Council Hires Consultant to Shape $550M Chevron Payout as Transit and Earthquake Warnings Loom

Richmond's City Council waded through a marathon session that put a generational question at center stage: how to spend half a billion dollars from Chevron while the region's transit lifelines teeter on the edge of collapse and scientists warn a major earthquake could hit before the money runs out. The April 29 meeting produced three consequential votes, a sobering seismology briefing, and a late-night punt on street vendor rules — all underscoring a city navigating enormous opportunity and enormous risk at the same time.

• Council approves consultant to lead community process for $550M Chevron settlement spending — but two members dissent over pace and philosophy

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• $300K port-funded study greenlighted for relocating WWII Victory ship to Ford Point; skeptics cite $16–20M funding gap

• UC Berkeley scientists warn of 32% chance of a major Hayward Fault earthquake by 2044; ad hoc committee formed

• BART director tells council: without a ballot measure, trains stop running at 9 PM starting January 2027

• Sidewalk vendor ordinance overhaul delayed to May 5 as council runs out of time

Richmond's 10-year, $550 million Chevron settlement — branded internally as "limited-term revenues" — is the largest financial windfall in the city's history. Before a dollar is committed, council approved hiring Dalberg Advisors to run a seven-month community engagement process to build an expenditure framework and investment strategy.