TBS Today, March 5

Two short stories for you today, with others in the works.

Police closed off a South Berkeley street for an hour on Tuesday to investigate a road-rage shooting in broad daylight, authorities report.

Berkeley police investigate road-rage gunfire on MLK

The shooter fled before police arrived and no one was hurt, BPD said.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

We also updated our gunfire map to include daytime gunfire on Channing Way which happened Monday.

In that incident, police got reports of gunfire in the 1000 block of Channing Way at about 2 p.m. Two or three vehicles may have been involved, but they left before officers arrived, BPD said. Police found no property damage or victims at the scene.

Bookmark our gunfire map for the most timely, accurate information about Berkeley shootings.

Berkeley shootings in 2024: The definitive gunfire map

As of March 5, Berkeley has had six shootings in 2024 with two men wounded. Last year, no one was wounded until mid-March.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Many news outlets (including TBS) reported on BUSD's announcement Monday night about a kidnapping attempt.

Police investigate kidnapping attempt at Berkeley school

Police say someone in a white van or SUV approached a student at Ruth Acty Elementary School on Monday afternoon.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

We spoke to BPD after publication, however, and learned that officers have not been able to corroborate the details BUSD put out. It remains an active investigation.

Several news outlets, including The Mercury News, have picked up our report about the former Pamela Price spokeswoman who has accused Price of discrimination and retaliation.

Here's our scoop in case you missed it.

DA Pamela Price hit with discrimination, retaliation claims

Patti Lee says Price often made anti-Asian remarks and that the DA’s office illegally withheld records about The Scanner’s exclusion from a press event.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

ELECTION NEWS: According to political data site PDI, just 14% of Alameda County's ballots have been returned out of the 935,287 ballots issued.

Polls close at 8 p.m. We expect to see the first round of results, which generally include all mail-in ballots received up to a few days before the election, by around 8:30 p.m.

We may tweet some key results if you follow us on X.

Otherwise, they will certainly be widely reported. Election results pages on our list include the New York Times, the Secretary of State, the Chronicle, and the Alameda County registrar of voters.

You can find AC polling locations and other information on the registrar of voters website.

You can also check on your own ballot to see if it has been received.

We would ask if anyone has ideas for good Election Night watch parties, but we are still down with a bug and trying to keep our germs to ourselves.

If you still need to vote, check out our election coverage.

2024 Election Guide for Berkeley and Alameda County

From the March 5 primary to the November general election, here are many of the key races you’ll find on the ballot in 2024.

The Berkeley ScannerEditor’s desk

What do CA Senate District 7 candidates say about crime?

Some have a lot to say about it. Others not so much. See how the candidates seeking Nancy Skinner’s seat compare on public safety.

The Berkeley ScannerEditor’s desk

Alameda County aims to alter election rules amid Price recall

The proposed changes might make it tougher to recall Pamela Price. County officials say they cannot comply with the current rules.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Berkeleyside also has a strong election section.

We had some reader inquiries this week about boarded-up windows at Oceanview Diner's to-go location on Fourth Street.

We checked with BPD, who let us know that someone smashed the windows Sunday during a burglary in the hours before 6:45 a.m.

The front window and front door were both shattered. A reader shared this photo with us.

On the brighter side, commercial burglaries are down 27% from last year's spike, with 76 through March 3 or so, according to BPD data.

It's also worth noting that commercial burglaries to date are UP in Berkeley compared to prior years, aside from 2023. Last year's spike was an outlier.

This is by no means the prettiest chart but at at least it gives you a sense.

ICYMI

Price recall campaign turned in 123K signatures, group says

The registrar of voters has 10 days to review the names to determine whether there are enough valid signatures from Alameda County voters.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Berkeley first responders take active shooter ‘master class’

The Berkeley Fire Department secured a $60,000 grant through the Department of Homeland Security to organize the event.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up for our free headlines.