Free Republic

While questions remain surrounding Oakland’s landmark sale of its undivided half of the Coliseum property to an all-Black private development group a little over two weeks ago, not just the stadium and arena are waiting for the Athletics to make a decision. The state of uncertainty is also affecting one of the most vital pieces surrounding the site: the Coliseum BART Station. BART director Robert Raburn, whose jurisdiction includes the Coliseum Station, is one of many public officials in Oakland who are quite optimistic about what the African American Sports and Entertainment Group wants to do with the Coliseum site....

OAKLAND, Calif. - Shoppers at some Bay Area Safeway stores will no longer have the option to use self-checkout kiosks. The grocery chain confirmed to KTVU that it's getting rid of the self-checkout machines at several stores, although they wouldn't specify which ones. Safeway officials said they're removing the kiosks because of problems with theft – too many customers steal items when they go through the self-checkout. "Operational changes have been made at select stores throughout the Bay Area given the increasing amount of theft," according to Safeway's statement. "Self-checkout kiosks have been removed at a few stores. Like other...

A McDonald’s in Oakland has temporarily closed after health inspectors discovered rodent activity, including a dead rat, inside the fast food restaurant Friday. The inspection came one day after six McDonald’s employees at 1330 Jackson St. went on strike for unsanitary work conditions due to severe rodent activity. According to two employees who filed a complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, staff saw rats daily. “We see rats in the kitchen every day. We see rats at the grill where we make the hamburgers, nibbling on pieces of bacon or on hamburgers that are ready to...

Oakland - A popular store in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood was broken into early Tuesday by burglars who rammed a pickup truck into the doors, the fourth such incident in recent months. "I wish we could do something about it, but we cannot," said co-owner David Shrestha. Surveillance video shows a pickup truck repeatedly backing into the store on College Avenue near Lawton Avenue at about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday. Several intruders then rummage inside, stealing liquor, cigarettes, two cash registers and a safe. "You can't even tell me right now how I'm feeling. I'm really, really mad," said Shrestha, who believes...

One of the biggest mysteries in Solano County may be one step closer to being solved. Since 2018, a shadowy company called Flannery Associates has been buying up land around Travis Air Force Base — so much land, in fact, that it is now the biggest property owner in the county. Its land now surrounds the military base on three sides, said Congressman John Garamendi, who represents California’s 8th District. In July, the story went public when the Wall Street Journal published a report about how Flannery Associates has spent nearly $1 billion in land acquisitions in the county. Because...

Another Walgreens is closing in the Bay Area. The location at 2190 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley is set to close permanently Aug. 23, as first reported in Berkeleyside. Walgreens would have needed to vacate the building eventually, as it will be torn down to make way for a new 25-story residential tower, part of a large development of buildings in the city. Berkeleyside reports that many shelves at the store are already bare, but plenty of merchandise is still available at a big discount. Prescriptions will be transferred to the Walgreens at 2310 Telegraph Ave. “As we move forward on...

BART’s board of directors voted Thursday to formally oppose a bill in the California Legislature that would decriminalize fare evasion in the state’s public transit systems. The board’s 5-3 vote came after a heated debate among members. Under state law, those who are caught evading a fare three or more times may face a misdemeanor charge, which could result in a fine of up to $400 and a sentence of up to 90 days in jail. If Assembly Bill 819 — introduced by Assembly Majority Leader Isaac Bryan — were to pass, the third violation would no longer be classified...

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Patriotic colors and American flags filled the streets of Alameda Tuesday, but for some parade attendees, the signs of freedom carry special meaning on this Independence Day, including many veterans. The city of Alameda says its annual July 4th parade is the longest in the nation, with a route spanning 3.3 miles and drawing more than 60,000 people. "I used to come here as a kid, so I wanted to bring my kids," Melissa Poli of South San Francisco said. "This is the best parade." People packed Park Street to get a glimpse of the floats, horses,...

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to the Bay Area, low-flying military aircraft have been spotted in the suburbs. Residents of Marin County were surprised to see MV-22 Ospreys and Sikorsky White Hawk helicopters in the area Friday. At least five aircraft did maneuvers around the area, including in Larkspur, before heading off. But there’s no need to worry about an impending ground invasion: They’re likely here because Biden arrives in the Bay Area on Monday. Biden will be on a fundraising blitz among wealthy California Democrats. On Monday, he’ll be the guest of honor at a reception hosted at...

An attorney for the family of Banko Brown — the transgender Black man who was shot and killed by a private security guard outside a Walgreens store in downtown San Francisco last month — announced Friday that he was filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Walgreens, the security guard and the guard's employer, Kingdom Group Protective Services. The lawsuit comes days after California's attorney general announced he would review San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' decision to not charge the guard. The attorney, John Burris, said at a Friday news conference that Brown's death particularly appalled him because he believes...

