 
Mayor and Members of the City Council:
This is the weekly report for the week ending January 23rd, 2015.
The next City Council meeting will be the on Tuesday, January 27th, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:00 PM and followed by a Special City Council meeting at 6:30 PM consisting of presentations, the Mayor’s State of the City Address, and several study sessions.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway
This past Monday, the Richmond community joined people across the nation to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service on the Richmond Greenway. Hundreds of volunteers joined together to participate in a Greenway clean-up, mulching, bioswale planting, and art projects. Community members were also given the opportunity to provide input on the design of the future Unity Park. To see more photos from the day, please visit the City’s Environmental and Health Initiatives Flickr.
  
- Chemical Safety Board Announces Public Meeting in Richmond to Release Final Report and Safety Recommendations Resulting from Chevron Refinery Investigation
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will hold a public meeting on January 28th at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers to present the third and final investigation report and safety recommendations from the August 6, 2012, crude unit fire that occurred at the Richmond Chevron Refinery.
The draft report is now available on the CSB website at www.csb.gov to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to review the report prior to the public meeting. At the meeting, CSB staff will present to the board the key findings of their final investigation report on this incident. The draft report addresses additional investigation findings that have not yet been covered in the two previously-approved reports.
The hearing is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To register for the event, please send email to csbmeeting@csb.gov. Members of the audience will have an opportunity to comment on the draft report as presented by the investigative staff.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
For more information, contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen (202) 446-8094, or via email at hillary.cohen@csb.gov.
- YouthWORKS Program 2015 Kick Off
As you may know, YouthWORKS is a program managed through the City’s Employment and Training Department that provides case managed services to at-risk and in-risk youth that are ages 16 to 21. Services are participation based and include academic support, transportation assistance, cultural enrichment trips, and life skills and pre-employment training.
The new year has kicked off in full steam for the YouthWORKS program. In an effort to increase collaborations with youth serving community organizations, YouthWORKS has partnered with Girls, Inc. and Rubicon’s Kinship Program to provide academic support and work experience to young women from the Richmond community.
YouthWORKS’ first college tour included participants from both of these organizations and occurred on Saturday, January 17th. Thirty participants from all three programs visited Argosy University in Alameda.
In addition, six participants, a lead intern, the Executive Director of Straight Talk on Prisons (S.T.O.P.) and the YouthWORKS Program Manager participated in Urban Tilth’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the Greenway. Participant’s bagged litter, spread compost, and put in five hours of service learning to support the beautification of the community’s largest urban garden.
In addition, staff is preparing for the eleventh annual Summer Youth Employment Program and has already secured commitments from the following organizations:
- Rising Sun Energy, for 8-9 placements in their annual California Youth Energy Services program that will provide free home energy audits and upgrades for the community;
- TJ Maxx, to continue the direct entry to employment retail training program that was piloted last year; and
- West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), to provide tutors for high school age youth in their summer school program.
- Yellow Brick Road – Draft Plan Review
On Monday, January 26th from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, the public is invited to review and discuss the draft plan for the Yellow Brick Road project in the Richmond's Iron Triangle neighborhood. Funded by a grant from Caltrans, the Yellow Brick Road project mapped a network of child and family-friendly walking and biking routes that connect key community assets. At the “Living Preview” event held in October 2014, the Yellow Brick Road team designed and tested the proposed street improvements. We encourage the Richmond community to attend this final meeting to review the draft plan and provide us your community input. Dinner will be served at 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact (510) 215-5500 or contact@pogopark.org.
Date: Monday, January 26
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location: Elm Playlot (Pogo Park), 720 Elm Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801
- Literacy for Every Adult (LEAP) Highlights
The students of the English as a Second Language class (ESL) proudly hold their certificates for completing their 12-week program at LEAP. The special 12-week program is supported through a partnership with Building Skills Partnership (BSP). Founded in 2007, BSP is a statewide organization that works toward its mission to improve the quality of life for low-wage property service workers and their families by increasing their skills, access to education and opportunities for career and community advancement. The students are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), residents of Richmond, and work throughout the Bay Area. According to Kareen Kanjo of Building Skills Partnership, “We're so grateful for our partnership with LEAP and I'm pleased to report that our pilot class this fall was a success! We hope to move forward with our partnership and anticipate continued interest in Richmond classes from both new and returning students in the new year.” Our next ESL session will begin in April 2015. Feel free to contact LEAP at (510) 307-8084 for more information.
LEAP students and instructor, Bruna Allen, third from the right in the back row
- 2015 Historic Preservation Awards
The City of Richmond and the Richmond Historic Preservation Commission invites nominations for the Richmond Historic Preservation Awards, 2015. 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. Awards will be presented in May 2015, 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:
- Port of Richmond and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates for Rehabilitating the Rigger's Loft
- The Women's Westside Improvement Club for Producing the New Point Richmond Street Directory Map
- Kenneth Kokka, Donna Graves, the Blossoms and Thorns Video Committee, and the Contra Costa Japanese American Citizens League for Creating the Documentary Film "Blossoms and Thorns: A Community Uprooted"
- The Richmond Rotary Club and The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts for Producing "Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle"
- Bruce Beyaert and the Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC) for Preserving Richmond's Shoreline and its History
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, 2014.
Nomination Form: You may nominate an eligible preservation project or activity by submitting a completed 2015 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 27, 2015. Feel free to call Sabrina Lundy at (510) 620-6705 with any questions you may have.
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 included:
- Met with staff members from the Finance Department to review the status of the FY 2014-15 budget;
- Met with staff members to review the analysis and recommendations for use of Measure U sales tax proceeds to fund street improvements (this issue is on the January 27th City Council meeting agenda);
- Met, along with Administrative Chief Shasa Curl and Health and Wellness Coordinator Gabino Arredondo, with UC Berkeley faculty members Stefano M. Bertozzi, Dean, School of Public Health, Jeff Oxendine, Associate Dean, Center for Public Health Practice, and Jason Corburn Associate Professor of City & Regional Planning, to discuss partnerships with the City of Richmond;
- Attended the monthly staff meeting for coordination of the Berkeley Global Campus and the South Shoreline Specific Plan;
- Attended the weekly meeting of the Housing programs staff to review program finances and compliance;
- Met, together with Environmental Manager Adam Lenz, with Councilmembers Beckles and Martinez to discuss the West County Integrated Waste Management Authority (RecycleMore);
- Attended the quarterly meeting with National Park Service Superintendent Tom Leatherman, along with Senior Management Analyst LaShonda White.
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
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 through late May/early June 2015.
The week of January 19th, additional main retaining wall and sidewalk retaining wall concrete pours were placed, streetlight poles between Jetty and Regatta were installed and the Jetty Drive entrance to the Anchorage housing development was reopened to traffic. Additionally, the Marina Bay Parkway driveway to the Crossings commercial development was reopened to traffic. For the week of January 26th, the second center pier retaining wall will be placed, an additional sidewalk retaining wall will be poured, and installation of mechanical equipment at the pump station will commence.
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.
- Holiday Tree Disposal and Recycling Options
Residents have several options to properly dispose of holiday trees this January. Please see the summary below or the flyer for more information.
- If you have not already used your allocated On-Call Curbside Clean-up(s), call RSS Customer Service to arrange for no cost curbside pick-up at (510) 262-7100. Unscheduled pickups outside will be charged $15.48 by RSS.
- On any of your regular green waste collection days, cut your unflocked, natural tree to fit in your yard waste cart. Trees must be 6” or less in diameter and cut to 3’ in length. Cut off top and remove stand and all decorations. Artificial trees should be put into the trash bin.
- With proof of residency (driver’s license or CA ID), RSS customers can take Christmas Trees to Golden Bear Transfer (1 Parr Blvd, Richmond, Monday - Friday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday - Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM) thru the 1st weekend in February at no cost for compostable trees; $8.50 disposal fee for non-compostable.
 
- Richmond ESC Youth Leadership Committee
Are you, or do you know, a student leader who is passionate and eager to serve the Richmond community? If yes, then the Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) is the right program for you.
The 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 the Richmond ESC - Excellence Serving our Community - a Cities of Service initiative of the City of Richmond.
Leadership is at the core of the YLC. By joining the YLC, participants will enjoy innovative and fun leadership workshops, and both learn and apply essential leadership skills including: ethical decision making, time management, goal setting, public speaking, and conflict resolution.
YLC leaders will engage youth in community service learning projects, organize community events to raise awareness of pressing issues facing the Richmond community, and participate in leadership training.
