Protest Chevron’s Tax Grab

651 Pine Street, Martinez

Thursday December 15, 2011

11:30 AM – Gather and Leaflet Area

12 Noon Rally

RPA says:

“The Chevron Corporation is currently appealing its property tax assessment and trying to get the county to pay them a refund of $150 million dollars at hearings in Martinez. If ordered to pay these refunds, County, City, and school districts would have to slash vital health, education and public services and lay off employees.”

“Chevron, which has long had reduced property taxes thanks to loop holes in Proposition 13, is able to hire an army of expensive lawyers to try to bully the county into accepting a settlement. Community groups, unions, and everyone who cares about justice say it is time to stop the 1% from bleeding the rest of us. We are the 99%, Chevron is the 1%!”

The Richmond City Council Resolution asking Chevron to drop its property tax appeals notes the following:

• Chevron Corporation. (formerly Standard Oil) has successfully operated an oil refinery in Richmond since 1904, thus contributing to the corporation’s high profitability for over 100 years

• Chevron declares that it wants to be a good neighbor to Richmond and Contra Costa County residents

• Chevron has posted record profits in each of the last five years, and its profits of $7,830,000,000 ($7.83 billion) for the third quarter of 2011 are double its profits for the third quarter of 2010

•  Chevron’s charitable contributions to worthy local organizations in 2010 amounted to $3.7 million, which represents a mere 0.047% of the profit it made in just three months

• These cuts would inevitably result in the layoffs of city, county, school district, fire and water, etc. workers at a time when we are already experiencing record unemployment and the worst recession since the 1930’s Depression

• These layoffs would result in less income available to purchase goods and services contributing to a downward economic spiral damaging our business community

• Chevron has stated it wants to maintain good a good relationship with Richmond and that it specifically wants to help ameliorate the very problems that the cuts triggered by its potential refunds would exacerbate

• If Chevron were to withdraw all of its property tax appeals it would remain a highly successful and profitable corporation and would experience no negative consequences

• The Richmond City Council respectfully asks Chevron Corporation. to withdraw and dismiss all of its property tax appeals on past years’ assessments and pay the full amount due on current and future property tax assessments for the Richmond refinery.

Read the full resolution by the Richmond City Council

Get the flyer for the protest and rally

You may remember there was a multiyear dispute between residents who live near the Richmond refinery and Chevron which wanted to expand its expand its facility to refine heavier dirtier crude oil, which would further pollute an area where the local community already suffers disproportionately high rates of asthma, cancer and other illnesses. Eventually, the local residents and the community groups that support them won their case when two judges sided with them. However, while the dispute was still raging, Mechanics Bank sent its clients a letter in support of Chevron, which it also published as an open letter. We’re posting the contents and linking to a copy of it here so that you can make a fully informed decision when you think about moving your money in the Bay Area.

August 5, 2009

~ Mechanics Bank
Commitment That Lasts Generations
An Open Letter to Chevron and the City of Richmond
From Mechanics Bank

For almost 100 years, Mechanics Bank has proudly called Richmond its home. As an organization that is committed to helping build prosperous communities as their trusted financial partner, we have always supported Richmond’s businesses, non-profits, and provide employment to many of its residents. In the spirit of that commitment, we add our voice today to the growing chorus of those calling for an end to the impasse over Chevron’s refinery upgrade project. Richmond, which calls itself the “City of Pride and Purpose,” is in danger of losing both if it cannot find a way to reach a swift and equitable agreement that allows it to move forward.

With the city’s unemployment at its highest level since the Great Depression – estimated to exceed 17% -and the state’s financial difficulties about to lead to a loss of millions from its redevelopment funds, Richmond is facing one of its greatest challenges. By bringing the refinery project to a halt, Communities for a Better Environment and its allies may think they have won the day, but from our viewpoint, it appears to be a hollow victory. A century of serving this community has taught us that opportunities such as that posed by the Chevron plant upgrade don’t come along very often–and they are especially rare in a time of recession. A failure to find a compromise that is fair to all would squander a chance to revive Richmond’s struggling economy, and likely would eliminate future jobs and prosperity, too. Because no agreement was reached, more than 1100 local workers have lost their jobs. Their families have lost healthcare and other benefits. The city itself stands to lose over $61 million in promised community benefits to support a variety of much-needed programs. From job training for low-skill workers to funding that bolsters desperately needed police and fire services, from support for free and subsidized health services to construction of the missing link of the Bay Trail, and much, much more, Richmond comes out a loser.

Worst of all, the reason given for opposing Chevron’s plant upgrade doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Despite opponents’ claims of environmental degradation, the City of Richmond, the State Attorney General’s office, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District concluded after four years of review that the refinery upgrade would actually reduce emissions!

We did not speak with Chevron prior to preparing this letter, nor did they request that we take a position on the dispute. But given our deep roots in this community we felt it was imperative to speak out. Richmond has been a big part of the growth and success of Mechanics Bank, for which we will always be grateful. Together, we’ve survived the Great Depression and a dozen other boom-and-bust cycles. We have always believed in a bright future for this city, but if the naysayers kill this opportunity, it may well be decades before Richmond makes up what it will have lost.

