2:35:46] when he makes mistakes. This is something. This is the humble leadership that.
[2:35:50] Something to be admired and quite frankly be modeled by elected officials,
[2:35:53] especially at the highest time, has expired.
[2:35:56] Our next speaker is Jake Garmo.
[2:36:00] And will the following individuals please line up behind the speaker's podium.
[2:36:04] Yosi Fidel, Stephanie Gwyn, Ken Yale.
[2:36:09] Marisa Segura,
[2:36:13] Paul. Lordy.
[2:36:16] Samuel. Sarah Teller, Marisol Cantu,
[2:36:21] Zinab Inter.
[2:36:25] Connor Swingo, please come forward.
[2:36:28] Jake.
[2:36:36] Okay, is Jake Garmo in the
[2:36:40] chambers? Next speaker is Yassi Findale.
[2:36:54] Hello. My name is Yossi Fandel and I am a Jewish Israeli American
[2:36:57] living in Berkeley. President George Washington famously
[2:37:01] made a promise to America's Jews that the United States would give to bigotry
[2:37:05] no sanction and to persecution no assistance. Well, Mayor Martinez has
[2:37:10] broken that promise. And for years now, his unrelenting anti Zionist bigotry
[2:37:15] and anti Semitic prejudice have stained his office and the city he
[2:37:18] serves. His animus toward Jews and his hatred towards
[2:37:22] Israelis and support for Hamas have become so infamous that there are
[2:37:26] viral social media posts denouncing him, even from Palestinians in
[2:37:30] Gaza. Richmond, your mayor is known worldwide as a
[2:37:34] Jew hater. And Jews have learned over the centuries that when
[2:37:38] bigotry becomes normalized, persecution follows. With Eduardo
[2:37:42] Martinez as mayor, Richmond is not safe for Jews. It has
[2:37:46] been demonstrated that if the Jews of Richmond are attacked, the mayor can be relied
[2:37:50] on to excuse the attackers and blame the Jews instead for the attacks against them.
[2:37:53] Mayor Martinez is an unrepentant Bigot. And he must leave office immediately.
[2:37:58] Stephanie Gwynne.
[2:38:05] Stephanie Gwynn.
[2:38:10] Okay. Ken Yale.
[2:38:27] Excuse me, you need to turn the mic on.
[2:38:32] There's a red button. Yeah,
[2:38:36] yeah. Your time will start when you're. Yes,
[2:38:40] I'm a retired manager of Contra Costa County Social
[2:38:44] Services. I've lived and been based in Richmond
[2:38:48] and I'm Jewish. And I'm calling for council
[2:38:51] action against you, Mayor Martinez, for your documented
[2:38:56] history. And these are not lies, as people say. It's all documented
[2:39:00] of anti Semitic statements on social
[2:39:04] media all over the world, including the blaming the
[2:39:08] victims of the recent mass murder on Bodie beach of Jews
[2:39:13] on the victims. The safety of the Jewish community is
[2:39:17] at stake. We cannot continue to tolerate public
[2:39:21] officials who engage in anti Semitic rhetoric.
[2:39:25] Lots of people say you are nice man, and you may be nice for lots
[2:39:29] of people, but you're not nice for Jews. You must reside.
[2:39:34] It's the only alternative. And I will add that people
[2:39:38] throwing around words like genocide and imperialism who
[2:39:42] do not know the definitions of time is expired and that should be discussed.
[2:39:46] You don't know the definition.
[2:39:50] Ken Yale. Let's be civil.
[2:39:56] My name is Ken Yale. I'm a 20 year resident of Richmond. I'm Jewish
[2:40:00] and I support the mayor. You've heard some people today asserting that opposition to
[2:40:04] Israel or to Zionism is anti Jewish or anti Semitic.
[2:40:07] Please do not be fooled or intimidated by the conflation of
[2:40:11] these terms. Judaism is a religion, Israel is a state, and Zionism
[2:40:16] is a political ideology. And criticizing the apartheid
[2:40:19] state of Israel or the Jewish supremacist ideology of Zionism is
[2:40:24] in no way a slur against Judaism as a religion or the people who practice
[2:40:28] it. And any Jewish person or organization who tries to conflate
[2:40:33] these terms as a weapon to silence the mayor or to silence you on
[2:40:37] the council, or who justifies Israel's barbaric genocide,
[2:40:41] or who falsely claims to represent all Jewish people, does not
[2:40:45] represent me, does not represent thousands of Richmond and Bay Area Jews,
[2:40:49] and does not represent the millions of Jewish people around the world who proudly
[2:40:53] support Palestinian human rights and a free Palestine. Please continue
[2:40:57] supporting Mayor Martinez and Palestinian human rights so that
[2:41:00] Richmond is not complicit in this horrific is Israeli genocide.
[2:41:05] Marinza Segura.
[2:41:20] Turn the mic on, please.
[2:41:24] Do I start? Yes. Good evening, everyone.
[2:41:28] My name is Marina. I live in Marina Bay, Richmond City.
[2:41:30] Wilson is my council member. And I'm definitely not used to standing in
[2:41:35] front of a microphone. I'm just someone who has lived here for years and
[2:41:39] cares about where we're headed. I wanted to come up here tonight
[2:41:43] to say that I support our mayor. Lately, it feels like all we hear is
[2:41:48] this small, very loud group of people trying to push
[2:41:52] our mayor out. But they don't represent the residents of Richmond. Most of us are
[2:41:56] actually happy with the work being done in our neighborhoods and the direction the city
[2:42:00] is headed. In a city like ours, we aren't always going to agree
[2:42:04] on everything. That's just life. But a handful of people shouldn't
[2:42:07] get to decide for the rest of us. We elected the mayor to do a
[2:42:11] job and he's doing it. And I just wanted to add one thing, one last
[2:42:15] thing. Jamelia Brown, you are an opportunist.
[2:42:20] Paul. Lordy.
[2:42:25] Paul Lorody. He'll be followed by Samuel
[2:42:29] Sax Teller.
[2:42:33] Ready? It's on. It's on. Ready? My name
[2:42:37] is Paul Laroudi and I've been a proud resident of Richmond since 1980.
[2:42:41] And I'm especially proud to have the kindest,
[2:42:45] gentlest and most compassionate mayor in America.
[2:42:48] Eduardo Martinez cares about the well being of all,
[2:42:51] all who live in Richmond, but especially our poor and destitute.
[2:42:56] He defends them against homelessness and exploitation and
[2:43:01] against big corporations and developers who see the needy as obstacles
[2:43:05] to their greed and ambition. And yes, Eduardo's compassion
[2:43:10] knows no bounds. It extends to the suffering of victims in
[2:43:14] the U.S. venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, Iran,
[2:43:17] Israel, Gaza and all of Palestine. We must
[2:43:21] therefore defend our city and our mayor from attacks by outside
[2:43:25] agitators like the jcrc, who only want
[2:43:28] to destroy and intimidate Mayor Eduardo Martinez and
[2:43:33] the honorable people of Richmond.
[2:43:37] Samuel Sextaler.
[2:43:41] Hi, I'm Sam, a longtime climate justice activist
[2:43:45] and a member of Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond. I have
[2:43:49] admired the work this council has done on many fronts, including standing
[2:43:53] up to Chevron for the health of all of our communities. And Mayor Martinez,
[2:43:57] I would like to see you live up to your promise of good governance by
[2:44:01] repairing a relationship with the Richmond Jewish community. Thank you very much,
[2:44:05] Mayor Sal Cantu.
[2:44:12] Hi. Thank you. My name is Marisol Cantu.
[2:44:16] I'm a third generation Richmond resident. I'm also the co chair of the Richmond Progressive
[2:44:20] alliance and I am here Tonight to voice
[2:44:24] RPA's support for Mayor Martinez and to thank
[2:44:28] him for his leadership in the moments of crisis,
[2:44:32] in the moments of war, and for our entire community.
[2:44:35] From shepherding the chevron settlement of 550
[2:44:41] million, to championing the first ceasefire resolution,
[2:44:45] to standing for human rights from Richmond
[2:44:49] all the way to Palestine, you are our mayor.
[2:44:53] Your leadership is never Perfect as we are never perfect.
[2:44:57] But it's progress and it's progress that we need. And as a third generation
[2:45:02] Richmond resident, I speak and I am never more proud to be here to
[2:45:06] support you, to be a D6 resident, and to continue the progress for Richmond
[2:45:13] Our next speaker is Zaniyah Interim Intar
[2:45:19] Zenaya. Sorry. Hello.
[2:45:25] Hello. My name is Zainab. I'm from Alameda County.
[2:45:29] I want to support everything. Oops, sorry.
[2:45:32] I'm here to defend the mayor and stand with him in every capacity and stand
[2:45:35] with him in every capacity as mayor of Richmond. One in five Palestinians
[2:45:39] have been killed and one in five of Palestinians have been children that have been
[2:45:42] killed. People are in Gaza right now with flooded tents, starving and
[2:45:46] freezing. This is what we should be worried about.
[2:45:49] There's people that who voted to agendize this item and give it legitimacy are going
[2:45:53] to be the first and are going to be ready to concede to AIPAC and
[2:45:56] trust Trump when the time comes. Shame on you. Shame on you for siding with
[2:45:59] baby killers. Zionism will fall. Free Palestine. Thank you.
[2:46:04] Our next speaker is Connor Swingo. And will the following individuals
[2:46:08] please come forward. Line up behind the speaker's podium. Seth Morrison.
[2:46:12] Cordell Hendler. Kathleen Weimer.
[2:46:15] Ziva Trey. David Schoenholtz.
[2:46:19] Daniel. Nathan Hess. Aaron Middleshone.
[2:46:24] Yolanda Walker. Cassandra Savoy.
[2:46:29] Connor. Hello. My name is Connor
[2:46:33] Swingle. I'm a member of the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party.
[2:46:36] I'm here today to speak in support of Mayor Martinez.
[2:46:39] Richmond becoming the first city to pass a ceasefire resolution was
[2:46:44] vital in paving the way for more cities to pass ceasefire resolution solutions.
[2:46:47] The genocide in Palestine is only possible with the
[2:46:51] support of the United States. So when Richmond was the first siege to take a
[2:46:55] stand, it mattered. So let's be clear. The attacks on Mayor Martinez are
[2:46:59] about attacking the progressive anti war values that make Richmond
[2:47:02] and Mayor Martinez leaders. It's about attacking the very
[2:47:06] idea that a city like Richmond should condemn the genocide in Gaza. It's about
[2:47:11] attacking the movement for free Palestine. Public opinion is
[2:47:15] not going back to support Israel. But desperate acts like this
[2:47:18] will be tried and attempted to turn back the clock.
[2:47:21] But I implore the city council to stand behind
[2:47:25] the anti war and anti genocide positions that this city supports
[2:47:30] and this world needs. Thank you. Seth Morrison.
[2:47:37] Seth Morrison.
[2:47:41] I heard you called Jake Garmo. I called Seth Morrison.
[2:47:45] Next in the list. In the list. Okay,
[2:47:49] Seth. I'm representing
[2:47:54] Jewish Voice for Peace Bay area. We work
[2:47:58] for a free Palestine and oppose anti Semitism,
[2:48:02] Jewish safety lies in solidarity with all
[2:48:06] at risk communities. Mayor Martinez
[2:48:10] and Richmond have an impressive record of supporting
[2:48:14] Palestinians. The mayor's reports
[2:48:18] were hurtful and minimizing the
[2:48:23] loss of life and promoting tropes of an
[2:48:27] Israeli conspiracy. We appreciate the mayor's
[2:48:31] apology and openness to address these concerns.
[2:48:35] The attack by the JCRC is mainly due to
[2:48:39] his support for Palestine. We reject the call for
[2:48:43] him to resign or be censored. The antidote to anti Semitism
[2:48:48] is education, not cancellation.
[2:48:52] The JCRC time has expired.
[2:48:56] Cordell Hindler.
[2:49:02] I usually have a two minute speech, but at
[2:49:07] this time, so I'll keep it short. So. Good evening, Mayor Martinez.
[2:49:11] Counselor. For the record, I am Cordell Henlon. I'm a rich
[2:49:15] resident, so I do have some items that I'm bringing forward. So women
[2:49:19] in the workplace, they are overworked because they are trying
[2:49:23] to put together together like, you know, an agenda report. So it's hard because they
[2:49:28] have, like two weeks and that's not enough time to get their item heard.
[2:49:32] So they have to wait till the next available agenda for
[2:49:36] their item to be heard. So that's one. And then number two, I do appreciate
[2:49:40] Mayor Martinez for inviting Jesse Ardegain to speak to us last month. I thought
[2:49:44] his presentation was very helpful because I really learned a lot about,
[2:49:48] like, you know, legislative bills and all that stuff. But as
[2:49:52] I said before, Mayor Martinez, you have done a wonderful job. And I don't
[2:49:56] know if people remember there was a cartoon that said, there's no need to fear.
[2:49:59] Instead of underdog is here, it's gonna be Mayor Martinez is here. Dun,
[2:50:03] dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. So he ain't going nowhere.
[2:50:07] That's sad.
[2:50:10] Kathleen Weimer.
[2:50:15] Captain Weimer.
[2:50:25] Hello. Do I
[2:50:29] do something? Oh, okay. Happy New Year.
[2:50:33] Nice to see all of you. I have known
[2:50:37] eduardo Martinez for 15 years,
[2:50:41] and I know that he is a person of character and
[2:50:46] that he holds values that most
[2:50:50] of us share, certainly most of us progressives.
[2:50:55] And I'm proud to have him as the Mayor
[2:50:59] of Richmond. I think he made a mistake with the post that he put
[2:51:04] up and that he's acknowledged it was a mistake and will
[2:51:08] meet with the people who have been offended by that and
[2:51:12] do what he can to make reparation.
[2:51:15] And that's good enough for me. Thank you very much.
[2:51:20] Ziva. Trey.
[2:51:25] Okay. David schoenholtz,
[2:51:33] Press the red button, please.
[2:51:37] My name is David and I am a Jewish resident of the East Bay.
[2:51:40] Most mayors are not bigots. Most mayors are not liars. Most mayors are
[2:51:44] not Hypocrites. Mayor Martinez is all of these things. Can you imagine
[2:51:48] if after the Pulse nightclub shooting, a local elected official shared a post calling
[2:51:53] it a false flag perpetrated by the queer community? That person would
[2:51:56] be called out immediately, as they should be. It is such a no brainer to
[2:52:00] not share hateful conspiracy theories. But when it comes to the Jewish community,
[2:52:04] the mayor just cannot help himself. Mayor Martinez is not sorry
[2:52:08] for what he did. He's sorry he got caught doing it. The insincere apology
[2:52:12] he offered showed no recognition of having caused any harm or
[2:52:15] hurt. When friends of mine, Jewish or otherwise, think about moving to
[2:52:20] the East Bay, I will continue to warn them to steer clear of Richmond until
[2:52:24] Mayor Martinez is out of office. Richmond calls itself the city of pride and purpose.
[2:52:28] Instead of pride, the mayor has brought shame on his city. I hope the council
[2:52:31] members have enough pride themselves to censure the mayor and join for the call
[2:52:35] for him to resign. Thank you, Daniel. Nathan Hess.
