RICHMOND – Richmond voters can resolve whether to force Chevron to pay higher taxes after the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to place a refinery tax measure on the November ballot.
If the measure is approved by an easy majority of voters, Chevron would should pay a further $60 to $90 million in taxes annually, depending on what number of barrels of raw material come to the Richmond plant for processing.
The council's vote got here after hours of public hearings. An estimated 350 people showed as much as the meeting carrying signs demanding that the council either “make the polluters pay so we don't have to” or “support the workers” by voting against the proposal. In a press release Wednesday, Chevron spokesman Ross Allen said the corporate doesn’t consider the tax measure represents the community's vision at large for town's future.
“Last night's vote was not about improving the lives of the people of Richmond. It was a power struggle by activist organizations and city council members who put their interests above the interests of the community,” Allen said. “As evidenced by the number of people who spoke out against the measure, this punitive tax was rushed through without broad community participation, without investigation or foresight of its consequences for the city, county, state and region.”
Communities for a Better Environment and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action recommend the proposal – called the Poluters Pay Initiative – after years of research, said Kerry Guerin, an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment.
“We have looked into it. We believe in it and we are bringing it here tonight because we believe it can succeed and would withstand a legal challenge,” Guerin said during a presentation to council on Tuesday. “We care about this community. We are committed to the success of this community and that is why we are here.”
Council members noted Chevron employees' concerns that the tax would divert funds from improving the plant and potentially result in its closure, which might remove invaluable jobs from the world. But the council ultimately agreed that Chevron has a responsibility to contribute more to town's coffers.
“I believe this measure will show Richmond as a responsible city, as a forward-thinking city, as a city of cutting-edge technology, and that will attract more companies, good, clean companies, the kind of companies we want and need,” said Councilwoman Gayle McLaughlin, who argued that Chevron and its jobs would stay in town, given the plant's large presence in the world. “We want to make it clear that Chevron's influence on Richmond cannot be regained.”
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