Gayle's 10-point plan Richmond

A BETTER RICHMOND IS POSSIBLE
through my 10-point plan for Richmond:

1. Clean and Effective Governance

Democracy must extend beyond elections—ultimately culminating in individual empowerment and full citizen participation in decisions that affect our lives. Richmond residents deserve a government that is accountable, effective, transparent, and free of patronage and favoritism. The prevailing short-term thinking and insider politics that have diminished people’s esteem for City government must come to an end. I will restore ethics, integrity, accountability, and responsiveness to the office of Mayor, and engage Richmond residents more directly in decision-making about the future of our City.

As mayor, I will:
Clean up the election process by promoting measures that impose limits
on spending and contributions, increasing public financing of elections,
enforcing “Sunshine Laws” to monitor election misconduct, and by
implementing instant runoff voting.
Restore ethics and integrity at City Hall by discouraging patronage,
creating an Ethics Commission and an Elections Department, and building
bridges with City departments.
Demand fiscal responsibility during both good and bad economic times
and reduce the size of government by eliminating waste.
Monitor the Public Records Act implementation making sure our new
public records policies are being conscientiously followed and full access to
public records is occurring within reasonable time frames.
Preserve the neighborhood voice in government by supporting district
elections, empowering neighborhoods, pushing for minority representation,
and promoting regional changes that allow non-citizens with children to
have a say in School Board elections.
Rebuild an independent and effective Richmond Police Commission
free of institutional biases and appointments that undermine the confidence
of the public in the community police oversight process.
Lead by example the democratic process in the Richmond City Council
and related meetings by eliminating bias and favoritism in the chairing of
meetings, and implementing fairness in all rules and procedures. I will
respect the right of each councilmember to speak by setting up an
automatic system by which each councilmember will be granted the floor
by order of request and as the result of a “request to speak button”. I will
facilitate the meetings with true democratic spirit and respect for the public.

2. Strong Economic Development with Social Equity

Historically, the industrial base of Richmond’s economy has been petrochemical and petrochemical related. Although a certain level of economic diversity currently exists, I believe we need to further broaden the base of our economy. We also need to demand responsibility and fair share of taxes from existing industry. This is paramount to build the Richmond of the future. Very few Richmond residents are employed in local petrochemical companies. I am committed to actions that will aid small businesses, spur employment, diversify the economy, and foster new technological innovations.

As mayor, I will:
Diversify the economy by shifting from reliance on a few industries to
many industries, protecting light industrial zones and expanding
neighborhood-based planning.
Increase the general fund by eliminating all tax perks (like the utility users
tax cap) and collecting all outstanding revenue due to the city fund.
Support small businesses and balanced neighborhood economies. Rather than let
chain stores overrun our neighborhoods, I will support the creation of a municipal bank and
work with present local banks to offer low-interest loans to small businesses.
Create a Small Business Commission to help small business owners,
many of whom are women, be successful in Richmond
Generate good paying jobs by developing Richmond’s “human
infrastructure,” and creating apprenticeship and job training programs that
feed directly into existing public jobs. Create job opportunities that give our
youth not only a paycheck, but a chance for a meaningful experience in
shaping a Better Richmond.
Grow green industries by expanding cost-effective energy conservation
programs, promoting solar-energy programs, and requiring the inclusion of
local employment opportunities in major environmental clean-up and
redevelopment projects.
Support community groups, like Solar Richmond, dedicated to the
promotion of alternative energy throughout the City.
Expand the development of downtown Richmond, Macdonald Ave.,
23rd Street, and San Pablo Ave.
Put the arts to work by helping non-profit arts organizations stay solvent,
increasing the art components in public works projects, and supporting a
cultural and entertainment district featuring the diversity of Richmond‘s
rainbow of cultures and traditions. The district will attract bookstores, music
stores, community theaters, as well as coffeehouse and cafes, which will not
only raise revenue, but will foster cultural growth and provide gathering
places for our residents, young and old.

