25 Mar

Richmond to Have Highest Minimum Wage in State

News Report, Malcolm Marshall Last week, the Richmond City Council voted in favor of a city ordinance that will increase the local minimum wage from $8 to $12.30 an hour by 2017. The increase will be phased in over 3 years, and positions Richmond to have the highest minimum wage of...

21 Mar

For Children of Reentry, A New Focus on Family Ties

News Report, Anna Challet | New America Media SACRAMENTO – While millions of children nationwide face extreme difficulties due to having parents who are incarcerated or under criminal supervision, State Senator Mark Leno thinks change is coming. “The good news is that after many decades of building [more] prisons to incarcerate [more]...

19 Mar

Finding Peace at Point Pinole

Photo Essay • Zaira Sierra One place in Richmond that I appreciate is Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. It has been a great place for me to relax, be inspired, and stay healthy. I started visiting the park when I moved back to Richmond in 2009. At first it was just a...

19 Mar

Talk of Immigration Reform Fuels Spike in Fraud Cases

News Report • Maria Mejia | New America Media, REDWOOD CITY--Cecilia, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, never anticipated that her life in the United States would turn into a real-world telenovela, the popular Spanish language dramas. A few years ago she married a U.S. citizen who soon started to mistreat her....

13 Mar

Resident Reactions to the Richmond Housing Authority Investigation

Interviews • Edgardo Cervano-Soto | Photos • David Meza Editor’s Note: The Richmond City Council convened a special meeting on March 12 to review the results of an independent investigation of  highly publicized accusations of neglect by the Richmond Housing Authority at the city’s public housing complexes. At the meeting, lead...

11 Mar

Q&A: After Trauma, Learning How to Heal

Ed. Note: With emotional trauma afflicting an estimated 75 percent of children in the U.S. juvenile justice system, the Sierra Health Foundation recently launched the Positive Youth Justice Initiative (PYJI), a grant initiative that aims to encourage a “trauma-informed” approach to working with youth in custody. The initiative will direct...

04 Mar

What Do You Make of the New Chevron Billboards? Richmond Youth Weigh In

Editor’s Note: Late last year, Chevron began unveiling a series of billboard advertisements in Richmond.  Broadly interpreted, the ads convey a theme of city pride and feature images of workers as well as city landmarks like the Rosie the Riveter museum and local parks.  Initial reactions from residents have been...

03 Mar

Are Attitudes About Teen Pregnancy Changing?

Commentary, Valerie Klinker A recent study conducted by Melissa Kearney at University of Maryland suggests that the MTV reality show, 16 and Pregnant, has led to fewer teen births. The research contends that the show produced more Internet searches and tweets by teens regarding birth control and abortion, and ultimately led to...

03 Mar

‘What Mama Didn’t Say’ Challenges Our Notions of Sexuality

Film Review by Sean Shavers "What Mama Didn't Say: A Dialogue about African American Sexuality,” recently premiered at Richmond City Hall. The event was hosted by the Teen Services Division of the Richmond Public Library. The documentary, produced by local filmmaker Doug Harris, explores multiple issues around sexuality within the Black community –...

28 Feb

Q&A: George Livingston, Jr. on Black History and the Power of Images

Interview • Chanelle Ignant EDITOR’S NOTE: George Livingston, Jr., age 61, the son of former Richmond Mayor George Livingston, Sr., grew up in Richmond and achieved wide success as a professional photographer of musicians and celebrities. He took some time to speak with The CC Pulse about his photography career, the...

25 Feb

Local Organizations Use Comedy to Protest Keystone XL

News Feature, Edgardo Cervano-Soto Early in February, the State Department opened a public comment period on the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, part of a pipeline that would carry unrefined petroleum from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama has yet to approve Keystone XL, which has sparked protests across the country....

25 Feb

FACTS ON ETHNIC ELDERS: Little Help for Prisoners Released After Decades

News Feature, Paul Kleyman | New America Media After devoting over 20 years as a prison social worker, Fordham University researcher Tina Maschi, PhD, declared, “There’s something wrong with society when in some ways staying in prison is better than getting out. The people who are older have a much greater struggle,...

20 Feb

Kindness On Display at ‘Behind the Curtain Gala’

Story • Monet Boyd/Photos • David Meza Richmond celebrated “Unity Day” on February 8th with a “Behind the Curtain Gala,” held at the Craneway Pavilion.  The fundraiser brought together individuals and local charities for a night of music, dance, art, and giving. The event also provided a sneak peek at a...

Mayor Calls for Independent Investigation to Address Problems of the Richmond Housing Authority

Press Release • February 20, 2014 Richmond, CA. Earlier this week, the news media reflected some serious issues in regard to public housing of the Richmond Housing Authority. I would like to thank the news media for bringing this important matter to the City Council’s attention. We are fortunate to have...

18 Feb

Q&A: Mayoral Candidate Parker Wants City to Stay the Course

Interview +Photos, Edgardo Cervano-Soto Editor’s Note: Richmond mayoral candidate Mike Parker, 73, is currently a lead organizer of the Richmond Progressive Alliance and an instructor in the Electrical/Instrumentation department at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, Calif. He previously spent 37 years as an autoworker in Detroit, and holds degrees from the...