When Richmond-based Mechanics Bank dug deeply into its conservative banker"s pockets to graciously spend $1.5 million on an adaptive reuse of the 100+-year old Trainmaster/Reading Room, this public-private partnership involving the City of Richmond, Richmond"s oldest...

The sun made an appropriate and perfectly scheduled morning appearance, shining brightly through the south-facing windows of the 40,000 square foot craneway of the historic Ford Assembly Building as mayors of four waterfront cities, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert...

I have requested that the matter of franchise taxes from utilities be placed on the City Council agenda for discussion and possible direction to staff to find out if Richmond is receiving the revenue it is due. I stumbled onto the murky world of franchises while...

Mayor and Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the week ending November 30th, 2007. 1. Meeting Notes The next regular City Council meeting is Tuesday, December 4th. It will begin at 2:00 PM with a Study Session on the General Plan, followed by a short recess...

As the hearing on Chevron"s property tax appeal gets underway, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia has written to the $100 billion company requesting they drop the effort to recover nearly $60 million in taxes already spent by various public agencies and...

Richmond artist Maren Van Duyn, who created an ornament featuring Richmond"s Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park displayed on the White House Christmas Tree, is just back from the White House where the artists were honored. She works with Ron...

Congratulations to Chief Magnus and the Richmond PD for raising their public records response from an "F+" to an A-" in 10 months. Hopefully, this trend will apply to other Richmond departments. One thing the City is still struggling with is a policy for email...

The fascinating history of Japanese American early 20th Century pioneers in the flower growing business in West Contra Costa County continues to attract attention. See the story in yesterday"s SF Chronicle below. For additional background, see Richmond Seeks Developer...

The following story in today"s Contra Costa Times is the latest in Chevron"s continuing effort to bankrupt the City of Richmond, this time through a property tax appeal. The tax break Chevron is seeking would cost the City of Richmond, alone, $7 million. That"s the...

As you can see from the following emails, Richmond-based CytoCulture has begun supplying CytoSol for the San Francisco Bay oil cleanup, and it appears that it will also be used in the Black Sea oil cleanup. From: Vwedel@aol.com [mailto:Vwedel@aol.com] Sent: Sunday,...

"Touchable Stories" is currently running at the former Shipyard 3 Cafeteria Building on the right on Canal Boulevard just past where Seacliff Drive turns off to the right. This is an absolutely unique multi-media mind trip about Richmond history and Richmond present....

Support the arts in Richmond, and get all your Holiday presents at the Richmond Art Center Holiday Arts Festival December 2, 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM. Click here and here for detailed information.

A Richmond-based biochemistry consulting firm, CytoCulture, is in the running to provide a biochemical-based solution for cleaning oil off the shoreline. I ran into Randall von Wedel this evening at the Hotel Mac where he explained to me that his invention for using...

Annual turkey shoot means liquor, not birds " POINT RICHMOND: Festivities include knocking back a shot of Wild Turkey By Angela Hill STAFF WRITER Article Launched: 11/21/2007 03:01:36 AM PST Thanksgiving is a time for revered traditions and reflective moments. Family...

As a part of its efforts to promote a comprehensive emissions reduction program, the California Air Resources Board (ARB), in cooperation with representatives from BNSF Railway (BNSF) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, will conduct a third public...

As Chevron proposes a 6% expansion in Richmond Refinery capacity, no one is talking about the cumulative increase in San Francisco Bay ship traffic and how to manage risks of another oil spill. Read on: Oil Spill Alert -- Bay Ships Getting Bigger, Ports To Get Busier...

When I was growing up in Arkansas, we had an expression, "Thank God for Mississippi." In the days before Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt and Don Tyson became world class entrepreneurs; Arkansas was usually way down the scale in any national rating of quality of life statistics...

Even though you may not live in Point Richmond, you are invited to join Point Richmond residents, friends, congregations and businesses at the following holiday events: Monday and Tuesday, November 19th & 20th: The First United Methodist Church will be holding its...

At the end of this email is a copy of an article from yesterday"s San Francisco Chronicle, "Some say Richmond beaches, birds were overlooked after oil spill." Also an article from the Novato Advance about Novatans who came to Richmond and defied officials to save...

Mayor and Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the week ending November 16th, 2007. 1. Meeting Notes The regular City Council meeting of November 20th is cancelled due to the Thanksgiving week. As a result, the next City Council meeting is a special meeting...