Community
Richmond Celebrates Rededication of City Center Apartments
BRIDGE Housing and SparkPoint Contra Costa celebrated their new partnership this week with the rededication of Richmond City Center Apartments at 1000 MacDonald Ave.
The event, part of East Bay Housing Organizations’ Affordable Housing Week, included a tour of a new much-needed community room.
Through the new partnership with SparkPoint Contra Costa, residents and community members can now come to the Chevron Community Room to connect to an array of services to help them build financially secure futures, along with health access and support around basic needs.
“SparkPoint is a partner-based model,” said Betty Geishirt Cantrell, director of SparkPoint Contra Costa. “We are so excited to now add BRIDGE Housing to our list of partners to be better able to serve the residents of the Richmond City Center Apartments and the Richmond community.”
Richmond City Center, which offers 64 affordable apartments for families with low incomes, was originally completed in 1993. Original design constraints limited the creation of adequate community space for classes and services.
Owner and property manager BRIDGE Housing embarked on a 14-month, $10.5 million renovation that resulted in increased energy efficiency, upgrades and repairs to interiors of apartments and exterior building systems.
“We’re thrilled to leverage a significant physical rehab into a true community development,” said Cynthia Parker, President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing. “We have always believed that an affordable home should be a place for stability and a stepping stone for advancement, and SparkPoint is an ideal partner for us in Richmond.”
US BANK, Raymond James, Richmond Housing Authority, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee provided financing for the renovation construction. The renovation architect was McGinnis Chen Associates, and the general contractor was R.E. West Construction, Inc.
For more information about BRIDGE Housing, visit www.bridgehousing.com.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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