Another swarm of earthquakes centered in San Ramon shook the East Bay on Monday morning, including a 4.2 magnitude quake felt across a wide swath of the Bay Area, authorities said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, measuring a 3.8 magnitude, struck just before 6:30 a.m. in the area just south of Bollinger Canyon Road between Alcosta Boulevard and Dougherty Road. At least 20 additional earthquakes of at least a 2.5 magnitude struck that same general area over the next several hours.
The 4.2 quake hit at 7:01 a.m. and was centered at the southern end of the Canyon Lakes Golf Course, according to the USGS.
Location of earthquake swarm in San Ramon, Calif., Feb. 2, 2025.
U.S. Geological Survey
It is the same area where multiple swarms of minor quakes have struck since November 2025 and have been felt across the Tri-Valley, with the largest being a 4.0 magnitude shaker on December 19. San Ramon, which sits atop the Calaveras Fault, has seen other small quake clusters over the years for reasons that are not fully understood.
In the San Ramon Valley, fire leaders are trying to protect homes from potential wildfire, but their efforts to do that were cut significantly short, at least for this fire season.
The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District knows its area faces high fire risk, particularly on Mt. Diablo and in Mt. Diablo State Park, where the district is responsible for responding to fires on much of that territory.
In 2025, the district had been working on a plan to cut down vegetation that could present fire risks at the park, in an effort to protect local neighborhoods that could be impacted by fires there, including Danville’s Blackhawk community, which has around 3,000 homes.
SRVFPD was aiming to treat 300 acres of potential fire fuel at the park this year, but said they ultimately were only able to get to about 22 acres in the two weeks they were able to work. The district was using tools called masticators to grind up excess brush that could present a fire risk.
Incoming SRVFPD Chief Jonas Aguiar said that the district was hoping to start the work in June, but wound up not getting approval from the state to start the work until October. He said the district was notified around August that they would only have until November 1 to complete the work.
“There was a concern with the ground temperatures due to the Alameda Whip Snake, and its inability to move out of the way of the masticators,” Aguiar said.
SRVFPD also said that it was told by parks officials that more needed to be done to protect manzanita trees, as well as possible indigenous burial grounds.
District leadership expressed disappointment that they weren’t able to make more progress.
“We know this is something — on any given fire season — where we can have large loss of structures and potentially lives, there’s devastation that happens every year during California fire seasons,” said Aguiar.
The outgoing SRVFPD Fire Chief Paige Meyer, in his last week of the job, wrote a letter to California’s governor and State Parks director expressing frustration with the process, saying all the hurdles amounted to “the near-complete dismantling of a life-safety strategy.” Meyer also called on the state to immediately reassess its fire mitigation restrictions in “state-designated high-hazard areas.”
In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for the California State Parks said it has not received Meyer’s letter and that news of it “came as a surprise” as it is “not reflective of our work and collaboration with the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.”
“State Parks stands ready to work with the SRVPD to complete critical projects for the benefit of the public and will provide the SRVFPD with a formal response and identify potential areas of improvement within the state’s control,” the spokesperson said.
The State Parks department also said that some of the requirements referenced in the district’s letter are federal requirements, not state ones. The spokesperson added that those requirements were shared with the district “at the onset of discussing this project” and that the district did not submit its application to the State Parks for “roughly five months.”
“Despite this, we were able to process the permit in under four weeks,” the spokesperson continued.
The news of this shortened fire protection work isn’t sitting well with some homeowners who are already dealing with insurance hassles over their fire risk.
“We all know what just happened in Pacific Palisades. I don’t want to get caught in the same trap here in Blackhawk as what happened down there,” said Jason Skeoch, who lives in Blackhawk. Skeoch said he has been asked by his home insurer to take action to reduce fire risk on his property, and he feels the state parks should have to do the same.
Fire district leaders said the work they were able to accomplish at the park in 2025 will have an impact. According to their modeling technology, the brush they already cleared will slow the progress of a fire from reaching homes by about an hour.
Aguiar said the district is hoping to get another shot to complete the work this year. They are planning to apply for additional permits and approvals.
The USGS reports the first one, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake, hit just before 5:20 a.m. and was centered at about 2.6 miles east of San Ramon.
The second one, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake, was reported at around 7:15 a.m. and was centered at about 3 miles from San Ramon, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center.
The USGS said the third one, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake, was reported just before noon and was centered at about 2.9 miles southeast of San Ramon.
Further information was not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Details may change as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for updates.
