Diablo • August 2024

House of the Dragon

"Air-oh-ant. Perhaps the first thing to know about Emerald High School in Dublin is how to pronounce its mascot, the aerouant. On the long, winding road to opening the first new comprehensive high school in Alameda County in more than 50 years, it was the aerouant that kept founding principal Francis Rojas up at night."

Diablo • December 2023

Road Ready

"In 27 years of driving, I’ve never received a traffic ticket. I am proud of this. Technically, I have been pulled over—for expired tags. So while I am not great at paying bills, I am confident calling myself a 'good driver.' I put that notion to the test at Greenlight Simulation. The Danville company offers driver’s training in a virtual world."

LinkedIn • October 2023

4 Ways One Tech Company Invests in Emerging Talent to Fill Key Roles and Its Leadership Pipeline

"How do you solve a problem like the technical skills shortage? For technology company Edifecs, the answer is surprisingly straightforward: Edifecs became an educator for the skills they needed and started training technical talent even before they graduated from university."

Diablo • September 2023

Super Power: Physicist Andrea Kritcher

"For 60 years, scientists and engineers have been on a quest to achieve controlled nuclear fusion ignition—a major step on the path to clean, limitless energy. When it finally happened on December 5 last year, most of the team behind the feat were asleep. 'We were so excited, but individually from home,' says Andrea Kritcher, the principal designer of the experiment, who learned of its success at 1 a.m."

Diablo • August 2023

Olympic Dreams

"When she steps onto the floor at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships—hosted this month at San Jose's SAP Center—Tiana Sumanasekera will be cheered on by a proud hometown crowd. The 15-year-old from Pleasanton is on a red-hot rise as a first-year senior elite competitor, winning the all-around title at the Pan American Championships and landing in contention for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris."

Diablo • March 2023

Best Family-Friendly Day Trips: Need for Speed

"Whether your family includes young fans of 'Blaze and the Monster Machines,' shifting-attention-span teens, or professionals on the go, you'll all enjoy this high-speed tour of the Tri-Valley.

Visit Oakland Magazine • January 2023

Big Style: Oakland Icons in Conversation

"Ayesha Curry and Sherri McMullen met in 2011, when Curry popped into McMullen's eponymous fashion boutique in Oakland. Today, Curry owns a store just up the block, Sweet July, and she and her husband (Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry) are often styled by McMullen for photoshoots and events."

Diablo • August 2022

From Spectacle to Sanctuary: 100 Years of the Oakland Zoo

"Growing up in early 1980s San Leandro, my oldest memory of the Oakland Zoo is watching a gibbon swing effortlessly around a cylindrical metal enclosure. It would pause, seemingly observing me, then swing away. I was mesmerized. Not unlike the sway of a gibbon, the history of the East Bay’s beloved institution feels a lot like an arc..."

Diablo • August 2022

Live & Learn

"You’ve lounged by the pool, visited all the playgrounds, and pushed the outer limits of screen time. Now what? It’s probably time to help your kids transition back into an educational frame of mind. With our course catalog of museum exhibits, historical parks, and notable destinations, learning feels a lot like playing. School’s IN for summer."

Diablo • September 2021

Agents of Change: Kim Curtis

"Curiosity first drew Kim Curtis to the homeless. At age 14, she was riding BART into San Francisco when she saw people living on the street. She wanted to know why, so she asked them. Soon, she was making friends and bringing meals. Today, Curtis is the executive director of Goodness Village, a nonprofit in Livermore that provides affordable permanent housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness."

Petaluma Visitor Magazine • August 2022

Handmade in Petaluma

"Shop these local goods, and find the perfect piece to take home."

Diablo • April 2022

Twist on a Twist

"Twenty-five minutes before its noon opening, I'm second in line outside Squabisch on Berkeley's Solano Avenue. Within minutes, there are a dozen of us—all first-timers. One came from San Francisco. Another saw the line wrapped around the block while shopping the day before and thought it must be a new pot shop."

Diablo • August 2021

Insider's Guide to Pleasanton, California

"It’s hard not to use “pleasant” to describe Pleasanton. After all, the city is quiet and pretty, with a plethora of parks and patio dining, and the ridgeline along its western border is dotted with old oaks. Its history, though, can veer toward the dramatic."

Cubby • May 2021

The Top 10 Road Trips for Families

"Six years ago, the first road trip my husband and I took as new parents was a journey from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern Oregon, for a funeral. Our 1-year-old had always been generally happy riding in the car, but she chose this opportunity to snooze and scream, alternately, every 15 minutes. It was the longest seven hours of our lives."

Diablo • May 2021

Game Changer: The Lab's Leading Lady

"When Kim Budhil came to Livermore from Chicago in 1987 as a graduate student studying lasers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, she didn't expect to stick around. But 36 years and many roles later she's still at the lab—and is now its director."

Via • October 2020

How to Talk to Your Aging Parents About Finances

"Important conversations with our loved ones can be hard. And they can be harder still during a challenging year. But it’s important to talk to our parents about their finances—before we are unable to do so."

Diablo • June 2021

Insider's Guide to Dublin, California

"Long before the 580 and 
680 freeways converged in a multilane, cloverleafed cluster of commuters, Dublin was at the crossroads. Native American trading routes passed through here, as did Gold Rush prospectors, Spanish explorers, cattle ranchers, and stagecoaches 
full of migrating families. For years, the local Alamilla Springs was a place for travelers to stop and freshen up, change horses, and check in with each other on the journey ahead."

Saint Mary's Magazine • April 2021

Into the Future / An Empathetic Leader

Profiles of retiring Saint Mary's President James Donahue and incoming President Richard Plumb.

Via • September 2020

How to Clean Child Car Seats

"Dirt and spilled food can affect a car seat’s performance—but cleaning it can, too. Improper cleaning methods and harsh chemicals can weaken straps, rust buckles, and damage plastic. Here are some tips for handling messes without sacrificing your kids’ safety."

Diablo • October 2020

Insider's Guide to Livermore, California

"About a day's journey by wagon from San Francisco and San Jose, the Livermore Valley became a popular rest stop for Gold Rush prospectors heading to the Sierra Nevada foothills. Within a few years, a small town formed amid the ranchland."