On June 2, Richmond voters will cast their ballots in the city’s first-ever primary election for local offices. Here’s your chance to prepare for this important election by asking questions and hearing from the candidates directly.
Richmondside candidate forums
- District 3 council forum: Thur., May 7, Easter Hill United Methodist Church, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., RSVP.
- District 4 council forum: May 13, De Anza High School library, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. RSVP.
- The mayoral forum was April 22. You can watch it here and read more about it.
Richmondside’s next candidate forum, for District 3, is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Easter Hill United Methodist Church. Please RSVP here. (RSVP for the May 13 D4 forum here. You can submit questions for either forum below. Both events will be livestreamed on Richmondside, and the recordings will be available to watch later.
The Richmondside mayoral forum took place April 22. You can watch a recording of it.)
Richmondside is partnering with Richmond Confidential, a publication of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and The Advocate, the student-led newspaper at Contra Costa College, to co-host and moderate the forums.
Candidates will briefly present their platforms and take questions from local journalists and audience members. The events are free and open to all. Spanish interpretation will be available on site, upon request.
Have questions for the candidates? Post them below
If you have questions for the candidates please use the form below to share them. We’ll review the questions and ask some of them at the events. Unsure which council district you live in? Check the city’s district map.
District 3 questions
District 4 questions
How does the primary election work?
Courtesy of the candidates
For the primary election, only the top two vote-getters in races where no one wins a majority will advance to a run-off in the November general election. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the primary, they will win and that race won’t be on the general election ballot.
There are two candidates officially competing in District 3 (Doria Robinson and Brandon Evans). Matthew Singh has applied to be a write-in candidate.
In District 4, Soheila Bana is defending her seat against Jamin Pursell and Keycha Gallon. (District 2 incumbent candidate Cesar Zepeda is running unopposed, so will win by default.)
More election info and resources
Get full coverage of the June 2 primary election with Richmondside’s 2026 Voter Guide.
Key dates: Mail-in ballots will be sent this week. The last day to register to vote is May 18. The election is June 2.
Learn more: Visit the city’s election page for additional details and to read candidate statements. Unsure which council district you live in? Check the city’s district map.
We look forward to seeing you at these events and to helping you learn more about who is competing to represent you at City Hall.
