Richmond’s first ever June primary is months away, but candidates continue to announce they intend to run well before the candidate filing period officially opens.

In 2024, Richmond voters passed Measure J, also known as the Richmond Election Reform Act, which established a primary voting system for city electeds. This means that a candidate for mayor or city council who gets 50% or more of the votes cast in their primary race will win the seat. If no candidate meets that threshold, there will be a run-off election between the primary’s top two candidates in November where the top vote-getter will win.

The city council districts with open seats are: District 2, encompassing the Point Richmond, Santa Fe, Shields-Reid, Parchester Village and Hilltop District neighborhoods; District 3, which includes Atchison Village, the southern portion of the Iron Triangle, and the Coronado, Richmore Village/Metro Square, Pullman and Park Plaza neighborhoods; and District 4, representing Hilltop Village, Hilltop Green, Fairmede Hilltop, Quail Hill, Greenridge Heights, May Valley, El Sobrante Hills, Greenbriar, Castro Heights, the Carriage Hills North and Carriage Hills South neighborhoods.

Richmond’s candidate filing period for the primary election runs from Feb. 9 until 5 p.m. March 6, according to the city’s website. City Clerk Pamela Christian will be handling appointments beginning on Feb. 2.

The filing period for non-incumbent candidates will be extended to March 11 if incumbents don’t file All prospective candidates must schedule appointments to receive nomination papers. Mayoral candidates must be registered to vote in Richmond; council candidates must be registered to vote in the district they’re running in.

Filing fees have increased significantly under a new ordinance that went into effect in January of 2025. Mayoral candidates must pay $1,674, while council candidates pay $605.88 — both set at 2% of the annual salaries for the seats, reflecting the raises approved by the city council earlier this year.

Signature requirements have also changed for mayoral races, now requiring 30 to 40 registered voter signatures from anywhere in Richmond, while council candidates need 20 to 30 signatures from residents of their districts.

State campaign finance rules dictate that candidates must file FPPC Form 501 before accepting contributions or spending personal funds, and Form 410, with a $50 Secretary of State fee, after receiving a minimum of $2,000.

Who’s running for mayor?

So far, four candidates have stated they intend to run for mayor: incumbent Eduardo Martinez, Ahmad Anderson, Demnlus Johnson and Mark Wassberg.

Martinez, who was elected in 2022, is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA). He has served on the council since 2014 — the year many Richmond voters  remember as the election where Chevron-backed candidates were defeated at the ballot box by the progressive group, which had an alliance with then-Mayor Tom Butt.

Since becoming mayor, Martinez has been a part of a number of notable — and some controversial — decisions.

In 2023, just weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks that launched the present conflict between Hamas and Israel, Martinez and then-Vice Mayor Gayle McLaughlin wrote a resolution that stated support and solidarity for the Palestinian people.

The vote, which passed 5-1, with District 2 council member Cesar Zepeda opposing and District 6 council member Claudia Jimenez absent, received national attention as it was praised by organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Bay Area chapter, and condemned by groups such as the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Bay Area.

Martinez was also a part of negotiating team in the historic $550 million Chevron settlement and the sale of Point Molate to the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD), both in 2024.

Additionally, Martinez and the RPA contingent on the council — current Districts 5 and 6 council members Sue Wilson and Jimenez as well as former Districts 1 and 5 council members Melvin Willis and Gayle McLaughlin — have also had public battles with the Richmond Police Officer’s Association (RPOA) after the council reallocated $3 million of the department’s budget to fund alternatives approaches to public safety like the Community Crisis Response Program, now called Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) alongside the department’s current staffing crisis, which was detailed in a Contra Costa County’s Civil Grand Jury report.

Martinez has not reported any financial contributions to his campaign so far in 2025, according to California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) filings.

Richmondside reached out multiple times to Martinez about his re-election bid and how he is approaching campaigning given the city’s new primary system but did not receive any response by publication time.

A number of Martinez’s mayoral challengers are focusing on both public safety and economic development, including  Ahmad Anderson and Demnlus Johnson, both of whom are entering their first mayoral races.

After two campaign losses for the District 5 council seat, in 2020 and 2024, Anderson began laying down the foundation for a mayoral campaign this year, meeting with constituents at a number of events around the city including National Night Out, Juneteenth parade and the GRIP Harmony Walk. 

