The race for two expiring Emeryville City Council seats officially began Monday, July 13, with the nomination period now open.

With two of the council’s five seats on the ballot this November, voters will help shape the city’s direction on issues ranging from housing and development to public safety, infrastructure, and spending priorities over the next four years.

Incumbents David Mourra and Kalimah Priforce have both publicly indicated they intend to seek their second four-year terms, though no candidacy becomes official until nomination papers are filed with the City Clerk.

Priforce announced his reelection campaign on June 23 with the caption, “Time to put on a show.”

Priforce has increasingly aligned himself with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), supporting candidates backed by the organization, including recalled D.A. Pamela Price. He’s distinguished himself from other councilmembers by frequently challenging its pro-housing “YIMBY” policies, arguing that market-driven deregulation alone will not make housing affordable.

Mourra, who served as Emeryville’s Mayor in 2025, has established a reputation as one of the council’s more pragmatic and fiscally cautious members, frequently scrutinizing city expenditures. Most recently, he questioned the city’s proposed $32 million investment in a 68-unit affordable housing development. While the council initially voted against the loan, the item returned at a subsequent meeting and passed after Priforce changed his vote in support of the project, with Mourra maintaining his opposition.

Bridgewater Condo resident Corry Frydlewicz has emerged as the first challenger to enter the race. Frydlewicz, an HOA board member who has lived in Emeryville since 2021, lists her priorities as expanding affordable housing, supporting small businesses, improving accessible infrastructure, and fostering “productive and cooperative council proceedings.”

Frydlewicz, who uses she/her pronouns, would be Emeryville’s first known publicly transgender candidate for City Council. She has written publicly about her experiences as a transgender woman on her personal blog.

Frydlewicz published a YouTube video introducing herself to the public.

Frydlewicz and Priforce have occasionally clashed online. Most recently, Frydlewicz criticized Priforce’s defense of Emeryville Tattler publisher Brian Donahue after Donahue was served with a restraining order related to his alleged harassment of city staff, calling Priforce’s position “disheartening” and “insanity.”

Priforce fired back at Frydlewicz with a lengthy response questioning her qualifications to assess Donahue’s mental state and saying her responses were “reactionary” and “[not] rooted in the best interests of the public.”

Priforce enters the race with a more complicated relationship with his fellow councilmembers, making endorsements from current colleagues less likely. However, he has cultivated a dedicated base of support among some Emeryville residents, particularly on the left side of the political spectrum. That support was evident in 2024, when supporters turned out in force to oppose the council’s decision to censure him for FPPC and Brown Act violations.

7/28 Update: New Candidate Pulls Papers

A new candidate has pulled nomination papers to run for a City Council seat. Brandon Soublet is relatively unknown in Emeryville, having never served on a city commission or committee. Soublet lists his profession as an Internal Communications Professional.

Soublet has attended recent City Council and Planning Commission study sessions, where he has spoken in opposition to the proposed Sutter Health hospital. His comments have focused largely on the fiscal impacts of the nonprofit project, which would be exempt from paying property taxes. “Approving this project makes zero sense for Emeryville,” Soublet said. “It makes even less sense for our neighbors in North Oakland.”

Because Soublet lives in close proximity to the proposed hospital site, he may need to recuse himself from voting on the project if elected. Any determination would likely require guidance from the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), which evaluates potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.

Nomination Period Closes Aug. 7

The nomination period closes on August 7. If either incumbent does not complete the filing process, the deadline will be extended to August 12 for non-incumbent candidates.

A potential factor in the race is former Councilmember John Bauters, whose political future remains closely watched in Emeryville. At 46, Bauters remains relatively young by political standards and one of Emeryville’s best-known political figures. He had planned to seek a third term on the council before the unexpected retirement of Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson drew him into the county race. He ultimately withdrew his City Council candidacy but narrowly lost the Supervisor contest, leaving open the question of whether a return to City Council could provide an opportunity to reboot his political career.

The City Clerk will publish the final list of qualified candidates with their candidate statements after the filing period concludes.

As we’ve done for more than a decade, we’ll seek candidate responses to a questionnaire to help distinguish candidate priorities and their vision for the city.