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"content": "\u003cp>An agreement local air regulators made with Chevron earlier this year includes the settling of dozens of violations tied to some of the largest accidents at the company’s Richmond refinery over the last five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">announced in February that it had reached deals with Chevron and the Martinez Refining Company\u003c/a>, ending a legal war over a rule intended to reduce a harmful form of pollution emitted by the energy companies’ local refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the agreement, Chevron is also paying $20 million to settle 678 separate violations related to its Richmond refinery. That marks the highest penalty agreement the energy giant has ever made with the air district, according to Philip Fine, the agency’s executive officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This a new era of enforcement and holding facilities accountable,” Fine told the Richmond City Council on Feb. 27. “They need to feel these penalties in order to incentivize them to stay in compliance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal resolves all of the air district’s open enforcement actions with Chevron that took place between 2019 and June 30, 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11975650]“We believe this resolution will allow us to turn our full focus on the future safe and reliable operation of our facility,” Chevron said in a statement sent by company spokesperson Caitlin Powell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials told KQED 105 of the violations Chevron settled are tied to eight major incidents at the refinery over the last five years. They include several cases in which refinery components malfunctioned, leading to flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.baaqmd.gov/plans-and-climate/emission-tracking-and-monitoring/flare-minimization-plans\">Flaring operations\u003c/a> take place when refineries send gasses to their flares to reduce pressure inside the facilities during malfunctions as well as start-up and shutdown operations. Oil industry officials have emphasized that the practice is a way to prevent more serious and possibly dangerous accidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the flaring operations involved in the settlement released significant amounts of toxic gas into the air above the Richmond area. In several of these incidents, nearby residents could see black smoke and fire bursting into the sky, with some calling the air district to complain. Those cases garnered a significant amount of news coverage and social media posts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulators say 71 of the violations are connected to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11894150/chevron-refinery-malfunction-during-storm-shut-down-processing-units-causing-fire-and-toxic-flaring\">several days of pollution releases from the Richmond refinery that began Oct. 24, 2021\u003c/a>, when one of the Bay Area’s strongest storms in recent years brought significant rain to the region. The refinery sustained a series of malfunctions that led to three days of flaring and significant concerns by Richmond area residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two weeks after the releases started, the City Council asked Chevron executives to explain what happened in a public hearing. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11895438/richmond-to-chevron-listen-to-our-residents-concerns-about-your-problems\">Residents who showed up to the virtual meeting left upset\u003c/a>. They complained that company representatives did not have an explanation for what caused the major refinery malfunction. One of them, Randy Joseph, told the council and the company that he learned nothing from the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11895438]Reached two and a half years later, on the heels of the deal that essentially closes the book on that accident, Joseph said his dissatisfaction with Chevron has not subsided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron always has the answers,” Joseph said in an interview. “They just refuse to share with us. They know they’re polluting. They also know they can come and say nothing and get away with it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few months after the October 2021 incident, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11901875/chevron-richmond-refinery-roof-leak-october-2021-flaring-incident\">KQED reported that problems started when an atmospheric river storm poured rain through a leaky roof into a key part of the refinery\u003c/a>, triggering significant power and steam loss. That, in turn, knocked half a dozen petroleum processing units offline, caused a small fire, and resulted in several days in which the refinery flared off toxic gases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They never came back to City Council. They never came back and explained. They never came back to apologize,” said Joseph, who is a community organizer with the group Reimagine Richmond and said he only learned of the cause of that accident from KQED’s reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='chevron']Chevron says it informs the public and the air district about its releases. The company points out that residents can check real-time air quality data through \u003ca href=\"https://richmondairmonitoring.org/\">the refinery’s fenceline monitoring system\u003c/a>. The causes of many flaring events are posted several months later on \u003ca href=\"https://www.baaqmd.gov/about-air-quality/research-and-data/flare-data/flare-causal-reports\">the air district’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron Richmond also will be implementing various improvements to our flare monitoring and sampling systems and setting up ways to discuss flaring events and other air quality issues directly with our community,” the company said through its representative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 71 violations for the October 2021 incident involve times in which Chevron broke public nuisance, permit condition, visible emission and flare monitoring regulations, according to Kristine Roselius, an air district spokesperson. But the settlement essentially obscures the fine amount for each penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We accounted for the seriousness of these violations in determining an appropriate overall penalty amount for all the covered violations, but there is no allocation of specific dollar amounts to each individual violation, Roselius said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last decade, the oil industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960699/oil-industry-sets-back-efforts-to-increase-fines-against-polluting-california-refineries-yet-again\">has successfully killed or delayed legislative attempts to increase penalties on refineries\u003c/a> that violate air quality laws in California. The most recent bill, proposed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), would increase the ceiling of many of those penalties to $30,000 per violation. That bill, \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB1465/2023\">AB 1465\u003c/a>, is on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials say 13 of Chevron’s violations settled in the recent deal were tied to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11860389/chevron-says-flawed-electrical-diagram-triggered-major-flaring-incident\">incident on Nov. 2, 2020,\u003c/a> when an incorrectly labeled electrical diagram caused a power outage leading to the flaring of more than 100,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and other chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency says 11 other violations were connected to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cchealth.org/home/showpublisheddocument/28612/638337601986530000\">malfunction at the Richmond refinery on March 9, 2023,\u003c/a> when a hydrogen-producing plant tripped offline thanks to an electrical equipment malfunction. On the same day, a fire broke out thanks to a pump seal leak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, Chevron’s Richmond refinery has flared more than the Bay Area’s other refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company argues that its “flaring performance has been steadily improving over the past few years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To supplement these efforts, we will be formalizing an operator training program related to flare reduction and conducting a comprehensive assessment of previous flaring events to identify if any additional corrective actions are warranted,” the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Chevron says it informs the public and the air district about its releases. The company points out that residents can check real-time air quality data through \u003ca href=\"https://richmondairmonitoring.org/\">the refinery’s fenceline monitoring system\u003c/a>. The causes of many flaring events are posted several months later on \u003ca href=\"https://www.baaqmd.gov/about-air-quality/research-and-data/flare-data/flare-causal-reports\">the air district’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron Richmond also will be implementing various improvements to our flare monitoring and sampling systems and setting up ways to discuss flaring events and other air quality issues directly with our community,” the company said through its representative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 71 violations for the October 2021 incident involve times in which Chevron broke public nuisance, permit condition, visible emission and flare monitoring regulations, according to Kristine Roselius, an air district spokesperson. But the settlement essentially obscures the fine amount for each penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We accounted for the seriousness of these violations in determining an appropriate overall penalty amount for all the covered violations, but there is no allocation of specific dollar amounts to each individual violation, Roselius said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last decade, the oil industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960699/oil-industry-sets-back-efforts-to-increase-fines-against-polluting-california-refineries-yet-again\">has successfully killed or delayed legislative attempts to increase penalties on refineries\u003c/a> that violate air quality laws in California. The most recent bill, proposed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), would increase the ceiling of many of those penalties to $30,000 per violation. That bill, \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB1465/2023\">AB 1465\u003c/a>, is on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials say 13 of Chevron’s violations settled in the recent deal were tied to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11860389/chevron-says-flawed-electrical-diagram-triggered-major-flaring-incident\">incident on Nov. 2, 2020,\u003c/a> when an incorrectly labeled electrical diagram caused a power outage leading to the flaring of more than 100,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and other chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency says 11 other violations were connected to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cchealth.org/home/showpublisheddocument/28612/638337601986530000\">malfunction at the Richmond refinery on March 9, 2023,\u003c/a> when a hydrogen-producing plant tripped offline thanks to an electrical equipment malfunction. On the same day, a fire broke out thanks to a pump seal leak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, Chevron’s Richmond refinery has flared more than the Bay Area’s other refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company argues that its “flaring performance has been steadily improving over the past few years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To supplement these efforts, we will be formalizing an operator training program related to flare reduction and conducting a comprehensive assessment of previous flaring events to identify if any additional corrective actions are warranted,” the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "chevron-owns-this-citys-news-site-many-stories-arent-told",
"title": "Chevron Owns Richmond's Main Local News Source — and Many Refinery-Related Stories Go Untold",
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"headTitle": "Chevron Owns Richmond’s Main Local News Source — and Many Refinery-Related Stories Go Untold | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>NPR’s David Folkenflik reported this story with Miranda Green of\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.floodlightnews.org/\">\u003cem> Floodlight\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RICHMOND, Calif. — Open flames shot upward from four smokestacks at the Chevron refinery on the western edge of Richmond, California Soon, black smoke blanketed the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News spread quickly that day last November, but by word of mouth, says Denny Khamphanthong, a 29-year-old Richmond resident. “We don’t know the full story, but we know that you shouldn’t breathe in the air or be outside, for that matter,” Khamphanthong says now. “It would be nice to have an actual news outlet that would actually go out there and figure it out themselves.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\" Gayle McLaughlin, former mayor, Richmond\"]‘\u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> will never, ever print anything that is critical of Chevron, and it will never print anything that upholds the community’s victories against Chevron.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s primary local news source, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/\">\u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, didn’t cover the flare. Nor had it reported on a 2021 Chevron refinery pipeline rupture that dumped nearly 800 gallons of diesel fuel into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron is the city’s largest employer, largest taxpayer and largest polluter. Yet when it comes to writing about Chevron, \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> consistently toes the company line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s a reason for that: Chevron owns \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at Chevron’s website and you look at \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>, a lot of the information is copy and paste,” says Katt Ramos, a local climate activist. “They present a very skewed viewpoint that is bought and paid for by Chevron.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981097\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view of a city landscape with trees and a refinery in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The city of Richmond exists in the shadow of the nearby Chevron refinery, which has been connected to poor air quality and health issues in the nearby community. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The site’s very name evokes the history of Chevron, which was created when John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was broken up by federal trust-busters more than a century ago. \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> prides itself on being the “number one source for local, community-driven news” about the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around town, in coffee shops, an architect’s office, at a Mexican restaurant, even at a waterside National Park Service site, the Standard is recognized as the main source of news about the city. It carries stories about \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/03/27/rich-city-rides-launches-capital-campaign-to-purchase-home-base/\">charity drives\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/09/19/emergency-rail-replacement-prompts-closure-on-s-garrard-blvd/\">street closings\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/lifestyle/entertainment-and-food/2020/07/13/the-factory-bar-sets-opening-date/\">New bars\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/09/20/art-exhibition-celebrates-latinx-heritage-month-in-richmond/\">art exhibits\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/07/17/girl-power-coming-to-soccer-field-in-richmond/\">Youth soccer events\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/05/15/point-richmond-music-announces-lineup-for-summer-concert-series/\">local concerts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/community/2024/02/06/richmonds-ons-loves-on-at-risk-people-to-end-gun-violence/\">safety initiatives\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades ago, the city relied on the Richmond \u003cem>Independent \u003c/em>and the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> to report on the community. And then a pattern familiar across the U.S. unfolded. The \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em> pulled back. The \u003cem>Independent\u003c/em> got folded into a newspaper in nearby Berkeley, which itself shut down in 1984. Papers in other East Bay cities shriveled up. Now, the city’s news landscape is dominated by its major corporate force. Markets where news outlets shut down are often called news deserts. The Standard has created something of a news mirage: Stories are told — but with an agenda. Facts displeasing to Chevron are omitted; hard truths softened. The company is seeking to get its point of view across and to convey that it can be trusted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent February night, a city council meeting repeatedly focused on developments involving Chevron. Other than journalists for NPR and Floodlight, not a single journalist attended in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same San Francisco public relations firm that operates the Standard for Chevron runs a similar site about developments in the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, where Chevron has major business interests. It also runs one of the company’s sites in Ecuador, where the energy giant has fought back decades of litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981098\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981098\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person rides a bike through an intersection with cars waiting at a stoplight.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Richmond Standard is a local news site funded by Chevron, which runs a large refinery in town. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s bid to control the public discourse comes as efforts to combat climate change threaten the fossil fuel industry, especially in California. State regulators would effectively \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/25/california-bans-the-sale-of-new-gas-powered-cars-by-2035.html\">ban\u003c/a> the sales of gas-powered cars by 2035. They released the world’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/11/16/california-releases-worlds-first-plan-to-achieve-net-zero-carbon-pollution/\">first plan\u003c/a> to achieve net-zero carbon pollution. Other states and countries have adopted similar goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11975650,news_11856920\" hero=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" label=\"Related Stories\"]In February, Chevron revealed that it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/ixviewer/ix.html?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/93410/000009341024000013/cvx-20231231.htm#ib7903ee4cd7540d8ab5b70d4bf454edd_121\">losing about $1.8 billion \u003c/a>on assets, mainly in California, because of the state’s tougher regulatory climate. Chevron’s corporate headquarters is in San Ramon, about a 35-mile drive southeast of Richmond, though the company has moved the bulk of its workforce to Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The company saw a need to offer the community more news coverage of Richmond, which had been largely ignored by traditional media with the exception of crime stories,” says Braden Reddall, a manager of external affairs at Chevron. “Most people in Richmond will tell you there is a lot more to the community than what is known and reported by traditional media outlets. It’s a proud community, filled with interesting people who are doing interesting things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reddall, who earlier covered the company for the international news service \u003cem>Reuters\u003c/em>, added that other outlets more than adequately cover Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981099\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981099\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a green shirt with orange design patterns leans against the side of a building outside.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former schoolteacher Patricia Dornan says she reads The Richmond Standard but skips the stories about Chevron. “I don’t read any of the articles about how wonderful their company is,” she says. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lifelong Richmond resident Patricia Dornan says she cherry-picks which stories she reads in the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you understand that it’s going to have a Chevron-Standard Oil point of view, it’s fine because most of the stuff that they’re putting out has nothing to do with them,” says Dornan, a retired middle school teacher. “And so long as it doesn’t have to do with Chevron, it’s fine. I don’t read any of the articles about how wonderful their company is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dornan volunteers at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park\u003c/a>. She tells visitors about the marvels of American manufacturing in a time of war and about the women welders of Richmond who were able to turn out warships in 51 days rather than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981121\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1444px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981121\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png\" alt=\"A map showing Richmond with red and blue lines outlining pipelines in the area.\" width=\"1444\" height=\"1432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png 1444w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-800x793.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-1020x1012.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-160x159.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pipeline locations are approximate. Source: Google Earth, US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, California Department of Technology, OpenStreetMap contributors \u003ccite>(Hilary Fung/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her grandmother moved to town in 1905 — just three years after the refinery first opened — and her family has been there ever since. One of the streets in town is named after her father. She says Richmond can’t function without Chevron, but a true local news outlet would help hold it accountable to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she wants to know what Chevron is up to, Dornan says, “I usually ask my friends who are retirees from the refinery — what’s going on?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Richmond deserves more news coverage’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When the Standard launched in 2014, it proclaimed: “Richmond deserves more news coverage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the first time in more than 30 years, Richmond will have a community-driven daily news source dedicated to shining a light on the positive things that are going on in the community,” the \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/chevron-speaks/2013/01/23/richmond-deserves-more-news-coverage/\">site announced.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron presents the Standard as an investment in the Richmond community. \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/115094/documents/HHRG-117-II15-20220914-SD007.pdf\">The public relations firm operating the Standard wrote (PDF)\u003c/a>, “This site would tell the stories other outlets had lost the resources to tell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11940114\" hero=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS55021_004_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg\" label=\"Related Stories\"]But not all of the stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent review found\u003cem> The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> had published 434 stories that touch on its owner, Chevron, since the site’s inception. Eight articles refer to flaring incidents. None cite oil spills. The majority of the stories that mention Chevron focus on profiles, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/uncategorized/2024/02/16/chevron-richmond-recognized-for-helping-red-cross-sound-the-alarm-on-fire-safety/\">awards\u003c/a> ceremonies, community projects and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/10/20/chevron-richmond-celebrates-hispanic-heritage-month-with-classic-cars-and-much-more/\">celebrations\u003c/a> it throws on such occasions as \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/02/26/chevron-richmond-marks-milestone-with-25th-black-history-awareness-celebration/\">Black History\u003c/a> and Hispanic Heritage months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Bay Area air pollution regulators secured landmark concessions from Chevron in February to settle a lawsuit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">they called it a “decisive victory\u003c/a>.” The \u003cem>San Jose Mercury News\u003c/em> headline cited “\u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/13/east-bay-refineries-settle-with-bay-area-air-quality-agency-agree-to-20-million-in-fines-for-hundreds-of-violations/\">$20 million in fines for hundreds of air-quality violations\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11901875\" hero=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut.jpg\"]\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/02/13/chevron-agreement-with-air-district-called-win-for-environment-and-energy/\">Richmond Standard\u003c/a> \u003c/em>was more reserved: “Chevron agreement with Air District called win for environment and energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The article did not clearly lay out the core of the litigation. The words “fine” and “penalty” did not appear. Careful readers might have been able to piece together what transpired: The news outlet described an agreement involving $20 million that “solidifies the future of energy production at the Richmond Refinery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are a whole host of news outlets around the Bay Area that cover the refinery,” says Reddall, the Chevron spokesperson. “The Standard seeks to fill in the gaps. From where I’m sitting, I don’t think that it’s a refinery that’s not written about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981100\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person rides a bike down a street with a mural in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond is a working-class city of 115,000 — nearly half of whom are Latino. Most people working at the Chevron refinery live outside the city. