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Free, independent, nonprofit news for Richmond, CA. Powered by @citysidelocal, also home to @berkeleyside and @theoaklandside.

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Inside Richmond’s Fire Station 66 in the North and East neighborhood, a framed newspaper clipping hangs among dozens of pictures and stories about firefighters of the past.

At first glance, the clipping reads like it was written recently, with a headline stating “No room at the firehouse” to describe the station’s facility woes. It opened in 1942 and is one of the city’s oldest.

Images from the clipping show how little room firefighters had to squeeze between lockers and a parked fire engine and points out that the kitchen door is just a few feet away from where the engine’s exhaust shoots out.

But this article was published 18 years ago in the West County Times. And nothing has changed at Station 66 since then or a number of others that the city says need to be replaced or at least upgraded.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Joel Umanzor
Photographed by Tyger Ligon for Richmondside by @richmondside

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4 days ago

For years, when Mauricio Gonzalez and his wife, Deysi Ramos, who live in Richmond, got a certain pupusa itch, they’d brave the traffic to San Francisco, never sure how long it would take or how stressful a drive it would be.

Their destination for this monthly pilgrimage? Balompié Cafe in San Francisco’s Mission District, where they used to live.

As of last month, that itch has gotten a lot more convenient to scratch.

“Yay!” said Gonzalez with a grin. “We are excited,” Ramos said.

🫓 Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Kate Darby Rauch
Photographed by Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh

@balompiesportsbar by @richmondside

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5 days ago

We deleted a previous Instagram post after WCCUSD provided more accurate information. Get the full story at the link in our bio.

WCCUSD spokesperson Liz Sanders said they can confirm that the “directly impacted” children of the person arrested are not enrolled in district schools.

The murky details of when and where ICE officials detained a Richmond parent Thursday illustrate how heightened fear in the community can lead to confusion about the facts.

Although a school board member posted specific details on Facebook about a parent being detained near Nystrom Elementary School after drop-off time, a district spokesperson told Richmondside that the district is receiving “conflicting information about the exact time of the arrest.”

“We will be more precise in the future and understand the misunderstanding,” Sanders told Richmondside.

Full story at the link in bio. by @richmondside

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9 days ago

Mayoral run-off candidates Ahmad Anderson and Claudia Jimenez discussed the most pressing issues facing the city and shared their visions for Richmond’s future.

Did you miss our mayoral candidate forum? No worries 💬 Comment “MAYOR” for a link to the recording.

Video by Jana Kadah taken in Richmond, California by @richmondside

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10 days ago

Hear from the Richmond mayoral candidates and get your questions answered!

Join us for a nonpartisan mayoral candidate forum hosted by Richmondside, Richmond Confidential, and The Advocate at Contra Costa College.

This event will bring together the two mayoral run-off candidates, Ahmad Anderson and Claudia Jimenez, to discuss the issues facing Richmond and share their vision for the city. The forum will feature a moderated conversation with the candidates followed by a community Q&A.

Register for this FREE event at the link in bio. by @richmondside

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19 days ago

Most 99 year olds have long since given up their car keys. But not Myrtle Braxton, who says she has two more years until her license expires and she intends to stay put behind the wheel.

Being independently mobile makes sense for the always-busy Braxton. For more than half a century, she has volunteered, organized and advocated across the city at every level and beyond, from her own Laurel Park Neighborhood Council to the National Parks and Recreation Commission.

“Everybody who works in government or works in the community to some degree in Richmond is gonna know and work with Myrtle Braxton,” said Robert Rogers, chief of staff to Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Kleigh Carroll
Portait by Amaya Edwards for Richmondside by @richmondside

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24 days ago

Gathered around two dozen round tables inside Richmond’s Memorial Auditorium, community members, city council members and employees of the air district, city and Chevron learned more about the district’s first Chevron Richmond health assessment under Rule 11.18 that directly links increased health risks to oil refining emissions.

Ariana Husain, an engineering manager with the air district, began the 90-minute meeting by saying the assessment focused on stationary sources at the refinery but did not consider all the additional pollution sources nearby.

