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Feb 24, 2026 Ex-SF nonprofit CEO linked to Richmond bingo hall faces felony charges
Gwendolyn Westbrook

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
Crime in the City   -   Feb 23, 2026 What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, shootings, and vehicle thefts
What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, shootings, and vehicle thefts

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
Housing   -   Feb 22, 2026 Subsidized housing loophole put on hold amid tenant backlash
Subsidized housing loophole put on hold amid tenant backlash

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
City Council Updates   -   Feb 21, 2026 On the agenda: Tobacco license limits and a new 23rd Street enforcement zone
On the agenda: Tobacco license limits and a new 23rd Street enforcement zone

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
News   -   Feb 17, 2026 Debris from one of Richmond's oldest hotels removed
Debris from one of Richmond's oldest hotels removed

Crews began working to clear debris from the site of Richmond's historic International Hotel this week, more than three months after a fire ripped through the already charred remains of the building, which was left heavily damaged by a previous fire in April of 2023. The burnt structure&

by Linda Hemmila
Crime in the City   -   Feb 16, 2026 What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, assaults, and vehicle thefts
What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, assaults, and vehicle thefts

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
City Council Updates   -   Feb 13, 2026 On the agenda: $2 million for Motel 6 project, Chevron funds for nonprofits, Venezuela resolution
Exterior view of the former Motel 6 in Richmond under construction for a homeless housing conversion project

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
Education   -   Feb 12, 2026 Board approves plan to merge Betty Reid Soskin, Pinole middle schools
Board approves plan to merge Betty Reid Soskin, Pinole middle schools

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
Gwendolyn Westbrook
Feb 24, 2026 Ex-SF nonprofit CEO linked to Richmond bingo hall faces felony charges

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
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Feb 24, 2026 Ex-SF nonprofit CEO linked to Richmond bingo hall faces felony charges
Gwendolyn Westbrook

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
Crime in the City   -   Feb 23, 2026 What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, shootings, and vehicle thefts
What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, shootings, and vehicle thefts

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
Housing   -   Feb 22, 2026 Subsidized housing loophole put on hold amid tenant backlash
Subsidized housing loophole put on hold amid tenant backlash

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
City Council Updates   -   Feb 21, 2026 On the agenda: Tobacco license limits and a new 23rd Street enforcement zone
On the agenda: Tobacco license limits and a new 23rd Street enforcement zone

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
News   -   Feb 17, 2026 Debris from one of Richmond's oldest hotels removed
Debris from one of Richmond's oldest hotels removed

Crews began working to clear debris from the site of Richmond's historic International Hotel this week, more than three months after a fire ripped through the already charred remains of the building, which was left heavily damaged by a previous fire in April of 2023. The burnt structure&

by Linda Hemmila
Crime in the City   -   Feb 16, 2026 What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, assaults, and vehicle thefts
What happened in Richmond: Attempted murder, assaults, and vehicle thefts

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
City Council Updates   -   Feb 13, 2026 On the agenda: $2 million for Motel 6 project, Chevron funds for nonprofits, Venezuela resolution
Exterior view of the former Motel 6 in Richmond under construction for a homeless housing conversion project

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
Education   -   Feb 12, 2026 Board approves plan to merge Betty Reid Soskin, Pinole middle schools
Board approves plan to merge Betty Reid Soskin, Pinole middle schools

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
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