RICHMOND – He brags that he can call Snoop Dogg on speed dial. Samuel L. Jackson portrayed him in a Hollywood blockbuster. He has speaking fees everywhere in the country and carries trading cards and copies of his own book that he signs for anyone who asks (and even some who don't).

And on Thursday night, Ken Carter was one among about two dozen people in a basketball arena where the one signs that a game was on were the squeak of sneakers and 4 buzzers that signaled the tip of every quarter. The stands were empty. There was no band, no students aside from a number of stragglers on their cell phones.

Coach Carter is back at Richmond High School.

He's now 65, a grandfather and 25 years faraway from the 1999 season depicted within the 2005 box office hit. This time he faces a totally different challenge. Look no further than the ultimate rating in his first game on the bench, a 55-31 loss to a seven-player team from a small private academy in Oakland.

“The stands were full back then. I mean, totally full,” Carter said. “But I guarantee we’ll have this place full by game six.”

It was the Oilers' fourth game of the season and their fourth loss. Carter had other commitments that prevented him from attending the previous three dates, forcing him to miss twice, and at first glance he didn’t look like present on Thursday either.

During his first stint with this system from 1997 to 2002, Carter gained a status for wearing a suit and tie on game days and requiring his players to do the identical. This was one among several rules spelled out in a contract he made all of his players sign, together with maintaining a grade point average of at the very least 2.3.

Things have modified, and so has Carter's wardrobe, which included a navy blue tracksuit with a faculty logo and open-toe white sneakers.

When he first took over this system, he promised to show boys into men. Now it's about turning boys into basketball players. At that point, he inherited a team of 45 players who filled the varsity, JV and freshman squads. The team he took over this fall has 10 members, most of whom have struggled to fill out their jerseys.

“Our kids are undersized, some of them are playing basketball for the first time,” Carter said. “I'm enjoying training here more than ever now, with the kids and their attitude. The children's attitude is simply wonderful. … We don’t have any problems academically. We're just not a big team physically. But I think that will change next year. I think we’ll be pretty good next year.”

Richmond has passed through 4 coaches within the last 4 years, posting winning seasons, including going 1-21 last 12 months while averaging 48.5 points per game. Senior Jayden Briscoe said he believes Carter, a star player at Richmond within the Seventies, is committed to rebuilding this system.

While Carter was on the sideline for a game for the primary time, he coached the team in practice all summer.

“He makes us work a lot harder,” Briscoe said. “The other coaches, no hate on them, but their practices were very different. It's a different work ethic. Carter, he's going to have us practice for two hours (planned) and we're going to end up staying there for four hours. With the other buses it would be an hour and 30 minutes.”

Carter plans to place his own resources into this system and hopes his name recognition can deter among the area's most talented players from selecting a non-public school, similar to Salesian, the private school nearby that’s all for the qualified for the state open division tournament.

“There isn’t a college coach in America that I can’t call and he won’t return my call,” he said.

The setting that inspired the film and to which it returned Thursday night couldn't be farther from the brilliant lights of Hollywood. At the time of the film's release, no player had yet been born on the sector. But Carter clearly still carried weight with the present generation.

“I really wanted to see him,” said Irvelle Winchester, a freshman guard from rival Envision Academy. “It was something local, so I really liked the film. I didn't know who he was until I saw it, but I thought, “Damn.” How he turned a trash team into a good team. I cautiously look up to him.”

After a physical game, Winchester fell to the ground and Carter jumped from his spot on the bench to ascertain on him.

Afterwards, Carter stuck around to take photos, sign autographs and chat with the complete opposing team and their coaches. After shaking hands, he headed straight to the car parking zone and got here back with a stack of cards, which he signed and passed around, together with a number of copies of his book.

“I am one of the so-called celebrities you can touch,” he said. “People ask me, 'Why did I come back to Richmond?' First, it was just love for Richmond. I hope that this school will be extremely successful. Now I have a Rolodex of resources so we can get things done. … This brings us full circle.”

RICHMOND – Seven Richmond City Council candidates running to represent three districts shared their views on how they might help town's local business community prosper if elected.

Three races – one open and two with the incumbent participants – are about to finish. Whoever wins will join a council tasked with managing a decent budget and prioritizing a backlog of infrastructure improvements.

