The following information was shared by the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa via City Manager Shasa Curl. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for affordable housing in or around Richmond, read on. I also encourage you to contact the county beforehand to find out if you qualify and what steps may need to take prior to being put on the waiting list.  The Housing Authority contact information is 925-957-7085 or [email protected]. 

The Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa will be opening the Project Based Voucher Waiting List for several properties located throughout Contra Costa County. This opening is from 10 AM on June 3, 2024 until 4 PM on June 27, 2024. 

Some properties are for Seniors only and some are family properties.  For the senior properties, the head of household or spouse must be 62 years of age or older to apply.

Please note that after June 27th, the waiting lists will be closed except for the Terraces Senior Apartments in Richmond.  There are units available for leasing now, and this is a critical opportunity for applicants to be considered for immediate housing.  Once fully occupied, applicants will have to wait, in some cases, possibly years until the next opportunity presents itself.

You can learn more on the City of Richmond website or by checking out the County Housing Authority flyer.

I'm not a strong swimmer, but I love splashing around in pools. Richmond has two excellent places to swim for reasonable rates ($7 adults / $4 kids with discounted passes available) -- the Richmond Plunge and the Richmond Swim Center. The latter is located in District 5 next to Kennedy High, and no offense to those who love the Plunge, I think it's the better pool (the skylights are great). You can find schedules and pool rules here. Below is a picture of the Richmond Swim center from the city website, and also some pictures from when the pool was used as a backdrop for 

If you haven't already downloaded the City of Richmond app to your phone or tablet, I highly recommend that you do. You can find it in the iPhone app store or Google Play. In being a way to receive news from the city, the app lets you report on problems you encounter in Richmond, ranging from damaged sidewalks and potholes to illegal rent increases to "boisterous foul"! Friends who have used it have been pleased with the responses they get from city staff. There is even a video showing you some of the apps features, which you can view below.

The City Council recently voted to put more than a million extra dollars into the installation of traffic calming devices. I support that decision and if elected will advocate for more money and city staff being dedicated to this issue. While it takes significant time and money to re-engineer our roads for safety, it's a worthwhile investment because these design-based solutions will last for decades to come. 

City staff are taking many things into account when deciding where to install the first traffic safety devices, especially accident statistics. They also want to hear from residents about what parts of our neighborhoods have unsafe conditions currently. Please do go to the city's official Traffic Calming Program website and use the form on that page to report locations where we can use some help.