Recollections – The 1970s in Richmond
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the year Shirley and I arrived in Richmond. Long before I got into Richmond politics, we started a family and a business here. The 1970s saw the beginning of two flagship projects for Richmond, Marina Bay and Hilltop Mall. The former...
Political History of Richmond 1997
This is the second installment of A Political History of Richmond. To download, click here. As I compile these, I find two remarkable things, (1) The media coverage back in those days was extraordinary -- detailed, objective and thorough, and (2) past is truly...
Political History of Richmond 1996-96
I am working on a political history of Richmond beginning 50 years ago when I moved to Richmond. The project will come in installments, broken down by in two parts, not necessarily in chronological order, first the decades of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s before I was...
Next Land Grab Set for March 7
After giving away some 1,400 square feet of public property and approving a fence at 130 East Scenic that the majority of the neighborhood opposed, the incompetent and corrupt city attorney, public works director and city engineer are poised to present and advocate...
How Red Rock Island became the only private island in the SF Bay
How Red Rock Island became the only privately owned island in San Francisco Bay The 5.8-acre island near the Richmond Bridge has had many owners and has been for sale many times. Charles Russo/SFGATE Tessa McLean, SFGATE Feb. 22, 2023 Updated: Feb. 22, 2023 10:39 a.m....
City Manager’s Weekly Report for the Week Ending 02/17/2023
You can view the current City Manager's Weekly Report here: City Manager's Weekly Report 02/17/2023
Planning Staff and City Attorney Live in Alternate Universe
As the design for the PG&E site at Brickyard Cove works its way through the entitlement process, an attorney who is a neighbor of the proposed project took a deep dive into legal issues that City staff, including the incompetent and corrupt city attorney are...
City Council Approves Spite Fence
I attended my last City Council meeting on January 9, 2023, and I haven’t been back since. But last night I had to weigh in on a proposed encroachment proposed by a property owner a few hundred feet away from my home on East Scenic Avenue. Not surprisingly, the...
Another Proposed Development Project Breaks Bad
According to former Design Review Board Chair Jonathan Livingston, the proposed housing project at the site of the former PG&E gasholder tank at Brickyard Cove has taken a turn for the worse with the full complicity of City staff. Regarding the design, Livingston...
New CEO for CivicWell (formerly Local Government Commission)
View this email in your browser Meet CivicWell's New CEO! We are excited to introduce Bernadette Austin as the new CEO of CivicWell. Bernadette was selected after an extensive search with Azzani Search Consultants following the departure of Kate Wright in March 2022....
City Manager’s Weekly Report for the Week Ending 02/10/2023
You can view the current City Manager's Weekly Report here: City Manager's Weekly Report 02/10/2023
City Council Finally Sees the Light at Terminal 1
On Tuesday, February 7, after prolonged discussion that went on until midnight, including a 40-minute monologue by the city attorney, the Richmond City Council finally did what they should have done a year ago, just say no to what became a horrible design for a...
Pro-housing advocates are suing these Bay Area cities to force planning for more homes
Richmond is one of the eleven cities being sued by pro-housing groups for failing to meet a January 31, 2023, deadline to submit the Housing Element of the General Plan to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. This is good news for...
Contra Costa Health Opens Online Survey About Emergency Ambulance Service
For Release: Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 Contact: CCH Media Line, 925-608-5463 or doc.pio@cchealth.org Contra Costa Health Opens Online Survey About Emergency Ambulance Service Contra Costa Health (CCH) seeks public participation in an online survey this month to help gather...
Richmond and Brickyard Cove Alliance Responsible Development (BCARD) Not Happy with Terminal 1 Proposal
The following was sent to me by Brian Lewis of BCARD: The City of Richmond and Brickyard Cove Alliance Responsible Development (BCARD) is asking for information about the upcoming Hearing on Terminal One is sent to the Community and the Richmond Yacht Club. Tuesday,...
The Sad Plight of the Historic Shipyard 3 General Warehouse
Figure 1 - The iconic Moderne style General Warehouse at historic Shipyard 3 Figure 2 - Deteriorated entry to General Warehouse The General Warehouse is the most iconic of the extant historical buildings from the historic WWII Shipyard 3. For almost a decade, the City...
Saunas in Richmond?
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/waterside-saunas-bay-area-17762581.php I found four wood saunas on the Richmond waterfront with unreal Bay Area views Silas Valentino, SFGATE Feb. 4, 2023Updated: Feb. 4, 2023 9:22 a.m. Sauna No. 2 is nicknamed the "picture...
Native Plant Extravaganza Sat. Feb. 11, selecting native plants, and more!
From Kathy Kramer: Dear Friend of the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase, Now is a great time to plant California natives! To help you along, the first Native Plant Extravaganza of the year takes place next week-end, on Saturday,...
City Manager’s Weekly Report for the Week Ending 02/03/2023
You can view the current City Manager's Weekly Report here: City Manager's Weekly Report 02/03/2023
The Mysterious Mr. Wu
My legal challenge to the sale of Terminal 1 was served this week on both the City of Richmond and Terminal One Development LLC (See Court Order Sought to Invalidate Sale of Terminal 1, January 20, 2023). We’ll see what happens. There is another component of this...