Here is where you can download the agenda for all Richmond City Council Meetings.

Public comment may be submitted to the Richmond City Council by paper mail, email and/or Zoom video conference in the manner that follows; provided that no member of the public may submit more than one verbal comment per agenda item.

There is still street sweeping in Richmond.  Look at this map to find out when the street sweepers come to your neighborhood, and do your best to move your vehicles on sweeping days to make way for them.

To set the record straight:

All RPA members are encouraged to attend the online General Membership Meeting on Saturday, February 27th at 2 pm. A full agenda and links to the meeting will be emailed to members on Tuesday February 23rd. Participants will be given the opportunity to vote for members of the Steering Committee, the leadership body of the RPA. 

If you are not currently a member, join or renew your membership with the RPA today to receive an invitation. 

The American healthcare system is a disjointed mess, which makes rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine a disjointed mess as well. But a lot of people are working hard to get it done as best they can. Here’s some information to help you get yourself or another person vaccinated.

Item H-10 is a resolution by Councilmember Eduardo Martinez recommending that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopt the strongest possible “Cat Cracker” rule to severely reduce toxic particulate emissions poisoning our community.

Read full article

By Sue Wilson

The Richmond City Council is now setting the terms for the Safe Parking Pilot Program, a one-year pilot program that will provide a secure, professionally-managed location for those living in RVs or cars in Richmond. The project is funded by in-lieu fees that the city has collected from developers ($300,000) and by a grant from Contra Costa County ($260,000).

The City Council must choose a location and a management team.  At least three sites are still being considered: Hilltop Mall, the Civic Center parking lot, and a vacant-city own lot across from the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) offices on 22nd Avenue.  City staff have recommended that the Housing Consortium of the East Bay, which runs a similar program in Oakland, manage the site.

In making their decisions, Councilmembers might take the following factors into account:

Transparency -- At City Council meetings and in his email newsletter, Tom Butt has been promoting the former Hilltop Mall as the location.  According to Mayor Butt, the site is being purchased by Prologis, a logistics company, and that company is willing to host the car and RV community on the property and donate an additional $250,000 towards its management. One thing Mayor Butt has not explained is why Prologis has made this offer. Are they expecting something from the city in return? The last time a corporation came to Richmond bearing gifts, the terrible trade-off Mayor Butt and others agreed to was allowing a housing development to be built on top of the polluted AstraZeneca site. So we are asking Mayor Butt directly, are there any strings attached to the Prologis offer? 

Following Contra Costa County’s semi-official Election Night final results (which showed RPA-backed candidates winning by margins of 13 to 20 percent), BK Williams, Chair of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, offered this statement:

The Richmond Progressive Alliance acknowledges and thanks all the candidates who ran for City Council. Although every vote must still be counted, we extend our warm congratulations to Melvin Willis, Gayle McLaughlin and Claudia Jimenez, who each are on track to winning a majority of the votes. 

These electoral victories belong to everyone who shares and collectively worked towards a progressive vision for our City -- a healthy, inclusive Richmond where everyone thrives. We express our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who donated their time and resources to help elect these corporate-free candidates to office. Again, we showed that grassroots, people-powered movements can overcome great odds.

Transportation is a human right. 

Whether you choose to drive a car, ride a bike or take the bus, your ability to safely get to school, work or the doctor is right up there with food, clothing and shelter as one of the basic needs to live a healthy and fulfilling life. The current COVID-19 crisis is testing this human right by putting our community’s safety and mobility at risk.

Public transit agencies have had their resources depleted by falling ridership. BART had only recovered to 16% of normal ridership by early August, and government relief funds will only cover 40% of the losses, as the Daily Californian reported.

Meanwhile, AC Transit is considering making up for its losses by combining lines. That has serious equity consequences. Citing research on AC Transit’s cuts during the recession of 2009-2010, Bloomberg reported:

“Out of 477 regular bus riders who were surveyed, nearly one quarter said that they did not go to work as often or at all following the cuts. ‘Service changes affect me because it takes me longer to get to work,’ one respondent said. ‘And if I come 30 minutes late to work, I don’t get paid for that half hour, so I’m losing money.’”