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A news mirage\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Boundaries blur between city and corporation in this largely working-class city of 115,000 people, almost half of whom are Latino. The tech boom of nearby Silicon Valley and the opulence of neighboring Marin County feel like universes away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11912101\" hero=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/04/RS55033_019_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg\"]The public high school’s mascot is the Oilers. Streets are named Ammonia and Petrolite and Xylene. Chevron’s network of pipes, low-lying cooling ponds and even sulfuric stench have become defining parts of the town’s character. A nature park where tufted egrets and hummingbirds frolic abuts the nearly 3,000-acre refinery itself — an expansive preserve of smokestacks, pipelines and tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, which recorded $21.3 billion in profits last year, has played an outsized role in Richmond for decades. It supplies the city with jobs — yet most Chevron employees live elsewhere. It pays roughly $50 million a year to Richmond — more than a sixth of the town’s annual revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s relationship with Richmond turned sour rather abruptly in 2012. An explosion at the refinery injured \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/chevron-refinery-fire-cal-osha-fine-calosha-fined/2247343/\">19 employees.\u003c/a> The air pollution from the resulting industrial fire could be seen from miles away. In the ensuing days, 15,000 Bay Area residents went to medical centers for respiratory complications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981101\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg\" alt='A sign with red lettering on the side of a building that reads \"Richmond Oilers.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Richmond High School mascot is the Oilers. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State and local prosecutors charged Chevron with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/chevron-convicted-of-labor-codes-pays-2m-after-refinery-fire/1951195/\">criminal negligence\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/05/chevron-2m-fire/2620303/\">other crimes. T\u003c/a>he company settled by pleading no contest to six charges, paying out roughly $10 million to affected local residents, agencies and hospitals. Chevron also paid $5 million directly to the city of Richmond to settle a separate civil lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time of the incident, political sentiment in Richmond had started to swing away from the company. As the months passed, progressives threatened to take control of the city government. They promoted a future without the refinery — just as Chevron sought approval from city officials for a sweeping project to overhaul and modernize it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the 2014 election cycle dawned, Chevron took action to ensure its voice was heard. It promised a huge investment in scholarships and public health programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also spent $3 million to help propel pro-industry candidates. They all lost. “The election became a referendum on Chevron,” says Tom Butt, at the time a city council member who won election as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also launched\u003cem> The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> that year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the outset, the company disclosed its involvement. In small letters at the top of its homepage, the site reads, “Funded by Chevron.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1703px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981102\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly white man wearing a tan jacket sits down outside.\" width=\"1703\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1020x1533.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1920x2886.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tom Butt was elected mayor of Richmond in 2014. He says that election was a referendum on Chevron. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the aftermath of the election, the Standard published a 428-word statement from \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/chevron-speaks/2014/11/19/election-mattered/\">Chevron\u003c/a> in its entirety that defended the company’s actions and criticized the city’s new leaders. “The question for Richmond is: Will local leaders recognize that business is integral to the city’s success?” the Chevron statement read. “Or, will city leaders continue to oppose efforts to create growth, preferring instead to watch the business climate — and the prosperity that business helps generate — decline?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be outraged’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Katt Ramos, who helps lead Communities for a Better Environment’s Richmond chapter, stages tours to demonstrate what she says is Chevron’s destructive legacy. It also illustrates what happens when independent local news disappears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She stops by Peres K–8 School in the Iron Triangle, a nickname derived from the three train tracks that intersect here. Older kids play soccer on a field with a coach while younger ones cavort on a playground. Beyond the school fence, the Chevron plant stands less than a mile away. A sign next to the school’s entrance warns of a shallow hazardous liquid pipeline from the refinery, a warning not to dig there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nothing that is normalized about childhood is normalized in Richmond,” Ramos says. Adults have to tell kids they can’t play outdoors due to a high number of bad air days, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1703px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A close up image of woman with black hair and a greenish scarf outside.\" width=\"1703\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1020x1533.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1920x2886.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Nothing that is normalized about childhood is normalized in Richmond,’ says Katt Ramos, a local climate activist. She says the city’s air pollution problems and residents’ health issues are rarely covered in the news. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the best way of gauging the seriousness of such concerns is to look at child admissions to emergency rooms for asthma, says Anne Kelsey Lamb, who oversees asthma research for the Oakland-based Public Health Institute. Children in the ZIP code of the Iron Triangle — which includes the refinery as well as the neighborhoods surrounding the Peres school — are admitted for emergency care for asthma at triple the rate for California at large. (The institute provided an analysis of the most recent available state statistics at the request of NPR and Floodlight.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parceling out responsibility for air pollution is complicated, given Richmond’s many highways and railroads, along with the refinery. The regional board that regulates air quality found that Chevron accounts for 63% of all particle pollution in Richmond and two neighboring towns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These issues rarely get covered, Ramos says. She starts to weep gently when talking about the city’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think, at best, we should be outraged, you know?” she says. “Everyone should be concerned about the conditions that our community has to face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The PR firm running the Standard\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While Chevron owns the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>, San Francisco-based Singer Associates runs it from across the bay. The consulting firm is known for handling PR crises. Founder Sam Singer is no stranger to Richmond; he grew up in Berkeley and briefly worked at the Richmond \u003cem>Independent\u003c/em> and a sister paper before moving on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer Associates has written that the news outlet came about after Chevron developed a “fractured relationship with many stakeholders, including city government leaders.” The site was part of an effort “to provide the company with greater freedom to operate by increasing awareness for the positive role it plays in Richmond,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/115094/documents/HHRG-117-II15-20220914-SD007.pdf\">according to Singer’s application for an industry award\u003c/a>, as cited in a U.S. House Natural Resources Committee staff report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981104\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man swings a fishing pole over his head by a body of water.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A man fishes for leopard sharks in the waterways along Point Richmond, a thoroughfare for petroleum that has been the site of several oil and chemical spills. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Singer Associates employee Mike Aldax, a former reporter for the defunct \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> and the Bay City News Service, writes most Standard articles. (Aldax did not return messages seeking comment.) The site also hired two journalists who live in Richmond to write for the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our team has worked hard to build relationships with the community, which is why people trust us, and turn to us, to cover community stories,” Singer wrote in an email for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of reporting ebbs and flows. Some featured videos on the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>‘s homepage are several years old. The metabolism of fresh posts stepped up in early March, shortly after NPR and Floodlight first sent a series of queries about the Standard to Chevron and Singer for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chevron newsrooms begin in South America\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In launching the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>, Chevron followed a path the fossil fuel giant had first forged thousands of miles to the south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2009, Singer has run The Amazon Post in Ecuador at Chevron’s direction. The English-language site emerged as Chevron confronted lengthy multibillion-dollar litigation seeking to hold it liable for the pollution from oil drilling there. (Chevron had acquired Texaco in 2001, which was responsible for the oil extraction.) Chevron’s legal battle spread to other nations, including the U.S. and Brazil. The American attorney who led the suits against Chevron for Ecuadorian farmers and Indigenous peoples was a frequent target of the site. He was ultimately disbarred in New York for his actions in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981105\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Flames flicker from a refinery surrounded by trees.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flames flicker through the thick green trees of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest — where gas flares, oil wells and refineries darken the landscape and poison the environment — shown in Shushufindi, Ecuador, in 2023. The legacy there of Texaco, which Chevron acquired, has inspired lengthy legal battles in several countries. \u003ccite>(Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://theamazonpost.com/\">The Amazon Post\u003c/a> caters to English-speaking audiences and clearly discloses that it reflects “Chevron’s Views & Opinions on the Ecuador Lawsuit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A subsequent Spanish-language site called Juicio Crudo (an allusion to crude oil) focuses\u003ca href=\"https://www.juiciocrudo.com/\"> squarely\u003c/a> on a damning legal judgment against Chevron that a U.S. court later \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/business/federal-judge-rules-for-chevron-in-ecuadorean-pollution-case.html\">found to be fraudulent\u003c/a>. It reprints text directly from Chevron’s Spanish-language \u003ca href=\"https://www.juiciocrudo.com/documentos/f8eda1d720.pdf\">press releases\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eloriente.com/\">El Oriente\u003c/a>, a Spanish-language digital outlet launched in 2019, presents as a news site aimed at audiences residing in the Ecuadorian Amazon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until recently, it noted at the bottom of its page that it was “sponsored by Chevron.” Days after NPR and Floodlight started posing questions about Chevron’s sites, the affiliation was moved to the top, just beneath the site’s name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sites link to one another. Chevron says those sites are managed separately, not by Singer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In at least one instance, the controversies surrounding Chevron in Ecuador inspired fodder for the Standard back in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, Richmond’s then-mayor, \u003ca href=\"https://ci.richmond.ca.us/directory.aspx?EID=1070\">Gayle McLaughlin\u003c/a>, traveled to see Ecuador’s environmental degradation at a time when her party sought to force Chevron to pay more to the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after she returned home, the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>‘s Aldax reported: “The mayor’s six-day trip to Ecuador was in support [of] the South American nation in its ongoing battle against Chevron, which it falsely blames for polluting the rain forest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2014/06/11/richmond-mayor-gayle-mclaughlins-association-with-ecuadors-u-s-pr-firm-raises-questions/\">Aldax wrote\u003c/a> that McLaughlin was late filing $4,499 in expenses for the trip, which the Ecuadorian government had paid for. The article embedded a \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/ugtMBkqmXbQ\">video \u003c/a>produced by The Amazon Post.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981106\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981106\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing glasses and a purple shirt with design speaks and gestures with her hands next to a Black woman with locs and glasses.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gayle McLaughlin, then Richmond’s mayor, speaks onstage during a 2014 event in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Mike Windle/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It was a rare instance of the Standard producing anything other than benign community news. She had to pay a $200 fine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, McLaughlin calls her misstep minor. She tells NPR and Floodlight she believes the story was intended to warn Chevron’s critics that it could embarrass them or just ignore them altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> will never, ever print anything that is critical of Chevron,” McLaughlin says, “and it will never print anything that upholds the community’s victories against Chevron. And we need to spread the word about those victories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Expanding to Texas\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron launched its latest newsroom, called Permian Proud, in the Permian Basin in August 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site posts stories about West Texas and New Mexico, which are home to the nation’s highest-producing oil fields, where Chevron has substantial drilling interests — and where \u003ca href=\"https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/explore/#/state-localnewslandscape?state=TX&stateCode=48\">local news has been hard hit\u003c/a>. Permian Proud explained its mission this way: “We aim to complement the important work of existing local media by providing hyper-local news you won’t find anywhere else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike California, Texas is a deeply red state with a broader support base for the oil and gas industry. Even so, Chevron’s future there is similarly deeply reliant on the goodwill of residents and regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past year and a half, Permian Proud has put a spotlight on national spelling bee contestants, the local arts community, nonprofit organizations, community events, high school sports, industry accomplishments, and much more,” Chevron spokesperson Catie Matthews wrote in a statement for this story. “Additionally, the platform has amplified coverage of local stories by other news outlets and provided a digital arm to some of our rural communities and smaller nonprofit organizations who would otherwise not have one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Permian Proud also promotes Chevron’s perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the articles on the site are rewritten press releases. For example, Permian Proud’s article “\u003ca href=\"https://permianproud.com/chevrons-permian-basin-operations-to-tap-into-more-recycled-water/\">Chevron’s Permian Basin operations to tap into more recycled water\u003c/a>” is almost identical to Chevron’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2022/q3/permian-basin-operations-to-tap-into-more-recycled-water#:~:text=We%20reached%20an%20agreement%20with,by%20the%20end%20of%202023.\">press release\u003c/a>. The original text read, “By using recycled water in our fracking operations, we help preserve fresh water and groundwater in drought-prone areas.” Permian Proud swapped “Chevron helps” for “we help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the few listed bylines: Mike Aldax of Singer and \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981107\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981107\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with black hair and a greenish scarf outside stands in front of a mural with a microphone painted.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramos says locals share news about Chevron by word of mouth because The Richmond Standard is ‘giving us the opposite of the truth.’ \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Relying on word of mouth\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the absence of independent local news sources, Richmond residents say they rely on each other for accurate information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A husband-and-wife team started a small news site last year. A former mayor shares his thoughts about local politics in a newsletter. When school is in session, journalism students at the nearby University of California, Berkeley, cover Richmond as part of their studies. A nonprofit group has held listening sessions about plans to extend a hyperlocal site to the area. And sometimes — when the news is big enough — San Francisco TV stations cross the bay to cover it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But mostly, there’s word of mouth. Activist Katt Ramos points to the February 2021 pipeline rupture. As Chevron publicly conceded, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931168/chevron-agrees-to-pay-200000-for-2021-bay-fuel-spill-at-richmond-refinery\">resident spotted the tainted water\u003c/a> long before Chevron or any news outlet alerted the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our news is really from me, gathered by our local kind of independent folks that go around covering things for us,” Ramos says. “Because we have to deal with publications like \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> that are giving us the opposite of the truth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Felicia Alvarez, Maria Fernanda Bernal and Richard Tzul of the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Chevron+owns+this+city%27s+news+site.+Many+stories+aren%27t+told&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>NPR’s David Folkenflik reported this story with Miranda Green of\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.floodlightnews.org/\">\u003cem> Floodlight\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RICHMOND, Calif. — Open flames shot upward from four smokestacks at the Chevron refinery on the western edge of Richmond, California Soon, black smoke blanketed the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News spread quickly that day last November, but by word of mouth, says Denny Khamphanthong, a 29-year-old Richmond resident. “We don’t know the full story, but we know that you shouldn’t breathe in the air or be outside, for that matter,” Khamphanthong says now. “It would be nice to have an actual news outlet that would actually go out there and figure it out themselves.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s primary local news source, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/\">\u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, didn’t cover the flare. Nor had it reported on a 2021 Chevron refinery pipeline rupture that dumped nearly 800 gallons of diesel fuel into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron is the city’s largest employer, largest taxpayer and largest polluter. Yet when it comes to writing about Chevron, \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> consistently toes the company line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s a reason for that: Chevron owns \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at Chevron’s website and you look at \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>, a lot of the information is copy and paste,” says Katt Ramos, a local climate activist. “They present a very skewed viewpoint that is bought and paid for by Chevron.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981097\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view of a city landscape with trees and a refinery in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5693_custom-2a426eb8dde45252963199495680bc4bb9d327d0-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The city of Richmond exists in the shadow of the nearby Chevron refinery, which has been connected to poor air quality and health issues in the nearby community. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The site’s very name evokes the history of Chevron, which was created when John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was broken up by federal trust-busters more than a century ago. \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> prides itself on being the “number one source for local, community-driven news” about the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around town, in coffee shops, an architect’s office, at a Mexican restaurant, even at a waterside National Park Service site, the Standard is recognized as the main source of news about the city. It carries stories about \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/03/27/rich-city-rides-launches-capital-campaign-to-purchase-home-base/\">charity drives\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/09/19/emergency-rail-replacement-prompts-closure-on-s-garrard-blvd/\">street closings\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/lifestyle/entertainment-and-food/2020/07/13/the-factory-bar-sets-opening-date/\">New bars\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/09/20/art-exhibition-celebrates-latinx-heritage-month-in-richmond/\">art exhibits\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/07/17/girl-power-coming-to-soccer-field-in-richmond/\">Youth soccer events\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/05/15/point-richmond-music-announces-lineup-for-summer-concert-series/\">local concerts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/community/2024/02/06/richmonds-ons-loves-on-at-risk-people-to-end-gun-violence/\">safety initiatives\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades ago, the city relied on the Richmond \u003cem>Independent \u003c/em>and the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> to report on the community. And then a pattern familiar across the U.S. unfolded. The \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em> pulled back. The \u003cem>Independent\u003c/em> got folded into a newspaper in nearby Berkeley, which itself shut down in 1984. Papers in other East Bay cities shriveled up. Now, the city’s news landscape is dominated by its major corporate force. Markets where news outlets shut down are often called news deserts. The Standard has created something of a news mirage: Stories are told — but with an agenda. Facts displeasing to Chevron are omitted; hard truths softened. The company is seeking to get its point of view across and to convey that it can be trusted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent February night, a city council meeting repeatedly focused on developments involving Chevron. Other than journalists for NPR and Floodlight, not a single journalist attended in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same San Francisco public relations firm that operates the Standard for Chevron runs a similar site about developments in the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, where Chevron has major business interests. It also runs one of the company’s sites in Ecuador, where the energy giant has fought back decades of litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981098\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981098\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person rides a bike through an intersection with cars waiting at a stoplight.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5591_custom-714680c19940b1fb0af95746d3b95944f8dcc85b-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Richmond Standard is a local news site funded by Chevron, which runs a large refinery in town. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s bid to control the public discourse comes as efforts to combat climate change threaten the fossil fuel industry, especially in California. State regulators would effectively \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/25/california-bans-the-sale-of-new-gas-powered-cars-by-2035.html\">ban\u003c/a> the sales of gas-powered cars by 2035. They released the world’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/11/16/california-releases-worlds-first-plan-to-achieve-net-zero-carbon-pollution/\">first plan\u003c/a> to achieve net-zero carbon pollution. Other states and countries have adopted similar goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In February, Chevron revealed that it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/ixviewer/ix.html?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/93410/000009341024000013/cvx-20231231.htm#ib7903ee4cd7540d8ab5b70d4bf454edd_121\">losing about $1.8 billion \u003c/a>on assets, mainly in California, because of the state’s tougher regulatory climate. Chevron’s corporate headquarters is in San Ramon, about a 35-mile drive southeast of Richmond, though the company has moved the bulk of its workforce to Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The company saw a need to offer the community more news coverage of Richmond, which had been largely ignored by traditional media with the exception of crime stories,” says Braden Reddall, a manager of external affairs at Chevron. “Most people in Richmond will tell you there is a lot more to the community than what is known and reported by traditional media outlets. It’s a proud community, filled with interesting people who are doing interesting things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reddall, who earlier covered the company for the international news service \u003cem>Reuters\u003c/em>, added that other outlets more than adequately cover Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981099\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981099\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a green shirt with orange design patterns leans against the side of a building outside.