Murder and Violence in Richmond
Here are some interesting facts about homicides and crimes of violence in Richmond. First, the good news: All part 1 crime (homicide. rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto burglary, auto theft, arson) are down more than 13% over last year. Violent...
West County Times Says Throw the Bums Out
The West County Times posted its City Council endorsements today, recommending a clean sweep of incumbents and filling the five vacant positions with newcomers. This is the second time in a row the Times has skipped over me. In the 2001 mayoral election, the Times...
Candidate Fund Raising Update
Today"s West County Times reported candidates" fund raising totals through September 30, 2004. One other report is due later in October, and then candidates are required to file special reports for any large sums received just prior to the election. As usual,...
Council, Public Suspicious of Contract Attorney
Interim City Attorney Everett Jenkins" request for City Council approval of $50,000 to hire a contract attorney who has already been working for over a week was rejected last night by a unanimous vote, and Jenkins was requested to provide the City Council with...
Marin Weighs in on Casino
Marin Independent Journal Richmond casino project has few fans in Marin By Richard Halstead IJ reporter Monday, October 11, 2004 - Increased traffic cited as officials' main concern Marin officials are concerned that a sprawling Indian casino and multi-hotel resort...
Former Richmond Finance Director Now City Manager
Wonder whatever happed to so and so? Former Richmond Finance Director (and Assistant City Manager) Anna Vega, whom some credit for contributing to Richmond"s financial collapse, is now city manager of Greenfield, California. Located in the heart of the California's...
Other Cities and Other Libraries
For more than 20 years, after my brothers and I were in school, my mother worked as a librarian in the Fayetteville, Arkansas, Public Library. She was the reference librarian, committed to finding whatever information anybody needed about anything. I remember in the...
Catching up on Point Molate and Censure
Berkeley Daily Planet, October 8, 2004 Richmond Delays Pt. Molate Deal: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN Confronted by too many unresolved questions, the Richmond City Council Tuesday delayed a vote on the sale of Point Molate until they can get more answers. The two would-be...
Who to Vote For?
A number of E-Forum subscribers have asked me for recommendations for candidates to vote for in the upcoming City Council election. My response is that I am unable to do so because I have not yet made up my own mind who to vote for. The best advice I can give to any...
Point Molate Decision Postponed
Needing additional information from both ChevronTexaco and Upstream, the Richmond City Council postponed a decision on which proposal, if either, to accept for the sale of Point Molate. Regarding the motion to censure me, no one owned up to placing the matter on the...
City Attorney’s Office Implodes ” And More
censure_resolution.pdf Interim City Attorney Everett Jenkins has apparently reassigned his most productive assistant city attorney shortly after she was publicly recognized in a West County Times article for her exceptional work in code enforcement and abatement....
Results of ChevronTexaco Phone Survey
Pt._Molate_Telephone_Survey_Results_10-5-04.pdf
Latest ChevronTexaco Offer for Point Molate
The attachments are the latest ChevronTexaco offer, courtesy of Dean O"Hair of ChevronTexaco. The City of Richmond distribution system not being the most expeditious, Dean was kind enough to send these directly. I have not had an opportunity to evaluate this latest...
Constructive Notice
There appear to be a growing number of claims against the City of Richmond for damages to vehicles caused by potholes. All of these are routinely denied based on the defense that the City had no constructive notice of a pothole (and presumably did not have time to...
Point Molate Continues to Dominate News
Following are copies of news stories from today"s and yesterday"s San Francisco Chronicle, West County Times and Berkeley Daily Planet. Also attached is a full-page ad taken out by Upstream in today"s West County Times. The October 5 City Council agenda includes...
City Council to Consider Butt Censure
Item O-4 on the October 5, 2004, City Council agenda is a proposed resolution censuring me for allegedly violating the "Councilmember"s Code of Conduct," specifically the part that says ""to treat my colleagues, citizens, and City Staff with dignity and respect."...
Of Priorities and Parliamentary Procedures
What should a city do to provide minimal security to an asset worth $50 million to $80 million, or more? Not much, if the City is named Richmond. Read on. On last Tuesday"s agenda for the Local reuse Authority/City Council Joint Meeting was Item D-1, "Joint Resolution...
Shoreline Festival
The attached flyer announces the 2004 Richmond Shoreline Festival. It is a party in celebration of Richmond"s threatened shoreline, and members of the community and their families who care about preserving our open space and coastal shorelines are all invited. The...
Point Molate Poker, I Raise You $30 Million!
So now we have two corporate giants in a multi-million dollar bidding war over Point Molate " or do we? The Chevron offer is attached in a PDF file, and stories from today"s West County Times and San Francisco Chronicle are copied below. You decide. You should know by...
Point Molate Campaign at Fever Pitch
Tomorrow, September 28, the City Council has on its agenda a vote on the Land Development Agreement (LDA) with Upstream Point Molate LLC, which would provide a five-year option during which time Upstream intends to convey the property to an Indian Tribe for a...