Posts Tagged ‘Tom Butt’
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.
Read MoreRichmond 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.
Read MoreCity 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.
Read MoreResidents scruitnize Councilmembers’ foreign trips
City leaders recently took trips to Cuba, China, and Japan. While councilmembers say the trips foster economic growth and spur innovative thinking, some resident are wary of footing the bill to send city leaders overseas while Richmond grapples with a sizable budget shortfall.
Read MoreCity council tightens laws on e-cigarettes
An unanimous Richmond City Council votes to amend the city’s smoking ordinance to include e-cigarettes.
Read MoreCity council paves the way for GMO labeling ordinance
Though Washington state voters rejected a ballot initiative on Tuesday to label genetically engineered foods, the city council moved towards a local labeling ordinance of its own.
Read MoreRiggers loft renovation nears completion
Renovation work on the Riggers Loft began last year, and it is likely to be completed by year’s end. A new Operations Security Center for the Port of Richmond is scheduled to fill about one-fifth of the building.
Read MoreCouncil takes on alcohol billboards, solar costs and free Internet
Richmond city council voted unanimously to ban alcohol advertisements on billboards near schools and other public institutions. City officials hope the new law will prevent minors from drinking before they can make informed, mature decisions. The council also lowered solar-power fees, and began looking into options to provide Internet to low-income residents.
Read MoreProposed charter school sparks heated debate
Summit Public Schools had their petition to open a new high school in El Cerrito denied by the West Contra Costa Unified School District – a decision which the Richmond City Council backed. The result: a heated debate about educational opportunity in Richmond, and what effect a new high school might have on existing schools.
Read MoreRichmond honored at California Preservation Awards
Richmond City Council member Tom Butt and the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center were honored at the 2013 California Preservation Awards last week.
Read MoreState of the streets
The pavement buckles up into a mound directly in front of the house where Elizabeth has lived for 47 years. The bump in the pavement is five feet long and one and a half feet wide—or the size of a small person lying down. “A few years ago that lady’s daughter tripped on that hump,”…
Read MoreMotion to kill Richmond’s eminent domain plan fails
Vicky Conway says she is stuck in a loan she can’t afford. She and her husband Rodney Conway bought a home in northeast Richmond in 2004 and, like many of the city’s residents, the couple’s home is “underwater,” meaning the amount they owe exceeds the market value of the house. “I know that we’re not…
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…
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