Public Safety
Walnut Creek Record
Walnut Creek — your local wire.
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Walnut Creek Record
Walnut Creek — your local wire.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Big Sur wildfire smoke reaches Contra Costa County
Wildfire smoke from the Timber Fire in Big Sur reached Contra Costa County as the blaze grew beyond 23,000 acres and a second fire expanded along the Monterey County coast; no Spare the Air Alert was in effect for Friday, Aug. 28.
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Public Safety
Contra Costa warns COVID activity is rising
Public Safety
Big Sur wildfire smoke reaches Contra Costa County
Wildfire smoke from the Timber Fire in Big Sur reached Contra Costa County as the blaze grew beyond 23,000 acres and a second fire expanded along the Monterey County coast; no Spare the Air Alert was in effect for Friday, Aug. 28.
Public Safety
BB guns banned across East Bay's 73 regional parks
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Public Safety
Contra Costa warns COVID activity is rising
Public Safety
Big Sur wildfire smoke reaches Contra Costa County
Wildfire smoke from the Timber Fire in Big Sur reached Contra Costa County as the blaze grew beyond 23,000 acres and a second fire expanded along the Monterey County coast; no Spare the Air Alert was in effect for Friday, Aug. 28.
Public Safety
BB guns banned across East Bay's 73 regional parks
Public Safety
Contra Costa warns COVID activity is rising
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Your newsletter subscriptions are subject to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Public Safety
Walnut Creek's school district rattled by Lafayette swatting hoax
Lafayette police locked down Acalanes High School and Stanley Intermediate School on Monday, Aug. 17, after anonymous automated calls that investigators believe were swatting hoaxes, disrupting the second week of school for students in the Acalanes Union High School District that also serves Las Lomas and Northgate in Walnut Creek.
Public Safety
Martinez man arrested in Walnut Creek after Lafayette burglaries
A 34-year-old Martinez man suspected of three Lafayette residential burglaries was arrested in Walnut Creek on Thursday, Aug. 13, by Lafayette detectives and the Contra Costa Sheriff's J-Team while driving a stolen vehicle; he faces eight charges and is held on $220,000 bail.
Public Safety
3.8 earthquake shakes Walnut Creek, slows BART trains
A 3.8 magnitude earthquake centered near San Leandro rattled Walnut Creek on Thursday morning, triggering ShakeAlert and forcing BART to slow trains systemwide for safety inspections, causing up to 20-minute delays for commuters.
Public Safety
Woman, 32, dies in solo crash near Rossmoor entrance
A 32-year-old woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash at Rossmoor Parkway and Stanley Dollar Drive early Thursday morning; Walnut Creek police's Major Accident Investigation Team is determining the cause.
Public Safety
Timber Fire smoke keeps Walnut Creek under advisory again
The Bay Area Air District's smoke advisory for Walnut Creek remains active through Thursday, Aug. 13, as the Timber Fire in Monterey County grows to 3,150 acres with only 5% containment.
Public Safety
Concord man gets 18 years for violent extortion, arson
A federal judge sentenced Concord resident Joel Dowen, 46, to 18 years in prison on Friday, Aug. 7, for a violent extortion scheme, shooting at DEA agents during his arrest, drug manufacturing and bank fraud.
Public Safety
Contra Costa ordinance would force Sheriff to report ICE contact
A coalition of immigrant rights groups held a press conference Tuesday in Martinez pushing for a countywide ICE non-cooperation ordinance that would require the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department to report all contact with federal immigration agencies, directly affecting policing in unincorporated areas including parts of Walnut Creek.
Public Safety
Scientists warn of historic El Niño threat this winter
Climate scientists warned at a state-hosted virtual town hall that record Pacific Ocean temperatures could produce a historic "super El Niño" bringing severe flooding and wildfire risk to the Bay Area this winter, with specific implications for Walnut Creek's flood-prone downtown creek corridors.
Public Safety
Heat wave amplifies West Nile virus risk in Walnut Creek
Contra Costa County's West Nile virus detections hit their 2026 peak with seven positive birds and one mosquito group, coinciding with a heat advisory pushing Walnut Creek temperatures past 100 degrees; the mosquito district offers free inspections and urges residents to dump standing water weekly.
Public Safety
Alameda man charged with murder in Orinda fentanyl death
Ulzii Orshikh Batsukh, 26, of Alameda was arrested Aug. 6 and charged with murder by the Contra Costa County DA's Office for allegedly selling fentanyl-laced drugs that killed a 20-year-old Orinda resident in September 2024.
Public Safety
Person hospitalized in Walnut Creek fire wasn't a resident
The person hospitalized after the Aug. 4 two-alarm house fire on Woodwind Place in Walnut Creek was not a resident of the home, officials confirmed, while the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has formally opened an investigation into the fire's cause with no timeline for results.
Public Safety
Walnut Creek smoke advisory extended through Friday
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District extended its wildfire smoke advisory through Friday, Aug. 7, one day longer than originally announced, as unpredictable smoke from uncontained Oregon and Washington wildfires continues to drift into the Walnut Creek area.
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©2026 Walnut Creek Record
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