City Council — Tuesday, 6 January 2026
Regular meeting
It follows the City Council minutes, Jan 6, which control every motion and vote below, checked against the Council agenda, Jan 6 and the KCRT video. Video times are approximate, taken from the automatic captions.
Attendance
- Before closed session: Present: Councilmembers Soheila Bana, Jamelia Brown, Claudia Jimenez, Sue Wilson, Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda, and Mayor Eduardo Martinez. Absent: Councilmember Doria Robinson arrived after roll call.
- Regular meeting: Present: Councilmembers Soheila Bana, Jamelia Brown, Claudia Jimenez, Doria Robinson, Sue Wilson, Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda, and Mayor Eduardo Martinez. Absent: None.
Closed session
- C.1 — Liability Claims.
- C.2 — Conference With Labor Negotiators.
- C.3 — Conference With Legal Counsel - Anticipated Litigation: One case.
- City Attorney’s report: C.1: Item Discussed. C.2: Item Discussed. C.3: Item Discussed.
Statement of Conflict of Interest
- None.
Election of the New Vice Mayor for 2026
- City Clerk Pamela Christian announced that item J regarding the election of the Vice Mayor for 2026 was placed on the agenda in error and would be placed on the January 20, 2026, city council agenda.
Agenda Review
- Item O.3.a - Contract with Liftech Consultants, Inc. for Planning and Design Services for the relocation of the SS Red Oak Victory was continued to the February 3, 2026, City Council meeting.
- The motion failed. — moved by Zepeda, seconded by Brown. Passed 7–0.
Open Forum for Public Comment
- Public comment was taken. Speakers are listed in the minutes; the Monitor does not name members of the public.
City Council Consent Calendar
- Motion to approve the consent calendar (with the exceptions above) — moved by Martinez, seconded by Jimenez. Passed 7–0.
Consent items of note ($100,000 and up, or pulled or continued)
- O.1.a — Contract Amendment No. with Folger Graphics and Justine Page Design for Design and Printing Services. Approve contract amendment No. 1 with Justin Page Design Co. increasing the payment limit by $10,000 for a total payment of $20,000, and approve contract amendment No. 1 with Folger Graphics increasing the payment limit by $100,000, for a total payment limit of $235,000, and expanding each contractor’s scope to allow for additional work on City-wide related projects and appropriate $110,000 to support these services
- O.2.a — On-Call Financial and Economic Analyses Services. Adopt a resolution authorizing contracts for on-call financial and economic analyses services, for an amount not to exceed $500,000 per vendor for a three-year term, with an option to extend the contract term for up to two, one-year extensions, to provide services for several departments, including Community Development, Economic Development, Finance, Port of Richmond, and Richmond Housing Authority Adopted Resolution No. 02-26.
- O.3.a — Contract with Liftech Consultants, Inc. for Planning and Design Services for the Relocation of the SS Red Oak Victory. Approve a contract with Liftech Consultants Inc. in the amount of $299,797 for planning and preliminary design of the relocation of the Red Oak for a term ending June 30, 2027
- O.3.b — Contracts with Hungry Ghost Productions and Debra Koppman for Public Art Mural and Mosaic Tile Project. Approve two contracts with (1) Hungry Ghost Productions for the design, fabrication, and installation of a mural in an amount not to exceed $210,000; and (2) Debra Koppman for the design, fabrication, and installation of mosaic tabletops in an amount not to exceed $40,000 for work associated with the Allen Brothers Steak and Seafood Facility Public Art Project, funded by private developer arts contributions, for term…
- O.4.a — Contract With Jet Dock Systems, Inc. for the Repair and Maintenance of the Fire Department’s Boat Lift. Approve a sole-source contract with Jet Dock Systems, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $100,000, for a three-year contract term effective January 1, 2026, through January 1, 2029, with two one-year extension options not to exceed an additional $20,000 per year
- O.6.a — Contracts with Oliver’s Tow Inc., Civic Center Auto Care, Certified Towing, Checker’s Towing, and Bay Area Tow Inc. for City-wide Tow Services. Approve three-year contracts with Oliver’s Tow Inc., Civic Center Auto Care, Certified Towing, Checker’s Towing, and Bay Area Tow Inc. for City-wide rotational tow and automotive services in an amount not to exceed $50,000 per vendor per year up to $250,000 annually, with a term from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028, with one two-year option for each vendor to renew the contract up to $100,000 per vendor, for a …
- O.7.a — Construction Agreement with Bauman Landscape and Construction Inc. for the 13th Street Complete Street Project. Adopt a resolution to approve a construction agreement with Bauman Landscape and Construction Inc. for the 13th Street Complete Street Project in an amount not to exceed $3,993,481.50 with an additional construction contingency in the amount of $400,000 (10%) and authorize the director of public works to approve change orders within this contingency amount for a total not-to-exceed contract amount of $4,393,481.50 Adopted Resolution No. 04-26.
- Also on consent (routine, under $100,000 or no dollar figure): O.1.b Formation of the Black Resiliency Project Community Advisory Committee; O.5.a Environmental & Community Investment Agreement (ECIA) Grant Category 3 Grant Awards Fiscal Year 2025-2026; O.5.b Contract with LCPtracker for Software Support for Labor Compliance Monitoring System.
New Business
P.1 — Port of Richmond Enterprise Fund Financial Overview Report
- As agendized: Receive the Port of Richmond Financial Report and presentation, which provides an overview of Port revenue sources, tariff structures, and funding mechanisms for larger infrastructure projects.
- Item was continued to the January 20, 2025, City Council meeting.
- Item begins about video 1:20:32.
P.2 — Evaluation Report by WestEd on the Richmond Fund for Children & Youth
- As agendized: Receive the WestEd evaluation report, a third-party external evaluator, assessing the impact of the Richmond Fund for Children & Youth grant programs from Fiscal Years 2021–2024.
- Item was continued to the January 20, 2025, City Council meeting.
P.3 — Develop an Ordinance Requiring All Homeowners Association Located in Very High, High, or Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zone Areas to Adopt Architectural Design Guidelines for Non-Combustible Fences and Gates
- As agendized: Direct staff to study California Assembly Bill 3074 and Senate Bill 504 (2024) that establishes an ember resistant "Zone Zero" and return to City Council within 60 days with a draft ordinance for the Council to review and consider for adoption.
- Item was continued to the January 20, 2025, City Council meeting.
- Item begins about video 4:57:33.
Reports of Officers
- Councilmembers gave reports and referrals; see the minutes.
Adjournment
- There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:49 p.m., to meet again on Tuesday, January 20, 2025, at 6 p.m.
Not yet confirmed
- Nothing flagged. The minutes record a motion or outcome for each item listed.