Community

Richmond mayoral candidates debate public safety at forum

By Walnut Creek Times
Network reporting
Published October 3, 2026 at 9:38 PM PDT · 1 min read

Two stylized figures seated at a white table against a solid blue background; left figure is off-white holding a blue shield, right figure is dark green holding a small leafy tree and a hammer-like tool.

Your listening Queue & catch up

Catch me up in Unheard stories first, timed at 1×. Your selections stay first.

Include repeats when I’m caught upPlay next automatically

Add a story or build a catch-up queue to start listening.

Richmond mayoral candidates debated public safety approaches at a forum on Thursday night at Richmond Memorial Auditorium, according to Richmond Confidential. A couple hundred people attended in person, and a few hundred more watched the livestream on YouTube.

According to Richmond Confidential: Anderson, a retired human resources director, argued that Richmond needs to ensure the Police Department has adequate staffing and resources.

According to Richmond Confidential: Jiménez, in her second term on City Council, said Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons recently told her he was pleased with what was happening in the department and with recent hiring.

According to Richmond Confidential: Jiménez also emphasized that the real answer to public safety is creating youth jobs, opportunities, cleaning streets, and creating parks.

Richmond recorded six homicides in 2025, a historic low, according to Richmond Confidential.