From: C C
To: City Clerk Dept User; Shasa Curl; [email protected]; [email protected]; Cesar Zepeda; Soheila Bana; Jamelia Brown; Eduardo Martinez; Bisa French Subject: Public comment- open forum corrections updated incl attachments Date: Monday, August 25, 2025 7:19:20 PM
Attachments: image1.png
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
City council meeting 08.26.2025 Public comments:
This is a formal, public grievance city negligence & liabilities prior to filing civil grand jury complaints.
The
City of Richmond shall act immediately to protect residents’ financial, legal, environmental, and public health rights. Inaction cannot be tolerated. -> Richmond residents
demand immediate and uncompromising enforcement
of all City
obligations under law. This is a formal grievance the City of Richmond, its Council, and the City Attorney are
legally and contractually accountable
for ongoing failures in essential
services, planning oversight, and public safety. The City Council and City Attorney are hereby
put on formal notice: Liability to enforce Republic Services’ contractual obligations immediately and ensure all resident refunds for missed service are issued without exception; restore regular Design Review Board meetings and ensure timely recommendations on traffic management, urban planning, and safety projects; prioritize bike lanes on side streets only, not by reducing lanes on major thoroughfares, to prevent additional congestion, air pollution, and stormwater contamination in vulnerable neighborhoods; exercise all City Attorney oversight powers to ensure statutory and fiduciary duties are met. Failure to comply with these obligations are
gross negligence, willful misconduct, and actionable breach of statutory duties
, and residents
reserve the right to pursue full legal remedies.
1. Remove Mrs M. Cantù
from Richmond Community Police Review Commission:
-> Richmond City Charter §3.04
– Establishes the authority of boards and commissions, and grounds for removal or disqualification.
->
California Government Code §815.6
– Imposes a liability on public entities for failure to discharge mandatory duties.
-> California Government Code §820
– Provides for liability of public employees acting
within scope of duties.
-> California Government Code §1090
– Prohibits conflicts of interest by public officials.
-> Brown Act (Gov. Code §§54950 et seq.)
– Requires impartiality, transparency, and
compliance with open meeting laws.
-> Fourteenth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
– Guarantees due process and prohibits
biased adjudication.
-> Fiduciary Duty Doctrine
– Public officials owe a duty of loyalty, impartiality, and care to the public body they serve.
Facts & Analysis:
The Richmond CPRC is charged with oversight of police conduct, including review of complaints, use-of-force incidents, and disciplinary recommendations under the Richmond City Charter §3.01 and Commission bylaws. Commissioners must maintain impartiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and operate under California Government Code §1090 and related provisions protecting public trust. She disregards her duty to protect confidential personnel investigations by
posting unconfirmed information on her personal
FaceBook page (see attachment). The Commissioner Cantù’s distorted and highly controversial public statements intentionally invite community fear, strife and hatred. It also demonstrates her inability to engage professionally with law enforcement personnel. Her irrational paranoid responses to mandatory required civic oversight activities are exaggerated and disproportionate to the actual risks. It indicates maladaptive stress processing, a mental health crisis impairment. Repeated inappropriate, biased, and misleading statements underscore unprofessional conduct and reckless disregard for objective judgment. It undermines and threatens CPRC’s statutory obligations. During the August 19, 2025 City Council public comments, Commissioner Cantù expressed paranoid anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and fear of performing a standard police oversight function (ride-alongs) due to proximity to displayed firearms. These statements were inappropriately emotionally biased and included open admissions of feeling unsafe in performing the Commission’s statutory duties. Her conduct as elected commissioner shows maladaptive stress processing, paranoid panic attacks, and acute anxiety during high-stress civic activities. Commissioner Marisol maintains leadership roles with anti police advocacy organization Reimagine Richmond and political lobbying group Richmond Progressive Alliance. Undoubtedly her allegiances influence her interpretation of objective truth and reason. This undoubtedly creates unacceptable conflicts of interest and raises concerns regarding compliance with the Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code
§§54950 et seq.)
