People of Richmond: How should the city spend the Chevron windfall?
on November 11, 2024
“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: What should Richmond do with the $550 million Chevron has agreed to pay over the next decade?
Ricardo Sanchez
“They could be major funders for the school district because schools are generally understaffed all the time. And there’s also not enough funds for kids to have their supplies. Sometimes they don’t have computers, or they have computers and they don’t have a charger. Just general housekeeping of the schools and the facilities and courts and the green areas and play areas, all that is missing.” (Ricardo Sanchez is a substitute teacher.)
Marsha Lanier
“More money for EMT support, more money for firefighters, more money for first responders. And then, affordable housing and better homelessness services. And then something for queer youth, because a lot of youth who are queer get kicked out of their homes, but they can’t go to a shelter because they’re for adults.” (Marsha Lanier is a social worker.)
Johnnie Conner
“Housing first, because I see the homelessness on the street and I know it’s not just Richmond, it’s all over the country. But if you have funds to do something about it immediately, that’s what the city should do.” (Johnnie Conner is a firefighter and bicycle shop owner.)
Diane Walton
“I think there are so many things to do for clean water and the waterfront, and to make it warm and inviting for everyone.” (Diane Walton is retired.)
Amy Van Cleve
“Number one, definitely, our schools need the money. Number two, I think that our community is full of artists and really creative people and I think that a lot of that money could also be funneled into a beautification-type fund.” (Amy Van Cleve, pictured with daughter Pearl, is director of an art therapy program at UCSF Cancer Center.)
Carmela Manzano
“I think that they should use part of it to continue to clean up the bay, particularly around the Chevron location. More dog parks, more community events, more police, definitely more police in the area. I think actually a lot of the money should go into the schools, the physical schools themselves and repair, provide air conditioning and better ratio of teachers to students.” (Carmela Manzano is retired.)
Luis Estrada
“I think it should go a lot on rebuilding the streets, like making them safer for people. A lot of potholes. Sidewalks are messed up. A lot of dark alleyways. Add more lighting in the city. Yeah, that’s what I would want them to focus on.” (Luis Estrada owns Luis Auto Repair.)
Tony Carracci
“Make some tiny homes, make some community gardens. Get rid of the food deserts — and there are some of those in this town, for sure. And encourage people to grow their own food, eliminate lawns, and do things to help the community. Let’s get politics out of this. Let’s just help people.” (Tony Carracci owns Baltic Kiss.)
William Woods III
“They should invest it in releasing those homes on the other side of the mountain, going towards the harbor, fixing those roads over there. Those homes were originally meant for the families of the riveters and soldiers from back in World War II. But since then, they’ve gated them all off. They say there’s something with the soil or whatever. But then they’ve just started pushing all the families back this way, and that should actually be a part of Richmond itself.”
Richard Morrison
“I like to see stuff that’s not too idealistic, but community-based. Plant more trees, just simple stuff.”
Angelina Elicondo
“Yo pienso que debe la ciudad de Richmond mejorar las escuelas, dar mejor educación, darles mejor sueldo a los maestros, poner después de escuelas más parques para que vayan a jugar los jóvenes, no anden en la calle baquillando, que se entretengan en el ser deporte y también que esté más seguro del crimen, más que no haga tanto crimen y también que mejore las calles, las calles, porque no hacen por mejorar las calles.”
Subei Kyle
“I feel like giving back to the city of Richmond in some kind of positive environmental impact could be really beneficial, just because I know that Chevron as a company doesn’t always give the most positive environmental impact. Putting those resources somehow into the living quality and environment of Richmond would be great.” (Subei Kyle is a filmmaker.)
Doug Anthony
“Point Molate, man. We got to put soccer fields out there. … We want to make it a park, make it usable. This is the most beautiful shoreline. It’s a waste of property. We need sports fields, like real grass sports. There’s natural water there, you get moisture from the fog and stuff. There’s the native habitat that needs to be restored.” (Doug Anthony is a landscaper.)
People of Richmond: What would you do if elected to City Council?
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