With District 5 Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin stepping down at the tip of the yr, nonprofit consultant Sue Wilson and nonprofit director Ahad Anderson are vying for her seat.

Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez may have to face conflict resolution consultant Shawn Dunning to maintain her seat as District 6 representative. And district council member Melvin Willis is running against social employee Dr. Jamelia Brown and retired auto mechanic Mark Wassberg are in search of re-election.

District 6 race

District 6 is home to major business corridors along San Pablo Avenue, twenty third Street and MacDonald Avenue, Jimenez and Dunning indicate. Thanks to the twenty third Street Merchants Association, business is booming on twenty third Street, Dunning said, and each acknowledged the opening of recent businesses in San Pablo, including Tacos El Tucan and El Jardín de los Sueños Café.

Jimenez also pointed to town's creation of a wireless vendor program on MacDonald Avenue as one other clear success story.

The program, still in its infancy, was launched in response to concerns from residents and brick-and-mortar businesses along twenty third Street that vendors were hogging sidewalks and didn't have the right permits. The council adopted regulations to limit providers' footprints while also providing funding to assist wireless corporations obtain the documentation needed to operate.

However, opening a business in Richmond is one challenge, Dunning said, and staying open is one other. Vacant storefronts line MacDonald Avenue and business owners have warned that closure is imminent, he said.

If elected, Dunning would love to handle Richmond's burdensome planning and permitting processes, work with neighborhood councils and business associations, reduce crime and improve cleanliness – all issues that he says deter small businesses from opening in Richmond to remain there, Dunning said.

“If we want to make progress, we have to work together. No matter what the issue is, we need everyone at the table to do this,” Dunning said.

For Jimenez, re-election would mean she will proceed to work on among the “unsexy” areas of city business — balancing the budget and improving infrastructure.

Part of that work will include adding staff to the general public works and economic development departments, developing plans for major corridors and envisioning a future for town's shoreline that would include manufacturing wind farm equipment.

“That’s the work. “It's not sexy work, but it's work that matters so we can then start dreaming about other services we need and having the money to do the things we want to do” said Jimenez.

District 5 race

District 5 stretches across the south side of town, from the Marina to Cutting Boulevard and borders El Cerrito and Albany. Wilson and Anderson, who’re vying to represent the district, have similar views on what is required there, namely a food market.

Both also see the realm as wealthy in opportunity, having once been a part of a vibrant city that struggled for many years following the founding of Hilltop Mall. Local shopping has taken successful because of online offerings, requiring town to focus more on activities, they said.

Righting the ship would require higher outreach and collaboration between residents, business owners, city staff and officials, Wilson said. If elected, she would love to rent a public relations skilled to assist improve Richmond's image.

Wilson said she would also wish to redevelop parts of town block by block, with more housing and ground-level retail spaces for restaurants and other attractions. And like Jimenez, Wilson sees manufacturing wind farm equipment as a meaningful boost to the local economy.

“Whoever is elected to council must make it a high priority to make (Richmond) less of a hidden gem and more of a gem that the region recognizes,” Wilson said. “Richmond is moving in the right direction.”

Anderson, whose campaign focus was economic development, also talked about re-energizing town by restoring the magic to places just like the Presidio in San Francisco, highlighting town's wealthy history, creating an arts and cultural district and include a various range of moms. and pop stores and bigger employers.

But to get there, Anderson said town must first concentrate on cleansing up its streets. This includes modernizing the infrastructure in addition to the correct level of community policing.

He would also concentrate on working with academic institutions to offer educational programs to young residents, while also working with regional organizations akin to the East Bay Economic Development Alliance to rework Richmond right into a “job-ready community.”

“Everyone has their priorities, but it is our role and responsibility to be a beacon and shine light on these areas, address them and keep our people in a safe haven,” Anderson said.

District 1 race

For Wassberg, supporting mom and pop shops shouldn’t be a priority. Instead, he said improving Richmond means welcoming big corporations like Chevron, which recently agreed to pay town $550 million in exchange for repealing a ballot measure that, if approved by voters, would block the corporate annually between would have cost 60 and 90 million US dollars.

Wassberg was a vocal critic of the tax measure and the settlement agreement. Instead of taxing large corporations, he would quite concentrate on giving tax breaks to corporations that he said create vital jobs and reduce crime.

