Saturday’s blaze at the Martinez oil refinery belched over half a ton of sulphur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere. The noxious fumes triggered a Level 2 Hazmat alert that progressed to Level 3. Residents nearby received warnings to seal doors and windows as they shelter in place until further notice.

When I was 12 years old, I left Oakland for a small town on the southern edge of the Carquinez Strait. The towering buildings of Oakland and neighboring San Francisco were replaced by the smokestacks of refineries.  The East Bay is primarily defined by Oakland and Berkeley, but there is

When people think of hiking in the East Bay, especially newcomers, they think of Oakland and Berkeley, and even more specifically, they think of a handful of places in Oakland and Berkeley that everyone has already been to and instragrammed to death. The East Bay is a lot bigger than