No Real Answers, No Solid Plan — But Still at the Table: Talking with Councilmember Soheila Bana

Council Member Soheila Bana sits down with host Vanessa for the long-awaited Episode 6. The conversation Episode 4 set up after Dr. Jamelia Brown named her as one of the two colleagues who showed up with integrity. Soheila shares her journey from Iran to Richmond, how she came into politics. Why she believes the city's real failure isn't a lack of promises — it's a lack of proof. 

We also dig into her focus on fire safety and public safety, and the process every council member has to go through that residents rarely see. 

No real answers. No solid plan. Still at the table. This is Richmond, California 

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Yes. Welcome back to the Social Abuse Podcast. I am your host, Vanessa Calloway. In episode four, Dr. Jamila said something that stayed with a lot of you. You all have emailed me, you've texted me, and she said when it comes to who she trusts on the council, who actually shows up for her, there are only two names. One of them is sitting with me today. Council member Sohelia Bonna has been serving Richmond through some turbulent times. And she's still there. She hasn't walked away. There's been homelessness crisis with no clean answers. And a political body, as we know, not everyone is playing for the same team, unfortunately. Today she joins us on social abuse because this work is personal, it's political. And sometimes the abuse is hiding right inside of systems that are supposed to protect us. You all welcome So helia Bana, Richmond City Council. Thank you so much for saying yes. How are you today? I really appreciate that. And I want to say hello to everyone. And so for our listeners, um, council member Bana, can you share who you are? I think a lot of time your constituency, you, oh, she's on a council, it's government, it's politics. But who is Soheila Bana? Okay.

Speaker 2 1:33

I am an immigrant from Iran. I came here in 1985 because I couldn't get into school in my own country, into higher education because of political reasons. Um, I went to school here. Uh started from zero, uh, went to community college, transferred to UC Berkeley, continued until I got my PhD. My husband was a political prisoner in Iran for six years. Long story short, he escaped through mountains, risked his life, eventually landed here. We have two children that are grown up now. Um, and I'm retired. My husband's retired, so I do community advocacy, and my husband is still um involved in politics of the Middle East and Iran.

Speaker 2:25

Okay, so when you say you came here, you came to Richmond or you came to the United States when you first came over with. Oh, I see.

Speaker 2 2:34

So my sister uh was a and still is a resident of Santa Clara County. That's where I landed. I had to spend a semester in Ohio. I lived in uh Finley for a semester, went to Finley College and went to West Valley College in Saratoga, then transferred to UC Berkeley. Honestly, wanted to buy a house around there. You know, once you come to this area, East Bay, you fall in love, but it was very expensive. So we came further and further until we found Richmond affordable and we landed here.

Speaker 3:07

Okay. Wow, I never knew your story. I never knew. I think I knew you were married, um, but I didn't know what you just shared um regarding your husband being um prisoner of war, was it that you said?

Speaker 2 3:25

Uh no, he was a prisoner of uh conscience. He was a political prisoner. A political prisoner. So I shared my story actually with um uh uh Radio Free Richmond. Don Gosney asked everyone to share their story instead of talking about politics, which I had already talked so many times on my website and other places. I decided to introduce myself and uh I'm sorry. No, you're fine. I'll just keep going. I'm so sorry. It's okay. So I wrote about myself, about uh my husband. There is a video clip too. Okay. Uh yeah, I I can share the link with you so I can share it with your viewers.

Speaker 4:07

Yes, I'll make for sure I put that in there. And so, what made you run for city council in Richmond, California?

Speaker 2 4:16

So I've always been um an advocate, uh, an organizer, community organizer, you know, and community advocacy uh has always been on the side of whatever I did. Uh I was mostly involved in human rights after what I witnessed in Iran and my husband being a political prisoner, being sentenced to death and everything. So um then I shifted my attention into local issues and I realized we live in a wildfire area, but there are no provisions, nobody pays attention, there's no government um measures or I got a sense that nobody cares or sees the issue. So I started organizing the community, got attention, established a nonprofit, had the first um uh open house at the fire station, and people asked me to run for the city council, and I did. So you're presenting district four.

Speaker 5:14

Okay, and that's I was gonna so I know you're in El Sobrante area. I didn't know the district though, so thank you for District 4. So those of you that are listening, um, district four is El Sobrante, which is adjacent to Richmond, California. Um, and that's where I'm sorry, correction.

