UC Berkeley Engineers Show Hula Hooping Relies on Full Lower Body
A new study in Nonlinear Dynamics by UC Berkeley mechanical engineering researchers Oliver O’Reilly, Chrystal Chern, and Theresa…
2 min read
Civic life
Local reporting. The people, places and decisions behind the headlines.
Search and community filters apply to these 50 stories in this part of the archive. Continue to earlier reporting below.
Civic life
Martinez Announces Marina Closures for King Tides Through January
The City of Martinez has announced temporary daytime closures at the Martinez Marina and Waterfront Park for five extreme high tide…
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Hops & Scotch Closes at Avalon as Lesher Center Unveils Holiday Lineup
Hops & Scotch Taproom & Whiskey Bar has closed after more than eight years at Avalon Walnut Creek on Treat Boulevard, even as…
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Realtors and Labor Unions Pour Nearly $100K Into Mountain View Race
Campaign finance filings show the National Association of Realtors has spent $38,922.08 each in independent expenditures supporting…
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Santa Clara County Rejects DOJ Demand to Verify 902 Voter Ballots
Santa Clara County Executive James Williams sent a letter to the U.S.
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Bipartisan House Pledge Urges Lawmakers to Seat Midterm Winners
Among the eight Republicans and one Republican-caucusing independent in California’s U.S.
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Report Urges Direct Intervention Powers for New K-12 Commissioner
A new report published through the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence by researchers Heather Hough and Jason Willis…
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California Prepares K-12 Overhaul Under New Education Commissioner
Under Assembly Bill 181—proposed by Gov.
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Sonoma County Drone Settlement Sets Warrant Rules After ACLU Suit
Sonoma County’s recent settlement of a 2025 ACLU of Northern California lawsuit over hundreds of warrantless code-enforcement drone…
2 min read
Delta View Golf Course Data Center Expansion Paused 45 Days
Pittsburg residents protesting the Avaio data center project at the former Delta View Golf Course urged the City Council to…
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Pittsburg Council Votes Unanimously for 45-Day Data Center Pause
Following a heated public hearing and demonstrations outside City Hall, the Pittsburg City Council voted unanimously to impose an…
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Federal Jury Convicts SF Man in $370K Carjacking; Morgan Hill Approves 105 Homes
A federal jury in San Francisco convicted 32-year-old Cankun He of conspiracy to commit an armed carjacking targeting a cannabis…
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San Jose Votes on Plaza del Pueblo Name as Bollinger Safeway Closes
The San Jose City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation to rename downtown’s Plaza…
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Fund Misuse Audits Center Stage in Santa Clara Board of Education Race
Incumbent Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Raeena Lari faces challenger Karla Dominguez Vega in the county’s sole…
3 min read
CSU Faculty Union Opens Strike Authorization Vote Through Nov. 19
The California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 professors and university employees across the California State University…
2 min read
Experts Warn of AI Disinformation Targeting Immigrant Voters
As the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, researchers from the National Conference on Citizenship, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and…
3 min read
UC Berkeley Joins California-Israel Natural Science Grant Program
UC Berkeley has partnered with nonprofit California-Israel Collaborations in Research, funded by the Koum Family Foundation and the…
2 min read
California Orders Lenders to Explain Wildfire Claim Payout Delays
California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation have ordered…
1 min read
Outside PACs Spend Record $6M+ in California Insurance Chief Race
Independent expenditure committees have spent a record $6 million-plus in the Nov. 3 race for California insurance commissioner…
2 min read
9th Circuit Questions DOJ Demand to Set Aside 20,000 Mail Ballots
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S.
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FBI Agent Returns to Stand in Sheng Thao Trial Week Three
The federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong enters its third week in…
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Over 400 Cars Drop Off 30 Tons of Trash at Oakland Bulky Block Party
More than 400 cars carrying 385 Oakland residents lined up along Edgewater Drive in East Oakland on Saturday to dispose of more than…
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DeSaulnier Objects to DOJ Demand Over 400 Contra Costa Ballots
U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Walnut Creek) objected to U.S.
