Tri-Valley Year in Review 2024

2024 is coming to an end, a year of so much local news throughout the Tri-Valley — but like much of the nation, the headlines here were also dominated by elections. 

While the Nov. 5 results are still very fresh in minds, ballot season was of course right there when the calendar turned to the new year back in January with campaigning underway for the primary election in March in this presidential year. 

There were important votes then like Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley winning a seventh term, and runoffs being set for state and federal seats. 

Off-schedule ballot issues kept the drama going through spring and summer, with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s two parcel tax measures in May (both failing), the Sunol Glen Unified School District trustee recalls in July and tracking with baited breath the petition to oust Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price that was ultimately set for November.

Beyond the Price recall, intrigue permeated local campaign season throughout the Tri-Valley. Pleasanton saw a heated mayoral battle and a controversial sales tax measure, key races unfolded for City Council and school board in Livermore, Dublin had a crowded contest for the open mayor seat, SRVUSD got its parcel tax this time, San Ramon voters approved a 1% sales tax increase and Measure II brought open space and Dublin Boulevard extension to the fore.

Oh, and now there’s a Monte Vista High School alumnus in the U.S. Senate.

But there was so much more than the election to the year that was in the Tri-Valley – good, bad and in between.

Local high schoolers reaching the pinnacle of sports in California (plus one who made a splash at the national level during Olympic trials). Cities and school districts tighten their belts amid budget difficulties. Tense negotiations between public and private management and their employee unions. The giveth and taketh away for horse racing in Pleasanton.

The excitement (and angst) of executive leadership changes, including two sudden and still-unexplained principal exits in the first weeks of the school year. And the reinvigoration from new businesses, small (like Patisserie by Simone) and large (Costco in Pleasanton … finally). 

Take a look back at our most prominent storylines and photographs from 2024. Enjoy!

January

Pleasanton residents and businesses begin paying higher water rates approved by the City Council in the prior November.

Embarcadero Media — the parent company of the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com — transitions to become a nonprofit journalism organization. The foundation would unveil redesigns of its seven news websites later in the month.

City of Pleasanton opens a new account after its Facebook page is hacked.

There is a new commander of the California Highway Patrol’s Dublin office, with Capt. Gerardo Serrato taking the reins.

Weekly interviews former astronaut and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory engineer Jose Hernandez about the recent feature film inspired by his life story, “A Million Miles Away”.

Pleasanton community left reeling after former residents Melissa Soto and Johnny Soto are identified as the estranged couple at the center of a murder-suicide about an hour outside of San Diego around Christmas.

Mark Sanders, 27 — one of the suspects in the shooting death of Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le — is arrested in Livermore.

The last Rite Aid store in Livermore is set to close later this year.

A new graffiti ordinance in Livermore is now being enforced, which requires graffiti to be cleaned up by property owners within seven days after the vandalism occurs.

Another successful Make A Difference Festival is held in Pleasanton.

“Legally Blonde” at the Bankhead Theater becomes the first production under its new name for the newly rebranded Tri-Valley Theatre Company.

The Firehouse Arts Center has an all-new look for its crowded and eclectic set of shows over the next two months that the theater’s managers hope will make audiences feel “closer to the heart of entertainment” — cafe-style seating.

Richard Thornton, head coach of San Ramon Valley Aquatics since 1984, dies while surfing off Santa Cruz, his family confirms.

The Pleasanton school board majority provides minimal input while discussing two high school boundary adjustments options as the trustees gear up for the final vote later this month.

Alameda County election officials give the green light to parents and community members to circulate their proposed petition to recall Sunol Glen Unified School District Board President Ryan Jergensen and Trustee Linda Hurley.

Wheels bus service announces expansions in the Tri-Valley.

Bob Pack, a Danville resident lauded for his advocacy against impaired driving after two of his young kids were killed in 2003, sues his now-former employer (Orkin’s Livermore branch) alleging discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination in the wake of his manager pestering him about alcohol and drug use.

Former Granada High School student David Cantero Valdez is gunned down in Tracy. He was 17.

Las Positas College community remembers the life and legacy of professor emeritus Ken Ross, who died after a rapid 15-day battle with cancer.

The U.S. Capitol Police are formally investigating comments allegedly made by conservative political figure Roger Stone advocating for the assassination of U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell and a colleague back in 2020, according to reports from multiple national news outlets.

Foothill basketball standout Riley Young scores the 1,000th point of her high school career.

Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation formally dissolves and awards its remaining assets to another cancer support nonprofit in the Tri-Valley, Culinary Angels.

The City Council reviews an update regarding the city’s efforts to develop a sustainable organizational culture that would help create an equitable and inclusive employment environment and make Pleasanton a more desired workplace destination.

Newly released documentary “American Nightmare” explores the shocking story of the 2015 kidnapping case initially and mistakenly deemed a hoax by the Vallejo Police Department before the crime was ultimately solved with key investigative work by Dublin Police Services.

Though the primary hasn’t even arrived yet, the general election season gets into gear as Livermore school board Trustee Kristie Wang announces her bid for City Council in the fall.

Danville resident Kevin Xu, 24, who is now charged with allegedly assaulting his father and spurring a police search of the neighborhood, is confirmed for the first time to be the same local resident who was investigated as the driver who fatally struck bicyclist and NFL coach Greg Knapp in San Ramon more than two years ago.

The newly anointed leader of San Francisco’s Sheriff’s Department of Accountability – Office of Inspector General and the clear front-runner for one open seat on the Alameda County Superior Court bench will face a tough choice soon. That’s because they’re the same person: Terry Wiley, who gained name recognition in 2022 after losing to Pamela Price in the district attorney race.

California Highway Patrol helicopter personnel airlift a woman who was trapped on top of her overturned small pickup truck, which was submerged in flood water for almost 15 hours deep in the Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore.

Fire safety inspector Alexandra Le is reinstated to her position at Pleasanton-based Construction Testing Services and sees union dues and back pay returned to her as part of a settlement with the company and an employees’ union following a federal complaint she brought forward last year.

As the Association of Pleasanton Teachers and the Pleasanton Unified School District prepare to enter the factfinding stage of the contract negotiations process, the district presents a budget update that outlines even more financial challenges.

Livermore Lab is under federal investigation for a reported incident last spring in which radioactive contamination was allegedly not properly controlled.

Livermore resident Phillip Wong dies after a solo bicycle crash on Encino Drive. He was 58.

Open Heart Kitchen and its community partners reach a significant milestone with the soft opening of the Vineyard Resource Center in Livermore.

Owners and supporters of The Ranch Pet Resort & Spa in Livermore celebrate a victory after the Alameda County Board of Supervisors votes to uphold approval of the facility’s conditional use permit.

Heinz Gewing, who served as Dublin’s first schools superintendent after local districts unified 35 years ago, dies in hospice care. He was 91.

The Pleasanton Police Department arrests two juveniles at Pleasanton Middle School after an altercation took place where one of them allegedly assaulted a parent who tried breaking up a fight in front of the school.

Danville Planning Commission approves a proposal for 167 housing units at the abandoned walnut orchard previously operated by the Borel family.

Sunol Glen School Superintendent-Principal Molleen Barnes announces her retirement in June after 16 years leading the small-town campus.

February

Pleasanton-based Workday Inc. sees a leadership change as co-CEO Aneel Bhusri moves into an advisory role, leaving Carl Eschenbach as the lone CEO.

Dublin Teachers Association prepares for possible strike amid stalled negotiations with the district.

San Ramon native Ashley Nguyen Dewitt reflects on her Emmy nomination for Outstanding Voice Directing for an Animated Series for her work on the Netflix series “Ada Twist, Scientist”.

The Weekly learns that prosecutors have charged Westley resident Emilio Chambers Cruz with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter stemming from the July 2023 crash that killed Livermore winery owner Mitchell Katz.

Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy 120 CHP officers to enact a temporary enforcement surge in Oakland and the East Bay.

Court documents reveal Zone 7 Water Agency recently sued the city of Pleasanton alleging it failed to pay the agency over $18 million in fees after Pleasanton increased water meter sizes and connections but failed to properly report those changes.

Amador Valley High School wins We the People state championship. Foothill also heads to nationals as a wild-card after finishing second at state.

