Government

Amendments to campaign disclosure law pass through first stage

Nearly a week after a judge criticized its campaign disclosure law, City Council considered making amendments Thursday to dial down what Councilmember Jim Rogers called the law’s aggressiveness. “I guess you could look at [the original ordinance] as a Cadillac,” Rogers said. “And this one here, I guess you could look at it as a Ford.” The city’s current campaign law requires a committee that receives more than one-third of its money from contributors outside of Richmond to write on…

Undocumented immigrants in Richmond seek help in applying for deferred action

Karina Gutierrez was born in Mexico and was brought to the United States by her parents when she was four years old. She is not a U.S. citizen and has no legal right to be here. Now 24, Gutierrez graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2010, where she double majored in political science and psychology, and is a second-year law student at Golden Gate University, focusing on her favorite topic—the Constitution. Gutierrez says that because of her accomplishments, and because…

Soda sellers decry proposed fee

For Doug Deaver, Richmond’s proposed cent-per-ounce soda tax would mean more paperwork and less profit. While city politicians argue over public health, government overreach and the influence of outside money, Deaver, who owns a vending machine company, worries more about his bottom line. If Measure N passes in November, businesses that sell soda, energy drinks, or other beverages with added sweeteners like sugar or corn syrup would be required to keep tabs on exactly how many ounces of those drinks…

New court budget could eliminate Richmond truancy program

A budget that the Contra Costa Superior Court will consider adopting Friday would close six courtrooms, including the Juvenile Law Courtroom in Richmond. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, more than $7 million is estimated to be cut from the county court’s budget.

Chevron failed to check pipes despite internal policies

Chevron failed to check pipes despite internal policies. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has found that sections of pipe that were measured following the August 6 fire at Chevron’s Richmond refinery had thinned in thickness by 80 percent. Chevron would have had to replace those sections to comply with its own standards, but the company did not inspect these sections in November 2011, despite internal policies to check all segments, CSB’s Don Holstrom said Tuesday night at the City Council…

City Council swings into election season

At its first public meeting since the Aug. 6 Chevron refinery fire and a Measure N—referred to as the “soda tax”—lawsuit filed against the city, Tuesday night’s hotly anticipated City Council meeting painted for the Richmond community a clear portrait of its pending election season. “Trends are already beginning to form,” said Councilmember Tom Butt after the meeting about the strong positions taken by many of the candidates. Butt was ready to define his own reelection campaign as the middle…

Campaign flyer flawed

Seven members of the community listed in a campaign flyer for City Council candidate Bea Roberson as supporting Roberson said last week that they had not explicitly endorsed the candidate. Roberson said she had done her best and, if the information was wrong, “It was not done with malice.” Roberson has been a resident of Richmond since 1964, and this is the first time she has run for public office. In a previous interview with Richmond Confidential, she said she…

Air Quailty District hosts informative session on refinery fire

A dozen Richmond residents, most donning shirts that read ‘Clean Air for All,’ rode a bus to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District office this morning to hear from the various agencies investigating the Aug. 6 Chevron refinery fire. Spectators filled the chairs and lined the wall of the quiet, wood-paneled room as each organization — including representatives from BAAQMD, the Environmental Protection Agency, Contra Costa Health Services, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, and California Air Resources Board —…

Rent increase squeezes small businesses at Richmond port

Doug Kidder, the owner of a small Richmond boat company, said he wasn’t surprised when the Port of Richmond called him last summer to let him know it was going to increase the rent on his small lot in the Richmond Shipyards. It had been a few years, and Kidder said he was probably paying slightly below market value. But he said he was shocked when the new lease terms arrived — the Port was nearly tripling his rent. Port…