Downtown Richmond Holiday Festival
For Richmond events and news, always check the Greensheet at the City of Richmond website. Among many holiday events, you will find: DOWNTOWN RICHMOND HOLIDAY FESTIVAL Come and join us in welcoming our holiday season on Friday, December 1, 2006, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00...
Richmond Has Something to Sing About
We all know how good it felt to have that first summer job. Well, you can help employ more youth for the City of Richmond Summer Youth Employment Program this holiday season simply by doing what we all love to do the day after Thanksgiving"shop! If you are still in...
Council Approves Municipal Services Agreement with Tribe
In a 6-3 vote last night, with Butt, Thurmond, and McLaughlin dissenting, the Richmond City Council approved a Municipal Services Agreement with the Scotts Valley Band of the Pomo Indians that provides a potential boost for the tribe"s goal of placing land along the...
Mayor Concedes
Yesterday, Mayor Anderson made a gracious concession statement, both in her office and at the City Council meeting, acknowledging Gayle McLaughlin as Richmond"s next mayor. Meanwhile, the media is having a heyday touting Richmond as the largest American city with a...
New Hall of Justice on the Ropes Due to Fund SHortage
Finance Director James Goins has quietly spread the word that the new Hall of Justice construction will not happen, as recently anticipated, in the first phase of the Civic Center rehabilitation project due to funding shortfalls. The first phase will include only...
Celebrate Thanksgiving in the Point
Regardless of where you live or who you are, you are invited and welcome to share this holiday weekend, starting tomorrow morning, with the folks from kooky and kinky Point Richmond. Probably the strangest thing you"ll ever do on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23,...
City Council Gets Tough on Railroads
At last night"s meeting, the City Council voted 5-4 to make it a priority to aggressively enforce code violations by railroads. The agenda item, placed by Jim Rogers, was directed towards a failure by the City to enforce nuisance laws regarding graffiti and trash on...
Chamber Politics Debate Continues
Today"s column by Chip Johnson in the Chronicle blasts the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and others for participation in political activity using member"s dues without informing the members. In fact, such practice is against the law. While chambers of commerce, which...
Chronicle Watch Takes on Fatal Freeway Bike Lane
As Chronicle Watch takes on the issue of Richmond"s fatal freeway bicycle lane, Caltrans remains in a state of denial, offering signs and rumble strips instead of real solutions. Meanwhile the bike lane remains open and as deadly as ever. Chevron, on the other hand,...
City Council Cuts Ties With Chamber of Commerce and Council of Industries
At last night"s City Council meeting, the City Council 6-1-1 with Griffin dissenting and Viramontes abstaining, for the City of Richmond to drop its memberships in the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Industries to avoid potential civil or criminal...
Probe of City Chamber Memberships Expands to Berkeley
It appears that Berkeley, like Richmond, is investing in its Chamber of Commerce while the Chamber is politically active in local elections in violation of Penal Code Section 424, Government Code Sections 8314 and 83116. There was a time when Chambers of Commerce had...
Richmond Art Center Holiday Arts Festival and Book Fairs
The Richmond Art Center will be holding its annual Holiday Arts Festival Sunday, December 3 from 12 - 5 pm. " Silent Art Auction " Arts and Crafts Sale, work by students and artists (cash and checks only) " the ever popular Ceramics Seconds Sale " FREE Kids activities...
High Taxes? Thank the Richmond Chamber of Commerce
Yesterday, I received the following question from an E-FORUM subscriber: I have a question for you. Today we received in the mail two business renewal license invoices for two different single dwelling rental properties in Richmond. (we own 6 altogether in Richmond)...
Security Pacific Response
From: Betty Couzens @ sbcglobal [mailto:securityp@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 12:59 PM To: Butt, Tom Subject: As per our conversation, please forward to your E-Forum. Thank you. November 17, 2006 Mr. Tom Butt City Council Member Richmond City Hall...
Post-Election Mayoral Musings
Following are articles from the Richmond Globe and the Berkeley Daily Planet about Richmond"s mayoral race. The Globe appears to blame Gary Bell for stealing African-American votes from Irma Anderson. Why isn"t anybody suggesting the opposite -- that the unpopular...
City of Richmond Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance
There have been a lot of questions about the applicability, processes and procedures for Richmond"s new sewer lateral regulations. There have also been some complaints that Richmond is more stringent than other jurisdictions or that the new requirements are simply too...
“…Citizens of Hub Cities like Richmond…Bear the Cost of Pollution.”
Oakland Tribune Ports dump pollution on poor Report chides billion-dollar shipping industry for ignoring its pollution Tuesday, November 14, 2006 Douglas Fischer OAKLAND -- The freight industry places a "staggering burden" on Californians, particularly low-income...
Realtor Urges Richmond Residents to Flee
Some of my readers in the North and East received a letter in English and Spanish from Marcus Hinds, of the Security Pacific Real Estate Brokerage on Blume Drive in Richmond: "Dear Neighbor, "I thank you for reading my letter. Many of my clients are selling their...
Local Election Results Updated
At 4:00 PM today, Contra Costa County updated the election results. Although we are not certain, we believe the numbers below include all the absentee ballots but not some 900 provisional ballots in Richmond. McLaughlin"s lead in the mayor"s race increased slightly...
Richmond Capitalizes on Its History
Lots of exciting news the last few days for and about Richmond"s rich heritage. " Richmond was notified yesterday in letter from First Lady Laura Bush that its application for designation as a Preserve America Community had been accepted. This is part of the Preserve...