Claudia Jiménez

Background

Claudia Jiménez was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, Richmondside reported. Grandview Independent reported that she trained as an architect there, worked on housing for families displaced by a 1999 flood, and came to the United States in 2007 without speaking English. Her family bought a home in Richmond in 2009. After English classes in Berkeley she earned a master's degree in environmental planning at UC Berkeley in 2011. She worked as an organizer with Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organizations and later as a consultant for the Safe Return Project, a nonprofit that works with formerly incarcerated residents. She sought a council appointment in 2015 and was not selected.

In office

Jiménez won the first election for the new District 6, which covers the North and East neighborhood and parts of East Richmond, in November 2020 and took office in January 2021. She is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance. She served as vice mayor in 2024 and was re-elected that November over Shawn Dunning, 61.3 percent to 38.6 percent in unofficial results, with endorsements from Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Gayle McLaughlin and Melvin Willis. Steve Seskin, a resident who backed Dunning, told Richmondside he objected to the Alliance members on the council, her among them, voting as a bloc.

She sat with Martinez and Councilmember Doria Robinson on the committee that negotiated with Chevron, which produced a $550 million settlement in 2024, paid over ten years. She cites the 2022 renegotiation of the city's pension bond swap debt as her proudest work and says it saves $98 million through 2034; Grandview Independent noted that the longer term adds about $62 million in debt service. She also points to city reserves rising from 12 to 21 percent of the operating budget and says she helped create the Community Crisis Response Program.

In May 2026 she voted against $2 million for Richmond Parkway repairs, which passed 4 to 3, asking when other street-calming projects would come. At an October 1 forum, her opponent Ahmad Anderson faulted her for a lack of progress on redeveloping the nearly empty Hilltop mall during her six years in office. At the same forum she said she had initially voted for a contract with Flock, the license plate camera company, and now wants an assessment of the program, including its data sharing with immigration enforcement.

On the ballot

Her ballot designation is Councilmember, City of Richmond. The Richmond Progressive Alliance voted on February 22, 2026 to endorse her instead of Martinez. In the June 2 primary, the city's first with a runoff, she placed first with 8,619 votes (38.6 percent); Anderson, a human resources director, had 6,254 (28.0 percent). By September 19 she had raised about $109,000 and Anderson about $108,000; a committee sponsored by the police officers' association had raised $310,000 this year, and East Bay Working Families, which has backed her, $115,000. She calls for a broader approach to public safety; Anderson calls himself the public safety candidate. If she wins, her council seat would be filled by special election.