Auditing the City of Richmond
In a letter from the state auditor dated July 14, 2021, the city attorney was warned to, “notify the appropriate staff that, in anticipation of the audit, they should not make any changes to any records or files that may be relevant to the scope of the audit.. They...
City Manager’s Weekly Report for the Week Ending July 23, 2021
Hon. Mayor and Members of the City Council: This is the report for the week ending July 23rd, 2021. Meeting Notes The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27th , 2021. Closed Session begins at 2:00 P.M., followed by the Special Meeting of the...
A 25-Year Journey from Saigon to Richmond City Hall
With a lot of unexpected time on my hands due to the COVID-19 shutdown beginning in March of 2020, I did a lot of things I never would have made time for otherwise, like raising a baby crow (Covid the Corvid – Free as a Bird), reading nearly 100 books, eating...
City Council Shitshow
The City Council meeting of July 22, 2021, was pretty much a shitshow, starring Councilmembers Gayle McLaughlin, Eduardo Martinez, Claudia Jimenez and City Attorney Teresa Stricker. It started with an attempt by Gayle McLaughlin to summarily repeal an obscure...
Campus Bay, the RPA and the City Attorney
The shitshow at the July 22, 2021, City Council meeting wherein the RPA City Council members tried to summarily and illegally suspend the mayors discretion to cancel a City Council meeting was a result of my canceling meetings on July 20 because of an attempt by the...
Scheduling of City Council Meetings
Several people have asked why City Council meetings previously scheduled for July 20 were canceled. Pursuant to the City of Richmond City Council Rules of Procedure and Order, Part II Meetings, Paragraph A(1), “Any future regular or special meeting may be canceled by...
Richmond Reimagine Public Safety Task Force Member Tamisha Walker Calls for Hiring More Police in Antioch
https://eastcountytoday.net/antioch-councilwoman-torres-walker-posts-video-calling-for-hiring-4-more-police-officers/ Tamisha Torres-Walker is an out-of-town member of the Richmond Reimagine Public Safety Task Force who voted to reduce the RPD budget by over $10...
Maritime Tea Party Brings Back Memories of Wartime Child Care
Richmond Standard news article on the Maritime Tea Party Richmond event offers rare glimpse at wartime child development center July 14, 2021 All photos from fundraiser courtesy of Lisa Foote. By Kathy Chouteau A “Maritime Tea” fundraiser hosted by the Rosie the...
Campus Bay Developer Takes Title to Property
A special meeting of the Richmond City Council was scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9:15 AM for the purpose of considering termination of the Development Agreement for Campus Bay, anticipating that the developer would fail to take title to the property by the...
Reopening of Richmond Multimodal Transit Center
Yesterday, we had a symbolic reopening of Richmond’s multimodal transit center, where BART, Amtrak/Capitol Corridor and AC Transit converge. Prior to COVID-19, there were 8,000 boardings and de-boardings daily at this location, making it the busiest place in Richmond....
Supporting the Tibetan Community
Earlier this week, I joined the Tibetan community and allies at the start of their “Walk for Tibet” - a journey over 90 miles in pursuit of justice for Tibet that began at Richmond City Hall and ended at the California State Capitol! The walk was planned to align with...
Campus Bay – A Failed Ethical Dilemma for the City Attorney
A special meeting of the City Council has been noticed for 9:15 AM on July 20, 2021, with a public hearing for the sole purpose of considering the termination of the Development Agreement for Campus Bay. The agenda item reads: F.1 HOLD a public hearing to consider...
Richmond Commercial Real Estate Trends 2nd Quarter 2021
Devaluation of Chevron Refinery Drives Richmond Property Tax Down to Lowest Increase in Contra Costa County
According to a letter from Contra Costa County Assessor Gus Kramer dated July 1, 2021, Richmond’s assessed valuation increase (and therefore property tax increase) was the lowest in Contra Costa County. The county as a whole had a 3.44% increase with the City of...
MTC Policy Advisory Council Recruitment
View in a web browser » MTC Policy Advisory Council Recruitment Applications are open for the next 4-year term of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Policy Advisory Council. Beginning in January 2022, the 27-member body of Bay Area residents will weigh in on...
Remembering Martin Andrew Butt
My younger brother, Martin Andrew Butt, would have been 74 years old today, July 14. He survived 1967-68 as a 20-year old Marine in Vietnam, awarded a Purple Heart, only to die in an automobile accident a year after he returned in 1969. Although younger, he preceded...
A Snapshot of Richmond’s Homeless
Following is the June 2021 report from the Contra Costa Coordinated Outreach, Referral, Engagement (CORE) Program. It provides a good profile of Richmond’s homeless population. Of the 140 unduplicated contacts, 43% had substance abuse disorders, 38% had chronic health...
Invitation: Richmond Transit Center Grand Re-Opening
Next Friday, July 16th, I will be hosting a grand re-opening of the Richmond Transit Center from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in front of 1600 Nevin Ave. We invite you to join us. Although the Richmond Transit Center never ceased operation during COVID-19, record –low...
Bay Trail Richmond 2021 Mid Year Report!
Following is the 21st Bay Trail Richmond Mid Year Report prepared by TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee. This upbeat, colorful report summarizes great strides made toward completing and improving the Bay Trail in Richmond. The City Council approved a...
East Brother Island, in the San Francisco Bay, is hiring an innkeeper
Travel East Brother Island, in the San Francisco Bay, is hiring an innkeeper Freda Moon, SFGATE July 6, 2021Updated: July 6, 2021 4 a.m. The lighthouse station at sunset. Cynthia C. via Yelp It’s been called a “dream job,” and when this Bay Area innkeeping position...