City Council Updates
The Richmond City Council is set to weigh a subpoena against Chevron over tax audit noncompliance, consider a summer Ciclovia-style open streets pilot, and debate tripling fireworks fines in fire-prone zones as part of a wide-ranging April 22 agenda that also includes military equipment oversight, capital spending reforms, union disputes, and a series of ceremonial proclamations and public safety contracts.
Crude calculations: Richmond presses Chevron for tax transparency
The City of Richmond is preparing to issue a legislative subpoena to compel Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to hand over financial records related to its 2025 business license tax payment after what city officials described as repeated failures by the oil giant to cooperate with audit requests.
According to an April 22 agenda report, the City Manager’s Office, with support from outside legal counsel, recommends that the Richmond City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the subpoena. The city argues that Chevron’s lack of compliance has obstructed its ability to verify the accuracy of tax payments under Measure U. This voter-approved ordinance updated Richmond’s business license tax structure.
Chevron reportedly made two payments toward its 2025 business license tax — one in December 2024 and a second “true-up” payment in April — but has not fully responded to the city’s requests for supporting documentation.
“Chevron has failed to meaningfully respond to multiple requests,” the report states, calling the subpoena necessary to determine whether the corporation has underpaid its taxes.
Creating safe spaces for walking, bicycling, and activities
Richmond could soon join the growing number of cities around the world embracing open streets events, as Councilmember Claudia Jimenez is proposing a pilot Ciclovia project for summer 2025.
The proposal calls for staff to develop a design, budget, and implementation plan to temporarily close selected city streets to vehicle traffic, allowing for cycling, walking, and community-centered activities.
According to the agenda report, Ciclovias are events that “temporarily close streets to automobiles to provide safe spaces for walking, bicycling, and other social activities.” Originating in Bogotá, Colombia, in the 1970s, the concept has since expanded globally, with local adaptations such as San Francisco’s “Sunday Streets,” which launched in 2008.
If approved, Richmond’s pilot event would require coordination with transit agencies like AC Transit to reroute buses, identify suitable streets — potentially those tied to ongoing or completed improvement projects — and solicit public input. Options for engagement include workshops, surveys, or collaboration with neighborhood councils and community organizations.
Increasing fines for fireworks in high fire hazard zones
Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana is proposing triple fines for illegal fireworks in areas designated as High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones to reduce wildfire risk and improve public safety.
The item, set for discussion at the April 22 City Council meeting, would direct the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance amending the city’s municipal code. The amendment would specifically target fireworks-related violations in high-risk fire zones.
According to the proposal, illegal fireworks can ignite fires that spread rapidly through dry vegetation and nearby structures, leading to property damage, displacement, and environmental harm. The measure argues that increased fines would serve as a stronger deterrent, especially during high-risk periods like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.
The proposed ordinance would amend Chapter 11.05 of the Richmond Municipal Code. The financial impact is expected to be limited to the staff time required to draft the amendment.
From Christmas to New Year’s: tracking fireworks and gunfire in Richmond
To keep you up-to-date on firework and celebratory gunfire issues in the city and your neighborhood, The Grandview Independent has created an interactive map of calls for service regarding fireworks and gunshots, organized by Richmond City Council Districts.
Soren Hemmila
ROCK’s representation
Held over from last week is an appeal by the Richmond Police Officers Association (RPOA) regarding the Unit Determination for Community Intervention Specialist, and to make a final determination regarding the bargaining unit.
The police union is appealing a decision by the city’s Human Resources Department to assign the new role to SEIU Local 1021, the city’s general employees union. The position is part of the city’s Community Crisis Response Program ROCK (Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness), which aims to redirect certain non-violent, low-level emergency calls away from traditional police response.
On the agenda: union clash, pension debate, and flood fixes
Richmond’s efforts to reshape public safety, tackle mounting pension debt, and address long-standing infrastructure woes are set to converge at Tuesday, April 15 meeting where a union dispute over the city’s community crisis response program, a $392 million pension liability, and the future of flood-prone Parchester Village will take center stage.
Soren Hemmila
Military equipment use annual report
The council will receive the 2024 Annual Military Equipment Report and determine if the police department’s use of military equipment complied with the military equipment policy and state law. Staff recommends the council review and adopt a resolution accepting the 2024 Military Equipment Annual Report and renew the authorizing ordinance to ensure that the Richmond Police Department will have access to each of its existing pieces of qualifying equipment.
Richmond utilizes a range of military equipment defined by state regulations, including small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and SWAT robots for aerial and ground reconnaissance. The city also has a Mobile Command Vehicle designed to direct public safety operations.
The Richmond Police Department’s inventory also includes breaching shotguns, patrol rifles classified as specialized firearms under .50 caliber, flash-bang noise-flash diversionary devices and explosive breaching tools, chemical agents such as tear gas and OC munitions (excluding standard pepper spray), and kinetic energy weapons like 40mm launchers and bean bag shotguns.
Rethinking capital improvement spending
Richmond city staff are updating the Capital Improvement Program and addressing budget shortfalls in existing projects, with 95 projects currently underway and 24 already completed. The city is also developing a plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26, including a list of unfunded project requests, and proposing a new weighted criteria system to prioritize capital projects. This initiative follows a recent allocation of $4,571,504 to the CIP from unspent funds. The prioritization framework will weigh factors such as equity, required work, readiness, environment, economics, quality of life, safety, housing, plan implementation, and collaborations to score project requests.
On the consent calendar
Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda will lead a proclamation honoring Jean Carney, Richmond’s longest-serving employee, for 41 years of dedicated service.
Mayor Eduardo Martinez will proclaim April as American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month, acknowledging the contributions and presence of Muslim Americans in Richmond. Councilmember Soheila Bana will also present a proclamation in honor of Mansour Taeed and Shahrzad Khorsandi—co-founders of Central Stage—for their role in preserving and promoting Iranian American art and culture during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The council will consider a resolution authorizing the West Contra Costa Integrated Solid Waste Authority (RecycleMore) to enter into a new post-collection agreement beginning July 1. The agenda also includes approval of a $14,000 purchase by the Fire Department for an Emergency Rail Kit to improve response to hazardous material incidents.
The Police Department will accept $90,412 from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for police safety equipment and seek approval for an additional $50,000 in its contract with Oliver’s Tow, Inc., increasing the total to $95,000 through the end of 2025.
From the Mayor’s Office, Bruce Brubaker is slated for reappointment to the Planning Commission through June 2026, while Madiha Qader will be reappointed to the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth Oversight Board through December 2026.
Public Works will present a written abatement report and seek Council approval to adopt the final Richmond Parkway Transportation Plan. A significant construction agreement with Calico California Constructores, Inc. is also on the agenda—valued at over $2.5 million for the Soccer Fields-Restrooms-Parks Project at Shields-Reid Park.
A preliminary engineering agreement with BNSF Railway Company is up for approval as part of the city’s Transformative Climate Communities Wellness Trail Phase 2 project, and a $15,000 contract with RDO Equipment Co. will cover repairs to a city tree chipper.
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