Brian Krans

We’ve launched a database with about 1.5 million pages of once-secret records detailing when law enforcement officers in California seriously injured someone or an agency found an officer violated policy with @kqednews.kqed.org, @sfchronicle.com @latimes.com @calmatters.org 1/

A new database on police use of force and misconduct in California makes public 1.5 million pages of once-secret police records For Immediate Release August 4, 2025 Contact: Journalism@berkeley.edu A new database on police use of force and misconduct in California makes public 1.5 million pages of once-secret police records   ...

Congratulations and thank you to the many people, programs and institutions that have brought the Police Records Access Project into being. This represents the best of journalism, hard work, collaboration and service to the communities in which we live. journalism.berkeley.edu/police-recor...

Vallejo contracts outside law firm for review after ACLU letter The city will contract with Renne Public Law Group to review what councilmembers called “recent allegations.”

The Vallejo City Council voted to use an outside law firm to consider whether it must respond to and conduct an investigation into “recent allegations” after the ACLU sent a letter last week accusing the city attorney of misconduct.
www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-cont...

US faces alarming firefighter shortage during peak wildfire season, data reveals Data contradicts what the fire service chief has claimed when he has assured lawmakers the agency is prepared

IKYMI: There are dangerous vacancies in firefighting at the USFS even as agency leaders continue to assure Congress and the public that it is fully staffed. Internal data shows more than 26% of positions are unfilled across the US. My story (pubbed yesterday): www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Pat Tillman’s Brother, Arrested in San José Post Office Fire, Had Alarming Posts Online | KQED The brother of the late Pat Tillman Jr. is suspected of starting a fire at a San José post office by crashing into it, and his family says he has had mental health issues for years.

Joint effort with @josephgeha.bsky.social.

www.kqed.org/news/1204904...

Thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans were supposed to get pardons. A year later, only four have succeeded. President Joe Biden had pledged to use his clemency powers to right “a historic wrong.” Why did it fall so short of its promise?

NEW: Documents obtained by @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social show that of the tens of thousands of veterans who were separated from the military due to their sexuality over decades, only 21 ended up applying for a pardon—and only four have received one.

San Mateo County Supervisors Take Historic Vote to Remove Sheriff | KQED In a first in California’s history, San Mateo County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus, a decision she can appeal.

Here's my full report for @kqednews.kqed.org, including what happens next in this uncharted territory, as no other elected board has removed a sheriff in California history. www.kqed.org/news/1204569...

California Sheriffs Are Rarely Removed From Office. San Mateo Is Trying Anyway | KQED Supervisors are trying two different ways to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office — one has never been successfully used and the other hasn’t happened in nearly half a century.

In a rapid-fire roll call vote, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors made California history by voting to remove an elected sheriff. Christina Corpus now has five calendar days to signify she wants to appeal the decision.

Background: www.kqed.org/news/1201828...

Bill Cassidy is challenging RFK Jr. about his changes to ACIP, the CDC's vaccine advisory panel. I chatted with @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social a couple weeks ago about why Cassidy is uniquely positioned to question RFK Jr.'s decisions @statnews.com

The scene from an hour-long protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza this afternoon at San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

‘American Nightmare’ rapist convicted of terrorizing campers at Northern California lake Serial rapist and kidnapper Matthew Muller’s latest charge stems from an incident when he was 16 years old and used a gun to order two young campers out of their tent at Folsom Lake.

Matthew Muller, “American Nightmare” rapist and kidnapper, convicted of a new crime.

As a 16yo, Muller terrorized a young couple camping. More details here:

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

I was in an immigration courthouse yesterday and the bailiff at the metal detector emphasizes that I had to keep my "recording device," a.k.a. my phone, in my pocket or bag the whole time no matter what. This must be why.

Bay Area Lawmaker Demands Answers After ICE Arrests at Immigration Courts | KQED In a letter, Mark DeSaulnier demanded that ICE provide answers about its activity in Concord. On Monday, he attended an immigration hearing in the East Bay city.

It's not every day you attend an immigration hearing for people seeking asylum to find a member of Congress -- who is seeking info from ICE about people detained while seeking asylum -- sitting behind you, but that's exactly what happened yesterday in Concord.

www.kqed.org/news/1204459...

Former Antioch Cop Is Guilty of Planning to Distribute Steroids and Destroying Evidence | KQED A federal jury in Oakland convicted former Antioch officer Devon Wenger of conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids and then deleting evidence off his phone while the FBI was at his door.

District Judge Jeffrey White ruled that Wenger, who now lives in Florida, will not immediately be taken into custody because the U.S. Marshals Service is not prepared to “make provisions for [Wenger’s] safety as a former police officer.”

www.kqed.org/news/1203822...

Valero announces possible closure of its Benicia refinery Valero Refining has told California authorities that it intends to idle, close or restructure the facility next year.

