State of the City Address, January 2009
(presented at January 27, 2009 Richmond City Council Meeting by Mayor McLaughlin)
Good Evening. I am honored to share with you tonight the State of the City address in 2009 here in our city of Richmond California.
To begin with, I want to honor the joy, pride, and the willingness to act that was felt in Richmond with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The election of our first African-American president, while serving all Americans, represents the significant contributions and advances that African-Americans have made in our country over centuries. It represents the advances that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and so many before and after him have dreamt about and acted to achieve.
We are living in a new era of responsibility, as President Obama has profoundly stated, and we are also on a new journey of discovery. We are on a magnificent and exciting journey to discover the true essence of our humanity - our true human connection to one another. Yes we can find it throughout the world and yes we can find it right here in Richmond!
The State of our City in 2009 remains sound. We have emerged from a roller coaster of a year. 2008 had it share of ups and downs, but we most definitely ended the year with transformational accomplishments.
First let’s look at some of the overall challenges.
In Richmond we are unfortunately seeing homes foreclosed upon and boarded up. Many of our neighborhoods are struggling to keep their integrity.
The cost of putting food on our tables has increased and paychecks have decreased.
California is struggling with its budget and slashing basic services while our tax dollars are flowing into financial institutions and our schools are being threatened with closure.
Too many of our soldiers are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, and billions of tax dollars go to fund these illegal wars we should not be involved in. Countless lives were lost most recently by the horrific violence in Gaza and many more were wounded and traumatized.
We also know that global warming threatens our very survival on the planet if we fail to find solutions swiftly and effectively.
This is the context of the world in which we find ourselves. We have a choice of whether to be passively impacted by the problems around us, or to actively implement solutions.
We are indeed living in a historic era. Although fraught with new and on-going difficulties, our journey to better lives is one that must be built on the grassroots efforts of community organizing and community development.
2008 was a landmark year in this regard.
I believe 2008 will be remembered as the Year of Environmental Justice in Richmond. We saw some of the strongest and most profound community mobilizations that Richmond has ever experienced. Our local environmental justice community mobilized like never before, making it clear that they will not sit on the sidelines while decisions get made for them in terms of our air quality and our public health. Phrases like “cap the crude” became household terms for Richmond residents. While the oil refining industry pushed with its interests, community groups like the Richmond Alliance for Environmental Justice, Communities for a Better Environment, West County Toxics Coalition, and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network pushed back, letting it be known that decades of pollution must be turned around in Richmond, demanding that their voices be heard and that strict and verifiable regulations be set up in terms of proposed oil refining projects. This mobilizing effort is far from over. The environmental justice community knows it has raised the issue of justice for Richmond to a new level of consciousness. We have turned a corner, a great corner, for Richmond and there is no reversing course. A healthier Richmond most definitely remains the expectation of our communities.
2008 was also an election year. While we saw some of the worst of Richmond politics in action with moneyed interests leading the way, we also saw some of the best of Richmond politics in play, raising new ideas and vision and concluding in some phenomenal victories. We enter 2009 with a new and smaller city council, welcoming back Councilmembers Tom Butt and Nat Bates, and we are honored to have seated our new Councilmember Jeff Ritterman. I believe our current City Council will present positive opportunities for us all and I look forward to working with each and every councilmember.
We have also emerged from our local elections with the momentous passage of Measure T. Measure T will bring millions of dollars of new revenue into the city annually for services, programs and better opportunities for our youth.
Measure T, more than anything else, is a pathway to recovery. While our nation is clearly in the midst of difficult economic times, we must see our challenges as opportunities, and in Richmond we have the opportunity to show what a real recovery effort is all about. I consider it a privilege and a responsibility to make sure that we put resources not only into better services for today, but that we look to the future of our city, by investing in our youth and by creating a city based on principles of economic justice. Because our challenges have persisted for so long…and because we understand better than many cities what economic distress is all about, we can and must model to other cities what a city in recovery looks like. We must be determined to reverse the enormous economic disparity in Richmond.
