ReportWire

Tag: Walnut Creek

  • East Bay juvenile, 4 others arrested after police chase

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    A pursuit in Vallejo last week led to the recovery of three loaded firearms and two suspects booked into Solano County Jail.

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    Thomas Gase

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  • Letters: Aisha Wahab’s BART anger is campaign theater

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    Wahab’s BART anger is campaign theater

    Re: “Irvington station project delays irk area officials” (Page A1, Feb. 5).

    The frustration around the Irvington BART station is understandable, but what rings hollow is the sudden outrage from Aisha Wahab, who has been absent from the regional transportation conversation until launching a campaign for Congress.

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  • Letters: Fremont cricket field critics fear the unknown

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    Cricket field critics
    fear the unknown

    Re: “Neighbors up in arms over cricket field plans” (Page B1, Nov. 22).

    It was shocking to read that a few neighbors are opposed to having a cricket field in the proposed Palm Avenue Community Park in Fremont. The main fear is that flying cricket balls could injure a child or elderly person or damage homes or cars. Do baseballs ever fly out of the field and cause personal injury? Balls flying over to the street or neighborhood will be rare and can easily be prevented in the design and construction of the stadium.

    It is more likely the fear of the unknown. People here are not familiar with cricket. Both baseball and cricket trace their origins back to medieval European bat-and-ball games and are more like “cousins.” Cricket fields all over the world are in the middle of cities and residential neighborhoods, and they are safe. It is fun to play and or watch cricket, so let us go for it.

    Subru Bhat
    Union City

    Coal project is bad
    for Oakland’s health

    Re: “Coal project costs mounting” (Page A1, Nov. 26).

    The New York Times article about Phil Tagami’s proposed Oakland coal terminal is very misleading.

    The article says, “a state judge ruled in 2023 that the city had to uphold its deal with Tagami.” However, that ruling only provided Tagami with $320,000 in damages. The disappointed coal developers found a judge in Kentucky whose suggestion of hundreds of millions in damages was rejected by Kentucky’s district court on November 21.

    The article quotes Tagami as denying that the project “makes a difference in the world.” But several mile-long trains every day would be spewing unhealthy coal dust from Utah to Oakland. And when burned, that much coal would cost the world tens of billions of dollars in damages (using the EPA’s social cost of carbon).

    The article says, ”The coal project must now go forward.” Those of us who care about the livability of Oakland will continue to oppose this deadly project.

    Jack Fleck
    Oakland

    Mastering spelling
    unlocks many doors

    Re: “Spelling isn’t a subject we can afford to drop” (Page A6, Nov. 19).

    My attention was drawn to Abby McCloskey’s column.

    As this article asserts, a strong foundation in spelling in a child’s early learning years leads to reading and literacy proficiency down the road. My personal academic experience bears this out.

    In my elementary school years in the 1950s, I had a natural strength in spelling, which was nurtured by my teachers. I still have all of my certificates of achievement, which span local through regional spelling contests that I entered.

    Further, this skill led me toward my love of writing — whether it be in the form of a school essay, poetry or, as you are reading now, my penchant for submitting letters to the editor.

    While “spell check” is a helpful tool, our brains still rely on the visualization of words to connect the dots in our educational journey.

    Sharon Brown
    Walnut Creek

    Immigration judges’
    principles cost them

    As the season of gratitude, peace, joy and hope approaches, recently unbenched San Francisco Immigration Judges Patrick Savage, Amber George, Jeremiah Johnson, Shuting Chen and Louis Gordon have inspired this letter. Although no reason was given for their forced departures, I wasn’t surprised. Having seen several preside over mandatory immigration hearings restored my hope in this country’s future. Unfortunately, the very behaviors that gave me hope put them at risk of losing their jobs. Behaviors like being well-versed in immigration law, diligent in their efforts to fully understand cases from both immigrant and government perspectives, and exhibiting both kindness and respect to all present within their courtrooms.

    The current administration has rendered these judges easily disposable obstacles to any campaign promises conflicting with this nation’s laws, Constitution and system of checks and balances. Fortunately, obstacles like integrity and allegiance to oaths of office can’t be as easily disposed of.

