Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the weekly report for the week ending April 10th, 2015.

1.     Meeting Notes

The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21st. Enjoy the next Tuesday night off.

2.     BART Intermodal Improvement Project

Beginning on Wednesday, April 15th, BART will commence construction of the Richmond BART Intermodal Improvement Project.  The project will include improvements to passenger access and traffic flow at the “intermodal” (i.e. bus and drop off) area as well as the addition of special landscaping areas that will act as filters for any rain runoff to process out harmful materials (such as oil or gasoline, heavy metals, etc.) before the water goes into the storm drain system.  BART will close the existing intermodal area and the Amtrak parking area at the Richmond BART station on Wednesday, April 15th. All buses, shuttles, paratransit, taxis, etc. will be relocated to other areas near the station.

The work will be completed in September 2015.

Below is a map which shows the new locations for services.  Additionally, these maps are being distributed at the station. The new locations are as follows:

1.     Kaiser Shuttle, Ford Pointe Shuttle and San Pablo Senior Transportation will move to the intersection of 15th Street and Nevin Plaza. All other paratransit services have been moved to El Cerrito del Norte Station.

2.     AC Transit Bus Stops are moved to the north side of MacDonald Avenue east of 16th Street.

3.     Taxi services are moved to the west side of 15th Street between MacDonald Avenue and Village Lane, adjacent to the parking structure.
4.     Golden Gate Transit bus stop is moved to the south side of MacDonald Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.

5.     Passenger pick up/drop off area is moved to the sidewalk east of and adjacent to the parking structure.

6.     ADA pick up/drop off area is moved inside the garage on the first floor.

BART apologizes for the inconvenience this will cause the community and appreciates its patience as it works to improve the functionality of its facilities in Richmond.

3.     City of Richmond 2015 Community Survey

One of the best ways to improve Richmond’s services is to ask the people that live here what they think. With this in mind, the City of Richmond is pleased to announce the 2015 Community Survey!  In the next few weeks, you may be notified that you have been selected to give input that will help the City improve the level of government services and the future of your community. Questionnaires will be sent to a random sample of 3,000 Richmond residents, asking them to comment on the community’s pressing needs and city services. 

The purpose of the survey is to help City officials evaluate services, measure resident satisfaction with current services, and to help plan for Richmond’s future. The results from the survey will be included in a final report available to all City officials, staff and residents.
If you are selected, please return the survey before the stated deadline.  If you know someone that receives one, please encourage them to fill it out and return it. Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work and play.  Feel free to contact the City Manager’s Office with your questions at 510-620-6512.

4.     Housing Element Update and Just Cause Eviction Community Meetings

The City is currently working on two projects that can affect the future of Richmond housing policies.

The first is the update to the City’s Housing Element of its General Plan, which is required by State law.  The Housing Element provides housing policies and analysis, and sets the stage for private market development.

The second policy relates to “just cause for eviction” which generally sets forth policies regarding tenants’ rights, and on what basis a tenant may be evicted from their rental unit by a landlord.

The City of Richmond invites you to participate in third planned workshop regarding the Housing Element Update and Just Cause for Eviction to help us craft the goals, policies and programs that will shape housing in our city.  The workshops will include:

-        Overview of the current Housing Element
-        Just Cause for Eviction policy options

The community workshop will be held on:

Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Richmond Auditorium, Bermuda Room
403 Civic Center Plaza

Please RSVP @ www.RichmondHousing.eventbrite.com to help us plan seating space accordingly.  For more information go to www.ci.richmond.ca.us/housingupdate  

5.     Visit by Bay Area Rescue Mission

This past Thursday, Alex Knox from the Mayor’s Office hosted a group of visitors from the Bay Area Rescue Mission to City Hall.  Mr. Knox reported it was a successful and meaningful visit, which included a briefing by Health and Wellness Project Coordinator Gabino Arredondo concerning programs and services delivered by the city and other agencies, a question and answer session with the City Manager, and a tour of the Mayor’s office.  They also toured the Council Chambers where they heard from Councilmembers Eduardo Martinez and Vinay Pimple, as well as from Chris Whitmore from Congressman DeSaulnier’s office. The Councilmembers both gave excellent stories on their background, encouraged the men to have a positive outlook in their lives and to become more civically engaged in the city.

Councilmembers Eduardo Martinez and Vinay Pimple, David Gray of the Mayor’s Office,
and Chris Whitmore from Congressman DeSaulnier’s office, addressing visitors from the Bay Area Rescue Mission

6.     Richmond Fire Department Community Outreach

The Richmond Fire Department continues its mission of outreach into the community to provide information and guidance to young people. Recently, students from Leadership Public School had the opportunity to shadow the Richmond Fire Department and learn about all the various functions within the department.

