• The USS Hornet in Alameda, which makes much of its revenue through ticketed events, is at risk of closing after the city significantly reduced its capacity over safety concerns. [SFGate]
• Popular athleisure brand Alo plans to open its first San Francisco location in a 3,485-square-foot space on Union Street in Cow Hollow, which is still pending city approval. [KRON4]
• District 2 candidate Lori Brooke has been capitalizing on the allegations that former mayor London Breed appointed incumbent Supervisor Stephen Sherrill to the Board to curry favor with Mike Bloomberg for a job. [Chronicle]

National:

• The United States Postal Service announced Sunday that it’s reissuing its 2018 Mister Rogers stamp in celebration of the US’s 250th anniversary. The stamp, which beat out 24 other popular reissues by 40,000 votes, sold out within just a few weeks of its first release in 2018. [USA Today]
• Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt says if he’s elected, he’ll send thousands of the city’s homeless residents to Seattle and other cities with more “permissive” policies. [My Northwest]
• One person was killed and nine others are missing after a chemical tank ruptured at a paper mill in Washington State, and multiple others were critically injured. [ABC News]

Video of the Day:

• Recology workers took part in the Carnaval Parade in the Mission Sunday with a fun routine.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A person who residents say is a former tenant entered an Alameda apartment building Monday and intentionally sprayed bear repellent, leading to the evacuation of the building and surrounding vicinity, and injuring six, including an adult and child who were taken to the hospital.

We heard news on Monday afternoon about a hazmat incident in Alameda that sent an adult and a child to the hospital, and now we have more details about what occurred.

As KTVU reports, a person who's believed to be a former tenant entered a four-story apartment building on the 700 block of Santa Clara Avenue in Alameda Monday afternoon and intentionally sprayed an unknown substance.

The incident resulted in a four-hour shelter-in-place order while authorities determined the nature of the substance, and as KRON4 reports below, hazardous materials experts later confirmed it was bear spray.

Streets were closed between Webster and Page streets, and the building and nearby structures were evacuated, per NBC Bay Area. Per KTVU, an adult and child were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland, and four others were treated at the scene for inhalation exposure.

Authorities have reportedly identified a person of interest in the bear-spray attack. A resident told KRON4 that a former tenant, who’s been known to trespass and create similar issues in the past, may be responsible for the incident, and there were reportedly posters in the lobby warning tenants about this person.

Image: The City of Alameda Fire Department

Two unsanctioned beach parties attracting hundreds of teens are scheduled to take place in Alameda, and while they’re reportedly part of a regular tradition involving activities like water balloon and water gun fights, police warn that past events have resulted in “dangerous consequences.”

The Alameda Police Department posted on social media advising parents to discourage their kids from participating in two upcoming “beach takeover” events taking place Sunday and Tuesday at Alameda’s Crown Beach, which typically draw hundreds of teens, posing a public safety hazard.

As KGO reports, the Alameda Unified School District wrote in a message to parents that a takeover event last Saturday “resulted in fights, car accidents, and other significant disruptions on both the beach and at the shopping center,” as hundreds of teens congregated at Crown Beach and South Shore Center.

“While this may seem like harmless fun, similar games in the past have led to unintended and dangerous consequences,” wrote the police.

Additionally, KRON4 reports that beach takeover events often include “assassination-style” water balloon and water gun fights, which have led to authorities or bystanders misidentifying the guns as real weapons at past events.

Officers from the East Bay Regional Park District will be heavily monitoring the beach during upcoming events with support from the Alameda Police Department, according to the Alameda PD’s social media post.

A parent commented on the police department’s post, saying the water balloon and water gun fights are a longheld senior tradition in Alameda.

“The kids who choose to participate (not everyone does and it’s def not required) have a lot fun doing it,” wrote the parent. “There are tons of rules that they all respect. (Example: not in businesses, not on someone’s private property, etc). I’m impressed with the students who put this one and participate.”

