Good evening.

It is my honor to deliver this State of the City address.

I want to share with you my impressions of how I found this City when I took office as Mayor two months ago. I will describe what I see as the City’s main challenges and resources, and I will put forward some ideas that are part of a plan to move us forward. This plan must be developed by all of us.

First the bad news:

Although showing improvement, the state of the City of Richmond remains one of ill health
Richmond is a city in a lot of pain with serious endemic violent crime;
Our streets and infrastructure are “tired” and old and are known to be among the worst in the Bay Area.
Our air is heavily burdened with pollutants, and we are often assaulted by industrial surges of toxins.
Our minds and bodies are thirsty for learning, culture, sports and recreation but the venues for these opportunities are scarce or difficult to access.
Our City often seems disjointed with special interests often slowing movement of the whole body
And our City is still recovering from the 2004 $35 million budget debacle, which forced us to cut services and to sell some of our public resources.

However, even though these conditions exist:

The prognosis for our City is good.
The challenges are immense but not insurmountable.
Our City is focused on recovery.
Our potential is incredibly strong.

Fortunately, our city is now working under many new and qualified management staff.

Our city’s grassroots capacity to respond to crises, to self-protect, and to heal is strong, as exemplified in the Tent Cities Movement, the recent mobilization of the Latino community against raids and abuses, the environmental justice movement, and our new small business expansion.

Our City, at the Council level and at community meetings, is starting to have a more participatory and a more civil process of providing input, analyzing policies and receiving feedback.

Today I will put forward for your consideration some ideas and plans to achieve “A Better Richmond” in the coming years.

Before I do that, however, I want to remind us all that the improvements we seek and deserve will not emerge purely, essentially, from the policies generated by the current City Council or any future city council. Progress will come only from the will and participation of Richmond residents. Ultimately, the State of the City depends upon you.

I was elected as Mayor to preside over the Richmond City Council. However, first and foremost, I consider myself the Mayor of the people of Richmond and as your Mayor my focus this year will be on violence prevention, environmental health and justice, and economic development. These three priorities will overlap greatly. Every part of the work ahead must be integrated with other parts. Building a better Richmond is an organic process and must be cultivated as such.

This will not be easy but as any gardener will tell you, there is joy in the cultivation process. As we work hard to solve our problems, we will also reap the benefits of a new culture of caring for ourselves, others and the environment that surrounds us.

Violent Crime

Our first and highest priority remains violent crime.

Crime and violence must be understood as a social construct and must be addressed at the roots. In the next two years, as we bolster our police force, and continue to support the reorganization and community policing commitment on the part of the police department, I will also be working hard to advance the following efforts:

1. I will work on expanding and building on the Tent Cities Movement. As mayor, I am committed to providing a catalyst to the momentum started by this great effort. Impacted youth within our high-crime neighborhoods must be made aware that we want to nurture this space that tent cities has opened up. I am currently working with the tent cities committee and other community groups to develop an exciting project to bring mini-farmers market events to the parks that were the birthplace of the Tent Cities movement. In conjunction with offering farm fresh produce to residents on these Saturday afternoons in the park, these events will also offer an opportunity for community groups and city and county service providers to set up tables and bring their efforts to those most in need. We can not afford to conduct city business exclusively within the walls of city hall. We have seen a reduction in violence this year. The truce advanced last year by Tent Cities has had a lingering effect. This effect must be allowed to continue and expand. Long-term violence prevention will only be achieved when the solutions, the opportunities, and the programs are brought to the neighborhoods that are craving them.

And while we make helping-programs visible, and reach out with services, we must also simultaneously bring forward peacekeeping teams to quell violence that we know continues to brew apart from our service efforts. I see the Richmond Improvement Association (RIA) program “Zero Homicides” as one such peacekeeping team, this is networking with incarcerated individuals and helping prepare them for a positive re-entry into our community. New opportunities must replace recidivism, and guidance must replace neglect.

2. Our partnership with Richmond schools must be strengthened. I am making it a point to visit our schools throughout this year to have hands-on opportunities to engage with our teachers and students. In addition to this, in the coming months, my office will be holding a breakfast meeting with Richmond principals and our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Bruce Harter, to sit down and explore ideas on how we can work to better advance after school programs, youth academies and summer sessions. In addition to our partnership with the school district it is important that the City advance independent efforts to help bring about a well-rounded education for our youth. It is exciting that the City Manager will be hiring a recreation director, someone to focus specifically on recreation. I believe this summer will be the summer that our community centers begin to flourish as never before.