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1000858_custom-e488c363fd777c761cf9a17ccd50d608a8e57480-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former schoolteacher Patricia Dornan says she reads The Richmond Standard but skips the stories about Chevron. “I don’t read any of the articles about how wonderful their company is,” she says. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lifelong Richmond resident Patricia Dornan says she cherry-picks which stories she reads in the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you understand that it’s going to have a Chevron-Standard Oil point of view, it’s fine because most of the stuff that they’re putting out has nothing to do with them,” says Dornan, a retired middle school teacher. “And so long as it doesn’t have to do with Chevron, it’s fine. I don’t read any of the articles about how wonderful their company is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dornan volunteers at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm\">Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park\u003c/a>. She tells visitors about the marvels of American manufacturing in a time of war and about the women welders of Richmond who were able to turn out warships in 51 days rather than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981121\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1444px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981121\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png\" alt=\"A map showing Richmond with red and blue lines outlining pipelines in the area.\" width=\"1444\" height=\"1432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM.png 1444w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-800x793.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-1020x1012.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-10.14.03-AM-160x159.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pipeline locations are approximate. Source: Google Earth, US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, California Department of Technology, OpenStreetMap contributors \u003ccite>(Hilary Fung/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her grandmother moved to town in 1905 — just three years after the refinery first opened — and her family has been there ever since. One of the streets in town is named after her father. She says Richmond can’t function without Chevron, but a true local news outlet would help hold it accountable to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she wants to know what Chevron is up to, Dornan says, “I usually ask my friends who are retirees from the refinery — what’s going on?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Richmond deserves more news coverage’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When the Standard launched in 2014, it proclaimed: “Richmond deserves more news coverage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the first time in more than 30 years, Richmond will have a community-driven daily news source dedicated to shining a light on the positive things that are going on in the community,” the \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/chevron-speaks/2013/01/23/richmond-deserves-more-news-coverage/\">site announced.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron presents the Standard as an investment in the Richmond community. \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/115094/documents/HHRG-117-II15-20220914-SD007.pdf\">The public relations firm operating the Standard wrote (PDF)\u003c/a>, “This site would tell the stories other outlets had lost the resources to tell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But not all of the stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent review found\u003cem> The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> had published 434 stories that touch on its owner, Chevron, since the site’s inception. Eight articles refer to flaring incidents. None cite oil spills. The majority of the stories that mention Chevron focus on profiles, \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/uncategorized/2024/02/16/chevron-richmond-recognized-for-helping-red-cross-sound-the-alarm-on-fire-safety/\">awards\u003c/a> ceremonies, community projects and \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/10/20/chevron-richmond-celebrates-hispanic-heritage-month-with-classic-cars-and-much-more/\">celebrations\u003c/a> it throws on such occasions as \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/02/26/chevron-richmond-marks-milestone-with-25th-black-history-awareness-celebration/\">Black History\u003c/a> and Hispanic Heritage months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Bay Area air pollution regulators secured landmark concessions from Chevron in February to settle a lawsuit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">they called it a “decisive victory\u003c/a>.” The \u003cem>San Jose Mercury News\u003c/em> headline cited “\u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/13/east-bay-refineries-settle-with-bay-area-air-quality-agency-agree-to-20-million-in-fines-for-hundreds-of-violations/\">$20 million in fines for hundreds of air-quality violations\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/02/13/chevron-agreement-with-air-district-called-win-for-environment-and-energy/\">Richmond Standard\u003c/a> \u003c/em>was more reserved: “Chevron agreement with Air District called win for environment and energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The article did not clearly lay out the core of the litigation. The words “fine” and “penalty” did not appear. Careful readers might have been able to piece together what transpired: The news outlet described an agreement involving $20 million that “solidifies the future of energy production at the Richmond Refinery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are a whole host of news outlets around the Bay Area that cover the refinery,” says Reddall, the Chevron spokesperson. “The Standard seeks to fill in the gaps. From where I’m sitting, I don’t think that it’s a refinery that’s not written about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981100\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person rides a bike down a street with a mural in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001528_custom-8f3c0ecaa5280f513873a046609f97a67b508583-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond is a working-class city of 115,000 — nearly half of whom are Latino. Most people working at the Chevron refinery live outside the city. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A news mirage\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Boundaries blur between city and corporation in this largely working-class city of 115,000 people, almost half of whom are Latino. The tech boom of nearby Silicon Valley and the opulence of neighboring Marin County feel like universes away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The public high school’s mascot is the Oilers. Streets are named Ammonia and Petrolite and Xylene. Chevron’s network of pipes, low-lying cooling ponds and even sulfuric stench have become defining parts of the town’s character. A nature park where tufted egrets and hummingbirds frolic abuts the nearly 3,000-acre refinery itself — an expansive preserve of smokestacks, pipelines and tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, which recorded $21.3 billion in profits last year, has played an outsized role in Richmond for decades. It supplies the city with jobs — yet most Chevron employees live elsewhere. It pays roughly $50 million a year to Richmond — more than a sixth of the town’s annual revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s relationship with Richmond turned sour rather abruptly in 2012. An explosion at the refinery injured \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/chevron-refinery-fire-cal-osha-fine-calosha-fined/2247343/\">19 employees.\u003c/a> The air pollution from the resulting industrial fire could be seen from miles away. In the ensuing days, 15,000 Bay Area residents went to medical centers for respiratory complications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981101\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg\" alt='A sign with red lettering on the side of a building that reads \"Richmond Oilers.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5002_custom-7b06acdc68e74ea0931de6c640522261dd48c5d1-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Richmond High School mascot is the Oilers. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State and local prosecutors charged Chevron with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/chevron-convicted-of-labor-codes-pays-2m-after-refinery-fire/1951195/\">criminal negligence\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/05/chevron-2m-fire/2620303/\">other crimes. T\u003c/a>he company settled by pleading no contest to six charges, paying out roughly $10 million to affected local residents, agencies and hospitals. Chevron also paid $5 million directly to the city of Richmond to settle a separate civil lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time of the incident, political sentiment in Richmond had started to swing away from the company. As the months passed, progressives threatened to take control of the city government. They promoted a future without the refinery — just as Chevron sought approval from city officials for a sweeping project to overhaul and modernize it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the 2014 election cycle dawned, Chevron took action to ensure its voice was heard. It promised a huge investment in scholarships and public health programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also spent $3 million to help propel pro-industry candidates. They all lost. “The election became a referendum on Chevron,” says Tom Butt, at the time a city council member who won election as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also launched\u003cem> The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> that year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the outset, the company disclosed its involvement. In small letters at the top of its homepage, the site reads, “Funded by Chevron.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1703px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981102\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly white man wearing a tan jacket sits down outside.\" width=\"1703\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1020x1533.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_5353_custom-70d0b60670307735f71cb85a8507b0f4ce42ab21-1920x2886.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tom Butt was elected mayor of Richmond in 2014. He says that election was a referendum on Chevron. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the aftermath of the election, the Standard published a 428-word statement from \u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/chevron-speaks/2014/11/19/election-mattered/\">Chevron\u003c/a> in its entirety that defended the company’s actions and criticized the city’s new leaders. “The question for Richmond is: Will local leaders recognize that business is integral to the city’s success?” the Chevron statement read. “Or, will city leaders continue to oppose efforts to create growth, preferring instead to watch the business climate — and the prosperity that business helps generate — decline?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be outraged’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Katt Ramos, who helps lead Communities for a Better Environment’s Richmond chapter, stages tours to demonstrate what she says is Chevron’s destructive legacy. It also illustrates what happens when independent local news disappears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She stops by Peres K–8 School in the Iron Triangle, a nickname derived from the three train tracks that intersect here. Older kids play soccer on a field with a coach while younger ones cavort on a playground. Beyond the school fence, the Chevron plant stands less than a mile away. A sign next to the school’s entrance warns of a shallow hazardous liquid pipeline from the refinery, a warning not to dig there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nothing that is normalized about childhood is normalized in Richmond,” Ramos says. Adults have to tell kids they can’t play outdoors due to a high number of bad air days, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981103\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1703px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981103\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A close up image of woman with black hair and a greenish scarf outside.\" width=\"1703\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1020x1533.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4959_custom-9ae1328aaedb9053674e149d6ad183dc5bf607a9-1920x2886.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Nothing that is normalized about childhood is normalized in Richmond,’ says Katt Ramos, a local climate activist. She says the city’s air pollution problems and residents’ health issues are rarely covered in the news. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the best way of gauging the seriousness of such concerns is to look at child admissions to emergency rooms for asthma, says Anne Kelsey Lamb, who oversees asthma research for the Oakland-based Public Health Institute. Children in the ZIP code of the Iron Triangle — which includes the refinery as well as the neighborhoods surrounding the Peres school — are admitted for emergency care for asthma at triple the rate for California at large. (The institute provided an analysis of the most recent available state statistics at the request of NPR and Floodlight.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parceling out responsibility for air pollution is complicated, given Richmond’s many highways and railroads, along with the refinery. The regional board that regulates air quality found that Chevron accounts for 63% of all particle pollution in Richmond and two neighboring towns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These issues rarely get covered, Ramos says. She starts to weep gently when talking about the city’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think, at best, we should be outraged, you know?” she says. “Everyone should be concerned about the conditions that our community has to face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The PR firm running the Standard\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While Chevron owns the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>, San Francisco-based Singer Associates runs it from across the bay. The consulting firm is known for handling PR crises. Founder Sam Singer is no stranger to Richmond; he grew up in Berkeley and briefly worked at the Richmond \u003cem>Independent\u003c/em> and a sister paper before moving on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer Associates has written that the news outlet came about after Chevron developed a “fractured relationship with many stakeholders, including city government leaders.” The site was part of an effort “to provide the company with greater freedom to operate by increasing awareness for the positive role it plays in Richmond,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/115094/documents/HHRG-117-II15-20220914-SD007.pdf\">according to Singer’s application for an industry award\u003c/a>, as cited in a U.S. House Natural Resources Committee staff report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981104\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man swings a fishing pole over his head by a body of water.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/l1001474_custom-1539e2b09a55fba135d92ed538aee324aa2fdedb-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A man fishes for leopard sharks in the waterways along Point Richmond, a thoroughfare for petroleum that has been the site of several oil and chemical spills. \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Singer Associates employee Mike Aldax, a former reporter for the defunct \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> and the Bay City News Service, writes most Standard articles. (Aldax did not return messages seeking comment.) The site also hired two journalists who live in Richmond to write for the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our team has worked hard to build relationships with the community, which is why people trust us, and turn to us, to cover community stories,” Singer wrote in an email for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of reporting ebbs and flows. Some featured videos on the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>‘s homepage are several years old. The metabolism of fresh posts stepped up in early March, shortly after NPR and Floodlight first sent a series of queries about the Standard to Chevron and Singer for this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chevron newsrooms begin in South America\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In launching the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>, Chevron followed a path the fossil fuel giant had first forged thousands of miles to the south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2009, Singer has run The Amazon Post in Ecuador at Chevron’s direction. The English-language site emerged as Chevron confronted lengthy multibillion-dollar litigation seeking to hold it liable for the pollution from oil drilling there. (Chevron had acquired Texaco in 2001, which was responsible for the oil extraction.) Chevron’s legal battle spread to other nations, including the U.S. and Brazil. The American attorney who led the suits against Chevron for Ecuadorian farmers and Indigenous peoples was a frequent target of the site. He was ultimately disbarred in New York for his actions in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981105\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Flames flicker from a refinery surrounded by trees.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-1247205074_custom-4333df7acdf33ebf2db696a0a6694986214e004c-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flames flicker through the thick green trees of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest — where gas flares, oil wells and refineries darken the landscape and poison the environment — shown in Shushufindi, Ecuador, in 2023. The legacy there of Texaco, which Chevron acquired, has inspired lengthy legal battles in several countries. \u003ccite>(Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://theamazonpost.com/\">The Amazon Post\u003c/a> caters to English-speaking audiences and clearly discloses that it reflects “Chevron’s Views & Opinions on the Ecuador Lawsuit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A subsequent Spanish-language site called Juicio Crudo (an allusion to crude oil) focuses\u003ca href=\"https://www.juiciocrudo.com/\"> squarely\u003c/a> on a damning legal judgment against Chevron that a U.S. court later \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/business/federal-judge-rules-for-chevron-in-ecuadorean-pollution-case.html\">found to be fraudulent\u003c/a>. It reprints text directly from Chevron’s Spanish-language \u003ca href=\"https://www.juiciocrudo.com/documentos/f8eda1d720.pdf\">press releases\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eloriente.com/\">El Oriente\u003c/a>, a Spanish-language digital outlet launched in 2019, presents as a news site aimed at audiences residing in the Ecuadorian Amazon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until recently, it noted at the bottom of its page that it was “sponsored by Chevron.” Days after NPR and Floodlight started posing questions about Chevron’s sites, the affiliation was moved to the top, just beneath the site’s name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sites link to one another. Chevron says those sites are managed separately, not by Singer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In at least one instance, the controversies surrounding Chevron in Ecuador inspired fodder for the Standard back in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, Richmond’s then-mayor, \u003ca href=\"https://ci.richmond.ca.us/directory.aspx?EID=1070\">Gayle McLaughlin\u003c/a>, traveled to see Ecuador’s environmental degradation at a time when her party sought to force Chevron to pay more to the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after she returned home, the \u003cem>Standard\u003c/em>‘s Aldax reported: “The mayor’s six-day trip to Ecuador was in support [of] the South American nation in its ongoing battle against Chevron, which it falsely blames for polluting the rain forest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2014/06/11/richmond-mayor-gayle-mclaughlins-association-with-ecuadors-u-s-pr-firm-raises-questions/\">Aldax wrote\u003c/a> that McLaughlin was late filing $4,499 in expenses for the trip, which the Ecuadorian government had paid for. The article embedded a \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/ugtMBkqmXbQ\">video \u003c/a>produced by The Amazon Post.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981106\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981106\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing glasses and a purple shirt with design speaks and gestures with her hands next to a Black woman with locs and glasses.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1705\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/gettyimages-467523155_custom-62bb18a46688cf4f9983ca4f55478a33127b602c-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gayle McLaughlin, then Richmond’s mayor, speaks onstage during a 2014 event in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Mike Windle/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It was a rare instance of the Standard producing anything other than benign community news. She had to pay a $200 fine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, McLaughlin calls her misstep minor. She tells NPR and Floodlight she believes the story was intended to warn Chevron’s critics that it could embarrass them or just ignore them altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> will never, ever print anything that is critical of Chevron,” McLaughlin says, “and it will never print anything that upholds the community’s victories against Chevron. And we need to spread the word about those victories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Expanding to Texas\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron launched its latest newsroom, called Permian Proud, in the Permian Basin in August 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site posts stories about West Texas and New Mexico, which are home to the nation’s highest-producing oil fields, where Chevron has substantial drilling interests — and where \u003ca href=\"https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/explore/#/state-localnewslandscape?state=TX&stateCode=48\">local news has been hard hit\u003c/a>. Permian Proud explained its mission this way: “We aim to complement the important work of existing local media by providing hyper-local news you won’t find anywhere else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike California, Texas is a deeply red state with a broader support base for the oil and gas industry. Even so, Chevron’s future there is similarly deeply reliant on the goodwill of residents and regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past year and a half, Permian Proud has put a spotlight on national spelling bee contestants, the local arts community, nonprofit organizations, community events, high school sports, industry accomplishments, and much more,” Chevron spokesperson Catie Matthews wrote in a statement for this story. “Additionally, the platform has amplified coverage of local stories by other news outlets and provided a digital arm to some of our rural communities and smaller nonprofit organizations who would otherwise not have one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Permian Proud also promotes Chevron’s perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the articles on the site are rewritten press releases. For example, Permian Proud’s article “\u003ca href=\"https://permianproud.com/chevrons-permian-basin-operations-to-tap-into-more-recycled-water/\">Chevron’s Permian Basin operations to tap into more recycled water\u003c/a>” is almost identical to Chevron’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2022/q3/permian-basin-operations-to-tap-into-more-recycled-water#:~:text=We%20reached%20an%20agreement%20with,by%20the%20end%20of%202023.\">press release\u003c/a>. The original text read, “By using recycled water in our fracking operations, we help preserve fresh water and groundwater in drought-prone areas.” Permian Proud swapped “Chevron helps” for “we help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the few listed bylines: Mike Aldax of Singer and \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981107\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981107\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with black hair and a greenish scarf outside stands in front of a mural with a microphone painted.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/z62_4979_custom-b783932e7783d65df058ad8dc7ca9e7cb07cd0a7-1920x1277.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramos says locals share news about Chevron by word of mouth because The Richmond Standard is ‘giving us the opposite of the truth.’ \u003ccite>(Brian L. Frank/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Relying on word of mouth\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the absence of independent local news sources, Richmond residents say they rely on each other for accurate information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A husband-and-wife team started a small news site last year. A former mayor shares his thoughts about local politics in a newsletter. When school is in session, journalism students at the nearby University of California, Berkeley, cover Richmond as part of their studies. A nonprofit group has held listening sessions about plans to extend a hyperlocal site to the area. And sometimes — when the news is big enough — San Francisco TV stations cross the bay to cover it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But mostly, there’s word of mouth. Activist Katt Ramos points to the February 2021 pipeline rupture. As Chevron publicly conceded, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931168/chevron-agrees-to-pay-200000-for-2021-bay-fuel-spill-at-richmond-refinery\">resident spotted the tainted water\u003c/a> long before Chevron or any news outlet alerted the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our news is really from me, gathered by our local kind of independent folks that go around covering things for us,” Ramos says. “Because we have to deal with publications like \u003cem>The Richmond Standard\u003c/em> that are giving us the opposite of the truth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Felicia Alvarez, Maria Fernanda Bernal and Richard Tzul of the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Chevron+owns+this+city%27s+news+site.