Accomplishments 2023 – 2025

During my 2022 campaign for City Council, I made a straightforward promise: to fight for the people of Richmond while remaining true to our values. My commitment has been to work toward and deliver real results—like clean air, more housing, a stronger economy, vibrant neighborhoods, and better city services—from a city government that serves everyone. As I reflect on my first term, I am proud of the significant progress we’ve made toward these goals.

Our dedication to community-first values has yielded tangible outcomes. Together, we secured a historic $550 million settlement with Chevron that not only holds polluters accountable but also delivers long-overdue resources back to Richmond. This monumental achievement was a collective effort, driven by years of local organizing from Richmond’s environmental justice groups such as the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). It was also the result of the teamwork and courageous leadership of Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Council Member Claudia Jimenez, and myself, with considerable support from our former City Attorney, David Aleshire. Despite enormous pressure from more conservative community leaders to give up and settle, we stood firm, moved the negotiation process forward with courage and tenacity over a very short period, and secured this historic half-billion-dollar win for the City of Richmond.

We have restarted long-stalled housing projects like Mira Flores, Nystrom Village, and 12th and Macdonald, putting more than 400 low-income and affordable homes back on track, with more on the way, while also enhancing transparency and accountability in development.

My work during this first term also extends to addressing homelessness. I supported new transitional housing initiatives, including the Homekey/Motel 8 conversion, and innovative solutions for unhoused youth such as the Tiny Village Spirit Project and SOS. Furthermore, we have advanced policies aimed at achieving long-term housing stability.

In order to fulfill the promises made to the Black community and the Coronado and Santa Fe neighborhoods over a decade ago, Council Member Robinson has enthusiastically advocated for the Martin Luther King Center Project. So far, these efforts have led to restarting the process to design and build the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, restarting NURVE meetings so the project could once again move forward with community involvement, and the release and allocation of $502,759 in insurance proceeds intended for the MLK Center Project to update the schematic design and create a fundraising plan. This early momentum created by her advocacy then led to the City securing two additional grants—$250,000 and $1 million—to complete designs and move the project forward toward construction, as well as firm and heartfelt commitments by the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and many fellow council members to see this project through to completion.

Recognizing the systemic injustices faced by the Black community in Richmond, I launched the Black Resiliency Project. This initiative allocates $1.5 million from the City’s general fund to combat inequities in the criminal justice system, education, housing, economic development, and healthcare—empowering community organizations to foster meaningful change. Although progress has been deliberate, it is crucial that we build this landmark project correctly to ensure its transformative impact.

Additionally, I have actively engaged with Richmond’s Latino community by supporting initiatives that enhance access, inclusion, and opportunity. These efforts include funding for three new soccer fields, implementing simultaneous translation at City Council meetings, and co-sponsoring a $1 million allocation for legal aid in response to unjust immigration policies. Together, we must resist divisive rhetoric and continue to advance justice for all.

During my first term, I also took steps to resolve conflicts and restart street sweeping across all neighborhoods, while advocating for a budget that increased parking enforcement staffing. This increased staffing enhanced the City’s ability to address parking challenges faced by residents—such as abandoned and stolen cars—especially in our more populous areas. We are also currently working on updating our Blue Curb policy to ensure fair access to disabled parking for our elderly and disabled residents. This new draft policy will come to Council in February 2026.

Collaborating with city staff and commissioners, including those from the Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, I helped secure budget increases for Public Works, leading to two new maintenance crews. This increased staffing will create more humane work environments for staff and improve the maintenance of parks, trees, and medians. My commitment to systemic improvements remains strong; we must continue to improve and deliver the quality city services our residents deserve.

I take immense pride in initiating the Macdonald Avenue Task Force, tasked with creating a visionary plan to revitalize this important downtown corridor. Too many residents want a downtown that offers live music, delicious food, cafés, unique small businesses, and other vibrant art and entertainment opportunities. It’s time to make this vision a reality. Our approach will celebrate and center Richmond’s rich history and cultural diversity while fostering a prosperous economic environment for local businesses.

Real change in Richmond also comes from continuing and deepening support for innovative approaches to public safety, such as the nationally recognized work of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and our new and very promising Community Crisis Response Program (also known as ROCK).

I am also committed to supporting Richmond Fire’s introduction of the new Advanced Life Support/Paramedic Program. This means I will advocate and vote to ensure the Richmond Fire Department has the resources and support needed to build out this new offering so that lifesaving emergency medical care is available in the field for every Richmond resident. It also means I will advocate and vote to ensure RFD has the resources and support needed to properly upgrade, renovate, and rebuild our outdated—and in some cases severely damaged—fire stations, so firefighters have safe facilities to work in, can train the next generation of Richmond firefighters, and offer a unique regional training center we can all be proud of.

We also need a collaborative effort to end unnecessary mandatory overtime and reduce vacancies in the Richmond Police Department so that unsafe and unsustainable 18-plus-hour shifts are a thing of the past. We must have the courage to accept responsibility for properly staffing and humanely running all city departments, so no staff member is run into the ground and every employee feels appreciated and supported in the work they do for our city.

Remarkably, while neighboring cities like El Cerrito and Benicia face budget deficits, Richmond has closed four consecutive budget years with surpluses of more than $4 million, improved its credit ratings, been removed from the state audit list, and secured the Chevron settlement that is adding an additional $50 million per year to the City’s general fund.

This fiscal responsibility stems from the strong leadership of our City Manager, Shasa Curl, supported by our dedicated city staff and a decade of progressive efforts to implement new revenue streams through initiatives like Measure U, as well as exiting the criminal SWAPS investment scheme that robbed our city of millions of dollars.

While we have made significant strides, much work still lies ahead—particularly in economic development that moves us away from dependence on the fossil fuel industry, as well as in public safety and housing, which all take time and care to achieve.

*Moving forward, it is vital that our leadership remains committed to our values, continues to resist corporate pressures, and champions the establishment of quality city services and facilities that the people of Richmond deserve.

I am excited to announce my candidacy for re-election in 2026 to continue pushing Richmond in this positive direction.

It would be my honor to serve District 3 and the City of Richmond for another term with unwavering tenacity and conviction.

Thank you,

Current District 3 Council member and 2026 D3 Candidate Doria Robinson