Richmond council places Chevron tax on November ballot

RICHMOND — Richmond voters will get to decide whether to force Chevron to pay more in taxes after the City Council on Tuesday night unanimously agreed to place a refinery tax measure on the November ballot.

If the measure is approved by a simple majority of voters, Chevron would have to pay an additional $60 million to $90 million annually in taxes, based on how many barrels of raw material enter the Richmond plant for processing.

The council’s vote came after hours of public comment. An estimated 350 people showed up to the meeting donning signs either calling for the council to “make polluters pay so we don’t have to,” or to “support workers” by voting no on the proposal. In a statement Wednesday, Chevron spokesperson Ross Allen said the company does not believe the tax measure represents the vision the community at-large has for the future of the city.

“The vote last night was not about improving the lives of the people in Richmond. It was a power grab by activist organizations and city councilmembers who put their interests ahead of the community’s interest,” Allen said. “As evident by the number of people who spoke in opposition of the measure, this punitive tax has been rushed without broad community input, study or forethought into its consequences on the city, county, state and region.”

Communities for a Better Environment and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action brought forward the proposal — dubbed the Polluters Pay Initiative — after years of research, said Kerry Guerin, an attorney with Communities for a Better Environment,

“We’ve vetted this. We’re confident in it and we’re bringing it here tonight because we believe it can win and it would survive legal challenge,” Guerin said during a council presentation Tuesday. “We care about this community. We’re invested in the success of this community and that’s why we’re here.”

Councilmembers acknowledged the concerns raised by Chevron workers that the tax would suck resources away from improving the plant and possibly lead to its closure, causing valued jobs to disappear from the area. But the council ultimately agreed that Chevron has a responsibility to pay more toward the city’s coffers.

“I believe this measure will show Richmond as a responsible city, as a forward looking city, as a cutting edge city, and that will attract more businesses, good, clean businesses, the kind we want and need,” said Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin, who argued Chevron and its jobs were in the city to stay given the plant’s extensive footprint in the area. “We want to make it clear that that Grip of Chevron on Richmond is not going to be regained.”