APPLY HERE: Youth Leadership Committee - SPRING RECRUITMENT
Deadline to Submit: Monday, January 26, 2015 by Midnight
For more information please contact Jantsan at jantsand@ci.richmond.ca.us or call (510) 620-5576.
- Get your Family Covered! Health Enrollment Event
On Saturday, January 17th, at the Bay Area Rescue Mission, the City of Richmond Health Initiatives collaborated successfully in organizing a health care enrollment event with SEIU-UHW, Bay Area Rescue Mission, LifeLong Medical Care, Community Clinic Consortium, ACCE, and Healthy Richmond. The event targeted Richmond residents needing assistance in enrolling in Covered CA or Medi-Cal. A total of 36 adults were registered, as well as 17 households and 22 individuals were enrolled in health care programs.
Open enrollment for 2015 health insurance plans through Covered California began November 15, 2014 and will end on February 15, 2015. The City of Richmond is continuing its focus on improving community health and is encouraging residents to enroll in quality, affordable health care. If you need direct health care enrollment assistance please contact LifeLong Medical at (510) 231-9816. For general health care enrollment information, please call (510) 620-6606.
Richmond Library Teen Services and the Friends of the Richmond Public Library are offering their annual S.A.T. Preparation Workshop that will start March 14, 2015. The six-week workshop consists of four weeks of classroom instruction by certified instructors, one week of pre-testing, and one week post-testing. Each classroom instruction consists of three hours, and all sessions are held on Saturdays. In addition to instruction, students are given test-taking strategies to maximize their scores. Participants also receive an instruction manual that is theirs to keep, and refer to beyond the workshop. Priority is given to Richmond residents with a limited number of slots available to students in West Contra Costa. The cost of the workshop is $50. Additional information and a registration form will be available at www.richmondlibrary.org.
More information can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPcVoIBT8-Y&feature=youtu.be
Girls Inc. of West Contra Costa County (GIWCC) is hosting a series of community forums on how to meet the needs of girls in West Contra Costa County. These forums will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to identify priority issues facing girls in our community, explore partnerships to achieve solutions, and help GIWCC to determine how it can best serve girls in West County. Teen Librarian, Añgela Cox, was one of the keynote speaker panelists at the forum held January 20th, at the Richmond Community Foundation. She detailed programs offered through the library for girls, and youth to develop their potential through education, and recreation. She also gave a historical perspective of the former Youth Commission and the development of the Youth Council in her work as the Liaison to the Youth Council.
- The Richmond Public Library (RPL) Announces the Newest Addition to the eBook Collection – enki!
enki, is the first statewide eBook platform created by libraries for libraries.
You can check-out 10 books at once and keep each for 21 days. You can also place up to 10 holds on items that are checked-out and be notified via email when your title is available. While you may not renew, you can recheck-out items not on hold for other patrons. There is also the option to return titles early so you can check-out other titles. And most importantly, there are no overdue fines because eBooks automatically return themselves!
Go to http://rpl.enkilibrary.org and start checking-out free eBooks today.
For more information, call or visit one of three Richmond Public Library locations:
- Main Branch, 325 Civic Center Plaza, (510) 620-6561
- Bayview Branch, 5100 Hartnett Avenue, (510) 620-6566
- West Side Branch, 135 Washington, (510) 620-6567
Or visit us 24/7 on the web at www.richmondlibrary.org for all things Richmond Public Library.
- Volunteer To Become a Writer Coach!
The swearing-in ceremony of Richmond’s new Mayor and the City Council members was a reminder that Richmond is a dynamic place to live. It was rejuvenating to hear people promise to do their best and inspiring to listen to others talk about the accomplishments that have happened over the years. All eyes are on Richmond. Yet, what stood out and was repeatedly stated by the City’s leaders is that the people in Richmond care deeply about the state of this City. That is what makes Richmond a great place.
One way to show you care about the success of our City is to volunteer. Volunteer to become a Writer Coach at Richmond or Kennedy High Schools. Writer Coaches work one-on-one with high school students on their writing skills and as a result build stronger writers for our community. Register to become a Writer Coach and be a part of this new energy of promise!
Register to become a coach at www.writercoachconnection.org/volunteer and attend an upcoming training in Richmond on Wednesdays, January 28th and February 4th, 2015 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
There are trainings in Berkeley, El Cerrito and Oakland as well.