Caltrans once again calls off plans to fully close southbound Interstate 680 between Pleasanton and Sunol over an upcoming holiday weekend because of predicted rain. The work would later occur over St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Over the last year the Pleasanton PD has seen resignations, medical leaves and vacant positions not being filled, which have all caused the department to make several notable organizational changes that the city hopes to correct in the next coming year, according to a new public memorandum from city officials.

Alameda County Public Works Agency closes Tesla Road after more erosion in a hard-hit stretch of the roadway east of Livermore during the last rainstorm.

Taste Tri-Valley Restaurant Week is back for the fourth year in a row.

A man being held in minimum security at Santa Rita Jail after his arrest on suspicion of vehicle theft in San Leandro dies at the Dublin facility. Eric Johnson, 53, is Santa Rita’s first inmate death of 2024.

A group of hammer-wielding robbers bombard Home Consignment Center to smash display cases and steal jewelry, marking the third time criminals have targeted the store in the past two months, according to Danville police.

Much ado over ADUs: Dublin’s WellNest among companies to focus on growing industry serving older Californians — like founder’s father.

Campaign submits completed petitions for review in hopes of forcing a special election to recall Sunol school trustees Jergensen and Hurley.

Patisserie by Simone opens in Livermore, bringing French-inspired desserts to town.

Much Ado About Pizza in Pleasanton makes Yelp’s 2024 Top 100 U.S. restaurants list.

Caltrans closes a major stretch of Highway 84, also known as Niles Canyon Road, between Sunol and Fremont following the roadway erosion that occurred amid the Presidents Day weekend rainstorms.

An Alameda County Fire Department crew out on assignment in the Tri-Valley is hit hard recently after $20,000 worth of equipment was stolen from their trucks while they were resting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Pleasanton.

Amador alum Stephen Piscotty signs a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics in the hopes of rejuvenating his Major League Baseball career.

For the second summer in a row, Bay Area rap legend E-40 is set to headline the Big O Tires Concert Series at the Alameda County Fair, officials reveal.

Niles Canyon Railway commemorates the 100th birthday of its Clover Valley Lumber Company No. 4 train.

San Ramon Valley Unified School District faces accusations from a second former student who alleges that she was sexually assaulted by high school theater teacher Ryan Weible after he remained employed by the district following abuse complaints from another student.

PUSD and APT fail to reach a labor settlement agreement during their fact-finding session, as more than 450 teachers, families and community members rallied outside of the meeting in support of the union.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identifies the 21-year-old victim in a suspected homicide case as San Ramon resident and University of California, Santa Cruz student Zainab Mansoor.

Pleasanton appoints Siew-Chin Yeong as the city’s new public works director.

A Fairfield man arrested in a sting operation after trying to meet a teen for sex in Danville died at an area hospital from injuries sustained while attempting to hang himself while in custody, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office confirms. Jaime Rodriguez was 50.

Dublin school board endorses a proposal to reduce district workforce and professional support expenses by roughly $3 million.

SRVUSD Superintendent John Malloy is stepping down at the end of the academic year to become assistant executive director for the School Superintendents Association.

San Ramon Valley beats Amador in the girls’ soccer semifinals of the North Coast Section tournament. The Wolves would go on to defeat Carondelet in the finals.

March

Pleasanton Police Chief David Swing confirms he will soon resign after being hired as the executive director of the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority.

Group of critics submits signatures on a petition to force a recall election for Alameda County DA Price.

Amador and Foothill team up to present their annual joint musical, with this year’s production being “9 to 5”.

Coroner identified 90-year-old Joseph Eastwood III as the man found dead inside his pickup truck in a creek on his property west of Dublin.

Dublin Leprechauns independent league baseball team hires David Aceron as their manager for their second season in the Tri-Valley.

Primary election night in the Tri-Valley sees Zone 7 incumbents Laurene Green, Kathy Narum and Sandy Figuers win new terms while newcomer Cathy Brown earns the special two-year term on the ballot.

Other local election results: District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley wins a seventh term, Mark Fickes takes the contested Alameda County Superior Court judgeship, and county voters pass Measure A (requirements for public postings of county jobs) and Measure B (recall election rules).

Monte Vista High alumnus Adam Schiff, a Burbank Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, finishes first in the primary and heads to a November runoff for U.S. Senate.

PUSD, teachers reach agreement after months at tense impasse. The tentative deal includes 10% salary increase, full Kaiser coverage and high school class size reductions.

Vote coming? Appellate court sides with Move Eden Housing in referendum case in a decision that requires the city of Livermore to process the petition and reverses the order for the group to pay $500,000 bond.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charges four men with crimes related to child exploitation following a days-long sting operation centered in Danville.

Pleasanton politics heat up as Councilmember Jack Balch announces he’s running for mayor to challenge incumbent Karla Brown instead of a second term on the council.

City Council approves a resolution that declares the city’s intent to reimburse money spent on near-term improvements to Pleasanton’s water infrastructure through debt financing in the form of a revenue bond sale that the council will look at approving at a future council meeting.

Pleasanton police investigate apparent murder-suicide, alleging a man forced his way into his estranged girlfriend’s house at the Las Positas Gardens townhouse development and shot her several times before taking his own life on the freeway.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin women’s prison has a new warden after the FBI descended on the facility.

The Weekly spotlights Sri Surabhi Go Ksetra cow sanctuary on Camino Tassajara in unincorporated Pleasanton.

Eye-opening and colorful works from the late artist Marc Chagall come to Livermore for a limited time only.

Former Alamo doctor Parto Karimi, 59, is given a year and a day in federal prison for illegally distributing opioids.

Livermore Valley Arts announces the headliner for its annual marquee fundraising gala Brilliance at the Bankhead: American singer, songwriter and actress Katharine McPhee.

Stockton resident Dennis Lee, 40, is charged with killing gas station employee Wadih Badran, 78, in a confrontation over loitering at the San Leandro business.

A man trying to elude police in Tracy is captured after an aggressive standoff with law enforcement in a Dublin office parking lot on a Saturday afternoon, according to authorities.

Sunol school board recall election is scheduled for July 2.

Firefighters battle a serious blaze in the 100-year-old small gymnasium at Amador Valley High.

Pleasanton school board votes to resell the district-owned Neal property located along Vineyard Avenue between Thiessen Street and Manoir Lane for $34,695,000 to a new housing developer after the last one decided to back out of the purchase at the last minute.

Dublin Unified School District and Dublin Teachers Association bargaining teams come to terms on a tentative agreement that includes a 6% raise for educators, among other provisions, at the end of a long negotiation session on a Friday night.

“Dysfunctional mess” — A U.S. district judge orders the appointment of a special master to oversee the Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the Bay Area women’s prison with a history of widespread sexual abuse.

It’s a mostly grim Pleasanton council meeting where tough discussions and topics come up regarding potential reductions in services, cuts to capital improvement projects and how the city will need to plan ahead in order to address its financial challenges.

Judge denies a petition to stop the Sunol school board recall election.

Danville resident Timothy Stephenson, now 50, pleads guilty to the cold-case murder of 26-year-old Randall Oliphant in Kansas City, Mo., in 1998.

Pleasanton is set to become the new hub for horse racing in Northern California after the California Horse Racing Board voted to allocate the rest of the 2024 horse race meets to take place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

West Point cadet Havin Morris, a Pleasanton native and 2020 Amador grad, dies in an apparent accidental drowning while on leave in Florida.

There will be no fire in the sky this Fourth of July in Livermore as the city announces that the annual fireworks show will be replaced by a reimagined family-friendly celebration.

Emotions run high during an already tense Sunol school board meeting after the board decides not to remove a member of the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee who sent what many residents called a racist email to another local resident.

The Weekly and its entire Embarcadero Media Foundation East Bay Division distributes the proceeds of its 2023-24 Holiday Fund to 10 crucial nonprofits in the Tri-Valley: $51,710.

BART Director John McPartland, whose District 5 includes a large portion of the Tri-Valley, resigns after nearly 16 years.

A judge decides that Sunol school Board President Ryan Jergensen will have to pay former board trustee Denise Kent Romo over $8,000 in attorney fees after he filed and later dropped a temporary restraining order against her.

A 14-year-old boy is arrested on multiple accusations of attempted carjacking in a downtown Livermore parking garage, police say.

