Posts Tagged ‘Jeff Ritterman’
Community letter on ONS controversy: Councilman Jeff Ritterman
Editor’s Note: The following is a letter submitted to RichmondConfidential.org by Councilman Jeff Ritterman. As a cooperative news organization and forum for community discourse, we welcome op-ed pieces and other reports and photos from residents, readers and public officials. The sentiments contained in this letter are solely those of the author. _________ Dear DeVone Boggan,…
Read MoreRichmond councilman and agency at odds, city manager and others in between
The Office of Neighborhood Safety is in the spotlight at City Hall again, and growing unrest between the agency and its critics threatens to engulf much of the city’s government and hamper larger goals of reducing violence and increasing transparency. The action has focused in recent weeks on a proposal by City Councilman Corky Booze…
Read MoreWith a soft drink tax on the ballot, Richmond stirs
This fall, Richmond residents will vote whether or not to place a penny-per-ounce tax on soft drinks. This past winter, the city council voted to put the measure on the November ballot, along with a proposal to use the funds the tax would raise to help pay for health programs. But the proposed soda tax…
Read MoreNew documentary series highlights Richmond and Bay Area’s sustainable city planning
Ohio-based filmmaker Andres Torres showed highlights Saturday at the Rialto in El Cerrito from a documentary series that she’s finishing that focuses in part on County Supervisor John Gioia. The series, “The New Metropolis,” covers the history of city planning, social justice, and environmental sustainability.
Read MoreTalks break down, Richmond North Shoreline plan in limbo
Four hours of debate Tuesday night brought elected leaders no closer to resolving a decade-long dispute over the future of the city’s North Shoreline. The Richmond City Council deadlocked on three separate development guidelines, finally agreeing only to return the measure to the Planning Commission to craft a fresh approach. The north shoreline is a…
Read MoreRichmond 2011: The year in review
2011 was quite a year, to borrow a favorite phrase from longtime resident Sims Thompson, in “our fair city.” I know that’s vague, but it’s tough to turn a pithy phrase that sums up a year in a vibrant, bustling and changing city. We had tragedy and triumph, tumult and harmony. Alliances and rivalries. Echoes of the past and glimmers from the future.
Read MoreCity Council moves forward with soda tax
The City Council voted 5-2 last Tuesday to support placing a soda tax on the ballot next November – a measure that proposes a 1-cent charge for every ounce of sugary beverages sold in Richmond. In a second measure, the city proposes to use the revenues from this tax to fight childhood obesity in Richmond.
Read MoreVeolia will be leaving Richmond
After nine years of service, Veolia will began the process of terminating its 10-year contract with Richmond, which will start the search for a viable alternative for its wastewater management plan. Residents in Richmond have voiced concerns about odor issues in relation to the plant, and Veolia cited a need for capital investment to improve…
Read MoreMourning lives lost in Richmond, 2011
Friday’s ceremony to remember the victims of homicide in Richmond has become an annual exercise, as McLaughlin uses her monthly meet-the-mayor meetings every December as a solemn occasion to reflect on the lives lost to violence in the city.
Read More“Ban the box” resolution passes, fracas erupts at City Council meeting
The City Council voted Tuesday to remove a question about criminal convictions from city employment applications, saying the yes/no “box” was an onerous requirement for ex-convicts. Question 14, displayed prominently on the first page of all applications for city jobs, asks: “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” Opponents of the question have long…
Read MoreCivil rights lawsuit against city, police chief drags on
The City Council approved $900,000 Tuesday to continue to defend the city in two civil rights lawsuits filed by a group of high-ranking Richmond police officers, adding to a legal battle that has already gone on for five years and cost $3.4 million.
Read MoreLBNL community members support Richmond
Although Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory representatives didn’t reveal the lab’s preference for a new location at Thursday night’s Community Advisory Group meeting, community members once again strongly supported Richmond as the site for the second LBNL campus. The meeting was the final update for the community on the site’s selection before the decision, which is…
Read MoreChildhood obesity in Contra Costa on the rise
Sugar-sweetened drinks and street violence have contributed to a rise in childhood obesity across low-income areas of Contra Costa County, according to county health officials who worked closely on a statewide study released Wednesday.
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