“It’s a big deal that really contributes to the city’s budget. At the moment I’m all for big business,” said Wassberg. “I don’t know why on earth the council is focusing on small businesses.”

Wassberg is thought for his controversial views. He often appears at City Council meetings to insult elected officials and spout what could possibly be viewed as homophobic, transphobic, anti-immigrant and racist slurs.

Most recently, he accused members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of being “morally wrong” pedophiles and “sick in the mind” while the council heard a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Wassberg doubled down on these views concerning the LGBTQ community in an interview on Tuesday.

He also reiterated views he had shared up to now about Palestinians and Arabs, groups he falsely claimed were all terrorists, and claimed that undocumented immigrants had no right to stay within the United States and never theirs would pay their fair proportion of taxes while receiving government support.

When asked why minority residents in Richmond should vote for him, Wassberg said he doesn't care a technique or one other who solid their vote for him. Instead, he shared the hope that Brown and Willis would “split the black and Latino votes so I can go right in the middle and win.”

“You have the right to vote for whoever you want to vote for, and I will not change my mind to sell my soul so they can vote for me,” Wassberg said. “They can vote for whoever they want, I don’t care.”

Neither Willis nor Brown responded to multiple interview requests.

RICHMOND — The warm scent of pupusas, burgers and more wafted within the air Thursday as city and county officials celebrated the grand opening of a program designed to offer food vendors the support they should survive in an environment of high costs and complaints to thrive brick-and-mortar business owners.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on the corner of Macdonald Avenue and Marina Way, where a brand new food vendor initiative will likely be held in a parking zone every Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Surrounding the venue are government offices, the Richmond BART station and the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center – all busy facilities. City and Contra Costa County staff hope to attend the twice-weekly event.

“This will be successful if we all contribute, so please spread the word,” said Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez.

A complete of 33 vendors have registered up to now within the so-called Mobile Vendor Plaza program, said Tom Cloman, founding father of the Richmond Certified Farmers' Market. Under this system, and with support from city and county health departments, vendors at the moment are in control after traditional business owners complained that some were operating in Richmond without proper permits and licenses.

In the second phase of this system, Cloman said vendors will receive support in constructing the back end of their business, including marketing strategies and financing plans.

“Growth is accelerating,” Cloman said Thursday, noting that more providers will soon be added. “We know it’s going to be great because it started off great.”

Some street vendors see this system as a savior after struggling to operate in the town.

Elizabeth Mijango has been selling pupusas and tacos in Richmond for eight years. She emigrated from El Salvador in 1973 when she was just 18 and worked as a nanny for many years before retiring in her early 60s. The now 70-year-old began a street vendor business to support herself until she retired.

It wasn't all the time easy running her small business. Mijango was often approached by city officials asking if she had obtained the right permits and licenses. The slim profit margins made finding these documents a challenge, and the sudden death of her 50-year-old daughter, Siomara, compounded her problems.

“It was difficult. (Licenses and permits) cost money and I had no money,” Mijango said.

Now, Mijango said she is blissful with the longer term of her company.

The Mobile Vendor Plaza program was proposed earlier this 12 months to balance the needs of street vendors with those of brick-and-mortar business owners who were frustrated by the double standards of some vendors.

While some street vendors hogged public space, blocking sidewalks, leaving messes and operating without proper documentation, seemingly with none oversight or consequences, businesses operating inside buildings weren’t subject to inspections, fines and possible closures, based on frustrated vendors and residents but not to say the excessive overhead costs.

The Richmond City Council addressed these concerns and passed a street vendor policy in July that seeks to legitimize these businesses by making them comply with health and safety laws.

Vendors who once blocked sidewalks must now stay in areas that allow 4 feet of distance for pedestrians. You must even be no less than 1.5 meters away from the doorway to a brick-and-mortar store. Tables and chairs for eating are prohibited. Setting up in parking spaces, which is commonly a significant need for visitors, can be prohibited.

Licensed providers who fail to comply with the order risk a wonderful of $100 for the primary violation, $200 for the second, and $500 for every subsequent violation. Those with out a permit face a wonderful of $250 for the primary violation, $500 for the second and $1,000 for every subsequent violation.

