From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments- Open Session prior to Closed Session Date: Friday, July 7, 2023 6:02:12 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Good Day Mayor Martinez, Council Members and Staff,
I AM Submitting the Following Comments for the Record:
1. Shasa Curl Has Done An Excellent Job as City Manager, Her Department Heads Respect her Judgement and She Would Make Sure that The Priorities are Being on her List.
2. Also I am Glad that the Class & Comp Study is Being Released So The Public Can compare On Other Cities On How Much Their Employees Make
Sincerely
Cordell
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- Open Forum
Date: Friday, July 7, 2023 6:14:21 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Hello Mayor Martinez, Council Members and Staff,
I Am Submitting the Following Comments Into the Record:
1. The Residents of Richmond Are Upset That People Are Setting Off Fireworks Coming Close To Landing It On Top Of their Homes, Neighbors Had To Bring Their Pets Inside Because It is Not Safe For Pets, Seniors with PTSD, and Families Who Have to Put The Kids to Bed.
2. For a Future Agenda, The Council Should Invite Danny Wan To Provide a Presentation On the Port of Oakland
3. Also To Direct Staff to Work with UC Berkeley Chancellor to Schedule a Joint Meeting In the Spring To Discuss Partnerships with UC Berkeley and the City of Richmond.
Sincerely
Cordell
From: Hope Henson-Lehman
To: Sabrina Lundy; City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment Agenda Item N Open Forum - REGULAR MEETING OF THE RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL 6/27/23 Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:55:55 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Greetings Mayor and Councilmembers,
I would like to take a moment to publicly comment by email as part of Agenda Item N, OPEN FORUM FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, as part of the Regular Meeting of the Richmond City Council today on July 11th.
As a small business owner in Richmond, CA and member of CoBiz (a transformative space of business incubation for Richmond entrepreneurs), I am requesting urgent action in service to supporting struggling local small businesses. Many local businesses in the area (especially Black and Brown businesses) have not recovered in this new COVID-19 world we are operating within and are in danger of closing, further suppressing the local economy. One powerful way the Mayor and Councilmembers can support small businesses is by moving capital to these businesses and the ecosystem that supports them in the form of grants via the
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds provided to the City of Richmond. I ask that a transparent easful process be developed for small businesses, community based organizations (CBOs), and nonprofit organizations (that directly or indirectly impact economic vitality and small businesses) to apply for funds that they can access expediently within 1 - 3 months from approval. In solidarity with CoBiz, I am proposing a simple application process for Richmond businesses and CBOs to apply for ARPA funding below.
In closing, I would like to note that nationally and locally we are experiencing an extinction of Black and Brown businesses that is devastating our communities, families, and economy. It is our duty and responsibility, as a Richmond community, to leverage the resources we have access to in service to long-term economic sustainability. And small businesses are the engine and lifeblood of the local Richmond economy. Please take action now.
PROPOSAL
High-Level Summary
Covid along with inflation has adversely impacted the runway for small businesses and CBOs here in Richmond that have survived the pandemic, especially Black and Brown enterprises.
There is a need for the City to prioritize supporting the current businesses and CBOs who navigated the pandemic and now need assistance to maintain their enterprises, especially Black and Brown enterprises. ARPA funds are a great resource for providing a life-line to small businesses and CBOs as evident in other cities such as Minneapolis, Alexandria, Anchorage, Pittsburg, Seattle, Phoenix, Buffalo, Hinesville (GA), Madison (WI).
Eligible ARPA Funding Buckets for Small Businesses
At the time of the Richmond Economic Development Working Group (EDWG) ARPA Community Needs Assessment, many stakeholders involved were unaware of the diversity of ways the City could use ARPA to support the needs of small businesses, especially as identified by the National League of Cities. The buckets are:
1. provide direct financial assistance relief to small businesses in the form of grants for things such as rent, utilities, personnel, permits, or income loss,
2. patronize small businesses for their goods and services,
3. fund organizations that serve and support entrepreneurs, small businesses, and CBOs such as Richmond Main Street, CoBiz Richmond, Cooperation Richmond, etc,
4. build and support infrastructure that help small businesses secure access to space and resources needed to operate.
