On the agenda: Craneway vote, paramedic tax, data center moratorium and more

The Richmond City Council meets Tuesday night with an agenda that includes a deadline-driven vote on the future of the Craneway Pavilion, a debate over how to fund a paramedic upgrade, and a first step toward restricting data center development in a city.

Craneway comes to a head

After months of closed-door talks, locked doors, and even a pickleball dispute that drew protesters dressed as Rosie the Riveter, the council is headed for a key vote Tuesday night on the future of the Craneway Pavilion.

Orton Entertainment LLC, which has held a 55-year lease on the historic Ford Point waterfront building for just $1 a year since 2004, has offered to return the leasehold to the city, along with $80,000 in cash. The catch: if the council doesn't act Tuesday, Orton says he's walking and transferring the lease to an unnamed backup entity he describes only as a "marine use," an organization whose board has already voted to accept it.

A city-commissioned inspection identified $12.7 million in long-term capital needs. Even mothballing the 72,000-square-foot building would cost an estimated $600,000 annually. Running it as an event venue under direct city management could mean a yearly deficit approaching $933,000.

A second consulting firm suggested that leasing the building to a nonprofit or commercial operator could bring the city close to breaking even, and that a longer-term hotel development at the adjacent ferry terminal could eventually generate over $800,000 a year for the General Fund.

No operator or nonprofit has been publicly identified. Tuesday's vote is simply on whether to take the building back at all, and figure out the rest later. If approved, escrow closes by May 1.

Council eyes $4.1 million-a-year paramedic upgrade, weighs parcel tax to pay for it

The council will consider a parcel tax and new fees to fund a $4.1 million-per-year upgrade to full paramedic-level fire response.

The plan would bring Richmond in line with every other jurisdiction in Contra Costa County by transitioning to Advanced Life Support first-responder services. The five-year program cost is estimated at $20.46 million, not counting additional expenses for aging fire station upgrades and replacements.

Voters could see a measure on the November 2026 ballot, but it would need a two-thirds vote to pass. Based on the city’s 32,683 taxable parcels, a $100 per-parcel tax would cover about 80 percent of annual ALS costs, while $150 per parcel would fully fund the service and leave some room for equipment and other upgrades.

Officials are also exploring a First Responder Service Fee and bond financing for station construction, with detailed recommendations to follow based on council direction Tuesday.

The remainder of the agenda is on the consent calendar, a block of routine items the council typically approves in a single vote without discussion.

Data center moratorium as OpenAI moves into city

This proposal would direct city staff to draft a moratorium on new data center development, part of a growing wave of local governments hitting pause on the fast-expanding industry, even as the artificial intelligence giant OpenAI has quietly established a foothold in the city.

The agenda report was authored by City Manager Shasa Curl, Community Development Director Lina Velasco, and Interim City Attorney Shannon Moore, and cites worries over energy consumption, water use, noise, and environmental justice impacts on nearby residential neighborhoods.

The council action comes weeks after a county property record showed that OpenAI signed a lease recorded on March 9, 2026, for space at 1411 Harbour Way South in Richmond, the address of the Portside Commerce Center, a 202,371-square-foot industrial warehouse on the Port of Richmond that had been seeking a tenant since alternative energy startup Moxion Power collapsed in 2024.

What OpenAI intends to use the building for is not clear from the lease record, and the company has not publicly announced its plans for the site.

City staff noted there are currently no pending data center applications in Richmond, meaning the moratorium would be a preemptive policy step. The report recommends the council direct staff to develop and bring back formal moratorium language for adoption.

Pushing Newsom to crack down on Nevada fireworks

Councilmembers Claudia Jimenez and Sue Wilson are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to create a task force aimed at stopping the flow of illegal fireworks from Nevada into California.

The resolution asks the governor to explore an interstate compact between the two states that would establish a shared database of fireworks sales records.

