Rob AriasA routine settlement, a data-heavy presentation from the Alameda County District Attorney and a trio of symbolic proposals that split the dais rounded out the Feb. 17 Emeryville City Council meeting.
The evening stretched from a 5:40 p.m. closed session to an 8:11 p.m. adjournment, with the bulk of the discussion centered on public safety trends and how the justice system intersects with vulnerable youth. There were no public hearings or action items on the agenda.
Councilmember Mourra was absent and Councilmember Gould participated remotely.
Closed Session: Minor Settlement Approved [2:05:59]
Council unanimously approved a $566.79 settlement for vehicle property damage during closed session. The 4–0 vote came on a claim filed by Nanette Dillard.
Special Order of the Day: DA Ursula Jones Dickson Presents Office Updates [2:08:17]
Recently appointed Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson addressed the Council during the regular meeting, outlining what she described as a “rebuilding year” for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in the wake of the recall of Pamela Price.
Many viewed Jones Dickson’s appointment as a signal that the county would take a tougher stance on criminals particularly repeat offenders and retail thieves. Retail theft has been a higher focus in a city like Emeryville which relies on sales tax for a large percentage of its revenues.
Jones Dickson said that when she took office in February 2025, thousands of cases were sitting uncharged. That backlog has since been eliminated.
From Feb. 18 to Dec. 18, 2025, the office reviewed:
- 12,962 misdemeanor referrals
- 5,856 felony referrals
She emphasized three primary focus areas:
Gun Violence:
1,432 referrals in 2025 involved a gun charge. Alameda County is participating in a state gun violence restraining order pilot program.
Organized Retail Theft:
The office reviewed 4,627 theft-related property crime referrals last year. Jones Dickson said retail centers like Bay Street inevitably attract theft activity, but she did not identify any Emeryville-specific crime spike.
Victim Services:
The DA’s office reported serving 7,646 victims during the same period, providing an average of dozens of services per person.
While national crime trends are trending downward, Jones Dickson cautioned against complacency, calling gun violence and human trafficking ongoing concerns across the county.
Priforce: Foster Youth & System Gaps [2:22:00-2:34:46]
A lengthy exchange followed between Jones Dickson and Councilmember Priforce regarding foster youth disproportionately entering the justice system referencing data tracked by the EPD showing a high percentage of juvenile offenders being released back to foster care. Priforce, a staunch Price supporter, seemed concerned how the pullback on so-called criminal justice reforms might impact them.
Priforce, drawing from his own experience in foster care, civilly questioned what interventions exist for youth whose “parent” is effectively the system itself.
Jones Dickson acknowledged systemic shortcomings in social services but emphasized that dependency (foster care) cases are largely outside the DA’s authority. She described the juvenile system as rehabilitative by design and said social services, probation and the courts carry primary responsibility in those cases.
The conversation underscored a familiar tension: public safety enforcement versus social service infrastructure.
Public Comment: Fiscal Warning by Budget Advisory Committee Member [2:35:01]
Longtime Emeryville resident Fran Quittel, who serves on the City’s Budget Advisory and Economic Development Committees, pivoted the conversation from public safety to fiscal safety during her open public comment. Quittel has been probably one of the few voices in the city that has raised issue with the city’s lack of focus on adapting to the post-pandemic reality of declining revenues and exercising restraint instead of relying on passing new taxes which the city is likely to pursue in the next election.
She cited projected deficits of neighboring cities including:
- Berkeley: $29 million
- Oakland: $265 million
She noted that Emeryville was facing a roughly $10 million deficit annually over the next two years. With sales tax representing a major portion of Emeryville’s general fund, Quittel urged Council and city departments to prioritize policies that support local businesses and financial stability. Quittel has been publicly outspoken on the many bicycle infrastructure projects the city is pursuing without consideration of the impacts on local businesses and sales tax revenue. “I hope that you will make a sincere effort to work together on this one goal, financial stability,” Quittel emphasized.
Future Agenda Item Requests: Black National Anthem Approved [2:38:07]
The latter portion of the meeting turned toward ceremonial and procedural proposals. Councilmember Priforce proposed annually reciting “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during Black History Month. The Council agreed to incorporate it into the City’s standing Black History Month proclamation.
Priforce also proposed, as he has done in previous meetings, adding a formal Indigenous land acknowledgement prior to Council meetings as well as a motion to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance at Council meetings — both failed for lack of majority support.
The Council adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
The full agenda for this meeting can be read on Emeryville.org.
I think that Fran is right in raising these questions. She is on multiple committees and is clearly both well informed and well intentioned. If she is genuinely worried about the trajectory of our city, we should be too. That’s not to say that public space and roadway projects shouldn’t happen, or that one can’t disagree with her. But Council ought to do better than to sweep these concerns under the rug and act surprised when, in a couple of years, we have a ton of retail vacancies and greatly impaired sales tax revenue to fund City programs that I think we can all agree are more essential than the changes being discussed at the moment.
A balanced budget is important but it seems like a stretch to claim bike and pedestrian projects are the cause of fiscal problems.