For several years, I have prepared detailed year-end evaluations of City of Richmond services, problems challenges and wishes. Originally, these were conveyed only to my City Council colleagues and the city manager as a way of providing input into the annual city...

Budget Research Final (2).xls Here is my Christmas present to the people of Richmond, a comparison of the general fund budgets for FY 2005-2006 of 15 northern California cities, including Richmond (attached EXCEL file). The City of Richmond has a nominal general fund...

Here are three opportunities to give to others or to enjoy Christmas for yourself: The Richmond Police Department is looking for tax-deductible contributions for their holiday food drive targeted at feeding 800 families in need. Make checks payable to YMCA/Richmond PD...

In case you missed it, here is a long article from today"s SF Chronicle about Richmond"s incoming police chief, Chris Magnus. Fargo's top cop ready for Richmond He expects he can handle the weather and also the crime - Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday,...

With no fanfare, a new way to ask questions, post requests or make complaints via the Internet is now available through the City of Richmond website. It is called cor-connect - Contact City Hall and can be accessed from the City of Richmond home page at...

The following stories appeared in today"s San Francisco Chronicle and West County Times. Also see TOM BUTT E-FORUM, December 3, 2005, "Richmond Also Dangerous for Dogs." Richmond seems not to learn - Chip Johnson Friday, December 9, 2005 Cynthia Peters watched in...

I received a lot of email and a few phone calls from this piece. Rather than respond to each individually, I"ll respond to them as a group: Apparently some people believe I either wrote this article or endorse it. Neither is true. I simply copied it from the East Bay...

From East Bay Express, December 7, 2005 From eastbayexpress.com Originally published by East Bay Express 2005-12-07 "2005 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved. Burning Richmond's Race Card Facing a financial crisis and rising crime rates, Richmond sets aside race as a...

2005 Employee and Manager of the Nominees.doc For several years, I have prepared detailed year-end evaluations of City of Richmond services, problems challenges and wishes. Originally, these were conveyed only to my City Council colleagues and the city manager as a...

Can a Richmond police officer come into your yard and shoot your dog dead? Can a Richmond police officer open the gate to your yard, let your dog out and shoot it dead on the sidewalk? Yes. Under current policy based on Richmond Police Department Operation Manual...

Item E-1 on the Housing Authority Agenda and Item C-1 on the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency Agenda for December 6 are to authorize a loan from the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency to the Richmond Housing Authority to cover an operating deficit at the...

Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay has selected Fargo North Dakota Police Chief Chris Magnus as Richmond"s next chief of police. See the story below carried on KPIX. To get a flavor of Chief Magnus, check out his weekly Q and A on line in Fargo at...

You can now place a "service notification" with the City of Richmond via the Internet. This may be for a pothole, a pile of trash in the street, a stopped up sewer line, a non-functioning street light or a neighbor building a room addition without a permit. This type...

Richmond retains its title for the most dangerous city in California of its size (100,000 to 499,999) and 8th in the United States, based on 2004 statistics. Richmond"s homicide rate, which climbed by three over the last couple days is nearly seven times the national...

Richmond logged its 33rd homicide of 2005 today, putting the City on track for an annual rate of 37, just one less than 2004. Although this year is marginally better than last and better than some others within the last decade, the fact remains that the City of...

City_Budget_Comparisons_11-19-05.pdf Right or wrong, Richmond has carved out a reputation for its itself as a cash starved city constantly struggling to meet even the most basic needs of its citizens. Initial results from an ongoing study I am pursing of general fund...

The relationship between Richmond and Chevron may have recently moved onto ground never before plowed. What was for nearly 100 years a very cozy relationship began to slip in the late 1990s and the first years of the second Millennium as Chevron distanced themselves...

I should leave town more often. A lot more seems to get done in my absence. Two projects to preserve Richmond"s rich history moved (literally) forward last week. Despite last minute attempts to derail (no pun intended) it by a handful of Point Richmond malcontents,...

See attached PDF file. new_orleans_11-08-05_columns.pdf

I arrived in New Orleans Sunday afternoon. The main thing I noticed from the air was the blue roofs everywhere " tarps provided by FEMA for storm damaged roofs. We spent all day Monday in orientation at the Preservation Resource Center learning about New Orleans"...