    Linda Thorlakson
    Castro Valley

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  • Bomb squad called to Antioch home after police find illegal fireworks

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    Walnut Creek police serving a search warrant at an Antioch home had to call a bomb squad after finding what appeared to be illegal fireworks on Tuesday.

    Police said detectives were at the home, on the 1600 block of Lipton Street, for an investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

    They served the search warrant and arrested someone on suspicion of possessing child pornography, but during their search, they found what looked to be illegal fireworks.

    They then called the Walnut Creek bomb squad to safely collect the fireworks. However, the bomb squad had to call the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District hazmat to further evaluate some materials.

    Police said the two squads eventually cleared the scene, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. 

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    Jose Fabian

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  • Letters: Walnut Creek bike path plan doesn’t enhance safety

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    Bike-path gambit
    doesn’t enhance safety

    Re: “Safety debate at crossroads” (Page A1, Oct. 30).

    In a recent meeting held behind closed doors, Contra Costa County and the city of Walnut Creek agreed to use over $6 million in funds from programs designed to promote highway safety and improvements to carve out a three-block-long bicycle path on Treat Boulevard.

    The affected area runs from North Main St. to Jones Road, a stretch that currently handles over 40,000 vehicles a day. The proposed path duplicates the existing Canal Trail, which is dedicated to bikers and pedestrians, is located two blocks south of Treat Boulevard and connects directly to the Iron Horse Trail for access to the Pleasant Hill BART station.

    The city acknowledged both the high risk to bikers using the proposed paths and the negative impacts on traffic in this highly congested area. So, why is this project going forward?

    Larry McEwen
    Walnut Creek

    Opposing investment
    policy is out of step

    Re: “Ethical investment policy approved” (Page B1, Oct. 10).

    The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) came out in opposition to an Alameda County Ethical Investment Policy at the Oct. 3 Board of Supervisors meeting. The supervisors passed the policy but delayed implementation.

    The majority of Jews present at that meeting were mobilized by Jewish Voice for Peace and supported the policy.

    A September Washington Post poll found that the majority of U.S. Jews do not support current Israeli policies. The JCRC’s position of opposing a pro-human rights policy is not a mainstream position, and it is not aligned with Jewish values.

    The JCRC accused Israel’s critics of antisemitism and expressed concern about Jewish safety. Associating Jews with the acts of a murderous regime makes Jews less safe. Jews are safer in a world that works for all, including Palestinians.

    We urge the supervisors to implement the Ethical Investment Policy as soon as possible.

    Cynthia Kaufman
    Oakland

    California must go its
    own way on health care

    Re: “Policyholders brace for price increases” (Page A1, Nov. 22).

    The recent story harkens back to a pre-ACA time when people went without insurance because of the high costs of insurance premiums. What we need for California is a Cal-Care for all solution. However, this year, a Cal-Care bill was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom, and he vetoed it. The main reason is that the federal government is not willing to give money that is due to us, which messes with the state budget.

    Staying in the United States is not beneficial to California. In 2022, we gave $83 billion to the federal government, which ends up getting redistributed to other states. The California National Party is the only party that recognizes this and has universal health care (Cal-Care, or Medi-Cal for all) as part of its platform.

    Maya Ram
    Union City

    Constitution will halt
    third term for Trump

    Re: “Don’t think Trump won’t try for third term” (Page A6, Nov. 18).

    A letter writer opined that President Trump could seek a third term as president by being vice president on a ticket headed by JD Vance, and, after Vance won the presidency, Vance could, by prearrangement, resign, and Trump would become president.

    However, the 12th Amendment of the Constitution stipulates that one who is constitutionally ineligible to be president is also ineligible to be vice president, which would presumably prevent Trump from becoming president under this subterfuge.

    Trump could argue that the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution prohibits him only from being “elected” — but not actually serving — as president for a third term. But the Supreme Court would likely reject this subterfuge on grounds that it conflicts with the plain intent of the 22nd amendment to prevent a person from serving a third term as president through the electoral process, as Franklin Roosevelt did in the 1930s.

    Roderick Walston
    Orinda

    Don’t cancel comic;
    just move it

    Re: “Don’t cancel comic for having an opinion” (Page A8, Nov. 23).

