Three people were arrested at their hearings on Friday while a number of others did not show up, possibly due to major regional BART delays. ICE arrests three at S.F. immigration court, including man trying to self-deport

Controversy brews over Oakland’s police surveillance camera system Reports that Oakland’s security camera vendor may have indirectly fed data to federal agencies, including ICE, have split residents and city officials over the Flock Safety camera system’s future.

Nine domestic workers will take the stage of the Mission Dance Theater on Saturday night to tell immigrant stories through music. Raíces y Voces: domestic workers take the stage on Saturday night to sign immigrant stories

El joven se quedó después de que supuestamente diera un nombre y una fecha de nacimiento falsos a las fuerzas del orden. Joven de 16 años recluido en la cárcel de adultos de S.F. casi 3 semanas

Flock cameras helped police identify suspect Geoffrey Cossen, BPD said.

Contracting with Flock is incredibly risky for the safety and security of Berkeley’s residents and completely goes against its commitments as a sanctuary city.

East Bay restaurant openings heat up in August An anticipated beer garden opening in Alameda, a fresh cocktail bar in Uptown Oakland, and new cafes, sushi spots and more made the unofficial end of summer a flavorful one.

East Bay restaurant openings heat up in August An anticipated beer garden opening in Alameda, a new Pinole sushi spot, and fresh cafes, cocktail bars and more made the unofficial end of summer a flavorful one.

A defendant in custody attempted to flee Friday morning and was detained by deputies who chased him into the San Francisco courthouse hallway. Defendant in custody attempts to flee S.F. courtroom

Neighbors, merchants, and supervisors have nothing but good things to say about them. So why are there only three? S.F. has just 3 ‘public-safety liaisons’ for neighborhood safety. Why?

Tilted Brim clothing store and other figures in San Francisco's Tenderloin community want a different kind of attention on the neighborhood. When the run club comes to the Tenderloin

Richmond Open Studios to showcase 90 local artists The volunteer-led organization Visual Artists of Richmond launched the annual event three years ago with just seven artists. This year's program takes place Sept. 6-7.

Oakland could arrest people for being homeless under councilmember’s proposal  An Oakland councilmember has proposed new encampment rules that would fundamentally alter how the city interacts with people living on the street.

A lawsuit alleges the man "aspired to be a quasi-Mafioso figure."

One Berkeley family may own as many as five vacant properties. Their bill under the city’s new vacancy tax will be more than triple what they paid in property taxes last year.

The trains were down this morning due to computer equipment issues All BART lines now in service after systemwide shutdown

Oakland Museum of California announces free field trips for Oakland public schools Program and transportation costs were frequently cited as the biggest barriers preventing classes from visiting the museum more often, staff said.

UPDATE: BART resumes limited service but not to San Francisco Computer problems delayed the start of train service Friday. Bay Area Rapid Transit is advising people to seek alternatives.

An anticipated beer garden opening in Alameda, a fresh cocktail bar in Uptown Oakland, and new cafes, sushi spots and more made the unofficial end of summer a flavorful one.

East Bay BART service was restored at 9:30 a.m. and full service was restored at 11:45.

Computer problems prevented the start of train service Friday. The system was finally back up and running after six hours.

Entire BART system was out of service for 6 hours Computer problems prevented the start of train service Friday. The system was finally back up and running after six hours.

BART blamed the shutdown on a computer equipment problem.

Barbara Lee’s first 100 days as Oakland mayor: on the podcast Plus: Temescal homeless housing, Sun Moon gets a Michelin star, and Oakland's fire chief on the latest Oaklandside 510.

At 11th and Harrison Streets. Photo by Tyler Pullen. Put a cone in it

The Bay Area hiking group, co-founded by environmentalist and photographer Bob Walker, faced fierce headwinds at its inception.

Where to see live music and more in Richmond, Sept. 5-11 Check out our roundup of live music and more events happening in the Richmond area through Sept. 11.

