Business
Drag queens danced through the crowd as families picnicked and children mingled with chickens, goats and rabbits at El Sobrante’s inaugural Pride celebration in La Moine Park on Sunday. The event also featured music by DJ Page Hodel, vendors from the business committee and information about resources offered through area nonprofits. Hundreds of people watched drag performances from Viva Commotion, Summer Lynn Spears, Angel De Vil and Ash N Tell Starlight, singing crowd favorites such as Kesha’s “We Are Who…
This story was reported and published in a collaboration between Richmond Confidential and Richmondside. Najari Smith, co-founder and co-owner of Rich City Rides Cooperative Inc., reported to police on Jan. 13 that he walked into the bike co-op on Macdonald Avenue in Richmond and found thousands of dollars of merchandise missing. In the following days, he gave media interviews about the reported theft and started collecting donations through a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $200,000 for the beloved neighborhood shop….
The Richmond Work Experience Program is accepting applications for 2024-2025, giving young people job experience and help with career building. What was the Summer Youth Employment Program now offers more opportunities. Richmond YouthWORKS is collaborating with about 164 work sites to give Richmond residents between 16 and 24 years old the opportunity to work up to 300 hours at $17.20 per hour. In 2021, the City Council approved a $1.9 million increase in funding for YouthWORKS as part of the…
Richmond voters will be asked in November to decide whether the city should impose a refinery tax on Chevron as a way to address pollution. City Council unanimously approved the ballot measure Tuesday, citing concerns about the city’s budget deficit, poor air quality and worsening health conditions. Council member Doria Robinson was absent. “What we need is that they pay their fair share so we have the means and resources,” council member Claudia Jiménez said before the vote. The proposed…
If you’re a California homeowner, it may be time to take a look at your insurance policy. After seven major insurance companies have restricted their business dealings in the state, policy holders are footing an exceedingly expensive bill. At Richmond’s Atchison Village, residents found that out the hard way. “Six weeks ago, we just thought we were going to redo our insurance,” said Ronald Kane, president of the Atchison Village Mutual Homes Corp. board. But when the time came to…
“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 would you like to see at the Hilltop Mall site? “Having been part of when that mall first opened, and knowing that a lot of people don’t go to malls anymore because it is too hard to compete with online shopping, having more community outreach programs like services for the surrounding…
Richmond wants to add cannabis retail permits, doubling the number of permitted dispensaries from three to six. On Tuesday, the City Council will hold a public hearing on making the change possible, by amending the Richmond Municipal Code. The city staff says existing retailers are making significant revenue, even in the face of increased competition. But those in the business say sales have been declining post-pandemic. And some advocacy groups feel there is a health risk in increasing the number…
A new local news outlet plans to start covering Richmond this spring. The nonprofit journalism organization Cityside, known for the Berkeleyside and Oaklandside news sites, said it hopes to launch a third publication, Richmondside, by the end of March. Chief Content Officer Tracey Taylor said they are opening the new site after receiving an “overwhelmingly positive response” to community outreach. “We’ll hopefully be able to do very consistent, regular reporting, which helps people understand what’s going on in their cities,”…
Richmond is set to relaunch its electric bike share program after a two-year hiatus. The project will be through a partnership between Richmond and Today, a company that focuses on urban mobility through cycling. Residents can expect to see 130 e-bikes on the streets by Dec. 1, said David Touwsma, co-founder of Today. That number, he added, will increase to 300 by the spring. “The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that we provide something other than traditional…