General

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.

Votes are in – Superintendent Duffy stays, for now

The West Contra Costa County Unified School District (WCCUSD) board held a special closed meeting Friday night and voted unanimously not to terminate the contract of Superintendent Matthew Duffy, Board President Tom Panas said. Superintendent Duffy was not present at the November 15 meeting, which had been called to review his employment.  But supporters—including teachers, parents and residents—turned out to urge the board not to fire him. On Wednesday, school board member Mister Phillips issued a statement that he believed…

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),…

CoBiz workspace celebrates grand opening with celebrity, locals

CoBiz, a new 9,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art co-working space and business incubator opened its doors November 6 at 1503 Macdonald Ave., in the latest effort to boost the prospects of entrepreneurs and revitalize Richmond’s downtown. Strategically located next to the Richmond BART and Amtrak station, a hub for 8,000 daily commuters, CoBiz is the third project to be funded under Chevron Corp.’s eQuip Richmond Initiative, a $10 million investment program offered by the energy company as a pathway to economic self-sufficiency…

Richmond event gives female entrepreneurs advice on funding their businesses

Female entrepreneurs from across the Bay Area came to Richmond to attend “Finance Your Business! for Women Entrepreneurs,” free evening workshop on October 28. The event was hosted by the Richmond Main Street Initiative in partnership with the Mission Economic Develop Agency (MEDA), a San Francisco-based organization which helps provide resources for low-to-moderate income families, particularly Latinos, in the Bay Area. Representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, the City of Richmond, Pacific Community Ventures, San Pablo Economic Development Corporation, the nonprofit…