A generous advocate of social justice causes, she taught yoga, painted and loved literature, opera and bargain shopping with friends.

"She was just kind of an oddball."

Less than two weeks to the recall election in San Francisco, over 10,000 voters in the Sunset has already cast their ballot. How door-knocking is shaping Joel Engardio’s fate

The identity of both the victim and suspects from Tuesday’s homicide has been identified by local authorities. The Alameda County Coroner’s office has identified the victim as 43-year-old Robert William Abeyta Jr. whose last known address was on 59th street in Oakland. The two suspects have been identified by the Emeryville Police Department as 52-year-old Armand Watson of Oakland and 51-year-old Isaac Landry of Rodeo. Both are being detained at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin pending pretrial. Additi [more]

ICE arrested five people Thursday in San Francisco immigration court, despite a federal judge blocking last week the administration’s use of a policy related to these arrests. ICE arrests five asylum-seekers in S.F., despite judge blocking Trump deportation policy

Richmond storage space not just for ‘stuff.’ It’s a haven for arts, crafts, cooking BridgeSpace still rents storage units but since 2011 is has provided workspaces for artists, woodworkers and culinary operations.

Also: A six-story, 154-bed student apartment building has been pitched in the Southside neighborhood and Cal's firebombing suspect is on a hunger strike.

Oakland had a plan to regulate Airbnbs and Vrbos. Why has it taken 9 years? Conversations have picked back up this year, with Airbnb lobbyists meeting with councilmembers and sharing their preferred rules for short-term rentals.

The CSU professor was detained while protesting during a Camarillo farm ICE raid.

Employees at a major health care company were fired after a video sparked criticism.

This fire season, Oakland Fire says it’s fully staffed for the first time in 20 years OFD saw the reopening of three fire stations this year and the launch of a special tax to fund vegetation management.

San Francisco police were involved in a shooting with an unknown man at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Highway 101, sources say. S.F. police shoot man who’d purportedly been walking on Highway 101

Previous legislation prevented police officers to enforce street vending, similar legislation failed to pass last year. California legislators give S.F. police power to enforce street vending

The mother-daughter owned restaurant first opened on Solano Avenue in 2006.

After nearly 20 years in business, Vanessa’s Bistro to close at the end of the year The mother-daughter owned restaurant first opened on Solano Avenue in 2006.

After nearly 20 years in business, Vanessa’s Bistro to close at the end of the year The mother-daughter owned restaurant first opened on Solano Avenue in 2006.

City and university police have investigated nine instances of gunfire this year, one with injuries. It’s about half as many as from this time in 2024.

A 16-year-old was incarcerated in SF County Jail for almost three weeks after he allegedly gave a false name and birthday to law enforcement. 16-year-old boy held in S.F. adult jail for almost 3 weeks

The cat ate a brand of raw pet food that was contaminated with the virus.

Remembering Malik Cross, Scraper Bike team member, youth mentor, and father From a young age, Cross put his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to use to support his large Oakland community.

Newly released data show who will have to pay the city’s tax on vacant apartments and houses. Is the tax pushing homes back on the market?

Spurned by the WNBA, Oaklanders have embraced the Valkyries anyway The Valks just became the first WNBA expansion team to clinch a spot in the playoffs in their inaugural year. And while the team may not be in Oakland, fans have made sure there's a lot of Oakland in the Valks.

Shotgun Players presents the world premiere from Bay Area playwright Christopher Chen.

Wildfire season has gotten more severe. Civicorps hopes its wildfire mitigation program will help build a pipeline for local youth.

Other events include a free concert by saxophonist Michael Marcus and the opening of ACCI Gallery's show "Transmissions."

Hilltop Plaza discussion and 9 more things to do in Richmond Things to do in Richmond this week include an Open Studios tour with more artists than ever, a new Masquers play and an operatic jam session.

At Mission Bar. Photo by Angel Mayorga. El candelabro

"Your emergency housing stay is over."

