Emeryville council appoints Sam Gould to planning commission after contested debate

The Emeryville City Council voted 4–1 on March 4 to appoint Sam Gould to the Planning Commission for a term beginning April 24, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.

Gould, a two-year resident with a history of civic involvement, told the council he served on the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and had campaigned for council previously. "I deeply love Emeryville and believe in the path it is set for itself going forward," Gould said in his opening remarks, urging the council that he would help carry out the general plan and housing element goals and focus on housing and transportation implementation.

Why it matters: The Planning Commission makes findings and recommendations that affect land use, design review and permit approvals — areas central to Emeryville’s efforts to add housing and implement active-transportation projects. Gould told the council he supports preserving and expanding affordable housing and applying objective standards to speed project outcomes.

Council deliberations: Council member Welch moved to appoint Gould, praising his familiarity with the general plan, the housing element and local transportation work. Council member Preyforce opposed the appointment and read a lengthy set of public social-media comments and emails criticizing Gould’s prior online behavior, arguing the city should not appoint someone with that background and urging greater ethics oversight.

The roll call vote was recorded as: Preyforce — Nay; Solomon — Aye; Welch — Aye; Vice Mayor Carr — Aye; Mayor Mora — Aye. Motion carried 4–1.

Gould’s background and positions: In his interview before the council, Gould said he helped the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee develop objective design standards and worked with advocacy groups on upzoning and state housing streamlining (he referenced SB 35 in his remarks). He pointed to the Christie site affordable-housing project and its use of Measure C bond funds and SB 35 streamlining as examples of the local and statewide mix of tools that can produce affordable units.

No public commenters addressed the planning appointment during the public-comment period that followed the interview; the council moved to deliberation and acted the same evening.

What the council recorded: The appointment was formalized by motion and roll call vote; the council’s clerk recorded the motion as carried and Santiago? (clerk) filed the updated roster. The vacancy filled one seat; the term dates were announced on the record.

Implementation: The planning commission appointment becomes effective April 24, 2025. Staff will update commission rosters and notify commission staff.

Provenance (transcript evidence): The council’s interview and vote appear on the record during the March 4 meeting between the applicant’s interview at approximately 27–33 minutes into the posted transcript and the roll call on the appointment about an hour later.