Six candidates for the Brentwood City Council will vie for three open seats this November. Where do they stand on issues impacting Brentwood?
First, a reminder of who’s running and some brief introductions:
At-large mayoral seat: Susannah Meyer, Gerald Johnson
Council incumbent Susannah Meyer and current Brentwood planning commissioner Gerald Johnson will compete for the at-large mayoral seat. All registered Brentwood voters will decide on the winner.
Meyer is finishing her first council term, of which she spent the last two years as the council-appointed vice mayor. She is the executive director of Empowered Aging, a nonprofit that protects the rights, quality of life and safety of older adults and adults with disabilities. She serves on the city’s Diversity/Equity/Belonging/Inclusion Committee, the Aging and Disabilities-Friendly Committee and the Agricultural Enterprise Committee. She was also appointed to the Housing and Economic Development Policy Committee for the California League of Cities.
According to Johnson’s campaign website, he has been involved with the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce since 2010 and became its president in 2020, charged with leading initiatives for the city’s business community. He was elected president of the Institute of Management Consultants’ Northern California chapter in 2022 and was appointed to the Brentwood Planning Commission in 2023.
District 1: Anita Roberts, Faye Maloney
Residents living in District 1 — the northwestern corner of the city — will decide between Brentwood Planning Commission chair Anita Roberts and Faye Maloney, a Hayward Police Department sergeant.
Roberts’ diverse background includes more than 40 years of accounting and finance experience, managing budgets up to $1 billion; four terms on the Brentwood Planning Commission, including two terms as the chair; foster parenting; and service on the city’s Land Use and Development Committee.
According to Maloney’s website, she began her career with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and later transferred to an Alameda County law enforcement agency in 2009. She has a background in policy, code enforcement and legislation and has worked with elected representatives to “decrease the impact of homelessness on communities.”
District 3: Jovita Mendoza, Brian Oftedal
Voters residing in District 3 — the southwestern corner of the city — will choose either council incumbent Jovita Mendoza or Brian Oftedal, a fire captain for Oakland Fire Department.
With a background in finance and data analytics, Mendoza became involved in city politics in 2016 to oppose housing development on a golf course and later to stop the installation of oil wells near Brentwood homes. In her first term on the council, she said she has worked to ensure developers build community amenities like parks.
Oftedal is a senior captain with Oakland Fire Department, past president of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board, and current chair of the Contra Costa County Fire Advisory Commission. He has been a community volunteer at his children’s schools and for emergency preparedness efforts.
Unsure of your district? Find the city map here:
[Editor’s note: All six candidates were given the same questions at the same time with a month to prepare their answers. A full Q&A can be found here. Johnson and Maloney did not respond to outreach or followups; some of the following information was pulled from their candidate websites.]
Priorities
-Johnson: Unity; attainable housing; development of recreation and cultural infrastructure, such as museums, theaters and zoos; inclusivity; volunteerism; and economic development.
-Maloney: Public safety, support for local businesses, preservation of Brentwood’s history, promoting the agricultural community, and smart growth.
-Mendoza: Increase affordable housing from 13% inclusionary in all developments to 20%; drive job growth and economic development by continuing to support local businesses and bring in new opportunities by streamlining processes; and adherence to the general plan to retain the balance of housing, commercial and business centers.
-Meyer: Housing that’s accessible to all, protection of the city’s agricultural legacy, living wage jobs and economic development, connecting residents to resources and celebrating Brentwood’s diversity and culture, and public safety.
-Oftedal: Public safety, including making Brentwood a more “fire-wise” community and improving evacuation planning; and implementing a fifth beat — or increasing the force size — for the Brentwood Police Department.
-Roberts: Controlled growth, public safety and addressing homelessness.
Community safety and policing
Mendoza and Meyer highlighted a positive relationship between the city and its Police Department, while citing issues with increased retail theft. Oftedal called for the city to move forward with building two new fire stations to reduce response times and save lives, and Roberts said she would advocate for increased collaboration between law enforcement and the city.