Proposed Process To Apply: Simple and Clean
Moving forward, I would encourage that the City allocate $4M of ARPA to economic recovery for small businesses and CBOs that survived the pandemic via a simple one-time application that addresses the following:
Did your business exist prior to Dec 31, 2020?
Is your business still in operations?
Was your business operating during the pandemic (March 2020 - December 2022)? How many employees do you have now, if any?
How many employees did you have prior to the pandemic, if any? Which pillars are you seeking immediate relief for? (choose up two from the 4 options above)
Describe how ARPA funds will help you maintain your business or organization as a resource to the community? (Less than 200 words)
What is the impact to the City and community if your business closes? (Less than 200 words)
What are your monthly operating expenses?
What amount are you asking for?
How? Create a Google form or typeform. Would take approximately 20-30 minutes to create the application with the question outlined.
Disbursement Amount
$10,000 to $500K depending on the impact and contributions of the organization to the small business ecosystem and vitality of the region.
CBOs/non-profits that directly or indirectly impact economic vitality and small businesses should also be allowed to apply for ARPA funds because their services help the City create a welcoming environment for small businesses to thrive, they hire employees, and they patronize the establishments/services of Richmond small businesses.
Urgency
Businesses and CBOs that were staples to their communities are closing across the Bay as they navigate the challenges of higher operating costs, unreliable personnel, and shrinking discretionary spending budgets by consumers. Many of those businesses did not know that ARPA funds were a vehicle for life-support. Plus, we already know that many Black and Brown enterprises were forced to close due to the pandemic and that the majority of Black and Brown enterprises did not receive relief fundings; thus, adversely impacting their runway.
The City on its own can provide the first local relief program for small businesses and CBOs in Richmond. Such programs could benefit organizations such as NIAD, Way2Love, Left Side Printing, Brothers of International Faith, Cherry's Eye, and many others that served the community during the pandemic and post-pandemic
I recognize that you and your staff are very busy, therefore, I thank you in advance for your time and consideration on behalf of small businesses and CBOs here in Richmond. - - - - - - -
In Community,
Hope Henson-Lehman
Hope Henson-Lehman
CEO & Founder
[email protected]
A Black Women Entrepreneur Community that Vibrates Higher, Together.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY • SHOP THE MARKET • CONNECT ON IG From: Alan Carlton
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 2:53:50 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for sea level rise with nature-based strategies. We need to be pro- active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
Sincerely,
Alan Carlton
From: Al M
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 1:11:06 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor Martinez, Vice Mayor McLaughlin and Councilmembers:
I’d like to start by thanking wholeheartedly Vice-Mayor McLaughlin for taking this vitally important initiative.
Richmond has a long history of chemical and industrial pollution dating from WWII, with decades of private and commercial waste dumped on the shoreline from all over the Bay Area, and hazardous materials buried in the soil, notably by armament and pharmaceutical plants. In addition, the shoreline at and around Richmond made room for Republic Service’s solid waste transfer station and sanitary landfill, West County wastewater plant, and a Chevron refinery. To this day, soil contamination on this shoreline remains a matter of great concern to environmental organizations, near-by communities, and Richmond City Council. If we add to contamination the effects of sea level rise, the situation qualifies as alarmingly dangerous for everyone who lives or works nearby.
I support the initiative to have a consultant create a Toxic inventory for our entire shoreline with reservations. In addition to this initiative, I believe that an active approach is needed without delay to begin addressing sea level rise’s challenges. A few suggestions:
1. Extend and reinforce dialogue and collaborative relationships between public utilities agencies, certain City’s Departments—Public Works, Community Development, Housing Authority, and Transportation. More than ever in the past, this type of collaboration is paramount, as the issue of shoreline protection needs to be addressed in parallel with urban infrastructure, transportation and housing development projects.
