This message is being sent on behalf of City Manager Laura Snideman

Hon. Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the report for the weeks ending January 8, 2021.

• Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12th, 2021. This meeting is the Swearing-In Ceremony for the three newly-elected councilmembers, and it will begin at 6:30 P.M. via Zoom. The program for the ceremony can be found here: January 12th Swearing-In Ceremony.

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

The following information is an ongoing list of resources and significant updates regarding COVID-19.

Outdoor Dining Update : January 2021

Once the current Stay-At-Home Order is rescinded, we will gladly accept new requests for businesses that wish to apply to use public right-of-way such as sidewalks adjacent to their business, to temporarily expand capacity outdoors by applying for a Temporary Outdoor Dining and Retail permit through the Community Services Department.

The City of Richmond is providing opportunities for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to utilize public and privately-owned outdoor areas, including parking lots, for outdoor dining and retail use. Applications can be requested by contacting us at CSDregistration@ci.richmond.ca.us.

Visit our website for the application and more information: https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4038/Outdoor-Dining-and-Curbside-Retail

• Announcements and Upcoming Events

Fiscal Year 2021-2022 ECIA Grant Program Applications are Available!

In 2014, the Richmond City Council approved the Chevron Environmental and Community Investment Agreement (ECIA), which invests $90 million dollars into the Richmond community over 10-years. $6 million of those dollars have been set aside for a competitive grant program, designed for non-profits who serve Richmond in the areas of community, youth, and youth sports. The ECIA has grant awards that range from $5,000, up to $50,000.

Important changes have been made to the grant guidelines. More specifically, all grant applications must be submitted online at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/ECIAapplication. This process is aimed to increase ease of use and minimize risk related to COVID-19.

To kick-off this opportunity, the City will be scheduling two  Information Workshops in January to be held virtually via Zoom. To make sure you are notified of these and other capacity-building training dates, please subscribe to the ECIA Competitive Grant E-News Sign-up!

The ECIA Grant Application is due on Friday, February 5, 2021, at 11:59 P.M.

To access the ECIA Grant Application, Guidelines, and more check out the ECIA Grants webpage: www.ci.richmond.ca.us/eciagrants

Richmond Fund for Children and Youth FY 2021-24 Request for Proposals and Grant Application Now Available! 

On June 5, 2018, Richmond voters approved Measures E and K, known as the Richmond Kids First Initiative, which approved a City of Richmond Charter amendment (Article 15) to require that a portion of the General Fund be set aside to fund youth programs and services. The total projected amount available for FY 2021-2022 grant awards is approximately $1.5 million in the initial year.

To access the RFCY Request for Proposals and grant application, please visit the RFCY Grants webpage at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/RFCYGrants.

To learn more, Department staff will be scheduling pre-proposal meetings to be held virtually on the following dates:

• Monday, January 18, 2021: 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
• Tuesday, January 26, 2021: 2:00 P.M.to 4:00 P.M.
• Wednesday, February 3, 2021: 5:00 P.M.to 7:00 P.M.

To make sure you are notified of these meetings and additional updates, please subscribe to our Richmond Fund for Children and Youth E-News Sign-up. Should any questions arise, please contact youth@ci.richmond.ca.us or (510) 620-6523.

New Year, New Ride Event: Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 P.M. -8:30 P.M.

Are you ready to switch to a cleaner ride this year? Join Sustainable Contra Costa (SCOCO) and Drive Clean Bay Area (DCBA) for an EV and e-bike webinar, Electrify Your Ride. DCBA will review the basics, like available EV and e-bike models, incentives, and how to charge at home and on the road. You’ll also have the chance to chat with EV and e-bike owners and ask questions in breakout rooms. According to the California Air Resource Board, when you switch to driving electric and plug into clean energy, you can cut your carbon footprint in half. Switching to an electric vehicle is an important action in the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge and SCOCO will show you how you can sign up. Log the environmental impact of your new ride and learn about other sustainable actions you can take to save money and energy in the home!

This FREE Virtual event will be held via Zoom. To register, visit drivecleanbayarea.org/events.