Unsafe conditions on transit also pose a risk to the workers who drive and maintain our buses, and the essential workers who rely upon them.

In this issue of The Activist, you’ll see how you can take action through a new campaign to make public transportation safe for workers and for the working-class riders who depend on it. That’s one of the top priorities of former Richmond City Council member Jovanka Beckles, who is running for the board of AC Transit, and spoke with The Activist for this issue.

You’ll learn about Beckles’ push to move AC Transit, which has suspended fares during COVID-19, to a permanently fare-free model. It’s more than an economic justice issue - it’s a racial justice issue, as black and brown people are disproportionately cited for fare evasion. And cities such as Kansas City, Mo. are showing the way.

You’ll read about some other exciting new features on the Richmond transportation landscape, including free electric vehicle chargers and a bikeshare system that will open soon. Done right, both initiatives could help improve transportation equity in Richmond by giving working-class Richmond residents better access to clean and cost-effective options for getting around.

With your help, we can ensure that we move beyond COVID-19 with cleaner, safer and more equitable transportation for all. 

RPA 2020 Voter Guide

Richmond City Council Endorsements

District 1: Melvin Willis

District 5: Gayle McLaughlin

District 6: Claudia Jimenez

WCCUSD Board Endorsements

Area 1: Jamela Smith-Folds

Area 2: Otheree Christian

Area 4: Demetrio Gonzales-Hoy

Area 5: Leslie Reckler

Other Endorsements for Local Races

AC Transit Board Ward 1: Jovanka Beckles

Contra Costa Board of Education Area 1: Consuelo Lara

East Bay Regional Parks District Ward 1: Norman La Force

City of Richmond Ballot Initiatives

Measure U: Vote Yes

If this passes, Richmond will increase business tax revenue by calculating tax based on gross receipts rather than the number of people on payroll. This would ensure that large industrial facilities that don’t employ many people and rely heavily on city services pay their fair share.

Contra Costa County Ballot Initiatives

Measure X: Vote Yes

This would impose a half-cent sales tax across Contra Costa for 20 years, raising about $81 million per year for public health, emergency response and safety net programs that are more critical than ever due to COVID-19. Sales taxes are not progressive, but this was the best the Board of Supervisors would do to support these vital services. (They at least exempted food sales from the final version.) Vote yes, with reservations, on Measure X.

State Ballot Initiatives

Proposition 14: Stem Cell Research - No recommendation

This measure would authorize $5.5 billion in bonds for stem cell research. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, created in 2004 when the Bush administration refused to provide federal funds for stem cell research, has yielded valuable cutting-edge research on cancer and other diseases. However, with federal restrictions now lifted, it’s not clear that California taxpayers should continue to bear that cost.

Proposition 15: Schools & Communities First - Vote Yes

Prop 15 is one of the most important measures on the ballot this year. By closing corporate loopholes in Prop 13, it will ensure that wealthy corporations such as Chevron finally pay property tax based on the value of their property, instead of having their taxes frozen in time at 1970’s levels. Protections for homes, small businesses and farms would remain in place. This simple change would yield an estimated $86 million for Contra Costa County, $21 million for the city of Richmond and $19 million for WCCUSD. 

Proposition 16: Affirmative Action - Vote Yes

By repealing 1996’s Proposition 209, this measure would once again allow the use of affirmative action in state functions. That’s an important step toward overcoming gender and racial inequities at state institutions such as the UC system.

Proposition 17: Voting Rights for Parolees - Vote Yes

This measure would extend voting rights to people who are on parole for felony convictions, rather than making them wait until they complete parole. Nineteen other states already allow people to vote while on parole for felonies. California should too.

Proposition 18: Voting Rights for 17 Year Olds - Vote Yes

This measure would allow 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by the next general election to vote in primaries and special elections. This could only make it easier to engage young voters. Vote yes and help California join nearly 20 other states that already offer this privilege.

Proposition 19: Property Taxes for Seniors - Vote Yes

This measure would tweak Prop 13 to allow homeowners who are disabled or 55+ years old to carry the taxable value of their home to a new home. It would also close a loophole that allows people to keep the taxable value of vacation homes, rental properties and homes worth more than $1 million that they inherit. It doesn't go as far as is needed to overhaul Prop 13, but on balance, the measure is expected to increase tax revenue and make property tax rules work better for seniors, so we support it.

