"Vallejo police have a pattern of giving...awards to officers who have used force or been involved in allegations of civil rights violations. A 2021 analysis showed that two-thirds of officers who were involved in incidents that led to settlements and payouts received a promotion or award after."

It's been quite a ride for Jarrett Tonn. He killed Sean Monterrosa in 2020, Vallejo police tried to fire him in 2021, but he won his job back in 2023. Now he's been promoted. bsky.app/profile/vall...

Google got off easy bsky.app/profile/carl...

Vallejo police officers shot and wounded a man who allegedly pointed a pellet gun at officers on Friday evening. www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-poli...

Graffiti of "Trump 2028" and swastikas was spotted today after a recent Vallejo homeless encampment sweep on Valle Vista Avenue. Photos via @vallejojustice.bsky.social

Been seeing a new "podcast" popping up on Instagram called "Vallejo Spotlight," which is supposedly highlighting small businesses. This is entirely AI generated and in the first few videos couldn't even pronounce Vallejo correctly.

At one point I used to turn up to 15 stories per day. They were all just 2-3 graf stories about homicides, fires, car accidents and things like that, but it was still crazy.

Vallejo's former police Capt. Jason Potts is being sued at his new role of public safety chief in Las Vegas for "viewpoint discrimination" because he only allows comments on X from people follows. www.ktnv.com/13-investiga...

We're very happy to voluntarily recognize the Mission Local Guild! We'll work in good faith with our staff on upcoming negotiations, & look forward to ironing out a contract.

Here's a particularly insidious illustration of this: A longstanding for-profit media company with a unionized staff established a nonprofit arm. All new staff was hired on the nonprofit side, part time, without benefits and no union protection. bsky.app/profile/scot...

One of the saddest things I've realized over the last few years is how little working conditions seem to matter to the nonprofit journalism world. Publications that struggle to recruit and retain staff are treated as darlings in that world and rewarded with substantial grants and funding.

Well, PACER was hacked again, probably by a nation state: www.politico.com/news/2025/08... Luckily, our blog post from 2021 still holds up. If only we could have known this might happen. free.law/2021/10/05/p...

Vallejo passed a police oversight ordinance with a catch -- the police union had to sign off before the commission could do any work. Nearly three years later, it hasn't done anything. One attorney called it a "poison pill." bsky.app/profile/nhan...

We called for an independent investigation of the Vallejo City Attorney’s Office due to serious allegations of misconduct. Instead, the council tasked a law firm with close ties to the city atty's office to investigate whether a "formal" investigation is even warranted. In a word, this is a sham.

Avram Frey, deputy director of the criminal law and immigration project at the ACLU, called the City Council's action a "sham" in a statement late Tuesday. bsky.app/profile/vall...

The Vallejo City Council voted to use an outside law firm to consider whether it must respond to and conduct an investigation into “recent allegations” after the ACLU sent a letter last week accusing the city attorney of misconduct. www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-cont...

Asked for concrete data on how gunshot detection tech improves policing, police Capt. Jerome Bautista said, “We just have success stories. We don’t have more concrete data.” Story by @nhansonreports.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/vall...

After a slew of new revelations about the Vallejo police handling of evidence and complaints (including hiring an ineligible officer) the ACLU has called for an investigation into the conduct of the city attorney's office. Story by @nhansonreports.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/vall...

This year the Vallejo Sun has brought on four new contributors. Your support supports them. Every dollar we receive goes to bringing news to Vallejo and Solano County and supporting local journalists doing local work. Can you join us as a member today? www.vallejosun.com/membership/

Solano County Sheriff Tom Ferrara will retire in September after 13 years as sheriff, Ferrara told the Solano County Board of Supervisors in a letter Thursday. He recommended Undersheriff Brad DeWall replace him for the remainder of his 3 year term. www.vallejosun.com/solano-sheri...

The same day I reported that a Vallejo police officer was hired after he was disqualified by three other agencies, the city council voted to give them retention bonuses. bsky.app/profile/vall...

More shocking revelations about Vallejo police, corroborating what two recruiters testified to: that they hired people who couldn't be hired at other departments. bsky.app/profile/vall...

Vallejo police Corporal Colin Eaton was one of six officers who killed Willie McCoy and the @aclu-norcal.bsky.social is seeking to decertify him. A background investigator's report shows he was rejected by three law enforcement agencies before Vallejo hired him. www.vallejosun.com/a-cops-backg...

After ICE sightings in Vallejo, July 4 festivities in Vallejo are expected to be more muted this year. Latino groups have been reluctant to participate, fearing raids and an uptick in racism directed at their community. www.vallejosun.com/latino-group...

It looks like this investigation into the Vallejo PD's badge bending tradition, which the city of Vallejo has tried to bury for years, may finally become public thanks to the @aclu-norcal.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/vall...

This story has some of the craziest revelations about the Vallejo Police Department I've seen in years. Here's a thread with some of the revelations: www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-poli...

