Our Town

The Martinez Tribune is looking for both established and aspiring journalists to come join our team and help keep the Tribune one of Contra Costa county’s leading independent community newspapers. We’re looking for writers interested in covering local news in Martinez in addition to both Bay Area sports and music, …

Margaret “Margie” Ann Pruitt, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, died July 20, 2026, at the age of 80 after a year-long battle with gallbladder cancer. Married for 57 years to her loving husband, Lou Pruitt, she is also survived by her daughter, Katie Brill, of …

600 acres of former farmland could become one of the Bay Delta’s best places to watch birds. Here’s what’s already showing up — and what’s coming next. Snow geese having a rest day at Hoover Ranch, Bethel Island. At a 600-acre former ranch on Bethel Island, the John Muir Land …

Richard M. Ledesma, affectionately known as “Weegee,” was born on February 7, 1936, in Martinez, California, to Amador and Trinidad Ledesma. He attended school in Pittsburg, California, and graduated from Pittsburg High School as a member of the Class of 1953. In 1959, Richard was drafted into the United States …

The East Bay Regional Park District has acquired approximately 77 acres of shoreline property from the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.), strengthening long-term efforts to restore vital marsh habitat, prepare for sea level rise, and secure permanent public access along the San Francisco Bay Trail at Hayward Regional …

The East Bay Regional Park District has announced the addition of approximately 190 acres of new parkland adjacent to Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50, in Concord, strengthening long-term open space protection and advancing future parkland connectivity in the region. The newly acquired Britton and …

Due to this year’s early rainy season, wild mushrooms are popping up in great numbers throughout East Bay Regional Parks. Mushrooms are an ecologically important part of the parklands and can look beautiful—but some of them contain dangerous toxins. The death cap (Amanita phalloides) and western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata) …

California residents are seeing the restoration of their CalFresh benefits to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards as the federal government moves to issue 100% of the funding following a court order. CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Food Assistance Program (SNAP), provides critical food assistance to households and County …

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Alma W. Roots, who departed this world in Martinez, California, on October 20, 2025. Born in Tacoma, Washington, on November 15, 1942, Alma was a beloved mother, friend, and patriot. She is survived by her son, Mark Andrews, and daughter-in-law, Betsy, along …

The East Bay Regional Park District has acquired 82 acres at Point Molate on the Point San Pablo Peninsula in Richmond, ensuring the shoreline property will be permanently preserved. The land was purchased from the Guidiville Rancheria of California, a federally recognized Indian tribe, for $40 million. “This is a …