Economy
Najari Smith, Josue Hernandez, and Roshni “Tay” McGee have opened a worker-owned cooperative in Richmond called Rich City Rides. The bike repair shop opened in 2015, but the organization responsible for community rides and outdoor activities, has been around for five years. The goal is to have a space where people can come in and buy a bike, get a bike fixed, or learn more about bike repairs. The three put on free Friday bike repair workshops, weekly community rides,…
Nikki Beasley is executive director of Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, a nonprofit developed in the 1980s to address housing inequities, particularly those created by practices such as redlining and discriminatory lending. She’s served in her current position for little more than a year, but in that time she’s made it clear she’ll be showing up and speaking her mind when it counts.
The Richmond Police Department reports up to 800 live on the streets of Richmond every night, but there is currently no dedicated fund for the homeless in the city. Local advocate Kathy Robinson is the head of the city’s new homeless task force, and she’s determined not to let it go on like this.
Rubicon Programs has worked to end poverty in the East Bay for over 40 years. Today, the group supports the formerly incarcerated and families in poverty.
Opponents – and even supporters – of Tom Butt say Richmond’s mayor is guilty of what one critic described as a “flagrant abuse of power” and a council member called “highly inappropriate” actions. Emails between the mayor and residents indicate that many in the community were alarmed when the mayor used his regular “e-forum” to doxx political adversaries, sharing their home addresses and accusing them of violating Richmond’s rent control ordinance.
A federal judge signed a final judgment last month, prohibiting Valero Energy Corporation from buying oil storage and distribution terminals in Martinez and Richmond for the next 10 years.
As malls across the country shutter their doors, developers in Richmond are doubling down on the Hilltop Mall. LBG, Hilltop’s new owner, is focusing on transitioning Hilltop from a shopping location to an entertainment destination.
Twenty out of Richmond’s 25 city-based commissions and committees currently have empty seats, resulting in an approximately 30 percent vacancy rate. For these committees, this means more work and fewer opportunities to engage the public.
The Transient Occupancy Tax, typically paid by hotels, motels and tourists homes, may soon impact unincorporated areas like El Sobrante, Kensington and North Richmond, where there are no existing restrictions on short-term rentals, or the rules are not enforced.