Emeryville Splits 3-2 Against Cal Cities Local-Control Housing Push

Emeryville is now on record against a statewide push to give cities final say over housing and land use. The City Council voted 3-2 on Sept. 15, 2026, to oppose a League of California Cities resolution, with the mayor, who will carry the city's vote, on the losing side. The council also kept a senior shuttle running under a new vendor and lined up future debates on surveillance and immigration enforcement.

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• Council votes 3-2 to oppose Cal Cities local-control resolution; mayor and Priforce dissent
• A2Go senior shuttle continues under new vendor AP3 Transportation, with Friday-night service added
• Completed strategic plan projects nearly double, from nine to 17
• City of Refuge ordinance modeled on Oakland's returns to full council with unanimous support
• Flock license plate readers will get a full-council study session on ICE safeguards

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Council Draws a Line on Local Housing Control

The basics: The League of California Cities, known as Cal Cities, is the statewide association of municipal governments. Its members vote on resolutions at an annual conference. This resolution asks Cal Cities to form a working group to explore a state constitutional amendment giving cities final authority over housing and land use. Mayor Sukhdeep Kaur is Emeryville's voting delegate.

Why it matters: The vote puts Emeryville, a state-designated pro-housing city, against a push by some cities to curb state housing mandates. It also exposed a split between members who back state housing policy and a colleague who defends local control.

Where things stand: The item returned after the council failed to reach consensus at its previous meeting. Kaur framed the question narrowly. "It's about having a committee formed to discuss that," said Sukhdeep Kaur, Mayor.

The City Attorney agreed. "The resolution calls for a working group to consider a state constitutional amendment or other form of initiative to ensure final local authority over housing and land use decisions," he said. He added that the resolution alone changes no law, and that any amendment or ballot measure would need its own process.

Councilmember David Mourra moved to oppose. He argued that the city sponsoring the resolution resists building its fair share of housing. "Emeryville does build our own fair share of housing, but we are a small city and we cannot fix the housing supply crunch in California all by ourselves," said Mourra.

Councilmember Courtney Welch seconded, calling the resolution a covert effort to push back on state housing policy. "Local control can only really be applied to matters that stay within your municipality," said Welch.

The other side: Councilmember Kalimah Priforce said Emeryville should not tell other cities what to do and that concerns about local control are widespread. "Let's ask the people of Emeryville what we should do," said Priforce.

Kaur also voted no. She pointed to the city's standing with the state, which it is seeking to renew. "We are a state-designated pro-housing jurisdiction," said Kaur.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The motion to oppose carried (For: 3, Mourra, Welch and Vice Mayor Matthew Solomon; Against: 2, Priforce and Kaur; Absent: 0). No members of the public commented. The result aligns Emeryville with the state housing framework behind its pro-housing designation. It leaves Priforce's call for resident input unanswered for now. It also creates an unusual dynamic: the city's delegate will carry a position she voted against.

What's next: Kaur will cast Emeryville's vote at the Cal Cities Annual Conference. Any constitutional amendment or ballot initiative would require a separate process.

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Seniors Rally for A2Go and Win More Hours

Why it matters: A2Go is a lifeline for older and disabled residents. A pending vendor change had riders worried their service was ending.

Where things stand: Three Avalon residents used public comment to defend the shuttle. A resident of nearly 20 years praised the drivers and said they compared favorably with taxi companies. A visually impaired rider said drivers help seniors safely reach the post office, Trader Joe's, the senior center and Kaiser. A third speaker, representing herself and three other riders, asked the new contractor to keep empathetic drivers. She also requested longer hours for 4 to 6 p.m. senior center activities and Saturday events.

Vice Mayor Matthew Solomon asked whether consent item 9.5 funded the shuttle and pulled it for discussion. Staff said riders' fears were misplaced. "We are not dissolving the A2Go program. We're actually looking to expand the A2Go program," said a city staff member.

Deal terms: Staff said a request for proposals drew three bidders. AP3 Transportation scored highest and submitted the lowest bid. Hours stay 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break, and fares and scheduling are unchanged. The new contract adds Friday-night access to senior center events and uses an electric bus. No contract dollar figure was given during the discussion.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Item 9.5 passed 5-0 (motion by Solomon, second by Mourra). Senior and disabled riders keep their fares and weekday hours and gain Friday nights. The Saturday and late-afternoon requests were not addressed.

