On the agenda: an interim city manager, more police cameras, and 168 tons of trash

Richmond's City Council will formalize its choice of an interim city manager Tuesday, consider replacing the city's Flock license plate cameras with Axon technology and take up a proposal for an outside review of the city's financial numbers. The agenda also includes a resolution urging Congress to release more records in the Epstein files and a report on 168 tons of trash the city cleared last month.

The interim city manager

The council has selected Mark Scott as interim city manager, voting unanimously in closed session September 15 after directing Human Resources to conduct a search. Tuesday's agenda item is a resolution confirming Scott's appointment, his employment agreement and authorization for the city attorney to execute it.

Scott's term will run up to six months, from October 3 through April 3, beginning the week after City Manager Shasa Curl leaves office.

City Manager Curl announces retirement

Sasha Curl has announced she will retire after four years as City Manager and more than 20 years of work with the City of Richmond. Curl’s announcement came at the April 21 council meeting when she told the council she plans to leave upon the completion of renovation projects

Grandview IndependentLinda Hemmila

Scott is retired from California's public pension system, known as CalPERS. State law limits CalPERS retirees to 960 hours of work per year for public agencies, which limits Scott's appointment to six months. He will be paid $182.74 an hour, the maximum rate tied to the city manager position, with no other benefits or compensation.

The formal appointment follows Curl's own presentation to the council on her "accomplishments, major milestones, and organizational progress" during her tenure.

Councilmembers have homework for finance staff

Vice Mayor Doria Robinson and Councilmember Claudia Jimenez are asking the council to direct the Finance Department to fill out a financial report covering fiscal years 2023-24 through 2026-27. The report would break the numbers down by six stages of the budget process, from the initial projection through audited final figures. They also want the city's outside municipal advisor, HNA, to review the completed report.

The request follows a tense exchange at the September 15 meeting, when Curl and Finance staff reported that Richmond's core operations ran a $9.8 million deficit this year, even as the city posted a $40.2 million surplus that included a one-time $50 million Chevron settlement payment.

Staff reports deficit, council votes to start process on how to spend Chevron settlement funds

The Richmond City Council voted Tuesday to move forward with a public process for spending the city’s $550 million settlement with Chevron, after city officials disclosed that Richmond’s day-to-day operations ran $9.8 million in the red this year. The council also rejected a proposal to

Grandview IndependentSoren Hemmila

Robinson pressed Curl on why the council had been advised to allocate surplus funds in years the city now says ran deficits. Curl said the council had approved spending and labor increases beyond what staff recommended, calling the situation "a confluence of factors," and told Robinson the council doesn't like "the truth and the facts." Robinson said she wanted an outside opinion on the numbers before moving forward.

More cameras, more questions

The council will again take up an amendment to its contract with Axon Enterprise, continued from September 15. The deal would add license plate readers and other surveillance equipment to the city's existing body-camera and Taser contract.

The amendment would replace the city's current Flock license plate camera program and increase the contract by $3.5 million. A companion item would add a $500,000 contract with Assure MSP for Verkada security cameras at city facilities.

Richmond council to weigh replacing Flock license plate readers with Axon

Richmond police want to replace the city’s Flock Safety license plate readers with a new system from Axon, citing problems with Flock’s equipment, repairs, and data-sharing practices. The Richmond City Council will consider the change Tuesday, along with a $3.5 million increase to Richmond’s existing

Grandview IndependentSoren Hemmila

Right after that item, Jimenez, Councilmember Sue Wilson and Robinson are asking staff to bring in the Electronic Frontier Foundation for a future presentation on the effectiveness and limitations of license plate reader technology. They also want objective statistical analysis of whether Richmond's use of the technology has reduced crime, recovered stolen vehicles or led to arrests and convictions.

Jimenez and Robinson are also sponsoring the financial reporting proposal above. Both requests seek outside scrutiny of information the city is already producing.

