A vacant lot on Central Avenue that has cycled through multiple failed housing proposals over the past decade, including a 393-unit apartment building approved in 2023, is back before city planners, this time with a far more modest development plan. The Richmond Design Review Board will consider a 46-
by Soren Hemmila
The What Happened in Richmond column is back, offering a snapshot of police activity across Richmond based on department data. Between January 5 and 11, officers responded to a wide range of incidents, including numerous vehicle thefts, residential and commercial burglaries, assaults, domestic violence cases, and several arrests involving weapons,
by Soren Hemmila
Protesters gathered Saturday outside the Chevron Richmond Refinery to denounce U.S. military actions in Venezuela and accuse the oil giant of profiting from war, environmental damage, and political influence, chanting slogans such as “no blood for oil” at a demonstration organized by the Oil and Gas Action Network. The
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond’s Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on January 15, 2026, on a proposal to allow beer and wine sales at a Chevron gas station food mart on Hilltop Mall Road, following months of community opposition and an earlier hearing that resulted in the project being
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond’s waterfront has a new public gathering place with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay and the region’s active port, as city leaders tout the recently completed Portside Observation Point as part of efforts to balance industrial activity and public access along the city’s shoreline. Located
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond police recorded the city's lowest number of homicides in years in 2025, but a surge in shootings during the final three months has officials working to address what they're calling one of the most significant spikes in gun violence in half a decade. The city
by Soren Hemmila
The Richmond City Council swiftly cleared new business items from its agenda Tuesday night, sent city staff home, and spent hours hearing public comment focused on Mayor Eduardo Martinez and the council's failed effort to formally censure him for controversial social media posts. Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda and
by Soren Hemmila
The man killed in a shooting at a Hilltop restaurant has been identified by his family as Romario Raso Garcia. Garcia’s family publicly identified him in a GoFundMe fundraiser created to help cover funeral and burial expenses. In a post, his sister, Arianna Garcia, wrote in Spanish that her
by Soren Hemmila
A vacant lot on Central Avenue that has cycled through multiple failed housing proposals over the past decade, including a 393-unit apartment building approved in 2023, is back before city planners, this time with a far more modest development plan. The Richmond Design Review Board will consider a 46-
by Soren Hemmila
Beloved community pool, the Richmond Plunge, celebrated a big milestone on Saturday, drawing a crowd of local dignitaries and well-wishers for a spectacular ribbon-cutting birthday bash. Richmond's Mayor Eduardo Martinez, County Supervisor John Gioia, and Councilmember Cesar Zepeda presided over the ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony
The Richmond Greenway runs nearly three miles from South 2nd Street to San Pablo Avenue, a paved ribbon of trail laid over an old rail corridor. Most of it is easy riding. Then you hit the middle, and the trail just gives up. There's a fix in the
In the midst of an urban jungle, an oasis emerges, alive with the aroma of Italy, offering authentic pastries and coffee so delicious you cannot believe you haven't been here before. This is Cafe Gran Milan, located on Jacuzzi Street — in a semi-industrial area you may think
Photos had been turning up online this week, huge looping patterns raked into the sand at Keller Beach, gone by the next tide. There was one obvious question. Who did this? Turns out the answer gets up before the sun does. His name is Brighton Denevan, and he'd
Contra Costa County is asking a judge to shut down a popular but unpermitted taco stand on San Pablo Dam Road after its operators ignored the county's lawsuit, according to court records. Even with the lawsuit pending, the stand keeps running. Most nights, a line stretches down the
On a quiet weekend morning, a hundred or so El Sobrante residents simultaneously stopped what they were doing and fled their homes upon receiving a single text message. Richmond's third evacuation drill was held Saturday, providing neighborhoods in El Sobrante an opportunity to practice what they would do
With Richmond’s June primary just weeks away, voters across the city have a bevy of questions not only concerning who the candidates are, but also who is running in each district and what the newly adopted rules mean for election outcomes. With these questions in mind, Grandview has created
A county property record shows that OpenAI OpCo LLC signed a lease recorded on March 9, 2026, for space at 1411 Harbour Way South in Richmond, the address of the Portside Commerce Center, a 202,371-square-foot industrial warehouse on the Port of Richmond that has been seeking a
A vacant lot on Central Avenue that has cycled through multiple failed housing proposals over the past decade, including a 393-unit apartment building approved in 2023, is back before city planners, this time with a far more modest development plan. The Richmond Design Review Board will consider a 46-
by Soren Hemmila
The What Happened in Richmond column is back, offering a snapshot of police activity across Richmond based on department data. Between January 5 and 11, officers responded to a wide range of incidents, including numerous vehicle thefts, residential and commercial burglaries, assaults, domestic violence cases, and several arrests involving weapons,
by Soren Hemmila
Protesters gathered Saturday outside the Chevron Richmond Refinery to denounce U.S. military actions in Venezuela and accuse the oil giant of profiting from war, environmental damage, and political influence, chanting slogans such as “no blood for oil” at a demonstration organized by the Oil and Gas Action Network. The
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond’s Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on January 15, 2026, on a proposal to allow beer and wine sales at a Chevron gas station food mart on Hilltop Mall Road, following months of community opposition and an earlier hearing that resulted in the project being
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond’s waterfront has a new public gathering place with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay and the region’s active port, as city leaders tout the recently completed Portside Observation Point as part of efforts to balance industrial activity and public access along the city’s shoreline. Located
by Soren Hemmila
Richmond police recorded the city's lowest number of homicides in years in 2025, but a surge in shootings during the final three months has officials working to address what they're calling one of the most significant spikes in gun violence in half a decade. The city
by Soren Hemmila
The Richmond City Council swiftly cleared new business items from its agenda Tuesday night, sent city staff home, and spent hours hearing public comment focused on Mayor Eduardo Martinez and the council's failed effort to formally censure him for controversial social media posts. Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda and
by Soren Hemmila
The man killed in a shooting at a Hilltop restaurant has been identified by his family as Romario Raso Garcia. Garcia’s family publicly identified him in a GoFundMe fundraiser created to help cover funeral and burial expenses. In a post, his sister, Arianna Garcia, wrote in Spanish that her
by Soren Hemmila