Zack Haber
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zackhaber.bsky.social
Zack Haber
@zackhaber.bsky.social
I report on the Bay Area, mostly Richmond and Vallejo these days for Richmondside and The Vallejo Sun. I post about Oakland too and might editorialize a bit about the town. I live there. Feel free to reach out: Zack.Haber@gmail.com
Pinned
Of note, several local immigration attorneys said DHS lawyers broke the law while implementing this initiative.

My latest for Mission Local...
Hundreds of immigration cases in San Francisco have been closed for years, even decades, often b/c they are not an enforcement priority.

Many involve victims of crime & abuse.

This summer, Trump attorneys tried to bring them back.

missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-i...
Hundreds of S.F. immigration cases were paused for decades. Trump tried to revive them.
Federal attorneys tried reviving some 2,000 deportation cases in San Francisco, many involving alleged victims of crime and abuse.
missionlocal.org
Vallejo school board voted last night to close three schools, cut 120 full time staff positions.

That likely means far more than 120 people losing their jobs, as some of he positions are part time.

My latest for @vallejosun.bsky.social...

www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-scho...
Vallejo school board votes to close 3 schools, cut 120 staff positions
Highland, Pennycook, and Lincoln elementary schools will close at the end of this school year.
www.vallejosun.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:20 PM
After a solid month of air that has been really smokey, the rain has improved the air quality for much of the Bay Area, a huge relief for those of us who are sensitive to it…
December 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Rare I publicly call out another reporter, but @jilltucker.bsky.social of the @sfchronicle.com recent piece about Vallejo's school district, which I refuse to link to, has forced me.

It's full of misleading claims and omissions due to what I suspect is just lazy ideologically driven reporting...
December 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM
A lawsuit alleges that negligence from owners of La Tapatia, a grocery store and restaurant in Vallejo, lead to carbon monoxide death of two workers.

Harrowing report from Gretchen Smail of @vallejosun.bsky.social...

www.vallejosun.com/vallejos-la-...
Vallejo’s La Tapatia Market sued over carbon monoxide deaths
A lawsuit accuses La Tapatia's owners of ignoring carbon monoxide issues and labor violations.
www.vallejosun.com
December 13, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Zack Haber
Workers from La Tapatia Market in Vallejo are suing the owners for negligence and labor violations, alleging that two employees died from exposure to carbon monoxide while inside the store.
www.vallejosun.com/vallejos-la-...
Vallejo’s La Tapatia Market sued over carbon monoxide deaths
A lawsuit accuses La Tapatia's owners of ignoring carbon monoxide issues and labor violations.
www.vallejosun.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Zack Haber
As Trump drags us into an Iraq-style war in Venezuela, 312 members of the House — including 115 Democrats — just voted to authorize over $900 billion in military spending.
December 10, 2025 at 10:39 PM
...but honestly I also think stuff like this is just a band aid on a gapping wound. I think it's going to take California overturning Prop 13 to adequately fund schools so teachers, and even more so, other staff at schools, are paid even close to fairly.
Pretty easy to argue the strike benefited educators with United Teachers of Richmond.

District had proposed a 0% raise. State moderator proposed 6%. They finally settled on 8% after the strike. 100% fully paid family health benefits starting in 2027 as well!

richmondside.org/2025/12/10/w...
WCCUSD strike: Tentative agreement reached. School to resume Thursday
Teachers will be back at work today and students can return to school Thursday, according to United Teachers of Richmond.
richmondside.org
December 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Pretty easy to argue the strike benefited educators with United Teachers of Richmond.

District had proposed a 0% raise. State moderator proposed 6%. They finally settled on 8% after the strike. 100% fully paid family health benefits starting in 2027 as well!

richmondside.org/2025/12/10/w...
WCCUSD strike: Tentative agreement reached. School to resume Thursday
Teachers will be back at work today and students can return to school Thursday, according to United Teachers of Richmond.
richmondside.org
December 10, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Doesn't make sense that One Battle After Another is nominated in the comedy section for the Golden Globes.
December 9, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Bay Area people, have you been having more headaches, body aches, foggy thinking, or trouble breathing than usual

Could be because for almost the last two weeks the air has been smoky.
December 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The statement here from Empower Oakland in its newsletter today that says Oakland Education Association is comprised in part of retired educators is false.

You can't be in OEA if you are retired from Oakland's school district.
December 5, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Depressing question for the public for a story I'm working on:

What small music venues in the East Bay have closed down in the last few years? One I can think of is The Golden Bull.

What small music venues are still open? There's Stay Gold, Little Hill, Thee Stork Club...
December 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Quick pickling is so good and an easy google. First one is purple carrots, golden beets, jalapeño, witches butter (<—easily foraged mushroom you can eat raw!), a little bit of garlic clove.

Second one is golden beets, onion and celery.
December 5, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Educators at the school district serving Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, and Hercules are going on strike tomorrow...

richmondside.org/2025/12/01/w...
WCCUSD teachers strike to begin Thursday
United Teachers of Richmond announced via email Monday night that teachers will be on picket lines 45 minutes before the first bell.
richmondside.org
December 2, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Reposted by Zack Haber
New Yorkers BLOCK ICE from leaving their parking garage ahead of a flopped mass raid attempt on Canal Street
November 29, 2025 at 4:39 PM
The 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/p...
US will reexamine all green cards issued to people from 19 countries as Trump administration ramps up immigration crackdown | CNN Politics
The US will reexamine all green cards issued to people from 19 countries “of concern” at President Donald Trump’s direction, as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown following...
www.cnn.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Bad air in they Bay Area on Thanksgiving morning 😞...
November 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Workers at a parks and community center district in Vallejo say they've been assaulted and harassed on the job.

One said in a court filing his supervisor brandished a gun, threatened to kill a co-worker.

My latest for @vallejosun.bsky.social...

www.vallejosun.com/threats-and-...
Threats and assaults: Greater Vallejo Recreation District employees say they face dangerous conditions at work
Employees describe out of control parties where workers have been battered and a girl was sexually assaulted, and a separate incident where a supervisor brandished a gun.
www.vallejosun.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The air quality is not so good right now in Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, Concord, Antioch...
November 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Found Lion’s Mane today. Only the second time I’ve found it in the Bay Area ☺️
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 AM
I think it's bad if Mamdani and Trump are getting along.
November 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Article says they used their body cameras to do this…
At least 20 women who were held in a SF jail say earlier this year deputies ordered women to strip down in front of each other while the deputies laughed and filmed them.

The sheriff is looking into allegations; lawsuits could follow.

via @abineely.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-j...
Women in S.F. jail say they were forced to undress while deputies filmed them
Women being held in a San Francisco jail say deputies ordered them to strip while the deputies laughed and filmed them with body cameras.
missionlocal.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Very good to see so many people around Hoover Elementary in Oakland today in response to reports of ICE presence around 8:40 am.

I didn't count but it seemed like around 100 when I was there from 9:45 am to noon. No known abductions so far is what I've been hearing.
November 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
seasons greetings! chanterelles, candy caps, coccoras! ☺️😋
November 17, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Reposted by Zack Haber
Please stop using language that suggests that people with criminal records are appropriate targets for this administration's violence. One in three adults has a criminal record. Stop playing sacrifice games with fascists. Stop surrendering entire categories of people in your own mind.
November 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM