Contra Costa Pulse August 2026

From Beauty School to Business Owner: How ‘Woo’ Buggs-Dorsey Built a Family Legacy See Pg. 7

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August 2026

Port Chicago Sailors’ Protest Helped Pave the Way for Military Desegregation

Port Chicago sailors. (Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, National Park Service, U.S. Navy via Port Chicago Alliance)

BY JOE PORRELLO

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he 258 Black U.S. Navy sailors who refused to work under hazardous and segregated conditions following the 1944 Port Chicago explosion helped lay the groundwork for the desegregation of the U.S. military.

The massive explosion killed 320 men and injured nearly 400 others. The blast in what is now Concord broke windows in San Francisco and registered as far away as Nevada, according to the U.S. Navy. It was the largest domestic catastrophe of World War II and accounted for approximately one-fourth of Black military deaths during the war, according to a regional park report.

Nearly two-thirds of the casualties were Black sailors. Survivors were ordered to continue the most dangerous shiploading duties and clean up the disaster site. They were denied the standard 30-day survivors’ leave, while their white commanders were granted leave.

Two hundred and fifty-eight Black sailors initially refused to resume loading munitions. Of those, 208 returned to work under threat of severe punishment, including execution. The remaining 50, who came to be known as the Port Chicago 50, stood their ground. All 258 sailors were court-martialed and convicted of various charges; the Port Chicago 50 were convicted of mutiny.

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Eighty years later, in 2024, the Navy officially exonerated 256 of the sailors, because of “significant legal errors during the courts-martial,” according to a Navy press release. The convictions of two other sailors had previously been nullified.

Dr. Antwanisha Williamson, who chairs the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee for the NAACP’s Stockton branch, worked on the resolution calling for the sailors’ exoneration.

“We said, ‘We have to do something; we have to call on the Secretary of Defense to fully exonerate these men because they did nothing wrong — all they did was advocate for safer working conditions,’” said Williamson.

In June, Concord City Council commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Navy’s desegregation by recognizing the Port Chicago story as a critical chapter in both the city’s and the country’s history. In 2024, the City Council proclaimed July 17 Port Chicago Remembrance Day. Port Chicago Alliance Executive Director Yulie Padmore was recognized June 23 by the council for her efforts to preserve and share the history of Port Chicago.

Those endeavors include helping rename the former Navy base. Padmore helped found the East Bay Black Employee Collective, whose members

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advocated for a name that reflected the site’s history.

Projected to open for public use in 2030, Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50 honors the civil rights leader who led the NAACP’s national campaign to appeal the sailors’ convictions and later became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Padmore motivated her husband, Stephen Padmore, to join her advocacy efforts. After reading “The Port Chicago Mutiny” by Robert L. Allen, Stephen felt even more compelled to help preserve the sailors’ legacy.

Now the managing director of the Port Chicago Alliance, Stephen, who was born in Oakland, noted the sometimesforgotten history of Bay Area racism.

“We often don’t think Jim Crow segregation was here in the Bay Area, but on that military base, it was racially segregated to an extreme degree,” he said. “The Black sailors that were actually loading these explosives onto ships, they weren’t even allowed to use the restrooms on those ships — they had to walk a halfmile to and from the barracks.”

He said officers prioritized speed over safety when loading ships and told sailors they couldn’t have rightful time off unless they loaded ships within strict time limits.

“They were encouraging this extremely fast and dangerous speed, while also not

In Pictures:

Pittsburg Residents Continue Weekly Data Center Protests See Pg. 4

training them in what to look for or how to handle these explosives safely — so it was really a recipe for disaster,” he said.

“Many of the Black sailors complained about these conditions, and those complaints were dismissed entirely.”

After the 258 Black sailors were court-martialed for refusing to work in a hazardous and discriminatory environment, the mutiny trial received more news coverage than the explosion, Stephen said.

“The disaster was covered for a day or two because there was so much going on during World War II, but it was the mutiny trial that really exposed this systemic racism happening in the Navy,” he said.

The trial prompted members of the public and the press to question the Navy’s treatment of Black sailors and brought national attention to segregation within the military.

“A lot of people at the time thought that if a Black American were to enlist to defend the country, that they would be treated as Americans — they would be treated as equal…” Stephen continued.

“Many joined to prove themselves and their bravery so they could overcome the second-class citizenry that Jim Crow had imposed on them.”

Williamson and Stephen said the Port Chicago Alliance helps show that this local tragedy is of nationwide See Port Chicago, pg. 6

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Antioch, West Contra Costa School Districts Adopt Budgets

BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY

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wo of Contra Costa County’s most fiscally troubled school districts are preparing for another year after approving budgets that will keep services running — sometimes with the help of additional state funding — and guide their spending.

The Antioch and West Contra Costa school districts adopted budgets for fiscal year 2026-27 in June, finishing off a school year filled with millions in cuts and dozens of layoffs.

WCCUSD and AUSD are the only county districts on a state Department of Education list that flags districts at high risk of fiscal insolvency. WCCUSD, with a “qualified” budget certification, is in a better position than AUSD, which holds a “negative” certification.

The certifications mean that WCCUSD probably won’t meet financial obligations in three fiscal years, and AUSD won’t meet obligations this year or next.

State lawmakers have given the two districts some hope by moving forward with billions in funding to schools across the state. AUSD and WCCUSD are projected to get millions and plan to use it for some services, but it won’t solve everything.

