YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS
Vol. 28, No. 20
May 15, 2026
Brentwood cracks down City Council discusses unruly gatherings, tobacco license appeal By Jake Menez Staff Writer
The Brentwood City Council used their May 12 meeting to reaffirm their stance on public safety, with the council unanimously voting to uphold the suspension of a tobacco license for a business that sold product to a minor while also voting 4-1 in favor of a “social nuisance” ordinance intended to fine those involved in loud or unruly gatherings. Vice Mayor Pa’tanisha Pierson was the dissenting vote in the latter discussion. Tobacco license The council heard an appeal from the owner of One Stop Smoke Shop at 2411 Empire Ave. The owner, Noman Yousifi, sent a letter to the city on March 26 requesting a formal appeal of the 60day suspension of his shop’s tobacco li-
Photo by Jeff Weisinger
The Brentwood City Council unanimously denied an appeal from the owner of One Stop Smoke Shop on Empire Avenue requesting they reduce the $1,000 fine and lift a suspension on his tobacco license after an employee sold tobacco products to a minor in March.
cense as well as the $1,000 fine issued in accordance with the Municipal Code. “I have been operating this business for the past four years with a strong commitment to complying with all tobacco-
related laws and regulations,” the letter reads in part. “My store has successfully passed multiple inspections conducted
County health service weighs in on virus making global headlines By Jake Menez Staff Writer
Following reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) that passengers on a cruise ship were afflicted with a respiratory illness known as hantavirus earlier this month, headlines from news organizations have reported on the ship and its passengers, some of whom died as a result of contracting the illness. As of early May, seven cases have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms, ac-
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By Connor Robles The Oakley City Council voted unanimously to extend the city’s current moratorium on the approval of artificial intelligence (A.I.) data centers until April 14, 2027 at their May 12 meeting. The council has the option to extend it for another year once the initial expiration date is reached. They also gave a cautious recommendation to staff on moving forward with joining the Joint Powers Authority of the Regional Alternative Compliance (RAC) system, a stormwater management and green infrastructure system with members across Contra Costa County. Data center moratorium The City Council first implemented a 45-day data center moratorium at their April 14 meeting, as required by city law before a ban could be passed. They chose to renew the moratorium on May 12, before the 45 days were up, so as to not have a gap in which a developer could potentially propose a data center. A joint work session of the City Council and Planning Commission is planned for this summer to discuss permanent regulations or a total ban on data centers in Oakley.
Hantavirus not a ‘pandemiclevel’ threat
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Panel also considers joining green Regional Alternative Compliance program Correspondent
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Oakley council extends A.I. data center moratorium
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Liberty boys volleyball’s first NCS title berth
Boating and Camping edition
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