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Open Vallejo - Knowledge is power. Power to the people.

Open Vallejo (https://openvallejo.org/tag/news/)

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News

Original investigative and explanatory reporting from Open Vallejo, an award-winning, independent, nonpartisan newsroom serving the public interest.

Public Safety
Vallejo Police Chief Jason Ta leaves a Vallejo City Council meeting, bag of documents in hand. The images catches him mid-stride. He is an Asian American man in his 50s in a dark blue police chief's uniform. The first several rows of seats are nearly empty of audience members.

Vallejo police to update city on DOJ reforms

By Geoffrey King and Laurence Du Sault | May 16, 2023

The Vallejo Police Department has prepared an update on California Department of Justice reforms it plans to present at a special City Council meeting tonight. But one notable stakeholder was left out of the department’s assessment — the DOJ.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a lectern featuring the seal of his office. The flags of California and the United States of America hang on poles behind him.
Featured

Civil rights investigation ‘on the table’ in Vallejo, Bonta says

By Geoffrey King and Laurence Du Sault | May 11, 2023

Bonta gave the clearest indication to date that his office intends to continue — and potentially deepen — its review of Vallejo police.

Open Government
A white woman in her 50s with gray hair and wearing a floral print dress speaks from a public comment lectern at a city council meeting.

Solano County supervisors vote to preserve records commission

By Brendan Riley | May 5, 2023

Key sections of a lengthy $60,000 study on ways to preserve and ensure access to historic Solano County documents have gathered dust for years but will finally get some well-deserved public attention thanks to action by county supervisors.

Civil Rights
A full-page historical newspaper advertisement for the redlined "Vista de Vallejo" neighborhood in the Vallejo Evening Chronicle.

How decades of racist housing policies shaped modern Vallejo

By Brendan Riley | May 5, 2023

Racist housing restrictions in the first half of the 20th century contributed to present-day wealth inequities.

Frank Melville's mugshots, from the front and side.
News

‘The purpose of punishment is not to wreak vengeance’: the remarkable story of Vallejo’s ‘boy bandit’

By Brendan Riley | April 5, 2023

Vallejo has had its share of tough characters over the years, author Brendan Riley observes in this column written especially for Open Vallejo. But few can rival the exploits of “boy bandit” Frank Melville, one of Vallejo’s original gangsters.

A crowd of people gathers for a vigil behind a building at nighttime. A Black woman holds a flag with the visage of Ronell Foster, a 33-year-old father of two who was killed by Vallejo police in 2018. The flag reads "National Unity Against Police Brutality," "2018 Vallejo CA," and "Justice for Ronell Foster."
Public Safety

State Justice Department has not probed — or even logged — all police shootings of possibly unarmed people

By Nigel Duara | March 30, 2023

The California Department of Justice said it cannot say how many cases it chose not to investigate during the past 18 months under a new state law, which aimed to ensure state oversight of police shootings.

News
A Black councilmember in his 40s smiles excitedly while speaking with the City of Vallejo's first Black police chief inside a city council chambers while surrounded by other councilmembers and members of the news media.

NAACP threatens to eject Hakeem Brown from organization

By Geoffrey King | March 15, 2023

The national headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sent a letter to former Councilmember Hakeem Brown Wednesday, ordering him to drop his claim that he leads the Vallejo branch of the organization.

Then-Councilmember Hakeem Brown, who is a Black man in his mid-40s, listens to a speaker out of frame from the dais of the Vallejo City Council chambers. Brown, who is in sharp focus, is wearing glasses and a hoodie, and sports a closely-cropped beard. His colleagues, who are out of focus, are seen behind him. A "City of Vallejo" sign is partially visible on the wall.
Ethics

Hakeem Brown not Vallejo NAACP president, NAACP leader alleges

By Laurence Du Sault | March 10, 2023

Claiming he found “concerning anomalies” when reviewing a financial report, Brown demanded Secretary Lynda Daniels turn over control of the NAACP’s bank account.

A police car sits in front of a roll-up metal door next to a "police vehicles only" sign in late afternoon light. The door is part of a large brick building. A security camera can be seen near the door.
Ethics

Open Vallejo cautions city’s lawyers in destruction probe

By Geoffrey King | February 28, 2023

Open Vallejo has cautioned Vallejo’s new outside counsel to ensure officials refrain from destroying evidence, as a Solano County judge sets a special hearing in the newsroom’s public records lawsuit against the city.

A middle-aged Black man wearing a suit sits to the right of a blonde woman who appears to be in her sixties. She is wearing glasses, a black top and a brown sweater. Both individuals are seated at a wooden city council dais. An American flag hangs behind them.
Ethics

Vallejo officials’ handling of evidence destruction probe marked by confusion, concern

By Laurence Du Sault and Geoffrey King | February 22, 2023

The Vallejo city attorney’s office has recused itself from an investigation into the destruction of evidence in multiple police shootings, according to a statement from the city manager’s office — but concerns about the process remain.

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Editor’s picks

  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a lectern featuring the seal of his office. The flags of California and the United States of America hang on poles behind him.
    Civil rights investigation ‘on the table’ in Vallejo, Bonta says
  • A middle-aged Black man wearing a suit sits to the right of a blonde woman who appears to be in her sixties. She is wearing glasses, a black top and a brown sweater. Both individuals are seated at a wooden city council dais. An American flag hangs behind them.
    Vallejo officials’ handling of evidence destruction probe marked by confusion, concern
  • A young woman wearing a red top, red shoes and white and red pants holds a bright pink handwritten sign that reads, "Release the tapes!! Killer Cop" She stands in front of a large, off-white sedan from the 1980s or early 1990s. The background is dark and it appears to have been raining.
    Senior officials ordered destruction of Vallejo police shooting evidence
  • Members of Willie McCoy's family hug in front of Vallejo City Hall during a protest on Feb. 28, 2019, three weeks after Vallejo police killed the 20-year-old.
    Vallejo police reforms stall despite scrutiny over killings
  • Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams is seen at his swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 12, 2019, at Vallejo City Hall.
    Vallejo police chief resigns, former Sacramento chief to consult
  • Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams speaks with Annice Evans, whose son Angel Ramos was killed by a Vallejo police officer on January 23, 2017, at a Vallejo City Council meeting on March 8, 2022. Ramos did not have a weapon.
    Shake-up looms as Vallejo police chief takes time off

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