Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the report for the week ending June 30, 2017.

• Meeting Notes

City offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11th. Enjoy the next week off!

• 3rd of July Fireworks

Join us for the annual 3rd of July Fireworks show! This will be a free, family-friendly event featuring live music by the Oakland Symphony, food, and spectacular fireworks across the San Francisco skyline! Please call (510) 620-7693 for more information.

• City Council Adopts Fiscal Year 2017-18 Operating and Capital Improvement Budget

Over the last several fiscal years, it has been a challenge to prepare balanced budgets while still trying to meet the growing needs of the community. Average annual growth in the City’s top three revenue sources has averaged less than 1.5% per year during the past nine years – a level well below inflation. It was only in fiscal year 2016-17 that the City’s property taxes finally exceeded pre-recession levels that existed eight years earlier. These revenue struggles were against the backdrop of significantly higher costs, especially pension-related costs, and an aging infrastructure. Achieving budget balances and favorable operating results during the past three fiscal years has created difficult policy choices for the City Council, but these difficult choices were successfully made.

While fiscal year 2017-18 was, in many ways, no less difficult in achieving financial goals, Finance Department staff was able to work closely with the various City departments to craft a budget that I believe offers a stable baseline for the coming years.  At the June 27th Richmond City Council meeting, the City Council adopted this balanced operating budget as well as an ambitious capital improvements program for FY 2017-18.

Special thanks to Finance Director Belinda Warner and Budget Administrator Markisha Guillory, along with members of their team, for their excellent work compiling the budget.

• Attorney General Xavier Becerra Visits with Elected Officials and Leaders in Richmond

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra visited Richmond last week at a meet-and-greet event hosted by Supervisor John Gioia and Mayor Tom Butt. Councilmembers, mayors, city officials, and community organization leaders from all over West County came to Salute e Vita Restaurant to hear from the Attorney General and ask questions. He discussed his personal leadership philosophy and priorities for the state on issues including immigration, criminal justice, and climate change.

Pictured from left to right:
Mayor Tom Butt, Supervisor John Gioia, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Assistant San Francisco District Attorney Michael Menesini, El Cerrito Councilmember Gabriel Quinto

• The 2017 Richmond Community Survey is Available Online!

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 that all Richmond residents are now invited to participatein the 2017 Community Survey online!

Richmond residents not randomly selected to participate in the survey now have an opportunity to have their opinions heard. The community-wide version of the survey is now available online at http://bit.ly/richmondca2017 in Spanish and English. The deadline to participate in the online opt-in survey is Monday, July 3, 2017.

If you were selected to participate in the written survey, please return the completed survey as soon as possible.

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.

• One Week Until Development Opportunity RFQ/P Submission Deadline – Macdonald Avenue Corridor Properties

Interested developers still have one week left to submit a proposal for the Notice of Development Opportunity; proposals will be accepted by the City Manager’s Office until Friday, July at 12:00 pm. All interested developers are encouraged to review the RFQ/P – highlighting four Opportunity Sites – intended to serve as major activity centers that will facilitate the economic and cultural heart of the City, and connection to the greater Bay Area.

Each site is within walking distance of the Richmond Multi-Modal Transit Station – with access to BART, Amtrak, and AC Transit – as well as assets including the Kaiser Richmond Medical Center and the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts.

A copy of the Request for Qualifications and Proposals is accessible at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/opportunitysites. All attachments and questions are available on the website.

Please contact Mike Uberti at mike_uberti@ci.richmond.ca.us or (510) 620-6512 for more information.

• City Manager Chronicles

I have listed below some of the topics for meetings that I attended during the past week in the hope that it provides an idea of the varied issues with which our organization deals routinely.

Much of the time this week was devoted to finalizing the details of the wastewater bond financing that was recently authorized by the City Council.  Other meetings of note this past week included:

• Assisted the City of Fairfield on a panel interviewing police chief candidates;
• Met with the City’s State legislative advocates, Vern Whitmore and Jacqueline Majors, to discuss priorities and projects;
• Attended the monthly budget review meeting with Finance Director Belinda Warner and members of the Finance Department staff;
• Met with Councilmember Ben Choi, together with Administrative Chief Shasa Curl, Environmental Manager Adam Lenz, and Management Analyst Gabino Arredondo, to discuss the RecycleMore joint powers agreement;
• Met with Richmond Sanitary Service General Manager Shawn Moberg to discuss the RecycleMore joint powers agreement;
• Participated in a filmed interview regarding Richmond’s participation in the Y-PLAN program;
• Met with representatives of Mercy Housing to discuss the project status and financing needs for renovation of the Hacienda development.

