 
Mayor and Members of the City Council:
This is the weekly report for the week ending October 3rd, 2014.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7th, 2014, beginning with the Richmond Housing Authority at 6:25 PM, followed by the regular Council agenda at 6:30 PM.
- Big Dig Underway: A Ground Breaking Ceremony for Point Molate
As you will recall, Pt. Molate is a former US Navy fuel depot at which there are areas of oily-waste and other contaminated soils. The specific area of contamination is an 11-acre site along San Francisco Bay known as Installation Restoration (IR) Site 3. The groundbreaking for the remediation and abatement project to clean up the soils at this contaminated site was held this past Monday, September 29th.
The clean-up of IR Site 3 is now proceeding at a cost of approximately $10 million, which is paid for out of naval site remediation funds. Remediation work will include removal of petroleum impacted soil and hazardous waste, including removal of up to 150,000 cubic yards of soil with as many as 55 truckloads per day of clean import soil being brought in to ready this site for community reuse and economic benefit.
Groundbreaking speakers included Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, State Water Board Official David Elias, and County Supervisor John Gioia. Councilmembers Bates, Boozé and Butt participated in the ceremony, as did officials from the State Water Board, the project management team, Richmond workers employed by remediation contractor Pacific States Environmental Contractors, and the current class of Richmond Youth Build workers. Speakers recognized the history of this location immediately in front of historic Building 6, the former Navy Administration warehouse building, and the brick Building 1, known as Winehaven. Recognition was also given to the many community volunteers that have served on committees that have spanned almost two decades: the City’s Blue Ribbon Committee, the US Navy’s Restoration Advisory Board and the current Pt. Molate Community Advisory Committee. One member that served on all of these committees dubbed the project as the “Big Dig.”
The project is scheduled for 180 days of work and the estimated completion will be in early 2015.
Photo by Ellen Gailing
 
Photos by Bert Young/KCRT
- Press Conference and Reception for the Richmond City ID Prepaid MasterCard Program
On Tuesday, September 30th, the City of Richmond and SF Global LLC hosted a press conference and reception in support of the launch of the City of Richmond’s new Municipal Identification program.
SF Global LLC is the contractor that will administer this Municipal ID Card Program, which will provide residents with an official form of identification that includes an optional prepaid debit card function. Recognized by the Police Department and other City agencies, the card is backed by MasterCard and will be accepted at thousands of commercial establishments.
Richmond residents will be able to apply for a card starting Wednesday, October 15th at the Municipal ID Card office at Grace Lutheran Church at 2369 Barrett Avenue. For more information about the card, please call (510) 893-3610 or visit www.Richmondcityid.com.
 
- LEAP’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
LEAP extends a huge thanks to City staff, Commission members, volunteers and community partners for helping them celebrate our 30 years. So many of you who read this report contributed to the success of the day! Please see the link for a very nice account of the celebration by Richmond Confidential: http://richmondconfidential.org/2014/09/30/leap-celebrates-30-years-of-educating-richmond-adults/ , and visit our webpage for additional photos on Face Book.
Police Chief Chris Magnus provided the latest crime statistics through September, as well as information about Police Department activities as follows:
As shown below, the numbers below reflect how we’re doing in various Part I crime categories, including both violent and property crime. The data compares crimes January-September 2014 (year to date) to the same time period last year. The percentages show continued good progress overall, thanks to our many partnerships with the community, although we recognize that we still have a lot of work to do.
Several of us represented Richmond at a recent gathering of the U.S. Justice Department’s Violence Reduction Network in Washington, D.C. This was a good opportunity to coordinate our various crime reduction efforts with our partners at the county level and in Oakland. We continue to be vigilant in looking for opportunities to gain federal support for work we are doing in Richmond associated with initiatives such as Ceasefire, Bias-free Policing, Police Legitimacy, the Family Justice Center, Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention, and many others.
During our trip, we also met with White House staff about Richmond’s commitment to President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, which focuses on mentoring, diversion, and healthy families, with an emphasis on young men and women of color. The White House staff and DOJ folks we met with were very interested in many of the things we are doing in our community and I feel very positive about our opportunities to receive support for a number of these endeavors as we move forward.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the data below.
