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 29, 2021.

• Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021. Closed Session will begin at 4:30 P.M., followed by the Regular Meeting of the Richmond City Council at 6:30 P.M. The agenda may be found by clicking this link: February 2nd City Council Agenda.

• 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Once the current Stay-At-Home Order is rescinded, we will gladly accept new requests for businesses that wish to apply to use public right-of-way such as sidewalks adjacent to their business, to temporarily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

Contra Costa Health Services COVID-19 Vaccine Update

• Announcements and Upcoming Events

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 is hosting an upcoming pre-proposal meeting to be held virtually on the following date:

• Wednesday, February 3, 2021: 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

To register for this pre-proposal meeting and inform us of your attendance, please visit the following form: http://bit.ly/RFCYpre-proposalmeetings. Zoom webinar information will also be available on our RFCY Grants webpage and E-News Sign-ups 48 hours prior to the meetings.

To make sure you are notified of this meeting 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.

Chat With Chief French: Coffee With A Cop Virtual Edition

On Monday February 8, 2021 at 5:00 P.M. we hope you'll join us for a virtual Zoom conversation over a cup of coffee with Chief French to discuss changes to the RPD in 2021. Please see the Zoom link and call in numbers below:

Topic: Chat with the Chief: Changes to RPD
Time: Feb 8, 2021 05:00 P.M. Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5083381060
Meeting ID: 508 338 1060
One tap mobile: +16699006833,,5083381060# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Virtual Cooking Class

Join us on Thursdays, starting on February 11, 2021 through March 3, 2021 for our first ever virtual family cooking class series! Hone your cooking skills from the comfort of your home! For more information and registration details, visit tinyurl.com/richmondrecreation

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano: Drive-Thru Food Giveaway: Feb 24th

• City Manager’s Office, Economic Development

511 Contra Costa Winter Walk Challenge

Sign up for 511 Contra Costa’s Winter Walk Challenge and receive fun weekly walking challenges. Complete the challenge to be entered in weekly drawings for $35 Amazon gift cards. You’ll be entered in the iPad Grand Prize Drawing just for signing up.

It’s free, fun, and open to all ages. Keep your body moving this winter and sign up today!

How to Participate

• Register to participate
• Walk to local destinations January through March
• Send us selfies showing us how you met weekly challenges
• Five weekly $35 Amazon gift card winners
• iPad Grand Prize Drawing
• Kids can enter with hand-drawn art titled “The Best Ever Walk to School”

• Community Development

Richmond LAND ADU Survey

Richmond LAND invites Richmond residents to take their survey regarding Accesory Dwelling Units (ADU). Richmond LAND is working on an assessment of neighbors with a focus on South Richmond about creating an ADU program, all Richmond residents are encouraged to fill out the survey.

• 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.

The city plans to add more datasets and visualizations over time and invites the community to propose additional information for the site. To nominate new data and visualizations, visit https://www.transparentrichmond.org/nominate.

Social Media Statistics for this Week

KCRT Datanet for the Week

KCRT TV Channel 28 – New Episodes of Current Programming
  
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.

All-new episodes of “Colour in Your Life,” “Creature Features,” “The Jet Set” and “Sidewalks Entertainment.”
     
You may find the full schedule at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/3176/Schedule

• Internal Services

Finance

Open Requests For Bids/Request For Proposals:

• Library and Community Services

Community Services (Recreation)

Coming Soon: Love Your Block Mini-Grants

Love Your Block Mini-Grants are coming back, thanks to a partnership between the Community Services Department and City Manager’s Office, Economic Development! Mini-Grants of up to $10,000 will be available for clean-up and beautification projects that will engage volunteers in City of Richmond.  Stay tuned by following our Facebook and Instagram pages, or checking our website!

Community Services Newsletter

We have exciting news to share with everyone! To be able to stay connected with our community we have created a Newsletter with updates about the happenings within the City of Richmond’s Community Services Department – Recreation Division. A sneak preview of the Newsletter can be seen by clicking on the below link.

If you are interested in signing up for our Newsletter, you can subscribe by clicking on the following link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/OEiBb9M

We hope you will subscribe and enjoy receiving updates from our division as much as we enjoy creating them for you.

