Latest News
The Almost Daily Briefing, February 10, 2026
The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
Lafayette Set to Discuss Food Trucks, Potential Policy - The Lafayette City Council is set to discuss food trucks at its upcoming meeting at the request of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. (Contra Costa News)
Thousands of East Bay high school students walk out to protest ICE enforcement - Across the East Bay, about a dozen high schools held walkouts to protest protesting federal immigration enforcement activities across the country. One of the largest was at Acalanes High School in Lafayette. (ABC7)
San Pablo launches new branding to drive economic growth - San Pablo is launching a new branding and marketing initiative to attract more businesses and housing to the city […] The city is adopting the slogan “Growing Forward, Grounded in Community” to represent its balance of cultural history and future development. (Richmond Standard)
BART’s cost-cutting plan risks a ‘death spiral’ that could end all train service - Buried deep in the contingency plan to slash costs at BART is an all-out nuclear scenario called “Phase 3”: Shut the rail system down altogether. This complete unraveling would only happen if voters decline to bail out the transit agency in November. But the collapse would be swift. Within two years, BART’s stations would be empty, its track sitting idle. “We’re not sure we can safely run service that has so many cuts to maintenance and police,” BART spokesperson Alicia Trost said on Friday. (San Francisco Chronicle) Related:
- A transit system like 1976: BART lays out grim future if voters don’t approve sales tax hike (Local News Matters)
- Here are 10 to 15 stations that could close under BART doomsday scenarios (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mt. Diablo Could Face Drilling Threat - A local nonprofit warned that a federal proposal could open nearly 2 million acres of public land to oil and gas drilling and fracking, potentially threatening Mount Diablo State Park and other protected areas across the Diablo Range. (Patch)
Marin flood aid outlook complicated by FEMA changes - In the aftermath of damaging king tide flooding in Marin this month, Corte Madera and Larkspur passed emergency resolutions positioning themselves for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The extent to which the agency might assist remains to be seen […] Federal financial assistance to state and local governments following natural disasters could be reduced if recommendations by a Trump administration committee are enacted. The committee proposed quadrupling the threshold for qualifying. (Marin Independent Journal)
OTHER NEWS
California's once soaring population has hit a plateau - Its current stasis, whatever the exact numbers, reflects stagnant levels of foreign migration, a much lower birth rate and an ongoing net loss in state-to-state migration. (DanvilleSanRamon.com/CalMatters)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
President's Day Holiday City Administrative Offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 16
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
Citizen group loses challenge to Tiburon’s environmental review of housing plan - …a local community group, challenged the town’s general plan update and housing element for lack of a site-specific environmental assessment for Site H. […] The town appealed and argued that review at the town-wide level was proper. […] The appeals court concluded, without providing any certainty for the committee, that it “appears likely” that an environmental review would be required for any housing project proposed for Site H in the future. The upshot appears to be that local jurisdictions will be able to avoid site-level CEQA review when updating their general plan, but whether that eliminates subsequent site-specific review when a development plan has gelled, is far from clear. (Local News Matters)
Court rules against Los Gatos’ interpretation of builder’s remedy law - A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge on Jan. 29 dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Town of Los Gatos in an effort to clarify the state's builder's remedy law. The Luxe, a 117-unit mixed use development proposed for Los Gatos Boulevard, was one of two projects that led the town to file the lawsuit, which sought clarification as to whether developers can continuously refile incomplete applications for builder’s remedy projects. (Mercury News)
New transit housing bill revives California’s Democratic divisions over local control - San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 677 seeks to close a loophole that backers of the bill say some cities are using to get out of last year’s reforms intended to allow more apartments to be built near major bus and train stations […] Wiener, who also authored last year’s bill, said he plans to introduce more follow-up legislation to address how cities should implement the far-reaching statute, which will affect parts of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco counties. (CalMatters)
San Jose boosts incentives to convert offices to housing - The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expand an existing housing incentive program covering downtown residential high-rise projects to include conversion projects with at least 20 new homes. The city will cut certain fees and taxes for qualifying downtown office conversions in an effort to help those developments move forward. (San Jose Spotlight)
A battle over who runs parking in Oakland – The City of Oakland is seeking to quickly move most of its parking division staff from the Department of Transportation to the Finance Department, despite concern from business leaders, road safety advocates and city employees. (The Oaklandside)
MIXTAPE
Anticipated rain will bring end to Bay Area’s dry pattern
Horn Barbecue evicted from Bay Area location
Danville retail and dining hub Blackhawk Plaza faces foreclosure
After Super Bowl, Bay Area sets aim at landing next big event: Women’s World Cup
East Bay hotel is foreclosed as Bay Area hospitality industry totters
San Jose is world’s least affordable city for first-time homebuyers
This CA City Is The Least Affordable On Earth To Buy A Home, Analysis Finds
Protection for California mountain lions could become permanent
California job market ranks among the weakest of the weak nationwide
FEMA will resume staff reductions that were paused during winter storm, managers say
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTE
LaFayette council weighs a $2 million waterline replacement project against tight grant deadlines and ALDOT’s paving schedule, balancing cost risks with aging pipes.
AND FINALLY…
Meet the Bay Area Athletes Competing at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
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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.
