Desmond Akers
Desmond Akers covers the cities and counties of the greater Bay Area, from Oakland and San Jose to the Peninsula, the North Bay and the East Bay suburbs, for Around the Region.
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Mario Juarez, the government’s central witness, takes the stand in Sheng Thao’s corruption trial
The Oakland political operative testified that the former mayor sought $300,000 in exchange for city help for a housing venture he formed with the Duong family, an account the four defendants, who have pleaded not guilty,…
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Education Department opens student-privacy investigations into three California districts over ethnic studies
Federal officials say lessons in San Francisco, Palo Alto and North Monterey County may have asked students about sexuality, health and family income without parental consent, while two of the districts say the flagged activities were…
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SMART signs a $190.5 million contract to carry its trains across the Russian River to Healdsburg
The North Bay rail line’s board approved the construction deal for 4.75 miles of track and two steel bridges, and Healdsburg says it is ready, with one strong opinion about where the station should go.
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Santa Rita Jail’s fourth death of 2026 followed a release from custody while the woman was hospitalized
Jessica Watson, 36, was freed on her own recognizance the day after deputies found her unresponsive in her cell, a practice the State Auditor has warned can keep jail-related deaths out of official counts.
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Bird flu turns up in Canada geese at Alameda’s Crown Beach, and East Bay parks tell visitors to keep their distance
Geese collected this month at Crown Memorial State Beach tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, and officials say infected birds could appear anywhere in the East Bay.
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Oakland’s 911 lines are back after cut cables, but the questions about its backups remain
Severed AT&T copper and fiber lines knocked out Oakland’s emergency and dispatch phones for about 36 hours. Police are treating the damage as a crime, and both of the city’s first fallback plans failed.
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Oakland’s $30 minimum wage initiative qualifies, putting the next decision before the City Council
County elections officials certified signatures for a measure that would raise Oakland’s minimum wage from $17.34 to $30 an hour by 2037, leaving the council to adopt it, send it to voters or order a 30-day…
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Oakland moves to raise blight fines to as much as $10,000 a day, the first increase since 1968
The City Council gave initial approval to a plan by Councilmember Zac Unger that would raise the ceiling on daily penalties tenfold for owners who leave declared nuisances unfixed, with a final vote set for Nov.…
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As Medi-Cal shrinks, Bay Area counties rebuild safety nets they scaled back after the Affordable Care Act
Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Francisco are expanding county-run care programs for people expected to lose coverage in 2027, but the documents behind those plans show the money covers only a fraction of the…