Then-Vallejo City Manager Michael Malone (seated second from left on the dais) listens to a presentation during the April 11, 2023 meeting of the Vallejo City Council. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo The Vallejo City Council has narrowed in on two top contenders for permanent city manager, Open Vallejo has learned. Andrew Murray Credit: City of Pinole During a closed session meeting last week, the council selected Andrew Murray, an interim official in Berkeley and former Pinole city manager, and Gillian Haen, Vallejo’s assistant city manager, among its preferred candidates for the positio ..read more

John Herbert Hansen, Jr. tragically and unexpectedly passed on in the hour of our Lord on March 27, 2024. He was 37 years old. John was born in Vallejo on Oct. 9, 1986. He spent a few years in New Mexico, where he attended Animas Elementary School. He then attended Highland Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Middle School, and Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. John was a very loving and caring son, brother, and Uncle. He worked in landscaping and spent some time working at Safeway. He was a gentle, sensitive spirit who loved his family, art, and music. His favorite rapper was 2Pac. As a ..read more

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is seen at Vallejo City Hall following a press conference to announce a lawsuit against the city and its police department on Oct. 16, 2023. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Two days after quietly withdrawing his agency’s lawsuit against Vallejo, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in his first public statement that a settlement reached Monday allows the ongoing policing reform effort to “move forward immediately, irrespective of court approval.”  The California Department of Justice abandoned the lawsuit following six months of resistance ..read more

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announces the filing of a pattern and practice lawsuit against the city of Vallejo and its Police Department on Oct. 16, 2023 at Vallejo City Hall. Less than six months later, the state DOJ has voluntarily dismissed the case. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo A Solano County Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought last year by California Attorney General Rob Bonta that sought to impose sweeping reforms on the long-troubled Vallejo Police Department. The California Department of Justice filed the request for dismissal on Tuesday morning, jus ..read more

Vallejo Police Ofc. Stephanie McDonough (center) assists in removing members of the public from Vallejo City Hall after police declared an unlawful assembly on May 14, 2019. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo A Vallejo homicide detective with a prior conviction for drunk driving was stopped by police in Sonoma County last month but allowed to leave after two on-duty colleagues came to collect her, an Open Vallejo investigation has found.  Members of the Cotati Police Department responded late on March 18 to a “suspicious” vehicle near a shopping center in the small city about 45 minutes ..read more

Interim Vallejo Police Chief Jason Ta speaks during a May 16, 2023 meeting of the Vallejo City Council as then-Capt. Robert Knight looks on. Ta promoted Knight to deputy chief earlier this year. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Vallejo Fire Chief Kyle Long is no longer in command of the department, effective immediately, sources with knowledge of the matter told Open Vallejo. In his absence, Interim Police Chief Jason Ta will lead both the fire and police departments.  One source said late Thursday afternoon that Ta’s appointment came as a surprise, adding that fire personnel only lea ..read more

Vallejo Deputy Police Chief Joseph Gomez attends a press conference at which California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit and consent decree targeting Vallejo police on Oct. 16, 2023 in Vallejo, Calif. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Vallejo Deputy Police Chief Joseph Gomez attends a press conference at which California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit and consent decree targeting Vallejo police on Oct. 16, 2023 in Vallejo, Calif. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Vallejo Deputy Police Chief Joseph Gomez attends a press conference at which California Attorn ..read more

Joanna Altman poses for a portrait in Benicia, Calif. on March 19, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Joanna Altman poses for a portrait in Benicia, Calif. on March 19, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Joanna Altman poses for a portrait in Benicia, Calif. on March 19, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo A former senior Vallejo employee who raised concerns about alleged illegal dealings by city officials has settled her whistleblower lawsuit against the city for $1 million, according to her attorney.  The City of Vallejo reached a settlement with Joanna Altman ..read more

Law enforcement officials coordinate their response following a police shooting in Benicia, Calif. on March 15, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Law enforcement officials coordinate their response following a police shooting in Benicia, Calif. on March 15, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Law enforcement officials coordinate their response following a police shooting in Benicia, Calif. on March 15, 2024. Credit: Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo Gunshots, flashing emergency lights, and a hovering helicopter alarmed Benicia residents as police engaged in a shootout on Interst ..read more

A still from newly-released body camera video shows the moment American Canyon Police Ofc. Joshua Coleman shot 18-year-old Demarea Vaughn Rogers III following a brief foot chase in Vallejo, Calif. on Jan. 11, 2024. Credit: Obtained by Open Vallejo through a California Public Records Act request A still from newly-released body camera video shows the moment American Canyon Police Ofc. Joshua Coleman shot 18-year-old Demarea Vaughn Rogers III following a brief foot chase in Vallejo, Calif. on Jan. 11, 2024. Credit: Obtained by Open Vallejo through a California Public Records Act request A stil ..read more