From: Daniel Barth
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Eduardo Martinez; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; Doria Robinson; Cesar Zepeda; Soheila Bana
Subject: Public Comment Item O.1
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 12:37:23 PM
Attachments: Status of SOS $1.56M_unfunded balance 10.01.2024.docx 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.
City Clerk,
Please accept this letter from Safe Organized Spaces Richmond for Agenda Item Public Comment Item O.1.
Much appreciated,
Daniel
--
Daniel Barth | Executive Director
he/him
510.990.2686
Mail: 23 Maine Ave. #16, Richmond, CA 94804
www.sos-richmond.org
Neighbor Care Line 510.806.8650
Mail: SOS Richmond
23 Maine Ave #16
Richmond, CA 94804
Physical: 410 S. 2nd St.
Richmond, CA 94804
(under 580 freeway)
sos-richmond.org
Neighbor care line
510.806.8650
October 1, 2024
To: City Council members
From: Daniel Barth, SOS Richmond
Dear City Council members,
This letter regards the reappropriation of $1M back to the Unhoused Interventions. These baseline funds are intended as a safety net that closes on the huge gap between the demand for solutions to homelessness and the lack of resources supplied by the existing H3 continuum of care.
Safe Organized Spaces Richmond has demonstrated its ability to develop a unique set of solutions that are founded on workforce development, peer engagement and lifeline support at the encampment level. Now, SOS pilots three intervention models to support unhoused Richmond residents on their journeys from tent to home:
1. The Warm Hand Wellness & Resource Centers – 4 pop-up events/week for needs assessment and peer accompaniment to services
2. 90 Day Job Readiness Program – classroom learning and work experience for workforce development
3. Empowerment Villages – emergency, transitional, and permanent housing villages for community- and peer-based living that is safe, street-level and dignified
At the current pace of SOS’s growth to deliver economies of scale, we project an available fund balance of $265,000 of its contracted $1.56M.
SOS is currently seeking permission with Community Development to secure and deliver peer accompaniment in a pilot emergency shelter village for 12+ unhoused individuals at a time.
For village start-up and 6 months of operations, assuming a commencement in January 2025, SOS’s existing personnel skills can provide $155k of onsite essential services, security and peer accompaniment support as part of its existing budget. A new SOS Workforce Coordinator and expansion of SOS’s 90 Day Job Readiness Program would more than complete the spending on SOS’s 2024-25 contract.
Assuming the dedication of $75k that has been secured from Prologis and is now being earmarked for SOS, the pilot village will have an unfunded balance of $78,000 for these 6 months of Jan-Jun 2025.
Mail: SOS Richmond
23 Maine Ave #16
Richmond, CA 94804
Physical: 410 S. 2nd St.
Richmond, CA 94804
(under 580 freeway)
sos-richmond.org
Neighbor care line
510.806.8650
Villages play a central role as proposed and accepted by City Council in the original intent of Unhoused Interventions to help meet the city's strategic visioning to address homelessness.
The down payment of $1.8M for Unhoused Interventions for addressing homelessness is an investment in reducing the costs of public safety interventions by city agencies. The one-time investments from the state are augmentations of this baseline investment in the street-level work coordinated between CORE, SOS, and CCRP to address critical public safety and public health needs. Emergency, transitional and permanent housing villages offer safe spaces will prove to be effective toward building a more enduring pathway to housing sustainability.
Sincerely,
Daniel Barth
Safe Organized Spaces Richmond
From: Ralph Payton
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Eduardo Martinez; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; Doria Robinson; Cesar Zepeda; Soheila Bana
Subject: Public Comment Item O.1
Date: Monday, September 30, 2024 4:30:58 PM
Attachments: PastedGraphic-1.tiff
Greater Richmond Interfaith Program City Council Request For Support 9.30.24.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 City Clerk -
I am aware that the City Council will be voting on appropriating some unspent funds at the Tuesday 10/1 meeting (Item O.1). Please see the attached letter from the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program requesting the Council’s consideration in the allocation of these Unhoused Intervention funds.
