Jim Rogers (California politician)

Last updated
Jim Rogers
Jim Rogers, councilmember of Richmond CA.jpg
The People's Lawyer
Born1955
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Former lawyer, politician
Years active1988-present

Jim Rogers (born September 10, 1955 [1] ) is an American politician. He served on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in the 1990s, and was a city council member for the city of Richmond, California for three terms. [2] He was first elected to the city council in 2002, and his final term expired in January 2015. [3] He is a Democrat, considered a moderate, [4] and has also been referred to as a progressive. [5] He was called the San Francisco Bay Area's most famous lawyer [6] because of television ads in which he dubbed himself as "The People's Lawyer". [7]

Contents

Early life and education

Rogers is native of Ohio. [8] He is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall). He was admitted to the California bar in 1980. [ citation needed ]

History

1980s to 2000s

In 1988 he wrote a law regarding campaign finance reform. This was later struck down by the courts, but it gave him name recognition. [9]

From 1994 to 1998 he was a member of the board of supervisors of Contra Costa County, California. [10] While a county supervisor he worked on educating the business community on how to bid on public contracts. [11] He lost re-election to John Gioia a former supporter of his that ran on a campaign focusing on Rogers alleged absence from the day-to-day affairs of Contra Costa County voters. [9]

2000s-present

Rogers was a city council member for the city of Richmond, California for three terms. [2] He was first elected to the council in 2002 and the re-elected in 2006. [12] In an interview with Richmond Confidential he stated his biggest contributions to Richmond while in office where the halving of the homicide rate, a 31-year low of unemployment, and saving Kennedy High School and other schools from closure all on a tight budget. [2]

2004 brought his support for the Guideville Band of Pomo Indians Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot site casino stating it was an enormous opportunity for jobs. [13] Although no longer in office, Rogers is currently working on funding for various sustainability projects in Richmond. [6]

In 2009 he was supportive of edible front yard gardens along with then mayor Gayle McGlaughlin. [14] In 2014 he opposed a blanket minimum wage increase while supporting it for many business however citing that some businesses would leave the city he pushed for exemptions for certain employers, mostly those with smaller payrolls. [15]

In 2014 he negotiated "the Richmond Promise" with Chevron Corporation master of the city's Richmond Chevron Refinery wherein the corporation would shelve out $35 million in scholarships for every Richmond college student attending a technical, community, four-year-university. [16] He has also stated that Chevron took a "leaner, meaner" attitude toward Richmondites in recent years in 2008. [17]

In 2015 there was an attempt to appoint him to a vacant seat on the Richmond city council to avoid the costs of a special election since he was the next runner up in the city's ranked choice voting system. This did not happen. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond, California</span> City in California, United States

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a city council. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo, Albany, El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond, Hasford Heights, Kensington, El Sobrante, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, and East Richmond Heights, and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Progressive Alliance</span> Progressive party in Richmond, California

The Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) is a progressive political group in Richmond and western Contra Costa County, California, United States. RPA formed in 2003 by local progressives.

North Richmond is an unincorporated area in Contra Costa County, California, a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 3,717 adjacent to and nearly surrounded by the city of Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bay</span> Eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, US

The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. With a population of roughly 2.8 million in 2024, it is the most populous subregion in the Bay Area, containing the second- and third-most populous Bay Area counties of Alameda and Contra Costa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Rock Island</span> Island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States of America

Red Rock Island is an uninhabited, 5.8-acre (2.3 ha) island in the San Francisco Bay located just south of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. The property is the only privately owned island in San Francisco Bay. The boundaries of three counties – San Francisco, Marin, and Contra Costa – converge on the island. The Contra Costa portion is incorporated inside the city limits of Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Richmond, Richmond, California</span> Neighborhood in Richmond, California

Point Richmond, also sometimes referred to locally as The Point, is a neighborhood in Richmond, California, United States, near the eastern end of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, between Interstate 580 and the San Francisco Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Heights, Richmond, California</span> Place in Richmond, California, United States of America

Richmond Heights, formerly East Richmond and also known as Mira Vista, is a district of eastern Richmond, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parchester Village, Richmond, California</span>

Parchester Village is a planned majority African-American village in northwestern Richmond, California that was the first in the state to sell to blacks.

The Richmond City Council is the governing body for the city of Richmond, California. The council consists of the Mayor of Richmond and six other city council members, one designated Vice Mayor. The council members are all elected from the whole city; no members are elected by district or ward. The council members are elected to four-year terms, as opposed to the previous six-year terms. They are not all elected at once. The council members meet every first and third Tuesday of the month and, if necessary, hold special meetings on the remaining Tuesdays. Presently the entire city council is Democratic.

