Posts Tagged ‘john gioia’
County supervisors adopt suicide prevention plan
The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors has taken steps to curb what it considers an unacceptably high rate of suicides. More county residents die by suicide than homicide, according to recent statistics, from a special county committee. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan. It was the work of the…
Read MorePanel discusses complex Chevron-Richmond relationship
Chevron plays a major role in the politics and the economy of the city of Richmond. But that relationship is anything but harmonious, as an audience at the UC Berkeley School of Law heard on Wednesday. Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and oil and energy policy analyst Antonia Juhasz described the long history of conflict…
Read MoreInfighting a challenge for City Council
Councilmember Tom Butt left the April 24 city council meeting around 9 pm, too frustrated to continue, followed a while later by Councilmember Jovanka Beckles, who had to work early the next morning. Down to five remaining members, the council debated and argued into the night, past 11 pm, midnight, 1 am. By the time…
Read MoreFeds approve results of Chevron fire investigation
On Aug. 6 of last year, the rough draft of a federal investigation says, an employee at the Chevron Richmond refinery noticed a puddle on the ground.
Read MoreMilitary vets have new resource center, place to call home
A new resource center for homeless veterans to call home opened last week on the corner of Maine Avenue and Harbour Way South. Established by Rhonda Harris, the four bedroom two-story house with a white picket fence around it sits directly across the street from Nystrom Elementary School and can accommodate six veterans. The opening…
Read MoreChevron fire investigators: Overhaul needed to prevent future incidents
Despite all the eyes on the Richmond Chevron refinery before last August’s fire, the plant’s corroded crude pipe still went unnoticed, federal and state officials said Friday. Federal and state investigators have determined Chevron disregarded its own safety policies and knowingly failed to replace the corroded pipe that ultimately burst, leading to the leaking gas…
Read MoreContra Costa board votes to refuse state call center, citing disagreement with local union
After weeks of intense back and forth between political players in Richmond and Concord the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday that neither city would play host to a state call center—and its 200 plus jobs—because the county could not settle a contract with a local union. The call center would have been…
Read MoreCouncil hears plan on Point Molate rehab, ups ante in race for call center
After 10 years behind lock and key, the Point Molate Beach Park could re-open as early as this summer, a city official told the Richmond City Council Tuesday night. The council unanimously approved a two-part plan to rehabilitate the park, which would cost up to $115,000. In a relatively short three-hour meeting, the council also…
Read MorePolice seek to bridge gap between foster youth and officers
The Richmond Police Department held its first annual Foster Youth Conference on Saturday at the LaVonya Dejean Middle School on Macdonald Avenue. About 100 foster youth, foster parents, Richmond police officers, staff from West County Children and Family Services and community members filled the multipurpose room early in the morning for a day full of…
Read MoreFinancially struggling Richmond hospital seeks partnership
Luis Moreno brought his 17-year-old stepdaughter to Doctors Medical Center last Monday after she missed two days of school due to flu symptoms. She is not a Richmond resident—she lives in Pinole—but Doctor’s Medical Center is the closest emergency room. And she is uninsured. Like her, nearly a quarter of the patients Doctors Medical Center…
Read MoreCity officials and experts hear public comment on Chevron refinery repair
While City Manager Bill Lindsay said Wednesday he’s still not ready to issue permits to allow Chevron to begin replacing the pipes that failed in the Aug. 6 fire, the city held a public meeting Wednesday evening to offer information about and a chance to comment on the debate…
Read MoreToy donations abound in one school, fall short at a children’s center
It was a good day to be giving away coats. The air was biting cold and rain dribbled intermittently. On the last day of school before winter break, students at Verde Elementary School would be leaving with a new coat and a present. The school was running its annual toy and coat drive, an event…
Read MoreBates, Butt and Bell win council race
In a hotly contested City Council election, with millions of dollars at play and a recent push into the national spotlight, Richmond voters have elected Nat Bates, Tom Butt and Gary Bell to the three open seats on the council dais. The two RPA candidates, Eduardo Martinez and Marilyn Langlois, finished just outside the top…
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