ACCE to Honor Mayor McLaughlin

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin speaks at rally to stop foreclosures

Doria Robinson and Urban Tilth

The last panel of the mural features Doria Robinson with other Richmonders who have helped define the City past to future.

Doria was born and educated in Richmond. Until age 13 she lived at 5th and Nevin. Drive-by shootings prompted her mother to seek a safer place in Richmond  to raise young black children so they moved  to 32nd street.  

 

Doria grew up with a  large extended church family on Richmond's South Side. Her grandfather, Elder Vernon V. Robinson, was the Pastor of Apostolic Temple of Truth Church on Ohio and South 13th.

 See More about "Growing People"

Integrity of City at Risk

Stacie Plummer, a city of Richmond finance manager, has accused the city human resources director with misuse of funds. (picture: Robert Rogers, CCTimes)

Richmond has to act quickly to remove Leslie Knight as Human Resources Director/Assistant City Manager.

This is a serious, but necessary, action.  The issues are not rumor, normal workplace conflicts, or an extension of some political struggle. The action is required based on the report of investigators selected by the City Manager, and paid for by the city. We do not need to know everything that was in the full thousand page report. The portion of the report that was released by the City Manager by itself calls for the action. Specifically it is clear that for some substantial period of time, Knight

• took money from the city to which she was not entitled,
  
• appeared to try to take action against an employee for being a "whistle blower"
  
• used city resources and personnel to promote her own private business.

See More...

Getting the Word Out

I, along with my office staff, have been making regular visits to the men of the San Quentin Richmond Project (men from Richmond serving time in San Quentin) and are making connections for them with the "outside community." We are circulating this video, produced by the men, among our violence prevention groups, youth groups, city staff and the community at large.

It is deeply important that we showcase the transformation that these men are making while in prison and share their message with our community, especially our youth.

Please feel free to forward this video link  http://youtu.be/o_-coLXrqfU to your lists. We'll continue to update the community on efforts of the Richmond Project as we continue to prioritize this "inside/outside" connection in the interest of a safer, more peaceful Richmond.  

You can help further the work of the Richmond Project by writing a check to San Quentin TRUST (write Richmond Project in the memo section of the check) and sending to:

Accounting, San Quentin State Prison, 1 Main Street, San Quentin, CA 94964

--Gayle McLaughlin,  

Mayor, City of Richmond

• fund the Community Advisory Board's  (CAB) proposals for comprehensive re-entry services for formerly incarcerated individuals in the AB109 prison realignment population  (6-1 vote)
  
• remove funding for jail expansion out of the Sheriff's budget and put it into a general reserve fund (7-0 vote)

Regular Community Testimony at CCP meetings was critical in shifting the funds

At most Council meetings over the last year Mark Wassberg, also a candidate for Council, makes comments that are racist or homophobic. Frequently his remarks are admiring of Hitler's actions toward the Jews. He often uses vulgar language or gestures and yells out from audience.

Video: Candidates Bates and Wassberg

Bates has not officially endorsed Wassberg. But Bates seems to be encouraging Wassberg in his "political" career. (See video --warning--offensive language.)   

Wassberg's actions  serve two functions for Bates. First, Wassberg can make the vicious attacks on the RPA while Bates poses as a "reasonable person" on the council.   Second, Wassberg and the small group he sits with, who cheer each other and Bates and Booze, help create chaos in council chambers during meetings to make things difficult for Mayor McLaughlin. Bates then blames the chaos on McLaughlin.

--Mike Parker 

Community Compensation is What We Need

People must get compensated for individual medical conditions and damages caused by the Chevron fire.   People have a right to get this compensation easily, without red tape, and without having to sign away their rights for future compensation if new problems develop later.

Compensation is also  a community issue. It should be solved at the community level. It is the opportunity to establish a new relationship between the community and energy company that provides for safe operation, shared prosperity, and increasingly sustainable and less polluting energy.    

It should not be solved by Chevron picking some non-profits it finds worthy (and friendly to it) but by the City Council with genuine community input that democratically represents the community surrounding Chevron

Chevron should pay its full property taxes and stop the appeals that hold the county and city hostage and cost funds for defending against the appeal. But taxes are just the starting point-the obligation of all citizens. Chevron should be funding substantially more.

It is clear from the recent accident that the community bears considerable costs by having Chevron as a neighbor. The costs come in both short term and long term health problems, pollution in our air, soil, and water and even the loss of property values and attractiveness to new jobs and industry in Richmond. Years of work improving the image of Richmond were wiped away by the fire.

A Chevron Community Benefits settlement should include the following:

• Establish and fully fund community hospitals and clinics that continually provide access in normal times and are equipped for emergencies.  Supply all people subjected to possible pollution by Chevron access regardless of financial situation.

• Fund an effective warning system, under community control.   

• Enlist community involvement in monitoring effectively both internal plant processes and outputs to insure maximum reasonable safety.  Include enhanced emergency safety procedures with immediate and precautionary shut-down of production equipment at first sign of gas leak or breach of hydrocarbon containment. 

• Supply mitigation funds for community centers and community projects.

• Pay fair taxes.

• Hire locally and provide preference to people living in immediate plant vicinity; supply upgrade training to provide those hired access to better jobs.

• A statement by Chevron that once and for all ends the suggestions that environmentalist objections to its expansion plans in some way prevented modernization of the refinery and would have prevented the fire. The section of the refinery was not involved in the previous expansion plans and decisions about replacing the faulty piping were solely within Chevron's control.

RPA Steering Committee

8/19/12

Chevron Explosions and Fire

We are glad that there were no direct serious injuries from the blast and the fire. The long term damage to people is yet to be determined and likely to be serious. We thank the emergency personnel for the job they did in containing what might have been an even more serious disaster.

Some questions require immediate answers:

1. When will we have a complete list of toxic chemicals that were in the smoke from the fire and flares that blanketed our community for many hours?
2. What symptoms should be looked for besides respiratory problems?
3. If people have respiratory problems or other symptoms, where can they get immediate medical attention?
4. How will medical bills be paid?
5. What about compensation for lost work or damage to property?

Safety must come first. We do not have to accept that these things just happen, "like tornadoes and floods." There are serious questions about whether Chevron makes safety its highest priority. During the last contract negotiations Chevron opposed union proposals for more trained people devoted to safety tasks. In fact Chevron made plans to use workers inexperienced with the Richmond refinery to keep operating if negotiations broke down.

The warning system needs much improvement. The cost of improvements and maintenance must be borne by Chevron.

Our property tax system pays for county medical and emergency services. Chevron's efforts to get a massive refund on their property tax threatens these services and shows that Chevron does not recognize the costs its operation imposes on us. Chevron must drop these appeals immediately as a first step to becoming a good neighbor.

If BART and buses cannot run, then there must be alternative housing or transportation for people left stranded. Chevron must absorb costs for these preparations.

Heavier crude oil contains more known and unknown toxic pollutants which are released in accidents like this. The cracking of heavier crude requires more energy and higher temperatures increasing the probability of explosions. Chevron's plans to use dirtier, heavier crude was the issue in the last Chevron expansion plans and continues to be an issue in the current expansion plans. We want jobs with safety first at the Refinery.

It is up to the City Council to protect its residents.   As long as we must refine fossil fuels, Richmond should take the lead in making sure that refining in Richmond leads in safety procedures. Should we have Councilmembers like Nat Bates who take campaign money and assistance from Chevron and its political front groups in charge of protecting us in this vital area?   Candidates Eduardo Martinez and Marilyn Langlois take no contributions from Chevron or any other corporation. They are loyal only to Richmond.