Richmond (CA) leaders want Chevron to pay college tuition for local high school graduates

[KamaAina]

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23347673/richmond-leaders-want-chevron-pay-college-tuition-local?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

A full-tuition college scholarship for anyone who graduates from a public school in Richmond, paid for by Chevron Corp.?

That's what at least two city councilmen want, and they've publicly proposed that it should be part of a settlement package stemming from this past summer's fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery that sent more than 15,000 residents to area hospitals....

"I want to run an idea by you and solicit your support," Butt wrote. "I am proposing that some portion of the settlement funds go to a program that might be called 'The Richmond Promise.'"

Butt went on to estimate that paying for the full tuition of every Richmond graduate who wanted to go to college or vocational training would cost Chevron $1 million initially and about $5 million annually after four years.

Richmond is in the Bay Area, just north of Oakland and Berkeley. Besides having councilmembers named Butt and Booze , it is the largest city in the country with a Green mayor, Gayle McLaughlin. She led a caravan of supporters down San Pablo Avenue to Occupy Oakland, while Oakland's own mayor was dithering on how to handle the Occupiers.

[FreakinDJ]

1. Chevron is about to sell the Richmond facility to the Chinese

The corporate office in San Ramone has had enough of Richmond City Council and have entered discussions with the Chinese. The began moving about 25% of the Key Corporate personal to Houston from the San Ramone Headquarters, and now have begun moving key personal from the Richmond facility.

If Richmond didn't like Chevron wait until they get a load of the Chinese

[KamaAina]

2. That would indeed be huge

perhaps a link or two would be in order?

[FreakinDJ]

3. The Refinery is not going to close either way

Just now the Richmond City Council would be accused of Chinese Bashing and have to deal with the State dept. and WTO Court system and a vastly less sympathetic International Trade Court set of rules.

In addition to the greatly reduced tax revenue brought on by the largely unregulated "Transfer Pricing / Tax Avoidance Schemes" used by many Multinational Corporations, the local economy would also suffer the loss of 2000 to 3000 of Well Paying Union Jobs only to be replaced by H1B visa holders and lower paid Nonunion labor.

And there won't be any college fund

[KamaAina]

4. Still no link

one would think that the loss of 25% of corporate jobs in San Ramon, along with the threat to the refinery workers themselves, would be top news here in the Bay Area.

[FreakinDJ]

5. you must not be paying attention

When they transfered 25% of the San Ramone work force to Houston it made National News. Try Google

The rest is insider

[angstlessk]

6. Here is a link..it is 400 employees, but they are a committed CA company

SAN RAMON -- Chevron will reduce its staffing levels by 400 jobs in San Ramon, part of the energy giant's decision to transfer some operations to Houston.

Slated to begin in August, the staffing reductions were outlined in an official filing by Chevron with state labor officials. The transfer is being undertaken to support the energy giant's fast-growing exploration, development and production business, but spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said Chevron remains committed to California and will keep its headquarters in San Ramon.

"Chevron is a California company and our roots go back more than 130 years," he said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22997943/chevron-says-it-will-move-400-jobs-from-san-ramon-houston

[KamaAina]

7. "The 400 jobs being shifted represent about 11 percent of its San Ramon workforce of 3,500."

A far cry from 25 percent. Still, it must suck to be one of them, almost as bad as all those B of A people who got shipped from SF to Charlotte.

[angstlessk]

8. I agree, from a progressive state to a regressive one could not be fun

Nothing about selling to China, though?

[dembotoz]

9. and i want a pony