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At a special Board meeting on July 14, 2020, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an urgency ordinance that continues an eviction moratorium for residential tenants and small businesses in the County through September 30, 2020. The urgency ordinance also continues a moratorium on certain residential rent …

Putting both the drama and trauma of a recent series of racist incidents the past few weeks behind it, a crowd estimated of close to 2,000 people gathered in downtown Martinez Sunday afternoon for a peaceful protest march from the county courthouse to Waterfront Park calling for an end to racial …

With Martinez bracing for Sunday afternoon’s protest march from the county courthouse to Waterfront Park, many downtown merchants have taken the hint from Police Chief Manjit Sappal and decided to err on the side of caution by boarding up their storefront windows. Hopefully the event will come off peacefully, but given …

Martinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal has released the following statement in regards to the protest march scheduled this Sunday: Many of you may be aware that we are planning for a large scale protest on July 12th. We have received numerous emails and messages from concerned business owners and residents …

New information has been released by Martinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal confirming that a peaceful protest is planned on Sunday, July 12 at 4 pm beginning at 725 Court Street and continuing to Waterfront Park. Several groups are in planning to help organize the protest. Police Chief Sappal’s statement is …

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office today charged 53 year old David Nelson and Nichole Anderson (42) with three misdemeanor counts, including a hate crime, for their alleged actions on Saturday, July 4, when defendant Anderson covered up a Black Lives Matter mural with black paint while Nelson directly …

On July 4th, community members obtained a permit from the City to paint Black Lives Matter on Court Street in downtown Martinez. Once the mural was completed, an unidentified white male and white female arrived. While the male made comments to a group of onlookers his companion began painting over …

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ On June 19th, 1865, a proclamation was read in the city of Galveston, Texas. Union Army General Gordon Granger declared that by federal order, all slaves in Texas were now free. The date would ultimately become known as “Juneteenth”, in recognition of its historic significance. On June …

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ After first being moved to protest police brutality during the 2016 preseason, Colin Kaepernick stated that his decision to sit during the national anthem of the 49ers third preseason game was motivated by his desire to bring attention to issues that resonated with him following the death …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Lawmakers across the state continue to weigh the pros and cons of reopening farmers markets, even though they have been declared essential businesses. It is still up to individual cities and counties to make the final decision on whether to reopen, leaving us with a patchwork …