[2:52:44] Hello, everyone. A lot
[2:52:47] of people have stolen my lines tonight, so instead of reading something
[2:52:51] fiery and passionate that you all know me to be, I'll speak from the
[2:52:55] heart. My wife's the smartest person in the world and she always says I speak
[2:52:58] better when I speak from the heart. So someone came
[2:53:03] up and spoke earlier and said that we shouldn't feel comfortable celebrating genocide.
[2:53:07] Right? We shouldn't. But I also don't want to feel
[2:53:10] uncomfortable putting menorah in my window. Because when the language that you use,
[2:53:15] Mayor Martinez, makes me feel uncomfortable to do that, I'm afraid
[2:53:19] that someone's going to drive by my, my house in Richmond on a major thoroughfare
[2:53:22] and throw a brick through my window. And I, I, I don't want that for
[2:53:27] my wife. I don't want that for my family. I'm coming here
[2:53:30] as a resident, not as any other person. I just
[2:53:34] don't like the way that you have conducted yourself on social media. I mean,
[2:53:37] LinkedIn. Come on, dude. Like, at least use Twitter or X or whatever.
[2:53:41] Mayor Martinez, I'll just simply say this and then I know my time is up.
[2:53:45] Time is expensive. Fire. I'll just say one last thing. There are a lot of
[2:53:48] Jews who are doctors. Time is up.
[2:53:59] Aaron nicholson.
[2:54:06] My name is Aaron Mendelson. I'm a resident of Richmond and of District 5.
[2:54:10] And I'm here to speak about Mayor Martinez's social media posts.
[2:54:14] The mayor reposted to LinkedIn a post that seemed to offer a justification
[2:54:18] for the Bondi beach shootings. It said that the public displays of the Jewish
[2:54:22] religion were, quote, performative assertions of dominance and, quote,
[2:54:26] spatial conquest through symbolism, which, again quoting, were deeply
[2:54:30] provocative. He found this insightful. This is
[2:54:34] an attack on the very idea of pluralism, tolerance and the promise
[2:54:38] of America that no matter where you come from, whatever your race or religion,
[2:54:41] you are part of our great community. That we can not only tolerate one's differences,
[2:54:45] but learn from and celebrate them. And that we can be better for
[2:54:50] it. That in America, no person should have to hide their religion to remain safe.
[2:54:53] I don't believe someone who rejects these ideals is fit for public service.
[2:54:57] And I call on you to resign.
[2:55:00] Yolanda Walker, followed by Cassandra Savoy.
[2:55:13] And I just press the button here. Okay.
[2:55:17] My name is Yolanda Walker and I stay in the city of Richmond with
[2:55:21] my mom. I would like to see more police presence in
[2:55:25] District 1. Mayor, you do not live
[2:55:29] in District 1. We do. Respectfully. Are you helping District 1?
[2:55:32] Are you wanting to help District 1? My mother has been
[2:55:36] a victim of car vandalism. I have experienced neighborhood
[2:55:40] billing intimidation regarding public street parking.
[2:55:44] Suspicious people in our neighborhoods, in our homes.
[2:55:48] The lack of police presence creates a community to
[2:55:52] live in constant fear of being a. Being a victim
[2:55:56] of a crime. Crime. I truly hope that we have not forgotten about
[2:56:00] the well being of our communities. I don't like that my mother
[2:56:04] has to live in her home as a prisoner. I live in trauma
[2:56:08] with my mother. My mother's welfare is important to me. I beg
[2:56:13] you, I beg you for extra police patrol
[2:56:17] for that area, please.
[2:56:20] Cassandra Saboy.
[2:56:24] That is my daughter. Good afternoon, City council members and the
[2:56:28] mayor of Richmond as well. That was my daughter. I think she said
[2:56:31] most of the concerns we were here to address.
[2:56:36] But yes, there has been some
[2:56:40] very suspicious activity in my district. I want
[2:56:43] to thank Councilmember Jamila Brown for responding
[2:56:48] to all of the emails my daughter and I sent
[2:56:52] to her. We got some of the trash removed from the public
[2:56:56] sidewalks and street. I mean, what is going on? I get
[2:57:01] tired of looking at all that nastiness around me.
[2:57:04] My house is very clean in my surrounding. The people
[2:57:08] that are living in that neighborhood are really just giving
[2:57:12] you guys disrespect in a way, you know, But I care for my.
[2:57:16] My neighborhood and I want to see it clean. Pick up this
[2:57:20] nastiness off our streets when I come off the freeway.
[2:57:24] Barrett is really clean. But when you get to District one, time is
[2:57:28] expired. Please help us. We need police patrol.
[2:57:32] Time is expired. Our next speaker
[2:57:37] is Jake Garmo. Will the following speakers please line
[2:57:40] up behind the Speakers podium Jake Joseph Puglio Natalie Reyes Max
[2:57:45] Flint Barbara Schick LPW
[2:57:50] Suzanne DeWitt, Tayo Garner Candice
[2:57:56] Scott or Shot Karen Franklin
[2:57:59] Annie Pinnell BK Williams and
[2:58:04] our last in person speaker will be Jamie Purcell. Jake hi,
[2:58:09] my name is Jake Garmo. I am a resident of Albany and I am
[2:58:13] coming in support of the mayor because an attack on you, Mr.
[2:58:17] Mayor, is an attack on working people across California.
[2:58:20] I had the privilege of seeing the working class power that
[2:58:25] has been built in Richmond when I participated in supporting the United
[2:58:29] Teachers of Richmond strike that went on last month.
[2:58:33] This city faces a lot of the same problems that cities across
[2:58:38] the state have been facing. We have seen a ramp up in attacks on
[2:58:42] our immigrant community from ice. We are seeing an affordability
[2:58:45] crisis and of course we are seeing a lack
[2:58:49] of moral clarity on the issue of Palestine. And on
[2:58:53] all of these issues, the people of Richmond and your mayorship
[2:58:57] have stood in in fir firm support of all of those issues.
[2:59:03] The work the working class in this country doesn't
[2:59:06] just need you, it needs the people of Richmond, the people that support you.
[2:59:10] And I urge everyone to continue supporting you.
[2:59:14] Joseph Pugl.
[2:59:25] Which button it's ready any.
[2:59:36] Hi, I'm Joe Pulio. Richmond Residence Everyone
[2:59:40] in this room, everyone had said
[2:59:44] or done something in their past that they regret.
[2:59:48] Not everyone in this room has had character to
[2:59:52] apologize as Eduardo has. However, this controversy
[2:59:56] isn't really about Eduardo's unfortunate Facebook
[3:00:00] reposting. It's about the upcoming municipal election
[3:00:04] where reactionaries hope to overturn the progress
[3:00:08] made in Richmond by any means, including defamation
[3:00:13] of the mayor. They would have you ignore the $550
[3:00:17] million or obtained from Chevron. They would have you ignore
[3:00:21] the $98 million saved by dumping
[3:00:25] the credit default swaps.
[3:00:29] They would like to end police reform and they would like to get rid of
[3:00:33] rent control. Don't be an accessory to
[3:00:37] the reactionaries trying to defame the mayor.
[3:00:43] Natalie Reyes Natalie
[3:00:47] Reyes hello,
[3:00:51] my name is Natalie Reyes. I grew up in Richmond. I am a Richmond resident
[3:00:55] and I'm also a Richmond business owner.
[3:00:59] As a Richmond resident, which I'm sure some people attending this
[3:01:03] meeting are not, in which case, respectfully or disrespectfully, go home.
[3:01:08] Richmond needs progressive leaders like Mayor Eduardo who
[3:01:12] know what it's like to live in Richmond and
[3:01:16] in the mayor's case, teach someone who knows what the city and
[3:01:20] its constituents need. We need more people who care about Richmond the
[3:01:24] way that you do. Those calling for resignation, aside from
[3:01:28] not living in Richmond, have never done anything positive for our community.
[3:01:33] And those council members calling for said resignation or extreme punishment
[3:01:38] over reposts should focus on their districts. From 23rd
[3:01:42] street down, it is becoming. It's short
[3:01:46] of becoming a trash heap. And the needs of their constituents
[3:01:50] who are struggling to pay rent and pay groceries. That should be
[3:01:54] your focus. Max Flint.
[3:02:01] Max Flint.
[3:02:06] It's on. Okay. My name is Max.
[3:02:09] I would like to voice my support for the mayor.
[3:02:13] The JCRC is a Zionist organization that has used
[3:02:17] bigotry throughout the night, has called members of the community Islamists,
[3:02:22] terrorists, jihadists, has used a multitude
[3:02:26] of offensive, racist and bigoted terms.
[3:02:30] And it's a hypocrisy for them to claim that the mayor
[3:02:34] is somehow a bigoted person when he has stood up for so many people.
[3:02:40] And I would like to voice my support for the mayor. And I would also
[3:02:44] like to say that it's important that you listen to an entire community of
[3:02:48] Jewish residents and not just the ones who support the genocide in Gaza and proudly
[3:02:53] wear dog tags and talk about the IDF and their families. The same people
[3:02:57] who are killing children in Gaza. Thank you, Barbara Schick.
[3:03:07] I am Dr. Barbara Schick, an East Bay resident who
[3:03:11] patronizes stores in Richmond. When untruths,
[3:03:14] especially those with negative agendas, are told enough times,
[3:03:18] people start to think they are true. For over 2000
[3:03:22] years, and antisemitism,
[3:03:25] for different reasons, has been used to scapegoat and
[3:03:29] dehumanize Jews. In the past, this has resulted in discrimination,
[3:03:33] death and genocide against Jews.
[3:03:38] In a democracy, antisemitism coming from public officials
[3:03:43] is unacceptable. There should be some mechanism
[3:03:46] to prevent and at least condemn unexpected, acceptable behavior by public officials.
[3:03:51] Thank you, lpw.
[3:04:00] I've heard many people say that the mayor has apologized.
[3:04:03] It's a completely inadequate apology when you blame being
[3:04:07] sick instead of taking real accountability.
[3:04:11] When you claim that you didn't read correctly what you reposted,
[3:04:15] but you've had years of similar posts. When you paint yourself as
[3:04:19] a victim without acknowledging harm, when you do not disavow
[3:04:23] the content or remove your posts.
[3:04:28] You don't distinguish anti Zionism from anti Semitism,
[3:04:33] but you're perfectly fine with trafficking in classic antisemitic
[3:04:36] conspiracy theories. Finally, the next speaker
[3:04:41] went through the real Holocaust. There are people in this
[3:04:45] room who've been extremely disrespectful, maybe on both sides. I ask
[3:04:49] for genuine decency in this room while she says her piece.
[3:04:54] Susan DeWitt,
[3:05:04] Mayor Martinez and Richmond City Council.
[3:05:08] My name is Suzanne DeWitt. I was born in 1934
[3:05:13] in Nazi Germany. In Munich during my
[3:05:18] early years, we heard the same kind of remarks that
[3:05:22] the mayor made with respect to the Bondi
[3:05:27] massacre. These remarks are dangerous.
[3:05:31] They stimulate hatred. As you can see. This evening,
[3:05:36] I've heard shocking, shocking statements.
[3:05:39] They are falsehoods. They are libels.
[3:05:44] They are smears. And I really, really upset
[3:05:49] and very angry that the mayor has made such statements.
[3:05:52] Thank you very much. Taylor Garner.
[3:06:00] Tal Garner, followed by Candace Shot.
[3:06:04] Hello. My name is Tal, and I'm a proud American Israeli
[3:06:08] from the East Bay with family living in Richmond. I'm here because it is absolutely
[3:06:13] unbelievable that an elected official can be so blatantly
[3:06:17] anti Semitic, such as Mayor Martinez right here. Let's not pretend
[3:06:22] that this is anything else other than straight up anti Semitism. We know
[3:06:26] history repeats itself. And as the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor,
[3:06:30] this feels all too familiar and really quite terrifying.
[3:06:34] It is 2026, these types of posts,
[3:06:38] and this behavior would never be accepted if it were
[3:06:42] against any other minority. Let me ask you. Because it's
[3:06:46] against Jewish people, it's somehow okay? Simply put,
[3:06:50] nobody should be allowed to represent or lead a city with
[3:06:54] such hatred running through their veins. Mayor Martinez,
[3:06:58] you have crossed the line one too many times. Please resign.
[3:07:02] Thank you, Candace.
[3:07:11] Candice Shot. I said I
[3:07:14] didn't want to speak. Okay. Karen Franklin.
[3:07:19] Hello, everyone. My name's. Am I on. Yeah.
[3:07:23] Karen Franklin. I'm a longtime Richmond resident in the Panhandle Annex.
[3:07:27] My grandfather was a very prescient man. He was one of
[3:07:31] the few Jews holding local public office in Brooklyn way back in the day.
[3:07:35] And he was part of a mass movement of American Jews back then who
[3:07:39] were vocally opposed to Zionism because they recognized it as a supremacy
[3:07:43] ideology that would ultimately harm not just Palestinians,
[3:07:47] but Jews as well, because. And it would increase global
[3:07:51] anti Semitism. And look, here we are. So he's prescient,
[3:07:55] right? The mayor's social media posts were insensitive and false.
[3:07:59] But I want to just be clear. The JCRC group, as others have said,
[3:08:02] that sent that letter, set off this whole hullabaloo,
[3:08:05] is not a voice of local Jews here in Richmond. In fact, it's not
[3:08:10] even a membership organization at all. It's just a Zionist front group with a
[3:08:14] mission to silence all opposition to Israelis Israel's
[3:08:19] continuing genocide. And I'm appalled at the opportunism
[3:08:23] of you two over here.
[3:08:27] Be aware of who lives. And your time has expired.
[3:08:31] Sorry. Annie Pinel.
[3:08:42] Hello. My name is Annie Pinnell. I'm a proud resident of Richmond, and over the
[3:08:45] last five years I've watched Mr. Martinez advance systems of care in our city through
[3:08:49] dedicated work on the City Council. When I look around and I see decisions being
[3:08:53] made by governments around the state and the country, it's hard not to feel scared
[3:08:56] and hopeless. But I am comfort and comforted in knowing that I'm a Richmond
[3:09:00] resident because of meetings that happen in this very room, because my representatives
[3:09:05] bravely make decisions and stand up for the most vulnerable residents of the city.
[3:09:09] Richmond had the lowest ever recorded homicide last year.
[3:09:13] That's the result of hard, intentional work from many civil servants and
[3:09:17] community members across the city to address root causes to prevent crime.
[3:09:20] And Mayor Martinez's stewardship of the community and public safety programs
[3:09:24] that will serve all Richmond residents was an integral part of pushing this work forward.
[3:09:28] I hope that he has given the opportunity to make amends and learn from this
[3:09:32] mistake, because this city needs him, and it needs him to operate fully.
[3:09:35] I respectfully request that the council not invoke further harm
[3:09:39] on Richmond by restricting the functions of the mayor, because this center amendment would harm
[3:09:43] the city. Again, thank representation.
[3:09:46] BK Williams,
[3:09:57] Press the button. Thank you.
[3:10:01] This room is much more peaceful than the room I spent the last two hours
[3:10:05] in. My name is bk and I am a member of the
[3:10:08] Richmond Progressive alliance, the rpa. You will
[3:10:12] make mistakes, all of you. And I think the question
[3:10:16] is, what do you do to repair those mistakes once you've made
[3:10:21] them? And I hope that you all remember this when it's your time to.
[3:10:24] When you've made a mistake or done something that you need to apologize for.