BAY AREA QUAKE CENTRAL You can take steps to plan and prepare for the next big one. Access our Bay Area Quake Tracker, the latest earthquake stories, extensive quake prep checklists, videos and many other disaster preparedness resources all in one place: NBCBAYAREA.COM/QUAKES
Ever since San Ramon became the unofficial earthquake capital of the Bay Area, people living in the East Bay city have had one Christmas wish: a quake-free day.
There have been multiple earthquakes in the San Ramon area this week alone and more than 300 minor ones since November.
NBC Bay Area’s Scott Budman has more in the video report above.
SAN RAMON — A cluster of earthquakes struck the San Ramon area Friday night, continuing a pattern of seismic activity in recent weeks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Things kicked off at 7:41 p.m. with a magnitude 2.5 centered 3.1 miles southeast of the city.
It was followed by a pair of quakes at 7:49 p.m. – a magnitude 2.9 and a magnitude 3.8. The earthquakes were centered 3.1 miles and 2.4 miles, respectively, southeast of the city.
The biggest of the bunch – a magnitude 4.0 – hit at 7:56 p.m. 3.1 miles southeast of the city.
The earthquake swarm continued with a magnitude 3.1 at 7:57 p.m. and a magnitude 2.9 at 8:10 p.m. – the temblors were centered about 2.4 miles southeast of the city.
There were no immediate reports of injuries of damage, but BART ran trains at reduced speeds until it completed safety inspections, resulting in a 20-minute delay.
Regular train service resumed just before 8:45 p.m., according to the transit agency.
A Union City woman accused of shooting a 17-year-old boy is also suspected of making criminal threats and stalking another person, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday.
On Nov. 23, San Ramon police responded to a shooting in the city, near Bollinger Canyon and Talavera Drive. When they arrived, they found a teen who had been shot once in the upper shoulder. He was taken to the hospital and released shortly after being transported.
The following day, police announced they arrested 40-year-old Xiaojie Zhang on a $1 million Ramey Warrant for attempted homicide.
Police said Zhang and the victim are known to each other, but they would not be commenting on the nature of their relationship to protect the family and the victim’s privacy.
She was arraigned on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. The DA said she also pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse, criminal threats and two charges of stalking.
The attempted murder, child abuse, and one stalking charge are in connection to the injured teen, the criminal complaint states. The other stalking charge and the criminal threats charge are in connection to a different victim, whose identity was kept confidential.
Due to a gun allegedly being used, there are enhancements connected to the charges involving the injured teen.
In total, she faces five felony charges, and she is still being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on a $1,675,000 bond.
A date for her hearing has not been set as she waived her right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of being charged, the DA said.
SAN RAMON – A magnitude 3.0 quake jolted the Tri-Valley area late Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake hit around 10:11 p.m. about 2.6 miles southeast of San Ramon, 3.6 miles north of Dublin and 5.6 miles south-southeast of Danville, the USGS reported.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake was felt as far away as San Rafael, Alameda and Stockton, according to the USGS.
It was the area’s second noteworthy earthquake of the day. Around 5:53 a.m., a magnitude 3.1 quake struck about 3.1 miles southeast of San Ramon, the USGS reported.
Both came just eight days after three temblors rattled the same area over the course of about 100 minutes. More than 30 earthquakes also were recorded between midnight and 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 8, according to CalTech’s California Earthquake Center.
San Ramon was hit by an earthquake with a Magnitude of 3.0 on Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake happened around 10:11 p.m., near Montevideo and Dolores drives.
It struck with a depth of almost 6 miles, the USGS website states. Residents in San Ramon, Dublin and Castro Valley reported feeling weak shaking, according to Did You Feel It responses.
An earthquake struck San Ramon late Tuesday on Dec. 16, 2025.
United States Geological Survey
The city of San Ramon had a similar magnitude quake hit earlier Tuesday, just before 6 a.m. Residents as far as Alameda, Berkeley and Half Moon Bay reported feeling some shaking.
A steakhouse in the East Bay that’s been in business for almost 80 years has announced it has to close. The owner of The Brass Door in San Ramon says it’s all over a lease dispute with the building owner, and earlier this week, announced their final day of service will be on Christmas Eve.
“This is one of the staples of San Ramon, as far as a restaurant goes. And it’s a gathering place. It’s like a family,” says San Ramon resident Denis Pennington. He has been coming to The Brass Door for more than 30 years, and says it’s an institution in the East Bay.
“There aren’t many places like this in the area at all,” he says.