Electric Vehicle Financial Incentives Clinic: January 21, 2021

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County Drive-Thru Food Giveaway- Friday, January 29th 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

• City Clerk’s Office

Help represent Richmond on the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District’s Board of Trustees!

The application process is now open to represent the City of Richmond on the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District’s Board of Trustees. The Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District is a tax-funded office that provides free services to all county residents for mosquitoes, rats and mice, ground-nesting yellowjackets, ticks, and skunks. The Richmond representative on the District’s Board of Trustees will represent the city’s interests on matters related to mosquito and vector control.  The first term of service will be two years and additional terms of service will be two or four years.  Regular board meetings are held on the second Monday of every other month starting in January. Meetings are held at the District office, 155 Mason Circle in Concord at 7:00 P.M., and the meetings are open to the public.  Trustees are not compensated for service but will be paid up to $100 per month for official business expenses.  Mayor Butt has been tasked with nominating an applicant for the trustee position and that individual must then be confirmed by the Richmond City Council.  Applicants must be a City of Richmond resident and at least 18 years of age.  Please use this link to complete the online application. Please submit your completed application via email to CityClerkDept@ci.richmond.ca.us.

• Information Technology

Transparent Richmond

Check out Transparent Richmond (www.transparentrichmond.org), the City of Richmond’s citywide open data and performance reporting system. The open data platform currently spans 11 city departments and contains over 300 datasets, visualizations, and performance measures, many of which feature monthly, weekly or daily updates.

Transparent Richmond aims to accomplish the following:

• Improve the collective understanding of all city services.
• Automate performance data to help track and meet budget and service goals.
• Leverage evidence-based analysis to develop innovative solutions that improve the quality of city services.

Social Media Statistics for this Week

KCRT Datanet for the Week

KCRT TV Channel 28 – New Episodes of Current Programming

New “NewsBytes” segment: Crime Prevention End of The Year Meeting. Current recent specials are Michelle Obama Virtual Grand Opening (video courtesy of WCCUSD),  “RPD Virtual Halloween ,” “Virtual National Night Out,” “National Electric Drive Week”; “Chat with Chief French,” ”NAACP Policing Forum,” the GRID Alternatives’ and City of Richmond’s “No-Cost Solar Workshop,” and the City’s Mask Videos.
     
You may find the full schedule at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/3176/Schedule

• Library and Community Services

Community Services (Recreation)

Virtual Zumba at Community Services Department (Recreation)

Starting December 8, the Community Services Department will begin a mid-morning virtual Zumba class. All Tuesdays and Thursdays virtual evening classes will still be maintained. 

Program Schedule
Saturdays:                             9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M.
Tuesdays and Thursdays:     10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. (Mid-Morning)
Tuesdays and Thursdays:     6:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. (Evening)
Cost: $5 per person per class*
Online prepaid participants ONLY

Register and pay online at: https://apm.activecommunities.com/richmond 
Please see below a link to our first Zumba class: https://youtu.be/1LkMozN1_nA

Virtual Sports Programs

Join us for our continued series in our virtual sports programs! Find a spot outdoors, and you’ll be able to master all the skills you need in soccer, tennis, or basketball! For more information, contact the Recreation staff listed in the flyer.

Virtual After-School Camps - ACHIEVE and ELEVATE

After-school camps are happening in 2021! We’ll have lots of fun and games with your favorite recreation staff and fellow campers. Register online at tinyurl.com/richmondrecreation.

New Adopt-a-Senior Program to Serve Residents Over 55

After all of the interest and support we received from residents in May 2020, Richmond Love Your Block is excited to present: Adopt-A-Senior! We are connecting community volunteers and seniors in Richmond and North Richmond.
If you are over 55 and would like to receive FREE maintenance services for your property, go to tinyurl.com/SeniorAdoptionRequest to be adopted! Services may include: cleaning up debris and litter; removing weeds and tall grass; trimming and pruning plant; painting; and more. Eligibility requirements apply.
If you would like to BE a volunteer and adopt a senior to help them maintain their property go to tinyurl.com/AdoptaSeniorVolunteer. (The Adopt-A-Senior program does not provide any home repairs or other services that take place inside of the home.)
Help us spread the word so we can connect as many seniors and volunteers as possible!

