Contra Costa County

Carlson says the county should be more aggressive in pursuing state housing funds. He points, as a model, to a 484-unit apartment building in Pleasant Hill that was converted to workforce housing through a partnership with the California Statewide Communities Development Authority. Carlson is also advocating for more supportive housing for the county’s unhoused population.

Allen, who worked in the construction industry before serving in local government, argues that labor agreements with construction unions have “really increased the cost of housing substantially,” and would look into expanding the use of prefabricated units. As a BART board member, Allen opposed legislation allowing the transit agency to approve housing developments on its own land, saying it undermined local authority.

Carlson touts the responsible maintenance of Pleasant Hill’s budget reserve during his tenure on the City Council, and points to his support for investing city sales tax dollars into opening a new library this year. He says as a supervisor, he would push for the county to streamline the permitting process for starting a new business.

Allen says she would focus on bringing more business to the county by spending money to recruit companies. She touts her experience, as a BART board member, in bringing fiscal stewardship to the transit agency.  In that role, she voted against BART’s budget in 2020, arguing the agency had not enacted sufficient cuts amid its massive decline in ridership during the pandemic.

Dunning says more research is needed to determine the cause of local pollution. He says the city can't work toward a solution until it understands what is causing the problem. As mayor, he will order a new study comparing pollution from roadways to pollution from local refineries.

Bates says the mayor and City Council members do not have the authority to compel Chevron to follow environmental or safety laws. As mayor, Bates says he will work with big businesses like Chevron to get more financial support for the city.

Martinez is backed by the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which has worked to reduce the influence of corporate money and fossil fuel corporations on politics. As mayor, he promises to work with the community to draft a Green New Deal — a plan for the city to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Wassberg worked for Chevron for years back in the 2000s as a contractor and auto mechanic, and says the current City Council blames the company for too many of the city’s problems. As mayor he would encourage more fossil fuel companies to come into Richmond in order to create more jobs.

Dunning plans to use a program called Haven for Hope in Texas as a model for Richmond. He says Haven for Hope is essentially one big campus where homeless individuals and families can access drug support, mental health counseling, health care, and food all at one central location.

Bates pledges as mayor to identify where Richmond’s homeless population is coming from. He sees this as a regional issue where other cities are shutting down homeless encampments and pushing unhoused people into Richmond. His focus as mayor will be to increase enforcement in order to reduce the number of homeless encampments in Richmond.

Martinez says as mayor he would identify investors or developers who can build low-income and workforce housing on unused and underutilized land in Richmond. On homelessness, Martinez noted that many unhoused people who gain employment lose their jobs after six months, and he says the city must develop a support system to prevent that.

Wassberg blames the Richmond Progressive Alliance for turning the city into what he called a “welfare city.” He says as mayor, he will work around the City Council’s wishes by using an executive order to shut down homeless encampments. He also plans to introduce a pilot program to expand job training and education for people who are unhoused.