 
Mayor and Members of the City Council:
This is the weekly report for the week ending April 24th, 2015.
The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is a special meeting (primarily presentations and study sessions) scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM. To see the most recent City Council agenda use the following link: http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/CityCouncilAgenda.
- Diane Holmes Retirement Celebration
Congratulations to former City Clerk Diane Holmes, whose retirement was celebrated by many Richmond dignitaries this past Thursday.
Former Councilmembers Jim McMillan, Lesa McIntosh, Donna Powers, and Corky Boozé, Senior Assistant City Attorney Everett Jenkins, and former Mayors Irma Anderson and Rosemary Corbin, join Diane Holmes in celebrating Ms. Holmes’ service to the City of Richmond. (photo by Ellen Gailing)
- City of Richmond 2015 Community Survey -- The Deadline is Approaching and We Need your Feedback
One of the best ways to improve Richmond’s services is to ask the people that live here what they think. With this in mind, the City of Richmond is pleased to announce the 2015 Community Survey! During the past few weeks, you may have been notified that you have been selected to give input that will help the City improve the level of government services and the future of your community. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 3,000 Richmond residents, asking them to comment on the community’s pressing needs and city services.
The purpose of the survey is to help City officials evaluate services, measure resident satisfaction with current services, and to help plan for Richmond’s future. The results from the survey will be included in a final report available to all City officials, staff and residents.
If you were selected, please return the survey before the stated deadline. If you know someone that received one, please encourage them to fill it out and return it. Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work and play. Feel free to contact the City Manager’s Office with your questions at 510-620-6512.
- Doctors Medical Center Closing April 21st
On April 21st, Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo officially closed and stopped accepting patients. On April 20th, Lifelong Medical Care opened a new urgent care center across the street from Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo (2023 Vale Road).
“Urgent care” centers treat medical conditions that require immediate medical attention (usually within 24 hours), but are not serious enough to require hospitalization and/or are not life threatening. (A life-threatening medical emergency should still generate a call to 911.) Lifelong Urgent Care is an alternative to the emergency room for minor illnesses and injuries, and is made up of emergency room clinicians that are ready to treat all types of medical conditions. No appointments or referrals are needed, and the clinicians can refer patients back to a primary care physician (PCP) for follow up care, or connect patients with a PCP if they do not currently have a provider. Lifelong welcomes all forms of payment, regardless of whether a patient is insured. They accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Family Pact and most managed care plans including Covered California. Lifelong also offers a sliding scale discount based upon family size and income.
Lifelong Urgent Care will be open 7 days a week, noon to 8:00 PM and walk-ins are welcome. They can be reached at (510) 231-9800 or at www.lifelongmedical.org. Lifelong also has sites that offer primary care and non-urgent care with scheduled visits.
Individuals without private insurance can call Contra Costa Health Services’ advice nurse line for free health advice any time at 1-877-661-6230, Option 1. There are more health care resources for West County residents through the Contra Costa Health Services website.
- Hacienda Tenant Relocation Update
In January 2015, the Richmond Housing Authority received approval from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the disposition of the Hacienda public housing development and approval of Tenant Protection Section 8 Vouchers to assist in the relocation of the residents. The Housing Authority retained the professional firm of Autotemp to provide relocation assistance for the residents.
As of the week of April 20th, all but one household had participated in the interview process with Autotemp. Autotemp consultants are providing ongoing advisory assistance and referrals to the residents. To date, approximately 35% of the households have received their Notices of Eligibility and informational brochures. Currently, five households have found a replacement home. Autotemp consultants are assisting with the application and claim process at this time.
A draft relocation plan was provided to the Housing Authority by Autotemp and will be released for public comment by the end of April.
Section 8 eligibility certification interviews have also been ongoing. As of the week of April 20, 2015, eighty-six (86) of the one hundred-and-one (101) residents had been interviewed. Every Hacienda resident has either attended an eligibility certification interview, or has been scheduled for one.
Tenant Protection Section 8 voucher briefings are being held weekly in the Hacienda Community Center. A voucher briefing explains the Section 8 program, in detail, to the residents, and gives the residents a chance to ask questions they may have about the program. At the conclusion of each briefing the residents receive a Voucher Briefing Packet which includes a Request for Tenancy Approval and a Tenant Protection Voucher. As of the week of April 20th, forty-four (44) vouchers had been issued. There have been no vacancies thus far.
- My Brother’s Keeper – Action Summit
President Barack Obama launched the “My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge” in February 2014 as a call for cities to improve the life outcomes of all young people by implementing a coherent cradle-to-college-and-career strategy. This strategy ensures that young people can reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances into which they are born.
Richmond accepted President Obama’s challenge at the behest of Vice Mayor Jael Myrick, and is asking the community to join in pledging to ensure positive outcomes for all youth. You are cordially invited to join the City of Richmond and community members in developing the city’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. The conversation will take place during Richmond’s My Brother's Keeper Summit on Monday, May 4th from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Richmond Municipal Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza.
Participating in the summit is a great opportunity for interested persons to help shape policies, programs and philanthropic activities in Richmond aimed at improving life outcomes for youth, especially Black and Latino boys and young men.
Click here to register for the summit. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter: #RichmondMBK.
Please feel free to share this invitation with your network of colleagues, friends and neighbors. For additional information, please contact Lori Reese-Brown, 510-620-6869, or Misha Kaur. 510-621-1202.
- Comedy Event to Support Richmond Museum
Richmond's own Ronnie Schell returns for a comedy show to benefit the Richmond Museum Association. Comedy Central featuring Ronnie Schell, Will Durst, Kivi Rogers and David Gee on Sunday April 26, 2015 puts the fun back in fundraiser! Tickets are only $30 and are selling faster than a pancake on the SS Red Oak Victory!! Buy your tickets today before the shows sell out!
Tickets to the Ronnie Schell and his Funny Friends can be purchased in three ways. Buy your tickets online now, call 510-235-7387 to buy over the phone, or buy in person at the Richmond Museum of History gift shop! Click here to purchase tickets to the 2:00 PM show or the 7:30 PM show.
All proceeds from this event go to support general operations of the Richmond Museum Association, a 501c3 organization. For more information about Ronnie Schell and his Funny Friends please call the Richmond Museum of History at 510-235-7387.
As always, thank you for your support of the Richmond Museum Association!
- 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 June 2015.
During the week of April 20th, crews continued the installation of rebar for the raised sidewalks and the first sidewalk concrete pour was placed. Additionally, the final transition wall concrete pour was completed, and formwork for the decorative tower columns was started. For the week of April 27th, concrete pours for the raised sidewalks will continue, remaining sidewalk south of the bridge will be placed, and median paver installation will begin.
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
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, alongside city Planning Director Richard Mitchell, Administrative Chief Shasa Curl, and Senior Planner Lina Velasco, with staff members from the Department of Toxic Substances Control to discuss the status of soil remediation at the Zeneca site;
- Met, along with Shasa Curl, with community members from CCISCO, ACCE, and representatives from AFSCME Local 3299, to discuss proposed state legislation regarding Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts and the Berkeley Global Campus. (Note: a second meeting with the same parties and joined by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond and his staff took place later this week.)
- Completed departmental budget reviews with Finance Department staff;
- Attended the quarterly meeting of the Economic Revitalization Initiative Steering Committee, along with Employment and Training Director Sal Vaca;
- Attended the Assembly Local Government Committee hearing in Sacramento at the request of Assemblymember Tony Thurmond, at which proposed state legislation regarding Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts and the Berkeley Global Campus (AB1260) was reviewed and passed out of committee;
- Met with Lynn Turner, of Turner Construction, to tour the Family Justice Center project, which is nearing completion;
- Met with Finance Department and Housing staff to review HUD compliance issues;
- Toured the Richmond Wastewater Plant wet weather storage facility construction site, hosted by Wastewater Manager Chad Davisson;
- Discussed an agenda for a meeting of the City Council Education subcommittee and West Contra Costa Unified School District boardmembers with Superintendent Bruce Harter;
- Attended the Berkeley Global Campus monthly working group meeting;
- Attended the spring forum of the Center for Cities and Schools (CC&S), at which two CC&S fellows, graduate students in the program, made an excellent presentation regarding full service community schools in Richmond.
