Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO—Two sagging Pacific Gas & Electric power lines made contact, sparked and ignited a Northern California wildfire last year that killed four people and injured a firefighter, officials said on Oct. 9. The finding adds to the growing financial liability of PG&E over wildfires in the state. Its equipment has been blamed for starting […]

Steve Daletas came from Oregon to Half Moon Bay with a pumpkin weighing more than a ton and is leaving as the champion of the 45th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off held on Oct. 8. Daletas, now a four-time champion in the contest for the heaviest pumpkin, won $15,190—$7 for each pound of his […]

Sonoma County residents gathered in Courthouse Square on Oct. 8, to observe the first anniversary of the Sonoma Complex fires that killed 24 county residents and 20 more in Napa and Mendocino counties. Adults and children made drawings and wrote words in chalk on the sidewalk and the paved center of the square that recalled […]

During a 15-minute span this morning on BART, passengers were witness to the rollout of an upgraded earthquake early warning system. Between 11 and 11:15 a.m., trains slowed to 27 mph to demonstrate how the ShakeAlert 2.0 system would work. The warning system is designed to automatically kick in during an earthquake, slowing trains to […]

The iconic Coit Tower, recently named a “nationally significant” historic place on the National Register of Historic Places, turns 85 on Oct. 8. “Coit Tower has been an emblem of San Francisco’s skyline for 85 years, and its beautiful murals portray what life was like for San Franciscans trying to make a living during the […]

Starbucks named Hyatt Hotels Corp.’s financial chief Patrick Grismer as its new chief financial officer on Oct.8, making another leadership change in the past year as it battles intense competition in a cooling U.S. coffee market. Grismer’s appointment completes a three-month search for a new finance chief since current CFO Scott Maw announced plans to […]

Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Bode Miller and his wife Morgan welcomed their newborn boy on Oct. 5, according to People. The baby’s name is yet to be announced. He was born exactly one month before their past daughter Emeline’s second birthday. Both babies were born at home with the help of midwives. The […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—On Sun. Sep. 30, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed AB 186, the controversial bill to give San Francisco City legal status to operate drug injection sites (SIS) for illegal drugs. Brown in his letter to the Legislature, while addressing the voices from both supporting and opposition sides, clearly stated his reasons for vetoing the bill: […]

An Alameda County sheriff’s sergeant has been charged with four felonies for the alleged illegal and secret recordings of juvenile suspects in an interview room in March, prosecutors said on Oct. 3. Sgt. James Russell was charged with four counts of eavesdropping on or recording confidential communications for his alleged actions at the Eden Township […]

San Francisco Bay Area residents will begin seeing Blue Angels pilots practicing in and around San Francisco skies on Oct. 4, in preparation for Fleet Week air shows all weekend. The weeklong event, which welcomes dozens of U.S. Navy vessels and aircrafts, kicked off Monday, with the main attraction, the Blue Angels air show, happening […]

A lost boy who walked into a Pittsburg gas station on the evening of Oct. 3, was reunited with his family a few hours later, according to police. The boy walked into the Mobil 1 gas station at 2971 Railroad Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on Oct.3, according to police. He was taken to the Pittsburg […]

An annual arts exhibition begins in Emeryville on Oct. 5, one of only 14 districts in California designated by the California Arts Council as a premier cultural district, organizers said. The 32nd Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition starts with an opening reception Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at 5700 Horton St. in Emeryville. The exhibition, which […]

People in California who committed a felony that resulted in an accidental victim’s death may no longer be charged with murder under a new law. Some people who have already been convicted might also have their prison time reduced. Senate Bill 1437 “narrows the definition of felony murder” to allow certain inmates to avoid punishment […]

California voters will soon have an opportunity to decide whether to roll back a year-old gasoline-tax increase that opponents say will eliminate billions of dollars of funding to repair roads and other infrastructure. Proposition 6 will appear on the November ballot, and if it passes, it will eliminate transportation funding bill SB1, passed in April […]

Officials with the Transbay Joint Power Authority laid out plans for testing two cracks found in steel beams last week at San Francisco’s now-shuttered Salesforce Transit Center on Oct.3, indicating a cause for the cracks could be determined by early November. During a meeting for the TJPA Board of Directors this morning, senior construction manager […]

Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer put forth a proposal before the Palo Alto City Council on Oct. 1, to convert a funeral home in the city into a membership-based women’s center. The mortuary, located at 980 Middlefield Road, is currently zoned for a funeral home with some flexibility, according to the City Council. Mayer’s proposal […]

The third annual Girls’ Festival will bring more than 3,000 people to Santa Clara on Oct. 6, for all-day programming, workshops, and performances to inspire the next generation of women. The ambitious festival features more than 40 women’s organizations and is organized by WorldWideWomen Foundation, the nonprofit arm of an international resource network. Maureen Broderick, founder […]

There will be opportunities for waterfowl hunting on select dates in November, December, and January at the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Oct. 2. The roughly 6,400-acre reserve, which includes former commercial salt ponds now managed by state wildlife officials as a water bird habitat will be […]

Proponents of an effort by the majority of California’s 58 counties to form a new state have set a second constitutional convention of delegates for Oct. 6 in Irvine. If such a secession effort is successful, as many as 51 counties would split from California. The “New California” entity would have a total population of […]

A bill allowing lawmakers to effectively live outside of their districts was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown on Sep. 29. Senate Bill 1250 protects California’s 120 state lawmakers from prosecution regarding their primary residences. According to California law, state legislators can only represent an area where his or her primary residence is located. […]