Emeryville councilman censured; testy exchange at meeting

EMERYVILLE, Calif. - In a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, Emeryville city councilmembers approved a resolution censuring Councilman Kalimah Priforce, who has been accused of violating various city ethics codes.

Alleged violations include revealing confidential information from closed-door meetings.

Priforce did not take it quietly.

"You're not thinking about the city," he said loudly into a microphone. "You're thinking about yourselves. So I dare you, I dare you to censure and sanction me. And then say to the people of Emeryville that you're thinking about them. "

Several residents, in the public comment period, spoke out against the censure.

Desmond Jeffries, Alameda County DA director of recruit and retention, said outside the meeting that he was there with community members to support Priforce.

"He's been fighting for low income workers, tenant rights and a lot of other great things in Emeryville," Jeffries said. "Basically, this was a smear campaign." 

Jeffries added that "any time you try to censure someone, you're violating their civil liberties, their First Amendment rights, which is freedom of speech which no one can take away." 

Priforce indicated he may sue the city of Emeryville because of the censure.