Antioch Sees $41 Million Deficit in 2028 Antioch school officials earlier approved hundreds of job cuts this year to deal with an approximately $32 million deficit brought on by declining enrollment and rising special education costs, among other things.

Those cuts only totaled $18.2 million, leaving a leftover deficit for the incoming year.

AUSD’s adopted budget from the June 17 meeting recognizes that the district’s general fund balance, which is not assigned to any one purpose, has a deficit of $16.5 million.

The district projects revenues of $236,494,485 for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Expenses are estimated at $252,344,485,

including general fund contributions to restricted sources. Of the contribution to restricted sources, around $44.3 million is going to special education, according to finance director Mia Cancio.

Multiyear projections show that AUSD should expect compounding deficits over at least the two following years. In 202728, the district faces a $29.99 million deficit. That grows to $41.09 million in 2028-29.

Cancio told members at the June 10 public budget hearing that additional state funding, thanks to this year’s now-approved budget, could mean an additional $12.8 million into the general fund.

A one-time $2.2 million emergency block grant will go toward the adoption of a new math curriculum.

The additional funding isn’t included in the adopted budget, but will be incorporated by the 45-day budget revision in August, according to Cancio.

The $12.8 million can be used “flexibly to support local priorities,” Cancio said.

But Mike Fine, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team CEO, has previously told officials not to use the funding for ongoing expenses or creating new expenses they won’t be able to sustain.

AUSD had its budget certification downgraded twice in one year. This triggered additional oversight from the county, which includes a fiscal advisor.

‘Bare Bones’ WCCUSD Resists More Cuts Across the county, WCCUSD officials went against similar advice from their own finance leader like that Fine had given Antioch Unified.

Board members on June 24 adopted the 2026-27 budget and decided to modify the fiscal solvency plan. That change now uses a more than $12 million budget surplus and reserves to avoid making cuts through fiscal year 2028-29.

Members Jamela Smith-Folds and Leslie Reckler were the only two votes against the move, opposing Board President Guadalupe Enllana and members Cinthia

Hernandez and Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy. Plan proponents say it’s a much-needed break from the cuts this year. WCCUSD approved merging Betty Reid Soskin and Pinole middle schools and cutting 10% of each union representing different district employees to stay solvent earlier in the year.

“This is not about avoiding hard decisions forever. It is about creating breathing room. It is about giving our schools a chance to recover after years of instability,” Gonzalez-Hoy said. “Why would we continue to hurt our schools and students when we have the ability to stabilize us a bit while additional funding arrives?”

The approval means the district will use one-time state grants — up to $21 million from the student support and professional development grant and $1.8 million in restricted revenue from the learning recovery emergency block grant — to avoid cuts. Another $12 is coming out of reserves, according to the executive director of business services, Jeff Carter.

Like AUSD, the district is expecting to get additional funding thanks to the increase in state funding.

“If you use those one-time funds for ongoing expenditures and they go away, it doesn’t get us out of the hole,” Carter said. “The expenditures are still there, and you’re going to have to do the reductions at some point in the future if revenue doesn’t increase or there’s no more onetime money.”

Smith-Folds said that the district needed “surgery and recovery” and not band-aids.

“To get out of fiscal trouble, we have to admit we are in it,” she wrote in a social media post after the meeting. “We aren’t kicking the can down the road. These decisions are kicking kids.”

Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said at the meeting that, after years of cuts, “we are at, I think, bare bones at this point.”

“We have reduced, again, a number of programs, and we are struggling to make sure that we are able to do the work that we need to do in order to support our students,” Cotton said. •

Contra Costa Waits on ICE Non-Cooperation Policy — Again

BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY

C

ontra Costa is waiting yet again to move forward with a policy that would bar county employees from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement actions.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 at the July 7 meeting to first have county counsel analyze whether the proposal meets recently released guidance from the state attorney general on interactions with immigration authorities. Supervisor Ken Carlson, who sits on the equity committee that forwarded the policy and ordinance, was the no vote.

The recommendation would limit the county’s cooperation with federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement by restricting the agencies’ access to facilities and data.

The vote came after hours of talks among supervisors and urgings from community members during public comment. But the policy has been in the works for nearly a year, coinciding with calls for more protections following County Sheriff David Livingston’s clash with officials last year over cooperation and increased immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration.

The Sheriff ’s Office is already bound by

state law to limit certain interactions with immigration authorities. SB 54, which made California a so-called sanctuary state, requires law enforcement agencies to not use resources in immigration enforcement in some cases.

County Counsel Thomas L Geiger too has said that rules limiting cooperation and data sharing are already outlined as practices — albeit sometimes listed individually for each department.

Even so, community members and Supervisor and Equity Committee Vice Chair Shanelle Scales-Preston have urged the compiling of them in one place that is “loophole free.” That means that employees, departments and contractors would be covered under the proposal.

“Passing the [then-]recommended resolution and policy does not reflect a strong action by this board,” Roxanne Carillo Garza said.

Carlson, who diverged from ScalesPreston and community members on the “loophole free” part and making it an ordinance, said that a policy — passed right then — would help send a message to a community that is “divided and afraid.”

“We’re not living in typical times. It might take us doing a little something atypical to send a message to the

community,” Carlson said. “By doing that, it reaffirms the commitments we’ve already made.