2. Any type of construction project—especially housing—on our shoreline should no longer be permitted, at least for the years to come and unless such project works towards better adapting to rising waters, cleaning up soil and water toxicity, and protecting our shoreline’s ecosystems and near-by communities. Since we are addressing rising waters, this constitutes a paramount public policy initiative that should be explored as soon as possible.
3. Bring together a group of independent scientists that can present to the City the most recent technics and models for sea level rise adaptation. There are more and more environmentally-sound, socially equitable, long-lasting and financially healthy solutions available in the global market that can benefit Richmond’s shoreline, in particular, along with its ecosystems and near-by communities. Quite a number of those solutions do not directly involve direct transformation on our shoreline by building wall or other nature-based constructions. They offer beneficial alternatives and/or additions to shoreline constructions by concentrating on news ways of thinking public work and utilities infrastructures.
In conclusion, the initiative to create a Toxic inventory for our entire shoreline is an excellent idea but it will be truly beneficial if, in addition to this, the City of Richmond takes more concrete steps to address sea level rise right away.
Thank you for your time,
Alix Mazuet
Richmond resident and property-owner
From: Carolyn Graves
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3 (Shoreline Resiliency plan with inclusion of an inventory of toxic shoreline sites) Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 2:44:04 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3* to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for sea level rise with nature-based strategies. We need to be pro- active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
* https://pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=d725f0db- 57b7-40b9-b8cc-22053335ca30&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English
Sincerely,
Carolyn Graves
30+ year resident in Richmond zone 5 near the shoreline
NOTICE TO RECIPIENT: If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them. v.173.295 Thank you.
From: [email protected]
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Agenda Item R3 -- Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract with a shoreline consultant for the creation of a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline -- Re: Gayle McLaughlin Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 12:54:28 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Re: Agenda Item R3/July 10, 2023; Develop a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with Inclusion of an Inventory of Toxic Sites on the Richmond Shoreline DIRECT staff to circulate an Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract with a shoreline consultant for the creation of a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline and come back to the Council by end of year with a recommended consultant to create this plan over the course of 12 months - Vice Mayor Gayle McLaughlin To: The City of Richmond Mayor, Council Members and City staff From Charles Davidson. Hercules CA
Dear Mayor, Council Members and City staff,
I support the City’s potential contract with a shoreline consultant for the creation of a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along the Richmond shoreline.
I am very familiar with the Zeneca site and documentation and have made technical and highly critical comments to the California Department of Toxic Substances Commission and the City of Richmond regarding the sites residual heavy metals, plus the legacy sulfuric acid leaked into the site's soils and the inadequacy of the DTSC plan. The proposed 4,000 unit mixed-use of the site was a toxic mix of ignorance and corruption and a gross lack of concern for the health and safety of the environment. Notably, as only one example of many inadequacies, the DTSC used truckloads of cheesy whey to “mitigate" the leakage of trichloroethylene (TCE dry cleaning fluid) from the Zeneca site. That would be comical, if it was not tragic.
I applaud the City of Richmond’s desire to get it right now regarding more fully understanding the City’s toxic legacy and its ongoing environmental threats.
Below is "Our Story", regarding another toxic site just several miles north of Richmond, that bears a very similar story to Richmond’s regarding the DTSC’s haphazardness and half measures in order to, effectively, facilitate profit-making by private industrial enterprises at the communities and environment’s expense.
I live in Contra Costa County, within a few miles of Selby Slag (what is located in Crockett and is adjacent to Rodeo). The slag literally sits in the San Pablo Bay waters and is under the remediation auspices of the DTSC.
Selby Slag is 66 acres in extent and is 2.5 million cubic yards of residue slag material from the Selby Smelter, which opened in 1872, originally to smelt gold ore. The Selby Smelter operated for 100 years, while also smelting ores for copper, lead and silver. Selby Slag also contains sulfuric acid (used for legacy minerals extraction), that continuously exacerbates toxic leakage into Bay waters of cadmium, nickel, arsenic and lead, among other heavy elements.