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.
- How to do Business in the City of Richmond Vendor Workshop
On April 2nd, the Finance Department’s Purchasing Division hosted a “How to do Business in the City of Richmond” Vendor Workshop. Approximately 90 vendors were in attendance to hear speakers discuss the procurement process for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), University of California Berkeley (UCB), Chevron Corporation, West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), and the City of Richmond. The workshop was recorded, and can be viewed from the City’s website at:
www.ci.richmond.ca.us/purchasing
- First Steps to Certifying Your Small Business Workshop
Ofelia Alvarez, Senior Buyer, participated as a panelist in Richmond Main Street’s “First Steps to Certifying Your Small Business” workshop on April 16th. This was the first in a series of workshops presented by Richmond Main Street to help local small businesses set up and strengthen their business. Approximately 27 vendors attended this event. Other scheduled business workshops are as follows:
- May 14, 2015 – Financing Your Business for New Contracts
- September 10, 2015 – Managing Your New Business Contract
- Inventor’s Workshop at the Library
Families with children in grades K-8 are invited to an Inventor's Workshop at the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library. Offered by staff from the Lawrence Hall of Science, Inventor's Workshops offer hands-on engineering activities designed to engage the entire family.
Using a few simple materials and a lot of ingenuity, participants will explore how engineering and physics come together to make a miniature catapult. Kids can work alone or collaborate to construct and fine-tune their launching machines. Best of all, they get to take their catapult home!
This event is free, requires no advance registration, and will be held on Saturday, May 9th from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM in the Madeline F. Whittlesey Community Room. The Community Room is adjacent to the Library, at 325 Civic Center Plaza in Richmond. To get to the Community Room, enter from the courtyard to the left of the main entrance.
For more information, please call (510) 620-6557 or visit us at www.richmondlibrary.org. The library is wheelchair accessible. Se habla español.
- More Library Events: “Music in the Library”
The Richmond Public Library is pleased to invite you to attend “Music in the Library” on Friday, May 22nd from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Main Library featuring Bay Area blues singers Rev. Rabia & Keizo. Rev. Rabia has been signing blues in the Bay Area for over 20 years. She hails from Sacramento where she began learning guitar at age 14 when her friend taught her a few chords and loaned her a guitar.
This is a free event open to all and is sponsored by The Friends of the Richmond Public Library.
- Restaurant Build-Out Launch Party & Richmond Main Street Benefit
Richmond Main Street and Home of Chicken and Waffles are hosting a special launch party for the build-out of the NEW Home of Chicken and Waffles restaurant at the Richmond BART station.
Come downtown and party with Main Street on Thursday, April 30th from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM at 1600 Macdonald Avenue. Enjoy signature soul food dishes by Home of Chicken and Waffles, a variety of fine wines at the hosted bar, great music by Terence Elliott & Nymani Music, and a sneak peak at the design of the restaurant.
Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door, available at www.richmondmainstreet.org.
For more information, please contact Richmond Main Street Initiative at (510) 236-4049 or by email at admin@richmondmainstreet.org.
- City of Richmond NEW Mobile APP Update
The City of Richmond mobile app is now available, providing Richmond community members with one-stop access to City services and information. Please watch the informational video for an overview of the app available for free at the Apple App Store for IOS devices and at Google Play for Android phones.
We welcome your feedback at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us.
- Fire Department Highlights
The Fire Department has initiated a program to provide and install free smoke alarms. The program is a partnership between the Richmond Fire Department and the American Red Cross and will start Saturday, May 16th in the Shields Reid neighborhood. At a recent informational meeting on the program held at the Neighborhood House of North Richmond Multi/Cultural Family Service Center, 28 senior citizens signed up to have free smoke alarms installed at their residence. Richmond firefighters will install smoke alarms in each bedroom, and provide valuable fire and life safety information.