Carlson, Scales-Preston and community members have been at odds in the last almost year over what form the proposal should take — an ordinance (the equivalent of a law passed by a local government) or policy. Proponents of the ordinance approach, including ScalesPreston and Supervisor John Gioia, say it would be more enforceable.

Though, Geiger has maintained that a policy would be just as enforceable as an ordinance.

State Guidance Requires a Policy A new state law requires the Attorney General’s Office to issue a model policy on how local agencies interact with federal immigration authorities, including related to physical locations.

Local agencies then are required by state law to adopt the model or an equivalent.

Geiger said that they haven’t done a full analysis of the proposal that was released July 1 but that there were “some differences.”

Supervisor Candace Andersen said that she wanted to avoid putting a target on the county’s back by implementing “a sweeping policy.”

See County, pg. 6

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August 2026

From Empty Lots to Community: Triangle Works Helps Revitalize El Sobrante

BY ARIANNA CARAMAGNO

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or many years, the El Sobrante intersection of Appian Way, Valley View Road and Sobrante Avenue, known locally as the “triangle area” for its shape, mainly consisted of abandoned buildings and empty parking lots. Today, the onceunderused space has been transformed thanks to Triangle Works, a nonprofit organization that has helped foster community in the triangle area through its artistic endeavors.

Since its founding in 2023, Triangle Works has worked with volunteers and local artists to create two murals along Appian Way and facilitated the creation of The Shed in El Sobrante, an artists workshop, classroom space and Makers’ Market.

Mona Chin, a volunteer who works as the class coordinator at The Shed, said the creation of the space has finally given El Sobrante a place where people can find community instead of just being known as “the leftovers.”

“It feels like there’s some sort of a central hub instead of just leftover pieces of things that we have to scavenge for,” said Chin. “Now, I feel like it’s created a space and a sense of being for the town.”

Triangle Works President Serge Glushkoff said the organization’s roots stretch back more than two decades.

He traced its origins to community organizing efforts in the early 2000s when a group of residents from the area came together to oppose a development in the Garrity Creek Headwaters. Though the group had yet to become an organization, they were already advocating for the creation of a community center in El Sobrante.

However, the group wouldn’t end up thinking about becoming an organization until over a decade later when some of the same residents joined forces again in 2018 to prevent the former Adachi Nursery from being turned into a gas station by a developer.

After the gas station project was stopped, Glushkoff took ideas from El Sobrante activists Maurice Abraham and Kenoli Oleari and began to think about transforming the triangle area.

“Creating TW was an extension of my interest in preventing the Adachi Nursery from becoming a gas station; I saw that there was a need and opportunity to build on the community

Sales Tax, Rent Control on San Pablo Ballot This Fall

BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY

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ARIANNA CARAMAGNO

The “We Are All in This Together” mural, created by Yulia Pinkusevich on behalf of Triangle Works, is located at 4927 Appian Way in El Sobrante.

interest I saw in facilitating an alternative,” said Glushkoff in an email.

That alternative eventually became Triangle Works.

In addition to the murals, which have added a pop of color to some of the underused structures in El Sobrante, The Shed has given residents a center to explore new hobbies and their own artistic talents. Though it may look small on the outside, the space has been used to sell art made by local artisans and host a variety of community-led classes and clubs.

Tina Robinette, a volunteer who manages the Makers’ Market inside The Shed, said she became interested in volunteering for Triangle Works after she moved to El Sobrante in November.

She also said that the Makers’ Market represents the artistic expression of El Sobrante and the surrounding area.

“It was really clear not long after moving to the area how creative this community is,” said Robinette. “The number of people I’ve met who either as a hobby or as a career are woodworkers or metalworkers or glassblowers or make jewelry or paint, or any of the handmade gifts that we have in the store is incredible.”

Aside from being a space that allows residents to display their creativity, The Shed has also allowed people to come together as a community. When asked about what she wanted to see in the future of Triangle Works, Chin said her hope is that it will inspire residents

to explore different interests and form meaningful connections despite the shift toward digital interactions in day-to-day life.

“For me, it’s all about community and having an outlet for people to come and share their interests and discover new interests,” said Chin. “I feel that, in our society, we’re kind of glued to our screens. People are feeling more isolated, so I really hope The Shed will open up that opportunity for people to come out and utilize our space.”

Despite Triangle Works’ success in creating a sense of community, both Chin and Robinette said that spreading the word about The Shed and the rest of Triangle Works’ projects to a larger audience has been a challenge. However, Robinette remains hopeful that in the future people will continue to use the resources The Shed has available.

“The hope is for it to be an available community space. I think our vision is to have people floating in and out throughout the week,” said Robinette. “I think there are a lot of people who would love to use a resource like that, just if they knew it existed.”

The Shed is located at 5166A Sobrante Ave. next to The Good Table Cafe. You can also view the two Triangle Works murals: “We Are All In This Together” by Yulia Pinkusevich at 4927 Appian Way and the “Community Mural Project” by Hayley Ferreria and community volunteers along Appian Way and Fran Way. •

wo big issues await San Pablo voters come Election Day: rent control and a 10-year sales tax.

City officials formally placed the two issues on the Nov. 3 ballot at a special meeting July 13. The tax is billed as a way to support the city through financial deficits and falling revenues in coming years. The proposed cap on rent increases is brought by tenant advocates who have pushed for more renter protections in the city.

Both will be on the ballot alongside a handful of other tax measures in the fall — a tax to fund public transportation, a “billionaire” tax and a parcel tax to support West Contra Costa Unified School District operations.