Thank you,
Ralph
Ralph Payton
Executive Director
Pronouns: he/him
Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP)
www.gripcares.org
September 30, 2024 Richmond City Council 440 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, CA 94804 Dear Esteemed Members of the Richmond City Council, I am writing to you on behalf of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) to formally request a $500,000 annual grant to support our Family Shelter and Food Program. As a vital community resource, GRIP has served the most vulnerable populations in Richmond for over five decades. I am aware that the City Council will be voting on appropriating some unspent funds at your Tuesday 10/1 meeting (Item O.1). I know that at a meeting in June of this year, the Council committed $1 million of these unspent funds to fill the gap in Unhoused Interventions. GRIP is working in partnership with SOS Richmond and Tiny Village Spirit in a coordinated continuum of care process. Both of these nonprofits understand GRIP’s critical role in this continuum and supports GRIP's request for $500k from this committed $1 million in unspent city funds. Current Homelessness Crisis in Richmond Recent data underscores the urgency of the homelessness situation in Richmond and across the Bay Area. According to the latest report from Contra Costa County’s 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) count, homelessness in the region has risen significantly. In Richmond alone, homelessness has surged by over 35% in the past few years. Many of these families lack access to stable shelter or essential services, increasing the need for intervention at both the local and county levels. Furthermore, food insecurity rates have spiked during this period. According to local reports, over 20% of Richmond households are food insecure, unable to provide adequate nutrition for their families. This reality places further strain on community organizations like GRIP , which operates the only publicly-funded emergency family shelter in Richmond and provides over 70,000 meals annually to low-income residents. Partnerships GRIP has developed strategic partnerships with key local organizations such as SOS Richmond and Contra Costa County’s Coordinated Outreach, Referral, and Engagement
(CORE) program to enhance its impact on addressing homelessness and food insecurity. Through its collaboration with SOS Richmond, a grassroots organization that provides street-level outreach and essential services to the unhoused, GRIP ensures that individuals in need are connected to critical shelter and support systems. Meanwhile, GRIP works closely with the CORE program, which focuses on reaching and assisting unsheltered families and individuals throughout Contra Costa County by providing referrals to shelters and social services. Together, these partnerships enable GRIP to expand its outreach, streamline service delivery, and provide comprehensive, wraparound support for the homeless population in Richmond and beyond, ensuring that more individuals and families have access to the care and resources they desperately need. Why Funding is Critical GRIP’s family shelter and food program is one of the few resources in the city providing essential, comprehensive services to unhoused families. Our shelter provides temporary housing, supportive services, and case management to help families transition from homelessness to stable, long-term housing. In 2023 alone, we sheltered more than 50 families, including over 200 children. Over 60% of our shelter families were able to find a permanent home with our help. However, the increased demand has stretched our financial resources to their limit. Our food program, which obers daily meals to those in need, has also seen a sharp rise in participants. We are now serving 40% more people than we did pre-pandemic. With inflation driving up food costs and a limited budget for operations, our program is in urgent need of financial assistance to continue meeting the community’s needs. Last year, GRIP increased the overnight shelter capacity in Richmond for single adults by opening a 25-bed Warming Center. Contra Costa County has agreed to fully fund the Warming Center year-round given the ongoing shelter need for unhoused single adults in the city. The Impact of a $500,000 Grant A $500,000 grant from the Richmond City Council will allow GRIP to maintain its shelter capacity and food services. Specifically, these funds would be used to: 1. Maintain the family shelter’s capacity by sustaining current stabing levels to ensure families with children have a safe, clean, and supportive environment. 2. Provide case management services to help families secure permanent housing, employment, and other critical services, reducing long-term homelessness and dependence on emergency shelters.