The restaurant first opened in 1946 under the name 8 to 5, a reference to the odds on a horse race. It had a small bar area and dining room and catered to ranchers and cattlemen in the area. Travelers on Highway 21 to San Jose also stopped in, long before the 680 freeway was ever built.
In 1955, the name changed to The Brass Door as a nod to the distinctive front door, and it’s been going strong ever since.
“People have been coming here all their lives, and I’m so proud to own this place,” says Shahla Azad, the current owner.
She bought the business 10 years ago, but not the building. She leases it from the landlord and recently she found out the landlord decided not to renew, even though she offered them more money.
“I can’t explain, but closing the door. Closing Brass Door is heartbreaking,” Azad said.
She says that unless the landlord has a change of heart, the last day for service is on Christmas Eve.
“They have been calling all day long to make reservations to come for the last time. That is even more sad, to be honest with you, it makes me more sad,” she said.
“There’s a guy over there. We call him doc because he is a doctor and he comes in for lunch and he kind of holds court,” said Vince Fletcher, a Pleasanton resident, as he describes the characters that frequent the restaurant.
“We do treat it like a Cheer’s restaurant. It’s where everybody knows your name and that is so true for this place,” Denis said.
“The Woody Harrelson of the Brass Door? I’ll take it,” the bartender said in response.
Shahla said she is looking for another location to reopen the Brass Door early next year.
“We recognize this news may be unwelcome and unexpected, but we have only just begun exploring new opportunities for one of San Ramon’s oldest and most beloved restaurants,” 8 to 5 Properties, the landlord, said in a statement.
South Bay tech company Bill.com and East Bay energy giant Chevron have revealed plans for new rounds of job cuts that are poised to displace well over 100 workers in the Bay Area, filings with the state government show.
The layoffs are a reminder that job cuts in the tech industry have yet to run their course, as a wide range of tech companies continue to reveal their plans to trim staffing levels in the region.
Bill.com logo on the tech company’s office building at 6220 America Center Drive in north San Jose. (Google Maps)
Chevron, which has moved its headquarters from San Ramon to Houston in another example of the corporate exodus from California to Texas, revealed prior layoffs that erased 600 jobs in the Bay Area.
According to WARN notices the companies sent to the state Employment Development Department, the layoffs include:
— Bill is cutting 84 jobs in North San Jose at the company’s headquarters complex. These layoffs are expected to take effect on Dec. 15, the WARN letter to the EDD shows.
— Chevron is eliminating 100 jobs in San Ramon, an East Bay city where the energy giant had once based its headquarters, according to the WARN letter. These most recent cutbacks are due to occur on Oct. 23. Chevron is also cutting 75 jobs in the Kern County city of Bakersfield.
Bill and Chevron both stated that the layoffs would be permanent.
“We are providing severance pay, medical continuation coverage, access to education and training resources, and outplacement assistance,” Henry Perea, Chevron’s manager of state government affairs, wrote in the WARN letter to the EDD.
High School Playbook Game of the Week Poll: Oct. 24, 2025
Where should KCRA 3 go for the Game of the Week for Week 10 on Friday, Oct. 24?
High school football is back for 2025 and we could use your help, once again, to produce our High School Playbook show. Where should KCRA 3 go for the Game of the Week for Week 10 on Friday, Oct. 24? The games for consideration are:El Camino vs. Casa RobleInderkum vs. Rio AmericanoWheatland vs. CenterPleasant Grove vs. Elk GroveThe poll below closes at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21.(Mobile users, click here if you don’t see the poll.)| MORE | Share your Fan Fits at games all season long. Watch our High School Playbook show Fridays on the KCRA 3 News at 11 p.m.
High school football is back for 2025 and we could use your help, once again, to produce our High School Playbook show.
Where should KCRA 3 go for the Game of the Week for Week 10 on Friday, Oct. 24?
