On Wednesday, March 26, 2014, the WCCUSD Board of Education awarded a $7.6 million contract to Arntz Builders for repairs and improvements of the Richmond Swim Center located on the Kennedy High School Campus. The project is expected to be completed in June 2015. The...

Although I have been concentrating on finding a way to abate the illegal LED sign at Pacific East Mall, the proposed sign at Hilltop looms in the future. It would require either a variance or an amendment to our existing ordinance to incorporate LED into it. I haven’t...

Richmond calls on Congress to halt crude oil transport through Bay Area By Robert Rogers Contra Costa Times Posted: 03/25/2014 11:38:51 PM PDT1 Comment | Updated: 50 min. ago Related Stories · Mar 25: · Berkeley: Council votes to oppose rail shipments of crude oil...

Because of the overwhelming public support for the removal of the illegal electronic LED sign at Pacific East Mall, I have placed the resolution below on the April 1 City Council Agenda. For background, see: · Readers Prefer Removal of Pacific East Mall LED Sign,...

The agenda/packet for the Tuesday, March 25, 2014, Special Richmond City Council Meeting is on the web. Follow the link below to view: http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/meet.aspx Want to receive TOM BUTT E-FORUM and other action alerts on Richmond political and...

I have agendized a measure for the April 1 City Council meeting that would provide a compromise between applause proponents and opponents that is intended to expedite City Council meetings without depriving anyone of their First Amendment rights. The resolution is at...

RPD Update Spring 2014 Chris Magnus, Chief of Police CRIME UPDATE We are pleased with the crime reductions in Richmond during 2013, as well as during the first months of 2014. As of March 1, violent crime was down 21% compared to the same period last year, and...

Bay Area quilt show stitches WWII Home Front history By Kathryn Loosli Pritchett Correspondent Posted: 03/13/2014 12:00:00 PM PDT1 Comment Former World War II Home Front worker Marian McKey Sousa, who drafted blueprints at the Richmond Shipyards, smiles while aboard...

I have previously described Tom Barnidge facetiously as the “curmudgeon-in-chief” of the Contra Costa Times for his journalistic style, but this time he has redeemed himself. He is the first journalist I know of to move past the Center for Investigative Reporting...

See To Clap or Not to Clap, March 19, 2014. So far, the anti-clappers are ahead of the pro-clappers 14-3. Interestingly, two of the three pro-clappers seemed to be more concerned with equal opportunity to disrupt rather than getting rid of it entirely. One responder...

For background, see the following: · Richmond Residents Overwhelmingly Reject LED Billboards, March 11, 2014 · LED Billboards Coming to Richmond Highways and Byways? March 10, 2014 · LED Billboard at Pacific East Mall, March 17, 2014 Fifty-one people responded to my...

At last night’s City Council meeting, the Open Forum began with 28 speakers, mostly construction trades representatives and other advocates urging a fair and speedy certification of the Draft EIR for the Chevron Modernization Project. The chamber was packed, so much...

I have been informed that the Draft EIR for the Chevron Refinery Modernization Project will be available at http://chevronmodernization.com at 9:00 AM this morning. Public review will begin March 18 and end May 2, 2014. A Study Session will be held at the April 3,...

On March 11, I shared the results of a poll of E-FORUM readers about raising the minimum wage in Richmond; see Public Favors $11.00 Minimum Wage, March 11, 2014. I got 58 responses, and all but seven were in favor of Richmond adopting a minimum wage. The most, twenty,...

The following was received from the Richmond Chamber of Commerce this morning. There were 18 responses, nine of which did not support raising the minimum wage in Richmond beyond state levels. From: Christina Phipps [mailto:chris@rcoc.com] Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014...

Mayor and City Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the week ending March 14, 2014. Meeting Notes The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM. South...

The latest on California politics and government March 16, 2014 California energy official says state wasn't aware of crude by rail facilities A California Energy Commission official Friday said the agency wasn't aware that the state had become a destination for crude...

Since I published Richmond Residents Overwhelmingly Reject LED Billboards, March 11, 2014, another 28 people have weighed in. Twenty-five are against LED billboards while three favor them, at least at Hilltop. One reader remarks about how you don’t see them across the...

In an election year with everyone on the City Council but me campaigning for something, I suppose it’s not surprising that the fear of losing an election has overtaken the satisfaction of making rational choices. The entire City Council seems to have adopted the “The...

The agenda item referred to in Mr. Lindsay’s email below was placed on the agenda by Nat Bates (F-2 Vote of no confidence in the performance of: (1) Tim Jones, RHA Executive Director, and (2) Kathleen Jones, RHA Administrative Staff - Commissioner Bates). Mayor and...