Chief Chris Magnus
Armed Robbery—down 32%
Assault w/Deadly Weapon—down 15%
Assault w/Firearm—down 38%
Attempted Homicide—down 50%
Attempted Robbery—down 25%
Battery w/Injury—up 40% (net gain of 8)
Carjacking—up 21% (net gain of 3)
Homicide—down 25%
Rape—down 5%
Strong-arm Robbery—down 17%
TOTAL VIOLENT: down 21%
Arson—down 36%
Auto Burglary—down 4%
Commercial Burglary—down 38%
Grand Theft—down 6%
Petty Theft—down 17%
Residential Burglary—down 30%
Vehicle Theft—down 18%
TOTAL PROPERTY: down 19%
Person w/Gun calls—down 19%
Shots Fired calls—down 43%
- North Richmond Shoreline Open Space Alliance
The North Richmond Shoreline Festival at Pt. Pinole Park on Giant Highway from 11:00 AM - 5:00 AM on Saturday, Oct 4th, is FREE to all participants. This family-friendly event at the beautiful shoreline expects to see 1,000 participants enjoying the park and the restoration of the marsh and enjoying a free lunch as they listen to music. Whitney Dotson will lead a walk to the marsh, the Audubon Society will conduct bird tours, and children will ride the ponies and the small train and will show off their painted faces. There are free books for every child and much more. Visit http://www.northrichmondshoreline.org/festival.htm for more information.
- Measure U Community Meetings
Registered Richmond voters will be asked to consider how to vote on Measure U, a one-half cent sales tax proposal that appears on the upcoming November 4th ballot. If approved, the additional revenue generated by Measure U will maintain and enhance essential city services, such as public safety, public health and wellness programs, city youth programs, and street paving. Information about Measure U can be found on the City’s website at www.RichmondMeasureU.com.
Several informational meetings are planned for both the public, as well as community organizations, where City staff will present information and answer questions regarding Measure U. The final upcoming public meeting is as follows:
- Thursday, October 9th at 7:00 pm
Hilltop Mall Community Room
2200 Hilltop Mall Road 2nd Floor
Richmond, CA 94806
(Door entrance between JCPenney and Police Department substation)
- Rumrill Boulevard Community Design Workshop
On Thursday, October 9th, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, the cities of Richmond and San Pablo will be hosting a Community Design Workshop focusing on improvements to Rumrill Boulevard/13th Street between Contra Costa College and Harbour Way.
Come and join us and have your voice heard! This is a great opportunity to share your ideas and discuss strategies to improve conditions for cars and buses, pedestrians, cyclists, and to make the corridor friendlier for residents and businesses. Food, refreshments, Spanish translation, and childcare will be provided.
Meeting Location: Lao Family Center, 1968 Rumrill Blvd. in San Pablo
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Shuttle Tour of Rumrill Blvd.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Develop Your Design Solutions Activity
For more information and to download the flier visit the project website: http://goo.gl/UzTETx or contact the Planning Department at (510) 620-6841.
 
- 8th Annual Home Front Festival – October 11th
The 8th Annual Home Front Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, October 11th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at three different sites along the Richmond waterfront. There will be activities for the entire family, food, live entertainment and much more! Admission is free!
- Richmond Youth Leadership Committee Accepting Applications! Apply Today!
The Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) is a program designed for high school and college students who are interested in making a difference in their community through impact volunteering. The YLC is a program of Richmond ESC - Excellence Serving our Community - a Cities of Service initiative of the City of Richmond. Under the direction of the YLC and supported by Richmond ESC, the youth service initiative grew from engaging 347 youth in 15 different service projects in 2013, to working with 670 youth in twenty projects in 2014.
Youth Leadership Committee members will engage other youth in community service learning projects, organize community events to raise awareness of pressing issues facing the Richmond community, and participate in leadership training.
By joining the YLC, youth will enjoy innovative and fun leadership workshops while learning and applying essential leadership skills: ethical decision making, time management, meeting facilitation, goal setting, public speaking, and conflict resolution.
