QUESTION: What annoys you more: waiting in a long line or dealing with a glitchy self-checkout machine?

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The community is invited to celebrate the completion of the new playground at Concord Community Park (3501 Cowell Road) on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

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Walnut Creek leaders are weighing a proposal that could reshape the downtown scene by allowing people to carry alcoholic drinks outdoors within a designated area. The City Council is reviewing an ordinance to create an “Entertainment Zone,” a concept recently authorized under California law to help cities boost foot traffic and support local businesses.

If approved, the plan would let customers purchase drinks from participating bars and restaurants and enjoy them while walking through a defined section of downtown. The program would come with strict rules, including wristbands to verify age, limits on where drinks can be carried, and requirements that beverages be served in non-glass containers. City officials say the structure is designed to create a more lively, social atmosphere while maintaining safety and control.

The proposal is being framed as an economic development tool, with officials pointing to similar programs in other California cities that have helped increase activity and sales for local businesses. Walnut Creek staff said they have coordinated with police and other departments and do not anticipate major issues, though the program would be closely monitored and adjusted if needed.

The ordinance is still in its early stages, and additional details—including a formal management plan and final boundaries—would come back to the council for approval. If adopted, Walnut Creek would join a growing number of cities embracing more flexible, open-air downtown experiences, potentially giving residents and visitors a new way to enjoy the city’s restaurants and nightlife.

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California’s average price for a gallon of regular gas fell six cents over the past week to $5.86. Despite the dip, prices remain 34 cents higher than a month ago and $1 above this time last year. The national average also declined, dropping seven cents to $4.09 per gallon.

AAA Mountain West spokesperson Doug Johnson said crude oil prices have stayed below $100 per barrel following last week’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Still, he noted that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited as tensions in the region continue and negotiations move forward.

Across California, gas prices vary by region, with San Francisco at $6.00, Oakland at $5.92, San Jose at $5.84, Sacramento at $5.76, Fresno at $5.78 and Stockton at $5.68.

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QUESTION: What’s one place in the Bay Area you’ve never been to but feel like you should have by now?

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A key section of a walking and biking route through downtown Lafayette will be financed with $3.7 million in state transportation funds, the city said.

The Aqueduct Pathway is part of the city’s plan to create a car-free network linking neighborhoods, local businesses and regional transit. Construction is expected to start in 2029.

The funds will close a critical gap in the pathway between Dolores Drive and the Lafayette BART station, the city said.

The Aqueduct Pathway will run within the existing East Bay Municipal Utility District corridor through Lafayette parallel to Mt. Diablo Boulevard, BART and state Highway 24.

The city is seeking federal funds to help build a segment east of Brown Avenue to Pleasant Hill Road. A segment between Risa Road and Dolores Drive opened in 2025.

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Drivers filling up at Chevron stations across the region are being met with a bold and unmistakable message: “Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more.”

The large signs, recently installed at multiple locations, feature an eye-catching image of a car wrapped in fuel hoses – a visual meant to symbolize the burden of rising gas prices. Beneath the headline, smaller text claims that California politicians are prioritizing foreign oil over local jobs and lower costs, placing the blame for high fuel prices squarely on state leadership.

The signage campaign appears designed to spark conversation – and controversy – among motorists already feeling the pinch at the pump. With California consistently posting the highest gas prices in the nation, the message taps into a growing frustration among drivers.

Adding to the push, each sign includes a QR code directing viewers to additional information. Chevron branding is visible, indicating the campaign is backed by the oil giant, though it stops short of directly advocating for specific legislation.

The rollout comes amid ongoing discussions in Sacramento over energy policy,
environmental regulations, and the state’s transition away from fossil fuels. Critics of current policies argue that regulations and refinery constraints contribute to higher prices, while supporters maintain those measures are necessary for long-term environmental and public health goals.

For now, the signs are doing exactly what they’re intended to do – getting people’s attention. Whether they shift opinions or policy is another question entirely, but at the pump, they’re hard to ignore.

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Alcatraz tours in San Francisco are canceled through Friday due to dock repairs, with service expected to resume Saturday. Officials say the closure is routine. All tickets are being refunded, and visitors are encouraged to reschedule.

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Cool temperatures and widespread rain are expected across the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast on Monday, with wet conditions continuing through Wednesday and isolated to scattered thunderstorms possible Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

In an advisory early Monday morning, the weather service said rain is expected across the North Bay, San Francisco, the Peninsula, East Bay, South Bay, Santa Cruz County and Monterey counties through midweek, with forecasters warning of slick roads, ponding on streets and the potential for minor urban and nuisance flooding in some locations.

Rainfall totals through Wednesday are expected to range from about 1 to 2 inches in valley locations and roughly 1.5 to 3 inches in mountain areas across parts of the region, according to the NWS.

Thunderstorms are most likely on Tuesday, with lightning, brief heavy rain, gusty winds and small hail possible. Forecasters said the probability of thunderstorms ranges from about 20% to 35% across much of the Bay Area and Central Coast.

A slight chance of lingering thunderstorms could continue into Wednesday, though confidence is lower.

Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to remain cool through midweek before seasonal conditions and drier weather return later in the week, the weather service said.

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Port Chicago Highway in Clyde is closed in both directions due to an injury collision. A vehicle crashed through the fence and onto the train tracks on the Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) property.

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QUESTION: If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be?