​​A former Dougherty Valley High School student is suing SRVUSD for negligence following serious injuries he allegedly sustained at the hands of students at a rival school after a basketball game last year.

Superintendent Chris Van Schaack, a mainstay in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District in various roles across three decades, is retiring at the end of June after two years at the helm of the district.

April

New Grocery Outlet opens on Amador Valley Boulevard in Dublin.

Tri-Valley residents have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see and hear an acoustic guitar made from a 500-year-old piece of wood that originally came from the roof of the Munich Cathedral in Germany — dubbed the “Resurrection Guitar” by Pleasanton’s very own luthier George Bowen.

Livermore promotes city clerk Marie Weber to deputy city manager.

With more California homeowners just discovering their insurance policies are getting canceled — and hundreds of thousands of others stuck with a pricey option of last resort — state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s efforts to fix the home insurance market can’t come quickly enough.

City Manager Gerry Beaudin picks Newark Police Chief Gina Anderson to take over her hometown Pleasanton Police Department as interim chief until a permanent hire is made.

PUSD executive cabinet members, including Superintendent David Haglund, waive a salary increase that they typically get at the same time other management staff, such as principals and vice principals, receive one.

San Ramon’s Marketplace Shopping Center is down one more tenant (Firehouse 37) as a lawsuit against the city makes its way through county court.

Pleasanton promotes Xaviera Scoggins to become director human resources and labor relations.

All 99 Cents Only stores will close nationwide, including the shop on Railroad Avenue in Livermore.

Casa Orozco, with its main restaurant in Dublin and second location in Livermore, celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Changes to Livermore’s tobacco retailer take effect, following the City Council’s adoption of an amended ordinance that aims to help authorities better enforce existing mandates.

Former Foothill boys’ basketball coach Randy Isaacs dies after suffering a heart attack at the age of 59.

Pleasanton’s Planning Commission rejects an application to demolish two buildings on the corner of West Las Positas Boulevard and Hopyard Road in order to build 146 multi-family residential units — property currently occupied by general offices.

Fallout continues after a couple with kids in PUSD speak out at a school board meeting to raise awareness about what they said has been an ongoing issue of students saying the “N-word” and asking Black and African American students for a pass to use it. The district would later update its policy on hate-motivated speech as a result.

Alameda County Fair Foundation announces partnership with Safeway to formally name the foundation’s educational farm it plans to build at the fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

Registrar of Voters’ Office says the recall petition has enough signatures to force a vote on the future of DA Pamela Price.

John Cleese, Colin Hay, Elizabeth Smart, JD Souther and 10,000 Maniacs are among the big names unveiled for the 2024-25 Bankhead Presents series.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirms that FCI Dublin will close for good after a sex abuse scandal resulting in criminal convictions of at least seven former employees of the prison so far.

Livermore community mourns the loss of four members of the Negrete family in a horrific car crash in Manteca.

Bill Butler and Lisa and Randy Brown are named the 2024 Ed Kinney Community Patriots.

PUSD’s David Haglund plans to retire this summer — marking the fourth superintendent departure in the Tri-Valley at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

Benicia Knapps pleads no contest to second-degree murder for fatally shooting Pleasanton Home Depot employee Blake Mohs during a robbery gone bad at the store nearly one year ago. Her accomplice also inks a plea deal for his role in her escape from the scene. Knapps will be sentenced to 19 years to life later in the spring.

California State Parks and Recreation Commission officials offer a media tour of Alameda Tesla property between Livermore and Tracy.

Pleasanton City Council approves a design change for a developer’s plan to build eight, three-story multifamily buildings at the site currently occupied by Harvest Valley Christian Church and its affiliated daycare.

Foothill places third in We the People national finals. Crosstown rival Amador, who won the state championship, finished in seventh place in Washington, D.C.

State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan advances legislation to regulate artificial intelligence in California.

Second Chick-fil-A restaurant opens in Pleasanton, this one in Hacienda on Hopyard Road.

Stanford Health confirms plans to close its Livermore Diabetes and Bariatric Center.

PUSD promotes Nimarta Grewal to assistant superintendent of human resources.

Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown presents her 2024 Mayor’s Award to Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council president Kelly Cousins.

Dublin High hires former Oakland Raiders running back and local pastor Napoleon Kaufman as its head football coach.

The first two phases of homes in the City Village development in Bishop Ranch sell out.

Pleasanton community is left reeling after the deaths of the George family of four in a car crash on Foothill Road.

Backers of an Alameda County sales tax increase to fund child care are celebrating after a ruling by the California Supreme Court has finally validated the measure, four years after voters approved Measure C.

May

The Weekly gets an inside glimpse at the Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley culinary operation.

Livermore Valley wine country is set for its second annual CabFranc-A-Palooza.

Paralympian and Dublin High alumna Bethany Zummo is inducted among the 2024 class of the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame.

Lynn Gatehouse, Wayne Johnson and Sunflower Hill win 2024 Juanita Haugen Awards from the Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative.

After a carjacking attempt outside their home on Neal Street, the Bailey family raises concerns over the Pleasanton police response that Saturday evening.

Caltrans gets ready to begin a series of weekend-long closures of multiple lanes of I-680 between San Ramon and Dublin for ongoing construction.

Voters reject a parcel tax renewal (Measure E) and a supplemental parcel tax (Measure F) in a special election for SRVUSD. Each measure receives more than 50% support, but below the two-thirds supermajority threshold required to pass.

CJ Cammack is returning to SRVUSD as superintendent.

Livermore native Jason Lyle Black performs a Mother’s Day show at his hometown Bankhead Theater.

“Something on the Lighter Side” marks the final concert for John Emory Bush as artistic director of Valley Concert Chorale.

An Oakland woman and Hayward man are found dead from gunshot wounds inside a hotel room at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Livermore.

Service Corporation International agrees to pay $23 million to settle charges that it used deceptive marketing practices related to its prepaid cremation services in California, including at its location in Livermore.

Pacific Chamber Orchestra holds its inaugural Tri-Valley Craft Cocktail Competition.

Pleasanton resident Joseph Roberts is found guilty of second-degree murder for killing his girlfriend Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, dismembering her body and dumping her remains on Bay Farm Island in Alameda. Roberts, 43, will be sentenced to 15 years to life in the summer.

Pleasanton City Council unanimously approves finance documents to allow the city to issue water revenue bonds with a principal maximum amount of $19 million, which will help pay for water system improvement projects and the first phase and design work for drilling new wells as part of the city’s Water Supply Alternative Project.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors decides to consolidate the DA recall with the general election on Nov. 5.

Livermore Area Recreation and Park District Director David Furst receives the Award of Distinction for Outstanding Board Member by the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts.

Foothill freshman swimmer Luka Mijatovic wins the state title in the 500 freestyle.

A 5-year-old boy from Livermore drowns in the Delta near Bethel Island.

Hiker Alex Stecher and his dog Apollo are found safe after being reported lost for nearly two days in the Ohlone Wilderness in the Tri-Valley.

PUSD assistant superintendent of teaching and learning William Nelson is leaving for a job in Paramount, and the district has no intention of bringing the position back as a cost-cutting measure.

SPARC Theater announces that its production of “Twelfth Night” will shift into the Village Theatre in Danville after its run outdoors for Shakespeare in the Vineyard in Livermore this summer.

Livermore celebrates groundbreaking for Blacksmith Square expansion, a project set to bring about 13,000 square feet of additional retail and restaurant space downtown.

Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez is stepping down after being appointed to fill the District 5 vacancy on the BART Board of Directors.

Livermore hires Brent Smith as community development director.

Pleasanton City Council backs the Planning Commission’s decision to not approve a 146 multi-family unit housing development on West Las Positas Boulevard.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is formally investigating the deadly car crash on Foothill Road from prior month that killed a Pleasanton family of four. The probe appears to focus on the VinFast electric vehicle they were riding in.

Residential developer Landsea Homes closes a deal to acquire the Dublin Centre development property.

San Ramon Valley is making national headlines after the fugitive in a nearly 20-year-old rape case in Massachusetts who had eluded authorities for more than 16 years is found to have been living in Diablo for a majority of that time. Police allege Tuan Lee, 55, was the “bad breath rapist” from 2005.