Valero Refining Co. has told California regulators that its considering closing its facility in the Bay Area city of Benicia.

“We understand the impact that this may have on our employees, business partners, and community, and will continue to work with them through this period.”

Baltic Kiss closes after turbulent few months An eviction notice was posted on the Point Richmond restaurant and music venue that owed thousands in back rent and wages according to legal filings.

An eviction notice was posted on the Point Richmond restaurant and music venue that owed thousands in back rent and wages according to legal filings.

KQED's Forum Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second…

🎧 Listen to the podcast!

Oakland news reporters Alex Hall, @darwinbondgraham.bsky.social and @shomik.bsky.social on this unusual mayoral race and the future of Oakland.

🔗 Listen:

Todays episode of KQED’s The Bay podcast features my reporting on the opening of San Francisco’s newest park and the controversy around it. And, yes -- as I said on the show -- my rollerblades are bubble gum pink.

kqed.org/news/12036078

Will Richmond always be a refinery town? Mounting evidence says no Statewide trends and new studies suggest Contra Costa County’s refineries won’t be around forever. But transitioning could be a messy process.

If a post-Chevron future for Richmond, CA, is imminent, what should the city and local stakeholders be doing right now to prepare? A comprehensive look at what might be next for this refinery town; includes analysis from our recent report. @citizenkrans.bsky.social richmondside.org/2025/04/01/c...

Will Richmond always be a refinery town? Mounting evidence says no Statewide trends and new studies suggest Contra Costa County’s refineries won’t be around forever. But transitioning could be a messy process.

Local reporting doesn’t always involve contacting the EPA about the status of an oil refinery on the Virgin Islands, but sometimes it does. My latest for Richmondside looks at the very near future for refineries in the US: richmondside.org/2025/04/01/c...

Bay Area Air Traffic Control Is Down to 1 Meteorologist After Trump's Hiring Freeze | KQED The federal hiring freeze has left a vital Bay Area aviation weather unit with just one meteorologist, risking flight delays and disruptions. The unit oversees a vast airspace, ensuring the safe landi...

✈️🌧️I got a tip Wednesday night that the federal hiring freeze affects the meteorologists who help air traffic controllers with weather reports for flights in and out of the Bay Area. They are down to 1 meteorologist & can't rehire the three vacancies.

@kqednews.kqed.org
www.kqed.org/news/1203333...

Uncertainty Looms Over Bay Area Climate Projects Under Trump: ‘We’re in Triage’ | KQED Potential federal cuts threaten at least $60 million in funding, stalling wildfire prevention efforts and other critical projects across the region. Local leaders warn years of progress could be lost.

Uncertainty Looms Over Bay Area Climate Projects Under Trump: ‘We’re in Triage’

$60 mil in funding is at risk, stalling efforts on wildfire prevention etc. across the region, according to a new survey by Together Bay Area

@kqednews.kqed.org
@kqedscience.bsky.social

www.kqed.org/science/1996...

Obscure boards and commissions play important role in Vallejo’s governance Despite the influence of the city’s 21 boards, commissions and committees, the city struggles to find people to fill the roles.

Behind the scenes of the Vallejo city government, 21 commissions, boards and committees influence legislation, study vital issues and act as a check on the city government.

So why is it so hard for the city to find people to join?
www.vallejosun.com/obscure-boar...

NEW: President Trump has filed a presidential action invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom-used law that gives authority to deport. It's only the fourth time in American history a president has used the act — and the first since World War II. t.co/zqQbKxGRh7

Demonstrators marched to Chevron Richmond yesterday, backing the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 to offset catastrophic events worsened by climate change: richmondside.org/2025/03/12/l...

In a statement, Corpus has conceded that Measure A has passed, which entitles her to "a public evidentiary hearing before a neutral and unbiased body," and she and her lawyers "are confident that I will be vindicated through a legitimate process" as her record is "pristine."

San Mateo County Voters Appear to Back Measure Allowing Supervisors to Remove Sheriff | KQED In the Measure A special election, supervisors are asking voters to pass a charter amendment to give them limited authority to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus.

"Final" Election Night results show San Mateo County voters are overwhelmingly in favor of giving supervisors the power to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus only two years into her first term. Votes in favor are at 85%. Next ballot count is set for Thursday afternoon.

www.kqed.org/news/1202945...

Former Antioch Officers Face Trial for Alleged Conspiracy, Civil Rights Violations | KQED Two former police officers face trial starting Monday in what prosecutors say was an ongoing criminal conspiracy to deprive Antioch residents of their rights.

A busy week for Bay Area law enforcement: two former Antioch cops face a rare trial starting today for allegedly systematically violating people’s civil rights. Tomorrow, San Mateo County voters decide whether supervisors can fire the sheriff.

www.kqed.org/news/1202930...

Today I covered a rally for @kqednews.kqed.org in San Francisco's Presidio organized by park rangers in protest of cuts to staffing at National Parks.