Senior Yoga Classes

We are starting a new 8-week session of yoga class, free of charge on the Senior Launchpad.

This course will be an introduction to Mindfulness and its role in helping us to navigate the ups and downs of everyday life.  For many of us, meditation is not easy.  Our bodies are active, which makes it difficult to sit still and focus inwards.  Therefore, a good complement to a meditation practice is yoga asanas. Yoga asanas are exercises designed to increase circulation throughout the body, lengthen, and strengthen the muscles resulting in flexibility and calming the nervous system. This enables the body to relax in a meditative practice and allows for a mindful state of awareness in everyday life.

This course is offered for FREE on Zoom and each class will consist of 15-20 minutes of lecture and 60 minutes of gentle yoga asanas. This class is ideal for beginners, anyone new to yoga, and anyone just interested. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/SeniorsDPRCLaunchPad to register and get the link to Zoom class.

Participants must complete a COR Activity Registration Form. For more information contact the Richmond Annex Senior Center at 510 620-6812

Classes start Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Class times: Wednesdays, 9:00 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

Victoria (RYT 200) is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and was trained by The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre.

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 at home or in your yard, 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!

Library Updates

HelpNow is here for you!

Thanks to the generous donation from the Richmond Public Library Foundation, the Library will offer access to Brainfuse’s HelpNow tutors for K-12 students.  You can access this service with a Richmond Public Library card.  For more information on tutoring, call the Children’s Department at 510-620-6557.  To request a new library card, call 510-620-6559, or request a card online at rosie.ci.richmond.ca.us/selfreg

Services include:

• Live Tutoring: Submit a question in the online classroom and receive live, one-on-one assistance from a Brainfuse tutor, 1:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M., Sunday thorough Saturday.
• Writing Lab & Ask a Question: Submit your writing sample, and tutors offer constructive feedback.  Or, ask a homework question.  Tutors will respond within 24 hours.
• Language Lab: Receive live online help with your homework from fluent Spanish-speaking tutors.

Do your kids need help with their homework?  Do you want access to a live tutor for free?

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 2,536 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 32 weeks with a 4-week running average.

Tableside Service Statistics

The Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) Highlights Student Irma Shaw

Irma Shaw enrolled in the LEAP program just one year ago in the midst of a pandemic when most schools and educational programs in Contra Costa County were shutdown. She dealt with many barriers like working full time to stay afloat and being a non-native English speaker. Regardless, within one year of working towards her GED, Irma has been able to pass two subject tests and is scheduled to take her third test on Monday in Social Studies leaving just one test left before reaching her goal of obtaining the GED.

When asked how confident she felt about passing the test, Irma said, “I am ready because the teachers at LEAP are really helpful and give you the one to one attention and take the time to explain the work until it makes sense to you. I feel like LEAP is very accessible especially with my test coming up in Social Studies in U.S History”.

The silver lining here is that the pandemic has given LEAP the opportunity to offer whole new services in our long-term future in teaching remote GED classes. LEAP is proud to help students like Irma Shaw who has excelled using the Zoom platform and is excited about the many opportunities ahead of her.

If you or anyone you know is interested in enrolling at LEAP, learning more about our program, 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. Also, please check LEAP’s revamped Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LEAPRICHMONDCA/.

• Police

Changes to Richmond Police Department Operations in 2021

We wanted to let the community know about some upcoming changes to the department’s 2021 services.  You may have already experienced some of these modifications in services due to the pandemic, such as increased online reporting.

It is important that the community to be aware of these changes and be prepared of how some call types will be handled. These changes are necessary due to staffing constraints, reducing the possibility of COVID-19 exposure, and responding to requests from the community to allow other service providers to handle certain issues as opposed to law enforcement.  

• Public Works

Abatement

Abatement crews removed illegally dumped debris and removed graffiti from various locations.

Illegal Dumping

Facilities Maintenance

Stationary Engineers performed daily pool maintenance, daily Civic Center Plaza boiler inspections, cleared toilets at Fire Station #67, repaired “p-trap” at 440 Civic Center Plaza, replaced pool boilers at the Richmond Swim Center, replaced top panel of the rear middle apparatus door at Fire Station #64, cleared roof drains at the Art Center, completed annual safety training and replaced the sump pump at the Native American Center.

Roof Drain Maintenance

Utility workers replaced lights in City Hall on the 3rd Floor, removed items from the Recreation Complex, removed old furniture from the Plunge, performed pest control, scrubbed and waxed floors at Shields Reid Community Center, performed  daily disinfecting of buildings and performed maintenance of 29 city owned facilities.

Shield Reid Floor Maintenance

Parks and Landscaping

General fund crews removed debris from parks in the central area of Richmond, removed debris from the right of ways, repaired running water at Raincloud Park, fixed wooden fencing at Hilltop Park, removed debris from the Greenway, repaired benches at Nevin Park, removed fallen tree from Pt. Richmond, performed maintenance at the Huntington Senior Annex, performed maintenance at the Baxter Creek area, removed debris from Berk Avenue, repaired fencing and removed debris at Boorman Park.

Fence Repair                                          Fallen Tree Removal

Marina Districtcrews continued maintenance of all parks and parking lots, removed leaves and branches at Marina Bay Park, mowed and edged all parks, removed tree limbs along the Bay Trail, emptied all refuse receptacles, hand pulled weeds, refilled dog waste bags and inspected irrigation throughout the district.

Marina Bay District Weed Abatement

Hilltop District crewscontinued general maintenance around the business area, removed litter from all parks, performed weed abatement at Hilltop Lake and cleaned the v-ditch at Hilltop Lake, removed homeless encampment on the hillside of Richmond Parkway, performed irrigation repair on Klose Way and maintenance on Miner Road.

V-Ditch Maintenance

Pavement Maintenance

Streets crews performed storm patrols and repaired potholes as weather permitted.

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.

Macdonald & Virginia Wet Weather Improvement Projects

Local contractor is continuing work on this project. See picture and description below.

Local contractor is completing manhole restoration at 30th Street and Nevin Avenue and elsewhere.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System Upgrade Project

The project is approximately 72% complete overall, and the contractor is working on plant system programming upgrades and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs).

SCADA contractor is installing, connecting and testing the Cisco Managed Network System Switch in the Secondary Control Room, as part of the SCADA Network upgrade.

SCADA contractor completed the SCADA Managed Network System upgrades in the Secondary Control Room.

• Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL)

Lego Robotics

Through a guided, global robotics program, students are introduced to STEM learning and exploration at an early age. Children can begin with Discover (ages 4-6) and progress through Explore (ages 6-10) and Challenge (ages 9-16) or join at any division based on their age or grade level.  

Young children are introduced to STEM concepts and develop habits of learning through engaging, fun challenges and competitions using LEGO® Education materials.  

Students gain real-world problem-solving experiences that inspire them to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills while building confidence, growing their knowledge, and developing habits of learning. 

Interested parties can contact Brandon Evans Mentor Program Coordinator at 510-621-1290 or via email at Bevans@rpal.org 

Be A Mentor 

Participants:

Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) serves low-income, at-risk youth ages 7-18 offering them recreational, educational, cultural and social activities that build positive character and help them transition from adolescence to adulthood. Many are living with parents and grandparents or other family members and 85% are eligible for reduced lunch.

Project Overview: 

Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) provides both 1:1 and small group mentoring. Mentors participate in an orientation to mentoring; and are trained in facilitating mentees development of a "Life Map" using curriculum designed by The Life Plan Institute and the California Mentor Foundation; and have monthly check-ins with the mentor coordinator. They meet with mentees for an hour each week virtually via our Be A Mentor platform or as part of structured activities such as coaching sports, fishing, dirt bike riding, community service events, and outings to sporting events and performances (prior to and after Covid 19). 

Interested in becoming a mentor? Please sign up at the link below:

https://beamentor.org/linkpages/mentorasp/specialprojects/project_description.asp?ProjectID=RPAL1!POLINPERSONMENTO

Interested in your student being a mentee?  Please contact Brandon Evans Mentor Program Coordinator at 510-621-1290 or via email at Bevans@rpal.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