3. Prevention of Violence and Crime

The roots of Richmond’s violence run deep. Richmond’s chronic street violence is largely drug- and/or gang-related. This is not the only type of violence that exists in Richmond, but the price in young lives is unbearable and must no longer be tolerated. Richmond must start building the way out of the cycle. Yes, the availability of drugs to be traded and the use of guns to deal with conflict are key causal factors. Yet even deeper roots lie in our decimated educational system and a lack of jobs, leading to an ongoing vicious cycle of deprivation, desperation and anger, and erupting too often in senseless acts of violence on our streets.

As mayor, I will:
Recognize the institutional causes of violence, the hopelessness,
the despair and the lack of skills, including social skills, needed to earn a
living and to deal with the ensuing frustrations. I will understand and address
the deep roots of Richmond’s violence. I will promote locally the creation of
a peaceful and just society, based on fairness, respect and understanding.
Acknowledge, adhere and promote the principles of Community
Policing (CP), adopted in theory by the City but hardly implemented at all. I
will encourage and support the Chief of Police in concrete implementation
of policies that reflect these principles. I will reinvigorate the citizens
committee which promoted the adoption of these principles by the City and
will raise their status to a CP Commission.
Cut Richmond’s street violence in half by 2010. The average number of
street homicides and violent crime will be reduced by half by the year 2010.
Create the Richmond Youth Corps (RYC). Up to 1,000 youth (<21),
residing in the areas of the city with the highest incidence of street violence,
will be able to work up to 10 hours a week and throughout the year in many
areas of community need under the leadership of mentors from these
Richmond neighborhoods. This program will be funded by revenue
originating from the elimination of the unfair Utility Users Tax cap (Chevron),
as well as other sources. The youth and their mentors will be hired and paid
as union public works employees.
Reduce local high school drop-out rate by 50% by year 2010: High
School enrollment will be required for participation in the Richmond Youth
Corps. Parents and neighbors will be encouraged and supported to
converge into groups supporting high school completion and graduation.
Create the Richmond Goes to College Program to double by year 2010
the number of Richmond residents graduating from local high schools who
enter college.
Create a Richmond Mentoring Center for young parolees who were
Richmond residents at the time of their incarceration. If we want people who
served their time to be responsible residents, there needs to be a time and
place for transition as well as guidance, social orientation, and life skills
training for concrete job opportunities.
Coordinate existing resources and identify new resources from
federal, state, local, and regional. We need to maximize funding streams.
Promote solutions that address long-term recidivism: Promote
support groups, mental health counseling services, education opportunities
and supportive housing.
Regionalize the solution because there is strength in numbers. We
cannot solve street violence without a comprehensive regional plan that is
inclusive of all East Bay municipalities, cities, and counties.

4. Better Education

The City of Richmond must intervene to save Richmond‘s children from inadequate and insufficient learning opportunities. Even though it is the responsibility of the WCCUSD to see that appropriate school services are provided, the reality is that generation after generation of our children are short-changed in their education. I am committed to the youth of Richmond and will ensure they receive learning support opportunities to compensate the shortcomings of our public schools.

As mayor, I will:
Increase funding for the Richmond Public Library by prioritizing
education in the city budget and aggressively lobbying the state government
on issues of education funding.
Reopen full time the West Side and the Bay View library branches.
Build two additional library branches in the neighborhoods most
impacted by violence.
Improve the quality of education by supporting community based after-
school programs in each City neighborhood to strengthen the academic
learning from the schools and include areas not covered by the school
programs such as life skills promotion.
Make good management of the WCCUSD a priority by pushing district
officials to adopt sunshine laws, ensuring there are clear lines of
accountability, and strengthening the role of the City's liaison to the school
district.
Bring new voices to the table by supporting the idea that non-citizens
with children should be able to vote in school board elections, advocating
for a Student Advisory Commission, invigorating the City's Youth
Commission, and promoting better ties between school site Councils and
the City Neighborhood Councils.
Find ways to allow for alternative assessment models for evaluating
academic success rather than requiring the High School exit exam to be the
sole measure of achievement and readiness.
Recognize the centrality of art in a well-rounded education by
supporting the Richmond Art Center and the East Bay Center for
Performing Arts, helping them to ensure high rates of low income and
minority representation. I will encourage funding partners, both private and
public, as well as artists and arts organizations to play a more active role in
allocating resources to our public schools.
Support students in non-traditional ways encouraging individual
creativity and uniqueness.

