What are the major issues/challenges facing Richmond?

By Tom Butt

Based on a comprehensive resident survey, Richmond residents' priorities are the fundamentals of municipal services and quality of life issues.

One further note from the survey: 37% rated Richmond 's quality of life as poor, and only 1% rated it as excellent. Quality of life is squishy, but it's important to residents. Finally, when Richmond residents' ratings of almost everything were compared to all other cities who used the same survey, Richmond 's level of satisfaction with virtually every municipal service came in dead last as did their rating of their "overall quality of life." This city sees itself as severely challenged and wants substantial changes for the better.

Despite a tendency during the campaign to get caught up in high profile and emotional public policy issues like immigration, casinos and pollution, most people's priorities are on fundamental public services. To win an election, we cannot neglect these, and we have to be able to show how we are going to pay for them. Here is how I propose to fund a better Richmond:

• Pass Measure T. The impartial analysis from the city attorney estimates this Measure will generate about $26.5 million in new revenue beginning in 2009. Virtually all of this will be from Chevron and represents about one tenth of one percent of Chevron's annual profit.
• Force Chevron to pay underpaid utility user taxes for fiscal years 2006-07 and 2007-08. Chevron cheated on these taxes and owes the City of Richmond at least $24 million.
• Renegotiate underground pipeline franchise agreements, all of which have expired. This could result in millions of dollars in new revenue.
• Force Chevron to renegotiate the Community Benefit Agreement to provide real monetary benefits for Richmond.
• Continue to increase revenue from property taxes, business license taxes and sales taxes by attracting clean and green businesses to Richmond, like Vetrazzo and SunPower in the Ford Building.
• Focus on infill development and reoccupation of foreclosed properties to stabilize neighborhoods and real estate taxes instead of developing the shoreline.
• Attract new small business and enhance existing businesses serving visitors taking advantage of the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, the Bay Trail and Richmond's 32 miles of Shoreline. Work with the Visitor and Convention Bureau to attract cultural tourism and services such as loding and restaurants.