East Bay Today • Mon, Dec 29

• PG&E is under investigation over a recent pipeline explosion in Ashland that injured six people, in which the utility company failed to issue evacuation orders after a gas leak.

• Workers at Kaiser are bracing for a possible strike as labor negotiations stall with Northern California’s largest healthcare provider. 

• The Berkeley Food Pantry will close at the end of the year, after over 50 years of feeding the needy.

• Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez is under pressure to “repair the harm” or resign after dozens of elected officials call out his now-deleted LinkedIn posts sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories.

  
  

EAST BAY WEATHER

If you miss those winter rains, you won’t have to wait long! Oakland’s weather forecast has intermittent rain showers starting again on Wednesday, and lasting throughout the end of the week.

TOP STORIES

1) PG&E is under investigation over a recent pipeline explosion in Ashland, which injured six people.

The Mercury News reports that investigators are scrutinizing PG&E’s response to a gas line strike in Ashland after an explosion injured six people, focusing on why no evacuation orders were issued while gas continued leaking into a residential area. Road crews hit the line during county work, and although PG&E eventually shut off the flow, experts say officials should have assumed gas could remain trapped in soil or homes and moved residents out as a precaution. Instead, fire crews were cleared from the scene and activity continued nearby before multiple houses were destroyed in the blast. The incident has revived concerns about PG&E’s emergency decisionmaking and its long history of gas safety violations, as state and federal regulators investigate whether failures in judgment and coordination left residents exposed to preventable danger.

County officials gave a quick press conference shortly after responding to the explosion in Ashland. (Source: KPIX CBS News Bay Area via YouTube)

2) Kaiser labor negotiations have stalled, with workers preparing for another potential strike.

The Mercury News also reports that contract talks between Kaiser Permanente and the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals have stalled, raising the possibility of another strike among the health care giant’s 31,000 workers. (The five-day strike at Kaiser medical centers in Oakland and Santa Clara back in October was already the largest action in the union’s history.) The union representing nurses, rehab therapists, physician assistants, and other staff, is demanding a 25% wage increase over the next four years, stronger retirement protections, and increased staffing, while Kaiser has stuck to its counter-offer of a 21.5% wage increase. Kaiser paused negotiations after it alleged informal threats of blackmail by union members, while union representatives have steadfastly denied those allegations. Union leaders argue that the company’s robust profits, executive compensation, and tripling its cash reserves (up to $67 billion this year) make the higher pay and improved conditions affordable, while Kaiser representatives insist that they would have to pass on increased costs to patients.

Watch footage from the most recent Kaiser strike in October of this year. (Video: NBC Bay Area via YouTube)

3) Berkeley Food Pantry will close soon, after over 50 years of feeding the needy.

Berkeleyside reports that the Berkeley Food Pantry, which has operated out of a local church for 56 years, will shut down at the end of January 2026 after merger talks with the Berkeley Food Network collapsed. Pantry representatives said the decision followed months of negotiations that ultimately failed as rising demand, delays in federal SNAP benefits during a recent government shutdown, and limited capacity within the church that hosts the pantry made continued operation untenable. The closure comes amid record need, with pantry visits up more than 35% this year, and has sparked frustration among volunteers and community members who question whether alternatives were fully explored. While church leaders say the choice was painful and shaped by years of strain, some staff and volunteers doubt the merger was pursued in good faith and argue the pantry could have survived under different leadership or at a new site. Food network officials said they paused negotiations to focus on feeding a surge of clients and were later informed the pantry would close, as community groups now scramble to prevent service gaps for residents who rely on grocery distribution and home delivery.

Catch the Berkeley Food Pantry’s chickpea salad sandwich recipe video, showing how to prepare an incredibly Berkeley-coded but delicious meal, before the nonprofit closes its doors soon. (Video: Berkeley Food Pantry via YouTube)

4) Dozens of elected officials are calling on Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez to ‘repair’ or resign.

Richmondside reports that 73 current and former elected officials from Contra Costa County and across the Bay Area have signed a letter calling on Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez to “repair the harm” after he shared and later deleted LinkedIn posts promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Bondi Beach mass shooting. (As we covered in a previous issue of this newsletter, Martinez acknowledged this in an apology, claiming he had been ill at the time.) The letter, circulated by Moraga Mayor Kerry Hillis, urges Martinez to engage with community leaders, issue a “restorative” public apology, and implement antisemitism education for city staff. Further, the letter urges, if he does not take these steps, he should step down. Some local officials and candidates in Richmond are pushing for a formal censure at the January 6 city council meeting. In response, Martinez has stated that he is already undertaking many of the letter’s requested actions. Meanwhile, the Chabad of Richmond (which is currently based in neighboring San Pablo) announced plans to establish a permanent center in Richmond, responding to antisemitism by “strengthening Jewish life openly and proudly.”

CLIP OF THE WEEK

As far as music venues go, the East Bay’s international reputation rests almost entirely the historic institution known as 924 Gilman. (I’ve met artists in places as far away as Tokyo and Singapore who have heard of the legendary Berkeley venue.) To see why, check out this recent set by the legendary NYC punk band Judge captured on video at 924 Gilman. (Video: The Punk Rock Review via YouTube)

That wraps it up for me this week. Go out and be excellent to each other, and let’s make the East Bay’s history one can we look forward to reading.

— Diego Aguilar-Canabal

About me: I was born and raised in Silver Spring, MD, and have also lived in Mexico City. After coming to the Bay Area in 2010, I have dabbled in fields such as journalism, music technology and social services, but I most recently served as a legislative assistant with the City of Berkeley. I am currently studying accounting because I enjoy learning about how things work. 

Please send any questions, comments, criticisms, tips, cool photos or curry recipes to me by responding to this newsletter.