Ms. Telaya Brown, a student at Leadership Public School, spent a week visiting our Training, Operations, Fire Prevention, and the Fire Administration sections of the department. As a requirement of her visit she was required by the department to write a 400 word essay detailing what she learned throughout her visit with us. She completed her writing assignment flawlessly, and commented on the positive influences she received from the department. Telaya is headed off to California State University Long Beach where she will study mass communications.  

Telaya Brown (L) pictured with Battalion Chief Marcus Rayon(R)

7.     Compost Giveaway & Great Tomato Sale

On Saturday, April 11th, the City of Richmond Environmental and Health Initiatives is hosting a Compost Giveaway free to all residents, in conjunction with Contra Costa Master Gardner’s Urban Tilth’s Great Tomato Sale. The Great Tomato Sale provides high quality, affordable tomato and vegetable plants to the community. All plants are $3, and staff will be on hand to answer your questions free of charge. The City hopes to donate compost to support the event and healthy food initiatives here in the City of Richmond.

The compost for the event is donated to the community by Republic Services.  When we recycle and compost food scraps, it’s better for the environment.  Recyclables and compost are processed in Richmond, which creates local jobs.

Richmond is one of few cities in the Bay Area that has a closed loop composting program whereby the food scraps are composted within the City – actually on top of the old, capped landfill. By returning compost to our residents, Republic Services is assisting in creating a closed loop system. Visit http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/ for more information.

8.     Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project

The Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project involves the construction of a roadway underpass on Marina Bay Parkway between Meeker Avenue and Regatta Boulevard, and is intended to resolve long-standing access limitations to the Marina Bay area caused by frequent train crossings.  In early September 2013, Marina Bay Parkway was closed to traffic.  This closure is planned to remain in place through June 2015. 

The week of April 6th, crews continued the installation of formwork for the raised sidewalks and placed two of four concrete pours for the transition walls (shorter walls for the areas between the sidewalk retaining walls and roadway curbs). Work also continued to establish roadway median subgrade south of the bridge.  For the week of April 13th, sidewalk formwork and rebar will continue with sidewalk concrete pours planned to commence the following week.  Concrete will be poured for the roadway median south of the bridge.  Additionally, traffic signal work is scheduled to be substantially complete.   

For additional information and to be added to the project update contact list, please see the project website at www.moodyup.com.  You can also follow the project on twitter: @moodyunderpass, or contact the project’s Public Outreach Coordinator Jacqueline Majors at (925) 949-6196.

9.     City Manager Chronicles

I have listed below some of the topics for meetings that I have recently attended in the hope that it provides an idea of the varied issues with which our organization deals routinely.

Activities and meeting topics during the past week included:

• Met with Assemblymember Tony Thurmond, and members of his staff, at his Sacramento office to discuss legislation impacting the City of Richmond;
• Participated on a panel at the California Green Summit in Sacramento regarding the State of California Cap and Trade program;
• Met on several occasions with staff members to discuss the progress on researching a “just cause eviction” ordinance;
• Met with several applicants for development projects to be proposed during the coming months;
• Attended the monthly meeting of the Public Management Association, consisting of city managers in Contra Costa County;
• Greeted visitors from the Bay Area Rescue Mission (see item 5, above);
• Attended the quarterly meeting with union representatives to discuss the City’s finances;
• Attended a community meeting regarding the update to the City’s Housing Element of the General Plan, and regarding “just cause eviction” policies;
• Attended my monthly scheduled meeting with WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Harter.

In addition, I have begun meeting, together with Finance Director Belinda Warner and budget staff, with various departments to review their proposed FY 2015-16 budgets.

These meetings were in addition to attending the regular management staff meeting, agenda planning, reviewing staff reports to the City Council, doing department head “check-ins,” having discussions on various personnel matters, and having short discussions with staff, community members, members of the press, etc.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the substance of these or any other topics

10. Richmond Writes! Poetry Contest – 2015 Winners

Richmond Writes! Poetry Contest winners have been selected for 2015. The contest, now in its fifth year, was started by the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission with collaboration from the West Contra Costa Unified School District to help celebrate National Poetry Month.

Students from fourteen Richmond elementary, middle, and high schools, and LEAP submitted both haiku and short poems. This year’s theme was Poetry in Motion and students wrote about motion in events, time, seasons, physical movements and activities, travel, music, and more.

