Having masterminded a secret Community Benefits Agreement with Chevron, the Viramontes Five have now set themselves up to dole out the funds like a municipal Santa Claus.  Item l-3 on the July 29 City Council Agenda, authored by Nat Bates, designates himself, Harpreet Sandhu and Ludmyrna Lopez ( with John Marquez as an alternate), to decide who will get the only real money in the Community Benefits Agreement.

The distribution committee was designed to consist of three current or past members of the City Council, two Chevron appointees, and two members of the Richmond Community. Now we know who the three “current or past members of the City Council” are. The three of them, thick as thieves with Chevron, will appoint the other two and totally control distribution of $10 million over the next ten years.

Click here for a copy of the staff report.

Nat Bates, Harpreet Sandhu and John Marquez are all up for reelection in November. This level of cynical control and political corruption is beyond anything we have seen in recent history.

One E-FORUM subscriber writes: “It is outrageous that three of our city council members who are running for re-election would make a secret deal with Chevron without the knowledge or consent of the community, nor any chance for community input, then put themselves on a committee with Chevron and distribute millions of dollars to community groups just as they are running for re-election.  This seems highly unethical to me.”