Unfortunately, the DTSC’s plans for remediation are decades old and have serious gaps in the thoroughness and extent of the metals determinations in the Bay mud adjacent to the slag, which they intended to disturb in their remediation plan. Overall, the plan was inadequate, their suggested sheet metal retaining wall had a very high likelihood of being inadequately robust to acidic and salty water and simultaneous corroding battery-type minerals (cadmium/nickel/zinc/lead). Their plan for metals extraction, purification and wastewater disposal of the site's toxic interior waters was grossly incomplete, lacking in any degree of specificity and acknowledged to be incomplete, including no plan for wastewater disposal (as their request was denied by the local Rodeo Sanitary District.
Previous, partial mitigation efforts intended to reduce the leakage of heavy metals using lime, also likely increased the slag’s arsenic leakage. Such unintended arsenic leakage is well researched and documented, but is still part of the DTSC’s tool box. The DTSC’s plan, especially, did not adequately address the optimal manner to divert the sites upstream creek waters from entering the site.
Only after local citizen scientists took their own Bay mud sample off shore, did the DTSC perform additional metals measurements in the Bay mud.
Additionally, local citizen scientists drafted a detailed “Community Alternative" remediation plan that is well within the DTSC’s project budget and has multiple stages which can be analyzed to monitor the effectiveness of the alternative. There were some details of the DTSC’s plans which were retained in the Community Alternative and other details that were added or substituted as superior to those of the DTSC. One large difference was that the alternative plan elected to suggest that the acid pits would be removed entirely, as the acidic area is only a tiny fraction of one percent of the slag, is adjacent to a railroad line and is the most aggressive location for promoting heavy metal leakage.
Selby Slag is 80% owned by the State of California, and controlled by the State Lands Commission and 20% owned by the Phillips 66 refinery, who use the previously flattened and asphalted slag for a project staging area.
The BCDC and MTC have plans for a 5-birth Selby Seaport for "liquid fuels".
Those in the community who are aware of this plan, that is obviously for the refinery's benefit, believe that the DTSC’s remediation plan is rather designed to facilitate the Seaport Plan and would be deleterious to the health and safety of the environment and the community.
I encourage the City of Richmond to contract with a shoreline consultant for the creation of a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline.
Sincerely,
Charles Davidson
Hercules CA
From: Dani Zacky
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 9:52:03 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. In light of sea level and groundwater rise, it is critical we plan ahead to address legacy contaminants on our shoreline. If the city can take a proactive approach, it can have great success in implementing nature- based solutions that could have co-benefits to the community. This is an important step in promoting environmental and climate justice within the city of Richmond, and the Sierra Club fully supports a proactive approach in order to be as successful as possible in climate mitigation.
Sincerely,
Dani Zacky
(She/They)
Chapter Organizer
Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter
[email protected]
Cell: 818-919-3023
PO Box 2663, Berkeley, CA 94702
From: David Kafton
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: David Kafton
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 10:38:00 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor Martinez & City Council Members,
We are residents of Marina Bay and fortunate to live next to the immense beauty of our South Richmond Shoreline,.
We strongly support Agenda Item R-3.
We need a Shoreline Resiliency Plan which includes an inventory of toxic sites along Richmond’s shoreline.
We urge you to support this proposal, too.
Thank you very much for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
David & Toni Kafton
Member, Richmond Shoreline Alliance
Member, Richmond Progressive Alliance
From: Doria Mueller
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:16:21 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan* with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites** along our shoreline. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for sea level rise with nature-based strategies. We need to be pro-active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline. */** Obviously, much of what is being planned for is dynamic and in the realm of the unknown, especially when it comes to weather, the chemicals (past & present), as well as the essential web of living organisms including humans. We don't know what we don't know. A very relevant current example is our "new" understanding of PFAS chemicals, 4,730 distinct compounds, which have been in increasingly and pervasively use since the 1940's, their deleterious effects only now coming to light. They do not necessarily kill outright (acute toxicity); the alarming concern is that they accumulate and persist in the body with serious negative health effects (reproductive and chronic toxicity). Here's an important example of relevance to Richmond: Many pesticides used since the 40's have had one or more PFAS chemicals in their formulations as part of the "inert ingredients". Inert ingredients often make up over 90% of the pesticide formulations which are sprayed.
