Mariana Best

People of Richmond: How prepared are you for a possible wildfire?

“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: Are you prepared for fire season? Lucas Hernandez “I think so. I do have a go bag. I had bottles of water next to the go bag in a case, but I drank them. My spare car keys are in there, and I think I have rope. I packed it a long…

WCCUSD taking action to address projected $7 million deficit

To remain within its projected spending limits, the West Contra Costa Unified School District must shave $7 million from its 2025-2026 budget. The only question is, how.  The district’s fiscal staff offered a new approach called purpose-based budgeting at the Budget Committee meeting on Sept. 24th. The framework forces the district to match its spending to its goals. Purpose-based budgeting will be implemented in the creation of the next budget. If the district is unable to make the projected cuts,…