VALLEJO – Three candidates are running to represent District 1 on the Vallejo City Council: Alameda County District Attorney’s investigator Carl Bonner, nonprofit executive Alex Matias, and retired human resources director Brenda Plechaty.

Incumbent Councilmember Rozzana Verder-Aliga has served two terms and is ineligible to run again. District 1 represents the northeast area of Vallejo, which includes the Hiddenbrooke and Northgate neighborhoods.

With three candidates running, the candidate with the most votes will win the election, regardless of whether they have a majority. Ballots were mailed to all voters this week and must be postmarked by Nov. 5. Or voters can vote in person on Nov. 5, Election Day.

How we reported this story: We solicited questions from our audience and attended community forums to find out what questions mattered most to Vallejo voters. We then interviewed each of the candidates to learn more about their positions and what they plan to do in office. You can find out more about how we cover elections on our FAQ.

Carl Bonner

Carl Bonner, a lieutenant investigator for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, says he will bring 39 years of experience with Bay Area law enforcement agencies to the Vallejo City Council. He said he has the leadership skills and experience to move the city in the right direction in terms of public safety.

Bonner began his law enforcement career as an Oakland police officer in 1985. He then worked as an officer for the University of California Police Department and went on to serve as a San Francisco police officer for 24 years. 

In San Francisco, Bonner worked as a narcotics officer for nearly two decades, half of that time in close coordination with the Drug Enforcement Agency. He spent the last five years as a homicide investigator before going to work for the Alameda County DA, where he oversees 75 investigators who support prosecutions in Alameda County.  

Bonner said he was born in Vallejo and he has lived in the city most his life. In recent years, he said he has grown more and more concerned about public safety in Vallejo.

“When you look at the actual crime stats – particularly violent crimes in Vallejo, as well as property crimes – if you look at the latest stats, we're up in everything.” Bonner said. ”We're probably one of the most dangerous small cities in America.”

Vallejo Police Department statistics show that overall crime has been up in recent years, but violent crime has been down this year and last.

Bonner said that the appearance of lawlessness is also a problem. “Everybody who wants to engage in criminal acts, they hear through social media, through news platforms that Vallejo is undermanned, and it's like an invitation to come here and act up,” he said.

Bonner said that the relationship between the police and the community is one of the issues that will have to be addressed to improve conditions in Vallejo. 

“If you don't have your public safety and your relationship with your local police department under control, it affects everything else,” he said. “It affects your perception, from others, businesses, schools, every element that makes the quality of life in your city tolerable and vibrant.”

The police oversight commission and the work of the California Department of Justice are moving the department in the right direction, Bonner said. But to continue on the right path he said he would encourage the department to implement elements of community policing that the New York City police department used successfully to address gang activity and to improve relationships with the city’s youth.

When discussing how to address homelessness in Vallejo, Bonner said that even though a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has allowed cities more leeway in clearing encampments, “You still have a responsibility to those individuals to get them housed or get them help.”

“We just can't just kick them down the curb, just because the Supreme Court says that you have the ability to move them out,” he said. “Well, move them where?”   

To attract more businesses to Vallejo, Bonner said that he would advocate for a citywide beautification campaign. “When you look at Vallejo, all the abandoned businesses, the  storefronts, the blight. Vallejo does not even look the part,” he said. “Why would I bring my business here?”

“I believe in Vallejo,” Bonner said. “But I think to get out of this funk that we're in is going to take the right group leadership to get us back on track to deal with this thing that's killing us the most, which is public safety.”

• Fundraising: Bonner has raised $3,425 as of mid-September. Most of his donations have come from law enforcement colleagues.

Alex Matias

Alex Matias is vice president of operations and engagement at Children Now, an organization that works to create equitable outcomes for children. He said he wants to use his nonprofit leadership experience to turn Vallejo into a place where there are opportunities for young families to build careers and buy homes, so multigenerational family bonds contribute to a strong community.

“I would describe my role not just as a leader who oversees six or seven teams, but more specifically as a problem solver and as a consensus builder,” Matias said of his nonprofit work. “I've been able to build up a unique skill set, ranging from operations to financial management to compliance and risk management.” 

Matias has been involved in the city for years, having served on the Vallejo Code Enforcement Appeals Board and the Economic Vitality Commission, where he was elected chair. 

He ran for City Council four years ago but lost to Rozanna Verder-Aliga. Matias said that one topic came up often while he was knocking on doors in 2020 and stuck with him.

“There were so many conversations I had about families who raised their kids here in Vallejo, but then saw their kids go live in another community because Vallejo wasn't doing its part to keep them here by investing in them,” Matias said.

Matias said that residents are concerned about speeding and sideshows, but city spending is not matching up with residents’ priorities Traffic calming systems that provide sideshow deterrents and reduce speed are not adequate to address Vallejo’s needs, he said.

“If we create the conditions for a safer Vallejo, where we're addressing police staffing, we're addressing pedestrian accidents, we're addressing sideshows and the City generally feels safer, then the development of more housing becomes attractive, residents will feel more compelled to support their local businesses and to start their own businesses,” he said. “They'll be more compelled to spend more time attending community events.”