Contra Costa voters decisively voted down additional taxes in the June primary election, but West County voters were among the most supportive of some tax measures, according to a breakdown of election results.

The one-half cent sales tax would increase the city’s tax rate over the next five years, then step down to a quartercent the last five years.

The tax would go toward crime prevention, police, reducing illegal dumping, a daily senior meal program, homeless services, among other things, according to the ballot language.

The city’s tax rate would peak at 10% between April 2027 and October 2027 if it passes. But the step-down of Measure S, a 2020 voter-approved continuation of an earlier sales tax, would drop the rate to 9.75% from November 2027 to September 2032.

San Pablo will see a decrease of about $1 million annually in revenues following Measure S’s step-down, according to financial projections. That’s as the city already faces a $4.4 million deficit in the current and next fiscal years, Much of that is due to a loss in revenue from its primary source of income, the San Pablo Lytton Casino, according to the city. The casino makes up about 59% of the city’s general fund budget.

Since the 2022-23 fiscal year, the city says the casino revenue deficit has totaled $2.5 million.

The sales tax would be one of the lowest in West Contra Costa after the decrease in Measure S, tied with Richmond, according to the city.

After back-and-forth between officials who have refused to sign off on rent caps because of costs and advocates who say the move is necessary to protect tenants, voters will have the final say on rent control.

The measure would cap annual rent increases at 60% of the consumer price index or 3% in total, whichever is lower. San Pablo’s ordinance would also apply to mobile homes and mobile home spaces, which are not covered by existing state rent regulations.

The proposal is primarily a rent control measure but would also apply more requirements for landlords looking to evict a tenant and require tenant safety plans. Tenant safety plans lay out how “substandard housing” is rehabilitated and regulate buy-out agreements.

Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado and council members Rita Xavier and Arturo Cruz, who have spoken out against rent control or stabilization See San Pablo, pg 6

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August 2026

Residents Keep Pressure on Pittsburg Leaders With Weekly Protests Against Planned Data

Opponents of the planned data center in Pittsburg met at the intersection of Range and West Leland roads July 6 to protest the project set to come to the city.

STORY AND PHOTOS • CHIJIOKE ONYEAGUCHA

A

s drivers traveled along West Leland Road on the evening of July 6, dozens of Pittsburg residents lined the sidewalk waving signs and chanting in opposition to a proposed artificial intelligence data center. The demonstration was part of a growing grassroots campaign that organizers say is gaining momentum.

The protest, held outside the former Delta View Golf Course where developer AVAIO Digital plans to build a 300,000-square-foot data center, was part of a series of weekly Monday demonstrations organized by residents following a contentious June City Council meeting that drew hundreds of opponents.

For Pamela Rock, who has lived in Pittsburg for 20 years and organizes the demonstrations, the weekly protests are about making sure residents know what is planned for the site and have an opportunity to influence the project’s future.

“I don’t think the residents really understood what was happening until I started sending out a flyer,” Rock said. “All of a sudden, 300 people showed up at the City Council meeting.”

Rock said she worries about the project’s proximity to homes, a school and a church, and believes residents should have a greater voice in decisions that could affect their neighborhood.

“I don’t want a data center a half a mile from my house,” she said. “I want clean water. I want fresh air.”

The planned facility would be built on 76 acres of the former Delta View Golf Course as the first phase of the Pittsburg Technology Park. City officials have said the project would be powered through the Pittsburg Power Company rather than PG&E, operate using 100% renewable energy and recycled water, and generate longterm tax revenue to help fund road repairs, public safety and recreation while attracting future investment.

Despite those assurances, opposition has continued to grow. Following concerns raised by residents, the city announced it would hold a virtual community workshop on data center development July 30.

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“After hearing from many concerned residents, it is clear we need to have a deeper conversation with our community about data center development in Pittsburg,” said council member Jelani Killings in a statement. “City Council has asked the City Manager and Staff to host a workshop educating residents on the City’s data center development policies, procedures and projects, and providing an opportunity for our community to receive answers to their questions.”

Amhari Perkins, a Pittsburg resident who launched the Change.org petition opposing the project, said she decided to act after realizing many of the people around her had never heard about the approved development.

“I just remember kind of being distraught about it,” Perkins said. “My ultimate thought was, ‘Who knows about this? Who doesn’t know about this?'”

After speaking with family, friends and neighbors, Perkins created the online petition expecting only a few thousand signatures.

“I wasn’t expecting such a big turnout,” she said.

Perkins said the rapid growth of the petition convinced her that many residents were still learning about the project months after it had been approved.

“Even till now, I’m meeting a lot of people in the community, and people are just now finding out,” she said.

While Perkins said her goal is ultimately to stop the project, she believes city leaders should first pause its progress and engage residents more directly.

“I really wish that they put a moratorium on it, just give it a pause, and really interact with the community and give us the answers,” she said.

Many protesters echoed similar concerns, saying they first learned about the project through neighbors, social media, community meetings or the petition itself rather than through official city outreach.

Marty Perez, a Pittsburg resident of 63 years, said Facebook, Instagram, neighborhood meetings and word of mouth have helped build the movement over the past month.

“We’re trying to get out there and let the public know what’s going on,” Perez said. “People that are

living around here should be involved. They should be informed.”