Another upcoming effort will be an education forum that my office will be co-sponsoring, along with Progressive Teachers of Richmond and March4Education, to provide analysis and information about the problems with the No Child Left Behind policy. We need to take a good hard look at what can be done on the local level to help with systemic problems we are facing based on ill-conceived policies made at the federal level.

3. And of course while we work to prevent violence with education efforts, we must move forward with job opportunities. I am committed to creating youth jobs every year for the next 4 years. In reviewing the mid-year budget, the Council made a commitment to increase funding for the Summer Youth Program. Having talked with our finance director about this, I will soon be bringing a request to the City Council to bring forward an additional $100,000 for the youth program, bringing the City’s allocation to $300,000, up from the $200,000 in 2006. This will allow the City to lead by example by increasing by 50% our last year’s contribution with the hope and expectation that the business community will follow suit. Our Employment and Training Department has set a goal of providing 350 jobs this summer (50 jobs more than last year). But even more jobs can be created if we partner with non-profits to help provide work readiness training and case manage the youth.

While quantity of jobs is extremely important to meet the large number of applicants, so too is quality of jobs. I look forward to working with City Departments like Public Works and Parks and Recreation to help identify areas that our youth can work to help beautify our parks, streets and publics spaces, and make our community centers more productive. I will also seek ways to advance young people into year-round City jobs that arise out of the Summer Youth Program.

We have the opportunity to nurture future city managers, recreation directors, public works directors, and yes even a future department of the environment director. These, among other things, are the aspirations that we must nurture and cultivate in our youth.

4. I am also researching another program that offers jobs and education opportunities for at-risk youth. We have an opportunity to partner with the East Bay Conservation Corps to establish a Richmond satellite program. Giving our youth a chance to advance our environmental conservation efforts here in Richmond and to advance themselves at the same time is a win-win situation.


Let me add that although we are building a new culture of financial and fiscal responsibility here at City Hall, we must also remember the fiscal responsibility that we as officials hold so as not to overspend or over commit to spending beyond our means.

While our needs run deep in Richmond, our budget will only stretch so far, which means regional funding must be accessed to fully and effectively keep violence prevention programs and job efforts up and running. I have met with Berkeley’s Mayor Bates and Oakland’s Mayor Dellums and we have committed to working together to develop and expand successful tools that will reduce crime in our region and to collectively seek funds for anti-violence measures. The major obstacle to regional work is hard dollars to fund our efforts. I will be meeting with Senator Perata, who has outlined a peacekeeping team project for both Oakland and Richmond. This project has already begun in Oakland. I will let Senator Perata know that we stand ready and willing to put funds to good use in Richmond to advance his project here.


Environment

And while we address street violence, we must be clear that any definition of violence foisted upon our community must also include the toxic pollution and chemical industrial legacy that our population is exposed to more than other communities. This is also a type of violence to our health; a burden on Richmond’s children and future generations. With that in mind, we must address the environment.

In terms of environmental health and pollution reduction, I’m working on several policies to bring to the City Council for consideration. For example, I’m working with our Planning Department on a recommendation to lower our solar permit fees from $800 to $200 or below, which will move us along to becoming a leading solar city in the Bay Area.

I will also be bringing forward a resolution to declare Richmond a Green Economy Development Area. In the last 8 weeks we have talked to 5 green businesses that want to locate in Richmond. This means jobs, leadership and increased money for City services. The City must vote to expand this development area and direct its energies accordingly.

Other initiatives that I will be asking the Council to consider include:

1. an environmentally-preferable purchasing ordinance that will phase out the use of toxic chemicals in our parks, community spaces and neighborhood;

2. a policy requiring restaurants to eliminate Styrofoam take-out containers, such as Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco have enacted – requiring a move away from products that litter our streets and storm drains and a move toward more environmentally-safe products; and

3. the establishment of an Environmental Health and Environmental Justice Commission to focus on improving public health and a healthier environment in Richmond.

Let me also add that the Green Building Ordinance that some of us have been patiently waiting for is currently being developed by the City Attorney based on similar ordinances in the region.

On a final note regarding restoration of our natural environment, Richmond is taking the lead in pursing emissions-free vehicles in its City operations. We have initiated an electric vehicle pilot project through our Public Works Department, using emissions-free vehicles to do short-run transportation and park maintenance on the Bay Trail.

And when speaking of the environment, it is essential that we also speak of the conditions that continue to degrade our neighborhoods and surroundings. Improving our environment must include the clean-up of our streets, trash-filled lots, and removal of blight.