Speaker 2 5:31

El Sobrante is Richmond partly. Okay. A part of Richmond is in El Sobrante Valley. The whole area is referred to as El Sobrante. A portion of it is unincorporated, mostly San Pablo Dam Road itself, but the residential areas around it are mostly City of Richmond and they're connected. And I also represent Fairmede Hilltop and Hilltop Village, which is south of Hilltop Mall, between Contra Costa College and Hilltop Mall.

Speaker 6:00

Okay, thank you for that. I keep telling y'all, you keep watching, you keep listening, you're gonna learn some things about Richmond and the surrounding areas. And so I remember when I first met you, um, it was you and a young late, uh, another lady, I can't remember her name, and it was about the wildfires. And so the conversation was good, and I remember not knowing that you were running, and I didn't know until I invited you all to the homeless task force meeting. And so at first I felt some kind of way. I was like, why they didn't lead with she's running, you know, but everyone has their reason for everything. And then there was, so I'm an observer, so I don't know, I know you don't know much about me, born and raised here in Richmond, California, um, to a teenage mom. And um Richmond has just loved on me in so many different components. So the Richmond that we see now isn't the Richmond that I grew up in, but it's because of who I am now, if that makes sense. So the advocacy, the speaking up for those who are less fortunate, the loving on my neighbors and things, because that's what I saw growing up, right? My neighbors could correct me, my neighbors could tell me to get in the house and could not spank me. Some of them could. But so there were just, it was more homey. It was more, there was a tetherness of the heart that resided in Richmond. And it could be for two reasons that I saw it the way that I did, because I was a kid and didn't understand the political, because now that I'm older, there's always been political issues here in Richmond, right? Um, but there was just, I was just like, I don't know this, this, this lady. That's how I used to think about you, right? Like, I don't I don't know her. I didn't have a bad feeling about you, but it was who is she? Where did she come from? And of course, you know better than any of us, you only get a glimpse of who you all are coming to a city council meeting, right? Because there's issues that you all vote on, and there may be some issues that you may not want to vote on, but you know it may be best for the community or whatever the case, and how you choose to vote on different things. And so I still didn't know who you were. I didn't begin to really grasp your heart for community until I start talking to your constituents. Um, someone that I cherish and that has mentored me for a long time, she speaks so highly of you. Thank you. And I respect her opinion and her judgment. And then she shared, and others have shared how I shared with Jason, how when they email you, you respond. When they call, you answer. Um, and I know for some that may be listening, that may seem like a small feat, but it's huge when you have community members that feel like no one's listening, when you have community members that feel like, well, I gave them my vote, but I'm being ignored, or everything else is more important than me. And one of the things that she said that you shared with her is that not only did you return her call and email, you went into the neighborhood and talked to the neighbor where the issue was to try to bring some resolution. And you don't hear and see that often. And so for her, for me, I say thank you because my pleasure and my duty. Because that means a lot, because everyone doesn't see it as their duty. You know, a lot of times we see um political candidates, they run for office and they share what I call false promises a lot of the time, and then you don't see them in the community anymore. I can say I see you in a community. Um, you don't always see me, but I see you. Um, I enjoy seeing you engaging on the El Sobrante stroll each year and different things of that nature. And so I have a question. Um, when you hear the word social abuse, what comes to mind?

Speaker 2 10:23

Well, first of all, let me start by saying that your mom has been a successful teenage mom. Yes. Looking at you. Thank you. Congratulate her for me. I will. I will. And I come from a place of having had no voice, so I really would love to help all the people who help voiceless. Nobody should be voiceless, especially when I'm at the council. I should be the voice of the people that I'm representing and even beyond. So I'm doing my best. And um another thing about who I am, I was talking to a person um and I was introducing myself as a person of color, and he said, but you are white. No, I'm not. You know, my my color maybe, my lived experience is not. That's not how I've been treated. Uh, from my accent, my origin, the judgments I receive. I am a woman of color, and um, I I have experienced some social abuse, you know. In a way, everybody experiences in their own way. Um, it it may be different, but the fact is that we need to work towards that equity that we all um are entitled to and receive that place of respect and reserved rights. So most of my life I've been a human rights activist and advocate, and that's very important to uh work to preserve and protect everybody's rights. So we have individual rights, we have natural rights, social rights, and they all should be protected and nobody should abuse them. And especially at the council, I'm doing my best um to uh shed light on those who are doing this to honor them and acknowledge it and do my share, for example. Like um recently we had a resolution uh to ban the caste discrimination. It originates from India, but Indians here may practice it against themselves. So anything I can do, I'll be more than happy. Can you explain what that is? So there are different castes in India, and if you're at the lower caste, you're discriminating. And that's C-A-S-T or C-A-S-K? C-A-S-T-E. And um it's it's like a class system that's very rigid. Okay. You'll never leave your caste.

