Category: Bay Area

California’s public schools, with nearly 6 million students, are feeling the financial impacts of a quintuple whammy. Billions of federal dollars to cushion the impacts of COVID-19 have been exhausted, school closures during the pandemic magnified declines in enrollment, chronic absenteeism has worsened, inflation is increasing operating costs, and the state budget is plagued by a huge deficit. Since the state largely finances schools based on their attendance, many local districts are seeing ever-widening gaps between income and outgo, stalling what had been a decade-long pattern of increasing per pupil spending. Local school trustees have few options to balance their budgets. They can close schools with low enrollments, lay off teachers and other staff or ask voters to approve tax increases, usually what are called “parcel taxes” on homes and commercial property — all of which encounter resistance. There is one other way for school officials to reduce their financial gaps: make it more difficult for charter schools to operate. Charter schools also get their money from the state, but operate independently. For years, they have been engaged in a running battle with school unions, particularly those of teachers

California’s math wars are roiling the state’s educational system, with contentious debates over high school curricula. At issue is whether a “data science” course should be available as a substitute for Algebra 2. The University of California and California State University systems previously accepted data science as an advanced math requirement in place of Algebra 2. But UC and CSU both recently reversed that decision. Data science proponents cite the high failure rates of Black and Latino students even in Algebra 1. They point to the concrete, real-world applications of data science as an excellent student motivator compared with dull, theoretical algebra topics such as the quadratic formula, arguing that the substitute offers more vital knowledge for our data-oriented society. Two popular data science curricula have emerged: UCLA’s Introduction to Data Science and Stanford’s youcubed. But as a longtime data science educator, I am appalled at the implications and consequences of allowing data science to substitute for Algebra 2. Among other concerns, it would hurt Black and Latino students, the very group that data science proponents profess to help, teaching them almost no practical or conceptual skills. Opponents of data science programs like

Question: Our adult son is in serious debt. His beloved house is in jeopardy of foreclosure. Business associates and a disgruntled customer have sued him. He lives paycheck to paycheck. All his income went to defense attorneys. In the meantime, he failed to make mortgage payments. Last week, a Notice of Trustee’s Sale was nailed to his front door. We are not able to help our son financially. A family friend suggested bankruptcy. That might take time — time that he does not have before the sale date. What can we do in our situation at this late stage? Answer: Your family friend is correct. He needs to consult with an attorney who has bankruptcy expertise, full stop, and as soon as possible. I have interviewed an attorney several times. I understand the court systems have adapted to streamlining online filings since the COVID-19 lockdown. Here is a quote from one interview with Silicon Valley attorney Vinod Nichani of the Nichani Law Firm: “In the most simplest sense of terms a bankruptcy is filed to stop collection actions by a creditor.” Nichani goes on to

TODAY’S WORD — SCROUNGE (SCROUNGE: SKROWN’j: To get, as if by foraging, scavenging or borrowing.) Average mark 47 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 55 or more words in SCROUNGE? The list will be published Monday. YESTERDAY’S WORD — RECRUITS recruit recur rest rice ricer rise riser rite ruse rust rustic rustier ecru eruct etui cirrus cite citrus crest crier cries cruet cruise crust crustier cure curet curse curser curt cute cuter cutie uric user icterus tier tire trice tries truce true truer sect sire site stir suer suet suit suite sure surer To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last! RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and logical thinking. As declarer, you will often face stressful guessing situations. Not even a world-class expert will guess right every time, but clues from the bidding and play may help. Moreover, the correct “guess” may be logically indicated. In today’s deal West, who has overcalled in spades, leads the king against four hearts. South takes the ace and leads a trump from dummy, and East follows with the three. If either defender has A-Q-x or if East started with Q-3-2, South must lose two trump tricks. He must hope East has A-3 or Q-3 (or A-3-2). Should South finesse with the jack or put up his king? FOURTH SPADE To finesse can’t be right. Suppose South’s jack forces out the ace from West. West can then cash two spades and lead a fourth spade, and when dummy ruffs, East will overruff with the queen. South must put up his king of trumps. He will also succeed if West holds the singleton queen. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A 7 6 H 7 6 5 4 D

Dear Amy: My husband and I live near his parents. They are very nice people, but they have a terrible habit of showing up at our house uninvited. Like they’re out doing errands and then they just stop in. Honestly, I do not like this at all. I grew up in a small town with lots of family around, but we would never do this. We might call when we were on the way and ask if we could pop by, but I don’t think in my whole life I ever had a family member show up at my house without any prior notification. If they did, I would think there was an emergency. Last weekend they showed up and because we weren’t expecting company, our house was a complete shambles. We mainly keep it neat, but on this day it was awful. I was so embarrassed. What should I do? – Upset Wife Dear Upset: You should tell them, “You really do need to call first if you want to stop in. I want to spend time with you, but could you please call

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband and I recently made a decision that’s caused a lot of tension in our family, particularly with our 22-year-old daughter. She now has a stable full-time job, and we’ve decided to cut off her financial support completely. Understandably, she’s extremely upset about this. We’ve always striven to provide for our daughter and support her in every way possible. However, we’ve reached a point where we feel it’s time for her to become fully independent and take control of her finances. We believe that by cutting off her financial support, she’ll learn valuable lessons about responsibility and self-reliance. While we stand by our decision, we’re struggling with how to handle our daughter’s emotional reaction. She feels betrayed and abandoned, which breaks our hearts. We never intended to hurt her, but we’re unsure of how to reassure her and help her understand our perspective. Is there a way to ease her distress while still standing firm in our decision? — Independence DEAR INDEPENDENCE: My question is whether this move was sudden. Did you discuss your plan with her so that she could prepare?

