Kyle Martin

4 weeks ago | mercurynews.com | Kyle Martin

HAYWARD — While facing a $12 million budget deficit, Hayward is undergoing a major shakeup in leadership, with one official on leave and another headed for the door. The city is also missing a permanent human resources director and director of finance. Claussen, who became assistant city manager in 2022 after working in the finance department, will work his last day in Hayward on Friday after 11 years.

1 month ago | mercurynews.com | Kyle Martin

PLEASANTON — As this school year ends, the Pleasanton Unified School District School Board has voted to lay off over a dozen employees as part of $5 million in budget cuts. The cuts approved this month comes as the district struggles with significant financial issues due to declining enrollment and growing expenses. According to the district, Pleasanton schools have lost 1,650 of over 13,000 students since 2018, or 11% of its student body, resulting in about $20 million in lost funding.

1 month ago | mercurynews.com | Kyle Martin

FREMONT — Fremont city officials are warning that economic growth may be stunted over the next year, even as some residents are demanding more funding for services for the unhoused following strict bans on camping in RVs or in tents. The Bay Area’s fourth largest city proposes an operating budget of $422.6 million, with $277.8 million in its general fund, according to Fremont officials.

1 month ago | mercurynews.com | Kyle Martin

HAYWARD — The Hayward City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to place City Manager Ana Alvarez on paid administrative leave, less than six months after she was hired. Mayor Mark Salinas said Tuesday that the city had been conducting a performance evaluation of Alvarez since April 22, which had been revisited on May 6 and May 13. But city officials did not publicly give an exact reason for placing her on leave.

1 month ago | eastbaytimes.com | Kyle Martin

PLEASANTON - Many Pleasanton water customers, who have been plagued with infrastructure issues for the past several years, will soon see major increases to their bills. The Pleasanton City Council is expected to approve a new water rate structure this year that would give discounts to the city's highest users and more than double the costs its lowest users pay.