Speaker 12:58

Okay.

Speaker 2 12:58

That that's how you know they're treated, unfortunately. And when they emigrate here, the their last name shows which caste they come from, or they know you know each other or the jobs they had, and uh the discrimination continues at workplace, they don't get promotions and everything, and that should be banned. Okay.

Speaker 13:17

Thank you for that, and thank you for educating the listeners. And so, as you know, I had a contract with the city of Richmond. Um, and you know, there were some things that transpired, but we met again, we were like reintroduced, and I call it you all field trip when you all you had returned back from Texas. Yep, you came to Castro, and you were excited and you were ready to roll up your sleeves and you wanted to put into action what you had witnessed in Texas, and I had some pushback. Um, and I still have the pushback. I think the idea is great. However, when it comes to, do you remember what I shared with you that day? Not okay, because I know you've talked to so one of the issues, and I remember saying this to you, you all have to build the trust of the your constituents, right? And I specifically said it wasn't just you per se or the current council, but just in general, how rich men, the lack of trust that we have for local government in a lot of cases because of things as social abuse and the miss the I'm gonna just say the social abuse piece of it, of it. Just I'm gonna put it in that big box, okay? And so Texas have a different demographic than we have. And so Richmond has this not in my backyard type of syndrome, right? And I know it's not isolated to us in Richmond, and I see it on two different two different sides. So you have those that I feel are a little selfish and they complain about the unhoused and they complain that they're on the streets and this, that, any other, but not in my backyard, right? But then you have the other residents who are a little empathetic towards the unhoused. However, is the city gonna do what they're supposed to do in holding whoever gets the contract accountable, right? And so that's been some of the conversation, even with the tiny homes that's taking place, that's underway by GRIP. It's not that it's not a great idea, but the concern is who's holding who accountable?

Speaker 2 15:42

That that's a very good question. I remember at the time that you mentioned the contractor, you had complaints about them that they were not doing the best job. I remember that. Yeah, vividly. So um that that's a very good question. So I think one of the things that we need to pay attention to with regards to whatever project we do, it's a metric for measuring performance. I don't think we have that, especially when it comes to homelessness. The city talks about having to spend eight and a half million here, three million there, but the outcome, first of all, the amount of time it takes to get there, and then the outcome, how do we measure it? And I've been trying to push for that. And often I'm told instead of appreciating what you're doing, you keep questioning us, you know. Well, that's my job at the city council. I do appreciate the work being done. But we do need a measuring stick for everything, every project. How much success? How is the performance measured? When it comes to homelessness, uh, state of California has to spend billions. We will spend millions. Unfortunately, I don't know how much improvement we've had. You know, you can look around, you can see the camps move around. I don't know. People come to city council and complain, the problem is they're still there. The city says we have housed people. There is no way to measure success at this point. And um, I pushed for it at some point. Um I thought I was getting somewhere, but I didn't.

Speaker 17:26

Okay.

Speaker 2 17:26

So if you have any advice and if your viewers have any advice, please reach out to me. I would appreciate uh your ideas.

Speaker 17:34

Um, and I thank you for saying that. Um, in a few episodes prior, it was discussed because I think a lot of times, well, I know a lot of times the constituents think you're not doing what I want you to do, and not understanding that it takes four votes for something to pass, right? And so I'm urging people to let their voice be heard, to come to council, not just to fuss and to argue, but to learn, um, to understand a little bit. And so part of this podcast is for people to get the context and understand the language and so they can ask the right questions. And so you said there's not a measuring, a metric for the accountability right now. What do you think it would take to get that in place? Because from my experience, it's so needed because I love rich men, I love the work, but I had to walk away from it because of many factors. Um, and so, but it hurts my heart that even those that took my place after I left, the neglect of communication with landlords and different things. Like I six months after I was gone, I was still getting phone calls from landlords saying, Where's my rent? Wow. And I'm saying, you know, I'm not there anymore, but you always paid the rent. And I said, I know. So I would have to redirect them because I'm a firm believer that it takes everyone at the table, regardless of your political party, regardless if you're for the unhoused, or if we're gonna really resolve it, we all have to come to the table because there's not one cookie cut way, right? And so the first question is what do you think needs to be put in place to orchestrate an accountability metric? It's not just accountability.

