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GOVERNMENT
Bay Point - Concord fire prompts 'leave immediately' evacuation order
CONCORD, Calif. - An immediate evacuation order was issued on Friday afternoon for a fast-moving vegetation fire between the cities of Concord and Bay Point. This is north of State Highway 4 off of Evora Road at Nichols Road. The fire was first reported before 3 p.m. Contra Costa County...
County orders volunteer to stop giving H2O to homeless people
Part one of a two-part series on the Binford Road RV encampment. A street chaplain and a Marin County official have been engaged in a six-week standoff over supplying potable water to homeless people on Binford Road in Novato. Each side seems well-entrenched in its position. Gary Naja-Riese, director of...
News Release: City of San Rafael Responds to Governor Newsom’s Executive Order on Homeless Encampments
City of San Rafael Responds to Governor Newsom’s Executive Order on Homeless Encampments. San Rafael, Calif – The City of San Rafael welcomes Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent Executive Order directing state agencies to urgently address homelessness while respecting the dignity and safety of those affected. The Executive Order highlights the urgent need to address encampments posing health and safety risks, with substantial state investments of over $24 billion in various homelessness programs, including $6 million for the Mahon Creek Area encampment.
City of Martinez Breaks Ground on First Park in 20 Years
On Saturday, the City of Martinez hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its first new park in the city in over 20-years. With bids received and a contract awarded, the groundbreaking occurred on July 20 and Pine Meadow Park is anticipated to be completed by November 2024. The new Pine Meadow Park is located at the site of the former Pine Meadow Golf Course.
Richmond elementary school temporarily closes after "environmental hazards" found
West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Kenneth Hurst announced the temporary closure of Stege Elementary School in a letter to families Tuesday after environmental hazards were found on the campus. “During the summer repair work, we encountered environmental hazards. In response, WCCUSD will relocate the Stege community for the...
Second City takes Berkeley Rep
There’s a none-too-subtle humble-brag in this West Coast show by The Second City. After their first proper sketch, the six cast members address the audience. Not to introduce themselves, mind you, but to boast of the company’s starry alumni: Gilda Radner, Tim Meadows, Chris Farley. It’s to let all assembled know exactly why these unknowns are now gracing the larger stage of one of the most important theaters in the US: We audience members are supposed to see The Next Big Thing.
Berkeley Council Scales Down Major Housing Reform of Single-Family Zoning
After a contentious and, at times, unruly five-hour meeting, the Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night to scale down a proposal to add small apartment buildings in most single-family neighborhoods. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín had called the original Middle Housing proposal “one of the largest residential up-zonings in the state...
Around Berkeley: Vine street block party, music at Strawberry Creek Park, literary trivia
🍷 Sip wines from Vintage Berkeley and shop while listening to live music by Robert Gastelum, The Back Simples Band, Sass Dance Squad and Marina Crouse at the Vine Street Block Party. All ages are welcome. Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Vine Street, between Walnut Street and Shattuck Avenue.
Berkeley artist’s flower photos appear on Postal Service stamps
Editors’ note: This story first appeared in the Marin Independent Journal and is republished with permission. Berkeley resident Harold Davis has put his stamp on, well, stamps — U.S. Postal Service stamps, to be exact. This year, the respected artist, author and educator will have introduced the world...
City Council fails to pass resolution making Dwight Triangle open, public space
At Tuesday’s city council meeting — which ran past 11 p.m. — District 7 Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra’s resolution to approve the peaceful and lawful use of the Dwight Triangle as a public open space failed to pass after extensive discussion. The resolution comes after the closure...
Orinda’s Historic 1841 Adobe House Fills With Laughter Again
When people ask Kent Long, president of the Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe (FJMA), why he has dedicated the last 15 years to reviving a ramshackle, graffiti-emblazoned building, he laughingly replies, “That evil, evil book.”. The book he’s referring to is, in fact, the wonderful “History of Orinda:...
Berkeley residents deserve food without fear
July 10, the city of Berkeley released an audit unveiling that the city’s Environmental Health Division, or Division, failed to inspect 45% of the city’s food facilities in 2023, including 193 restaurants. In addition, within the targeted time frame, the Division only responded to 26% of notices of potential unsafe food practices.
Discussions on proposed ‘middle housing’ zoning measure follow a divided special meeting
Berkeley City Council is currently considering an ordinance that would allow small apartment buildings, known as “middle housing,” to be built in lower-density neighborhoods around Berkeley, spurring what has become a heated debate between both council members and the community. At a special meeting Tuesday, community members were...
Fire Insurance Part 4: No Easy Solutions
So where do we go from here? Is Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara going to pull a rabbit out of a hat this December just like he’s been promising for the last 15 months? And will his much-hyped Sustainable Insurance Strategy really solve all of Orinda’s fire insurance problems?
After lengthy public comment, Berkeley City Council discusses military equipment report, passes resolution to lower voting age
Aside from the noteworthy discourse around the failed Dwight Triangle resolution, Tuesday’s Berkeley City Council meeting also saw the adoption of a resolution lowering the voting age for school board elections and discussions around the 2023 Annual Military Equipment Report. Public comments largely surrounded the war on Gaza, and...
Local with Lisa | 4th of July Parade in Piedmont
Moonlighting as a churro vendor for our city’s iconic event, I met and chatted up all the happy folks along the way. Insights, stories and interviews about homeownership and living in the East Bay. From a Piedmont native, Emmy award-winning television journalist-turned-home matchmaker, part-time radio anchor, UCLA graduate, wife...
Opinion: Demolition ordinance will destabilize the housing market in Berkeley
As a long-time Zoning Adjustments Board Commissioner for the city of Berkeley and a local architect who has designed hundreds of units for the city, I believe the recent passage of the demolition ordinance in its current form will negatively impact housing. First, the intent of the law: Drafted by...
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