California

California

Walia in 2023 sued Coup de Thai - a fixture on the main drag of wealthy Los Gatos since 2014 - and alleged that during a 2021 meal, the restaurant's Dragon Balls caused chemical burns to her vocal cords, esophagus and the inside of her right nostril, leaving her with "permanent injuries." The restaurant in a 2023 court filing denied Walia's claims.

Napa County has just reported its first case of measles since 2012. The patient is an unvaccinated child who recently traveled to South Carolina, which has been having a severe outbreak of measles. [KTVU] A few more details have come out about Thursday morning's police shooting on I-80 in Hercules, including that the subject was reported driving erratically and at high speeds through Vallejo, getting into several collisions. [ABC 7]

Fueled by an upswing in the South Bay, the Bay Area gained thousands of jobs in December 2025. California as a whole, however, suffered losses in a setback that capped a dreary economic year for the nation's largest state. The region added 2,300 nonfarm payroll jobs last month, according to a report released by the state Employment Development Department on Friday. Overall, the state lost 1,700.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that it had arrested a juvenile in connection with the alarming find that occurred Sunday, and noted that the items may be tied to another incident that unfolded near campus weeks earlier. The firearm and ammunition were found together in a bag, while the mask was located near the bag. According to a Sheriff's Office release,

The inheritance trend is especially pronounced in California, where tax policies encourage families to keep homes rather than sell them, according to the report. State rules cap property tax increases at 2% per year. They also allow children and grandchildren to inherit tax benefits on the first $1 million of real estate value if the home becomes a primary residence. Nearly 60,000 California homes were inherited in 2025, accounting for 18% of all property transfers in the state. For the first time, inherited homes more than doubled the number of new homes sold. Cotality said these incentives create a significant financial incentive for beneficiaries to hold onto the inherited home and use it as a primary residence effectively locking potential supply out of the open market.

Shoplifting: An employee at Safeway in the Argonaut Center on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road reported the suspect entered the store about three months prior and stole merchandise valued at approximately $131. Jan. 13 Attempted residential burglary: At 11:45 a.m., two suspects broke a window and attempted to gain access to a residence in the 20000 block of Miljevich Drive but fled the scene when they saw the victim in the home.

A wanted felon led Sonoma County sheriff's deputies on a one-hour chase Thursday in which a vehicle pursuit turned into a foot pursuit and then a water pursuit in the frigid Russian River. The incident began on Thursday afternoon, when authorities appear to have been seeking out the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Raymundo Navarro Jimenez. Navarro Jimenez had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of San Joaquin County for narcotics-related charges and possession of child pornography, and it's not clear how the pursuit began.

All lanes of westbound Highway 24 are closed at Highway 13 after a big rig carrying several tons of cardboard overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol.

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- A woman has died from her injuries after being struck by a vehicle in San Mateo Friday morning, police said. Police say at 10:30 a.m. they responded to reports of a single vehicle vs. pedestrian collision at 17th Avenue and S. El Camino Real. First responders discovered a woman with injuries at the scene. She was transported to the hospital but was pronounced deceased shortly after.

A 30-year-old San Jose man was charged with burglary and his 25-year-old girlfriend was charged with accessory. The charging records allege they both walked into a the Vedic Dharma Samaj Fremont Hindu Temple and came out with five gold ornaments that had been hanging from religious statues inside. Police tracked the man's BMW and arrested him on Jan. 14, outside of a liquor store in Mountain View, according to court records. One of the ornaments, a necklace, was found in the car's glove compartment, authorities said.

The discovery of a 17-year-old girl found dead by the side of the road near the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds early Friday is being treated as a suspicious death, authorities said. Police responded about 3:30 a.m. and saw the girl on the side of the roadway in the area of L Street between West 18th and West 10th streets, Antioch police Lt. Bill Whitaker said. Officers tried to revive her, but authorities pronounced her dead at the scene.

Dougherty Valley basketball player Keira Tom is the Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week for Jan. 12-17. In online voting that ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Tom finished with 52.4% of the vote, topping American basketball player Shirina Shi (36.4%). Congratulations to all the candidates for this week's recognition. Tom, a senior, had a prolific night for DV in a win over Livermore, scoring 31 points to go along with two assists, two steals and two rebounds.

The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Iron Point Station, near an outlet mall next to Highway 50, the Sacramento Regional Transit District said. The car reportedly veered off Iron Point Road, hit a tree at the edge of the mall's parking lot, then continued about 200 feet across the lot and crashed into the elevated train platform. It struck a person on the platform, then flipped over a railing and landed on the train track.

When billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla publicly branded Rep. Ro Khanna a "commie comrade" over the weekend, it was more than a personal jab - it was a sign of how fiercely a new proposal to tax California's billionaires is dividing Silicon Valley and the state's political class. The proposal, which would impose a one-time "emergency tax" on the net worth of California residents worth more than $1 billion, is roiling some of the Bay Area's havens for the ultra-wealthy.

The Greenfield Police Department in Monterey County is leading the operation. The department said it is part of a statewide theft ring in which people stole fuel from gas stations. Greenfield's police chief said two of his officers first discovered what was going on by chance. "We were lucky enough to have some officers that were on point and made an arrest during one of the several fuel thefts here in Greenfield, and that opened the box to this larger investigation,"

The California State Bar has opened an investigation into a prominent Los Angeles law firm that represents thousands of sex abuse victims in a record $4 billion settlement, according to court filings made public Wednesday. The investigation into Downtown LA Law Group, which is also the subject of a criminal probe into allegations plaintiffs were paid to sue, was detailed in a Jan. 20 court motion filed by attorneys for L.A. County.

A criminal complaint alleges that in 2024, Dawson committed wage theft against 47 teachers and other staff members, as well as embezzled retirement contributions from six teachers. Prosecutors said Dawson deducted money for the victims' retirement savings from their paychecks and used those deductions for his own benefit. In addition, Dawson evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file the necessary tax returns, while deducting payroll taxes from the teachers' paychecks and using those deductions for his own benefit,

In November, around 831,000 passengers traveled through San Jose Mineta International, a 13% decrease from the same period in 2024 when it welcomed almost 955,000 passengers. Airport spokesperson Ana Maria State told SFGATE in an email that the decline "align[s] with airline capacity adjustments across the Bay Area and broader market trends." "Airlines at SJC and across the country continue to recalibrate seat capacity and strategies to better match passenger demand," State said.

SAN JOSE Western Digital Technologies eliminated just under 100 jobs in the Bay Area, according to a WARN notice the tech firm filed with the state Employment Development Department. The data storage company cut 87 jobs at its head offices at 5601 Great Oaks Parkway in South San Jose, according to the notice. The layoffs took place on Jan. 20, the WARN letter revealed.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... BAY POINT A two-alarm fire early Thursday sent one person to a hospital and caused significant damage to a residence, fire officials said. Fire crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded about 5:25 a.m. to a residence on Anchor Drive and found smoke and fire coming from it upon their arrival. Spokesperson Capt. Victor Daniel said officials sounded a second alarm to make sure all occupants were out of the house.

The address issue has long been contentious in artsy Carmel-by-the-Sea, where residents once threatened to secede from California if they were forced to number their homes. They argued that the lack of addresses - along with other quirks, such as having no streetlights or sidewalks in residential areas, leading many to walk at night with flashlights - added to the vaunted "village character."

PACIFICA A 75-year-old motorist who rear-ended a SamTrans bus earlier this month in Pacifica died Tuesday, authorities said. It was not immediately known if the injuries the motorist suffered in the crash played a role in her death, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The collision happened around 4 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Fassler Avenue and the Pacific Coast Highway. The motorist suffered injuries that were believed to be minor at the time, the sheriff's office said.

In a recent court filing, Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson's staff said a witness who claimed Tran coached her testimony in a 2016 murder trial in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars has apparently moved out of her apartment and is no longer answering prosecutors' calls. Given the complication - and the fact that the woman's testimony underpins the case - prosecutors want the court to compel her to appear for Tran's trial in early March.

AI czar David Sacks said California is taking a potentially "scary direction" if voters approve a wealth tax on billionaires. "This is not a tax, this is an asset seizure," Sacks told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Sacks, a longtime venture capitalist, is just one of the many voices in the tech industry who have denounced "The Billionaire Act." Craft Ventures, the firm Sacks cofounded with Bill Lee, previously announced that Sacks had relocated to the Austin area in December.

In a special Ask-Me-Anything episode of the StreetSmart podcast, Streetsblog California editor Damien Newton reflects on his first year leading the site while answering reader-submitted questions on politics, transportation policy, and advocacy. Newton opens by thanking listeners for helping the nonprofit newsroom reach its annual fundraising goal, then explains why, as head of a 501(c)(3), he cannot endorse candidates or say who he is voting for in upcoming elections.