East Bay news from Bay Area Brief: local stories summarized with links to the original reporting.
Councilmember Mark Humbert is seeking a second term in southeast Berkeley's District 8 against systems engineer Michael Wallman and former Rent Board member Mari Mendonca. A fourth name, attorney Fred Feller, is still on the Nov. 3 ballot even though he dropped out in August.
Newark voters decide Nov. 3 whether to replace a 56-year-old business license tax with a gross-receipts system. The ballot puts revenue at about $6.6 million a year, small businesses would pay as little as $25, and bigger firms would pay more.
Union City voters decide Nov. 3 whether to keep the city's 5% tax on phone, cable, electricity and gas bills for nine more years. It raises about $7 million a year, the rate would not change, and it needs a simple majority.
Hercules voters decide Nov. 3 whether to add a 1% general sales tax worth about $4 million a year. Here is what a yes or no vote does, what it costs shoppers, and who is for and against it.
A citizen initiative would roll rents back to July 1, 2025 levels for existing tenancies, tighten eviction rules and fund a city program with landlord fees of about $1.08 million to $2.36 million a year. The mayor is urging a no vote.
A yes vote lifts the city rate from 9.5% to 10% for five years, then to 9.75% for five more, raising about $2 million a year at first. Casino revenue is soft, and an older local sales tax is set to shrink in 2027.
Emilson Garcia-Ponce, who was homeless and asleep on the driveway of Richmond Fire Station 67 when a fire truck rolled over him in September 2025, is suing the city and the driver, saying the crew failed to check for obstructions in time. Richmond's lawyers say he wasn't visible and was intoxicated.
Measure O on the Nov. 3 ballot would replace Concord's decades-old tiered business license tax with a uniform 0.1% of gross receipts. The city pegs new revenue at about $2.9 million a year for the general fund. It needs a simple majority.
Measure Q asks Richmond voters on Nov. 3 for up to $120 million in general-obligation bonds to repair or rebuild fire stations, remove mold and asbestos, and harden facilities for disasters. The estimated average tax is about $22.15 per $100,000 of assessed value. It needs two-thirds approval.
David Xu, who pleaded no contest to poisoning coworker Rong Yuan at Berkeley Engineering and Research, finished probation in March and goes to court Monday seeking dismissal of his felony conviction. The DA is objecting, and Yuan has released hidden-camera videos of the case.
Measure X on the Nov. 3 ballot would authorize $165 million in bonds to repair and modernize Liberty, Freedom, Heritage, Independence and La Paloma high schools. The district estimates $20 per $100,000 of assessed value. It needs 55% approval.
Measure K asks Sunol voters on Nov. 3 for up to $6.1 million in school bonds to complete the main building's seismic retrofit and modernize the aging 200 Wing. The estimated average tax is about $34 per $100,000 of assessed value. It needs 55% approval.
Measure FF on the Nov. 3 ballot would make banks and large investors pay Oakland's real estate transfer tax on most foreclosures, with carve-outs for small homes, community banks and housing conversions. The city estimates $4 million to $13 million a year.
A 29-year-old Richmond woman died after being shot about 1:30 a.m. Sunday on the 200 block of 14th Street in downtown Oakland. Police say they arrested another Richmond woman but have not given a motive.
A yes vote raises Berkeley's sales tax from 10.25% to 10.75% with no end date, bringing in an estimated $9 million to $10 million a year for the general fund. City officials say a no vote could mean closing a North Berkeley fire station.
Measure AA would replace Berkeley's 1-cent-per-ounce general soda tax with a 2-cent special tax, raising about $2.2 million a year for school, health and drinking-water programs. The beverage industry opposes it, and a court fight is possible.
After two seasons and more than 219,000 tickets through the gates, the USL club played its last scheduled home match at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, then pointed toward an Alameda stopgap and a longer-shot Howard Terminal plan.
Peralta Hacienda Historical Park opens its permanent "Indigenous Voices" exhibition with a free celebration Saturday, and the Lawrence Hall of Science follows with Ohlone events on Indigenous Peoples' Day.
The council rejected a five-story alternative 7-2, raising the corridor's height cap from three stories, and confirmed Mary Opler to lead the city's police oversight office.
Coast Guard and San Francisco fire crews rescued adults from the 25-foot Trophy after it perched on a break wall near Brickyard Cove; one person was airlifted via helicopter.
Oakland police identified Bryan Walker and Michelle Min, co-owners of Bryn Walker, after a neighbor reported gunshots on Panoramic Way; investigators recovered a firearm and said no suspects are being sought.