Residents have given me input for the use of Measure T funds that includes helping our schools, creating green jobs, job training, youth programs such as teen programs at the library, and the ever-popular, urgent request to provide funds to complete restoration of The Plunge, making it the greenest public swimming pool in the nation. And these are just a few of the great ideas people have been suggesting. The City Council will make the final decisions on this year’s measure T funds during our 2009/10 budget hearings in May and June. I invite all residents to weigh in on the discussion for best use of these funds.
In addition to collecting Measure T funds, we need to emphasize the importance that the city receives all the taxes due, be it from Measure T, from the utility users tax, from property or any other tax. We have seen how giants of industry in Richmond have repeatedly tried to shirk their responsibility of tax payment. This is not acceptable. We, the people of Richmond, expect large taxpayers to pay their taxes the same as our working families pay theirs.
So… here we are entering 2009 with social, environmental, and economic justice lighting our way and with great momentum from our local work in 2008.
Pathways to Peace
Our first and highest priority of this year continues to be creating Pathways to Peace. It is my pleasure and privilege to announce that we have experienced a positive change in our overall crime rate. Homicides, in particular, were down over 40% in 2008, compared to the year before. While we will never be satisfied until we eliminate all violence in Richmond, this is a significant movement in the right direction. The entire community—dozens of organizations, businesses, and non-profits, thousands of caring residents and all city staff—can and should take credit for this welcome result. At the same time, I attribute the reduction in violence to some specific efforts and initiatives: the day to day operations of our Police Department, the Office of Neighborhood Safety’s street outreach and peacekeeping program launched last April, and to the many community and neighborhood groups and teams that have spread the message of peace, alternatives to violence, and crime prevention throughout our city. In addition, the significant job training efforts, especially our green jobs program, and downtown revitalization projects have played an important role.
We must continue the momentum, however, and not let up. Sadly, last Friday, January 23, Richmond had its first fatal shooting of the year when 15-year old Cameron Russell fell victim, allegedly at the hands of a 16-year old, though it has not yet been determined if it was deliberate. Yesterday another teenager, 16-year old Aaron Beltran, was found shot to death. The perpetrator is unknown. Such tragic and senseless acts of children being killed in our city must be stopped. I will close the Council meeting tonight in memory of Cameron Russell and Aaron Beltran and my heart goes out to their friends and families.
Although violent crime is down overall, it is important to note that one type of crime that increased slightly in 2008 was rape. Recently, we experienced a horrendous sexual assault hate crime in Richmond. The victim was a young woman in our community who thankfully had the courage to report the crime and the Police have apprehended all four suspects. It is significant to mention that the community has rallied strongly in support of this victim, making it clear that we in Richmond stand together to state that hate crimes and sexual assault are unacceptable in our city, and that we welcome people of all races, creed, cultures, and sexual orientation.
I also want to inform the community that efforts are underway for creating neighborhood-based support groups for families who have been impacted by local violence. My office is involved in this effort and is working with Mothers Against Senseless Killing (MASK), Frontline Richmond and the county to train facilitators to lead these Healing Circles of Hope support groups. It is essential that we heal as a community. Families who have suffered losses from local violence are eager to support and empower one another and turn their pain to power so as to spread the message of non-retaliation and peace to others throughout the community.
As we move into this new year, we have opportunities to expand the services of the Office of Neighborhood Safety thanks to some new grant funding. In addition to increasing the scope of its street outreach teams, ONS will be focusing its efforts strongly in 2009 on re-entry services for those returning to the community from incarceration. ONS will continue its fruitful collaboration with local organizations engaged in street outreach, such as Bay Area Peacekeepers, the Street Peace Ambassadors program of Neighborhood House of North Richmond, and Dr. Joseph Marshall’s Alive and Free initiative with the Omega Boys Club of San Francisco. As a newly funded project for 2009, ONS is working out terms of a partnership with local hospitals to gain access to gunshot victims in order to deter as swiftly as possible the impulse for retaliation.
As I’ve already mentioned, in order to continue our crime reduction we need to focus on jobs. Through our Employment and Training Department, our Richmond Build program in partnership with Solar Richmond and other non-profits has shown itself to be a model of solar installation training and has received many awards of recognition as well as national and international publicity. This training is providing new horizons to many who have emerged from challenging backgrounds and are turning their lives around.
