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The Record · week of 9 June 2026
Council, 9 June 2026: the digest. Special budget study session; Robinson stated a conflict on the portions touching the e-bike lending library, the Wellness Trail, and the Transformative Climate Communities grant. Item by item, with motions and votes: Council digest, Jun 9.
Statement of conflict of interest. Vice Mayor Robinson stated a conflict of interest regarding a portion of Item F.1 related to the E-Bike Lending Library, Richmond Wellness Trail, and the Transformative Climate Communities grant.
Background: the Transformative Climate Communities contracts. The conflict stated this week concerns the State’s Transformative Climate Communities grant, known locally as Richmond Rising. The State awarded the City up to $35 million in October 2022, with Urban Tilth and Rich City Rides among the co-applicants. On October 3, 2023, the Council approved sole-source contracts from that grant of $7,042,833.41 to Urban Tilth and $3,680,656.75 to Rich City Rides, whose fiscal sponsor is Urban Tilth. The minutes of that meeting record that Councilmember Robinson, Urban Tilth’s executive director, stated a conflict and recused herself.
Background: the State’s advice on those contracts. In June 2024 the Fair Political Practices Commission advised the City Attorney that Councilmember Robinson has a financial interest in City contracts with Urban Tilth, and that the City may still contract under the nonprofit “remote interest” exception if she discloses the interest, it is noted in the record, and she abstains.
Source: FPPC advice letter, June 6, 2024
Background: minutes that disagree with themselves. The minutes of October 28, 2025 record that Councilmember Robinson stated a conflict on item O.4.a, a preliminary engineering agreement for the Richmond Wellness Trail under the same grant, and recused. The same minutes list her as seconding, and voting yes on, the consent motion that included O.4.a. Both statements appear in the approved minutes as written.
Source: Council minutes, Oct 28, 2025
Next meeting. The Council adjourned to meet again on June 16, 2026.