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.

• Announcement of 2017 Annual General Adjustment

The Richmond Rent Board has determined the 2017 “Annual General Adjustment” rent increase for Controlled Rental Units is 3.4%. Effective September 1, 2017, the Maximum Allowable Rent for tenancies in effect prior to September 1, 2016, may be increased by 3.4%.

To apply the 2017 Annual General Adjustment rent increase of 3.4%, landlords must not only comply with requirements of State law, but also file a notice of rent increase with the Rent Board BEFORE serving notice on the tenant.  More information can be found by accessing the Rent Increase Procedure on the Rent Program website (www.richmondrent.org). Rent increases may not take effect prior to September 1, 2017.

For more information on the Annual General Adjustment and the Richmond Rent Program, please visit www.richmondrent.org.

• Richmond Promise (RP) College Success Workshops & 2016 Scholarship Renewal Application

College Success Workshop

440 Richmond Promise Scholars from the graduating Class of 2017 will be representing Richmond at 55 different colleges and universities this fall!

This summer, the Richmond Promise’s number one priority is to support its scholars through the summer months to ensure full-time and on-time college enrollment this fall. One way they are doing this is by hosting a series of College Success Workshops in June and July. These workshops are open and mandatory for all scholarship recipients.

Nearly 300 scholars attended the first four workshops! RP offered their thanks to its participating partner organizations: Youth Finance Institute of America (YFIA), SparkPoint, Students Rising Above, and Contra Costa College for making these workshops a success.

Didn’t attend a workshop yet? That’s okay! The Richmond Promise team will be holding one more workshop in July. Please encourage a scholar in your life to sign up and attend if they haven’t:

• Thursday, July 27: College Success Workshop #5 (for ALL Richmond Promise Scholars) RSVP Today!

2016 Scholarship Renewal Application

The application to renew the Richmond Promise Scholarship for next school year is open for our Class of 2016 Scholars!

The application can be found here and is due July 15, 2017. Students will need their FAFSA/Dream Act Student Aid Report, unofficial transcript, and class schedule for this upcoming school year. This application is only for Class of 2016 Richmond Promise Scholars who are just completing their first year of college.

Please remind a scholar in your life about this deadline!

Questions or need assistance? Info@richmondpromise.org or 510-761-7231.

• We Need Your Input on the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The City of Richmond is updating its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in partnership with Contra Costa County. The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan serves as a coordinating document for the City and approximately three dozen local agencies and special purpose districts to reduce their risks from a wide range of potential natural and non-natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.

You can be a part of this effort to update the current plan by taking just a few short minutes to fill out our brief survey.

The current plan was developed in 2011 and approved in April of 2012; it is expected that the update process will take approximately six months. Thank you for your time and contribution to this effort!

• Richmond Urban Garden Contest

There is still time to register for this year's Urban Garden Contest! Make sure to visit www.RichmondCAMayor.org for more information and to register.

If you are interested in just touring the gardens, please email Sequoia_Erasmus@ci.richmond.ca.us to sign up.

The tour will begin at the Plunge Garden in Point Richmond at 11:30 AM, followed by a tour of gardens throughout Richmond.  The afternoon will culminate at 4:30 PM with an awards ceremony at the Plunge Garden.

Complimentary meal tickets for the Plunge Garden Movie Night (directly following the awards ceremony) will be provided to each contestant.  All others are invited to purchase tickets for $15.

All entrants will also receive complimentary passes to the Soil Not Oil Conference on September 8th-9th at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium.

Showcase your garden. Win Prizes. Make Friends!

• Community Services Highlights

Youth Leadership Committee

Are you a high school or college student looking to become a leader in your community? Are you interested in learning how to create a community service project to create positive change? Join the YLC for the upcoming school year! Applications are now open with workshops to begin in the fall. We’ll have field trips to local excursions and workshop topics on public speaking, presentations, financial literacy, networking, resume-building, and more!

Application open here: tinyurl.com/RichmondYLC17
Contact Guadalupe Morales at guadalupe_morales@ci.richmond.ca.us or call 510-620-6553 for more info.

• Information Technology

Website Statistics for the Week Ending 06-30-2017

Tweets and Facebook followers are up!