. Furthermore, her listed title “professor in ESL” was not verifiable as an American accredited PhD. prior to submitting open forum comments. -> Commissioner Cantù’s statements and conduct demonstrate functional incapacity
to
discharge statutory oversight responsibilities. Her inability to remain impartial compromises the CPRC’s credibility, creates an appearance of bias, and risks undermining the Commission’s legal integrity. Failure to address these impairments could expose the CPRC and the City of Richmond to claims of:
Bias and procedural irregularity
in Commission
decisions,
breach of fiduciary dutyowed to the public,
due process violations
under the
Fourteenth Amendment,
conflict of interest liability
under Government Code §1090,
and
administrative and civil liability
under Government Code §815.6. Her affiliations with
advocacy groups exacerbate these risks by creating at least the appearance of conflict, raising questions of impartiality, and implicating Brown Act compliance. -> Commissioner Cantu’s psychological impairments and conduct render her unfit to serve
in
her current role on the CPRC. Continued participation threatens the Commission’s neutrality, undermines public trust, and exposes the City to administrative, civil, and constitutional liability. Pursuant to
Richmond City Charter §3.04
and the
CPRC bylaws, removal or
formal disqualification is legally supportable and necessary to preserve the integrity, impartiality, and statutory compliance of the Commission.
Mental Health Crisis Evaluation Concerns based on ICD-10 Codes:
F41.0 Panic Disorder
of recurrent perceived panic attacks associated with police encounters. F41.1 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) pervasive worry and disproportionate fear. F22 Paranoid Disorder suspiciousness and exaggerated threat perception. F43.10 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), secondary trauma due to repeated exposure to narratives of violence and systemic threat. F43.22 Adjustment Disorder/Anxiety and stress response related to role conflict and civic duties. Z56.6 Occupational Stress Reaction due to commissioners responsibilities in a polarized civic environment. Recommend Mental Health Crisis interventions: access to trauma-informed counseling, cognitive-behavioral strategies for paranoid panic attacks, psychological consultation, pharmacological intervention.
Monitoring:
reliability of
interpersonal skills.
Psychoeducation:
train stress responses and professional impartiality to minimize bias.
Assessing Reinstatement:
supervised RPD ride-alongs. Additional
verification of professional achievements to avoid additional legal conflicts. -> Initiate formal disqualification review
Richmond City Charter and CPRC bylaws.
-> Mandate independent mental health assessment
determine fitness for public service.
-> Consider suspending
Commissioner Marisol from CPRC duties pending review outcome. -> Review potential conflict of interest violations
Government Code §1090, Brown Act
compliance.
-> Adopt procedural safeguards
ensure CPRC decisions are legally defensible, free from actual or perceived biases.
2. Republic Services – Contractual Breach and Resident Refunds
Republic Services raised
residential rates effective July 1, 2025, charging
$55.83 for 35-gallon containers and $104.50
for 95-gallon containers. Despite these increases, Republic Services failed to provide
collection services for 14 consecutive days from July 8–19, 2025, creating unsanitary conditions and depriving residents of essential municipal services. Refund calculations are straightforward: 35-gallon service: $1.86/day × 14 days = $26.04 per household
; 95-gallon
service: $3.48/day × 14 days =
$48.72 per household
.
->The City of Richmond has a
binding legal duty to enforce the contract
and
ensure
refunds are issued immediately, pursuant to
California Government Code §§815.2–815.6,
the city’s service contracts, and relevant consumer protection statutes. Failure to enforce these obligations is
not administrative oversight—it is actionable negligence and breach of fiduciary duty
. Residents retain full right to pursue
civil claims for damages, injunctive
relief, and personal accountability for Council members and City Attorney if inaction
continues.
3. Design Review Board – Negligence, Planning Failures, and Traffic Congestion The
Richmond Design Review Board has
canceled 11 meetings in 2025, including
March
26 ,
April 9, and July 23, denying the Board and the public the ability to review and approve critical city planning projects, including commercial and residential developments, streetscape modifications, and traffic management and safety measures.
The Board has
failed to provide
recommendations on lane reductions on major thoroughfares , including
Macdonald
Avenue, Barrett Avenue, and
23rd Street. These failures
directly increase traffic
congestion, endanger cyclists and pedestrians, and worsen air and water pollution .
