ChevronTexaco to Acquire Unocal
ChevronTexaco Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and Unocal Corporation (NYSE: UCL) announced today that ChevronTexaco would acquire Unocal in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $18 billion, including net debt. The acquisition, which is subject to approvals by...
20 Questions to ask about City Planning and Development
For those of you who frequently correspond with me regarding planning and development projects in Richmond, here are some questions for City staff suggested by the Local Government Commission (LGC) www.lgc.org. The LGC states: "The most effective elected officials...
Richmond Bay Trail First Quarter 2005 Report
With twenty miles of Bay Trail now in place, Richmond stands out as having more Bay Trail than any other City on this planned 500-mile hiking and biking route encircling San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee, is engaged with...
Attorney General Opines on Alleged Conflict of Interest
In addition to serving on the Richmond City Council, I serve as a member of the Rosie the Riveter Trust board of directors. The Rosie the Riveter Trust is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that serves as the non-profit partner to the Rosie the Riveter World War II/Home...
West County Cities, County, to Merge
In an unprecedented early morning secret meeting today, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, the San Pablo City Council and the Richmond City Council hammered out an agreement to combine the Cities of San Pablo, Richmond and the unincorporated area of North Richmond...
Open Government Laws
This week, the Institute for Local Government http://www.ilsg.org/ is mailing copies of its new pamphlet "The ABCs of Open Government Laws" to city clerks for distribution to elected officials in their cities. The packets should be arriving in a week or so, care of...
Street Sweeping Update
Questions or complaints about street sweeping are consistently high on the list of issues about which I hear from constituents. Examples of recent question include the following: I seem to recall that part of the street sweeping deal was that each block had to have a...
Have They No Shame?
As gasoline prices reach all-time highs and ChevronTexaco reports a 77% increase in profits, the owner of Richmond"s 3,000 acre refinery is pressing forward with an effort to have its property taxes cut by tens of millions of dollars, which would result in a reduction...
Contra Costa Times Cities Downturn in Blight Enforcement by City Attorney
Enforcing anti-blight laws went down with new lawyer, records suggest Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@cctimes.com. Reach Rebecca Rosen Lum at 510-262-2713 or rrosenlum@cctimes.com. Posted on Mon, Mar. 21, 2005 By Karl Fischer and Rebecca Rosen Lum...
Public Workshop on Refinery Flaring
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) will hold a community meeting to invite public input on a proposed rule to minimize flare emissions at the Bay Area"s five petroleum refineries. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 24, 2005 at the...
City Council Routinely Violates Brown Act
The following is from today"s West County Times. One correction: I was critical of the City Council discussing hiring Casimere as a consultant on a contract basis in closed session but not in conducting interviews of anyone for the position as a City employee....
Evel Knieval?
Following is an interesting column from the March 15 Chronicle about Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay. The fact is that Richmond has potential beyond belief. Optimism about that future and some pretty good things about the present are what keeps me coming back for...
A Garden Grows in Richmond
The following is from today"s San Francisco Chronicle "Chronicle Watch," as the flower beds in the Rosie the Riveter Memorial once again bloom. Thanks to Rich McCoy and Sharon West for bringing back this little corner of Richmond"s favorite national park. RESULTS A...
Cromartie Launches Counterattack
Contra Costa Times Posted on Sat, Mar. 12, 2005 Richmond to probe accusations By Rebecca Rosen Lum CONTRA COSTA TIMES At the request of Planning Director Barry Cromartie, Richmond city officials will investigate whether Councilman Tom Butt has created a "hostile work...
Point Molate EIS/EIR Process Ready to Roll Out
The EIS/EIR process for Point Molate was announced in the March 11 Federal Register, which is attached. The scoping meeting will be 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Richmond Auditorium on March 31, and written comments will be received until April 15. NOI_031105.pdf
Richmond Planning Director Aims Vitriol at Butt
In an email dated March 3, 2005, to City Manager Bill Lindsay, Richmond Planning Director Barry Cromartie launched a fusillade of vitriol at me, accusing me of a long list of transgressions, including, but not limited to: "Misrepresenting facts." "Slandering,"...
Marina Bay on the Wrong Side of the Tracks?
Marina Bay at standstill over trains - C.W. Nevius Saturday, February 26, 2005 Marina Bay is a neighborhood held hostage by the train. The Richmond subdivision is a thriving, growing collection of homes, businesses and shops overlooking San Francisco Bay. What was...
Convention Center – Profit Center or Indulgence?
Despite tremendous progress in curing Richmond"s fiscal and management woes, there are isolated challenges that defy resolution. One of these is the Richmond Municipal Auditorium, also known as the Richmond Memorial Convention Center. About a year ago, one of our...
Hollywood Fame Brushes East Scenic Avenue
The Elwell family of Richmond shared in an Emmy last fall with father Mike honored for ABC News embedded coverage of the Iraq invasion (See E-FORUM September 24, 2004, Richmond Cameraman in Emmy-Winning Feature. Now, daughter-in-law Catalina Sandino Moreno, wife of...
Passing the Torch at Rosie
As sad as we were to see Superintendent Judy Hart retire not quite five years after breathing life into Rosie the Riveter WW II Home Front National Historical Park, we couldn"t ask for a better interim superintendent than Howard Levitt. He comes across the Bay as...