Finding ways to expand youth jobs in particular is important for violence prevention. Our Richmond Summer Youth Employment Program will be providing hundreds of youth with work experience once again this summer, and I have plans to meet with Employment and Training staff to identify ways to further guide the energies and tap into the interest of young people with public service jobs year-round.
Greening for our City
I’d like now to talk a bit about our ongoing process of “greening our city.”
Our city staff Green Team with representation from my office has recommendations for the Council to consider which include a Styrofoam ban; efforts to make sure Richmond Sanitary Service cooperates as effectively as possible with waste management and recycling services; and the creation of a new preferential purchasing policy for the city.
As of a couple years ago, we had no staff working exclusively on environmental matters. We now have two staff members working exclusively on environmental matters, along with an intern, in the City Manager’s office. I want to thank this small, but effective environmental staff. With the efforts of the City of Richmond Environmental Sustainability Team and the Green Team, the city is making great strides. We are most definitely en route to eventually have a Richmond Department of the Environment to overcome the decades of environmental degradation to which our environment and our communities have been subjected.
It’s also significant that this year we will be finishing our updated GENERAL PLAN with its emphasis on health, sustainability, climate change, smart growth, and equity. It is important that we watch every development proposal that comes forward to make sure that it advances this vision.
I want to also thank my Environmental Justice and Health Task Force for the ongoing advisory role it plays in helping me sort through the myriad of challenges that we face environmentally. We look forward to another great year of both brainstorming ideas and bringing educational speakers to our meetings to dive further into exploring our challenges and their solutions.
In addition to our city efforts, one of the great efforts underway is the regional greening effort of which Richmond is a part, the East Bay Green Corridor Partnership. While 2008 was the year of conceptualizing for the Corridor, 2009 is slated to be the year that begins the implementation of joint projects. Many ideas regarding how to market the corridor have emerged from the planning process, highlighting that one of Richmond’s greatest assets is available land for new and expanding green businesses. Included in these plans is the idea of sharing model pilot programs. For example, Richmond is offering the solar thermal rebate program, which was passed last week by the City Council to promote the installation of solar thermal equipment for heating water in homes and businesses, and which also requires at least one graduate from our solar training program be employed in each installation.
I’ve recently met with Mayor Bates of Berkeley and Mayor Dellums of Oakland, and there is much excitement about our collaborative planning for 2009. An upcoming gathering of all the corridor principals and key staff is scheduled for early February to chart our course going forward. I’ll look forward to updating the Council and the community as plans come together and as we further the effort to make the East Bay the economic engine of the burgeoning green economy.
On the LOCAL green business front, we have a couple of efforts underway.
- We are working on the idea of a Green Expo in Richmond to promote and expand green business development in our city.
- We are working with a non-profit to set up Green Bus Tours of Richmond to showcase our green businesses, our solar training program, as well as solar installations and green buildings throughout the city.
Of course Greening Our City also means grassroots volunteer efforts and that includes those committed volunteers and advocates for the Bay Trail, the Greenway, community gardens and local food coalition efforts. This past MLK Service day turned out hundreds of volunteers at our incredible Richmond Greenway who participated in the growing of produce, herbs, and native plants. Soon we will be entering Phase 2 construction of the Greenway extending this pedestrian and bike pathway providing more opportunities for recreation and healthy living.
I want to also make note of the many non-profits that are teaming up with City staff to work on the Groundwork Richmond project. This is a project that is helping bring funds and organizational framework to grow and expand grassroots sustainability projects throughout Richmond. Ideas are unfolding and include planting an urban forest to help sustain our planet and employ our youth.
Unity
Earlier in this address, I referred to 2008 as the Year of Environmental Justice. Now let me say that I believe 2009 will be the Year of Unity.
There are so many ways we can and are building on our unity, while respecting and honoring our diversity.
Standing together to save our West County schools has unified school communities and cities. I encourage everyone to continue to join together to find solutions and bring forward the needed pressure on the state to make sure our schools are not shuttered.
Another way of advancing unity is through our city festivals, which become more important than ever in these difficult times. Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo, and the Homefront Festival help us build community pride and joy as we learn from historic struggles and efforts.
Our community unity is enriched and inspired by Arts and Culture projects and events--the creation of the beautiful mural on Macdonald and 8th Street is a great example.
