 
Mayor and Members of the City Council:
This is the report for the week ending November 30th, 2018.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 4th. Closed Session will begin at 5:00 PM, and the Regular Meeting of the Richmond Housing Authority will begin at 6:25 PM. The Regular Meeting of the Richmond City Council will begin at 6:30 PM; the agenda may be found by clicking this link: December 4th City Council Agenda.
Community Services Department’s 3rd Annual Holiday Food Drive
The Community Services Department (CSD) is launching our 3rd Annual Holiday Food Drive! We will be collecting canned goods and dry goods for the holiday season. The Holiday Food Drive will launch on November 13th, and will continue through December 14th, with all donations benefiting the Bay Area Rescue Mission. Food drive barrels will be located at various city facilities in Richmond, as listed below:
● Booker T. Anderson Community Center
● Building 440, Civic Center Plaza
● Community Services Department (Recreation Complex)
● Developing Personal Resources Center (DPRC)
● May Valley Community Center
● Parchester Village Community Center
● Richmond Annex Senior Center
● Richmond City Hall
● Richmond Public Library (Bayview Branch)
● Richmond Public Library (West Side Branch)
● Richmond Senior Center
● Shields-Reid Community Center
For more information, e-mail stephanie_ny@ci.richmond.ca.us or call:
(510) 620-6563.
Santa Needs a New Sleigh! A Super FUN(draiser) Holiday Party
All are invited to Richmond Main Street’s annual holiday party to eat, drink, be merry, and help get Santa to the annual Downtown Holiday Festival! Come by East Brother Beer Company (1001 Canal Blvd.) on Thursday, December 6th, from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM for great beer & food, selfies with Santa photo booth, ugly sweater contest, raffle prizes, music, and more!
*Bonus: Support the local toy drive! Bring a new, unwrapped board game or toy for $1 discount/pint*
Proceeds from beer and raffle sales will support the annual Downtown Holiday Festival on December 12th, which provides a safe, fun, and memorable multi-cultural holiday experience for hundreds of Iron Triangle families.
Sponsored by: Richmond Main Street Initiative and East Brother Beer Co.
For more information: visit the Facebook event, call (510) 236-4049, or email admin@richmondmainstreet.org.
Candy Cane Basketball Tournament
The Community Services Department's annual Candy Cane Classic Tournament will be held on Friday, December 7th through Sunday, December 9th. Join us to cheer on our teams! There are a total of 19 teams participating in this event:
Locations:
Recreation Complex (RC), 3230 Macdonald Ave. Richmond, CA 94804
Booker T. Anderson (BTA) Community Center, 960 S. 47th St. Richmond, CA 94804
Schedule:
Friday, December 7th: 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM at RC and BTA
Saturday, December 8th: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at RC, BTA, RPAL
Sunday, December 9th: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM - Playoffs and Championship at RC and BTA.
Family Volunteer Day Rescheduled to December 8th
Family Volunteer Day is coming up on Saturday, December 8th! Bring the family to join ServiceWorks at the Richmond Recreation Complex (3230 Macdonald Ave) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will beautify the space around our building as well as Nicholl Park. Then, learn how to build your own planter box with Richmond Tool Library! Lunch as well as all tools and supplies will be provided to volunteers, and you will get to keep your personal planter box too! RSVP on Facebook!
Thank you to Richmond Love Your Block and The Energy Coalition’s Climate Leaders in Action Grant for also sponsoring this project.
For more information, e-mail guadalupe_morales@ci.richmond.ca.us or call (510) 620-6553.
Santa & Holiday Fun coming to Downtown! ~ Wednesday, December 12th
Santa Claus is coming to Downtown! Richmond Main Street Initiative and East Bay Center for the Performing Arts invite the entire community to come Downtown to the historic Winters Building for an evening filled with memorable winter holiday activities for the entire family at the Downtown Holiday Festival on Wednesday, December 12th, from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, 339 11th Street, Richmond.
Featuring Santa visits (4:00 PM – 7:30 PM); Performances of A Richmond Nutcracker for children and adults of all ages at 5:00 PM & 6:30 PM; special holiday treats, giveaways, and free books (while supplies last); caroling and a Holiday Street Lighting ceremony at 7:30 PM.
Admission is free and made possible through the partnership between Richmond Main Street Initiative and East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, with generous support from the City of Richmond, Mechanics Bank, Sims Metal Management, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and individual donors and volunteers.
For more information visit www.RichmondMainStreet.org or call (510) 236-4049.
21st Annual Senior Winter Ball on December 15th
On Saturday, December 15th, in the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, join seniors and (not so seniors) in an evening of dancing, dining, and outstanding entertainment featuring Top Shelf Review. The Top Shelf musical singers and dancers have been dazzling the music scene for years. The cost of admission is $30. Dinner will be served from 6:45 PM to 7:45 PM.
The Ball affords seniors an opportunity to “dress up” in their finest, be served dinner at their tables, meet old friends, make new friends, and just enjoy themselves.
For additional information, please contact Chair Myrtle Braxton at (510) 233-0777 or Correspondence Secretary Naomi Williams at (510) 918-6955.
Community Services Department Mini-Grant Program Now Open!
Grants of up to $5,000 are available up to provide support for organizations that serve the needs of community, youth, and youth sports. The Mini-Grant program is designed to support organizations that are Richmond-serving and that partner with and/or consistently utilize facilities managed by the Community Services Department.