To submit a comment on the Bay Air District’s Chevron health assessment, visit their website and scroll down to the Phase/Facilities list. There’s a comment link under Chevron Products Company.

The comment period closes Nov. 23, 2026.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Brian Krans
Photo by Beth LaBerge/KQED by @richmondside

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a month ago

When Brookside MHRC opens in June 2027 it will be the county’s first such facility, and it means patients can be more seamlessly connected with local nonprofits, which can offer support, resources, and employment. Such resources can help patients transition successfully to life after treatment. (Right now the closest such hospitals are in Fremont and Morgan Hill.)

Local locked facilities can also make it easier for families to visit and stay involved in a patient’s care, which can improve their loved one’s health. “ My husband and I could afford to drive to these out-of-county placements to visit our son. Other families could not,” said Pasquini, and that is an equity issue.

Brookside MHRC will be converted from the existing Brookside Adult Shelter at 847 Brookside Drive using an $18.6 million state grant. The new locked facility will treat people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder. Contra Costa Health estimates that the facility will serve 95 residents a year. Staffing at the center will include psychiatrists, nurses, mental health therapists, peer counselors, and other administrative staff.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Sejal Parekh
Renderings courtesy of Contra Costa Health by @richmondside

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a month ago

On a recent overcast August morning, three city crisis response workers walked around downtown Richmond, making their daily rounds to places where they would be most likely to find people needing their help.

Michael Romero, Nikko Higgins and Raymond Hodge, three of the city’s five Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) responders, are familiar with several known “hotspots” — places like the FoodsCo on Macdonald Avenue.

It was a brisk morning.

Richmondside City Hall reporter Joel Umanzor has been following ROCK’s progress since 2024, and he and photographer Maurice Tierney spent the morning with the newly hired crisis workers to see firsthand how it works. Using public records requests, Umanzor also analyzed call data.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Joel Umanzor
Photographed by Maurice Tierney for Richmondside by @richmondside

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a month ago

Political newcomer Caitlin Garibaldi will be the only new face on the five-person school board, a governing body that oversees the district’s finances and operations. Trustees collectively appoint the superintendent and have the power to cut or create new positions, approve terminations and provide guidance for contract negotiations between teachers and other district staff. Trustees also oversee the district’s budget and offer fiscal oversight.

Garibaldi is endorsed by United Teachers of Richmond and said she decided to run after seeing how teachers were treated leading up to and during the four-day strike last December.

The catalyst, she said, was when she saw a lock on the teachers’ portable restroom outside of Fairmont Elementary, where her daughter attended kindergarten.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Jana Kadah
Photographed by Tyger Ligon for Richmondside by @richmondside

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a month ago

Richmond police say an officer was shot and wounded by a woman experiencing a mental health crisis Thursday at a residence in East Richmond.

According to police, the incident happened around 6:45 p.m. in the 2200 block of Key Boulevard near Macdonald Avenue after Contra Costa County’s A3 team called Richmond police for assistance as they conducted a mental health check on a resident. The officer is expected to survive. Police did not release any other details about the woman, only that she was taken into custody around 8:45 p.m. Full story at the link in bio.

Reporting and video by Joel Umanzor

#richmondca #localnews #richmondpolice by @richmondside

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a month ago

Vicky Chen has been hired as the Richmond Art Center's new executive director, according to art center officials. The Pinole resident will trade a decade-long commute to Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland, where she was senior director of education and community engagement, for one closer to home. She starts Sept. 21 — just days before the center’s 90th-anniversary gala on Sept. 25.

“The diversity and community vibrancy is always something that draws me to this place,” Chen told Richmondside. “I’ve been following the fun, welcoming events on social media that they’ve been producing recently, including presenting local artists from different diasporas. My hope is to invite more people to the Richmond Art Center, to reach people who live so close and may not know about it, to let them know that we’re here as a resource.”

It’s an infusion of new energy from an artist and administrator who’s been closely watching activities at the center since she volunteered at the organization’s 75th anniversary celebration. The opportunity to take the reins, which emerged after a long national search, proved irresistible.

Read more at the link in bio.

Reported by Andrew Gilbert
Photos courtesy of Richmond Art Centerc by @richmondside

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2 months ago