• Post engagement is up by 61%
• Tweet visits are up by 82.1%
• Tweet impressions are up by 18.6%
• Profile visits are up by 36.8%

KCRT DATANET OF THE WEEK

Summer of MINECRAFT Camp
For the third summer in a row, the City of Richmond is hosting Summer of MINECRAFT summer camp.

Summer Youth are engaged and enjoying the colaborative team coding and of course the gaming experience.
City of Richmond Mobile APP UPDATE
The City of Richmond’s mobile phone app is available on the Apple App store and Google Play store. 


This City of Richmond mobile app provides Richmond’s community members with one-stop access to City services and information via mobile devices. The app allows quick and real-time reporting of neighborhood-related issues; viewing the City’s Events Calendar; finding addresses and phone numbers of local businesses, city departments and council members. Locating one of Richmond’s numerous parks, and welcoming libraries and community centers, including reserving rental space for that special occasion are all done with ease! You may view the City’s mobile app on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i4W1wVvB9fw The City of Richmond is looking forward to feedback from the community on this upgraded Mobile App. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us

• Engineering/CIP Departments

Engineering Projects

The foundation for the pedestrian bridge for the Greenway/Ohlone Gap Closure project has been poured. Cement has been placed for the structural support. The bridge will provide safe passage for pedestrians from the Ohlone Greenway to the Richmond Greenway.

Foundation Construction

Via Verdi has been utilizing a detour since the roadway began to slide earlier this year. The detour is now being paved to provide smoother passage for persons utilizing the Via Verdi roadway.

Paving at Via Verdi

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Project is progressing well. There has been a canopy placed on the elevator to help complete the design. The project is continuing on schedule.

BART Project Elevator

Streets Division
 
Paving crews completed the paving of Wall Avenue from South 41st to South 47th Street, worked from the outstanding pothole list in various locations around the City, hauled pavement grindings, and delivered barricades for the July 3rd Celebration.

 
Paving on Wall Avenue

Street sweeping staff performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the fourth Monday through Wednesday and the fifth Thursday and Friday in the Santa Fe, Point Richmond, Marina Bay, Coronado, Metro Richmore Village, Pullman, Cortez/Stege, Park Plaza, Laurel Park, and City Center  neighborhood council areas. Crews also swept medians along Cutting Boulevard, Carlson Boulevard, and Potrero Boulevard.

Signs and Lines staff repaired five signs and poles, installed six new signs and poles, fabricated 23 new signs, and painted 266 feet of curbs and zoning.

• Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations

Abatement

Crews assisted in the Richmond Heights Neighborhood Clean-up, performed weed abatement in private properties, vacant lots, and public right-of-ways, cleared a homeless encampment from public view, removed tons of debris from Freeman’s tow yard, responded to PD request to board a property that had been breached at Hilltop Green, and removed graffiti and tons of illegal dumping throughout the city.

Emergency Board-Up

Neighborhood Clean-Up

Freeman’s Tow

Private Property Abatement

City Lot

Alley Clean-Up

Code Enforcement

A property that had been the source of many complaints and ongoing enforcement activity due to the lack of property maintenance has been abated. This June, a complaint was lodged due to the property being vacant, unsecured, and having both accumulated debris on the exterior and overgrown vegetation. Once inspected, it was determined that the property was in violation of the Richmond Municipal Code: Section 6.38 – Maintenance and Monitoring of vacant dwellings or buildings. After previous notifications and citations were issued, Code Enforcement Officer Souza obtained a warrant to abate the violations and bring the property into compliance.

Before

After

Facilities Maintenance

Carpenters replaced doors at the Recreation Complex gym doors and provided white boards for the Richmond Fire Department.

Painters completed the remainder of the exterior of the Nicholl Park restrooms and painted the Madeline Whittlesey Room in the Main Library.

Painting at Nicholl Park

Parks and Landscaping Division
  
General Maintenance crews removed sand from the Nicholl Park play area and replaced it with playground Fibar, weeded medians on Castro Ranch Road, weeded Wendell Park, delivered trash cans for the Community Garden Mosaic Art Project, and repaired irrigation at Nicholl Park.

Sand Removal at Nicholl Park

Hilltop Districtcrews continued maintenance around Hilltop Mall business area, continued with the Richmond Country Club Vista landscaping project, and continued with weed abatement along Hilltop Lake.

Weed Maintenance at Hilltop Lake

Marina Districtcrews cleaned medians and shoulders throughout the area, mowed and edged turf, cleaned along Esplanade Drive, and prepared for the July 3rd celebration.

Shoulder Weed Abatement

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

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