Happy to Ring Out 2022 – Happy New Year 2023! Mayor Tom Butt 2022 was my last year (except 10 days in January) of over 27 years on the Richmond City Council, including eight years as mayor. Special thanks to those who supported me politically all those years as well...

The District 2 recount was completed yesterday, and Cesar Zepeda prevailed by three votes because three votes previously recorded for Andrew Butt were disallowed for technical reasons. Andrew graciously congratulated Cesar and moved on.I want to congratulate Cesar...

I wanted to leave a few things as Christmas presents for Mayor-elect Eduardo Martinez. Most are items that were once essential but will no longer be needed by me. Figure 1 – I gift him the official generic Richmond “Office of the Mayor” jacket to keep him warm as he...

This is a sketch I made in Downieville CA from Thanksgiving 2021. For more sketches, see http://www.tombutt.com/Toms_Sketches/mobile/index.html#p=14.

This is a sketch I made in Downieville CA from Thanksgiving 2021. For more sketches, see http://www.tombutt.com/Toms_Sketches/mobile/index.html#p=14.

Antioch, Richmond recount process drags on, but tally of votes will begin Thursday Candidates question methodology of recount, prefer full search of all ballot boxes Contra Costa elections specialist Joel Paschall counts ballots during an internal check of the results...

Last night was my last Richmond City Council meeting ever, termed out after over 27 years and some 1,300 City Council meetings, not including committee and other meetings, and not including regional board and committee meetings. If you added all of them in, it would...

This was a joint effort of the Richmond Rotary Club, the Mayor’s Community Fund, Way2Love, and the Richmond Community Foundation with a grant from Chevron. Thanks to Paul Morris, agent for the owner, for offering an apartment. It takes a village. VIDEO: Bay Area mayor...

Applications are being accepted for innkeepers at East Brother Lighthouse. After two years of extraordinary service, our current keepers, Stephanie and Bryan Wesolek will be leaving at the end of March 2023. East Brother Light Station, Inc., a non-profit corporation,...

On the surface, the story of the District 2 election is that it was a tie between Cesar Zepeda and Andrew Butt, and Zepeda eventually won when his name was drawn from a paper bag. End of story. A recount is in progress and will be completed sometime next week. No one...

Three days from now, December 20, 2022, is my last Richmond City Council meeting. Frankly, I can’t wait. I look forward to leaving with about the same level of enthusiasm I had to leave Vietnam 52 years ago. In a functional City Council, members could, or even should,...

Beginning in January 2023, City Council members will be barred from accepting, soliciting or directing contributions of more than $250 from anyone who had business before their body in the 12 months before or after a final decision in that matter. Anyone found guilty...

Your local renewable electricity provider. Powering communities since 2010. I am beginning to take the off ramps from regional agencies on which I serve after nearly 28 years as an elected official. Yesterday was my final meeting as a member of the ABAG Executive...

Brianni Peters, currently living in an RV at the Castro encampment, signed a lease today for a 2 BR apartment in San Pablo, thanks to Richmond Rotary's Housing First program. Peters and her 13 year-old daughter Adria, currently attending Richmond High School, will be...

How many times does a prospective purchaser of City of Richmond property for development have to fail before you show them the door? Once a bright prospect, Laconia Development is now trying to push through one of the worst-designed projects in Richmond history. The...

Norman La Force, the voice of the Sierra Club, who likes parks (but without people or dogs) smugly celebrates what he deems a victory by selling Point Molate for $400 to an Indian tribe and a former casino developer. Not only has the City lost $22.5 million in instant...

Last night was MCE’s 2022 virtual Holiday party. Before the fun started, Executive Director Dawn Weisz, Vice-chair Shanelle Scales-Preston and I recalled the incredible acomplishmnents of MCE and thanked MCE staff and board members for their hard work. Launched...

Unlike some politicians, I still work for a living. One of the professional services I have been providing for years is peer reviews of other architects’ projects for building envelope water management and waterproofing. Construction defect litigation used to be a...

On December 5, 2022, I attended the California Climate Emergency and Energy Security Summit organized by Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) at the California Energy Commission, (Warren-Alquist State Energy Building) in Sacramento. Several energy-related...

I made a plea on December 2 for a landlord to step up and provide an apartment for a resident of the Castro Street RV Camp (Need Landlord with an Available 1-Bedroom Apartment, December 2, 2022). The stars have aligned, and we hope to have a single mom and daughter in...