At Richmond’s Fire Station 66, crews have used a portable toilet parked outdoors for 13 years because the 83-year-old building has only one interior restroom.
Other stations leak, grow mold, and don’t meet earthquake safety standards.
Now, Richmond voters will likely decide whether they want to help foot the bill for the fix.
The city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to place a $120 million bond on the Nov. 3 ballot to repair and seismically retrofit the city’s fire stations, many of which date back to the 1940s. The measure, which requires two-thirds approval to pass, must get a final OK at the July 28 council meeting before it can appear on the ballot. If approved, it would cost property owners an average of about $22.15 a year.
“This isn’t about having the newest, shiniest toys for our fire department,” Fire Chief Aaron Osorio told the council. “This is about maintaining critical services during the most dire times in the community.”
Fire department believes bond is its best funding option
Station 67, which serves the Coronado, Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, Marina Bay, Metro Square and Cortez neighborhoods, sits on land that’s part of the Rosie the Riveter national park, giving it historical protections that limit renovation options. Osorio said Stations 66 and 67 — the two oldest in the city —would likely need to be replaced.
Bond funds would also go toward removing mold and asbestos, electrical and plumbing repairs, upgraded living quarters and apparatus bays, new emergency generators and communication systems. The chief also said at the July 21 council meeting that the upgrades are an important step toward the department updating its advanced lifesaving capabilities.
Richmond Finance Director Emily Combs told the council the city’s 10-year capital improvement plan faces a $1.13 billion funding shortfall, with fire department needs alone totaling $115.2 million — $98 million of which would be for station repairs and replacement.
Osorio said the department looked into grants but found none available for this kind of work, leaving a general obligation bond as the primary option.
“The concern is, can we be resilient if something terrible happens?” Osorio said. “Under our current facilities, we can’t be relied upon right now.”
Not every council member was sold on a bond.
District 1 council member Jamelia Brown asked staff whether money from the city’s Chevron settlement could help cover the cost instead. Bond counsel said that’s up to the council, which has hired a consultant to gather public input on how to spend the settlement. Even if voters approve the full $120 million, the city doesn’t have to issue all of it at once — taxes would only be levied at the rate needed to repay what’s actually borrowed.
District 2 council member Cesar Zepeda suggested the city consider lease revenue bonds, which don’t require voter approval. City attorney Shannon Moore said that route could be explored separately but that would take some time.
Zepeda ultimately withdrew the idea, and the council approved the bond measure unanimously.
Council also approves police department’s use of military equipment
The council spent two hours at its last meeting reviewing the police department’s 2025 military-grade equipment report, required annually under state law AB 481. Much of the discussion Tuesday was about whether the department needs a Lenco BearCat, an armored rescue vehicle that Mayor Eduardo Martinez called “scary.”
Police Chief Timothy Simmons said the vehicle would protect officers in high-risk situations, noting that the department had to request mutual aid from neighboring agencies such as Pinole nine times in 2025.
“How often does the cost lose an officer? Or a resident for that matter,” Simmons said. “Do we want to wait two hours to have one, or do we want that resource available to have at the time?”
Simmons said the department is looking into other options that “don’t look so insane” and will revisit the idea with the council.
He also clarified that the department isn’t seeking approval for any new equipment beyond what’s already authorized. The council approved the report and directed Simmons to work with the Police Community Advisory Commission on the department’s rifle and drone policies before returning with armored vehicle alternatives.
Ethics commission measure rejected; labor ordinance delayed
A proposal to ask voters to create an independent ethics commission — meant to investigate corruption complaints against city officials, contractors and lobbyists — failed 4-3 after council members disagreed over whether Richmond actually needs one.
District 5 council member Sue Wilson said the agenda report overstated how common such commissions are in California while Brown urged colleagues to let voters decide.
“I don’t think it’s up to us to decide what voters want,” Brown said. “We should let Richmond speak.”
Opponents also questioned committing up to 1% of the general fund to a new commission when youth programs and fire stations are competing for the same money.
Separately, a proposed labor standards ordinance that would establish worker protections and apprenticeship requirements on private developments built on city-supported land was tabled to give city staff more time to review the policy language.
“Our office and staff are not trying to block this policy,” city attorney Moore said. “We’re trying to make sure that staff and everyone has the opportunity to weigh in.”
