Back in November of 2022, I appointed several very good candidates to the Design Review Board (DRB). The RPA City Council declined to approve them because they stated that the new mayor should be making the appointments, a break with tradition that includied when Gayle McLaughlin was mayor. They did it for one reason, just to spite me and show that they were in control. See RPA City Council Members Shut Down Appointments, November 16, 2022, and Board and Commission Vacancies, November 18, 2022.

The (former) Mayor’s Office worked hard recruit great DRB members. Using records from the State of California Board of Architects, we wrote letters to every licensed architect residing in Richmond, urging them to consider applying for a DRB appointment. David Plotkin was one of those architects I recruited that the RPA City Council members rejected in 2022.

I am pleased to report that Mayor Eduardo Martinez has apparently concluded that my recommendation was, indeed, good after all, and Mr. Plotkin’s appointment is on the Consent Calendar for March 7.

David Plotkin, an 8-year resident of Richmond with a degree in architecture from University of Cincinnati, works for William Duff Architects and is a former chair of the Building and Site Committee for Habitat for Humanity.