Pressure mounts for Richmond mayor to resign after controversial posts about Israel

RICHMOND — Days after sharing a series of controversial social media posts related to Israel and a recent mass shooting, Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez is facing increased pressure to either repair and restore trust with the community or resign.

Dozens of mayors, councilmembers, trustees and community leaders from across the Bay Area have disavowed Martinez and his posts in a petition which also demands that he meets with rabbis, issue a “truly restorative” apology and hold antisemitism trainings and education for city leadership and staff.

“Hateful rhetoric such as this harms not only those directly targeted, but also the integrity of civic life on which all communities rely—especially when spread by those elected to lead and govern,” read the petition circulated by Daniel Nathan-Heiss, a Contra Costa County Board of Education trustee.

The outpouring of condemnation from regional elected officials is heartening, said Jonathan Mintzer, director of Government Relations for the Bay Area chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Many in the Bay Area’s Jewish community, especially those in Richmond, are concerned about Martinez’s actions, Mintzer said.

At least 1,000 community members also have sent emails to Richmond councilmembers, Mintzer said, calling for Martinez to resign and for the council to formally express its disapproval of the mayor’s actions through a censure vote. Mintzer said many intend to continue to advocate for Martinez to step down during future council meetings.

“It’s easy to call out antisemitism when it’s from the other camp, but it takes real courage to call out antisemitism from your own end of the political aisle,” Mintzer said.

The petition and email campaign come after Martinez used his LinkedIn account to reshare posts that claimed the Dec. 14 mass shooting during a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach was a “false flag” perpetrated by Israel with the intent to “manufacture fear and hate.”

The posts also claim Israel has a pattern of orchestrating so-called false flag attacks, asserted “the root cause of antisemitism is the behaviour of Israel and Israelis,” and claimed that public Hanukkah celebrations have become a “political tool” for “performative assertions of dominance.”

The petition is only the latest sign of political backlash for the Richmond mayor. Elected officials like State Sen. Scott Wiener and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell lambasted Martinez and his social media activity on their own accounts shortly after the Jewish Community Relations Council shared an open letter calling for the mayor to resign.

Richmond Councilmember Jamelia Brown also said Martinez should resign and Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda said he supports censuring the mayor. Councilmembers Sue Wilson, Doria Robinson and Claudia Jimenez similarly condemned Martinez’s posts, but fell short of calling for either his resignation or censure.

Martinez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday but shared a statement to his social media accounts over the weekend apologizing for the posts and committing to righting wrongs.

Martinez claims the posts were shared without fully understanding them. He plans to personally reflect on his actions and to meet directly with community members harmed by the posts so he can “listen, learn, and understand their perspectives firsthand.”

“I deeply regret my actions and am committed to doing better,” Martinez said. “I am committed to earning back trust through my actions and continuing to serve Richmond with humility, accountability, and respect for all who call this city home.”

Mintzer said a sincere apology would include identifying specifically why what Martinez said was harmful and outline specific actions he plans to take to remedy the situation.

“We believe the apology of Mayor Martinez is not enough because it lacks sincerity and does nothing to make the Jewish community feel safe,” Mintzer said.

Martinez has been a staunch advocate for Palestinians for years. An initiative led by his office made Richmond one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to pass a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack led by the state designated terrorist organization Hamas against Israel.

About 1,200 Israelis were killed that day and another 250 people taken hostage. Israel’s military response has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to PBS News which cited Gaza’s Health Ministry — the figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Both sides have been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Seven months after the first resolution, the City Council also passed a new policy drafted by Martinez’s office that prohibited investments into companies that support Israel’s military operation or actions in the West Bank, among other controversial industries.

Martinez, a self-professed pacifist, has also regularly used his LinkedIn account to share updates of the Israel-Hamas war and criticism about Israel and its army, the Israel Defense Forces. He also received some pushback in recent months following a speech he made at the People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit where he likened himself to Hamas.

Critiquing Israel, even harshly, and advocating for Palestinians is not in and of itself antisemitic, Mintzer said, but legitimizing harm against Jewish people, asserting they’re behind their own harm and spreading other conspiracies is, he added. Some of Martinez’s posts and his speech add to a pattern of antisemitism that disqualifies him for holding public office, Mintzer argued.

“There needs to be corrective steps and at minimum that means a censure,” Mintzer said. “The JCRC continues to believe that the best solution is for him to resign.”