What's next: Priforce asked whether speakers who need extra time should have to rely on time yielded by others. Kaur deferred that discussion to a later date.

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Strategic Plan Shows Progress, Mayor Wants Metrics

Where things stand: City Manager LaTanya Bellow presented second- and third-quarter progress on the FY2026-2028 Strategic Plan. The plan was updated in February 2026 around four goals. "Where we had 9 projects at 100% complete, we now have 17 at 100% complete," said LaTanya Bellow, City Manager.

The rest of the plan breaks down this way:

• 13 projects are 51-99% complete.
• Four projects are 26-50% complete.
• Nine projects are 0-25% complete.
• Eight of 14 future agenda items are done.

Council priorities are unchanged except for a new Art Center project. A business license tax measure has moved to implementation for the November ballot. A new one-page 2025 department snapshot reported 423 permits and $2,122,692 in fees.

The other side: Kaur questioned how progress is measured. "What is the criteria or the metrics?" she asked. Bellow said department heads self-report their status.

Councilmembers also asked about affordable housing desk audits and a tax review finding; staff deferred the tax question to a follow-up. They also asked about the BIPOC Small Business Support Program, whose final 5% is a cultural heritage events program. Community Development Director Chadrick Smalley described meetemeryville.com, a new business marketing website.

What's next: Staff agreed to Kaur's request to include start dates, target dates, responsible departments and status in future reports. No action was taken.

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Immigration Limits and Plate Readers Head to Council

Why it matters: Both requests test how far Emeryville will go to keep city resources and data away from federal immigration enforcement.

City of Refuge: Priforce cited Faith in Action East Bay in asking the council to consider a City of Refuge ordinance after Oakland adopted one. "The sanctuary city is a status that we essentially copy and paste from the state, which means it covers the bare minimum," said Priforce.

The City Attorney said he had reviewed Oakland's ordinance, saw no legal concerns and called it a policy matter. The ordinance would add three sets of provisions to the municipal code:

• A ban on using city property for immigration enforcement.
• A bar on city employees enforcing immigration law.
• Rules on access to city information.

Mourra asked whether the Budget and Governance Committee should review the ordinance first. Priforce preferred the full council to avoid delay. Kaur said support was unanimous and directed the City Attorney to bring the ordinance back to the council.

Flock study session: Mourra requested a full-council study session on the city's Flock license plate readers. It would cover how they help police and what safeguards exist, including blocking ICE use, requiring valid case numbers for searches and auditing. Kaur suggested the Public Safety Committee instead, but Mourra wanted the higher profile of the full council. Priforce asked how the session would differ from the last renewal discussion. Mourra said it would go broader and deeper, noting that Flock reportedly can now tie into case number systems. A majority supported the request.

The other side: A separate request from Priforce on the Pledge of Allegiance drew no majority support and will not be scheduled.

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Minor Items

• Department head pay: Approved 5-0 (Welch/Solomon). Eight department heads get 3% raises effective Sept. 20, 2026, and again in the first full pay period of July 2027. They also receive a lump sum covering July 12 to Sept. 19, 2026, and a non-pensionable $1,000 payment each. The two-year cost is $250,126. Finance Director Sharon Friedrichsen said the five-year forecast already includes a placeholder for salary and benefits.
• Title VI update: Approved 5-0 (Solomon/Welch). Community Development Coordinator Amber Evans said the program has had one complaint, about the marina. The update adds a QR code on the front of City Hall, forms in the lobby and a website section.
• Consent calendar: Items 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.6 and 9.7 passed 5-0 (Welch/Mourra). Their contents were not described during the meeting.
• Proclamation: The council recognized September 2026 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at the request of a Dublin high school student who works with a pediatric cancer nonprofit.
• Closed session: The council met on two unnamed items, and the City Attorney reported no reportable action.

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Looking Ahead

The Flock study session and the City of Refuge ordinance will return to the full council at future meetings. The business license tax measure is moving toward the November ballot, and future strategic plan reports should include target dates and responsible departments.