Students from fourteen schools submitted nearly 600 poems this year. Poetry was judged by an eight-member selection panel: Susan Antolin, Lincoln Bergman, Donte Clark, Brenda Quintanilla, Maryann Maslan, Susan Anderson, Steve Early, and Connie Van Guilder. Three of these individuals are Richmond’s own Poets Laureate (Quintanilla, Clark and Bergman); Antolin is a member of the Haiku Poets of Northern California; Early is a published writer; Van Guilder is a professor and Liberal Studies Chair at JFK University in Pleasant Hill; and Maslan and Anderson are both commissioners on the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission.

Judges reviewed the contest entries in teams of two, picking favorites together in their packets. This method allowed for discussion and compromise, yet still accommodated individual taste. Poetry, for both the writer and the reader, is extremely subjective, and the judges made a point of honoring that in their final selections.

This year’s winners are:

Elementary Schools:

1st Prize:  Anthony Alvarez, Washington Elementary
1st Prize:  Ariella Benavides, Caliber Beta Academy
1st Prize:  Clarissa Castro, Washington Elementary
1st Prize:  Silvia Coca Cruz, Washington Elementary

2nd Prize: Amelie Banuelos, Washington Elementary
2nd Prize: Hannah Benavides, Washington Elementary
2nd Prize: Sania Kaleko, Wilson Elementary
2nd Prize: Citlali Mano, Washington Elementary
2nd Prize: Gloria Zearett, Washington Elementary

3rd Prize:  Angel Abreau, Bayview Elementary
3rd Prize:  Leah Ambernathy Saphon, Caliber Beta Academy
3rd Prize:  Giselle Barragan, Washington Elementary
3rd Prize:  Reiley Dillon, Washington Elementary
3rd Prize:  Amitra Kellogg, Washington Elementary

Richmond Writes 2014 - Elementary Students Reciting

Honorable Mention:  Elementary School

Alicia Acosta, Washington Elementary; Carlos Acosta, Washington Elementary; Mara Bravo, Coronado Elementary; Aaliyah Castillo, Washington Elementary; Rogelio Contreras, Washington Elementary; Selenah Corona DesSilva, Wilson Elementary; Gloria Diaz, Washington Elementary; Asia Jacobson, Coronado Elementary; Melvin Lopez, Jr., Coronado Elementary; Antonia Mason, Bayview Elementary; Parker Mina, Washington Elementary; Jacqueline Plascencia, Coronado Elementary; Maryanna Preciado, Coronado Elementary; Daniel Rodinson, Washington Elementary; Savannah Qualls, Washington Elementary; Daniel Rodinson, Washington Elementary; Kylie Alyssa Velazquez, Washington Elementary;  Jimena Villarreal, Washington Elementary; and Tyrah Weems, Washington Elementary.

Middle Schools:

1st Prize:  Teressa T. Bigbee, DeJean Middle School
2nd Prize: Jade Synott Brandow, Fred Korematsu Middle School
3rd Prize:  Santiago Sixto, DeJean Middle School
Honorable Mention, Middle School:  Juan Zamara, DeJean Middle School

High Schools:

1st Prize:  Gabrielle Green, De Anza High School
2nd Prize: Yaritza Gomez, De Anza High School
3rd Prize:  Angel Wiley, DeAnza High School

Honorable Mention:  High School

Eugene O. Gaines, III, Kennedy High School
Jasmine Gill, DeAnza High School
Chandandeep Kaur, De Anza High School
Yajaira Sandoval, Kennedy High School
Austin Williams, Kennedy High School

LEAP

1st Prize:  Teo Scura, LEAP

The Richmond Writes! Poetry Contest helps students learn how to write poetry as a way of expressing their view of the world. Each year their poems touch the hearts of the art commissioners, judges, teachers, parents, City staff, and all who read them.

The Awards Ceremony will be held at 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond in City Council Chambers on Friday, April 17th at 6:00 PM.  All participants of the poetry contest will receive certificates of recognition from Mayor Tom Butt, and a copy of the chapbook containing all of this year’s poetry entries. The public is welcome, and the poetry chapbooks will be available on a first-come first-served basis once the students have received their copies.

11. Teen Library Scholarship

The Friends of the Richmond Public Library and Richmond Public Library Teen Services are co-sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship to a Richmond resident who is a senior high public or private school student and will be attending a four-year college in the fall of 2015.

Interested applicants should:

Ø  Provide a copy of a letter of intent/registration to the college they will be attending.

Ø  Include the names of any service/social organization(s) in which they participated.