Senate Bill 946, a 2018 law decriminalizing street vending, allows jurisdictions to adopt regulations, but outright bans violate state law. The city's ordinance doesn’t require confiscating devices from providers who violate city policies, however the Contra Costa County Health and Human Services Department could still accomplish that if public safety is in danger.

The Mobile Vendor Plaza program was intended to act as a carrot, enticing small businesses to cooperate with the brand new policy and in return receive assistance in filing paperwork and paying associated fees. It also provides access to a chosen lot and other city-supported resources similar to tables, restrooms and lighting several times per week.

Richmond Councilman Cesar Zepeda said he hopes this system will proceed to develop and grow, possibly expanding right into a each day event with live music. Now, visitors to the proposed location can expect to see booths offering jerk chicken, burgers, Asian fusion cuisine, pupusas, funnel cakes, waffles and other options.

“A lot of people saw the challenge of having vendors on the street,” Zepeda said Thursday. “We turned these challenges into a great, tasty opportunity.”

Originally published: October 26, 2024 at 6:25 am

LOS ANGELES – A Richmond man sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital for a brutal, random murder in 2009 is back behind bars this week after police arrested him for escaping his rehabilitation center and spent a month on the run from court, records show.

Michael Villalobos, 41, became a wanted man on August 21 after he escaped from a mental health rehabilitation center in Los Angeles. He was arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies on Sept. 23 and extradited to Contra Costa County, where prosecutors will try a second time to steer a judge to carry Villalobos in a locked facility, something they didn’t do in court Date back in May, records show.

In 2009, Villalobos beat 79-year-old Euvaldo Sisneros to death because the two passed one another on a sidewalk. The two didn’t know one another and there was no apparent motive for the murder, police said on the time. Villalobos later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, but in a pre-arrangement agreement with prosecutors, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and received psychiatric treatment as a substitute of prison time.

At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors warned that Villalobos would grow to be dangerous to others if he didn’t take medication and that he had multiple assault convictions before the murder.

Villalobos has spent the last 18 years in various psychiatric facilities, most recently one in a Hover Street neighborhood in Los Angeles, authorities said.

Back in May, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Julia Campins rejected a prosecutor's request to transfer him from that facility to Napa State Hospital, a locked facility that frequently houses incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses. Campins was criticized last yr for an identical situation, when a person who had held a Lafayette family hostage escaped from a halfway house after the judge allowed him to qualify for a mental health diversion program over prosecutors' objections .

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office is renewing its motion in light of Villalobos' alleged escape attempt. He is due in court on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Originally published: October 1, 2024 at 5:28 p.m

RICHMOND – A lawsuit filed this month accuses Richmond City Councilwoman Doria Robinson and her partner, Najari Smith, of wrongfully evicting Smith's former business partner from his home and ignoring conditions that made the apartment uninhabitable.

The lawsuit, filed August 19 in Contra Costa Superior Court, is just the most recent development in a months-long dispute over the closed Rich City Rides bike shop.

Roshni McGee is searching for greater than $1 million in damages, alleging he was illegally evicted from his home at 801 Marina Way South #2 before his lease expired, court records show.

The lawsuit is against McGee's landlords – Smith, who runs the nonprofit Rich City Rides, property owner Charles Patterson, Robinson and the nonprofit she runs, Urban Tilth. McGee co-founded the Rich City Rides Bike Cooperative with Smith and likewise served as co-owner, CEO and program director.

The group of defendants is accused of causing McGee “emotional distress, discomfort, annoyance, physical injury, pain and suffering” by failing to properly maintain the house where McGee lived from 2019 to May 2023, the lawsuit says. Starting in early 2023, McGee was harassed and intimidated with the intent to evict him from the house, the lawsuit says.

McGee claims they neglected insect and rodent infestations, mold and mildew, broken plumbing and locks, holes within the partitions and gaps within the flooring.

“These deficiencies were serious and had existed for a long time,” the lawsuit states.

According to the five-year lease attached to the grievance, McGee agreed to pay $1,700 a month plus utilities. The lease expired in August 2024, but McGee says he moved out in May 2023. According to 2 checks attached to the court documents, McGee received $16,000 from Urban Tilth to vacate the premises.

