Mayor and City Councilmembers:
This is the weekly report for the week ending February 14th, 2014.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18th beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM.
- City Offices Closed in Observance of President’s Day
The City Offices will be closed on Monday, February 17th in observance of President’s Day.
- Employment & Training Receives $770,000 Grant to Train Long-term Unemployed and Veterans
Employment & Training staff learned this past week of a grant award from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) in the amount of $770,000 to help retrain long-term unemployed and recently discharged veterans (separated from service within the last 48 months).
As reported in the State’s press release: “The Bay Area continues to see large layoffs, and laid-off workers have had an increasingly difficult time re-entering the workforce with their current job skills,” said EDD Chief Deputy Director Sharon Hilliard. “This grant will provide needed job training assistance for these individuals to help them quickly return to work in high demand occupations.”
The training assistance being provided by this grant will be geared toward re-employment in key industries employing the following high demand occupations:
- Building trades: construction laborers; carpenters, electricians, construction, and building inspectors.
- Health-related professions: medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, medical records and health information technicians, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics.
- Information technology: computer support specialists, electrical and electronics engineering technicians, and other computer occupations.
- Warehousing/transportation/logistics: freight stock and material movers and laborers, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, light truck or delivery services drivers, and industrial truck and tractor operators.
Funding for the program is drawn from the Governor’s 25 percent portion of Dislocated Worker Funds from Title I of the federal Workforce Investment Act and is under the administrative authority of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s EDD.
Richmond residents interested in participating in this new grant program should visit the RichmondWORKS One Stop Center, 330 25th Street, or call (510) 307-8014.
Securing this grant opportunity involved support and cooperation from the City Manager, Heather Kulp, Brian Garber, Jeff Hartwig, & Brian Harbinger from Chevron, Chuck Carpenter, and Armando Viramontes from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The grant was written by Steve Schultz from the Glen Price Group.
- Recognized Partnership Highlight: LIFT-Levántate Health Hub
This past Tuesday, February 11th, City of Richmond Recognized Partner LIFT-Levántate hosted their first Health Hub at the Nevin Community Center. The Health Hub was transformed into a ‘health party’ that served 71 adults and 45 children. Activities included dancing, fresh smoothie making, and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables, handed out by Richmond’s very own dedicated veterans.
Last year, LIFT-Levántate applied for a Kaiser Strategic HEAL grant specific to launching a Health Hub for the Nevin Community Center, and at the end of 2013, they were informed that they were a grant recipient. A community Health Hub is a culturally responsive community-based whole health solution. On a base level, each Health Hub is a year-long, weekly food distribution site. Working with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, participants pick their food items at a “farmers market” style food pantry. In addition, participants have the opportunity to engage in free health activities and wellness education around obesity. Some of those activities include diabetes screenings, prevention, and education, physical activities such as zumba and yoga, nutrition activities such as ‘Rethink Your Drink’, taste test cooking demonstrations, CAL-Fresh sign-ups, and more. The Health Hub also provides meaningful leadership opportunities for Veterans who receive stipends for their participation.
The goals of the Health Hub include:
- Improving nutrition habits by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables and reducing the consumption of sugary drinks and processed foods;
- Improving fitness levels by increasing engagement in physical activities;
- Reducing chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes by increasing access to free screenings and preventative education resources.
LIFT-Levántate will continue their free Richmond Community Health Hub at the Nevin Community Center on Tuesdays from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. All ages are welcome to receive a bag of various produce and participate in occasional cooking workshops to learn new recipes for the produce. Additionally, medical professionals will be available to check blood pressure, screen for diabetes and answer health related questions.
Children from the after-school program participate in dancing
Children from the after-school program participate in making smoothies
 
Local Veteran hands out potatoes & LIFT staff hand out apples
- UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Annual Community Leaders Breakfast
This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks’ Annual Community Leaders Breakfast. This is the 5th annual of these events, but it is the first for this UC Berkeley chancellor who continues the tradition started by former Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.
The breakfast featured remarks from the Chancellor and highlighted achievements in campus-community partnerships. In his remarks, Chancellor Dirks specifically referenced his rewarding visit to Richmond High School to stress that college is an attainable goal for these students, and talked about the exciting prospects for development of the Richmond Bay Campus. In addition, the breakfast meeting highlighted the Y-Plan program at Richmond High School, an initiative of UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities and Schools, as one of its successful campus-community partnerships. The meeting featured two Richmond High School students describing their experience in Y-Plan.
This was an enjoyable visit to the Cal campus, and reinforced for me the growing, positive relationship between UC Berkeley and the Richmond community.
