City Manager’s Report for the Two Weeks Ending November 22, 2017
Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the two weeks ending November 22, 2017. Meeting Notes The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 21st beginning with Closed Session at 5:45 PM, followed by a Special Meeting of the...
Nighttime Light Pollution in Richmond
Chapter 15.04.604 of the new Richmond Zoning Code adopted in 2016 has detailed restrictions on outdoor lighting, such as, “Shielding. All nonexempt outdoor lighting fixtures shall have shielding as shown in Table 15.04.604.050-D.” I don’t believe this is being...
Open Season on Greedy Landlords
I get a lot of inquiries these days, like the one below, from people who own rental property in Richmond wanting to know what I, as mayor, am going to do about the exorbitant fees they are being billed for Richmond’s rent program. I advise them that I opposed Rent...
RPA Dominated City Council Leaves the Rails
If the Brown Act would allow me to discuss these issues with every City Council member personally, I would do it. But it won’t, so I am using the E-FORUM for one of its intended purposes, to editorialize and inform in the public in the media vacuum in which Richmond...
Coal and Other Pollution Sources in Richmond
In recent long Facebook strings, there have been discussions of coal trains passing through Richmond. I should point out that the City Council has already banned coal operations at any City-owned port facilities, but because of federal law preemption, we have no...
November 28, 2017, Regular Richmond City Council Agenda/Packet
The agenda/packet for the Tuesday, November 28, 2017, Regular Richmond City Council Meeting is on the web. Follow the link below to view: http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/meet.aspx
North American Climate Summit
In December, I will be representing Richmond at the North American Climate Summit in Chicago. Mayor Emanuel, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and C40 Cities Leadership Group Announce Chicago Will Host Inaugural North American Climate Summit and 2017...
Richmond Needs a Sidewalks Policy
The recent announcement by the police chief that the laws against parking on sidewalks will finally be enforced was met with almost universal appreciation. Many people wanted to know why it took so long and why even delay it until the middle of December?| Blocking...
Homelessness in Richmond
What can we do and what should we do to address homelessness in Richmond? On October 24, 2017, the City of Richmond Homeless Task Force created by the City Council in April 2017, provided a presentation you can view here. The presentation concluded that there is an...
28th Annual Point Richmond Turkey Shoot – No Turkeys Will be Harmed
One of Point Richmond’s oldest traditions, the Annual Turkey Shoot, takes place on Thanksgiving morning, beginning at 10:00 AM at the Plunge and ending behind Starbucks where the traditional Thanksgiving Poem is read with the crowd repeating the last line of each...
Galileo Club Way
Yesterday, the 85-year-old Richmond Galileo Club dedicated new street signs that identify a portion of 23rd Street as “honorary” Galileo Club Way. The Galileo Club of Richmond, California was founded in 1932 as a men's social club for Italian Americans, the largest...
November 21, 2017, Regular Richmond City Council Agenda/Packet – CLOSED SESSION AT 5:00 PM
The agenda/packet for the Tuesday, November 21, 2017, Regular Richmond City Council Meeting is on the web. Follow the link below to view: http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/meet.aspx
Richmond Bags Nearly 10% of State Urban Greening Grants
Two Richmond projects were awarded $7.21 million of the $76 million Urban Greening Grants program funded by Cap and Trade funds! Greening the Yellow Brick Road: $4,100,000 Richmond Wellness Trail, Phase 1: $3,114,025 Thanks to the many partners who collaborated to...
Richmond Police Department to Enforce Sidwalk Parking Law After a 30-Day Warning Period
The Richmond Police Department announced yesterday that beginning immediately the state and local laws prohibiting parking on sidewalks will be enforced in Richmond. California Vehicle Code sections 22500 (e) and (f) prohibit parking that blocks a portion or all of...
Oakland warehouse fire: Judge rules city had ‘mandatory duty’ to ensure safety at Ghost Ship
Oakland warehouse fire: Judge rules city had ‘mandatory duty’ to ensure safety at Ghost Ship http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/11/14/oakland-warehouse-fire-judge-rules-city-had-mandatory-duty-to-ensure-safety-at-ghost-ship/ The Ghost Ship warehouse were 36 people died...
Homelessness Awareness events in Richmond
Tell Us About San Pablo Ave from Hilltop to Downtown Oakland
How do you use San Pablo Avenue? What challenges have you faced along the corridor? Alameda County Transportation Commission in partnership with the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee is developing a long term vision for the San Pablo Avenue corridor...
Happy Veterans Day to the Men of HHC 159th Engineer Group, Wherever You Are
In March of 1970, when I left Vietnam, the 159th Engineer Group consisted of four battalions, the 34th, 46th, 92nd and 169th plus twelve companies and detachments, consisting of 3,957 Engineer soldiers, commanded by Col. Joseph K. Bratton. For details see Operational...
Richmond Confidential Can Do a Lot Better
I had to look up “doxx” before I could respond to this Richmond Confidential article, one of the worst I’ve ever read. Only in Richmond can people author supposedly academic papers at supposedly credible institutions on highly political subjects, participate...
Please Don’t Return to the Corky Booze Days of a Dysfunctional City Council
For the first time since I became mayor, the Richmond City Council unfortunately backslid last night into behavior patterns reminiscent of the Corky Booze era. Because of the Brown Act, I cannot have this discussion one-on-one or as a group with City Council members,...