Robinson, who represents the Third District on the City Council and has served as executive director of Urban Tilth since 2007, declined to comment on the lawsuit “due to the legal nature of these matters.” But she said the lawsuit was “a continuation of political attacks” by former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt and his sons Andrew and Daniel. Daniel Butt is currently representing McGee within the case.

Earlier this month, the previous mayor filed a grievance with the state's election regulator accusing Robinson of a conflict of interest due to “commingling of funds and concerns about a connection” between Robinson and the nonprofit Rich City Rides during her tenure on the City Council. The Fair Political Practices Commission responded that Butt provided no evidence to support his claims and that Robinson had previously told her she followed legal advice and abstained from voting on Urban Tilth, Rich City Rides' financial sponsor.

“I am confident that these new allegations will be proven to be baseless when the truth comes to light,” Robinson said of McGee's lawsuit.

Robinson also accused McGee of stealing inventory and embezzling funds from Rich City Bike Shop, which closed earlier this yr. McGee didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment through his attorney. However, his attorney, Daniel Butt, posted on social media that Smith “defamed” McGee and retaliated against him.

Smith initially reported a burglary to police, but after an initial investigation, officers believed no burglary had occurred. However, other possible crimes are still being investigated, Lt. Donald Patchin, a spokesman for Richmond police, confirmed in an email Tuesday.

“It appears to be a business dispute between the owners/operators of the business,” Patchin said. “After the initial report, investigators determined that while there does not appear to have been a break-in, there were some possible crimes related to the handling of business funds and property.”

RICHMOND – A vote on a tax measure that would have forced Chevron to pay tens of thousands and thousands of dollars more annually into Richmond's general fund has been placed on hold as a part of a $550 million settlement, a choice that drew disappointment from the measure's supporters but support from city and Chevron staff.

“The community of Richmond has started a movement that will resonate across the country,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said during Wednesday's special meeting. “This is just the beginning.”

Council members met twice this week, in closed session on Tuesday and in open session on Wednesday, to debate the longer term of the ballot proposal. They ultimately decided to follow legal counsel's advice, withdraw the proposal from the Nov. 5 ballot and accept the $550 million payment from Chevron.

The payments might be remodeled the subsequent ten years under an agreement negotiated by an ad hoc committee consisting of Martinez, Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez and Councilwoman Doria Robinson.

The decision reverses an initial vote in June that will have put a refinery tax measure, dubbed the “Poluters Pay Initiative” by activist groups, on the November ballot. Had the measure been approved by a straightforward majority of Richmond voters, it could have raised an estimated $60 million to $90 million in taxes per yr, depending on what number of barrels of raw material come to the Richmond plant for processing.

Proponents of the measure, the Poluters Pay Coalition, have argued that the tax would force Chevron to pay its fair proportion of taxes and compensate residents who’re among the many states most affected by asthma, in response to government data. The funds would even have helped finance a cleanup plan if the refinery ever ceases operations.

“Richmond voters deserve the opportunity to vote on this simple and groundbreaking measure, the Poluters Pay Measure, which would have held Richmond's biggest polluter accountable for over a century of health and climate damage,” Connie Cho, a senior policy adviser at Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action, said Wednesday. “It is unfortunate that the council caved in at the first whiff of a lawsuit.”

Kerry Guerin, an attorney with Communities for a Better Environment, also said supporters wouldn’t have brought forward the refinery tax in the event that they didn’t consider it could withstand a legal challenge. She urged the council to reject the agreement on Wednesday so voters can determine.

“Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just to get Chevron to make a deal that would cost them pennies. I did not write this ballot bill and this tax ordinance just to get the city to settle for it,” Guerin said.

But on Monday, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge John P. Devine partially agreed with arguments from the recently formed nonprofit Coalition for Richmond's Future and Chevron worker Daniela Dickey, who argued that the language on the ballot was misleading since it claimed that taxpayer money would fund various city projects without mentioning that a big portion of the final fund would pay for worker salaries and advantages.

The ruling would have forced the town to rewrite a part of the ballot proposal before it might be presented to voters.

Cho noted that the legal challenge doesn’t concern the validity of the tax measure. The Poluters Pay Coalition, made up of Communities for a Better Environment and Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action, also claimed that the measure has strong community support, and Chevron offered to pay the town half a billion dollars “rather than lose at the ballot box.”