3. Increase our food distribution program to serve more families and individuals struggling with food insecurity, enabling us to purchase nutritious groceries and expand our meal services. Currently, GRIP’s annual budget is $2M and is expected increase to $2.1M next year to maintain current service levels. GRIP is presently receiving $821,000 from Contra Costa County and only $70,000 from the city through the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth. The accompanying budget will show an anticipated shortfall of $449,000 for this fiscal year and a revenue/expense gap of $549,000 for FY25, beginning in January. 63% of the FY25 gap is attributed to our Family Shelter and 30% to our Food Program. A $500,000 grant from the city would address a $346,000 shortfall for the family shelter - which would be 70% of the grant amount. The remainder would support the Food Program, which feeds our shelter families and addresses food insecurity concerns in the broader community. I want to emphasize, addressing this budget deficit would maintain our current number of shelter beds for families, not increase them. If GRIP is unable to identify a funding source for this budget deficit for next year, decreasing our family shelter capacity will have to be considered, which could correlate to an increase in unsheltered, unhoused families. In previous years, GRIP has been able to sustain our family shelter program with support from charitable foundations, but foundations that have supported us in the past and new entities that we have reached out to have increasingly informed us of a pivot to advocacy and policy support rather than operational support for services on the ground. The consensus is that they believe these types of essential services should be supported by our local municipalities. GRIP is currently receiving $400,000 annually from foundations and corporate donations, a decrease from approximately $700,000-$800,000 in previous years. Conclusion We strongly believe that investing in GRIP’s family shelter and food program is an investment in the future of Richmond. By providing immediate relief to those in crisis, we are helping to create a more equitable and resilient community. While charitable foundations have pivoted from supporting essential unhoused services in recent years, with your support, GRIP will continue to serve as a beacon of hope for families in need, ensuring that no child in Richmond goes to bed hungry or without shelter. We respectfully urge the Richmond City Council to consider our request for a $500,000 grant for these essential services. Your support would make a substantial diberence in the lives of the most vulnerable residents of our city.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to the opportunity to work together to address homelessness and food insecurity in our community. Sincerely, Ralph Payton Executive Director Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) [email protected] 510-233-2141 ext. 302
0.60665 0.2235 0.17
As of Sep 2024
Total 2024
Projection
2025 Draft
Budget Shelter
Resource
Center/Warming
Center
Food Program/
Kitchen
Revenue
4020* Individuals 40,534 45,000 45,000
4024* Member Congregation 16,731 20,000 20,000
Board Members 6,000 6,000 6,000
Century Club 6,000 6,000 6,000
4026* Religious Organizations 8,400 8,500 8,500
4028* Community Organizations 20,200 20,000 20,000
4044* Contra Costa County 821,160 821,160 371,500 417,440 32,220 Total 4046* City of Richmond 135,000 50,000 50,000
4048* Foundations/Trusts 355,000 425,000 300,000 25,000 100,000 4052* Harmony Walk, Net 37,913 50,000 50,000
Corporate Donations 50,000 50,000 50,000
4095 In-kind Donation 90,000 90,000 45,000 45,000
4214 485 Other Income 2,087 2,200 2,200
Total Revenue $1,589,025 $1,593,860 $954,200 $442,440 $197,220 Expenditures
6001* Automobile Expense 4,247 4,500 2,730 1,006 765
6002* Utilities 106,460 114,450 69,431 25,579 19,456
6007* Dues and Subscriptions 1,260 1,300 789 291 221
6010* Office Supplies 3,919 4,100 2,487 916 697
6013* Licenses and Permits 6,251 6,600 4,004 1,475 1,122 6018* Insurance 235,103 246,900 149,782 55,182 41,973
6032* Property Tax 8,006 8,400 5,096 1,877 1,428
6033* Contractual Services 128,878 135,300 82,080 30,240 23,001 6039* Repairs & Maintenance 50,952 53,500 32,456 11,957 9,095 6043 Payroll - Wages/Salaries 1,310,567 1,376,100 834,811 307,558 233,937 6055* Payroll Taxes 111,953 117,600 71,342 26,284 19,992 6061 Program Expense 62,441 65,600 39,796 14,662 11,152 6099* Harmony Walk Expenses 4,681 4,900 2,973 1,095 833 6112 617 Maintenance 199 200 121 45 34
6117* 770 Travel 2,745 2,900 1,759 648 493
6122* 704 Special Event Expense 1,068 1,100 667 246 187 Total Expenditures $2,038,730 $2,143,450 $1,300,324 $479,061 $364,386 Net Operating Gain/(Loss) ($449,705) ($549,589) ($346,124) ($36,621) ($167,166) Greater Richmond Inter-faith Program
2025 Draft Budget
From: Sally Hindman
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; Doria Robinson; Cesar Zepeda; Soheila Bana
Cc: Ralph Payton GRIP; Daniel Barth; Alison Gill; Sally Hindman; Deanne Pearn; Clare Demer Subject: Agenda Item 0.1--Letter from Tiny Village Spirit Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 3:05:43 PM
Attachments: PublicCommentAgendaItem0.1TinyVillageSpirit100124.pdf Richmond Tiny House Village Capital Budget & Sources of Funds Updated 100124.pdf Three Year Operating Budget-TVS Richmond Tiny House Village Farm and Garden 093024.xlsx 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 Martinez and Members of Richmond City Council:
Please accept the attached letter and accompanying budget items related to Agenda Item 0.1 Proposed Uses of $1 Million in Funds for Unhoused Interventions.
