After setting an all-time Richmond attendance record on January 25, 2003 (see http://www.tombutt.com/forum/030128.htm), the immensely popular Oakland East Bay Symphony returns for another free performance open to the public on Sunday, March 16, 2003, at 3:00pm, at the...

The Hotel Mac hosts a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser benefiting NIAD (National Institute for Arts and Disabilities) Art Center. March 16th 4-8 pm. $45 per person. This is the first non-profit event that the Hotel Mac is hosting for 2003. Call the Hotel Mac at 233-0576...

The "Harvard Study" cited by Senator Perata (March 5 E-FORUM, http://www.tombutt.com/forum/030306.htm) can be found on the Internet at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hpaied/docs/PRS00-1.pdf. Additional information is at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hpaied/docs/98-1.pdf.

In a surprise move at tonight's Richmond City Council meeting, developer Stan Davis, through his attorney, requested that the City Council sustain the appeal of the previous certification by the City's Environmental Assessment Panel (EAP) of the Final Environmental...

The long-awaited ballots for neighborhood self-determination in the Richmond street sweeping wars are in the mailboxes of tens of thousands of Richmond residents. Printed in English and Spanish, the mailers explain the two options available for street sweeping: (1)...

Just as an unprecedented challenge to the EIR for the Breuner Marsh Mitigation Bank and Edgewater Technology Park shapes up for the City Council meeting of Tuesday, March 11, a simmering rumor of the plan's demise has just surfaced. Probably at no time is recent...

In a letter dated February 28, 2003, to Mayor Irma Anderson, Senator Don Perata made a strong plea for Richmond to reject the urban casino proposed by an Indian tribe. Perata cited a recent Harvard study of 100 communities with Indian casinos that found that retail...

Like an expeditionary force poised on the borders of Iraq, an army of environmental, transportation, community and other organizations has united in opposition to the City of Richmond"s proposed certification of the Final EIR for the Breuner Marsh Mitigation Bank and...

In the E-FORUM of February 28, 2003, Railroad Grade Crossing Blockages, http://www.tombutt.com/forum/030228c.htm, I conveyed the understanding that blockages are limited by PUC Rule 135 to 10 minutes. That may not be accurate in all cases. County Supervisor John...

City enlists help from community, business and youth to stop proliferation of graffiti Richmond City officials invite business owners and residents to participate in a community forum about how the City plans to solve the problem of graffiti vandalism. The forum will...

BAY TRAIL Progress continues to create a world class trail system in Richmond. Trails are important for a number of reasons. They improve the quality of life for people who live and work in Richmond by providing recreation, alternative transportation and open space....

I have long advocated that the cost and inconvenience placed on thousands of people forced to stop productive activity and "shelter in place" when industrial accidents trigger warning sirens should be compensated by those causing the alert. In fact, exactly one year...

I have received a number of inquiries recently from people upset about long waits at railroad grade crossings while trains are passing. Generally, people want to know what their rights are and what action they can take. Grade crossing blockages by trains are regulated...

I am often asked "Whom do I call in the City for _____?" Following is a list of the most commonly used contact numbers for the City of Richmond. The best place to get information without having to call anyone is via the Internet. The City's website is...

The proposed Ferry Point Boating Instruction & Safety Center in Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline has moved to the front of the line for a $5 million California Department of Boating & Waterways (DBW) grant. The proposed facility, a collaboration among San...

At the February 25, 2003, City Council Meeting, the Richmond City Council, after listening to the passionate pleas of some 40 citizens, voted 8 ayes, 0 nays and 1 abstention to become the 48th U.S. city to oppose the Patriot Act. I was the one abstention. Based on...

After six years of waiting for the Navy to convey the former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot to the City of Richmond, City staff is now recommending that the U.S. Government, instead, simply sell it to the highest bidder. This recommendation comes after months of secret...

After Tom Ridge pushed the Orange Alert button and sent us all to Home Depot for duct tape and Visqueen, I huddled, frozen with fear along with other Richmond residents, wondering when local authorities would provide critical detailed instructions on what to do next....

As a member of the four person "Evaluation Committee" appointed by Mayor Anderson, I joined my three committee colleagues in breaking with tradition and recommending hiring a professional consultant to assist with the annual evaluation of one of the four City...

ASTHMA Richmond was prominently featured in the regional press this week, first on February 11 in the Chronicle in an article "Asthma epidemic sickens thousands of Bay Area kids - An ill wind blows across industrial neighborhoods," in which local industries were...