[3:10:28] However, Mayor Eduardo, I want to say to you that,
[3:10:31] as you know, your actions have caused some harm,
[3:10:34] and I think that the ask here.
[3:10:38] Well, I can't talk about that because it's not on the agenda. But I do
[3:10:41] want to say that I appreciate the fact that you have apologized, but the apology
[3:10:45] is not. To me, the community that you've harmed is the
[3:10:49] one who needs to hear your apology and accept it. And I've heard from
[3:10:53] some folks that. That they do accept your apology. And so for that,
[3:10:56] I am grateful. And you should be. Also. It is the task of
[3:11:00] the unharmed, of the harmed to accept your apology. And so I want.
[3:11:04] Your time has expired. Thank you, Jamin Purcell.
[3:11:12] Jamie Purcell, Richmond RESIDENT I'm a progressive, and because of that, I believe in
[3:11:17] accountability and that it matters. To be clear, this on the. On this is not
[3:11:20] about Palestine. This is about leadership, responsibility, and the real harm that occurs under
[3:11:24] the title of the mayor. And if you choose to weigh in on complex issues.
[3:11:28] You come with care, but you come correct. The post conflated
[3:11:32] Jewish people with the actions of the State of Israel. That's wrong. Jewish identity
[3:11:36] is not interchangeable with Israeli government actions. And the kind of conflation fuels
[3:11:41] anti Semitism and undermines legitimate advocacy for Palestinian human
[3:11:46] rights. When residents raise issue with acknowledged
[3:11:50] antisemitism and are dismissed as Zionists by community activists,
[3:11:54] that's not accountability. It creates the imagined enemy to avoid responsibility
[3:11:58] and divides our own community by othering people. And when the rhetoric drifts towards conspiracy
[3:12:03] adjacent tropes about shadow influence and AIPAC money, it's not radical, it's dangerous.
[3:12:08] Progressives should know this pattern. It's the same logic that
[3:12:12] conservatives have used to weaponize identity against LGBT people,
[3:12:15] minorities and and Major, I'm.
[3:12:19] I got Time is expired. Expired.
[3:12:22] Time is expired.
[3:12:26] That was our last in person speaker. Now we'll move to the
[3:12:30] overflow. There are 30 speakers.
[3:12:34] Okay, we. We will be calling speakers in groups
[3:12:39] of 10. If you could directly line up behind the mic.
[3:12:42] As a reminder, you will have one minute to speak. Please keep your comments
[3:12:45] during your time and please keep your comments respectful.
[3:12:49] There are children in the room. The first group of speakers are Michael
[3:12:53] Devine, Nagin Masaid, David Mandel,
[3:12:56] Faiza Ayad, Dana Rios,
[3:13:00] Carolina Avalar, Michael Leedy, Sarah Cohen,
[3:13:04] Ellen Brodsky and Eve Hirschaupt.
[3:13:09] Michael Devine, you will have one minute
[3:13:13] to speak. Hi, my name is Michael Devine.
[3:13:16] I'm Jewish. I'm actually a resident of Alameda.
[3:13:20] I am impacted by the hate, so I feel I have a right to be
[3:13:23] here and speak. Imagine waking up the morning after
[3:13:27] Richmond's juneteenth celebration on June 21st in Richmond's Nickel park
[3:13:31] to the news. The two Ku Klux Klansmen shot and killed 15 African Americans
[3:13:36] celebrating Juneteenth. Imagine the minister of St. Luke Missionary Baptist
[3:13:40] Church was shot in the head and the minister of Antioch Baptist Church was shot
[3:13:44] in the heart. And imagine then an 87 year old lynching survivor was killed
[3:13:49] and a 10 year old child was killed too. Now imagine
[3:13:53] the Richmond mayor saying the Juneteenth celebration wasn't a neutral space.
[3:13:57] That celebrating Juneteenth in a public park is an assertion of power
[3:14:01] and dominance. Imagine the mayor going on to say
[3:14:05] the two Klansmen were actually two Black Lives Matter activists in Klan's robes.
[3:14:10] This is exactly what the mayor said. Sharing is saying
[3:14:14] it. That's how social media works. He must resign. Thank you.
[3:14:17] The next speaker is Nagin Mesaid.
[3:14:21] Thank you to the speaker that just left. That's a lot of imagining,
[3:14:24] and that is hard to do. And come up with the conclusion that
[3:14:28] you came up with. I am here to
[3:14:33] support Eduardo Martinez. I'm coming from the city of Berkeley. I am
[3:14:37] the previous Berkeley Tenant Union chair.
[3:14:40] Mayor Martinez has helped tenants all over
[3:14:45] the state because Richmond was one of the cities that
[3:14:50] after 30 years, passed the first rent control
[3:14:54] ordinance. And Mayor Martinez was hard at work
[3:14:58] at that. These are the jobs of a person who cares about his
[3:15:03] community. A working class supporting mayor who is always there
[3:15:07] for his people in the classrooms, at the strike
[3:15:11] lines, with the tenants, with the people of Richmond. This is what we
[3:15:15] need to be concerned about. Not a retweet. That could mean anything.
[3:15:19] It could mean. Just consider this. All of this has
[3:15:24] been conflated. Your time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is David
[3:15:28] Mandel. David Mandel.
[3:15:31] Okay, I don't see David. So. The next speaker is Faiza.
[3:15:35] Ayat.
[3:15:38] Salaam alaikum, everyone. My name.
[3:15:41] Walaikum salam. Rahmatullah Barakatuh. My name is Faiza. I'm here
[3:15:45] to support the mayor and I wanted to say something.
[3:15:52] What's going on in Richmond,
[3:15:55] it's something we need to recognize.
[3:16:01] Racism is.
[3:16:05] It's all over the world and it's enrichment,
[3:16:09] too. And also I wanted to say we've been victim.
[3:16:20] Eyes and now
[3:16:23] everything out on the open. I support you,
[3:16:28] Mr. Martinez, for standing up for
[3:16:33] the right of humanity on
[3:16:37] this earth. We lost it, and now it's
[3:16:41] time to gain it back. Your time has expired. Thank you.
[3:16:44] The next speaker is Dana Rios. Dana Rios.
[3:16:48] Okay, looks like Dan is not here. So the next speaker is Carolina Avalar.
[3:16:57] Good evening. My name is Carolina. I have been a Richmond resident since
[3:17:02] 2022, and I remember Mayor Martinez going door to door that
[3:17:06] summer, reaching out to Richmond residents as part of his campaign. I am proud to
[3:17:10] have voted for Mayor Martinez then, and I am proud to have him as a
[3:17:13] mayor now. His leadership and the leadership of the City Council is one
[3:17:17] of the many reasons why I am proud to be a Richmond resident. And as
[3:17:21] a Richmond resident who exercised their Democratic right to vote, I very much resent
[3:17:25] an outside group's attempt to influence how this city is run. If the
[3:17:29] JCRC is defined in part by community relations, and they have
[3:17:33] done a pretty poor job of it since in my three and a half years
[3:17:36] of living in Richmond, I have yet to see them do the work of community
[3:17:38] relationship building here. In fact, the only impression they
[3:17:43] have left is that of an outside group that comes in when it benefits them
[3:17:46] to advocate against the wishes of the people of Richmond. The people
[3:17:50] of Richmond elected Mayor Martinez and we support his continued leadership and advocacy.
[3:17:55] Thank you. The next speaker is Michael Leedy.
[3:17:59] Michael Leedy. Hey.
[3:18:03] Looks like Michael's not here, so. The next speaker is Sarah Cohen.
[3:18:07] Sarah Cohen. Looks like Sarah's
[3:18:11] not here either. The next speaker is Ellen Brodsky.
[3:18:19] Hi. My name is Ellen Brodsky and I'm Jewish. And I'm here to
[3:18:23] support the mayor. Just as the State of Israel
[3:18:27] falsely claims to act to the name of all Jews,
[3:18:30] the Jewish Community Relations Council falsely claims to speak
[3:18:34] for all Jews. You can see from the Jews who have spoken here tonight
[3:18:38] that this is not true at all. It is shameful
[3:18:42] that the JCRC continues to orchestrate an attack on Mayor Martinez
[3:18:46] for posts that he has apologized for. It hurts
[3:18:50] the Jewish community when a major pro Israel advocacy organization
[3:18:54] like the JCRC uses the COVID of criticizing antisemitism
[3:18:59] to attack elected officials who have the
[3:19:03] courage to oppose Israel's genocide and apartheid.
[3:19:07] Judaism is not Zionism and criticism of Israel and
[3:19:11] Zionism is not anti Semitism. All power to the
[3:19:15] people of Richmond and to the City Council for your support for
[3:19:19] the Palestinian people. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker
[3:19:24] is Eve Hershop. And the following group of 10 speakers after that are
[3:19:28] Michael Tao, Linda Ovara, Frank Runninghorse,
[3:19:32] Jack Cruel, Taylor De Rosado,
[3:19:36] Carlos Juarez, Rashi, Eric Bergman,
[3:19:40] Sheila Judenfriend, and Sonia Decker. If you
[3:19:44] could line up behind the mic. Eve Hershop, you're the next
[3:19:48] speaker. Looks like Eve's not
[3:19:53] here. The next speaker is Michael Tao.
[3:20:04] Good evening. Thank you.
[3:20:21] Can what I said to my fellow Jews here. Thank you.
[3:20:24] What I said to my fellow Jews here is that this is a real Holocaust.
[3:20:28] This is another Holocaust. That is how history is going to remember
[3:20:32] it. Just the same way we all know what Germans
[3:20:36] did to us. Now the whole world knows. And we're
[3:20:40] going to have to reckon with what we did to Palestine, which will be freed.
[3:20:45] Bezrat Hashem. Palestine will be freed in our lifetime.
[3:20:49] In our lifetime. We are going to walk Richmond
[3:20:54] for rpa for Mayor Eduardo. Thank you, Mayor Eduardo, for being a social
[3:20:57] justice visionary. We're going to walk Richmond until we have holes in
[3:21:02] our shoes to make sure that you get reelected and that you continue leading Richmond
[3:21:06] in this direction. Thank you. Time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Linda
[3:21:10] Olvera. Linda Olvera.
[3:21:15] Looks like Linda's not here. The next speaker is Frank Runninghorse.
[3:21:20] Not here. Thank you. The next speaker is Jack Crisil.
[3:21:27] Not here. The next speaker is Taylor De Rosado.
[3:21:33] All right, well, how. How do I get this started?
[3:21:37] I'm on. All right. Well, hell. Well, hello, everybody.
[3:21:41] I've been a Richmond resident my whole life. I'm been.
[3:21:44] I'm homeless right now. I've been homeless for seven years. What I need help
[3:21:48] with today is that there's a problem. This is an
[3:21:51] umbrella. You know, we. You know, we get
[3:21:55] shelter from it. It's a symbol. It's a sign. It shows us,
[3:21:59] it protects us. Well, well, today's problem is the
[3:22:04] things don't really stand for what they stand for. I'm third
[3:22:07] generation American, quarter German,
[3:22:12] and the rest is Filipino. So I
[3:22:16] stand up for all sides wherever they may come from. This is
[3:22:20] the land of the home and the free. Homeless people are like our
[3:22:24] pinky toes and they're stressed out. This is how
[3:22:28] we help. We stand all on all 10 and make sure we get that
[3:22:31] help. I've been selling this newspaper for advocacy.
[3:22:35] I. I hope this is a difference between panhandling,
[3:22:38] because this is. Your time has expired. Thank you.
[3:22:42] The next speaker is Carlos Juarez.
[3:22:51] Good evening, council members. My name is Carlos Juarez and
[3:22:55] I'm a Richmond resident. And I want to be clear. Anti anti Semitic
[3:22:59] is unacceptable, is unacceptable, and Jewish residents
[3:23:04] deserve to feel safe and protected in our city. Harm must be named and
[3:23:07] addressed. I also believe accountability should be proportional and constructive.
[3:23:11] Mayor Martinez has acknowledged the harm caused by his actions and has
[3:23:15] taken steps towards repair. His leadership has also retained resulted
[3:23:19] in tangible progress, community oversight of police crisis response
[3:23:24] alternatives, and thoughtful handling of immigrant safety issues.
[3:23:28] A formal censure is a serious action.
[3:23:31] I asked the council to reflect on whether this step strengthens trust and healing or
[3:23:36] whether it risks overshadowing important work and growth already underway.
[3:23:40] Thank you. Thank you.
[3:23:44] The next speaker is Rashi.
[3:23:47] Rashi. It looks like Rashi's not here. The next speaker
[3:23:51] is Eric Bergman.
[3:24:04] Mike is on. You can go ahead and start.
[3:24:11] Mr. Martinez. Most of the other speakers here have come across
[3:24:15] to me like defense attorneys and prosecuting
[3:24:19] attorneys. People who've criticized you, have supported retributive
[3:24:24] justice, focusing on punishing you. The people who've
[3:24:28] defended you have denied that you recently posted negative Lies
[3:24:33] about Jews. In contrast, I support restorative
[3:24:37] justice. For instance, for you to arrange a meeting where you
[3:24:41] and the other attendees would focus on exploring
[3:24:45] how to reduce people's anger and fear in ways which
[3:24:49] would feel doable for both you and others. I hope
[3:24:53] that what I've Said has come across to you and
[3:24:57] some others here as encouraging honesty,
[3:25:01] kindness and reconciliation.
[3:25:06] Thank you. The next group of speakers will be
[3:25:10] Sheila Udenfran, Sonia Decker, Courtney Cummings,
[3:25:14] Nikki Ralston, Martha Kim
[3:25:18] F. Ina Silva, Walt Miller, Steve Cassell,
[3:25:23] Ramsey Robinson, Carol Sanders and Cindy
[3:25:28] Shambin. Sheila Udenfriend. You can go ahead and start.
[3:25:34] It should be on. Is it on? Yeah.
[3:25:38] Okay, thank you. My granddaughter, first of all, I'm sorry. I wanted to
[3:25:42] mention that I am a resident of Richmond, as is my
[3:25:46] granddaughter. She is a high school senior who is afraid
[3:25:51] to wear a Jewish star necklace to school because she fears
[3:25:55] crude anti Semitic remarks from other students.
[3:25:59] Our children learn from adults.
[3:26:02] If our leaders can't set a good example of
[3:26:06] respecting all ethnicities, how can we expect the kids to
[3:26:11] be any better? Passing along hateful conspiracy
[3:26:14] based posts on social media is
[3:26:18] not something that helps to create and foster a healthy community
[3:26:23] with mutual respect for for all groups.
[3:26:26] This is especially important for the leaders of our
[3:26:29] community such as the mayor. My hope is that my granddaughter
[3:26:34] can begin to wear her Jewish star in school without fear
[3:26:38] of verbal abuse and that adults in our community will
[3:26:42] avoid giving empire to prejudice. The next
[3:26:46] speaker is Sonia Decker.
[3:26:51] Hello. I am a Jewish Richmond resident
[3:26:55] and I am here to speak in support of Mayor Eduardo Martinez.
[3:26:59] I have seen all the work that you've done to support the Richmond community.