Speaker 2 19:30

Let me tell you. For example, I give you a project, okay, you may have full accountability, but how do we measure the success? It may be that it's not in the right direction. Are we doing the right things? I don't know. Are there different things we can do to reduce homelessness? You see what I'm saying? I think we need to look at the picture holistically, come up with different solutions. For example, my idea is we need to have a navigation center for the homeless, a place they could spend their days if it's too hot or too cold, wash their clothes, keep their medications in the fridge, you know. The basic services, we don't have that in the city of Richmond. SOS helps with showers and stuff like that. That that's not enough.

Speaker 20:17

It's not sustainable, right?

Speaker 2 20:18

It's not sustainable. And um also, for example, what I saw in Texas, there there was a village. Uh, I don't think that we can replicate it here, but also there was San Antonio with the navigation center and all the nonprofits and government services around them. And I think that's something we can do. I already identified um property.

Speaker 20:42

Oh, really? We need to talk about because even when working at Castro, I shared with Jesus. Uh-huh. This is just a tip of the iceberg, right? And so I tried to do the framework of doing it on a small scale with the navigation center of the hotels. So I have like a framework of what I feel would be more conducive opposed to the merry-go-round that we're seeing in the city where they're housed for a certain amount of time and then they're back out on the streets and there's no um real support. And so the accountability that I feel is necessary is checks and balances, right? And so there has to be a partnership with the city and the organization that has the contract. So the end goal, of course, that's the overall success. But however, those milestones in between, right? And the checking in, like I know for a fact that there are organizations that have said they do case management, but it's only on paper. They're not actually going and really checking and working with the people, um, even when it comes to some of the navigation um organizations. Um, and it's beyond just city, it's county. Exactly. That's what I was gonna say.

Speaker 2 22:01

Most of the homeless services, core services, come from the county.

Speaker 22:06

And so even with that being, I forgot, I'm a little out of outside the camera. Um, even with that being said, there are um so the county, the city, and they work together to a degree, right? Yep, they work together to a degree, but then there's still this divide. There's still this divide, and we know East County and Central County get a little bit more support than West County, and they have more representation countywide. However, the accountability is they knew because some of and you know, people talk, so it's on the streets, like, well, the city ain't gonna do nothing because the city isn't doing anything, because no one is saying, well, you're not doing this, so we're gonna pull your contract, right? It's well showing up, and people look like they're getting better, but they're not, and so and so it leads to also the question of the housing first method. What are your thoughts on housing first? Um, you know, it derived from New York, um, and it's something that a lot of our grants tend to have that that clause in there, but how do you feel about that method?

Speaker 2 23:20

Honestly, I don't have. I think the idea is very humane, and we should, you know, everybody should be housed despite their issues, you know. First, let's house them, and then they can deal with addiction and other issues. But again, we don't have, at least I don't have, there may be data. I don't have any data for success of the program. So I don't know how it was done nationally, how it was done in California, or how it was done in the city of Richmond, to be honest with you.

Speaker 23:49

Okay, so aside from the success of it, do you feel just, and not even as a city council member, but just as Sohelia? Did I say your name right? Soheila. Soheila, thank you. Um, do you feel that someone that doesn't get wraparound services can truly become productive in the community after being unhoused just with giving them a roof over their head?

Speaker 2 24:18

Depends on how long they've been on house. They've been on house for six months or a year, maybe, but one thing I learned in Texas was that once they are on house for a long time, the level of trauma, most of them become on-house because of the trauma. They cannot deal with it, you know, um, they lose their houses economically affected or they turn into drugs or whatever. But once they live on the streets for a while, then the draw trauma deepens um so much that it's not easy to address. So they really do need those services.

