Emeryville Man among 5 suspects arrested in Sacramento County Bystander death

A 20-year-old Emeryville man is among five suspects who were arrested following a Sacramento shoot out that killed an 18-year-old bystander and injured a second victim.

Juan Colmenero and four other teenagers were arrested following an investigation of a shootout between two groups of men at a party where an estimated seventy rounds were exchanged. The target of the attempted ambush was an unidentified “rapper.”

Colmenero was arrested on April 29th at SFO and was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail where he is currently booked on charges of murder, conspiracy and possession of a semiautomatic firearm.

Emeryville AI company strikes $2B deal with Lilly

Emeryville-based AI biotech startup Profluent has landed a massive partnership with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly worth up to $2.25 billion providing a boost to the city’s lagging life sciences sector.

The deal will use AI-designed genetic editing tools to develop next-generation treatments for diseases that have long eluded conventional medicine.

Podcast Series Examines Murder Case Tied to Emeryville

Fans of true-crime podcasts may want to queue up the latest season of Bloomberg’s acclaimed Foundering series. Reported and narrated by Shawn Wen, Season 6 revisits the sensational 2023 killing of Cash App creator Bob Lee and the trial of convicted killer Nima Momeni — who attended high school in Albany and later lived and operated his business in Emeryville before his arrest.

The serialized podcast digs into the chaotic aftermath of the stabbing, the internet-fueled rumors that spiraled nationwide, and the salacious courtroom drama that turned the Bay Area case into a media spectacle.

Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or Bloomberg.com (Paid Subscription required).

Highwire Coffee CEO Discusses East Bay Growth Strategy

San Francisco Business Times reporter Alex Barreira recently spoke with Highwire Coffee CEO Jeff Weinstein, who spent a decade at nearby Peet’s Coffee before joining the privately held East Bay roaster founded by a trio of former Peet’s alumni.

Highwire roasts its beans at its facility on Emery Street in Emeryville, where its 36 non-managerial employees recently voted to unionize.

Weinstein discussed the company’s “slow brew” growth strategy, ongoing unionization efforts across the coffee industry, and the recent closure of Highwire’s Montclair location, among other topics.

Former Emeryville Councilmember interviewed on “City Dweller” Podcast

Former Emeryville Councilmember John Bauters, who most recently reemerged in a reality TV appearance, continues to maintain a public profile with a recent appearance on the City Dweller podcast hosted by Jared W. The show describes itself as a conversation series focused on “learning about perspectives on city life.”

In the 32-minute episode, Bauters reflects on his time in office, describing Emeryville as “the meat in the sandwich between the Oakland half and the Berkeley half of the bun,” and revisits his administration’s emphasis on expanding bike infrastructure—efforts that helped earn him the self-styled moniker “America’s Bike Mayor.”

Bauters, who has leaned into consulting work following his 2024 County Supervisor race loss, was recently named a Public Services Fellow at the University of Maryland’s Institute of Public Leadership.