Anderson told Richmondside that although he had hoped to represent District 5 on the council, he has always wanted to serve the entire city as a whole.

“What I talk about is public safety and economic development and how those two go hand-in-hand,” Anderson said. “When I’m not concerned about going out at night or going downtown or going down 23rd (Street), I have to think about safety but that safety aligns with economic development and businesses. When people feel safe enough to support businesses that are here because they feel protected then you generate workforce development to employ people.”

Anderson said he believes that Richmond doesn’t need huge corporate entities but must focus on supporting medium-to-large businesses that are “high-value.” He also said he hopes to work regionally with the other cities in west Contra Costa County in regard to housing and development.

Though crediting the RPA for its positive impacts on the city, he is critical of the current affiliated-council’s approach to the issues such as homelessness and said that city leaders must try and attract businesses and programs that help the unhoused transition off the street — pointing to San Jose’s efforts as methods the city could be using.

“The leaders who have been there came into play because they wanted to change what appeared to be a corporate friendly status quo leadership. 
Unfortunately, it appears that the leadership presently has become the status quo,” Anderson said.

So far, according to FPPC filings, Anderson has not reported receiving any money in campaign contributions so far this year.

Another familiar face in the mayoral race is former council member and former vice mayor Johnson who served on the Richmond City Council from 2019 to 2023. He stepped away to run for John Garamendi’s U.S. Congressional District 8 seat (which represents portions of Contra Costa County including Richmond).

Johnson, who officially launched his campaign during the summer, spoke with Richmondside last week and said, similarly to Anderson, he is hoping to focus on the issues of economic development — especially when it comes to the city’s reliance on Chevron.

“We don’t want to end up like those cities that have their entire economy based on this one industry and then when the industry left, it goes belly up,” he said, adding that if he is elected he would try and focus on the corridors like Macdonald Avenue, 23rd Street, Cutting Avenue and Rumrill. “I just want folks in Richmond to have one of the best quality of lives, period. I want to ensure equal and equitable services across the board.”

A cousin of District 1 council member Jamelia Brown, Johnson said he is already canvassing neighborhoods and taking the same approach to voter education and registration that Brown found successful in her 2024 election bid.

“It’s like any other campaign that I’ve run. A people-centered, community-centered approach,” he said.

Johnson has not reported any campaign contributions since he announced his candidacy this summer, according to FPPC filings.

In addition to Anderson and Johnson, Wassberg is launching a fourth election bid after losing to Martinez in his mayoral race in 2022 and finishing last behind Brown and Willis in District 1 in 2024.

A constant public commenter at Richmond City Council meetings who often sports a “Make America Great Again” hat and has been removed from a number of meetings for his comments and heckling, Wassberg has been a critic of Martinez and the council and has called for Martinez’s removal from office in recent months after the mayor delivered a speech in Detroit voicing support for the Palestinian people at the People’s Conference for Palestine in September. He has also publicly criticized Richmond’s Sanctuary City status, rights for the LGBTQ+ community, environmental reforms and the city’s Chevron settlement.

Wassberg has not received any contributions to his campaign, according to FPPC filings.

No one has yet stepped up to challenge Cesar Zepeda in District 2

So far, the only candidate who has begun campaigning for District 2 is incumbent Cesar Zepeda, who was elected to his first term in 2022 after defeating former Mayor Tom Butt’s son Andrew Butt in a tie-breaking envelope draw after the two split the district’s then 4,192 voters right down the middle.

Since his victory, Zepeda has been a vocal advocate on the council dais for improving infrastructure, trying in 2024 to poll Richmonders to see if they would support a bond measure that would try to address issues like the antiquated fire stations and expanding the downtown library branch.

Zepeda told Richmondside that, though it is early compared to his first campaign, he’s letting residents know he intends to run.

“I already started talking to my team and we’re pulling together with the filings and appropriate forms since the city filings don’t start until February,” he said, adding that this committee to raise funds has already been set up. “So that’s what’s been going on in the background, the wheels are turning.”

So far, Zepeda has put $1700 of his own money for his campaign, according to FPPC records, and has yet to report any campaign contributions so far in 2025.

