The regular filing deadline to run for an Emeryville City Council & School Board seat passed Friday at 5 p.m. Because an incumbent in each race has opted to not seek reelection, the deadline to file will be extended by five days (until August 14).
This incumbent on City Council is of course John Bauters who is in a hotly contested race with Oakland City Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas for the District 5 County Supervisor seat. Bas might be considered a favorite in this race based on the primary results but Bauters is currently out-fundraising her.
Other Emeryville City Council incumbents Sukhdeep Kaur and Courtney Welch have officially filed their papers and will be seeking their first full term on Council. Welch won a special election in 2021 to complete Christian Patz’ term and Kaur was appointed in 2023 when Ally Medina abruptly stepped town.
Welch had not yet filed her paperwork as of our initial July 16 report setting off speculation that she was considering a run for the BART Board District 7 seat being vacated by Lateefah Simon. Simon is running to fill a congressional seat being vacated by Barbara Lee. Welch and Simon are neighbors in Emeryville’s Christie Core neighborhood.
Joining Welch and Kaur in the race for the three available seats is BPAC member Samuel Gould and Housing Committee member Matthew Solomon. Both are considered strong allies of Welch and Bauters and aligned on most issues. It remains to be seen if and to what degree Bauters will put his thumb on the scale in the election with endorsements. Kaur could see herself as the “odd man out” as she has not committed to YIMBYism the way the others have.
Councilmember Kalimah Priforce has been actively soliciting candidates to run to gain allies on council and shake up the dynamic. “I’d love to see some fresh faces and new ideas on council who actually give a damn,” Priforce noted when contacted. Priforce notes his priorities as tenant rights, early childhood education, transparency in local government and public safety.
The city does almost nothing to advertise expiring city council seats and vacancies instead relying on local media like ours to help get the word out.
Anyone considering “throwing their hat in the ring” will need to contact Emeryville City Clerk April Richardson.
School Board Race sees Familiar Challenger
Emeryville’s lesser watched race for school board has two seats up for grabs. Incumbents John Van Geffen has filed for reelection while Kimberly Solis will not be seeking a second term citing professional obligations.
School Board seats have typically not been hotly contested contests and qualified candidates have been hard to come by.
The biggest intrigue in this race might be that town gadfly Brian Donahue has again filed his paperwork seeking office. Considered a toxic and disruptive force by many, this will surely set off a scramble within the city to find an eligible candidate to challenge him. Donahue has sought elected office on several occasions including the recent 2023 City Council appointment but has never been elected.
His recent stunt of sharing a poster board of one of 2024 Mayor Courtney Welch’s tweets denigrating him gained him some exposure on social media.
Anyone considering candidacy for a school board seat will need to follow the instructions posted on the county website.