The grant applications and all relevant attachments for the 2018-2019 fiscal year is must be submitted electronically to recreation@ci.richmond.ca.us by 5:00 PM on December 31, 2018, with attention to Guadalupe Morales at the Community Services Department.
Find more information on how to apply available on the Community Services website.
Recycling and Bulky Item Disposal Options during the Holiday Season
As the holiday season approaches, the City Manager’s Office Community Development, Environmental and Health Initiatives Division encourage residents to consider the options below for disposing of bulky items, bagged items, and household hazardous waste (HHW). Information regarding all of the programs can be found by visiting, www.richmondenvironment.org. Thank you for taking the time to properly dispose of bulky items, HHW, and other materials in an environmentally responsible manner.
Richmond Bulky Item Pick-up:
Richmond Single-family, Duplex and Multi-Family (3-19 units) residents can receive a free Bulky Item pick-up. A limited number of items can be collected.
Please contact Republic Services, (510) 262-7100, at least one week in advance to reserve your Clean-up day. Multi-family property owners or managers must call to schedule a collection. Due to space limitations of our waste collection vehicles, Clean-up day scheduling will be on a first-come, first-serve basis
Household Hazardous Waste:
Richmond residents have two locations for disposing of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) conveniently and for free. Please bring proof of residency. For more information on acceptable items, visit http://www.recyclemore.com/content/local-hazardous-waste-collection-facility or call (888) 412-9277.
1) West Contra Costa County Household Hazardous Waste Facility
101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801
Open Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Closed: Noon - 12:30 PM)
(888) 412-9277
2) El Cerrito Recycling Center
7501 Schmidt Lane, El Cerrito, CA 94530
Open every Tuesday for HHW Disposal
8:00 AM - 5:45 PM
(510) 215-4350
Holiday Tree Disposal and Recycling Options:
Visit http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/1722/Bulky-Items to view the options for properly disposing of holiday trees. For more information please contact Republic Services at (510) 262-7100.
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 organizations deals routinely.
Meetings and events of note during the past week included:
- Met with Jordan Simmons, Director of the East Bay Center for Performing Arts to tour the facility, learn about all the great services and programs EBCPA provides.
- Joined a tour of the Miraflores Senior Housing affordable project, as well as the site for the for sale housing development to see the progress made and the work that has been completed, including historical elements, connection to greenway, daylighting of Baxter Creek, as well as the layout of the site.
- Met with Jessie Stewart, Executive Director of the Richmond Promise (RP), and was provided with updates on fundraising, data, and policy recommendations to be considered at the next RP Board meeting.
- Participated in an introductory meeting with Trust for Public Land representatives to discuss items of mutual interests and upcoming capital improvement projects.
- Discussed with City staff ongoing updates and proposed policy recommendations regarding the Richmond Housing Authority.
- Met with staff from the Finance Department and MUNIServices to receive an overview of the city’s quarterly sales tax.
- Introduced myself to City staff at three “all hands meetings” on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to provide an overview of the City’s financial position, challenges ahead, and the great number of development projects under construction, entitled, under review and at the conceptual stage. The message in a nutshell: the City is fine, we have challenges that need to resolve but together we can overcome, and the future looks bright.
Apply for Your U.S. Passport at Richmond City Hall!
The City of Richmond City Clerk’s Office is accepting passport applications on behalf of the United States Department of State. United States citizens planning international travel may apply for their passport at 450 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 300, during the following hours by appointment only:
Monday: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
(Closed 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM – days of operation only)
Please recognize that the area is an operational executive office, and a quiet zone. No drop in service for same day appointments or scheduling future appointments is available at this time; you must call (510) 620-6786 to schedule all appointments.
For application forms, information on documentation required, fees, and a wealth of other passport and international travel information, visit the only official website for passport information – travel.state.gov.
For more information about the City of Richmond Passport Acceptance Facility, please visit http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/passports.
- Community Services Department
Return of Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland returned to Richmond at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, November 28th, and it was very magical, not only for the children, but the staff as well. The event, which last took place in the early 1990's, showcased many elves, Rudolph, and lots of activities for children from pre-school through the second grade. There were almost eighty children in attendance for the event. The highlight for most was the appearance of Santa who looked mysteriously like Eric Yee, our coordinator from the Nevin Community Center.
The decorations were amazing and very well coordinated; we received a lot of wonderful comments on it from the teachers, students and city staff.
Special thanks to all staff from the department who worked on set-up / clean up, Santa (Eric), Rudolph (Danny) and Santa’s Elves (RSC Seniors), activity stations, shopping, coordinating hot chocolate with brick marshmallows, and serving. Without their help, this event wouldn’t have been possible.
 
