Richmond Rising committee reports on $35 million neighborhood grant, project spending and next steps

Beatriz, a committee staff member overseeing Richmond Rising administration, told the advisory committee that the City of Richmond and six local partner organizations received a $35,000,000 grant to support work in the Santa Fe, Iron Triangle and Coronado neighborhoods and that the committee’s role is advisory rather than decision‑making.

"La ciudad de Richmond y 6 organizaciones locales ... recibieron una subvención de 35000000 para mejorar las vecindades" Beatriz said, noting that the committee can make recommendations that should be considered but does not have final authority over program selections.

Committee staff reported routine administration work: 28 meetings held and 17 reports submitted to the state, ongoing invoice corrections and dispute resolution, and a summary of spending across projects. Staff provided project‑level spending examples: approximately $493,000 spent on one project (remaining budget ~$200,000) and other projects reporting varied spend levels. Matías and staff said many projects have not yet used half of their budgets because construction has not started for some items.

The committee heard progress reports on multiple projects. Staff said Harbor Way South Complete Streets plans are roughly 90% complete and will move to city review; the Richmond Wellness Trail design is also about 90% complete and the city has started work but requires more funds to continue. UrbanTilt reported irrigation and water‑efficiency installations and a community garden construction kickoff; Grand World Richmond reported planting 15 trees and hiring a new supervisor.

On governance and compliance, staff reminded partners that the program operates under a state contract that requires annual reporting and that there are deadlines for contract amendments. Staff said they had submitted amendment number 4 and would process further amendments if projects become more costly than originally planned.

The committee conducted routine business during the meeting: members moved and approved the minutes of the last meeting and reviewed youth committee nominations (see separate item). Staff also described a small‑business program that can award up to $15,000 to qualifying business owners as part of an anti‑displacement plan and said those applications will be processed with the city’s economic development office.

The meeting closed with reminders about upcoming community events, a call for public support where projects were seeking additional city funds, and next steps to present updated percent‑complete metrics at future meetings.