Mayor promises long-term homeless plan, but surprise evictions of Richmond’s homeless continue

As city workers continue to uproot the homeless from encampments around Richmond, at times without any warning or help, Mayor Tom Butt is pushing to raise $1.5 million from local companies to pay for a managed homeless encampment. He has asked several local companies, including Chevron Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Apron, Costco Wholesale and Sims…

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A neighborhood eyesore gets demolished in Richmond

Five years of abandonment left the house at 127 Chanslor Avenue in Richmond in terrible condition. It caught fire twice from squatters taking advantage of its neglect. (You can read Zach St. George’s previous story on the history of the property here.) As part of a plan to demolish such properties, Richmond’s Code Enforcement Department…

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Richmond finances improve, city council pushes for call center

City Council Dias

Richmond is in good fiscal shape, according to the city’s mid-year review, presented to the city council at Tuesday night’s meeting, which also included talk of bringing a new call center to Richmond, deciding on further development of a Richmond hillside and requiring registration of vacant buildings. Foreclosures have dropped sharply, the city’s unemployment rate…

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“One Block at a Time” wins statewide award

The California Association of Code Enforcement Officers has awarded Richmond’s “One Block at a Time” project with the title of Innovative Code Enforcement Program of the Year. OBAT partners local residents with the Richmond Police Department’s Code Enforcement Unit to target neighborhood blight. The CACEO chose the initiative from a competitive pool of other code…

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Bank-owned homes cost city time, money

Nearly 1,000 homes in Richmond are bank-owned, but many banks have failed to keep them maintained. So city code enforcers are spending big bucks and countless hours securing vacant properties and chasing down the banks that own them.

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