Nichelini was hired by his father, former Vallejo police Chief Robert Nichelini, after a rocky tenure in Oakland. In Vallejo, Nichelini was accused by a former captain of timecard fraud, and was fired for over a year but won his job back in arbitration. bsky.app/profile/vall...

Vallejo's former deputy police chief alleges that he was badgered by the union until he was fired after he tried to address a backlog of officer complaints, then a union member took over his position. www.vallejosun.com/former-valle...

Update on the bizarre story of police Lt. Jodi Brown searching a home looking for her gold plated handcuffs. According to the suit, she still hasn't arrested the person she accused of taking them and the dept hasn't opened an IA investigation. www.vallejosun.com/family-sues-...

Last week, I tipped off Open Vallejo that a story where an anonymous source claimed that a person found dead had been shot, but the police were unwilling to call it a homicide, was inaccurate. I said that the story should be retracted and they owed the man's family an apology.

Alarming new allegations of misconduct by Vallejo's assistant city manager, who allegedly ordered a subordinate to delete text messages she didn't want released and submit falsified documentation to HUD. bsky.app/profile/vall...

NEW: An unhoused woman can stay at her tent shelter after a federal judge agreed her case raised “serious questions” about whether Vallejo officials can remove her, based on the 14th Amendment. Read more on why her case matters to other unhoused folks in Vallejo. @thevallejosun.bsky.social

See you there bsky.app/profile/vall...

Has anyone ever studied the psychological effects of things like the Citizen app or relentless, sensational crime coverage in the news media? Would appreciate any research recommendations.

To reflect on the anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, here's a 2022 podcast about the people who aligned and found inspiration with the riots at the Capitol in Solano and Napa counties. www.vallejosun.com/extremism-in...

It's the last day of our fundraiser and we still are running short. Now's the time to make a contribution to high-impact local journalism -- we need your help today! fundrazr.com/vallejo-sun-...

Proud of the work this talented team has done in 2024. It can be hard to sum up all we've accomplished in a year but here's some of the highlights: bsky.app/profile/vall...

Hi people! @vallejosun.bsky.social is still over 10K short of its modest 15K end-of-year fundraising goal. If you’re able to, please consider supporting this scrappy local publication that pursues the important stuff and doesn’t just chase clicks! fundrazr.com/campaigns/c2...

Why readers support the Vallejo Sun: "The Vallejo Sun brings a vital, vigorous, and fresh perspective to all things Vallejo, and it gives me hope for Vallejo itself that there are hardworking individuals dedicated to keeping us informed." fundrazr.com/vallejo-sun-...

🌞 As 2024 winds down, at the Vallejo Sun we're reflecting on all that we've accomplished this year. It's hard to fit it all in a single thread, but here's a few highlights. And if you're unfamiliar with our work, it's a good introduction:

If you canceled your LA Times or Washington Post subscription because of the presidential endorsement issue I hope you moved that contribution elsewhere. Good journalism still needs support and if these institutions are punished we need something else. bsky.app/profile/cali...

Reporter Holly McDede has been working for months on this story and went to court with the @facoalition.bsky.social to compel the release of these records. They finally answer the question of how a teacher charged with molesting students was allowed back in a classroom. bsky.app/profile/vall...

Why readers say they support the Sun: "I like to believe that reporting like The Vallejo Sun brings to our attention can encourage and support actions that can make Vallejo a much better place for our kids to grow up and for others like me to grow old." fundrazr.com/vallejo-sun-...

Transparency victory! Following up on her stories for the Vallejo Sun about a Benicia teacher accused of sexual misconduct, reporter Holly McDede teamed up with the First Amendment oalition to compel the district to release records about the case. firstamendmentcoalition.org/news/post/fa...

This is unfortunately typical behavior by the Solano DA.

It's Giving Tuesday, and local journalism needs your help. At the Vallejo Sun, we think journalism plays a crucial role in a healthy democracy. But we need all the help we can get to grow and thrive. Chip in with a tax deductible donation today: fundrazr.com/vallejo-sun-...

Heads up publishers: Google may be inserting its own ads into your website and you have to opt out to prevent it. www.theverge.com/2024/11/25/2...

In yet another bizarre Vallejo police story, a lieutenant lost her gold-plated handcuffs, which had her name and badge number inscribed on them. She's taken extreme measures to find them except, for some reason, arresting the person she thinks took them. www.vallejosun.com/vallejo-poli...

Jacob Harding-Abeyta of Vallejo pleaded guilty in federal court today. Prosecutors used his appearance in a rap video to argue he was connected to the Family Affiliated Irish Mafia, a Bay Area-based offshoot of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. www.vallejosun.com/feds-use-rap...

“I’ve never heard of a judge being called as a witness in a matter like this,” attorney Melissa Nold told the Sun, “but I’ve also never heard of an Assistant City Attorney turned judge being caught red handed concealing and destroying records either.” www.vallejosun.com/attorneys-in...