- LBNL Connects with Washington Elementary School
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab staff reported that more than 270 children and parents from Washington Elementary School in Richmond recently enjoyed an evening of science activities provided by 22 Berkeley Lab volunteers. Participants peered into microscopes, explored bubbles with straws and strings, and investigated the mysterious properties of oobleck, a mixture of cornstarch and water. The event was supported by Workforce Development & Education’s Berkeley Lab In School Settings (BLISS) program in collaboration with Washington’s Parent and Teacher Association, and is part of the Lab’s ongoing outreach in Richmond. Those who volunteered for the event are pictured below.
I have listed below some of the topics for meetings that I have recently attended in the hope that it provides an idea of the varied issues with which our organization deals routinely.
Activities and meeting topics during the past week have included:
- Met with the Mayor, Councilmembers Boozé and Myrick, and Housing Authority Director Tim Jones to discuss possible ways to improve public housing tenant outreach;
- Met with Finance Department staff to discuss the status of the City’s operating budget;
- Met with the founder of the Caliber Charter School, which will be opening in Richmond;
- Discussed with Finance staff the potential use of Industrial Development Bonds for an economic development project;
- Attended the 5th annual UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Leaders Breakfast (see item 5, above);
- Participated in an all-day strategic planning session with the City’s department managers;
- Attended the monthly meeting of Contra Costa County city managers;
- Met separately with City staff members and with Chevron staff to review the status of the EIR for the Chevron modernization project.
These meetings were in addition to attending the regular management staff meeting, agenda planning, reviewing staff reports to the City Council, doing department head “check-ins,” having discussions on various personnel matters, and having short discussions with staff, community members, members of the press, etc.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the substance of these or any other topics.
- Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project Update
The Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project involves the construction of a roadway underpass on Marina Bay Parkway between Meeker Avenue and Regatta Boulevard, and is intended to resolve long-standing access limitations to the Marina Bay area caused by frequent train crossings. In early September 2013, Marina Bay Parkway was closed to traffic. This closure will remain in place for approximately 18 months.
During the week of February 10th, placements of drilled tie-backs continued but were slightly delayed due to wet weather. The pump station discharge structure was completed, and restoration work at the Department of Public Health campus areas disturbed by utility relocation work continued. Also, additional signage to assist with wayfinding to Marina Bay area businesses was installed.
As noted in last week’s report, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has notified the City that repair work for lines damaged during drilling operations on January 13th required an electrical outage scheduled for 12:15 AM to 7:00 AM (today) Friday, February 14th. According to PG&E, the affected customers were approximately 13 commercial accounts in the vicinity of the Harbor Gate shopping center, near the intersection of Meeker and Marina Bay Parkway. PG&E sent written notices directly to affected customers. The outage was scheduled for nighttime hours to limit impacts on the businesses. Community members can expect streetlights and traffic signals in the area to be out of operation during these types of events.
For additional information and to be added to the project update contact list, please see the project website at www.moodyup.com. You can also follow the project on twitter: @moodyunderpass, or contact the project’s public outreach coordinator Jacqueline Majors at (925) 949-6196.
- State Interagency Working Group Releases Report On Oil Refinery Safety
Following the August 2012 explosion at Chevron’s Richmond Oil Refinery, Governor Brown convened a 13-agency Working Group to examine ways to improve public and worker safety.
After more than 18 months of working with communities, workers and industry leaders, the state’s Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety (Working Group) announced this week that it has released its final report outlining recommendations to improve public and worker safety at and near the state’s oil refineries. They reported that a task force has already begun overseeing implementation of many recommendations and will continue meeting regularly to ensure the report’s goals are met. This Interagency Refinery Task Force, established in August 2013, is overseeing progress on the Working Group’s recommendations, and will meet bimonthly to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.
According to the final report, new refinery inspectors have been hired to ensure that facilities are complying with health and safety laws, and a new reporting system has been established to help improve oversight and ultimately provide more information to the public. The report also indicates that the Governor’s proposed budget for next year will further increase resources for refinery safety and enforcement.
The report details recommendations to improve emergency response and preparedness, to require inherently safer systems to prevent hazardous events and to improve community awareness and emergency alerts.
Specific recommendations from the report include:
- Coordinating regulatory activities to avoid duplication and increase effectiveness;
- Establishing clear criteria for unified response during emergencies and aligning radio communications between industry firefighters and local first responders;
- Improving information and data flows from refineries to the public and state and local agencies;
- Requiring refineries to implement inherently safer systems to prevent emergencies and better protect workers and neighboring communities;
- Strengthening enforcement capacity to ensure adequate oversight of refineries;
- Assessing operational safety and organizational structures at refineries to reduce human factors such as lack of training, insufficient experience or fatigue that can cause hazards;
- Providing greater community access to air quality monitoring information in and around refineries.
The final report, “Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries,” emphasizes the importance of providing more information to allow communities to better understand safety issues at local refineries. Additionally, the report places a greater emphasis on the importance of inherently safer system design and recommends a clearer hierarchy of safer operations to guide California’s regulatory approach.
