Open Vallejo News Archives

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.

Open Government

Solano County supervisors vote to preserve records commission

by Brendan Riley May 5, 2023October 31, 2023

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, 2023October 27, 2023

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, 2023February 20, 2024

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."

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

by Nigel Duara March 30, 2023October 27, 2023

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.

News

NAACP threatens to eject Hakeem Brown from organization

by Geoffrey King March 15, 2023October 27, 2023

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.

Hakeem Brown not Vallejo NAACP president, NAACP leader alleges

by Laurence Du Sault March 10, 2023October 27, 2023

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.

Open Vallejo cautions city’s lawyers in destruction probe

by Geoffrey King February 28, 2023October 27, 2023

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

by Laurence Du Sault and Geoffrey King February 22, 2023December 23, 2023

A woman in her 20s smiling broadly at the camera. She has dark shoulder-length hair and is wearing a crisp white professional shirt. She stands against a background of wood shingles that are pleasantly out of focus due to depth of field.

Laurence Du Sault wins James Madison Freedom of Information Award

by Open Vallejo February 10, 2023October 27, 2023

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

by Laurence Du Sault and Geoffrey King February 5, 2023January 27, 2025