Gwendolyn Westbrook, the former chief executive of a San Francisco nonprofit once linked to a shuttered Richmond bingo hall, was charged this week with stealing and misappropriating more than $1.2 million in public funds, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Monday. Westbrook, the former CEO of San Francisco-based
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond police responded to several violent and property crimes between February 16 and 22, including an attempted murder involving gunfire, multiple shootings at homes, an arson at an inhabited structure, and 24 vehicle thefts reported across the city, according to department logs. The weeklong stretch also included 30 arrests for
by Soren Hemmila
The Richmond Rent Board voted unanimously last week to temporarily suspend a regulation that allowed hundreds of rent-controlled units to be stripped of tenant protections as residents of Monterey Pines Apartments reported mold, broken heaters, unexplained utility bills, and threats of eviction from their landlord. The board voted 3-0 to
by Soren Hemmila
The Richmond City Council will consider capping tobacco retailer licenses at 50, while also weighing a new enforcement zone along 23rd Street, adopting the 2025 state building code with an amnesty program for unpermitted home additions, honoring a national champion dance team, and approving contracts and cleanup reports at the
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond police responded to a week of crimes between February 9 and 15, including an attempted murder with a firearm, multiple sexual assaults, domestic violence incidents, and vehicle thefts across the city, according to department logs. Officers made numerous arrests for weapons violations, drug offenses, and DUI throughout the week.
by Soren Hemmila
The Richmond City Council will meet on Tuesday to consider a $2 million funding increase for the Motel 6 housing project, $1.2 million in youth grants to eight nonprofits, and a resolution opposing U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, along with legal services contracts, fleet vehicle purchases, and sister
by Soren Hemmila
Betty Reid Soskin Middle School and Pinole Middle School will be merged, and the district's K-8 model will be dismantled under a fiscal solvency plan approved Wednesday by the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education. The plan proposes combining the two schools on the Pinole
by Soren Hemmila
Four longtime community leaders who dedicated years to neighborhood advocacy, violence prevention, and civil rights were honored Monday night during the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council’s Black History Month celebration. The council recognized Doris Mason, AJ Jelani, JC Farr Jr., and Nat Bates, community leaders whose combined service spans more
by Soren Hemmila