[3:27:03] I've heard many people speak about that tonight, including ways you've
[3:27:07] shown up for rent control, environmental justice. I want to
[3:27:11] add police reform and creating real safety that is rooted
[3:27:16] in care and decriminalization in Richmond. And my Judaism has taught me
[3:27:20] to stand up for liberation and justice and that all of our well being is
[3:27:25] connected. And I fear that this censure is
[3:27:29] weaponizing fear around antisemitism to undermine really
[3:27:33] important progressive changes and politics that is
[3:27:37] really important in this city. And I'm hearing that there's a need
[3:27:42] for repair. I'm hearing that you're engaging in that repair. And. And let's not
[3:27:46] go beyond into punishment that undermines all
[3:27:50] of our safety and well being here in Richmond. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:27:54] The next speaker is Courtney Cummings.
[3:28:11] Okay, it's on. Good evening everyone. My name
[3:28:15] is Courtney Cummings, known as Courtney Bear Quiver
[3:28:19] now. And on behalf of American Indian movement that is
[3:28:24] nationwide, statewide and citywide, we are here in support of
[3:28:28] Mr. Eduardo Martinez as mayor.
[3:28:32] I am Native American. I am Northern Cheyenne, Arica,
[3:28:36] Muscogee Creek enrolled member of three affiliated tribes of North
[3:28:40] Dakota. When I was afraid and my children were
[3:28:44] afraid to be Native Americans here in our city. I walked alongside
[3:28:49] Mr. Eduardo, and he has, on behalf of him, before he
[3:28:53] was City Council has always supported us and many minorities who
[3:28:57] have not had the highlight on them.
[3:29:02] So, Mary, Eduardo, be strong. Know that
[3:29:06] you have people supporting you. It's all political. People are looking to get
[3:29:10] you out for their own reasons, not because you are
[3:29:13] not that person. You. I forgive you. You ask for forgiveness,
[3:29:18] so we should all forgive you.
[3:29:25] The next speaker is Nikki Ralston.
[3:29:31] Hi. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening. Ladies and gentlemen of
[3:29:36] the Richmond City Council. The only legitimate purpose of government is to protect
[3:29:40] and promote the welfare of its citizens. The good people of Richmond
[3:29:44] are no exception. I repeat, the good people of Richmond are
[3:29:48] no exception. They deserve leaders who obsess over
[3:29:52] how to serve them and who best and who promote their best interests
[3:29:56] with all their vigor. Not a leader who obsesses over
[3:30:00] Jew hatred and promotes racist conspiracy theories and
[3:30:03] violence against minorities. Therefore, I call on Mayor
[3:30:07] Martinez to resign so that a worthy leader can take the helm and lead
[3:30:11] this city towards the brighter future that it deserves.
[3:30:14] Racism, conspiracy theories and violence have no place in public leadership.
[3:30:19] The people of Richmond deserve better. Thank you.
[3:30:23] Thank you. The next speaker is Martha Gruel.
[3:30:31] Hello. My name is Martha Gruel. I'm a resident
[3:30:35] of Richmond. And in this complicated world,
[3:30:39] a couple of things are fairly clear. One is that the State
[3:30:43] of Israel is committing genocide against the people of Gaza. And second,
[3:30:47] that Eduardo Martinez is not an anti Semite.
[3:30:51] Now, it is reasonable, it is justified to feel anger at
[3:30:56] the carelessness that led to the reposting of those anti Semitic messages.
[3:31:03] However, the mayor has apologized explicitly and
[3:31:07] clearly and is working at making amends. That will not happen instantaneously
[3:31:13] and it will not happen by a council vote.
[3:31:19] Someone who acknowledges and apologizes for their unintentional
[3:31:23] harm to Jews is not a Jew hater. And it seems to bear
[3:31:27] repeating that criticizing the actions of the Israeli government is not
[3:31:31] anti Semitism. Mayor Martinez has made grave errors.
[3:31:35] Thank you. The next speaker is Kim F.
[3:31:40] Kim F.
[3:31:48] Mayor and council members, I live in the Bay Area and stand in front of
[3:31:52] you this evening. Given the extremely concerning circumstances, I come
[3:31:57] to demand, Mayor Martinez, that you resign.
[3:31:59] Myself, along with countless community members, including over 80
[3:32:03] of your locally elected peers across the Bay Area are alarmed
[3:32:07] by your repeated anti Semitic activity, including the conspiracy theories
[3:32:12] you have spread. Mayor Martinez, you are entitled to your personal
[3:32:16] opinions. However, as a civic leader, your number one responsibility
[3:32:20] is to protect your constituents. Mayor, you have failed.
[3:32:23] Your vitriol has made your own community feel Less safe and has
[3:32:28] put Jews and the general public across the Bay Area at risk of
[3:32:32] physical harm. You are clearly aware of recent anti Semitic
[3:32:35] violence, including Bondi beach, as you despicably posted that Jews
[3:32:40] staged their own murder, including that of 10 year old Matilda,
[3:32:44] featured here. Your actions are utterly irresponsible.
[3:32:48] As a civic leader, I urge you to resign and let Bay Area rebuild.
[3:32:51] Your time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Ina Silva.
[3:32:56] Silva. Silva.
[3:33:00] Okay. Ina's not here. The next speaker is Walt Miller.
[3:33:05] Not here. Thank you. The next speaker is Steve Cassell.
[3:33:14] Excuse me.
[3:33:18] My name is Steve Castle. I am a resident of South San
[3:33:22] Francisco and I am a candidate for City Council in
[3:33:26] South San Francisco precisely because of people
[3:33:29] like the mayor. I don't accuse him of anti Semitism. I don't
[3:33:34] use that word. I do believe he is a vile Jew hater and a terrorist.
[3:33:37] And the reason I say that is the things he says cause Jews
[3:33:42] to be killed. It's very simple. I am a Zionist.
[3:33:46] I am a proud donor to aipac. I am a proud
[3:33:50] former member of the JCRC board. And the things that
[3:33:54] people have said here tonight about JCRC are despicable.
[3:33:58] They are not an Israeli organization. It's not
[3:34:02] a pro Israel organization. They are pro Jewish organization who works
[3:34:07] on one thing and one thing only, to make sure that people that hate Jews
[3:34:11] are called to account. Let me tell you something. Right now, the city of Richmond
[3:34:16] has some major problems, and we're seeing it here tonight. Thank you very
[3:34:20] much. Thank you. The next speaker is Ramsey Robinson.
[3:34:24] Ramsey Robinson, it's very
[3:34:29] important that when we talk about harm being done, we never forget the tens of
[3:34:33] thousands of Palestinians innocent that won't open their eyes
[3:34:37] tomorrow morning. My name is Ramsey Robinson. I'm a member of the Peace
[3:34:41] and Freedom Party. I'm also a clinical social worker in the Bayview neighborhood
[3:34:46] of San Francisco, which has very strong parallels with Richmond.
[3:34:49] Bayview suffers from environmental racism, lack of jobs
[3:34:53] and homelessness. And these are issues that I understand, Mayor Martinez, that you are
[3:34:58] fighting proactively against. We also understand that you are anti
[3:35:02] war and pro Palestinian and that you're being attacked because of
[3:35:06] this. So we ask that these attacks stop so you can continue
[3:35:09] to do the good work that you're doing. And we stand with
[3:35:13] you, and we stand with Palestine like we always will do. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:35:17] The next speaker is Carol Sanders and the following group,
[3:35:21] if you could line up behind the mic, will be Cindy Shambon,
[3:35:25] Rebecca Sparks, Abdul Fattah Dubuan,
[3:35:29] Kathleen Irwin, Kalina Preforce.
[3:35:32] Henry Levy, Bill Barish.
[3:35:36] Seth Morrison, Juliet Lee,
[3:35:40] Elena A. And Sophie Rife.
[3:35:43] Carol Sanders. You can go ahead and step to the mic if
[3:35:47] you're here. No. Okay. The next speaker is Cindy
[3:35:51] Schambun.
[3:35:55] Okay. The next speaker is Rebecca Sparks.
[3:36:03] My name is Rebecca Sparks and I'm a Richmond resident. I'm here
[3:36:08] today to join over 80 current and former elected officials from
[3:36:12] across the region and calling for the resignation of Mayor Eduardo Martinez.
[3:36:16] In addition, we are calling on you, the City Council, to formally censure
[3:36:21] Mayor Martinez for his anti Semitic posts and to publicly affirm
[3:36:26] that anti Semitism in all its forms has no place in Richmond.
[3:36:29] The behavior of the mayor stokes the flames of antisemitism in
[3:36:33] this community, and it cannot be tolerated. His actions of reposting anti Semitic
[3:36:38] conspiracy theories on social media has a profound effect on the safety of Jews
[3:36:42] everywhere, including his constituents. If he wants to go down an
[3:36:46] Internet rabbit hole and repost lies in his own time, he is entitled to do
[3:36:50] so as a private citizen of the United States. But as an elected representative
[3:36:54] of this community, it is entirely inappropriate and dangerous to the Jewish
[3:36:58] community writ large. I call on the mayor to resign immediately and for City
[3:37:02] Council to formally censure him for his gross negligence only. This Will Reform
[3:37:06] has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Abdul Fattah
[3:37:10] Dewan. Abdul Fattah Dewan.
[3:37:15] Okay, they're not here. The next speaker is Kathleen Irwin.
[3:37:22] Good evening. My name is Kathleen Irwin. I'm a longtime Richmond
[3:37:27] resident and voter from the Panhandle Annex. And I
[3:37:31] want to state very firmly that I do feel the posting, the reposting that
[3:37:36] you did, Mayor Martinez, was an anti Semitic act,
[3:37:40] and it was very harmful. And I have heard your apology,
[3:37:44] and I want to acknowledge that, because we have to
[3:37:48] start with that. If we can think about repair. If we
[3:37:52] think about repair, it means bringing the community back together. And for that,
[3:37:56] I want to shine a light on today about who is really speaking,
[3:37:59] splitting this community, and point to Cesar Zepeda,
[3:38:03] who brought forward this and. And another council member who brought
[3:38:08] forward this censorship without the proper process and
[3:38:11] who include and misrepresented it in his opening remarks.
[3:38:15] And it took another council member,
[3:38:19] Doria Robinson, to point that out in her comments.
[3:38:22] And I want to just say I have one second left, but your time has
[3:38:26] expired. Thank you. The next. The late, great Jim McMillan.
[3:38:30] Your time expired. Your time has expired. Thank you.
[3:38:33] The next speaker is Kalina Preforce.
[3:38:38] Mayor Martinez, my brother, you know me as council Member Klima
[3:38:43] Priforce of Emeryville. A Democratic socialist, a Democratic
[3:38:47] party delegate in Alameda county, and the first Haitian American elected official
[3:38:50] in California. I know what it is to be censored and sanctioned for fighting
[3:38:55] for working people, just as they tried tonight. So congratulations,
[3:38:59] Mayor. If they're coming for you, you must be doing something right.
[3:39:04] Let us be clear. This isn't about which side you fall on when a euro
[3:39:08] apartheid state genocides brown people. It's about disciplining elected
[3:39:13] officials during an election year and sending a warning to every future Zora Mamdani
[3:39:17] in the Bay Area to fall in line. But who controls our cities?
[3:39:22] Our cities belong to working people, immigrants, tenants, labor and families
[3:39:26] demanding dignity. Not donors, not lobbyists, not fear of the other.
[3:39:31] We run as Democratic socialists. We govern as Democratic socialists.
[3:39:35] I stand with Mayor Martinez. And let's vote these corporate centrists
[3:39:39] out of office. Thank you.
[3:39:43] The next speaker is Henry Levy. Henry Levy.
[3:39:49] Levi. My name is Henry Levy.
[3:39:53] I am the elected treasurer, Tax collector,
[3:39:56] Alameda County. I am Jewish.
[3:40:00] I am here to support my friend, Eduardo Martinez.
[3:40:03] Mayor, I met you six years ago when you were a fairly new council member
[3:40:08] and interested in the efforts to create an East Bay public bank.
[3:40:11] I make community financial investment. I wouldn't
[3:40:16] have known about your opinions about Israel and Palestine,
[3:40:19] but I heard about it from the JCRC and the Jewish News.
[3:40:24] The JCRC informed me quickly about your reposts. You and
[3:40:28] I have talked about these for the last few weeks. You have heard my opinions,
[3:40:32] of which I have plenty. I don't feel any
[3:40:36] remarks I can make tonight will change those substantially. Affiliated with
[3:40:40] the jcrc. They made swift judgment of you,
[3:40:44] wanting to elect you to Bay Area, Anti Semite
[3:40:47] of the Year, and even making threats against you.
[3:40:51] I believe the voters of Richmond should be the ones to judge you. Your time
[3:40:54] has expired. Thank you.
[3:40:58] The next speaker is Bill Barish. Bill Barish,
[3:41:08] Good evening. I was born into a Jewish
[3:41:13] family. I've been in Israel. I have seen with my
[3:41:17] own eyes how Palestinians are treated.
[3:41:21] I have known the mayor for, I don't know,
[3:41:25] 10 years now. I've worked on his last three campaigns.
[3:41:29] And if I thought that he was anti Semitic in
[3:41:34] any way, I would not have come close to that.
[3:41:38] As a matter of fact, I would have been the first one to get in
[3:41:42] his face. I am sure, in fact, that the mayor is not nearly as
[3:41:46] virulently anti Israel and anti Zionist
[3:41:50] as I am. But in this moment,
[3:41:54] I will say he made a mistake. He copped
[3:41:58] to it, he apologized for it, and I consider
[3:42:02] him a friend and I will be happy
[3:42:06] to be working on his next re election campaign.
[3:42:10] Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Seth Morrison.
[3:42:16] I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor, I hardly can hear it.
[3:42:18] Can you have the volume raised a little? Put.
[3:42:22] That's right, yeah. We just need
[3:42:26] to. Can we instruct the speakers to speak closer
[3:42:31] to the mic? And Mayor, if I may, through you as the chair, we have
[3:42:34] increased the volume and it is more challenging given
[3:42:38] the multiple settings, but staff is doing their best. That volume has
[3:42:42] been adjusted. I realize that. That's why I said the speakers need to step closer
[3:42:46] to the M. Okay.
[3:42:50] The next speaker is Seth Morrison. If Seth Morrison is here.
[3:42:55] Not. Okay, thank you. The next speaker is Juliet
[3:42:59] Lee.
[3:43:02] Hi. I'm Jewish.
[3:43:05] I live in Richmond, District 6. It's an awesome
[3:43:09] city. It's an awesome district, full of really beautiful, sweet people.
[3:43:13] I love my neighbors. I got to meet my representative
[3:43:17] last night. She's awesome. We have a lot
[3:43:21] of things going on in the city,
[3:43:24] but this is not what we should be focusing our attention on.
[3:43:28] We have my friend here behind me. He doesn't have
[3:43:32] a place to live. Right. We have neighbors
[3:43:36] talking about trash. We have people. Our schools are
[3:43:41] struggling. Our teachers need to get supported more. And we're
[3:43:44] pouring millions of our tax dollars, billions of our tax
[3:43:48] dollars into the war machine that is just bombing children,
[3:43:52] families, destroying an entire civilization.
[3:43:55] And that's what we need to be focusing on. There are children,
[3:43:59] prisoners of war, hostages, Children,
[3:44:02] thousands of them. This is what we need to be focusing on.
[3:44:07] And your time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker
[3:44:11] is Elena A. And if you can step closer to the mic.
[3:44:15] Yeah. Hi. Good evening, everyone.