Brand new benches and planters are being removed on Taylor after less than a year. It’s not the first time. ‘We can’t have nice things:’ S.F. keeps adding public spaces in the Tenderloin, then axing them

The investigation remained underway as of publication time. One person had just been arrested.

Experts acknowledge ‘blind spots’ but defend dignified and evidence-based means of addiction treatment and prevention ‘Harm reduction is not causing people to use drugs,’ UCSF docs affirm

Judge Shira M. Levine is the sixth in a long list of immigration court judges that have been terminated by the Department of Justice. Trump admin. fires sixth S.F. immigration court judge

San Francisco police raided what appear to be two illegal gambling establishments at 16th and Mission S.F. police, state agents raid gambling dens at 16th and Mission

Q&A: How Oakland schools educate youth about the dangers of human trafficking Oakland is an epicenter of sex and labor exploitation. OUSD schools teach students to trust their guts when something doesn’t feel right.

A UCSF infectious disease expert called the disease "dangerous."

Oakland Pride is coming. Here are the changes you need to know The festival will take place at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Some of the performers include dance music artists Martha Wash, CeCe Peniston, and rapper Kamaiyah.

Remembering Lujuana Rae Wolfe Treadwell, gramma, artist, and attorney who changed child care law Treadwell loved raising her large family in Oakland.

KADIST will be closing its San Francisco outpost to continue shifting their focus to more international collaborations. KADIST, Mission District art gallery, closing after 14 years

OPD’s decision to encrypt its radio feed takes away a crucial reporting tool We’re letting the public know that losing access to Oakland's police scanner makes it harder to report on shootings, chases, protests, fires, and other breaking news.

Chinese Camp dates back to 1849, when Chinese immigrants arrived to mine for gold.

The man had been stranded without any gear for two days in the mountains.

"We had no money in the place," said Greg Poulios, owner of Creekwood Restaurant in South Berkeley. "We don't keep it here."

Firefighters are installing sprinklers to save sequoias as the Garnet Fire advances.

The gallery collective celebrated its grand opening with a DJ, free mocktails, and colorful artwork on August 28. Pop-up arts collective finds new home at former Lucca Ravioli site

At 20th and Mission Streets. Photo by David Chalk. Mouth hole

A "predatory" tow truck company accused of arson, fraud, and illegal towing in San Francisco may be at it again. Facing 20 years on fraud, arson charges, and still allegedly towing cars

What feels safer, BART or bus? Explore a new trove of Bay Area transit survey data A recent survey of Bay Area transit riders shows major income disparities between train, bus, and ferry riders. It also shows that people feel twice as safe on buses as BARTs.

Supervisors joined labor and immigrants to condemn ending Temporary Protected Status for over 60,000 Hondurans, Nicaraguans, and Nepalis. As end to immigrant protection looms, San Francisco supervisors protest

The project, which was to be named after prominent leather and LGBTQ figure Rachele Sullivan, fell short on funding. An S.F. park has been in the works since 2012. It was just halted.

This week in Oakland: the Black Liberation Walking Tour, and a ‘Cheeky Thursdays’ community meetup Other events include the Oakland Magic Circle’s 100th anniversary show and the Mexico vs. Japan soccer matchup at the Coliseum.

Forbes released its annual college rankings, highlighting several California schools.

How Richmond works: Your guide to local government and city operations We've created a guide to help local residents get answers to their questions about the city, WCCUSD and Contra Costa County.

A ‘Shark Tank’ success story comes to the East Bay, plus new Peruvian and sushi spots A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

The FAA's website shows that the private plane is registered under a trust.

The Alameda County sheriff's office said its Civil Unit tried to perform the same eviction in mid-August but met with resistance.

A ‘Shark Tank’ success story comes to the East Bay, plus new Peruvian and sushi spots A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

Rainbow Sierrans, the Sierra Club’s first LGBTQ hiking group, on 40 years of trekking together The Bay Area hiking group, co-founded by environmentalist and photographer Bob Walker, faced fierce headwinds at its inception.

