Melvin Willis spotlights homelessness, human trafficking, and youth initiatives in Richmond Council reelection
As Richmond City Councilmember Melvin Willis seeks reelection, he is doubling down on efforts to address pressing issues such as homelessness and human trafficking and expanding youth programs. Willis, representing District 1 in Richmond, has focused his platform on building community-centered solutions.
A longtime resident of Richmond, Willis, has been vocal about the challenges posed by human trafficking, particularly along 24th Street. Working closely with the Human Trafficking Task Force, he has participated in community block parties and cleanups to bring attention to the issue and foster collaboration among neighbors.
“These events help neighbors come together and make the issue more visible. It’s about creating awareness, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Willis said. “It’s been an issue that’s plagued this area ever since I was a kid, and frankly, I think it only got worse with some of the state laws that were passed. We need to figure out proactive strategies to keep our community and victims safe.”
Willis said the Richmond Police Department has had some success getting people off the streets, but it’s a difficult process.
Willis was first elected to the Richmond City Council in 2016 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2018. He is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance and is running on RPA’s slate of candidates, Team Richmond.
“A lot of it involves sitting around and waiting to see if you can capture a transaction so you can deal with the situation and try to get the traffickers off the streets,” Willis said.
Addressing homelessness
Addressing homelessness is another priority for Willis, who has emphasized the need to transition people from the streets to permanent housing.
Willis says his goal is to identify and meet people’s needs and to keep working with residents and organizations to address homelessness in a way that meets real needs.
“I want to focus on transitioning people out of homelessness and into permanent housing because it is too easy to become homeless and way too difficult to get out of homelessness,” Willis said.
The council is working on Motel 6 conversion to permanent supportive housing and has also partnered with SOS Richmond to provide outreach to unhoused individuals.
Beyond housing, Willis is also committed to expanding Richmond’s Youth Works program, an initiative that provides jobs to young residents. He aims to make it more accessible to young people who are not necessarily college-bound, ensuring they have pathways to meaningful careers without the financial burdens of higher education.
“These programs can train them to work in the workforce and pursue careers without financial barriers from college institutions holding them back,” Willis said.
Willis also supported Measures E and K, known as the Richmond Kids First Initiative, which required three percent of Richmond’s General Fund revenue to be set aside to fund youth programs and services. These measures established the Department of Children and Youth and the development of the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth.
With the recent $550 million Chevron settlement, Willis said the additional general fund revenue will increase the funding for youth programs by $16 million.
Soren Hemmila
A Community organizer
As a community organizer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Willis has focused on addressing housing, healthcare, and immigrant rights issues.
Willis began working with ACCE in 2011, shortly after turning 21. What started as a job in outreach evolved into a commitment to community advocacy.
“At first, it was just about general outreach for a community meeting related to neighborhood blight and the foreclosure crisis,” Willis said. “People were leaving their homes, and banks weren’t maintaining the properties, which led to blight in the community.”
Willis became involved in city government a year later when the Richmond City Council passed a vacant property registration ordinance.
“It was my first experience seeing how laws were passed and how policies were made,” Willis said.
Willis has been involved in various initiatives, including healthcare advocacy. He collaborated with the city to assist individuals with healthcare forms under the Affordable Care Act before its full implementation in 2012.
“We helped people understand their eligibility under the new Care Act with Medi-Cal and Covered California and tried to enroll them,” Willis said.
Willis pointed to the ACCE campaign to reinstate health care coverage for undocumented adults in Contra Costa County. The county had eliminated this coverage during the 2009 economic downturn. Over two and a half years, Willis said ACCE led efforts to restore the program, involving community members in lobbying efforts.
ACCE identified community members, shared their stories, and organized visits with decision-makers to push for the program’s reinstatement.
“We advocated for the Board of Supervisors to re-include undocumented adults in the basic health care plan, which they had previously been excluded from,” Willis said. “The board agreed to this direction and allocated $750,000 towards community clinics to provide basic county healthcare coverage for this population.”
Willis noted accomplishments in his work through the Contra Costa Racial Justice Coalition, including securing critical funding and policy changes at the county level and advocacy efforts with community groups and coalitions.
“Through that campaign, we were able to get the A3 Crisis Response Program funded by the county. Which is also known as Miles Hall Crisis Call Center, named after the young Black man that was killed who was having a mental health crisis in Walnut Creek,” Willis said.
Downtime
Outside of his professional and political work, Willis spends time caring for his disabled mother and spending time with his companion.
“Whenever I have downtime when I’m not at work, I’m with my mom because she’s disabled. I just try to make sure she has whatever she needs,” Willis said. “I’ll do the grocery shopping, laundry, pick up food or make dinner for her, and take her from wherever she needs to go because she doesn’t drive.”
Willis highlighted the importance of being present in his relationship. “I try to spend quality time with my companion and ensure I’m being a good boyfriend, not a neglectful one.”
Willis says he enjoys staying home and playing video games when he is alone.
“That’s something that I always have done, ever since I was a kid dealing with bullying and depression. That was a good outlet for me,” Willis said.
Willis emphasizes the importance of understanding and respectful dialogue in his approach to politics.
“I think the main thing I’d like people to know about me is that I recognize that everybody comes from a different walk of life. We all have different life experiences. So I’m okay with hearing people out and talking to them in a respectful manner, even if we disagree on an issue,” Willis said.
To learn more about Melvin Willis, visit www.melvinwillis.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.
Click to become a Grandview Supporter here, or make a one-time donation here. Grandview is an independent, journalist-run publication exclusively covering Richmond, CA. Every cent we make funds reporting from Richmond's neighborhoods. Copyright © 2024 Grandview Independent, all rights reserved.