+Many+stories+aren%27t+told&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Chevron has agreed to pay more than $13 million in fines for dozens of past oil spills in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California-based energy giant agreed to pay a $5.6 million fine associated with a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/general-news-small-business-8e31e63134114c6a9c59a8fb6fc543a6\">2019 oil spill\u003c/a> in Kern County, first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11760192/chevron-well-has-leaked-a-quarter-million-gallons-of-oil-in-central-valley-since-may\">reported by KQED\u003c/a> and was California’s biggest uncontrolled release of crude petroleum in decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron has already paid to clean up that spill, while this latest payment will go to the state Department of Conservation to plug orphaned wells and for state efforts to respond to future oil spills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said it was the largest fine ever assessed in its history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Chuck Bonham, director, Department of Fish and Wildlife\"]‘This settlement is a testament to our firm stance that we will hold businesses strictly liable for oil spills that enter our waterways and pollute our environment.’[/pullquote]“This agreement is a significant demonstration of California’s commitment to transition away from fossil fuels while holding oil companies accountable when they don’t comply with the state’s regulations and environmental protections,” department Director David Shabazian said in a news release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 2019 oil spill dumped at least 800,000 gallons of oil and water into a canyon in Kern County, the home of the state’s oil industry. Oil and water flowed from the ground for months near Chevron wells near the Kern County town of McKittrick, and the release was so big Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2019/07/24/today-governor-gavin-newsom-to-hold-media-availability-following-visit-of-kern-county-oil-seepage-site/\">visited the clean-up site\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine for more than 70 smaller spills between 2018 and 2023 that state officials say killed or injured more than 60 animals. These incidents accounted for more than 446,000 gallons of oil spilled, killing or injuring at least 63 animals and impacting at least 6 acres of salt brush and grassland habitat, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said it was the largest administrative fine in its history. Most of the money will go to projects to acquire and preserve habitat. A portion of the money will also go to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and to help respond to future oil spills.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11760192,news_11762422,news_11769850\"]“This settlement is a testament to our firm stance that we will hold businesses strictly liable for oil spills that enter our waterways and pollute our environment,” Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement Wednesday night, Chevron said the settlements demonstrate the company’s commitment to addressing problems and preventing similar incidents in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We always strive to meet or exceed our environmental obligations. When we do not achieve that goal, we take responsibility and appropriate action,” a spokesperson for the company said. “We are pleased to put this matter behind us in a way that benefits our community so we can continue to focus on providing the affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy California needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting by The Associated Press and KQED’s Ted Goldberg.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This agreement is a significant demonstration of California’s commitment to transition away from fossil fuels while holding oil companies accountable when they don’t comply with the state’s regulations and environmental protections,” department Director David Shabazian said in a news release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 2019 oil spill dumped at least 800,000 gallons of oil and water into a canyon in Kern County, the home of the state’s oil industry. Oil and water flowed from the ground for months near Chevron wells near the Kern County town of McKittrick, and the release was so big Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2019/07/24/today-governor-gavin-newsom-to-hold-media-availability-following-visit-of-kern-county-oil-seepage-site/\">visited the clean-up site\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron also agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine for more than 70 smaller spills between 2018 and 2023 that state officials say killed or injured more than 60 animals. These incidents accounted for more than 446,000 gallons of oil spilled, killing or injuring at least 63 animals and impacting at least 6 acres of salt brush and grassland habitat, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said it was the largest administrative fine in its history. Most of the money will go to projects to acquire and preserve habitat. A portion of the money will also go to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and to help respond to future oil spills.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This settlement is a testament to our firm stance that we will hold businesses strictly liable for oil spills that enter our waterways and pollute our environment,” Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement Wednesday night, Chevron said the settlements demonstrate the company’s commitment to addressing problems and preventing similar incidents in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We always strive to meet or exceed our environmental obligations. When we do not achieve that goal, we take responsibility and appropriate action,” a spokesperson for the company said. “We are pleased to put this matter behind us in a way that benefits our community so we can continue to focus on providing the affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy California needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting by The Associated Press and KQED’s Ted Goldberg.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Bay Area Regulators Claim Big Win Against Richmond, Martinez Oil Refinery Pollution",
"headTitle": "Bay Area Regulators Claim Big Win Against Richmond, Martinez Oil Refinery Pollution | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6808231882\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Air District Hails ‘Decisive Victory’ in Battle to Cut Refinery Pollution\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Regulating big oil can be hard. They’ve got hella money and lawyers to throw around. But this week, the local agency responsible for regulating air quality in the bay announced an agreement that requires the Chevron refinery in Richmond and the Martinez Refining Company to drastically reduce the bad stuff they let into the air, making it one of the strictest air pollution regulations in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>This is a pretty significant win that, you know, I think could easily be a national headline. You know, a local regulatory agency fought back Big Oil and won.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today I talked to KQED, Ted Goldberg, about why regulators are calling this a decisive victory in the battle to cut pollution in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>By July of 2026, Chevron and the Martinez Refining Company will have to reduce by a significant amount the amount of particulate matter their refineries emit into the air. At the headquarters for the Air District in San Francisco on Beale Street. Several high ranking members of the Air District brought reporters into room, basically to make this announcement and to talk about it at length.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>The Air District has secured historic penalties and successfully defended our ground breaking rule six-five.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Board member Davina Hurt, who is a member of the Belmont City Council, led the news conference announcing this historical change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>Pay unprecedented penalties and other payments of up to 138 million, agreed to measures to reduce flaring and establish a community air Quality fund that supports projects that reduce particulate matter emissions and exposures throughout the Richmond area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>You know, health officials and advocates have really described this as dirty air. The air District, four years before the board voted on this rule, looked into how much particulate matter both of these refineries put up into the air on a regular basis. They’ve done some calculations that says around 70% of the amount of particulate matter, once this rule is complied by would be reduced. And they say that could save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And there are also fees associated with this new announcement too, right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So you’re supposed to comply by July of 2026 a specifically for Chevron. If we don’t by this particular date, they’re going to have to pay millions of dollars in fines. And then on top of that, as part of this larger sort of agreement, Chevron is paying to resolve hundreds of notices of violation going back years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>They’re also going to pay into a community fund that’s supposed to improve the lives of people who live near refineries, is focusing on air quality and health. And then they’re also going to pay, along with the Martinez Refinery Company, the lawyers fees for the legal battle that’s been going on since 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Was this surprising to you, Ted?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Yes it was. Both of the companies filed lawsuits to challenge this rule that was voted on by the board of directors in 2021, and we were gearing up for a years long fight that abruptly ended. I’ve been trying to track the court hearings. When will we have the big trial over this major pollution rule? And they kept on getting delayed over and over again. And the next one was supposed to be late this month. And so I had it on my calendar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Okay, we’re going to reach out to the lawyers and maybe even send a reporter to the court hearing, because this is this big dramatic moment. They’re waiting. I had no idea. And basically, you know, here we have this huge oil company, Chevron Global, you know, one of the largest energy companies on the face of the earth deciding, you know, what? We might want to just give up on this lawsuit and end this legal battle and eventually comply with this anti-pollution rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the backstory here, Ted, because I know many folks may have seen these refineries in Martina’s enrichment in the news because of accidents like these flaring or white ash falling from the sky in Martinez. But this isn’t what we’re talking about, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>No, this is a part of everyday operations for these two particular refineries. So as part of the refining process, crude oil eventually needs to turn into things like gasoline and jet fuel. There’s a lot of chemical processes that take place. One of those has to do with a major refinery component called the fluidized catalytic cracking unit. And basically, this is a part of the refinery that breaks down heavy crude oil into things like gasoline material that is sort of a byproduct of that process eventually has to be burned off. And when that is burned off, that’s when particulate matter gets sent into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>Greg Nudd, deputy executive officer of science and policy of the Air District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Nudd: \u003c/strong>Particulate matter causes a number of health problems, from asthma to cognitive decline to poor birth outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>And a number of other people at the district have emphasized for years that particulate matter can lodge itself into people’s lungs and contribute to significant health problems, and can lead to premature deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Nudd: \u003c/strong>It passes through the blood barrier and actually gets into your blood, gets into your brain. It’s definitely the most harmful air pollutant that we have. And the plume extend for miles and miles and impact over a million people. So we’re talking about people dying years before their time ticking away. Grandmas and grandpas from their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>In many of those communities, there are larger numbers of low income folks, larger numbers of people of color, and larger numbers of cases like asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I want to talk a little bit more about this rule and how exactly it’s supposed to, I guess, reduce these pollutions. Ted, what do Chevron and the Martinez Refinery Company have to do exactly in order to comply with this rule?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Initially, the refineries were supposed to bring in a different device that they don’t have in their refinery, called a wet gas scrubber. I believe there are other refineries that have this, and that is aimed at reducing the particulate emissions that come from the refinery. That is a very expensive piece of equipment. Martina’s refining company said it was so expensive before the board voted yes on this years ago that they might have to, you know, reduce the number of jobs they have and possibly shut down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Now, the two refineries are working on a number of different strategies that they’ve been in. Communication with the Air District about that is essentially convince the Air District that says, okay, we can see that they’re lining out these plans, particularly in the Martinez Refining Company, and we can see that they’re reducing emissions, and they’re on their road to eventually complying with the law by mid 2026. The idea here is they’ve created some technology or installed some technology into their refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>And at least at the Martinez Refining Company, they’re showing the air district, hey, look, see the numbers? They’re changing. And we think by this time we’ll be able to comply and we’ll keep showing you, you know, this data as we move forward. That was part of the agreement, especially with the Martinez Refining Company, that they will they will monitor this and that they will show the district, hey, we’re doing a great job. See how we’re complying with this law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, what health advocates and the oil companies have to say about the new air pollution rule. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What was the reaction from folks who have been fighting these refineries on this and were expecting to have a big public debate about it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>My colleague Danielle Venton spoke to one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton: \u003c/strong>I’m shocked, and I don’t fully understand their motives, but I’m really glad. It’s hard to believe that. I’m not sure what the reasons are, but this couldn’t be better news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Doctor Ashley McClure is a primary care doctor and is the co-founder of Climate Health Now, which is a nonprofit, and she is extremely happy about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton: \u003c/strong>The fact that they’re, dropping that and they’re settling this kind of I know it’s like a return to some semblance of sanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Danielle also interviewed Heidi Taylor, who is a member of a new group based in Martinez that came about after an accident at the refinery in late 2022. They sort of activated and became politically active. And what Heidi said was, yeah, this is great, this is good, but we’re not going to give up and trying to keep the refinery accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Heidi Taylor: \u003c/strong>You know, we do not trust the refinery. And so we want all measurements and all monitoring verified and we want it public. We want to be able to verify for ourselves what they are reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about the refineries? Ted, Chevron and the PBF owned refinery in Martinez? How have they responded?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Chevron said, yes, we’ve agreed to this settlement, but they also came out and took a couple of shots at the air District in a similar fashion that they did in 2021. They said, hey, we still have problems with the way that the Air District makes rules. We find these regulations, which are the most strict in our country, to make it hard to do business here. PBF energy, which owns the Martinez Refining Company, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>We’ve been working on this. The district has now looked at what we’re doing. We’re all in agreement that we’re eventually going to get there, and they’re not having to pay millions of dollars in the same way that Chevron is the only monetary thing that they’re going to have to pay to the Air district is the lawyers fees. They’ve dropped their suit, and they say, we’re looking forward to complying with the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know much of this seems to have happened in in the background and out of the public eye. Ted but do we know anything about why Chevron and Martinez Refining Company decided to drop their legal challenges to this rule, instead of continuing to fight back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>When reporters and editors like myself reached out to Chevron and PBF, we asked these questions. They’re issuing the same statement to different news organizations, and I’ve sort of just regurgitated what they’ve said. So I can only surmise why I think they might have given up on the legal effort. You know, I could guess that they thought, well, maybe this is going to last a really long time and maybe we’ll lose, and maybe that’ll be worse than, you know, just giving up our lawsuit and creating sort of a roadmap to eventually get to compliance. I don’t know. I don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Do you think, Ted, that this unprecedented win maybe lays the groundwork for more regulation of these refineries from here on out? Like, what do you think this means moving forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>I got the sense from the Air District news conference at Danielle Vinton attended that, you know, they feel that this is part of their mandate, you know, and it’s on their about a portion of their website that they are in charge of, of keeping the air clean. And I remember when before the board voted on this rule, many health advocates had said, you need to stay true to your mission. What I heard at the news conference on Tuesday morning was officials saying, this is our job. Y.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Ou know, I know that board members like Davina Hurt: and others that, you know, focusing on this kind of stuff is is why they joined the board. And it’s definitely part of their rhetoric. And I don’t see them, you know, slowing down. So I would say the leaders of it certainly talk that way. I don’t know what’s coming down the pike for like, you know, the next refinery pollution rule. This is a pretty significant win that, you know, I think could easily be a national headline because a local regulatory agency fought back big oil and one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Ted, thank you so much for breaking this down. I really appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Any time. It’s always fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ted Goldberg, managing editor of news and newscasts at KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Ted was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape. Thanks as well to KQED climate reporter Danielle Venton for some of the tape that you heard in this episode. Music courtesy of the Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The rest of our podcast team here at KQED includes Jen Chien, our director of podcasts, Katie Sprenger, our podcast operations manager, Cesar Saldana, our podcast engagement producer, and Maha Sanad, our podcast engagement intern. The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6808231882\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Air District Hails ‘Decisive Victory’ in Battle to Cut Refinery Pollution\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Regulating big oil can be hard. They’ve got hella money and lawyers to throw around. But this week, the local agency responsible for regulating air quality in the bay announced an agreement that requires the Chevron refinery in Richmond and the Martinez Refining Company to drastically reduce the bad stuff they let into the air, making it one of the strictest air pollution regulations in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>This is a pretty significant win that, you know, I think could easily be a national headline. You know, a local regulatory agency fought back Big Oil and won.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today I talked to KQED, Ted Goldberg, about why regulators are calling this a decisive victory in the battle to cut pollution in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>By July of 2026, Chevron and the Martinez Refining Company will have to reduce by a significant amount the amount of particulate matter their refineries emit into the air. At the headquarters for the Air District in San Francisco on Beale Street. Several high ranking members of the Air District brought reporters into room, basically to make this announcement and to talk about it at length.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>The Air District has secured historic penalties and successfully defended our ground breaking rule six-five.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Board member Davina Hurt, who is a member of the Belmont City Council, led the news conference announcing this historical change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>Pay unprecedented penalties and other payments of up to 138 million, agreed to measures to reduce flaring and establish a community air Quality fund that supports projects that reduce particulate matter emissions and exposures throughout the Richmond area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>You know, health officials and advocates have really described this as dirty air. The air District, four years before the board voted on this rule, looked into how much particulate matter both of these refineries put up into the air on a regular basis. They’ve done some calculations that says around 70% of the amount of particulate matter, once this rule is complied by would be reduced. And they say that could save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And there are also fees associated with this new announcement too, right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So you’re supposed to comply by July of 2026 a specifically for Chevron. If we don’t by this particular date, they’re going to have to pay millions of dollars in fines. And then on top of that, as part of this larger sort of agreement, Chevron is paying to resolve hundreds of notices of violation going back years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>They’re also going to pay into a community fund that’s supposed to improve the lives of people who live near refineries, is focusing on air quality and health. And then they’re also going to pay, along with the Martinez Refinery Company, the lawyers fees for the legal battle that’s been going on since 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Was this surprising to you, Ted?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Yes it was. Both of the companies filed lawsuits to challenge this rule that was voted on by the board of directors in 2021, and we were gearing up for a years long fight that abruptly ended. I’ve been trying to track the court hearings. When will we have the big trial over this major pollution rule? And they kept on getting delayed over and over again. And the next one was supposed to be late this month. And so I had it on my calendar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Okay, we’re going to reach out to the lawyers and maybe even send a reporter to the court hearing, because this is this big dramatic moment. They’re waiting. I had no idea. And basically, you know, here we have this huge oil company, Chevron Global, you know, one of the largest energy companies on the face of the earth deciding, you know, what? We might want to just give up on this lawsuit and end this legal battle and eventually comply with this anti-pollution rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the backstory here, Ted, because I know many folks may have seen these refineries in Martina’s enrichment in the news because of accidents like these flaring or white ash falling from the sky in Martinez. But this isn’t what we’re talking about, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>No, this is a part of everyday operations for these two particular refineries. So as part of the refining process, crude oil eventually needs to turn into things like gasoline and jet fuel. There’s a lot of chemical processes that take place. One of those has to do with a major refinery component called the fluidized catalytic cracking unit. And basically, this is a part of the refinery that breaks down heavy crude oil into things like gasoline material that is sort of a byproduct of that process eventually has to be burned off. And when that is burned off, that’s when particulate matter gets sent into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Davina Hurt: \u003c/strong>Greg Nudd, deputy executive officer of science and policy of the Air District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Nudd: \u003c/strong>Particulate matter causes a number of health problems, from asthma to cognitive decline to poor birth outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>And a number of other people at the district have emphasized for years that particulate matter can lodge itself into people’s lungs and contribute to significant health problems, and can lead to premature deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Nudd: \u003c/strong>It passes through the blood barrier and actually gets into your blood, gets into your brain. It’s definitely the most harmful air pollutant that we have. And the plume extend for miles and miles and impact over a million people. So we’re talking about people dying years before their time ticking away. Grandmas and grandpas from their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>In many of those communities, there are larger numbers of low income folks, larger numbers of people of color, and larger numbers of cases like asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I want to talk a little bit more about this rule and how exactly it’s supposed to, I guess, reduce these pollutions. Ted, what do Chevron and the Martinez Refinery Company have to do exactly in order to comply with this rule?