Perez attended the June 15 City Council meeting where more than 300 people gathered to oppose the project. Seeing residents fill the council chambers and overflow areas, he said, convinced him that community members wanted a greater role in shaping the city’s future.

“I was surprised that there were that many people there,” Perez said. “We want to have input into what’s going on.”

For Alejandra Magallan, who has lived in Pittsburg for 30 years, the July 6 demonstration was her first protest after learning about the weekly gatherings through neighbors on Nextdoor.

She said she initially believed construction near the former golf course was for another community project before discovering plans for the data center.

“I was shocked, disappointed, saddened, and then fear grew in once I started to do a little bit of research,” Magallan said.

She said attending the June 15 council meeting with hundreds in attendance gave her hope that the community could still influence the project’s future.

“It made me feel like we have a shot for this not to happen,” she said.

The demonstrations mark the latest chapter in a debate that has intensified since the project received City Council approval in 2024. Opposition has grown from online discussions into an organized movement fueled by neighborhood meetings, flyers, social media and a petition that has drawn thousands of supporters.

Following the June 15 council meeting, many residents who took part in the demonstration saw the July 20 meeting as another opportunity to make their case.

In the meantime, Rock said residents would continue gathering every Monday evening to keep attention on the issue.

“We’re just trying to get it on the agenda and have a chance to speak and work with the city,” Rock said. “We feel like we don’t want it. Period.” •

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August 2026

Demonstrators brought many homemade signs, shirts and stickers to spread awareness of the planned data center.

The demonstration lasted from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and drew about 60 people. Cars passing through the intersection often honked their horns in support of the protest.

Marty Perez, a Pittsburg resident for 63 years, holds a sign during an anti-data center demonstration at the intersection of Range and West Leland roads on July 6.

The planned data center has continued to gain opposition from Pittsburg residents. Many cite noise, its proximity to residential areas and potential environmental effects as concerns. Here, one resident also takes the opportunity to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Protesters hold up a banner featuring a QR code for the Change.org petition "Stop the data center from coming to Pittsburg CA," which has over 26,000 verified signatures as of July 24.

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August 2026

North Richmond Celebrates Grand Reopening of Shields-Reid Park

BY MARISOL LEAL

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orth Richmond residents celebrated the grand reopening of the reconstructed Shields-Reid Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the 15th annual North Richmond Music Festival on July 11.

The reopening marked the completion of a community-driven renovation process that began in 2020, when residents and other stakeholders participated in several meetings to map out the park’s future vision.

The reconstructed park includes a new restroom, zip line, new children’s play area, habitat garden, public art, stage and performance area, and fitness area.

The city of Richmond was awarded an $8 million grant from the California State Parks Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program.

The Richmond City Council leveraged $3.9 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to further renovate the rest of the park.

Beginning in 2020, city of Richmond staff members Stephanie Ny and Janae Levine-Snipes coordinated the community outreach process, which included about seven in-person and virtual meetings, and prepared the state grant application. Darcie DeLashmutt and Josef Munoz later helped guide the project through construction and completion.

Community organizations and event sponsors also provided residents with information and resources during the celebration. Groups in attendance included Urban Tilth, Lifelong Medical Care, Richmond Pride, Rising Juntos, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Black Historical Legacy Project, the American

Port Chicago...

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importance.

“What happened there was not only monumental to that area and the state of California but for our country,” said Williamson. “The people who live in Contra Costa County need to understand that this is their legacy, and it led to something much larger than anyone could have imagined.”

She helped craft a resolution recognizing the sailors’ protest and its national impact that passed the California Legislature and will soon be reviewed on a national level.

When most people think about the desegregation of the military, Stephen said, they think of President Harry S. Truman desegregating it entirely in 1948. But it was two years prior that the Navy became the first branch of the armed forces to officially prohibit racial segregation. The U.S. Naval Institute cited the Port Chicago disaster and mutiny convictions as “a major catalyst” for the move to desegregate.

“It’s a real landmark milestone that took place here in the Bay Area and that Contra Costa County is really proud of,” he said. “Our goal is having it become a defining story of the region because it has such national significance and for so many years, it’s been essentially untold and underrepresented in our American history.”

Stephen said the Port Chicago sailors’ story remains relevant because it demonstrates the power of protest and the groundwork their actions laid for others fighting for equal rights.

Following the Port Chicago protest came other demonstrations such as the Port Hueneme hunger strike, which featured about 1,000 Black Navy sailors, and the Freeman Field mutiny that saw

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The new stage at Shields-Reid held the park’s ribbon cutting and this year’s North Richmond Blues Festival.

(Marisol Leal / The CC Pulse)

Red Cross, Chevron Richmond, the Contra Costa Sheriff ’s Office of Emergency Services and West County Wastewater.

District 2 council member Cesar Zepeda said parks and community centers play an important role in bringing residents together.

“We are continuing to uplift our community, and a community center and park tend to be the heart and soul of the community, continuing to add to that heart and soul and bring the community together,” Zepeda said.

The park’s new stage immediately became the setting for a celebration of North Richmond’s blues history during the festival.

The reopening also renewed discussion about whether the park should eventually be renamed exclusively for Charles Reid. Originally known as Shields Park after the subdivision where it was built, the park later added Reid’s name to honor his decades of service.

Before beginning his career as playground director at Shields Park in 1947, Reid was a standout baseball player who pitched for the Pierce Giants and several other semiprofessional teams. He died in 1979.

(

Black airmen refusing to leave an allwhite officers club.

