Original Joe’s Walnut Creek: City Swagger in the East Bay
On a recent Sunday night, the bar at Original Joe’s Walnut Creek was packed before 6 p.m., the dining room hummed, and the patio tables were fully claimed. Broadway Plaza has seen its share of openings, but this one feels different. After 88 years, San Francisco icon Original Joe’s has crossed the Bay for the first...
Indicted Concord homebuilders say $5,000 stuffed in coffee mug wasn’t bribe
The $5,000 that one of DeNova Homes’ founders allegedly stuffed inside a blood-orange coffee mug and handed to an Antioch City Council member was not a bribe, but a “legitimate” campaign contribution, the developer’s attorneys have argued in new court filings. That is the claim advanced...
The SF corner store cooking up stellar burritos instead of sandwiches
The Mission's La Taqueria has some carnitas competition.
Stories flow like beer at Oakland saloon where Jack London charted his adventures
Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon in Jack London Square is a “museum where you are lucky enough to get a drink,” a former owner says.
Ex-S.F. Plan Checker Gets Prison In $40K Bribe Scam
San Francisco’s building corruption saga has claimed another veteran insider. Rodolfo Pada, a former plan checker at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, was sentenced last Friday to a year and a day in federal prison after admitting he took roughly $40,000 in bribes to speed approvals and sign off on...
One of Walnut Creek’s Best Thai Places Has Sadly Closed
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Lots of Thai food places are happy to offer the basics–some chicken satay, drunken noodles, and mango rice–and call it a day. Others, though, do things differently, bringing different flavors or styles to their dishes. Walnut Creek has several creative Thai places like...
Oakland city makes Alysa Liu announcement as she adjusts to new life
Alysa Liu won two gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and her hometown of Oakland is planning a city-wide celebration to honor the figure skating champion
San Ramon Rattled by 3.3 Magnitude Earthquake
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck San Ramon late Sunday night, March 1, 2026, followed by a series of smaller quakes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 11:21 p.m. PT at a depth of 8.4 kilometers along the Calaveras Fault. The epicenter was located just southwest of San Ramon. No...
BART’s fare gates will make a new sound next week. Here’s why
BART passengers will hear two ascending notes — a perfect fifth, for those who took piano lessons — if they pause an extra beat while tapping their payment device to enter.
Mystery Woman With Severe Burns Found on Berkeley Sidewalk Dies at Highland Hospital
An unidentified woman in her mid-40s who was discovered unresponsive and badly burned on a Berkeley sidewalk last Friday has died after being rushed to Highland Hospital. The harrowing find near University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way brought firefighters and police racing to the scene. Crews were...