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Initially, the refineries were supposed to bring in a different device that they don’t have in their refinery, called a wet gas scrubber. I believe there are other refineries that have this, and that is aimed at reducing the particulate emissions that come from the refinery. That is a very expensive piece of equipment. Martina’s refining company said it was so expensive before the board voted yes on this years ago that they might have to, you know, reduce the number of jobs they have and possibly shut down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Now, the two refineries are working on a number of different strategies that they’ve been in. Communication with the Air District about that is essentially convince the Air District that says, okay, we can see that they’re lining out these plans, particularly in the Martinez Refining Company, and we can see that they’re reducing emissions, and they’re on their road to eventually complying with the law by mid 2026. The idea here is they’ve created some technology or installed some technology into their refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>And at least at the Martinez Refining Company, they’re showing the air district, hey, look, see the numbers? They’re changing. And we think by this time we’ll be able to comply and we’ll keep showing you, you know, this data as we move forward. That was part of the agreement, especially with the Martinez Refining Company, that they will they will monitor this and that they will show the district, hey, we’re doing a great job. See how we’re complying with this law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, what health advocates and the oil companies have to say about the new air pollution rule. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What was the reaction from folks who have been fighting these refineries on this and were expecting to have a big public debate about it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>My colleague Danielle Venton spoke to one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton: \u003c/strong>I’m shocked, and I don’t fully understand their motives, but I’m really glad. It’s hard to believe that. I’m not sure what the reasons are, but this couldn’t be better news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Doctor Ashley McClure is a primary care doctor and is the co-founder of Climate Health Now, which is a nonprofit, and she is extremely happy about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton: \u003c/strong>The fact that they’re, dropping that and they’re settling this kind of I know it’s like a return to some semblance of sanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Danielle also interviewed Heidi Taylor, who is a member of a new group based in Martinez that came about after an accident at the refinery in late 2022. They sort of activated and became politically active. And what Heidi said was, yeah, this is great, this is good, but we’re not going to give up and trying to keep the refinery accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Heidi Taylor: \u003c/strong>You know, we do not trust the refinery. And so we want all measurements and all monitoring verified and we want it public. We want to be able to verify for ourselves what they are reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about the refineries? Ted, Chevron and the PBF owned refinery in Martinez? How have they responded?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Chevron said, yes, we’ve agreed to this settlement, but they also came out and took a couple of shots at the air District in a similar fashion that they did in 2021. They said, hey, we still have problems with the way that the Air District makes rules. We find these regulations, which are the most strict in our country, to make it hard to do business here. PBF energy, which owns the Martinez Refining Company, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>We’ve been working on this. The district has now looked at what we’re doing. We’re all in agreement that we’re eventually going to get there, and they’re not having to pay millions of dollars in the same way that Chevron is the only monetary thing that they’re going to have to pay to the Air district is the lawyers fees. They’ve dropped their suit, and they say, we’re looking forward to complying with the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know much of this seems to have happened in in the background and out of the public eye. Ted but do we know anything about why Chevron and Martinez Refining Company decided to drop their legal challenges to this rule, instead of continuing to fight back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>When reporters and editors like myself reached out to Chevron and PBF, we asked these questions. They’re issuing the same statement to different news organizations, and I’ve sort of just regurgitated what they’ve said. So I can only surmise why I think they might have given up on the legal effort. You know, I could guess that they thought, well, maybe this is going to last a really long time and maybe we’ll lose, and maybe that’ll be worse than, you know, just giving up our lawsuit and creating sort of a roadmap to eventually get to compliance. I don’t know. I don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Do you think, Ted, that this unprecedented win maybe lays the groundwork for more regulation of these refineries from here on out? Like, what do you think this means moving forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>I got the sense from the Air District news conference at Danielle Vinton attended that, you know, they feel that this is part of their mandate, you know, and it’s on their about a portion of their website that they are in charge of, of keeping the air clean. And I remember when before the board voted on this rule, many health advocates had said, you need to stay true to your mission. What I heard at the news conference on Tuesday morning was officials saying, this is our job. Y.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Ou know, I know that board members like Davina Hurt: and others that, you know, focusing on this kind of stuff is is why they joined the board. And it’s definitely part of their rhetoric. And I don’t see them, you know, slowing down. So I would say the leaders of it certainly talk that way. I don’t know what’s coming down the pike for like, you know, the next refinery pollution rule. This is a pretty significant win that, you know, I think could easily be a national headline because a local regulatory agency fought back big oil and one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Ted, thank you so much for breaking this down. I really appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Goldberg: \u003c/strong>Any time. It’s always fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ted Goldberg, managing editor of news and newscasts at KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Ted was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape. Thanks as well to KQED climate reporter Danielle Venton for some of the tape that you heard in this episode. Music courtesy of the Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The rest of our podcast team here at KQED includes Jen Chien, our director of podcasts, Katie Sprenger, our podcast operations manager, Cesar Saldana, our podcast engagement producer, and Maha Sanad, our podcast engagement intern. The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 3 p.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area air regulators say they’ve won a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with a pair of oil companies that had sued to block enforcement of a rule intended to sharply reduce an especially harmful form of pollution emitted by the facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management Agency (BAAQMD) on Tuesday morning announced agreements with Chevron, which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company, that commit both firms to comply with a rule requiring crude oil production facilities to curtail particulate pollution beginning in July 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two companies are dropping lawsuits that challenged the rule. Chevron has committed to paying penalties and making other payments that could total more than $130 million if it delays compliance with the rule. Martinez Refining, a subsidiary of New Jersey-based PBF Energy, has agreed to implement a continuous monitoring system to ensure compliance with the district regulation. Each company will pay up to $500,000 to cover the district’s legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11960699,news_11968786,news_11957461 label='Related Coverage']“The air district agreements with Chevron and MRC mark a turning point in our commitment to enforcing air quality regulations and deterring future violations throughout the Bay Area, especially in communities already overburdened by air pollution,” said Dr. Philip Fine, the district’s executive officer, in a statement announcing the agreements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves or has the right to breathe clean air, and that’s what this announcement is about today,” said Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia, who is a member and former chair of the BAAQMD at the air quality agency’s press conference Tuesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board that oversees the air district approved the new rule in July 2021. Two months later, Chevron and PBF sued in Contra Costa County Superior Court to block its implementation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.baaqmd.gov/rules-and-compliance/rules/reg-6-rule-5-particulate-emissions-from-refinery-fluidized-catalytic-cracking-units\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regulation 6, Rule 5\u003c/a>, focuses on the operation of the refineries’ fluidized catalytic cracking units, which break down heavy crude oil into lighter products like gasoline. Following that process, carbon material known as coke is burned off, pushing large volumes of particulate matter into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Particulate pollution — consisting of both fine particles, known as PM2.5, and larger particles, PM10 — can be inhaled and is associated with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/air/particulate_matter.html#:~:text=Coarse%20(bigger)%20particles%2C%20called,or%20even%20into%20your%20blood.\">wide range of lung, heart and other chronic health problems\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Primary care doctor and Climate Health Now nonprofit cofounder Dr. Ashley McClure said she was “shocked” by the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Dr. Ashley McClure, cofounder/co-director, Climate Health Now\"]‘It’s so rare to see that sanity and what’s in the public interest prevails … I don’t really understand their motives, but I’m really glad that Chevron and the PBF refinery are dropping their case.’[/pullquote]“It’s so rare to see that sanity and what’s in the public interest prevails … I don’t really understand their motives, but I’m really glad that Chevron and the PBF refinery are dropping their case,” said McClure, who, through her nonprofit, worked with BAAQMD to bring about the new rule in 2021. “The fact that it passed was really wonderful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez resident Heidi Taylor, who is a member of the Healthy Martinez Refinery Accountability Group, welcomed the news, which she called “a huge win,” but said “the fight for clean air, water and soil” in Martinez was not over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Make no mistake, I’m thrilled, but … I want to know how the measurements are going to be collected, whether or not they’re going to be publicly available,” Taylor said. “We are now relying on the district attorney and the [BAAQMD] to follow up on past violations. We are going to be as aggressive and involved as we always have been to make sure that this community is safe and healthy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, the two energy companies have argued that the air district overstated the health benefits of the new rule and underestimated the cost of implementing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, both companies confirmed the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, though, raised concerns about how the air district comes up with its regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The settlement ends our litigation over BAAQMD’s adoption of some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the world. It provides for an extended compliance timeframe to navigate California’s difficult permitting landscape and settles the BAAQMD’s 5-year backlog of enforcement actions,” Chevron said through company spokesperson Caitlin Powell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron is committed to working with agencies, like the BAAQMD, on efforts to improve air quality. However, we remain concerned that the BAAQMD’s rulemaking process is fundamentally broken and believe it’s another example of how California policies have led to a hostile business environment for manufacturers, disincentivizing production of the transportation fuels that millions of Californians depend on every day,” the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A PBF Energy representative said the Martinez Refining Company has been working to comply with the new rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thank our employees and consultants whose ingenuity and hard work led to an innovative technical solution to comply with the new rule, as well as the BAAQMD for working constructively with us to arrive at our mutually desired goal of improving air quality in the Bay Area,” company spokesperson Brandon Matson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials describe the regulation as “the most health-protective rule of its kind in the nation.” They have long argued that the reduction in emissions would reduce early deaths and other health problems for people exposed to particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district said its agreement with Chevron includes a series of costly penalties if the company fails to comply with the rule when it takes effect in less than two and a half years. Chevron would pay $17 million a year for the first three years of noncompliance, which would escalate to $32 million in the fourth year. The deal also requires the Richmond refinery to take steps to reduce particulate emissions before the rule takes effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron has also agreed to pay $20 million into a Community Air Quality Fund and another $20 million to settle 678 unrelated violations related to its Richmond refinery operations. The company also promises to reduce persistent flaring at the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The air district agreements with Chevron and MRC mark a turning point in our commitment to enforcing air quality regulations and deterring future violations throughout the Bay Area, especially in communities already overburdened by air pollution,” said Dr. Philip Fine, the district’s executive officer, in a statement announcing the agreements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves or has the right to breathe clean air, and that’s what this announcement is about today,” said Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia, who is a member and former chair of the BAAQMD at the air quality agency’s press conference Tuesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board that oversees the air district approved the new rule in July 2021. Two months later, Chevron and PBF sued in Contra Costa County Superior Court to block its implementation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.baaqmd.gov/rules-and-compliance/rules/reg-6-rule-5-particulate-emissions-from-refinery-fluidized-catalytic-cracking-units\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regulation 6, Rule 5\u003c/a>, focuses on the operation of the refineries’ fluidized catalytic cracking units, which break down heavy crude oil into lighter products like gasoline. Following that process, carbon material known as coke is burned off, pushing large volumes of particulate matter into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Particulate pollution — consisting of both fine particles, known as PM2.5, and larger particles, PM10 — can be inhaled and is associated with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/air/particulate_matter.html#:~:text=Coarse%20(bigger)%20particles%2C%20called,or%20even%20into%20your%20blood.\">wide range of lung, heart and other chronic health problems\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Primary care doctor and Climate Health Now nonprofit cofounder Dr. Ashley McClure said she was “shocked” by the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It’s so rare to see that sanity and what’s in the public interest prevails … I don’t really understand their motives, but I’m really glad that Chevron and the PBF refinery are dropping their case,” said McClure, who, through her nonprofit, worked with BAAQMD to bring about the new rule in 2021. “The fact that it passed was really wonderful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez resident Heidi Taylor, who is a member of the Healthy Martinez Refinery Accountability Group, welcomed the news, which she called “a huge win,” but said “the fight for clean air, water and soil” in Martinez was not over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Make no mistake, I’m thrilled, but … I want to know how the measurements are going to be collected, whether or not they’re going to be publicly available,” Taylor said. “We are now relying on the district attorney and the [BAAQMD] to follow up on past violations. We are going to be as aggressive and involved as we always have been to make sure that this community is safe and healthy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, the two energy companies have argued that the air district overstated the health benefits of the new rule and underestimated the cost of implementing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, both companies confirmed the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, though, raised concerns about how the air district comes up with its regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The settlement ends our litigation over BAAQMD’s adoption of some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the world. It provides for an extended compliance timeframe to navigate California’s difficult permitting landscape and settles the BAAQMD’s 5-year backlog of enforcement actions,” Chevron said through company spokesperson Caitlin Powell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron is committed to working with agencies, like the BAAQMD, on efforts to improve air quality. However, we remain concerned that the BAAQMD’s rulemaking process is fundamentally broken and believe it’s another example of how California policies have led to a hostile business environment for manufacturers, disincentivizing production of the transportation fuels that millions of Californians depend on every day,” the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A PBF Energy representative said the Martinez Refining Company has been working to comply with the new rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thank our employees and consultants whose ingenuity and hard work led to an innovative technical solution to comply with the new rule, as well as the BAAQMD for working constructively with us to arrive at our mutually desired goal of improving air quality in the Bay Area,” company spokesperson Brandon Matson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials describe the regulation as “the most health-protective rule of its kind in the nation.” They have long argued that the reduction in emissions would reduce early deaths and other health problems for people exposed to particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district said its agreement with Chevron includes a series of costly penalties if the company fails to comply with the rule when it takes effect in less than two and a half years. Chevron would pay $17 million a year for the first three years of noncompliance, which would escalate to $32 million in the fourth year. The deal also requires the Richmond refinery to take steps to reduce particulate emissions before the rule takes effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron has also agreed to pay $20 million into a Community Air Quality Fund and another $20 million to settle 678 unrelated violations related to its Richmond refinery operations. The company also promises to reduce persistent flaring at the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 5 p.m. Sunday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/09/16/people-of-the-state-of-california-v-big-oil/\">announced Saturday\u003c/a> that California is suing five of the world’s largest oil companies for cover-up, deception and damages that they say have cost Californians billions of dollars in environmental and health impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oil and gas executives have known for decades about the dangers of the fossil fuels they produce,” stated a press release from Newsom’s office. In the press release, Newsom accused the companies of spreading disinformation on climate change in order to protect profits over the last 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exxon, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP — along with the largest domestic oil industry lobby group, American Petroleum Institute — are all named as defendants in the suit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement Saturday is the latest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/us-cities-states-sue-big-oil-climate-change-lawsuits/\">a slew of lawsuits brought against the oil industry in states across the U.S.\u003c/a>, including similar suits in Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and even Puerto Rico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Gov. Gavin Newsom\"]‘For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet.’[/pullquote]Michael Wara, who is a senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford Law School, said it was unsurprising that the suit was filed in state court, which he says is generally “more favorable on issues of climate litigation” towards the plaintiffs than federal courts have been. He expects the oil companies will likely try to move the case to a federal court on some of the claims, where the oil companies would expect to have a more favorable outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this is kind of an acceleration and amplification of the broader attempts to hold oil companies to account for their deceptive marketing and advocacy campaigns around climate change,” said Wara in an interview with KQED. “And the more that we learn about that, the more it becomes apparent that they have been deceptive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is attempting to hold the oil companies responsible for what it says are their impacts on the environment, human health and Californians’ livelihoods. The state also seeks to prohibit the companies from “engaging in further pollution and destruction” of California communities and natural resources, and insists that they they pay financial penalties for “lying to the public” and ordered to “immediately stop … ongoing efforts to deceive or misinform about their catastrophic impacts.” The state also seeks punitive damages “to punish these companies for their misconduct.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” Gov. Newsom said in the statement. “It has been decades of damage and deception. Wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heat waves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells. California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the statement, Attorney General Bonta said “Enough is enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With our lawsuit, California becomes the largest geographic area and the largest economy to take these giant oil companies to court,” he said. “From extreme heat to drought and water shortages, the climate crisis they have caused is undeniable. It is time they pay to abate the harm they have caused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of the lawsuit triggered a flurry of statements from environmental groups welcoming the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With this historic lawsuit, Gov. Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are providing the climate leadership the world so desperately needs,” said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, in a statement released Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11960699,news_11923242,news_11957321\"]Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released a statement saying, “Whether it’s fires, droughts, extreme heat, or sea-level rise, Californians have been living in a climate emergency caused by the fossil fuel industry, and now the state is taking decisive action to make those polluters pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Henn, founder of Fossil Free Media, said “Climate change isn’t just a tragedy, it’s a crime. Fossil fuel companies knew, they lied, and now it’s time to make them pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Parenteau, professor of environmental law at Vermont Law and Graduate School, says the lawsuit is a straightforward tort case, alleging that the oil companies lied about the dangers they knew their products were causing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is no different than cigarette companies lying about the dangers of smoking, or paint companies lying about the dangers of lead-based paint, or chemical companies lying about the dangers of PFAS in Teflon-coated frying pans,” said Parenteau in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement to KQED late Saturday, a spokesperson for Chevron said that climate change is a global problem that required coordinated international policy response rather than “piecemeal litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has long been a leading promoter of oil and gas development. Its local courts have no constructive or constitutionally permissible role in crafting global energy policy,” Chevron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email statement on Sunday morning, a Shell spokesperson wrote: “The Shell Group’s position on climate change has been a matter of public record for decades. We agree that action is needed now on climate change, and we fully support the need for society to transition to a lower-carbon future. As we supply vital energy the world needs today, we continue to reduce our emissions and help customers reduce theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email also added: “We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change, but that smart policy from government and action from all sectors is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott Lauermann, media relations manager for the American Petroleum Institute, told KQED in a statement that “This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of California taxpayer resources. Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not the court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Parenteau, a professor of law emeritus at Vermont Law & Graduate School told KQED that in order to win the case, California needs to prove that the alleged lies caused real damage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have to connect the lie to the damage, so they have to say if you hadn’t lied we would be in a better position than we are today,” he said. “That’s where the cases are going to be decided.