The proposal targets 13 stores in Southern Nevada, six in Pahrump and seven northeast of Reno, that sell federally approved fireworks illegal under California law. Councilmembers estimate that those stores supply between 65 and 75 percent of the illegal fireworks used in California.

The stores already require buyers to show a driver's license and sign forms stating they will only use the fireworks where legal. The proposed compact would require those stores to upload sales records to a secure Nevada-controlled website accessible to fire and law enforcement in both states, as well as federal agencies, including the ATF.

The agenda report notes that local fire and law enforcement agencies have been overwhelmed responding nightly to complaints about illegal aerial fireworks displays ahead of the Fourth of July and other holidays.

A city draws a line around caste

The council will consider adding caste as a protected category under Richmond's anti-discrimination laws. This move would make Richmond one of a small but growing number of U.S. cities to ban caste-based discrimination explicitly. The item includes both a resolution committing the city to caste equity and a first reading of an ordinance amending the Richmond Municipal Code to bring caste within the jurisdiction of the Human Rights and Human Relations Commission.

Sanctuary from the feds, in writing

On its second and final reading, the council will vote to formally adopt an ordinance clarifying the limits on how city property, personnel, and resources may be used to assist federal civil immigration enforcement.

The city's paperwork gets an audit

After being continued from two prior meetings, the council will take up an update to the city's records retention and destruction schedules, which govern how long various city documents are kept before they can be legally destroyed. The update covers all city departments except the Police Department, whose schedule will come before the council separately at a later date.

Moms deserve a night out, and a fee waiver

Vice Mayor Doria Robinson, Councilmember Soheila Bana, and Mayor Eduardo Martinez are asking the council to co-sponsor a community Mother's Day celebration on May 9 organized by the United Business Organization, and to waive rental fees for the Richmond Memorial Auditorium for the occasion.

When fires rage, schools shouldn't pay the price

The council is set to weigh whether to support a state bill that would let local fire agencies declare major safety hazards and keep school funding in place during extreme wildfire emergencies.

$600,000 to give Richmond kids eight weeks of summer

The council will vote to approve a contract worth up to $600,000 with the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund to operate the Achieve Summer Camp, a free eight-week summer program for Richmond youth. The contract runs through the end of 2027 and is administered in partnership with the city's Community Services Recreation division.

$9,000 to feed kids at the library this summer

The council will accept $9,000 in state grant funding for the Lunch at the Library program, which provides meals to children at Richmond libraries during the summer. The funds will be added to the library's current-year operating budget.

Show your work on sanctuary

The council will receive a written update from the Finance Department on steps the city has taken to comply with its Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Policy Ordinance, which restricts the city from doing business with companies that assist in immigration enforcement. No vote is required; this is a receive-only informational item.

A $420,000 bike lane, finished at last

The council will formally accept the 7th Street Bike Lane Improvement Project as complete and approve a contract amendment increasing the final payment to contractor Rapid Grading by about $121,000, bringing the total to just over $420,000. Staff will also be authorized to record the Notice of Completion and release bonds and retention.

$900,000 worth of concrete and boulders

The council is set to sign off on buying K-rails and large natural stone boulders from two vendors for use across the city, mainly for encampment cleanup and protecting public right-of-ways. Each deal would run up to $450,000 over three years, with the option to extend twice for one year at up to $150,000 each time.

The monthly reckoning on encampments

A routine monthly report from Public Works on encampment abatement activities carried out in March 2026. The council will receive but not vote on this item.

$900,000 to keep Richmond's water clean and compliant

The council is expected to approve a no-bid contract worth up to $900,000 with Larry Walker & Associates for wastewater and stormwater compliance work over the next three years.

A trail worth bragging about

To open the regular meeting, the council will recognize the Public Works Department for winning a Northern California American Public Works Association award in the transportation category for the Ferry to Bridge to Greenway project, a trail connection linking the Richmond Ferry Terminal to the Bay Trail.

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On the consent calendar