Livermore City Councilmember Evan Branning gets a new gig in his day job, becoming president of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers.

Resident Richard Lorenz dies in a fire in his unit at the Pleasanton Hacienda Mobile Home Park.

Amador student Saavnvi Immadi shares about her experience competing on the U.S. Women’s Cricket Under-19 Team in Dubai.

An 11-year-old girl drowns in Alameda Creek in the Niles Canyon area.

Once sitting 12-11 on the season, the Amador softball team resets in a big way — running through the playoffs to win the CIF NorCal Division I championship.

The region’s best: Granada baseball finishes off an incredible one-loss season with a CIF NorCal D-I title.

Police reveal the arrests of three people in connection with the murder of janitor Santiago Jacobo at Pleasant Hill Park nearly four months ago, alleging a romantic triangle forged in the Tri-Valley was at the heart of the motive. The victim and suspects reportedly all worked together at The Watermark at San Ramon.

High school graduation season sees seniors walk the stage and begin the next stage of their lives.

June

The city of Pleasanton implements a new traffic pattern for the summer months around Meadowlark Dairy to try to limit the impact of its infamous drive-up lines downtown.

Livermore native Tammi Barker Neilsen appears as a contestant on Pat Sajak’s final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” as host.

Costco website touts August timeframe for opening day of its new Pleasanton store.

High aspirations: Cannabis dispensary at Darcie Kent Estate Winery in Livermore rebrands under in-house management as Highlands Boutique Dispensary.

PUSD Trustee Steve Maher announces he will not seek a third term in office.

Authorities recover the body of 56-year-old Hollister resident Lester Ashcraft, who drowned after falling into the Delta-Mendota Canal under Grant Line Road while fishing.

The 106th annual Livermore Rodeo rides into town.

Sunol Glen Unified School District selects PUSD’s Shay Galletti to be its next superintendent and principal.

Pleasanton City Council approves extension of Stoneridge Mall expansion terms, but the lack of progress on the private redevelopment project frustrates city leaders.

The body of 73-year-old San Ramon resident William Knight, who was reported missing days earlier during a motorcycle trip, is found in the south fork of the Pit River south of Alturas in Modoc County.

Councilmember Michael McCorriston is picked by his colleague to serve as interim mayor Dublin until December with Hernandez’s resignation to join the BART board.

LVJUSD selects Torie Gibson, dual superintendent of the Amador County Office of Education and Amador County Unified School District, as the next superintendent in Livermore.

Tri-Valley Conservancy is in the midst of its third executive director search in as many years after quietly elevating an internal official months ago to shepherd the land preservation nonprofit on an interim basis following its latest leadership departure.

The new Emerald High School in Dublin is ready to welcome students, hosting a ribbon-cutting for community leaders and stakeholders ahead of the start of the school year.

The Alameda County Fair opens its 18-day run in Pleasanton for 2024.

High school junior Nidhi Parachuri, who lives in San Ramon and studies at the California School of Art and Design in Pleasanton, wins U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s Congressional Art for her submission “Simply Chaos”.

Former Amador Valley High student and teacher Maurice Ghysels, a retired superintendent on the Peninsula, is named the interim leader for PUSD.

Livermore Mayor John Marchand announces reelection bid. He would ultimately win another two-year term unchallenged.

Patti Lee, a former spokesperson for DA Price, is suing for wrongful termination amid allegations of racial discrimination, retaliation and serious violations.

A California Northern District Court judge rejects a subpoena for raw footage from KTVU of a 2022 fatal police shooting in Pleasanton that was being jointly sought by both sides in a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the daughter of the man who was killed.

Officials with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority are soliciting public comments on a proposed toll lane on northbound I-680 between northern Alamo and Martinez, with the agency’s draft environmental document for the concept now

Livermore PD introduces its new Mobile Evaluation Team, which was formed to improve outcomes when law enforcement officers respond to mental health crises.

Rockin’ the saddle: Outspoken jockey William Antongeorgi III (“Billy the Kid”) sees a path to success for NorCal horse racing in Pleasanton.

Production of “Mourning Becomes Electra” is announced as the main event for the Eugene O’Neill Festival in Danville.

Sunset Development unveils a new turnkey program for more than 15 office spaces at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon that aims to accommodate businesses that are seeking a return to the office environment as well as adapting to hybrid work options.

The majority of the Pleasanton City Council reinforces the city’s stance on why residents should support a sales tax increase measure that is poised to be placed on the November ballot.

A judge orders Stanford University and Stanford Health Care to pay $10 million in damages in connection with an employee’s racial harassment case that included allegations of a staffer dressing as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Deja vu: Janine Thalblum is appointed to complete the final months of newly anointed Dublin Mayor Michael McCorriston’s regular City Council term. She had a similar short run on the council in 2018 earlier after the death of then-vice mayor Don Biddle.

Workers at Kaiser Permanente’s administrative offices in Pleasanton have been hit with a series of layoffs over the past year as the company seeks to reduce costs, with the most recent round consisting of dozens of information technology positions being slashed.

A Florida man (Michael Shapiro) is set to be sentenced later this summer after admitting in federal court to leaving threatening voicemails at the congressional office of Tri-Valley Rep. Eric Swalwell.

Former congresswoman turned political pundit and author Tulsi Gabbard, who made headlines for divorcing from the Democratic Party, appears at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore as part of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce’s speaker series.

Livermore City Council votes to rescind the 2022 development agreement with Eden Housing, Inc. for its proposed affordable housing project in downtown that included language to allow the construction of and improvements to Veterans Park — a decision designed to prevent the Move Eden Housing referendum to go to a citywide vote following the city’s loss in court.

It is another packed house at the latest community meeting in Livermore about the Springtown Open Space improvement project plans.

State Senator Steve Glazer awards Tri-Valley Haven as his district’s Nonprofit of the Year.

Pleasanton Planning Commission approves an application to transform the 46-acre Merritt property just south of Foothill High School into a new gated community for seniors with up to 110 new homes.

After a recent court ruling in Los Angeles County, Pleasanton is among those exploring charter city status amid the battle with the state over housing mandates.

Pleasanton gymnast Tiana Sumanasekera captures the nation’s attention with her strong performance at the Team USA trials. The 16-year-old finished eighth in the all-around competition, narrowly missing out on a spot on the Olympic team.

Dublin-based Patelco Credit Union suspends electronic banking services while it recovers from a serious cyberattack.

July

Former state assemblymember Catharine Baker (R-Dublin) is hired as the director of the University of California Student and Policy Center in Sacramento.

Livermore author John G. Bluck reflects on his newest book “Pigeons of Death”, the latest installment of his Luke Ryder detective series.

In addition to lingering system disruptions in the wake of a security breach that was identified more than a week earlier, Dublin-based Patelco is now facing legal challenges in the form of two lawsuits filed amid a system outage spurred by the cyberattack.

Special election day in Sunol sees a majority of voters narrowly support the recalls of school trustees Linda Hurley (51.50%) and Ryan Jergensen (52.07%).

Livermore school board Trustee Yanira Guzmán is not seeking reelection this November for professional and personal reasons, meaning both LVJUSD Board of Education seats will be wide open in the general election with Trustee Kristie Wang also not running.

Blue Shield of California customers are caught aback as the insurer announces Stanford Health Care is no longer included in its network amid contract disagreements.

Livermore Valley Open Campus hits its collaborative stride: 14 years after founding, both Sandia and Lawrence Livermore labs are spinning out technology success stories.

Recent Amador grad Denis Bautista, 18, dies at the hospital from injuries sustained in a shooting in Hayward days earlier. A 17-year-old boy who was with him that night is recovering at home from gunshot injuries.

The prominent home of late Blackhawk developer and founder Ken Behring is now up for auction after being placed on the market for the first time ever last year but soliciting no deal at its asking price of just under $25 million.

The Weekly earns seven California Journalism Awards from the CNPA for work during 2023, including first-place honors in its division for Feature Story and for Coverage of Youth and Education.

Pleasanton residents will be voting on a city revenue measure this November that, if passed by a simple majority, will increase the city’s sales tax by half a percent to 10.75% and bring in roughly $10 million annually for the following 10 years amid the city’s budget difficulties.

Dublin City Manager Linda Smith is resigning in October to take the same job in Orinda.