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The Concord Police Department is urging motorists to stay focused behind the wheel as part of the National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

Police said officers will increase enforcement efforts targeting violations of the state’s hands-free cell phone law, which prohibits drivers from holding electronic devices while operating a vehicle, even at a stoplight.

“Distracted driving continues to put everyone on the road at risk,” Concord Police Chief Mark Bustillos said in a statement, warning that even brief distractions can lead to serious consequences.

According to a 2025 statewide survey, more than 70% of drivers cited texting or phone use as their top safety concern. Authorities said 158 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in California in 2023, a 6.8% increase from the previous year.

Officials reminded drivers to silence or store their phones, set navigation before driving, and avoid activities such as eating or adjusting controls while on the road.

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Californians took more than 1.2 million rides in commercial self-driving cars in December, a 500% increase in 19 months, according to the Public Utilities Commission.

The autonomous vehicle market, which grew from fewer than 200,000 rides statewide in May 2024, was outlined at a conference on the future of the technology in San Francisco.

The annual Autonomous Vehicles and the City Symposium showed how policymakers and regulatory agencies are confronting new problems that arise from the rapidly growing industry.

AVs have the potential to reduce traffic deaths because they remove the problem of human error, said Adetokunbo Omishakin, the state Secretary of Transportation. California had about 4,000 traffic fatalities in 2023, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety.

“A big responsibility for us is to drive those fatality numbers,” Omishakin said. “Our hope is to reduce the fatality numbers by 30% by reducing crashes caused by human error, AVs hold a powerful potential for saving life.”

AVs also may play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the future of automated public transit systems.

“If we’re going to be able to achieve those goals, it’s going to continue to take technology to help us,” Omishakin said. “All of these benefits are possible with AVs, but it will take strong partnership and governance and an active commitment to shape the trajectory of this technology into the future.”

The theme of this year’s symposium focused on the challenges of adopting new policies and regulations while not stifling innovation in the AV industry.

“We need to make sure that we are having good regulation to protect public safety and to benefit the public without strangling technology and without putting requirements on AVs that are not possible to meet,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.

Still, the AI technology in AVs is not at the level where it can be fully automated. In December, for instance, a large-scale power blackout in San Francisco caused traffic jams as Waymo cars were unable to operate.

“There are circumstances in which humans, human help will be really needed and in fact necessary,” said Melody Drummond Hansen, former chief counsel for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “We thought humans were dangerous, but it turns out that we’ve had all of these recent experiences, whether it’s in the PG&E instance, or it’s in an instance where you’re interrupting an emergency situation.”

One of the issues that is being addressed through legislation is AV interactions with first responders. There have been instances of AVs obstructing emergency responses and getting pulled over for traffic violations.

AB1777, which goes into effect in July, requires all AVs to have a remote operator who can be contacted through a two-way communication system equipped in the vehicles.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles “will be adopting finalizing regulations to implement that law in July, and this is an important first step,” Wiener said.

Other issues under discussion by policymakers include whether to implement age restrictions for minors riding alone in AVs.

“There’s a lot of debate amongst regulators, stakeholders, people in the industry, about whether it’s appropriate to have a child alone in an autonomous vehicle and a commercial autonomous vehicle,” said Rachel Swan, a local news reporter and moderator for one of the speaker panels.

Drummond Hansen suggested that minors should have the ability to use AVs since they are allowed to take other modes of transit unaccompanied.

“We let kids ride the bus by themselves. We let them ride BART by themselves,” she said. “There are all of these other areas where we handle unaccompanied minors.”

The future of AVs and public transit is also in flux.

In San Jose, there is a project underway with the company Glydways to introduce a driverless fleet of vehicles that will connect riders from Diridon Station to San Jose Mineta International Airport.

“I’m actually pretty hopeful about the potential for this,” Omishakin said. “In my opinion, we have to start exploring more and more solutions like this and how it can be incorporated into the broader public transportation system.”

Megan Neese, Head of Insights at Waymo, said most autonomous vehicle projects want to be an added element to existing public transit instead of replacing it.

“Our goal is to try to integrate and complement high-capacity transit,” Neese said. “We do see that Waymo riders do that now.”

“There are people who are of the view that public transportation is obsolete, that AVs are going to eclipse it,” Wiener said. “That is false, and AVs can complement public transportation.”

Speakers agreed that the Bay Area will continue to be a testing ground for adapting to the issues that arise out of the rapidly growing technology.

“We are so often on the lead,” Wiener said. “Sometimes that creates tensions and can create some temporary challenges, but in the end, we get to a better place.”

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The Clayton Police Department reported a relatively calm week of activity between April 10 and April 16, with one arrest, a residential burglary, and a handful of other incidents documented.

According to the department’s weekly log, officers responded to a non-injury traffic accident at Eagle Peak Avenue and Ohlone Heights on April 15 at approximately 1:31 p.m.

Police also made one arrest during the reporting period. On April 14, officers responded to a call on Kenston Drive, where a 48-year-old Clayton woman was taken into custody for allegedly violating a court order related to domestic violence. She was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking.

In addition, a residential burglary was reported on Shell Lane on April 12. Authorities did not release further details about the incident.

Two theft-related cases were also noted, including a petty theft from a vehicle near Mitchell Canyon Road and Four Oaks Drive on April 13.

No vandalism incidents were reported during the week.

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