The “Bay-nest Monster" - And the Winner of First-Place Prize for Scrooge 2011-Chevron

As I write, Chevron (formerly Standard Oil) is trying to get a refund of approximately $50 - $60 million on its Richmond refinery property tax payments for 2004-2006. If this effort is successful, it could set a precedent for a potential refund of over $150 million for 2004-2009. Having done business here since 1904, Chevron contributed $3.7 million to local organizations. Not enough to have any real impact, but enough to fuel its PR engine and to get the myriad of competing small and ineffective social service providers in the Greater Richmond communities fighting over crumbs and caution silence to would-be critics of Chevron's calumny.

Oh, I forgot to mention this. Chevron posted record profits in each of the last five years, and its profits for the third quarter of 2011 were $7,830,000,000 (seven billion, eight hundred thousand), (while the rest of us are combating recession-depression. This quarterly profit means that its “charitable contribution" to the surrounding community is 0.047% of the profit it made in just three months (July-September, 2011).

Because of lobbying efforts to keep much of Greater Richmond unincorporated and available for questionable and low tax land use, Richmond, California is a series of pockets, many steeped in poverty and others, islands of affluence. This lack of geographic unity and stability also translates into demographic chaos, which has created the objective social conditions where the middle class is shrinking and moving away, While this occurs, companies like Pixar (under the then leadership of the much heralded late Steve Jobs) grew strong off Richmond’s low taxes and and favorable land use, and then when rich enough, moved its operations to Emeryville for a sweeter deal.

As with Chevron, their employees (none of which were from the community) did not like having to work around “those people.” That’s why I don’t take my grandchildren to see Pixar movies. We need to start selectively boycotting those who boycott us, and that includes Chevron, Pixar and Wal-Mart. We can’t get all the culprits all at once, but we can selectively put pressure on these obvious corporate raiders and destroyers of middle class America to repent or face dwindling profits (hello Bank of America). Anyway ARCO premium seems to last longer in my car than Chevron.

Chevron is so cynical and disrespectful of the community that it had the temerity this fall to offer 14 jobs to anyone in Richmond who applied for them. Of course these were low paying and menial. Black and brown college graduates who live in the community never seem to get a first interview with Chevron. A glimpse of the skeletal workforce that remains after Chevron moved many of their research and development jobs to San Ramon (again because their engineers and technicians were “not comfortable” working around so many poor "overly-melanized" people and “immigrants” living in “blighted areas).”

The tax breaks that Chevron with a large army of lawyers is seeking, will mean the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, but also the most “colorful” part of Contra Costa County will experience more cuts in public safety, education, and basic services. It will have a severe impact on an already struggling West Contra Costa Unified School District. These tax breaks will also result in the layoffs of city, country, school district, water, and etc. workers at a time when we are already experiencing record unemployment and a recession that is in reality worse than the 1930s Depression.

But I believe Chevron wants the community to disintegrate, because its deterioration is the basis for its claim that it is overtaxed. The city of Richmond has tried, mostly in vain, to stem the pollution that is so toxic in the air where I and other Richmondites seek to live quietly and peacefully. It is angry that we have stopped it from expanding its ugly operations over the entire waterfront and into more at-risk residential communities.

Meanwhile it seeks to take back $60 million after having cynically contributed less than $4 million to the community's dire needs. Its like wanting to terminate an employee for missing work due to illness, while having her or him work in such a toxic environment that they can never recover their health. As we sit through this Christmas watching “Scrooged,” I would challenge the occupiers who have settled before the cameras in San Francisco and Oakland and Berkeley to just turn your heads a little toward the peninsula that separates the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays (apparently we are invisible to some). Richmond is a wonderful community, notwithstanding the high unemployment rate and poverty. On any given warm sunny day, you can to to the parks and beaches and see numerous families (fathers, mothers, grandparents) with their children, enjoying the California life as best they can on very limited resources. While many small companies and both national and international corporations enjoy our generous tax breaks and land use policies, they don’t seem to want to pay any taxes for operating at here all, and tend to abandon us once they have gotten all they can get from us.

Again-Ebenezer Scrooge move over! Chevron demands recognition for First Place Christmas Scrooge Award.