On Tuesday mayor Tom Butt called the new city council to order for the first time. On the agenda: electing a vice mayor, disbanding the Public Safety and Finance standing committees, and removing the time limits on debate for council members. Butt, a long-time council member, started out on a light note. “Nobody is to call me Madam Mayor,” he said to laughs from the dais and the crowd. Despite his warning, a few people stuttered, used to referring to…
Long after the billboards come down, the campaign mailers rest in landfills and the New Year’s toasts come and go, 2014 may be remembered as Richmond’s big election year. We are honored to have been in Richmond’s streets and chambers, its homes and schools and everywhere else, helping write the first drafts of history in an important time and place. Chevron Corp. poured an unprecedented $3.1 million into the municipal races only to lose the open mayoral and city council seats to a progressive coalition on every…
Richmond’s 2014 election was defined by Chevron Corp.’s failed effort to get their favored candidates elected despite spending more than $3 million through an array of independent expenditure committees. Some have raised concerns about coordination between political candidates and these committees.
Najari Smith launched a bike recovery program as executive director of Rich City Rides. For him, the business of hunting down stolen bikes is personal.
Harriet Rowan and Jimmy Tobias, Richmond Confidential reporters and students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, published an article for The Nation website that explores Chevron’s continuing influence in Richmond after losing big in the election.
Tables lining the parking lot were loaded with cans, jars, and packages. DJ Krazy boomed War’s classic “Low Rider” as families wandered the parking lot, admiring the cars and chatting with friends.
As voters head to the polls, the nation’s eyes will be on Richmond as the city decides the future of its leadership. Not only are Richmonders electing a new mayor and new city council members, but they’re also passing judgement on the effects of unlimited political spending.
The ads take aim at current Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, councilmember Jovanka Beckles, and Eduardo Martinez, all running for seats on the City Council. The three candidates are running as a slate through the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and are critical of Chevron’s role in Richmond.
Senator Bernie Sanders (VT-I), a potential 2016 presidential candidate, delivered a rousing speech to an overflowing audience in Richmond on Thursday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will headline a Richmond campaign event Oct. 16 to rally the city’s progressive base ahead of the Nov. 4 election. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, and is free to the public. Sanders, 73, is seen as a potential candidate for the 2016 presidential election, and is a longtime champion of progressive causes in Congress. “I am very excited to be welcoming Senator Sanders to Richmond,”…
Chevron has funneled $3 million into a trio of campaign committees to influence the Nov. 4 Richmond city election, including a nearly $1.3 million contribution on Aug. 8.
Chevron’s Moving Forward has funneled $1.9 million into two similarly named campaign committees over the last six weeks. Through those committees, Chevron/Moving Forward has spent $1.2 million in support of Chevron-friendly mayoral and city council candidates and in opposition to candidates more critical of the oil giant. And there’s still a month to go.
The Richmond City Council on Tuesday took a step toward adopting new rules to curb hate speech and other disruptions at its contentious meetings.