Claudia Jiménez highlights community work and future projects in re-election bid
Richmond Vice Mayor Claudia Jiménez is seeking re-election, emphasizing her dedication to ongoing projects and her long-term vision for improving public safety, infrastructure, and economic opportunity in District 6, which she represents.
Jiménez was first elected to the council in 2020 and is originally from Colombia, where she worked as an architect, designing affordable housing. A vocal advocate for social equity and environmental justice, she points to several critical accomplishments from her first term, including securing millions in funding for community projects. Still, she says there’s much work ahead.
“I am seeking re-election because there is so much work that I started my first term, and I would like to continue. There are so many exciting things coming, and I would like to put the vision of the community that we have been working together for these four years into reality,” Jiménez said.
Jiménez said she believes local government, like the Richmond City Council, can be a powerful force for change and can open up possibilities in people’s everyday lives.
“Public resources must be protected and used to support everyone in the community, but especially those who are marginalized and need the most help to succeed," she said. “If we solve issues like housing, it benefits everyone — both the housed and unhoused. By creating opportunities for young people and those in need, we are building a better future where more people can work and actively participate in the community.”
Among her achievements, Jiménez highlighted her efforts to secure $20 million for a complete renovation of Richmond’s main library and $1.2 million for the street calming traffic safety initiative, which includes 18 street safety projects aimed at reducing traffic accidents, increasing walkability, and improving infrastructure for cyclists.
“We analyzed that we needed a traffic street calming division. In this budget that we just approved, we created that division, adding two planners and a traffic engineer. “The hiring takes at least six months, so the public works director thinks that this division will be up and running next year,” Jiménez said.
Looking ahead, Jiménez’s vision includes launching a “Street of the Future” project, an engineering initiative that would reimagine urban streets to be greener, safer, and more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. “The idea is to do engineering solutions that allow for safer streets and change how we see streets as a new way for the public to use spaces,” she said.
Biggest Accomplishment
According to Jiménez, her most significant achievement as a councilmember was stabilizing the city’s finances, which she says were in a precarious state when she took office. In 2021, Jiménez says she spearheaded efforts to renegotiate city bonds, saving Richmond an estimated $80 million and contributing to its improved credit rating.
“We were able to make sound financial decisions that resulted in a budget surplus and more stable finances for the city,” Jiménez said.
Jiménez said she began looking into the bonds the city was using to finance its debts and learned it was using predatory loans or swap bonds, which complicated the structure.
Jiménez said the council discovered the City of Richmond’s use of loans since 2005 had accumulated costs exceeding $66 million. “I started crying because our budget was $200 million at that time, and paying $66 million to the bank was not a good use of money.
The city council decided to terminate one swap bond, and were advised to get another swap. Jiménez said she was able to convince her fellow council members to get a second opinion.
“We were able to get new municipal advisors, and we were able to go to a normal bond and traditional finance,” she said. “Because of that, we were able to get Moody’s to upgrade our credit rating twice in one year.”
Jiménez said youth engagement is also a priority, creating more job opportunities and recreational programming for local residents aged 16 to 26.
“We created 500 additional jobs for young residents, ages 16 to 26. They get paid $19 to $20 an hour and gain good experience within the city and with small businesses,” she said. “During Covid, we helped over 40 small businesses by having young folks, many of them immigrants or from low-income communities, work for these businesses — paid by the city — so they could support their families and the businesses.”
Jiménez also plans to push forward with improvements to Richmond’s parks and recreational facilities, citing the renovation of parks, including Wendell Park, as an example of her commitment to creating more vibrant public spaces. Jiménez wants to increase programming space for children, seniors, parents, and residents.
Richmond is home to recently renovated swimming pools, but the schedules are limited, which Jiménez says makes it difficult for her and her daughter to utilize them.
“We have been going, and several times it’s closed,” Jiménez said. “We need to improve the services and have money to hire more staff and provide services for you and everybody else.”
Future goals for District 6
Jiménez wants to see more businesses in District 6, which is unique because it is home to three major small business corridors: San Pablo Avenue, Macdonald Avenue, and 23rd Street.
“I am really happy that during my time, San Pablo has seen new businesses coming, like the new cafe and the boutiques. I really appreciate the owners of Tucan, the Factory Bar, and Catahoula for being able to organize all the markets, the makers’ fair, and all these activities,” she said.
To attract more businesses to our commercial districts, Jiménez said we need to develop the infrastructure to show why companies should be located on San Pablo Avenue and Macdonald Avenue, not just 23rd Street.
In addition to her infrastructure and community work, Jiménez has advocated for making Richmond a hub for green jobs. She’s championed developing the city’s port as a base for offshore wind manufacturing, which she believes could bring significant economic opportunities to the area.
“I have been focusing on the port and found that our deep water port is underutilized,” she said. “We want to have a plan for the port to be a regional asset that can bring a lot of jobs and economic opportunity.”
Work
Jiménez, currently a consultant for the Safe Return Project, has been involved with the grassroots organization since her organizing days with the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO). After leaving CCISCO in 2014, she transitioned into consulting, collaborating with many of the same organizations she had previously supported. Grants from the San Francisco Foundation and the California Endowment back her work. “They recognized the value of my contributions,” she said.
Safe Return is a non-profit that helps formerly incarcerated Richmond residents reconnect with the community. Jiménez says she works closely with Safe Return Director Tamisha Torres-Walker and has seen Safe Return grow from an idea into a project and then into its current organization.
Jiménez’s current work is focused on helping communities of color participate in elected positions, boards, and commissions to increase their involvement in shaping policies and promoting social and environmental justice.
“We can present a venue for low-income people of color to be candidates and run for office and be a good support system for folks that are not rich, that are not retired, that have other jobs so they are able to be successful when they decide to run for office,” she said.
Outside of work, Jiménez likes going on hikes in Wildcat Canyon Park and visiting Keller Beach. She wishes more people knew her vision for Richmond, that her values come from her years of community organizing work, and that she is a really good salsa dancer.
To learn more about Claudia Jiménez, visit www.claudiajimenezforrichmond.com.
This is part of a series of candidate interviews conducted by Grandview with the goal of profiling all who are running for office in Richmond. These profiles aim to provide information to Richmond voters and are not endorsements.
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