    I am one of the people who have written to request that “Mallard Fillmore” be moved to the Opinion Page, since it is clearly political in nature. I’m not asking that it be censored or removed from the paper, just that it be recognized as political opinion.

    In the past few days, “Mallard Fillmore” has implied that the media only looks for bad things about Donald Trump and twists the truth, that liberals are stealing our tax dollars to support their own political party, and only care about disease in an election year, and the media is hypocritically misleading us about the destruction of the White House East Wing. Meanwhile, “Pickles” taught Nelson to say I love you to his grandma, and “Luann” adopted a puppy. Which of these is not like the other?

    Incidentally, “Doonesbury” is offering more-than-20-year-old strips. That’s not a fair balance.

    Sampson Van Zandt
    Walnut Creek

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  • Photos: Season’s first big rainstorm drenches the Bay Area

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    Flood advisories are in effect across the Bay Area as a storm system moves through the region this evening, according to the National Weather Service.

    The biggest storm to hit the Bay Area in roughly seven months began to douse much of California on Monday afternoon, slowing motorists, dropping snow in the Sierra Nevada, and providing a clear signal that the winter rainy season has begun.

    A cold front from the Gulf of Alaska was expected to bring half an inch to 1 inch of rain for most Bay Area cities, with up to 2 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Big Sur by the time it was all over.

    The steady rain began around lunchtime Monday, hitting the North Bay first and working its way south. Forecasters said it was likely to continue overnight into early Tuesday, stopping around mid-morning as the system passes through to the east.

    The average monthly rainfall total for October in San Francisco is 0.94 inches, 0.88 in Oakland and 0.80 in San Jose, meaning this storm has the potential to bring a month’s rain in two days. While there have been huge storms occasionally in October, like in 1962 and 2021, it’s not normally a rainy month.

    Pedestrians are reflected in shop windows as they walk in the rain in downtown Palo Alto, as a storm arrives in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) 
    Cars make their way along a flooded High Street near Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
    Cars make their way along a flooded High Street near Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 
    A shopper at Broadway Plaza shields themself from the rain in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
    A shopper at Broadway Plaza shields themself from the rain in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
    Police respond to an accident as traffic backs up near the Fruitvale Avenue exit in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
    Police respond to an accident as traffic backs up near the Fruitvale Avenue exit in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 
    People spend the morning enjoying themselves before the expected rain arrives later this afternoon while at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
    People spend the morning enjoying themselves before the expected rain arrives later this afternoon while at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
    Pedestrians walk in the rain in downtown Palo Alto as a storm arrives in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
    Pedestrians walk in the rain in downtown Palo Alto as a storm arrives in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) 
    Mount Diablo is surrounded by clouds as hawk flies in the horizon at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
    Mount Diablo is surrounded by clouds as hawk flies in the horizon at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
    Michelle Lemos, of San Ramon, walks in the rain while holding her water lilies umbrella while shopping at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
    Michelle Lemos, of San Ramon, walks in the rain while holding her water lilies umbrella while shopping at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. A rainstorm is set to arrive in the Bay Area Monday afternoon and stay through Tuesday, bringing with it showers and a chance of thunderstorms. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

     

    A pedestrian walks in the rain in downtown Palo Alto as a storm arrives in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
    A pedestrian walks in the rain in downtown Palo Alto as a storm arrives in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) 

     

     

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    Jane Tyska, Jose Carlos Fajardo, Dai Sugano, Paul Rogers

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  • Is it better to rent or own in California? That depends.

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    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” …

     

     

     

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    Jeff Goertzen1, Jonathan Lansner

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  • Map: Starbucks in the Bay Area that are on the closure list

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    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.

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    Bay Area News Group

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  • Man accused of murder after 2 women found dead in Walnut Creek home

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    Walnut Creek police launch homicide investigation after 2 women found dead in home



    Walnut Creek police launch homicide investigation after 2 women found dead in home

    00:53

    Police in Walnut Creek have arrested a man on suspicion of homicide after two women were found dead in a home late Thursday night.

