Radio Free Richmond invites guest editorials and allows community members a forum to present issues to the community.   Continue reading

From the Richmond City Clerk: Residents can save postage and time with this vote-by-mail program Contra Costa residents will find it easier to vote in the upcoming March 3rd Presidential Primary Election, as the Contra Costa Elections Office and City Clerks countywide provide convenient Vote By Mail drop off locations, prior to and on Election Day. The secure drop-off boxes will be in place at Contra Costa city halls, the county Administration Building in Martinez and some select community centers, senior centers and libraries starting the week of February 10th – just days after voters receive their permanent vote-by-mail ballots.  Continue reading

SACRAMENTO, CA – 2020 is the second year that all California vote-by-mail ballots will come with prepaid postage return envelopes and Secretary of State Alex Padilla is announcing a new social media campaign to educate voters about this change. This week also marks the beginning of vote-by-mail ballots being sent to voters for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Elections. Continue reading

At their meeting of Tuesday January 14th, the Richmond City Council voted to accept a map breaking up Richmond into six wards for the purpose of electing Councilmembers. This was the result of a Threat Letter sent to the City by Attorney Scott Rafferty demanding such action to ensure that minorities have a better chance of getting elected to the Council.  [Had the Council rebuffed that letter, a lawsuit would have ensued that could have cost the City millions of dollars with the same end result.] Continue reading

ROSE PARADE FLOAT TO HONOR RICHMOND TEEN SAVED BY LIVER TRANSPLANT Oakland Military Institute senior who faced death as baby now on her way to college Ali Tadayon Bay Area News Group   Continue reading

Radio Free Richmond invites guest editorials and allows community members a forum to present issues to the community.  TOPA (Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act) was presented to the Richmond City Council in September by Councilmember Jael Myrick.  This has been one of many controversial issues that the Council frequently visits.  The STOP TOPA side as well as Councilmember Myrick have both been invited to present issues and arguments validating their side of the issue.  Councilmember Myrick has yet to respond.  At the Council meeting of Tuesday November 19, agenda item L-3 was introduced by Councilmember Bates directing staff to determine the cost of implementing TOPA.  On the same agenda, Item L-4 was introduced by Councilmembers Myrick and Willis directing staff to cease work on TOPA.  In politics, nothing is a done deal until it’s a done deal so the lobbying will continue until the votes have been tallied. Michael Vasilas & Ilona Clark November 7, 2019 Continue reading

It’s a done deal.  It’s all over but the shouting.  There’s no going back. The City of Richmond was infected with a virus where attorneys took the California Voting Rights Initiative and turned it against the people of Richmond. Continue reading

Two weeks ago, Walnut Creek Attorney Scott Rafferty acted on the Threat Letter he sent the City demanding that Richmond stop electing members of their City Council with At Large elections.  Even though 75% of the members of the Council over the past 25 years have been minorities (with the current Councilmembers being 100% minorities), Attorney Rafferty claimed that minorities could not get proper representation on the Council unless they were elected representing districts drawn based on ethnicity. Continue reading

A series of articles were posted over the past few days delineating the resolution put before the Richmond City Council on Tuesday night (10/22/19). The resolution was approved not because the Council agreed with the arguments that Attorney Rafferty claimed in his Threat Letter. [5-Yes   1-No (Martinez)   1-Abstain (Willis)] The cost to challenge Attorney Rafferty was simply too high for a fiscally depleted city to take on.   Continue reading

An Op-Ed Piece on a Critical Issue That May Change Richmond Forever. Because this is a complicated issue, this Op-Ed is broken into multiple chapters. Chapter 1 was published on Sunday evening and Chapter on Monday morning. ATTORNEY SCOTT J. RAFFERTY FROM WALNUT CREEK IS THREATENING TO SUE RICHMOND IF THE RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL ON TUESDAY NIGHT DOES NOT AGREE TO AMEND HOW RICHMOND ELECTS MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.  CLAIMING THAT A MINORITY CANNOT GET ELECTED TO THE COUNCIL, HE’S DEMANDING THAT RICHMOND NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO ELECT COUNCILMEMBERS AT LARGE (SO THEY REPRESENT THE ENTIRE CITY).  HE IS DEMANDING THAT RICHMOND BE SEGREGATED INTO DISTRICTS THAT WILL HELP ENSURE THAT MINORITIES CAN GET ELECTED. Agenda Item I-1 on Tuesday’s Richmond City Council Agenda Continue reading