Richmond residents urge council to invest $550 million settlement in health, jobs and a "just transition" beyond Chevron

Dozens of Richmond residents and community groups urged the City Council on May 20 to prioritize the $550,000,000 the city secured through the Polluters Pay campaign for both immediate services and a long-term transition away from fossil fuels.

Speakers representing neighborhood groups, youth organizers, environmental justice groups and community nonprofits described health harms from refinery pollution and called for investments in parks, libraries, youth programs, clean‑energy jobs and brownfield cleanup. "We fought for this," said Carrie Garen Sheehy, staff attorney at Communities for a Better Environment, referring to the coalition that negotiated the settlement. "Now we need to start planning now to build a healthier future for Richmond," said Martine Johansson, a researcher with Communities for a Better Environment.

The calls for a dual approach — meeting immediate needs and creating a plan for a just transition — came from a broad cross section of speakers. Catherine Lee, senior youth organizer at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, recounted living through refinery flaring and the 2012 Chevron explosion and urged new resources to "invest new resources this year in meeting Richmond residents' day to day needs and prioritize funds to plan for a just transition away from fossil fuels." Young speakers and teachers described children with asthma and urged public-health investments and community-driven planning. Community Land Trust Richmond Land requested funding for community-controlled housing approaches; Pogo Park and other neighborhood advocates asked the council to fund parks and community spaces as part of reinvestment.

Speakers also pressed the council for intentional community engagement. Several urged the city to center youth, frontline residents and workers in planning and budgeting. "We shouldn't have to wait a minute longer for our elected officials to make the necessary decisions that will benefit our community and our health," said Catherine Lee.

Council members did not vote on a budget allocation for the settlement during the meeting. The public-comment period focused on policy expectations and priorities; speakers repeatedly asked the council to adopt a resident-driven process for deciding how the settlement funds will be spent.

Clarifying details mentioned during public comment: the settlement amount cited repeatedly by speakers was $550,000,000; advocates asked the council both to fund near-term needs (parks, road repairs, libraries, recreation centers, youth programs) and to create dedicated funding and programs for a "just transition" (green jobs, cleanup of polluted sites, economic diversification away from Chevron). Some speakers cited previous City Council action, including an "intent resolution" (No. 105‑24) passed by the council committing settlement funds to transition planning and community-led decision making.

Council members did not take immediate action to allocate settlement dollars at the meeting. The public record shows wide support among community groups for a two-part approach — immediate investments plus a multi‑year transition plan led by residents — and multiple speakers asked the city to begin planning during the current budget cycle.

Ending: The council received the public comments; no formal vote on settlement spending occurred at this meeting. Multiple speakers asked the city to develop a resident-driven budget process and to bring detailed proposals back to the council in upcoming budget discussions.