Measure establishes a dedicated Public Safety Fund and a 187-officer minimum staffing floor — while fully preserving Council budget authority and protecting all legal obligations.
RICHMOND, CA — A proposed charter amendment was filed today with the Richmond City Clerk that, if approved by voters, would establish stable, transparent, and accountable funding for public safety services in Richmond and restore sworn police staffing to a level consistent with the City’s own independently commissioned studies.
The Richmond Public Safety Funding and Minimum Staffing Charter Amendment was submitted by Richmond resident and proponent Michael Taylor Caine, with representation from Kaufman Legal Group, APC. The Richmond Police Officers Association (RPOA) supports the measure.
“Richmond residents deserve a public safety system that can answer the call — every shift, in every neighborhood,” said Ben Therriault, President of the Richmond Police Officers Association. “For more than five years, every independent study commissioned by the City has reached the same conclusion: Richmond is dangerously understaffed. The Council has the studies. The community has the data. What’s been missing is a stable framework. This measure gives Richmond voters the chance to put one in place.”
Why the Measure Is Needed
- The Matrix Consulting Group concluded that Richmond Police Department staffing levels are “seriously deficient” and recommended a sworn complement of approximately 185 officers.
- The Raftelis Financial Consultants workforce analysis, presented to the Council in 2024, recommended adding a dozen additional sworn officers among 74 total new positions citywide to meet existing service-level expectations.
- Authorized sworn strength has declined from 178 positions in 2020 to 147 today — with 18 of those positions currently vacant, in addition to officers on injury, light duty, and administrative leave.
- The Chief of Police has reported to Council that staffing shortages have reached the point where patrol officers are being pulled off their beats to handle basic inmate transport.
What the Measure Does
A Dedicated Public Safety Fund. The measure creates a special fund in the City treasury, phased in over three years, that allocates a defined percentage of locally generated, unrestricted general revenues — 25% the first year, 40% the second year, and 50% thereafter — to police services, emergency medical response, emergency preparedness, and community safety programs.
A 187-Officer Minimum Staffing Floor. Beginning in the second fiscal year after voter approval, the City will budget for, and use best efforts to maintain, not fewer than 187 full-time-equivalent sworn officers in the Richmond Police Department — the level identified by independent studies as necessary for adequate service delivery.
Council Authority Fully Preserved. The City Council retains full authority to determine which specific programs, services, and activities are funded, and at what levels. The measure does not direct deployment, limit the Chief of Police’s lawful discretion, require layoffs of non-police personnel, or impair managerial authority over department operations.
Legal Obligations Come First. Allocations occur only after all Legally Required Expenditures — debt service, pensions, court orders, collective bargaining agreements, and other binding obligations — are fully funded.
Fiscal Safety Valves. A supermajority of the Council may temporarily reduce or suspend the funding or staffing requirements in a documented fiscal emergency, with mandatory findings and automatic sunset provisions.
Transparency and Accountability. The City will be required to publish an annual public Public Safety Fund Report and an annual staffing report covering budgeted positions, filled positions, vacancies, recruitment efforts, staffing trends, fiscal impacts, and compliance.
Local Control. Local Decision.
“This is a local solution to a local problem, decided by local voters,” said Therriault. “It protects Richmond’s authority over municipal affairs, respects the Council’s role in the budget process, and puts the most important public safety questions where they belong — in the hands of the people of Richmond.”
The proponent and supporters anticipate beginning signature gathering following issuance of the Official Ballot Title and Summary by the City Attorney.
About the Richmond Police Officers Association
The Richmond Police Officers Association represents the sworn police officers of the City of Richmond. RPOA advocates for the safety of Richmond’s residents and businesses, for the working conditions of its officers, and for evidence-based public safety policy at the local, state, and federal levels.
