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...
Free Energy Savings Devices
Energy utilities regulated by the CPUC have low-income energy efficiency programs in which consumers, who qualify under the low-income discount program referred to as the CARE program, and seniors and disabled consumers, who earn slightly more than the CARE income...
Johnson Upbeat on Richmond
When Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson, who specializes in skewering local government, turns upbeat instead of beating up on Richmond City government, this is news. Enjoy today"s column from Chip: Richmond finally rights its own ship - Chip Johnson Monday, February 14,...
Supplemental Garbage/Trash Pick Ups
Many people have requested detailed information on supplemental pickups, which is attached as PDF files in English and Spanish. Many people also want a different arrangement such as some cities have where you can put anything on the street and it will be picked up....
Beyond Oil and Violence
I often marvel at what marvelous diversification of business and talent exists in Richmond. The external perception of Richmond still consists of an oil refinery surrounded by a high-crime residential area. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. Surfing...
The Next Mayor?
With only 20 months left until the 2006 election, it appears jockeying for the Richmond mayor"s race has begun. Contra Costa Times Political Editor Lisa Vorderbrueggen has been calling around trying to get a handle on the political landscape and has come up with at...