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July 17, 2026
Coroner’s Inquest rules Yolanda Ramirez death an accident Family seeks liability following verdict
Yolanda Ramirez’s family and supporters gathered on the courthouse steps following the verdict on July 15, vowing to continue to fight for police accountability.
By Jake Menez Staff Writer
A Coroner’s Inquest jury ruled on July 15 that the death of Brentwood resident Yolanda Ramirez last year was an accident. Ramirez died in a local hospital on Oct. 3 after suffering a medical emergency while in police custody on Sept. 26. A Coroner’s Inquest is a public hearing overseen by the Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office. Inquests are open to the public, are conducted by a private attorney hired by the Coroner’s Division and are held in front of a jury of citizens randomly select-
Photo by Jake Menez
ed from the Contra Costa County Superior Court jury pool, according to the county’s Law Enforcement-Involved Fatal Incidents
Protocol. The jury is to decide whether the death was by natural causes, suicide, accident, or at the hands of another person other
What to know about cyclosporiasis outbreak
identify the sources of illness. Because cyclosporiasis is often underdiagnosed and underreported, the true number of illnesses is likely higher than what has been reported to CDC. Here is what you need to know about cyclosporiasis acsee Cyclo page 22
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The Oakley City Council, minus an absent Councilmember George Fuller, voted 4-0 to allow City Manager Joshua McMurray to make a deal with Local Edition Creative, an art consultant firm, that would see new paintings, sculptures, and murals come to Oakley, especially downtown. They also held a work session in which they gave advice to city staff on revising the city’s residential design standards to be more objective rather than subjective. Councilmember Anissa Williams voiced concern that a more objective set of design standards would cause devel-
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Housing design also discussed
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tionally by this same time last year. Of the 1,645 case-patients with available information, 141 (9%) were hospitalized, and none have died. CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state and local health departments are working together to investigate multistate outbreaks of Cyclospora infections and to
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Oakley approves public art program Correspondent
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see Ramirez page 22
By Connor Robles
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Since May 1, there have been eight confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in Contra Costa County. “We had 10 cases in 2025,” said Will Harper, a spokesman for Contra Costa Health. “We are monitoring the situation closely.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is notifying clinicians, public health practitioners, and laboratorians of cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis in multiple U.S. states, according to its website. Since May 1, the CDC has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis and is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis. This is substantially higher than the 249 cases reported na-
than by accident. The verdict, which was not unanimous among the 15-person coroner’s jury, was reached following testimony from the two arresting officers in the Sept. 26 incident as well as testimony from Dr. James Caruso, the forensic pathologist hired by Contra Costa County to conduct an autopsy of Ramirez, the findings of which were released in February. In his report, Caruso had determined Ramirez to have died of “natural causes.” During the coroner’s inquest, the jury did not hear from Dr. Matthias Okoye, the Nebraska-based pathologist who conducted an independent autopsy at the request of Ramirez’s family in January. Okoye had determined the cause of death to be homicide
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opers to build minimalist, “bland” buildings to save money at the expense of house buyers. Williams and Councilmember Shannon Shaw supported using more female trees in landscaping to prevent pollen allergies caused by male trees, as well as preserving design standards that would give neighborhoods their own distinct identities that residents could be proud of. Public art agreement A pilot program to promote public art in Oakley was first considered in summer of 2025, requested by Williams and Shaw at a prior meeting. At the time, however, the council concluded that there were simply too many other programs that needed city funding. So requested to bring the item back for discussion in a year. During that see Oakley page 22
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