Election 2012
Richmond residents erupted into gleeful cheers as they watched CNN call three states in a row for President Barack Obama, before finally handing him the presidency. “Four more years! Four more years!” chanted people watching the results at Salute restaurant, throwing their fists into the air, hugging, and crying before toasting their champagne glasses. Anxiety turned into relief as Iowa a swing state, was called for the president. “I was biting my nails – I was too scared to watch…
It’s Election Day in Richmond, and our reporters are sending dispatches from around the city. Check back here for the latest news, election results, and live coverage from candidates’ headquarters. And let us know what’s happening near you: post to our Facebook page, or tweet @riconfidential or use #voterc2012 on Twitter or Instagram.
It’s Election Day in Richmond — and the only place safe from the constant barrage of campaign advertisements are the polls. Today Richmond joins the nation in deciding who will run the country for the next four years, but voters will also consider the fate of local issues that have garnered national attention, from the City Council to Measure N. Voters have been trickling into polling stations, like the one at Booker T Anderson Community Center on 47th Street, which…
On the eve of the election, seniors from the Richmond High School Health Academy debated the merits of Measure N, a controversial tax on the city ballot that would levy a one-cent-per-ounce fee on sugar-sweetened beverages. About 150 people—including Councilmember Jeff Ritterman, who crafted the measure, listened to the arguments from the 12 students, who had spent the last four weeks developing their positions on the issue. Richmond Academy students debate: Yes or No on Measure N? The idea to…
An interactive explanation to statewide props!
The fight to end sex and labor exploitation in California may affect Richmond differently than other cities — because in Richmond trafficking takes place on the streets and not in fields or sweatshops. Proposition 35 calls for expanding the definition of human trafficking, increasing penalties and protecting victims. Supporters see it as a step forward in deterring traffickers and defending victims, and opponents see it as a step backward for sex workers and taxpayers. As in other urban communities, human…
When California citizens vote next week on Proposition 34, they could be holding the life of accused murderer Nathaniel Burris in their hands. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty against Burris, whose high-profile trial for a 2009 double-homicide at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge started in Martinez this week. Prop 34, which would abolish capital punishment in California, would remove that option. If Prop 34 passes, the 725 people on California’s death row – the largest in the…
Richmond union representatives are speaking out against Proposition 32, a state ballot measure that seeks to eliminate corporate and union influence in local as well as statewide elections.
A group of progressive city leaders that have never shied from social engineering are now trying to pull off a first-in-the-nation challenge: get voters to approve a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Councilmember Jeff Ritterman and the Richmond Progressive Alliance have fiercely advocated for Measure N, which would tax businesses one cent per ounce of sugar-sweetened beverages they have in stock. The money would go into the city’s general fund, but a nonbinding companion Measure O would advise the City Council…