These inert ingredients including adjuvants, are often unlisted and unregulated. (Perhaps that too will change.) The PFASs were most likely present in the great quantities pesticides at Richmond's Zeneca site/Stauffer Chemical, as well as the Chevron Ortho Chemical Company site off Hensley St/Lucas Ave. (which is too near the YMCA of the East Bay's Early HeadStart and Perez Elementary & their edible garden). Perhaps this is something to consider? I hope this plan will be dynamic, humbly aware of the unknown, and allow for timely responsiveness.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Doria Mueller-Beilschmidt
ACSM CPT, MS Biology
[email protected]
Richmond Resident
https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/pfas-packaging
From: JAIME PEREZ
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Council Agenda item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 1:58:31 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Good morning,
I am reaching out to the Council to express my very strong support for the Shoreline Resiliency Plan that would result from the adoption of agenda item R-3. As a homeowner and resident of Marina Bay I consider this an essential element to maintain and improve the quality of life in our community for years to come.
Do not hesitate to contact me by return email for any additional information in this respect.
Thank you very much for your attention and understanding.
Best regards,
Jaime Perez
2159 Northshore Dr, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
From: mcvaugh
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 4:43:44 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for sea level rise with nature-based strategies.
We need to be pro-active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
Sincerely,
Jake McVaugh
From: Janet Johnson
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 10:09:11 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
I am writing to urge you to support Item R-3, to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan which will include an inventory of contaminated sites along the Richmond shoreline.
As Richmond plans for our future, we must address the legacy of industrial contamination on our shoreline. Sea-level rise and accompanying groundwater intrusion pose a daunting challenge to neighborhoods near the shoreline, as contaminants will be transported inland. Further, I hope any planning will include community organizations working on shoreline contamination issues as well as those like The Watershed Project that are already involved in nature-based strategies to confront local impacts of sea-level rise.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Janet Johnson
--
Janet Scoll Johnson
pronouns: she/her
Co-Chair, Richmond Shoreline Alliance
Co-Coordinator, Sunflower Alliance
KM6NKD
I actively occupy and benefit from stolen land of the Ohlone Chochenyo people, who looked after this land for centuries and still live here. I advocate and support efforts for Indigenous land to be returned to Indigenous ownership and management. Learn more at https://sogoreate-landtrust.org.
From: Jeannette Kortz
To: Eduardo Martinez; Gayle McLaughlin; [email protected]; claudia jimenez; Melvin Willis; Soheila Bana; Doria Robinson
Cc: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment - Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 8:31:42 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
I am writing in support, and asking that you support Agenda Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan to include an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. This is necessary as we plan ahead to address Richmond's toxic legacy, and to also prepare for sea level rise and groundwater intrusion with strategies that are nature based. It is important that we are proactive and have this important plan in place to address the impact of climate change, which of course is real and happening as I write this, and given Richmond's history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
Thank you for your time.
Kind regards,
Jeanne Kortz
Richmond Resident
From: kelly hammargren
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:01:28 PM
Attachments: Rising Coastal Groundwater, SLR Contaminated Coastal Sites.pdf This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Please support Agenda Item R-3, which proposes a Shoreline Resilience Plan with the inclusion of an Inventory of Toxic Sites on the Richmond Shoreline.
Item R-3 is especially timely as scientific reports and summaries reach the public regarding the toxic legacy on our shorelines and the impact of seal level rise and groundwater rise on toxins, resiliency and public health.
The key message in lines 51 and 52 in the attached report submitted for publication is, "...Additional sub-regional research is urgently needed..."
