On the agenda: $120 million fire bond, ethics measure again pushed to the end, and a full slate of new business

Richmond City Council faces its largest new business agenda of the summer on Tuesday, with six discussion items on the table. Two of the biggest, a $120 million fire station bond and a ballot measure creating an independent ethics commission, are both racing the same deadline to make the November ballot.

A $120 million fire bond heads to voters

The council will vote on whether to ask Richmond voters this November to approve up to $120 million in general obligation bonds to repair and seismically retrofit the city's aging fire stations, some of which are roughly 80 years old. The money would also cover mold and asbestos abatement in firefighter living quarters, electrical and plumbing repairs, and upgrades to training facilities and apparatus bays.

The measure needs two-thirds voter approval to pass. If it clears the council on Tuesday, it will be back on July 28 for a second reading and a resolution placing the measure on the November 3 ballot.

The bond would be repaid through a new property tax, not the General Fund, at an estimated average rate of $22.15 per $100,000 of assessed value, rising to a peak of $24.06 per $100,000 in 2028. Total repayment, if the city issues the full $120 million, is projected at $249.7 million in principal and interest through 2060.

That new tax would stack on top of what Richmond property owners already pay: a combined rate of about 1.42 percent of assessed value, made up of the base countywide tax, the Richmond pension tax, and existing school, transit and community college bonds. On top of that, homeowners also pay several hundred dollars a year in flat fees for sewer, storm drain, and similar services.

GATE Act, still last on the agenda

For the third meeting in a row, the Richmond GATE Act, a ballot measure that would create an independent Ethics Commission, is the final item on the agenda, once again placed behind five other discussion items and a budget session.

Sponsors Cesar Zepeda, Soheila Bana, and Jamelia Brown need the council to adopt a resolution by July 28 directing the city attorney to begin drafting the ordinance and ballot language; otherwise, the measure misses the November ballot outright.

The ethics proposal would create a seven-member commission with a full-time investigator empowered to subpoena records, a $1 million budget floor in year one that "may not be reduced under any circumstances," and jurisdiction over elected officials, city staff, lobbyists, contractors, and nonprofits doing business with the city. By year two, the minimum budget would grow to the greater of $1 million or 0.5 percent of General Fund revenue, an estimated $1.62 million based on projected revenue.

The sponsors' report argues Richmond is an outlier among major California cities in lacking such a commission, noting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, Long Beach, and Sacramento all have one.

Military equipment report returns for a final vote

The Richmond Police Department's 2025 Annual Military Equipment Use Report is back for the third time, after continuances in June and July. Public comment already closed at the July 7 meeting, so the council will now discuss and vote without further input. The report covers the required annual reauthorization of RPD's inventory under state law AB 481. It reflects two changes the council previously requested: new tracking of when officers deploy patrol rifles, and an updated policy section on armored rescue vehicles borrowed from other agencies.

Weed abatement enforcement gets a policy push

A Bana-and Zepeda-sponsored item asks the council to formally adopt four recommendations from the city's Wildfire Preparedness Ad Hoc Committee, after a related May 19 report was placed on the consent calendar and never discussed. The recommendations: evaluate shortening the appeal timeline for defensible-space violations in wildfire hazard zones, set up an on-call vegetation management contract for parcels where owners don't comply, launch a one-year pilot program to help homeowners pay for defensible-space work near their homes, and require staff to report back within 60 days with costs and an implementation schedule.

Public Lands Policy would set labor standards for city land deals

Councilmember Cesar Zepeda's resolution would establish a Public Lands Policy requiring project labor agreements on private development built on land the city leases, sells, or otherwise funds. The policy grew out of an October 2025 presentation from the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council, after which the council directed staff to develop labor standards covering worker protections, job standards, enforceability and apprenticeship pathways for skilled trades workers, including those affiliated with the NorCal Carpenters Union.

Housing Equity Roadmap contract grows again, on its fourth try

A second amendment to the city's contract with Just Cities LLC would raise the payment limit by $49,999, to a total of $209,994, and extend the consultant's work on the Housing Equity Roadmap through December 31, 2027. The roadmap is a Housing Element-mandated planning document addressing fair housing, land use, and equitable development in Richmond. This is the item's fourth appearance on the agenda without a vote, after continuances from June 16, June 23, and July 7.

Glenn Avenue and McBryde Avenue closure aims to cut through traffic

A Public Works item would close the direct vehicular connection between Glenn Avenue and McBryde Avenue as part of the McBryde Avenue Safe Routes to Park project, intended to reduce cut-through traffic and improve safety for people walking and biking to the park. The city of San Pablo submitted a letter of support for the project. This is the item's fourth appearance since June 16 without a vote.

23rd Street Ciclovía still awaiting a green light

Council will get an update on the proposed 23rd Street Ciclovía pilot project, but rather than a vote to move forward, staff is asking for direction on whether the project should be prioritized at all within the current Public Works and Transportation work plan. The ask specifically weighs staffing capacity, cost, trade-offs against other council-directed priorities, and impacts on traffic safety and calming work, grant-funded project delivery, and other resident and council traffic requests already in the pipeline. This is also the item's fourth appearance since June 16 without resolution.

Notable items include the county's official certification of the June 2 primary election results for mayor and Districts 2, 3 and 4; a proposed 2.9 percent rate increase and a full rewrite of the Port of Richmond's tariff schedule, including a new $200-per-hour Clean Port and Clean Air fee; the appointment of Amanda Campbell to the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth Oversight Board; and formation of an ad hoc committee, made up of the mayor, vice mayor, city attorney, city clerk and city manager, to revise the council's own rules of procedure within 60 days.

A public hearing on new septic system permitting rules has been withdrawn from the agenda entirely.

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The consent calendar