[3:44:19] My name is Ilana Auerbach and I am Jewish.
[3:44:23] I was raised a fourth generation Zionist.
[3:44:26] And I know from the inside Zionism is
[3:44:30] not Judaism. Zionism is an ideology. Zionism is
[3:44:35] a supremacist ideology. It cannot exist without racism.
[3:44:38] And so I am here in support of the mayor.
[3:44:42] And I am here to say that there is a revolution happening
[3:44:47] here in Richmond because the people of Richmond and the leaders of
[3:44:51] Richmond have the moral courage and the moral fortitude to
[3:44:55] call it what it is. I am proud to be
[3:44:59] living in the East Bay, and the leaders of Richmond represent me
[3:45:04] much more aligned with my values than the leaders of Berkeley,
[3:45:08] where I live. And so I support you, Mayor. Keep up the strength.
[3:45:13] Keep telling the truth, keep calling out the genocide and keep
[3:45:17] liberation for all beings. That is what we're here for.
[3:45:21] The next speaker is Sophie Rife.
[3:45:25] And the last group of speakers after that are Gail Ierweiss,
[3:45:29] Jocelyn D. Eva Chrysanthem,
[3:45:34] Ian Alaid, Steve Greaves,
[3:45:37] Marie Anyam, Sarah Lamnan,
[3:45:41] Shahar Shukran Maiza, Mirar,
[3:45:45] Monadil Herzala and Ayman Khalil.
[3:45:50] Sophie Rice, you can go ahead and step to the mic if you are
[3:45:54] present. Just. Sophie's not
[3:45:58] here. The next speaker is Gail Iarweiss. If you're
[3:46:02] here, Gail.
[3:46:06] Hey, Gail is not here. The next speaker is Jocelyn D.
[3:46:13] Hi, I'm Jocelyn. I'm a Jewish American of conscience. And hey, good,
[3:46:17] I'm glad this guy's still here because I just really want to say I'm
[3:46:21] going to jump to the end here wearing a scarf, a keffiyeh analog
[3:46:25] scarf emblazoned with the colors
[3:46:29] of the flag and the symbols of the flag that is committing genocide.
[3:46:33] I don't see how you can come here and complain about a hat that says
[3:46:37] death to the idf. The chutzpah, the gall, the nerve.
[3:46:41] I'm embarrassed. So the JCRC and people who
[3:46:44] would come in here being so offensive doing that definitely do
[3:46:48] not speak for me. Anyway,
[3:46:52] I believe the mayor did make a misstep, made a misjudgment.
[3:46:56] I believe he's sincere in his wish
[3:47:01] to make amends and repair. And I do appreciate Treasurer
[3:47:06] Levy and the rabbi who came in here in the spirit of Tikkun
[3:47:10] Olam with the invitation for healing and restorative
[3:47:16] justice. And I do believe that inspired. Thank you.
[3:47:19] The next speaker is Ian Adai,
[3:47:23] or, I'm sorry, Eva. Chris Chrisian.
[3:47:31] Thank you. Eva Khrusanti. I just really want to briefly
[3:47:35] point out that the reason we're all here today is because
[3:47:39] the JCRC made a big fuss about the mayor reposting
[3:47:43] some material. This is a huge waste of
[3:47:47] time. But I want to point out that for the last two
[3:47:51] years and two months, I've been investigating, researching and
[3:47:55] reporting on the various bizarre activities
[3:48:00] of the jcrc, specifically its full frontal assault
[3:48:04] on the First Amendment here in the Bay Area. And you
[3:48:08] know, there are a lot of activist groups that now have, because of my reporting,
[3:48:12] they have the ability to file all sorts of legal complaints.
[3:48:17] They, you know, they haven't done. So I urge them to do
[3:48:21] so because we're going to have to keep coming back here and sitting
[3:48:24] in packed rooms to give testimonials to a mayor if
[3:48:28] we don't address the jcrc, we need to take it
[3:48:32] on. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Ian
[3:48:36] Adair. Ian Adair, you're present.
[3:48:41] No, Ian is not here. The Next speaker is Steve Greaves.
[3:48:51] My name is Steve Greaves. I had the honor of working
[3:48:55] almost in the next classroom from Eduardo Martinez
[3:48:59] when he was a teacher in this school district here. I had
[3:49:04] the honor of being a citizen of the city for 15,
[3:49:07] well, a teacher for 15 years and living here for
[3:49:11] seven years. And I'm thrilled that he's
[3:49:15] the mayor and I support him wholeheartedly. And I'm
[3:49:20] pleased that he's also supporter of equality
[3:49:24] and human rights across the board, which JCRC
[3:49:28] is not. JCRC is a front organization for
[3:49:32] the state of Israel, as are many so called Jewish agencies
[3:49:36] around the country. And Israel would
[3:49:40] not even exist were it not for the hundreds of billions of
[3:49:45] dollars of American taxpayer dollars that have been weapon
[3:49:50] welfare warfare for them. And I'm fed up with it.
[3:49:54] Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Marie Anya.
[3:50:16] I'm Marie, the mama of Lydia, a 4 year old special needs
[3:50:19] student at TK stage at Stiege Elementary. Thank you for quickly responding
[3:50:24] to my email. I truly appreciate the police department speaking with me
[3:50:28] and hope a safety plan is made with the district. The same graffiti
[3:50:32] was cited on our block today. As a mother, it's stressful and scary
[3:50:36] having students attend a school with facilities that are not updated.
[3:50:39] Stage continues to lack a canopy for the big play yard for the students
[3:50:43] to rest under. We don't have a TK playground structure,
[3:50:47] unpainted TK yard, inappropriate height, sinks,
[3:50:51] lacks a security officer and security cameras due to the rising
[3:50:56] activity in the neighborhood. Our black and brown students deserve
[3:51:00] the same resources and safety measures as other schools. We are families
[3:51:04] with feelings, dreams and futures. It's the students and Lydia who are
[3:51:09] the victims in this. Please continue helping us. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:51:13] The next speaker is Sarah Lamnan.
[3:51:24] Good evening. Thank you for your time. My name is Sarah Lamnan.
[3:51:28] I'm an elected Jewish local official. And I'm not here to
[3:51:32] defend the Mayor's posts or to call for his resignation.
[3:51:36] I'm here because there is another way. I appreciate
[3:51:40] the Mayor's willingness to engage with the local Jewish community to listen to
[3:51:44] why blanket condemnation of Israel and the spread of conspiracy theories
[3:51:48] are dangerous and divisive. And I hope those long awaited conversations lead
[3:51:53] to deeper understanding and collaboration. I'm here to work with you as well.
[3:51:57] I came tonight to ask all of us to work together to
[3:52:01] begin the healing that Vice Mayor Zepeda spoke about. We need to
[3:52:05] stop fighting in council chambers. We need to start learning from
[3:52:09] each other. We must acknowledge that extremes on both sides are harmful
[3:52:14] and inaccurate. Whether it's claiming that all Jews or Israelis support
[3:52:18] human rights abuses or insist that even saying Palestine is unacceptable.
[3:52:23] There is another way that affirms the humanity
[3:52:26] of all people, and I urge us to do so. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:52:30] The next speaker is Shahar Shakran.
[3:52:38] Hello. I didn't prepare a speech, so I'll try to keep it for, like,
[3:52:42] under a minute. I'm a resident of Richmond,
[3:52:46] I think District 33. I've been in
[3:52:50] the city for a while, and I've been
[3:52:54] meaning to speak about what's going on as far as politics in the city.
[3:52:58] I'm not here with JCRC or any other organization. I'm here as
[3:53:03] a former Israeli who's been living in the city, who's been
[3:53:07] thinking twice before putting a NORA on his window ledge,
[3:53:11] who's been unable to speak to my, you know,
[3:53:15] shopkeepers who are Muslims because
[3:53:18] of this sentiments of hate that's been raging around the city ever
[3:53:23] since the condemnation of the Israel. And I've been re. I want to reinforce what's
[3:53:28] been said here. It's time for healing. It's time to focus
[3:53:31] criticism on this, on the government of Israel and not on
[3:53:35] the Jewish people or the state of Israel, who's been through enough.
[3:53:39] And we, as your
[3:53:44] time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Maa Morar.
[3:53:48] Miza Marara, if you're here. No. The next
[3:53:53] speaker is Monadale Herzala.
[3:53:57] Herzala. Oh, thank you. And the last
[3:54:01] speaker is Iman Khalil. Iman Khalil.
[3:54:05] Okay. Well, there are no more public speakers in the auditorium,
[3:54:10] so now we'll move to the online speakers. We have 45
[3:54:15] speakers. The first group of speakers online are
[3:54:20] Eileen Lee, Dorit Hillary, Judy Weatherly, Michael Gilson,
[3:54:23] Marilyn Langlois, Paul and Levine, Oren R.
[3:54:28] Amber Hartfield and Michael Harris.
[3:54:31] Eileen. Excuse me. Please unmute yourself. You'll have one minute, and you may begin.
[3:54:36] Hi. My name is Eileen Lee. I've lived in the bay area for
[3:54:41] 30 years. Thank you for this opportunity
[3:54:45] to gather and think together about how to respond to the
[3:54:49] mayor's endorsement of hatred and violence against Jews.
[3:54:53] As we've heard tonight, the mayor is a beloved role model
[3:54:57] for many here. Sadly, his example
[3:55:02] teaches the next generation to hate Jews.
[3:55:06] Thank you, council members. Cesare's at the PETA, and Jamelia
[3:55:10] Brown, for your courageous leadership in condemning Mayor
[3:55:14] Martinez's actions. Richmond deserves a better
[3:55:18] mayor, one who is committed to the safety of all its citizens,
[3:55:22] not one who spreads lies, empowers extremists,
[3:55:26] and inflames hatred. Each of you
[3:55:30] council members has the power to take action. Please act
[3:55:34] to stop the mayor from grooming the next generation to
[3:55:39] hate. Thank you.
[3:55:43] The next speaker is Dorit. Please state your first and last name for the record.
[3:55:46] And you may begin. Hi, my name
[3:55:50] is Dorit and I'm been in Bay area resident for over 40 years.
[3:55:54] I think the mayor made a big mistake and what he's done
[3:55:58] is used the.
[3:56:02] What is. What's happened is he's working against pluralistic
[3:56:06] democracy. I think we have to keep that in mind very clearly. A pluralistic democracy
[3:56:10] and a leader of one. Mayor Martinez should
[3:56:15] be very aware that when you target a minority,
[3:56:18] you are not representing all of the people in a community.
[3:56:22] And when people hear conflate fighting antisemitism
[3:56:26] with being against liberal politics for LGBTQ
[3:56:30] and black people and women rights. We are not
[3:56:34] people who are against all of those things. We fight for those things
[3:56:38] as well. But we are Jewish people who want protection from our government.
[3:56:42] And now you're not even listening to what I'm saying,
[3:56:46] so I don't really believe you when you say you
[3:56:50] apologize because you've. Your time has expired. The next
[3:56:53] speaker is Hillary. Hillary, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[3:57:00] Hillary, please unmute yourself.
[3:57:06] Hello, can you hear me? Yes. Please state your last name for the record.
[3:57:09] Yeah. My name is Hillary Kilimnick. I am a Berkeley
[3:57:14] resident, member of the Jewish community, parents to three Jewish
[3:57:18] kids, and I'm here tonight to urge Mayor Martinez to resign over
[3:57:22] his anti Semitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories that he's
[3:57:26] promoted on social media. He reposted claims that the
[3:57:30] ISIS inspired massacre of Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi
[3:57:34] beach was an Israeli false flag. This is not an isolated incident.
[3:57:37] It's part of a disturbing pattern of anti Semitic statements.
[3:57:41] This is not about politics. I'm not a lobbyist.
[3:57:45] I'm a person. I'm a community member. It's about basic human decency.
[3:57:49] Discriminatory statements toward any minority community endanger all minority
[3:57:54] communities. I want to thank the city Council for taking this matter
[3:57:58] seriously. Richmond deserves better. The Bay Area deserves
[3:58:02] better. Please do the right thing. A mayor
[3:58:06] that spreads dangerous falsehoods needs to take responsibility for
[3:58:10] his actions and resign. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:58:14] The next speaker is Judy Weatherly. Please unmute yourself and you may
[3:58:21] Hi. My name is Judy Weatherly. I'm 75 years old.
[3:58:25] I've been a social racial justice activist
[3:58:29] for much of my adult life. And after this meeting tonight,
[3:58:33] I have never felt the kind of fear living in Richmond that I feel
[3:58:37] right now. The amount of hatred in this room has been caused
[3:58:41] by you, Mayor. By you. This is just ridiculous that
[3:58:45] we should have to be putting up with this kind of hatred that has
[3:58:49] been going on for hours now. I, I, I can't even believe it.
[3:58:53] And I can't believe that I am afraid. I have lived in so many different
[3:58:57] places. I grew up in poverty. This is just
[3:59:01] ridiculous that you do sit there.
[3:59:06] It's just, it's, it's pretty amazing.
[3:59:09] You know, I'm actually pretty disgusted with most of the council right
[3:59:13] now. And I assure you that your anti Semitism that
[3:59:17] has come out tonight and that has been flagrant
[3:59:21] in this audience is just disgusting. Thank you.
[3:59:25] Your the next speaker is Michael Gilkson. Please unmute yourself and you may
[3:59:29] begin. Thank you. My name is Michael Glickson.
[3:59:32] I am a resident of Richmond. I want to express my strong support for Mayor
[3:59:37] Eduardo Martinez. I will admit that as a Jew, I was disappointed at what
[3:59:41] Eduardo posted. Antisemitism is pernicious and has
[3:59:45] been for millennia. But because I know Eduardo, I do not expect that was
[3:59:48] his intention and I want to hear more from him also as I'm
[3:59:52] a Jew who supports the rights of Palestinians to law, life and liberty.
[3:59:56] Unfortunately, showing public support for Palestinians has
[4:00:00] become dangerous in this country and Eduardo has become a target of
[4:00:04] national pressure campaigns. Finally, Eduardo is a very successful
[4:00:08] mayor and he is up for re election this year. His opponents are using this
[4:00:12] issue to cast shade on Eduardo's numerous accomplishments,
[4:00:16] including vastly improving the city's financial condition
[4:00:20] as a testament to by the state of California and
[4:00:23] the lowest homicide rate in Richmond's history. Thank you.
[4:00:26] Thank you. Next speaker is Marilyn Langlois. Please unmute
[4:00:30] yourself and you may begin. My name is Marilyn Langloise
[4:00:35] and I'm a 24 year Richmond resident. I fully support Mayor
[4:00:39] Eduardo Martinez. He had the fortitude to publicly admit
[4:00:43] he made a mistake and has apologized. Mayor Martinez
[4:00:48] denounces violence in all its forms and supports people of all
[4:00:52] religions. He recognizes the distinction between Judaism
[4:00:57] and the Zionist ideology that has placed Palestinians under
[4:01:01] brutal occupation for the last 77 years.
[4:01:05] Mayor Martinez empathizes with the underdog.
[4:01:08] Growing up in Texas as a poor Mexican American kid with
[4:01:12] a skill stutter, he was likely bullied at school and thus
[4:01:17] recognizes the urge to retaliate that stems from such humiliation.
[4:01:21] But rather than act on that urge, he has devoted his
[4:01:25] life to fairness, non violence and uplifting the oppressed.