5. Better Environment

I will work to make Richmond a more sustainable city, by championing green energy and business practices to protect our scarce natural resources from further degradation by pollution and overuse, and make the city a healthy place for all of its residents. The formula for a better environment in Richmond is relatively simple: Do not build on toxic sites, mandate appropriate clean-ups under rigorous supervision; preserve the remaining open spaces; enforce the pollution control regulations both on industry and residents; promote and expand Richmond’s urban forest, parks and gardens; and promote environmental awareness in all residents.

As mayor, I will:
Convert city vehicles to cleaner fuels or electric power, which reduce
noise and air pollution and lower operating costs.
Promote the city’s participation in Community Choice Aggregation
(CCA) (AB117), and encourage residents and businesses to join. CCA will
result in Richmond residents, business and government having more local
control, lower energy rates and more renewable and alternative energy
sources.
Promote the generation of electricity cleanly and efficiently through
solar and tidal power, and significantly expand energy conservation
programs.
Restore and expand urban parks, plazas, and open space, convert
unused city land to parks and open space, protect and restore natural
areas, and expand access to the shoreline.
Make Richmond a model city for sustainable development by
promoting a Sustainability Plan and the implementation of green designs in
City buildings.
Promote the emergence of a truly community-planned Richmond
Greenway.
Protect the natural and use values of our water system by making use
of recycled water, opposing expansion of the system to support suburban
sprawl in the hills, promote water conservation, and manage watershed
lands with sustainability.
Protect the surrounding bay and waterfront by preventing the loss of
the remaining open space and marshlands; protecting the waterfront from
redevelopment; reducing sewage spills; and reducing urban runoff.
Fix Richmond’s failing sewer system to stop the high rate of raw
sewage flowing into the San Francisco Bay.
Promote the safe removal of toxins from our environment.
Reduce noise pollution by implementing quiet zones and enforcing City
ordinances.
Institute significant Shelter in Place fines to be charged to the industry
responsible for the alert.
Create a Richmond Environmental Commission.
Establish an Environmental Justice Policy.
Support smart growth, infill housing and neighborhood character
preservation.
Keep Richmond's hills open, accessible and public.
Keep Richmond's shorelines open, accessible, clean and public.

6. Better City For Families and Children

The diversity of Richmond families, from single parents and couples to multi-generational families living under the same roof, must be supported by City Hall. I will champion change that allows a more sustainable city with a stronger economy, a healthier environment, and a better future for all of Richmond's families. Richmond must also become a more child-friendly City, by making sure that all of our City agencies and policies address the needs of children, and that the city programs complement school district programs for the benefit of our kids. The future prosperity of our City lies in our City's future leaders. By investing in their safety, education, health, and environment, we improve the prospects for a better Richmond for all of our residents.

As mayor, I will:

Address poverty of families by promoting an increased minimum wage in

Richmond of$8.75 per hour. Studies have shown that 30% of the children

living in the United States live in poverty.

Advocate for the strictest environmental controls for the local refinery

and related industry. The health impacts from the refinery operations

disproportionately affects families and children in the northwest sector of the

City.

Create family-friendly neighborhoods by supporting a West Contra

Costa Unified School District small school policy, assisting small businesses,

reducing traffic speeds, and making public venues and activities affordable

for families.

Support non-traditional families by advocating for full domestic

partnership rights for same-sex couples, including health benefits,

bereavement leave, right to survivorship, family sick leave, child custody, and

adoption.

Support families with special needs children by ensuring that the City

continues to help with maintaining the programs of the Disabled People’s

Recreation Center (DPRC), NIAD Art Center, and other programs assuring

well-rounded opportunities for our disabled population.

Increase child-care options by offering City contractors bonus points or

tax credits if they offer onsite child care and by supporting residential child

care facilities.

