• 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

Albany, CA|News|

Alert on Bike Thefts at University Village in Albany

A bike theft alert has been issued by University Village, the UC Berkeley graduate student family housing complex in Albany. An unusually high number of bikes, many securely locked in private patios, have been stolen recently.

Alert on Bike Thefts at University Village in Albany
Berkeley|News|

Alert on Bike Thefts at University Village

A bike theft alert has been issued by University Village, the UC Berkeley graduate student family housing complex in Albany. An unusually high number of bikes, many securely locked in private patios, have been stolen recently.

Alert on Bike Thefts at University Village
Berkeley|News|

Tentative Pact with Berkeley Teachers Announced

The Berkeley teachers union and the school district have reached a tentative agreement in their contract dispute, providing a 2.5-percent raise effective from July 1 last year and a 2.5-percent bonus, the district announced Thursday night.

Tentative Pact with Berkeley Teachers Announced
Berkeley|News|

Ant Prof Who Braved Madagascar Mud to Give Free Talk

UC Berkeley adjunct biology professor Brian Fisher – a regular on BBC, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic – will speak on "Ants: the Invisible Majority" at the Albany Community Center Friday night

Ant Prof Who Braved Madagascar Mud to Give Free Talk
Albany, CA|News|

Ant Prof Who Braved Madagascar Mud to Speak in Albany

Giving a free talk, "Ants: the Invisible Majority," at the Albany Community Center Friday is Brian Fisher, a regular on BBC, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. He also curates at the Academy of Sciences and teaches university classes.

Ant Prof Who Braved Madagascar Mud to Speak in Albany
Berkeley|News|

Homes for Sale in Berkeley

Patch.com partner Zillow.com provides updates for new homes for sale in Berkeley. Here are the latest.

Homes for Sale in Berkeley
Albany, CA|News|

Homes For Sale In Albany

Patch.com partner Zillow.com provides updates for new homes for sale in Albany. Here are the latest.

Homes For Sale In Albany
Berkeley|News|

Sci Fi Writer Jack Vance, a Cal Grad, Dies at 96

One of America's most prolific mystery and science fiction writers, Jack Vance died Sunday at his Oakland home, AP reported. A UC Berkeley grad, his first published writing appeared in The Daily Californian. His pen names included Ellery Queen.

Sci Fi Writer Jack Vance, a Cal Grad, Dies at 96
Albany, CA|News|

Marin Elementary School Principal Leaving

David Kumamoto, principal of Marin Elementary School in Albany, is leaving, the school district said in a brief announcement Wednesday. Alexia Ritchie, principal of MacGregor High School, will serve as as Interim Principal, the district said.

Marin Elementary School Principal Leaving
Berkeley|News|

Berkeley Police Officers Cite Public Support for Tasers

The Berkeley Police Association, the bargaining unit for the city's police officers, held a press conference Wednesday to urge that officers be equipped with Tasers and to release a public survey supporting the electric stun weapons.

Albany, CA|News|

Trick for Posting on Patch

Here's an easy fix for inserting paragraph breaks and links into your blog post, events, announcements, "Speak Out" posts and other content on Patch.

Trick for Posting on Patch
Berkeley|News|

Trick for Posting on Patch

Here's an easy fix for inserting paragraph breaks and links into your blog post, events, announcements, "Speak Out" posts and other content on Patch.

Trick for Posting on Patch
Berkeley|News|

Three Arrested, More Than 50 Thefts at Cal Sports Center

UC Berkeley police said Wednesday that three young men have been arrested separately following a "rash of thefts" at the campus Recreational Sports Facility. More than 50 thefts have been reported there since Jan. 1, police said.

Three Arrested, More Than 50 Thefts at Cal Sports Center
Berkeley|News|

Adjusted API Scores, Rankings Released for Schools

The California Department of Education has released adjusted 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) scores for public schools. In Berkeley, Oxford Elementary ranked in the top 10 percent statewide, and three others in the top 20 percent.

Adjusted API Scores, Rankings Released for Schools
Albany, CA|News|

Adjusted API Scores, Rankings Released for Schools

The California Department of Education has released adjusted 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) scores for public schools. In Albany, three schools ranked in the top 10 percent of schools statewide.

Adjusted API Scores, Rankings Released for Schools
Albany, CA|News|

Moon Dust Found in Berkeley Lab Warehouse After 43 Years

Vials of moon dust picked up by the first men on the moon – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 9 mission – were found forgotten in a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory warehouse by a lab archivist who was clearing out lab artifacts.

Moon Dust Found in Berkeley Lab Warehouse After 43 Years
Berkeley|News|

Moon Dust Found in Berkeley Lab Warehouse After 43 Years

Vials of moon dust picked up by the first men on the moon – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 9 mission – were found forgotten in a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory warehouse by a lab archivist who was clearing out lab artifacts.

Moon Dust Found in Berkeley Lab Warehouse After 43 Years
Berkeley|News|

32 Years Later – Book Returned to Albany School Library

A book checked out from the Albany Middle School library in 1981 has finally been returned, somewhat overdue. It arrived in an envelope with no return address, and the last name on the check-out slip is hard to decipher.

32 Years Later – Book Returned to Albany School Library