Emeryville suffered its first homicide in two years last night. The violent evening also saw an apparently unrelated attempted homicide. Emeryville police officers were dispatched to the area near 3800 San Pablo Avenue at 1:12 a.m. responding to reports of gunshots. Officers arrived on the scene and located evidence of a shooting including a male victim. “Police responded to reports of multiple gunshots and a man in a red shirt found unconscious and not breathing,” according to a report on newsb [more]

Diego Rivera's hypnotic “Tehuantepec Costume" painting will soon be on the move — most likely in December, when it heads to Houston. Diego Rivera’s ‘Mexican Mona Lisa’ hangs in an S.F. home. But not for long.

Before the shooting, Ricardo Ruiz had already made headlines, prompted by sometimes violent confrontations at Berkeley protests.

Lucha por los Trabajadores: From Puerto Cortes to Richmond In a first-person essay, a sociologist originally from Honduras reflects on attending a Richmond Labor Day Billionaires rally.

Oakland gets $12M to pay people on parole to clean highways The Golden State Works Program provides transitional employment for the formerly incarcerated.

At 23rd and Shotwell Streets. Photo by Scott J. Forman. Temporary agave height variance

There have been just six other quakes in or near Berkeley since Jan. 1, 2023, according to USGS data.

How 1970s stars and a $10,000 skull chalice shaped a man's lost legacy.

San Francisco's southern neighborhood is known for being small and steady. Now, some people want a change of pace.  The Excelsior: Resisting change, or ready for a new business model?

Participants at the march talked about general fear of the country’s direction, the plight of immigrants and the feeling of living in troubled times.  Hundreds march in S.F. Labor Day rally to protest ‘billionaire takeover’

The case made headlines in 2006 when a trip to a Hollywood Video turned deadly.

Lake Merritt today has two halves, the lake itself and the channel connecting it to the Bay. Both halves are totally rebuilt, artificial landscapes. The fault line between them is the 12th Street bridge. The lake is mostly artificial water, and the channel is mostly artificial land. They’re also very different as artificial public spaces. […]

At 18th and Dearborn Streets. Photo by Aífe Murray. Shrouds

San Francisco's Democratic Party has worked diligently to even further diminish its influence and dilute its brand S.F. Democratic Party: We believe in nothing

What's showing at San Francisco's museums in September. New shows at all around town. What’s on now at San Francisco museums, September 2025

"He loved walking," his oldest son, Nhan Nguyen Le, said Sunday afternoon. "It's so sad that was what took his life."

The Emeryville Planning Commission convened on Thursday, August 28 with three public hearings scheduled. The Commission had not met since May after seeing both the June and July meetings canceled. These hearings included the consideration of an extension of the stalled Bay Center Life Science project, the review of a new sign package for the Tokyo Central grocery store, and recommend adoption of the city’s updated hazard mitigation plan. The full agenda can be viewed on the city’s website. Commi [more]

In one of the incidents, authorities say Elijah Simpson and another man chased down a UC Berkeley swim coach and stole two backpacks from her.

DA Diana Becton recall campaign says it’s short of signatures and must start over A special election this fall would have cost Contra Costa County an estimated $8 million. The campaigners plan to try again for the June 2026 election.

$10M parcel tax for schools likely to appear on a 2026 ballot WCCUSD is considering the best time to ask west Contra Costa voters to renew a school parcel tax that funds programs such as athletics, libraries and counselors.

Where to see live music and more in Richmond, Aug. 29-Sept. 4 Check out our roundup of live music and karoake events happening in the Richmond area through Sept. 4.

The incident began at about 1:20 p.m. when a caller reported a cyclist on the ground, possibly unconscious.

"All students and staff are safe and all BUSD schools and programs are open and continue to operate," the principal wrote.

Richmond High student arrested after shots fired near San Pablo elementary school The elementary school campus was locked down for most of the day but police say this was an isolated incident.