“For generations, Chevron has reaped billions in profits while spreading disease and death in Richmond communities. Chevron has not only polluted our air, but our politics as well,” Megan Zapanta, Richmond organizing director for APEN Action and the Polluters Pay Coalition, said in a press release Wednesday. “We are disappointed that Richmond voters did not have the opportunity to vote on a measure that would have held Richmond's largest polluter responsible for over a century of health and climate damage for the next 50 years, not just the next 10.”

Meanwhile, members of varied city unions that when supported the tax initiative, in addition to Chevron employees, got here to each council meetings to praise officials for what they saw as a good compromise.

“The health problems caused by pollution in Richmond harm all of us, whether we live or work in Richmond or, like so many of our members, both. The way the workforce and residents of this city have had to go without has been shameful, and that's why it's so important that we were able to avoid lengthy litigation and reach this settlement,” SEIU Local 1021 President Greg Everetts said in a press release. “Together, we are paving the way for a cleaner, healthier and more equitable future for all who live and work in Richmond.”

The agreement calls for Chevron to pay $50 million into the final fund annually for the primary five years and $60 million for the subsequent five years. The city reserves the fitting to impose recent taxes on Chevron and other firms, however the settlement payments might be applied to the refinery's debt. Chevron must proceed to comply with the agreement even when the location near Point Richmond is sold to a 3rd party.

The city's legal team advisable that the council accept the settlement, noting that the town would likely face years of pricey litigation if it moved forward with the ballot measure. An outside attorney hired by the town pointed to a years-long legal battle within the Los Angeles County city of Carson, which passed a refinery tax in 2017.

Council members agreed and voted unanimously for the resolution, accepting the deal and killing the tax measure before Wednesday's ballot deadline. They also signaled support for the Poluters Pay Coalition's calls to form a community oversight committee to oversee the usage of the brand new funds and to make use of a few of the money to develop a just transition plan for the location's future.

“We need to put this money to work now. We need to start implementing just change now. There is so much work to be done,” said Councilmember Robinson, who noted that she grew up within the shadow of the refinery.

RICHMOND — Pop-up canopies, meat skewers and sizzling griddles have popped up on Richmond's sidewalks and parking lots, prompting each lines of hungry customers and warnings from officials to depart. Now the town is working to control the small businesses, but exactly when the brand new rules will take effect continues to be unclear.

The latest policy, which just went into effect, is designed to ascertain the dimensions and sort of space a food vendor can leave on Richmond's sidewalks, in addition to help protect public health and initiate a city permitting process.

Additionally, a Mobile Vendor Plaza program is being planned that will provide vendors with access to designated parking and other city-supported resources similar to tables, restrooms and lighting several times every week.

The proposal is meant to strike a balance between the needs of street vendors looking for to make a living and native merchants concerned about unregulated competition, Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez said at a recent council meeting.

Instead of telling vendors, “I'm sorry, you can't do business here, that's your problem,” Jimenez said the ordinance offers a “comprehensive solution that provides some enforcement” but additionally “gives street vendors the opportunity to operate their businesses.”

Merchants and shop owners support the brand new regulation. Luzdary Leon Oquendo, a merchant who emigrated from Colombia together with her husband and two children, said street vending is her only source of income and she or he is set to persist with it. Navigating and understanding the necessities to remain open has been a challenge, she said, but she hopes the town's initiative will improve that process.

“We want to work and get ahead and we don't want to be a burden on society. That's why we've worked really hard to create the means to support our family,” said Leon Oquendo, whose comments were translated from Spanish to English by Jimenez at a recent council meeting.

Oscar Garcia and Rigo Mendoza, each members of the twenty third Street Merchants Association, also welcomed the brand new rule. They said their organization has been lobbying the town on the problem for years due to concerns about street vendors blocking sidewalks, taking over parking spaces and leaving trash.

Brick-and-mortar retailers also felt they faced a double standard, Garcia said. While they were expected to acquire multiple permits, undergo inspection and pay various fees, taxes and overhead, seemingly rogue businesses opened up shop right outside the door with little to no oversight.

“They identify with the street vendors. The vendors are also immigrants who came to this country with nothing and have worked hard to build their businesses. They don't want to close the door to anyone trying to build their own business,” Garcia said. “At the same time, (street vendors) must not disrupt the other businesses, at least not in any significant way.”

