From: C C
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Jamelia Brown; Soheila Bana; Cesar Zepeda; Eduardo Martinez Subject: City council meeting 05.27. 2025 Public comments, open forum general comments Date: Friday, May 23, 2025 7:07:29 PM
Attachments: image0.png
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.
To: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the Richmond City Council Subject: Formal Grievance – Public Safety Failures and Quality of Life Degradation Along Gaynor Avenue and 24th Street Corridor, North East Richmond
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
This letter constitutes a formal grievance and demand for immediate municipal intervention regarding the ongoing public safety hazards, environmental nuisances, and gross negligence affecting the residents of North East Richmond, particularly those residing near the 2400 block of Gaynor Avenue and the 24th Street corridor.
Despite multiple written complaints, firsthand reports, and direct data submitted to Planning and Traffic Department staff over recent years, the City has failed to implement any substantive remedial action. As a result, these conditions have escalated into a systemic quality-of-life crisis with direct consequences for the health, safety, and welfare of local residents and primary school students.
I. Chronic and Unaddressed Conditions
1. Traffic Volume and Unsafe Driving Behavior
Vehicular traffic along Gaynor Avenue peaks at rates of 10 cars per minute between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM. This volume is multiplied by at least six feeder routes into 24th Street. Despite Gaynor being a narrow, residential side street situated within two blocks of Grant Elementary School, average driving speeds frequently range between 35–50 mph, creating a substantial safety risk to children and pedestrians.
2. Criminal Activity – Drug and Human Trafficking
This corridor is now an established route for drug trafficking (starting as early as 8:00 AM) and human trafficking (beginning as early as 6:00 PM and continuing until 11:00 PM). These activities contribute to the degradation of the neighborhood and present an ongoing danger to residents.
3. Noise and Air Pollution
Independent measurements taken at 2423 Gaynor Avenue using the NOSH app have recorded noise levels between 85–110 decibels during peak evening hours, far above the 70 dB threshold identified by public health agenciesas hazardous. Vehicles with tampered or damaged exhaust systems often register 90–125 dB, and over 50% of observed vehicles fall into this range. These same vehicles emit high levels of unfiltered exhaust, which penetrates older residential structures, posing a serious health risk—especially to elderly residents with chronic pulmonary conditions.
4. Destruction of Property Due to DUI and Speeding Incidents Gaynor Avenue and surrounding intersections have become frequent sites of vehicular collisions caused by speeding and intoxicated drivers. Parked vehicles—essential to residents’ daily transportation needs—are regularly totaled or seriously damaged. The burden of repair, insurance disputes, and vehicle replacement often falls on the victims, creating a direct economic and personal hardship for working families and caregivers.
5. City Policy and Enforcement Failures
The decision to disband the Richmond Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit and to significantly reduce police funding has had predictable and dangerous results. The City Council’s stated rationale of avoiding “targeting marginalized communities” lacks empirical justification and fails to account for the actual lived experiences of affected residents. Speeding, DUI incidents, and organized human trafficking activity are now rampant along Gaynor, 24th, Garvin, and Esmond, necessitating the immediate reinstatement of focused traffic and public safety enforcement.
6. Neglect of Community Involvement and Data Offers
Community members have repeatedly offered to collaborate on low-cost studies and traffic solutions—including a citizen-conducted speed survey, which was rejected without sufficient justification. Repeated requests for traffic calming measures (such as speed bumps or raised crosswalks) have also been denied despite overwhelming local support.
II. Specific Demands for Remedial Action
To abate these ongoing hazards, I hereby demand the following urgent and budget-conscious corrective actions:
1. Installation of traffic-calming infrastructure:
Speed bumps on 24th Street between McBryde Avenue and Garvin Avenue At least two speed bumps on Gaynor Avenue between 24th and 26th Streets
2. Official designation of Gaynor Avenue as a residential, non-arterial street with appropriate traffic control infrastructure to redirect flow toward designated thoroughfares.
3. Issuance of a comprehensive public safety and crime report for this area, to be compiled and presented by Richmond Police Captain Lopez or another qualified designee, covering the previous 12 months of enforcement activity and incident data.
4. Formal written response from the City Council and/or Traffic Department that includes:
Acknowledgment of this grievance
A clear timeline for implementation of solutions
Identification of a responsible staff liaison for continued communication III. Supplemental Evidence
For your review, I have attached photographs documenting several vehicle collisions that occurred at or near the 2400 block of Gaynor Avenue.
These are only a representative few. Each was caused by a speeding or intoxicated driver and resulted major damages to multiple parked vehicles. These vehicles are not luxury items—they are critical for neighbors to commute to work, transport children to school, and attend medical appointments. The resulting insurance disputes, repair delays, and, in some cases, complete loss of reliable transportation have caused substantial and unacceptable hardship.
The City of Richmond’s continued inaction on these matters exposes it to both legal liability and justifiable public outcry. We therefore urge the Council to treat this grievance with the seriousness it demands.
1. Garvin Ave & 24th: speeding vehicle fails to stop, hit right of way driver, additionally severely damaged two parked cars.
2. Esmond Ave & 24th: DUI failsto stop, hit three parked vehicles caused major damage
3. Grandview independent: https://www.grandviewindependent.com/richmond-crime-incidents-and-offenses-april-28-may-4/ interactive map snapshot of 23rd street crime calls
4. Crime spotter: random daily crime graphic within 5 mile of Gaynor Ave & 24th
5. Gaynor Ave & 26th: suv fails to stop, pushes school us into parked truck, major damage to another parked sedan, wheelchair bound child was on bus according to mom’s social media
6. NOSH SLIM application reading: Garvin & 23rd corner taco street vendor music and generator noise measurement at 4pm (usual average weekends 4pm -11pm).
