EAST BAY

Environmental groups rallied recently at downtown Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza before marching to the office of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, whose district includes West Contra Costa County, Berkeley, Albany and part of Oakland. Group leaders delivered a letter signed by organizations across the East Bay calling on Wicks to vote for Senate Bill 954 and advance the bill through the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which she chairs.

“Public oversight of polluting projects is key to how we keep our communities healthy,” said Gustavo Gutierrez, a youth organizer with the group Communities for a Better Environment. “The frontline communities we work with in Richmond and Oakland are counting on Assemblymember Wicks to restore these critical protections.”

SB 954 would restore environmental review and public disclosure requirements for more than 75 categories of heavy industry, including chemical plants, hazardous waste incinerators, battery recyclers, metal fabricators and aerospace and defense manufacturers that were exempted from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act in last year’s SB 131. Under current law, these projects can be approved with no environmental study, no required mitigation and no guarantee that neighbors, schools or first responders will be notified about polluting projects being built next to existing communities.

“For those of us who live in West Oakland, the idea of polluting industries moving in next door is unfortunately nothing new,” added Veronica Eady, who leads the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project group. “We already suffer the consequences of heavy industry operating in our backyards. Closing this toxic pollution loophole is critical for protecting our children and our grandchildren, who are consistently exposed to more than their fair share of pollution.

A new analysis of Assembly District 14 found that 60 K-12 schools, 113 daycare centers and 50 healthcare facilities sit within a mile of industrial-zoned land in the district and that roughly 255,000 residents, about 56% of the people who live in Wicks’ district, live within that same one-mile zone.

At least 24 polluting facilities that would have qualified for the SB 131 environmental review exemption are already operating in the district, concentrated in Richmond, West Berkeley and San Pablo. Statewide, 25.3 million Californians, 64% of the population, live within a mile of industrial-zoned land where the loophole applies, and 63 of the state’s 80 Assembly districts are majority-exposed. For more details online, visit righttoknow-wicks.org.

— Public Good PR

RICHMOND
Group promoting higher education to celebrate 10 years

The group Richmond Promise invites the community to celebrate a decade of establishing a college-graduating culture in the city of Richmond at its 10-year anniversary celebration presented by Wells Fargo Advisors from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Richmond Memorial Auditorium.

The free event with community resources, free food and activities for all will commemorate 10 years of service to Richmond students and will highlight postsecondary education’s positive impact on the young professionals serving as Richmond’s present and future workforce. Richmond Promise alumni will share their experiences, and the group’s incoming 2026 cohort will be recognized as it prepares for the upcoming school year.

“For the last decade, Richmond Promise has worked to establish and grow a college-graduating culture in Richmond because we know that postsecondary education offers a direct pathway to economic mobility for Richmond’s next generation,” said Executive Director Christopher Whitmore. “We are excited to celebrate 10 years of service and collaboration with the community as we continue to create a sustainable path towards providing scholarships and services for the next decade of Richmond youth.”

To RSVP for the event, visit therichmondpromise.formstack.com/forms/rp10 online. For more information about Richmond Promise, visit richmondpromise.org.

— Richmond Promise

BERKELEY
City hosting free family-friendly park ‘WIC-nic’ Friday

Berkeley families who are expecting or who have children younger than 5 can get free tools and personal consultations to help with breastfeeding at a picnic open to all families. This picnic will provide food, connections to health resources and community bonding.

Meet staff from the city’s administrators of its federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. WIC supports low-income people children under 5 or who are or were recently pregnant. Eligible applicants can get free food, lactation counseling, diapers and more through WIC. The whole family will also have a variety of activities to enjoy — including diaper and book giveaways.

The “WIC-nic: Free Family-Friendly Picnic” will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday in the George Florence Mini Park at 2121 10th St. in Berkeley. For online details or to register, visit bit.ly/45H0ceN.

— city of Berkeley

EL CERRITO
City gets $850K in U.S. funds for safety, access upgrades

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Richmond, visited El Cerrito in July to present the city with a check for $850,000 in federal funding that has been secured through the Congressional Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill for fiscal 2026.

The funding will be used to support multimodal safety and access improvements in and around the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, supporting pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers. Stay tuned for more information as the city works to implement this project and make the area around the El Cerrito Plaza BART stop safer and more accessible for all.

— city of El Cerrito

ALBANY
City kicks off five-week Concerts in the Park series Aug. 12

Join the city of Albany this summer for its expanded Concerts in the Park series. This year, the city is bringing five weeks of free live music to Albany’s Memorial Park, starting Aug. 12 with the Afro-Brazilian song and dance of SambaDá. This free, family-friendly concert series running through Sept. 9 features a lineup of talented bands performing a variety of musical styles.

It’s the perfect opportunity to relax and connect with friends and neighbors. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic dinner and enjoy a summer evening in Memorial Park’s beautiful outdoor setting. For a complete schedule of performers, visit AlbanyCA.gov/Concerts2026.

— city of Albany

To submit an item for the Berkeley Voice and El Cerrito Journal’s “In brief” section, which is now usually published in print on each month’s first Friday, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.