How a law to ban homeless camps threw a California city into chaos
FREMONT, Calif. — Dominating one corner of a sprawling homeless encampment on an abandoned lot next to Fremont’s rumbling BART tracks, Michael Austin has built his own…
Mayor of California city proposes ordinance to ban transgender women from women’s bathrooms
The mayor of a California city has proposed an ordinance that would ban transgender women from using bathrooms that comport with their gender identity, marking…
A city council race was tied so this California city drew straws to decide who won
When it came down to deciding a tied race for a Galt City Council seat, the longest straw won. Three people ran this year for…
Opinion: What does environmental justice look like? 20 years of struggle
Just up the road from Oakland and Berkeley, the city of Richmond is a minority and low-income community of 115,500 people — mainly Latino, Black…
Oakland, Berkeley allow 16, 17-year-olds to vote for school board
Some older Bay Area teenagers will have a chance to make their voices heard this election — albeit in limited fashion. While still barred from…
Long Beach looked like it had solved the local news crisis. Then reality set in
For a few shining years, which ended abruptly this spring, Long Beach looked like it might be a rare exception: a California city with a…
California newspapers are disappearing. Richmond is living what comes next
RICHMOND, Calif. — For years Richmond City Councilmember Cesar Zepeda has been on an unsuccessful crusade to persuade the grocery store chains of America —…
Feds won’t reimburse California $300 million for homeless housing amid COVID. Congress wants answers
WASHINGTON — California cities and counties might be on the hook for more than $300 million they spent placing thousands of homeless residents in hotels in…