If you have any questions, please contact Richmond Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator, June Pangelinan, at june@writercoachconnection.org or at (510) 685-7054.
- Information Technology (IT) Department Updates
Top 10 webpage visits for the week ending January 21, 2015.
Facebook Statistics:
New Likes increased by 100.0%
Total reached increased by 214.6%
People engaged increased by 226.3%
Photo of the Week:
SS Red Oak Victory at night
Datanet Image of the Week:
Throwback Thursday: Featuring Richmond California History
Congratulations to Kieron Slaughter for his perfect answer to this week’s Throwback Thursday trivia. Kieron’s answer: “MLK Jr. & Booker T. Anderson at the Easter Hill Methodist church on Cutting Blvd.” This week’s prize is a FANDANGO gift card.
 
For more information about Richmond’s Facebook page, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Richmond-CA-Local-Government/139438544014?v=wall
Tennis and Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Service Day
Many thanks to the volunteers and staff that came to help clean up the Nicholl Park and MLK Park tennis courts!!
Everyone did an especially great job cleaning up leaves and trash at both courts, and crack repair and painting on the Nicholl Park courts.
Hooray for a community at work!
Chess
Save the date for the 4th Annual McKinley Williams/John Easterling Community Chess Tournament, co-sponsored by the West Coast Chess Alliance and the Richmond Recreation Department. The tournament is a free quad format tournament for rated and non-rated players.
The tournament will be held on Saturday, January 31st at the Richmond Recreation Department, 3230 Macdonald Avenue. Registration will be from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM with rounds at 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM, and 3:00 PM.
This event is named in honor of McKinley Williams, President Emeritus of Contra Costa College. Mr. Williams was very supportive of chess initiatives in the local area because he knew the educational impact of the game on students. John Easterling was a mentor to young men and women in the Bay Area who wanted to learn the game. His legacy lives on in the many chess players who were first exposed to the game by him.
For more information, please call (510) 620-6793.
Facilities Maintenance Division: Carpenters installed locksets in the Madeline Whittlesey Room, built a heating and air conditioning closet at the parks field office, repaired a cubicle in the Finance Department, installed shelving in the kitchen of the Recreation Complex, made repairs to an interview room at the Police Department, and oversaw the roof repairs at the May Valley Community Center.
May Valley Community Center Roof Repair
Painters completed the administrative area of the Richmond Museum.
Stationary Engineers replaced the furnace in the Booker T. Anderson Community Center arts and crafts room, repaired the paint booth at the Corporation Yard and serviced the Main Library boiler.
Utility Workers cleaned an office area for a new tenant, assisted in Mayor and Councilmembers’ moves into their new office spaces, completed safety items at the Employment and Training Building, installed a door stop at Booker T. Anderson Community Center and serviced 29 City-owned facilities.
Electricians repaired the electrical ciruits at the Richmond Annex Senior Center, built replacement traffic lights for Carlson Boulevard and Bayview Boulevard and Marina Bay Parkway and Regatta Boulevard, and installed new receptacles for the Congressional office located at 440 Civic Center Plaza.
Signal Replacement
Parks and Landscaping Division: Crews continue with the irrigation installation along the Richmond Parkway, replaced a broken slide at Nicholl Park, mowed the Richmond Greenway from 2nd Street to 23rd Street, removed graffiti from Lamoine Park, cleaned the median in the Marina Bay area, completed sign installation in the Marina, hung bicycle signs along the Marina, and mowed the Marina Bay area.
New Sign and Plantings in the Marina
Tree crews cut or trimmed trees on/at Potrero Boulevard, Andrade Avenue, Point Molate Park and Marina Green Park.
Point Molate Tree Removal
Streets Division: Staff ground and paved Carl Avenue and Imperial Avenue, installed bicycle racks, and worked from the outstanding pothole and sidewalk list.
Grinding on Imperial Avenue
Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the third Monday through Wednesday and the fourth Thursday and Friday in the North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, Atchison Village, South Belding Woods, Richmond Annex, Parkview, Panhandle Annex and Eastshore neighborhood council areas.
Street Sweeping North Belding Woods Neighborhood Council Area
Signs and Lines staff installed 22 new signs and poles, repaired 30 signs and poles, fabricated 10 signs, installed thermo plastic messages, installed pavement markers in Hilltop area, and repainted 120 feet of curb.
Newly Installed Stop Message
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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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