My office, as always, will be organizing events as well in 2009. We are currently working with numerous local organizations to plan the 2nd annual Richmond International Women’s Day event on March 7 at DeJean Middle School. Later in the spring, we will be holding our 2nd annual Youth event, and more details will be forthcoming about that as they firm up. This year’s youth theme will be social justice and unity, as we continue to carve out a place for youth leadership to help steer our city and our society to a better place.
In building our unity, we stand firmly for the rights of immigrants in Richmond. We continue to oppose ICE raids and reaffirm the commitment of the City of Richmond to not cooperate with ICE. My office continues work within a regional coalition to bring Municipal IDs to Richmond so that everyone can access essential services within our city. We are all made stronger by inclusion. Unifying in our diversity enriches us all.
City Projects to better serve our community
Coming together as a community is further enhanced by the many City projects that are unfolding to better serve the community, and we have some key City projects coming into fruition this year. In March the move back to our historic Civic Center in the heart of the city will begin --- by June both City Hall and the City Council Chambers will be back in our historic home between Macdonald and Barrett at 27th Street. A grand re-opening celebration is being planned for September once we’re all settled in and operating fully in our renovated historic Civic Center.
There are many other accomplishments and ongoing efforts that deserve recognition as we enter this new year.
For example:
-- Our beautiful Macdonald Ave. downtown area continues to be restored and revitalized.
-- Nevin Park has been rejuvenated and there will be a grand opening on Jan 31st, this coming Saturday. I hope to see all of you there!
-- A beautiful senior housing development--Trinity Plaza--was completed across from Nevin Park. This is an example of a model collaboration between the City’s Redevelopment Agency and the Richmond Labor and Love Community Development Corporation, a partnership initiated by leaders in the faith community.
-- We are collaborating with partners on the NURVE project seeking out creative ways to help shape this incredible vision of a sustainable smart growth and shared use development project near transportation.
-- Efforts to clean up our city continue to press forward. Our anti-graffiti program and One Block at a Time program, through the City Manager’s office, have yielded welcome results and more volunteers are encouraged and needed. Code enforcement has been stepped up throughout the city, making sure that vacant buildings, owned by banks and businesses, either clean up their properties or face high fines.
-- City staff and non-profits are working hard to help homeowners hold on to their homes and avoid foreclosures through informational workshops and mediated efforts with lenders.
-- The RYSE youth center near Macdonald and 41st Street is in operation, giving our young people a safe place to explore ideas, learn, create projects and hold events in our city.
-- And after over a year of research and deliberation by an ad hoc committee coordinated through my office with participation from dedicated volunteers of the Richmond Responsible Antenna Placement committee, the City Council is soon to be voting on a revised Wireless Communication Facilities Ordinance ensuring an open and transparent public process with clear guidelines for the placement of cell towers and wireless facilities. This ordinance is likely to be a model for other cities as well.
So many positive steps have been taken in 2008…..so many more will be taken in 2009.
With that, I want to conclude this state of the city address with some final reflections on our future.
We have entered a new era with an awakened hope throughout out nation. It is in that spirit of hope that we continue our work on a local level creating local solutions for our cherished city of Richmond.
This is the time to turn division into dedicated unity
To turn our pain into collective healing
To turn our fear into unwavering strength
This is the time to stand and implement all our values.
Let us bring health, prosperity, and well-being to Richmond, not only in word but in deed. For those not familiar with our Richmond, let us give visitors and newcomers a fresh understanding of what we, the people of Richmond, are all about.
Let us continue to live life in Richmond as the beautiful miracle that it truly is. Let us be each others’ compasses in finding our way to brighter and brighter days. And let us give to ourselves and each other strength, love, and mutual support.
I remain honored to continue to serve as mayor to all the residents of our city. As always on Fridays, at the Whittlesey Community Room, between 5:30 and 6:30 I hold weekly Meet with the Mayor sessions and invite all to attend and share your ideas and concerns to help further our collective journey.
In the context of a changing world a united Richmond can light up the way to transforming the urban experience…if only we hold high our burning passion for change with pride and joy in each and every step we take!
I want to deeply thank you for continuing to make Richmond the city that it is, a city of unlimited possibilities!!