Labor Day ‘Billionaires’ protest and 6 more things to do in Richmond Richmond events this week include a "tag" artist exhibit, a dog pack walk and a Bay Area Girls Club food tasting fundraiser.

A law enforcement helicopter took part in the response, sparking greater community interest.

Witnesses said the woman got out of her car and began walking away after driving into the water in Berkeley.

The legendary Peet’s Coffee brand is switching corporate hands (again). Keurig Dr Pepper announced on Monday it is buying Peet’s current parent company JDE Peet’s for about $18 billion and then splitting into two new public companies. This new entity, dubbed “Global Coffee Co.,” will control more than 50 coffee brands including Green Mountain, Stumptown & Caribou Coffee. They will be headquartered in Burlington, MA. While it’s important to note that the company has not publicly roadmapped this t [more]

Richmond Eats opens brick-and-mortar location, plus new all-you-can-eat sushi spot lands in Pinole A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

Photos: Cheers! Community celebrates Richmondside’s 1st anniversary A mix of local and county officials joined Richmondside staff, readers and members for a casual night of food, drinks and community building.

It’s official: Point Molate preserved as public parkland The East Bay Regional Park District announced Tuesday that a long-awaited final land acquisition was completed.

"I don't think anyone expected it would be fatal," a neighbor told The Scanner. The coroner's office identified the deceased man as Dinh Le.

‘The time of need is now:’ Rally at Rosie park denounces Trump attacks Community leaders gather in Richmond on the 109th birthday of the National Park Service to emphasize the need to safeguard the country’s stories.

WCCUSD teachers could authorize strike this fall, union says West Contra Costa teachers union declares “impasse” over issues including salary, workload and class sizes.

Crime reports in Emeryville continued their downward trajectory in the second quarter of 2025 according to data provided by the Emeryville Police Department. Crime reports are down 21% through the first half of 2025 and trending downward in more than half of the 13 categories that the EPD tracks. After a post-pandemic peak in 2023, crimes reported began rapidly receding in 2024. July of 2023 saw a high of 235 combined violent and property crimes reported. In contrast, 2025 is seeing an average o [more]

In this edition of our Semi-Monthly newswire, we share five stories relevant to Emeryville that you may have missed, including: Looming Sutter Health Emeryville Hospital Battle Previewed in Interview with Labor Leader As soon as Sutter Health unveiled plans for a proposed $1 billion, 200-bed hospital in Emeryville, it’s likely that opposition immediately began organizing to influence, extract concessions from or even outright oppose the project. The project is intended to replace Berkeley’s Alta [more]

The Carrington Steps, built in 1924 This ramble — a walk from one place to another with public transit at each end — goes through three stream valleys in the belt of ancient gravel foothills I call the Fan. The ramble is all about landforms, no bedrock (although there are stones). It’s also full of […]

Former two-term councilmember, 3-time appointed Mayor John Bauters’ tenure on the Fox reality show ‘The Snake’ came to an end last Tuesday. Five weeks after bursting out of a wood crate, he was ungraciously packed back into that same crate and sent home. “Send him back to City Hall,” host Jim Jeffries declared. Bauters seemed poised to make a run at winning the competition and the $100K that came with it but quickly riled the other players in a similar manner with many who have dealt with him at [more]

Some retail and service business updates in and around Emeryville since our last report back in June. In this span, we’ve seen two new business announcements, the relocation of another and one closure. COMING SOON: Face Foundrié Face Foundrié has announced the opening of a location at 5655 Bay Street (former White House Black Market). Face Foundrié is a beauty brand founded in Minnesota in 2019 and currently operate over 50 franchises across the U.S. Their menu features a variety of facial servi [more]

Emeryville made recent headlines for something we’ve been sounding the alarms on for over a decade. A whopping 70% of Emeryville residents now rent their homes. Another way to frame it is that Emeryville’s for-sale housing stock has plummeted below 30%. A new study from real estate listing portal Point2Homes shows that suburban communities are increasingly becoming renter majority. Their data shows Emeryville leading all suburban cities in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metropolitan area by a [more]