Commuters on I-580 heading east toward the Altamont Pass at night are no longer greeted by an illuminated cross on the hillside that reads “Jesus Saves”. While the 550 feet tall by 240 feet wide grass carving of the cross is currently still present and visible in the daylight for now, it is not being lit at night anymore — which community members are concerned signifies plans for its removal.

Three Alameda County death row inmates are resentenced following an investigation into whether Black and Jewish people were unfairly excluded from the juries.

Patelco online and mobile banking services are back up and running after a two-week-plus outage following a cyberattack.

Ava Community Energy promotes Howard Chang to CEO.

Pleasanton officials push PG&E over recurring outages around the city, including during excessive heat waves.

San Ramon City Council advances a 1% sales tax measure to the ballot amid city budget concerns.

Livermore police break a vehicle window to provide relief to a dog locked inside with the windows rolled up in the Costco parking lot. Temperatures in the Jeep were estimated between 112-131 degrees.

Mountain House resident Qais Faizi, 35, faces prison time for being convicted of a 2021 rape in San Ramon.

The ongoing effort to reshape San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch into a central downtown area for the city as part of officials’ vision for the neighborhood’s future as a “10-minute city” is the latest in a series of transformations seen by the property over generations, including earlier incarnations as an agricultural hub and a sprawling business park hosting high-profile tenants.

Granada baseball coach Corrigan Willis wins California Coach of the Year.

Amador alum Ashley Bower (class of 2009) reflects on doing the film festival circuit with her debut short as a solo writer and executive producer, “Stuck”.

Pleasanton City Council signs off on the 110-unit senior housing development on the Merritt property along Foothill Road.

A class action lawsuit against Pleasanton-based Workday is set to move forward in federal court after a judge denied the company’s motion to dismiss the complaint, which alleges bias and discrimination in its hiring software.

Walnut Creek resident Donald Eng, 68, dies after his SUV rear-ends a meat truck during the morning commute on I-680 in Fremont.

Voters will decide come Nov. 5 whether to allow Dublin City Council the authority to approve limited development of the debated Crosby property along a future extension of Dublin Boulevard with a ballot measure titled “Dublin Traffic Relief, Clean Air/Open Space Preservation Measure”.

Manteca mother Tahlaynah Casuga, 24, and her 4-year-old Katana are killed in a crash on South Vasco Road in Livermore. The girl’s father was injured in the wreck.

Pleasanton Middle School history teacher Katherine Orenberg is named 2024 California History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Dublin Unified Trustee William Kuo says he won’t seek reelection this fall, creating an open race for Area 3.

Sarah Schaefer steps down from the Museum on Main in Pleasanton and Tony Cruz is brought in as the new executive director.

Livermore police arrest a transient for allegedly breaking windows of at least five downtown businesses.

Alameda County Board of Education trustees Cheryl Cook-Kallio and Aisha Knowles join the Sunol school board to allow imperative business to continue before local replacements are seated in the wake of the recall election.

Firefighters get help from cooler summer weather and stop forward progress of the wildfire burning 774 acres in the Sunol Regional Wilderness within about 24 hours, according to Cal Fire.

Brittni Kiick reveals she won’t run for reelection to the Livermore City Council.

President Joe Biden signs the Federal Prison Oversight Act, which came after a string of prominent scandals nationwide, including at FCI Dublin.

A former Home Depot cashier is suing the retail giant, saying she was the victim of age discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and emotional distress after a customer bullied her into completing a suspicious transaction at the San Ramon store.

The last Big Lots! store in the Tri-Valley, located on Las Positas Road in Livermore, is shuttering for good.

August

Chevron confirms plans to downsize its operations in San Ramon once again, including the energy giant’s headquarters and corporate functions set to shift to a new headquarters out of state to Texas in the coming years.

Dublin resident and Kolb Elementary School teacher Kathryn Varner shares the process of releasing her first-ever children’s book, “The Wise Old Tree” — with illustrations by DUSD librarian Dominique De Vera.

Baseball coach Lou Cesario opens up about leaving Amador for Northgate High in Walnut Creek.

The Weekly learns that Pleasanton Unified’s STEAM Preschool had to shut down four of its outdoor water faucets earlier this year due to excessive levels of lead being found in the water.

Amador alum Christopher Moore, 59, dies after the small plane he was flying crashed en route to the Bahamas from Florida.

Silicon Valley elected leaders and transportation advocates celebrate a federal award of nearly $5.1 billion that brings the Silicon Valley BART extension one step closer to fruition.

Sunflower Hill is marching forward without executive director after the quiet departure of its former leader in March, the Weekly learns. Recruitment is expected to begin next year as the nonprofit realigns strategic goals.

Dublin’s Mara Olivas is releasing her first novel, “Sundown in San Ojuela”, a fictional story that explores family history and identity through a queer, Indigenous and Chicana lens.

Livermore Little League makes it to the U.S. title game at the Intermediate World Series hosted in their hometown but falls to Southwest representative Louisiana 3-1.

Longtime Bay Area legislator Ellen Corbett, a trailblazer in her hometown of San Leandro before going onto represent Pleasanton in the State Legislature, died at age 69. She was serving on the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors at the time.

Livermore Police Chief Jeramy Young announces his intention to run as a conservative challenger to the Republican incumbent for State Senate District 4 representing his hometown in the Central Valley in 2026. Young had been mayor and councilmember in Hughson.

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority withdraws a $20 billion general obligation bond measure that was aimed at supporting affordable housing from the upcoming general election ballot.

Schools’ unsung heroes: Pleasanton custodians talk about what it takes to get campuses ready for new academic year

Class action settlement changes home buying and selling process — and Tri-Valley real estate agents are rolling out new business practices early ahead of the national deadline.

Local general election ballots are set as the nomination deadline passes. Among the intriguing candidate races for Nov. 5 in the Tri-Valley are Karla Brown vs. Jack Balch for Pleasanton mayor, six candidates for two LVJUSD board seats, four contestants for Dublin mayor, recall advocate Erin Choin against recalled trustee Ryan Jergensen for Sunol school board and two newcomers competing to succeed longtime San Ramon Councilman Scott Perkins.

Emerald High School opens to students in eastern Dublin, becoming the first brand-new comprehensive high school in Alameda County in 50 years.

The Weekly looks into the trend of nonprofit leadership instability as Tri-Valley Conservancy, Museum on Main, Culinary Angels, Sunflower Hill, The Crayon Initiative and the Pleasanton Downtown Association all experience recent turnover.

Rumors swirl as Amador Valley High School principal Jonathan Fey is out on an indefinite and unexplained leave of absence as of the second week of the school year.

Pleasanton City Council unanimously agrees that staff should look into what the pros and cons would be if the city annexes two properties in unincorporated East Pleasanton where developers are looking to build new housing.

PUSD officials confirm they’re leaning toward fully demolishing the Amador Theater in the next two to three years, setting the stage for the final curtain to fall just before its centennial to make way for a modernized replacement.

Sutter Health patients in the Tri-Valley are set to have access to new local facilities in the coming years, with the healthcare organization announcing its planned forays into Livermore and Pleasanton as part of a broader expansion effort.

San Mateo County sheriff s deputies arrest 19-year-old Pleasanton man William V. Coultrip, a 2023 Amador grad, after investigators allege he used social media to prey on teenage girls.

Danville 15-year-old Eme Williams releases an art therapy book for mental health, “The Art of Mindfulness”.

The Parkview, a retirement community that provides assisted living to seniors in Pleasanton, has been struggling financially over the last few years following the pandemic as the facility continues to draw from its budget reserves in order to cover yearly operations.

The show is set to go on for Livermore High School’s performing arts students after the district received pushback from them on a schedule change that they said would have required them to make difficult choices between classes or receive no course credit for their preparations for the school’s annual musical.

Pleasanton Rage team gets the chance to scrimmage against Fiji’s Under-20 National Team.

Dublin City Council opts to promote Colleen Tribby to become the next city manager.

Sunol Glen Unified School District’s temporary Board of Trustees appoints Chris Bobertz, a Sunol resident and parent who ran for the school board in 2022, to fill the empty board seat left by recalled trustee Ryan Jergensen. Bobertz’s selection is later threatened by a petition to force a special election, but the effort fails due to a lack of sufficient signatures.

