Once again, this just too weird. See Why BAPAC is Supporting Corky Booze?, September 20, 2014.

I am not sure why anyone really cares why BAPAC is supporting Corky Booze or why Booze and I don’t get along anymore.

One accusation is, however, worth responding to. BAPAC wrote:

For example; Tom Butt stated in his e-forum dated August 8, 2014, that he had negotiated a total of $204 million dollars from Chevron to keep our Police Department fully staffed, pay for streets, parks, libraries, and to help in the settlement of a tax dispute and environmental and community investments. The question is how much of that $204 million will be spent in the African American and minority dominated neighborhoods?

The first $114 million from the Chevron tax settlement is still coming in and continues to go into the General Fund, where it is spread more or less equally around the City, mostly for public safety but also for streets, parks and libraries. Since 83% of the Richmond population qualifies as “minority (http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/8348),” it would be a fair conclusion that 83% goes to “African American and minority dominated neighborhoods.”

The largest part of the $90 million community benefit agreement (Chevron Refinery Modernization Project Environmental and Community Investment Agreement - http://chevronmodernization.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/14_0804_Executed-Copy-of-ECIA.pdf) is allocated to the Richmond Promise Program, which is designated for Richmond high school graduates of WCCUSD to pay for college tuition and fees. Since the enrollment of WCCUSD is 90% minority, the opportunities under the Promise Program would be available to 90% minority students.

Other expenditures included in the agreement are:

·         $6 million for Skills, Job Training and Readiness and Job Transition Training
·         $2 million for Public Safety
·         $1 million for Free Internet Access in Fenceline Communities
·         $6 million in grants for youth programs, health programs, neighborhood school centers, service learning programs, Bay Trail expansion and asthma prevention programs
·         $18 million for sustainable transportation programs
·         $2 million for urban forestry
·         $2.75 Million  for transportation and transit programs
·         $6.25 million for rooftop solar programs

See the entire agreement for details --http://chevronmodernization.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/14_0804_Executed-Copy-of-ECIA.pdf.

I don’t know why BAPAC wants to make this election about race, but that seems to be their unfounded obsession.