After three years, the much ballyhooed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation of the WCCUSD bond program ended the same way it started – with no finding of any illegal activity. What it did do is cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars – maybe...

WriterCoach Connection WriterCoach Connection (WCC) brings teams of trained volunteers into Lavonya DeJean Middle School; Kennedy High School and Richmond High School to provide one-on-one writing support to students on their classroom writing assignments. Volunteer...

Come join my staff and me for Time With Tom next Thursday! I will be available to meet with community members to discuss matters pertaining to the city, and also share some pizza. See details below.

Yesterday, the Lillie Mae Jones Tail on the Richmond Greenway was dedicated. Click here for video. Lillie Mae Jones was a Richmond community leader who inspired the transformation of a former railroad right of way to a three-mile long trail that joins the Bay Trail on...

It was an interesting news day in Richmond. Much of the focus was on the assault yesterday morning by a group of Juveniles at The BART station on a man who just got off work and was heading for BART and home. For coverage, see: KTVU...

Sister Cities One of my jobs as mayor is to appoint people to boards and commissions. When a general lack of interest in a board or commission is indicated by a lack of applicants and serving members, it may be time to reexamine the need for such a board or commission...

Yesterday, we visited ten Richmond gardens, distributed in all parts of the city, each unique. The purpose of the contest was to highlight what individuals can do themselves to promote healthy eating and make Richmond a more attractive community. After assembling at...

Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the week ending July 14, 2017. Meeting Notes The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18th, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:00 PM, and with the regular meeting agenda at 6:30 PM....

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. TGIF: Don't Miss our Free Concert Featuring HowellDevine & Second Line Tonight! Our summer-long concert series continues this evening (7/14) with HowellDevine (Mississippi and Delta blues) and Second...

Item I-20 on the July 18 City Council Agenda authorizes the expenditure of at least $9,500 to send one city council member and three City staff members to an Island Tourism Conference in Zhoushan China. AUTHORIZE travel for Councilmember Martinez, Port Director Jim...

Good Afternoon Mayor Butt, My name is Mya Whitaker and I am the program director for the Bay Area Urban Debate League. Last year BAUDL expanded to serve WCCUSD, starting policy debate teams at Richmond and Kennedy High School. With the success of these teams, Richmond...

Oakland has adopted and Stockton is considering programs based on Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety. Richmond has had eight homicides to date in 2017, a 33% reduction form this time last year. Of those, six cases are cleared, and the other two are expected to...

The new 2017 Point in Time Count, A Snapshot of Homelessness in Contra Costa County, is now on the County’s website. The census was made on the night of January 25, 2017, and indicated a total of 1,607 homeless persons in Contra Costa County. Of those 1,607, 696 were...

I serve on the Executive Committee of Resilient by Design. View this email in your browser Overwhelming interest from designers! We are excited to report that we received 51 stellar applications to take part in the Resilient by Design Bay | Area Challenge from local,...

Click here for the Notice of Preparation (NOP) from the EBRPD regarding the Land Use Plan Amendment for the Miller/Knox park. The comment period for the NOP closes on July 28 and there is a public meeting on July 19 (details in NOP).

The agenda/packet for the Tuesday, July 11, 2017, Special Richmond City Council Meeting is on the web. Follow the link below to view: http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/meet.aspx Items of particular interest: I-1: Establish a 1% fee for arts on private...

Mayor and Members of the City Council: As you may recall, City staff has been working with our finance team on a $35.4 million debt financing to fund capital improvements for the wastewater enterprise. As part of this project, we sought a credit rating from S&P...

If you are a property owner, you are responsible for the condition of the sidewalk abutting your property. You may be sued if someone is injured on that sidewalk. At last weeks’ City Council meeting we had a study session on sidewalk issues – Repair, maintenance and...

Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the week ending June 30, 2017. Meeting Notes City offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11th. Enjoy the...

At the Kate Wolf Music Festival last week, I polished off a couple of books, both of which were gifted to me. The first, “Venetian Blood,” came from local Richmond author Christine Volker, who asked me to road test it. It turned out to be a perfect read for drinking...