Ø  Provide the names and amounts of other scholarships awarded.

Ø  Submit a three-page, double spaced, typed essay entitled, Public Libraries in the New Millennium: Programs and Resources that Attract Teens.

Applications will be available in counseling offices at West County high schools and online at www.richmondlibrary.org. Entries must be received by Saturday, May 16th, by 5:00 PM at:  Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, Attn:  Angela Cox. 

12. Young Artists Repertory Series

East Bay Center's 25th Annual Young Artists Repertory Series will take place over the next weekends on April 17 and April 25, all at 7:00 PM. It is a special series because it provides one of the only opportunities to enjoy more than one Resident Company on the same stage in the same evening. Performances will be provided by: Iron Triangle Urban Ballet, Richmond Chamber Ensemble, Richmond Jazz Collective, Son de la Tierra, Voices of Reason, Iron Triangle Theater Company, and West African Music & Dance Ensemble.

Friday, April 17, 2015 7:00 PM
Richmond Chamber Ensemble
Voices of Reason
Richmond Jazz Collective

Saturday, April 25, 2015 7:00 PM
Iron Triangle Theater
Iron Triangle Urban Ballet

For additional updates and information, please visit our website: www.eastbaycenter.org

Suggested Donation for Tickets: $15 General; $5 children 12 and under/students/seniors 65 and older. Diploma Students get in for Free!
 (Please note that we welcome all and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.)
You can reserve your tickets on www.brownpapertickets.com 

Where:  East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, 339 11th Street at Macdonald Avenue, downtown Richmond, CA
Parking: Secured lot across the street from venue, (entrance at Nevin & 12th Street) - $4 for the evening.

13. Leaders from Northern California to Convene in Richmond to Discuss Challenges and Solutions to the Diversity and Gender Gaps in STEM Careers

Lack of diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields received national attention recently when the largest technology companies in the country released their diversity numbers. Across the board, African Americans and Latinos made up barely 2% of the workforce. And although women make up more than 50% of college graduates, they represent less than 30% of those working in STEM fields.

This year’s Northern California Summit on Children and Youth, an event that is organized annually by the Richmond Community Foundation, will focus on the complex topic of “Bridging the STEM Diversity Gap – Building the Next Generation Workforce.”  The summit will be held on April 30th in the Richmond Auditorium, and will convene more than 200 educators, community organizations, community leaders, elected officials, businesses, and area foundations to share innovative approaches, research driven models, and best practices for building STEM career pathways for our children and youth.  The goal of the summit is to demonstrate successful STEM pathways and replicate and scale them up throughout the Bay Area.

The summit will open at 9:00 AM with a welcome by Vice Mayor Jael Myrick, who is launching a local initiative to support President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper Initiative”. The Opening Plenary Panel features Dr. Helen Benjamin, Chancellor for the Contra Costa Community College District, Darien Louie, Executive Director of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, and Miriam Karpilow, University Programs Manager for Pandora, Inc.  Sunne McPeak, President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, will moderate the panel.

Erik Moore, Founder and Managing Director for Base Ventures, a company investing in seed-stage technology companies, will be the keynote speaker, and will describe “The Long Walk from Richmond to Silicon Valley.”

The concluding session for the Summit, “I Bridged the Gap,” features a panel of STEM field leaders who will describe their experiences overcoming challenges to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

Experts from a variety of STEM fields will also present workshops that focus on challenges, learnings and opportunities in STEM education and STEM-related fields, and demonstrate successful programs in practice.  An “Interactive Resource Village” will feature information and interactive exhibits from organizations including Chabot Space and Science Center, Contra Costa College, Community Resources for Science, Richmond Solar and Nerd Crossing.  

For more information about the Summit program, or to register, visit: Summit.

14. Richmond Farmer’s Market

Although some seasonal items are no longer available, new fruits and vegetables such as cauliflower, strawberries, swiss chards, greens, and red beets are in season. The Richmond Certified Farmers Market sells only what is grown on local farms, which is why fruits and vegetables are picked when they are ripe and ready to eat with lots of flavor! 

Join your friends and neighbors at the Richmond Certified Farmers Market every Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  The market accepts WIC coupons and has EBT tokens. If you have any questions about the market, call (510) 237-7271.

15. Information Technology (IT) Department Updates

Website Statistics: Top 10 Webpage visits for the week ending April 7, 2015:

Facebook Statistics

Weekly total reached increased by              14.3%
People engaged increased by                      75.8%

KCRT

Photo of the Week

Keller Beach

Throwback Thursday:  Featuring Richmond California History

Please take a moment to comment and LIKE our City of Richmond Facebook post, and enjoy the History Trivia drawing.