Proposition 20: Increased Sentencing - Vote No

This typical “tough on crime” measure would increase penalties for an array of offenses, swelling prison populations at a time when COVID-19 makes that a worse idea than ever. The measure is funded by police interests and supermarket chains such as Albertsons and Safeway, which see it as a way to fight shoplifting. Fight the prison-industrial complex and vote no.

Proposition 21: Rent Control - Vote Yes

By replacing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, this measure would allow rent control on buildings that were first occupied after 1995, as long as they have been occupied for more than 15 years. Vote yes to lift an unfair state restriction on the power of local governments and allow progressive municipalities such as Richmond to expand rent control.

Proposition 22: Gig Economy - Vote No

California lawmakers tried to help gig economy workers by passing AB 5 in 2019, but Uber, Lyft and DoorDash fought the law tooth and nail, arguing that making drivers employees would prevent them from offering flexible work. They’re planning to spend $100 million to pass Prop 22 and that must be rejected on principle. Corporations should not be allowed to spend unlimited sums of money to overturn democratically enacted laws. That is not how democracy works.

Proposition 23: Dialysis Regulations - Vote Yes

This measure would impose new regulations on dialysis clinics, such as requiring a doctor on site and requiring consent from state health regulators before a clinic can be closed. It’s backed by SEIU, which has worked for years to organize workers at the two largest dialysis providers, DaVita and Fresenius, and says that workers support the changes.

Proposition 24: Online Privacy - Vote No 

This measure would tweak the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) with the goal of strengthening online privacy. Privacy advocates are divided, and ultimately this just isn’t a good use of the ballot initiative process. Data privacy is a complex technical issue that should be handled through a legislative body with committee hearings and testimony from experts, or through rulemaking by expert regulators -- not through a simple up-or-down vote by the public. 

Proposition 25: Ending Cash Bail - No recommendation

Voting yes on Prop 25 would uphold SB 10, a 2019 law that replaced cash bail with a risk assessment for people awaiting trial. Democrats mostly favored the bill and Republicans mostly opposed it, but progressive criminal justice advocates were split on the final version because of concerns about racial bias in risk assessments. Cash bail is deeply unjust and it needs to end, but we aren’t confident that voting yes on Prop 25 to keep SB 10 is the right solution.

Suggested talking points

1. Urge the Council to reallocate funding from the police budget to prevent the city from reducing or closing services, especially the Richmond Public Library.
2. Call for a task force to be created, with Black youth and people impacted by policing, to develop a plan to re-imagine public safety in the community. For a comment letter template, see the end of this document.
3. Get some inspiration from a community letter that was signed and sent to the Council by twelve organizations last week.

Four ways to provide input

1. By webform: with your comment included in a written report (by 3pm): By 3pm tomorrow, click through to the City's new online comment form, and go to the Open Forum for Public Comment and write in your comments. Your input will be excerpted into a report, distributed Councilmembers before the meeting, and put into the record.
2. By email, with a summary of comments read into the record (by 3pm): By 3pm, email [email protected]. Include in the subject line "Open Forum for Public Comments - not on the agenda." These comments will be summarized, and the summaries will be read into the record during the meeting. 
3. By email, with your comments read verbatim into the record (between 6:25 - 6:35pm): Email [email protected]. Include in the subject line "Open Forum for Public Comments - not on the agenda." Comments sent in after 6:25 and before the Clerk announces the agenda item (for tomorrow, it will be around 6:35) will be read into the record during the meeting. Your email will be read verbatim (not summarized); keep your comments short as they may only allow one minute per comment.
4. Live by phone (between 6:25 - 6:35pm): Email [email protected] between 6:25 and 6:35 (before the Clerk announces the agenda item). Include in the subject line "Open Forum for Public Comments - not on the agenda." Include your area code and phone number and the clerk will call you and patch you into the meeting to present your comments.

How to watch the meeting

The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm. You can watch on TV or via streaming video on the City’s website ci.richmond.ca.us. You might have fewer technical problems by going to KCRT youtube channel.