A city report says 30% to 40% of Oakland's aging drainage network needs rehab or replacement; officials are floating a Prop. 218 fee while West and East Oakland face the highest flood risk.
Thao, her partner Andre Jones and recycling executives David and Andy Duong face conspiracy and bribery charges over an alleged 2022 campaign quid pro quo; a judge on Thursday denied a last-minute defense bid for the star witness's tax returns.
From Oct. 15–18, the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and partners fill downtown Oakland and West Oakland with exhibits, music, workshops and a free gathering at DeFremery Park — the birthplace city marking six decades since Newton and Seale founded the Party.
A 78-year-old man and 75-year-old woman visiting from Barcelona were seriously injured Wednesday night in a West Berkeley crosswalk; the driver of a dark-colored sedan fled the scene.
The money from this year's state budget splits into $2 million for operations and $3 million for repairs, closing out the first phase of the 76-year-old park's long-term rebuilding plan.
The council voted 5-2 for an Axon drone and camera deal plus Verkada cameras at city sites, but pulled the plate readers out for a later vote. The city's Flock cameras go dark Dec. 31, and police say switching vendors takes about three months.
The Oakland Fire Department christened the Bay Wolf, a 42-foot fireboat based at Jack London Square, on Wednesday. It was paid for with a 2021 federal port security grant and had already helped fight a warehouse fire days before its debut.
An early-morning fire on Central Avenue trapped residents on the third floor, sent two people to the hospital and displaced about a dozen. Police arrested a 52-year-old man who lives at the complex.
Most Oakland Unified buildings have no cooling. The district has put temperature sensors in every classroom at 83 schools and says a public dashboard of the readings is coming this week.
In her second annual address, Lee pointed to public-safety gains and new cleanup spending while city workers protested more than 1,000 unfilled positions.
Officials toured the shuttered Albany-Berkeley racetrack as a $175 million purchase heads toward key votes, with ideas ranging from sports fields and trails to a museum and maybe some housing.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier presented the checks at the Board of Supervisors this week. The awards are part of about $8.3 million in federal earmarks for eight Contra Costa projects, from a Bay Point library to emergency radio generators.
In the city's first district-based election, ballots mailed this week appear to show every council race instead of just each voter's own district, which could touch the contested District 3 seat.
Syrak Micael, endorsed by outgoing Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra, faces medical case manager and People's Park advocate Aidan Hill for District 7 on Nov. 3.
The council votes Oct. 13 on a revised preference policy built to work with the regional Doorway portal. People displaced by BART construction would still rank first.
The council backed the former Air National Guard site at Hayward Executive Airport. Staff trimmed nearly $100 million from a $337 million to $352 million estimate, and consultants pitched a long-term financing partnership.
A 45-day urgency moratorium adopted Sept. 15 runs until about Oct. 30. The council will weigh a 22-month, 15-day extension, the most state law allows.
About 100 Contra Costa residents asked about violations, worker safety and public alerts after years of fires and flaring at the Martinez refinery.
A below-market-rate home at Shea Homes' Abigail Place is open by lottery to first-time buyers in households of four or more. Applications are due Oct. 30.
A federal judge ended the longest-running police monitorship in U.S. history. Civilian oversight bodies now carry the load, and some ask whether they're ready.
West Contra Costa Unified says staff will now stand outside at drop-off and pickup after the Thursday morning arrest in the Iron Triangle.
The city says small shops pay a higher effective rate than big companies today. Opponents call the change a permanent tax hike on low-margin businesses.
Three council members want to bar homeless campsites near preschools and in-home daycares after tents appeared on Camelia Street. The item could reach the council this month.
Measure V would keep WCCUSD's 7.2-cent-per-square-foot parcel tax for nine more years. It needs two-thirds approval, and opponents point to the district's money troubles.
The pool-supply chain shut 76 stores nationwide, including eight in the Bay Area, when it filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 30. Gift cards and loyalty rewards are still being honored.
Darnise Williams, placed on leave by a 4-1 board vote in August, alleges race, gender and age discrimination in a Contra Costa Superior Court suit. Rocha calls it politically motivated.
Two Antioch council seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot as the city works through a projected $15 million deficit, homelessness debates and a push to rebuild economic development.
The city launched a 'Be Ready, Pleasanton' campaign, formalized its first emergency preparedness committee and is stocking free sandbags at its Busch Road yard.
The Nov. 3 measure swaps flat fees and employee counts for gross-receipts rates of $0.30 to $3.75 per $1,000, with a $60 minimum, and is projected to raise about $12 million more a year.