How did folks wish their family and friends “Happy Easter” before phones, text messaging, and email? Congratulations to Michelle Norman Boyd for sharing her wonderful family story and winning this week’s Throwback Thursday trivia.

Image provided by Melinda McCrary of the Richmond History Museum

For more information about Richmond’s Facebook page, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Richmond-CA-Local-Government/139438544014?v=wall

16. Recreation Highlights

Annex Senior Center

Just in time for Easter, the Annex Senior Center and the Richmond Senior Center had special egg coloring events on Friday, April 3rd.  The children, families, and seniors, were delighted with the day’s activities.

Shields Reid Community Center

On April 3, 2015, the Shields Reid Afterschool Program celebrated the spring holiday by making colored eggs, spring decorations and enjoying cake and ice cream.  More than 30 children and adults took part in the celebration.

 
Booker T. Anderson Community Center

The Eastshore Neighborhood Council held their annual Easter event on Saturday, April 4th at the Booker T. Anderson Park. The event is possible through donations raised by the council.  The annual event is always popular and this year, over 200 were in attendance. There was a dance contest for various ages, a DJ, face painting, a jumper, free food, and an Easter basket giveaway. The Fire Department participated and the Police Department gave a K9 demonstration. It was a great community event and the children left with smiling faces.

             
Disabled People’s Recreation Center

Beginning April 3rd, Adult Morning Program participants are collecting cans and bottles to recycle every Monday at the Richmond Rod & Gun Club. Their job is to collect and sort cans and bottles from all the recycling bins and garbage cans around the exterior of the club house. Next, the cans and bottles are put into garbage bags and loaded into the van and off they go to the recycling center.

Therapeutic interactive participants enjoy music therapy and this week, participants played the electric drums and piano. During art, Crayola puff clay was used to create hanging sculptors with a spring theme.

17. Public Works Update

Facilities Mainenance Division:  Electricians repaired the ceiling lights in the City Council Chambers, installed security lighting at the park yards, repaired street lights on South 37th Street, fixed the illuminated street name sign on Richmond Parkway and Macdonald Avenue, secured area from knocked down pole on Blume Drive and Klose Way, repaired the traffic light knocked down at Marina Bay Parkway and Regatta Boulevard, and fixed traffic control cabinets at Ohio Avenue and 23rd Street, San Pablo Avenue and Regatta Boulevard, and on Harbour Way and Macdonald Avenue.

Illuminated Sign Repair

Marina Bay Repair

Controller Repair

Parks and Landscaping Division:   General maintenance crews continued to weed whip along the Nunn soundwall, flail mowed on the Richmond Greenway, repaired the fence on the Richmond Greenway, cut vegetation blocking the bike lane on Castro Ranch Road, delivered mulch to Central Avenue and Rydin Road, mowed Greenway from 2nd Street to 23rd Street, and trimmed along the San Joaquin Street soundwall.

Mulch Installation

Hilltop Districtcrews completed weed abatement and maintenance on the southern portion of the Richmond Parkway and off ramps to Giant Road, continued work at the AM/PM landscaping project and started maintenance on Richmond Parkway from the causeway to Hilltop Drive, completed maintenance at Hilltop Lake, mulched the median on Auto Plaza, and worked in the high fire zone areas.

Tree crews cut or trimmed trees on or around Fleming Street, South 21st Street, South 20th Street, Ells Street, Carlson Boulevard, South 43rd Street, Lucas Avenue, Dornan Drive, South 55th Street, Creely Avenue, and the Richmond Museum.

Tree Trimming

Streets Division:  Paving staff worked on potholes on Hilltop Drive and the Richmond Parkway, cleaned storm drains, reinstalled the barrier near Metro Walk, worked from the outstanding pothole list, and attended training.

Reinstalled Barrier

Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the first Monday and Tuesday and the second Wednesday through Friday in the Parchester Village, Hilltop Bayview, Hilltop Green, Fairmede/Hilltop, Clinton Hill II – IV, and East Richmond neighborhood council areas.

Signs and Lines staff installed 2 new signs and poles, hung banner in Pt. Richmond, fabricated 8 signs, repaired 6 signs and poles, placed pavement markers such as stop messages buttons, and crosswalks and repainted 1497’ of curb.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.

Have a great week!

Bill Lindsay
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us

You can sign up to receive the City Manager’s weekly report and other information from the City of Richmond by visiting: www.ci.richmond.ca.us/list.aspx

Bill Lindsay
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us