For those who may not regularly read the San Francisco Chronicle, I bring you today"s column from Chip Johnson. Chip apparently shares my view that the City Council has abdicated its responsibility to a staff that can"t handle it. Richmond's budget says: 2+2+2=9!??...

The Richmond City Council and a number of department heads spent over 10 hours together January 30 and 31 focusing on the budget situation. The facilitated "retreat" at the Marina Bay Harbormaster Building was a noticed City Council meeting open to the public, but...

Before the E-FORUM "Firefighters Back to Work" piece on January 28, most of my mail, faxes and email were running almost totally in support of the firefighters. I have received dozens of form letters, for example, over the last few weeks signed by Richmond residents...

For any who are not subscribers or regular readers of the West County Times, I include a copy of today's article on control of the City Council Agenda. This dispute over control of the agenda is, in my opinion, an issue that strikes at the heart of our democracy. I,...

Absent a move by the "Agenda Junta" to block it from the Agenda (See TOM BUTT E-FORUM January 6, 2004, "Administrative Junta Seizes reigns of Power in Richmond"), I intend to bring a motion before the City Council on February 3 to bring the 18 laid-off firefighters...

A motion I made last night to allow the voters to decide if they would rather have a smaller city council died for lack of a second. My objective was to make the City Council more efficient, to reduce staff time and save money " all important goals it would seem in...

Reports are pouring in of the ChevronTexaco polling of residents throughout Richmond and West Contra Costa County. One reason that ChevronTexaco is sampling the electorate at this particular time is that they are planning a major expansion of the Richmond Refinery...

The 2004 election season revs up on Saturday, January 29, as the Richmond Progressive Alliance, "a coalition of progressive Democrats, Greens and Independents," convenes a "Public Forum" at the Madeline F. Whittlesey room of the Richmond Public Library on Saturday,...

We returned from the 3rd Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference last night just in time to take in the first performance of this season"s Oakland East Bay Symphony performance in Richmond. First, the symphony. This remarkable series conducted by Michael...

ChevronTexaco has recently invested in a major effort to strategize how best to further exploit the Richmond community. Pollsters of "Western Research" have been hired by ChevronTexaco to conduct exhaustive phone interviews with Richmond residents to ascertain their...

The newest exhibit at the Richmond Art Center pays tribute to local Rosies -- heroines who held down the homestead during World War II. Photos featuring six outstanding East Bay residents who worked the shipyards during the war will be on display, including Ruth...

Lynne Cheney, author, scholar and wife of the Vice-President, made a special trip to Richmond today to visit the fledgling Rosie the Riveter World War II/Home Front National Historical Park and present a check for $10,000 to the Rosie the Riveter Trust to help with...

Email on the budget crisis, particularly the Fire Department cutbacks, is running high, perhaps approaching that on street sweeping and fences. There is, however, no clear trend. Some want the laid off firefighters restored immediately at any cost and they threaten to...

A typical letter pops up in my email this morning; "I understand that these are lean times. And while I cannot claim to understand your budget constraints, I do not understand how we balance the budget by drastically reducing our firefighter staff. Please reconsider...

The 2004 Richmond concert series of the popular Oakland East Bay Symphony, Michael Morgan conducting, has been released. All performances are at the Richmond Memorial Convention Center and are free. For additional information, call 510/620-6793. Saturday, January 24,...

Richmond continues to lead the entire Bay Area in miles of Bay Trail completed. The upbeat, colorful Richmond Bay Trail New Year Report now is available at: http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/trac/ The New Year Report describes the 1-1/2 miles of new trails that were built...

The movement toward an executive form of government and away from the council-manager form of government continues to gain ground in Richmond. The Charter intended the City Council to be the policy-making body in Richmond municipal government, and the way city...

Perhaps the City"s recent flirtations with Indian casinos have whetted the municipal appetite for high stakes gambling. On December 16, 2003, the last City Council meeting of the year, the City Council approved, on a 7-2 vote (Butt and Bell dissenting), a lease for...

prequel.pdf Help the consultant team craft a Revitalization Plan for the San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way Corridor between El Portal Drive and Valley View Road. The Plan will direct future growth, improve traffic, and revitalize local businesses. Your input is...

Recent events have made it more important than ever for Richmond to implement an annual "citizen satisfaction survey," Many cities conduct such surveys to determine what city services require improvement and what citizens" priorities are for the allocation of...