Click here for an article from The Bond Buyer contrasting the financial state of two similar cities. The article begins:  “Vallejo, Calif., and nearby Richmond are both old industrial towns in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both suffer high jobless rates. Both are working-class towns in a region that is better known for its wealth and high technology industry. And both want to attract outside capital to redevelop their waterfronts. But the similarities end when it comes to how each city has handled it finances as of late.”

For an interesting bit of history, revisit a 2003 E-FORUM, “A Tale of Two Cities”, December 9, 2003, which includes the following: “According to Local 188, Richmond should emulate the City of Vallejo, which ‘… manages to provide quality, professional public services while minimizing administrative funding. The result is an award winning budgeting process, excellent labor/management relations, fully staffed, well equipped police and fire departments and a quality public works department.’”

How times have changed.