November 4, 2025
Community Development
DATE: November 4, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Nicole A. Heath, Supervising Accidental Release
Prevention Engineer, CCHS
Subject:
Annual Report for Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact for receiving this item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Pursuant to Richmond Municipal Code (RMC) Section
6.43.160, Contra Costa Health (CCH) shall provide an
annual performance review and evaluation of the
previous year’s activities related to the Richmond
Industrial Safety Ordinance (RISO). CCH is providing the annual report covering the Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) activities to the Richmond City Council.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE the 2024 Fiscal Year Annual Performance
Review and Evaluation Report from Contra Costa Health
regarding the Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance
report pursuant to Richmond Municipal Code Section
6.43.160 - Community Development Department (Lina
Velasco 510-620-6706).
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to Richmond Municipal Code (RMC) Section 6.43.160, Contra Costa Health (CCH) shall annually review its activities to implement the Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance (RISO) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the chapter in achieving its AGENDA
REPORT
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purpose and goals. The RISO specifies that the annual performance evaluation shall be provided to the City Council on or before October 31 of each year.
Specifically, RMC Section 6.43.160(b)(1)-(7) specifies that the annual performance review and evaluation shall contain the following:
(1) A brief description of how Contra Costa Health is meeting the requirements of this chapter as follows:
(A) Effectiveness of Contra Costa Health's program to ensure stationary source compliance with this chapter;
(B) Effectiveness of the procedures for records management; (C) Number and type of audits and inspections conducted by Contra Costa Health pursuant to this chapter;
(D) Number of root cause analyses and/or incident investigations conducted by Contra Costa Health;
(E) Contra Costa Health's process for public participation; (F) Effectiveness of the public information bank, including status of electronic accessibility;
(G) Effectiveness of the hazardous materials ombudsperson; and (H) Other required program elements necessary to implement and manage this chapter;
(2) A listing of all stationary sources covered by this chapter and, commencing on January 1, 2025, all tank terminals covered by this chapter, including for each:
(A) The status of the safety plan and program of each stationary source and tank terminal;
(B) A summary of all safety plan updates and a listing of where the safety plans are publicly available;
(C) The annual accident history report submitted under Section 6.43.090(e)(2) or Section 6.43.095(d)(2) of this chapter;
(D) A summary, including the status, of any root cause analyses conducted or being conducted under this chapter by the stationary source or tank terminal, including the status of implementation of recommendations; (E) A summary, including the status, of any audits, inspections, root cause analyses and/or incident investigations conducted or being conducted by Contra Costa Health pursuant to this chapter, including the status of implementation of recommendations;
(F) Description of inherently safer systems implemented by stationary sources; (G) Legal enforcement actions initiated by Contra Costa Health, including administrative, civil, and criminal actions pursuant to this chapter; (H) Process safety performance indicators reported by the stationary source as required under Section 6.43.090(a)(13)(D)(i) or safety performance indicator reported by the tank terminal as required under Section 6.43.095(a)(8)(D)(i) of this chapter;
(3) Total penalties assessed as a result of enforcement of this chapter; (4) Total fees, service charges, and other assessments collected specifically for the support of this chapter;
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(5) Total personnel and personnel years utilized by the jurisdiction to directly implement or administer this chapter;
(6) Comments from interested parties regarding the effectiveness of the local program that raise public safety issues;
(7) The impact of this chapter in improving industrial safety.
There is now one petroleum refinery in Richmond covered by the RISO, Chevron Richmond Refinery. Chemtrade West Richmond Works modified its processes and is no longer subject to the RISO.
The City of Richmond modified the RISO in October 2024 to expand process safety requirements to cover Tank Terminals not otherwise included within petroleum or renewable fuel refineries. There were a total of four (4) tank terminals covered by the RISO:
Tank Terminal Name Location
Phillips 66 Richmond Terminal 1300 Canal Blvd., Richmond TransMontaigne- Richmond Terminal 488 Wright Ave., Richmond Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals, LLC
Richmond Products Terminal
1306 Canal Blvd., Richmond
IMTT 100 Cutting Blvd., Richmond
No RISO covered facilities were subject to audit this past year. There were also no Major Chemical Accidents or Releases (MCAR) events from RISO-regulated facilities during this reporting year.
During this period, CCH Hazardous Materials Program (CCHMP) completed working with an oversight committee regarding the incident investigation of the Chevron February 9, 2021, wharf oil spill incident.
Impact of the RISO on Improving Industrial Safety
The RISO is one of four programs that work together to reduce the risk of accidental release from a regulated stationary source that could impact communities in Contra Costa County. Each of the programs is very similar in requirements. Those programs are:
• The Process Safety Management Program administered by California Occupational Safety and Health Program
• The Federal Accidental Release Prevention Program administered by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
• The California Accidental Release Prevention Program administered by CCHHMP • The Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance, also administered by CCHHMP.
The RISO was modified in October 2024 to expand process safety requirements to cover Tank Terminals not otherwise included within petroleum or renewable fuel refineries. The expansion of the RISO was a direct result of a fire at a tank terminal
November 4, 2025
located near Crockett in Contra Costa County in October 2019. The RISO modification resulted in separate RISO requirements for Tank Terminals that are different than what is required for Stationary Sources. The differences in the regulatory requirements for Tank Terminals reflects the relatively lower risk they pose to the public compared to Stationary Sources.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
The Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance aligns with General Plan 2030 Policy SN1.3 Hazardous Materials Operations which specified the City should “require safe production, transportation, handling, use and disposal of hazardous materials that may cause air, water or soil contamination. [The City should] encourage best practices in hazardous waste management and ensure consistency with City, West Contra Costa County and OSHA guidelines, standards and requirements.”
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – June 2025 RISO Report