“Our police department is engaged with the community, and I am always encouraged by their interaction with our residents,” said Mendoza. “We have approved the funding for a fifth beat. We have instructed the chief to be careful in his hires — the safety of the residents comes first.”
Meyer noted that the city currently has police training programs in place for de-escalation, response to calls for mental health crises and implicit bias. She emphasized the importance of continuing these training sessions to keep the city functioning at its best.
Oftedal cited transportation bottlenecks as another safety concern.
“We don’t have good circulation in our transportation infrastructure,” he said. “This can create short-term problems, such as increased accidents, and even larger problems during a major disaster or evacuation event.”
Residential growth
With housing mandates from the state, the candidates echoed concerns about local control and highlighted a need for jobs.
Mendoza said one of the city’s weaknesses was that it lacked a hospital.
“We also need to continue to work with John Muir to encourage the development of a hospital where the land is already carved out,” she said.
Meyer noted that Brentwood for many years encouraged housing development and rezoning commercial areas to residential to promote that growth, making the city outgrow its own infrastructure.
“Understanding that the state is forcing our hand when it comes to residential development, I think it is our responsibility to do everything we can to consider future impacts and push for project standards that have the least amount of negative impacts on our residents,” Meyer said.
Oftedal further stressed the importance of local control.
“One of the most concerning developments of the past several years is state intervention in local control,” he said. “I don’t support that, and neither does my opponent, but I think we need to be realistic about city and county adherence to general plans and what that could mean for state interdiction.”
Roberts highlighted strategies that she said could address the housing needs while managing public resources.
“These include concentrating development around transit hubs, adjusting zoning laws to allow for higher density housing, promoting the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), establishing public-private partnerships, prioritizing affordable housing in high-cost areas throughout the city of Brentwood, and strategically directing funds to the most impactful programs,” Roberts said.
Economic development
Roberts, Meyer and Mendoza stressed the importance of The Innovation Center at Brentwood — a 300-acre project straddling state Highway 4 slated for future commercial development. The city hopes the center will attract more employers to the bedroom community.
“This area, spanning less than one square mile, is designed for a workforce that can live, work, and play without needing a vehicle,” said Roberts. “The Innovation Center will be a significant attraction for the city of Brentwood, enhancing its appeal and potential.”
Mendoza said she is focused on the Innovation Center’s development. Meyer noted that while it’s been in the works for years, there has been great progress.
“Our Innovation Center at Brentwood is primed to be our economic development focus,” Meyer said.
Oftedal said the way to attract more employers to the city is to recommit to sticking to the general plan.
“We should absolutely target industries and try to develop the infrastructure they need, but at the end of the day, it’s their business, it’s their lane, and if it’s compliant with the plan and approved by the planning commission, my job is to give them a fair hearing,” Oftedal said.
Homelessness
The candidates were split on their support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order to clear homeless encampments following a late June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned lower court rulings that found it cruel under the Eighth Amendment to punish people for sleeping outdoors.
Brentwood has under 40 unhoused residents, according to recent Contra Costa County data from its Point in Time count, which measures the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given day, and the Brentwood Police Department’s own estimate of unhoused residents seen regularly in town.
Oftedal and Roberts expressed support for clearing encampments.
“I have immense sympathy for individuals and families experiencing homelessness,” said Oftedal. “I also understand through my work as a firefighter and as an elected official, these encampments are hazards to the people that live in them and to the surrounding community.”
Roberts said she supported the action as long as the city can offer clean shelter or independent units for families.
“With a mandate for affordable housing, encampments are unnecessary,” she said. “The key is to connect social services with prospective affordable housing opportunities.”
Meyer and Mendoza, on the other hand, expressed doubt that clearing encampments would help if no services are offered to support the individuals, who often experience mental illnesses, substance abuse disorder or chronic health conditions.
“Recent legislation that allows for encampment clearances gets us no closer to an actual solution, including the prevention of homelessness to begin with,” said Meyer. “That said, our city attorney is closely reviewing the state’s new policies and will be advising City Council and our police department on how we can best approach this issue in Brentwood within the confines of the law and in the best possible interest of Brentwood residents.”
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