Matias wants to look at some of the tools that other cities have used to attract police officers such as offering retention bonuses, paying for child care, or providing housing stipends.

But considering the competition with municipalities across the state, he said it may take time to build the staff back up to adequate numbers. In the meantime, he feels that the department’s reform efforts will ultimately benefit recruitment.

Matias said that in his work for nonprofits he has become familiar with finding ways to make an impact despite resource constraints. One area that he believes his skills will be beneficial is in securing more grant funding to improve services.

He pointed to a state retail theft grant that Vallejo was disqualified for over an error in the project budget. Matias said that he wants to find ways to support the city in securing grants to supplement projects like Vallejo’s 9-year comprehensive road repair plan that the city is considering issuing $120 million in bonds to fund.

“I think the bond measure allows us to do more and faster,” he said. “In hindsight, I'm not sure I would have advocated for that approach, but I can understand the rationale, given the current level of our roads across the city.”

Matias said that he would support tenant protections for renters so families and individuals are not unfairly evicted or pushed to homelessness over a temporary financial setback. But he said that his overarching goal would be to encourage development by allowing for denser construction.

He said that he would also support an inclusionary housing ordinance that would require developers to produce a certain percentage of affordable units or pay into a fund for affordable housing. But he added that it would have to allow developers to turn a reasonable profit so there is motivation to build.

“We also need to talk about home affordability, and what role does the local government, and regional partners play in helping to promote home ownership,” Matias said. “I want more folks to own homes if they want to.”

• Fundraising: As of late September, Matias had raised $17,485. His only donation of $1,000 or more came from Rebekah Truemper.
• Endorsements: Matias is endorsed by state Sen. Bill Dodd, Solano County Supervisors Wanda Williams and Erin Hannigan, Solano County Supervisor-elect Cassandra James, Vallejo City Councilmembers Mina Loera-Diaz, Rozzana Verder Aliga, Diosdado “JR” Matulac and Peter Bregenzer, Benicia Mayor Steve Young, the Solano County Democratic Party, the Sierra Club and the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce. 

Brenda Plechaty

Brenda Plechaty serves on Vallejo’s Marina Advisory Board and Civil Service commission and is the founder of a traumatic brain injury caregivers support group. Before she retired, she was human resources director for a global interior design firm. 

Plechaty said she would like to use the skills she gained from her professional roles to address the staffing crisis at the Police Department and among all city employees. 

She said that two key skills that she developed in her career are problem solving and negotiation. She feels that her experience will be valuable in setting salaries and supporting the city in casting a wider net in the search for qualified personnel.  

“I've always had to work with people and come to solutions that everyone can live with,” she said. “And I've always had an open door so that anyone could come in and talk with me and tell me what their issues were.” 

She said the top issue residents discuss with her is public safety, and she feels that there is a similar sentiment across the city. 

“No one feels safe shopping here. Almost everybody I talk to says, ‘Nope, I go to Fairfield, or I go to Benicia or American Canyon,’ she said. “So, I think working with the Police Department is just vital, supporting them, getting things moving forward. And we have to rebuild the trust, because the citizens don't feel the trust is there, but they want it there."

Plechaty said that she wants to examine whether Vallejo officers are getting paid fairly and whether their benefits are adequate. 

“We need to look at everything, at bonuses and retention and making sure that we are promoting and supporting our public safety,” Plechaty said. “They need to know that we are behind them. Yes, we have a lot of history. We can't forget it, but we have to move forward from it, and with that we would be able to have open communication and continue that communication with everyone.”

Plechaty suggested restarting neighborhood watch groups and said that Vallejo could consider volunteer community ambassadors to create a sense of safety and service at events. “We just have to find ways to get the people back supporting [law enforcement], instead of saying that everything they do is wrong,” she said.

To revitalize downtown, Plechaty said that she would work to find ways to address code violations or safety issues that prevent empty buildings from being used by new businesses. 

Plechaty said she sees ways to improve coordination between the city and nonprofit groups. She said that she would seek ways to match the strengths of each organization so they compliment each other and allow for a more holistic range of services.

Volunteering is underutilized by the city in Plechaty’s view; she said she wants to create a city that is open to accepting the contributions of seniors and other active residents. She said that there are a lot of smart people in Vallejo who would be willing to support the staff in hunting down funding opportunities and writing grants. 

“I'm a big proponent of getting the people back involved, to start to raise us back up.” Plechaty said. “I really think it's going to take the people outside of City Hall helping to drive that line until we can staff the City Hall up to a level that they can do it themselves.”

Plechaty said that many jurisdictions as well as the state have put a lot of money toward addressing homelessness but nothing has really worked. Ultimately she said that creating more housing is the answer to homelessness but in the meantime she said she would support a sanctioned encampment model. 

Plechaty said that Vallejo is not quite ready to attract developers for housing and other projects. 

“I don't think we're going to get anything until we get till we get rid of the reputation of being a lawless town,” she said. “Until we do that, it's going to be very hard to get anyone to want to do anything here.”

• Fundraising: Pechaty has raised $7,127 as of late September. She reported no contributions of $1,000 or more.