Thank you for your consideration.
Faithfully yours,
Sally Hindman
Executive Director, Tiny Village Spirit
October 1, 2024
To Mayor Martinez and Members of the Richmond City Council:
Tiny Village Spirit is aware that the City Council will be voting on appropriating some of the unspent funds from the last fiscal year at the meeting tonight, Item 0.1, October 1, 2024.
We understand that at a June meeting Council committed $1 million of these unspent funds to filling the gap in Unhoused Interventions. Tiny Village Spirit is working in concerted partnership with SOS-Richmond and GRIP in establishing a coordinated continuum of care program responding to the emergency shelter crisis in our community. I am writing to urge your support for our joint proposal making use of these unspent funds.
Each of the interventions proposed has been carefully thought out with significant input and involvement of the unhoused population being served, with concrete specific objectives and impact benefitting the whole Richmond community, as well as our unhoused neighbors.
Tiny Village Spirit is asking for a total of $300,000 of these unspent funds to support our work completing and operating Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm and Garden, a project already underway, approved by Council in June of last year, which will be run by Hope Solutions, in an exciting eight-agency collaboration. See attached budgets detailing this request. Of these funds, $203,721 will support Tiny Village Spirit’s $1 million in capital costs completing village construction (specifically funding our site work/utilities infrastructure build out at $93,721, wheelchair accessible village pathways at $40,000, and the village three unit restroom trailer at $70,000) and $96,279 will support first year operating costs of the village. Move-in for the village is scheduled for July 1, 2025.
As you may recall the Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm and Garden has strong neighborhood support and will double emergency housing serving homeless Richmond young people, ages 18 to 24. Eighty percent of the $1 million in capital funds needed to complete the project are being raised from other sources and so a contribution of $203,721 would serve as 20 percent of the capital costs, a reasonable contribution from the community being served.
As our attached budget describes, Tiny Village Spirit and Hope Solutions are raising the Year 1 operating costs for the Village from a combination of funds including: Richmond Fund for Children and Youth, private foundations, and Encampment Resolution Fund rental subsidies, and so a contribution of $96,279 from these City of Richmond unspent funds we hope will close the first-year spending gap.
Thank you for your consideration and commitment to ending the crisis of homelessness in the City of Richmond!
Gratefully,
Sally Hindman (she, her, hers)
Executive Director, Tiny Village Spirit
Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm, and Garden--Capital Budget & Sources of Funds Updated 10/1/24
Capital Budget*
Contractual Services and Fees (secures site/tests/contracts/policies) $ 30,000 Site Work/Utilities/Electricity/Infrastructure $105,000 Parking Lot (24 spaces) $ 50,000
Kitchen Build Out/Appliances $ 30,000
Construction Materials (13 tiny houses, including RA house) $205,000 Fence (includes mural paint and supplies) $ 30,000 Common Room Buildings/Yurts (including hook ups) $ 55,000 Landscaping/Artistic Elements $ 20,000
Pathways (wheelchair accessible) $ 40,000
Gateway/Entrances (including signage) $ 7,000
Restroom Trailer (inc. hook ups and wheelchair ramp) $ 70,000 Security System $ 20,000
Murals/Art Work $ 15,000
Murphy Beds and Furnishings (not including in-kind donations) $ 10,000 Donated Security Cabin (hook ups and improvements) $ 5,000 Project Management/Community Organizing $132,000
Total Development Costs $824,000
Contingency (@ 8%) $ 65,920
Subtotal $889,920
Administration/Bookkeeping (@ 10%) $ 88,992
TOTAL $978,912
*Assumes rounding, does not include In-Kind Volunteer Labor
Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm, and Garden--Sources of Funds Updated 08/01/24
Government Status
Contra Costa County Measure X $ 65,000 Committed
City of Richmond $203,721 In Dev
Total $268,721
Corporations
Blue Shield $ 40,000 In Dev.
Chevron Corp. Fdn. $ 50,000 In Dev.
Google $ 15,000 In Dev.
Kaiser Family Fdn. $ 50,000 In Dev.
UPS $ 25,000 In Dev.
Total $180,000
Private Foundations
Anonymous Family Fdn. $ 15,000 Pending
Barretta Family Fdn. $ 50,000 Committed
Barretta Family Fdn. $ 70,000 In Dev.
East Bay Comm. Fdn. $ 2,500 In Dev.
