Richmond, Virginia

Virginia voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide three constitutional amendments — on reproductive rights, marriage equality, and automatic restoration of voting rights for felons after sentence completion — alongside federal races. Sen. Mark Warner seeks a fourth term against Bert Mizusawa, while competitive U.S. House contests play out in the 1st (Wittman vs. Taylor), 4th (McClellan vs. Murray and Bell), and 5th (McGuire vs. Perriello and Harvey) districts. Richmond and Chesterfield voters will also weigh a 1% sales tax increase to fund school construction, alongside 45 other Virginia localities, plus local School Board and Board of Supervisors races. Early voting runs through Oct. 31.

Richmond, Virginia officials have launched the Faith & Housing Initiative, a two-year program partnering with local faith-based organizations to convert underutilized church and congregation-owned properties into affordable housing. The city is working with national nonprofit Sympara, which has already begun early parcel mapping and outreach to faith leaders.

Starting Oct. 20, interested congregations can apply for a 12-month "Faith & Housing Cohort," limited to 12 congregations, that will guide participants through planning and preparing for multiyear housing developments. Applications close Nov. 30, with informational sessions planned for early November. Mayor Danny Avula framed the effort as a creative response to the city's housing affordability crisis. The cohort is set to begin meeting in 2027.

Richmond's City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to approve Mayor Danny Avula's ordinance 2026-081, updating how the city publishes its payment register after years of noncompliance with a 2015 transparency law. The issue surfaced in March when councilwoman Kenya Gibson revealed the city had not published the registry in years, prompting threats of legal action.

Under Avula's plan, introduced in June after the release of 2025 spending data covering nearly 232,000 transactions totaling about $2.9 billion, new registries will list the department, recipient, and amount for each payment. Roughly 35% of the 2025 transactions, representing $50 million in spending, had vendor names redacted. Payments to individuals, such as tax refunds or social services aid, will continue to be excluded to protect personal information.

Gibson and councilwoman Sarah Abubaker voted against the measure, arguing it creates loopholes allowing payments to be condensed or redacted without public oversight. City administrative officer Odie Donald II said officials believe they have "got it right." The city must implement the new rules within 90 days.

Richmond's City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to revive and revise a 2015 transparency law requiring the city to publish its spending records online, a practice it stopped regularly following in 2019 due to staffing demands and legal concerns. The updated tracker will show who the city pays, how much, and when, but will exclude detailed purchase descriptions and payments related to lawsuit settlements and legal claims. The city must publish each month's records within 60 days.

Mayor Danny Avula proposed the changes in April to ease the administrative burden of reviewing records while restoring regular public access. City officials said compiling roughly 232,000 spending records from fiscal 2025 took 1,000 staff hours, even though only 1.2% required redactions. Councilwoman Kenya Gibson opposed the ordinance, arguing it opens loopholes in public disclosure; her proposal to investigate why publication lapsed was rejected. Richmond expects to release fiscal year 2026 records by December 27 and restore monthly data dating back to July by year's end.

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula announced that the city will not renew its contract with Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras when it expires next June. The decision follows Henrico County's move days earlier to terminate its own Flock contract immediately. Avula said in an Instagram post that Henrico's decision "clarifies the picture," arguing Flock cameras become less useful as a regional tool when a neighboring jurisdiction drops out, since "crime doesn't stop and start at the city-county line."

Richmond currently has 99 Flock cameras installed citywide. City officials and Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards had previously described the cameras as a "vital" and "instrumental" tool for investigations and public safety. Some residents questioned why it took Henrico's announcement to prompt action, noting concerns had been raised repeatedly at town hall meetings and city council sessions. Others emphasized broader opposition to surveillance technology generally, not just Flock, and expressed concern the city might adopt a similar system to replace it. City leaders have not detailed plans for alternative technology.

Richmond cyclist Pat McAleer returned to Central Virginia this week as he nears the end of a 5,000-mile cross-country bike ride benefiting Breakthrough T1D, an organization dedicated to supporting type 1 diabetes families and advancing prevention and treatment research. McAleer rode into Innsbrook in Henrico County's West End on Thursday, Oct. 8, where he was greeted by friends and coworkers after traveling from Washington State back to Virginia.

McAleer's journey, known as the Ride Pat Ride campaign, is personal: his daughter, Mary Kate, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. He says the most meaningful part of the trip has been meeting people along the way and dedicating individual rides to those affected by the disease. McAleer plans to complete his cross-country ride this Sunday at The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. The campaign is closing in on its $250,000 fundraising goal.