John E. Márquez is an American politician and activist who has held various positions in Richmond, California city government. For eighteen years, Márquez served as a city councilman. He was the first Latino to serve on the Richmond City Council. Originally he was an appointee to the council in 1985 and won an election to that seat in 1987; he subsequently lost his second bid in 1991. He was elected again in 1993 and twice more in 1997 and 2004. In 1990 and 1998, he served as vice mayor. Márquez was defeated for re-election in 2008, and lost a mayoral bid in 2001 to Gayle McLaughlin. In addition to his elected offices in the city of Richmond, he has held various other positions in Contra Costa County, California on various commissions.

Rosemary Corbin is a longstanding Democratic public figure and former mayor of Richmond, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Butt</span> American politician (born 1944)

Thomas King Butt is an American politician and architect and the former mayor of Richmond, California. He was vice-mayor in 2002 and 2012 and a member of the Richmond City Council for over 20 years before being elected mayor. He is the longest continuously serving council member in Richmond's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Ferry Terminal</span>

Richmond Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal located in the Marina Bay neighborhood of Richmond, California. It provides daily commuter service to San Francisco.

San Pablo Peninsula is a peninsula in western Richmond, between San Pablo Bay and San Rafael Bay, in southwestern Contra Costa County, California.

Tarnel Abbott is a free speech advocate, activist, and librarian from Richmond, California. She is the great-granddaughter of Jack London. Abbott is also a prominent fixture in local politics and council meetings especially on conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevron Richmond Refinery</span> Petroleum refinery in Richmond, California

The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a 2,900-acre (1,200 ha) petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, on San Francisco Bay. It is owned and operated by Chevron Corporation and employs more than 1,200 workers, making it the city's largest employer. The refinery processes approximately 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of crude oil a day in the manufacture of petroleum products and other chemicals. The refinery's primary products are motor gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and lubricants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot</span> Navy fueling station in Richmond, California, U.S.

Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot is a decommissioned United States Navy fueling station on the western shore of Richmond, California on San Francisco Bay. It has undergone years of litigation and debate as to its redevelopment with proposals ranging from a billion dollar casino project, parkland, housing, and other mixed uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gioia</span> American politician

John Gioia is an American politician. He has served on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in Contra Costa County, California since 1998 and was re-elected three times. He served as chair in 2002, 2006 and 2010. John Gioia is a Democrat. Contra Costa supervisorial seats are non-partisan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Livingston</span> American politician (c. 1933–2012)

George Livingston was an American politician who served as the first elected African American Mayor of Richmond, California, from 1985 to 1993. Livingston was appointed Mayor in 1985 by the city council. He won election as Richmond's first elected African American mayor in 1989 for a full term.

Eduardo Martinez is an American politician, former teacher, and the mayor of Richmond, California.

References

  1. ↑ "Jim Rogers: 'We Have a Lot of Potential". Richmond Pulse. 25 September 2018. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jim Rogers: We Need to Pass Measure L and Fix Measure L". 2 November 2016. Richmond Confidential. SFGate. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Richmond loses moderate council member Jim Rogers". 7 December 2014. San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. ↑ Geluardi, John. "Chevron Bids to Retake Richmond". 22 October 2014. East Bay Express. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Gammon, Robert. "Chevron Shut-Out in Richmond". 3 November 2010. East Bay Express. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 Harper, Will. "Settling for Less". 8 January 2003. East Bay Express. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Hallissy, Erin. "'People's Lawyer' Accused / State Bar says he charges too much". 11 January 1997. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Jim Rogers vies for a third term Richmond Confidential, October 26, 2010
  9. 1 2 Harper, Will. "The People's Politician". 8 January 2003. East Bay Express. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Supervisors to Choose New Chairman of Board, San Francisco Chronicle, January 1, 1999
  11. ↑ "CONTRA COSTA COUNTY REPORT -- Supervisor Jim Rogers To Give Advice on Bids". 5 December 1997. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Brenneman, Richard. "Anti-Mall Duo Win in Albany; Green Candidate Claims Richmond Victory". 10 November 2006. The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  13. ↑ Brennean, Richard. "Developer Wins Pact to Build Point Molate Casino". 12 November 2004. The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  14. ↑ Brenneman, Richard. "Richmond Gives Thumbs Up to Its Front-Yard Gardeners". 25 June 2009. The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Richmond votes to hike minimum wage to $13". 5 June 2014. San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Naderzad, Newsha. "Jim Rogers, City Council Candidate". 31 January 2018. Richmond Confidential. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Anna. "Big Oil in Little Richmond". 9 July 2008. East Bay Express. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  18. ↑ Barnridge, Tom. "Mayor Butt announces plans to nominate former Councilman Jim Rogers for vacant council seat". 20 February 2015. Richmond Standard. Contra Costa Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.