Congolese Assembly Candidate Supports Slave Labor in Push for EV
Rohnert Park Councilwoman Jackie Elward, a Congolese immigrant, wishes to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles despite enslaving her own people
Rohnert Park Councilwoman Jackie Elward, a Congolese immigrant, is running for CA Assembly District 12 in 2026 to represent Marin & Sonoma Counties.
As a ‘progressive’ leader, Councilwoman Elward continues to advocate for the expedited transition to electric vehicles. While she is fully aware that Congolese citizens are enslaved to mine cobalt & lithium to power the vehicle batteries, she outright refuses to speak up against slave labor.
The D12 Assembly seat has become vacant, as the current Assemblyman, Damon Connolly, is a Candidate for CA State Senate, District 2, 2026. Councilwoman Elward serves as his puppet.
The Council on Foreign Relations expresses grave concerns surrounding cobalt mining practices. This rare element is not only used to power electric vehicles, but computers and cell phones as well. Per the Council, “More than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and 15 to 30 percent of the Congolese cobalt is produced by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). For years, human rights groups have documented severe human rights issues in mining operations. These human rights risks are particularly high in artisanal mines in the DRC, a country weakened by violent ethnic conflict, Ebola, and high levels of corruption. Child labor, fatal accidents, and violent clashes between artisanal miners and security personnel of large mining firms are recurrent.”
On July 26, 2025, I sent Councilwoman Elward the following email. She did not respond.
Subject: Olive Branch
Good Morning Councilmember Elward,
I would have loved to chat with you at yesterday’s Town Hall for Assemblyman Connolly, as you side-eyed me nonstop. The white liberal men you serve as Pinocchio would have been upset if you engaged in a conversation with me, so I chose not to confront you publicly.
My issue with you is not personal. Your own people, in the Congo, are being enslaved to mine cobalt and lithium to power EV. As an Assembly Candidate & Councilmember, you have the opportunity to advocate for a stop to slave labor. If you are willing to be vocal against the negative drawbacks to EV, I will support your campaign. If you’re not willing to do so, I will make that very well known & be a great campaign interference.
God bless you.
Kindest Regards,
Adina Flores
During Councilwoman Elward’s 2024 run for CA State Senate, I shared my feedback regarding her lack of genuine concern for the BIPOC community, and exchanged the following words with her spouse, Mr. Ryan Elward, on Instagram. Shortly after, he removed his comments and disabled my ability to communicate with him.
It was odd to me that Mr. Elward claimed that he and his spouse have been advocates against Congolese slave labor for ‘almost 20 years’. I have never heard them speak to this travesty at any local agency meeting.
During Elward’s 2024 Senate Campaign, she was provided with a Transportation Questionnaire for Bay Area Candidates from the Contra Costa Herald as follows:
Q: Transportation is the largest single source of carbon emissions in California, and in the Bay Area, and the largest share of transportation emissions come from single occupancy vehicles. What are your top priorities to achieve substantial reduction in transportation-related GHG emissions?
A: I support robust investments in public transit, safe sidewalks for pedestrians, and biking infrastructure. New housing should be prioritized near transit and near downtown and commercial corridors. These goals have the effect of reducing vehicle miles traveled and creating more livable communities for all of us to share. I also support accelerating our transition to electric vehicles and investing in the needed EV infrastructure, including at apartment buildings.
Per GrassRoots Institute - 10-10-2023:
In March 2021 the City of Petaluma unanimously passed an ordinance establishing what turned out to be a first in the nation - a prohibition on new fossil fuel (gas) station construction permits. [2] Little did the members of the City Council know at the time that what they had just done would resonate far beyond the city limits of this Sonoma County town. A few months later, Sonoma County’s Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) followed up on Petaluma’s action by recommending that all jurisdictions within the County implement a similar prohibition or moratorium.[3]
Since Petaluma’s ground-breaking action and the RCPA recommendation, other cities have followed suit, including Sebastopol, Cotati, Windsor, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, American Canyon and Calistoga among other jurisdictions, including Sonoma County.[4] Even LA is reportedly considering a similar prohibition.
Mayor Jackie Elward of Rohnert Park, who championed the policy for her city, said: “The need to prohibit new gas stations is so clear. Why would we want more fossil fuel pollution and risk costly clean up of more gas stations when we have enough, and when California won’t even have gas cars for sale by 2035?”
If Councilwoman Elward is not willing to advocate for black people in her own country, she certainly does not care about black people in America. Who does she represent other than the white men carrying her up the political ladder?