Speaker 24:57

And that was part, that was one of my fights with ERF 2, right? So it's like, well, no, we're following, take them from encampment, put them in a navigation center, and then offer services, full wraparound services, and so and random drug tests. And the drug test didn't mean you're dismissed from the program, it just gave us a measure of who needed what help, because everyone doesn't need the same help. We had some people from Castro that had been unhoused for 30 years, living on a street for 30 years. And when I first got there, I had some county people, because you know, that's who was going out there saying he's never gonna accept help. But I'm a firm believer of building relationship. No, he wasn't gonna initially take the help because, as you just mentioned, the trauma, the layers of trauma, not just from being unhoused, but he was a veteran. Right? So it was layers on top of layers. So it took me showing up at 7:30 in the morning with some McDonald's coffee and just sitting down in front of his camper, getting to know who he actually was. Because there was even a fight. He didn't want his legal name on no documents. And so there was a constant, and so there's things behind a scene that some people will never see, right? But me being there because of the love and the passion for the work. And now he's been housed for three years. Oh wow. Right? He's been housed and he's had some struggles, but he's doing okay, right? Because we were only able to provide a portion of the program, but we were able to find another program in Berkeley that supports veterans, that's their specialty, it's not ours. And so, and that's why I say everyone has to come to the table because there are some things that I have and that I feel I may be an expert on, and there's things that you know, and so, but we have to talk in order to know those things. Um but the the merry-go-round of let's just put them somewhere, I believe we have to stop that, and we have to revisit how we execute housing first. Because I believe there's a way to do it, but the barrier rescue mission does it. It's sober living, right? And so, and I feel with the money that's being spent at Motel 6, I feel like there needs to be, because it could be a great opportunity for people to turn their lives around. But if there aren't measures in place, if the right people aren't there, not just, hey, I'm here for my weekly check-in, but no, how are you? What are your struggles? Right? Did you relapse this week? How can I support that? And laying everything at the table, because sometimes they're grown, but they don't always know all the resources that's available to them. And they may say, I know core can do this, and I know, but sometimes it's just sitting and listening. And then when they give you space to talk, to say, yeah, but just because we put you in um in a program, it doesn't have to be out inpatient, it can be outpatient. And when I began to share some of that, it was like, oh, I didn't know that that was an option. But because of just trying to check a box sometimes and get things done, and it's a number, it's a dollar sign opposed to it's a human being. I see a lot of that in the work that I do, and unfortunately in the city that I love. And I just feel like we got to do a better job with the accountability and execution of housing first. So, can I ask how much you're involved with the homelessness now? I'm still out there. Um, way to love is probably gonna dissolve because we don't have any funding or anything like that, but I still go out, I still um provide meals, I still provide scars and hand warmers, and so I'm still talking with them and um because one thing I know is what I'm called to do. And before there was a way to love, because way to love is only five years old. I've been doing the work for over 30 years. So I'm 51. I started serving the unhouse community at 19. Um, and so it's just what I do. So I keep blankets and hygiene. I got toothbrushes and toothpaste in my trunk now. So when I see them, it's not just here you go, it's talking. How are you? It's being able to provide them. Have you called 211? And so that's the other thing that I learned. I learned so much in having the contract. I was heartbroken at the end, but there are things that I learned that can never be taken from me in that sense. Um, and one of the things, and we can go back to county, no one tells us as a contractor, let alone those that they're serving, if you don't call or stay in contact with core every 30 days, you have to start the process all over again. Wow. That was so disheartening. And let me tell you why, because we had people that were a part of the program and we were doing our monthly stand um stand on your feet get together. Core would be there, the people would be there, and so you see that they're here, you're engaging, and it's like, no, that don't count. They actually have to call. So we're gonna ask, we're gonna add an extra step, and you know that they're here, or you took them to so it's those kind of things, and that's where social abuse comes in at, right? There it's like you're you're mishandling your power and you're making their life harder than what it actually has to be. You're adding an extra step. Um, and even when it comes to the accountability with county, it's not always there. And I think they have some great people working with Miss Michelle, but that's the higher up. When you come to those that are actually working the street, there's no checks and balances. So then I became the bad person. Vanessa don't want us to help the people, right? And it's no, I do want you to help the people, but you're contracted to first serve the people that's here at the navigation center. That's what your contract says, not for you to be at the barrier rescue mission. So because I was where they were supposed to be and they weren't, there's this TIFF that comes about. And I respect everyone that I work with, but I feel like from city level, that's where council can probably help with what's going on now with contracts, like letting people know there have to be if we want things to be done excellent, we say we're the city of pride and purpose, but the actions don't follow that. What's your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2 32:16

Well, um, what you said is very thought-provoking. Um, I'll I'll be thinking about it. I'm gonna talk to Councilmember Jamila Brown uh to see what can be done about it. Uh, you bring up some good points. Um it's gonna take a lot of time and probably an ad hoc to look into how things work. You know, the city as a whole is an administration, like an organization, and has a manager. We're not allowed to poke into it and like ask established. Really? No. Can you say more to that? I'm just learning so repeat that for the listeners. So I used to do it, and then the city manager told me that I don't have the right to, and I respect that. She's right, she's managing an organization. We are managing the city manager. So we have every right, the seven council members, including the mayor, to ask the city manager questions, give directions and policy as a whole, as a city council.

