Meet Your Emeryville City Council Candidates: The E’ville Eye Questionnaire

October 16, 2024
21
3 mins read

Emeryville voters will be tasked to fill three expiring City Council seats this upcoming election. With six candidates running, the race is shaping up to be Emeryville’s most competitive race in recent memory.

Four new faces have filed joining two incumbents which include 2021 Special Election Winner Courtney Welch and 2023 appointee Sukhdeep Kaur. Whoever is elected on November 5 will join Kalimah Priforce and David Mourra who both have two years left on their 4-year terms.

As we’ve done for over a decade, The E’ville Eye has provided each candidate with questions specific to Emeryville to help voters determine which candidates best align with your personal priorities. We asked each candidate 20 questions previewing their views and priorities on Housing, Public Safety, Ethics, Local Business, and more.

Candidates were given a week to provide answers with instructions to limit their responses to 250 words.

Please note that the introduction questions of the incumbent version of the questionnaire vary slightly.

2024 Mayor Courtney Welch declined to participate.

These Candidate Questionnaires are listed below alphabetically.

Mia Esperanza
Brown

Calvin
Dillahunty

Samuel
Gould


Sukhdeep
Kaur

Matthew
Solomon

Courtney
Welch


Who will step in to fill Bauters Power Vacuum?

With 2-term councilmember John Bauters looking to climb the political ladder, a bit of a power vacuum in the city is at play.

For years, Nora Davis held the distinction of holding the most influence in the city followed briefly by Ruth Atkin and Jac Asher and then almost immediately by Bauters after he won his first term in 2016. Bauters has clearly been the chief driver of policy over this span.

Bauters‘ hand-picked successor appears to be close ally Courtney Welch who is throwing her support behind Sam Gould and Sukhdeep Kaur.

Some have pointed out Welch’s lack of professionalism in her role as a councilmember and questioned her ability to represent the city in a dignified manner.

Priforce Fronting “Emery Rising” Slate in Pursuit of Mayorship

Kalimah Priforce seems determined to seize this mantle and has coordinated a “slate” of candidates that include Calvin Dillahunty and Mia Esperanza Brown.

The “Emery Rising” slate is running under the Our Revolution East Bay platform. Our Revolution grew from the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and their candidates generally identify as Democratic Socialists.

Priforce is curiously promoting that he is “running” for Mayor presumably implying that if his slate of candidates win, he will achieve the Mayorship which he was previously passed over for.

Emeryville does not have a directly elected Mayor position and this role is decided and rotated amongst themselves annually.

Should Priforce’s slate win, it’s unclear if he would push to “leapfrog” Vice Mayor David Mourra and be elevated directly to the Mayor role in 2025. He would more likely push to become Vice Mayor in 2025 and Mayor in 2026 (the year he would be running for reelection).

Priforce’s sharing of this slate strategy and his personal endorsements on Reddit sparked a flurry of anonymous comments questioning the legality of “running” for a non-existent campaign. These commenters also questioned the financing of a mailer endorsing his slate which was apparently paid for from funds from Priforce’s 2022 campaign.

The mailer shared online lists FPPC ID# 1454573 which was assigned to Priforce’s 2022 campaign.

“He may have filed an amended 410 with the Secretary of State and did not provide a copy to me,” provided Emeryville City Clerk April Richardson regarding Priforce’s possible infraction. Candidates holding the same office in multiple election cycles will maintain the same ID number.

Priforce currently has an open case with the FPPC that he addressed in our recent Q&A with him saying it was related to his inability to access his finances following his split from his partner. Anyone can file a complaint against a candidate or elected official through the FPPC Complaint and Case Information Portal. Neither Brown or Dillyhunty have filed their Form 410 or 460 or 470 which were due September 26 making them both delinquent in their filings.

It’s worth noting that should either of Priforce’s slate win, Emeryville would have a majority of Black councilmembers for what is thought to be the first time ever. This would be a tremendous turn of events as the city did not have a single Black Councilmember from 2005-2021.

These roles will be settled after the election typically on the last meeting of December before the Holiday break.


The League of Women Voters Candidate Forum held on October 8 with all six candidates present can be watched on YouTube:

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Rob Arias

is a third generation Californian and East Bay native who lived in Emeryville from 2003 to 2021. Rob founded The E'ville Eye in 2011 after being robbed at gunpoint and lamenting the lack of local news coverage. Rob's "day job" is as a creative professional.