December 2020 Update

The Community Services Department (CSD) altered their scheduled after-school virtual activities to offer a special “Winter Wonder ZOOM” event, a holiday-themed virtual camp for youth participants. Travis Gok, Recreation Leader at Booker T. Anderson Community Center, lead youth and other CSD staff in an exhilarating workout every morning at 11:00 A.M. Travis’ regimen of fitness included an hour of various stand-in-place exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, planks, and also soccer, basketball, and Taekwondo. Winter Wonder ZOOM resumes at 3:00 P.M. for holiday messages, online quiz games, and Mr. Travis’ Winter Wonder Workout. Nevin Center staff introduced a game called “What’s He Painting Now?!” Zoom’s green screen function is used to create this fun and engaging special effects driven game! 

Evon Molave, former Recreation Leader, returned to coordinate a Holiday Gifting Event with the aid of CSD staff. Various friends and donors who have worked with Mrs. Molave for over 20 years returned to offer their generosity, love, and numerous amounts of toys to families who really needed a morale booster during these trying times. 

The West Contra Costa County Food Bank (WCCCFB) made their scheduled distribution at the Nevin Center. Cans of fresh fruits, vegetables, and boxes of nonperishable canned goods and pastas were distributed. Thank you to the volunteers who help WCCCFB distribute food to those that needed some holiday cheer!

CSD also thanks RPAL and other volunteers for their food distribution service over the past few months. Various local restaurants pre-cooked and prepared thousands of free to-go plates filled with hearty, home-style cooked meals. CSD staff picked up 40 meals and delivered them to the Shields-Reid Community Center, Richmond Recreation Complex, and Nevin Community Center to be passed out to the local community. These difficult times have highlighted the caring nature of all these great people and gives hope to this new year in 2021. Thank you! 

Travis Gok, Recreation Leader, leading a basketball drill and shows what he’s got for Taekwondo.

Community participant Lia shows off her wooden toy lizard craft she painted herself during Winter Wonder ZOOM.

Heriberto Lopez paints his own wooden lizard with Winter ZOOM participants.

Even Santa wore his mask to visit the Parchester Community Center despite his busy schedule. Herbie the Elf was kind enough to watch the Toy Factory for Santa while he was visiting Parchester.

Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) Priorities for 2021

According to the National Coalition of Literacy- in the United States, 19 percent of adults are profoundly in need of literacy skills development and 29 percent lack critical numeracy skills (NCES, 2018). These adults are overrepresented in communities of color—the same communities that have been most adversely affected by the COVID-induced health and economic challenges that are rooted in systemic inequity.
Adult basic education plays a critical role in a community’s overall education continuum, and all adults must have equitable access to educational opportunity. In 2021, The Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) will continue to be a resource to the community and offer free literacy classes to serve Richmond residents in reaching their individual goals to better themselves and their community.  Just this week, we met with two LEAP participants who completed their commitment with us and earned their high school diploma using the Career Online High School program offered through LEAP.  We are now planning their transitions to the local community college to continue their education. These are now Richmond residents who have changed their course and are counted among those who will join the workforce rolls and make positive contributions to their families and the community.

At LEAP, we offer three overarching goals/priorities for a powerful investment in adult education and literacy that will enable students to participate in building a strong workforce and a productive community.

Priorities/Goals:

1. Embracing program practices that will lend to greater student retention and adult learner recruitment targeting those who are in need of educational support and workforce training

2. Provide resources to students that will help them stay connected to the community and access information/services that supports their goals

3. Continue to develop and maintain strategic and strong partnerships with community service providers so that we can offer the greatest support to our clientele

LEAP cannot accomplish these priorities by ourselves and value the volunteerism of our wonderful residents to help us reach these goals. If you or anyone you know is interested in enrolling at LEAP, learning more about our priorities, or becoming a volunteer, please contact the LEAP office at 510-307-8084 to schedule an appointment or visit our website at https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/788/Literacy-Program-LEAP to learn more about the program. Also, please check LEAP’s revamped Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LEAPRICHMONDCA/.

