Elections

People of Richmond: With the RPA now in charge, what’s in store for the city?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: With the Richmond Progressive Alliance gaining a super-majority on City Council, what do you think the future holds for Richmond? “Although it is a RPA majority, they are still individuals. I don’t want to do to them what a lot of people have done to the African American and Latino community, box…

INTERACTIVE GAME: See which Richmond mayoral candidate most matches your views

On Tuesday, Richmond will vote for a new mayor. The four candidates in the running are Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez, filmmaker Mark Wassberg, City Council member Nat Bates and independent consultant Shawn Dunning. Maybe you have a favorite. Maybe you’ve already cast your vote. But could it be that your views on some specific issues align with a candidate you did not expect?  Play this game to see which of the four candidates you are most like based on your…

In Measure N, Hercules voters asked to keep 8% utility tax on books indefinitely

On Tuesday, Hercules voters will decide whether to extend Measure N, a utilities tax that has been funding essential city services for the past 18 years. The 8% tax creates revenue of roughly $3.6 million per year and assures financial stability. This allows for more funding of neighborhood police patrols, water quality, community services, parks and recreation, and for attracting local businesses, as the official website for the measure states.  The City Council unanimously voted to put the measure on…

Will Nat Bates be Richmond’s next mayor?

Richmond Confidential posed the same questions to mayoral candidates Nathaniel Bates, Shawn Dunning, Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg. Their answers are being presented verbatim, in the order they were received, with light editing, where necessary, for brevity. Today’s Q&A is with Nat Bates. Where are you from, and how many years have you lived in Richmond? My mother and I are from Texas, and at the age of 11, we moved to Richmond after the invasion of Pearl Harbor. Like…

Will Shawn Dunning be Richmond’s next mayor?

Richmond Confidential posed the same questions to mayoral candidates Nathaniel Bates, Shawn Dunning, Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg. Their answers are being presented verbatim, in the order they were received, with light editing, where necessary, for brevity. Today’s Q&A is with Shawn Dunning. Where are you from, and how many years have you lived in Richmond? A: I was born in San Francisco, and I grew up outside the small town of Colfax, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Since going…

Richmond needs your help in drawing up new city council district lines

Richmond will be using the recently released 2020 U.S. census data to redraw the city’s political boundaries and is inviting residents to help.  Three public workshops already have been held online and two more are scheduled in January and February. But anyone who wants to participate can submit maps and suggestions by email.  The census triggers a redrawing of political boundaries across the country every 10 years. In Richmond, City Council representation likely will be reconfigured as a result. The…

Senator Nancy Skinner wins a second term

Incumbent Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) has easily won a second term as senator for California’s Ninth District, according to the latest numbers from Contra Costa County and Alameda County. Skinner received about 85 percent of the votes in Contra Costa County in the Nov. 3 election, defeating Libertarian candidate Jamie Dluzak, who received over 14 percent of the votes. Contra Costa still has an estimated 70,000 mail-in ballots left to count. In Alameda County, Skinner received more than 90 percent…