“It’s an ongoing game that will last months … until there is one person left,” they said.

Another commenter pointed out the fact that it’s desirable for teens to get outside and be active.

“Relax, just kids going to the beach to hang out and shoot water guns at each other,” said one commenter. “This is what we want them to do. Enjoy the beach on a hot day. Oh my god.”

Others described the scene at South Shore Center mall last Saturday as chaotic and stressful.

“The whole shopping center lot on the beach side taken over by people not in cars, traveling into the mall,” said a commenter. “Fights breaking out. Shops having to lock doors early. Home Goods restrooms full of people smoking weed, among other things and likely not the only shop with issues.”

“Not a place I would have wanted my teens to hang out,” they continued. “I also would not have wanted to be in that area when it was happening.”

Consider this a heads-up for any East Bay non-teens to perhaps choose a different beach — and mall — Sunday and Tuesday!

Image: Marc Crumpler/East Bay Regional Park District

36-year-old Brenda Natali Morales made a phone call to an uncle just minutes before her husband, Shane Killian, fatally shot her, their two sons, and Morales's parents in a drunken rage on July 10, 2024, prosecutors say.

In the nearly two years since five family members were brutally killed inside a home on Kitty Hawk Road in Alameda, we've heard very little about the case against 56-year-old Shane Killian. Killian was arrested and charged with the crime, in which his younger immigrant wife, his in-laws, and his two small boys were all fatally shot, but little else about the case has been made public.

That changed with a preliminary hearing this week, in which an Alameda County judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence to take Killian to trial. As Bay Area News Group reports, Killian's defense attorney presented evidence that Morales was enraged the night of the crime, and that she was the one who pulled the trigger, killing her children and parents.

Killian's attorney, Christina Moore, reportedly pointed to a phone call that Morales made just minutes before the shooting occurred. In the call, Moore argued, Killian acted as a "voice of reason" and Morales appeared to be the "emotional" one, according to a description from her uncle. Morales reportedly told her uncle in Arkansas that she wanted to take her kids and come stay with him, after Killian had reportedly come home and gotten belligerantly drunk.

Killian reportedly told the uncle that he did not trust Morales, but the uncle told him he would talk to him when he was sober, and Killian reportedly said, "Yes, we’re going to talk, and everything will be fine."

Judge Clifford Blakely was unconvinced by the defense's evidence, and pointed to the tesimony of a neighbor who answered his door to find Morales's father, 70-year-old Michel Angel Carcamo Ramirez, riddled with bullet wounds, saying "I'm dying," and "My son-in-law Shane shot me and the whole family."

Ramirez collapsed on the lawn and would later die from his wounds. Also dead were Morales, her mother Marta Elena Morales Diaz, and her 6-year-old son William Killian. The couple's one-year-old son, Wesley Killian, was initially found alive but died days later from his wounds.

Morales was found, according to police, with a gun in her non-dominant hand.

Blakely ruled that there was sufficient evidence to go to trial, and no trial date has been set.

Previously: Alameda Quintuple Murder Suspect Faces Victims' Family In Court

This week: Protecting newt migrations, returning the Tule elk to their land, and remembering Humphrey the Humpback whale. Also, Joan Baez in Alameda, mentors for trans youth, 20 years of MoAD, calendar and puzzle fundraiser by East Bay creatives, and a 1912 tugboat for sale.

Big top music

Joan Baez has joined The Soiled Dove at Alameda Point, lending her voice to a circus set in 1890s San Francisco along the Barbary Coast. The show blends live music with acrobatics and dinner-theater, creating a lively mix of spectacle and story.

Originally set to close last weekend, its run has been extended through November 15 due to popular demand. — NBC Bay Area

Hearts in conversation

A new series, Love You for You, follows trans and nonbinary kids as they talk with the people who support them. In one conversation, an 8-year-old navigates school, family, and teasing; in another, a 16-year-old shares his coming-out story with a close family friend.

