Richmond Progressive Alliance Shows It CAN Be Done

I really like this story.  It's too rare, and I'm still pessimistic about the States overall, but...I really like this story.

Go, Richmond!

It’s not often that a city council race in a city of 100,000 draws national attention. It happened in Richmond, California, this fall because one big corporation was so shameless in its open attempt to buy the election.

But even more remarkable was the fact that the corporation got beat. Up against the Democratic Party establishment, plus $3 million in campaign spending by Chevron—the third-largest company in the world—a grassroots group won.

[...]

The city is now 40 percent Latino, 26 percent Black, 17 percent white, and 14 percent Asian. A fifth of the population was born outside the U.S.

Richmond was long dominated by Chevron, whose massive refinery sits on the shoreline belching oil byproducts into the atmosphere. Chevron is the town’s biggest taxpayer and largest employer—but only 7 percent of employees live in Richmond. The execs certainly do not.

[...]

How did the Davids of RPA beat the Chevron Goliath?

  Labor Notes

Go ahead and read this one yourself.

And let's hope Chevron doesn't decide to make an example of Richmond and pull out.  It can afford to.