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parenteau said that “everybody knows that these cases aren’t going to solve climate change,” but “the fundamental rule of environmental law is [that the] polluter pays. In the end, that’s all these cases are about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Lakshmi Sarah, Kevin Stark, Azul Dahlstrom Eckman and Attila Pelit contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 5 p.m. Sunday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/09/16/people-of-the-state-of-california-v-big-oil/\">announced Saturday\u003c/a> that California is suing five of the world’s largest oil companies for cover-up, deception and damages that they say have cost Californians billions of dollars in environmental and health impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oil and gas executives have known for decades about the dangers of the fossil fuels they produce,” stated a press release from Newsom’s office. In the press release, Newsom accused the companies of spreading disinformation on climate change in order to protect profits over the last 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exxon, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP — along with the largest domestic oil industry lobby group, American Petroleum Institute — are all named as defendants in the suit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement Saturday is the latest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/us-cities-states-sue-big-oil-climate-change-lawsuits/\">a slew of lawsuits brought against the oil industry in states across the U.S.\u003c/a>, including similar suits in Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and even Puerto Rico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Michael Wara, who is a senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford Law School, said it was unsurprising that the suit was filed in state court, which he says is generally “more favorable on issues of climate litigation” towards the plaintiffs than federal courts have been. He expects the oil companies will likely try to move the case to a federal court on some of the claims, where the oil companies would expect to have a more favorable outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this is kind of an acceleration and amplification of the broader attempts to hold oil companies to account for their deceptive marketing and advocacy campaigns around climate change,” said Wara in an interview with KQED. “And the more that we learn about that, the more it becomes apparent that they have been deceptive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is attempting to hold the oil companies responsible for what it says are their impacts on the environment, human health and Californians’ livelihoods. The state also seeks to prohibit the companies from “engaging in further pollution and destruction” of California communities and natural resources, and insists that they they pay financial penalties for “lying to the public” and ordered to “immediately stop … ongoing efforts to deceive or misinform about their catastrophic impacts.” The state also seeks punitive damages “to punish these companies for their misconduct.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” Gov. Newsom said in the statement. “It has been decades of damage and deception. Wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heat waves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells. California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the statement, Attorney General Bonta said “Enough is enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With our lawsuit, California becomes the largest geographic area and the largest economy to take these giant oil companies to court,” he said. “From extreme heat to drought and water shortages, the climate crisis they have caused is undeniable. It is time they pay to abate the harm they have caused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of the lawsuit triggered a flurry of statements from environmental groups welcoming the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With this historic lawsuit, Gov. Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are providing the climate leadership the world so desperately needs,” said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, in a statement released Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released a statement saying, “Whether it’s fires, droughts, extreme heat, or sea-level rise, Californians have been living in a climate emergency caused by the fossil fuel industry, and now the state is taking decisive action to make those polluters pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Henn, founder of Fossil Free Media, said “Climate change isn’t just a tragedy, it’s a crime. Fossil fuel companies knew, they lied, and now it’s time to make them pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Parenteau, professor of environmental law at Vermont Law and Graduate School, says the lawsuit is a straightforward tort case, alleging that the oil companies lied about the dangers they knew their products were causing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is no different than cigarette companies lying about the dangers of smoking, or paint companies lying about the dangers of lead-based paint, or chemical companies lying about the dangers of PFAS in Teflon-coated frying pans,” said Parenteau in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement to KQED late Saturday, a spokesperson for Chevron said that climate change is a global problem that required coordinated international policy response rather than “piecemeal litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has long been a leading promoter of oil and gas development. Its local courts have no constructive or constitutionally permissible role in crafting global energy policy,” Chevron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email statement on Sunday morning, a Shell spokesperson wrote: “The Shell Group’s position on climate change has been a matter of public record for decades. We agree that action is needed now on climate change, and we fully support the need for society to transition to a lower-carbon future. As we supply vital energy the world needs today, we continue to reduce our emissions and help customers reduce theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email also added: “We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change, but that smart policy from government and action from all sectors is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott Lauermann, media relations manager for the American Petroleum Institute, told KQED in a statement that “This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of California taxpayer resources. Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not the court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Parenteau, a professor of law emeritus at Vermont Law & Graduate School told KQED that in order to win the case, California needs to prove that the alleged lies caused real damage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have to connect the lie to the damage, so they have to say if you hadn’t lied we would be in a better position than we are today,” he said. “That’s where the cases are going to be decided.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parenteau said that “everybody knows that these cases aren’t going to solve climate change,” but “the fundamental rule of environmental law is [that the] polluter pays. In the end, that’s all these cases are about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Lakshmi Sarah, Kevin Stark, Azul Dahlstrom Eckman and Attila Pelit contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Last spring, workers at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike for 10 weeks, demanding higher pay, better health benefits, and safer working conditions. When the strike ended, union leaders say that Chevron initially encouraged managers and workers to put the strike behind them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But now, USW Local 5, the union representing Richmond refinery workers, alleges Chevron has fired at least\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940114/union-says-chevron-fired-several-richmond-refinery-workers-who-went-on-strike\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 5 workers for their \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">role in the strikes, a claim that Chevron denies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Guest: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TedrickG\">Ted Goldberg\u003c/a>, KQED supervising senior editor for news\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>‘\u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940114/union-says-chevron-fired-several-richmond-refinery-workers-who-went-on-strike\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Union Says Chevron Fired Several Richmond Refinery Workers Who Went on Strike\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,’ by Ted Goldberg, Feb. 5, 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/about/17653/help-make-the-bay-even-better\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bay Survey\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC4497538450&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Last spring, workers at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike for 10 weeks, demanding higher pay, better health benefits, and safer working conditions. When the strike ended, union leaders say that Chevron initially encouraged managers and workers to put the strike behind them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But now, USW Local 5, the union representing Richmond refinery workers, alleges Chevron has fired at least\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940114/union-says-chevron-fired-several-richmond-refinery-workers-who-went-on-strike\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 5 workers for their \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">role in the strikes, a claim that Chevron denies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Guest: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TedrickG\">Ted Goldberg\u003c/a>, KQED supervising senior editor for news\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>‘\u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940114/union-says-chevron-fired-several-richmond-refinery-workers-who-went-on-strike\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Union Says Chevron Fired Several Richmond Refinery Workers Who Went on Strike\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,’ by Ted Goldberg, Feb. 5, 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/about/17653/help-make-the-bay-even-better\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bay Survey\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC4497538450&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The recent midterm elections signaled big changes for local government in Richmond. Mayor-Elect Eduardo Martinez is the first Latino to hold the office, after a close-fought campaign against runner-up Shawn Dunning. A member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance and a City Council member of nearly eight years, Martinez will replace outgoing mayor Tom Butt in January when Butt’s second term expires, ending nearly three decades on the City Council, the last eight of those years as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election of Martinez, a second-generation Mexican American, and the rise to prominence of the Richmond Progressive Alliance in city government, heralds what many consider to be the start of a new chapter, if not a new era, in Richmond politics. Martinez recently talked to KQED’s Annelise Finney about what his plans are and where his priorities lie come Jan. 10 when he takes office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ANNELISE FINNEY:\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>So just to get started, I know that you are part of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and the alliance in this election has really cemented its majority within the City Council and now the mayorship as well. I wonder if you can tell me a little bit about what this moment tells us about Richmond politics.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EDUARDO MARTINEZ:\u003c/strong> I believe what it says is that the young voters are beginning to make their presence felt. The people who are against the RPA are generally older voters who can be swayed by narratives of fear. You know, not enough police, high crime, dangerous place to live … Whereas the young people are looking at Richmond as a place to change, to create a new society, I believe. That’s why we have a lot of young people in organizations like \u003ca href=\"https://www.richcityrides.org/\">Rich City Rides\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://urbantilth.org/\">Urban Tilth\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.populardemocracy.org/our-partners/acce-institute-alliance-californians-community-empowerment\">ACCE\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbecal.org/organizing/northern-california/richmond/\">Communities for a Better Environment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One thing that I’ve heard you speak a lot about is visioning for a Richmond without the Chevron refinery. Can you describe how you plan to make that a reality?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the community is already doing that. We have an umbrella organization called \u003ca href=\"https://www.ourpowerrichmond.org/\">[Richmond Our Power Coalition]\u003c/a>, and they’re a conglomerate of a lot of the organizations that I’ve already mentioned. And they’re in the process of putting together an outline and a game plan for making a just transition from fossil fuels to renewables. And I think it’s essential because as we all know, fossil fuels won’t last forever. And unless we start planning now, we’ll end up scuttling to find solutions as opposed to having a well-thought-out map for moving from one to the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>And when you think about what that map looks like for you as the new mayor of Richmond, what do you see as your first steps to making that happen?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, as any good leader, follow the lead of your constituents. I think I want to initiate conversations with Chevron. And if Chevron the corporation doesn’t want to have that conversation, I’d like to have a conversation with Chevron, the workers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\">We supported them during their strike\u003c/a> and I plan to continue supporting them in whatever capacity I can, because I see the workers as community, and the community needs to stick together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I know that during the strike there were a number of workers who talked about wanting to push for the refinery to pay fair wages and to provide safe working conditions. But a lot of people still expressed seeing the refinery as an important source of jobs in Richmond. How do you square that with the desire to maybe deal differently with an industry that has brought so much environmental and health harm to the community?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, when Chevron is decommissioned, we’re not just going to leave a big mess there. It needs to be taken apart and cleaned up. And the best people to do that are the people who work there now, who are the people who know the plant, know how it’s put together, who will know how to take it apart. So I see continued work for them doing that as they train for other types of renewable jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So outside of the refinery, what are some of your top priorities as you approach this new mayorship?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we have the issue of housing and we need to have more housing, but we need affordable housing. Most of the housing in the developments that we’ve catered to are high-end, especially considering the wages and the economic level that our residents are living at. So I would like to have more affordable housing. And I would like to have it infilled, so that we have higher density.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the higher density will also promote small business within the city. If you go down Macdonald Avenue, which used to be the main street — and you still have a \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondmainstreet.org/\">Main Street Initiative\u003c/a> — it’s practically dead. You don’t see that many people walking the streets. So if we build housing so that there’s high density, you’ll see more people on the streets and more people means more customers. More customers means more stores throughout. There’s other streets that [also] need to be revitalized, such as Cutting Blvd., 23rd, San Pablo … But I also have a vision of creating what I called “community commercial nodes” so that every community will have an area where they can walk to and do their shopping or stop and have a cup of coffee and relate to their neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a store in North Richmond that is a mom-and-pop. It used to be a problem, but the store only took out alcohol and tobacco. And now people just go there for groceries, and [the owner] told me that by having the store there, he’s gotten to know everyone who lives there. So it’s more like a community than not. I would like to have places like that all over Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you see as potential challenges to building more affordable housing in Richmond, and how will you tackle them?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always finances. You know, building quality housing on the cheap is almost impossible. But I believe that the city can work with developers to work out some way to fix it, to make it happen. We’re in conversation with developers, you know, and hopefully we can come to some kind of working solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The way I’ve seen that play out in other places usually involves providing tax breaks to the developer or other types of incentives, especially since affordable housing generally is less profitable for the developer.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right. But we’ve also considered doing land trusts, you know, like if the developer doesn’t have to buy the property and the property can be put into a land trust that belongs not to the developer but to the citizens of Richmond, then the developer immediately doesn’t have to consider the price of the property. And, like you said, tax breaks. There’s a lot of instruments — fiscal instruments — that can be used to make something work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So you mentioned affordable housing and environmental justice as it relates to Chevron. Are there any other top priorities you have as you approach your new role as mayor?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fiscal responsibility. We’ve had issues with staff presenting questionable policies that the City Council has voted on. And it wasn’t until we got a RPA majority that we started asking questions. And they were pushing what are called swap trades [and] with the swap trades that we had, we ended up paying $60 million in penalty fees. So they were trying to get us to do a swap trade to pay off the swap trade with the penalty. And we basically said “no way.” You know, it’s time to change the way we borrow money. And so we no longer have swap trades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we’ll have to worry about those penalty fees that the city’s been plagued with. But, you know, fiscal responsibility in terms of making sure that we have enough incoming money. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve supported Measure U, which will bring the money in that we need in order to do the things that we want to do. A lot of people, in terms of public safety, keep saying we need more police. But they never ask, where is the money coming from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You know, so the same people who want more police don’t want Measure U. So there’s a big disconnect between what you want and what the city can afford to do. Already public safety is taking over practically half of the city budget. So if we get more police, then we end up having a larger deficit and end up having to defund Parks and Rec, and defund maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Yeah. I know something I’ve heard you talk about in the past is wanting to staff up the city and fill some of the vacant city worker positions. Right now many cities around the Bay are struggling with this. For example, San Francisco has a ton of open vacancies and has been struggling to provide the wages that would draw people to those jobs. How do you square the need to fill the city roles with the need to be fiscally responsible?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we’re doing a comp study now to figure out what fair wages are for the staff, and we hope to be able to provide those wages. But I think in order to have buy-in from everyone, we need to have a conversation with the unions — and not with the unions separately, but with the unions together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we need to bring all of the forces that make up the city together to have that conversation. I know several years ago we had a budget deficit, and [newly elected Richmond City Council member] Melvin Willis and I called for a conversation with the unions and with staff to figure out how to find the money in the budget. And we were able to do that. We were able to balance the budget, but it took a group effort to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I believe that we can continue working that way in order to make Richmond not only a better place to live but a happier place to live, where people aren’t trying to take a bigger bite of the budget than the city can actually afford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I think of your election as a huge change within Richmond politics, especially since Mayor Butt has held the position for the last eight years. I wonder how you see your election. You’ve said you’re the first Latino to be elected mayor of Richmond, so how do you understand that distinction and what this transition means for the city at large?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the demographics of the city of Richmond is trending to the Latinx community, and we have about 40% Latinx. And I think my election mirrors that. I also think that most of the people who voted for me are young people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I’ve actually had some constituents say that I may be old, but I think young. So, I hope that’s true. But I do want to think differently. I want to think positively, hopefully. And I want to be innovative. I would like the city of Richmond to become a model for other cities in terms of forming a Blue/Green New Deal where everyone is working together on the just transition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we can do it and it will depend on a lot of creativity, a lot of thinking outside the box. But I think the people of Richmond have that. We just need to find a catalyst to bring it all together and watch it grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything you’d like to say about your new position and what you see as the future of Richmond before we sign off?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, you know, I think we need to start seeing each other as one community. [Former Richmond City Council member and current AC Transit Director, Ward 1] Jovanka Beckles always said that about Richmond, but it didn’t seem that most people agreed with that. It’s changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You know, I think that we will have one Richmond and that it’s the young people who are going to bring it about. I feel very, very hopeful. And I think my style is relaxed, is calm, is thoughtful, and I think that it will project onto the City Council, and our City Council’s meetings hopefully will be much more productive and much more amicable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The recent midterm elections signaled big changes for local government in Richmond. Mayor-Elect Eduardo Martinez is the first Latino to hold the office, after a close-fought campaign against runner-up Shawn Dunning. A member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance and a City Council member of nearly eight years, Martinez will replace outgoing mayor Tom Butt in January when Butt’s second term expires, ending nearly three decades on the City Council, the last eight of those years as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election of Martinez, a second-generation Mexican American, and the rise to prominence of the Richmond Progressive Alliance in city government, heralds what many consider to be the start of a new chapter, if not a new era, in Richmond politics. Martinez recently talked to KQED’s Annelise Finney about what his plans are and where his priorities lie come Jan. 10 when he takes office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ANNELISE FINNEY:\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>So just to get started, I know that you are part of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and the alliance in this election has really cemented its majority within the City Council and now the mayorship as well. I wonder if you can tell me a little bit about what this moment tells us about Richmond politics.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EDUARDO MARTINEZ:\u003c/strong> I believe what it says is that the young voters are beginning to make their presence felt. The people who are against the RPA are generally older voters who can be swayed by narratives of fear. You know, not enough police, high crime, dangerous place to live … Whereas the young people are looking at Richmond as a place to change, to create a new society, I believe. That’s why we have a lot of young people in organizations like \u003ca href=\"https://www.richcityrides.org/\">Rich City Rides\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://urbantilth.org/\">Urban Tilth\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.populardemocracy.org/our-partners/acce-institute-alliance-californians-community-empowerment\">ACCE\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbecal.org/organizing/northern-california/richmond/\">Communities for a Better Environment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One thing that I’ve heard you speak a lot about is visioning for a Richmond without the Chevron refinery. Can you describe how you plan to make that a reality?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the community is already doing that. We have an umbrella organization called \u003ca href=\"https://www.ourpowerrichmond.org/\">[Richmond Our Power Coalition]\u003c/a>, and they’re a conglomerate of a lot of the organizations that I’ve already mentioned. And they’re in the process of putting together an outline and a game plan for making a just transition from fossil fuels to renewables. And I think it’s essential because as we all know, fossil fuels won’t last forever. And unless we start planning now, we’ll end up scuttling to find solutions as opposed to having a well-thought-out map for moving from one to the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>And when you think about what that map looks like for you as the new mayor of Richmond, what do you see as your first steps to making that happen?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, as any good leader, follow the lead of your constituents. I think I want to initiate conversations with Chevron. And if Chevron the corporation doesn’t want to have that conversation, I’d like to have a conversation with Chevron, the workers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\">We supported them during their strike\u003c/a> and I plan to continue supporting them in whatever capacity I can, because I see the workers as community, and the community needs to stick together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I know that during the strike there were a number of workers who talked about wanting to push for the refinery to pay fair wages and to provide safe working conditions. But a lot of people still expressed seeing the refinery as an important source of jobs in Richmond. How do you square that with the desire to maybe deal differently with an industry that has brought so much environmental and health harm to the community?