The episodes highlight small but meaningful ways mentors and relatives affirm identity — from correcting pronouns to celebrating creativity. Across generations, the series captures how guidance and care shape these young lives. Three episodes feature six conversations, all focused on thriving with love and understanding. — KQED

Woven galaxies

Museum of the African Diaspora’s Continuum marks 20 years of showcasing Black art and culture, bringing together two decades of exhibitions, programs, and artists into a living archive that celebrates creativity, resilience, and community. Among the works, Ramekon O’Arwisters’ sculpture Bitten 8 channels imagination and reckoning, using shards — discarded, jagged, and marginalized—to confront anxiety, anger, and the permanence of White-body supremacy. Continuum runs through March 1, 2026.

Additionally, O’Arwisters is hosting one of his regular CrochetJam events at MoAD on Saturday, November 6, where community members stitch together connection with the same care and energy he brings to his work. — 7 x 7

East Bay talent

East Bay creatives have turned their lens and craft toward community care with Oakland Leaves No Crumbs, a 2026 calendar and puzzle that highlight local businesses while raising funds for Centro Legal de la Raza. The project brought together photographers, stylists, and artisans who donated time, food, and props to capture everything from Lunar New Year and Day of the Dead imagery to neighborhood roasters and bakeries.

Pre-orders are open through November 11 with a launch event on December 13 showcasing food from the featured businesses as well as limited calendars and puzzles for sale. — Oaklandside

Migration under moonlight

Each winter, the California newts of Tilden Park make their perilous pilgrimage across South Park Drive, drawn toward the creeks where they breed. To spare them the wheels of passing cars, the East Bay Regional Park District closes the road from November through March — a tradition more than 25 years old.

Cyclists and hikers still pass through, moving slowly while dogs are kept at a distance; the newts’ skin carries a potent toxin. Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Wildcat Canyon Road serve as detours through migration season. — Berkeleyside

Seasoning the earth

The chaos-gardening enthusiasts at SFinBloom are inspiring the public to scatter native wildflower seeds with the casual flair of seasoning a meal — letting color and pollination make their way into nearby alleys, on medians, and other forgotten corners.

Armed with custom parmesan-style shakers filled with seeds, “Mr. Bloom” encourages people to fight “plant inequity” and climate gloom through small acts of restoration. His key advice: don’t wait for spring — plant now, and let the wild things take the lead. — SFinBloom

Returning the hills

After decades away, Tule elk have stepped onto the Sierra foothills once more, roaming lands recently restored to the Tule River Tribe. The 17,000-acre Yowlumne Hills connect tribal territory to forested corridors, opening space not only for elk but for beavers, waterways, and wildfire-resilient ecosystems.

Tribal members and supporters gathered to release the elk last week, part of broader stewardship that blends cultural knowledge, prescribed burns, and habitat restoration. The land is envisioned as a place to gather, heal, and witness the deep ties between people, wildlife, and the ancestral landscape. — SFGate

Tidelines and time machines

A 1912 wooden tugboat that once hauled cargo in Alaska has, for more than 40 years, served as the floating home of Stewart Brand — founder of The Whole Earth Catalog and co-founder of the Long Now Foundation — and it’s now for sale in Sausalito for $1.4 million.

The Mirene was converted into a one-bedroom retreat with a gourmet kitchen and library, reflecting Brand’s lifelong ethos of reuse and reinvention. Its deck faces the San Francisco skyline, a fitting view for a vessel built to endure and adapt. The 64-foot boat also includes its own tender for short trips across the Bay. — Bay Area News Group, Dwell

Riverbound whale

Forty years ago, a humpback named Humphrey took a wrong turn into the Sacramento River and turned a small Delta town into the center of the world. Rio Vista’s residents watched the 40-ton visitor thread through sloughs and levees, stuck at times, stubborn at others, as scientists, volunteers, and onlookers scrambled to guide him safely back to the river.