[4:01:29] I hope he remains at the helm of our city for a second term.
[4:01:33] Thank You. Thank you. The next speaker is Paula Levine.
[4:01:37] Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:01:41] Hello. Oh, is it. Is my time starting?
[4:01:44] Yes, you may begin. Okay. My name is Paul Levine.
[4:01:48] I am a 35 year or more plus resident of Richmond.
[4:01:53] I'm in Cesar Zepedas district and I am
[4:01:57] here to ask Mayor Eduardo
[4:02:03] Martinez to resign.
[4:02:06] I am, as you can see, I'm very shaken up by what I've
[4:02:10] heard tonight and I'm upset by the
[4:02:14] fact that this was even an issue because it shouldn't
[4:02:19] have been. Anyhow, I hope you take
[4:02:22] advantage of the offers to meet with
[4:02:27] Rabbi Julia Sacks. Tyler,
[4:02:30] I think that I haven't heard your apology, so I'd
[4:02:34] like to hear that. And you could apologize to me personally. I would appreciate that.
[4:02:38] So thank you very much. Thank you. The next speaker is
[4:02:42] Oren R. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:02:46] Hi. Good evening. My name is Oren. Thank you to Councilmembers
[4:02:50] Brown and Vice Mayor Sapita for showing integrity and leadership tonight.
[4:02:54] For consideration on the emergency agenda item, Mayor.
[4:02:58] Gloating over mass murder, the ISIS shooting attack of Australians,
[4:03:02] Jews, police and crackpot conspiracy theories
[4:03:06] about Bangi massacre is reprehensible and insane. And you're
[4:03:10] unfit to serve as mayor and you should resign because of that. Here are some
[4:03:14] of the mayors and vice mayors of the various cities that have called for your
[4:03:17] resignations, plus dozens of others. San Pablo, El Cerrito,
[4:03:21] Canoli, Hercules, Albany, Berkeley, Orinda,
[4:03:24] Martinez, San Rafael, Corta, Madera, San Anselmo,
[4:03:28] Tiburon, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Walnut Creek, Pittsburgh, Oakley,
[4:03:32] Brentwood, Livermore, Belmont, Los Alto, Santa Rosa and Cloverdale.
[4:03:35] I'd also like to say that the Bandai beach hero, Ahmed Ahmed
[4:03:39] prayed today at the Rebbe's grave in New York.
[4:03:43] Mayor, you are no Ahmed Al Ahmed.
[4:03:47] Resign. The next speaker is
[4:03:51] Amber Hatfield. Please unmute yourself and you may begin. Good evening.
[4:03:55] My name is Amber Hatfield and I'm a Richmond resident in District 3.
[4:03:59] I'd like to speak in opposition to the resolution centering
[4:04:03] Mayor Martinez on the basis of personal social media posts
[4:04:08] that he has already rescinded and for which he has already apologized.
[4:04:12] This should be a teaching moment for all of us about how to listen to
[4:04:16] one another, not a politically motivated smear campaign.
[4:04:20] Mayor Martinez has been a role model for leading the city
[4:04:25] of Richmond with compassion for the most vulnerable people.
[4:04:28] Removing him from committees on which he is doing real work on
[4:04:32] important issues would harm all Richmond residents.
[4:04:36] Punishing him by docking his pay is not going to repair
[4:04:40] harm done. It will only benefit Those who are running against him in
[4:04:44] the coming primaries. I urge Councilmember Brown and Vice
[4:04:48] Mayor Cepeda to reconsider bringing this divisive and detrimental resolution.
[4:04:53] Follow the mayor's lead and get back to work on real problems.
[4:04:56] Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Michael
[4:05:01] Harris, followed by Kate Bolton Schmuckler, Kevin Wilk,
[4:05:04] Sarah Theise, Juan Canham, Deborah John,
[4:05:08] and OG Strogets. Michael, please unmute yourself and
[4:05:13] you may begin. Good evening, council members.
[4:05:17] I'm a 40 year resident of the Bay Area. There isn't time tonight to
[4:05:21] rebut all the lies that have been spoken here. So let's focus on what this
[4:05:24] is about. The mayor, who was the perpetrator and not the victim here,
[4:05:28] accused Jews of staging the Bandai beach massacre to gain sympathy.
[4:05:32] That's just the latest in a series of posts of sordid Jew
[4:05:36] hate that he has shared. This isn't criticism of Israel. Israel, as much as some
[4:05:40] want to classify all hate speech against Jews downward into that we
[4:05:45] all know had the mayor made similar hateful statements about black people
[4:05:48] after the massacre at the church in Charleston in 2015 or the massacre
[4:05:52] of LGBTQ people in Orlando in 2016, he would
[4:05:56] have been censured and forced to resign in short order. But against one
[4:06:00] and only one group, his progressive credentials are considered acceptable
[4:06:04] enough to. To allow him to incite hate in the name of the greater good.
[4:06:08] The council needs to censure him and Mayor Martinez. You need to resign so
[4:06:12] the council can get back to the actual needs of the city of Richmond instead
[4:06:16] of spending more meetings dealing with this fallout. Thank you. Thank you.
[4:06:20] The next speaker is Kate Bolton. Schmuckler.
[4:06:24] Looks like she dropped her hand. The next speaker is Mayor Wilk. Please unmute
[4:06:28] yourself and you may begin. Hi,
[4:06:32] my name is Kevin Wilk. I'm the mayor of Walnut Creek and the only Jewish
[4:06:35] mayor in Contra Costa County. One major responsibility in a mayor's role
[4:06:39] in leading the city is to keep people safe and not spread more unwarranted division.
[4:06:43] As an elected official, I stand up against all hate. Not just anti
[4:06:47] Semitism, but against racism and hate speech of all kinds. This is
[4:06:51] what should be expected of our elected officials. Amplifying anti Semitism or
[4:06:55] any hate speech doesn't just hurt that targeted group, it hurts all
[4:06:59] of us. This is why there has been tremendous condemnation of
[4:07:03] Mayor Martinez's anti Semitic postings all across the East Bay.
[4:07:06] And beyond. A mayor's words, whether they be on camera, print, or social media,
[4:07:10] carry weight. Anti Semitism is An attack on
[4:07:14] a race and ethnicity, a religion, no different than an attack on
[4:07:19] one's skin color or heritage. Criticizing the Israeli government is not anti Semitism.
[4:07:24] Speaking out and condemning a business, a group, or an event because
[4:07:28] they are Jewish is anti Semitism.
[4:07:31] Thank you. The next speaker is Sarah Theise. Please unmute
[4:07:35] yourself and you may begin.
[4:07:39] Sarah? All right,
[4:07:43] we're going to move on to the next speaker, Juan Canham. Please unmute yourself and
[4:07:46] you may begin. Hi, I'm Juan. I'm an
[4:07:51] Oakland resident. None of this Bay Area nonsense. I'm clear about where I'm
[4:07:55] from, which I don't think can be said for the vast majority of speakers that
[4:07:58] want to overrule the votes of Richmond residents. I do follow Richmond
[4:08:02] closely because it's a shining beacon we can all learn from,
[4:08:05] especially when it comes to reducing crime by investing in
[4:08:09] people, taking millions from corporations and using them to improve working people's
[4:08:13] lives. But I'm mostly calling in support of listening to the people of Richmond.
[4:08:18] Given how easy it is for outsiders, including myself, to weigh in,
[4:08:23] I do hope the mayor has productive conversations to repair the harm caused
[4:08:27] with the Richmond rabbi that spoke earlier. That's what matters here.
[4:08:32] Not jcrc's take, JCRC takes,
[4:08:36] nor my own. And I look forward to hearing
[4:08:41] about the productive conversations with the
[4:08:44] community that's been harmed, not this kind of political spectacle
[4:08:49] that has been caused. Thank you. Thank you. Now we'll go back to
[4:08:53] Sarah Thes. Sarah, please unmute yourself and you may
[4:09:00] Sarah.
[4:09:03] Okay, we will move on and go back to Sarah.
[4:09:07] Deborah, please unmute yourself. State your last name for the record and you may begin.
[4:09:14] Deborah, please unmute yourself. You may begin.
[4:09:19] Okay, we will move on to John.
[4:09:22] John, please unmute yourself. State your last name for the record. You may begin.
[4:09:26] This has nothing to do with anti Semitism.
[4:09:30] It has everything to do with the system of whiteness and white white culture
[4:09:34] and white supremacy. We live on stolen land stolen by Europeans who
[4:09:38] classify themselves as white people.
[4:09:44] Thank you. Those same white people stolen land
[4:09:49] in what is called Israel. They have
[4:09:53] now practiced genocide upon those people.
[4:09:57] They do what they always do. Deny, deny, deny. They've even
[4:10:01] co opted the term Semite.
[4:10:04] Most or many inhabitants of the world are classified
[4:10:09] as Semitic. But these white people have
[4:10:13] stolen the term Deny,
[4:10:17] deny, deny. The same people who
[4:10:22] have claimed suicide. Excuse me. The same people who have claimed
[4:10:26] genocide are now practicing genocide
[4:10:31] upon another group of people with whom land
[4:10:36] they've stolen.
[4:10:44] Thank you. The next speaker is og stratz,
[4:10:48] followed by zoom user, carla schick, carrie. Hillis,
[4:10:51] nancy, maddie, sarah c. River and
[4:10:56] barry, toronto. Og strogatz,
[4:11:00] please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:11:05] Can you hear me? Yes. Thank you. I'm OG
[4:11:09] Strogatz. I'm a Jew and a
[4:11:13] Walnut Creek resident. My heart aches every
[4:11:18] day for the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis over
[4:11:22] so many years. Our elected and appointed leaders
[4:11:26] at every level of government, regardless, regardless of where they govern, are responsible
[4:11:31] for modeling great citizenship for all of us.
[4:11:34] Regrettably, by spreading false information about the massacre
[4:11:38] of Jews in Australia and about the sources of anti Semitism,
[4:11:41] Mayor Martinez has fallen short of the honest,
[4:11:45] wise, responsible conduct we need from our leaders.
[4:11:49] I ask that the City Council censure Mayor Martinez and that
[4:11:53] he resigned.
[4:12:03] The next speaker is Carla. Carla, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:12:07] Okay. As a Jewish American, I am deeply grieved by the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
[4:12:11] As a Bay Area resident, I feel represented by resolutions and actions
[4:12:15] taken by Bay Area municipalities to stop the genocide.
[4:12:18] As a teacher, I have witnessed that the path to healing comes through education
[4:12:23] and conversation and not by punitive actions or the
[4:12:26] silencing of political speech. This is also a Jewish value.
[4:12:30] Retribution and hatred against leaders like Mayor Martinez who support
[4:12:34] Palestinians and their struggles for justice have no place in our political discussions
[4:12:39] or policies. I support Mayor Martinez's leadership
[4:12:43] in affirming Palestinian life. For decades, Palestinians have
[4:12:48] been demonized by the mainstream to to justify whatever brutal acts are done
[4:12:52] against them. I am proud of our Bay Area City's leadership, and in particular
[4:12:56] Richmond City Council, in affirming that we have the power to stop
[4:13:00] and challenge policies enabling the genocide against Palestinians.
[4:13:04] Despite the so called ceasefire, our work must continue.
[4:13:07] And as labor says, an injury to one is an injury
[4:13:11] to all. Thank you. Your time has expired. The next speaker
[4:13:15] is Deborah. Deborah, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:13:18] Yes, can you hear me now? Yes, I can.
[4:13:21] Okay. Thank you so much. So, yes, My name is Deborah
[4:13:26] Small. I'm a Richmond resident, former chair
[4:13:29] of the Richmond Community Public Safety Task Force,
[4:13:33] and I just want to speak in support of Mayor Martinez.
[4:13:36] I have never been more proud of him than I am tonight.
[4:13:41] Not because I agreed with the posting. I think
[4:13:45] most of us admit that that was a mistake. But for the level of
[4:13:49] grace that he has shown tonight, for the level of leadership
[4:13:53] that he has demonstrated and what it means to be a public official
[4:13:58] that actually listens to the public, that does things that
[4:14:02] support democracy, and he never ran as
[4:14:06] a perfect person. He hasn't governed as a perfect person,
[4:14:09] but what he has shown us is what it means to be a
[4:14:13] regular person serving the public. With that I thank
[4:14:17] you and I hope that my grandson can grow up to be
[4:14:21] the kind of person and leader that you are. Thank you.
[4:14:25] The next speaker is has the device named Zoom user.
[4:14:29] Please state your first and last name for the record and you may begin.
[4:14:33] Hi, my name is Diane Duran and my husband's next to me. I'm actually Jewish.
[4:14:38] A lot of people that Martinez headlines as not
[4:14:42] Jewish and they're anti Semites. Obviously he's the
[4:14:46] leader of the anti Semite people in this room. I'm from Ukraine and I know
[4:14:50] what anti Semitism look like. And Edward Martinez is extremely anti Semitic and
[4:14:55] should not be mayor. My husband will speak for the remainder of the time.
[4:15:00] Hi, I'm Juan Duran and actually we
[4:15:03] are the people facing tough times right now and we the people, we really want
[4:15:08] peace and positiveness in on society. Our major daughter
[4:15:12] Martinez needs to change his personal comments or
[4:15:16] resign perhaps.
[4:15:19] We the people cannot support negative influence.
[4:15:22] This is America. Major D Did you came to America
[4:15:26] to express hate on Jews? That is my question to Eduardo our major.
[4:15:31] I'm a Latino myself and I came here for peace to
[4:15:35] support the community. Your time has expired. Thank you.
[4:15:39] The next speaker is Carrie Hillis. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:15:43] Thank you. My name is Kerry Hillis and I am the mayor of the town
[4:15:47] of Moraga, California. As a fellow elect official,
[4:15:50] I do not take lightly making critical remarks
[4:15:54] at other council council's meeting. Especially when they are regarding
[4:15:58] the presiding officer. Put plainly Mayor Martinez,
[4:16:02] your actions and your failure to proactively commit to
[4:16:05] full restorative justice created all of the division you see
[4:16:10] before you here tonight. As mayor you should have
[4:16:13] known the damage you would do to your community when you shared clearly anti
[4:16:18] Semitic and horrific social media posts claiming
[4:16:22] that the massacre of Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney was a false
[4:16:26] flag operation. Mayor Hernandez, your clearly Trump like
[4:16:30] spreading of hateful disinformation is deplorable.
[4:16:34] You are doing real harm and you can see it here in your council
[4:16:38] chambers tonight. While I am not Jewish, my family
[4:16:42] is and they live in Richmond. I am here speaking on their behalf
[4:16:45] as they are afraid of you. Thank you. The next speaker is Nancy.
[4:16:50] Nancy, please unmute yourself. State your last name for the record. You may begin.
[4:16:54] My name is Nancy Burke. I've been a resident of Richmond for
[4:16:58] over 30 years and I'm Jewish and I am shaking tonight.
[4:17:02] The hatred in the room where all of you are is
[4:17:07] just I just have felt it all night tonight.
[4:17:11] And the hatred that I felt. Eduardo, when you posted
[4:17:15] those posts on Hanukkah when we were all grieving, what had
[4:17:20] happened in Australia was just awful.
[4:17:23] And I feel so unsafe as a Jew in my own community.
[4:17:28] And I really need you to hear that.