The Measures N and H commission says the district broke the rules by shifting existing salaries onto college-and-career tax money to close a budget gap. OUSD says an outside review found the move allowed.
Faith leaders, union members and students rallied Friday at FedEx's Edes Avenue facility near Oakland's airport, part of a campaign that says the airport has become a pass-through for military cargo.
The City Council voted 7-0 for an urgency measure from Councilmember Carroll Fife, giving the city time to study water, power and air quality impacts as a downtown data center proposal draws scrutiny.
The bond lists new fire stations, a rebuilt community center in San Pablo Park and waterfront sea-level work. It needs a two-thirds vote on Nov. 3.
Councilmember Charlene Wang points to traffic barriers and a buyer-funded survivor fund, while DSA-backed challenger Nate Adams wants a focus on housing, foster youth and long-term prevention.
AB 1837 extends camera enforcement of bus lanes and stops past 2027, while AB 2263 lets Santa Clara VTA set aside affordable homes for its employees.
A judge called the June fire at Berkeley Animal Care Services "extremely dangerous conduct." The shelter is mostly back in operation, but repairs are not finished.
The North Oakland venue, open since 1974, plans to close at the end of October after a two-year fight over its red-tagged patio. Management says it hopes the closure is temporary and has raised more than $90,000 toward permits and repairs.
The Lamorinda and Walnut Creek high school district says its parcel tax money hasn't grown in 16 years. Measure W would raise about $6 million a year for eight years and needs a two-thirds vote on Nov. 3.
Measure EE on the Nov. 3 ballot would make Oakland's mayor the city's chief executive with veto power, while giving the council new oversight tools. Here's what it would change.
Walnut Creek voters will decide whether the person overseeing about $145 million in city funds should be hired by the city manager instead of elected.
The council voted 5-0 to draft limits on civil immigration enforcement on city land, and heard that guaranteed income recipients saved more and borrowed less.
The East Bay Regional Park District broke ground Friday on 7 acres of new parkland at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, set to open in late summer 2027.
More than 300 administrative employees, supervisors and managers in AFSCME Local 3916 approved a 2.5-year deal. The AC Transit board still has to sign off.
Richmond police released video of the Sept. 30 arrest of Joshawn Harris, 29, who is charged in the November 2025 killing of Josue Cornejo and a string of September shootings at cars.
Power went off Friday afternoon around I-580, Patterson Pass Road and Altamont Pass Road, part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff that could reach about 12,200 customers in 17 counties through Monday.
Tesla wants higher limits on toxic metal emissions from two aluminum furnaces at its Fremont factory, within 1,000 feet of a school. Parents say they were barely told and want the comment period reopened.
A federal bankruptcy judge ruled that the Catholic Diocese of Oakland's plan to exit Chapter 11 does not give abuse survivors at least what they would get in a liquidation, sending both sides back to negotiate.
Five candidates on the tenant-backed Right to Housing slate and one independent are running for five seats on Berkeley's Rent Stabilization Board on Nov. 3.
Mark Lewis Hinton, 44, was on parole for an earlier rape when he attacked a woman at a Concord motel and, months later, a woman he was dating.
The state-required logic and accuracy test in Martinez was open to observers, and officials said the scanners matched the expected totals.
Workers lay on the lawn beside paper tombstones Thursday, warning that Hayward's only emergency room could be at risk again. Assemblymember Liz Ortega urged a yes vote on the billionaire tax.
The Bay Area Air District's first Bay REPAIR awards will pay for trees, transit passes, home energy upgrades and asthma programs, with $38.7 million aimed at Richmond and nearby communities.
State layoff notices show Chevron cut 178 San Ramon jobs and Workday is cutting 142 at its Pleasanton headquarters, with many of the losses in senior engineering and management roles.
New renderings show a five-story building at Fifth and Franklin streets, the first piece of a two-block housing plan, with construction expected to start in January 2027.
A judge is letting jurors see a celebration video and hear recorded calls as the former Oakland mayor's federal trial opens Tuesday.
Co-founded by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, Caribou says it couldn't raise money for a Phase 3 trial. Most layoffs will happen by year's end.
A Saturday evening chase ended with a wrong-way crash west of Willow Pass that closed all four eastbound lanes. Both people in the fleeing car ran and were caught.
David Sakurai, 64, was hanging posters when gunmen fired more than 30 rounds inside an East Oakland school complex in 2022. Police are asking anyone who recognizes the suspects to call.
The Justice Department ended its 2025 reform agreement with the Antioch Police Department early, about 21 months in, following the racist text message scandal.