It is imperative for our community that all parties reach a swift, reasonable resolution so that Richmond and its citizens can get back to work quickly.

Sincerely
Steven K. Buster
President and Chief Executive Office

cc:
Mike Coyle
Manager
Chevron Richmond Refinery
Chevron Corporation
P. O. Box 6076
San Ramon
CA 94583

Gayle McLaughlin
Mayor
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center
Richmond
CA 94804

Judy Morgan
President
Richmond Chamber
of Commerce
3925 Macdonald Ave.
Richmond
CA 94805

Bill Gallegos, Executive Director
Nile Malloy, NorCal Program Director
Communities for a Better Environment
Oakland Office
1440 Broadway, Suite 701
Oakland, CA 94612

Hilltop Office
3170 Hilltop Mati Road• Richmond, (A 94806
1.800.797.6324 PHONE’ www.mechbank.com

PDF of scanned letter

Reuters posting of letter

Find a credit union

Re-posted from the Richmond Confidential

Chevron’s Richmond refinery, seen from Nichol Hill. The company argues that it has paid too much in property taxes on the facility. (photo by: Robert Rogers)

Chevron will present its case for a $58 million tax refund before an appeals board on Monday, as the company seeks to prove that it overpaid property taxes on its Richmond refinery between 2007 and 2009.

The hearing before the County’s Assessment Appeals Board – which listens to the cases of property owners who believe that the county has overvalued their land and thus charged too much in taxes — represents the next step in a four-year battle. Chevron believes the county has overvalued its Richmond refinery by nearly $2 billion per year, a company spokesperson said in an email.

If the company succeeds in its appeal, it would create a “brutal situation” for the county and cities, Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin said.

“The city of Richmond stands to lose millions of dollars if this appeal is approved,” McLaughlin said, adding that the city would have to cut services to pay back the money.

County Assessor Gus Kramer, who has held the position since 1995, called the case a “phenomenon.”

“It is record setting,” he said. “It’s the largest appeal we’ve ever had.”

Full article

Photograph caption: Chronicle 2009 Chevron Refinery;  photo credit: Liz Hafalia
image source: http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-03-05/bay-area/18376605_1_chevron-and-other-oil-business-license-tax-richmond-refinery

Emem Okon at True Cost of Chevron Press Conference before 2011 Chevron Shareholders meeting

I am here to represent the women of the Niger Delta who live in communities near gas flares and who suffer health issues of infertility, early menopause, miscarriages, cancer, rashes; women who fish in waters polluted by Chevron; who drink Chevron polluted water because there is no other source of drinking water; women whose traditional means of livelihood of farming and fishing have been destroyed by Chevron oil business activities; the women who confronted Chevron years back over the injustice perpetrated by Chevron in their communities. Chevron claims to recognize the value of fresh water as a fundamental social, environmental and economic resource but Chevron pollutes the fresh water in the Niger Delta with impunity. I have questions from the Niger Delta women: WHEN WILL CHEVRON STOP ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN? WHEN WILL CHEVRON STOP THE TOXIC FLARES IN THE NIGER DELTA? WHEN WILL CHEVRON STOP DESTROYING THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF THE WOMEN IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION? If Chevron is not ready to stop the toxic flares, Niger Delta Women say:  ‘LEAVE THE OIL IN THE SOIL’

- Emem Okon, May 24, 2011

At a press conference today in San Francisco, Emem Okon from Nigeria and over one dozen community leaders from Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Alaska, Texas, across California, and more gathered at a Chevron gas station to expose the harms of Chevron’s operations in the communities where they live and advocate. See JINN’s photography from the event and  join JINN at the protest tomorrow at Chevron’s corporate headquarters to support those whose lives have been harmed by Chevron’s outdated practices.

All photos:  Todd Sanchioni

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Richmond, CA – On Tuesday December 15, 2009, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that would require oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments as part of a larger movement to increase corporate accountability across borders. Councilmember Nathaniel Bates was absent.  A similar resolution was unanimously approved by the Oakland City Council and with one abstention in the Berkeley City Council in October.

The Energy Security Through Transparency Act (ESTT) Act was introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) in September and if passed would effect oil companies in Nigeria as well as the rest of the world.

“Here in Richmond, we see the links between human rights and corporate accountability issues in our city as the same struggle as those that are demanding a right to their livelihood in Nigeria.  Oil companies need to take responsibility where ever oil in produced and refined,” stated Richmond resident Jovanka Beckles who spoke at the meeting.

The Richmond resolution also calls on the State Department to support diplomatic peace talks in the Delta to negotiate a way forward to address the root causes of the current crisis—environmental destruction – particularly gas flaring – and lack of investment in the oil producing region. The city’s call contrasts with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s pledge in August to explore further U.S. military assistance to the government of Nigeria. The resolution along with the passage of the resolution in Oakland and Berkeley marks a new level of support to pressure the United States to adopt a foreign policy that promotes constructive change through dialog in alignment with the American values of democratic civic engagement, and freedom of speech and the press.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Councilmembers Jeff Ritterman and Tom Butt and was introduced to the Council by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin who worked with Bay Area-based Justice In Nigeria Now to draft the resolution.