21 Comments

  1. What Kalimah has been doing seems misleading at best and a serious violation of ethics (and perhaps even illegal) at worst. In addition, his candidates apparently haven’t filed financial disclosures with the city like all the other candidates have. That Kalimah is pushing this hard to be mayor feels like he’s in it for the status and not the work. That seems particularly incongruous for someone with supposedly socialist viewpoints. The whole thing feels off.

  2. Did Welch provide a reason why she would not answer the survey? This is disqualifying for me unless she had a family emergency or something.

    • In terms of written items that candidates have declined to do, I would be more concerned about the two candidates who thus far have failed to file California state Fair Political Practices Commission forms for their respective candidacies as every other candidate has, as shown on Emeryville’s website. That, to me, is more grounds for concern than not turning in a questionnaire to a blog.

      https://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/1440/Candidate-Campaign-Statements

      • Yes Cheshire, I mentioned/linked to this fact in the story (did you not read it?).
        “Blog” is the same condescending terminology Welch uses to try to discredit us. So you know, “Blogs” do not appear in Google News, Apple News, Newsbreak and the NY Times as our local news website does.
        Thanks for enjoying our free local news website which we work hard to curate (as you have done for a decade). If you’re interested in supporting Local News (and Democracy):
        https://evilleeye.com/support/

    • Thanks for asking. She did not provide a specific reason but she has repeatedly accused us of spreading “misinformation” but every time I challenge her to point us to where this misinformation is? 🦗🦗🦗

      If you read our Q&A with Priforce linked below, he explains what I’ve suspected for some time: That previous councilmembers, Martinez and Medina in particular, coach candidates to despise us which is why Welch and maybe others have exerted so much bias against us without ever actually interfacing with us. I’ve actually met and chatted with Mourra & Priforce and I think they’d both describe me as civil and fair.

      She’s perfectly within her right to not engage with our platform but unfortunately, the voter and the Emeryville citizen who relies on our local news website for information ends up less informed about issues.

      https://evilleeye.com/news-commentary/qa-councilmember-kalimah-priforce-reflects-on-a-tumultuous-first-year-in-emeryville-politics/

      • Rob, I think you provide a great civic resource, but I do think it is effectively a blog, just one that covers some amount of news. Your about page here basically says as much. Plus, it’s difficult to quantify, but the way you write about news, more often than not to me, has more of a blogger feel than a journalistic feel. And yes, there are plenty of non-journalistic outlets that are featured on Google News — it’s overrun with them, to be honest. I would not ascribe Google News inclusion to anything more than a way for Google to get more clicks.

        I’ve seen firsthand how you’ve treated Courtney Welch in these pages — I recall she made some minor error of fact when she was running, and you wasted no opportunity to rehash it whenever you could, which read to me like a “gotcha” every time. It’s not something I think a serious news outlet would do. Similarly, the way you designed this very piece was meant to criticize her implicitly, highlighting in red and all caps that she declined to participate, in stark contrast to how you designed the green buttons for everyone else. It was unnecessary. You could have done it more neutrally, but for whatever reason, you chose not to. That, I believe, is your bias against her showing once again.

        To your other point about the candidates who didn’t file their forms: I was responding to the anonymous commenter, whom I think did miss the more important thing.

        Rob, I think you’re generally reasonable, but I also think the way you cover certain things reveals a bias, and if certain electeds feel like they can’t get a fair shake from you, maybe that’s one reason why.

      • You can go with whatever arbitrary definition you like based on your feelings … or you can go with the New York Times definition.

        Also know that I’m way more inclined to accept feedback from those that have chipped in over the years instead of those that have consumed and frequently criticized our free product for over a decade without contributing $1. I’d describe that as “entitled.”

        I get that maybe you’re ideologically aligned with Welch so she should be exempt from criticism. That’s not how accountability journalism works.

        https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/briefing/local-journalism-worth-reading-from-2023.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TU4.gTKe.uU9WpSlQWwgx&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=ctr

      • I agree Courtney made an unforced error not responding to Rob’s questionnaire. Regardless of her beliefs in Eville Eye, it is the only “as unbiased as possible” source of Emeryville news out there.

        This made it easier for me to decide to vote for Sam Gould, Matthew Solomon and Sukhdeep Kaur instead.

        Rob may disagree but there is a difference between Priforce being a smart campaigner vs being sincere in civic conversation, and the QA with Rob often amplified areas of misinformation. The QA has served as the default source of one-sided allegations against other Councilmembers. I appreciate what Rob does. I know he’s not a journalist by training but he includes the facts when possible. A journalist would have questioned the ethics and effectiveness of a civic leader losing access to campaign finances due to personal relationship. A journalist would have questioned whether it makes sense it takes an ethical civic leader such a long time to handle (unfixed) campaign finance.

