• Charles BurressPatch Staff Verified Patch Staff Badge

  • Berkeley, CA

Email: (See my email address at the bottom of the Albany Patch or Berkeley Patch homepage.)

Phone: 510-435-4127

Now in my fourth year with Patch.com, I'm the editor of and Albany Patch and Berkeley Patch.

I worked many years as a staff writer and editor at the San Francisco Chronicle until April of 2009, when I switched to freelancing. I then wrote for the Los Angeles Times and other publications, and I also took on editing assignments for UC Berkeley and the United Nations.

Being an East Bay reporter for Patch brings my career full circle in the East Bay. My first bylines appeared in the East Bay Review of the Performing Arts. I next worked as a reporter and editor at the Daily Californian while studying at UC Berkeley, where I obtained a master's in journalism. I was a reporter at the Contra Costa Independent, Berkeley Gazette and San Francisco Examiner before moving to the Chronicle, where I worked several years in the Berkeley bureau and in the main East Bay bureau in Oakland.

Posting Activity

Berkeley|News|

Cal Reflecting Pool Has Something New to Reflect on

Sculptures made of large, interlaced stainless steel rings are popping up on the UC Berkeley campus this summer, the handiwork of 1962 Cal grad Bruce Beasley, who won approval for a year-long exhibit of his "Rondo" series.

Cal Reflecting Pool Has Something New to Reflect on
Albany, CA|News|

Pet of the Week: Kamri

Kamri is a beautiful, fluffy cat that was abandoned and found at a restaurant parking lot. Since March, she has been at the Berkeley Animal Shelter – which also serves Albany – and is looking for a new home.

Pet of the Week: Kamri
Albany, CA|News|

BART Worker Pleads Not Guilty to Filing False Police Report

A BART employee pleaded not guilty today, July 8, to charges of filing a false police report of being attacked by a patron. The claim came in the midst of heated talks over contract issues, including employee safety, BART management said.

BART Worker Pleads Not Guilty to Filing False Police Report
Berkeley|News|

BART Worker Pleads Not Guilty to Filing False Police Report

A BART employee pleaded not guilty today, July 8, to charges of filing a false police report of being attacked by a patron. The claim came in the midst of heated talks over contract issues, including employee safety, BART management said.

BART Worker Pleads Not Guilty to Filing False Police Report
Berkeley|News|

Berkeley Plugged into Nation's Largest Public Green Energy Coop

The City of Berkeley and UC Berkeley have joined with 17 other public agencies to form the "nation’s largest collaborative procurement of renewable energy for public agencies." They plan solar panels on rooftops, fuel cells and solar thermal power.

Berkeley Plugged into Nation's Largest Public Green Energy Coop
Albany, CA|News|

Chin-Drenching, High-Speed Watermelon Chomping

What better way to wish America a happy birthday on a warm summer day than to kiss good table manners goodbye and gobble down chunks of juicy watermelon as fast as you can? That's what some folks did Thursday in Albany.

Berkeley|News|

Young Man, Woman Robbed by Armed Pair in Hoodies

A man and a woman, both 21, were robbed at gunpoint by two suspects in hoodies at Dwight Way and Warring Way in Berkeley early this morning, Friday, according to UC Berkeley police.

Young Man, Woman Robbed by Armed Pair in Hoodies
Berkeley|News|

Fireworks May Have Caused Richmond Fire Deaths

Authorities say Fourth of July fireworks may have been responsible for the fire deaths of a mother and father and critical injuries to their adult son at their Richmond home in the early morning hours of July 5, 2013.

Fireworks May Have Caused Richmond Fire Deaths
Albany, CA|News|

Fireworks May Have Caused Richmond Fire Deaths

Authorities say Fourth of July fireworks may have been responsible for the fire deaths of a mother and father and critical injuries to their adult son at their Richmond home in the early morning hours of July 5, 2013.

Fireworks May Have Caused Richmond Fire Deaths