The other week told you about how George Lucas, finally fed up with the rich Marin NIMBYs bitching about his LucasArts expansion plans in Lucas Valley, gave up on his plans to build there and is now seeking another city in which to build a huge new production facility. S.F. Mayor Ed Lee would like Lucas to do it in S.F., of course. But now Walnut Creek has written an empassioned plea to Lucas to take a bunch of vacant office and industrial property off their hands. more ›

On Monday night, the Marriott Hotel in Walnut Creek hosted the 2012 East Bay Women's Conference featuring feminist and political icon Gloria Steinem. During the conference, which culminated in her standing ovation-causing "The Progression of Feminism and Social Equity" speech, Oakland Tribune's Angela Hill caught up with Steinem for a one-on-one interview. When asked to give her thoughts on the recent political battle over contraception, Rush Limbaugh's slut-gate, and the conservative "war on women." Behold: more ›

A 25-year-old woman walking on Oak Road near Treat Boulevard was grabbed by a man on Wednesday afternoon. The man, it seems, had been following her. As soon as she turned around, he released his grip and scrammed. more ›

Not wanting to feel left out, Walnut Creek is going to get its very own Occupy protest on Wednesday, where literally dozens 20 people will gather at the corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Locust Street at 4 p.m. to take a stand against corporate greed. more ›

After a careless man lost his Hyundai full of Willie McCovey-signed baseball gear outside of a Walnut Creek McDonald's on Monday, authorities in the East Bay tracked down and arrested the caught-on-camera thief yesterday. The suspect, a 33-year-old homeless man, was picked up by Walnut Creek PD at a Motel 6 on Main Street after tipsters recognized him from the fast food restaurant's security footage. more ›

We had no idea Walnut Creek life could be so brutal: While attending the memorial service last night for their teenage son Matthew Miller, who was killed last weekend while rafting with friend Gavin Powell, 17, in the swollen Walnut Creek waterway. more ›

According to CBS 5, a Walnut Creek police officer was pinched for having sex with an underage girl. "Officer Shawn Wallace was arrested February 3rd and was booked into the Contra Costa County jail in Martinez on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor between the ages of 16 and 18 without force, according to Gene Greenwald, Chief of Inspections with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office." more ›

Buena Vista Elementary in Walnut Creek (2355 San Juan Avenue Walnut Creek) as been evacuated after a bomb scare or suspicious package was found at the school. We'll update as soon as we know more. Until then, police advise people to stay out of the area. Obviously. more ›

The Walnut Creek city council will contemplate a plan to crackdown on drunks and bars in the downtown area. Why? A few harrowing examples, as noted in this ABC 7 report: "recently a drunk woman spit in a police officer's eye," "people sometimes pee in the outdoor planters in..really nice downtown areas," and "sometimes fights break out." more ›

Over the weekend, Contra Costa County deputies arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman in Walnut Creek. The suspect, William Yokeum, 51, lived in the same Park Regency apartment complex where the September 16th sexual assault occurred and investigators determined he and the victim knew each other prior to the incident. Although the Deputy DA says DNA evidence connects him to the crimes, Yokeum claims he is not guilty of the eight felony charges he faces after yesterday's arraignment. more ›

The Costa County Sheriff’s Office released this sketch today of the man suspected of trying to sexually assault a 43-year-old woman on Saturday at the Park Regency apartments in Walnut Creek. (Four other women have been attacked at the same complex since June. However, 22-year-old Berkeley resident Antonio Andre Mouton has been charged in connection with three of earlier attacks.) more ›

The folks running the Park Regency apartment complex in Walnut Creek need to get their act together after a fifth woman was attacked on Saturday. "The victim, a 43-year-old resident of the complex, was leaving her apartment when she was grabbed from behind by the suspect, who tried to force her back into her home," reports BCN (via CBS 5). "The victim struggled with her attacker and was able to run away from the suspect, but fell down some stairs when she fled." The suspect then fled on foot. more ›

Walnut Creek police are asking residents to be wary of a man who allegedly tried to lure a 13-year-old boy into his car yesterday. "The boy was at the Encina Grande Shopping Center at Ygnacio Valley and Oak Grove roads when a dark blue, mid-size Chevrolet SUV pulled up to him," reports BCN (via CBS 5)."The driver told the boy something similar to, 'You don’t remember me, but I know your mother and she wanted me to pick you up.'" The (very smart) boy ran away from the car and notified a security guard. more ›

During yesterday's quaint pro-Johannes Mehserle rally in Walnut Creek, no arrests were made. Also, no damages were reported. The most severe thing to happen at the pro-BART cop rally were a few four-letter words tossed about in the air. (Words can hurt, people.) more ›

Here are some shots from today's reportedly peaceful Pro-Mehserle rally in Walnut Creek. more ›

While we can't be in Walnut Creek to report live from today's pro-Johannes Mehserle rally (because, well, let's face it, it's in Walnut Creek), Mercury News has a continuing "live chat" from the chillingly tepid scene just outside the city's courthouse... more ›

In what may be the first controversial/incendiary political protest to hit the streets of Walnut Creek, like, ever, organizers are gearing up for a rally in support of Johannes Mehserle and other law enforcement officers. The media love a conflict, and regardless of whether many anti-Mehserle, send-him-to-the-chair counter-protesters show up from the other side of the hills, this event will likely be covered on every local news outlet into the evening. more ›