        I have wondered why others don’t do this kind of advertisement QA like Priforce did with Rob. They should learn to campaign instead of just working hard and thinking people will notice.

        I think all other Councilmembers signed a code of conduct agreement, which is why they don’t go around saying negative posts about Priforce. He refused to sign it.

      • Thank you. As mentioned in a previous comment, since this was an email Q&A, there was no opportunity for follow-up questions. Q&A’s are easier as interviewing and transcribing, editing can take FOREVER. With Q&As, it’s just coming up with good questions copy+pasting their responses. Again, this is a part-time/solopreneur gig so I have to be efficient with my time.
        I will follow up with Priforce separately (In fact, he might even reply here as he’s not unafraid to engage with us as some politicians apparently are), but I’m aware FPPC cases can take a loooong time to be resolved – 6 YEARS in the case linked below

        I hope to do a Q&A with David Mourra when/if he steps into the Mayor role.

        https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/10/campaign-finance-california-fppc-enforcement/

      • Rob, I think if we ask Trump for his responses in a one-way email QA if he committed any new campaign wrongdoing, what would we expect for answers? Being unafraid to engage (as many 3 minute public commenting periods may show) is not the same as engaging with facts.

        The format of an email QA is a one way blank check not very conductive for investigative issues, UNLESS fact checks from the FPPC or City Attorney can also be included.

        What do they think about a fabricated mayoral campaign that’s not on the ballot while using funds to bankroll city council candidates that can stack the vote? AFAIK, FPPC prohibits using leftover campaign funds for personal use or for a different office (what office? Don’t see it on the ballot)

        One has to wonder if OREB took Priforce at his word when he told them the rules of the mayorship were changed to prevent him from being Mayor and if he becomes Mayor he’d codify a new set of practices. https://youtu.be/Gee-TIWiLzQ?t=6081

        Last time I checked, Emeryville’s form of government hasn’t changed.

      • Rob, just so you know, before I even started this reply, I tried to do a one-time donation so that you’ll be “more inclined” to hear me out, but the PayPal link is broken. Let me know when you fix it and I’ll make a donation.

        For the record, regardless of how I align with any candidate politically or how I feel about them personally, I don’t think anyone is above criticism (in a fair way, not as an attack), and I do actually think it would have served Courtney well to answer your questionnaire, even if you’ve repeatedly shown bias against her. As I said before, this site is a great civic resource, and far more reputable than the next available option, and it’s one of the best ways to connect with people in this city. I may take you to task on certain things, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect what you do here. If anything, I wouldn’t waste my time commenting here if I didn’t think it would do any good.

        For what it’s worth, I wasn’t ascribing any negative value judgement when I described this site as a blog. It was merely descriptive, and I was making the distinction between a state agency and its legal requirements as opposed to a citizen website. I’ve been a blogger and I’ve been a journalist — both have their value. You have a negative association with the idea of a blog vs. a news site which is why you took my choice of word as criticism. All I can tell you is that I didn’t mean it pejoratively, and I’m sorry I came across that way.

      • Thank you for this comment Cheshire. Very stand up of you.
        I only encourage support from those who get value from this site and who are in a financial situation to spare a few bucks.
        Thanks for pointing out the one-time PayPal donation link issue. This has been remedied.

        https://evilleeye.com/support/

  3. Emeryville Tattler Brian Donahue is allies with Kalimah Priforce. That says a lot about what priorities will be if Priforce is mayor.

    Priforce openly told Our Revolution East Bay in their July meeting he was selecting city council candidates to run and those he select are supportive of him as mayor. It’s pretty chilling that Mia Brown and Calvin Dillahunty weren’t even considering to run as late as July during the first filing deadline, but were hand picked and recruited by Priforce to be voting tools for his mayoral ambitions.

    To win the group’s endorsement, he also told the group the city council had changed the rules of rotating mayorship each year so that he couldn’t be mayor.

    That is false. No rule was changed. Emeryville functions as a Council-Manager form of government. The council votes for the mayor each year. The council in 2023 voted 4-1 to have Courtney Welch and David Moura as mayor and vice mayor. No one else voted for Kalimah Priforce as mayor, or vice mayor.

  4. Let’s put aside the Priforce-Fake Mayor Campaign and let’s just focus on the issues of who will be the best candidates to serve Emeryville.

    Let’s just read the questionnaire answers and watch the candidate forum debate.

