Minimum wage increase stalls

Richmond’s effort to pass a minimum wage hike has stalled. A general increase to the minimum wage gained support from the city council on March 19, but the proposed ordinance failed to pass a second reading after some councilmembers felt the wage hike deserved more input from small businesses.

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Richmond City Council approves minimum wage hike

Richmond is headed for a new record: the highest minimum wage in the Bay Area. The plan is for a minimum wage of $12.30 per hour to be phased in over the next four years. The City Council voted 6-1 to pass the first reading of the ordinance with Councilmember Tom Butt voting no.

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City Council moves to evacuate Hacienda

In a special meeting to address poor public housing conditions exposed by media reports nearly a month ago, the Richmond City Council voted to draft a plan that includes evacuation of Hacienda, where residents have been living in apartments affected by mold, vermin and a leaky roof.

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Dalai Lama blesses Richmond’s Tibetan Center

The Dalai Lama was in Richmond to bless the Tibetan Association of Northern California’s offices and community center, where participants hope Tibetan cultural life can be sustained and passed on to the next generation. Many of the Tibetans in attendance said that it was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

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Mural featuring Richmond diversity celebrated

Last June the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission unveiled Richmond Identities: Extraordinary Lives/Ordinary People, an intricate five-panel mural spearheaded by artist Judy Baca, at the Richmond Senior Center on Macdonald Avenue. About 50 people gathered this past Sunday to officially dedicate the mural.

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