Blog
McLaughlin: "Slave labor" used to fight CA wildfires
October 22, 2017
Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by the wildfires in Sonoma, Napa and elsewhere in California. We have been moved by stories of the generosity and courage shown by first responders, neighbors and strangers alike. Among some of the more...
Read MoreLearn About Co-ops!
October 15, 2017
Worker cooperatives are businesses that are owned and controlled by the people who work in them. Co-ops provide a promising way for communities to create good, dignified jobs; and in the Bay Area, coops such as Arizmendi are long-standing community institutions. Under the mayorship...
Read MoreRPA Position on North Richmond Annexation - LET RESIDENTS DECIDE!
October 15, 2017
MOTION, that the RPA Steering Committee recommends that the Richmond City Council pass a resolution expressing that: Recognizing that North Richmond was excluded from Richmond due to racist housing policies of the past, the City of Richmond is willing to annex unincorporated North Richmond,...
Read MoreTo Annex or Not to Annex? That is the Question for North Richmond to Decide
October 15, 2017
The RPA is currently discussing the question about annexation of North Richmond, which was brought to the City Council on 9/26/17. As an RPA member who has participated in many community activities in North Richmond over the past 15 years, I offer here some...
Read MoreStand Up To Mayor Butt's Abuse of Power
October 14, 2017
In previous Tom Butt e-forums, the Mayor tried to tear down Marilyn Langlois, a long-time progressive activist and one of the RPA's endorsed candidates for the vacant City Council seat. It was hard to see a sitting mayor sling mud, but Marilyn rose above...
Read MoreBay Area Mural Festival Comes to The Bobby Bowens Progressive Center
October 10, 2017
The 2017 Bay Area Mural Festival brings together 11 master muralists and two East Bay youth groups through a series of artist residencies and workshops. This year, the festival comes to Richmond and culminates in the painting of 11 environmentally themed murals. One of...
Read MoreProtections for Immigrant Tenants
October 09, 2017
Governor Brown recently signed into law AB 291 (Chiu), the Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which will go into effect on January 1, 2018. In the context of Trump’s election and the escalating housing crisis in the Bay Area, too many tenants found themselves having...
Read MoreCome to the Rent Board Meetings
September 19, 2017
Thanks to the efforts of the RPA and our allies we now have rent control and ‘just cause’ eviction in Richmond. The new 5-member Rent Board began work in April setting up what is, in essence, a housing court system. We approved a budget...
Read MoreCharter Schools - A Primer
September 19, 2017
In 1988, at the 70th convention of the American Federation of Teachers, its President, Albert Shanker, proposed to reform the public school system through the formation of community-based, teacher-run Charter Schools. In 1991, the first Charter School Law was enacted in Minnesota. California followed...
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