Construction of a new multitenant commercial building and associated site improvements is coming to the Dublin Place Shopping Center at the intersection of Amador Plaza Road and Amador Valley Boulevard, as approved by the City Council.

Authorities net one arrest and more than $450,000 in previously stolen merchandise following a month-long investigation into an alleged retail theft ring with San Ramon ties.

The new superintendent and new top fiscal administrator for the Livermore school system are having to hit the ground running as the district works to get itself off the state’s financial warning list.

Florida man Nicholas Paleveda is arrested in a Walmart parking lot in Barstow on a warrant from Dublin Police Services for allegedly shooting Michael Dalipe at the front door of his Emerald Park apartment. Online interactions reportedly connected the two men.

Police release new details about their investigation into an assault at Dublin High School, saying a confrontation with a parent precipitated an attack in which four teenagers beat up a student in the boys’ locker room.

With a new $7.9 million federal grant, Go Green Initiative will partner with the National School Boards Association and its state affiliates on a five-year program to improve air quality inside classrooms and other buildings at low-income and tribal schools in all 10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regions across the country.

California State Parks Foundation is celebrating the completion of 22 new bike turnouts at Mount Diablo State Park.

Las Positas College’s Campus Hill Winery welcomes its new $8.5 million processing facility.

Kevin Crow, a 1979 graduate of Amador Valley and former U.S. National Team member, which included two stints on the U.S. Olympic team, is named a semifinalist for the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

Ballot arguments are out for and against Measure PP, Pleasanton’s hotly contested 0.5% sales tax.

Dublin City Council votes unanimously to allow Livermore Sanitation Inc. to take over all of Dublin’s garbage and waste disposal needs in the wake of the sale of its former service provider, Amador Valley Industries.

The Livermore school board is bringing in a former colleague of new Superintendent Torie Gibson’s from Amador County, Michelle Pechette, to fill the district’s final vacant cabinet position — roughly a month after quietly terminating the contract of predecessor Melissa Theide for undisclosed reasons.

Danville-based child care provider Kids’ Country faces allegations of child abuse and neglect, including claims that a 4-year-old student was able to leave the premises alone on separate occasions.

September

The Weekly holds Pleasanton city election forum for candidates for mayor (Jack Balch and Karla Brown), City Council District 2 (Valerie Arkin and Craig Eicher) and City Council District 4 (Matt Gaidos and Vivek Mohan). It is the first of seven candidate debates moderated by the Weekly and its sister publications in the Tri-Valley, followed by Livermore school board, Dublin mayor and council, Pleasanton school board, Livermore council, San Ramon mayor and council, and Danville council.

Pleasanton residents will soon begin to see construction take place at the Lions Wayside Park after the City Council unanimously approves the final design plans and awards a construction contract to create a new lawn area and new bandstand at the park.

Courtney Lynne Andrade, also known as Courtney Peterson, is sentenced to four years in county jail after accepting a plea deal for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in a 2018 crash that killed a motorcycle-loving couple (Mark Nida and Kathleen Seifert) out for an anniversary ride on Altamont Pass Road.

Charles McMillan, the former director of Los Alamos National Laboratory whose career first blossomed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory over two decades, is killed in a car crash in New Mexico where he resided in retirement and still consulted for the lab. He was 69.

Weekly publisher Gina Channell Wilcox moderates a panel discussion that includes State Senator Steve Glazer after a screening of the award-winning documentary “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink” at the Firehouse.

Visit Tri-Valley unveils its commitment to develop a new multi-use event center from the ground up during the coming years. In December, the organization would reveal the location of the proposed facility in Dublin.

Policy advocate and environmental nonprofit leader Rebecca Spector is the new permanent executive director for Tri-Valley Conservancy.

Tri-Valley cancer patient support nonprofit Culinary Angels confirms the selection of Mansoor Sakhiy as its new executive director, succeeding founder Lisa McNaney in the role.

Livermore Valley Arts announces a slate of five new performers added to the Bankhead Theater’s 2025 calendar, a list headlined by a presentation by famed drummer Stewart Copeland, an original member of The Police, and two shows with actor Cary Elwes reflecting on his experience making “The Princess Bride”.

Former longtime Pleasanton resident Ray Hartjen shares about his cancer journey in a new memoir, “Me, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma”.

Oakland resident Kennedy Stith, 27, is arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Edevion White at his Pleasanton apartment in May 2023. Police allege Stith was White’s girlfriend and lied about the initial story of a robbery gone wrong.

PUSD board agrees to ask Interim Superintendent Maurice Ghysels to come out of retirement so he could continue serving in his current position until a permanent hire is made without having to worry about losing his pension benefits.

LARPD requests an investigation of EBRPD’s tax revenue spending in the Livermore Valley, an area representing shared responsibilities and funding for the park districts — amid accusations from LARPD directors that EBRPD has taken more than $110 million of Livermore’s money. Local EBRPD Director Olivia Sanwong calls the “shocking” allegations false.

A Livermore man is arrested for allegedly running a scam in which he sold stolen vehicles with swapped out identification numbers to further trick unsuspecting buyers.

Home Consignment Center in Danville is recovering from yet another robbery in which police say people ambushed the store during business hours and stole jewelry, leaving shattered display cases in their wake as they drove away — at least the fourth since December.

The 2024 Amador Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are former volleyball coach Rich Cortez, Natalie Griffen (soccer/track and field), Bob Hall (basketball) and legacy pick Kelly French (softball and basketball).

Former first lady Michelle Obama makes an appearance at the Costco in Livermore to tout PLEZi Nutrition’s FiZZ beverage.

What’s in a name? Cal High announcer Lenard Matthews steps down after being told not to say “Lady Grizzlies”. Admin says they received “multiple messages” about gender moniker and emphasize all Cal athletes “proudly known as Grizzlies”.

Stung by water bills that are increasing 172%, Castlewood County Service Area residents flock to a meeting to hear what their volunteer board of directors was doing about it. If the board can’t convince Alameda County to properly fund the area, forming a Community Services District or annexing into city could be on the table.

Pleasanton City Manager Gerry Beaudin receives the credentialed manager designation from the International City/ County Management Association.

After more than two months of negotiations, Stanford Medicine and Blue Shield of California reach a new agreement, making Stanford Hospital, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Tri-Valley Hospital, Stanford Medicine Partners and Packard Children’s Health Alliance in-network for its HMO and PPO member recipients.

Paying for Pleasanton: As Measure PP vote nears, cash-strapped city faces critics who contend there is no need to raise sales tax right now.

American singer-songwriter JD Souther, known for his musical collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt in addition to his own performing career, dies at his home in New Mexico days before he was set to begin a tour that had an early stop scheduled in Livermore. He was 78.

Livermore’s Jacob Kober, who was serving life in prison for a 2012 murder in a dispute over money and a romantic rivalry, is found fatally wounded in his cell.

A Pleasant Hill woman dies after leaping out of a car on I-580 in Livermore and rolling into multiple traffic lanes, where she is struck by a yet-unconfirmed number of vehicles, per the CHP.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara discusses with CalMatters his multi-pronged approach to the insurance crisis — with companies decreasing coverage, raising premiums for residential and commercial customers, or leaving the state altogether.

The case of a dog dying from heat stroke after being trapped on an apartment balcony amid hot weather in Pleasanton is being considered an “accidental tragedy” with no sign of criminal negligence, a police spokesperson told the Weekly.

Dublin residents will determine term limits for future mayors and councilmembers, as well as the city’s rules on lobbying and transparency, with their vote on Measure JJ — the so-called “Government Accountability Act” — on their Nov. 5 ballot.

Fremont resident Abbasin Hoshmand, 47, turns himself in to Pleasanton police in connection with a fatal shooting in his hometown the day before.

A jury convicts 27-year-old Oakland resident Shane Ivan Downs on four counts of armed robbery for stealing high-value watches, including one Danville case, as well as for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

October

Weekly reporters analyze campaign finance reports for local candidates and ballot measures up and down the Tri-Valley leading into the final month before the election.

Affordable housing in Pleasanton: Council debates strategies for how to get more attainable units actually built in the city.

The Livermore school district will transition from at-large school board ballots to “by-trustee area” elections in 2026 of its own volition, following unanimous approval by the Board of Education.

