The Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) is a community/political group in Richmond, western Contra Costa County, California, United States. Its mission is to unite the left regardless of political party and was founded by Gayle McLaughlin and Marilyn Langlois. It supports various community efforts including campaigns to force the local Chevron refinery to pay higher taxes and reduce pollution; opposition to racial profiling; and opposition to urban casino development in Point Molate. It supports candidates for the nonpartisan races in the city. Its members include voters registered in the Democratic, Green, and other parties as well as independents. During the 2000s and 2010s, the alliance altered the balance of power in the city and reduced the representation of Chevron-backed candidates. When interviewed, McLaughlin stated that the RPA was designed as, "an umbrella organization to bring together Greens, progressive Democrats, libertarians, Peace and Freedom Party members and others who are concerned about Richmond community affairs." The RPA is credited with "extracting" 114 million dollars on one occasion and another 90 million on a second occasion to fund social programs. Andrés Soto Andrés Soto) is an environmentalist and activist from Richmond and one of the founders of the organization. He works for Communities for a Better Environment and is a critic of the pollution caused by the Chevron Richmond Refinery. He criticized the notion that the Richmond Refinery brings jobs to Richmond with the statistic that only 5% of its employees are Richmond residents in 2012. He lobbied for Chevron to financially support struggling Doctors Medical Center in 2014 unsuccessfully, citing that it was a backbone for treatment during the refinery's periodic chemical spills. In 2016 he was campaigning for lower refinery emissions. In the year 2018 he opposed the settlement that went on to approve a master planned community at the former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot. Also in that year he opposed the exporting of coal and petcoke to Latin American and Asian markets through the Port of Richmond. In 2019 he supported banning the transport of coal from Utah to the Levin Terminal for export due to off-gassing from coal dust and its potential harm to the community. He also criticized the Richmond City Council of being too close to Big Oil. Furthermore he has stated that there is too much pollution located in toxic pockets of Pittsburg, California which he believes are associated with high levels of asthma an