Brentwood City Council District 4 candidate Holley Bishop-Mello joined the Be Curious Contra Costa podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that covered her background, public safety, economic development, downtown businesses, fire stations, affordable housing and what she says needs to change at Brentwood City Hall.
Bishop-Mello, who was born in Brentwood, described herself first as a mother of three, along with being a farmer and small business owner. She spent approximately 25 years working in human resources before being laid off from a Fortune 200 company and turning her beekeeping hobby into Holley’s Honey.
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Interview Overview:
BRENTWOOD, CA — Brentwood City Council District 4 candidate Holley Bishop-Mello joined the Be Curious Contra Costa podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that covered her background, public safety, economic development, downtown businesses, fire stations, affordable housing and what she says needs to change at Brentwood City Hall.
Bishop-Mello, who was born in Brentwood, described herself first as a mother of three, along with being a farmer and small business owner. She spent approximately 25 years working in human resources before being laid off from a Fortune 200 company and turning her beekeeping hobby into Holley’s Honey.
She previously ran for the District 4 seat in 2022 but said she ultimately chose not to campaign while dealing with the foster care system and the adoption process involving her children. Although her name remained on the ballot, she said she told then-candidate Tony Oerlemans that she would not actively campaign against him.
During the podcast, Bishop-Mello also discussed her past advocacy involving Chromium-6 testing, COVID-era business restrictions and controversial school curriculum issues. She said those experiences — and the criticism she received while speaking publicly — helped prepare her for another council campaign.
Why She’s Running
Bishop-Mello said her primary motivation is preserving Brentwood as a safe, thriving community where families want to remain.
She pointed to neighboring Antioch as an example of how a community can change over time, recalling when Antioch was a regional destination for shopping, entertainment and its downtown. She said she does not want Brentwood to follow a similar path.
“That’s number one, is to ensure that Brentwood remains the place that people want to be,” Bishop-Mello said, arguing her lifelong connection to the community gives her an understanding of the city and its history.
On city management, Bishop-Mello was cautious about criticizing Brentwood’s hiring decisions because she said she was not privy to resumes or closed-session discussions. However, she said she would have preferred a city manager with experience related to agriculture and preserving Brentwood’s identity.
She also called for better treatment of city employees, saying council members need to remain professional and support staff rather than publicly berate them. Bishop-Mello raised concerns about morale and employee turnover at City Hall.
Public Safety and the Fifth Police Beat
Bishop-Mello said Brentwood needs to move faster on implementing its long-discussed fifth police beat.
With her human resources background, she said recruitment needs greater attention and suggested the city examine incentives and other ways to make Brentwood Police more attractive to prospective officers.
She also advocated for more positive interaction between police officers and young people, suggesting programs similar to DARE and additional opportunities for officers to interact with students.
On license plate reader cameras, Bishop-Mello drew a distinction between law enforcement-operated systems and cameras operated by homeowners associations. She said she supports government use of the technology for public safety but expressed concerns about privacy, data access and storage when systems are controlled by HOAs.
She also said Brentwood needs to do more about e-bike and bicycle safety, including considering a policy requiring riders to walk their bikes on downtown sidewalks.
Economic Development and Downtown Brentwood
Economic development emerged as one of Bishop-Mello’s strongest criticisms of the city.
She said Brentwood needs to change the perception that it is difficult to do business in the city, pointing to vacant storefronts, permitting challenges and what she described as an unwelcoming attitude toward some businesses.
Bishop-Mello criticized a “conform or go away” mentality and said the city instead needs to tell prospective businesses: “We want you here. How do we get you here?”
She called for a more streamlined process that gives business owners a clear roadmap explaining permits, business licenses, inspections, county requirements and the appropriate contacts at City Hall. She also suggested the city dedicate more resources to helping businesses identify and navigate grant opportunities.
The discussion also touched on food trucks, alcohol permits and regulations imposed on downtown businesses. Bishop-Mello said she believes Brentwood has overregulated in some areas and cited inconsistencies in how businesses have been treated.
