Benicia
GOVERNMENT
Warning re: Benicia’s “Rose Estates” proposal for Seeno property
BenIndy – The breaking news story below highlights yet another ominous reminder for Benicia City staff and electeds to be extremely wary of any Seeno proposal to develop here. Which is to say, the “Rose Estates” proposal, which is currently under review. For more info on the “Rose Estates” proposal see the City’s brief description and map (at right) or dive in deep on the City of Benicia website, either the current proposal page or the long listing of individual documents.
Kamala Harris' Bay Area roots in focus after receiving Biden's endorsement
On Sunday, the news broke that President Joe Biden was ending his campaign and also endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee. The news is once again putting Harris' story and her roots in the Bay Area in focus. As national attention is drawn toward Harris'...
Wood Street closure signals big changes to Oakland homeless policies
“All persons must immediately vacate the work zone,” a police officer announced through a loudspeaker Monday morning. “Any person who refuses to comply for any reason will be subject to arrest.”. The zone in question was on Wood Street, between 26th Street and West Grand Avenue, in West...
Contra Costa Fire to Honor Firefighters Who Made Ultimate Sacrifice
Contra Costa Fire leaders, employees, and family members will gather to pay tribute to Captain Matt Burton and Engineer Scott Desmond, fallen firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on this date in 2007. This service will take place on the 17th year anniversary of the tragic deaths of Captain Burton...
Can chess games and toilet paper change prison culture? Inside San Quentin’s big experiment
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — To someone living outside these dank walls, the changes might seem small. A sergeant greets a prisoner with “good morning” rather than barking an order. Guards start calling the prisoners “residents.” They shake hands, exchange jokes. The toilet paper locker gets...
Double whammy of heat, smoke hit Sonoma and Napa counties
A double whammy of smoke from fires in Northern California — though not in the immediate area — and high temperatures is hitting Sonoma and Napa counties, leading to an air quality advisory and a heat advisory for both on Friday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory for the Bay Area, especially at higher elevations, and for the North Bay. Residents may ...
Therriault Appointed to California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
Benjamin Therriault, of the City of Martinez, has been appointed to the California Commission of Peace Officer standards and Training by Governor Gavin Newsom. Benjamin Therriault, of Martinez, has been appointed to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Therriault has been a Police Sergeant at the Richmond Police Department since 2023, where he was a Police Officer from 2009 to 2023. He served as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force from 2001 to 2007. Therriault is President of the Richmond Police Officers Association, Vice President of the Peace Officers Research Association of California and a member of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Martinez Civil Service Commission, Martinez Refinery Oversight Commission, Contra Costa 100 Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Center for Youth Development through Law Board of Directors and the Richmond Police Activities League Board of Directors. Therriault earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the University of San Francisco. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Therriault is a Democrat.
Global web outage hasn’t impacted Berkeley 911, city says
A planned update to the widely used cybersecurity app Crowdstrike went haywire last night, causing a global wave of computer system outages affecting airports, hospitals, cities and counties, and even some emergency first responder systems. The problem has also hit city of Berkeley computers. However, Berkeley Fire spokesperson Dafina Dailey...
Gov. Newsom, Other California Leaders, Pay Tribute to Baseball Great Willie Mays
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom, several California government officials, private sector leaders and Americans from all walks of life paid tribute to former San Francisco Giant, Major League Baseball (MLB) great, and Negro Leagues icon Willie Mays, who passed away at 93 on June 18. Nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid,”...
‘Kilroy Was Here’ — Have you seen him?
The photo above and much of the information below was posted on the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park Facebook page. The park is in Richmond, California. It’s about the graphic and slogan “Kilroy Was Here” that was famous during World War II. (In today’s terminology you...
Berkeley’s heyday as a movie town
Since March 2020, three of Berkeley’s downtown commercial movie theaters have closed — first the California Theatre, then Shattuck Cinemas and finally the Regal UA in February 2023 — due to dwindling ticket sales, the whammy of the pandemic and the rise in online streaming services. Berkeley...
Oakland Post: Week of July 17 -23, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window. Community Celebrates Historic Oakland Billboard Agreements — We, the Oakland Billboard Economic Development Coalition, which includes Oakland’s six leading community health clinics, all ethnic chambers of commerce, and top community-based economic development organizations – celebrate the historic billboard agreements approved last year by the Oakland City Council. We have fought for this opportunity against the billboard monopoly, against Clear Channel, for five years. The agreements approved by Council set the bar for community benefits – nearly $70 Million over their lifetime, more than 23 times the total paid by all previous Clear Channel relocation agreements in Oakland combined.
The Bay Area Is Still Haunted By Empty Downtown Offices
Empty offices haunt the downtown districts of the Bay Area’s three largest cities, a new report shows, an indicator that companies and workers still shun the cores of this region’s urban centers. During the April-through-June second quarter of 2024, office buildings were about one-third vacant in downtown San...
Campus researchers investigate climate change’s effect on California’s insurance market
A team of UC Berkeley researchers published a study regarding how climate change has affected property insurance and pricing in disaster-prone areas. The paper specifically examines the California property insurance market, emphasizing how limited information significantly contributes to high prices and reduced participation, particularly with risks associated with climate change, said co-author of the study Meredith Fowlie.
Berkeley to host pair of disaster readiness workshops
The city has hosted one workshop, and is scheduled to host a second Saturday, on natural hazards and disasters that pose danger to Berkeley, part of a regular update to the city’s emergency protocols. The July 20 meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Community Room of the...
Former Councilmember Max Anderson championed South Berkeley, racial equity
Max Anderson, a Berkeley councilmember for 12 years and lifelong civil rights activist, died of natural causes on July 5 in his South Berkeley home. He was 79. Born in Decatur, Illinois, on Dec. 12, 1944, Anderson’s life spanned a wide range of careers and foundational experiences before he arrived in Berkeley with his wife, Linda Olivenbaum, and daughter, Marisha, in the summer of 1985.
Sale of downtown Napa land for hotel, condo project gets City Council OK
A development to include a 165-room hotel, 77 market-rate condos and roughly 15,000 square feet of retail space is moving forward in downtown Napa. The Napa City Council this week unanimously authorized the sale of a parking lot and public plaza to be used as space for the development, which will stretch from First to Pearl streets and replace current businesses, including Kohl’s. The sale ...
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