Richmond council good
at undoing, not doing

This week marks one year since the Richmond City Council pulled the plug on development at Point Molate, claiming that they had saved the city from bankruptcy. Subsequently, they sold the 30% developable portion of Point Molate for $400 to Point Molate Futures, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company managed by the Guidiville Rancheria of California.

It is no secret that the City Council majority wanted to make all of Point Molate a park, although 70% of it has always been reserved for park use. They collaborated with state Sen. Nancy Skinner to obtain a $36 million state appropriation for “cleanup and acquisition.”

A year later, nothing has happened — no park, no Bay Trail, no public access, no plan, and the historic buildings of iconic Winehaven are literally falling apart. The City Council is extraordinarily good at stopping projects but has no clue how to make something positive happen.

Tom Butt
President, Winehaven Trust
Former mayor, Richmond