Public Safety
Moraga police win $166K state grant as DUI arrests double
Moraga Police received a $165,998 CHP grant for a DUI enforcement vehicle, officer training and additional patrols after local DUI arrests nearly doubled between 2022 and 2025.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Heat advisory extended through Monday in Lamorinda
A National Weather Service Heat Advisory takes effect Saturday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m. and runs through Monday, Oct. 5, at 10 p.m., with inland temperatures forecast to reach 103 degrees and warm overnight lows limiting recovery for Lamorinda residents.
Public Safety
Camino Pablo reopens in Orinda after Wednesday crash
Orinda police closed Camino Pablo in both directions between Santa Maria and Camino Sobrante on Wednesday, Sept. 9, after a traffic accident; the city later confirmed the road had reopened.
Public Safety
Spare the Air alert hits Lamorinda with heat wave
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare the Air alert for Wednesday, Sept. 9, warning of unhealthy ozone levels across the East Bay as temperatures climb into the mid-90s near Orinda, Moraga and Lafayette.
Public Safety
Marin controlled burn sends smoke into Orinda, Lafayette
Smoke from Marin County prescribed burns drifted into Orinda and Lafayette this week, prompting city advisories to limit outdoor activity — no local fire was burning.
Public Safety
Lamorinda wildfire plan moves toward final rankings
The Diablo Firesafe Council held its final Regional Priority Plan stakeholder meeting Aug. 20 as it works to prioritize wildfire fuel-reduction, evacuation and related projects across Alameda and Contra Costa counties for future grant consideration.
Public Safety
MOFD seeks applicants for vacant District 2 seat
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District is accepting applications through Sept. 5 to fill the District 2 board seat left vacant by Director John Jex's resignation, with candidate interviews set for October.
Public Safety
Charlene Jacquez promoted to Contra Costa assistant sheriff
Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston promoted Charlene Jacquez, who served as a sergeant assigned to the contract City of Lafayette, to assistant sheriff on Aug. 18, placing her in charge of the Administrative Services Bureau.
Public Safety
Lafayette schools locked down after fake threat call
Lafayette police locked down Acalanes High School and Stanley Intermediate School on Monday, Aug. 17, after an anonymous automated threat call; both campuses were cleared within an hour in what police called a likely swatting incident.
Public Safety
Martinez man arrested in string of Lafayette burglaries
Lafayette police arrested Kohlton Kumnick, 34, of Martinez on charges tied to three residential burglaries after a two-day, multi-agency operation that ended with his capture in a stolen vehicle in Walnut Creek.
Public Safety
Bail ruling released Martinez murder suspect twice before killing
New reporting reveals the man charged with murdering a Martinez resident one day after his release on Orinda burglary charges had a January 2025 domestic violence report in Lafayette and was placed in a diversion program, raising questions about the bail decisions that freed him under California's Kowalczyk ruling.
Public Safety
Orinda burglary suspect charged with murder after release
The Contra Costa County DA charged Marcos Iriarte-Valdez with murder and a special circumstance in the Aug. 6 stabbing death of Todd Stewart in Martinez; Iriarte-Valdez had been released on his own recognizance just one day earlier while awaiting trial for two April burglaries in Orinda's Orinda Downs neighborhood.
Public Safety
Orinda police catch runaway tortoise on Camino Pablo
Orinda Police officers recovered a large tortoise found wandering on Camino Pablo and returned the reptile safely to its family, the department said in a social media post on Aug. 11.
Public Safety
Air quality advisory issued for Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette
The Bay Area Air District issued an air quality advisory through Thursday, Aug. 13, as smoke from the Timber Fire in Monterey County drifts into the East Bay, pushing Lamorinda air quality to "Moderate" levels.
©2026 Lamorinda Daily Gazette
Powered by Surround Sound Media