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, when Chevron is decommissioned, we’re not just going to leave a big mess there. It needs to be taken apart and cleaned up. And the best people to do that are the people who work there now, who are the people who know the plant, know how it’s put together, who will know how to take it apart. So I see continued work for them doing that as they train for other types of renewable jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So outside of the refinery, what are some of your top priorities as you approach this new mayorship?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we have the issue of housing and we need to have more housing, but we need affordable housing. Most of the housing in the developments that we’ve catered to are high-end, especially considering the wages and the economic level that our residents are living at. So I would like to have more affordable housing. And I would like to have it infilled, so that we have higher density.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the higher density will also promote small business within the city. If you go down Macdonald Avenue, which used to be the main street — and you still have a \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondmainstreet.org/\">Main Street Initiative\u003c/a> — it’s practically dead. You don’t see that many people walking the streets. So if we build housing so that there’s high density, you’ll see more people on the streets and more people means more customers. More customers means more stores throughout. There’s other streets that [also] need to be revitalized, such as Cutting Blvd., 23rd, San Pablo … But I also have a vision of creating what I called “community commercial nodes” so that every community will have an area where they can walk to and do their shopping or stop and have a cup of coffee and relate to their neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a store in North Richmond that is a mom-and-pop. It used to be a problem, but the store only took out alcohol and tobacco. And now people just go there for groceries, and [the owner] told me that by having the store there, he’s gotten to know everyone who lives there. So it’s more like a community than not. I would like to have places like that all over Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you see as potential challenges to building more affordable housing in Richmond, and how will you tackle them?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always finances. You know, building quality housing on the cheap is almost impossible. But I believe that the city can work with developers to work out some way to fix it, to make it happen. We’re in conversation with developers, you know, and hopefully we can come to some kind of working solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The way I’ve seen that play out in other places usually involves providing tax breaks to the developer or other types of incentives, especially since affordable housing generally is less profitable for the developer.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right. But we’ve also considered doing land trusts, you know, like if the developer doesn’t have to buy the property and the property can be put into a land trust that belongs not to the developer but to the citizens of Richmond, then the developer immediately doesn’t have to consider the price of the property. And, like you said, tax breaks. There’s a lot of instruments — fiscal instruments — that can be used to make something work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So you mentioned affordable housing and environmental justice as it relates to Chevron. Are there any other top priorities you have as you approach your new role as mayor?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fiscal responsibility. We’ve had issues with staff presenting questionable policies that the City Council has voted on. And it wasn’t until we got a RPA majority that we started asking questions. And they were pushing what are called swap trades [and] with the swap trades that we had, we ended up paying $60 million in penalty fees. So they were trying to get us to do a swap trade to pay off the swap trade with the penalty. And we basically said “no way.” You know, it’s time to change the way we borrow money. And so we no longer have swap trades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we’ll have to worry about those penalty fees that the city’s been plagued with. But, you know, fiscal responsibility in terms of making sure that we have enough incoming money. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve supported Measure U, which will bring the money in that we need in order to do the things that we want to do. A lot of people, in terms of public safety, keep saying we need more police. But they never ask, where is the money coming from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You know, so the same people who want more police don’t want Measure U. So there’s a big disconnect between what you want and what the city can afford to do. Already public safety is taking over practically half of the city budget. So if we get more police, then we end up having a larger deficit and end up having to defund Parks and Rec, and defund maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Yeah. I know something I’ve heard you talk about in the past is wanting to staff up the city and fill some of the vacant city worker positions. Right now many cities around the Bay are struggling with this. For example, San Francisco has a ton of open vacancies and has been struggling to provide the wages that would draw people to those jobs. How do you square the need to fill the city roles with the need to be fiscally responsible?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we’re doing a comp study now to figure out what fair wages are for the staff, and we hope to be able to provide those wages. But I think in order to have buy-in from everyone, we need to have a conversation with the unions — and not with the unions separately, but with the unions together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we need to bring all of the forces that make up the city together to have that conversation. I know several years ago we had a budget deficit, and [newly elected Richmond City Council member] Melvin Willis and I called for a conversation with the unions and with staff to figure out how to find the money in the budget. And we were able to do that. We were able to balance the budget, but it took a group effort to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I believe that we can continue working that way in order to make Richmond not only a better place to live but a happier place to live, where people aren’t trying to take a bigger bite of the budget than the city can actually afford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I think of your election as a huge change within Richmond politics, especially since Mayor Butt has held the position for the last eight years. I wonder how you see your election. You’ve said you’re the first Latino to be elected mayor of Richmond, so how do you understand that distinction and what this transition means for the city at large?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the demographics of the city of Richmond is trending to the Latinx community, and we have about 40% Latinx. And I think my election mirrors that. I also think that most of the people who voted for me are young people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I’ve actually had some constituents say that I may be old, but I think young. So, I hope that’s true. But I do want to think differently. I want to think positively, hopefully. And I want to be innovative. I would like the city of Richmond to become a model for other cities in terms of forming a Blue/Green New Deal where everyone is working together on the just transition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we can do it and it will depend on a lot of creativity, a lot of thinking outside the box. But I think the people of Richmond have that. We just need to find a catalyst to bring it all together and watch it grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything you’d like to say about your new position and what you see as the future of Richmond before we sign off?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, you know, I think we need to start seeing each other as one community. [Former Richmond City Council member and current AC Transit Director, Ward 1] Jovanka Beckles always said that about Richmond, but it didn’t seem that most people agreed with that. It’s changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You know, I think that we will have one Richmond and that it’s the young people who are going to bring it about. I feel very, very hopeful. And I think my style is relaxed, is calm, is thoughtful, and I think that it will project onto the City Council, and our City Council’s meetings hopefully will be much more productive and much more amicable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Chevron Agrees to Pay $200,000 for 2021 Bay Fuel Spill at Richmond Refinery",
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"content": "\u003cp>Chevron has agreed to pay $200,000 in a settlement over a pipeline rupture at its Richmond refinery that led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11859660/chevron-richmond-refinery-spill-as-crews-mop-up-investigators-move-in\">the release of hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel\u003c/a> into the San Francisco Bay in February 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision comes months after California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) investigators forwarded their findings on the spill to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Corporations must be held strictly liable for any discharges of diesel into San Francisco Bay,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement released Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron will pay $70,000 in civil penalties that will go toward wildlife funds, and $130,000 to reimburse CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, according to court documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2021, the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Programs department posted a \u003ca href=\"https://cchealth.org/hazmat/pdf/chevron-incident-2021-0209-30day-followup-2021-1027.pdf\">three-page report (PDF)\u003c/a> by the oil company, which said its inspections failed to detect the corrosion on the pipeline that led to the release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"chevron\"]According to that report, a small hole in the pipeline on the refinery’s Richmond Long Wharf allowed close to 800 gallons of diesel fuel mixed with water to spill and spread for several miles along the Richmond shoreline. The release led to the closure of Keller Beach at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, Chevron also said it learned of the spill after a member of the public told a company employee about the fuel in the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cement-lined steel pipe that ruptured was used to carry ballast water or refined fuel between tankers docked at the wharf and the refinery complex. The company said the pipe failed due to internal corrosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has agreed to a series of measures aimed at preventing a similar release. They include a “more comprehensive pipeline inspection program, the piloting of a leak detection system, a detailed review of existing systems, and improved training of staff,” according to the county District Attorney's Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to applying what has been learned so that a similar event does not happen again,” Chevron said as part of a statement issued by company spokesperson Brian Hubinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some city officials, environmentalists and community members have said the spill is an example of Chevron failing to safely and responsibly run its refinery and have complained about the slow pace in which information has been revealed to the public about an incident that caused ecological damage to the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contra Costa County has also hired AcuTech, a global consulting firm, to review Chevron’s root-cause analysis of the spill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The District Attorney’s Office last filed charges against Chevron in August 2013 in connection with a major fire at the refinery the previous year — to which Chevron pleaded no contest and paid $2 million in fines and restitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of Friday's settlement comes a week after \u003ca href=\"https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/static-files/397bd430-54bc-435e-b926-c53b61886c19\">Chevron posted its second-highest quarterly profit in its history: $11.2 billion\u003c/a> in the three months ending September 30. The company's highest-ever quarterly profit, $11.6 billion, was recorded the previous quarter.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Chevron has agreed to pay $200,000 in a settlement over a pipeline rupture at its Richmond refinery that led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11859660/chevron-richmond-refinery-spill-as-crews-mop-up-investigators-move-in\">the release of hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel\u003c/a> into the San Francisco Bay in February 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision comes months after California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) investigators forwarded their findings on the spill to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Corporations must be held strictly liable for any discharges of diesel into San Francisco Bay,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement released Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron will pay $70,000 in civil penalties that will go toward wildlife funds, and $130,000 to reimburse CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, according to court documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2021, the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Programs department posted a \u003ca href=\"https://cchealth.org/hazmat/pdf/chevron-incident-2021-0209-30day-followup-2021-1027.pdf\">three-page report (PDF)\u003c/a> by the oil company, which said its inspections failed to detect the corrosion on the pipeline that led to the release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>According to that report, a small hole in the pipeline on the refinery’s Richmond Long Wharf allowed close to 800 gallons of diesel fuel mixed with water to spill and spread for several miles along the Richmond shoreline. The release led to the closure of Keller Beach at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, Chevron also said it learned of the spill after a member of the public told a company employee about the fuel in the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cement-lined steel pipe that ruptured was used to carry ballast water or refined fuel between tankers docked at the wharf and the refinery complex. The company said the pipe failed due to internal corrosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has agreed to a series of measures aimed at preventing a similar release. They include a “more comprehensive pipeline inspection program, the piloting of a leak detection system, a detailed review of existing systems, and improved training of staff,” according to the county District Attorney's Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to applying what has been learned so that a similar event does not happen again,” Chevron said as part of a statement issued by company spokesperson Brian Hubinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some city officials, environmentalists and community members have said the spill is an example of Chevron failing to safely and responsibly run its refinery and have complained about the slow pace in which information has been revealed to the public about an incident that caused ecological damage to the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contra Costa County has also hired AcuTech, a global consulting firm, to review Chevron’s root-cause analysis of the spill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The District Attorney’s Office last filed charges against Chevron in August 2013 in connection with a major fire at the refinery the previous year — to which Chevron pleaded no contest and paid $2 million in fines and restitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of Friday's settlement comes a week after \u003ca href=\"https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/static-files/397bd430-54bc-435e-b926-c53b61886c19\">Chevron posted its second-highest quarterly profit in its history: $11.2 billion\u003c/a> in the three months ending September 30. The company's highest-ever quarterly profit, $11.6 billion, was recorded the previous quarter.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Chevron Richmond Refinery Workers OK Deal to End First Strike in Over 40 Years",
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"content": "\u003cp>Hundreds of unionized workers who’ve been striking against Chevron’s Richmond refinery for more than two months have voted to ratify a contract with the energy giant, ending a bitter labor dispute at one of the West Coast’s major oil-refining facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results out Saturday afternoon show the new four-year contract was approved by a slim majority of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usw5.org/\">United Steelworkers Local 5\u003c/a> members who work at the plant, according to B.K. White, vice president of the union chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud of the women and men who held the line for over two months. They showed unbelievable solidarity and resolve as they exercised their right to strike in an attempt to improve their and their co-workers’ lives,” White said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron representatives say the striking employees will return to work in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>USW Local 5 and Chevron have yet to release details of the contract, but it looks like union members may not have gained much from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908916/a-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">walkout\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the strike, Chevron offered to give the Richmond workers a $2,500 bonus on top of what was agreed to between the national union and a group of oil companies in February, in what’s known as a “\u003ca href=\"https://m.usw.org/news/media-center/releases/2022/usw-reaches-tentative-agreement-with-marathon-to-set-four-year-pattern-for-oil-sector-bargaining\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pattern\u003c/a>.” The contract the local workers approved Saturday included a $1,500 bonus, according to White.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez\"]‘It should not have taken workers striking to get the benefits they were asking for. Chevron fought the workers every step of the way.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the two-months-long strike began to wear on his members, who’d missed out on several paychecks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 19 the local union chapter announced their 500 members would walk off the job after the two sides could not agree on a variety of sticking points that included worker safety improvements, pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following evening Chevron escorted the USW Local 5 workers from the facility. Hours after that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the pickets went up\u003c/a>. Community members, activists and some members of the Richmond City Council, who’ve long criticized the refinery over its environmental record, joined the striking workers on the picket lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11903874\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11903874\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Steam rises from Chevron's oil refinery in Richmond, California.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chevron’s Richmond refinery viewed from Point Richmond in January 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since then, refinery managers and contract workers have been running the plant themselves. The two sides talked at the negotiating table only a few times during the strike, trading and rejecting several offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on Thursday afternoon they reached a tentative contract that’s now been ratified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez said it shouldn’t have taken so long, or been such a hard fight, to reach a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am glad that the workers got a contract,” Jimenez said. “However, it should not have taken workers striking to get the benefits they were asking for. Chevron fought the workers every step of the way.”[aside postID=\"news_11908852,news_11908916,news_11908722\" label=\"Related Posts\"]Chevron’s decision to have managers and non-USW Local 5 workers operate the refinery led to concerns among activists and some elected officials that having inexperienced employees run the facility would lead to an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the strike began, there have been nine flaring operations at the refinery, according to the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Programs. That typically happens when there’s a malfunction at the facility, and the facility needs to send gases to its flares to relieve pressure, a process the industry and regulators say is needed for safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flaring operations often involve flames and smoke coming from the refinery’s stacks, and releases of toxic chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m glad the United Steelworkers have reached an agreement with Chevron to bring back experienced workers and improve safety at the refinery,” said Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11912101/chevron-calls-to-police-during-strike-prompt-pushback-strain-on-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called police to respond to picketers\u003c/a> dozens of times during the strike. The company also arranged financial agreements with the Richmond and San Pablo police departments in response to the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/stories/documents/1Q22-earnings-press-release.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chevron announced a profit of $6.3 billion\u003c/a> for the first three months of this year, more than quadruple its earnings for the same period a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The more than two-months-long strike at Richmond's Chevron refinery saw managers and non-USW Local 5 workers operate the refinery, leading to concerns among activists and some elected officials.",
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"title": "Chevron Richmond Refinery Workers OK Deal to End First Strike in Over 40 Years | KQED",
"description": "The more than two-months-long strike at Richmond's Chevron refinery saw managers and non-USW Local 5 workers operate the refinery, leading to concerns among activists and some elected officials.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Hundreds of unionized workers who’ve been striking against Chevron’s Richmond refinery for more than two months have voted to ratify a contract with the energy giant, ending a bitter labor dispute at one of the West Coast’s major oil-refining facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results out Saturday afternoon show the new four-year contract was approved by a slim majority of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usw5.org/\">United Steelworkers Local 5\u003c/a> members who work at the plant, according to B.K. White, vice president of the union chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud of the women and men who held the line for over two months. They showed unbelievable solidarity and resolve as they exercised their right to strike in an attempt to improve their and their co-workers’ lives,” White said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron representatives say the striking employees will return to work in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>USW Local 5 and Chevron have yet to release details of the contract, but it looks like union members may not have gained much from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908916/a-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">walkout\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the strike, Chevron offered to give the Richmond workers a $2,500 bonus on top of what was agreed to between the national union and a group of oil companies in February, in what’s known as a “\u003ca href=\"https://m.usw.org/news/media-center/releases/2022/usw-reaches-tentative-agreement-with-marathon-to-set-four-year-pattern-for-oil-sector-bargaining\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pattern\u003c/a>.” The contract the local workers approved Saturday included a $1,500 bonus, according to White.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘It should not have taken workers striking to get the benefits they were asking for. Chevron fought the workers every step of the way.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the two-months-long strike began to wear on his members, who’d missed out on several paychecks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 19 the local union chapter announced their 500 members would walk off the job after the two sides could not agree on a variety of sticking points that included worker safety improvements, pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following evening Chevron escorted the USW Local 5 workers from the facility. Hours after that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the pickets went up\u003c/a>. Community members, activists and some members of the Richmond City Council, who’ve long criticized the refinery over its environmental record, joined the striking workers on the picket lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11903874\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11903874\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Steam rises from Chevron's oil refinery in Richmond, California.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53159_013_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chevron’s Richmond refinery viewed from Point Richmond in January 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since then, refinery managers and contract workers have been running the plant themselves. The two sides talked at the negotiating table only a few times during the strike, trading and rejecting several offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on Thursday afternoon they reached a tentative contract that’s now been ratified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez said it shouldn’t have taken so long, or been such a hard fight, to reach a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am glad that the workers got a contract,” Jimenez said. “However, it should not have taken workers striking to get the benefits they were asking for. Chevron fought the workers every step of the way.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Chevron’s decision to have managers and non-USW Local 5 workers operate the refinery led to concerns among activists and some elected officials that having inexperienced employees run the facility would lead to an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the strike began, there have been nine flaring operations at the refinery, according to the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Programs. That typically happens when there’s a malfunction at the facility, and the facility needs to send gases to its flares to relieve pressure, a process the industry and regulators say is needed for safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flaring operations often involve flames and smoke coming from the refinery’s stacks, and releases of toxic chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m glad the United Steelworkers have reached an agreement with Chevron to bring back experienced workers and improve safety at the refinery,” said Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11912101/chevron-calls-to-police-during-strike-prompt-pushback-strain-on-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called police to respond to picketers\u003c/a> dozens of times during the strike. The company also arranged financial agreements with the Richmond and San Pablo police departments in response to the strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/stories/documents/1Q22-earnings-press-release.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chevron announced a profit of $6.3 billion\u003c/a> for the first three months of this year, more than quadruple its earnings for the same period a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "chevron-calls-to-police-during-strike-prompt-pushback-strain-on-resources",