Sincerely,
Kelly Hammargren
From: Maggie Paul LAZAR
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 8:02:14 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline.
Planning ahead would put Richmond in the best possible position to deal with challenges from climate change. I've spent many years learning about the toxic contamination along the southeast shoreline. There is overwhelming complexity in the nature of the contamination and the ways it is being addressed (or ignored) by numerous owners, organizations and regulatory agencies. Even within the same agency, the different toxins are often handled by separate departments with varying timelines and objectives.
The Shoreline Resiliency Plan is remarkable in addressing the entire connected and interrelated shoreline. Sea level rise makes this unified and commonsense approach critical. The coordinated inventory of contaminated areas would be invaluable to the City.
Sincerely,
Maggie Lazar
member of the
Richmond Southeast Shoreline Area Community Advisory Group to the Department of Toxic Substances Control
From: Margaret Chen
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 1:14:19 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
"Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
I am writing as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Clinical Professor, emeritus at UCSF and member of SF Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility. Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. It is unconscionable to put housing that will expose families and children to the contaminated and toxic waste that has been dumped on the shoreline by the chemical companies. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for inevitable sea level rise with nature-based strategies. We need to be pro-active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis, community health, and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
Sincerely,
Margaret Chen MD
Clinical Professor, emeritus
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences University of California, San Francisco
From: Nancy Parker
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:11:19 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. It is essential we plan ahead to address this toxic legacy and also to prepare for sea level rise with nature-based strategies. We need to be pro- active and have this plan in place, so we can effectively address the impact of the climate crisis and our history of heavy industry along our shoreline.
Sincerely,
Nancy Parker
Resident, Marina Bay
From: [email protected]
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: "Lisa Park"; "Arthur Clinton"; "Hari Lamba"; [email protected]; "Nick Spinner, Systems Engineer | Political Advocate | Beard Enthusiast"
Subject: Sierra Club Comment Re Richmond City Council Meeting July 11, 2023, Agenda Item R3 Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 2:26:14 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Council members,
The Sierra Club urges the council to approve Agenda Item R3, Shoreline Resiliency Plan and Inventory of Toxic Sites along Richmond’s Shoreline. With sea level rise it is vital that shoreline toxic sites be identified and a plan developed for how to address the environmental impacts from sea level rise on those sites and on the health of the Bay, habitat, and wildlife. It is also important to identify the potential impacts to human health that could occur. Finally, a plan must be developed to address how to respond to sea level rise along the Richmond shoreline.
Sincerely yours,
Norman La Force,
Vice-Chair Sierra Club West County Group
From: Pam Stello
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Pam Stello
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:03:46 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
Please support Item R-3: An RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. Richmond has a 32-mile shoreline and an industrial past that has left many toxic shoreline sites. Many are documented, some are capped, but with the certainty of SLR and groundwater intrusion, we need to find and document all the sites along Richmond’s shoreline and develop a comprehensive plan to address them to protect human and environmental health. Without a Shoreline Resiliency Plan, we as a city will face the greater expense of addressing the impacts of shoreline toxics on human and environmental health as a result of SLR and ground water intrusion and possibly more complex cleanups. We need to be proactive with a Shoreline Resilience Plan in place as soon as possible, so we can effectively mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis on our shoreline toxic sites and the resulting impacts on human and environmental health.
Sincerely,
Pam Stello
Co-Chair, Point Molate Alliance
Co-Chair, Richmond Shoreline Alliance
From: Paul Carman
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: "Gayle McLaughlin"; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Cesar Zepeda; Doria Robinson; Melvin Willis
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 7:42:30 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Council Members,
Please support Item R-3 to put out an RFP for a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with the inclusion of an inventory of toxic sites along our shoreline. Over the past decades, there have been 350 facilities along the Richmond shoreline which have emitted or continue to emit toxic substances. For some of these sites, the clean-up was purportedly completed; for other sites, the clean-up is ongoing; and for still others the clean-up has not yet been begun. An inventory and status reports of all these sites combined is overdue. For areas where the remediation efforts are no longer ongoing, such as the Marina Bay Development, or the United Heckathorn superfund site in the inner harbor, people need to be reminded of what toxic substances and levels still exist there. Then there are sites where public information is difficult to obtain, the Chevron refinery itself. And of course, there is Astra-Zeneca and Campus Bay Area where on a long list of dangerous substances remain at unacceptable levels. A complete inventory available in a single repository is vital to the continued efforts to protect the people and wildlife of Richmond. Thank you very much.