 
Shields-Reid Achieve After-school Program
Sixteen (16) children from the Shields-Reid Achieve Afterschool program were invited to Contra Costa College (CCC) on November 26th to take part in educational activities. Students from the CCC Early Childhood Education department led the children in science, art, language, math, and fitness activities. The college students, who will be future teachers, gained experience in leading curriculum. The children had lots of fun, while learning new skills and concepts.
 
Richmond Swim Center Pool Re-Opens!
The Richmond Swim Center has re-opened after being closed for two weeks due to poor internal air quality from the fires in Butte County. Patrons are happy to be swimming, water walking, taking classes, and seeing familiar faces after the unexpected break. The swim teams (Richmond Swims Sailfish and Future Aquatics Swim) are back to practicing each weekday evening.
 
- Engineering & Capital Improvement Department (ECIP)
Streets Division
Paving crews installed dura-curb traffic islands at two intersections along Moyers Road, performed haul grindings, and worked from the outstanding pothole list in various locations around the City.
 
Dura-curb Traffic Islands along Moyers Road
 
Haul Grindings
Street sweeping staff performed residential sweeping services for the fourth Monday through Wednesday in Santa Fe, Point Richmond, Marina Bay, Coronado, Metro Richmore Village, Pullman, Cortez/Stege, Park Plaza, Laurel Park, and City Center neighborhood council areas. Additionally, the Signs and Lines division repaired or installed eleven new signs and poles.
Electrical Division
Crews installed a “J” Pole on 23rd Street, completed a streetlight knockdown on Highgate Drive, and removed a streetlight pole on 12th Street and Barrett Avenue.
“J” Pole Installation on 23rd Street
Streetlight Knockdown on Highgate Drive
Streetlight Pole Removal on 12th Street and Barrett Avenue
Greetings and Happy Holidays from Fire Marshal Govan
As we enter the holiday season, the Fire Prevention Division wants to ensure yours is joyous and safe. Your family and loved ones can enjoy the season by safeguarding against hazards. For many, decorating the tree with lights and ornaments is a family tradition. Festive items associated with the holiday season such as trees, lights, and candles can present fire risks that can turn this festive time of year into a devastating one.
Here are some recommendations to prevent fire risks in your home:
Throw away light strands with frayed or pinched wires.
Always unplug your Christmas tree lights before going to bed or leaving your home.
Water your Christmas tree every day. Keep your Christmas tree at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles, and heat vents.
ü Total page views increased by 42%
- Total people reached increased by 421%
- Post engagements increased by 636%
- Total video views increased by 100%
Twitter Statistics
Website Statistics for the week of November 30, 2018
KCRT VIDEO OF THE WEEK
KCRT's videographers Brian Bland and Christian Wimmer present a look of Richmond, California from the sky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hly13EXOKiM
- Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations (DIMO)
Abatement
Abatement crews installed a fence on a city-owned vacant lot to prevent illegal dumping, abated a watershed located along Fred Jackson Way and 3rd Street in North Richmond, abated weeds in multiple locations, and removed trash and graffiti from various locations throughout the City.
 