Speaker 33:21

Okay.

Speaker 2 33:22

I, as a council member, do not have the power to ask the city manager to do something. It has to be to come from the entire council, right? And then I cannot go to our subordinates and ask them to do something. I have to go through the council, through the city manager. That's the proper channel and way of doing things. I cannot uh direct them to do things, it has to come from, you know, an agenda item. So it has to be moved by the whole council.

Speaker 33:56

And you need four votes.

Speaker 2 33:57

For example, I wanted to look into wildfire safety. We made an ad hoc. Now I want to look into what the city does for earthquake preparedness. Uh, talking about the homeless and everything, I'll in my community uh it gets very hot. I'm sure here it's a little cooler, you're closer to the water. Yes. So there are elderly people without any cooling system in their homes. And I said, where can they go? The city said, ask the county. And the county said, yeah, they can go to the same homeless shelter uh that has air conditioning. Well, people don't feel comfortable going there, right? So we do need those cooling centers, community resiliency centers. Long story short, I had to ask the um mayor for an ad hoc committee. He verbally approved it. Then at the last meeting, the city manager told me it has to be written in an agenda item, officially passed. So I hope it comes at the next city council meeting, that we can have an ad hoc committee on earthquake uh preparedness for the city, so we can go and talk, for example, to the Office of Emergency Services and ask them what do you have in place?

Speaker 35:16

Can you, for the listeners, everyone may not know what ad hoc means? Can you explain?

Speaker 2 35:21

Uh ad hoc is a temporary committee. So we decide to form something that lasts for two months or maximum a year or 18 months. Okay. It comes on, it's not a standing committee. Okay, it's not a permanent committee.

Speaker 35:36

So I know fire safety is your passion. Public safety.

Speaker 2 35:42

Public safety. Public safety includes traffic safety, gun violence, you know, homelessness, uh, wildfire, earthquake, everything related to public safety, because public safety doesn't know any politics. Whether you're on the right or on the left or at the center of the politics, you care about public safety, right? Right. So we need to do a better job. Our city has a refinery, you know, pipelines under the city with gas, has hazardous material. We are sitting on top of Hayward Fault. We have wildfire area, you name it. Richmond has it, unfortunately. Are we prepared for that?

Speaker 36:20

No, we're not, unfortunately, and that can be scary. And so I know public safety, but fire has been attached to you, right? Fire safety.

Speaker 2 36:32

I started with wildfire because I live in a wildfire area and nobody has done anything. When I started, we were not prepared at all. I mean, public works didn't know anything about it. Uh, fire department knew something, but now the I mean, since I started the West Counter Casa Fire Safe Council, we've had three evacuation drills. And the city is getting more papered, the public are getting more aware. Congratulations. Thank you. We have um also, it's not just wildfire, it's also fire. So we have um open houses at fire stations. Okay. We had uh two at fire station 63, we had one at fire station 668 next year. I don't know where it's gonna be. The fire chief decides.

Speaker 37:16

Okay.

Speaker 2 37:17

Also, traffic safety is important. Anything related to public safety.

Speaker 37:21

Okay. So we're gonna come to a close in a moment, but as it stands with Richmond and homelessness right now, um, what is what would be your ideal goal, just say in the next three years for the unhoused population in Richmond?

