Socialist-led California city’s clash over Israel and antisemitism offers glimpse into the left’s future
A California city Long the center of progressive politics, this region now appears to be a test of how the American left navigates issues of Israel and antisemitism.
In Richmond, Calif., run by Democratic, socialist-leaning Mayor Eduardo Martinez, debates about housing, crime and other local issues were quickly drowned out by debates about Israel’s war in Gaza. Hamas’ October 7 attacks. The controversy spread to the Bay Area, and Jewish leaders and residents said Martinez had crossed the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Stephen London, a Richmond Jew, said he had little interest in local politics before Oct. 7. However, when the city became the first in the country to pass a ceasefire decision following the attacks, he began to follow city politics closely and questioned why the city leadership was focusing on a war thousands of kilometers away.
“Whatever your policy is on the Middle East, what does this have to do with Richmond?” London said Fox News Digital.
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People record video of Richmond Deputy Mayor Eduardo Martinez speaking at a news conference at a homeless camp on Rydin Road in Richmond, California, September 15, 2022.
(Getty Images)
London said his family lives in Israel and he has visited the country several times, including volunteering at the kibbutz, but he has not been there in decades.
The resolution, adopted in October 2023, declares the city’s solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and accuses Israel of waging a “campaign of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.” page on the city’s website It appears to have since been deleted.
The decision became a flashpoint for Jews living in Richmond, like London, and Jewish leaders in the Bay Area; most of them argued that the resolution was aimed at legitimizing Hamas’ offensive rather than criticizing Israeli policies.
“We can understand a period of a year or more [later] About how policy criticisms of the Israeli government may make people want to speak out. But while Richmond’s Jewish residents suffered the worst attack, it was actually just glorifying Hamas and demonizing the Jewish state. about the jewish people since the Holocaust ended on October 7,” said Tyler “Tye” Gregory, Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Bay Area CEO.
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In August 2025, Martinez attended the Palestinian People’s Conference in Detroit. A hat that says “DD TT IDF” Abbreviation for “death, death to the IDF”. The mayor also spoke at the conference, comparing himself to Palestinians, saying that he understood the Palestinians’ struggle because he was bullied as a child.
“If Palestine were a schoolyard, I would be Palestinian, and that part of me, the part that couldn’t take the abuse anymore, would be Hamas.” Martinez said.
A “Free Palestine” sticker was placed on a telephone pole outside a bus stop in Richmond, California.
While the conference intensified criticism of Martinez, his actions after the Hanukkah attack at Bondi Beach, Australia, were the tipping point for many Bay Area Jewish leaders.
“He made a lot of outrageous accusations and shared a lot of conspiracies online,” Gregory told Fox News Digital. “But the Bondi Beach moment was so horrific. It was such a pain for all of us to see that the last straw was for the leader of a major city in the East Bay to accuse us while we were grieving.”
After Martinez shared posts on LinkedIn that JCRC Bay Area deemed offensive about the Bondi Beach massacre, the organization called on the mayor to resign. The posts included conspiracy theories about the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia in December 2025.
One of the posts read: “Greetings to all the victims of Israel’s false flag attack. The hero who disarmed the attacker was a Syrian-born Muslim man. This does not help the narrative that Israel is trying so hard to push.” The same article accused Israel of “trying to create fear and hatred.” In another post, it was stated that “The main reason for anti-Semitism is Israel and the behavior of Israelis” and the title “They know. We know. Everyone knows…” was used.
Richmond resident Stephen London said he became interested in local politics after the city’s resolution condemning Israel.
JCRC said: He said the rhetoric in the posts was “dangerously anti-Semitic, deeply offensive, and completely unacceptable — especially coming from a sitting mayor.” The organization added that the posts, along with Martinez’s past behavior, reflect “a consistent and deeply disturbing disregard for the safety and dignity of the Jewish people.”
J, Northern California Jewish NewsA publication that took screenshots of the offensive posts reported that Martinez later publicly removed his LinkedIn page. As of this writing, it appears that it is not possible to find the mayor of Richmond on LinkedIn.
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The mayor later He apologized on FacebookHe expressed regret and said he “did not fully read and understand” the posts.
“I failed to fully read and understand the meaning behind what I reposted and inadvertently spread content that was factual, conspiratorial, and portrayed Judaism in a negative light,” Martinez wrote.
“As Mayor, I have a responsibility to represent all of Richmond and bring people together. I failed in this situation,” he added. “I deeply regret my actions and am determined to do better. This will mean serious personal reflection and meeting directly with members of the communities I have harmed, listening, learning, and understanding their perspectives firsthand. This is necessary, and I take it seriously.”
Richmond, California, became the first California city to pass a resolution supporting the Palestinian people. The Richmond City Council also accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing.”
Reactions to his apology were mixed. While some commenters on the post said the mayor was standing on the right side of history by opposing Israel, others argued that the apology was not strong enough. Critics commenting on the apology post noted that the mayor falsely claimed ignorance and did not actually apologize for “amplifying anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”
As the controversy unfolded, Martinez was preparing for his re-election bid. Martinez is both aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), a powerful coalition that has had influence over politics in the city for years.
Instead of endorsing Martinez ahead of the June 2026 primary, RPA announced in February that it would support Council Member Claudia Jimenez.
“We support mayoral candidate Claudia Jimenez because she is the best leader to move the city of Richmond forward. Claudia has demonstrated her skills in managing city finances, advocating for immigrant rights, and spearheading the Chevron settlement fund,” RPA said. he wrote on Facebook.
Tyler (Tye) Gregory is an LGBTQ+ and Jewish community leader from California. He serves as CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews.
Despite what the coalition stated in its endorsement announcement, some have suggested the group may have made the decision as a way to distance itself from Martinez after the Bondi Beach posts.
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According to Gregory, the controversy surrounding Martinez was not just about the mayor’s comments, but also about how Bay Area Jewish leaders chose to respond to debates about Israel that have become more commonplace in local politics.
“I think the Jewish community has to fight its own battle. Most of the time we can’t stop people from DSA from being elected. The question is, what are you going to do when they are elected?” Gregory said.
Gregory warned that the Jewish community must strike a balance between “being really careful not to cry wolf” and keeping the public’s attention on the issue. He said the community needs to work with officials as they do the things they were elected to do, like fill potholes, improve public safety or deal with other day-to-day issues.
Anti-Israel activists hold signs reading “Globalize the Intifada” during a protest commemorating Nakba Day on May 15, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York
“Where they’re doing these things appropriately, like another mayor or another elected official, I think we need to work with them. And where they’re crossing the line, where they’re demonizing the Jewish community, that’s where we need to step in and get involved,” he said.
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The questions raised in Richmond about Israel and antisemitism have also arisen in other progressive strongholds as the issues become increasingly prominent in local politics. That was the case in new yorkWhere Mayor Zohran Mamdani was criticized for his attitude towards Israel. Mamdani was widely panned during his campaign for his refusal to condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada”, which many interpreted as a call for violence against Jews.
Despite his objections to Martinez, London expressed his belief that Richmond was in better shape than the Big Apple.
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“I think Jews are organizing. You know, we realize that if we don’t stand up for ourselves, we’re going to be in big trouble,” London said. “I look at what’s going on in New York and think, ‘Wow, things could have been so much worse. There’s no Mamdani here.'”
Neither Martinez nor RPA immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Original article source: Socialist-led California city’s clash over Israel and antisemitism offers a glimpse into the left’s future