[4:17:32] I need you to hear how unsafe Jews
[4:17:36] are feeling here in Richmond. That's the whole point. It's not about jcrc.
[4:17:41] It's not about you running for anything. This is not political. This is about
[4:17:45] feeling unsafe in Richmond as a Jew.
[4:17:49] So I really need you to do something about that.
[4:17:52] I need to see something change.
[4:17:55] Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is
[4:17:59] Maddie Marty. Please unmute yourself, state your last name for the record and you may
[4:18:03] begin. Hello, my name is Maddie Pinyetti. I am
[4:18:07] a Berkeley resident and a volunteer with the Peace and Freedom Party. And I'm
[4:18:11] calling because I support Mayor Martinez. I care about the city of Richmond and
[4:18:15] I appreciate the work the Mayor has done over the past two years to improve
[4:18:18] the city. And Richmond was the first US city to pass a ceasefire resolution
[4:18:23] under Mayor Martinez. We really can't lose sight of what is happening in Gaza and
[4:18:27] the thousands and thousands of Palestinian lives out have been lost in this genocide.
[4:18:31] The Mayor's outspoken positions on Gaza and Palestinian human rights have
[4:18:35] made him a target. And this moment is being used to try to silence a
[4:18:38] political voice that challenges the status quo. We've seen similar attacks play out all
[4:18:43] across this country and we can't allow this to happen here in East Bay as
[4:18:46] well. With the increasing attacks on our immigrant communities here in Richmond and
[4:18:50] the US war machine escalating attacks abroad, now is the time we need leadership.
[4:18:54] Like Mayor Martinez's, political attacks do not strengthen Richmond.
[4:18:58] I would like to call on the City Council to act with consistency and fairness.
[4:19:01] The future of Richmond depends on it and we want to move forward with healing
[4:19:04] and accountability, not repression. Thank you. And the next speaker
[4:19:09] is Cheryl De Vila. Cheryl, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:19:16] Thank you for taking my hand because somebody put it down and it
[4:19:19] wasn't me and I kept and raising it and then it kept getting
[4:19:23] lowered. So, yes, Eduardo Martinez.
[4:19:28] Honorable Mayor Eduardo Martinez has been the best mayor
[4:19:32] for Richmond for quite some time. I've been a 44 year
[4:19:36] resident of Berkeley and I'm a former council member in the
[4:19:40] City of Berkeley and mayor, before he was mayor, he was
[4:19:44] a council member and working with me side by side on climate and all
[4:19:48] these different issues. He's been so great for Richmond and JCRC
[4:19:52] is a Zionist organization. Zionism equals
[4:19:56] hate, equals racism. And don't believe
[4:19:59] the hype from all these people that are telling you lies,
[4:20:02] because JCRC is paid to do what they're doing,
[4:20:07] to take down progressive,
[4:20:10] anti Zionist elected officials
[4:20:14] and anybody that speaks against. It's not real.
[4:20:17] Thank you. Your time has expired. The next speaker is Sarah C. Followed by
[4:20:22] River, Barry Taranto, Robbie Cat Davis,
[4:20:25] Mark Salomons, Ally Soccer, and Diana
[4:20:29] Honig. Sarah, please mute yourself.
[4:20:33] State your last name for the record and you may begin.
[4:20:36] Hi. My name is Sarah Cantor. I am a Jewish resident
[4:20:40] of Richmond. I want to talk about the difference between
[4:20:44] antisemitism and anti Zionism.
[4:20:48] They're not the same thing as many speakers tonight have said.
[4:20:51] I was also horrified by Mayor
[4:20:56] Martinez's posts, and they are an example of anti
[4:20:59] Semitism. The things that he posted were not about
[4:21:04] criticizing the genocidal actions of Israel,
[4:21:08] and that is an example of anti Semitism.
[4:21:12] The rest of his actions, supporting the
[4:21:16] people of Palestine and actually calling into account the genocidal
[4:21:21] actions of Israel are not anti Semitism, that is anti Zionism.
[4:21:24] The things that people have said tonight criticizing Zionism,
[4:21:28] criticizing Israel, criticizing the idf, that is anti Zionism.
[4:21:32] And I think that it's really important that we keep those things straight.
[4:21:36] There has been no anti Semitism or Jew hatred in this room tonight. Thank you.
[4:21:40] Thank you. Our next speaker is River.
[4:21:44] River, please unmute yourself. State your last name for the record, please.
[4:21:52] River. Hi, my name is River Allen and I
[4:21:55] am a Richmond resident. The post that Mayor Martinez reposted
[4:22:00] was a mistake, and I hope he continues to take steps of accountability for
[4:22:04] its impact. However, I hope this upsetting act
[4:22:08] by the mayor doesn't distract from the importance of defending Palestinian liberation
[4:22:13] and speaking strongly against the ongoing US And Israeli genocide
[4:22:17] of the Palestinian people. We must eradicate antisemitism and
[4:22:21] free Palestine. Living and working in Richmond.
[4:22:25] I'm perpetually grateful for the progressive leaders on my council who are
[4:22:29] attentive to what Richmond residents need, like rent
[4:22:34] control, accountability from Chevron, and solidarity
[4:22:38] with Palestine. Because my own well being and liberation is tightly intertwined
[4:22:42] with the liberation of Palestine. Thank you, Richmond City Council members,
[4:22:46] for the work you do. And I stand in support of Mayor Martinez today.
[4:22:49] Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Barry Taranto.
[4:22:53] Please unmute yourself and you may begin. Yes.
[4:22:57] Good evening. I appreciate the patience of all of the City
[4:23:01] Council members for taking the time to listen to everyone's
[4:23:05] words. I'm very much concerned that
[4:23:09] an elected leader of a major
[4:23:14] East Bay City decided that it was okay
[4:23:19] to accuse Jews on wanting to kill themselves.
[4:23:23] I don't understand it. We're celebrating Hanukkah just like Christians
[4:23:27] celebrate Christmas and
[4:23:32] then African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. I don't understand why that's
[4:23:36] okay. For an elected leader to think that
[4:23:41] that is okay. I hope that. That the mayor can take
[4:23:45] the time to figure out how to do resort of justice and
[4:23:49] to understand the. That his words kill. That it's not so
[4:23:53] much him. But now I'm afraid to come to Richmond. I live in San Rafael,
[4:23:57] but I'm not sure I'm going to want to stop in Richmond anymore because
[4:24:01] I. Your time has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Katt Davies.
[4:24:05] Please unmute yourself and you may begin. Can you hear me? Yes.
[4:24:09] Thank you. My name is Rabbi Kat Zavis of Bait Tun and
[4:24:13] I have members in Richmond. I oppose the call for the mayor's residence, resignation and
[4:24:17] censorship. Sometimes even those of us with the best intentions miss the
[4:24:21] mark. Mayor Martinez's posts were hurtful and perpetrated
[4:24:25] anti Semitic tropes. Mayor Martinez and I have spoke a few times
[4:24:29] since then. I have found him to be genuinely concerned and apologetic.
[4:24:32] He has expressed interest in learning and making amends, or as we call it in
[4:24:36] Judaism, doing teshuva. We will only attain the liberated, caring,
[4:24:41] beloved community we all seek by working together and repairing harm when
[4:24:45] needed. The mayor is engaging in that work. As the mayor embarks on this
[4:24:49] journey, it is our job to open our hearts to accept the repair. I'm available
[4:24:53] to answer questions, provide guidance and support you on this journey. Thank you.
[4:24:57] Thank you. The next speaker is Mark
[4:25:00] Solomons. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:25:09] Mark solomons.
[4:25:15] Okay, we'll come back to Mark. The next
[4:25:19] speaker is Ali Sakar. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:25:22] Hi, I'm Ali Saker, a Bay Area resident.
[4:25:26] Israel has killed at least 20,000 Palestinian children since October
[4:25:30] 2023. The International association of Genocide Scott Scholars has
[4:25:34] concluded that Israel is committing genocide. Some on the other side in this discussion
[4:25:38] have mentioned that we should not repeat history. And we're right.
[4:25:41] Which is why we should not cave to groups like jcrc.
[4:25:44] Groups who look to intimidate, leaders who stand up for their community,
[4:25:48] and groups that are trying to erase from history the Israeli genocide
[4:25:52] of Palestinians. Our country and our world need more
[4:25:56] leaders who stand against Chevron, stand for tenants and stand for a free Palestine.
[4:26:00] Voters remember leaders who stand for the right thing and who uplift.
[4:26:05] And I'd like to sincerely thank Mayor Eduardo Martinez, for being one who does.
[4:26:09] Thank you. Thank you.
[4:26:12] Next speaker is. Let's try Mark Solomons again.
[4:26:15] Mark, please unmute yourself. You may begin.
[4:26:21] Okay, looks like we maybe have some difficulty here. Let's go ahead and move on
[4:26:25] to the next speaker, Diane Hoenig. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:26:30] Hi. Diana Honig. I'm a Jewish resident in
[4:26:34] Contra Costa county, and yes, anti Semitism
[4:26:39] travels across our county, so it's not even relevant which particular city
[4:26:42] I'm from. I'm almost
[4:26:46] unable to speak because I'm so incredibly sad.
[4:26:50] And it's been an incredibly painful process to sit through the amount of hate that
[4:26:53] I've seen tonight. Once again, the Richmond City Council Chamber has
[4:26:58] become a forum for folks to spew anti Jewish hate,
[4:27:01] and it's because of the actions of the Richmond mayor.
[4:27:05] I'm saddened that the response of those who
[4:27:09] continue to just dismiss out of hand Jewish pain
[4:27:13] and fears by saying that those of us who are trying to speak
[4:27:17] up against particular anti Semitic posts
[4:27:21] are doing so for political reasons or for political speech.
[4:27:26] This is not political, and it's absolutely not about Gaza.
[4:27:31] Do we want leaders who. Your time
[4:27:35] has expired. Thank you. Next speaker has a Device ending
[4:27:39] with 5324. Please state your last, first and last name
[4:27:43] for the record. You may begin.
[4:27:49] Speaker with the phone number ending in 5324.
[4:27:53] Please unmute yourself. You may begin.
[4:27:58] Okay, we're going to move on to the next speaker, which is Shayna Kills,
[4:28:02] followed by Paolo Laverde, followed by Heather Michelle
[4:28:06] Levine and Idamar Landu.
[4:28:09] Shayna, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:28:13] Hi, my name is Shana Keels. I'm a Jewish resident of Richmond, and I deeply
[4:28:17] appreciate our mayor's commitment to all of the people of this city.
[4:28:20] Having been targeted myself by anti Semitic violence and having lost family members in
[4:28:24] the German Holocaust, I feel most safe with leadership that denounces genocide and
[4:28:28] fights against imperial violence. Criticism of the IDF is not the
[4:28:32] same as criticism of the Jewish people. Indeed, the assumption that critique
[4:28:36] of Israel is the same as critique of Jewish people is what's most interesting,
[4:28:38] dangerous. I see the mayor's outreach to Jewish residents of Richmond and his
[4:28:41] desire for repair. And I also, more importantly, see his steadfast support for
[4:28:45] our communities who are targeted by ice, whose families have been impacted by colonialist violence,
[4:28:49] and who have been impacted by environmental racism. I am proud
[4:28:53] to live in a city led by someone with a deep commitment to life and
[4:28:55] community and proud of the work of our Mayor, the Jewish community is diverse and
[4:28:59] GCRC does not speak for me. Thank you. Thank you.
[4:29:03] The next speaker is Paola Laverde. Please unmute yourself
[4:29:08] and you may begin. Good evening,
[4:29:11] City Council and Mayor Martinez. My name is Paola and I'm calling from
[4:29:15] Berkeley because three of my City Council members thought they were speaking for me
[4:29:20] when they signed over that. They signed that petition demanding that the mayor
[4:29:24] resign over a repost. Over a repost on social media.
[4:29:27] And the only reason we know about this issue is because the JCRC
[4:29:32] has blown it up. I full throatly support Mayor Martinez and I'm glad
[4:29:35] he applied apologized for his blunder. This effort against Mayor Martinez
[4:29:40] is a racist smear campaign sponsored by a Zionist organization
[4:29:44] and endorsed by politicians who have gone to Israel on JCRC's
[4:29:48] dime. They want to get rid of a successful community leader who has not
[4:29:52] only made a positive difference in the lives of Rich Richmond's residence, but stood
[4:29:56] up against the status quo. I hope the citizens of Richmond keep this
[4:30:00] in mind. And the real dangers to Jews everywhere is the Zionist
[4:30:05] Israeli government and its genocide against the Palestinian people.
[4:30:09] All power to the people and all power to the people in Richmond.
[4:30:13] Thank you. The next speaker is Holly Theer. Please unmute yourself and you
[4:30:17] may begin. Hi, this is Holly Theer.
[4:30:21] Just finished being mayor of Tiburon. And you know, being mayor is a position of
[4:30:25] great respect and great responsibility.
[4:30:30] The comments that were made on social media were anti Semitic.
[4:30:35] These comments accused Israel of the terror
[4:30:39] attacks at Bondi beach and other things. And I
[4:30:44] want to say that Eduardo Martinez
[4:30:48] should at minimum be censored. But I believe he should resign because words
[4:30:52] matter and he has made his residents,
[4:30:56] the residents, feel unsafe and unwelcome and
[4:31:00] living in fear. It's not okay to make residents live in fear when you're mayor.
[4:31:04] Thank you. Thank you.
[4:31:09] The next speaker is Idamar Land. Sorry, Michelle Levin. Please unmute
[4:31:14] yourself and you may begin.
[4:31:18] Michelle.
[4:31:24] Okay, we'll go to the next speaker.
[4:31:28] That is going to be Adamar Landu. Please unmute yourself and you may
[4:31:32] begin. Hello, my name is Itamar Landau.
[4:31:36] I'm speaking on behalf of the Jewish Coalition of Berkeley, an organization of about
[4:31:39] 500 Berkeley and Bay Area residents,
[4:31:43] including about 20 Richmond residents. I really appreciate the small
[4:31:47] fraction of the mayor supporters who sincerely acknowledged how bad his recent
[4:31:51] posts were and called for true repair. But the
[4:31:55] mayor's current apology is nowhere near commensurate with even just the one,
[4:31:59] most outrageous Bondi beach post. And the real problem is that post was
[4:32:03] not A mistake or a blunder. It's part of a pattern of social media behavior
[4:32:06] that goes well beyond legitimate concern for the suffering of Palestinians,
[4:32:10] well beyond even an obsessive focus on some real Israeli
[4:32:14] crimes. The series of posts going back years cross clearly
[4:32:18] into the realm of conspiratorial anti Semitism, where the left stops being
[4:32:22] progressive and shakes hands with the radical right. With anti Semites like Candace Owens
[4:32:26] and Nick Fuentes. Those posts include a 25 claim that
[4:32:30] the Iranian bombing of an Israeli hospital is a false flag. A 24 post that
[4:32:34] 107 itself was engineered and manufactured by Israel to kill their own.
[4:32:37] Your time has expired. Thank you.
[4:32:41] The next speaker is Carol Singer. Carol, please unmute yourself and you
[4:32:45] may begin. Can you hear me?
[4:32:48] Yes. Okay, great. Thank you.
