January 19, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                               

New Year, New City Council Seated for Martinez

Martinez directly elects first female Mayor, and unanimously appoints the

first Sikh-American to the City Council

MARTINEZ, CA – The Martinez City Council is poised to take on 2023 and beyond with a newly elected Mayor and a historic shift on the City Council.  On December 7, 2022, Mayor Brianne Zorn was sworn in as the City’s first directly-elected female mayor in its 147-year history. Jay Howard, a first-time Councilmember representing the new District 1, and Debbie McKillop, reelected to her third term and representing the new District 4, were also sworn in. The swearing-in of Mayor Zorn left District 3 vacant on the City Council, and Satinder Malhi was unanimously appointed to fill this vacancy after a public interview process conducted at a special City Council meeting on January 11, 2023. Malhi was formally sworn in last night. Mayor Zorn, and Councilmembers Howard, McKillop and Malhi join long-time Councilmember Mark Ross who represents District 2.

Key among the newly-seated City Council’s responsibilities will be to adopt a biennial budget for Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, along with a five-year Capital Improvement Plan. The anticipated budget will encompass the new City Council’s goals, which are expected to be developed at a workshop with City Council and staff on Saturday, February 25 at 9:00 a.m. (location to be determined).

Mayor Zorn expresses optimism as she helps prepare the City Council to chart its next chapter for Martinez. “It is an exciting time for Martinez with so many possibilities ahead. I look forward to working in partnership with my Council colleagues to navigate both challenges and opportunities, including reinvesting in our workforce, helping Martinez grow economically, and improving access to City programs for people of all backgrounds,” says Zorn.

City Council meetings will continue to be held every first and third Wednesday of each month. For information on how to contact members of the City Council, or learn more about them, go to Mayor and City Council | Martinez, CA (cityofmartinez.org) or read their biographies below.

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Learn More about the Mayor and City Council

Before becoming Martinez’s first elected female mayor, Brianne Zorn has represented District 3 on the City Council since November 2020. Before serving on the City Council, Zorn served on the City’s Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission. She is a professional wetland scientist, and her work experience includes botanical garden management, permitting and regulatory support, biological compliance monitoring, evaluation of environmental liability, sediment remediation, and wetland delineation and surveys. She holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Botany, a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a minor in Japanese from the University of Washington. She has worked in the non-profit sector and environmental consulting for 16 years. She is a mother and stepmother of three kids and is proud to call Martinez her home since 2015.

Jay Howard, a carpenter recently elected to represent District 1 on the City Council, is a Senior Superintendent for G Swanson Construction, board member of the NorCal carpenter’s union and a Local Union 152 Executive Committee representative.  Howard grew up on a small ranch in the Alhambra Valley where his grandparents’ raised chickens and his mom, a single parent, boarded horses and raised Jay and his siblings. As a child he spent hours running in the Alhambra Valley hills with his two dogs, where he developed his love of the Martinez open space and hills.  He now lives downtown with his wife and has two grown children.

Mark Ross is the Council’s District 2 representative – serving on the Martinez City Council since 1996. He has also serves as a Board of Director on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) since 2001. He is currently a broker at Ross Company Realtors, which manages real estate investments and conducts real property management. Ross was raised in Martinez and graduated from Alhambra High. He went on to Diablo Valley College, then earned a degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley.

Satinder S. Malhi, appointed to District 3 on the City Council, is the proud son of Sikh immigrant parents, and a lifelong Martinez resident. Before his recent historic appointment to the City Council, Malhi served as the Chair of the City’s Anti-Racism & Discrimination and Pro-Inclusion & Equity Task Force, and a member of the City’s Parks, Recreation, Marina, and Cultural Commission and the Measure D Citizens Oversight Committee.  Malhi is a seasoned government and community relations professional with nearly twenty years of experience in the public sector. He currently works as a Legislative Advocate in the Office of the Chancellor for the California State University, the nation’s largest public four-year university system.  He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Politics/Legal Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, East Bay. 

Debbie McKillop won reelection to District 4 in November 2022 – having first joined the City Council in 2014.  She is a 4th generation Martinez resident and a single mother to twins. With 36 years of forensic science experience, she is currently the Chief of the Forensic Crime Laboratory for the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff where she oversees county-wide forensic services to 24 law enforcement agencies in the county. McKillop has a Master's of Public Administration from Golden Gate University, Bachelor Degree in Chemistry and Environmental Studies from University of California Santa Barbara, and a Certificate in Forensic Science laboratory Management from U.C. Davis.