Reports are pouring in of the ChevronTexaco polling of residents throughout Richmond and West Contra Costa County. One reason that ChevronTexaco is sampling the electorate at this particular time is that they are planning a major expansion of the Richmond Refinery next year. With 2004 elections coming up in November, they want to be sure they have a pliable City Council securely ensconced.

Some samples from Richmond follow:

·         I received one of the survey phone calls over the weekend. The skew was obvious, given how the questions were worded. For example, I was asked if the refineries provided sufficient information as to what to do if a release alarm was sounded. No question was asked as to timeliness of the alarms when releases do occur. I had to agree that I know what I am supposed to do when an alarm is sounded, but there was no way to provide feedback on whether alarms were sounded when they should be. Many questions were asked about corruption in City Government, but the only specific questions I remember about recalls were covering council members, and no other departments. I let them know that I feel the council is very large, but that I did not feel any members should be recalled. One question asked if I considered myself a liberal or a conservative. I assume this will be used to show that those upset about releases or the 'neighborliness' of Standard Oil are all a bunch of tree-huggers who have their own environmental agendas. I tried to let them know that Standard Oil's communication with the community is abysmal, that I feel they have no interest in my health and well-being, that they do not contribute their fair share of taxes to the community, and that they do not hire and train workers from within the community. Additionally, I did respond that I feel the best use of Pt. Molate is open space. I was glad to be asked, but fearful of how the results may be used.

·         I just received a call from Western Research last night - and the pollster spoke in such a strong Eastern Indian accent I couldn't understand the first question.  He identified his reason for calling as being a survey about Richmond.  I was willing to actually participate in the survey (which I rarely do by phone), but his inability to speak English clear enough for me to understand made it impossible to continue, and I told him so. It made me think of the recent 60 Minutes show in which customer service, billing etc. of large corporations, including Chevron Texaco, has been farmed out to the Far East where the wages are ridiculously low.  Who knows, the man who called me may well have been calling from Bombay, instead of Richmond!

·        I was polled by phone several days ago. The questions centered on Chevron, Pt. Molate and the City Council. How good a neighbor is Chevron perceived to be? Are residents concerned about emissions? Should Chevron contribute more in taxes to the city? Should Chevron contribute more in support of specific community needs? How should Pt. Molate best be developed? Should the City Council be recalled? How many members should the Council have (5 vs. 9)? Needless to say I gave the pollster my views on these issues …