The latest sidewalk regulation appeared to be the reply to their concerns. While it might give legitimacy to street vendors, it might also create standards and regulations that will ensure more equal opportunities.

Vendors, who once blocked sidewalks, could be restricted to areas where pedestrians are kept 4 feet apart. They would also should be a minimum of 5 feet away from the doorway of a brick-and-mortar business, although Garcia noted that other jurisdictions set that distance at about 20 feet. Tables and chairs for eating could be prohibited, reducing the quantity of space vendors need. Setting up in parking lots, often a significant need for business customers, would even be prohibited.

Licensed dealers who fail to comply with the ordinance face a wonderful of $100 for the primary violation, $200 for the second, and $500 for every subsequent violation. Unlicensed dealers face a wonderful of $250 for the primary violation, $500 for the second, and $1,000 for every subsequent violation.

The regulation and the associated fee schedule were adopted at the top of June and got here into force on August 2nd.

It looks like fines won't be issued immediately. The Richmond City Council, concerned that the policy could hit merchants with tight profits, asked city staff to attend to issue fines to merchants until staff developed a hardship program, a plan to contact merchants, and a process to trace merchants' data, violations, complaints, and locations.

“For a lot of people, this may be their primary source of income and I would hate to take that source away from people without giving them a fair chance to learn about the new rules and give them a way to comply with them,” Council Member Doria Robinson said during a July 2 meeting.

Confusion over when the enforcement measures shall be implemented has left members of the twenty third Street Merchant Association feeling misled by staff and city councilors. Mendoza said the association is preparing for protests if their concerns usually are not taken seriously.

“We are frustrated because they don't want to help us,” Mendoza said on August 2. “We wanted to help them, but they don't want our help.”

An August 3 email from Councilwoman Soheila Bana to the twenty third Street Merchants Association stated, “The City Manager has taken action” and enforcement should begin August 5.

City officials didn’t reply to several requests for comment.

Community Development Director Lina Velasco warned during a council meeting when the ordinance was passed that not all facets of the brand new program are expected to be implemented by August 2. Implementing the ordinance would require educating businesses and merchants in regards to the latest city law, developing informational materials and organizing a team of staff to oversee this system.

Velasco also noted that the town faces enforcement limitations under SB 946, a 2018 law that decriminalizes street vending. Jurisdictions are allowed to enact street vending regulations, but an outright ban would violate state law. The city's ordinance also doesn’t allow for confiscating equipment from vendors who violate city policies, but City Manager Shasa Curl noted that the Contra Costa County Health and Human Services Department could still accomplish that if public safety was in danger.

Joel Hernandez, a 24-year-old street vendor from Mexico City, fears the brand new regulations could hurt his business but hopes a permit would make it easier for him to do business in the town.

Hernandez sold traditional Mexican food in Los Angeles for the past six years before moving to Northern California with a gaggle of nine people about 4 months ago to try their business on the streets of Richmond. The experience has been mixed, he says.

At the 2 stands, one on Cutting Boulevard and the opposite further down twenty third Street, the food sold well. Both stands sold out of al pastor day by day and had a gentle stream of shoppers in line on weekends. But the twenty third Street stand had to maneuver several times after being attacked by police and threatened to confiscate its equipment, Hernandez said.

Preparing dishes from his home country has turn out to be Hernandez's passion and he desires to proceed offering his dishes in Richmond, he said.

“If we don't work, we don't get paid,” Hernandez said through an interpreter. “If everything works out, we'll stay. We came here to stay.”

In a criminal criticism filed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, Alexi Alexander Pineda Ticas is charged with murder, driving inebriated leading to injury, and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% leading to injury.

The charge of driving inebriated is aggravated by the allegation of significant bodily harm, which, in keeping with the prosecutor, upgrades the offenses to “serious violent crimes.”

Pineda Ticas was arraigned on these charges on Monday.

The fatal collision occurred just after midnight on July 15 at Ohio Avenue and South twentieth Street in Richmond. Prosecutors said the teenager was leaving his mother's house when Pineda Ticas ignored a stop sign and crashed his vehicle.

The boy was declared dead on the scene. The coroner identified him as Ricardo Funes.

Pineda Ticas was taken to a close-by hospital where his injuries were treated and he was released.

