Cherry red walls draped in dark green foliage, the smell of sizzling fried fish, and enough hot sauce to go around — Boulevard Fish & Barbeque has the staples of a classic fried fish joint. But there’s something a little different about this place. Depending on what you’re looking for in a restaurant, Boulevard either has the perfect fast food, or is seriously lacking in attention to detail. Continue reading

Every week Radio Free Richmond highlights events in the city. Here is what's happening from March 27th through April 2nd. Continue reading

What are the rules regulating the Richmond Police Department's new body cameras? And how are they actually used by officers? We answer these questions and more in part two of our podcast on body cameras: "Policy versus Practice" Continue reading

Richmond needs district elections like California needs rain.  Continue reading

The Richmond City Council last night considered rebuilding the Martin Luther King Jr. Center on the city’s south side. The prospect drew great interest from the public and from Councilmembers, but when and how the project might break ground remains uncertain. Continue reading

A study session last night on the prospect of district elections ended without action by the City Council. Council Member Nat Bates moved to table the issue, and it passed on a 6-0-1 vote with the author, Vice-mayor Myrick abstaining. Continue reading

If money were the only consideration, DMC would have closed years ago. Its financial challenges are no different than they have been. Hospitals close all the time; however, except for rural hospitals, there are usually other hospitals in the community to pick up the slack. So when Los Medanos closed, Sutter Delta was just down the road; the community still had a hospital and most of the medical staff was intact. The situation in West County is different, and everyone knows it. That’s why there’s a reluctance to see it close. DMC is not just the only public hospital in West County, it’s the ONLY hospital except for a Kaiser facility that has to take anyone who shows up in the emergency room, but is not open to the public for anything else. Continue reading

At the March 17th City Council meeting, the city council approved up to $50K for a budget for the Youth Council.   There was a sample budget included. The great majority of this money in this sample budget does not come direct to the Youth Council for discretionary spending, but rather it addresses specific needs of youth for staff support, leadership training and technical assistance that are unique to preparing the youth to effectively and responsively work as a youth leadership body. It does provide a fund of about $10k to carry out a meaningful project or event focused on youth issues and engagement each year. Half of that could indeed go for the cost of renting the Auditorium so the remaining 5,000 dollars for planning an annual event is not much indeed.     Continue reading

Dear Ms. Velasco,   My wife and I attended and spoke before the Richmond Planning Commission on Thursday March 19, 2015. Along with most of the audience we were there to express our concerns about agenda item 4, the form based code proposed as part of the Richmond Livable Corridors project. Specifically, we are concerned and outraged at inclusion in the TN4 Transect zone of areas beyond the main commercial arteries, extended into our quiet residential neighborhood. It was for these reasons and others that over twenty speakers spoke their disapproval of these proposals. Not one person spoke in favor of the newly introduced rezoning and it is unlikely they will in the future. Continue reading

Richmond isn’t known for the cosmopolitan or hipster nightlife often associated with San Francisco and Oakland’s popular locales, but have you ever wondered where you can find that same atmosphere and top shelf libations closer to home? Radio Free Richmond has embarked on an epicurean adventure to answer that question and to entice you to spend your next night out on our town. Continue reading