Kids in local classrooms today still follow his story through whale-themed reading charts and plush mascots, a reminder that his journey was both spectacle and shared memory. On November 4, 1985, Humphrey finally returned to the Pacific, leaving behind a trail of stories, flare-lit celebrations, and a town that keeps him alive in song and spirit. — KALW

Top Image: Matt Knoth/Flickr

Previously: Field Notes: Capybara Pups, Falcons, Supermarket Dance Parties, and Living on a Shellmound

• Police in the town of Watsonville in Monterey County are searching for two 12-year-old runaways — a girl and a boy, who were involved in two hit-and-run collisions. The girl is suspected of taking her mother’s Nissan Altima at 1 am Saturday and perpetrating a collision in San Jose and another in Marina, California before abandoning the vehicle. [KGO]

• SFMTA is assuring the public that there have been no reports of ICE agents boarding its buses. Residents are urged to report any sightings to the SF Rapid Response Network. [KRON4]

• Two people fleeing police in a stolen vehicle crashed into another vehicle in front of the Napper Tandy bar at 24th Street and South Van Ness Avenue Friday evening, which was the scene of another collision by a car fleeing police in February. [Mission Local]
• A group of protesters have been gathering outside Coast Guard Island in Alameda each night since National Guard troops were deployed — and then called off — by Trump. [KTVU]

• On Saturday morning, dozens of kayakers surrounded Coast Guard Island with signs that read ‘No ICE in the Bay.’ [KRON4]
• A van crashed into a home on Gladstone near SF’s John McLaren Park around 4 pm Saturday; no injuries were reported, and authorities were working to secure the building. [NBC Bay Area]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A baffling incident capped off a day of protests at the Coast Guard base in Alameda, as officers opened fire on a U-Haul whose driver seemed intent on ramming into something, leaving two people injured.

Thursday morning started very contentiously at the Coast Guard Island base in Alameda where some 100 federal agents have been deployed for a possible immigration crackdown, as two protesters were injured in various fracases where protesters were attempting to block agents from entering the base. Thursday evening ended even more contentiously, even though most protesters had already filtered out and gone home. KTVU reports that a U-Haul truck was apparently trying to ram into something, and two people were injured, including the driver of the U-Haul, after federal agents opened fire.

A team from KPIX got video of the incident, seen below.

This all happened around 10 pm at the base’s entrance at Embarcadero and Livingston Street, where protesters had been all day. The U-Haul can be seen backing up toward Coast Guard officers, who are shouting at the driver to stop with their guns pointed. What seems like dozens of shots are fired, the U-Haul then speeds forward, stops suddenly, and then drives away.

It’s unclear if the U-Haul driver even has anything to do with the protests. One protester who was there all day called him an "independent actor" and said he was not affiliated with them. And the driver apparently ditched the vehicle and left on foot before being apprehended. The Bay Area News Group reports that “Law enforcement officials later located the vehicle,” though per that publication, “They did not say where it was found.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement picked up by KTVU that the driver of the vehicle was "driving erratically and attempting to weaponize the vehicle to ram."

"When the vehicle’s actions posed a direct threat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, law enforcement officers discharged several rounds of defensive live fire," the DHS statement added.

The Coast Guard put out their own, more measured statement.

“Coast Guard personnel issued multiple verbal commands to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to comply and proceeded to put the vehicle in reverse,” that organization said on Twitter. “When the vehicle’s actions posed a direct threat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, law enforcement officers discharged several rounds of live fire.”

They added that “No Coast Guard personnel were injured during the incident,” and that “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency for this investigation.”

The Chronicle reports that the U-Haul driver was shot in the stomach, and that the DHS added he was “being held for mental health evaluation.” Some bystander, likely a protester, was also hit by “a fragment,” according to the agency, though that person was treated for minor injuries and has already been released from the hospital.

This incident might be nothing, just an unstable person who decided to cause trouble at the wrong place, with little connection to what the protests were all about. Or we may learn it’s something different. But it goes to show that even if we’re optimistic that Trump won’t send troops to SF, the entire situation Bay Area-wide remains very fluid and unpredictable.  