Foothill High School’s We the People competitive civics team will be spotlighted in the final episode of a new documentary series airing on PBS, “Citizen Nation”.

Former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy Devin Williams Jr., 26, of Stockton is found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing his lover and her husband — Maria Tran and Benison Tran — with his service weapon in the couple’s house in September 2022. He would later be sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison.

Police in Livermore criticize DA Pamela Price’s office for what they say was going too easy on a felon arrested in their city and eventually convicted.

Livermore High grad Daniel Villasenor, who is now studying at the University of California at Berkeley, becomes a viral sports sensation when he kicked a 33-yard field goal on ESPN’s “College GameDay” to win $100,000 for himself and $600,000 for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

To help calm the hot-potato of leadership at Amador Valley High amid principal Jonathan Fey’s unexplained leave of absence, PUSD appoints district technology corridor Jr Yee — a former Amador vice principal — as acting principal until further notice.

An overwhelming majority of the nurses at the Stanford Health Care TriValley in Pleasanton recently vote in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract with the hospital that their union says will improve patient safety and staff retention, among other things.

Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District staff start inspecting the Amador Valley neighborhood since four additional Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are found in Pleasanton after announcing the week before the discovery of the nonnative insect that hadn’t been seen in the county for a decade and is capable of spreading diseases.

The Dublin school community is mourning the recent deaths of Murray Elementary teacher Kaitlin Repine and Dublin Elementary child nutrition staffer Rocky Orman less than two weeks apart.

By the end of this year, customers will sip their last goodbye to local craft beer-maker, Shadow Puppet Brewing Co. in Livermore.

Dublin selects Victor Fox, a commander for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, as the new chief of Dublin Police Services, a day after city officials announce that police chief Nathan “Nate” Schmidt is retiring.

Pleasanton welcomes the inaugural Golden State Racing slate of horse races every weekend from mid-October to mid-December.

Rumors that Chinese Szechuan restaurant will soon close are not true. The 37-year Pleasanton staple remains open … at least for a while while the owners look for a new buyer.

Walnut Creek cyclist Allison Merkle is fatally struck by a car on Livorna Road at the I-680 underpass in Alamo.

The Duchess, a European fusion restaurant, opens at the corner of St. Mary and Peters in downtown Pleasanton — the spot most recently occupied by Salt Craft.

An executive spokesperson for PG&E tries to reassure the Pleasanton City Council and residents that the company is doing everything it can to address the complaints coming from residents who have been experiencing unexpected and prolonged power outages.

Dublin’s brand-new high school is already in the midst of a leadership change at the top, as founding principal Francis Rojas abruptly resigns from Emerald High School two months after the campus opened to students. The reason for Rojas’ exit is not publicly reported.

Niche names three Tri-Valley school districts among the highest-ranked in the area, with Pleasanton Unified School District being recognized as No. 1 in Alameda County.

“Think about if we were to go on strike.” Procedural dispute stirs SEIU and LVJUSD relations.

Alameda County Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office is apologizing to residents for confusion regarding information about where to send property tax payments.

Livermore community is mourning the loss of its inaugural Ambassadog, Boomer Bowers, who dies after spending much of this year as his hometown’s ceremonial canine representative.

The second annual TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience entices guests with a wide variety of 13 events from wine brunches and grape stomping to pairing competitions and gourmet dinners.

A Hayward man now facing a murder charge in a separate case is identified as the prime suspect in an attempted carjacking that took place almost six months ago near downtown Pleasanton — thanks to DNA evidence collected at the scene, police tell the Weekly.

Pleasanton PD is investigating what officers believe to have been a brothel that was operating out of an apartment in The Galloway at Hacienda.

Dublin finance professional and parent Jeff Clark, who was poised to be the next Area 3 trustee for the school board, informs the district that he is bowing out and will not take the seat he was set to be appointed to without an election.

With less than a week to go until the election in which Alameda County residents will make a final decision on a measure to recall first-term DA Price, the pro- and anti-recall campaigns are continuing to battle one another in the push to win over voters — including new public jabs by Price critics Eric Swalwell and Nancy O’Malley.

Preliminary review of the Avaanti Vineyards project produces over 15 concerned commenters and a handful of tasks for Alameda County staff at an East County Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting.

Pleasanton couple who were robbed at gunpoint outside their home in 2021 say they were disheartened by how the DA’s Office reduced the charges against two of the suspects and never even told them about it, the husband and wife told the Weekly.

Swaths of East Dublin see three unplanned power outages triggered by bird-related incidents, according to a PG&E spokesperson.

Assistant principal Lenni Velez is promoted to permanent principal at Emerald High School to provide stability amid the sudden turnover at the top of the new school.

Officers on steed will once again ride the streets of Livermore, as the city’s police department reintroduces its Mounted Police Unit in October.

A focus in East Dublin this fall has been on DC (but not necessarily because of the election). Landsea Homes breaks ground on its 500-home Dublin Centre residential development, a set of neighborhoods newly dubbed “The DC” that will have a mix of standalone houses and townhomes at the northeast corner of the Tassajara Road-Dublin Boulevard intersection.

Livermore wins the 2024 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Intergovernmental Collaboration at a recent statewide conference for the partnership between its school district and the city-operated Horizons Family Counseling.

Sandia National Laboratories celebrates its 75th anniversary.

One of California High School’s assistant principals is reportedly dragged by her hair in an attack by a student from a different high school outside of the Cal High homecoming dance, with the student taken into custody and district officials condemning the incident in the days that followed.

November

Costco reveals current plans to open its new Pleasanton store on the day before Thanksgiving.

Several prominent elected officials for the San Ramon Valley and greater Bay Area join representatives from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for a virtual press conference announcing and celebrating the award of a $166 million “mega-grant” to fund the agency’s Innovate 680 project.

Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Lt. Thomas Rossberg is named the new police chief in Danville upon the upcoming retirement of Allan Shields.

Election Day finally arrives in the Tri-Valley.

In city of Pleasanton results, Councilmember Jack Balch unseats Karla Brown for mayor. The Measure PP sales tax increase fails. Retired police captain Craig Eicher beats incumbent Valerie Arkin for City Council District 2. Matt Gaidos edges fellow Planning Commissioner Vivek Mohan for City Council District 4.

At PUSD, Trustee Kelly Mokashi comfortably defeats Donalyn Harris for Area 3. Though the margin would get down to within a percentage point, Charlie Jones would ultimately win over Jen Flynn for Area 4. Board President Mary Jo Carreon was uncontested for Area 1.

Pamela Price is recalled as Alameda County DA, by nearly a 2:1 margin.

Erin Choin ends Ryan Jergensen’s bid to rejoin the Sunol school board.

In Livermore city results, Kristie Wang defeats Tom Soules for City Council District 4 and Steven Dunbar bests Jeff Kaskey and David Farley for District 3.

Deena Kaplanis completes her resurgence from the last school board election to finish first in the LVJUSD trustee race. Though he trails on Election Night, Christaan VandenHeuvel jumps ahead to claim the second seat.

Vice Mayor Sherry Hu wins the Dublin mayor election over newcomer Tom Evans, fellow Councilmember Jean Josey and near-perennial candidate Shawn Costello. John Morada beats Razi Hasni for Dublin City Council District 3. Michael McCorriston takes District 1 unchallenged.

Dublin voters pass both Measure II (the “Dublin Traffic Relief, Clean Air/Open Space Preservation Measure”) and Measure JJ (the “Government Accountability Act”).

Kristian Reyes is the newest DUSD Trustee Area 1 rep, finishing ahead of opponent Ram Shanbhogue.

Councilmember Mark Armstrong beats newcomer Chirag Kathrani to become San Ramon mayor. In the Tri-Valley’s tightest race, Robert Jweinat takes down Vasanth Shetty for City Council District 1. Councilmember Sridhar Verose wins District 3 unchallenged. City voters also approve the 1% sales tax increase.

SRVUSD incumbents Shelley Clark and Laura Bratt earn second terms. The district also passes its Measure Q parcel tax.

Danville Town Council incumbents Newell Arnerich and Renee Morgan are reelected, joined by first-time winner Mark Belotz.

Former local congressman Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) wins close State Senate District 5 election.