In terms of neighborhood revitalization efforts, we will be seeing 12 neighborhood clean-ups paid for by the City in the next year, expanding on previous efforts and continuing to work with the Neighborhood Councils.

In terms of our bigger engineering efforts, projects are moving along to improve our surroundings. For example: 1) our street paving program is in operation and on schedule; 2) work has been completed to close the Bay Trail gaps providing us currently with 17 miles of continuous bay trail along our City’s shoreline; 3) the Safe Route to School Program has installed grade flashing lights at 8 crosswalk locations; and 4) Phase One of our very exciting Richmond Greenway Bicycle Trail should be completed by the end of March of this year.

Economic development

Okay….We need to reduce violence, and we need to enhance to enhance our environment. The last need I want to address today is economic development.

It is imperative to examine economic development in the context of social equity and environmental protection

And in moving that effort forward, I have met with the Council of Industries and Chamber of Commerce and they have agreed to do more than they have ever done to making business practice in Richmond greener, cleaner and safer. I am looking forward to regular visits to Richmond businesses throughout the year to learn about their services, products and good practices underway.

I have also been engaged in discussion with the Richmond Economic Development Initiative (REDI), a coalition focusing on economic development with social equity.
We must support REDI and other efforts to increase truly affordable housing, encourage healthy walkable development, preserve open space and create public gathering spaces within our City to meet real needs of Richmond residents.

And when we look at our big development projects like the Civic Center project and the MacDonald Avenue project, it is absolutely necessary to continuously examine and reexamine what is in the best interest of our City and our residents.

--Healthy buildings and responsible design must define our Civic Center project, as this project will define our City in many ways.

--In revitalizing downtown, we must constantly go back to community visioning efforts to seek out what specifics will take shape. Retaining current local businesses and creating opportunities for prospective Richmond business start-ups, will be key to promoting a Richmond local economy and a distinct local character, in contrast to a franchise-dominated downtown.

And as we plan our downtown in terms of bricks and mortar, we must simultaneously begin to culturally frame this revitalization effort. And who better than our Arts and Culture Division and Arts and Culture Commissioners. We need to work hand in hand with artists and cultural workers to bring forward a permanent artist community for our downtown to build a thriving and exciting downtown area.

As mayor, for two months now I have invested, and I will continue throughout the year to invest, all my hours and all my capacity in working for that Better Richmond that is peaceful, healthy and prosperous.

Yet it remains to be said that none of our hopes for a better Richmond can come about without promoting strong community leadership. As mayor, I will continue to be a staunch advocate for further community connections coming from City Hall and City Government.

Community groups like the General Plan Advisory Committee, the Zeneca Community Advisory Group, Solar Richmond, and the North Richmond Shoreline Open Space Alliance are the heart and soul of our city. These great community efforts will allow for Richmond’s destiny to be defined of, by and for its residents.

And to engage and enhance citizen involvement in reviewing our 100 year old city charter, I will be asking the Council to approve a citizens committee and process to examine and advise us on preparations for a revised 2008 charter.

It is clear to me that community collaborative efforts are the greatest engine the city has to enact change. I will work with the City Manager on a new idea for Richmond of creating a collaboration of businesses, residents, and government to improve neighborhoods, strengthen families, and support youth development creating a safe, healthy, and thriving community. This collaboration has been effective in Vallejo and other cities across the nation.

And last but not least, when speaking about community, our Neighborhood Councils are integral agents for change. As mayor, I will make my regular visits to the Neighborhood Councils a high priority, and facilitate their great work however I can.

I invite our Richmond residents to come to my first “Meet with the Mayor,” on Thursday evening, March 29th, from 5:30 to 7:30 in the Whittlesey Community Room next to the library. This is an open invitation to residents to talk with me and share concerns. My hope is that these meetings will be avenues for both problem-solving and community suggestions for furthering progress in the city. I will ask various department heads to join me at different meetings to allow for department updates and presentations.

In conclusion:

The state of the City of Richmond is still one of ill health but signs of improvement are on the horizon
The challenges are immense but not insurmountable
Our City is focused on recovery
Our potential is incredibly strong
The solutions to our problems will only come from the will and participation of Richmond residents.
Our lives, our families, our children require each of us to go the extra mile, invest the extra time, and put forward the next community initiative: Talk to your neighbors, discuss the issues and ask yourselves and your neighbors: “What can we do (with or without the support of the City) to make Richmond better?”
Whatever the answer may be, whatever idea or initiative you and your neighbors come up with to improve your lives, let me know. I want the City, as an organization and service provider, to help and I want to help.

A Better Richmond is Possible … and with your commitment, it is already in the making!

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin