community

No TOPA bill for Richmond, Council holds

Richmond’s City Council on Tuesday halted the drafting of a rule that would have required landlords to offer local tenants the first opportunity to buy their homes before they are put on the market or demolished.

Community learns election-district mapping in workshop by city, demographer

Richmond’s city clerk and a demographics consultant hosted a second workshop at the City Council chamber on Monday to guide community members through the process of drawing up districting maps for Richmond, which the City Council will consider during the city’s expected transition from at-large to district-based council elections in January 2020.

Richmond’s shelter project, it’s a home away from a home

Deneshia Clemons, 49, a San Francisco-born Richmond resident, says she thought she would die before turning 30, having feared for her life during a turbulent relationship years ago. But Clemons escaped that abusive situation, and now helps victims of domestic violence. A mother of three, Clemons founded a 24-hour emergency hotline one year ago to make sure survivors of domestic violence in Richmond get immediate help. Her project, “House of Loving Hands,” provides resources and connects victims to a temporary…

Richmond on the watch

The Richmond community has over 200 neighborhood watch groups and its expanding with training sessions to teach residents how they can start their own neighborhood watches.

School Board approves charter renewal, discusses district test scores

After months of debate and community campaigning, the West Contra Costa Unified School District board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of renewing the charter of Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) before a large and passionate crowd. The board was also presented with data from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) on test score performance within the district. Nearly 35% of WCCUSD students overall met or exceeded standards for English Language Arts (ELA),…