Orinda Library tile replacement to begin
Eric F. Anderson, Inc. has been awarded a $163,569 contract to replace missing accent tiles on the Orinda Library. There was a competitive bid process and the city of Orinda…
Civic
AUHSD moves ahead with Miramonte Pool Restoration
The Acalanes Union High School District board decided in January to move ahead with the restoration of the swimming pool at Miramonte High School by breaking the project down into…
FSMO receives $40K grant to help low-income residents with vegetation removal
Local nonprofit group Fire Safe Moraga-Orinda (FSMO) has been granted $40,000 by Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen. The grant is intended to identify and help…
Orinda moves to approve multifamily housing on Altarinda Road
Despite objections, the Orinda City Council on Feb. 3 voted unanimously to move forward with approval of a project that could eventually lead to the existing medical office…
Moraga and Orinda awarded $508K grant for Moraga Way Safety Study
The Town of Moraga and the City of Orinda are joining forces for the Moraga Way Safety and Connectivity Planning Study. To that end, both municipalities are sharing a $508,000…
EBMUD undertakes Carter and Arroyo Reservoir Improvement Project
East Bay Municipal Utility District has begun the Carter and Arroyo Reservoir Improvement Project with the intention of enhancing water quality, renewing aging infrastructure, and…
LARIG participates in Winter Radio Field Day
The Lamorinda Area Radio Interest Group participated in Winter Field Day on Jan. 24. Al Archangel and Jeff Peacock set up on the ridge overlooking the ball fields in the…
Lafayette council discusses new objective design standards
Lafayette Senior Planner Alry Cassidy introduced Objective Design Standards (ODS) to the City Council during its Jan. 12 meeting, before turning the presentation over to Monica…
Residents embrace gas leaf blower ban
Just one citation has been issued in response to the City of Lafayette’s ban on gas powered leaf blowers since it went into effect July 1, 2024 – a sign that voluntary…
New Mayor demands improvements to Moraga Shopping Center
For several years, Moraga residents have complained about the dilapidated condition of the Moraga Shopping Center calling it a dump, a blight, tacky, unwelcoming, and an…
Lamorinda high school students take to streets to protest ICE actions
Many older community members have been at the forefront of periodic "No Kings" protests in downtown Lafayette, as well as in Concord and Walnut Creek and elsewhere since President…
Lamorinda CERT’s drone presentation highlights usage within law enforcement and wildfire situations
Drones have become a popular piece of surveillance equipment, not only in today’s warfare to carry weapons, such as explosives, onto a battlefield or over civilian…
Orinda mayor gives awards of excellence before selection of new mayor, vice mayor
The Orinda City Council selected a new mayor and vice mayor according to its custom on Dec. 16, 2025. Before the selection, outgoing Mayor Latika Malkani announced that she was…
Persian Café opens in Theatre Square
Chef Shabnam Ameli has opened a Persian-style café in Theatre Square in Orinda and is making many people happy with her creative offerings. She is assisted in her endeavor by her…
A look back at Rheem Valley Shopping Center 60 years ago
Now that a new Grocery Outlet is under construction at the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, it’s safe to say that there hasn’t been this type of retail development or…
Moraga receives yet another GFOA award
The Town of Moraga has received its third consecutive Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award this past December. The honor was…
Lamorinda wine growers ‘raise a glass’ to new tasting venue – Local Vines
It’s been several years in the making, but Local Vines, Lamorinda’s new wine tasting venue, has finally opened its doors in Lafayette. Located in the former Napa Auto Parts…
Sideboard owners, Erin and Ford Andrews, named Lafayette Business Persons of the Year
Family, friends and local dignitaries will gather on Jan. 29 at the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa to honor Erin and Ford Andrews, owners of Sideboard Lafayette, who were recently…
Lafayette receives Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 10th consecutive year
Administrative Services Director Tracy Robinson presented the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2025, to…
Senior Services Commission updates council on Lafayette’s Age Friendly Action Plan
Senior Services Commission Chair Terry Black presented an annual update to the Lafayette City Council during its Dec. 8 meeting, thanking the council for adopting the Age Friendly…