Traffic congestion contributes significantly to
PM2.5 emissions
, nitrogen oxides, and other
pollutants, which adversely affect air quality and public health in neighborhoods including the
Iron Triangle, North Richmond, and South Richmond. Congested stormwater runoff from heavily trafficked roadways further contaminates local waterways, contributing to environmental degradation in low-income communities. BAAQMD data confirms that vehicle congestion is a
significant source of hazardous PM2.5 emissions
, linked to asthma,
cardiovascular disease, and other serious health effects. These neighborhoods are predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income, and they disproportionately bear the health and environmental burdens of poorly managed traffic and pollution. -> Under
Richmond City Charter §3.04.080
and
California Government Code §815.6,
the
City Attorney is legally required to supervise appointees and enforce statutory compliance. Continued inaction exposes the City to
claims of willful misconduct, civil
liability for public health impacts, and injunctions to compel compliance.
The
City’s
failure to ensure the Board fulfills its duties constitutes gross negligence.
-> Environmental Injustice and Socioeconomic Hardship
Traffic congestion and vehicle
emissions directly impact neighborhoods including the
Iron Triangle, North Richmond, and
South Richmond. These communities are predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income, and they disproportionately bear the health and environmental burdens of poorly managed traffic and pollution. According to data from the
California Air Resources Board, these
neighborhoods rank among the most disadvantaged in the state, with elevated levels of air pollution and associated health impacts. The
CalEnviroScreen
tool identifies these areas as
having high cumulative exposure burdens, making them eligible for targeted interventions. ~~~~
Attachments: Marisol Cantù personal FB page, Reimagine Richmond banner, 2025 cancelled design review board meetings/
daily traffic congestion 23rd str corridor/ Published air pollution survey BAQM 2022 (08.15.2022 Richmond Standard)/ YouTube link city council meeting (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yuRDCRTGA9k
)
From: Elvira Martin
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment Agenda Item #U.3.b
Date: Monday, August 25, 2025 3:35:39 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Good evening Council Members, My name is Elvira Martin Bautista and I’m a youth advocate from Richmond HOPS. Our ordinance aims to provide healthy items under 5 grams of sugar and 200 mg of sodium at the checkout lanes. This issue is very pertinent to me as I have siblings who would always try to get something with very high sugar and sodium when paying for groceries. Healthy checkout is important as 50% of children of color in the US could be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in their life. Furthermore, I have a family member who has pre-diabetes and struggles to find a good option for a snack when the impulse purchase at the checkout is there. Studies have found that 55% of California adults have diabetes/pre-diabetes, especially people of color. I anticipate for you to be in support of our Healthy Checkout ordinance to provide healthy options in a community store where corner and smoke stores are at every block in the city.
From: Julia Mates
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comment agenda item #V2 August 26, 2025 City Council Meeting Date: Monday, August 25, 2025 9:39:48 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor Martinez and Council,
On behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Bay Area, which represents more than 70 Jewish organizations and synagogues across the Bay Area—including in Richmond—we write to express our opposition to the proposed sister-city relationship with Sebastia (Agenda Item V2).
While we appreciate the intention of fostering cultural exchange and promoting international ties, Sebastia does not meet the criteria for a productive or appropriate sister-city relationship with Richmond. The village is very small (less than 3 percent the size of Richmond), lacks comparable civic and cultural infrastructure, and does not offer the kinds of exchanges that typically make sister-city relationships beneficial and meaningful.
Equally concerning is the political context. There is a deep dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over Sebastia’s archeological sites and history. This is demonstrated in the Palestinian application for Sebastia to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, which completely erased the Jewish connection to the area (once called Samaria/Shomron, it was capital of the ancient northern Kingdom of Israel). Tourism materials to Sebastia by the Palestinian Authority also make this and other similar omissions.
Any sister-city relationship would risk importing these political disputes into Richmond.
There is a real risk of the partnership being used as a vehicle to advance a one-sided narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Richmond residents already have numerous avenues through which to advocate and engage with the humanitarian situation of Palestinians and a sister-city agreement should not be used to further political cause.
Instead, Richmond should focus its sister-city relationships o n communities where true
mutual exchange can flourish without becoming entangled in divisive international politics.
For these reasons, we urge the Council to reject Item V2.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Julia Mates
Director of Policy and Government Affairs
Cell: 650. 246.4727
JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
121 Steuart Street, #301, San Francisco, CA 94105