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Soren Hemmila

soren at grandviewindependent dot com

Soren Hemmila's Work 644 Articles
Education   -   Jan 29, 2026 West Contra Costa school board tables decision on Betty Soskin Middle School closure
West Contra Costa school board tables decision on Betty Soskin Middle School closure

The West Contra Costa Unified School District board voted 3-2 late Wednesday to table a proposal to close Betty Reid Soskin Middle School and relocate the district’s growing Mandarin immersion program to the Soskin campus. The board approved only the current year’s fiscal solvency measures and delayed voting

by Soren Hemmila
Crime in the City   -   Jan 26, 2026 What happened in Richmond: vehicle thefts pile up alongside robberies, DUIs and arrests
What happened in Richmond: vehicle thefts pile up alongside robberies, DUIs and arrests

Richmond police responded to a week of crimes between January 19 and 25, including numerous vehicle thefts, domestic violence incidents, and drug-related arrests across the city, according to department logs. Officers made arrests in several violent incidents and recovered stolen vehicles throughout the week. Richmond crime incident map A citywide

by Soren Hemmila
City Council Updates   -   Jan 25, 2026 On the agenda: Chevron money, civil-rights litigation and crime trends
On the agenda: Chevron money, civil-rights litigation and crime trends

The Richmond City Council will meet Tuesday to debate competing proposals for spending millions in Chevron settlement funds, consider changes to how council liaisons are appointed to boards and commissions, and weigh a $4 million contract amendment for sewer rehabilitation, while also conferring in closed session on a federal civil

by Soren Hemmila
News   -   Jan 22, 2026 UPDATE: DOJ assumes investigation into fatal officer-involved shooting on I-80
UPDATE: DOJ assumes investigation into fatal officer-involved shooting on I-80

The California Department of Justice has assumed responsibility for investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting on Interstate 80 near Highway 4, Richmond police said Thursday, citing uncertainty over whether the person involved was armed at the time of the shooting. In a detailed news release issued late Thursday, police said the

by Soren Hemmila
City Council Updates   -   Jan 21, 2026 Richmond City Council accepts mayor’s apology, approves antisemitism training
Richmond City Council accepts mayor’s apology, approves antisemitism training

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez publicly apologized Tuesday night for reposting social media content that included antisemitic tropes, as the council voted to recognize his participation in antisemitism training but rejected an effort to censure the mayor after hours of contentious debate. “It’s difficult to apologize, not because one is

by Soren Hemmila
Burrito Trail   -   Jan 20, 2026 On the Richmond Burrito Trail: the second-best La Flor de Jalisco taco truck
La Flora de Jalisco

We kept riding around looking for lunch, and it was cold out. We kept getting denied. Locked doors with faded handwritten notes peeling at the corners. Dark taquerías that claimed to be open on Yelp but were never actually open when you showed up shivering in the parking lot on

by Soren Hemmila
Crime in the City   -   Jan 19, 2026 What happened in Richmond: multiple arrests, robberies, and stolen vehicles reported
What happened in Richmond:  multiple arrests, robberies, and stolen vehicles reported

Richmond police responded to a week of crimes between January 12 and 18, including multiple armed robberies, domestic violence arrests, and a steady stream of vehicle thefts across the city, according to department logs. Officers arrested suspects in several violent incidents, documented numerous burglaries, and recovered multiple stolen vehicles. A

by Soren Hemmila
City Council Updates   -   Jan 17, 2026 On the agenda: Censuring the mayor, youth programs, a new vice mayor, and how to make the polluter's payment count
On the agenda: Censuring the mayor,  youth programs, a new vice mayor, and how to make the polluter's payment count

The Richmond City Council faces a contentious agenda Tuesday, including a formal censure resolution against Mayor Eduardo Martinez, competing proposals for how to allocate $550 million in Chevron settlement funds, and the election of a new vice mayor. Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda and Councilmember Jamelia Brown are sponsoring a resolution

by Soren Hemmila
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