Latest News
The Almost Daily Briefing, October 20, 2025
The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
Lafayette to build supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities with state funding - A nonprofit in Contra Costa County just received nearly $20 million in state funding to build permanent housing for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (KPIX)
Walnut Creek Set to Talk E-Bike Plan - On Tuesday, the Walnut Creek City Council will discuss and provide direction on Walnut Creeks e-bike safety action plan. With an increase in electric bicycles (e-bikes) their has also been an increase in safety concerns in the community and the city is looking for ways to reduce collisions and injuries. The conversation comes as Walnut Creek Police announced it had been out educating riders and enforcing e-bike and electric motorcycle safety. (Contra Costa News)
Newsom signs law to authorize Bay Area transit sales tax - On Monday, Newsom signed Senate Bill 63 by state Sens. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Jesse Arreguin, D-Berkeley, which will authorize leaders in five Bay Area counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara — to put a sales tax measure for transit on the ballot next year. (San Francisco Chronicle) Related: Transit sales tax proposal advances toward 2026 Bay Area ballot (San Francisco Standard)
Walnut Creek shopping centers hit postpandemic milestone – Walnut Creek's neighborhood shopping centers reach 96% occupancy, rebounding from pandemic lows. (San Francisco Business Times)
Silence On The Airwaves: Contra Costa Police Scanners Go Dark After Encryption Switch - Law enforcement radio traffic throughout Contra Costa County has gone dark as agencies complete the transition to fully encrypted radio systems. The change means that the public and media can no longer listen to live police, sheriff, or CHP dispatches online or via scanner apps. (Claycord) Related: Berkeley police want to encrypt all radio calls
WCCUSD board rejects budget cut resolution, defying county, superintendent - With millions in budget cuts looming and teachers threatening to strike, WCCUSD says board’s 3-to-2 vote against resolution could put them at risk of county oversight. (Richmondside)
Palo Alto buries power lines, boosts education to lower wildfire risks - The undergrounding project began in 2021 with a price tag of $11 million. In total, the city will underground about nine miles of power lines. (San Jose Spotlight)
San Jose employees, meet your new chatbot assistant? City eyes expansion of AI - San Jose is soliciting proposals for a generative AI platform that can reduce some of the repetitive and administrative aspects of city workers' jobs. (East Bay Times)
New California law aims to stabilize homeowner insurance for people who can’t get private coverage - California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bipartisan bill Thursday that aims to prevent the state’s home insurer of last resort from running out of money following a natural disaster. (Mercury News)
As wildfires scorch California, should insurers divest from fossil fuels? - Even as carriers sound alarms about climate change, they continue to invest billions in oil and gas. (East Bay Times)
Gov. Newsom Signs Bill To Bolster Transparency Around Law Enforcement Use Of AI -Senate Bill 524, authored by state Sen. Jesse Arreguin, D-Oakland, clarifies the use of generative AI by officers and departments using it to streamline vital official paperwork. (Claycord)
Glock ban, slavery reparations, ICE agent masks, more housing: Here are 10 key bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law (East Bay Times)
One simple thing most of us fail to do to protect homes against wildfires -“If you live within half a mile of a natural area … you likely need to be thinking about these things,” a Bay Area wildfire specialist warns. (East Bay Times)
California Needs a New Approach to Wildfire Planning, Experts Say. Cost Is an Issue - This year was the third in a row that state lawmakers tried to mandate broadscale strategic planning for avoiding catastrophic fires, and the first such a measure made it to the governor’s desk. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill, SB 326, on Saturday. (KQED)
With Roles as Civic Hubs, Libraries Turn Over a New Page - Cities looking to revive downtowns are increasingly leveraging the ability of public libraries to draw crowds and encourage economic development. (Bloomberg CityLab)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
Transportation & Circulation Commission cancelled
Lafayette Planning Applications Received
Major Development Projects Map
Lafayette Community Information & Emergency Radio AM 1670
Shop, Dine & Gather in Lafayette
HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND CITY PLANNING
‘The need is great’: Sunflower Hill working on more programs, new housing in Dublin and Lafayette for adults with I/DD - Sunflower Hill continues to make remarkable headway in its mission to provide residential, vocational and experiential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the Tri-Valley and beyond. (DanvilleSanRamon.com)
