BYRON – When Marine Sgt. Kyle Garcia stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, he knew exactly what hit him, but he had no idea how completely his life would change. “I knew instantly what happened,” the Marine scout sniper said. “I knew better than to look because I didn’t want to go into shock.” The East Bay native, then 23, lost his left leg and severely damaged his right leg in the 2011 blast. He would later be fitted with a prosthetic leg and undergo months of physical therapy at a base in Southern California. But transitioning to a new life, often ..read more

OAKLAND — In a ruling that calls into question numerous Alameda County death penalty convictions, a federal judge on Monday found “strong evidence” that prosecutors here made a conscious effort to keep people off of juries based on their race and religion. The order by U.S. District Judge Vincent Chhabria suggests evidence that systemic racism and antisemitism was hiding in plain sight, within prosecution notes in the case file for a man named Ernest Dykes who was sentenced to death after a 1995 jury trial. It was only brought to Chhabria’s attention in 2023, by a county pr ..read more

Atmospheric river storms are like punches in a boxing match. A flurry of weak ones are OK. But it’s best to avoid the big knockout blows. That’s exactly what happened in California this winter. Scientists say that from Oct. 1 to April 1, the state actually received more atmospheric rivers, the famous moisture-laden meteorological events that are critical to the water supply, than it did last year — 44 this winter compared to 31 last winter. But the intensity made all the difference. Statewide, California had just 2 strong atmospheric rivers this winter, compared with 7 last year. Many of the b ..read more

HAYWARD — A man and woman died of gunshot wounds here Saturday evening in what authorities are calling a murder/suicide. The incident occurred April 20. Police were called to the 3000 block of West Winton Avenue in Hayward a little after 6:20 p.m. for a report of two dead people inside a vehicle, authorities said. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Person shot on Hegenberger Road in Oakland Crime and Public Safety | Police once again raid East Bay massage parlors in sex trafficking investigation Crime and Public Safety | Oakland police officer dies of injuries suffered in 2018 on-c ..read more

OAKLAND — In a new settlement agreement approved by a federal judge Thursday, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District agreed to take specific steps toward improving train accessibility for riders with mobility disabilities, according to a news release from groups that pushed for the change. “This settlement ensures that people with mobility disabilities are not excluded from the Bay Area’s mass transit system and do not receive a level of service vastly inferior to nondisabled people,” said Jinny Kim, supervising attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. Joining Disability Rights Advocates in its s ..read more

OAKLAND — About 15 months after taking office, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price appears set to face a recall election this year after her opponents on Monday cleared the last significant hurdle to putting the question before voters. Tim Dupuis, the county’s registrar of voters, on Monday said the recall campaign Save Alameda For Everyone submitted 74,757 valid signatures, just over the 73,195 required to get the question on a ballot. In all, 48,617 signatures were found to be invalid, meaning they couldn’t count toward the group’s bid to unseat Price. A manual count became necessa ..read more

Four years after the start of the COVID pandemic, the age and race of its victims in California have dramatically shifted: Now, a Bay Area News Group analysis finds, those who are dying from the virus are much older, and more often White than Latino, a notable switch. While COVID deaths in California have plunged across all race and age groups, a comparison of deaths from the first six months of the pandemic to the most recent six months of data compiled by the California Department of Public Health shows 70% of those dying nowadays are 75 or older — up from just over half in early 2020. And w ..read more

For over a decade, developer Forrest Linebarger has tried to build new multifamily housing on two half-acre parcels in Los Altos Hills. The city has done all it can to stop him. Related Articles Housing | This map reveals where supersized ‘builder’s remedy’ projects could be coming Housing | State green lights Cupertino’s housing plan for more than 4,500 new homes Housing | Developers of two new East Bay housing developments hear that affordability is key Housing | Affordable San Jose homes may rise at Willow Glen restaurant site Housing | Letters: A bad start | Developers’ benefit | Sup ..read more

Growing and selling marijuana on the black market remains a lucrative business in California — long after voters approved recreational pot sales and use in 2016. But state enforcement officials have kept busy trying to dismantle illicit production to better support legal ventures. Roughly $53.6 million in illegal cannabis was seized within the first three months of 2024, according to an April 11 report from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Between January 1 and March 31, the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce seized 31,866 pounds of unlicensed cannabis and eradicated 5 ..read more

HAYWARD — A big rig trailer truck overturned early Friday on an East Bay freeway, the second straight day that an overturned truck turned the commute in that area into a mess. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | San Jose: Pedestrian seriously injured in early morning collision Crashes and Disasters | Once Highway 1 stabilized at Rocky Creek, traffic can return to Big Sur Crashes and Disasters | Big rig overturns on connector to I-880, spilling food, fuel and oil Crashes and Disasters | After 60 car crash deaths on Pacific Coast Highway, state legislators say enough is enough Crashes ..read more