“This tragic incident not only took the life of a teenager, but also destroyed his family,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a press release Monday.

“We will seek justice by holding the defendant accountable for his deadly and reckless actions,” Becton continued. “An incident such as this is an emotionally wrenching reminder of the dangers of driving under the influence.”

Pineda Ticas' bail was set at $1.1 million. He stays in custody on the Martinez Detention Center.

RICHMOND – A former volunteer at a Richmond church was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a music student over several years, police said Friday.

Police imagine the suspect, Miguel Angel Villalobos-Ramirez, 37, of Richmond, could also be accountable for similar attacks at other churches within the Bay Area.

He has thus far been charged by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office with two counts of rape and two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

He was arrested on June 21 and stays within the West County Detention Facility pending $400,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8.

Police said Friday that they were contacted on March 21 of this 12 months by a lady who reported that as a young woman she had been sexually abused by Villalobos-Ramirez during her music lessons at St. Cornelius Catholic Church, 205 twenty eighth St. Church officials said he was a volunteer within the music ministry.

The woman told police that the abuse lasted from 2010 to 2022, starting when she was a minor and continuing until she reached maturity.

Police launched an in depth investigation that culminated in Villalobos' arrest and formal charges on Tuesday. According to court documents, the confirmed alleged assaults occurred between January 2019 and January 2023.

According to police, Villalobos has worked as a volunteer at several churches throughout the Bay Area since 2010, including St. Cornelius, St. Clement's Catholic Church in Hayward and most recently, until his arrest, Queen of all Saints Church in Concord. Church officials said he also volunteered within the music ministry at the opposite two churches.

Police said that based on information gained throughout the investigation, it’s believed there are additional victims who haven’t yet come forward. Police are urging anyone who has had inappropriate contact with Villalobos or knows of such incidents to instantly contact Detective Terry Thomas at 510-621-1746 or via email at Terry.Thomas@RichmondPD.net.

The statement said Villalobos-Ramirez was given the volunteer work on the churches “after completing safe work training and a background check.”

“We know how important it is for us to honor the trust you place in us to care for your loved ones, and we continue to do everything we can every day to provide a safe, healthy and sacred environment here in our community,” the statement continued. “Thank you for doing your part in our shared responsibility.”

Anyone with information regarding an allegation of sexual misconduct by a clergy member or a diocese worker or volunteer is asked to contact their local police department.

RICHMOND – Richmond voters can resolve whether to force Chevron to pay higher taxes after the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to place a refinery tax measure on the November ballot.

If the measure is approved by an easy majority of voters, Chevron would should pay a further $60 to $90 million in taxes annually, depending on what number of barrels of raw material come to the Richmond plant for processing.

The council's vote got here after hours of public hearings. An estimated 350 people showed as much as the meeting carrying signs demanding that the council either “make the polluters pay so we don't have to” or “support the workers” by voting against the proposal. In a press release Wednesday, Chevron spokesman Ross Allen said the corporate doesn’t consider the tax measure represents the community's vision at large for town's future.

“Last night's vote was not about improving the lives of the people of Richmond. It was a power struggle by activist organizations and city council members who put their interests above the interests of the community,” Allen said. “As evidenced by the number of people who spoke out against the measure, this punitive tax was rushed through without broad community participation, without investigation or foresight of its consequences for the city, county, state and region.”

Communities for a Better Environment and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action recommend the proposal – called the Poluters Pay Initiative – after years of research, said Kerry Guerin, an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment.

“We have looked into it. We believe in it and we are bringing it here tonight because we believe it can succeed and would withstand a legal challenge,” Guerin said during a presentation to council on Tuesday. “We care about this community. We are committed to the success of this community and that is why we are here.”

Council members noted Chevron employees' concerns that the tax would divert funds from improving the plant and potentially result in its closure, which might remove invaluable jobs from the world. But the council ultimately agreed that Chevron has a responsibility to contribute more to town's coffers.

“I believe this measure will show Richmond as a responsible city, as a forward-thinking city, as a city of cutting-edge technology, and that will attract more companies, good, clean companies, the kind of companies we want and need,” said Councilwoman Gayle McLaughlin, who argued that Chevron and its jobs would stay in town, given the plant's large presence in the world. “We want to make it clear that Chevron's influence on Richmond cannot be regained.”