Speaker 2 37:45

With regards to the homeless, what they do often, they go to the places that are most vegetated, so they're not visible. When I was in Texas, I learned that. You know, usually people think they may be scared of homeless people, or there are learned the homeless are scared of regular people because they abuse them, unfortunately, sometimes. So, what they do, they tend to go to remote places that are not visible and camp there, and all those vegetations usually are in wildfire areas, may cause fires. So, one of the things I've already done was to work with the county to make sure, and they have a protocol now, the city and the county. If they're encampments in wildfire areas, they have to be removed quickly. Why? Because they may start a fire because of the location, the fire engines cannot get to them easily, their lives are in danger, and the area around them are in danger, wildfire area. So that's one thing I've done already. But for the rest of the area, we are um I've been working for the past year and a half with some community volunteers, a couple of architects, and a philanthropist to come up with a model of tiny homes for El Sobrante, a sort of village. We'll see how it goes. I'll continue working on that. But in terms of addressing the homelessness, I'll be focusing on having a navigation center for the homeless. I think that's very important because uh in addition to providing services to them, it's something that they need, you know. Many of them need medications, but they cannot, you know, keep their medications. So services like refrigerator and dishwasher, sorry, washer, laundry services and stuff like that. We need to have account of them, how we service them, and you know, to sort of um have data, statistics about them. That will be helpful. It's a long-range thing. I don't expect to accomplish it within three years, honestly, within three or four years, but I hope I can plant the seed. Okay talking to my council members, and um, I hope, you know, despite differences and um different flavors of politics in the city of Richmond, as I said, public safety is something that we can all collaborate and cooperate, and I really do not appreciate all the political polarization in the city of Richmond. Uh, so much negativity. I hope we can pass beyond that and work together, especially on the issue of homelessness.

Speaker 40:39

Okay. And so do you see us having any more shelters? So, as you know, and I'm well, maybe you don't know, our shelters have been at 110 capacity for the last three years, right?

Speaker 2 40:54

Yeah, Bay Area Rescue Mission recently reached out to us and asked, you know, for permission, uh, from a permit from the city to build more.

Speaker 41:04

I see that they're doing work and it's amazing. Yeah, I haven't seen that kind of work done since they expanded the women part.

Speaker 2 41:11

And so I've been helping them, but I don't know how else we can do it. The city administration, as you see, the city manager says their hands are full, and but we do need more. I agree.

Speaker 41:25

I hope the county can come to help us. That was gonna be my question. When it comes to the county and the city working together, is that something that the city manager has to take on, or who's responsible for the checks and balances and the collaboration between the city and the council?

Speaker 2 41:45

Well, the regular administrative things, they work together already, but in terms of collaboration and new ideas, uh, Gayle McLaughlin and myself from the city used to meet with John Gioia to find a place for the homeless where they can either park their cars or have a tent or have a build the warehouse things quickly to house them, something. But we didn't get anywhere. Every property we showed to John that was the county's, it was contaminated. So, and that has liability for the county. We couldn't use it. So if we try to work something with the county, unfortunately, we didn't get anywhere. But in the future, I hope we can come up with solutions.

Speaker 42:36

Okay, okay. I thank you so much for taking time. I have some other things, but I like where we are right now. Um, I thank you for taking the time to come and talk with me, educating um our listeners. And I forgot to congratulate you on your recent win um in June. Um Miss Bonner, Mrs. Bonner won um district four.

Speaker 2 43:01

So congratulations. I appreciate that. Thank you for the opportunity. And I just want to tell your viewers, your voice at times is stronger than mine. Residents, when they come to the council and talk, we listen. Every city council member listens. So please use that opportunity. Your comments are very important. Stay in touch with your representatives.

Speaker 43:25

And so, to that, before I say what I my last thing, because this was a little confusing to me when I start attending council meetings on a regular basis. The people give their two minute comment and there's no response, right? What would you recommend for a person that's coming to that mic? They're sharing their concerns. Um, they give their two minutes and they go back to their seat. What should they do after that? Because sometimes there's it just Stops there. And I mean, I encourage people because I know it becomes public record, but beyond public record into action, what do you recommend?

Speaker 2 44:11

If there are specific issues, if you come and complain something about your Street, for example, either the city manager takes your contact info before you leave. When they are from my district, I always go to them, get their contact. Sometimes they're not from my district, but for example, it's about trash abatement. You know, that that's important. You know, encampment around their house and residence. I want the city to have an ordinance. That's another thing I'm working on. Okay. So it's wildfire is um requires read abatement and the city ordinance for read abatement, trash abatement, the nuisance abound, they're all the same. I'm working on that ordinance to have teeth. Right now, if you complain about your neighbor, you know, having trash in their vacant lot or grown weed, there's nothing the city can do quickly. They can appeal the process. It's gonna take eight months or so until it has to be fast. If there are rats living in that trash, you know, it needs to be addressed. Absolutely. There was a church who reached out to me, and you know, there were homeless, and the city had to post a sign for a month. It just takes too, it shouldn't be like that. That's one thing I'm working on to expedite it. Sorry, I got sidetracked. No, you're good. So if you come to the council, there's an issue directly related to you, not the social or major, you know, political issue, then we get your contact information and we try to address it immediately. If it's an issue that needs the attention, you know, uh, of your representative or the city council to address it politically or with an agenda item, you know, follow-ups help, bringing other people helps, and yeah. Okay. You you plant the seed in their minds that there is an issue that needs their attention and needs to be worked on. Okay. Thank you.