We don't know how many lives each year will be saved by installing smoke alarms, but what we do know is that lives will be saved by installing smoke alarms.
The Friends of the Richmond Public Library and Richmond Public Library Teen Services are co-sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship to a Richmond resident who is a senior high public or private school student and will be attending a four-year college in the fall of 2015.
Interested applicants should:
- Provide a copy of a letter of intent/registration to the college they will be attending.
- Include the names of any service/social organization(s) in which they participated.
- Provide the names and amounts of other scholarships awarded.
- Submit a three-page, double spaced, typed essay entitled, Public Libraries in the New Millennium: Programs and Resources that Attract Teens.
Applications will be available in counseling offices at West County high schools and online at www.richmondlibrary.org. Entries must be received by Saturday, May 16th, by 5:00 PM at: Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, Attn: Angela Cox.
- Young Artists Repertory Series
The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts' next 25th Annual Young Artists Repertory Series installment will take place on Saturday, April 25th at 7:00 PM at their Iron Triangle Theater in downtown Richmond. It is a special series because it provides one of the only opportunities to enjoy more than one resident company on the same stage in the same evening. Performances will be provided by: Iron Triangle Urban Ballet, Richmond Chamber Ensemble, Richmond Jazz Collective, Son de la Tierra, Voices of Reason, Iron Triangle Theater Company, and West African Music & Dance Ensemble.
For additional updates and information, please visit the East Bay Center’s website at www.eastbaycenter.org.
The suggested donation for tickets is $15 General; $5 children 12 and under/students/seniors 65 and older. Diploma students get in for free!
(Please note that the East Bay Center welcomes all and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.)
You can reserve your tickets on www.brownpapertickets.com
Where: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, 339 11th Street at Macdonald Avenue, downtown Richmond
Parking: Secured lot across the street from venue, (entrance at Nevin & 12th Street) - $4 for the evening.
- Leaders from Northern California to Convene in Richmond to Discuss Challenges and Solutions to the Diversity and Gender Gaps in STEM Careers
Lack of diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields received national attention recently when the largest technology companies in the country released their diversity numbers. Across the board, African Americans and Latinos made up barely 2% of the workforce. And although women make up more than 50% of college graduates, they represent less than 30% of those working in STEM fields.
This year’s Northern California Summit on Children and Youth, an event that is organized annually by the Richmond Community Foundation, will focus on the complex topic of “Bridging the STEM Diversity Gap – Building the Next Generation Workforce.” The summit will be held on April 30th in the Richmond Auditorium, and will convene more than 200 educators, community organizations, community leaders, elected officials, businesses, and area foundations to share innovative approaches, research driven models, and best practices for building STEM career pathways for our children and youth. The goal of the summit is to demonstrate successful STEM pathways and replicate and scale them up throughout the Bay Area.
The summit will open at 9:00 AM with a welcome by Vice Mayor Jael Myrick, who is launching a local initiative to support President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper Initiative”. The Opening Plenary Panel features Dr. Helen Benjamin, Chancellor for the Contra Costa Community College District, Darien Louie, Executive Director of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, and Miriam Karpilow, University Programs Manager for Pandora, Inc. Sunne McPeak, President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, will moderate the panel.
Erik Moore, Founder and Managing Director for Base Ventures, a company investing in seed-stage technology companies, will be the keynote speaker, and will describe “The Long Walk from Richmond to Silicon Valley.”
The concluding session for the Summit, “I Bridged the Gap,” features a panel of STEM field leaders who will describe their experiences overcoming challenges to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.
Experts from a variety of STEM fields will also present workshops that focus on challenges, learnings and opportunities in STEM education and STEM-related fields, and demonstrate successful programs in practice. An “Interactive Resource Village” will feature information and interactive exhibits from organizations including Chabot Space and Science Center, Contra Costa College, Community Resources for Science, Richmond Solar and Nerd Crossing.