    Around 11:45 p.m., officers were called to a home on Kelobra Court, near Ygnacio Valley Road, on reports of a disturbance with possible gunfire. When police arrived, they found the women deceased inside the home.

    In an update Friday morning, police said a suspect was arrested following the initial investigation. The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Howard Wang of Walnut Creek, was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on two counts of murder.

    walnut-creek-double-homicide-091925.jpg

    Walnut Creek police on the scene investigating a double homicde at a home on Kelobra Court on Sep. 18, 2025.

    CBS


    According to officers, Wang was known to both women. He is being held without bail.

    Investigators said they do not believe there are any outstanding suspects in the case and that there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at 925-943-5844 or through the department’s anonymous tip line at 925-943-5865.

    Tim Fang

    Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.

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    Tim Fang

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  • Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor to be honored in Walnut Creek parade

    Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor to be honored in Walnut Creek parade

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    Olympic women’s wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor is set to be honored in a parade in Walnut Creek on Saturday for her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    The parade was made possible after an online community push urging the city to recognize her accomplishments. The city initially rejected the idea but changed its tune after massive pushback.

    “That didn’t sit well with me,” said Adam Low, who initially reached out to the city. “[I] posted in some groups [and it] gained a little movement.”

    The 20-year-old Walnut Creek native became the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal.

    Elor took down Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the women’s freestyle 68kg final at the Paris Olympics.

    Elor’s dominance was very real to her opponents. She had a 31-2 advantage over four matches and was not scored upon in her final three contests.

    She became the third American woman to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women started wrestling at the Olympics in 2004.

    After the win, she draped the U.S. flag over her back and skipped around the mat.

    “It was one of the best moments in my life,” she said at the time. “I think I’m going to remember it for my entire life. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And when I experience something like that, it just reminds me that everything is worth it. All the hard days, the grind, it’s all worth it for moments like these.”

    Amit will now be in the city limelight as an official celebration occurs at Civic Park.

    Elor will hold a question-and-answer session and take photos with residents.

    Mayor Pro Tempore Cindy Darling said the celebration will amplify the message Elor made in Paris.

    ‘Amit has a strong message about women in what are often considered non-traditional sports for women,’ Darling said in a statement. “She has been wrestling since the age of 4 and now, at only 20, has brought home the gold. In Walnut Creek, we want everyone to have that same drive.’

    Elor’s brother Orry said he is excited about Saturday’s celebration because it will give his sister the much-deserved recognition she’s earned.

    Orry said he and Elor would play at Civic Park as kids, making the event more memorable.

    “I was”more proud of not just the accomplishment but more for Amit,” Orry said.

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    Pete Suratos

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  • Jewish community reacts to antisemitic rant during Walnut Creek City Council meeting

    Jewish community reacts to antisemitic rant during Walnut Creek City Council meeting

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    The local Jewish community is speaking out following a disturbing antisemitic rant during the public comment portion of a recent Walnut Creek City Council meeting.

    “I was incredibly saddened. My first word was ‘again?’ And is there no place that is safe from antisemitism?” said Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland.

    Bloom shared the same sentiment as many members of the Jewish community after an individual launched into an antisemitic rant during the public comment portion of Tuesday night’s Walnut Creek City Council meeting. The comments were directed at the council’s only Jewish member Kevin Wilk.

    “It causes fear and harm. We wonder if we’re safe in these communities,” Bloom said.

    In October, the city council ended virtual public comment due to a rise in antisemitic rants by anonymous callers.

    But the city attorney says California’s Brown Act, which guarantees the public the right to attend and participate in meetings, requires agendas for public meetings to include public comment.

    UC Davis law professor Ash Bhagwat explains that in itself presents a dilemma for city councils dealing with hate speech at meetings. So local governments will have to get creative, when it comes to dealing with issue.

    “Hate speech is protected speech,” he said. “Like you can’t prohibit screaming, you can probably prohibit cursing and it’s also very common for people to limit public comment by time.”

    A spokesperson for Walnut Creek told NBC Bay Area Wednesday night that city leadership is discussing options with the city attorneys, as far as ways to handle hate speech during city council meetings.

    They did not provide a timeline if any changes will be made before the next meeting on Mar. 5.

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    Pete Suratos

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