Latest News from Richmond City Hall
Catch up on hot items from this week’s Richmond City Council meeting below. If you're interested in making public comments as a member of RPA or getting involved, contact us.
Meetings are primarily held on the first, third, and fourth Tuesday of each month at 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804.
New Richmond Fire Chief
Congratulations are in order for Richmond's new fire chief Aaron Osorio. Osorio has served in many capacities, including training director, infection control officer, and director. He's also a California State Fire Marshal, certified chief officer, and company officer — with numerous certifications in fire rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, and incident command.
Taste of Richmond Is Here
This week is the first ever “Restaurant Week” in Richmond. The Economic Development Commission continues to express gratitude for the city’s use of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to stimulate the local restaurant economy.
Swing by your favorite places this month. Featured events will be held at CoBiz, The Craneway, Johnny Boi, Factory Bar, Tacos El Tucan, Perfusion Winery, and The Backyard.
Learn more about Taste of Richmond at www.tasteofrichmondca.com
Mobile Food Vendor Program
Councilmember Jimenez invites all residents to continue supporting BIPOC mobile vendors at 1401 McDonald Avenue. This is a perfect opportunity to get to know up and coming entrepreneurs and support local businesses. The program was launched last month in partnership with the Richmond Farmers Market.
City Budget Discussion
The fiscal year budget was discussed, highlighting a surplus of $3.5 million. Several areas cost higher than anticipated this year, including property tax by $1.6 million and sales tax by $3.7 million. A full audit will occur starting October 15th.
Ideas for unspent funds included $100,000 to support mobile vendors, $1.3 million for Boorman Park remediation, and $100,000 for gates at Brickyard Cove.
Ralph Payton, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) Executive Director, expressed interest in using the funds to support unhoused interventions as well. "The city of Richmond is supporting GRIP for about $70,000 a year...We're looking for your support so we can continue addressing the needs for all of our neighbors."
Daniel Barth, Executive Director of Safe Organized Spaces Richmond (SOS), supported GRIP's statement, "It's about what happens in our neighborhoods when we are building villages that are community focused at the neighborhood level…where the neighbors and the unhoused neighbors can work together to build something that has more dignity, that is street level, that is safe, that people can walk into and feel comfortable in."
Councilmember McLaughlin added that her priority was "to make sure we provide the right kind of support for our unhoused community...that provides a safer environment for the unhoused but also for our neighborhoods, who then see the positive movement of unhoused people in terms of getting their lives together and moving eventually into permanent housing."
Councilmember Zepeda also expressed support for continued unhoused interventions. "Our nonprofits here doing really good work. I also took a tour of GRIP, and we are behind putting some funding to that." He also added the need to invest in the Parchester Village storm drains.
Councilmember Robinson expressed interest in clarifying the budgeting process — including the over $14 million spent to temporarily accommodate unhoused residents at Motel 6 near Civic Center Plaza. She emphasized the need for a holistic budgeting process, prioritizing open spaces like parks and other city property. "We also need to consider our parks and the other assets that the city owns, so that we can get a sense of what the needs are."
Vice Mayor Jimenez also advocated for the need for a more transparent and functional budget process, "These new procedures are making [it] more cumbersome and more kind of like difficult for us to make these decisions."
Gloria Evans Park Naming
Glorias' son, Charles Evans, expressed heartfelt thanks to the council for renaming Virginia Playlot to Gloria Evans Park. "I want to thank you guys for taking up this motion For my mom."
LaShonda Myers, added "She was a beautiful mom...to me and others in the community. And I would love to see the park being renamed after her. She lived right across the street from the park, looked out for the children over the years..."
Another neighbor of Gloria’s, Tyrone Picot, further added, "[T]hat's where all the kids played...[it] is a historical place."
"Seconding this item, is about remembering the way that we can be. And...really honoring Ms. Evans for what she gave while she was here." — Doria Robinson, Councilmember, Richmond, CA
Coming Soon: Richmond Arts Corridor
The area for The Corridor will include McDonald Avenue and 23rd Street. Councilmembers received presentations from two respondents for the RFP: Ceres Policy Research and Richmond Renaissance. Ratha Lai, Founder of Critical Impact Consulting and representative of Richmond Renaissance, shared that they have begun outreach to stakeholders in the arts including:
- East Bay Center for Performing Arts
- RYSE
- ARTSCCC
- Richmond Museum of History
- Richmond Arts Center
- NIAD
- Visual Artists of Richmond
- Children's Art Studio
- Contra Costa Chorale
- Art at Vibe
- The Tiny Village
- Rich City Rides (gallery)
"These connections will be really useful in being able to do outreach and get feedback," added Lai.
Emphasizing the need for community collaboration and local roots, the council decided to move forward with Richmond Renaissance's proposal. Many members of the Richmond community have applauded the decision. "It takes community to change things. We are the community." — BK Williams, Co-chair, Richmond Progressive Alliance
Richmond Green Blue New Deal
Justine Burke, Project Lead and Primary author of The Richmond Green Blue New Deal Opportunities Report presented recommendations to the council. Goals include new job creation — catalyzing 1,000+ positions in sustainable industries, implementing infrastructure to account for hundreds of years of deep pollution, and activating city assets to support a "just, equitable, resilient, and sustainable future."
In terms of real estate, Richmond is a hidden gem that was once the home of major industries. Today, prime areas for sustainable development include the Port of Richmond and industrially-zoned properties. New businesses will also benefit from close proximity to major rail, airways, and highways.
Finally, Richmond is a big city with a strong sense of community. Its rich diversity includes youth, families, and other individuals ready for change.
The main areas of focus for the report included: renewable energy, building and development, electrification and energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, zero waste, land use, green infrastructure and urban forestry, and water resources.
Is Wind Power the Answer?
Wind power may be a particularly interesting route for Richmond. "There are a limited number of deep water ports on the West Coast...President Biden is interested in developing [the] manufacturing infrastructure supply chain here in the United States." Burke cited The Port of New Bedford as a great model for sustainable wind energy.
32 Miles of Pristine Shoreline
Burke also recommended tapping into Richmond's uniquely long shoreline. "[O]cean based agriculture, robotics, marine marine power systems...a blue accelerator could be interesting."
Reliable battery manufacturing was also a primary focus. "We're going to need a lot more energy storage, whether that's a small battery that goes on your electric bike or a large utility-scale battery," added Burke.
Next Steps
City staff are working on releasing the plan for a 60-day public comment period, with plans to adopt it in the first quarter of 2025. In the meantime, research, planning, and resource allocation will continue.
Councilmember Willis expressed interest in tying plans directly to the Richmond community's needs, especially youth and the under-resourced. "I want this to be something to be advertised and achievable at hands reach for people...making sure that Richmond residents are the first in line to take advantage of the things that get created."
Richmond resident Jamin Pursell added, "I see that this is an opportunity for us to really engage our young people, be able to engage our workforce that we have available, because we have a lot of talent, and we just need to tap into it."
Upcoming Events
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Date: October 1-30, 2024
Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) Harmony Walk
Date: October 5, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM
Featuring a neighborhood run, food trucks, live music, a raffle, guest speakers, vendors from local businesses, and more. For additional information, visit www.gripcares.org.
Voter Education Week at Contra Costa College
Date: October 11, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Fall Festival
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 PM
Location: Nicholl Park, 3230 Macdonald Ave, Richmond, CA 94804
Hosted by the Richmond Community Services Recreation. Featuring a petting zoo, hayride, and other family-friendly activities.