Local restaurant owners look for answers amid food truck competition
For many, food trucks can be a fun way to grab a snack, try something new while in transit or, if located in the right spot, to grab some sustenance when other options are too far…
New laws and new concerns about e-bike safety for kids
Although California has new laws that came into effect on Jan. 1 designed to improve electric bicycle (e-bike) safety, there is growing concern among the law enforcement and…
EBMUD grants long lease of former Cal Shakes Theater to local enterprise
The East Bay Municipal Utility District on Dec. 1 signed a 15-year lease agreement with the nonprofit group Siesta Valley Foundation (SVF). The lease covers the 9-acre…
Well-traveled Czech student enjoyed Orinda experience
Amalie Zahradnickova has been the academic year 2025 visiting student from the Czech Republic. Like all the other students chosen from Tabor, Orinda’s Sister City, she loved the…
Orinda allows bond measure for new senior housing project over union objections
Travelers on Orinda Way in Orinda Village have probably noticed protesters at the intersection with Irwin Way. This dispute came before the Orinda City Council on Nov. 18, because…
Moraga Town Council reorganizes
In one of the quickest Town Council reorganizations in recent years, its members took no time at all to select Moraga’s new mayor and vice mayor. As is customary during the…
Moraga Public Works Director retires after nearly nine years on the job
To say that Moraga Public Works Director/Town Engineer Shawn Knapp will leave behind a legacy of improvements during his tenure would be an understatement. The fact that he was…
Moraga Mayor Woehleke discusses State of the Town
Moraga Mayor Steve Woehleke basically went door-to-door by presenting his State of the Town to various organizations within the community. Moraga Citizens Network hosted his…
Grocery Outlet groundbreaking ceremony held in Rheem Valley Shopping Center
Not even rain could stop the Nov. 17 groundbreaking ceremony of the much-anticipated Grocery Outlet coming to the Rheem Valley Shopping Center at 576 Center Street. Deacon…
City Council authorizes funding for Buckeye Fields rehabilitation package
During the Nov. 24 Lafayette City Council meeting, Recreational Manager John Warshaw provided an update of the synthetic turf feasibility of Buckeye Fields and proposed a one-time…
Lafayette Mayor Susan Candell hands gavel to newly selected leadership
During the Dec. 8 city council meeting, outgoing Mayor Susan Candell was showered with praise by staff of Sen. Tim Grayson and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, as well as…
Lafayette Park Theater renovations move forward
The Park Theater, originally opened in 1941, has been dark since 2005 – but that is all set to change beginning in 2026. After the Park Theater Trust reached their goal…
Council moves forward with capital improvements at Buckeye Fields
During an hours-long meeting to a standing-room-only crowd, the Lafayette City Council on Oct. 27 discussed whether to proceed with the conversion of the Chaney Field infield to…
Bigger and brighter, ‘Light Up Orinda’ kicks off holiday season events
A large, happy group of Orindans gathered at the Library Plaza on Thursday, Nov. 6, for the launch of the 2025 Light Up Orinda project. The event coincided with a food truck…
Earthquake drill starts with a real one for The Great Shakeout
As Orinda emergency responders and volunteers gathered on Oct. 16 at Orinda City Hall preparing for the annual Great Shakeout drill, they were rocked by an actual earthquake.…
MOFD observes Fire Prevention Week with open house and social media posts
On Saturday, Oct. 11, Moraga-Orinda Fire District Station 41 held its annual open house and pancake breakfast – nearly six years to the day since residents of Moraga's Sanders…
Orinda Community Foundation names Orinda Citizen, Volunteer of the Year
The Orinda Community Foundation has chosen artist Maggie Boscoe as Orinda Citizen of the Year for 2025. The OCF also named Carlos Baltodano as Volunteer of the year, 2025. …
Friends of the Orinda Nature Area offer workshop at Orinda Library
The Friends of the Orinda Nature Area hosted a public workshop at the Orinda Library on Oct. 11, filling the Gallery Room with science and nature interactive exhibits for…
Moraga Historical Society celebrates 60th anniversary in style
Being in the “business” of history, the Moraga Historical Society can claim its place in that category with a milestone 60th anniversary. A fun-filled celebration was held on…
New banners decorate Moraga’s skyline
Last year’s banners announcing Moraga’s 50th Anniversary of Incorporation added a decorative touch to the Town’s roadways and intersections. The new banners pay homage to…