Related: Protesters Gather Near Coast Guard Island In Alameda Ahead of Immigration Operation, at Least Two Already Injured [SFist]

Image: OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Police officers investigate a U-Haul truck that was involved in an incident outside of Coast Guard Island Alameda on October 23, 2025 in Oakland, California. U.S. Coast Guard police opened fire on a U-Haul truck after it backed up a ramp at the entrance to Coast Guard Island Alameda, where US Customs and Border Patrol agents are staying. Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump told San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie that he was suspending planned immigration raids in San Francisco. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Ahead of a planned immigrant round-up operation by federal agents in the Bay Area that seems likely to look like previous operations in Southern California, protesters gathered early Thursday morning outside the agents' staging area on Alameda's Coast Guard Island.

A few protesters were already at the gates of Coast Guard Base Alameda at 5 am Thursday morning, as KTVU reports, after confirmation on Wednesday that President Trump's promised federal operation in the Bay Area would begin its staging there today.

The 67-acre man-made island in the Oakland Estuary that is home to the base is not physically connected to Alameda Island, but is accessible by a two-lane bridge, the entrance of which is off Oakland's Embarcadero, at Dennison Street, near the Fruitvale and Jingletown neighborhoods. As KTVU reports, traffic on Embarcadero was at a "standstill" by 7:15 am, as the protest grew in size to around 200 or 300 people — and, also, "There were clowns and balloon artists protesting in the street."

There have reportedly already been a couple of injuries, with local pastor Jorge Bautista of Oakland telling KTVU that he had a smoke bomb go off in his face.

"I came to say we're here in peace," Bautista told the station. "And he didn't care. There is nothing else to say, clearly he wanted to cause harm to me."

As Mission Local is also reporting, a second protester was injured when his ankle was run over by an SUV.

Mission Local posted a brief video that ends with a flash grenade going off, as protesters are shouting "shame" at the bridge entrance, and as white vehicles can be seen hurrying onto the bridge.

As of 9 am, Mission Local reported that the mood had lightened at the protest, and the song "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" was playing on a loudspeaker.

"The mood has shifted from a stand off in the dark to skipping in the streets — literally, there’s a jump rope. Parents have brought their children," Mission Local reports.

KTVU spoke to an anonymous federal source who suggested that Customs and Border Protection agents, and presumably ICE agents, will be heading to "pre-identified"  target locations around the Bay this weekend, which could include Home Depot stores, as they did around Los Angeles. Such actions provoked protester responses that President Trump used to justify the deployment of the National Guard under the pretext that the federal agents required protection.

Rallies and possible marches are planned in San Francisco Thursday, including a rally at 5 pm at Embarcadero Plaza.

This is a developing story.

Related: 'Don't Take the Bait': Bay Area Leaders Plead With Potential Protesters to Stay Peaceful as Trump Sends Federal Agents

Top image: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

An East Palo Alto man with multiple violent charges on his record, several of which involved assaults on women, allegedly met a woman on Facebook Dating in June and proceeded to kidnap, rape, brutalize, and sexually traffic her over a six-day span.

The woman's extended nightmare of an encounter began around June 7, 2025, when she agreed to meet up with a man, identified as 30-year-old Devin Budd of East Palo Alto, at the Coliseum BART station in Oakland. As Bay Area News Group reports, via court records, Budd allegedly took the woman to a hotel in Alameda where she says he sexually assaulted her multiple times and beat her severely — which led to hotel staff inquiring about the bloody state of the room.

Budd then allegedly forced her into sex work, after getting her high on cocaine, making her stand on a corner on International Boulevard seeking johns, while he watched.

According to the woman's testimony, per Bay Area News Group, Budd took her cellphone from her, and threatened her with further harm, saying, "don’t make me kill you" if she put up resistence to his demands.

