Richmond Mayor Tom Butt has set himself up to be the spokesman for landlords in a campaign against rent control in Richmond. The jump in Richmond rents the past few years, reflecting trends in the Bay Area, has produced new calls for the progressive city council to respond with rent control and “just cause” eviction requirements. Continue reading

Issues of police accountability and use of force were a focus of conversation by the Richmond City Council and the Richmond Police Department (RPD) last night. Continue reading

Richmond Trees formed in 2011 in order to educate residents about the City of Richmond’s Adopt-A-Tree program.  Under this program, residents can fill out a form stating that they would like to have a tree planted in the landscaping strip between the street and the sidewalk in front of their home.  A city employee or volunteers then plant the tree and the resident promises to water the tree until it is established, generally for about 3 years after planting.  What a great program!  So in the summer and fall of 2011, Richmond Trees members began going door to door to encourage residents to sign up to adopt a tree.  Continue reading

The saga of Richmond's housing authority seems endless. Continue reading

Lately there has been a whirlwind of activity centered around the possible implementation of Just Cause Eviction and Rent Control ordinances in the city of Richmond.  Those of us who pay close attention to the political landscape in Richmond and the multitude of issues that it impacts including real estate, recognize the subject matter of Just Cause and Rent Control as being an old topic going back well over a decade. Continue reading

In late March I spent a significant amount of time on the phone with the owner of the apartments at 1200 & 1300 Bissell Avenue trying to convince him to hold off on or reduce his scheduled 25% rent increase on tenants there.  When we spoke there were two points that he made that I never could dispute. The first was that there was no law on the books preventing his rent increases from going through.  The second was basically the classic “everybody else is doing it” argument, he even pointed out one property in Richmond that was increasing rents by more than double his rent increase. Continue reading

Less than 2% of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers are filled by African Americans or Latinos. This diversity gap crosses gender boundaries as well, with less than 30% of these positions being held by women. The Richmond Community Foundation (RCF) is trying to change that. Continue reading

“Dear Diedre” is a recurring column on Radio Free Richmond. With life coach experience and an intimate knowledge of Richmond, Diedre Goree offers her advice to members of the community. Do you have a question for Diedre? Email [email protected]. Continue reading

When Richmond was selected as the location for the UC/LNBL expansion campus in 2012, pretty much everyone was ecstatic. The entire City had pulled together and worked hard to win the competition. The NY Times reported: Continue reading

Microbrews, sustainable resources, and an emphasis on staying local: Elevation 66 Brewing Company is the quintessential Bay Area brewery.  Continue reading