Government
The Richmond City Council gave its preliminary approval last night to an ordinance to ban alcohol billboards near schools.
The Richmond Project has helped the city better understand what spurs violent crime, and how to stop it.
Richmond notched a victory in its effort to use eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages on Monday, as a federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank against the city. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote that the case is not “yet ripe for adjudication.” In other words, the banks can’t sue the city for something it hasn’t done yet. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of using eminent domain to seize more than 600 underwater mortgages…
The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors has taken steps to curb what it considers an unacceptably high rate of suicides. More county residents die by suicide than homicide, according to recent statistics, from a special county committee. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan. It was the work of the county’s Suicide Prevention Committee, made up of more than a dozen agencies and groups, including representatives from the RYSE Youth Center, Contra Costa Behavioral Health,…
The U.S Department of Justice has awarded $700,000 in federal grants to two organizations in Contra Costa County, paying for programs to enhance the services given to trafficking victims and battered women. “It is really huge for us and we are really rejoicing,” said Rebekah Truemper who works for STAND! For Families Free of Violence. “The grant will keep the transitional housing program going and it also allows us to use other funds to support crisis intervention, prevention and other…
Cash-for-gold businesses may soon see tougher rules as Richmond officials mull over a proposal that would give them more authority to regulate the dealers. City planners are drafting an ordinance amendment to establish new zoning regulations for the specialty businesses that offer customers cash in exchange for selling their gold. Once complete, the Planning Commission and City Council will decide whether to approve the zoning amendments. The updated zoning rules come after a 45-day moratorium the city council passed…
Richmond’s unprecedented plan to help homeowners refinance their mortgages has sparked a national debate about the use of eminent domain, but until now officials haven’t shed much light on how they selected the list of 624 mortgages.
Chevron plays a major role in the politics and the economy of the city of Richmond. But that relationship is anything but harmonious, as an audience at the UC Berkeley School of Law heard on Wednesday. Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and oil and energy policy analyst Antonia Juhasz described the long history of conflict and cooperation between the third-largest revenue-earning corporation in the country and the Richmond community. “There’s always been a love-hate relationship between the city and Chevron,”…
Vicky Conway says she is stuck in a loan she can’t afford. She and her husband Rodney Conway bought a home in northeast Richmond in 2004 and, like many of the city’s residents, the couple’s home is “underwater,” meaning the amount they owe exceeds the market value of the house. “I know that we’re not going to be able to retire and continue with the same mortgage payments,” said Vicky Conway, 51. Now the Conways are banking on the city’s…