City Government
City Council Considers $1 Billion Chevron Refinery Modernization Project
As Richmond’s City Council considered whether or not to approve the Chevron Refinery Modernization Project, a group of community residents and Chevron workers expressed their support of the $1 billion project at a public hearing this week.
The Planning Commission is recommending that the council approve Alternative 11, which includes reduced sulfur processing, no increase in refinery greenhouse gas emissions, and other conditions of approval for the project, according to the city report.
One suggested condition is that the City Council enters into a community health and wellness agreement with Chevron that would provide $30 million for community programs such as scholarships, job training, and funding for a community greenhouse gas reduction program.
The city report details that Chevron’s proposed project includes “equipment improvements to remove naturally occurring sulfur,” and design features that reduce emissions including energy-saving LED lighting, to maintain a safer facility. The project is expected to produce 1,000 new construction jobs.
Chevronofficials have agreed to include Alternative 11 in the project and increase their community investment from $30 million to $60 million, the Richmond Standard reports.
“This project balances the good of the company and the community,” said Kory Judd, General Manager for the refinery, on Tuesday.
Chevron officials encouraged the council to accept the project’s current conditions at Tuesday’s public hearing. Reports say nearly 100 people spoke at the meeting, some advocating for the proposed project and others supporting recommendations suggested by the Planning Commission.
Reports say Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Vice Mayor Jovanka Beckles are expected to support the Planning Commission’s recommendations, while council members Nat Bates and Corky Booze are expected to back Chevron’s proposal. Council members Tom Butts, Jim Rogers, and Jael Myrick decisions’ may determine how the council votes next week.
City Council is expected to make a decision on the project on July 29.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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