California

California

Somerville's online post alleged that his daughter was experiencing marijuana "withdrawal" and demanded money when she arrived at his home unannounced. "We got into a physical fight because she wouldn't leave ... I kept trying to tell her to calm down but she wouldn't," Somerville wrote. "I love my daughter more than anything in the world. I would never deliberately try to hurt her. But bad things happen in battle."

The Whole Foods store at 20955 Stevens Creek Blvd. passed its recent health inspection by the County of Santa Clara on Sept. 10, following a widespread rodent infestation in late April. The market, along with its deli and bakery, which had previously failed an inspection earlier this year, has been cleared of rodent activity, according to the latest health report reviewed by SFGATE. For now, the market remains closed but is expected to reopen on Sept. 29.

Even though municipal law already restricts sleeping in vehicles, according to Cupertino Interim City Attorney Floy Andrews, some RV residents had parked on streets permanently, clustering in two locations in the city, triggering residents to voice concerns about safety and congestion. The issue with the current ordinance is that it allows the vehicles to park substantially and indefinitely day and night, said Andrews at a September 3 meeting. This creates a nuisance. It impacts residents and businesses. It fails to prevent individuals from living in vehicles.

He reportedly told Oakland police that he put a hand on his daughter's waist to usher her out of the home after asking her to leave, and he claimed that she then snatched his cellphone. In an effort to get his phone back, he said, he tackled her to the ground, breaking a table in the process. While this was happening, he said, she was punching and scratching his face, leaving him bloody.

An ultra-popular hiking trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park has finally reopened after one of its wooden bridges was destroyed by a winter storm in 2023, California State Parks announced. Pfeiffer Falls Trail, a short, 0.75-mile trail through a redwood forest that leads to a 60-foot waterfall, has reopened after lengthy repairs were made to its pedestrian bridge, California State Parks wrote in a press release Monday.

In an update to the Saratoga Village Development Council, Jill Hunter said Hendren volunteered to repaint the sign in Blaney Plaza, which was donated to the city a decade ago. Hunter also thanked Robert Woolsey for washing the sign before Hendren repainted it. We are so fortunate to have residents like Kate and Robert who are working so hard to keep Saratoga beautiful, Hunter said in her update. Many, many thanks to them both.

The closing is bittersweet for the Billings. Sharon Billings told local news outlet the Independent that the decision was not financially motivated; it was simply time to move on. The Billings plan to use the newfound time to go on vacation, spend time with family and even play pickleball, she said. Matt Billings told Pleasanton Weekly that he and his wife were not retiring, but rather they were in "recovery time" and that a new venture could be on the horizon someday.

The ongoing saga of the body found in an impounded Tesla belonging to alt-pop singer d4vd earlier this month continues to unfold. According to NBC News Los Angeles, the body has been identified as a 15-year-old girl named Celeste Rivas, who was reported as missing last year in Riverside County. Rivas was identified through forensics, and the medical examiner is still working to determine the cause of death.

Measure I marked the first time since 1959 that the city had a general facilities bond on the ballot, despite unsuccessful attempts at a similar initiative in 2018 and 2022. City officials estimated last year that Santa Clara had more than $600 million in unfunded infrastructure needs. The $400 million bond will be funded by levying roughly $19 per $100,000 of assessed property value each year from 2025 to 2060.

A prominent Orange County philanthropist and well-connected jeweler is now accused of bilking wealthy investors out of millions of dollars and then fleeing the country, according to a series of civil lawsuits filed over the past few months in both state and federal court. Moti Ferder, the co-founder and until recently CEO of Newport Beach-based Lugano Diamonds, is alleged to have defrauded more than 40 creditors out of hundreds of millions of dollars, according to more than a half-dozen lawsuits filed by multiple investors.

The Pentagon has proposed restricting civilian air traffic above much of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area to expand and support training exercises. But those who frequent the area just west of the Twentynine Palms Marine base say the proposal would severely limit recreational access and reduce safety. They say the airspace restrictions could prevent rescue helicopters from evacuating injured motorists, and threaten the famed King of the Hammers off-road race that's held there each year.

Over the weekend, lawmakers in Sacramento passed a suite of energy-related bills pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that came forward in the final days of the California legislative session. The measures that extended proceedings into Saturday include legislation that clears the way for California to join a regional electric grid, tries to boost statewide oil production in the wake of a pair of looming refinery shutdowns, extends California's cap-and-trade program and replenishes the state's wildfire funds.

California is putting $55 million on the table to expand its electric vehicle (EV) fast charging network, with new funding aimed at making chargers more widely available in underserved communities. The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently announced the launch of the Fast Charge California Project, an incentive program that will cover up to 100% of installation costs for direct current (DC) fast chargers at businesses and public sites statewide. Applications are open through Oct. 29.

There's a lot of uncertainty up in the air so you know while we have it, we should take advantage of our freedom and our community,

The first five homes in the project were under construction when, in 2002, the L.A. Planning Commission placed a six-month moratorium on the project pending an environmental impact assessment to be drafted by the property developers. The impact assessment did not happen, the city attorney alleged in a 2021 statement, and the city ordered the homes demolished in 2003, according to news reports at the time.

These meetings were in violation of California's main sunshine law, the Brown Act, which prohibits discussion or action on proposed legislation - like the encampment policy - by a majority of the council, outside of a public meeting. This provision of the Brown Act is supposed to ensure that no important discussions or decisions impacting the public happen behind closed doors without allowing community members to weigh in.

Every month, Comedy Sharks standup night features some of the Bay Area's best comedians. Come on out and enjoy some laughs with your neighbors, hosted by Phil Griffiths & Hop Dogma Brewing Company.

SAN LEANDRO - The shutdown of 21st Amendment Brewery, a Bay Area craft beer leader, will erase dozens of jobs in the Bay Area, affecting workers in two cities in the region, according to an official state government filing. The brewery intends to eliminate a total of 76 jobs in the Bay Area, the company stated in a WARN notice it filed with the state Employment Development Department.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Police are investigating the deaths of three people in apparent shooting in San Jose on Tuesday. SJPD received calls about gun shots and and a woman screaming for help just before 12:30 a.m. on 200 block of Chynoweth Avenue. Police found a woman shot outside of the home. She was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, but later died, SJPD said.

As the UC system asks its supporters to stand up against the federal government's demand for $1 billion from UCLA, it throws 160 of its own under the bus. In a cynical act of self-service, UC's leadership has given the names of those who practiced free speech, endangering their lives and livelihoods. As a Berkeley alum, I am appalled by this decision.