For more information about the Summit program, or to register, visit: Summit.
- Information Technology (IT) Department Updates
Website Statistics: Top 10 Webpage visits for the week ending April 21, 2015:
Facebook Statistics
Senior Center
The Richmond Senior Center Tai Chi classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM. This past Tuesday’s class was full, with new participants ready for the next session. Extremely popular, the class expands throughout the entire center on these evenings.
Shields Reid Community Center
Ten participants from the Shields Reid Afterschool Program attended Child Development classes at Contra Costa College. The children had fun while helping college students present their curriculum projects. In addition to learning about the CCC campus and college learning, the youth learned new fitness, math, science and art concepts.
During the beginning stages of the construction on the West Side Library Roof there was additional damage found. Mayor Tom Butt took a tour of the worksite and saw first hand the extent of the damage. The roof should still be completed between the end of May and early June of 2015.
Mayor Butt on West Side Library Roof
Facilities Maintenance Division: Capenters installed a new countertop in the kitchen at May Valley Community Center, repaired gym doors at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center, repaired the door and lockset at the Fire Department Marine office, and installed a swing door to the Mayor’s reception area.
Painters placed a clear coat on the cabinets at the Native American Health Center and the May Valley Communtiy Center, masked the furnishings at the Point Richmond Library, and painted equipment housing at Fire Station #67.
Painters masking at the Library
Stationary Engineers repaired the apparatus heater at Fire Station #66, rekeyed the doors at the Riggers Loft, replaced the water heater at Fire Station #68, repaired the exhaust fan at Fire Station #61, replaced all door closers serving the Children’s Library, and fixed the supply valves to the restroom at Fire Station #61.
Water Heater Replacement
Electricians repaired the street lights on South 37th Street, completed the conduit runs for the new flag pole lights at Fire Station #63, repaired the traffic controller on 23rd Street and Garvin Avenue, replaced the yellow light at Harbour Way and Pennsylvania Avenue, checked timing for Richmond Parkway and Gertrude Avenue, repaired red light at Harbour Way and Barrett Avenue, marked all electrical and fiber conduits on Nevin Avenue from 19th Street to 27th Street, and repaired the fallen light pole on 24th Street near Macdonald Avenue.
Yellow Light Replacement
Parks and Landscaping Division: General maintenance crews repaired the irrigation system at Civic Center Plaza, replaced the basketball nets at John F. Kennedy Park, removed graffiti at Nicholl Park, attended training, weed whipped area behind Little Peak Court, maintenance at Burg Park, and completed sod installation at Shields Reid Park.
Sod placement at Shields Reid Park
Hilltop District crews started weed abatement on the North side of the Giant Road exit off of Richmond Parkway, continued work on the sidewalk near AM/PM landscaping project, mulched at Vista Del Mar, and worked in the high fire zone areas.
Sidewalk Work Near AM/PM Project
Marina District crews made irrigation system adjustments for water conservation, weed abated along trails, and sealed holes in, and repainted, the electrical cabinet.
Irrigation Adjustment for Water Conservation
Tree crews cut or trimmed trees on or around: Grove Street, Clinton Avenue, South 11th Street, Florida Avenue, Creely Avenue, McBryde Avenue, and Booker T. Anderson Park tennis courts.
Streets Division: Paving staff worked on potholes and the sidewalk from the outstanding pothole list and patched near the Plunge tennis courts.
Plunge Patchwork
Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the third Monday and Tuesday and the fourth Wednesday through Friday in the North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, Metro Richmore Village, Pullman, Cortez/Stege, Park Plaza, Laurel Park, City Center, Parkview, Richmond Annex, Panhandle Annex, and Eastshore neighborhood council areas.
Signs and Lines staff installed 10 new signs and poles, repaired 27 signs and poles, fabricated 28 new signs, placed pavement markers such as stop messages buttons and crosswalks, and repainted 484’ of curb.
Pavement Markings
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.
Have a great week!
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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