    Sam Gould, Matthew Solomon, Sukhdeep Kaur and Courtney Welch are informed in their responses. You may not agree with every single one of their policy, but they are sincere about serving Emervyille, they have thought about the solutions and ideas, and they do not openly lie to you.

    Mia Brown and Calvin Dillahunty are great in having catching campaign slogans, but if you dig deeper, there are a lot of inaccuracies and un-informed positions. In the forum, Dillahunty openly stated that no one could find the schedules of Emery Go Round as a sign of how terrible Emeryville is and what he will improve on. This is a lie that’s not easily caught by residents who don’t use the service. People who actually do use the service know that the schedules are on http://www.emerygoround.com and that the Tripshot app has a real-time status tracker for all the buses.

  5. This year we will use funds from our reserve funds to add to the General Fund to balance our budget. I serve on 2 city committees. I am not running for anything. I will vote ONLY for competent solid people who study issues, budgets and revenue streams, can help recover/replenish our sales tax, transit occupancy tax and card room tax and won’t be huge personality distractions that we cannot afford – who proactively demonstrate they come to meetings having done their homework rather than to raise a disruptive ruckus we just cannot afford. When I see 2000 social media contacts and nonsense, that candidate has given me all I need to know to vote for someone else.

  6. Btw, I strongly applaud candidates whose track record shows actual service on city committees, preferably committees that discuss budgets, revenues, city services, and important city issues. Candidates without this track record should serve first on city committees and then cycle into council candidacy. Then the voting public knows the person has made the time and has demonstrated initiative regarding key Emeryville issues. It’s a huge disconnect and a risk to everyone who lives here when a candidate without basic committee service experience suddenly says “I didn’t have or make the time for a committee but now I’m ready to serve on Council.”

  7. Fran, are you referring to Courtney Welch, who briefly lived in Emeryville before running for a special seat without prior community involvement? Calvin and Mia have been actively organizing with Emery Rising, highlighting your bias and contradiction.

    Merely holding a seat does not equate to leadership; it can often lead to bureaucracy if there’s no genuine engagement with the community.

    It seems that some commenters are candidates themselves, criticizing those who provide thoughtful, informed responses rather than repeating generic statements. I gained valuable insights about Emeryville from Mia and Calvin, who do not align with YIMBY agendas. Many residents are exhausted by John Bauters and Courtney Welch, as well as their followers.

    I support Mia and Calvin through Emery Rising, aiming for Council Member Priforce to become mayor and improve tenant protections. Perhaps then, those favoring YIMBY positions will recognize true leadership, which is not represented by Bauters or Welch.

    • Fran is pointing out something others have noticed: Mia and Calvin were not even thinking about running during July when the first filing deadline. As late as July, Kalimah Priforce told Our Revolution East Bay that he was running for mayor and that he was “selecting candidates” to run for council who will vote him to become mayor. https://youtu.be/Gee-TIWiLzQ?t=6171

      Many things should concern you as a voter:
      * These candidates weren’t even thinking about serving Emeryville or running as late as 3 months ago.
      * One lives in the same apartment complex as Priforce.
      * Priforce has stated on record he selected them to vote for him as mayor.

      Uninformed positions and misinformation:
      * Mia is campaigning for “tenants should have the right to own property.” There is a BIG difference between rent control, tenant protection, evict protection, rent stabilization, and “tenants should have the right to own property.”
      * it’s challenging to believe anything Calvin says. He overinflates his work experience and he doesn’t do research before forming his views. His views about Emery Go Round are simply factually false.

      SERIOUS CANDIDATES Sam Gould, Matthew Solomon, Sukhdeep Kaur have been working really hard before running for council and in Kaur’s case, during city council.
      * Are they as flashy with campaign slogans tactics as Priforce, Mia and Calvin to get people’s votes? No and they should learn to.
      * But they’ve been working hard on the infrastructure of the city and have the best interest of building the city instead of their personal brand.
      * Sukhdeep Kaur successfully advocated for more diverse committee appointments that Priforce failed to do and allocated pro-ADA housing solutions.
      * Biking and Emery Go around are one of the biggest positive aspects about Emeryville attracting renters and increasing home value. A lot of that has to come from hard and slow work over the years from BPAC and others. Sam Gould and Matthew Solomon have served on the BPAC bike/pedestrian committee.

      Anyone who believes Mia and Calvin’s catchy slogans are people who believe in quick fixes instead of doing the hard and slow work that often is the reality of legislating.

  8. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve the city of Emeryville. Regardless of the outcome, I hope that those chosen will act in accordance with the will of the community.

    Calvin Dillahunty

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