Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City

When veteran labour reporter Steve Early moved to Richmond, California--a largely non-white and working class city of 100,000 people experiencing the bi-products of decades worth of deindustrialization and poverty, and run by town officials bankrolled by oil giant Chevron--he was surprised to discover a new kind of labor movement brewing. By harnessing the power of local politics and community organizing, Richmond citizens raised the minimum wage, defeated a casino development project, and sued Big Oil for damages. Featuring a dynamic cast of characters--from nonagenarian Betty Reid Soskin, the country's oldest full-time national-park ranger; to Gayle McLaughlin, the Green mayor who challenged Chevron and won; to police chief Chris Magnus, who brought "community policing" to the city. A powerful role model for how local governance can serve as an essential engine of change in a time when the role of the federal government is mired in tumult and uncertainty, the story of Richmond and its citizens is as engaging as it is a roadmap for a much needed shift in power.