Library Updates

LINK+ Service to be Reinstated

Link+ service will be restored on Monday, January 11th.  LINK+ interlibrary loan service gives Richmond Public Library cardholders access to materials (books and DVDs) at 73 libraries throughout California.  Fifty-three out of 73 libraries that participate in LINK+ have restored their service.  Incoming library items will be quarantined for 96 hours before being made available for checkout.  Link+ requests can be made online through the library catalog or by calling 510-620-6561.

Activity Kits for Kids

The Children’s Department will provide an activity/craft kit for kids once a month, in the new year.  In January, we offer the same craft for kids and adults, making a God’s Eye craft.  Call the Children’s desk for a kids’ kit.  Contents are slightly different.  While we talk, we can help you find books and other resources too!  You can reach us in the Children’s room at 510-620-6557.

Need Help Finding Books?

Librarians love to help you find books to read (or listen to)!  You can ask for a book bundle, based on your families’ ages and interests.  For families, call the Children’s Department at 510-620-6557, or call 510-620-6561 for Adult Reference 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday.

Another way to help you find a book is using the My Next Read form.  Tell us your likes and dislikes, books you read recently, etc.  Staff can create a list of books for you, and will hold them for you to pick up.  Visit the Library’s web page at: https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/forms.aspx?fid=239  or email: rpl_reference@ci.richmond.ca.us.

Adult Craft Kit

Happy New Year!  This is the year to try our adult craft kits.  Every month from January to June, there will be a new adult do-it-yourself-at-home craft kit.  The kit has most of what you need to complete the craft (scissors and glue not included).  This month we are making a yarn craft called a God’s Eye.  Call the Library at 510-620-6559 to schedule an appointment to pick up your free kit.  Kits are available for pick up by appointment at all three library locations. 

Tableside Service Update

The Richmond Public Library began its Tableside Service on June 15, 2020, in an effort to make library materials available to the community while our buildings themselves remain closed.  Since this service has been available, the Richmond Public Library has had 2,243 successful appointments, getting tens of thousands of books, magazines, DVDs, craft kits, and more into the hands of our community.

Remember: our Tableside Service is available by appointment 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, at the Main Library and 1:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M., Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the Bayview and West Side branches.  Call us at 510-620-6561 for more information or visit us online at http://richmondlibrary.org.

Below are representations of our running total of appointments and the weekly totals for the first 29 weeks with a 4-week running average.

Tableside Service Statistics

Transportation Division

Richmond Holiday Food Bank Distribution Update

On Wednesday, December 30th, the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano held its fourth city hosted distribution at the Civic Center Library parking lot.  The distribution served walk up recipients and drive through vehicles representing 270 households (including 105 who received food assistance form the Food Bank for the first time), and 1,189 individuals, were provided 325 supplemental boxes containing dry and canned goods, 315 refrigerated combination boxes with fresh dairy and meat products and 2,802 pounds of fresh produce and 14, 047 pounds total food distributed.  

The next distribution event will be at the same location on Friday, January 29th from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. 

For more information to volunteer or to donate contact: info@foodbankccs.org.

• Public Works

Abatement

Abatement crews fenced a city owned vacant lot to prevent illegal dumping and encampments, abated debris from I-80/Central Avenue underpass, removed illegally dumped debris and graffiti from various locations throughout the City.

Central Underpass Abatement

Fence Installation

Illegal Dumping and Graffiti Abatement

Facilities Maintenance

Stationary Engineers performed daily pool maintenance, daily Civic Center Plaza boiler inspections, installed new gas range at the Shields Reid Community Center, all staff completed mandatory FEMA training, replaced thermostat at the Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) building, fixed refrigerant leak on the air conditioner in the 450 computer room, maintenance on the recirculating pump at the Plunge, repaired a urinal at the Parks yard, fixed the heater in the breakroom of the Parks Hilltop location, secured outlets in the human resources department and fixed the slide gate at the police department.

Gate Repair

Utility workers performed window cleaning at City Hall, cleared a sink drain on the 1st floor of City Hall, pest control at Fire Station #68, scissor lift training, daily disinfecting of buildings and maintenance of 29 city owned facilities.