The games for consideration are:
El Camino vs. Casa Roble
Inderkum vs. Rio Americano
Wheatland vs. Center
Pleasant Grove vs. Elk Grove
The poll below closes at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Since the 1970s, the Tri-Valley region of the Bay Area has seen significant growth. In places like Dublin and San Ramon, the population has tripled. Meanwhile, other cities in the region have seen their populations double. The Tri-Valley is nestled into the Diablo Mountain Range and is made up of the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville and the surrounding communities. “We saw a growth that changed the community,” said Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert. “We literally saw Dublin change.”Haubert and his family moved to Dublin 25 years ago. They raised their daughters there and were active in the community, including joining the school board. Haubert went on to become the mayor of Dublin before becoming a county supervisor. “When I left as mayor in the city of Dublin, I said, ‘We’ve seen a lot of great things to happen. But, I want you to know our best days are yet to come.’ Dublin has continued to progress, I say we have even greater days yet to come,” Haubert said. Some of the reasons people are choosing to move to the Tri-Valley include the open spaces, great school districts, and cheaper housing costs. Nearly 10,000 single-family homes have been built in the Tri-Valley in the last 15 years. Developer Trumark Homes currently has approvals for more than 1,500 homes in the Tri-Valley, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. One of Trumark’s biggest developments is Francis Ranch in Dublin. That development has 573 homes under construction. And as the population has grown, communities have seen their demographics shift as well. “Twenty years back, there were not that many people from the South Asian community,” said Prasad Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan moved with his family from Fremont to San Ramon two decades ago. He still commutes to Silicon Valley for work, but was drawn to the open spaces and parks in the Tri-Valley.Ramakrishnan is on the board of the Indian Community Center and says the diversity of San Ramon is one of the reasons he’s grown to love the city so much. According to census data, 23% of residents in San Ramon identify as Indian, including Ramakrishnan.”It doesn’t matter where you’re from. All of us are humans, let’s all get together. San Ramon creates that kind of an environment where you have people from different ethnic backgrounds kind of coming together,” Ramakrishnan said. “We celebrate Diwali, we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the Muslim functions.”But of course, growth doesn’t come without growing pains. Many of those pains can be found along the highways. “680 is the only real highway from here to South Bay. These are called bedroom communities, and then they work in the South Bay. Giving them an easy way by which to get there would be a nice thing,” Ramakrishnan said. However, Haubert is betting on a future without so many people having to commute outside of the Tri-Valley for work. “I truly believe businesses will locate here,” Haubert said. “I understand that’s often the decision of the CEO. So a lot of CEOs live in Silicon Valley, but a lot of future CEOs live in the Tri-Valley. That’s my belief.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
DUBLIN, Calif. —
Since the 1970s, the Tri-Valley region of the Bay Area has seen significant growth. In places like Dublin and San Ramon, the population has tripled. Meanwhile, other cities in the region have seen their populations double.
The Tri-Valley is nestled into the Diablo Mountain Range and is made up of the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville and the surrounding communities.
“We saw a growth that changed the community,” said Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert. “We literally saw Dublin change.”
Haubert and his family moved to Dublin 25 years ago. They raised their daughters there and were active in the community, including joining the school board. Haubert went on to become the mayor of Dublin before becoming a county supervisor.
“When I left as mayor in the city of Dublin, I said, ‘We’ve seen a lot of great things to happen. But, I want you to know our best days are yet to come.’ Dublin has continued to progress, I say we have even greater days yet to come,” Haubert said.
Some of the reasons people are choosing to move to the Tri-Valley include the open spaces, great school districts, and cheaper housing costs. Nearly 10,000 single-family homes have been built in the Tri-Valley in the last 15 years.
Developer Trumark Homes currently has approvals for more than 1,500 homes in the Tri-Valley, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
One of Trumark’s biggest developments is Francis Ranch in Dublin. That development has 573 homes under construction. And as the population has grown, communities have seen their demographics shift as well.
“Twenty years back, there were not that many people from the South Asian community,” said Prasad Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan moved with his family from Fremont to San Ramon two decades ago. He still commutes to Silicon Valley for work, but was drawn to the open spaces and parks in the Tri-Valley.
Ramakrishnan is on the board of the Indian Community Center and says the diversity of San Ramon is one of the reasons he’s grown to love the city so much. According to census data, 23% of residents in San Ramon identify as Indian, including Ramakrishnan.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. All of us are humans, let’s all get together. San Ramon creates that kind of an environment where you have people from different ethnic backgrounds kind of coming together,” Ramakrishnan said. “We celebrate Diwali, we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the Muslim functions.”
But of course, growth doesn’t come without growing pains. Many of those pains can be found along the highways.
“680 is the only real highway from here to South Bay. These are called bedroom communities, and then they work in the South Bay. Giving them an easy way by which to get there would be a nice thing,” Ramakrishnan said.
However, Haubert is betting on a future without so many people having to commute outside of the Tri-Valley for work.
“I truly believe businesses will locate here,” Haubert said. “I understand that’s often the decision of the CEO. So a lot of CEOs live in Silicon Valley, but a lot of future CEOs live in the Tri-Valley. That’s my belief.”