Oh dear. This doesn't sound like a good idea. Eye On Blogs has word that the city of Walnut Creek will hold a pro-Johannes Mehserle rally next week. The Mehserle trial, which devolved into a Team Edward/Team Jacob-like race debate in the Bay Area, divided Oscar Grant supporters from that chaff. This rally could, it seems, make one hell of a sensational story if it explodes into fisticuffs and righteous indignation. Or not. more ›

The body of a dead man was found this morning a little after 8 a.m. near Walnut Creek's Las Lomas High School, reports CBS 5. The unidentified man is believed to have been somewhere in his 30s or 40s. No word yet as to the cause of death. more ›

We randomly came across this little tidbit yesterday while searching for kid band The She's, who are performing at the Rock Make Street Festival on Sunday. The disgruntled revenge-seeker/Walnut Creek resident must have taken the time to register their gripe as a business on Google Maps, which curiously shows up at the top of the aforementioned search list, alongside various local salons and restaurants. Strange. Here's a transcript: more ›

The fine folks in the Walnut Creek City Council scheduled an emergency meeting (!) this morning to deal with their very first permit request to open a medical marijuana dispensary. It seems their city doesn't yet have any laws permitting, regulating, or disallowing pot clubs, so the intent of the meeting is to pass a 45-day moratorium, renewable up to two years, while they figure out what the fuck they're going to do about these quickly encroaching marijuana maniacs! more ›

Walnut Creek police are investigating an armed robbery at a Chevron gas station Sunday night, (Oh hey, speaking of Walnut Creek, did any of you catch Prayers for Bobby this weekend? It aired on Lifetime. It was about a Walnut Creek mother, Mary Griffith, whose fundamentalist Christian beliefs eventually lead to the suicide of her gorgeous, young, homosexual son. And it was good. Really good. It did a seamless job of addressing the biblical roots of homophobia, showing how effective said roots are at pulverizing the spirits of young gay men and women. But this prompts a crisis of soul searching, leading to Griffith's enlightenment and redemption via queer advocacy. Also, Sigourney Weaver plays the mother and she's typically remarkable in every scene. While it's cliched to say, Weaver commands the screen whenever she appears. Probably because she kills aliens. Anyway, Prayers for Bobby will be replaying on Lifetime for the next month or so, and we recommend you checking it out.) No arrests were made. more ›

Starting today, eight Bay Area shelters are offering free spaying/neutering to pit bull owners. Although a few shelters, such as the East Bay SPCA offer the free service year-round, the organizers of Bay Area Pit Fix Week are hoping that by offering spaying/neutering this week, the lives of thousands of pit bulls (and the people they otherwise might maul if not for being fixed) will be spared. more ›

Image credit goes to Plug 1 at WhatImSeeing more ›

Attention conspiracy buffs: There's a secret project underway to seize control all of San Francisco's traffic lights, just like how the terrorists did in . Well, okay, the civic initiative (called "SFgo") isn't TECHNICALLY a secret; while it's true that nobody talks about it and current information is hard to come by, that's just because the project is really really boring. But here's something to spice it up: President Bush just gave it a half million bucks in the FY2008 Omnibus Appropriations. (Along with $12 million for the next phase of the Third Street line, and the impending Central Subway disaster.) more ›

We just heart reading Two Cents to find out what people on the streets of the Bay Area think about a wide range of local, national, and international topics. more ›

According to CBS 5 (interrupting us right in the middle of The People's Court, no less!) "East Contra Costa County residents are being evacuated from an area near the unincorporated town of Knightsen because of a possible explosive device found inside of a residential motor home." Motor homes and explosive devices? Who could've imagined!? Anyway, that's all the info posted so far. We'll update as soon as more info becomes available. Update: Taken (again!)... more ›

It was week on "The Bachelor" which is always good for a laugh. Or a cringe. And Brad's visit to Walnut Creek to meet Sheena's parents was mainly in the cringe-worthy department. The day started with Sheena's parents dragging her and her bachelor behind their boat in an inner tub. Which, you know, fine. Some people like that kind of thing. But then Sheena's mother started talking about astrology and the stars and how Brad and her husband are the same sign and the big dipper can be seen from their jacuzzi and she knows Sheena is the one and she couldn't take her eyes off of Brad's eyes and both his eyes and Sheena's eyes together are "Wow!" and she and her daughter are totally ready to commit to marriage. more ›

Either under the table for protection or hiding from someone sporting a fiendish fannypack-khakis combo, Catherine Kilkenny of San Jose's Willow Glen looks scared as all hell, doesn't she? Many people were. Last night's 5.6 earthquake, which we didn't feel but hear the majority of you did, tore nerves to shreds, shook the ground, and sent magazines flying to the floor. In a little over 12 hours, it managed to cause quite the stir.... more ›

Last week on "The Bachelor," Sheena-From-Walnut-Creek was granted a coveted one-on-one date with Brad-the-Bachelor, and it turned out to be the date in which Sheena got to choose her evening gown from a roomful of mannequins, ate dinner amongst balloons and a string symphony, and was given a pair of diamond earrings (which she got to keep). But the highlight of the evening, for us, was when Sheena walked down the stairs in her new gown, and proceeded to fall on her ass. Not that we have anything against her; she's one of the least annoying of the girls, although she does have a tendency to go into a high baby talk when she's around Brad. (Uh-oh. Shades of Trista there!) In the end, she was given one of the final roses, which means this week she will be taking Brad to meet her family (presumably in Walnut Creek). more ›