Speakers from local environmental and community groups blasted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which is charged with regulating air pollution, and called for accountability from Chevron.
Now that a jury has cleared the city and police Chief Chris Magnus of racial discrimination and harassment charges—after five years of legal wrangling and three months of trial—it’s time to tally up the costs. And they are substantial. Richmond has spent about $4.5 million since 2006 to defend the city, Magnus and former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter against discrimination charges brought by seven high-ranking black police officers, according to Assistant City Manager Leslie Knight. Of that, $1.9 million was…
If you live in the Bay Area, there’s one question you’ve probably asked at some point: why on earth doesn’t BART run past midnight? Over Presidents Day Weekend, it did. When construction shut down parts of the Bay Bridge, BART ran around the clock between San Francisco and the East Bay. We head underground to find out what happens when the trains don’t stop — and why it can’t be like this all the time. Produced by Rachel Waldholz. Camera by…
When downtown Richmond’s Metro Walk was first designed, it was billed as a mixed-use development where residents could live just steps from BART and Amtrak, with retail and restaurants right next door. But for years, the Walk’s three retail spaces – 7,000 square feet total – sat empty. Folks waiting for Amtrak had to hike the two long blocks to the Richmond Shopping Center for a snack. Residents said they wished there was somewhere to duck in for a cup of coffee on their way to the train.
During six weeks of testimony in the racial discrimination lawsuit against the city of Richmond, one name has come up again and again: that of Lori Ritter, the former Deputy Chief of police. Ritter is named in the lawsuit as a defendant, along with the city and police Chief Chris Magnus. The seven plaintiffs—all black commanders within the police department—have alleged that Magnus and Ritter thwarted the advancement of black officers and cracked racist jokes. The city’s lawyers contend that…
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus took the stand Wednesday, the first time the jury has heard from him since testimony began in the racial discrimination lawsuit filed against him. Magnus was sworn in just fifteen minutes before court adjourned. But fifteen minutes were enough to offer a preview of the arguments ahead. Stephen R. Jaffe, the attorney for the seven plaintiffs who are suing Magnus and the city for workplace discrimination, described what he called a racially charged prank in…
Cliques, rumors, exclusion: those words came up again and again on Wednesday during testimony in the racial discrimination suit against the city and police Chief Chris Magnus.
In 2007, eight high-ranking African American police officers sued the city of Richmond, accusing police Chief Chris Magnus and former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter of racial discrimination. The civil trial is now in its third week in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez. The plaintiffs—one of whom has since retired from the department and dropped his name from the suit—sued in March 2007, just over a year after Magnus was hired from Fargo, North Dakota. The suit alleges that Magnus…
The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will not choose a site for its second campus until early 2012, the lab announced today. The final decision had been expected later this month, and has been anxiously awaited in Richmond, where city officials hope the lab could be an engine of economic growth. But in a press release sent out this morning, the lab explained that it needed more time to evaluate the six potential sites. “We have been working diligently over the…
Chevron announced $1 million in grants for six local initiatives in job training and science education on Monday. Recipients include the West Contra Costa Unified School District and Contra Costa College. “[We’re] happy to contribute a total of $1 million – that’s easy to say, $1 million,” said refinery General Manager Nigel Hearne at a reception for the winners. The grant announcement was Hearne’s first public act since taking over from former general manager Mike Coyle in September. About a…
Richmond will host a major public meeting on environmental justice and job creation Thursday, with representatives from nearly a dozen federal agencies as well as local officials, social-service providers and environmental and business groups. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the departments of Justice, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development will be among those present. The event is one in a series of meetings nationwide between local stakeholders and…
If you’re on San Pablo Avenue this morning, look around — Occupy Richmond may be marching by. About a dozen protesters representing Occupy Richmond gathered Wednesday morning on the corner of San Pablo Ave. and Macdonald Ave., before marching down San Pablo toward Oakland City Hall. (photo by: Maggie Beidelman) About a dozen protesters — including Mayor Gayle McLaughlin — turned out Wednesday morning to join a day of action called by protesters at Occupy Oakland. The Richmond group plans…
The last time Chevron and Contra Costa County clashed over property taxes, the hearing took two years. The question then was how much the refinery owed in taxes from 2004-2006.
And now, here we are again. Same parties. Same issues.