Remote Surveillance Trailer in San Leandro, CA

The coffee chain is known for its high-quality pour-overs, along with its signature sweet and creamy blends.

SAN LEANDRO, CA — A popular coffee chain is bringing its sweet and creamy specialty pour-overs to San Leandro for the first time ever.

Philz Coffee, known for its iconic drinks such as the mint mojito and oatmeal cookie cold brew, will have a soft opening for its first San Leandro location on Monday, according to the report.

The official grand opening for the business, located at 1194 E. 14th St., will be on Wednesday.

"The new 2,474 sq ft location features seating for 43 guests and a bespoke mural by internationally recognized local artist Nigel Sussman," Philz Coffee said in a statement to Patch. "The design celebrates San Leandro’s distinctive history and landmarks, inspired by the town’s agricultural roots, the area’s legacy as a hub of hot rod culture, and the historic Oakland Speedway."

While there are several Philz Coffee locations already in the Bay Area, the closest one to San Leandro is located in Castro Valley.

"Philz is excited to join the dynamic city of San Leandro and believes its commitment to community, quality coffee, and personalized service aligns perfectly with the spirit of residents," the company said in a statement to Patch. "Every drink is individually made to order using Philz’s signature pour-over method and customized with the customer’s preference of sweetness level and milk option at no extra charge."

Philz Coffee was founded by Phil Jaber in San Francisco in 2003 and has since extended its reach to the Midwest. The company is currently headquartered in Oakland.

"Phil spent 25 years learning, experimenting, and blending, with the goal of making a really good cup of coffee," according to the company's website. "His passion for brewing coffee and building community laid the foundation for the first Philz Coffee shop."

As of last year, the store had nearly 80 locations across California and Chicago.

SAN LEANDRO, CA — An embattled and recently retired San Leandro councilman has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a federal corruption case, according to authorities.

Bryan Azevedo, 49, admitted in court Wednesday to engaging in a conspiracy to accept bribes in exchange for using his official position to obtain favorable treatment and city contracts for a housing company, and to lying to federal investigators, according to the Department of Justice.

Azevedo now faces more than 20 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. A judge will impose a sentence during the next court hearing on Dec. 3.

The bribery scheme dates back to 2023, when Azevedo attended a 10-day delegation trip to Vietnam sponsored by a housing company seeking to do business with him, according to authorities.

When he returned from the trip, Azevedo met with an associate at the housing company and agreed to use his authority as a San Leandro official to help them obtain city contracts, prosecutors said.

Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, Azevedo took steps that benefited the housing company, including advocating for an emergency shelter ordinance. That emergency ordinance was eventually passed by the council in June 2024, according to federal prosecutors.

Azevedo also tried to convince other council members to have the city buy housing units from the company, federal prosecutors said.

The agreement between Azevedo and the housing company ensured the council member would get a percentage of whatever money the housing company got from selling units to the city of San Leandro, authorities said.

Azevedo, under instruction from the housing company, opened an LLC and bank account in his wife's name to mask his involvement in the scheme, authorities said.

The council member was interviewed by FBI agents in January about his involvement and lied to them, saying he had not received any payments from them, according to authorities.

The FBI eventually served a warrant at Azevedo's home. It's unclear what they found, but he was hit with federal corruption charges in October.

On Monday, just days before pleading guilty, the city of San Leandro announced that Azevedo had chosen to retire from his role as a councilmember. He had been re-elected in 2024 to represent the city's District 2.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A major development in the federal corruption probe into former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and the owners of California Waste Solutions - the first "guilty" plea in the case from former San Leandro City Council Member Bryan Azevedo. The I-Team's Dan Noyes first questioned Azevedo about his involvement in the case ten months ago. Bryan Azevedo just retired on Tuesday from his position on the San Leandro City Council. He would have been fired after Wednesday's guilty plea to two felonies.

The I-Team's Dan Noyes questioned Azevedo, "Bryan, a lot of people put their trust in you. Do you feel badly for betraying their trust?"

At the Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, Azevedo pled guilty to "Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud", in effect, depriving the public of its right to an honest public official. And he pled guilty to lying to FBI agents who interviewed him during a raid at his San Leandro home, January of last year.

Noyes tried again, asking Azevedo, "Anything at all to say to the public?"

Prosecutors told the judge the problems began with a 10-day luxury trip to Vietnam sponsored by David Duong, owner of California Waste Solutions, for some 50 people including public officials.

EXCLUSIVE: San Leandro councilmember describes FBI raid at his home, worries about possible arrest

We first showed you video of Azevedo toasting the entourage. Prosecutors say the scheme soon hatched, that Azevedo would help the Duong family with their new company, Evolutionary Homes, to sell container homes for the homeless to the City of San Leandro. Azevedo would get a percentage. He started an LLC in his wife's name to hide the transactions and accepted a $2000 bribe from the Duongs to fund it.

The I-Team asked Azevedo about that exact thing, last April.

DAN NOYES: "Was there some arrangement between you and the Duongs in terms of 'we'll give you a percentage if you sell X number of units'?"

BRYAN AZEVEDO: "I don't remember nothing, no."

DAN NOYES: "For you to say, 'I don't remember,' it's not going to look good for people. I mean, clearly-"

BRYAN AZEVEDO: "I don't want to comment on that because no, there was no arrangement on that."

San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez released a video statement late Wednesday, saying the city council will move to fill Azevedo's seat next week: "The sacred trust between you as the voter and us as electees, that trust serves as the foundation of democracy. And Wednesday's admission by Councilmember Azevedo represents a violation of that trust."

Azevedo is now cooperating as a witness for the government and has a sentencing date set for December. While the charges call for 20-years, he will get a much lighter sentence, especially with his cooperation.