Bana has Epstein files on the agenda

Councilmember Soheila Bana is asking the council to adopt a resolution urging Congress to pass H.R. 9694, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. The bill would give victims, state attorneys general and members of Congress new ways to challenge the Justice Department over withheld or redacted records.

Congress already passed an Epstein files transparency law last year, but Bana's resolution says millions of records remain hidden or heavily redacted. The new bill would also penalize officials who intentionally conceal or destroy files.

Richmond would not spend any money on the resolution. The city clerk would send copies to Congressman John Garamendi and Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.

Mixed-use Carlson Boulevard development

The Veterans Resource Program, in partnership with Eagle Environmental Construction Development, will present a proposed mixed-use development at 338 Carlson Boulevard in South Richmond, on the vacant lot between the Pullman Point apartments and the cannabis grow.

The project would include 226 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, along with roughly 40,000 square feet of commercial space and job-training components for veterans.

The sewer under Keller Beach

Public Works staff will present findings from the Keller Beach Sanitary Sewer feasibility study and ask the council for direction on interim and long-term fixes. A final report and recommended action are expected in November or December.

Richmond City Council approves 45-day moratorium on Keller Beach Sewer connections

The Richmond City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new sewer connections to the aging Keller Beach Sanitary Sewer system Tuesday night, extending restrictions that have stalled home construction for three years. The moratorium, which requires approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), temporarily

Grandview IndependentSoren Hemmila

Checking in on Richmond's kids

The council will hear from WestEd, the independent evaluator for the Richmond Fund for Children & Youth, on its 2025 evaluation report.

Parking spaces, paperwork and fees

Public Works will also update the council on the draft On-Street Accessible Parking Program, including possible application and appeal fees, and ask for direction on the policy.

On the consent calendar

Most of the consent calendar covers routine city business that will pass without discussion unless a councilmember or member of the public pulls an item for separate consideration.

168 tons later

Public Works will present its monthly report on how much garbage it picked up. In August, crews removed 168 tons of illegally dumped material, including 272 mattresses and 242 tires, and cleared 24 encampment locations, removing nearly 37 tons of debris.

The division also collected 36 debris dumpsters and seven recycling dumpsters during neighborhood Dumpster Days, assisting 298 seniors and disabled residents.

A garden, finally with a name

The council is asked to name the new community garden at Unity Park the Joe Lee Fisher Sr. Universally Accessible Community Garden.

There's money for job training

The Community Services Department is asking the council to accept and appropriate $1,790,303 in workforce development grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Labor and Kaiser Permanente.

Wanted: board and commission members

The Mayor's Office is asking the council to acknowledge current vacancies on city boards, commissions and committees and direct interested residents to send applications to the city clerk.

Proclamations, because it's Tuesday

The council will proclaim Labor Day in recognition of workers and the labor movement, recognize Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15, honor organizers of the 2026 Fiestas Patrias Parade and Celebration, and recognize September 2026 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month.

The Polluters Pay money is back

Jimenez and Robinson want the city manager and city attorney to give the council an update at the October 20 meeting on the Polluters Pay settlement funds' public consultation process, including the consultant's proposal, the consultation plan, the timeline and the current state of the funds. They also want monthly updates to continue until the contract's deliverables are met. The item was continued from the September 15 meeting.

A new tenant at Point Potrero

In a special meeting before the regular council session, the Surplus Property Authority will consider authorizing a lease with STAX Engineering for Basin 4 at the Point Potrero Marine Terminal.

STAX would use the site for a maritime emissions control operations facility and as its Northern California headquarters.

And finally, some shout-outs

The council will honor Richmond Sports Outreach Leadership, its founder, volunteer coaches and student athletes. The item was continued from the July 7 meeting.

The council will also recognize Concilio de la Comunidad at Contra Costa College, a student organization that grew out of a La Raza Studies introductory psychology class project celebrating “lowrider pedagogy,” culture and community engagement.