Immigration

Inaugural Mexican-style rodeo draws hundreds to Richmond

An inaugural Mexican-style rodeo drew hundreds of spectators to Richmond Sunday to watch a dusty spectacle of raging bulls and courageous riders. “Jaripeo Expatacular” was held in a packed lot off of Giant Road, bringing together horseback riding, Mexicali cuisine and bull riding.

To walk in their shoes: immigration attorney Veronica Granillo knows the trials of the undocumented

The law degree that hangs in a frame on the bright yellow wall in Veronica Granillo’s office tells a story. To her clients, many of whom come to this office on the second floor of the Market Square Mall in Richmond’s Iron Triangle seeking advice on how to gain U.S. citizenship, perhaps it tells them that she is official, and she has the piece of paper to prove it.

The Hacienda housing project was declared uninhabitable. Why are tenants still living there?

The troubles at the Hacienda housing project were made public in February. The Richmond Housing Authority promised a tenant relocation in April. The initial application was sent in May. It’s now October—and mice still crawl at residents’ feet and cracks still spider up the walls. “I thought this place was coming down on my head during that Napa quake,” said Clarence Malbrough, a 16-year resident of the notorious Iron Triangle apartment complex on Roosevelt Ave. Residents and city council have…

New city-issued ID cards expected to benefit Richmonders – but at a price

Richmond residents will be able to apply for the city’s first city-issued identification card as of Oct. 15. Like a similar card issued by the city of Oakland, Richmond’s ID card can also be used as a debit card. “In Richmond, we welcome everyone,” said Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. “This card is an essential step toward greater equity and equality. It is needed to make sure all residents have access to equal services regardless of immigration status. It will help people…

Unverified Bay Area residents at risk of losing Covered California insurance

On Wednesday, Covered California, the state’s public health exchange, plans to end coverage for thousands of Bay Area residents who didn’t submit timely documents proving that they’re legal residents of the state. More than a quarter of the termination notices—or roughly 27,000 letters about the impending cutoff—went to Bay Area families out of the 98,000 notices sent statewide in early September. But in the East Bay, immigration specialists say language barriers and email glitches may complicate this week’s deadline, and…