 
Fencing
 
 
Watershed Clean-Up
 
 
Illegal Dumping
 
Graffiti
Code Enforcement
Code Enforcement responded to a complaint of debris in public view and an occupant driving over the curb causing damage to the sidewalk. City staff sent a Notice of Violation and made contact with the property owner on several occasions. The debris was removed and the sidewalk was repaired.
 
Before and After
Code Enforcement staff received complaints about vehicles blocking the sidewalk and parking on unapproved surfaces. Several citations were issued after a Notice of Violation was sent, and meetings with the property owner proved to be successful with a fence being erected and the property brought into compliance.
 
Facilities Maintenance
Stationary Engineers performed daily pool maintenance, daily Civic Center Plaza boiler inspections, reinstalled pool drain grates at the Plunge, replaced the gas valve on a boiler in 440 Civic Center Plaza, assisted with fire system tests in various city facilities, completed plumbing repairs for the Richmond Housing Authority, repaired the air conditioner in the printer room of 450 Civic Center Plaza, replaced fan belts in restroom exhaust fans, and cleared drains in the Jail.
Exhaust Fan Maintenance
Utility Workers continued with weed abatement around Civic Center Plaza, assembled a desk for a councilmember’s office, replaced a water filter and replaced bulbs at the Recreation Complex, set-up tables for meetings, and maintained 29 City-owned facilities.
 