In court testimony, the woman, identified only as Jane Doe in documents, told prosecutors, “I have never done anything like this. I’m not that type of person," referring to the sex trafficking.

When asked by a deputy district attorney why Budd was watching her while she attempted to sell herself on International Boulevard, she reportedly replied, "He said it was for my protection." And when asked if she felt protected, she told the court, "I mean, he was the only one harming me, so no, not really."

It would be nearly a week after she met Budd that Oakland police officers approached her and the suspect at the Lake Merritt BART station, noting that she was wearing both sunglasses and a ski mask. Officers asked her to remove the glasses and mask, and saw that her eyes were bruised and swollen shut, she was missing a tooth, and had broken bones in her face.

Doe told the court that she mouthed to one of the officers to help her, and it was after this that Budd was arrested. He now faces multiple felony counts including rape, battery, human trafficking, and violation of parole.

It turns out that Budd had been arrested in Fremont just a month earlier, and intial charges included false imprisonment by violence, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, and sexual penetration with foreign object by force or violence. Those charges were later dismissed when the victim failed to appear in court, as Bay Area News Group reports. A month before that, in April, Budd was accused of beating and sexually assaulting a woman in Fremont — it's unclear if this was the same or a different victim — and those charges were reportedly dismissed for lack of evidence.

Budd had also spent time in state prison for domestic violence in Sacramento County, for which he was released early in 2024.

And, Bay Area News Group notes that Budd is a suspect in the sexual assault of a developmentally disabled woman in Livermore, and while the woman's rape kit was matched to him, no charges have been filed in that case.

Budd's lengthy rap sheet includes multiple other arrests, beginning with a robbery arrest in Alameda County in 2013, when he would have been around 18 years old.

He remains in custody without bail, and a court date in the Jane Doe case is set for next month.

Top image of Lake Merritt BART station via Wikimedia

Photo via Alameda Police Department

Illegal fireworks ignited dozens of fires across the Bay Area on the Fourth of July — from Oakland and Alameda to Antioch and San Jose — with Oakland Fire Department responding to more than 60 fires.

As the Chronicle reports, in Oakland, the fire department responded to more than four times the city’s average of 12–15 daily incidents on the July 4th holiday — not including yesterday's mammoth four-alarm warehouse fire, which appeared to be unrelated to fireworks.

As KPIX reports, among the most serious was a structure fire at a two-story duplex on the 1600 block of 78th Avenue, reported around 10:40 p.m. Friday. The blaze injured one resident and killed two dogs. About 30 firefighters responded, and the fire was under control by 11:15 p.m.

Update: This incident has been placed Under Control as of 11:14pm. Red Cross was requested for support services. Approximately 30 firefighters remain on scene. Two dogs died and one person transported by Falck. Cause of fire = illegal fireworks. https://t.co/BggT1tfw79 pic.twitter.com/3QHEL1ZwEq

— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) July 5, 2025

Alameda County Fire responded to about 26 fireworks-related calls, including dumpster and grass fires. “Nobody died, we just have a lot of tired firefighters,” said department spokesperson Cheryl Hurd.

As Mercury News reports, two homes in Alameda were destroyed and two others suffered minor damage in a fire sparked around 7:30 p.m. near Sandalwood Isle and Otis Drive. Fire crews knocked it down within 45 minutes. One home was vacant, and the resident of the other took refuge at a friend’s house. No injuries were reported.

As KPIX reports, a fireworks-related explosion in Antioch around midnight Saturday on Spanos Street injured five people, with injuries ranging from minor to critical, according to Contra Costa County Fire spokesperson Lauren Ono.

Earlier in the afternoon, fireworks ignited a vegetation fire behind Antioch’s Country Manor Park that quickly traveled uphill into the backyard of a home on Point Andrus Court. The flames reached a fence line, but crews managed to extinguish the fire within 15 minutes. No injuries were reported.

