Breaking News
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
State Attorney General Drops Charges Against CoCo Assistant DA
Breaking News John Geluardi — Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 6:35 PM
The state attorney general’s office has decided to not re-file rape charges against Deputy District Attorney Michael Gressett, thereby ending a nearly four-year scandal that brought down the bungling power structure that had run the Contra Costa County DA’s Office for decades, and which may end up costing county taxpayers millions of dollars.
The announcement wasn't a big surprise, given that an independent arbiter ruled in September 2011 that the case had been muddied by politics and that Gressett should get his job back with full back pay for salary and benefits, and that later last year, a retired Santa Clara judge dismissed the thirteen-count felony indictment against Gressett. But while the attorney general’s decision to dismiss the indictment ended the criminal proceedings against Gresset, the legal proceedings may just be beginning.
The scandal erupted in 2008, when former DA Robert Kochly arrested Gressett, one of his most tenured and popular deputies, on allegations that he had raped junior deputy prosecutor Holly Harpham in his condominium during a lunch break. The lascivious details, which included a handgun, ice pick, ice cubes and handcuffs, made headlines throughout the Bay Area, and, at first blush, it appeared that an accomplished veteran prosecutor realy had gone dangerously off the rails. Gressett — who, ironically, worked in the DA’s sex crimes unit — never denied having kinky sex with Harpham, but always said that their encounter was consensual.
County Probation Chief Accused of Sexual Harassment
Breaking News / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Steven Tavares — Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 5:43 PM
The surprise announcement today by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, placing Chief Probation Officer David Muhammad on administrative paid leave, stems from allegations of sexual harassment, according to a well-placed county source.
County Probation Chief Placed On Leave
Breaking News / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Steven Tavares — Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 2:04 PM
The person in charge of keeping repeat offenders from returning to the county jail system is himself now in the hot seat. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors placed Chief Probation Officer David Muhammad on paid administrative leave at the conclusion of today’s special meeting.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Piedmont Election Results In; Rood and Sewer Tax Out
Breaking News / Politics Nate Seltenrich — Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 4:30 PM
Did Piedmont voters have more on their mind than just Blair Park when casting their City Council votes on Tuesday? Or has opposition to the controversial new sports field died down, eroding support for challenger and outspoken project critic Tim Rood? Without exit polling it's hard to say, but from final results released in the last hour we know that Rood lost very narrowly to fellow challenger Bob McBain — an ardent supporter of the project who voted for it as a member of Piedmont's Recreation Commission — by a mere 26 votes, or 0.38 percent of the vote. Regardless of voters' motives, McBain's victory may mean a smoother road ahead for the embattled sports field, especially considering his candidacy was backed by project proponents Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Breaking News: StopWaste.org Approves Plastic Bag Ban in Alameda County
Breaking News / Environment Nate Seltenrich — Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 5:16 PM
The Alameda County Waste Management Authority board, operating as StopWaste.org, voted this afternoon to ban all single-use plastic bags at approximately 2,000 retail stores through the county. The ban is set to take effect on January 1, 2013, and applies only to large pharmacies and food-selling retailers.
Friday, January 6, 2012
BREAKING NEWS: Assemblywoman Blames Brain Tumor for Shoplifting; Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge
Breaking News / Politics / People Steven Tavares — Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 2:54 PM
The lawyer for Mary Hayashi on Friday said a benign tumor in the East Bay Assemblywoman’s brain was at least partially to blame for her shoplifting spree at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco in October. Attorney Douglas Rappaport made the comment after Hayashi made an unexpected appearance in court and pled to a lower charge of misdemeanor grand theft stemming from the allegations she stole $2,450 in clothing from Neiman Marcus.
Friday, December 30, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: The New Parkway to Sign Lease at Uptown Warehouse Today
Breaking News Nate Seltenrich — Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 1:30 PM
Oakland, take note: The Parkway is back. The Express received confirmation from The New Parkway’s J. Moses Ceaser this morning that after more than a year of searching for a place to reopen Oakland’s beloved theater pub, at 2:30 this afternoon he will sign a lease for a new location in the Uptown Art Murmur district. The announcement comes not a day too soon; today is the last business day before Ceaser would have had to return hundreds of thousands of dollars in start-up funds contributed by more than one thousand investors for the endeavor, according to an agreement reached earlier this month.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
High Court Delivers Huge Blow to Oakland and Other Cities
Breaking News / Politics / Sports Robert Gammon — Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 11:01 AM
The California Supreme Court today delivered a devastating blow to Oakland and other cities that depend heavily on redevelopment dollars to revitalize downtrodden areas. The court upheld a plan hatched by Governor Jerry Brown and approved by the legislature that eliminated redevelopment agencies statewide. Cities had sued to kill that plan, but the high court rejected their arguments. The court's decision means that Oakland and cities throughout California will have to disband their redevelopment agencies completely, lay off tens of thousands of workers, and immediately transfer local property tax proceeds to the state.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Ogawa Plaza Flooding Ends; Informal Community Meeting Set for Jan. 7
Breaking News Nate Seltenrich — Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 4:42 PM
Two weeks ago, we called attention to the plight of Oakland's most visible oak tree due to the city's continual overwatering of Frank Ogawa Plaza. The very next day, we spotted a public works employee performing a cursory investigation of soil conditions surrounding the massive oak's trunk, and today we're happy to report that it appears the flooding has, after more than a month, finally come to an end.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Oakland Zoo Expansion Opponents File New Legal Appeal
Breaking News / Environment Nate Seltenrich — Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 9:00 AM
If you thought the Oakland Zoo had cleared the legal and environmental hurdles impeding its controversial expansion, you were mistaken. As you may remember from our first story on the conflict, opponents (including both neighbors and members of regional environmental groups) have argued since February, when the zoo released its mitigated negative declaration report, that the project's environmental impacts were unacceptable and illegally accounted for under the California Environmental Quality Act.
