At the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) meeting yesterday, WETA provided an update on the Richmond Ferry and efforts to recover from the loss of ridership during the pandemic. On a slide below is a list of Core Principles – Pandemic...

When I was first elected to the Richmond City Council, former Mayor Rosemary Corbin advised me to become active in the Local Government Commission (LGC), a statewide nonprofit supporting local elected officials – city council members and county supervisors. It was the...

On Thursday of this week, I joined Deputy City Manager Shasa Curl and Richmond Housing Authority Director Nannette Beacham in a tour of the under construction Hacienda Housing project. Some eight years ago, the Hacienda became the poster child for underfunded public...

With 32 miles of shoreline (more than any other city on San Francisco Bay), the Port of Richmond, the highly secured Chevron Refinery and the Coast Guard-owned East Brother Light Station, the Coast guard has a lot of interest in Richmond. I was invited to meet the new...

In a rare joint meeting last night, the ABAG Executive Board, on which I serve, and the MTC approved Plan Bay Area 2050 following four years of study and preparation. For details, including document downloads, see Agenda item 6a at...

I will not be at the CCTA meeting tonight; I have a conflict, and my alternate Paul Fadelli will represent WCCTAC in my place. Item 4 on the Agenda is “Presentation on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge - Representatives from the Transportation Authority of Marin, California...

Here is information about how to comment on the MMWD Intertie Project. Click here for the agenda report. Marin Municipal Water District Public Meeting Tuesday, October 19, 2021 7:30 PM This meeting will be held virtually, pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 361. To...

As announced by the city attorney regarding action taken during closed session tonight, the four RPA City Council majority members, McLaughlin, Jimenez, Martinez and Willis, voted to instruct the city attorney to file a brief in the lawsuit SPRAWLDEF et al v. the City...

To preserve lush lawns like this, Marin will rip up the Bay Trail and Richmond streets for a water line across the bridge On October 19, 2021, the Marin Municipal Water District is set to approve construction of the water line across the Richmond San Rafael Bridge....

Former Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson passed this on to me. Richmond was one of a number of cities and counties that sued fossil fuel companies, but I have not been subpoenaed by Exxon yet. Richmond filed its complaint against 29 defendants on January 22, 2018. EL...

In 1594, the Spanish village of Mondoñedo celebrated the first documented Arbor Day and in 1805, the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra celebrated the first modern day Arbor Day, organized by local priest Don Ramón Vacas Roxo who was convinced of the...

The mayor and City Council members make policy. We don’t micromanage the City; the city manager does that. But we don’t like surprises, and the public expects us to at least know what’s going on at City Hall. On Friday, October 8, 2021, at 8:54 PM, City Manager Laura...

Last week, I attended the annual retreat for MCE Clean Energy. MCE, which originally was an acronym for “Marin Clean Energy” is a four-county, 36 member community, Joint Powers Authority that provides the generation component of your electricity. Distribution (poles...

As the City Council extended the life of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force another three years, Richmond police officers went to work as always, responding to domestic violence calls (often involving a firearm or other weapon), thefts, carjackings, homicides,...

Hon. Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the week ending October 8th, 2021. Meeting Notes The next Regular City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19th, 2021. Enjoy the next week off! Upcoming Events Community Benefits Policy...

The City Manager's Office is extending an invitation to all Richmond residents to fill out the bi-annual community survey. In January 2007, the City of Richmond enrolled in the National Research Center’s (NRC) National Citizen Survey (NCS) program in order to conduct...

Since I wrote this six months ago, the estimated California homeless population has increased to 160,000, the California General Fund budget has increased to $196.4 billion, and the average cost of an apartment has increased to $1,488 per month. You could put every...

The RPA Blog copied below includes the following, with which I agree: Richmond currently has 123 vacant full-time employee (FTE) positions and six vacant part-time positions. This means that roughly one-sixth of our city government functions have been deemed...

Only 50 Tickets Left for Fleet Week! Dear Tom, We know, we know. Organizers always shout "Tickets are nearly sold out!!" But in this case, it is absolutely true. So act now if you want to enjoy Red Oak Victory's Fleet Week Pancake Breakfast on October 10, featuring...

This summer, parts of Richmond have been plagued by mosquitoes. They are so bad where I live that we have to sleep under a mosquito net at night like in some third world country. One of my neighbors writes, “I am once again being tortured by mosquitos. The worst...