The power and success of local political action to meet the needs of a community is revealed in the book âRefinery Town:Â Â Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City.â
Written by Steve Early, with a Forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, âRefinery Townâ describes the political change in Richmond, California, that began in 2000. Richmond was a largely working-class city of 110,000 people, with one of the highest per capita homicide rates, and twice the average jobless rate. Early tells the story of the community organizing that successfully raised the minimum wage, challenged evictions and home foreclosures, and sought fair taxation of Big Oil. In this case, the Big Oil is the Chevron Oil Company, which owns and operates a Richmond refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in California.  Steve Early, formerly a community organizer, activist, lawyer, and union representative, and now the author of âRefinery Town,â visited with Radio Curious by phone on February 20, 2017, from his home in Richmond. We began our conversation as he described Richmondâs transformation.
Barry Vogel, attorney and counselor, is the host and creator of Radio Curious. The assistant producer is Angie Voyles Askham.
The power and success of local political action to meet the needs of a community is revealed in the book âRefinery Town:Â Â Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City.â
Written by Steve Early, with a Forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, âRefinery Townâ describes the political change in Richmond, California, that began in 2000. Richmond was a largely working-class city of 110,000 people, with one of the highest per capita homicide rates, and twice the average jobless rate. Early tells the story of the community organizing that successfully raised the minimum wage, challenged evictions and home foreclosures, and sought fair taxation of Big Oil. In this case, the Big Oil is the Chevron Oil Company, which owns and operates a Richmond refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in California.
Steve Early is the author of âRefinery Town:  Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City.â  This book describes the social and political changes in Richmond California, which began 2000.  The books Steve Early recommends are: âDetroit: An American Autopsy,â by Charlie LeDuff; "Teardown: Memoir of A Vanishing City," by Gordon Young; and âHome Town,â by Tracy Kidder. This program was recorded on February 20, 2017
Radio Curious is a half-hour, weekly, long-form interview program, now in its 27th year. We interview people on a curiously wide variety of topics about life and ideas. Our website is www.radiocurious.org. If your station airs Radio Curious please let us know curious@radiocurious.org, we will add you to our list of syndicate stations. We also welcome questions, feedback and program ideas. Radio Curious 280 N. Oak St. Ukiah, Ca 95482. (707) 462-6541.
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