Bay Area News Group

A state bill to increase fire safety and accountability in California cities unanimously passed the state Legislature in August and now awaits Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.

On March 8, a group of reporters from the Bay Area News Group, or BANG, held a press conference in which the reporters denounced the business practices of BANG's corporate management, a hedge fund called Alden Global Capital.

Nearly 30 reporters and staff at the East Bay Times and the Mercury News accepted buyouts from parent company Bay Area News Group, or BANG, last week, with more layoffs expected.

When faceless hedge funds take over local newspapers and impose drastic staffing cuts, employed reporters aren’t the only ones who suffer — the community does too. Without more active financial support for local publications, residents will be forced to see the quality of their news coverage decrease significantly.

The Bay Area News Group, or BANG, which includes The Mercury News and East Bay Times, announced Friday that it will be hit with “significant” staff layoffs in the coming months.

According to a recent Bay Area News Group analysis of 2015 crime statistics, UC Berkeley issued campuswide alerts for less than 30 percent of reported sexual offenses that occurred on or near campus in 2015.

Multiple Bay Area News Group, or BANG, newspapers will consolidate come April 5, resulting in staff reductions and the loss of the daily Oakland Tribune, among other papers.

Berkeley City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli is under fire after a Friday report from the Bay Area News Group claimed that he profited from a 2009 housing loan from the city for which he voted.

Berkeley city employees are responding with mixed feelings after the city apologizes for inadvertently sharing social security numbers in responding to a public records request in March.