Entertainment Industry Fdn. $ 10,000 In Dev.
Frederick J. Isaac Fund $ 12,000 In Dev.
Walter S. Johnson Fdn. $ 40,000 In Dev.
Miranda Lux Fdn. $ 15,000 In Dev.
Red Oak Opportunity Fund $ 8,000 ½ Committed
SF Fdn. Emergency Response $ 15,000 Committed
SF Fdn. $ 75,000 In Dev.
Seelig Family Fdn. $ 5,000 Pending
Silicon Valley Comm. Fdn. $ 75,000 In Dev.
WWH Fdn. $ 5,000 In Dev.
Zellerbach Family Fdn. $ 8,000 In Dev.
Total $405,500
Religious Funders/Congreg. Gifts
Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints $ 77,000 Committed Strawberry Creek Friends Meeting $ 5,000 Committed Contra Costa Co. Midrasha $ 1,400 Committed
Other Congreg. Gifts $ 7,600 1/5 Comm.
Total $ 91,000
Individual Gifts
Diane Wilsey $ 12,000 In Dev.
Elaine Hooker & Herrick Jackson $ 12,000 In Dev.
boona cheema $ 5,000 Committed
GoFundMe $ 15,000 Pending
Robert Seelig $ 1,000 Committed
Other Individual Gifts $ 9,779 ½ Committed
Total $ 54,779
Grand Total $1,000,000
Tiny Spirit Village‐ Richmond
EXPENSES
Personnel
CY25 (9 mo of
salaries, 6
month other
costs) CY26 CY27
Three year
total
.05 Program Director 8,333 6,500 6,760 21,593 .125 Program Manager 7,500 10,400 10,816 28,716 .5 FTE Village Manager 25,500 35,360 36,774 97,634 .5 FTE Case Manager 25,500 35,360 36,774 97,634 1 FTE Resident Ass't 33,750 46,800 48,672 129,222 subtotal salaries 96,938 134,420 139,797 371,154 taxes/benefits (23%) 22,296 30,917 32,153 85,365 subtotal personnel 119,233 165,337 171,950 456,520 Program Expenses
youth program incentives 1,800 1,854 1,910 5,564 case management expenses 4,500 9,270 9,548 23,318 subtotal program 6,300 12,978 13,367 32,645 Operating Expenses
Site security trainees stipends sub (@$18*24hours*365) 78,840 162,410 167,283 408,533 Site security supervision contract (@$25/hr x 500 hours +23% fringe) 7,625 15,708 16,179 39,511 Cleaning and sanitizing 4,420 9,105 9,378 22,904 Site maintenance and stability 12,500 25,750 26,523 64,773 security deposit 3,000 6,180 6,365 15,545 maintenance/repairs 6,000 12,360 12,731 31,091 Youth work stipends (@$18/hr x6 x3hrs/wk x46weeks) 7,452 29,808 29,808 67,068 Insurance 4,750 9,785 10,079 24,614 subtotal operating 124,587 271,106 278,345 674,038 Adminstrative/Overhead (10%) 25,012 44,942 46,366 116,320 Total Budget 275,132 449,421 463,662 1,163,203
SOURCES
Rental subsidies at $800 per unit (from ERF grant) 28,800 115,200 115,200 259,200 RFCY (40%) 110,053 179,768 185,465 475,286 To Be Raised 136,279 154,452 162,997 453,729 Prospective Funding
Miranda Lux Foundation 15,000 15,000
Entertainment Industry Foundation 15,000 15,000 Bernard Wilkin Foundation 10,000 10,000
Total Prospective Funding 40,000 40,000
City of Richmond Unspent Funds Request 2024/25 96,279 413,729 From: Diana Wear
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment Item P.4
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 7:47:32 AM
Attachments: RGBND ltr of support 10.1.24 email.docx
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.
October 1, 2024
To: Esteemed Mayor and Richmond City Council
Subject: Public Comment Item P.4
My name is Diana Wear and I serve on the Economic Development Commission. A Subcommittee of our commission reviewed the Richmond Green-Blue New Deal (RGBND) Opportunities Report and we strongly endorse this report. We urge you to adopt its recommendations and identify capacity-building resources to start the projects.
The RGBND has the promise of transforming Richmond’s economy, workforce, and environment. These projects will fulfill national and state priorities of transitioning to clean renewable energy, eliminating waste, and electrifying our homes and businesses. This will result in a healthier, more prosperous and more beautiful Richmond. RGBND could revitalize port operations and re-animate our manufacturing legacy. The RGBND has the potential to create hundreds of green-blue jobs that uplift Richmond residents.