Zepeda said he isn’t looking to change much of his approach between his first campaign and the upcoming 2026 cycle, adding that he routinely has knocked on doors throughout his term to get to know his constituents better.

“That’s already done but I’m going to continue doing it but the next time that I’m out there, balance it out between campaigning and then just doing my regular (council) stuff that I do anyways,” he said.

He also said he won’t change much of his messaging from this first campaign,  including supporting businesses through the “unsexy” processes and government red tape, but now that he’s more knowledgeable about how the city operates, he can move those ideas forward.

“The sexy stuff is affordable housing, public safety, fiscal and economic development and all that is great. Those are big talking points and that’s the overarching umbrella but the wheels and the mechanism that makes all that work are the things that people don’t always see,” Zepeda said.

Incumbent Doria Robinson to defend her seat against first-time candidate Brandon Evans

The District 3 race to represent portions of south Richmond is shaping up to see incumbent Doria Robinson defend her seat against first-time candidate and self-described “Son of the Southside” Brandon Evans.

Robinson’s tenure on the council has seen her take on leadership roles,specifically related to the council’s securing of a $550 million settlement with Chevron in 2024, alongside Martinez and Jimenez.

She has also been a vocal supporter for citywide equity — most notably standing with Zepeda in calling for repairs to address flooding in Parchester Village in District 2, calling for fair parking enforcement citywide, reinvestment by the city into District 3’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and the Black Resiliency Project and Fund, which looks to address the city’s historic lack of investment into its Black community.

Robinson, who is also the executive director of the nonprofit Urban Tilth, spoke with Richmondside as she formally launched her campaign at the Richmond Civic Center on Saturday, saying she hopes to keep continuing to focus on addressing D3 issues — something she credits the city’s move to district representation on the council.

“I’ve laid a groundwork for a lot of work that’s going to be coming in the next four years and I really want the opportunity to see those things through,” Robinson said. “I’ve started a lot of things rolling, a lot of resources rolling in the right direction. Things that have been stuck for decades, I’ve brought them back to life and put them on the table. I feel like there’s tons of more work to do. I’ve started to feel like I’ve put D3 on the map. It’s squarely in view of the city and the city staff.”

If reelected, Robinson said she hopes to keep addressing supporting small businesses along the Macdonald Avenue corridor to revitalize downtown Richmond and “lean in” to what makes the city unique.

“We need anchor businesses that are unique and that really lean into our culture, arts and history that people can’t get anywhere else,” she said. “We’ve got some of the best taquerias and other places here but we need to actually lean into that and make it part of the theme of why you would bother to come to Richmond’s downtown and spend money.”

Although Evans is entering his first city council race, he isn’t a newcomer to Richmond’s political scene.

A former commissioner for Richmond’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) from 2017 to 2018 and again from 2021 to 2023, Evans has worked behind the scenes in various capacities on both the city and county level. He was campaign manager for District 1 council member Jamelia Brown, whose victory was seen as an upset against incumbent and RPA-backed Melvin Willis, and he served as district representative for Contra Costa County Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, working on community outreach, engagement and public policy. He has also worked for the city in the Employment and Training Department with a focus on youth workforce development.

So far, Evans told Richmondside that he’s been gearing up his marketing and fundraising efforts as the campaign filing period approaches.

“I’m still trying to get some of that name recognition and just kind of brand awareness,” he said, adding that he’s also been appearing on local podcasts. “This is an opportunity to share more about the candidacy and introduce myself to voters.”

Evans said his platform will focus on creating an “industrial renaissance” in south Richmond and a reimagining of the area for the modern era.

“Now that we are in this modern era, a lot of those heavy industrial uses have phased out and ran their course but we still have these heavy industrial sites all along the southern shoreline,” Evans said, also mentioning the port. “You have a large part of the African American population whose families migrated here during the 1940s looking for work but really looking for economic opportunity.”

Going into the new year, Evans added, he plans to launch a voter education campaign similar to what Brown did in District 1 in 2024.

So far, both Robinson and Evans have not reported any campaign contributions so far this year, according to FPPC filings.

