Latest News
The Almost Daily Briefing, December 8, 2025
The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
Contra Costa Fire Announces Santa's Firehouse Toy Drive - Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the United Professional Firefighters Association of Contra Costa County Local 1230 are partnering to collect new, unwrapped toys for children in our communities (Contra Costa News)
Despite rate hikes, study finds California home insurance costs are middle of the pack nationwide - Even as devastating wildfires drive up home insurance costs across California, premiums overall remain relatively low compared to many other states, a new UC Berkeley report finds. But that could change as state regulators phase in new reforms allowing insurers to set rates based on the growing threat of climate change. In 2023, California’s median home insurance cost of about $1,200 a year ranked in the middle among all states, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. (Mercury News)
Clipper Cards Are Getting a Major Upgrade, With Big Perks for Riders – “Next-generation Clipper” arrives Dec. 10, with perks like discounted transfers, the option to pay with a contactless credit or debit card and instant availability of funds added to accounts. (KQED)
Where Do Coyotes Live in Silicon Valley? These Teens Are Mapping Their Movements - The two teens founded the Silicon Valley Wildlife Group, a youth-led project to track coyotes across the region […] They compiled all this information into an interactive map with more than a thousand data points, color-coded by time and day, location, and behavior. (KQED)
Salmon returning to Bay Area creek for first time in 70 years could be sign of environmental renewal to come - The 20-year effort to bring the fish back to Alameda Creek has finally paid off. (Mercury News)
California is drafting new rules for wildfire smoke cleanup. Are home insurers calling the shots? A state-led task force assembled to issue smoke damage guidelines includes technical experts who have spent years helping insurers dispute customers’ smoke-damage claims. (San Francisco Chronicle)
New California law means a big change for grocery shoppers in 2026 - Plastic grocery bags will start vanishing from California grocery stores after Jan. 1, when restrictions are set to tighten as part of the state’s campaign to keep the bags from clogging waterways and landfills. (San Francisco Chronicle)
New report paints damning picture of California's aging infrastructure – In 1989, as the Loma Prieta earthquake shook the ground up to 60 miles from its center, a section of the Bay Bridge collapsed. The bridge failure was a visible representation of California’s vulnerable infrastructure; a 53-year-old span that hadn’t been retrofitted adequately to withstand a disaster. A recently released report shows just how much of California’s infrastructure is in dire need of repair or replacement. (SF Gate)
When formal systems stop working, neighbors turn to each other in what many call ‘mutual aid’ - …it’s a practice of giving back and creating connection. It’s also part of a growing interest in grassroots efforts to meet community needs that many call “ mutual aid.” Often, mutual aid just comes down to neighbors helping neighbors… (AP News)
Newsom accuses Trump of wildfire aid snub - Gavin Newsom accused the Trump administration of rebuffing a meeting request as the California governor seeks more wildfire recovery aid in Washington, casting the refusal to make a staffer available as an unprecedented breach. (Politico)
5.9 earthquake alert Thursday morning was a false alarm, USGS says - The ShakeAlert early warning system that notifies people about earthquakes as they are occurring alerted more than 600,000 people across Northern California of a magnitude 5.9 earthquake Thursday morning in Nevada. But the ground didn’t shake. (East Bay Times) Related: False Earthquake Alert Unnerves NorCal (Patch)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
City Council – includes City Council Reorganization and selection of new Mayor for 2026
Design Review Commission – cancelled
Parks, Trails & Recreation Commission
Year End Admin Offices Closure
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
Ban on vegetation near some Berkeley Hills homes starts Jan. 1. Here’s what to know - The new wildfire safety rules, banning nearly everything combustible within 5 feet of buildings, or “Zone Zero,” go into effect for 1,400 homes in the hills. (Berkeleyside)
Marin County bans wood exteriors for some future home constructions - Starting in 2026, it will be illegal to build a home with a wood exterior in county areas of high fire danger […] In November, Marin officials voted to align their fire codes with those of the State, banning any new home construction with wood siding in WUI areas within their jurisdiction. What's not clear now is what those homes will be made of. (KPIX)
Sen. Adam Schiff uses S.F. affordable project to launch housing act, despite long odds in Congress - The 48-page legislation — a long shot because it will need Republican support in order to pass — is called the Housing BOOM (Building Occupancy Opportunity for Millions) Act. It proposes a massive expansion of the 9% federal low-income housing tax credits used to fund affordable housing. It would create a $10 billion annual loan fund and a $5 million annual grant program to expand affordable housing for middle-income families. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Gated mansions and golf: Why buyers still flock to the East Bay's most exclusive neighborhoods - Today, the neighborhoods attract tech executives, Fortune 500 CEOs, retired Chevron brass, former professional athletes and others at prices that are steep, but more affordable than for similar properties in Atherton and Woodside. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Supes approve SF mayor’s zoning plan to allow much more housing - In a major victory for Mayor Daniel Lurie, the Board of Supervisors gave initial approval Tuesday to his controversial “Family Zoning” plan, which charts how The City can meet a state mandate for accommodating tens of thousands of new homes by 2031. (San Francisco Examiner)
