Dear Friends,

In this beautiful month of May, we are experiencing such a great spirit of hope and celebration. Our Cinco de Mayo commemoration, held on May 3rd and May 4th, started the month off with great festive energies, as we celebrated the historic victory that took place in Puebla, Mexico for freedom and liberty.

Our contingent (the Richmond Mayor contingent) of the Cinco de Mayo parade walked with banners, special costumes and puppetry celebrating peace, fairness, respect for others, and reaching out to one another for a better and better Richmond. We had great fun, as always, and thank you to all who played a role in making this year's Cinco de Mayo weekend so memorable!

Going foward....here's some important dates to hold on your calendar:

Tent City Peace Movement, May 18th - May 25th. Right now and throughout this whole week we have the wonderful opportunity to celebrate and join in Richmond's very own grassroots peace movement. The Tent City Peace Movement (TCPM) has pitched the tents once again in our City parks as Part 2 of their 1st Annual Parks Reunion. Tents are set up at the following park locations:

Lucas Park -- Harbor Way and Pennsylvania
Shields-Reid Park -- 1410 Kelsey
Martin L. King Park -- Marina Way So. and Virginia
Kennedy Park -- 41st and Cutting Blvd.

TCPM invites all to come join them for 1 week of fun, games, and activities to celebrate and further grow our awareness that Peace is Possible in Richmond, California! For more information call (510) 860-3842 or email tcpmorg@yahoo.com .

Special Meet with the Mayor, May 23rd, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, to be held at Richmond High School (1250 23rd St.). This is an opportunity for all residents to come share your questions, concerns, and ideas with me and each other. Transforming our city and overcoming our challenges is an empowering process and I continue to thank the many residents who bring your voices to these weekly meets!

Capping Chevron's Crude: Steering Richmond Toward a Healthy and Just Future, May 29, 7 pm. This community event presented by the Richmond Environmental Justice Alliance will take place at the Richmond Recreation Complex (3230 Macdonald Ave). Many of you have followed the ongoing controversies surrounding Chevron's proposed project for the Chevron Richmond Refinery. Here is your opportunity to come to a community forum to hear expert speakers who will inform, educate, and elaborate on areas of critical concern. Please come learn about what is at stake here in terms of pollution and public health! I am proud to join with Richmond Environmental Justice Alliance and many other great community groups in sponsoring this event. For more info, call 232-4493.

Planning Commission meeting to address crude slate requirements and continue review of Chevron proposal, June 5th, 7 pm, to be held at a special location: Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd. Public comment will be taken. Get there early!

Juneteenth Festivities, June 21st. Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and emphasizes education, achievement, self-development, and respect for all cultures. The Parade starts at 10 a.m. from 11th St. and Macdonald Ave.and concludes at Nichol Park. The Festival will operate from 11:30 am until 6:30 pm at Nichol Park

1st Annual Richmond Youth Speak-Out Tentatively scheduled for June 28th. The vision and purpose of this event is to support young people fostering positive change in Richmond. My office is excited to be promoting and sponsoring this community, youth-driven day with our youth coming together to share their voices and other forms of creative expression. More details to be announced as they firm up.

So that's the line-up for some very important special meetings and events coming up over the next several weeks.

Please join in...we are making progress because we are a community that cares about itself!

Click this link to read press coverage on some of the ongoing issues we tackle and advance through the Mayor's Office: http://gaylemclaughlin.net/press-index.htm

Sincerely,

Mayor McLaughlin