[4:32:52] I am a Jewish resident of Richmond. For over
[4:32:56] 47 years, I have always thought so safe in my community. But as
[4:33:00] a Jew, that sense has been shattered. Right now I'm
[4:33:05] here to request that the council sanction the mayor.
[4:33:08] Consider myself on the far left and
[4:33:12] I do not support Israel's actions, but I cannot. But I can
[4:33:16] hold the complexities of the conflict. Mayor Martinez cannot.
[4:33:20] It is unacceptable that an elected official spread
[4:33:25] conspiracy theories, foster hate,
[4:33:27] conflate Zionism with Judaism, and blaming
[4:33:31] the Jews in Australia for Gaza. And in my opinion,
[4:33:35] as an elected official, to wear a keffiyeh or a hat
[4:33:39] that promotes death is showing
[4:33:43] very poor leadership. And he no longer has
[4:33:47] my trust or my faith that he can lead with dignity and humanity.
[4:33:52] And frankly, thank you. Your time has expired. The next speaker
[4:33:56] is Rochelle. Rochelle. Please unmute yourself. State your last name for the record and you
[4:33:59] may begin. Hi. Last name is Betone.
[4:34:05] I'm not involved with jcrc.
[4:34:10] I am just calling here to voice
[4:34:14] that I feel a lot of empathy
[4:34:19] for every council member sitting on this board at this moment
[4:34:23] because Mayor Martinez has put
[4:34:27] your dignity and your career in jeopardy. Obviously,
[4:34:31] this is a pretty embarrassing behavior for an elected official,
[4:34:35] let alone a mayor. I've just taken a two hour training
[4:34:39] course in my work in which, if I did that at my work,
[4:34:42] I would not be keeping my job. And I don't know many elected
[4:34:47] jobs in which this is an oopsie. You know, I appreciate
[4:34:50] that there's been an apology, but we have to hold ourselves responsible for our
[4:34:55] actions. And it is time for him to be responsible for this
[4:34:58] really embarrassing outward display of anti Semitism.
[4:35:03] Thank you. The next speaker is Rafael
[4:35:07] Minas. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:35:12] Good evening. Can you hear me? Yes.
[4:35:15] My name is Rafael Menace. And I'm a resident of Pinal.
[4:35:18] I'm not a Jewish person, but I'm speaking tonight
[4:35:23] because we've been conflating categories. We've been saying,
[4:35:28] effectively speaking, if we're progressive,
[4:35:31] we can't call out anti Semitism,
[4:35:35] or that if we're calling out anti Semitism, that we can't
[4:35:40] also be anti Zionist. I feel
[4:35:44] as though Mayor Martinez's social media posts undermined
[4:35:49] the work that he did to draw attention to the genocide that Israel
[4:35:53] is carrying out in Gaza. They made his community feel
[4:35:57] less safe and they undermine
[4:36:00] the progressive values that he and
[4:36:04] I both hold. I urge him to continue
[4:36:09] to seek forgiveness and to apologize more thoroughly
[4:36:15] and to consider why people are afraid. Thank.
[4:36:19] Thank you. The next speaker is Sanai Crigel
[4:36:23] Armstrong. Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:36:31] Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. Sinai is my son name.
[4:36:35] So I'm going to say my name is Tamal Kriegel and I'm actually a member
[4:36:39] from Humboldt County. I'm a proud Zionist.
[4:36:42] I'm also proud of being on the peace camp between Israelis
[4:36:47] and Palestinian. Anyone that commit blood libel
[4:36:51] against Jews must resign. For the record,
[4:36:54] Zionism is simply the right of the Jews to self
[4:36:58] determine in their ancestral homeland. This is especially
[4:37:02] true for elected officials. They have an extra responsibility
[4:37:06] to lead the community with dignity and respect. I urge
[4:37:11] you to recognize the hateful action of the mayor and
[4:37:15] please resign. This is disgusting.
[4:37:21] Thank you. The next speaker. We'll go back to Mark
[4:37:25] Solomons one last time. Mark, please unmute yourself. You may begin.
[4:37:32] Okay. Okay. I think I'm unmuting. Yes,
[4:37:35] thank you. Thank you very much. I'm sorry I missed before,
[4:37:39] but I'm ready. Mark Solomons. I'm from Noah Marin. Name.
[4:37:43] Oppose and abolish hate. I agree with Councilmember Carlos
[4:37:48] Cepeda to censor the mayor. The mayor blamed Jews
[4:37:52] for a terrorist attack in Sydney. Unacceptable from
[4:37:56] any public official. And his apology? Deeply regretting my actions
[4:38:00] committing to do better. He said, I want to sincerely apologize
[4:38:04] to those who are hurt. That was never my intention. But intent
[4:38:08] does not erase impact. Council members of Beta said he
[4:38:13] only apologized for reposting content rather than acknowledging the
[4:38:17] harm. The apology does not erase harm.
[4:38:20] His response focused on post is too quickly.
[4:38:24] It fails to take acknowledge or take responsibility
[4:38:28] for spreading unfounded antisemitic conspiracy.
[4:38:33] We hear he should be forgiven. Is this post from LinkedIn
[4:38:37] also a mistake? Your time
[4:38:40] has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Arlette and Kira
[4:38:45] Lee. Please unmute yourself. Arlette, you may begin.
[4:38:50] Hi My name is Arlette. My statement will actually be in
[4:38:54] Spanish. The SCIU
[4:38:58] 1021. Bengo en Apoyo del alcale
[4:39:02] Martinez y sulideraz Go. Gracias por lideras.
[4:39:35] Progresista y sutrajo en crichment.
[4:39:52] Gracias. Thank you.
[4:39:56] The next speaker is Kira. Kira, please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:40:04] Kira, good evening. Can you hear me?
[4:40:07] Yes. Beautiful Kyra le proud servant
[4:40:12] of the city of Richmond. I actually wasn't going to speak tonight, but I do
[4:40:16] want to greet all of City Council. You all
[4:40:20] have had a really long night and I do want to say I'm sorry for
[4:40:23] that. I can see your faces. The only thing that I understand
[4:40:27] to be on the agenda tonight is whether diminishing
[4:40:33] murder in another country of
[4:40:37] people is something that an elected official on their
[4:40:41] job should be joking about. And I would say no. I think
[4:40:45] that it is representative of all of the comments that we have
[4:40:49] heard tonight that Councilman
[4:40:54] and Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda and Councilwoman Jamila Brown did the
[4:40:57] right thing to give us the option to weigh in, because this is the
[4:41:01] largest number of comments I've heard in the last 12 months.
[4:41:05] I do want to point out,
[4:41:09] Mayor Martinez, that the only person that you corrected
[4:41:13] publicly tonight without actually Councilwoman Brown, a black woman.
[4:41:18] And that's the reason that I decided to give a comment. Because while
[4:41:22] someone is repenting for one mistake,
[4:41:25] it's interesting how we're speaking to someone else. Your time
[4:41:29] has expired. Thank you. The next speaker is Chang.
[4:41:33] Please unmute yourself, state your first and last name for the record and
[4:41:37] you may begin. You hear me? Yes.
[4:41:41] Thank you. I'm Alan Mayer, a resident of Contra Costa county
[4:41:46] living in the town of Kensington. I call on
[4:41:49] Mayor Martinez to take responsibility for his actions. Actions by
[4:41:53] resigning, the hateful and harmful nature of your
[4:41:57] posts would have been obvious to any rational,
[4:42:00] unbiased person. Yet that did not deter you from
[4:42:04] posting them. Your apology lacks a forthright acknowledgment of
[4:42:08] the harm your posts have done and how wrong they were.
[4:42:12] This underscores your lack of concern for the well being of the Jewish citizens
[4:42:17] of Richmond and our greater community in the Bay Area.
[4:42:20] You have betrayed your role as mayor of all the people and must
[4:42:24] resign.
[4:42:28] Thank you. The next speaker is Jan Corant.
[4:42:33] Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:42:37] Good evening, Council. I am
[4:42:41] a Jewish resident of Richmond
[4:42:47] and I have waited these
[4:42:50] long hours just as you to
[4:42:54] say that although I was dismayed,
[4:42:58] but by what I read of this post
[4:43:02] that Mayor Martinez put in
[4:43:06] his social media, I having to assume it was hasty
[4:43:11] or careless. I am satisfied
[4:43:15] with his public apology and like others,
[4:43:19] hope that he continues his efforts to make
[4:43:23] amends, or what the rabbi called teshuvah to the
[4:43:27] Jewish community to promote understanding and healing.
[4:43:33] I've known Eduardo. I have worked to see
[4:43:37] him elected in the 12 years I've lived here. So it was.
[4:43:41] It was difficult. Your time has expired. Thank you.
[4:43:45] The next speaker has a device ending with the phone number 2014.
[4:43:50] Please state your first and last name for the record. You may begin.
[4:44:00] Hi. My name is Noor Delano. I'm Oakland resident.
[4:44:05] I just want to express that I've
[4:44:09] heard a lot of hatred in this call and this meeting.
[4:44:12] And I think it's really important for there
[4:44:16] to be accountability for hosting conspiracy
[4:44:21] theories that are not just about,
[4:44:25] I'm devastated by the genocide in Gaza. But when
[4:44:31] elected officials are posting conspiracy theories or reposting conspiracy
[4:44:35] theories on LinkedIn, there needs to be more than an apology and there
[4:44:39] needs to be accountability for his actions.
[4:44:46] Thank you. Thank you.
[4:44:51] The next speaker has a device ending with the phone number 5324 4.
[4:44:56] Please unmute yourself and you may begin.
[4:45:02] Please state your first and last name for the record, please. This is.
[4:45:06] This is Sal Letterman. I speak tonight against hate
[4:45:10] in our community, specifically anti Zionism.
[4:45:13] Unfortunately, this hate has spread to Richmond's highest ranks, including its
[4:45:18] mayor. I welcome debate over controversial issues, including Israel
[4:45:22] and Palestine. But confusion about Israel's existence should not be
[4:45:26] seeping its way into our community. Mayor Martinez is doing
[4:45:30] just this with his long documented history of anti Semitic and anti
[4:45:34] Zionist statements. Just as Arab and Muslim are not bad words,
[4:45:38] Zionist is not a bad word either. The citizens
[4:45:42] of Richmond should not be getting the message that it is, especially from their
[4:45:46] own mayor. We are all getting this message each day that he remains
[4:45:50] in office. Many have lost sight of basic historical facts
[4:45:55] and do not understand the situation many valuable Israeli and Zionist community members
[4:45:59] are in. Many of us have lost friends and family to anti Semitism,
[4:46:03] including terrorist attacks. We are being bombarded
[4:46:07] with messages from media, hateful graffiti.
[4:46:11] Your time has expired. Thank you. And that appears to be our last speaker.
[4:46:23] No. Because this is just public comment. Yes. Okay, I think it's time
[4:46:28] for the consent calendar.
[4:46:31] Okay. Our next item is approval of the consent calendar.
[4:46:35] And as a reminder, item 03A, that's a contract with
[4:46:39] Liftech Consultants and Inc. For planning and design services
[4:46:42] for the relocation of the SS Red Oak. Victory has
[4:46:46] been continued to February 3rd.
[4:46:51] So we need a motion. Okay. A Motion. I'll make
[4:46:56] the motion to approve the consent calendar. I second.
[4:47:00] Motion by me, the Mayor. And seconded by Council
[4:47:04] member Jimenez. Jimenez. Council member Brown?
[4:47:08] Yes. Council member Bona. Council member Jimenez?
[4:47:12] Yes. Council member Wilson? Yes. Council member Robinson?
[4:47:16] Yes. Council member Vice Mayor Cepeda. Yes. And Mayor
[4:47:20] Martinez? Yes. The motion passes.
[4:47:23] Okay. Okay. Since we've sent staff home,
[4:47:28] we will go to reports of officers, referrals to staff.
[4:47:32] Sorry, there is one item. Item P3.
[4:47:37] You don't need staff for that. P3. I believe our
[4:47:41] fire chief is here to answer questions about this
[4:47:44] item. I sponsored
[4:47:49] this item and I believe. Let me introduce the item, if I may, Mayor,
[4:47:53] through you as the chair. This item requires additional
[4:47:57] staff. Besides fire, the way that the municipal code works, it would also involve
[4:48:00] planning, community development staff. And as we noted earlier this evening, those personnel
[4:48:05] were released for the evening. And so we are not prepared to discuss this
[4:48:09] item at this time. I'm sorry, but this is to direct
[4:48:13] the staff to come up with an ordinance.
[4:48:16] I'm not. I'm stating that the staff personnel
[4:48:20] that would be assisting. Wait, the item. Are no longer in
[4:48:25] the audience because they've been released. It is not only within the purview of Chief
[4:48:28] Osario, it would also involve planning, community development staff
[4:48:32] who are no longer with us this evening. Okay.
[4:48:37] All right, so back to item Q.
[4:48:40] Reports of officers, referrals to staff and general reports,
[4:48:44] including AB 1234 reports.
[4:48:46] Do we have any?
[4:48:53] Go ahead. Thank you. So, as the liaison
[4:48:58] with the West Contra Costa County School
[4:49:05] I'm trying to.
[4:49:09] I'm going to have a meeting with the new superintendent and I'm going to
[4:49:13] invite her for presentation about the status of our schools. Also,
[4:49:17] I'm glad to report that the city staff
[4:49:21] and the school are working on school safety and I hope that we
[4:49:26] will have a report about it soon.
[4:49:33] Anyone else?
[4:49:37] Well, if. If there are not, then it's
[4:49:42] time for adjournment and I will allow.
[4:49:47] Council member Bana. Thank you, I appreciate it.
[4:49:51] So, as I mentioned, last few
[4:49:56] weeks of the year were especially.
[4:50:04] Three. Shaking and rattling and sad
[4:50:07] because we had some homicides. Although the number of homicides,
[4:50:11] all due to gun violence, has been substantially
[4:50:15] reduced. I mean, the City of Richmond should be proud of
[4:50:19] having reduced it from like 50, 60 per year to 5 last year
[4:50:24] in 2025. And I would like to sincerely thank Office
[4:50:27] of Neighborhood Safety, our police department, many community based
[4:50:32] organizations and volunteers working on that. Still,
[4:50:35] five is too many. We need to reduce it even more.
[4:50:39] I would have liked us to say their names loud,
[4:50:43] all the city council members to emphasize
[4:50:47] and affirm our commitment to reduce
[4:50:52] it, minimize it even further. And also our commitment to
[4:50:57] respect the sanctity of life. That's very important.
[4:51:00] That's basic human right. And it's
[4:51:05] important to renew that commitment and honor the grief
[4:51:09] and trauma that many families are going through. Just to acknowledge it
[4:51:14] and try to work towards that, put it on top of our policy
[4:51:17] or whatever it takes the city to work even harder on
[4:51:21] reducing in gun violence. We don't have the permission
[4:51:25] from the families to say their names loudly.
[4:51:29] So I'm just asking everyone please to acknowledge
[4:51:34] the loss of life due to gun violence,
[4:51:37] five homicides in 2025,
[4:51:40] to acknowledge the pain, trauma that we all should work to
[4:51:45] reduce as much as possible. Let's have a few
[4:51:49] moments of silence.
[4:52:15] Thank you very much. And I would like to ask the city
[4:52:19] attorney to have permission from the families in the future to
[4:52:24] say their names loud, too. Thank you very much.
[4:52:27] Okay, with that, we are adjourned.