"title": "Chevron Calls to Police During Strike Prompt Pushback, Strain on Resources",
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"content": "\u003cp>Officials at Chevron’s Richmond refinery have called police dozens of times in recent weeks to respond to the facility during a strike that’s now entering its seventh week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The calls come on the heels of financial arrangements worth tens of thousands of dollars that the oil giant made with the Richmond and San Pablo police departments in response to the labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks before the walkout, a group of Richmond police officers were put on standby in case they were needed at the refinery. During the first week of April, Chevron paid the San Pablo Police Department to put officers at the facility’s gates. Chevron agreed to pay overtime to both departments to make officers available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union behind the strike calls the police contracts and the company’s repeated calls to Richmond police an attempt to intimidate strikers. A top Richmond police official says the work has strained the understaffed department. And a member of the Richmond City Council says the police presence is a problematic use of public law enforcement resources at a time when staffing is strained.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Fred Glass, instructor in labor and community studies, City College of San Francisco\"]‘Most strikes are quite law-abiding, so the use of private security or off-duty police — or for that matter on-duty police — is usually more meant to intimidate than actually protect anything.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are we deploying our police officers to support a corporation like Chevron?” said Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, a critic of the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/stories/documents/1Q22-earnings-press-release.pdf\">Chevron announced a profit of $6.3 billion\u003c/a> for the first three months of this year, more than quadruple its earnings for the same period a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The police presence at the Richmond refinery is one element of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908916/a-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">labor conflict\u003c/a> that sees no signs of ending. Chevron and leaders of United Steelworkers Local 5 have met several times since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the walkout began March 21\u003c/a>. Neither the company nor the union has indicated that a resolution on the sticking points, which include worker safety as well as pay and benefits, is close.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Chevron understands the optics’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Four days after the strike began, the refinery’s security director asked four law enforcement agencies whether they could station officers outside the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was asked to reach out to you and any other police agencies to see if there is any interest in providing, on Chevron paid overtime, uniformed officers to assist in keeping traffic flowing around the refinery,” wrote Chevron Security Director Daryl Jackson in a March 25 email to the California Highway Patrol and Richmond, San Pablo and El Cerrito police departments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email, obtained by KQED through California Public Records Act requests, describes the job as a “24/7 operation.” Two officers would be deployed during the day and two at night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron understands the optics, but I’ve seen some very dangerous vehicle opportunities and those optics have the opportunity to look bad as well,” Jackson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several hours later, San Pablo Police Chief Ron Raman wrote back, asking whether any of the other law enforcement agencies expressed interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Crickets. Nothing. Nada,” Jackson replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Wow. Our rate would be close to $200 an offer [sic] per hour. I can try to fill but it’s kind of last minute,” Raman wrote. Five days later Chevron and San Pablo police officials began trading emails in order to create a contract, marking the first time that police department ever agreed to such a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Due to the imminent and ongoing public safety concerns of the events of the refinery, the police department agreed to provide support in the interest of the West Contra Costa County community,” Raman told KQED in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Richmond officers deploy to refinery amid staffing shortages\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A top Richmond police officer replied to Chevron’s security manager on March 28 in a message that laid bare how strained that department has become.[aside postID=\"news_11908852,news_11908916,news_11908722\" label=\"Related Posts\"]“We can post an overtime sign-up to see if we garner any interest. However, our patrol officers are currently being forced over on multiple 16-18 hours shifts each week, on forced overtime (minimum staffing),” wrote Capt. Timothy Simmons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simmons told Chevron the department had already posted overtime opportunities for officers on several other projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of these assignments routinely go unfilled because officers are tapped out. We will do our best,” wrote Simmons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED on Friday, Simmons said that before that exchange, Chevron had arranged for Richmond police officers to be ready in case there was trouble outside the refinery in the weeks leading up to the walkout. Those officers were paid overtime for being on call, but were never sent to the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But since then, Chevron has called Richmond police frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s calls for service almost every day down there,” Simmons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has been asking police to clear roads so trucks can drive in and out of the facility. On occasion, officers are asked to respond to complaints of loud music on the picket line. On several occasions, Chevron has reported that one of its managers or contract workers has been assaulted, though police have never been able to substantiate those allegations and have made no arrests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simmons says the refinery calls have exacerbated pressure on a department that’s suffering from a shortage of officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the leanest I have ever seen it,” said Simmons, a 13-year veteran of the department. “We are reaching critical mass staffing levels,” he added, saying that last week, all officers were ordered to sign up for overtime shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They [Chevron] are a major customer in our city. And we’re getting called down there often. It takes away from other things that that beat officer could be doing,” Simmons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emails: Nonunion workers stayed inside refinery for over a week\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Jackson, the Chevron security official, asked police agencies for help on April 1 in a message that revealed that non-striking refinery workers had been sleeping at the facility since the walkout began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The refinery is re-posturing itself by now allowing the initial workforce to go home for a day or two. This workforce, just like myself, were considered essential workers and have been living within the refinery property since March 20,” Jackson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope to have an orderly transition during that shift change period and having marked units assisting in that endeavor would be great,” he wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The use of law enforcement by companies involved in strikes is very much a part of our nation’s labor history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Strikes with large numbers of workers are more likely to see companies bring in the ‘rent-a-cops’ than smaller ones,” said Fred Glass, an instructor in labor and community studies at City College of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The police response to Bay Area labor disputes has sometimes led to historic episodes of violence. In a 1934 strike, longshore workers shut down the port of San Francisco. Police opened fire on strikers, killing two workers and triggering a general strike in the city. During Oakland’s general strike in 1946, police beat strikers on the picket line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most strikes are quite law-abiding, so the use of private security or off-duty police — or for that matter on-duty police — is usually more meant to intimidate than actually protect anything,” said Glass, author of “From Mission to Microchip: A History of the California Labor Movement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A top local United Steelworkers union official says the police arrangements at Chevron’s Richmond refinery paint unionized striking workers unfairly as lawbreakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only reason I think you would have all that is to intimidate our people. But our people are not doing anything wrong. They’re conducting themselves well on the picket lines,” said B.K. White, vice president of USW Local 5, in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A jurisdiction miles away from San Pablo’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s security manager for the most part seemed happy with the work San Pablo officers did but sent an email to the department’s Capt. Brian Bubar on April 6, highlighting an interaction he did not like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson said Chevron firefighters in the area of the picketers told him an unidentified San Pablo police officer expressed support for the striking workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand that officers, of which you know I was one for 33 years, can have an opinion,” Jackson wrote. “There’s a time and place to express that opinion. This wasn’t one of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bubar wrote back, telling Jackson he understood and agreed. He emphasized that his officers were there to “keep the peace” and said that there had been several incidents they’d worked to deescalate involving “both sides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand the challenges of the situation and the officers are doing their best not to get involved politically,” Bubar wrote. “I hope Chevron staff understands that challenge as we’re trying to navigate through this in a jurisdiction miles away from San Pablo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Pablo Police Chief Raman says his officers were deployed for five days, from April 4 to April 8, and that there are no plans to redeploy officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chevron defends deployments, councilmember challenges them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron says the police deployments are aimed at managing traffic into and out of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve appreciated the help of some local off-duty officers,” said refinery spokesperson Linsi Crain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, on a webpage titled “\u003ca href=\"https://richmond.chevron.com/uswstrike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USW Local 5 Strike at Chevron Richmond\u003c/a>,” says hiring local police officers is a regular occurrence and that the Richmond and San Pablo officers “encourage safe and smooth movement through gates at times of increased in and out flow of our workforce, supplies and products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Councilmember Jimenez — a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which backs USW Local 5 — says it’s concerning the city would agree to put police officers on standby for Chevron at a time when the department is having a tough time responding to local 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a problem in terms of how the Richmond Police Department decides what’s more important to deploy services,” Jimenez said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond police have yet to outline a full accounting of how much Chevron paid for the department’s officers to be on standby before the strike, but the price tag is expected to be in the thousands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Pablo police sent an invoice recently to Chevron for $27,500 for the work its officers did the first week of April, according to Chief Raman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Chevron Calls to Police During Strike Prompt Pushback, Strain on Resources | KQED",
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"subhead": "Richmond Police have been called to the refinery almost every day during the walkout. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Officials at Chevron’s Richmond refinery have called police dozens of times in recent weeks to respond to the facility during a strike that’s now entering its seventh week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The calls come on the heels of financial arrangements worth tens of thousands of dollars that the oil giant made with the Richmond and San Pablo police departments in response to the labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks before the walkout, a group of Richmond police officers were put on standby in case they were needed at the refinery. During the first week of April, Chevron paid the San Pablo Police Department to put officers at the facility’s gates. Chevron agreed to pay overtime to both departments to make officers available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union behind the strike calls the police contracts and the company’s repeated calls to Richmond police an attempt to intimidate strikers. A top Richmond police official says the work has strained the understaffed department. And a member of the Richmond City Council says the police presence is a problematic use of public law enforcement resources at a time when staffing is strained.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are we deploying our police officers to support a corporation like Chevron?” said Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, a critic of the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/stories/documents/1Q22-earnings-press-release.pdf\">Chevron announced a profit of $6.3 billion\u003c/a> for the first three months of this year, more than quadruple its earnings for the same period a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The police presence at the Richmond refinery is one element of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908916/a-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">labor conflict\u003c/a> that sees no signs of ending. Chevron and leaders of United Steelworkers Local 5 have met several times since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908722/they-own-the-oil-but-the-people-are-ours-workers-strike-at-chevrons-richmond-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the walkout began March 21\u003c/a>. Neither the company nor the union has indicated that a resolution on the sticking points, which include worker safety as well as pay and benefits, is close.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Chevron understands the optics’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Four days after the strike began, the refinery’s security director asked four law enforcement agencies whether they could station officers outside the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was asked to reach out to you and any other police agencies to see if there is any interest in providing, on Chevron paid overtime, uniformed officers to assist in keeping traffic flowing around the refinery,” wrote Chevron Security Director Daryl Jackson in a March 25 email to the California Highway Patrol and Richmond, San Pablo and El Cerrito police departments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email, obtained by KQED through California Public Records Act requests, describes the job as a “24/7 operation.” Two officers would be deployed during the day and two at night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron understands the optics, but I’ve seen some very dangerous vehicle opportunities and those optics have the opportunity to look bad as well,” Jackson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several hours later, San Pablo Police Chief Ron Raman wrote back, asking whether any of the other law enforcement agencies expressed interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Crickets. Nothing. Nada,” Jackson replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Wow. Our rate would be close to $200 an offer [sic] per hour. I can try to fill but it’s kind of last minute,” Raman wrote. Five days later Chevron and San Pablo police officials began trading emails in order to create a contract, marking the first time that police department ever agreed to such a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Due to the imminent and ongoing public safety concerns of the events of the refinery, the police department agreed to provide support in the interest of the West Contra Costa County community,” Raman told KQED in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Richmond officers deploy to refinery amid staffing shortages\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A top Richmond police officer replied to Chevron’s security manager on March 28 in a message that laid bare how strained that department has become.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We can post an overtime sign-up to see if we garner any interest. However, our patrol officers are currently being forced over on multiple 16-18 hours shifts each week, on forced overtime (minimum staffing),” wrote Capt. Timothy Simmons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simmons told Chevron the department had already posted overtime opportunities for officers on several other projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of these assignments routinely go unfilled because officers are tapped out. We will do our best,” wrote Simmons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED on Friday, Simmons said that before that exchange, Chevron had arranged for Richmond police officers to be ready in case there was trouble outside the refinery in the weeks leading up to the walkout. Those officers were paid overtime for being on call, but were never sent to the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But since then, Chevron has called Richmond police frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s calls for service almost every day down there,” Simmons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has been asking police to clear roads so trucks can drive in and out of the facility. On occasion, officers are asked to respond to complaints of loud music on the picket line. On several occasions, Chevron has reported that one of its managers or contract workers has been assaulted, though police have never been able to substantiate those allegations and have made no arrests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simmons says the refinery calls have exacerbated pressure on a department that’s suffering from a shortage of officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the leanest I have ever seen it,” said Simmons, a 13-year veteran of the department. “We are reaching critical mass staffing levels,” he added, saying that last week, all officers were ordered to sign up for overtime shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They [Chevron] are a major customer in our city. And we’re getting called down there often. It takes away from other things that that beat officer could be doing,” Simmons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Emails: Nonunion workers stayed inside refinery for over a week\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Jackson, the Chevron security official, asked police agencies for help on April 1 in a message that revealed that non-striking refinery workers had been sleeping at the facility since the walkout began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The refinery is re-posturing itself by now allowing the initial workforce to go home for a day or two. This workforce, just like myself, were considered essential workers and have been living within the refinery property since March 20,” Jackson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope to have an orderly transition during that shift change period and having marked units assisting in that endeavor would be great,” he wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The use of law enforcement by companies involved in strikes is very much a part of our nation’s labor history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Strikes with large numbers of workers are more likely to see companies bring in the ‘rent-a-cops’ than smaller ones,” said Fred Glass, an instructor in labor and community studies at City College of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The police response to Bay Area labor disputes has sometimes led to historic episodes of violence. In a 1934 strike, longshore workers shut down the port of San Francisco. Police opened fire on strikers, killing two workers and triggering a general strike in the city. During Oakland’s general strike in 1946, police beat strikers on the picket line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most strikes are quite law-abiding, so the use of private security or off-duty police — or for that matter on-duty police — is usually more meant to intimidate than actually protect anything,” said Glass, author of “From Mission to Microchip: A History of the California Labor Movement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A top local United Steelworkers union official says the police arrangements at Chevron’s Richmond refinery paint unionized striking workers unfairly as lawbreakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only reason I think you would have all that is to intimidate our people. But our people are not doing anything wrong. They’re conducting themselves well on the picket lines,” said B.K. White, vice president of USW Local 5, in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A jurisdiction miles away from San Pablo’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s security manager for the most part seemed happy with the work San Pablo officers did but sent an email to the department’s Capt. Brian Bubar on April 6, highlighting an interaction he did not like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jackson said Chevron firefighters in the area of the picketers told him an unidentified San Pablo police officer expressed support for the striking workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand that officers, of which you know I was one for 33 years, can have an opinion,” Jackson wrote. “There’s a time and place to express that opinion. This wasn’t one of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bubar wrote back, telling Jackson he understood and agreed. He emphasized that his officers were there to “keep the peace” and said that there had been several incidents they’d worked to deescalate involving “both sides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand the challenges of the situation and the officers are doing their best not to get involved politically,” Bubar wrote. “I hope Chevron staff understands that challenge as we’re trying to navigate through this in a jurisdiction miles away from San Pablo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Pablo Police Chief Raman says his officers were deployed for five days, from April 4 to April 8, and that there are no plans to redeploy officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chevron defends deployments, councilmember challenges them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chevron says the police deployments are aimed at managing traffic into and out of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve appreciated the help of some local off-duty officers,” said refinery spokesperson Linsi Crain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, on a webpage titled “\u003ca href=\"https://richmond.chevron.com/uswstrike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USW Local 5 Strike at Chevron Richmond\u003c/a>,” says hiring local police officers is a regular occurrence and that the Richmond and San Pablo officers “encourage safe and smooth movement through gates at times of increased in and out flow of our workforce, supplies and products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Councilmember Jimenez — a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which backs USW Local 5 — says it’s concerning the city would agree to put police officers on standby for Chevron at a time when the department is having a tough time responding to local 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a problem in terms of how the Richmond Police Department decides what’s more important to deploy services,” Jimenez said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond police have yet to outline a full accounting of how much Chevron paid for the department’s officers to be on standby before the strike, but the price tag is expected to be in the thousands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Pablo police sent an invoice recently to Chevron for $27,500 for the work its officers did the first week of April, according to Chief Raman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
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"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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