The growing pressure, according to Stephen, contributed to Truman’s decision to desegregate the military as a whole. “[The Port Chicago sailors’] act of defiance, an act of nonviolent disobedience, really became the hallmark of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s,” he said, highlighting the wellknown Montgomery bus boycott and the Greensboro sit-in.

Those protests are widely taught, but the Port Chicago story is mostly left out. Another goal of Stephen’s is to help change that.

“We work with youth in Pittsburg, and for them to learn some of these [Port Chicago sailors] were 16 years old and half were teenagers, it really does bring pride that there were young Black men [who] were essentially able to compel the Navy to change their policies,” said Stephen. “Speaking out when you see injustice, whether that injustice is happening to you or someone else, that’s something we really want to instill in children.”

A veteran of 18 years, Williamson reflected on her time in the service and noted the courage it took for the Port Chicago sailors to protest.

“There were plenty of times when I had to stand up, sometimes against everybody, and say, ‘This is not right,’” she said. “It’s bittersweet; we are fighting for some of the same things we had to fight for way back when — especially in the military.”

The Port Chicago Alliance founded Port Chicago Weekend, an annual three-day commemoration that includes memorial services and educational and cultural events. •

Ny said community members began using the renovated park right away and that relatives of Charles Reid, one of the park’s namesakes, were excited to see the improvements.

“They were really pumped about all the improvements and how proud he would have been if he were here with us,” Ny said of Reid’s relatives.

The renovated park will carry Reid’s legacy forward through it's sports facilities, art, community center and gathering spaces.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl said investments in community spaces demonstrate to residents that they are valued.

“When you have a nice park like this in the community, it makes everyone understand that they’re valued and appreciated and they have a safe place to play and be active,” Curl said. “I believe that the park will continue to be an amazing gathering place and that young people will have an opportunity to continue to have a place to exercise, be involved with recreational sports and additional programming.” •

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“Is there another way than just adopting sort of a defiant policy and still meet the requirements and protect the funding I’m very concerned about us losing?” Andersen asked.

Geiger said his interpretation of the state’s guidance is that the county does have to adopt a policy.

Some Bay Area counties already have policies or ordinances in place that address what’s outlined in the model policy — San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara, for example. In Contra Costa, the cities of Richmond and Pinole have passed similar non-cooperation policies.

Carlson said that his no vote was because the community had been asking for something to be implemented.

“I’m anxious for our community in some respects to move forward and right now it feels we’ve reached a wall,” Carlson said. “And I don’t think we belong standing on this side of that wall.” •

ordinances, placed the cost of implementing the regulations on the ballot as well.

It would cost the city between $1.08 million and $2.36 million annually to administer the program, according to a fiscal analysis requested by the city.

“The issue is whether another layer of regulation creates the right balance,” said Pabon-Alvarado.

She referred to the city’s recently passed renter protections for harassment and just cause evictions and state rent increase limits as current protections for renters.

State law already limits annual increases to 10% in total or 5% plus the change in cost of living, whichever is lowest.

Because the measure is voter-initiated, the mayor and vice mayor can draft opposing arguments to the proposal.

Pabon Alvarado has been at odds with groups advocating for rent control, saying that it would be more harmful to residents because it would impact smaller “mom-and-pop” landlords and could push property owners out of the market.

Proponents of the ballot measure disagree. They say the protections would help them manage one cost while others rise.

“I don’t know whether to live or die anymore because every time I turn around, everything is against me as a human being trying to live comfortably,” said Linda Jackson, a mobile home resident who has been advocating for rent control measures. •

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August 2026

From Beauty School to Business Owner: How ‘Woo’ Buggs-Dorsey Built a Family Legacy

BY TATIANA HERNANDEZ

L

ong before Denetra “Woo” Buggs-Dorsey became a licensed cosmetologist, barber and esthetician, she was a little girl fascinated by hair.

“I’ve always loved hair,” Buggs-Dorsey said. “I used to roll my grandmother’s hair and my great aunt’s wigs. I’ve always loved hair, fashion, all of it.”

She also remembers watching actress Diahann Carroll portray Dominique Deveraux on the television series “Dynasty.” At a young age, seeing a successful, glamorous Black woman on television stayed with her.

“I didn’t see that in my everyday life,” she said.

Today, Buggs-Dorsey has spent nearly three decades building a career rooted in beauty, education and community service. She is a licensed cosmetologist with 28 years of experience, a licensed barber for the past 10 years and a certified esthetician for about 15 years.

She attended Alameda Beauty College, where she said she received the education and foundation needed to succeed in the beauty industry. Her first opportunity behind the chair came at You Go Girl Style Salon in East Oakland after owner Ada Wright gave her a chance to prove herself.

Not long after becoming a mother, life required her to adjust her plans. The long commute and increasing booth rent became difficult to manage, so Buggs-Dorsey transformed part of her home into a salon. As her clientele continued to grow, she expanded into a larger home-based salon before eventually opening her own storefront with support from her church.

“I’ve always been a hustler,” she said. “I’ve always loved this industry.”

Although cosmetology came naturally, barbering challenged her confidence.

She admitted she was initially intimidated by the expectations of male clients and questioned whether she could truly master the craft. With encouragement from her younger brother, Remy, she stepped outside her comfort zone and embraced barbering.

That decision opened new opportunities.

Buggs-Dorsey teaches future barbers and cosmetologists, encouraging them to see the profession as much more than cutting hair.