The debate over renting vs. owning has long posed a challenge for households in California. Arguments have morphed in recent years as home prices and mortgage rates soared beyond the increasing rents. To illustrate the complexities, we’ve created a hypothetical rent vs. buy scenario to track housing finances over a 30-year period. However, the math doesn’t account for the intangibles: the flexibility of renting compared to the stability of owning.
HOW MONTHLY COSTS COMPARE
Key in any housing calculation is monthly cost. Our example estimates California house rent today at $4,000 a month vs. buying a $900,000 house with a 10% down mortgage at 6.5% plus property taxes, insurance, association fees, and repairs. The scenario assumes costs grow with historical inflation and the mortgage rate is lowered twice by a half-point through refinancing.
RUNNING THE TAB
Homeowners need to repay their mortgage plus cover a range of additional costs. So renting’s total costs run cheaper for nearly two decades. But owning ends up costing slightly less over time. Here’s cumulative costs by year, in thousands of dollars.
THE BOUNTY: Ownership’s edge
Owning’s true financial benefit arises from the increasing value of the home. Assuming historical gains of 5% per year, the owners gets a $3.8 million asset after 30 years. The renter, who hypothetically invested the $90,000 down payment in the stock market, would accumulate $929,000. Here’s investment value by year, in thousands of dollars.
WHERE IT GOES
Look at the slices of 30 years of housing expenditures, rent vs. own. The renter just pays the landlord. Owner costs go to principal and interest on the mortgage, property taxes, home insurance, association fees, and repair and maintenance costs. Note: Interest payments and property taxes can be tax deductible.
A HISTORY LESSON
Look at the past 30 years of historical returns for three key factors in this rent vs. buy calculation, using 10-year moving averages for rent (California Consumer Price Indexes); home values (federal California index) and stocks (Standard & Poor’s 500).
Unfathomable, unaffordable
California’s long-running and steep affordability crunch makes the rent vs. buy debate a moot argument for many people. Housing costs throttle numerous California family budgets. The state’s flock of high- paying jobs pushes up housing costs well past what more typical paychecks can easily afford. That’s true for households considering renting or buying.
Stagnant ownership
Stubbornly high ownership costs have kept California’s share of people living in homes they own relatively stable, except for a temporary surge in the early 2000s when mortgages were too easily obtained. Those risky loans played a key role in the Great Recession, as borrowers defaulted in huge numbers.
Housing afforability index
It’s tough to be a California homebuyer. The estimated number of Californians earning the statewide median income who could comfortably purchase a single-family home is falling sharply, according to a California Association of Realtors index. The Golden State share of qualified buyers is significantly below the national norm.
Housing-cost stresses
The 2024 edition of Census housing data details how California’s cost of shelter varies between renters and homeowners — with or without mortgages on the property.
But because renters typically earn less than owners, it’s more likely that their housing costs exceed 50% of their household incomes, an extreme level of financial stress.
Big housing worries
A statewide survey last year asked “How often do you worry about the cost of housing for you and your family?” Those who said “every day” or “almost every day” …
After Starbucks announced it would be shutting hundreds of stores, its website is listing dozens in the Bay Area as being closed as of Sunday, Sept. 28.
To check if a store is on the closure list, go to the Starbucks store locator online, find your desired outlet and click the information icon to check whether it will be open beyond this week.
As of Sept. 26, the following stores were slated for a Sept. 28 closure:
SAN RAMON — Police have identified six men and a juvenile arrested after allegedly joining a large group that stormed into a San Ramon jewelry store, some carrying guns, and smashed cases, grabbed merchandise and fled in multiple stolen getaway cars, authorities said.
Arrested in relation to the Monday robbery of Heller Jewelers were Michael Ray, 31; Jimmy Ray, 27; Ira Austin, 19; Jahkeal McGolthin, 18; Jacques Samuel, 18; DeAndre Demisse, 19, and a 17-year-old boy.
On Thursday, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office announced charges against three of them: Michael Ray of San Francisco, Jimmy Ray of Vallejo and Austin, who lives in San Francisco. They each were charged with 13 counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit a crime, with special enhancements due to the value of the stolen property.
Police are still looking for more suspects. At least 20 masked robbers took part in the smash-and-grab robbery at about 1:50 p.m. Monday at the store located in the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping center.
“Our communities deserve safety from conduct like the audacious daylight robbery in San Ramon,” said Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by the San Ramon Police Department, these defendants will face significant punishment for the offenses they committed.”
