A NORTH OAKLAND COUPLE is on the hook for nearly $1 million in penalties after the City Council this week voted to enforce a finding that they illegally cut down 38 trees on their own and neighboring property.

The council voted 5-3 to impose a record fine of over $915,135.40 on property owners Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner for removing the protected trees in 2021 and 2022.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.