There has been movement in the right direction, I believe, for the Civic Center master plan. The project architect and City staff appear to have abandoned the idea of building a new Hall of Justice in front of the Richmond Art Center. The latest thinking is to build...

In the July 30, 2006, TROUBLE FOR TOLL BROTHERS, I included a PDF file describing "How the City of Richmond Subverted CEQA in the EIR for Terminal 1 (Point Richmond Shores). " This was based on information I had been able to assemble from sources other than the City...

MEMORIES OF MACDONALD: COMMUNITY HISTORY EVENT Memories of Macdonald is an invitation to the people of Richmond to share their recollections and reflections of Macdonald Avenue, the citys main downtown thoroughfare. Memories of Macdonald will preserve first-hand...

While we probably can"t dissuade Dr. Hagler from moving to quieter pastures, we want to give credit to Chief Magnus who is moving to address the problem. See the chief"s letter to Dr. Hagler, below. Also, attached is the July 2006 (and first!) of what will be an...

At last week"s City Council meeting, we had a spirited discussion of why Toll Brothers had not completed a portion of the Bay Trail along Brickyard Cove Road that was supposed to be completed by them as a condition of securing occupancy permits for Seacliff Estates....

Here is something that really works! If you have a complaint about weeds, trash, illegal land uses, etc., try cor-connect - Contact City Hall. It is on the first page of the City"s website at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/ . Just follow the directions and write up your...

It appears that Chevron, flush with a record second quarter profit of $4.4 billion ($33,577 per minute) is going to drop a little on the people of Richmond by providing a remarkable service, hosting a website http://www.richmond-today.com, that, according to Chevron,...

I wanted to share the following "exit poll" on Richmond with E-FORUM readers. I have worked with Dr. Louis Hagler for several years on making Richmond a quieter and more peaceful place. He is a focused and talented man who wanted to make a difference. I"ll bet he has...

Here is the city manager"s weekly report courtesy of the E-FORUM: Mayor and Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the week ending July 28th, 2006. 1. Meeting Notes The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12th. Please enjoy your...

Perhaps confused by the lateness of the hour and giddy with anticipation of a six-week recess, a Richmond City Council that has been trending upward lately in overall performance fell into the abyss last night The finance director, the port director, and a gaggle of...

I needed to get rid of an old refrigerator, and I wasn"t buying a new one to replace it. I guess I could have done the traditional Richmond thing and dropped it off under cover of darkness on one of Richmond"s dark industrial streets, but I wanted to set a good...

Toll Brothers, "The nation"s leading builder of luxury homes," a Fortune 500 company that grossed $5.7 billion last year with profits of $806 million can"t find a few bucks to fulfill its commitment to build a short stretch of Bay Trail in Richmond. Toll Brothers...

There are multiple ways that everyone can provide input to Richmond"s new General Plan. There are three more workshops this month, as follows: Wednesday, July 19, 6 to 9 pm: Community Workshop on Richmond's Future - Details >> Saturday, July 22, 10 am to 1 pm:...

E-FORUM subscribers now have access to the City Manager"s Weekly Report, which is distributed weekly to Council members and City department heads. This is the weekly report for the week ending July 14, 2006. 1. Meeting Notes Tuesday"s meeting will begin with a Closed...

The following email was apparently sent out on Friday, but I did not receive it, probably because they used an incorrect email address. I did receive it this morning after I had inquired why Wayne Nishioka"s email address was not working. Nishioka was the designated...

For several weeks, an ad-hoc committee of the City Council has been working on a draft revision of Richmond"s business license tax (RMC Chapter 7.04, Business Licenses) for the November 2006 ballot. When it was first rumored that they were cooking up a "gross receipts...

AmCan planning director 'no longer with the city' By KERANA TODOROV, Register Staff Writer Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:15 AM PDT Barry Cromartie, American Canyon's planning director for about a year, is no longer a city employee. "Barry is no longer with the city as of...

The second Railroad Quiet Zone in Richmond, West One Quiet Zone, goes into effect today, July 15, 2006. This is the West Richmond Avenue grade crossing in Point Richmond. Under the Quiet Zone rules, BNSF can no longer sound a horn as a warning before crossing West...

An illustrated version of this is attached as a PDF file. If you would like the historic preservation analysis of the Civic Center, I can email a 2 MB file. A proposal to place a new Hall of Justice (Police building) facing Barrett Avenue in front of the Richmond Art...

It may sound like it, but this is no April Fool"s joke. Port of Richmond staff has been quietly exploring the idea of building a large container port on Richmond"s northwest shoreline, roughly in the area between the Chevron refinery and the West Contra Costa landfill...