The report is the product of an 18-month effort by multiple state agencies, including the Air Resources Board; the California Environmental Protection Agency; the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; the California Technology Agency; the Department of Finance; the Department of Public Health; the Department of Industrial Relations; the Department of Toxic Substances Control; the Division of Occupational Safety and Health; the Labor and Workforce Development Agency; the Office of the State Fire Marshal; and the State Water Resources Control Board.
View the report: Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries
Visit the web page: Interagency Refinery Task Force
- City Now Paying Vendors by Electronic Funds Transfer
This week, the Accounts Payable Division began offering vendors the option of being paid by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Vendors who provide their banking information to the City will no longer receive checks, but will have deposits automatically made to their accounts as payment of their invoices. This will result in more efficient and faster payment of invoices, as well as lower costs in payment processing. As part of the implementation process, outreach efforts were made to contact each vendor currently appearing in the City’s database. Going forward, as new vendors work for the City, they are offered the opportunity to participate in this program. Businesses who wish to receive payments in this manner should contact the Accounts Payable Division of the Finance Department by email at: Accounts_Payable@ci.richmond.ca.us to receive the necessary forms.
- Let’s Get Covered! Affordable Care Act (ACA) Enrollment Event at the City of Richmond Council Chambers
In Richmond, we have over 20,000 uninsured people, many of whom could not previously afford coverage or were denied it due to a preexisting condition. We are working to change this statistic.
Open Enrollment for Covered California & expanded Medi-Cal are open through March 31, 2014. To begin your enrollment, please call the Covered California's telephone help line at 1-800-300-1506 or visit the Covered California website at https://www.coveredca.com/. Interpreters in multiple languages are provided on the telephone help line.
Do you know someone that needs health care coverage? Many families in Richmond now qualify to receive free or low-cost health care. Take the first steps to get covered. Come to the “Let’s Get Covered!” event to learn more about ACA (Obamacare) and for an opportunity to enroll in health care coverage. At the last event we were able to serve 71 residents. The next event will take place on Saturday, February 22nd from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Richmond City Council Chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza (1st Floor). Open enrollment ends March 31, 2014.
LEASE BRING PROOF OF THE FOLLOWING FOR ENROLLMENT:
IDENTITY: Photo ID, driver’s license, or U.S. passport for each adult applying
CA ADDRESS: Any piece of postmarked mail sent to you
INCOME: Last 30 days of paystubs, 2012 income tax fillings, and Social Security cards of everyone applying
CITIZENSHIP OR IMMIGRATION STATUS: Birth certificate, permanent resident card, certificate of naturalization, or certificate of citizenship for each person applying
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW – for Each Family Member:
- Number of people enrolling (whole or partial family)
- Birth Dates
- Social Security numbers
- Home Zip code
Call first Giovany Hernandez, SEIU-UHW, AT (510) 869-2244 to make sure you’re ready to enroll. To download the fliers go to the City of Richmond Health Initiatives webpage at www.richmondhealth.org.
Please consider these other Affordable Care Act resources for Richmond and Contra Costa County residents:
 
- Richmond Art Center Winter Exhibitions
Three new exhibitions currently at the Richmond Art Center feature the work of a diverse group of emerging and established Bay Area artists.
- The Language of Realism features the work of four West Coast realist painters -- Michael Beck, Christine Hanlon, Anthony Holdsworth and John Rampley and is curated by Richmond artist John Wehrle (through February 28th).
- "Unlock the Talk: The American Teenager Project in Richmond" features 100 black and white photographs and in-depth audio interviews of Richmond youth taken by 20 teen photojournalists (through March 7th).
- The 18th Annual "The Art of Living Black" is the only non-juried exhibition in the Bay Area to feature 50 regional artists of African descent (through February 28th).
Visit the Richmond Art Center at 2540 Barrett Avenue, 510-620-6772. More information can be found at: http://www.therac.org.
- 2014 Historic Preservation Awards
The City of Richmond and the Richmond Historic Preservation Commission invites nominations for the 2014 Richmond Historic Preservation Awards. The purpose of the Historic Preservation Awards program is to increase public awareness of Richmond’s heritage by recognizing individuals, organizations, businesses, and agencies whose contributions demonstrate outstanding commitment to excellence in historic preservation, local history or promotion of the heritage of the City.
The Awards will be presented in May, National Preservation Month. In addition to public and private buildings and structures, historic preservation projects may include media, publications, presentations and exhibits, parks, burial grounds, public art, oral history, theater productions, events and video presentations.