In this edition of our Semi-Monthly newsletter, we share five stories relevant to Emeryville that you may have missed, including: Chiron Co-Founder Passes at 97 Pioneering Biochemist Dr. William J. Rutter died on July 11 at his home in San Francisco. He was 97. Rutter and two University of California colleagues founded the Chiron Corporation in 1981 helping establish Emeryville as an epicenter for Life Sciences in the East Bay and beyond. Chiron specialized in recombinant DNA technology, also kn [more]

Since 2018, Liam O’Donoghue, host of the East Bay Yesterday podcast, has been leading boat tours of the San Francisco Bay aboard the Pacific Pearl. While cruising along the shoreline, Liam narrates true stories related to the cultural and environmental history of various waterfront sites. Tickets are available through the Fish Emeryville website. If tickets … Continued The post Boat Tour FAQ appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

FROM THE OAKLANDISH BLOG… Order: East Bay Yesterday “Flying Key” t-shirt / East Bay Yesterday “Flying Key” hat  We’re excited to announce another collaboration with East Bay Yesterday, a local history podcast and KPFA radio show based in Oakland. The podcast delves into Oakland’s past, aiming to learn from it and shape a better future. Liam … Continued The post Limited edition East Bay Yesterday shirts and hats now available appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS Ever since I started hosting tours of the San Francisco Bay aboard the Pacific Pearl four years ago, the route has remained the same. After leaving the Emeryville Marina, we cruise up to the Berkeley pier, followed by Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island and then the Port of Oakland. We … Continued The post Summer 2023 Boat Tours appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS [UPDATE: Here is a link to news about my 2023 tours. Sign up here to get my monthly newsletter, where I announce new tour dates, share local history news and promote upcoming events. ] Ahoy! I’ve been leading historical boat tours of the Bay for the past four years and … Continued The post Summer 2022 Boat Tours are Here! appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

UPDATE: Dates are now posted for boat tours through May 2023. Click here to purchase. You have two routes to choose from: the Oakland tour (which also includes brief swings through Berkeley and Yerba Buena Island) or the Richmond tour. Both of the family-friendly trips last about three hours and feature stories about everything from … Continued The post Boat tours are back! appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

Note: This update was originally published via the East Bay Yesterday newsletter. I send about one email per month and it typically includes short essays, round-ups of local history news, links to upcoming events, and archival photos. The image above is from a postcard collection I was recently given that I plan to write more … Continued The post How the tech boom inspired East Bay Yesterday appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

This is my first time posting a recipe on East Bay Yesterday, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading food blogs, it’s that you always have to bury the recipe way down at the bottom, after a lengthy preamble. So if you’re just here for the turkey instructions, feel free to start scrolling. … Continued The post Have a West Oakland-inspired Thanksgiving with this vintage recipe appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

By Liam O’Donoghue For the past week or so, it’s been hard to resist checking news constantly. From the minute I wake up, I crave the absolute latest updates: How fast is Coronavirus spreading? What’s happening to people who caught it? How long will this quarantine last? Sure, things are changing quickly and it’s important … Continued The post Quarantine reading list: Now is the perfect time to revisit the past appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

A friend sent me a message this morning that made my stomach drop: “Thought of you the other day, the wind apparently blew down the Terry’s TV sign at RCA.” I immediately texted back: “NOOOOO!” Even before seeing the shattered plastic shards all over the trash-strewn sidewalk, I knew it was true. Just last week, … Continued The post A shattering loss appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.

I’m the type of person who keeps their forehead glued to airplane windows during takeoffs and landings. I love the conflicting feelings that seeing the world from several thousand feet up elicit. On one hand, capturing an entire city with a single glance feels almost god-like. On the other, knowing that my home is just … Continued The post Up in the clouds, back in time appeared first on East Bay Yesterday.