Scissor Lift Training

Parks and Landscaping

General fund crews removed debris from parks and weed abated parks as the weather permitted.

Weed Abatement

Marina Districtcrews continued maintenance of all parks and parking lots, installed new conduit for crosswalk lights, hand pulled weeds around Melville Square, removed leaves throughout the district, repaired irrigation portions of the main line at Lucretia Edwards Park, removed graffiti, spread wildflower seeds along Bay Trail and removed illegal dumping.

Conduit Installation

Hilltop District crewscontinued general maintenance around the business area, continued with the replanting project Bay Vista Park, continued tree and shrub removal on Robert Miller Drive, weed abatement on Atlas Road and installed irrigation for fruit trees at Hilltop Lake.

Tree and Shrub Removal

Pavement Maintenance

Paving crews completed hotmix patching, addressed complaints and worked from the outstanding pothole list.

Hotmix Patching

Street Sweepingcrews swept the following Neighborhood Council districts on the first Monday through Friday in Parchester Village, Hilltop Bayview, Hilltop Green, Fairmede/Hilltop, Carriage Hills North Side, El Sobrante Hills, Greenbriar, Hansford Heights, Via Verda, San Pablo Dam Road, Bristole Cone, Clinton Hill IV and Richmond Heights.

Traffic Signs and Lines crews fabricated 18 signs, installed 11 signs, reset a pole, installed green and red pavement markings, placed a new railroad crossing marking and refreshed three other railroad crossing markings.

Sign Installation

Water Resource Recovery Division

Wastewater Treatment Plant – Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG)

PLEASE! DO NOT PUT GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN! Heavy grease has been reported at Richmond's sewer treatment plant. Grease clogs pipes and can be detrimental to the function of the plant.

For more information about Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG), please call 510-620-6594.

Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales – Aceites y Grasas (FOG)

¡POR FAVOR! ¡NO PONGA GRASA POR EL DRENAJE! Se ha reportado grasa pesada en la planta de tratamiento de alcantarillado de Richmond. La grasa obstruye las tuberías y puede ser perjudicial para la función de la planta.

Para obtener más información sobre aceites y grasas (FOG), llame al 510-620-6594.

Sewer Lateral Grant Program

The City of Richmond’s Water Resource Recovery Department administers the Sewer Lateral Grant Program. The program reimburses eligible homeowners in the Richmond Municipal Sewer District (RMSD No. 1) for some of the cost to replace their sewer lateral.

The program is open and accepting applications for the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year for sewer lateral work completed between 7/1/2020-6/30/2021.

For more information about the Sewer Lateral Grant Program, please visit www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2130/Sewer-Lateral-Grant-Program or call 510-620-6594.

First Street and Bissell Avenue Sewer Repair Project

The First Street and Bissell Avenue Project was awarded construction began on December 14, 2020. See pictures below.

Local contractor is ready for installation of a new pipe segment.  The hose visible in the foreground is part of the temporary bypass system.

Local contractor is lowering the new segment of sewer main into the trench for installation.

The contractor is connecting a lateral to the newly installed sewer main.

• Richmond Art Center

Winter Session Class Registration NOW OPEN at Richmond Art Center

Want to get more creative in 2021? We have online classes for all levels and media such as painting, drawing, ceramics and mixed media. Browse our online listings and check out new classes including Improv Weaving, Painting Towards Climate Justice and Dollar Store to Dinnerware.

Class Listings: richmondartcenter.org/class-catalog

• Classes run January through March 2021!
• Classes and workshops for adults, kids and all ages!
• Scholarships available! Apply now: richmondartcenter.org/art-boost

Media Contact: Amy Spencer, amy@richmondartcenter.org

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!

Laura Snideman
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 for options to connect with the City of Richmond.

Connecting with the City of Richmond

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

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

Irene Perdomo
Executive Assistant to the City Manager
City Manager’s Office
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA  94804
Email: Irene_Perdomo@ci.richmond.ca.us
Direct: 510-621-1264
Main: 510-620-6512