Paul Carman
Richmond Resident
From: Sally Tobin
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Eduardo Martinez; Gayle McLaughlin; Claudia Jimenez; Cesar Zepeda; Doria Robinson; Soheila Bana; Melvin Willis
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:08:09 AM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Please support Agenda Item R-3, which proposes a Shoreline Resilience Plan with Inclusion of an Inventory of Toxic Sites on the Richmond Shoreline.
Sea level rise (SLR) can be controversial, raising arguments about how much or how fast or about root causes.
However, there is overwhelming acceptance that SLR is coming, and humans seem unable or unwilling to make changes that might slow its onset. Given this situation, risk assessment and preparation to protect Richmond residents and the environment is an excellent idea.
Richmond has an industrial past that has resulted in a number of severely contaminated sites. Before SLR, such sites could take many years to address. Many contaminated sites simply put a concrete cap over the toxins, assuming that humans and the environment would be protected. But with SLR, groundwater can be pushed through such sites, mobilizing toxins and sometimes washing them into existing neighborhoods and threatening the health of residents as well as the health of the Bay.
Though many such sites in Richmond have been identified and documented, now we need to find and document all the sites along Richmond’s shoreline and develop a comprehensive plan to deal with all of them. Some sites may well be located at active private businesses. We must anticipate the need for resilient shorelines that will protect human health and the Bay and the planet. So carrying out an inventory of toxic sites is a big step forward! Please support this agenda item!
Best regards,
Sally Tobin
From: Shirley Dean
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 2:16:36 PM
Importance: High
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
This is to inform you that Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) supports Item R-3 to Deevelop a Shoreline Resiliency Plan with Inclusion on an Inventory of Toxic Sites on the Richmond Shoreline.
While there are differences of opinion regarding how best to address climate change with its resultant sea level rise predictions, there is no doubt that it is occurring and will dramatically affect the future of everyone. No one argues that sea level rise is going to go away! Your actions now will be your legacy to all of the children of all races and economic backgrounds who live in the City of Richmond and beyond. It is, therefore, essential that you begin to plan now, and it is commendable that you have this chance to begin.
The City of Richmond is blessed with an extremely important shoreline. As you are aware. much of this area has been contaminated in the past. In previous meetings you have heard about the consequences of actions that simply place a concrete cap over toxic contaminated areas. This approach cannot be ignored and continued any longer. Future actions must be created on nature-based strategies.
Your approval of Item R-3 is a step in the direction of changing Richmond’s important shoreline into the magnificent area that is what it was meant to be and that it truly is. CESP stands ready to work with you and other organizations on achieving this goal. Please, adopt Item R-3 tonight.
Sincerely,
Shirley Dean, President
CESP Board of Directors
From: TARNEL ABBOTT
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: : Public Comment on Item R-3
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:50:12 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Richmond City Council Members,
I urge you to support Item R-3 as a step towards building resiliency on our shoreline. I have volunteered with the Richmond South Shoreline Area Community Advisory Group (RSS/CAG) for 25 or so years. I am extremely concerned about the health risk of toxins that remain on our shoreline. One of the worst is the Zeneca site which I live less than 1/4 mile from. 500,000 cubic yards of toxic material is buried there. Sea level rise predictions are getting worse- sea level rise will put pressure on groundwater and thus mobilize the VOCs upwards and inland. This can cause harm to humans though sewer systems.