Added Becton, “my office will continue to work with San Ramon PD and other law enforcement partners to identify other perpetrators who participated in this brazen robbery and charge them accordingly.”
Video of the robbery circulating online shows the masked people carrying what appears to be pick axes, crow bars and tire irons. At one point, video appears to show the shop’s front doors lock the robbers inside, before one of them fires off several shots through the glass, allowing the group to escape to getaway cars parked in the lot’s valet area.
“We’re not sharing details about the store’s security to avoid compromising employee safety or revealing their security measures,” police spokesperson Lt. Leysy Pelayo said in a statement Thursday. “Based on video footage released, it appeared the suspects were unable to open the doors as they may have been locked just before one of the individuals shot through the glass door.”
Pelayo did not say whether the suspects were in possession of any stolen property when they were arrested. Police reportedly apprehended McGlothin, Samuel and Demisse at the Dublin BART station. Michael Ray, Jimmy Ray, Austin and the 17-year-old juvenile were arrested in East Oakland, Pelayo said.
Police reportedly used drones and a helicopter to track and follow several suspects throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties after suspending a car chase out of concern for public safety.
Pelayo also said police were waiting for the store to confirm the damages and inventory lost before reporting how much the robbers got away with. A person who answered the door at the store declined to comment on Thursday.
This isn’t the first time masked and armed intruders have robbed Heller Jewelers.
In 2023, federal prosecutors charged five people who were allegedly part of a larger group that robbed the same store in March that year, making away with over 70 pieces of jewelry with an estimated worth of $1.1 million, officials said at the time. The stolen inventory included a Rolex watch equipped with a tracking device, which police said helped aid in their capture.
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, a group on Sept. 5 violently robbed Kim Hung Jewelry in San Jose’s east side, when more than a dozen masked assailants entered the store and shoved the elderly owner of the store to the ground.
Also, a Milpitas jewelry store owner on Sept. 10 reportedly fired a gun at a group of suspects during an attempted smash-and-grab robbery, causing the would-be robbers to flee before taking any merchandise, according to police.
The rise in organized thefts has become a major talking point for advocates who are asking the state to step in to do more to prevent the violent encounters. At a press conference Thursday in front of the San Ramon shopping center, several advocates, including Dublin Mayor Sherry Hu, used Monday’s robbery in San Ramon as a chance to call upon Gov. Gavin Newsom and other prominent officials throughout the state to step up and do something to prevent more organized robberies.
Hu said in an interview that these types of organized crimes are “not an easy thing to prevent,” though she urged state and county legislators to strengthen laws and stiffen penalties to combat smash-and-grab robberies.
“We feel in Dublin we are doing a great job…(but) it’s hard for Dublin to act on our own,” Hu said.
A Northern California jewelry store that has been robbed twice since 2023 has turned to innovative methods to stop, deter and ultimately capture a series of armed bandits.
Between 20 and 25 masked suspects stormed into Heller Jewelers in San Ramon on Monday around 1:50 p.m. and began smashing display cases, according to the San Ramon Police Department.
Surveillance footage obtained by ABC News showed suspects using crowbars to break glass and pilfer an estimated $1 million in loot, while others entered the store with handguns.
Before the suspects could exit, however, the shop’s security measures activated and the store’s door closed, momentarily trapping the mob.
San Ramon police told a local news station that the closed door would have required a security guard to open.
Cellphone footage shows at least one suspect opening fire on the security door. The suspects eventually broke through and fled to awaiting vehicles in the mall’s valet parking section.
San Ramon police initially chased some of the suspected vehicles but stopped the pursuit “due to the inherent danger to the public.”
Police helicopters and drones, however, continued tracking a car that went through Contra Costa County and into Alameda County.
Seven unidentified suspects have been arrested in two locations in Oakland and Dublin. They range in age from 17 to 31, according to San Ramon police, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A store manager for Heller Jewelry declined to comment on the heists.
The store has been closed since Monday and plans to reopen Saturday, according to a Facebook post.
“Heller Jewelers has been a part of the community for nearly 30 years, and we’ve always believed in the strength of the relationship we’ve built with you,” the store noted in a message. “Your support in the days since means more to us than we can express.”
Heller was previously hit on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023. In that robbery, five men, including one with a firearm, burst into the store and stole more than $1.1 million in merchandise.
Clayton Valley Charter transfer running back Jhadis Luckey, a Fresno State commit, discusses his plans for a follow-up to his breakout junior year at California High.
