City Council
The Richmond City Council clashed over funding for body cameras and tasers at Tuesday’s meeting. Other initiatives related to cannabis, carbon tax and school budget were approved with little conflict.
After more than six years spent trying to open up shop, Richmond Compassionate Care Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary, has filed a lawsuit alleging that Richmond’s three existing dispensaries conspired with community organizers and a city council candidate to monopolize the local medical marijuana trade.
On Tuesday, City Council verified the signatures for putting the Richmond Kids First Initiative on the 2018 ballot. The embattled initiative, which supporters had worked to put on the 2016 ballot, would allocate up to 3 percent of the city’s general fund over the next 10 years for a special fund for children’s and youth services.
Today in Los Angeles, Governor Jerry Brown signed off on a new minimum wage bill that will make California the state with the highest in the country at $15 an hour by 2022. The bill cleared the state legislature last Thursday.
Talk about policing dominated the Richmond City Council meeting on Tuesday, as councilmembers and citizens discussed amending the Richmond Police Commission enabling ordinance, initiating a police commission investigation into the death of Richard “Pedie” Perez following a settlement between the city and Perez’ family earlier that day, and investigating all cases in which individuals are seriously injured by Richmond police. At the meeting’s beginning, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt proposed moving these three agenda items to a future meeting, based on…
Richmond youth have rallied together in an effort to lower the city’s voting age to 16. If successful, they would earn the right to vote in municipal and school board elections long before they can even buy tobacco.
Sitting patiently in the front row, Vinay Pimple waited to be sworn into office as Richmond’s newest city councilmember at the council’s March 3 meeting. “I, Vinay Pimple, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States…”
In what many are calling a surprise move, the Richmond City Council voted Tuesday night to appoint Vinay Pimple, a blind attorney and volunteer tutor, to fill the vacant seat on the council that was created last month by former Councilman Tom Butt’s ascension to the mayor’s seat.
Following motions to appoint Sheryl E. Lane and Vinay Pimple, neither of which passed, Mayor Tom Butt postponed the decision to next week.