“I was tortured and imprisoned by the Nigerian military for my peaceful protests against Shell Oil’s destruction of our land.  I believe that Richmond’s support sends a strong message that communities in the U.S are concerned about the human rights abuses and environmental damage associated with oil extraction.  I do not want to see my people continue to go through what I went through,” stated Suanu Kingston Bere, a Nigerian activist who also spoke at the City Council meeting.

Fifty years of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta has produced over $700 billion in oil revenues shared between the Nigerian government and oil giants like Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Shell. Nigeria is a key supplier of oil to the United States, to which it exports over 40% of its supply. Despite the immense wealth gained from oil in the Niger Delta, the quality of life for local residents has deteriorated. Oil companies have polluted the water villagers drink and the fish population that serves as their primary source of protein has been decimated. Little oil wealth is re-invested in communities from which it is extracted, most lack electricity, and access to education or healthcare facilities.

“Oil companies in Nigeria have had long a relationship with the notoriously corrupt and historically brutal Nigerian government where rampant corruption, fraudulent elections and violent suppression of peaceful protests are the norm in the Delta.  The proposed ESTT Act in the Senate is an important step toward holding oil companies accountable for their collusion with the Nigerian government, which protects their profits while killing and injuring innocent local people and destroying the Delta’s fragile environment” stated Nigerian writer and activist Omoyele Sowore.

Sowore has also visited the city of Richmond and met with local activists who were working to hold Chevron accountable in their city.

TWO NIGHTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Stop Chevron’s Secret Plan to Refine Heavier Crude in Richmond!

The Chevron Refinery expansion project in Richmond will build the capacity to refine much dirtier crude oil, which means more pollution, increased risk of explosions, fires, spills and releases of poisons into our air, our bay and our land. It’s a matter of life and death for refinery workers & residents in Richmond and the Greater Bay Area. Click here for more information

The City of Richmond has a choice. Will Richmond continue to be a global hub for pollution? Or will it define a new path with solutions that protect our health and the environment?

Join the Richmond Alliance for Environmental Justice to demand bold leadership by the Richmond City Council.

JULY 15 at Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd, Richmond View Map

(just walking distance from El Cerrito del Norte BART)

6:15 pm - Vigil honoring lives lost and all who suffer from environmental disease

*please bring photos of loved ones lost to cancer & environmental disease

7:00 pm – City Council public hearing on the Chevron expansion. Public Comment will be taken. It may be very late in the evening, so make arrangements if possible!

JULY 16 at the City Council Chambers, 1401 Marina Way South, Richmond View Map

7:00 pm - City Council to question staff/consultants, deliberate and vote. We need to be there with signs!

WHATS AT STAKE:

• A vote to certify the flawed Environmental Impact Report
• A vote for complicity in Chevron’s cover up.
• A vote for secretly negotiated community benefits in exchange for a comprehensive crude cap
• A vote for selling our health down the river.

OUR DEMANDS:

• Recirculation of the Environmental Impact Report
• Comprehensive oil quality conditions (crude cap) as a pollution prevention measure to limit the type of oil entering the refinery
• Funds for the city to be community controlled in an open process
• A vote for the well being of the community and future generations

Buses to and from the hearing will be departing from locations within Richmond:
3rd & Chesley in North Richmond
Atchison & Liberty Village
St. Mark’s Church
To reserve seats on the bus and/childcare inquiries please contact:
Jessica Tovar 510-302-0430 ext 24 or 415-596-3517 jessica@cbecal.org
www.cbecal.org

*Needs: Childcare & Peacekeeping volunteers contact Jessica Tovar or for more information:
510-236-4616 or e-mail apen@apen4ej.org
www.apen4ej.org

————————–

Write a Sample letter to City Council Members

DRAFT:

The health of our children and grandchildren is more important than a few million dollars for special projects selected without open public input.

Chevron told its investors on its 10K SEC filing that it intends to refine heavier crude oil in Richmond. Since the EIR failed to disclose this, it must be re-circulated. The conditional use permit must contain explicit restrictions on the quality of crude oil and gas oil that Chevron can refine, or else a heavy price will be paid by future generations.

Environmental justice principles require that strong preventive measures, including a comprehensive crude cap, are taken to protect our health, and that any funds generated for the city be community controlled in a fully open and transparent process.

If you have the courage to do the right thing, you will make history and you will be supported.

send to:

mayor@officeofthemayor.net City Council members
natbates@comcast.net c/o Trina Jackson
tom.butt@intres.com 1401 Marina Way South
lopez.ludmyrna@comcast.net Richmond, CA 94804
johnemarquez@aol.com
elirapty@aol.com
harpreet_sandhu@ci.richmond.ca.us
tonythurm@aol.com
maria_viramontes@ci.richmond.ca.us
Learn More at: http://www.justiceinnigerianow.org