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Jan 16, 2025 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Wen Shao |Skylla Mumana |Emily Evans |Bryan Jie Wen
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you think it would be good for Richmond if Chevron closed the refinery? “With a refinery closing down, we would have to clean up that land. You thought Superfund sites existed now? You have no idea what kind of mess exists there. We’re talking about big changes, but it’s not impossible.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
kneedeeptimes.org | Skylla Mumana
Educators across the country are realizing how critical preparing students for the climate crisis is for the future. However, researchers say that California falls short in meeting its climate education standards. California is one of 20 states that use Next Generation Science Standards in its education curriculum. But a 2020 national report gave the state a B+ for its incomplete approach to preparing K-12 students for the climate crisis.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Riley Ramirez |Skylla Mumana
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Andres J. Larios |Christine Schiavo |Skylla Mumana
The AC Transit board of directors voted 6–1 on Wednesday to reject a censure of Director Sarah Syed in favor of committing to more leadership, governance and communication training for the board, and additional coaching for Syed. Syed cast the sole no vote, saying the board’s decision to single her out was unjustified. Syed sent an email on May 23, 2023, to staff working on the Realign project, asking for a draft analysis of the plan, which assesses every route in light of a decline in ridership.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Christine Schiavo |Skylla Mumana
Richmond City Council is poised to get a big salary bump this year, under an ordinance introduced Tuesday that would increase the salaries of council members and the mayor by 80%. Only a couple residents questioned the salary boost, which the council spent half an hour defending, with each presenting an argument to justify the motion. “These jobs actually are 24/7 jobs,” said Mayor Eduardo Martinez, whose salary would go from $3,875 a month to $6,875 a month.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Skylla Mumana
With a push from Richmond’s art community, the city is moving forward with plans to create an arts corridor that will showcase local talent, encourage tourism and foster collaboration among creatives. In early October, the City Council took the first step by awarding a $50,000 contract to Independent Arts & Media, the fiscal sponsor of artist collective Richmond Renaissance, which will be executing the contract.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
richmondconfidential.org | Andres J. Larios |Skylla Mumana |Ava Hu |Daniella Jimenez
As polls opened across Richmond — kicking off an anxiety-riddled Election Day for many voters — Nina Marie Thompson approached the Nevin Community Center polling site with a confident stride and a smile. “I understand that as a Black person and as a woman, I stand on the shoulders of those who marched for our rights to even be able to vote and have our voice heard. So I vote every time there is an election,” said Thompson, who lives in District 1.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Ashley DelCastillo |Xavey Bzdek |Skylla Mumana
Three Oakland council members are giving up their seats, paving the way for new leaders to join the City Council. Council Members Dan Kalb and Treva Reid, and Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan are not running for reelection in November. Their exits have created an opportunity for three new members to join the eight-member council, putting the newcomers in a pivotal position for what is shaping up to be a tough budget season.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Xavey Bzdek |Skylla Mumana |NeEddra James
In the middle of a downtown Oakland studio, two artists stand on opposite sides of a canvas with brushes at the ready. They have no prompt, only 20 minutes to paint something. Music blares as the minutes tick down. Zoë Boston and Bud Snow are first up, and dozens of people begin to orbit the artists as their brushes hit the canvas.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Skylla Mumana |NeEddra James
Former Warriors players gathered at City Hall last week to honor the head coach who helped them win the Oakland team’s first championship. The event, hosted by the city, honored Al Attles for his innovation and being one of five Black coaches in the NBA. Attles, who spent his entire career as an NBA player with the Warriors in the 1960s before becoming the team’s coach from 1970 to 1983, died in August at age 87. “We had two great coaches and they were like a father,” Clifford Ray said.