OAKLAND, Calif. - Nine adolescents and teens were arrested in connection with a spree of robberies and other crimes across the East Bay, including the recent assault of a 63-year-old woman in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, authorities said. Ranging in age from 12 to 17, the underage suspects are believed to have committed 32 robberies in Oakland, two in Piedmont and one in El Cerrito, according to the Oakland Police Department. The group consists of three girls and six boys. Enrich Your Child's Summer with TakeLessonsTakeLessons by Microsoft| Sponsored The robberies happened in the neighborhoods of Rockridge, Uptown, Trestle Glen, Grand...

San Francisco residents ripped into city leaders Tuesday after District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that her office would not be filing charges against the private security guard who allegedly shot and killed 24-year-old Banko Brown in front of a Walgreens store last week. Nowhere was the anger more visible than at City Hall. More than two dozen community members rose to speak during a Board of Supervisors meeting, where they called on elected officials to do something in response to Brown's killing. Many were visibly emotional and didn't mince words when speaking to the board. “The death of Banko Brown...

OAKLAND, Calif. - The rains that pounded the Bay Area caused so much flooding that Interstate Highway 580 by Oakland's Fruitvale and Laurel districts shut the road early Friday morning for about six hours. The water was so high that the rains even brought the ducks out to swim. Though the rains began pouring down late Thursday night, the California Highway Patrol shut down westbound 580 at MacArthur Boulevard/High Street about 3 a.m. Friday. And the freeway stayed that way, wet and free of cars, for most of the morning commute. Finally, the freeway reopened before noon.

Tucked away on the highest branch of a eucalyptus tree standing at least 100 feet tall near the edge of San Francisco Bay is an unusual sight. For just over two months, golfers and birders alike have been watching a pair of bald eagles gather wayward twigs and soft clumps of grass to bring to the nests they’re building about half a mile from the clubhouse at Corica Park Golf Course in Alameda. Rick Lewis, who lives in Alameda and has been a birder and wildlife photographer for decades, said he’s spent 62 days in a row carefully observing and...

East Bay residents didn’t have to brave dangerous driving conditions to get to Tahoe to enjoy some snow this week. They didn't even have to go any further than Berkeley's Tilden Regional Park to go skiing Friday morning. After a mix of rain and snow overnight, snow was accumulating in earnest by 6:30 a.m. By midmorning, there was enough to (sort of) enjoy winter sports. Twitter user Jay Sayre posted multiple videos of him skiing in the Berkeley regional park, which reaches about 1,900 feet in elevation at its highest point. exp-player-logo Sayre even managed to catch some air near...

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- It's been a week since an Oakland baker went to the bank and was fatally injured trying to stop thieves who'd broken into her car. Jen Angel, the founder of Angel Cakes, died last Thursday. After watching that story an Oakland restaurant manager says she was also the victim of a similar smash-and-grab crime last month. Owner of popular Angel Cakes bakery has died after being in a medically-induced coma after being dragged 50 feet during Oakland robbery. Leah Beneze has worked in the restaurant industry since she was a teenager. But she says, what's happening...

More pharmacies are closing in the Bay Area, adding to an already shrinking list of stores. Walgreens recently purchased Pharmaca, which once operated at least seven stores in the Bay Area, and will shutter the company’s shops. Pharmaca’s East Bay locations in Berkeley and Oakland ended pharmacy services Feb. 9, and the store’s retail component is set to end by Feb. 25, according to reporting from the Oaklandside. The only San Francisco location, in Cole Valley, closed in October 2022. There are Pharmaca locations in Mill Valley, Menlo Park, Sonoma, Napa and Novato. exp-player-logo Read More Walgreens recently bought Medly...

Authorities have launched an investigation into the latest robbery and assaults of a postal worker in Oakland.

BART director John McPartland was censured by his peers Thursday for using the phrase "cotton-picking" at a board of directors meeting earlier this month. McPartland made the remark while expressing his approval of a racial equity plan presented by Black staff members, a group that included Maceo Wiggins, the director of BART's Office of Civil Rights. "I find the work that Maceo is doing right now to be so cotton-picking inspirational," McPartland said. McPartland did not respond to an SFGATE request for comment but told the San Francisco Standard weeks ago that he was ignorant of the connotations of the...

"Skeletonized" human remains were discovered in a years-long unoccupied building at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus earlier this week, school officials announced. University police were notified of the remains on Tuesday, Jan. 10, a UCPD statement from the school’s communications department said. The cause of death is still undetermined, and school officials didn’t tell SFGATE which building the remains were found, how they were discovered, and how long the building has been unoccupied for.