Assessment finds World War II-era port suffers from broken beams, missing piles and severe structural damage.
Author Archives: Joel Umanzor
Joel Umanzor Richmondside's city reporter.
What I cover: I report on what happens in local government, including attending City Council meetings, analyzing the issues that are debated, shedding light on the elected officials who represent Richmond residents, and examining how legislation that is passed will impact Richmonders.
My background: I joined Richmondside in May 2024 as a reporter covering city government and public safety. Before that I was a breaking-news and general-assignment reporter for The San Francisco Standard, The Houston Chronicle and The San Francisco Chronicle. I grew up in Richmond and live locally.
Contact: joel@richmondside.org
Posted inCity
Unhoused, undocumented families in Richmond avoid seeking help due to fears of ICE
Local nonprofit GRIP is seeing a shift in its shelter population: For the first time, the shelter is housing a majority white population.
Posted inCity
Richmond no longer financially unstable, state says
California auditor credits city’s three-year effort to build reserves, eliminate deficits and implement budget reforms.
Posted inPublic Safety
Dos hombres murieron tras ser sedados mientras la policĂa de Richmond los sujetaba. Estas son sus historias
Un resumen de la investigaciĂłn especial de cinco partes de Richmondside.
Posted inCity
Crónica de 3 años de un reportero para esclarecer la muerte de dos hombres sometidos a sedación forzada
El reportero de Richmondside Joel Umanzor cuenta cĂłmo utilizĂł registros pĂşblicos y se valiĂł de sus relaciones personales para contar sus historias.
Posted inPublic Safety
Richmond police investigate death of person found near DeJean Middle School
Body found Friday at 33rd Street and Macdonald Avenue near DeJean Middle School.
Posted inCommunity
Rollingwood man finds peace on his mission to clean up creeks
Meet Your Neighbor: Salvador Valle, 46, says pulling out mattresses, electronics and other dumped junk from San Pablo Creek is reconnecting him to nature and lessening his anxiety.
Posted inNosh
Riggers Loft Winery, embroiled in legal battle with Richmond, is closing
The decade-old waterfront venue and winery says any court victory would be “too late to save the business.”
Posted inCity
Richmond police told to issue statements within 24 hours of in-custody deaths
After fatal Angel Montaño shooting and complaints from transparency hawks, Richmond police also directed to release unedited body camera footage.
Posted inPublic Safety
Family identifies woman who died at Richmond UPS warehouse
The family of Shelma Reyna identified her as the UPS employee who was killed by what they said was a machine malfunction. She was a mother of five.
Posted inPublic Safety
Richmond police investigating 2nd homicide of the year
Victim, 28, was walking in Iron Triangle on Friday evening when he was shot by multiple people who got out of a car, police said.
Posted inCity
Shouting match erupts at city council meeting over police shooting death
Richmond’s city council meeting was halted Tuesday as council members tried to calm heightened emotions over a recent police shooting death.
Posted inCity
Citizen panelists say solution to Richmond air pollution is simple. Shut refineries down
A pediatrician, a just transition leader and an urban forest advocate joined government officials to share personal experiences and discuss solutions.
Posted inCity
Richmond considers revamping how police release information about in-custody deaths
Policy would ban police from releasing heavily edited body camera video footage in suspect deaths or serious use-of-force injuries.
Posted inRestrained and Sedated
Tight on time? Catch up on our Restrained and Sedated series in one story
A summary of Richmondside’s 5-part series about two men who died a year apart after being restrained by Richmond police officers and sedated by paramedics.
Posted inPublic Safety
Richmond police chief Bisa French is retiring
French was the city’s first female chief. She is stepping down in January after five years as chief and 27 at the department.
Posted inRestrained and Sedated
Upcoming civil rights trial will examine use of forced sedation in Richmond death
A lawsuit filed by the family of Ivan Gutzalenko says he was not resisting arrest and that the paramedic who injected him was “acting on behalf” of Richmond police.
Posted inRestrained and Sedated
An off-duty nurse’s behavior startled onlookers. He died 90 minutes after police arrived
Police were trying to handcuff a bleeding Ivan Gutzalenko when the situation escalated. He was sedated by a paramedic and stopped breathing.
Posted inRestrained and Sedated
Family of man who died in Richmond police custody challenged cause of death report
Jose Luis Lopez’s life began happily in Nicaragua. It ended violently, and his family rejects the coroner’s ruling of “excited delirium.”
Posted inCity
Richmond power outage still affecting more than 1,600 customers
PG&E blamed a power outage in Richmond Tuesday on weather. Several thousand customers were without power (or stoplights) for most of the day.
