Stronger Sanctuary City, Community Budget Meetings, Early Debt Repayment, and More

Street sweeping tickets will start again on April 15. Full story and helpful hints at the very bottom of this very long newsletter. Read the headlines as you scroll down!

A Stronger Sanctuary City

Richmond continues to make progress on protecting residents from federal government overreach.

In early March, the City Council voted unanimously to put $1 million from the city’s budget surplus towards providing free legal advice to immigrants in Richmond who need the help. City staff has already started the process of selecting a partner organization to distribute these funds effectively to help our community.

In a second unanimous vote last month, we strengthened Richmond’s Sanctuary City policy. As explained on the city website, under the new ordinance the City of Richmond:

• Prohibits City officials and law enforcement from using local funds, personnel, or facilities to assist with federal immigration enforcement—unless required by law.
• Prevents City employees from collecting or disclosing a person’s immigration status unless legally mandated.
• Restricts local law enforcement compliance with civil immigration detainers, administrative warrants, or release notification requests unless a judicial warrant is provided.
• Ensures all Richmond residents—regardless of immigration status—can access City services without fear of discrimination or deportation.
• Denies Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents access to non-public areas of City facilities for enforcement activities, unless required by law.
• Richmond’s new Sanctuary City ordinance closely mirrors a San Francisco ordinance that successfully weathered legal challenges during the first Trump administration.

The Richmond ordinance is consistent with all federal, state, and local laws; for instance, city staff will continue to comply with judicial warrants as the law requires. We are simply making clear that we will not go “above and beyond” what is required by law to assist federal immigration enforcement. We are codifying practices that have been in place in Richmond for years, in order to make things clearer for city staff and people in the community.

If you are an immigrant, look like someone who could be an immigrant, or simply care about immigrant rights, these are difficult times. I’m proud that our city is doing what it can to stand up for rights that all of us have.

I Don’t Like Illegal Fireworks

That’s why I was happy that we have started to get emails from residents asking for signage in city parks and other public areas to discourage the use of fireworks. They even attached art for the sign! It’s a good idea. I asked the city manager for help, and she’s working with Public Works to get the signs in place before summer. Public Works is asking for your help identifying which parks and other public spaces have been hot spots for illegal fireworks. Please let me know what you know and I will pass the information along. You can reply to this email or send it to my city account [email protected].

Council Considers Paying Pension Debt Early

The settlement that City Council negotiated with Chevron last year will put an additional $550 million into Richmond’s general fund over the next ten years. City Council is considering whether to use the additional revenue to pay off the city’s pension debts ahead of schedule. Here’s what you should know:

1. The $550 million in added revenue from the Chevron settlement could allow us to pay off Richmond’s unfunded actuarial liability (UAL) over ten years rather than twenty years as currently planned, which would save $117 million in interest. Paying off the debt faster would also likely improve the city’s credit rating (which would mean lower interest rates on future loans).  
2. Using the new revenue to pay off Richmond’s UAL debt would immediately free up for other uses the $32.6 million per year we currently pay towards this debt. That money could be used for anything the city needs starting next year – capital improvements, additional staffing, environmental programs. The idea that paying down our UAL debt faster means that there will be no money to do anything else positive for city residents is incorrect and based on a misunderstanding of the proposed plan.
3. The plan could address a possible limitation on the new revenue stream. There has been some debate about whether additional revenue coming as a result of the Chevron settlement could be used to hire more staff in key departments. Many people believe that ongoing expenses like staff should be funded from ongoing revenue streams. Since the payments from Chevron run out in ten years, hiring additional staff because of that money is a tricky proposition. But using the ten years of additional revenue to pay down the UAL debt over ten years would shift $32.6 million in ongoing revenue from debt payment to any other city need, including staffing. So a possible problem is solved.
4. Last week the council voted unanimously to direct staff to research the idea and bring back their recommendations so the City Council can vote on whether to move forward with the proposed plan.

I look forward to reading what staff brings back to City Council. So far it strikes me as a good idea. I like the idea of spending $53 million per year for ten years on UAL debt and simultaneously gaining $32.6 million per year for the next twenty years to spend on all city needs. I think the math is mathing – do you agree?  If you want to take a deeper dive here’s where you can start (click on item P1 to see links to the attachments); let me know what you think.

Free Homework Help at Bayview Library

Free drop-in, in-person tutoring for grades K-8 is regularly available Monday through Thursday, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at six sites throughout Richmond until April 25th.

• Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. (510) 620-6557
• West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Avenue, (510) 620-6567
• Bayview Branch Library, 5100 Hartnett Avenue, (510) 620-6566
• Shields-Reid Community Center, 1410 Kelsey Street, (510) 620-6822
• May Valley Community Center, 3530 Morningside Drive, (510) 620-6890
• Nevin Community Center, 598 Nevin Avenue, (510) 620-6813

You can drop in without registering, but do fill out the form if you can: bit.ly/rplhomework

Tutors are provided by the Bay Area Tutoring Association with financial support from a Richmond Fund for Children and Youth grant.

I Also Don’t Like Unleashed Dogs

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? I have – three times. Twice it was probably my fault, but once an unleashed dog just ran up and chomped me on the ankle while I was jogging on the sidewalk. As I stood there bleeding, I was told that the dog “doesn’t like joggers,” which was pretty useless information at that point.

Even though I still love dogs, I don’t like seeing them off-leash in areas where leashes are required by law. That includes sidewalks and city parks. Even small dogs, even good dogs – you should keep your dog on a leash unless you are in a designated leash-free zone. If there’s kids around, it’s doubly important to follow the law.

Public Works has seen an uptick in complaints about leash-free dogs in city parks, and they are looking for ways to address that. Staff has asked me, and I’m asking you, are there parts of the city where you see a lot of off-leash dogs? Please let me know and I’ll pass it along. You can reply to this email or send it to my city account [email protected].

Join Me for Community Budget Meetings

Between now and the first of July, the City of Richmond will put together next year’s budget. Come learn how it’s done and how you can give input! The City’s Finance Department will be hosting a hybrid (live and on Zoom) Community Budget Meeting on the two dates below. Finance will provide an overview of the City’s budget process and information on the City’s finances. There will be time for questions.

Community Budget Meetings Hosted by City of Richmond Finance Department  

April 10, 2025, at 1:00 pm

April 23, 2025, at 5:30 pm

Live in the City Council Chambers (440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond) or

www.Zoom.us/join Webinar ID: 953 6472 1794

What’s That Smell? Ask BAAQMD!

If you spend any time on Nextdoor, you know we are having an uptick of stinkiness in parts of Richmond. I haven’t experienced it personally, but I believe all the people who are reporting an unusual garbage-like smell in several parts of the city. I will refrain from speculating about where the bad smells are coming from, and instead wait until we get official word back from the two agencies in charge of this issue: the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (aka BAAQMD aka the Air District) and Contra Costa County Environmental Health.

Samantha Carr, Richmond’s Environmental Manager, let me know that city staff met with both these agencies regarding the multiple odor complaints received from community members. The agencies confirmed they have been in consistent contact with each other regarding this issue, and both have been investigating all odor complaints to identify sources. They are both planning to issue public statements soon.

Anytime you smell a strong outdoor odor, you should make a report to BAAQMD through its complaint hotline (1-800-334-636) or website. If the Air District does not have jurisdiction over the source of the odor, they will send the complaint to the correct overseeing agency.  Even if you think you know where the smell is coming from and have a direct-dial number to that business, you should always start with a BAAQMD report. They need data from us to identify problems and enforce air quality standards; you can learn more about the process here.

Street Sweeping Tickets Start April 15

If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you know that I am obsessed with making the rollout of the new street sweeping process as smooth as possible for residents and staff. If you want the long version of this story you can find it here.

Today I want to tell you that $50 street sweeping tickets will start again on April 15.

Here’s how we can avoid tickets:

1. Find a street sweeping sign on your side of the street to learn the day and time the sweeper comes to you. I know that the print on the sign is small – if you can’t read it, move closer to the sign and try again.
2. Note that the sweeping schedule might be different than what it was in past years. The sign might even be different than it was two weeks ago, because staff adjusted the route (and the signs) to maximize speed and minimize fuel use. But you can now trust the information on the sign.
3. Do whatever you do when you have to remember something every month. I put it in my calendar on repeat. Do not assume you will be reminded by seeing the sign on the street – it really is a small sign!
4. When sweeping day comes, move your car to your garage, driveway, or opposite side of the street for the entire range of hours listed on the sign. Even if you see the sweeper pass, do not move your car back until the entire block of hours posted on the sign has ended. (Enforcement officers cannot keep pace with the sweepers because they have to stop to write tickets. Once the sweeper is out of sight, it’s hard for them to tell if the cars on the street returned after the sweeper had passed or were blocking the sweeper. Therefore, any car in the no parking zone during no parking hours could get a ticket.)
5. Spread the word!

I think it’s very impressive that the city was able to put up 1330 new street-sweeping signs over 85 miles of sidewalk in just a few months. For the sake of efficiency, they’ve switched the schedule for thousands of people, and almost everyone has been able to roll with it so far. I think everyone is doing a good job.

Lastly, if you live somewhere that didn’t get new signs, City Council will be considering whether to put more money into the budget for replacing old signs throughout the city. I plan to vote yes on this.

My City Email Address

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