Click here to Apply today via the online application! The application deadline is Monday, October 13th by midnight. For more information, please contact Jantsan at jantsancal@berkeley.edu or (510) 620-6563.
- Commuter Benefits Workshop
You are invited to attend a Commuter Benefits Ordinance Workshop on Friday, October 17th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza.
Building on the success of the City of Richmond, San Francisco, and Berkeley Commuter Benefits Program, the Air District and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) jointly adopted a regional Commuter Benefits program.
Transportation is the largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area, and commute travel accounts for nearly half of total motor vehicles traveled on an average weekday. The use of commute modes such as public transit, ride sharing, bicycling, and walking will decrease motor vehicle travel and traffic congestion. Furthermore, such commute modes are designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants to protect public health and the climate.
If you are an employer with 10 or more employees in the City of Richmond, please RSVP to the Commuter Benefits Ordinance workshop by calling (510) 620-6869 or emailing lori_reese-brown@ci.richmond.ca.us.
- Help Rebuild Parchester Park
We are less than one month away from rebuilding Parchester Village Park and we need your help! Listed below are four ways you can contribute to the Parchester Park Project:
- Volunteer on Build Day: Saturday, October 25th (all ages and skills welcome);
- Contribute a donation to the project from the wish list;
- Donate a monetary gift;
- Purchase the shoe “Petal” from Livie & Luca shoe company. (Livie and Luca are proud sponsors of the park project and 100% of the proceeds support the project.)
To sign up or for more details visit our webpage at:
http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/parchesterparkproject
 https://www.facebook.com/RichmondEH
 https://twitter.com/Richmond_EH
We hope to see you there!
- Help Shape AC Transit’s Future! Meeting in Richmond
AC Transit is preparing its Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) and will be conducting eight public workshops across the District in the month of October to collect feedback from the public about current service and recommendations for future investment. A workshop will be held in Richmond at the Main Library (325 Civic Center Plaza) on Thursday, October 23rd from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Input from these workshops will be used to develop revised recommendations for discussion in January/February 2015.
You can provide input in two ways: (1) come to one of the open house workshops; and/or (2) take a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PlanAct01.
For more information, please visit http://www.actransit.org/PlanACT/.
- Second Annual Health Promoters Conference
On Saturday October 25th, the 2nd Annual Health Promoters in Action: Planting Seeds for Change conference will be held from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Richmond Civic Auditorium. The conference is planned for health promoters, health conductors, and community leaders who are interested in improving the health of the community. FREE continental breakfast and a healthy lunch will be provided!
The first 50 to register will receive a gift the day of the event. Please visit the link below to register: http://seedsforchange.eventbrite.com.
The Conference is bilingual (Spanish translations services provided). Child care will not be available. For registration assistance contact: (925) 727-7442.
 
- 5th Annual North Richmond Green Festival October
On Saturday, October 25th, the 5th Annual North Richmond Green Festival will be held at the 3rd Street Ball field/Park Fred Jackson Way & Pittsburg Avenue in Richmond from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This will be a fun and informative family event. Some of the fun activities will include live music, raffle prizes, speakers on environmental topics, petting zoo, eco-friendly arts and crafts, games, and health screenings.
Adult and children volunteers interested in planting flowers and vegetables at the Neighborhood House of North Richmond Multicultural Senior and Family Services Center should report to 515 Silver Avenue in Richmond at 9:00 AM (before the festival begins). For more information on the event please call Carla Orozco at (510) 776-7568.
 
- Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project
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 is planned to remain in place until early May 2015.
During the week of September 29th, concrete was poured for the last level of walls at the pump station, and placement of rebar for retaining walls continued. Concrete pours for retaining walls have been occurring approximately every four days and to date, approximately 400 lineal feet of retaining wall has been completed. Additionally, concrete for curb and gutters for the median at the Pierson/Jetty intersection with Marina Bay Parkway was poured this week and work on forms for sidewalks at this intersection was commenced. Electrical work also continued, with 12 light pole foundations set and over 1,000 lineal feet of conduit installed to date.
