The following story in today"s West County Times discusses what appears to be a trend of converting property intended for commercial use to residential use and cites what some construe as adverse impacts on jobs, taxes and city services. The story focuses on the Pulte...

After a year of refurbishing and a change of ownership, the restaurant in the venerable 100 plus-year old Baltic Building in Point Richmond will open again for a reception and music on Thursday, November 3, and for dining and music on Friday, November 3, 2005. The new...

cor_budget_summary.pdf In the context of Measure Q (November 2005 ballot) sales tax debates, several people have asked why they should support additional sales tax if the proceeds from the Measure Q of 2004 haven"t yet been utilized to restore hours at the Main...

Following are all the responses from the October 26 E-FORUM "REVIVING YOUTH CURFEWS?" The response was overwhelmingly in favor of enforcing Richmond"s youth curfew ordinance. " Yes. " Yes, Tom, I will vote for it. " YES! Parents need to be more responsible for their...

Measure Q is a voter initiated amendment to add an additional "% to the City of Richmond Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance (sales tax). Over six thousand residents of Richmond signed petitions for this measure aimed at providing an improved level of vital city...

Now here is what we thought was an outdated concept being revived. East Palo Alto, which is experiencing a homicide epidemic even higher than Richmond (13 so far this year " 50/100,000 population extrapolated annually), is going to enforce its youth curfew, which has...

announcement_corrected.pdf Only after losing Lucretia Edwards did I find out that another Richmond icon of roughly the same generation, who had also participated in creating parks in Richmond, had died. Mary Otani was another of those wonderful women who dedicated...

See attached for "Hands for Peace" and "Art Heals Exhibition." HANDS FOR PEACE flier 10-19.doc rmsposter1.pdf

There are several City-sponsored programs available to provide qualifying Richmond homeowners with low interest and no interest loans, grants, and other assistance to improve the quality of housing and to improve the appearance of the City. Four of these programs are...

I received a few negative reactions to my E-FORUM "I SUPPORT MEASURE J." Whether or not to support any tax is a personal decision that each voter must make based on his or her own value system and ability to pay, and I respect that. I was, however, a little surprised...

Measure J is the next bond issue to be used to upgrade school buildings in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Measure J is an opportunity for West County voters to upgrade and repair old and sometimes unsafe schools. Funds will be used to: " Repair leaking...

cor_budget_summary.pdf Last week, I hired Kevin Morsony to undertake the General Fund Budget Comparison project that will compare Richmond to 15 other cities for revenue and expenditures. Kevin is a recent graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a BA in Political Science. He...

Lucretia Edwards, who might best be remembered as the mother of Richmond"s magnificent 3,000 plus acres of shoreline parks, died peacefully on October 12, 2005, at her home. She was 89 years old. Lucretia is survived by her daughter, Hannah Edwards, two sons, John...

I have received notice of the following events tomorrow at Point Pinole Regional Park: Richmond Shoreline Festival -- Celebrate and Protect Breuner Marsh: Open Space or Multi-Story Housing? The North Richmond Shoreline Open Space Alliance invites you to the Richmond...

I routinely read about businesses in Richmond that I didn"t know existed or I am reminded of businesses I know but which seldom show up at Chamber of Commerce mixers or City events. There is a whole universe of Richmond businesses that hire lots of people, pay lots of...

City Manager Bill Lindsay has hired Janet Schneider to be the Administrative Chief in the City Manager's office following interviews with a pool of truly outstanding candidates for the position. Janet is currently the Executive Director of the Central Contra Costa...

Recreation_Resolution_60-97.pdf There will be an all day community meeting this Saturday, October 15th, 2005, 8:30am " 4:30pm, Richmond Auditorium, (Click on RICHMOND RISES UP AGAINST VIOLENCE for more information), In response to the homicides that have plagued...

There was a math error in the Homicide Rate table in E-FORUM: COMMUNITY MEETING ON VIOLENCE. The correction appears below. I have also added Oakland, which has a rate of 26.78/100,000. 2003 Homicide Rates in 16 Bay Area Cities Source: FBI...

I received over 40 questions, suggestions, complaints and accusations about business licenses over the past week. Here are some more Q and A: Q. Is a business license a tax or a fee? What am I getting for it? A. Legally, it is a general tax, not a fee. Richmond...