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In North Fair Oaks, an unincorporated area in San Mateo County, a juvenile was injured in a suspected fireworks incident and transported to Stanford Hospital, Redwood City Battalion Chief Jeff Balton confirmed. He said there were no significant fires in the area, calling it “good for us, and good for the community.”

San Jose Fire crews responded to a tree fire on Carmel Drive that spread to three homes and damaged two vehicles. One vehicle sustained heavy damage, and a resident was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to department spokesperson Hannah Denys.

Despite widespread fire activity, officials across the region reported no fatalities, thanks in large part to quick response from exhausted fire crews.

Top image: Screenshot from video; OaklandFireLive/Twitter

Other previous fireworks coverage on SFist.

A tech founder is calling for an executive order to fast-track a new “AI city” on 512 acres of federal land at Alameda Point — the site of an existing VA project and nesting grounds for endangered birds. City officials were never contacted, and the mayor called it a "head-scratcher."

As KRON4 reports, James Ingallinera, the founder of the proposed city — called "Frontier Valley" — outlined his proposal in a June 15 X post, asking Trump to declare a “national security emergency” and transfer the land from Department of Veteran Affairs to the Department of Defense. The idea, he says, is to accelerate robotics and artificial intelligence development on a scale that regulatory processes in California can’t currently support.

17/18 Retweet this thread, speak up in support, and apply now to join our community and upcoming launch summit at https://t.co/0QK3YyJWom.

Join us in this era-defining movement, and together we will unlock and enact the path to a radically more abundant and free future for all. pic.twitter.com/fQNGxN2E0O

— Frontier Valley (@_FrontierValley) June 15, 2025

“This is the Manhattan project of our time,” Ingallinera said in a promotional video filmed on-site, invoking fears that China will overtake the U.S. in AI dominance if drastic action isn’t taken. His plan includes office and manufacturing space, housing for 10,000 people, a waterfront park, and statues of American pioneers, as reported by KQED.

But the city of Alameda says it first heard about the proposal when it was posted online. “They haven’t talked to the city at all,” Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told KQED. She called the plan a “head scratcher,” especially given the site’s vulnerability to sea level rise and its designation as a nature reserve.

The land in question is part of a larger 624-acre site currently owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA already has active plans to build a medical clinic and a National Cemetery Columbarium at the site, intended to serve more than 300,000 veterans and their families. The project, which has been funded by Congress, will be constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ashcraft called the VA's project “very much needed” and reaffirmed that the city stands behind the cemetery and regional park proposals. A 158-acre open space park is also planned nearby, to be operated by the East Bay Regional Park District.

In a recent op-ed for Pirate Wires, Ingallinera claims that the federally owned nature reserve could be transformed into a special regulation district by executive order, skirting both local jurisdiction and environmental constraints. He’s even drafted a sample executive order, which includes invoking the National Emergencies Act and bypassing Endangered Species Act protections through a legal exemption. No agency has confirmed receiving a formal request to initiate such a process.

Gary Marcus, an AI expert and prominent tech critic, was skeptical of the urgency implied by the pitch. In an email to KQED, Marcus said the biggest hurdle to developing humanoid robotics isn’t permitting, but unsolved software problems: “Companies can utterly work on that to a fair degree without a lot of red tape.”

The proposal has drawn comparisons to the controversial “California Forever” development in Solano County, with some critics questioning the real motivation behind such large-scale city-building initiatives by tech insiders. Alameda Point is already home to several innovation-focused companies, including Saildrone and Kairos Power, as well as residential and commercial developments.

Sarah Henry, a spokesperson for the city of Alameda, said in a statement that “no reasonable fact” supports a national security emergency declaration at the site. “The city is in full support of the VA facility and regional parks project, which will serve Bay Area veterans, residents and visitors for many decades to come,” she said.

So far, neither Frontier Valley nor any federal agency has responded to further media requests.

Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Related: California Forever Group Moves to Join Forces With Suisun City, Buy Downtown Properties

The former Oakland Raiders training facility has been rebranded as the UCSF Health Oakland Roots and Soul Performance Center in a deal finalized Friday by SF-based Redco Development, with the revenue split between the City of Oakland and Alameda County.