Respectfully submitted,
Claudia C.
05.23.2025
From: Daniel Barth
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment letter for today"s council meeting Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 1:10:13 PM
Attachments: 2025.05.27 Pogo Park city council letter.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.
Thank you -- I've attached it!
Daniel
--
Daniel Barth | Executive Director
he/him
510.990.2686
Mail: P.O. Box 1490 Richmond, CA 94802
www.sos-richmond.org
Neighbor Care Line 510.806.8650
Mail: SOS Richmond
P.O. Box 1490
Richmond, CA 94802
Physical: 410 S. 2nd St.
Richmond, CA 94804
(under 580 freeway)
sos-richmond.org
Neighbor care line
510.806.8650
May 27, 2025
To: City Council Members
From: Daniel Barth, Safe Organized Spaces Richmond
Re: Open Forum in favor of $3M for Pogo Park Completion of Harbour-8 Park
My name is Daniel Barth and I’m a Richmond resident and Executive Director of Safe Organized Spaces Richmond. I’m writing to my city council family about Pogo Park, and the Bigger reason why it is so important to invest in Harbour-8 Park. We’re all in this together, all of us invested in the projects that rebuild trust and restore our relationships in our neighborhoods.
I’ve lived in Richmond long enough to know that it’s all about building ourselves and each other from the struggles that we’ve gone through. I’ve seen and have been impacted by the open-air drug markets in the Santa Fe neighborhood 20 years ago, straight up to this moment now when the city is actively seeking to curb the neighborhood disorder on Macdonald Avenue in Iron Triangle neighborhood.
I’ve seen many neighborhoods in Richmond struggle and improve. I watched as Santa Fe neighborhood responded with their investment in their neighborhood’s safety and quality of life, and now SOS Richmond has been a business in Santa Fe to curb the public safety problems there. Now Macdonald Ave is high priority. Our staff steward these streets as we do in El Sobrante, and we struggle alongside North Richmond’s neighbors and in San Pablo, especially on our creeks, and we just started in Pinole’s watershed.
Neighborhood parks are the lifeline for neighborhood turnaround. I witness how our public spaces have become so much more important in the past 5 years during COVID. They are vital symbols and active environments for our quality of life.
We build on our trust bank when we meet fiercely assertive organizations like Pogo Park that are investing in our neighborhoods. They find the resources and bring them to Richmond. They employ our neighbors to play the central roles in restorative work and building the relationships that make it possible to sustain our progress.
We need to recognize that our parks are the expression of our restorative relationships for neighborhood health and safety. Our relationships with each of our neighborhoods leads us to investing in neighborhood anchors like Harbour-8 Park and the amenities we must establish, secure and sustain across Richmond.
Mail: SOS Richmond
P.O. Box 1490
Richmond, CA 94802
Physical: 410 S. 2nd St.
Richmond, CA 94804
(under 580 freeway)
sos-richmond.org
Neighbor care line
510.806.8650
We want to uplift Nevin Park and Lucas Park and Boorman Park. Our Greenway is unfinished work. North Richmond needs a reinvestment in Lucky A’s Park as we invest in Shields-Reid. I can imagine a 3rd multi-use park in North, near Gertrude and Parkway, and let’s continue to cheer
Urban Tilth’s on shining investments. We need a park in El Sobrante as much as we need to steward the creek there. These anchors are our lifeblood for neighborhood resilience.
We are very fortunate when organizations like Pogo Park bring in state and federal funding, and it’s our duty as the city’s stewards to collaborate with such investments to make these complete.
If you have not seen the new community center at Harbour-8 Park, I just had the pleasure of previewing the nearly completed building. For those who haven’t seen it yet, I’m sharing a photo of this inspiring new space—truly a neighborhood anchor that reflects our pride and our shared purpose.
Mail: SOS Richmond
P.O. Box 1490
Richmond, CA 94802
Physical: 410 S. 2nd St.
Richmond, CA 94804
(under 580 freeway)
sos-richmond.org
Neighbor care line
510.806.8650
This gymnasium-sized community center is a significant asset for Richmond, enriching the Iron Triangle neighborhood and adding bold new energy to the Richmond Greenway.
Thanks to Pogo Park’s extraordinary efforts, $25 million has been delivered to Richmond for the park. And a $3 million investment from the City will fulfill the city’s role in Richmond is moving toward a more sustainable vision for our parks—one that includes strong, community-based stewardship models worthy of our investment.
SOS Richmond enthusiastically supports this investment in public land and public infrastructure as investments in restorative relationships. Pogo Park’s stewardship model proves that when we invest in grassroots leadership and neighborhood anchors, we create a stronger, more resilient city for everyone.
Daniel Barth, executive director
Safe Organized Spaces Richmond
From: Kaelen Van Cura
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments agenda item O.1.c Establish a Biannual Report from the Richmond Arts and Culture Division Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 12:25:06 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.
As a former Arts and Culture Commissioner, I strongly support the establishment of this biannual report from the Arts and Culture Manager, which will add much needed transparency for this Division. Unfortunately, over the last several years, I noted a marked decrease in RFQs and RFPs going out, as well as fewer artists applying to City Arts grants. I believe that this biannual report iis a strong first step to getting to the issues in the Arts and Culture Division.
- Kaelen Van Cura
From: Kaelen Van Cura
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments agenda item #P4 Transbay
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 12:46:09 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 would like to add my support for the proposal to allow volunteers to create seating at bus stops. I feel like it makes sense to allow motivated individuals to do this important public service and ease the permitting process to make it happen faster. Thank you.
Kaelen Van Cura