City Government

City Council Considers $1 Billion Chevron Refinery Modernization Project

Published

11 years ago

July 24, 2014

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Congresswoman Lee Accepts “Live the Wage” Challenge

Don't Miss

Bay Area Commemorates World Hepatitis Day

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

IN MEMORIAM: Nate Holden, State Senator and Longtime Los Angeles Councilmember, Dies at 95

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.” Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nathaniel “Nate” Holden, a prominent figure in the city’s politics, passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed on May 7.

Holden, who represented South Los Angeles for 16 years on the City Council and served one term in the California State Senate, was widely regarded as a forceful advocate for his community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.”

Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Holden’s journey to political prominence began in the segregated South, where he was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1929. He often recalled the childhood moment when he first heard the governor of Georgia vowing to continue suppressing Black people.

“Doing the best you can for the people. Law and order. Make sure that people’s communities are safe. I did it all,” said Holden, reflecting on his legacy.

Holden is survived by his sons, including former California Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represented a district in Southern California that includes Pasadena and Altadena in Los Angeles County and cities in San Bernardino County.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.