California’s newest U.S. senator is Monte Vista alum Adam Schiff, who has gained prominence as a Democratic congressman in Burbank.

Former Emerald High School principal Francis Rojas resigned from his position via text message after being called to a morning meeting with the superintendent and another Dublin school district official last month, according to records obtained by the Weekly.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, which filed for bankruptcy last year in the wake of hundreds of child sex abuse lawsuits, says that it will create a survivors’ trust to compensate victims of the church. The plaintiff’s lawyer calls the plan “a scam and a sham”.

Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis is asking for patience as the process to count hundreds of thousands of unprocessed ballots continues three days after the election.

Tracy teacher and musician Andrew Verdoes, 60, dies after his motorcycle is knocked down and driven over on I-580 outside of Livermore.

After Measure PP’s defeat, Pleasanton city councilmembers and administrators take a stern tone as they address rumors alleging the city was hiding information on the past fiscal year’s budget and talk about how even though the city saved some money last year, that doesn’t change Pleasanton’s high-level financial challenges ahead.

Jim Goff, the downhome restaurateur whose namesake diner has been a staple in Pleasanton for three decades, is one of two bystanders killed by a vehicle during the famed Baja 1000 off-road racing event in Mexico.

San Ramon Chamber of Commerce says Danielle Cook is coming on as the new president/CEO after Heidi Kenniston-Lee decides to leave to refocus on her own business, Heidi’s Hutch.

Dublin City Council agrees to loan $5 million to developer Sunflower Grace LP to carry out a 59-unit affordable housing project for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The remains of Livermore native and U.S. Army bombardier 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr. are accounted for following his death during World War II.

One of the owners of Pleasanton’s famous drive-thru ice cream store Meadowlark Dairy confirms to the Weekly that they are planning to submit their plans soon to open a new location in Livermore.

LVJUSD updates its rules regarding dogs on campus, derailing aspects of Valley Humane Society’s Canine Comfort.

Seven active sheriff’s deputies, two former deputies and two civilian jail employees are charged in connection with the 2021 death of Maurice Monk in Santa Rita Jail. Monk, 45, was found in his cell after apparently being dead for at least 72 hours unnoticed.

Former San Ramon Valley High dual-sport star and retired Major League Baseball outfielder Randy Winn signs on to become the vice president of player development for the hometown San Francisco Giants.

Both PPD and LPFD have ceased investigations without confirming what caused the damaging fire in the Amador Valley High School small gym, leaving residents with questions unanswered about what really led to that late-night blaze eight months ago.

Foster City Police Chief Tracy Avelar is named as Pleasanton’s new police chief.

Livermore Lab’s El Capitan, which officials say can perform 1.742 quintillion calculations per second, is verified as the world’s most powerful supercomputer during the 2024 Supercomputing Conference.

The Family Justice Center of Contra Costa and Solano County is set in the coming weeks to debut the organization’s long-anticipated South County Center in Danville, with the move set to expand the organization’s services to residents in the San Ramon Valley.

The city of Livermore loses another legal battle over Eden Housing last month when an Alameda County Superior Court judge determines the City Council improperly ratified a resolution aimed at moving the planned 130-unit downtown affordable housing project forward.

PUSD board greenlights a nearly $70 million design-build agreement to construct a dual athletic and performing arts facility at Foothill High School — one of the marquee projects funded by the $395 million Measure I bond.

The Weekly launches its 2024-25 Holiday Fund, which will benefit 10 local nonprofits: Axis Community Health, CityServe of the Tri-Valley, Culinary Angels, Goodness Village, Open Heart Kitchen, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE), Sunflower Hill, Tri-Valley Haven, Tri-Valley REACH and Valley Humane Society.

The Livermore City Council votes 4-1 to advance the long-debated Garaventa Hills housing project. It would later come out that the dissenter, Ben Barrientos, participated in the meeting against FPPC advice because of how close he lives to the property in question.

Bay Area rapper Too $hort and soul-funk-R&B band WAR are announced as the initial headliners for the 2025 Alameda County Fair’s Big O Tires Summer Concert series.

Foothill girls’ volleyball makes a run all the way to the CIF Division I state championship game before falling to Palos Verdes.

Two prominent families in the Livermore Valley’s viticulture world (Lemmons Family Vineyards and Darcie Kent Winery) are now the new owners and operators of the historic Concannon Vineyard after acquiring the property for an undisclosed price from The Wine Group.

The new Costco store with gas station (finally) opens on Johnson Drive in Pleasanton following a decade of planning, ballot measure, lawsuits and construction.

December

LPFD Chief Joe Testa confirms plans to retire but remain on board as interim fire chief into next year until a permanent successor is hired.

New leadership is coming suddenly to the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, with the Board of Directors announcing that it was moving on from President/CEO James Cooper after 2-1/2 years at the helm.

Livermore father Jeff Herrington opens up after his experience with life-threatening cardiac arrest, crediting the quick response from his wife and son, two Livermore police officers, paramedics and medical professionals.

Deacon Dave’s appears — and wins — on an episode of “The Great Christmas Light Fight”.

Daniel Andreas San Diego, who is suspected in two-decade-old bombings in Pleasanton and Emeryville, is taken into custody by the FBI after being captured in Wales.

Samuel Grumet, a 17-year-old high school student taking a year off to prepare for the Navy SEALs, is killed when he is hit by a car while on foot on I-680 in San Ramon.

Livermore motorcyclist Arthur Alexander Drucker dies in an apparent solo crash on Mines Road on Thanksgiving morning.

Amador Valley football wins its first NCS and CIF NorCal championships in school history. In the state final, the Dons couldn’t quite claw all the way back against Frontier, falling 18-14.

“An unbelievable ride.” Foothill alum Brandon Crawford retires from professional baseball after a career that included two World Series trophies and 4 Gold Gloves at shortstop with the San Francisco Giants.

Two PPD officers will not face criminal charges for fatally shooting a man armed with a knife nearly three years ago, following a second investigation into the case ordered by outgoing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. In a press release issued less than an hour before her recall was certified by election officials, Price confirmed that her Public Accountability Unit cleared officers of criminal wrongdoing for the death of Cody Chavez despite concluding officers engaged in “unnecessary escalation” during their response to a domestic dispute turned standoff.

Livermore’s Carlos “Kique” Romero, 50, is one of three climbers presumed dead in New Zealand, believed to have taken a fatal fall traversing slopes.

A day after it is announced that the federal women’s prison in Dublin would be permanently shuttered, attorneys for former inmates at the facility say they have reached a tentative settlement with the federal Bureau of Prisons that includes public acknowledgement of staff sexual abuse at the facility.

Sunset Development submits application to transform Chevron Park into “The Orchards” — a mixed-use neighborhood with residential and commercial buildings.

CityServe of the Tri-Valley gears up to launch a new program that will temporarily place unhoused individuals and families in hotels during these colder months.

Livermore City Council authorizes the purchase of a 41.3-acre property in north Livermore near Garaventa Wetlands Preserve for $1.6 million for conservation and possible recreational uses.

Pleasanton City Council approves an amendment to City Manager Gerry Beaudin’s employment contract to extend his severance package from six months to 12 months if fired without cause, a change in provision that draws some resident criticism for cost and timing.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors lays out a process for appointing an interim district attorney to replace recalled Pamela Price. Royl Roberts will lead the department until the new person is chosen early next year.

Less overall crime, more deployable police officers and the return of special units such as the traffic unit in the coming year are just some of the highlights that former Interim Police Chief Gina Anderson touched on during her final biannual update to the City Council.

Four of the five men apprehended for a conspicuous midday robbery at San Ramon’s City Center Bishop Ranch last year are set to face federal prison sentences with stipulations orders and additional hearings still to come for the fifth.

The city is transferring oversight of the Livermore Municipal Airport to the Innovation and Economic Development Department instead of the Public Works Department.

Pleasanton Planning Commission endorses plans for Philz Coffee to replace the old KFC drive-thru building in the Valley Plaza Shopping Center on Santa Rita Road.

Swearing-in ceremonies happen at cities and school districts across the Tri-Valley to welcome newly elected officials and say goodbye to departing ones.

State racing officials kill plans to expand Golden State Racing in Pleasanton into 2025. The future of horse racing at the historic fairgrounds track remains uncertain as the once-optimistic 2024 comes to an end.

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