For the week of October 6th, retaining wall rebar and concrete placement will continue, while ladders and infill walls in the pump station will be installed in advance of the formwork for a concrete roof. Work will also continue to place sidewalks and curb and gutter at the Jetty/Pierson intersection with Marina Bay Parkway, while utility relocation work at the Meeker intersection with Marina Bay Parkway will likewise continue.
As noted in prior reports, crews are continuing to work to restore power to streetlights on Marina Bay Parkway south of the project. These lights utilized power from a location within the project that required demolition. A proposed new service to power the lights will be installed as part of the project. The contractor is working with PG&E to find a way to energize the lights on an interim basis until the new service is installed.
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.
- Information Technology (IT) Department Updates
For the week ending October 3rd:
Facebook Statistics
Weekly Total Reached increased by 158%
People Engaged increased by 417%
KCRT - Candidates Night Replay:
Candidates Night and several election specials produced by KCRT and CCTV are scheduled for the following days: Saturday at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 8:00 PM.
Candidates Night held in the City Council Chambers on September 29th
KCRT's 2014 Richmond Mayor and City Council Candidates Night
Both specials airing back to back (KCRT)
KCRT's 2014 Richmond City Council Candidates Night (KCRT)
Election 2014 Preview: Richmond City Council - Short Term (CCTV)
Tue 11/04/14 09:30 AM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Thu 10/30/14 10:30 PM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Mon 10/27/14 09:30 AM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Thu 10/23/14 11:30 PM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Wed 10/15/14 09:30 AM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Mon 10/13/14 12:30 PM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Mon 10/06/14 09:30 AM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Thu 10/02/14 08:30 PM KCRT-TV Ch 28/99
Datanet Images of the Week
Throwback Thursday Trivia: Featuring Richmond California History
Do you recognize this sign? When was this sign in place? Where was it located? All correct answers posted in the comments section of the facebook post before 8:00 AM on the following Thursday will be entered into a drawing for a prize. Like this post and you will be entered twice.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Richmond-CA-Local-Government/139438544014?v=wall
Richmond History provided by Melinda McCrary, Richmond History Museum
The Code Enforcement Unit worked diligently for over a year to abate the violations on the property pictured below. This property was acquired through a foreclosure and the “owner” was an investment company that went out of business soon after they acquired the property. Using a combination of investigatory skills, enforcement tools and customer service, staff was able to finally get the responsible party to take the necessary action and not only abate the blight that surrounded the property, but to fully rehabilitate the building with the required permits and finally put it on the market. Current status is SOLD!
Before
After
Aquatics
Please note that the Plunge will have a slightly modified schedule for the month of October as follows:
Saturday, October 4th
Adult Lap Swim 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
No Recreation Swim
Sunday, October 5th
Adult Lap Swim 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
No Recreation Swim
Monday, October 13th
Pool closed for Indigenous Peoples Day.
Saturday, October 11th
Adult Lap Swim 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
No Recreation Swim
Sunday, October 12th
Adult Lap Swim 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
No Recreation Swim
Saturday, October 18th
Adult Lap Swim 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Recreation Swim 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Seniors
The Richmond Senior Center has started selling tickets for the 11th Annual Halloween Party scheduled for Saturday, October 25th. Tickets are $7 each.
Nevin
The Nevin Community Center is conducting an animation workshop series. On Wednesday, September 24th, the Richmond Art Center (RAC) facilitated a workshop session and some of the registered participants successfully created very short cartoons using characters cut from felt and paper. A very special thanks to Monroe Harrison and Stan Fleury, both from the IT Department, and Rebeca Garcia and Jim from the Richmond Art Center for all their input and hard work on this project.
The Iron triangle Neighborhood Council held the 21st Annual Iron Triangle Neighborhood Picnic at the Nevin Community Center and Park on Saturday, September 27th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The event included a DJ, raffles, arts and crafts, face painting, a Choo Choo train ride, and a jumper. Several community organizations also participated. Life Wellness, took blood pressure readings and blood sugar tests, and Weigh of Life/Zumba, the Richmond Police Department, and Chevron were present to mingle with the community and deliver information. The 3-on-3 Basketball tournament was a big hit with trophies, medals and T-shirts given as awards to all the participants. A modest speech in memory of the recent passing of
Ms. McCoy, mother to Ralph McCoy, famous local boxing star was also made.
