Below is my response to a critical Marin County Civil Grand Jury report on MCE, instigated by a series of articles in the Marin Independent Journal. I played the key role in bringing MCE to Richmond, the first expansion out of Marin County. I represented Richmond on...

Free Concert 6/12: Los Cenzontles + Miko Marks This Friday: 25th Anniversary Season Opener w/ Los Cenzontles & Miko Marks!       The wait is almost over! Don't miss the opening night of Point Richmond Music's 25th Anniversary Season this...

Next Club Meeting Dear Tom, Our next meeting will take place at the Richmond Golf Club on Friday, June 12, 12:30pm. PLEASE NOTE: The gate code is #8631 The Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County (Rainbow) This organization builds...

  Heading for Fayetteville AR for a BUTT family reunion. Expecting over 40 descendants and spouses of F.O. and Essie Butt.       Want to receive TOM BUTT E-FORUM delivered to your email address? Click here to sign-up to receive the E-Forum. Tom...

In preparation for a Butt family reunion later this month, I completed a book on our family patriarch, my grandfather, F.O. (Festus Orestes) Butt, along with appendices with information about each of his and his wife Essie’s seven children and their descendants. It is...

Believing themselves righteously above the law, RPA candidates continue to flout State of California campaign laws with impudence, knowing that officials in charge of enforcing the laws will take no action. When the illegal campaign piece shown below was brought to...

Councilmember and mayoral candidate Claudia Jimenez recently posted a photo on her official mayoral campaign Facebook page depicting three ROCK employees in uniform, posing with her in what appears to be a campaign context. The post can be found at:...

Next Club Meeting Our next meeting will take place at the Richmond Golf Club (address below) on Friday, May 29, 12:30pm. BARSHEEP City Trees Project Ed Church Berkeley Rotary President Elect We want to reduce the Urban Heat Island effect,...

Vote for Mayor: Ahmad Anderson, City Council: Brandon Evans and Soheila Bana.   A common thread that runs through candidates Claudia Jimenez, Eduardo Martinez and Jamin Purcell is their affiliation with, support of, and support by the Democratic Socialists of...

    Memorial Day is a federal holiday for remembering and honoring the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It is also considered to be the unofficial beginning of summer....

1. How would you allocate the $550 million Chevron settlement funds? I would not treat those dollars like a one-time spending spree. I would allocate them with discipline, transparency, and a clear public return. First, I would stabilize Richmond’s core...

  The Mountain Messenger   Forum to Develop Vision for Sierra City Historic Resources The May 23 meeting will explore preservation opportunities and economic benefits.   The trestle bridge at the Kentucky Mine - one of Sierra City’s historic...

Election day is June 2, 2026. Vote by mail ballots went out yesterday.   Because of Measure J of 2023, the Richmond City Charter was amended to require a primary election. If one of the candidates does not receive a majority of the vote in the primary, the top...

Unfriendly tides limited today’s Wickie (volunteer) day to just over three hours, but we accomplished a lot after months of agonizing, we replaced the portion of the Keepers Cottage chimney that blew away in a winter storm. The garden looks better than ever but...

  Next Club Meeting Our next meeting will take place at the Richmond Golf Club (address below) on Friday, May 15. ​​​​​ 10, 12:30pm. Tiny Village Spirit Rev. Sally Hindman, Director  Rotarian Mark Howe  Along with Rotarian Mark...

 As part of a new program of East Brother Light Station to bring young people from local underserved communities to experience the island light station, ten teenagers from Rosie’s Service Corps visited on May 2, 2026.   Rosie's Service Corps (RSC), is a program...

Panoramic vistas from East brother Light station includes sweeping views of the strait separating San Francisco and San Pablo bays the San Rafael bridge the San Francisco skyline and Marin, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties Photo courtesy of East Brother Light...

On May 4, 2026, Charles Enchill, Senior Planner for the City of Richmond made a PowerPoint presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission entitled “Proposed Partial Demolition of Bldg. 1 Due to Weather Damage.” The title should have been,...

Just out of curiosity, I picked up and read “Escape From Phnom Penh: Americans in the Cambodian War.” It is historical fiction based on the last few months of the Lon Nol regime. Lon Nol led the military coup of 1970 against Prince Norodom...

Election day is June 2, 2026. Vote by mail ballots went out yesterday.   Because of Measure J of 2023, the Richmond City Charter was amended to require a primary election. If one of the candidates does not receive a majority of the vote in the primary, the top...