Apparently, with the full backing of the RPA City Council majority, the Reimagining Public Safety Community Task Force is rapidly setting itself up as an autonomous body immune from any laws. The 22 (originally 24) person organization has split itself into four...

Richmond is part of the problem. The RPA-controlled City Council abandoned street sweeping because people are too lazy to move their cars. Both Gayle McLaughlin and Eduardo Martinez live in the Richmond Annex, some residents of which led the movement to stop effective...

National Park Service News Release Date: February 23, 2022 Contact: PWR_Public_Affairs@nps.gov K. Lynn Berry selected as superintendent of four Oakland area national parks SAN FRANCISCO - The National Park Service (NPS) has selected K. Lynn Berry to serve as the...

The Housing First Initiative, a partnership of the Richmond Mayor’s Office and the Richmond Rotary Club, just placed another family who moved into their new apartment over the Presidents Day weekend. Corliss and her son were living in a rental apartment in Alameda in...

Despite $1.5M allocated, Richmond encampments remain vexing issue February 22, 2022 https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2022/02/22/despite-1-5m-spent-richmond-encampments-continue-to-be-vexing-issue/ An RV at the Castro Street encampment in September, 2021. (Photo...

When the RPA dominated City Council utterly fails in a policy initiative and get criticized for it, they blame it on “political polarization” instead of fessing up to bad judgment. The City Council is spending $1.5 million of public money on sole-source contracts that...

This message is being sent on behalf of Interim City Manager Shasa Curl Hon. Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the week ending February 11th, 2022. Meeting Notes The next Regular City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22nd,...

This is about Santa Clara, but it could just as well be Richmond. The RPA dominated Richmond City Council has made differences with other City Council members and the mayor into personal vendettas. The City Council has condemned me twice, censored me once, spent...

Affordable housing continues to be a challenge for many, and some are even forced into homelessness because they can’t afford rent. An effective solution has been the emergence of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) that provide...

These slides are from a presentation at the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) meeting tonight. I sit on the board of CCTA. Richmond is the best performing route compared to pre-pandemic! But there is still room for you!

This is an interesting documentary that I had some very small part in supporting. It is about the filmmaker’s (Peter McDowell’s) older brother who served in Vietnam in 1970-71, and then returned to Saigon as a civilian, only to die later under mysterious...

After seven years of review, one settled lawsuit and multiple public hearings, the proposed Terminal 1 project by Laconia was approved by all agencies and fully entitled by the City of Richmond in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Laconia was obligated to pay the City the...

I sent the following letter to Caltrans today. February 14, 2022 Dina El-Tawansy District 4 Director 111 Grand Ave Oakland, CA 94612 Toks Omishakin Caltrans Director P.O. Box 942873 Sacramento, CA 94273-0001. Subject: Cleaning Up Caltrans Right-of- Way in Richmond...

We are happy to announce that a five-person family has moved out of an RV at the Parkway/Castro Street camp and into the two bedroom apartment shown below. For our next family, we still need a donated BR set and LR furniture including a futon or fold-out couch. Please...

As MCE Board chair, I signed an agreement for MCE’s largest battery-storage project to date, located in Kern County, which will provide enough power for an estimated 52,000 homes each year. The Golden Fields Solar project was selected after MCE’s annual solicitation...

The article below, “Two Richmond police review commissioners faulted for ‘inappropriate’ behavior” is not only poor reporting but also points out some disturbing efforts to politicize the Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) and improper actions by its...

Here is a link to a long article in the Daily Mail about homeless initiative in the Bay Area, including Richmond: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10491511/Homelessness-San-Francisco-bad-people-asked-homeless-person-spare-room.html. ___ The mayor of the...

No Time to Waste: The Urgent Mission of Betty Reid Soskin has been awarded the 2022 Best Documentary Feature of the Denton Black Film Festival. Congratulations to our dedicated filmmaker, Carl Bidleman! https://dentonbff.com/2022-festival-winners/ The documentary has...

We are looking for a 1-bedroom apartment anywhere in West County and will pay a year’s rent in advance. The tenant will be a fully-employed single mother and her 12-year-old son. Landlords, be part of the solution! Email if you are interested.

Although not yet officially published, the February 15, 2022, City Council Agenda promises some interesting debate. The corrupt and incompetent City Attorney’s Office has requested Item AA.1.B on the Consent Calendar to authorize another $150,000 for Meyers Nave to...