 
Disabled People’s Recreation Center
Any Monday following a weekend where the Point Richmond Community Center is utilized for rental purposes, the Adult Morning Program participants assist staff with checking the facility cleanliness, and putting away tables and chairs if needed. They are a great help and are learning how to implement everyday life skills in a work environment.
Pt. Richmond Community Center
Friday, September 26th was the culmination of the Pt. Richmond Music Concert series. The final event featured Sky I (Reggae/World Music) and Quinn DeVeaux (Soul). It was an evening filled with wonderful sounds of music, laughter, great dining experiences, and lots of dancing. Parents, grandparents and children enjoyed a time of relaxation while watching the movie “The Incredibles” at the Point Richmond Community Center. It was a fabulous affair!
Auditorium
On Saturday, September 27th, the Richmond Memorial Auditorium hosted its largest Wedding Reception to date, with 800 people in attendance on the main floor. The event included a full bar, 16 piece band, a DJ and dancing to congratulate the new couple.
Basketball
Young men who drop-in at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center facility, and play basketball in the gym, won a 3-on-3 basketball tournament featured at Nevin. Congratulations to the team!
Flag Football
Shields Reid Community Center has teamed up with Project Pride to offer Flag Football sports participation for the children of the incorporated and unincorporated areas of North Richmond. Practices are held at Project Pride on Tuesdays and at Shields Reid on Fridays for boys and girls, 10-and-under and 12-and-under. Games are played at the Martin Luther King Jr. turf field on Wednesdays, from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
Facilities Maintenance Division: Carpenters repaired a broken window at the Richmond Museum, replaced batteries in Automated External Difibrillator (AED) units and installed an automatic security gate at Fire Station 66.
Painters worked on the computer lab at the Recreation Complex and painted areas of the Corporation Yard.
Painting in the Computer Lab at the Recreation Complex
Stationary Engineers cleared the waste line to the Human Resources area, replaced circulation pumps to boilers at Civic Center Plaza, cleared the main waste line at the Parchester Community Center, restored air conditioning to Civic Center Plaza due to a power outtage, restored heat to the YouthWORKS building, and repaired apparatus doors at Fire Station #62.
Utility workers buffed the lobby of 440 Civic Center Plaza, set up the art panels in the City Hall lobby and serviced 29 City-owned buildings.
Art Panels for City Hall
Electricians continued with the Richmond Parkway street light repairs, continued working on the stolen street light wire repairs, restored power to Civic Center Plaza, addressed various knockdowns throughout the City, and connected a voltage power recorder at City Hall.
Repair of a Traffic Signal
Parks and Landscaping Division: Crews continued weed abatement along the Richmond Parkway, continued with the rehabilitation of Shields Reid Park, repaired fencing at the Corporation Yard, cleared weeds and delivered mulch to Parchester Park, performed work on the Regatta Boulevard median, prepared Wendell Park for the annual North and East Picnic, removed old play equipment from Parchester Park, and installed a tetherball pole at Parchester Park.
Tree crews trimmed or cut trees on Andrade Avenue, Rheem Avenue, South 7th Street, South 16th Street, Canal Boulevard, and at Hilltop Green Park.
Median Work on Regatta Boulevard
Streets Division: Staff grinded and paved on McLaughlin Street, paved trench at the Corporation Yard, and installed two additional speed bumps on Sonoma Avenue.
Paving on McLaughlin Street
Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the fifth Monday and Tuesday and the first Wednesday through Friday in the Carriage Hills North Side, El Sobrante Hills, Greenbriar, Hansford Heights, Via Verda, San Pablo Dam Road, Bristole Cone, May Valley, Vista View and Clinton Hill I neighborhood council areas.
Signs and Lines staff fabricated 15 new signs, installed 18 new signs and poles, repaired 38 signs and poles, painted loading zone area for De Jean Middle School, and changed advertised speed limits on Carlson Boulevard, Maricopa Avenue and Marina Bay.
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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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