Anna Bauman

NEW: "Dani Johnston called 911. Answering, South Lake Tahoe dispatcher Nicole Sykes could hear only screaming. It was 2:20 p.m. on June 21. Then the line disconnected. Sykes sent a text: 'What is your emergency?' 'Boat sinking.' " By @abauman2 sfchronicle.com/california/art…

Don't miss guest editor @LukeRussert's SLR featuring @jeremypgordon, @anandspandian, @kentbabb, @abauman2, @bkamisar & more mailchi.mp/sundaylongread…

Open Vallejo has won the June Sidney Award from the @SidneyHillman Foundation for its investigation into the in-custody death of Darryl Mefferd, which the city of Vallejo kept secret for nearly a decade. openvallejo.org/2025/06/16/ope…

Thrilled to say I won a Sidney award for an investigation into a 2016 death in Vallejo police custody. It wouldn't have been possible without years of digging by @OpenVallejo & help from pro bono lawyers. Thank you @SidneyHillman for recognizing this work! hillmanfoundation.org/sidney-awards/…

🇺🇸 Battling Eviction From A Vacant Lot ▫He thought he owned the vacant Oakland lot where he lived for 8 years. Now the city wants him gone ▫@abauman2 ▫is.gd/hbW6Rd #frontpagestoday #USA @sfchronicle 🇺🇸

A strange and sad story of homelessness, squatting and eviction by @abauman2 “Eight years ago, the 60-year-old man moved onto an unusual wedge of vacant land near Interstate 880 in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, which he thought had no owner.” sfchronicle.com/eastbay/articl…

Excited to see this investigation, my last for @OpenVallejo, out in the world. Darryl Mefferd died in Vallejo police custody in 2016 after an officer held him facedown on the ground for minutes — a common yet preventable situation, experts say. openvallejo.org/2025/05/14/i-c…

LATEST: Trump administration sows panic at California universities after revoking more than 100 student visas By @abauman2 @stjbs @BobEgelko sfchronicle.com/bayarea/articl…

NEW: Alexander Leatham spoke Elvish and thrived at “nerd camp.” Now, she sits in a Solano County Jail cell, faced with charges of murder and mayhem. My second-to-last story for @OpenVallejo openvallejo.org/2025/03/12/how…

NEW: Three members of the alleged Zizians were arrested Sunday in Maryland after asking to camp in box trucks on someone's property for a month. The parents of Daniel Blank, who'd been missing for years, say their son is a victim of cult brainwashing. openvallejo.org/2025/02/17/ber…

Jack “Ziz” LaSota has outstanding warrants in California and Pennsylvania for failing to appear in separate criminal cases. People warned about their bizarre, menacing behavior for years. openvallejo.org/2025/01/31/ziz…

NEW: Jack LaSota, who is allegedly the namesake for a violent fringe group known as the Zizians, faked their own death in 2022 while facing criminal charges. LaSota is free from custody but wanted in CA and PA for failing to appear in criminal court cases. openvallejo.org/2025/01/31/ziz…

Here's the latest we have, as of yesterday, on the killings of a Vallejo witness & Vermont Border Patrol agent. openvallejo.org/2025/01/28/man… Please reach out if you have tips or more info about the suspects & their links to the Zizians: [email protected]. DM me for Signal.

Maximilian Snyder is "death eligible at this point," District Attorney Krishna Abrams told Open Vallejo. California’s death penalty has been dormant since @CAGovernor @GavinNewsom signed an executive order pausing state-ordered killings in March 2019. openvallejo.org/2025/01/28/man…

“Mr. Lind is the only eye-witness to this case and his testimony is critical for the People to have the ability to prove their case,” prosecutors said the *day before* he was killed. This, after a sword attack. Bonkers story from @abauman2 & @maattttbrown:openvallejo.org/2025/01/27/man…

An 82-year-old landlord who was fatally stabbed last week in Vallejo had been the target of a knife attack in 2022. Court docs show he was set to testify in a trial set for April as the sole eyewitness in the case. Story w/ @maattttbrown openvallejo.org/2025/01/27/man…

Today kicks off the first full week of our #NewsMatch campaign! With your help, we can raise mission-critical funding to keep our independent newsroom strong. openvallejo.org/donate

In his first sit-down interview since starting work in May, City Manager Andrew Murray met with Open Vallejo to discuss public safety and the future of the Vallejo Police Department. openvallejo.org/2024/10/24/val…

“We spoke out in hopes of changing something,” said Will Morat, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “I don’t think anything has changed yet.” openvallejo.org/2024/10/09/val…

Even though FAC's David Snyder was kicked out of Wednesday's hearing, he writes: "If nobody speaks out, there’s not even a chance that the rights of the public and press will prevail." firstamendmentcoalition.org/news/post/why-…