Contra Costa is exempt from new law to spur housing. Will Richmond build anyway? - A new state law to create more high-density housing near transit stops by overriding local zoning restrictions may add housing units in San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, but will completely bypass Contra Costa County. (Richmond Confidential)
Dublin environmentalists win tentative repeal of ‘land grab’ open space – The two groups — Save Mount Diablo and Friends of Livermore — who sued to block the “land grab” measure voters approved last year considered the judge’s ruling a victory. Measure II had paved the way for potential commercial development in the Doolan and Collier canyons, and came after an urban limit line protecting 3,282 acres of open space near the Dublin-Livermore border was established in 2014. (Mercury News)
Vacaville applies for 'prohousing' designation – Benefits of receiving a Prohousing designation include eligibility for exclusive funding sources and priority processing or funding ‘points’ when applying for other funding programs… (The Press Democrat)
California Forever seeks annexation in Suisun City’s expansion plan - Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula announced Tuesday that Suisun City has received an application for annexation from developer California Forever. (East Bay Times)
San Jose metro area No. 1 in declining home building permits (San Jose Spotlight)
San Francisco Bans Living in RVs, Offers Chatbot for Assistance - Francisco is enacting a two-hour parking limit on vehicles longer than 22 feet or taller than seven feet to prevent people from living in them on city streets. The city is testing an AI tool to support its understaffed outreach services department, but advocates worry it won’t be accessible to many vehicle dwellers. (Planetizen)
The debate over San Francisco's parklets: Is it time to get rid of them? - One of the lingering effects of the pandemic has been the outdoor parklets. Most were quickly built to allow customers to safely sit outside while providing a lifeline to small businesses.(ABC7)
LA Mayor Seeks to Halt ‘Mansion Tax’ for Wildfire Victims - In a letter to the city council, Mayor Karen Bass pitched a one-time, three-year exemption for fire-affected homeowners. (Bloomberg CityLab)
Governor Signs Three Bills Assisting Development of ADUs (Alameda Post)
Newsom Signs Ambitious Bill to Boost Housing Density Near Public Transit (KQED)
Austin’s $134 Million Vision Zero Initiative Is Paying off - Ten years after the city first pledged to eliminate traffic deaths, it has installed more than 500 new crosswalks and over 100 miles of new bikeways, but has not managed to reduce traffic deaths to zero. (Planetizen)
Law builds on ability to reduce speed limits - A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week expands on Caltrans’ and local jurisdictions’ abilities to lower speed limits on certain roads. Assembly Bill 1014, led by Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, is meant to provide “greater flexibility to the Department of Transportation to consider and incorporate local input in setting speed limits.” (San Mateo Daily Journal)
Bay Area town employs AI to ease traffic - San Anselmo hopes to reduce downtown congestion with the help of artificial intelligence. […] technology can see up the road and determine the speed and position of vehicles in real time, and adjust the traffic signal accordingly. This reduces wait times and increases safety. Typical detection cameras can only identify if there is a vehicle at the light. (East Bay Times)
MIXTAPE
Magnitude 3.0 earthquake shakes UC Berkeley campus an hour before planned quake drill
Oct.17 – The 36th Anniversary Of The Loma Prieta Earthquake
Berkeley’s 911 call center struggles to hire enough dispatchers
SF Mayor, Trump Clash Over Potential National Guard Deployment In The Bay
Rare plant rediscovered in East Bay after 68 years
Housing trust launches $200 million Bay Area fund, buoyed by Apple
California falls to world’s fifth-largest economy
Bay Area TSA workers warn of worsening shutdown impacts as first missed paycheck hits
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTE
In the last three decades, Lafayette has seen a lot of changes.
AND FINALLY…
Crown jewels stolen in 4-minute daytime raid of the Louvre
__________________
The Almost Daily Briefing (ADB) is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and other news sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The ADB does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the ADB, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position.
At times, the ADB features articles from sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. The Contra Costa Library offers access to multiple newspapers online for all cardholders, including the Los Angeles Times (via the ProQuest E-Library digital resource) and the New York Times Digital. Visit the library’s website to learn how to get a library card or access digital services.
If you have questions about the ADB, please contact the City of Lafayette's Communications Analyst, Suzanne Iarla, at siarla@ci.lafayette.ca.us. You can subscribe to the ADB and learn more about Lafayette’s publications and social media sites here.