In a press release, the club notes that the facility, which is located at 1150 and 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda, includes an 18,000-square-foot indoor training facility, five acres of sports fields, and a second 100,000-square-foot building with offices, locker rooms, meeting spaces, training rooms, and an auditorium. The Roots and Soul teams have used the site for the past four years under a license agreement and have now signed a 15-year lease.

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Redco managing partner Chris Freise said, “Roots and Soul are building something really special here in the East Bay, and we’re honored to help anchor that vision with a permanent home.”

As NBC Bay Area reports, Oakland Roots competes in the USL Championship, and Oakland Soul plays in the USL W League. President Lindsay Barenz emphasized the importance of the facility, stating, “Having a strong training facility is vital to the success of our club… this is a huge step towards our long-term sustainability in Oakland.”

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The complex has hosted top international teams, including the Mexican Men’s National Team, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Wrexham FC, and the Wales Women’s National Team. It also supports local programming such as coaching workshops, NorCal Soccer events, and club-led community initiatives.

“This agreement is great news for Oakland and our entire sports community,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “We’re investing in our city’s future, building community pride, boosting the local economy, and continuing to position Oakland as a dynamic sports destination.”

Image: Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club website

Previously: Oakland Roots Soccer Team's Inaugural Sold-Out Home Opener At Coliseum Breaks Club Record, Outdraws A’s

A well-known environmental research vessel sank Sunday evening while docked in the Oakland Estuary. No one was onboard, and firefighters worked to contain the nearly 400 gallons of diesel that was onboard.

As the Chronicle reports, the Kaisei, a large double-masted replica ship operated by the Ocean Voyages Institute in Sausalito, began sinking around 6 p.m. near the 2500 block of Blanding Avenue in Alameda. Witnesses on land saw the vessel partially submerged and alerted authorities, according to US Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Kenneth Wiese.

Crews from both Alameda and Oakland fire departments responded, including a fireboat, and worked to stabilize the scene. As NBC Bay Area reports, the ship had begun pulling part of the dock down with it, and responders cut the mooring lines to prevent further structural damage, according to Alameda Fire Department Public Information Officer Kevin Tidwell.

The Kaisei, which was not occupied at the time of the incident, has since settled on the estuary floor. Firefighters deployed a floating boom around the wreck to contain a visible sheen of leaking fuel, as reported by ABC7. The vessel is believed to have contained up to 400 gallons of diesel onboard, Wiese said.

A person reached at a number associated with the Kaisei Project told theSan Francisco Chronicle they believed “something hit” the vessel, though the exact cause of the sinking remains under investigation. Officials with the Coast Guard and other agencies are monitoring the situation and coordinating next steps, which could involve salvage or removal depending on the assessment of the ship’s condition.

The Kaisei is a modern replica of a traditional Japanese training vessel and serves as the flagship for the Ocean Voyages Institute’s cleanup missions. The nonprofit has operated out of Sausalito since 1979 and launched the Kaisei Project to remove plastic waste and marine debris from the Pacific, including three expeditions to the North Pacific Garbage Patch.

Based on a Reddit post from five years ago, it appears that the Kaisei was routinely docked in Alameda between expeditions:

The Kaisei currently docked in Alameda. The brigantine is currently operated by Ocean Voyages Institute as the figurehead and expedition ship of "Project Kaisei" which is an international program dedicated to implementing solutions to the problem of marine debris.
byu/carnegiehall insailing

The ship’s sinking has raised concern among environmental advocates, given its symbolic role in ocean preservation. Authorities are urging anyone with information about what may have caused the vessel’s damage to contact the U.S. Coast Guard.

Top image via the Ocean Voyages Institute

Image: Mexican Alebrijes & Nahuales sculptures now on display at Yerba Buena Gardens; Leanne Maxwell/SFist