Desk Assembly
Parks and Landscaping
General Maintenance crews performed maintenance throughout the city, hung holiday lighting at City Hall, replanted flower beds in Civic Center Plaza, removed debris in parks and on right-of-ways, removed waste from the Parks yard, abated weeds at Lucas Park, and mowed as weather permitted.
Lucas Park Maintenance
Tree Crews trimmed or cut trees on: 5th Street, South 5th Street, 11th Street, Park Place, San Pablo Avenue, and Virginia Avenue.
Tree Cutting
Hilltop District crews continued general maintenance around the business area, completed weed abatement on Richmond Parkway between San Pablo Avenue and Hilltop Drive, installed mulch at Country Club and Bay Vista Parks, and began maintenance of v-ditches in the area.
Marina District crews continued with the Esplanade Landscape Project, cleaned median strips on Marina Bay Parkway, removed graffiti and fallen tree branches, and performed storm patrol.
Marina Median Maintenance
Crime Prevention Program Hosted a Block Captain Training
The City of Richmond Crime Prevention Program hosted a successful block captain training. Block captain training is open to all residents of the city of Richmond, and is free of charge to residents interested in getting their neighbors involved in neighborhood watch. The training is offered twice a year to fast track and register block groups. Participants are provided with a block captain tool kit, signs and decals, and tools to get their neighbors involved in neighborhood watch and taking ownership of community safety. This year a total of 43 new groups were activated through the fast track training program. Participants can also sign up for neighborhood watch individually, and the crime prevention program will come and provide training to neighbors in their homes.
Richmond Promise is Hiring 2 Americorps VISTAs and the start date is February 19th!
Are you passionate about supporting the college success of students from Richmond? Are you responsible, hard-working, and organized? You could be a Richmond Promise Americorps VISTA Fellow!
The Richmond Promise is seeking two (2) awesome individuals who are passionate about the mission of the Richmond Promise and equitable access to higher education to join our team as Americorps VISTA Fellows February 2019-January 2020. The two roles are:
• College Success Coordinator
• Scholarship Operations & Data Coordinator
Learn more here. The ideal candidate for this role is someone who believes deeply in doing whatever it takes to help our students succeed, has relentless and rigorous attention to detail, enjoys efficiency and improvement of systems, and is excited about supporting a college going and graduating culture in Richmond, CA! S/he should thrive in a fast-paced and multifaceted environment, have experience and demonstrated success in balancing multiple priorities, enjoy building relationships with students and adults, and proactively solving challenges.
Please share widely!
2019 Richmond Promise Scholarship Application is now Open!
Our 2019 Richmond Promise Scholarship application is now available to complete at our website, richmondpromise.org.
To be eligible for the Richmond Promise Scholarship, a student must:
· Be a resident of Richmond or North Richmond (i.e. have a Richmond home
address)
- Have graduated from an eligible High School within the West Contra Costa Unified School District boundary area or received your General Educational Development/High School equivalency between June 2018-19
· Have attended an eligible High School at least 9th -12th grade consecutively
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid/Dream Act by the March 2nd California Grant deadline.
Once again, the application can be found on the Richmond Promise website:
https://richmondpromise.org/the-scholarship-application/
Please share this opportunity with eligible students in your life!
The FAFSA application for financial aid can be found at https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and the
Dream Act application can be found at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
Cutting/Carlson & Hoffman Wet Weather Improvement Projects
On October 1, 2018, construction began on the pipeline replacement projects at Cutting/Carlson & Hoffman Boulevards in the City of Richmond. These $8.8 million projects will replace 4.5 miles of aging and damaged sewer pipe and are expected to be completed September 2019.
Line replacement work along Hoffman Blvd
13’ point repair of 12” pipe along Hoffman
Rehabilitation of Wastewater Treatment Plant Primary and Secondary Process Tanks
As part of the $6.7 million High Priority Plant Projects to address aging infrastructure and improve Wastewater Treatment Plant reliability and operating efficiency, both Primary Sedimentation Basins and all three Secondary Clarifiers are being rehabilitated this year prior to the rainy season. This project is expected to be completed by December 2018.
Secondary Clarifier #3 – regrouting the basin.
For additional information on any capital projects, please contact the Veolia Capital Program Management team at (510) 412-2001, ext. 33106.
Thank you for keeping up with the activities in the City of Richmond. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.
Thank You!
Carlos Martinez
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
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
See below to see options for connecting with the City of Richmond.
Connecting with the City of Richmond
To contact us by phone:
The City’s website (http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/) provides a department and staff directory at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/Directory.aspx.
If you’re not sure which department you need to contact, we encourage you to phone the City Manager’s office at (510) 620-6512.
Using the CORConnect Application on the City’s Website:
You can use the CORConnect button on the City’s website (http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/) to report any comments, questions or concerns regarding the work being done by City staff. The CORConnect issues go directly to the responsible department, and the city manager reviews reported issues on a regular basis to determine if City staff members are responding appropriately. If you do not feel that you have received a satisfactory response, please contact the City Manager’s Office at (510) 620-6512.
To access CORConnect select the CORConnect button on the homepage of the City website.
Alternatively, you can select the COR Connect button on any other webpage on the left hand side of the page.
On the next screen under Report an Issue select Report Issue/Concern to create a report or Search Issue/Concerns to look up a previously reported issue. You can also look up previously submitted issues to check on the current status if you provided you name, phone number or email when you submitted it.
On the page, you can also look up information on a parcel, see permits issued and look up business license information. If you have a current business license you can pay to renew it online with a credit card.
The recommended browsers are: Microsoft Edge, or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11 using the compatibility mode. It can be found in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer: click on the "gear" icon and select Compatibility View Settings, then add the site to the list and click "Close".
The City of Richmond is looking forward to feedback from the community on CORConnect. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us
Using the City of Richmond Mobile Application:
The 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. The City of Richmond’s mobile phone app is available on the Apple App store and Google Play store.
We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us
Carlos Martinez
City Manager
450 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 300
Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: (510) 620-6976
Fax: (510) 620-6542 |