Speaker 46:11

So I appreciate your transparency, and I know you have to be careful with certain things and certain issues because of the seat that you hold. Um, I do want to ask, as a public servant, how do you take care of you in them after them long days, the long council meetings? Um, because it's grueling. I want you to go back and listen to Dr. Jamila's episode, it's episode four. Um, and she was very transparent on the things that transpire behind the council um chambers. Were you welcomed when you first got here? Did you have an ally? Were you supported?

Speaker 3 46:56

The city council.

Speaker 46:57

Uh-huh.

Speaker 2 46:57

No.

Speaker 46:58

Okay.

Speaker 2 46:58

I still don't. You still don't. And the city manager knows I'm in minority, never takes my um agenda seriously. Okay.

Speaker 47:06

And so, and that's what we talk about. Like, that's a form of social abuse, right? And you have to work through that.

Speaker 2 47:13

But I didn't give in. I'm glad to say I've successfully brought an agenda items with every single council member. So when I got there, you know, nobody needed me because they had their own coalitions, right? My vote wasn't needed, and it's usually, you know, we work together. I support you, so they didn't need me. But I worked hard, I was patient, and perseverance gets you there. So I I I believe I've gained the respect of most, if not all, of my fellow council members, and I'm working with them. Okay, with all of them. Uh, I had um Jamila and Cesar in the wildfire ad hoc, and I have Claudia and Jamila in the earthquake ad hoc. So we'll be working together. Oh, good, good.

Speaker 48:10

Maybe in working in those smaller settings, um, some resolve can come in certain areas. I'll just say that.

Speaker 2 48:17

Oh, I'm sure. Definitely, yes. So we have to do it. Maybe we have to work together.

Speaker 48:22

We do have to work together.

Speaker 2 48:23

I have a good partner, actually. My husband's name is Rizza. He often reminds me I have to take care of myself. I'm grateful to him. And yeah, he takes care of me and then uh reminds me I have to take care of myself. I do that, and my children remind me. I work hard because you know what when you've been through trauma in the past, the best way to address trauma is to help other people with their trauma. So serving people helps with your past trauma.

Speaker 48:54

It does, but I also feel like doing the work to get past certain traumas, because I feel like some traumas are open wounds, some have a scab on it, and it's okay, I can push past and I can help someone, right? And so, um, do you believe in therapy and things of that nature to help with that trauma?

Speaker 2 49:14

Uh does it mean that I'm going to therapy now? No.

Speaker 49:18

No, no, just overall.

Speaker 2 49:20

Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. But but yeah, I do take rest. We take uh trips together with my husband, and we're planning to drive up to Canada and Alaska this summer for a month to be away from everything.

Speaker 49:35

Oh, wonderful, wonderful. So thank you again, council member Bana. Thank you for your courage, the clarity, and for showing up in the space today. Um, as we know that you work hard and you have different seats at the table with different people. Um, I thank you for not giving up. Um again, I was side-eyeing you at first. I wasn't sure about you. Um, but I'm happy that to know that you are for the people. I'm happy to have learned a little bit more about you and your story. Um, and I think I want to get your husband on here, talk a little bit more about the political prisoner piece. Um I think that would be something to know. Um, but to our listeners, this is what community care looks like in practice. Coming to the table, having the conversations, having the hard conversations sometimes, right? When she got she was like, what are we talking about?

Speaker 2 50:32

Right.

Speaker 50:33

Um, it's not always glamorous, right? It but it costs something. Public servants, it costs something. And it starts with people who refuse to look away. So, as you heard from Council Member Bana, not everything was easy when she came in, but she didn't give up. She persevered. And so you've been listening to the social abuse podcast. Ask the right questions, get involved in your community, and remember the light has to be shed in order for it to be diminished. Until next time, I'm your host, Vanessa A. Calloway, and this has been social abuse. Thank you.

Speaker 2 51:15

Thank you so much.