“There are so many avenues in this industry,” she said. “You’re not just limited to cutting hair. You can educate, own businesses, become a platform artist, judge competitions and do so much more.”

For Buggs-Dorsey, beauty has never been just about appearance.

“People think it’s just hair, but it’s really more than that,” she said. “You can change how somebody feels about themselves.”

Helping people regain their confidence eventually inspired Buggs-Dorsey to create her own products.

“One of my favorite memories was realizing that

“I’ve always loved hair,” says Denetra “Woo” Buggs-Dorsey, who has been a licensed barber for 10 years.

something I created was actually helping people,” she said.

She began developing a treatment for acne keloidalis nuchae, an inflammation of the hair follicles that causes painful bumps and scarring on the back of the neck, after one of her students struggled with the condition.

“I wanted to see if I could help clear it up, so we started trying different things,” she said. “There was a lot of trial and error, and I eventually realized it wasn’t working the way I had hoped for AKN.” While continuing to test the product, Woo discovered it was helping people with keloids, or raised scars, caused by piercings that wouldn’t heal.

“I had a few friends dealing with that, so I asked if they would try it,” she said. “It actually worked. The keloids started going away.”

For Buggs-Dorsey, that moment represented years of persistence paying off.

“That made me so happy,” she said. “To see something I spent years creating actually work and help people — that’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

Helping people overcome conditions that often leave them embarrassed or self-conscious has become one of the most rewarding parts of her career.

Restoring someone’s confidence, she said, goes far beyond improving their appearance. It gives people the freedom to feel comfortable in their own skin again.

That same commitment extends beyond the salon and into the community.

Through backpack giveaways, free haircut events and other outreach efforts, Woo and her family have made community service a cornerstone of their business.

Although her family is originally from Oakland, she believes it’s important to give back to the Antioch community that continues to support them.

“We have to serve the community that’s giving to us,” she said. “That’s important.”

But when Buggs-Dorsey talks about her greatest accomplishment, she doesn’t mention awards, licenses or even her business.

She talks about family.

One of her children is now a barber, and BuggsDorsey’’s greatest goal is to pass on everything she’s learned throughout her career.

“Everything that’s in me, I want to put into my daughter,” she said.

She hopes to teach her daughter far more than cutting hair. She wants her to master hair extensions, custom units, scalp and skin care, product development, entrepreneurship and every aspect of owning and operating a successful business.

“It makes no sense for me to have all of this information and other people get it while my own doesn’t,” she said.

Buggs-Dorsey doesn’t want her daughter to simply follow in her footsteps.

She wants her to surpass them.

After previously owning a mobile barber bus herself, Woo dreams of watching her daughter build something even greater — a fully equipped mobile barber and beauty salon with multiple stations that can travel throughout communities, provide services at events and create opportunities for future professionals.

She also hopes her daughter will one day own multiple barbershops/salons, develop her own product line and continue pushing the barber & beauty industry forward through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Buggs-Dorsey’s vision of legacy extends beyond her daughter.

She proudly credits her younger brother, whom she encouraged to pursue barbering after college.

Today, he is also a licensed barber, and together they have built a family tradition centered on education, entrepreneurship and service.

“They are my legacy,” Buggs-Dorsey said. “I started it, they’re going to finish it. I just pray that somebody else in our family after my daughter will continue it. That’s what legacy means to me.” •

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Richmond Mourns Community Leader Joe Fisher

BY MALCOLM MARSHALL

R

ichmond has lost one of its most beloved community leaders.

Joe Fisher, a longtime real estate broker and owner of Fisher Realtors, died July 1. He was 83.

For decades, Fisher helped generations of families become homeowners while leaving his mark on Richmond’s business, civic and faith communities.

He attended Richmond High School, Contra Costa College and Moler Barber College before owning several barbershops along Macdonald Avenue, including Umoja, then the largest Black-owned barbershop in the East Bay. He later co-owned Les and Joe’s Men’s Clothing in downtown Richmond before entering real estate.

Fisher’s commitment to Richmond reached well beyond his real estate business. He served as an associate publisher of the Richmond Post, wrote a regular real estate column for the Globe Newspaper and, as an avid photographer, frequently photographed community events for both publications. He also supported neighborhood events, promoted local organizations and encouraged investment in the community.

In 2023, hundreds of family members, friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate Fisher’s 80th birthday, reflecting the respect and admiration he earned throughout Richmond.

Vernon Whitmore, a longtime friend and former publisher of the Globe Newspaper, said Fisher’s impact can be seen in the generations of Black families he helped become homeowners.

“I’ve talked to so many people that have told me it was because of Joe Fisher that I’m a homeowner,” Whitmore said. “He believed real estate had value, and he encouraged and helped Black people get their first home.”

Whitmore said Fisher’s influence extended far beyond real estate.

Coroner’s Inquest Says Yolanda Ramirez Died of Accidental, not Natural Causes

BY DENIS PEREZ-BRAVO

R

udy Ramirez walked out of a Contra Costa County Superior Court room July 15 with anger and sadness etched on his face after jurors watched previously publicly unseen police footage of his wife, Yolanda Ramirez, losing consciousness while handcuffed in the back of a Brentwood Police SUV. “Siri, call home. Siri, call Rudy Ramirez,” Yolanda Ramirez said weakly in the video as she suffered a stroke while handcuffed after being shoved into the back of a police SUV last year.