Promote a holistic education system by expanding after-school and

before-school programs, providing fun and educational summer programs,

expanding the bookmobile program, and promoting the idea that non-

citizens have the right to vote in school board elections.

Provide health care for all children by supporting universal health

coverage for children,opening youth health clinics in schools, and supporting

public and private health clinics in our City.

Supply families with adequate and affordable housing by preserving

and increasing the stock of family-oriented affordable housing units and

ensuring that new housing construction includes a variety of floor plans.

7. Human Rights for all, including Immigrants & the Homeless

Richmond's immigrant population is a vital part of our community. The diversity of our City is what makes Richmond culturally rich. To maintain that diversity, we need to ensure protection of immigrant rights and improve their access to services. Immigrants should not be afraid to use City services that are meant to support them. As mayor, I will support legislation that levels the playing field, while strenuously opposing policies that scapegoat immigrant communities. Regarding homelessness, the existing system of criminalization of the homeless and reactive service provision has failed. Changing the system will take courage and the resolve to do what works, not what is politically expedient.

As mayor, I will:

Create a Richmond Human Rights Commission with members

representing the many and diverse communities of Richmond.

End the criminalization of the Richmond homeless, abolishing the anti-

homeless ordinance (Richmond Municipal Code 11.96). No homeless

person shall be fined or incarcerated for sleeping in public if no reasonable

alternative is offered to the homeless person.

Recognize the institutional causes of homelessness, its history, and

how we got to where we are today. Using rhetoric and criminalizing poverty

obscure the issue and do nothing to solve the problem.

Rework the system to be truly accountable. The homeless service

delivery system must track individuals through a seamless continuum, with

the ultimate goal of transitioning homeless people to appropriate and

permanent housing so they can reconnect with their communities.

Coordinate existing resources and identify new resources from

federal, state, local, and regional sources. The Richmond General Fund is

not a panacea. We need to maximize funding streams.

Regionalize the solution because there is strength in numbers. We

cannot solve homelessness without a comprehensive regional plan that is

inclusive of all Bay Area municipalities, cities, and counties.

Create solutions that address long-term exit strategies for

homelessness. We must commit to those who are most vulnerable in our

community. We must invest in supportive housing, treatment on demand,

and mental health services.

Create an “Equal Access” Ordinance to ensure that all Richmond

residents have access to City services regardless of language spoken.

Support legislation that allows driver licenses for all safe drivers.

Eliminate the unconstitutional anti-day laborers section of the

Richmond Municipal Code 14.72.

Create and fund a Richmond Day Labor Program.

Promote the acceptance of matricula consular ID cards for immigrant

workers.

Support passage of a “Privacy Initiative Ordinance” so that immigrants

and others are not afraid to access City services.

Protect the privacy of Richmond residents and identify legal ways to

block local enforcement of the U.S. Patriot Act.

Oppose the implementation of the federal Clear Act and ensure no

collaboration between local police and federal immigration enforcement.

Support national legalization efforts for immigrants.

Build subsidized housing for all immigrants.

Oppose the anti-immigration bill, HR 4437, and any other anti-

immigration legislation.

8. Affordable Housing

Over half (51%) of Richmond residents are renters, a group that is often at the mercy of unfair eviction practices. I am committed to making Richmond a place where the rights of good tenants and of good landlords are protected. I am also committed to expanding home ownership opportunities to people of all incomes. A balanced housing strategy for Richmond includes protecting existing affordable housing, making additional permanently affordable housing available, and increasing the overall housing supply. The City must adopt smart policies that allow the private market, the nonprofit sector, and government to work together to keep the city affordable.

As mayor, I will:

Implement strong “Just Cause Eviction” and “Fair Rent” protections

to allow tenants to stay in affordable homes.

Preserve the City's affordable housing by preventing the demolition of

sound housing and by making low-interest financing available to maintain

and upgrade housing.

Increase affordable home ownership opportunities through limited-

equity home ownership, community land trusts, first-time homebuyer

assistance, and other innovative programs.

Address the growing disparity between household income and housing

costs.

