City Council — Tuesday, 6 October 2026
From the KCRT video of the meeting (about 6½ hours), checked against the amended Council agenda, Oct 6 and the certified resolutions. Minutes have not been posted. Votes come from the clerk’s spoken announcements unless a certified resolution says otherwise; the minutes will control. Times are approximate.
Attendance
- Present: Councilmembers Brown and Jimenez, Vice Mayor Robinson, Mayor Martinez.
- Councilmember Zepeda attended remotely from Mexico City (noticed location read into the record). Councilmember Wilson attended remotely for family health reasons.
- Councilmember Bana was absent at the 4:30 p.m. roll call and took part later in the evening.
Closed session (about 4:30 p.m.)
- Real property: 1689 Regatta Blvd (DiCon Fiberoptics), price and terms. Labor negotiations: SEIU 1021, IFPTE 21, RPOA, RPMA, IAFF 188, RFMA.
- One public speaker. Council recessed to closed session.
- City Attorney’s report at 6 p.m.: “No final decisions were made,” and both items were discussed.
Agenda review (about 6:00 p.m.)
- No conflicts of interest declared.
- O.9, Disaster Preparedness Commission, to consent: moved by Bana. Failed — Brown, Robinson, and Martinez no; Zepeda abstained.
- O.10, armored-vehicle grants, to consent: died for lack of a second.
- O.11, cultural venues, to consent: Bana, seconded by Jimenez. Passed — Martinez no; Zepeda abstained.
- O.7, financial report to Council, to consent: unanimous, after the interim City Manager said staff can bring a basic report by October 20 using the City’s existing financial advisor.
- Order of business: the Mayor set O.6 (EFF) first, then O.1 (Axon), N.7.a, O.4, O.2, O.3, and the rest. O.5, the Air District’s Chevron health-risk presentation, was moved to a later meeting. A councilmember objected that carried-over items should go first; the City Attorney said “when possible.”
- A motion to hear O.10 after the Axon items went to a roll call. Outcome not yet confirmed. O.10 was not heard.
City Manager’s report
- Interim City Manager Mark Scott, at his first meeting, gave brief introductory remarks. No substantive report.
Open forum
- About 13 speakers. Topics included indoor practice space for a dance group (in support of O.11), the Richmond Pow Wow, job classifications and recruitment, police staffing and license plate readers, objections to moving items onto consent during agenda review, the Nicholl Park tennis courts, and new supportive housing.
Consent calendar
- N.7.a (Police Strategies LLC, $20,000 study of license plate reader data) was pulled by a member of the public. O.7 and O.11 were added.
- Approved. The mover, second, and roll call are not clear on the video; the certified resolutions checked record 7–0.
- W.R. Forde, Point Potrero: not to exceed $5,478,693 (Resolution 163-26).
- $199,776.15 in federal ARPA money moved to street paving (Resolution 165-26).
- Seven materials-testing firms, not to exceed $300,000 each (Resolution 167-26).
- Also adopted: ECIA Category 3 agreement, $50,000 (Resolution 162-26); Franchise Tax Board data exchange, $0 (Resolution 164-26); salary schedules and CalPERS (Resolution 166-26); First Serve tennis, $46,625 (Resolution 168-26); Caltrans agreement for McBryde (Resolution 169-26).
- O.7 directs a financial report at the October 20 meeting. O.11 calls for a report within 120 days.
O.6 — Electronic Frontier Foundation on license plate readers (received; no action)
- EFF’s presenter addressed three questions Council had posed: effectiveness, limitations, and impacts. Main points: a reader “hit” is a lead, not proof; risks in data storage and sharing; findings from audit logs of Richmond’s earlier Flock system showing heavy outside-agency and federal search activity.
- About 15 public speakers, mostly opposed to the readers; a minority supported them.
- In Council questions, Police Chief Simmons said searches older than 30 days must have been of other agencies’ data, given Richmond’s 30-day deletion, and that the national-search feature was turned off once discovered.
O.1 — Axon contract amendment and Assure MSP / Verkada cameras
- As agendized: Axon increase of $3,500,000, to a total not to exceed $12,000,000 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2029, plus two one-year options), adding license plate readers, cameras, and drones; Assure MSP / Verkada facility cameras not to exceed $500,000.
- Chief Simmons presented: a closed system, a public transparency portal, monthly audits shared with the Community Police Review Commission, six drone docks, and a one-for-one swap of 110 cameras.
- Public comment was divided, mostly against the readers.
- Meeting extended to 11:00 p.m.: Bana, seconded by Jimenez, unanimous.
- Substitute motion (Zepeda): approve as written, with staff to begin negotiations and final approval after data returns. Failed. Who voted yes is not yet confirmed.
- Main motion (Bana, seconded by Brown): approve everything in O.1 except the license plate readers and “adjust the contract amount accordingly,” with the reader contract to return for approval and public input. Drones and cameras stay in. Passed — Wilson and Martinez no (5–2 if all seven voted).
- No revised Axon dollar ceiling was stated. The return date for the readers was spoken as both October 20 and October 27.
Not reached
- N.7.a (Police Strategies study), O.2 accessible parking, O.3 veterans housing at 338 Carlson, O.4 Keller Beach sewer, O.8 23rd Street safety, O.9 Disaster Preparedness Commission, O.10 armored vehicles. O.5 (Air District, Chevron) moved to a later meeting.
Adjournment
- About 11:00 p.m. Next regular meeting: Tuesday, 20 October 2026.
Not yet confirmed
- The revised Axon not-to-exceed amount after removing the license plate readers.
- When the license plate reader contract returns: October 20 or October 27.
- Who voted yes on the failed substitute motion.
- Mover, second, and roll call on the consent calendar.
- The outcome of the motion to reorder O.10.
- Whether Councilmember Bana was recorded present at the 6 p.m. roll call.
Sources
- KCRT video
- Council agenda, Oct 6 (amended)
- Certified resolutions: 162-26, 163-26, 164-26, 165-26, 166-26, 167-26, 168-26, 169-26
- Granicus meeting video archive