After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence, a majority of jurors, enough to make a ruling, found Ramirez’s death an accident, one of four possible findings through the county’s inquest process. Some jurors found she died of natural causes while none found suicide or death at the hands of others.

The Ramirez family had hoped that the jury would rule the death as at the hands of others. A second, independent autopsy requested by the family said the manner of death was homicide. But Rudy said that families that have gone through this process before told him to not come into this with “high expectations.”

“We will continue this fight for Yolanda,” Rudy said after the hearing.

The Ramirez family’s attorney, Melissa Nold, said the ruling has changed the official death from natural causes

8

Joe Fisher, owner of Fisher Realtors and a onetime associate publisher of the Richmond Post, died July 1. (Promotional photo)

“He was one of the men who really helped me learn the city of Richmond,” Whitmore said. “He introduced me to the right people and helped me build relationships. Just knowing Joe Fisher opened a lot of doors.”

Fisher also served for many years as president of the Coronado Neighborhood Council and pastored at Southside Church of God in Christ.

Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said Fisher’s leadership extended well beyond the neighborhood he called home.

“He was one of those folks you looked to to be a strong community voice, and Joe always spoke his mind,” Gioia said.

For decades, Fisher organized the Coronado Neighborhood Council’s annual scholarship fundraiser and community roast, helping raise money for young people to attend college. Gioia said Fisher also served on

the county’s Assessment Appeals Board and was deeply involved in issues affecting Richmond’s neighborhoods.

“Joe was the voice of the heart of Richmond,” Gioia said. “He made sure the city invested in the heart of Richmond.”

Whitmore said that commitment to others was simply part of who Fisher was.

“He had a good heart,” Whitmore said. “He believed in God, believed in family and believed in helping people.

He was just an all-around good man.”

Fisher is survived by his wife, Maxine; their children and grandchildren; and countless friends and community members whose lives he touched through his generosity, leadership and love for Richmond. •

to an accident, which she said is legally significant.

“That is a win for us in a place where we don’t get wins,” Nold said outside Taylor Wakefield Courthouse after the decision.

The family said it will continue pressuring the district attorney’s office to press criminal charges due to criminal negligence.

“They killed her through their negligence,” Nold said.

A coroner’s inquest does not determine civil or criminal responsibility.

Family members and jurors cried as they watched body camera and squad car footage, some they had not seen before. Jurors were given tissue as emotions filled the courtroom.

The footage from the SUV camera showed graphic scenes of Ramirez gagging and later vomiting in the backseat before getting medical attention.

The hearing marked the county’s first coroner’s inquest since Contra Costa officials ended its automatic process after police-related deaths in January 2025.

video shows.

Ramirez then asked for water from a container in her car. Peachman responded that she would be able to get water in jail.

After that, Ramirez was left unattended as she suffered a medical emergency.

It wasn’t until a supporting officer came on scene that Tjhia was “flagged over” to check on her, Tjhia said.

As the third officer asks to take the handcuffs off Ramirez, the footage shows that Tjhia hesitates then realizes Ramirez is having trouble breathing.

Medics were called, and Tjhia and the third officer wait, one on each side, until the paramedics came.

Neither the video nor their witness statements indicate whether they told the paramedics that Ramirez had hit her head.

Caruso, the forensic pathologist that did Ramirez’s autopsy, testified that he reviewed CT scans and other key documents from her hospital visits and eventually reviewed the body camera recordings.

He concluded Ramirez suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, also known as a brain bleed. He testified the bleeding originated deep inside the brain rather than on its surface, and that the force of Ramirez’s head striking the SUV could not have caused the internal bleeding.

Instead, Caruso testified that Ramirez’s high blood pressure caused the vessel rupture, leading to the stroke.

Caruso also disputed the findings of the family’s independent autopsy, performed by Dr. Matthias Okoye of the Nebraska Institute of Forensic Sciences, saying he believed Okoye had incorrectly determined the cause of death.

Okoye did not testify during the inquest.

In his testimony, county inspector Sanchez only gave context on parallel investigations that were happening at the time.

Although disappointed, Yolanda’s son Rich Ramirez said the accident finding was a small win.

“It was negligence; it was unnecessary,” Rich said.

The family now waits for District Attorney Diana Becton’s office to decide if it will file criminal charges.

“We are going to see if she does the right thing,” Rich Ramirez said, “and files criminal charges against Aaron Peachman.” •

Witness Testimony Four witnesses testified during the inquest: Brentwood Police Officers Aaron Peachman and Danielle Tjhia, who arrested Ramirez, medical examiner Dr. James Caruso and Contra Costa County Senior Inspector Leonel G. Sanchez.

Peachman and Tjhia testified that Ramirez was “passively resisting” and yelled at officers during the arrest.

Peachman testified Ramirez fell to her knees as a result of her resisting and him applying “forward pressure.”

Body camera footage showed Tjhia talking with Ramirez’s brother at the time. He had come out to plead with the two officers to “have a good heart.”

Peachman and Tjhia were then unable to get Ramirez up from her knees and get her into the backseat without physical force.

Footage showed Ramirez’s head hit the opposite door as the open door was closed on her extended leg.

Both Peachman and Tjhia testified that they never checked Ramirez’s condition after that.

Peachman interacted with Ramirez after the incident, and she asked him to take off the handcuffs, to which he responded she was going to go to jail wearing those, the