SAVE RIGGERS LOFT - MORE INFO
Riggers Loft is being threatened with eviction.
Riggers Loft has been in a battle with the current City Administration. We are threatened with eviction initially stemming from the non-payment of deferred rent from the COVID shutdown.
This may very well mean the loss of one of the most publicly accessible waterfront sites and a crown jewel of the city of Richmond.
The Deferred Rent from the Pandemic Emergency:
The repayment plan, which was negotiated and endorsed by the city attorney, was apparently never presented to the city council at that time (according to some of the former City Council members). When the new RPA (Richmond Progressive Alliance) city council was seated 8 months later, it was rejected. Instead, immediate repayment of the deferred rent in full was demanded, along with egregious interest and legal fees that amounted to over 50% of the deferred rent. An impossible bill to pay! Plus, the city threatened to shorten our lease, by up to 18 years!
A Damned if you Do and Damned if you Don't Scenario:
When we were confronted with this threat, we filed a lawsuit against the city for dealing in bad faith. They in turn slapped Riggers Loft with an “Unlawful Detainer” which contained everything but the kitchen sink. At that time the advice from council was to stop rent payments as it could very well be money lost if we were to lose the unlawful detainer and get evicted.
The Unlawful Detainer:
A major blow to Riggers Loft was the loss of the unlawful detainer. Unbelievably, the city prevailed based on claims, which were shown by out lawyer to not be viable arguments. But because unlawful detainers are cut and dry, yes or no, type of court procedures, any evidence supporting us was not admitted.
Riggers Loft is a crown jewel in the city of Richmond.
Riggers Loft draws a diverse mix of people from all over who come to meet up, enjoy live music, great wine and food and enjoy the spectacular views of the bay. It has become the “oasis”, a place of refuge, a place to recharge and to relax. It is where people come to celebrate important events in their lives: weddings, birthdays, reunions, life celebrations.
Riggers Loft has always been a good neighbor.
Riggers Loft has always tried to be a great neighbor and has donated space for numerous city events. These events include:
- 3 Taste of Richmond events
- Candidate Nights
- City staff meetings
- Mayor's roundtables
- Multiple Chamber of Commerce events
- Multiple fundraisers for city-based charities
If Riggers Loft had charged for these events, it would have been hundreds of thousands of dollars, certainly enough to have repaid the deferred rent! Yet, Riggers Loft has always felt it was important to give back to the community and we always will.
Riggers Loft owners Kevin and Barbara spent over $2 million of their own money to renovate a crumbling Rosie the Riveter Trust building
If they evict us, we will never see our investment back. However, the city will inherit a beautifully renovated building. Sadly, the public will not be able to enjoy it as they do today. That is not part of the City Council’s plan.
An interesting fact:
The City of San Francisco completely forgave the port businesses their covid -deferred rent. So did the city of Alameda. Why not Richmond? At the very least, why isn’t the City Council trying to work out a payment arrangement that preserves a valued and vibrant part of Richmond culture?
We are Appealing the Unlawful Detainer:
Please help us in our goal of raising $30K to fund our appeal. Our attorney feels that we have an excellent chance of winning an appeal. In this legal scenario we will be able to provide all the evidence that clearly shows why we were not able to comply with the allegations made by the city council in the unlawful detainer.
What can you do to help?
1. Contact city council members:
Cesar Zepeda - Cesar_Zepeda@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-620-6593
Soheila Bana - Soheila_Bana@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-620-6743 | 510-779-7280
Doria Robinson - doria@urbantilth.org | Doria_robinson@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-620-6568
Claudia Jimenez - claudia_jimenez@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-620-6565
Sue Wilson - sue_wilson@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-609-2111
Jamelia Brown - Jamelia_brown@ci.richmond.ca.us | 510-412-2050
Mayor Eduardo Martinez - Eduardo_Martinez@ci.richmond.ca.us
Tell them why Riggers Loft is important to you and why they should put on hold any further actions against Riggers Loft and instead conduct an honest dialogue and negotiation for a repayment plan that can work for everyone.... so that Riggers Loft stays alive.