05 Jun In Richmond, ‘Too Many Squirrels’ and ‘Fundamentally Undemocratic’ Special Districts

“The problem we have in Richmond is too many squirrels,” Public Works Director Daniel Chavarria said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Public Works Director Daniel Chavarria presented a new problem as the Richmond City Council looked to get its priorities straight: squirrels. 

Chavarria, whose department oversees street maintenance and the traffic calming program that’s received over 300 requests, likened the city’s attention span to the easily distracted dog in the movie “Up,” saying there needed to be a focus on building the foundation of programs.  

“The problem we have in Richmond is too many squirrels,” said Chavarria.“ ‘Squirrel!’ And everybody goes here,” he said, motioning to one side. Then, the other side: “ ‘Squirrel!’ And everyone goes here.” 

The council used some of that focus on Tuesday to provide direction ahead of the adoption of the annual budget, honing in on street and pedestrian safety by allocating funds for additional traffic calming staff. The allocation comes after residents expressed concerns about street safety and some council members were left dissatisfied with the progress of current traffic calming projects. 

>>>Read: Richmond Council Sees Balanced Budget, Need for Staffing

The allocation, proposed by Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez and council members Gayle McLaughlin and Doria Robinson, will fund two additional employees in the Public Works Department who will focus on traffic calming projects. “Qualified personnel are necessary,” the accompanying staff report reads, “to manage the work of the street calming program.” 

Public Works has 13% of its positions vacant, according to data presented by staff in a budget presentation at the meeting, which leaves 18 roles unfilled. 

Part of the staffing allocation is a proposal to create a traffic calming division housed in the public works department that would focus on improving street safety, including traffic safety planning. Jose Richard Aviles, who shared a presentation on the proposed division and is a transportation analyst for the Othering and Belonging Institute, said residents, advocacy groups and some council members were consulted when developing the proposal.  

Chavarria said the ideal way to address street and traffic safety needs would be to combine projects — if a street needs to be repaved, for example, that could be done when traffic safety measures are being installed — to be more efficient. 

“We are not there yet,” he said. “But…that’s where we want to be.” 

The foundation of that model has been ongoing and includes a process to evaluate resident-initiated inquiries related to traffic calming, which you can learn more about and submit an inquiry here.

Special districts

Some council members were concerned with what they saw as inequities in levels of services for communities in and out of special districts, leading to questions on how this might be remedied. 

Two special districts, the Hilltop Landscape Maintenance District and Marina Bay Landscaping Lighting Maintenance District, which provide services for areas that have unique needs, were discussed Tuesday. 

Robinson said the use of special districts seems “fundamentally undemocratic” because certain areas can afford to have better living conditions than other areas. 

“I do wonder if we should just do away with special districts and find a different way to … get the money that we need,” said Robinson. “So that we can provide a baseline of service that is respectful for all residents.” 

Robinson said part of her criticism of special districts has to do with some residents in her district having to find volunteers to do landscaping because they have no special district to fund those services. District 3, which she represents, includes the Coronado and Atchison Village neighborhoods. 

She also said she’d like to see a spending comparison between services and staff in special districts and outside of them. 

The next regularly scheduled Richmond City Council meeting is June 18.