Fire Stations: “Stop Arguing. Let’s Get It Up.”
Bishop-Mello was particularly critical of delays and additional costs associated with Brentwood’s downtown fire station.
She said public safety should have taken priority over arguments involving aesthetics, including brick colors, windows and other design changes.
“Stop arguing. Let’s get it up because I don’t want somebody to lose a life because there’s no response time,” she said.
She also called for moving forward with Fire Station 90, warning that continued delays could result in the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District shifting resources elsewhere.
Bishop-Mello argued Brentwood’s continued growth makes additional fire protection increasingly important and said the city needs a better working relationship with county officials and the fire district.
“You have to have, whether you like an individual or not, you have to have a relationship with the county supervisor,” she said, adding that elected officials have to be capable of having difficult conversations and still working together.
County Administration Building
Bishop-Mello strongly supports Contra Costa County’s proposed administration building in Brentwood.
She said she is “super excited” about the jobs associated with the project and argued the facility could provide broader benefits to county services. Drawing on her experience with the foster care system, she pointed to the need for office space for social workers and said shifting county employees among facilities could ultimately create additional capacity elsewhere.
“The thought of being able to work and live in the same city is beautiful,” she said. “So I am 150% for it.”
Asked how Brentwood’s Planning Commission handled the project, Bishop-Mello responded: “Poorly, very poorly.”
She later said some statements made at the Planning Commission level are presented as factual or legal conclusions but may not hold up when the underlying laws and policies are examined.
City Grants and Transparency
Bishop-Mello also called for changes to Brentwood’s economic development grant process.
Speaking as a small business owner who has attended grant meetings, she described the process as confusing and said it needs greater transparency.
She stopped short of directly accusing individual council members of favoritism, emphasizing that she maintains working relationships with members of the current council. However, she said the grant program should be reevaluated and suggested having a city employee whose full-time responsibility is working with grants.
“We need a more transparent process,” she said.
Traffic and Infrastructure
On traffic, Bishop-Mello said Brentwood too often allows development to occur before transportation infrastructure catches up.
“We’re doing things backwards,” she said, arguing roads and infrastructure should be expanded before additional development creates greater demand.
She specifically discussed congestion near Heritage High School and Adams Middle School and the American Avenue area, saying transportation improvements are also connected to emergency response because of Brentwood’s limited fire station coverage.
Affordable Housing
Bishop-Mello said Brentwood needs to meet its affordable housing requirements rather than risk having the state dictate future development.
She also pushed back against the idea that affordable housing should automatically be viewed as traditional low-income housing.
Instead, Bishop-Mello pointed to young adults who grew up in Brentwood, leave for college and discover they cannot afford to return home. She said housing affordability also affects teachers, public employees, young families and others who work in the community.
“We have to get affordable housing,” Bishop-Mello said, arguing Brentwood needs to meet its required housing targets before the state intervenes.
She said future affordable housing is expected around the Sand Creek area and argued those decisions need to be coordinated with infrastructure, transportation and the city’s Innovation Center planning.
Bringing Brentwood Back Together
Beyond individual policy issues, Bishop-Mello repeatedly returned to the political and social division she believes has developed in Brentwood.
She described an atmosphere where residents, business owners, candidates and even city employees can become targets for speaking publicly or disagreeing with others.
Bishop-Mello said she wants to restore a culture where people can disagree without becoming enemies and pointed to interactions she has witnessed among longtime farmers as an example of the Brentwood she remembers.
“I’m going to bring that back through positivity,” she said, calling for an end to the fighting and attacks on city employees.
Asked why District 4 voters should support her, Bishop-Mello again pointed to being Brentwood-born, her history of community advocacy and her willingness to make herself accessible to residents.
“Nobody’s going to understand Brentwood like somebody Brentwood born,” she said. “I’ve already pretty much been a huge advocate for people. They know that they have a voice through me.”
The full Be Curious Contra Costa conversation ran approximately 75 minutes and also covered her previous campaign, foster care, school curriculum debates, water quality advocacy and the personal attacks she says she has faced while becoming more involved in Brentwood politics.