Expand affordable rental housing by providing additional funding for the

construction, purchase, and rehabilitation of nonprofit, permanently

affordable rental housing.

Encourage more mixed income housing within residential

developments, putting more emphasis on actual building of affordable units

and less allowance of “in lieu” fees coming from developers.

9. Better City Planning

Richmond needs a Planning Department that plans in the public interest. As mayor, I will lead comprehensive reform of how we plan for the city's future, creating a Planning Department with the leadership to develop a unified and integrated people’s vision for the Richmond we want. I will strengthen the role of local communities and neighborhoods in the planning process, and ensure that new development contributes to a better, more equitable city for all residents of Richmond.

As mayor, I will:

Transform the culture of planning by taking the special interests out of

the Planning and Redevelopment Departments, putting an end to

irresponsible re-zoning amendments and leading the effort to create a

responsible, community-based strategy to manage Richmond's growth.

Do comprehensive planning by promoting the transfer of more decision-

making capacity to the neighborhoods, demanding more interagency

collaboration on streetscape, open space and community facility

improvements, and creating new revenue sources to fund a range of public

benefits.

Ensure experience and diversity in the planning process by creating a

third-party rating system to certify that Planning Commissioners have the

experience and objectivity needed to make informed planning decisions,

and creating benchmarks for diverse citizen involvement in all planning

processes.

Improve the quality of new development by creating an independent

design review unit in the Planning Department, accountable directly to the

public, to improve the overall design and quality of large projects.

Monitor the General Plan Update process so that the City addresses the

needs of all of Richmond, recognizing that Richmond’s destiny should be

defined by Richmond’s residents.

Include an Environmental Justice element within the General Plan.

Improve Preservation Planning by including a preservation element in the

City's General Plan, and increasing the number of land-marked buildings

and historic districts.

Monitor the City’s new plan review process, making sure it is operating

without bureaucratic stalls.

Monitor the new inspection program, ensuring the old self-inspection

process (that allowed Chevron to self-inspect, self-permit, and self-certify its

projects) is revamped completely and the new process operating smoothly.

10. The Arts, Culture and Global Connections

Richmond has many cultural expressions and a vibrant art community. The arts, often overlooked and marginalized, not only contribute to the cultural character of our City, as a venue for individual and collective reflection and healing, but also can act as a revenue-producing sector. I will foster partnerships between individual artists and groups of artists, local small business and not-for-profit organizations, and our local public TV station KCRT. These partnerships could result in expanding venues for Richmond’s artists.

As mayor, I will:

Put the arts to work by increasing arts funding, helping arts organizations

acquire affordable space, and increasing the inclusion of arts components in

public works projects.

Support City funding for the Richmond Art Center and the East Bay Center

for the Performing Arts, assuring these great art facilities can continue to

survive, flourish, and bring cultural enrichment to Richmond.

Recognize the centrality of art in a well-rounded education by supporting a

regional blueprint for arts education, encouraging funding partners as well as

artists and arts organizations to play a more active role in allocating

resources to our public schools,and initiating a Visiting Artist program.

Ensure a diverse arts community by supporting the Arts and Culture

Commission,promoting both demographic and geographic diversity on the

commission and through the commission’s work. I will support the

commission’s ongoing efforts to help the City shift

away from a culture of violence toward a community development culture.

Impact accessibility of the arts by promoting single-screen neighborhood

movie theaters and by encouraging existent and new community playhouses

and art studios.

Support a Rainbow Cultural and Entertainment District in our downtown

featuring the diversity of Richmond‘s cultures and traditions.

Maintain and expand the sister city relationships that currently exist and

promote new ones, particularly connecting local Richmond residents with their

communities of origin.

I want to acknowledge the platform of “Matt Gonzalez for Mayor 2003” for providing a model and inspiration for my 10-point plan.

Gayle for Mayor of Richmond in 2006

For more information, email Gayle4Mayor@betterrichmond.net
Visit Gayle's Website at www.gaylemclaughlin.net
Telephone: (510) 620-6503 FAX: (510) 412-2070
Mail: P.O. Box 5284, Richmond, CA 94805