Alexis Gabe disappeared more than two years ago, prompting a massive search, homicide investigation and outpouring of grief and assistance from her East Bay community that closely followed the controversial mystery every step of the way. Gabe, a 23-year-old Oakley resident, seemingly vanished after showing up to the Antioch home of her ex-boyfriend, Marshall Curtis Jones III, at around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2022. Jones, 27, became the prime suspect almost instantly; his suspicious movements, Google searches and a handwritten note deepened those suspicions. Jones would die in a hail of police g ..read more

OAKLEY — A policy to guide council members in their personal social media postings passed its first hurdle Tuesday. Though Oakley City Attorney Derek Cole cautioned the city cannot control a councilmembers’ speech on personal social media and has “limited ability” to enforce such a policy, council members still wanted to have a policy in place to give to new members at the start of their terms. Cole explained that private social media accounts belong to the council members and are protected by the First Amendment. As such, the city cannot impose rules that forbid council members from engaging ..read more

OAKLEY – This city has crossed one of the final hurdles to expand a rural two-lane road that has often become congested during emergencies and is the only way out for some residents. After an agreement to bury a Contra Costa Water District canal that stood in its way, a stretch of East Cypress Road can now be widened. For residents in the growing far eastern Oakley and Bethel Island area, where thousands of homes are planned, it has served as a thoroughfare, with the only other escape through narrow private roads during a catastrophe, such as the wind-swept fires that led to evacuati ..read more

Like many folks, Erin Green spent a lot of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was homeschooling her then-10-year-old son Nigel, working in her garden and baking — a lot. Little did she know then that her hobbies would intersect. As the Oakley mom dabbled more into baking and gardening, growing herbs, vegetables and lettuce for fresh salads, her thoughts turned to future business ventures. First up was finding a natural fertilizer for her garden. She was frightened by chickens but delighted with the thought of ducks waddling around fertilizing her large back yard and eating any harm ..read more

OAKLEY — The grief is always there, but for the family of an Oakley woman brutally killed more than two years ago, finding justice will help to bring some closure they have long hoped for. Alexis Gabe, then 23, vanished on Jan. 26, 2022, after visiting her ex-boyfriend in Antioch. Her case drew national attention, including help from the KlaasKids Foundation, as volunteers near and far searched the East Bay and the Sierra Foothills looking for her remains. Police early on suspected Gabe’s ex-boyfriend, Marshall Curtis Jones, but on June 1, 2022, he was fatally shot when, armed with a knife, he ..read more

Dozens of pedestrians and cyclists marked the opening of a new bridge over Highway 4 in Brentwood by making the inaugural journey across the 850-foot-long span on Wednesday morning. The new, nearly $14 million multi-span structure, which broke ground almost two years ago, will close the gap in the Mokelumne Trail that was created when Highway 4 was expanded more than 20 years ago. “This is a really important day,” said Tim Haile, executive director of Contra Costa Transportation Authority. “It’s been a really long time coming in. This has been a gap in the network for quite some time.” For nea ..read more

RICHMOND — Maria Chavez first heard about George Miller III Children’s Center almost two decades ago when a neighbor recommended that she send her now-18-year-old daughter there for preschool. After sending all three of her children to the same program, she said her initial nervousness turned into pride that she could provide them a quality early education. “I’m so happy it’s accessible, because as a mother who works, I can’t always give them much time, but here they prepare them so well,” Chavez said, waiting for her youngest daughter, 4-year-old Emily, to finish snack time. “Seeing how they ..read more

Below are results from the Contra Costa County registrar of voters for the March 5, 2024, primary election. Results from other counties and California are at these links: Alameda County San Mateo County Santa Clara County San Francisco California Read all of our election stories here and follow updates and analysis from Bay Area, California and national races in our live stream. Use this link if you are having trouble receiving the results on your mobile device. To go directly to Contra Costa County’s election results site, use this link. Presidential race U.S. Senate and U.S. House races ..read more

MARTINEZ — Contra Costa County officials will stop enforcing building codes that require most new buildings to be all-electric — at least for now. The about-face comes after a three-judge panel in April struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, ruling that cities do not have the authority to prohibit the installation of natural gas plumbing in buildings. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to pause enforcement on Tuesday, attempting to avoid litigation or other legal issues because the ordinance that went into effect June 2022 was simila ..read more

Six months after residents of Oakley’s largest affordable housing apartment complex banded together to bring their complaints to the City Council, issues with delayed maintenance, lack of repairs and security linger. That despite state inspections, fines and the city’s formation of a temporary affordable house ad-hoc committee to address the problems. The new committee was supposed to wrap up its work last month and now is set to extend its duration into next month. A group of residents brought their concerns about The Oaks apartment complex to the committee last week, asking management – whic ..read more