Richmond has a long industrial history of hosting large employers that manufactured explosives, chemicals, petroleum products, railcars, automobiles, and ships. This industrial legacy brought jobs and infrastructure to the city but also left enduring pollution. The burden of soil pollution at many brownfield sites is compounded by air pollution from stationary and mobile sources that contribute to respiratory and other diseases, giving a compelling reason to speed the Just Transition to a clean-energy, zero-waste future.
The RGBND Opportunities Report provides a menu of green-blue jobs projects in renewable energy, building electrification, sustainable transportation, zero waste, green infrastructure and urban forestry, land use, and water. Potential funders from the public and private sectors -- federal and state governments, philanthropy, private financial entities, etc. – are interested in investing in projects in communities like Richmond. They are waiting for details about which projects the city and community would like to pursue and be open to hearing details about what Richmond needs to implement them. Capacity building to develop grant proposals and business plans is the next step for Richmond to pursue.
Commissioners of the EDC are excited about the opportunities outlined in the RGBND Opportunities Report that will expand our tax base which will in turn be invested in the local community.
Like building the WWII Victory ships, Richmond can again take pride in being the center of excellence for fulfilling a critical national purpose. This report provides a blueprint for building a just, equitable, resilient, and sustainable future for Richmond…a future that Richmond deserves.
We appreciate the Richmond City Council’s leadership on this topic and encourage the City Council to adopt recommendations in this report to catalyze work that protects and enhances the community, environment, and economy for current and future generations.
Note: this email will also be delivered to the City Council on 10/1/2024.
From: EDWARD THOMPSON
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments - Agenda Item P.4
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 9:39:55 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 Richmond City Councilmembers,
The standing subcommittees of the Economic Development Commission - Planning, and Community Engagement reviewed the Richmond Green-Blue New Deal (RGBND) Opportunities Report. We strongly endorse this report and urge you to adopt its recommendations and identify capacity-building resources to start the projects.
The RGBND has the promise of transforming Richmond’s economy, workforce, and environment. RGBND projects will fulfill national and state priorities of transitioning to clean renewable energy, eliminating waste, and electrifying our homes and businesses. This will result in a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous and more beautiful Richmond. RGBND could revitalize port operations and re-animate our manufacturing legacy. The RGBND will create at least hundreds if not thousands of new high-road green-blue jobs that uplift Richmond residents.
These expected benefits enable Richmond to meet strategic goals established by the City Council. Execution of the RGBND will materially contribute to the achievement of the following goals.
Improving the quantity and quality of housing, especially low-income housing, and reducing homelessness
Increasing revenue and improving economic development
Improving the quality of life, community health, and social determinants of health
Addressing shoreline issues and ecological sustainability Like building the WWII Victory ships, Richmond will take pride in being the center of excellence for fulfilling a critical national purpose. This report provides a blueprint for building a just, equitable, resilient, and sustainable future for Richmond…a future that Richmond deserves.
/s/
Don Thompson,
Commissioner,
Richmond Economic Devlopment Commission
From: Kathleen Wimer
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Eduardo Martinez; Claudia Jimenez; Doria Robinson; Cesar Zepeda; Gayle McLaughlin; Soheila Bana; Melvin Willis
Subject: Subject: Agenda Item P 4
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024 4:21:18 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.
I urge you NOT to adopt this recommendation which stipulates that appointees to city boards and commissions include no more than 35% members who may be political affiliates. This smacks a whole lot of McCarthyism. "Are you now or have you ever been ...?" We are not going there either in electing our mayor and city council members to the nonpartisan offices they hold; nor are we going there with respect to the nonpartisan, volunteer service Richmond voters contribute to the operation of our fair city through their participation on boards and commissions.
Our elected city officials hold responsibility for appointing volunteers to boards and commissioners. The Mayor suggests appointments for council concurrence. If council members object to someone the mayor nominates for membership, they are free to register their objection and attempt to persuade other council members to vote with them on appointments.
That's the system we have, and it's a fine system. It permits council members the authority to exercise judgement and makes their role regarding any given appointment transparent. Item P 4 would circumscribe the option council members have regarding nominations to boards and commissions.
Kathleen Wimer
518 Tremont Avenue
Richmond, CA
510-230-4600