Menlo Park council puts voters in charge of downtown housing plans - Opponents of the housing plans gathered signatures from more than 10% of registered voters in Menlo Park, submitted to the council in October, triggering a requirement to either adopt the measure, call a special election, or place it on the next general ballot. The council chose the Nov. 3, 2026, election […] The initiative involves two layers of voter approval. The first asks residents whether they want future authority over development on the downtown parking plazas. If that measure passes, the city would then be required to seek voter approval each time it wants to redevelop the lots. (Mercury News)
Bay Area homeowner beats $55,000 fee for expansion project after legal fight with city - The case underscores a broader tension in California's efforts to ease its severe housing crisis, and how it can wind up impacting homeowners. (San Francisco Chronicle)
A push for more ADUs has hit the Bay Area and Southern California - An effort is underway to rewrite county law to let owners sell ADUs as condos in unincorporated areas — a policy shift made possible by a new state law looking to boost homeownership. (Mercury News)
California's 'Teacher Village' Model Spreads as Housing Costs Soar - More schools are offering company housing to prevent educators from fleeing to cheaper locales. (Washington Post)
Adaptive reuse projects accelerate, driven by schools, offices - Chicago is leading the nation in conversions, as the pipeline for these projects has increased 19% across the U.S, according to RentCafe. (Smart Cities Dive)
Instead of Restricting Development, One Minnesota City Just Approved Flurry of ‘Experimental’ Housing Types - New Ulm leaders are approving multiple projects including tiny homes, apartments, and ‘shed homes’ using Planned Unit Developments to move projects forward faster. (Planetizen)
First payments collected from Santa Fe high-end excise tax for affordable housing - A 3% tax on the sale of million-dollar homes will be designated for Santa Fe’s affordable housing trust fund. (KRQE)
NYC Teenagers Launch Affordable Housing Portal So Good, It Has Attracted Investment - Seeing the failure of the grown-ups who run the city to provide people a way to find affordable housing, two “children of the pandemic” stepped up. (Planetizen)
Climate change can be costly for homeowners, but the weather isn't always factored into retirement plans. - Between 2018 and 2022, the U.S. incurred more than $609 billion in damages from weather and climate-related disasters (excluding floods). Researchers also noted that average home insurance premiums increased by 8.7% during this period. These findings were even more pronounced in ZIP codes with higher-than-average risks for climate-related damages. Homeowners in these areas paid roughly $2,321 in premiums every year; for comparison, that’s 82% higher than those in areas with a lower risk for weather-related damages. (Moneywise)
To Fix Oakland’s Speeding Problem, Automated Cameras Can’t Do It Alone -Oakland is now on track to become the second California city, after San Francisco, to install automated speed cameras, realizing a hard-fought goal of many transportation and street safety advocates. The devices have a demonstrated track record of helping to reduce speeding in locations where they are placed. But even as the city prepares to roll out the new program, local transit leaders acknowledge that the cameras are just a part of the work Oakland needs to do to make streets safer. (KQED) Related: Oakland to deploy speed safety cameras at 18 locations to curb dangerous driving (Local News Matters)
Marin police detail challenges of e-bike enforcement - Duenas said the challenges include youths fleeing, parents buying vehicles that are more like motorcycles than bikes and kids parking the bikes off of school grounds to avoid scrutiny. (Marin Independent Journal)
MIXTAPE
West Contra Costa school staff strike for second day as union says no progress made in negotiations
Series of Quakes Rattle Bay Area
Metallic balloons trigger widespread power outage in East Bay
Foreclosure of big East Bay office hub shows plunging property values
Owner of blighted San Jose building faces fines if repairs don’t occur
BART to raise fares 6.2% in 2026
Third attempt to repeal Prop. 19’s tax burden on inherited property aims for 2026 ballot
California wealth gap to widen, U.S. economy to slow into 2026, UCLA says
California is about to cut power company profits to historic lows. Your bill will barely drop
Californian sellers own their home for 11 years, 3rd longest in US
Risky home loans are making a comeback
Cyber Monday spending pace lags Black Friday for second year
US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTE
Lafayette OHSEP invites public input for Hazard Mitigation Plan update - Residents and business owners are invited to share their experiences, concerns, and recommendations related to flooding, severe weather, drainage concerns, and other natural hazards that affect their neighborhoods and places of business.
AND FINALLY…
Why doing good also makes us feel good, during the holidays and beyond - Researchers who study human evolution and social psychology say that giving back is deeply rooted in human nature. Volunteers say they feel closer ties to the communities they serve.
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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.