On the agenda: Chevron health risk findings, gun violence study and 23rd Street safety

The Richmond City Council meets Tuesday, October 27, to hear the Bay Area Air District's health risk assessment of the Chevron refinery, consider competing traffic safety proposals after two pedestrian deaths on 23rd Street, and hear a presentation about the city's Office of Neighborhood Safety.

A special meeting at 4 p.m. will cover the refinery assessment and an evaluation of the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth. The regular meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Chevron's cancer risk: 37 in a million

The Bay Area Air District will present its preliminary health risk assessment of the Chevron Richmond Refinery, the first under the district's Rule 11-18. The assessment models the refinery's routine emissions and estimates the health risk at the spot where it is highest.

At that spot, a person breathing the refinery's emissions for 30 years would face an estimated added cancer risk of 37 in a million, or about 1 in 27,000. The district requires a risk reduction plan at 10 in a million.

The assessment covers only the refinery's routine emissions. It does not include flaring and other short-term upsets, traffic, or other nearby sources. If the final estimates remain above the thresholds, Chevron would have five years to carry out a plan to reduce the risk. Public comment is open until 5 p.m. Monday, November 23.

What the gun violence study found

Councilmembers Claudia Jiménez and Sue Wilson co-sponsored this item, inviting UC Berkeley professor Jason Corburn to present research on the efficacy of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and its Peacemaker Fellowship.  

$1.5 million for Advance Peace on consent

The council will consider accepting a $3,674,258 state grant for a youth cannabis prevention and harm reduction program led by the Office of Neighborhood Safety, running through 2031. The funding includes up to $1.5 million for Advance Peace, founded by former office director DeVone Boggan; up to $966,463 for RYSE; and up to $200,000 for evaluator Evident Change.

23rd Street: quick fix or citywide plan?

Councilmembers Jamelia Brown and Cesar Zepeda want the city manager to propose quick fixes along 23rd Street, including high-visibility crosswalks with flashing beacons and speed-feedback signs. Staff would have 30 days to return with locations, costs, and a timeline.

Jiménez, Vice Mayor Doria Robinson and Wilson propose a citywide plan, with public criteria for ranking locations, traffic calming tied to street repaving and annual funding. Their staff report says two recent pedestrian deaths on 23rd Street "raise questions about whether the City has invested enough money in traffic safety solutions." Both proposals were continued from earlier meetings.

Grading the kids fund

Evaluator WestEd will present its 2025 report on the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth. The fund awarded 37 grants totaling $6.7 million annually to 36 organizations. Programs logged 29,534 service hours across 107 sites in Richmond and North Richmond.

Refinery watchdog moves to county fire

The council will consider the first reading of an ordinance transferring enforcement of Richmond's Industrial Safety Ordinance from Contra Costa Health to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. The county moved its hazardous materials program to the fire district last year, along with the eight engineers who oversee refinery safety.

Three 5 percent raises for fire brass

A proposed contract with the Richmond Fire Management Association would provide 5 percent raises each year for three years, add a pay step in 2028, and expand longevity pay. The city estimates the cost at $610,887 through December 2028. A companion side letter clarifies which fire managers' pay counts toward their CalPERS pensions.

Nine more eyes on dumpers

Public Works wants to spend $80,000 on nine additional FlashCAM cameras to deter illegal dumping. They use flashes and audio warnings and can capture license plates.

Contracts that grew

The city's contract with LEHR to outfit new police and fire vehicles would double to $3 million as vehicles await equipment. A consulting contract with Kaia Badger for the city's permitting software would grow from $10,000 to $296,000.

CSWST2 would receive $890,492 to design the next phases of the Neighborhood Complete Streets Project on Harbour Way, Ohio Avenue and Wright Avenue. Three companies, Air Applied Mulch, Applied Landscape Materials and JetMulch, would receive mulch contracts worth up to $1.5 million each over three years, or $4.5 million combined.

Heroes and honors

The council will recognize firefighters who responded to fires on 15th Street on August 18, which killed four members of a Richmond family.

Richmond man arrested after fire kills father, 5-year-old nephew

This story was last updated Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 12:08 p.m Update: The 2-year-old child who was critically injured in the fire has died from her injuries, Richmond police said Thursday. A 33-year-old woman remains in critical condition. A 32-year-old Richmond

Grandview IndependentSoren Hemmila

The council will also honor officers who came under rifle fire on Key Boulevard on September 3 while assisting the A3 crisis team. Officer Justin Church was wounded and helped crisis workers reach safety.

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A Richmond police officer who was shot Thursday while responding to a mental health check on Key Boulevard was released from the hospital Friday, police said. Officer Justin Church, a 25-year law enforcement veteran, was treated at a local hospital and released at about 3 p.m. Friday. His

Grandview IndependentSoren Hemmila

Other honorees include Rodney "Alamo" Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday; Public Works Director Daniel Chavarria; Greater El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on its 75th anniversary; and Supermercado La Raza for its Fiestas Patrias storefront.

The rest

The council will consider adding $940,771 in unpaid garbage bills to property tax rolls as liens and extending the Macdonald Avenue Corridor Task Force through 2028. Other items include a two-year, $9,600 extension for concealed carry permit software and a $45,000, three-year county agreement to continue the Café senior lunch program at the Richmond Senior Center.

Public Works' September abatement report says crews hauled 184 tons of illegally dumped material and cleared 24 encampments. The Economic Development Commission will submit its first- and second-quarter reports, and the mayor's office will provide its boards and commissions vacancy list.

The council will also consider appointing Crescent Diamond to the Community Police Review Commission, Gustavo Barrios to the Design Review Board, and Aidan Cruz to the Richmond-Shimada Friendship Commission.