The RPA-controlled City Council is playing a dangerous game that will most likely cost the City of Richmond tens of millions of dollars and ignite new litigation that could continue for years, costing the City of Richmond even more.

In Item V.6, “Point Molate DDA Closing Issues with Winehaven Legacy, LLC. REVIEW the latest submittals from SunCal and provide direction – City Attorney’s Office (Dave Aleshire 510-620-6509),” the city attorney avoids making a tough decision and instead throws the decision of whether SunCal (Winehaven LLC) has fulfilled its conditions for closing to the City Council.

We all know what the RPA City Council will do. They are so obsessed with avoiding a sale to SunCal that they don’t care what the consequences to Richmond residents and taxpayers are. are. If no sale takes place, SunCal clearly intends to sue the City for breach of contract. See letter from Winehaven’s attorney. That litigation could go on for years and cost the City of Richmond millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, Upstream and the Guidiville Tribe will purchase the property for $400 and have five years to sell it while the City has to pay to maintain and secure it.

It is ironic that all of the organizations and individuals who are leading the fight to avoid any development at Point Molate, including the Sierra Club, the Golden Gate Audubon Society and Citizens for Eastshore Parks,  entered into an agreement with Upstream in 2010 to fully support a casino with 4,000 slot machines, 1,100 hotel rooms and a parking garage for 4,000 vehicles in exchange for $48 million dollars. This was just before the advisory vote on the casino project, opposed by card clubs and competing casinos that spent $69,000 in support of McLaughlin, Beckles, Booze and losing candidate Eduardo Martinez. Additionally, the card clubs gave more than $220,000 to stymie the project, while the United Auburn Indian Community, which owns Thunder Valley casino resort in Lincoln, contributed $185,000. The developers and Guidiville, backed by Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which owns Cache Creek Casino Resort in Yolo County, spent nearly $500,000 urging voters to approve Measure U.

Back then, there was no talk of “save Point Molate,” eelgrass, birds, plants, Chevron and “one way in – one way out.” It was all about money for the Audubon Society and Sierra Club while throwing Richmond under the bus. Now, these same organizations and the RPA dominated City Council are once again prepared to throw Richmond under the bus in their deluded obsession to stop a housing project at Point Molate.