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Contra Costa and Four Bay Area Counties Vote Nov. 3 on $980M Annual Regional Transit Tax
On Nov. 3, voters across Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties will decide on the Regional Transit…
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Berkeley Voters Weigh Measure Z Parcel Tax to Establish Municipal Public Bank
Voters in Berkeley are deciding on Measure Z, a November ballot measure that would levy a six-year square-footage parcel tax to…
3 min read
Proposition 40 Billionaire Tax Divides California Unions and Economists Ahead of Nov. 3 Vote
With Election Day set for Nov.
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Proposition 45 Splits Bay Area Pro-Housing Groups Over CEQA Timelines and Sprawl
Proposition 45 on the Nov. 3 ballot would impose strict review and litigation deadlines under the California Environmental Quality Act…
4 min read
Oakland Committee Advances $30 Minimum Wage Proposal to Dec. 1 Council Vote
Oakland’s Rules and Legislation Committee voted 4-0 to place a proposed $30 hourly minimum wage measure before the full City Council…
3 min read
Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal gains bikeway links and EV charging
The City of Alameda and the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) have completed autumn multimodal…
2 min read
More hydrogen buses and signal priority arrive on San Pablo Avenue
The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) and the City of Berkeley have deployed additional zero-emission hydrogen…
2 min read
County revamps emergency portal as Oakland clears drains for El Niño
The Alameda County Office of Emergency Services has launched a revamped winter storm and seismic preparedness portal as Oakland Mayor…
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County mails 447,000 property tax bills worth $6.4bn; due Dec. 10
Alameda County Treasurer and Tax Collector Henry C.
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$30 minimum wage initiative qualifies; council hearing set for Dec. 1
An initiative backed by One Fair Wage to raise Oakland’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by July 1, 2037, has officially qualified for a…
2 min read
San Francisco Moves to Widen Downtown Office-to-Housing Boundaries as Transit Study Cites $18,437 Savings
Supervisor Danny Sauter drafts legislation expanding adaptive reuse zones while APTA report ranks city among top commuter savers.
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California Adopts Santa Clara Homelessness Prevention Model as Valley Water Declares El Niño Emergency
Assembly Bill 1924 mandates first statewide prevention blueprint while South Bay water directors fast-track winter flood protections.
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Yountville Approves Year-Round Decorative Street Lighting as Eames Retrospective Opens in St. Helena
Town council dedicates annual maintenance funds for Washington Street illumination while Napa Valley MAC debuts iconic design showcase.
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Hayward City Council Enacts 45-Day Moratorium on New AI Data Centers Over Grid and Water Concerns
Urgency ordinance pauses high-density server facility permits along industrial corridor while planners draft environmental standards.
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Brentwood and Oakley City Councils Direct Staff to Draft Coordinated E-Bike Safety Ordinances
East Contra Costa municipal leaders align speed rules, trail classifications, and youth helmet enforcement near school corridors.
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Berkeley City Council Approves $1.4 Million Expansion for Hillside Wildfire Sirens and Optical Sensors
Emergency preparedness investment deploys dual-spectrum thermal cameras and acoustic alert towers across Panoramic Way and Claremont…
2 min read
Alameda County Water District Cuts Ribbon on 3.5-Megawatt Solar Microgrid and Clean Energy Facility in Fremont
Regional utility integrates rooftop solar arrays and battery energy storage to ensure uninterrupted water distribution during grid…
2 min read
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Considers Co-Naming Cesar Chavez Corridor to Honor Las Campesinas
Mission District cultural advocates and labor organizers champion ceremonial street signage recognizing women farmworkers and…
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Lafayette City Council and BART Finalize Expansion of Secure Bike Station and Trail Interconnects
Regional transit enhancement adds 120 electronic bicycle lockers and repair stands connecting directly to the Lafayette-Moraga…
2 min read
Crews halt 1.5-acre Panoramic Hill brush fire near Tunnel Fire site
High-angle wildland teams defend hillside homes as dry winds test East Bay defensible perimeters on disaster anniversary.
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California Proposition 3 Proposes Permanent Income Tax Extension on High Earners for Public Services
Voters evaluate landmark ballot measure to secure permanent funding streams for K-12 public education and community healthcare.
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State workers in SEIU Local 1000 authorize a statewide strike
Civil service union members vote overwhelmingly to sanction walkouts over staffing shortages, wage adjustments, and telework mandates.
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California State Auditor Cites Urgent Maintenance Deficits Across Central Valley Flood Levees
Emergency oversight report finds nearly one-third of regional reclamation districts failing routine inspection standards ahead of…
2 min read