Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.[14] Located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo, Albany, El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond, Hasford Heights, Kensington, El Sobrante, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, and East Richmond Heights, and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay.
See also: Point Richmond, Richmond, California
Richmond
United States
California
August 7, 1905[1]
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
City council:,[3]
Doria Robinson,
Claudia Jimenez,
Soheila Bana,
Eduardo Martinez,
Gayle McLaughlin, and
Melvin Willis
Eduardo Martinez (D)
District 1:
John Gioia
52.51 sq mi (136.00 km2)
30.05 sq mi (77.84 km2)
22.46 sq mi (58.16 km2) 42.71%
46 ft (14 m)
103,701
110,567
3,678.94/sq mi (1,420.43/km2)
28,038
4,335,391
Richmond is one of two cities, the other being San Rafael, that sits on the shores of both San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. Its population was 116,448 as of the 2020 census.[15]
Etymology[edit]
The name "Richmond" predates incorporation of the city by more than fifty years. Edmund Randolph, originally from Richmond, Virginia, represented the city of San Francisco when California's first legislature met in San Jose in December 1849, and he became state assemblyman from San Francisco. Out of fondness for his hometown, Randolph persuaded a federal surveying party, surveying and mapping the San Francisco Bay, to place the names "Point Richmond" and "Richmond" on their 1854 geodetic coastal map. The map was used at the terminal selected by the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad. By 1899 maps made by the railroad carried the name "Point Richmond Avenue", a county road that later became Barrett Avenue, a central street in Richmond. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad purchased the railroad making their terminus at Richmond.[16] The first post office opened in 1900,[16] and the city of Richmond incorporated in 1905.
A 4,000-unit housing project was completed in Richmond during 1943.
Aerial photo of Richmond Shipyards, 1944, view directed north: #3 (west, foreground); #2 (rectangular basin, east foreground); #4 (end of the channel, south bank); #1 (north of the channel bend).
Richmond Shipyards welders prepare for a performance demonstration test
Crime[edit]
The city has in the past suffered from a high crime rate; at one point, the city council requested a declaration of a state of emergency and asked for the intervention of the Contra Costa County Sheriff and the California Highway Patrol.[58] Murder, vehicle theft, and larceny rates remain high, although they tend to be concentrated in the Iron Triangle and adjacent unincorporated North Richmond, which is outside the jurisdiction of the Richmond Police Department. By 1991, the city's all-time high of 62 homicides, among a population of 98,000, was seven times the national average. The portion of these homicides that were drug- or gang-related increased from 5 percent to 55 percent between 1989 and 1991.[59]
Despite the city making extreme headway in crime reduction and prevention, Richmond received widespread attention in 2009 when a girl was gang raped at a homecoming dance at Richmond High School.
In 2007, Richmond opened a program to prevent gun violence, the Office of Neighborhood Safety.[60] The program collects information and analyzes public records to determine "the 50 people in Richmond most likely to shoot someone and to be shot themselves." It then offers selected individuals "a spot in a program that includes a stipend to turn their lives around".[61] "Over an 18-month period, if the men demonstrate better behavior, ONS offers them up to $1,000 a month in cash, plus opportunities to travel beyond Richmond."[62]
In 2004, Richmond was ranked the 12th most dangerous city in America.[63] Those rankings have changed, and Richmond is no longer ranked as a "most dangerous" city, in either California or the United States. This is in large part due to the efforts of Police Chief Chris Magnus, who established "community policing", which involves police officers engaging with affected high crime communities.[64]
Casinos[edit]
Many casinos have been proposed for the West Contra Costa area. Point Molate would have a casino, resort, and a luxury shopping mall. Sugar Bowl Casino proposes a casino, a steakhouse, and a buffet promoted by the Pomo Tribe's Scotts Valley Band near the border between North Richmond and the city of Richmond's Parchester Village, whose residents have lauded it as a boon to fighting crime by adding more of a police presence and creating jobs for shiftless youth, but residents from neighboring newly developed sub-divisions along the Richmond Country Club were fervently opposed based on potential losses to property values.[92] Casino San Pablo has already been built in neighboring San Pablo, with 2,500 slots. The projects have been the subject of much civic debate; supporters contend that the often cash-strapped government would get a major new source of revenue, while opponents air their concerns over the ramifications, including an increase in already high crime rates, lowered property values, and worsening neighborhood quality of life.
Point Molate is currently slated to either become a housing and conference center, a casino resort shopping area, or a large regional park.[93]
In 2010, the city approved the environmental review of the plan in which the tribe agreed to contain development of the casino to the footprint of the buildings on the former naval depot site.[94] The lobbying and reports required by Richmond have cost the tribe $15 million.[94] This approval won over the region's strict environmentalists and many council members.[94] Later that year residents were given the opportunity to weigh in on the issue and voted on the non-binding measure U to determine their approval of the project.[94] 58% of voters opposed the $1 billion project.[94] Citing the people's opposition and the inability to negotiate several key points with the developer, the city council voted down the project in 2011.[94] Councilman Nat Bates remained a proponent of the plan with its projected 17,000 jobs, while the remainder of the council was chagrined at the fact that there was no guarantee that the jobs would go to Richmonders.[94] The city of San Pablo, whose lifeline is their card club, Casino San Pablo, was elated. The Guideville Band of Pomo Indians was given the opportunity of 150 days to create a non-casino plan for the site such as alternatives in the environmental report for a convention center, conference center, hotel, spa, and housing.[94]
Celebrations and conferences[edit]
The city has annual Juneteenth and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.[118] The Cinco de Mayo celebrations sponsored by the 23rd Street Merchant's Association attracts thousands and closes the entire length of the roadway.[118] The Richmond Police Department, Fire Brigade, United States Marine Corps and other organizations participate in the parade.[118] This is in addition to a fireworks show at Marina Bay celebrating the July 4 and a Silly Parade, an event where people march down the street and generally act "weird" and silly.[119] The city also participates in various Earth Day activities.[120] The city hosts an annual and a physical activity and nutrition forum to discuss health in the community, it has been running since 2006.[121] In 2010 the city began celebrating the Richmond Native American Pow-Wow in Nicholl Park, in 2012 this included area politicians and members of over 50 tribes from throughout the country.[122]
Media[edit]
Newspapers[edit]
There are two African American weekly newspapers, one general interest online publication, and one multimedia news project that cover Richmond exclusively. The Richmond Post and Richmond Globe publish print and online editions. RichmondConfidential.org, which is run by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, is a general interest online-only news publication serving the city of Richmond. Richmond Pulse is a youth-led print and online publication which focuses on community health. The West County Times, run by Media News Group, covers greater Contra Costa County.
Television[edit]
A local cable TV station, KCRT-TV, mainly plays historical archives but also airs government-access television (GATV), city council meetings and music videos.
Radio[edit]
KKSF (AM) transmits from towers at Point Isabel.[123]
Operational area
United States
California
Richmond
95+(2014)
Career
Adrian Sheppard
BLS
188
1
7
7
1
2
1
1
Richmond, California has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