Below is a list of last year's award winners:
- Orton Development, Inc. & Marcy Wong, Architect for Rehabilitating the Oil House for the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center
- The National Park Service & Signature Communications for the film "Home Front Heroes"
- Susan Imboden & the East Bay Regional Park District for the Alvarado Park Oral History Project
- Donna Powers for Establishing the Rosie the Riveter Memorial
- Andre Thierry for Preserving Creole Traditions and Music in Richmond
- Lois Boyle for Years of Service Preserving Richmond's History
- Nancy Strauch & Bruce Burbaker for Restoring Access to Boat Ramp Street
Eligibility: Any individual, group, organization or agency involved in historic preservation or promoting Richmond’s heritage is eligible to receive a Richmond Historic Preservation Award. The preservation project or activity (or a substantial portion of a large-scale multiple activity project) must have been completed no later than December 31, 2013.
Nomination Form: You may nominate an eligible preservation project or activity by submitting a completed 2014 Historic Preservation Awards Nomination Form to the Richmond Planning and Building Services Department. Additional details about eligibility, evaluation criteria used, and submittal requirements are found in the nomination form which can be downloaded at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/preservationaward.
Nominations are due by 5:00 PM on March 28, 2014. Feel free to call Hector Rojas, Senior Planner, at (510) 620-6662 with any questions you may have.
Black History Celebration
The Recreation Department, in collaboration with the Commission on Aging, hosted the annual City-wide Black History Celebration on Saturday, February 8th from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium. The celebration included performances from Dee Dee Simon, the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and Djembe West African Drum and Dance. Honorees for the evening included Judge Judy Johnson, R.J. Reed, Dr. Desmond Carson, and the Richmond Police Explorers. The meal was catered by Nika's Catering, and attendance for the evening was estimated at approximately 375 participants.
Nevin Center Fitness
The Nevin Center Fitness room is now open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM. State of the art fitness machines will help you reach all your fitness goals. Use of the equipment is free and on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Richmond Memorial Auditorium
To help further meet the needs and requests of clients, the Auditorium staff have been cleaning and creating an inventory of all rental supplies, amenities, and equipment. During this winter, staff has also reorganized the main basement to make daily usage more efficient.
Facilities Maintenance: Carpenters repaired the roof at Fire Station #66, installed base boards in the Recreation Complex gym, mounted screens over exterior vents of the gym, and repaired doors at Fire Station #64.
Painters completed the hose and apparatus rooms at Fire Station #67 and the Battalion Chief’s area at the Fire Training Center.
Stationary Engineers serviced and repaired the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning unit in Fire Stations #64 and #66, insulated the steam lines in the mechanical room of the Auditorium, and repaired the furnace in the Carpenter Shop.
HVAC Cleaning at Fire Stations
Utility workers cleaned the windows at the BART Station, buffed the lobby of 440 Civic Center Plaza, waxed the floor of the Disabled People’s Recreation Center multipurpose room, and serviced 29 city-owned facilities.
Buffing of 440 Civic Center Plaza Lobby
Electricians installed emergency lights in the Richmond Art Center, conducted safety repairs in Fire Stations #64 and #68, installed a receptacle in the Recreation Complex, and repaired the overhead wire at the Parks Yard.
Emergency Light Installation at the Richmond Art Center
Parks and Landscaping: Crews installed the restroom facility at Booker T. Anderson Community Park, installed fixtures for the skate plaza in Belding Garcia Park, cleaned-up the right-of-way on Huntington, performed maintenance of Melville Square parking lot, prepared for two tree planting projects over the President’s Day weekend, performed storm management, installed signs at Fire Station #68, continued with renovations at the Elm Play Lot, performed general maintenance along Hilltop Drive, planted 16 trees in the Hilltop District, and installed mulch along the Richmond Parkway.
Building Installation at Booker T. Anderson Park
Belding Garcia Park Skate Plaza
Tree Crews trimmed, cut or ground trees on or around South 1st Street, Ohio Avenue, 2nd Street, Maine Avenue, 37th Street, Ripley Avenue, 13th Street, and Santa Clara Street.
Streets Division: Crews completed grinding and paving for a portion of Solano Avenue, addressed base failures on Solano Avenue, and worked from the outstanding pothole and sidewalk list.
Grinding of Solano Avenue
Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the second Monday through Friday in the May Valley, Vista View, Clinton Hill I – IV, and East Richmond neighborhood council areas.
Signs and Lines Crews repaired 20 signs/poles, fabricated 19 new signs, replaced or installed five delineations/messages, and replaced over 622 feet of painted curbs.
Equipment Services Division: Staff repaired 19 Police vehicles, 16 Public Works vehicles, and five Fire Department vehicles for a total of 40 vehicles.
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Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.
Bill Lindsay
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us
    
You can sign up to receive the City Manager’s weekly report and other information from the City of Richmond by visiting: www.ci.richmond.ca.us/list.aspx
Bill Lindsay
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us
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