Government

Community pays tribute to trailblazing Mayor Irma Anderson

In a heartfelt gathering at the Richmond Auditorium Thursday night, the community came together to honor and celebrate the life of former Mayor Irma Anderson, who died of cancer on Jan. 28 at the age of 93. Anderson was raised in Boston, earned a nursing degree at Cornell University, and the moved to the West Coast to get a master’s degree at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She came to Richmond in 1959, a time when many Black families…

What should Richmond do with its surplus land?

Richmond has a question for residents: What do they want built on unused city-owned land? RichmondLand, a community land trust, and city staff are working to gather community input on the public land policy.  “Affordable housing is really needed, but parks like this and different spaces for people to get together are also important,” said Leonardo Santana, a 20-year  Richmond resident, who talked to Richmond Confidential at a Halloween Land event on Oct, 28 at Unity Park. The park, at…

We asked people in Richmond if they think City Council was right to take up a controversial resolution on the Israel-Hamas war?

“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: Do you think it was wise of Richmond City Council to wade into the Israel-Hamas war? “I think it was a very brave and good move. There was so much death on one side and that’s not fair. Even if Hamas started it, it was not far. So many innocent people have…

Smelly gas release from sewage plant prompts complaints and a pollution citation

Monday evening, Richmond residents noticed a sulfuric stink in the air. It lingered for two days and on Thursday, led to a notice of violation for the company that operates the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which issued the notice for a public nuisance violation, had recorded hydrogen sulfide levels Tuesday morning as high as 345.8 parts per billion on the south side of the Point Richmond plant, based on a five-minute average. That is…

Mayor says after Gaza resolution, council members were hit with angry messages and threats

In the weeks since Richmond City Council passed its resolution in support of the Palestinian people, council members and city staff have become victims of doxxing and harassment, the mayor says.  During a time of division between residents, politicians and world leaders, Richmond made national news in October when it became the first reported city to take a stance and condemn Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, bringing both praise and backlash. Menacing messages to council members and city staff are being…

Two resign from city board over council’s pro-Palestinian resolution

Two members of the Richmond Design Review Board, Leah Marthinsen and David Plotkin, resigned Monday afternoon in response to the City Council’s resolution supporting the people of Gaza, passed in late October.  “The resolution clearly isolates and endangers the Jewish community in Richmond, which includes my family,” Plotkin wrote in his letter of resignation, which former Mayor Tom Butt included in his e-forum on Monday. “My children do not feel safe in their own home.” Richmond made national news as…

Richmond City Council passes controversial resolution supporting Gaza that draws hundreds to meeting

Following a hot debate, with over 300 residents weighing in on the issue, the Richmond City Council voted 5-1 Wednesday morning for a resolution affirming Richmond’s support and solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza.  “The fact that you’re here tells me this is a Richmond issue,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez told the crowd, which spilled from the council champers into an auxiliary room and included more than 100 speakers present and and an additional 200 commenters on Zoom. The resolution…

Did El Cerrito council go too far in protecting community against hate speech?

Residents are no longer allowed to comment on Zoom during El Cerrito City Council meetings, after an ugly incident last month in which a group spewing hate speech took over the public comment session.  El Cerrito Mayor Pro Tem Tessa Rudnick, who is Jewish, described the hateful rhetoric that erupted during the session in an opinion piece in The Jewish News of Northern California, noting that it included a depiction of pedophilia and remarks denying the Holocaust. She said a…

Upgrades to make Richmond’s Main Library more inviting to community

Cristal Banagan, a mother of four and longtime Richmond resident, thinks public libraries are becoming “obsolete.” None of her four kids has visited the library.  “At the stage we are with technology in this world, they’re unnecessary” Banagan said. “And these kids, that’s what they know.”  That, however, may not be true, now that Richmond is introducing reforms to help people engage more with the library’s resources through new programs and community outreach.  The management is drafting plans to renovate…