In addition to having a plan for the City to cope with Sea Level Rise, please consider declaring a shoreline emergency due to threats of toxicity mobilization through sea level rise and ground water intrusion and consider a moratorium on housing on our shoreline areas.
Thank you,
Tarnel Abbott
From: Alice LoCicero
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments agenda item R4
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:11:53 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Thank you for accepting public comments on the Community Crisis Response Program.
As a resident of Richmond, I am very happy to learn that the City Council intends to implement alternatives to police response for situations that do not require a law enforcement presence. I am following the progress of this initiative carefully, and I want to encourage the development and implementation of a program that will reflect wisdom and care, and will be linguistically and culturally accessible to all residents of Richmond.
Thank you again for all your efforts.
--
Sincerely, Alice LoCicero
47 Sandpoint Dr
Richmond, CA 94804
Alice LoCicero, Ph.D., MBA
Board Certified Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Faculty, The Wright Institute
From: Justin Vilaysouk
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- Agenda Item: R-4
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 7:36:34 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I support the creation and implementation of the community crisis response program. I do want to emphasize that it should be accessible to all Richmond residents. It should also be placed in an environment that has the capacity to take on the program that WILL meet the needs of our community. This program will help decriminalize our people of color and will continue to create a path for more community-based solutions. The program has great significance to me because access to mental health and other basic necessities will undoubtedly improve the conditions and livelihoods of Richmond's communities, especially the most vulnerable and underrepresented ones such as mines, and would restore a strong sense of safety in the city.
From: Miguel Diaz
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments agenda item R4
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:46:16 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
As a Richmond resident, I am in support of the implementation of an alternative to the police team. I know it is important for our community to have alternatives that support all of our community members.
From: Stephanie Garcia-Avila
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments for Agenda Item R-4
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 1:42:04 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I really appreciate y’all for accepting public comments on the Community Crisis Response Program.
As a Richmond resident, I am very happy to learn that the City Council intends to implement alternatives to police response for situations that do not require a law enforcement presence. By having programs like the Community Crisis Response Program in our community, it allows the decriminalization of Black and Brown bodies that have been criminalized by an inequitable system for decades.
I am following the progress of this initiative carefully, and I want to encourage the development and implementation of a program that will reflect wisdom and care, and will be linguistically and culturally accessible to all residents of Richmond.
Thank you again for all of your efforts.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Garcia Avila
--
Stephanie Garcia-Avila (she/they)
Political Science & Education Student
Gonzaga University, Class of 2025
T: (510) 734-1421
E: [email protected]
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela
From: yaquelin valencia
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: PUBLIC COMMENTS- AGENDA ITEM: R-4
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:44:47 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Hi City council members and staff,
my name is Yaquelin Valencia and I stand with Reimagine Richmond and residents have put countless hours into researching and developing health-centered and equity-focused systems of care that promote community safety such as the Community Crisis Response Program and now is the time to move intentionally with the community at the helm.
Reimagine Richmond has used Transparent Richmond to do a general analysis of 911 calls. In that analysis, over 39% of the calls were related to traffic, mental or physical health issues, or quality of life issues such as loud music.In other words, for every call regarding gunshots or a violent offense, there were seven calls for just these categories of low-level incidents. How will CCRP focus on quality of life, health and wellbeing checks, and in which phases of program development? The CCRP can impact the failed mass criminalization system that has inflicted harm on Richmond residents, particularly Black and Brown residents. Therefore, there needs to be a racial equity lens applied when developing CCRP.
And to be clear, more than anything else, our members want and need safety. Our members want and need healing from the long history of systemic racism within the criminal legal system. Our members want the CCRP.
Thank you for your time.
--
Yaquelin Valencia
Cell: (510)932-8198
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- R.5 New Business
Date: Monday, July 10, 2023 9:53:54 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Hello Mayor Martinez, Council Members, and Staff,,
I Do Appreciate the Presentation That The City Manager
Has Made on the Accomplishments for the City.
Sincerely
Cordell