Incumbent Soheila Bana, Jamin Pursell and Keycha Gallon eyeing District 4 seat

As of right now, the most contested district council race of the three is in District 4 with incumbent Soheila Bana set to face a familiar opponent in Jamin Pursell, who she beat in 2022, and political newcomer Keycha Gallon, author and founder of a nonprofit.

During her first term, Bana,a vocal advocate for her part of the city on the council dais, has focused on issues including supporting the police department, illegal fireworks and fair prioritization of the city’s capital improvement projects.

However, Bana’s time on the council has also come with some tense moments during council discussions, specifically with Martinez, for example once describing the mayor’s ad-hoc committee on the new Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) recommendations “biased” and proposing the city launch an independent, third-party investigation into previous allegations of unethical conduct by the commission that were levied by its former investigator.

Bana recently told Richmondside that she hopes to continue advocating for those topics if reelected and that voters should expect to see her campaign more visibly at the start of 2026.

“Wildfire safety is very important specific to District 4,” she said. “It is a region that has a very high wildfire severity zone and there are multiple issues like preparedness, evacuations that are related to it.”

Bana also said she hopes to focus on homelessness and home ownership as it relates to the city’s economic development.

“It’s one of the elements that is required for economic development, being that it is affecting small businesses, foot traffic and whatnot,” she said, adding that she’s tried to push for changes but has not received support from the city or council. “Unfortunately, the reaction from the city administration has been pretty cold and I haven’t received support from my colleagues.”

If reelected, she said she wants to continue to foster collaboration with her colleagues to get policies passed.

“Let me set the record clear, I believe some of my colleagues are doing an excellent job with certain specific policies,” she said. “The issue is that there is no coherent vision for the future of Richmond. Without that vision, we can not have economic development. I’ve talked about addressing homelessness, that’s one part, home ownership is another element. All these things come together. On this we share that vision and have that big picture of what Richmond’s capable of and can be, however, progress is difficult. It is still being done but inch by inch.”

Pursell is launching his second run for the District 4 seat and, recently, parted ways with his long-time affiliation with the RPA over political differences over public safety.

“Really it was because (if) I have any differing of opinion (from the RPA) it was being called betrayal,” he told Richmondside.

During his campaign launch event, Pursell said he hopes to focus on supporting both the police department and the alternatives that the city has launched in recent years, such asROCK.

“We have had issues with trying to find alternatives to public safety and those are great but it doesn’t mean that we need to have a deficit of public safety,” he said. “In the meantime, we need to make sure that we’re maintaining everyone’s feeling of safety within our city. And we need to make sure that we have allies who are going to be working with us and protecting us during these times when we are having people from other parts of the country literally knocking down people’s doors.”

In addition to public safety, Pursell said he hopes to also focus on the issues of the city’s infrastructure, such as the crumbling fire stations, and the city’s economic development, by supporting small businesses.

“We’ve done some good work around The Lot and making sure that we are helping these small vendors have a place where people can buy their products,” Pursell said. “We are a very self-starter community and I believe that we should enhance the ability for our entrepreneurs to get a leg up and be able to weather these desperate times that we’re going to be facing.”

Entering her first political race, Gallon, whose work with her nonprofit Keyz 2 the Future has centered around Richmond’s youths — said she’s motivated to enter the D4 race to address what she feels like is a lack of representation and support from the council.

“We don’t do enough as a whole to support our youth and everybody thinks that all the funding should go to intervention but if you did a full circle of prevention and intervention you would actually have less shooters and more productive citizens,” she said, adding that if elected she hopes to focus on training programs and opportunities for youths. “I don’t want to be one of those people who takes a picture with you and then you’re gone and forget about the people. Overpromising and underdelivering.”

Pointing to her nonprofit work, Gallon said she is hoping to continue her “boots on the ground” mentality through the holidays and into the new year, partnering with organizations such as the Oscar Grant Foundation and the Richmond-based Ronnie “Bubba” Robinson Scholarship Foundation which organizes an annual toy drive for Christmas.

“I’m adopting 100 Richmond families, making sure that they have the resources, so that these young people, you know, feel the same way their peers feel, when they come off of the break they have something,” she said. 

So far, Bana, Pursell and Gallon have not reported any campaign contributions, according to the FPPC filings.