Last month marked the end of the application period for the COVID-19 Rent Relief Program in California, pushing tenants who struggle to pay rent back into the path of eviction. The program, which closed after a year on March 31, has helped 2,428 Richmond households so far, providing $11,507 in assistance, on average. That amount is slightly above the average amount distributed across the state, which has processed more than 286,000 applications. A bill that passed on the same day…
Four months after firing its city manager, Richmond City Council on Tuesday hired Shasa Curl, who has held various jobs at City Hall, to fill the position. Curl’s base salary is $295,000, $40,000 higher than what Laura Snideman was earning when the council fired her in December, two years into her three-year contract, according to the employment agreement. Curl has served as the interim city manager since Nov. 23. Since 2011, she has held various other roles in the city…