SAN JOSE — Lincoln scored 10 runs in the first inning Friday and then held on for an 11-8 victory over Piedmont Hills. A big win for the Lions as they were two games behind Piedmont Hills going into the week, but after sweeping the home-and-home two-game series, has moved into a tie for first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division standings. Two weeks and four games remain in the regular-season schedule. “It’s great for the kids to play in a big game, it’s a great feeling to win a big game,” longtime Lincoln coach Stuart Piraro said. “But if we start looking forward to a championship, we’ve just got to worry about what we’ve been doing all year. It’s one game at a time now.” Piedmont Hills (16-6, 12-2) went into the week on a 14-game winning streak, which Lincoln ended Wednesday with an 8-6 win. On Friday the Lions put a quick reversal to a 2-0 lead the Pirates took in the top of the first with the 10-run explosion, on five hits, six walks and an error, in

Baseball No. 11 St. Ignatius 3, No. 3 Serra 1 Chase Gordon allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings and AJ Wineinger had two hits and knocked in a run on Friday as host St. Ignatius sent Serra to a second consecutive defeat in West Catholic Athletic League play. St. Ignatius scored two in the bottom of the fourth to break a 1-1 tie and then called on Gordon and Archer Horn, who pitched two-thirds of an inning, to finish off the Padres. Beau Schaffer also had an RBI for SI. Ian Josephson scored Serra’s only run and Ian Armstrong and Josiah Rodriguez had its only hits. Serra fell to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in the WCAL. The Padres are now a game behind Valley Christian for first place. SI improved to 15-6, 6-5. Mt. Pleasant 14, James Lick 3 (6 innings) James Lick is still in great shape to win the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley Division championship. It just won’t reach the finish line undefeated in league play after Mt. Pleasant turned a three-run deficit after one inning into a blowout victory

By The Associated Press Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself. Protests on many campuses have been orchestrated by coalitions of student groups. The groups largely act independently, though students say they’re inspired by peers at other universities. Stanford University Pro-Palestinian demonstrators listen to a speaker as they protest at Stanford University urging the university to divest from Israel and demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war in Gaza, on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at Stanford University. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators watch as tents are being pitched at Stanford University’s White Plaza on April 25, 2024. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march at Stanford University on April 25, 2024. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march at Stanford University on April 25, 2024. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators

HAYWARD — Three men have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out 11 armed robberies over seven months in the East Bay, authorities announced Friday. The robberies happened in multiple cities between last August and February, the Hayward Police Department said in a news release. Seven were reported in Hayward, one in Castro Valley, one in Fremont, one in Livermore and one in San Leandro. During each robbery, at least one suspect brandished a gun, police said, and in some cases, the suspects moved employees and customers to other parts of the businesses and forced employees to hand over cash from registers and safes at gunpoint. Police said the suspects also forced employees and customers to hand over their personal property. One suspect — identified as a 42-year-old Oakland man — was arrested on Feb. 13 and is believed to be responsible for all 11 robberies, police said. The other suspects — identified as a 24-year-old Oakland man and a 26-year-old Concord man — were arrested on March 11 and April 4, respectively. Police said they are believed to be responsible for two robberies each

On Friday, the 49ers added two more players to their roster, selecting Florida State cornerback Renardo Green and Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni with their second- and third-round picks in the NFL Draft. Alongside first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, the Niners are off to a solid start in their draft, with more picks coming on Day 3. Here are my grades for their Day 2 picks and what the Niners’ moves mean for the overall team. Pick No. 64: Renardo Green, CB, Florida State In my opinion, Green was one of the most underrated cornerback prospects in this class — he’s no flash, all substance, and while we have no idea what the 49ers’ defense will truly be in 2024 and beyond, if they go back to an authentic Cover 3, I like Green as a perfect fit for it. Like with Pearsall, there will be questions about value. If this draft has taught us anything, it’s that every team operates far away from whatever the “consensus” is among draftniks and dorks like me. I thought Green was a viable pick in the third round. Given

SAN FRANCISCO – With one swing, Patrick Bailey belted the ball over the right field wall and should have erased any doubts that San Francisco made the right choice when deciding to roll with Bailey as the everyday catcher. With onetime catcher of the future Joey Bart watching from the Pirates dugout in his return to Oracle, it was the man who supplanted him that gave San Francisco the 3-0 victory on the second walk off home run of Bailey’s career.  With the bases loaded and one out on the board of a scoreless ninth inning, closer Camilo Doval initiated the rare 1-2-3 double play.  He handled a short grounder and flipped the ball to catcher Patrick Bailey to get the force at home, and the catcher made the throw down to first to escape the jam.  Following the team’s first day off since April 11, the Giants handed the ball to 22-year-old Harrison for the eighth of a 10-game homestead.  He delivered, throwing six innings and striking out using a slurve, slider, changeup and a four-seam fastball that sat in the mid-90s.  Harrison’s big

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers finished out the NFL Draft’s second round Friday night by first swinging a trade — not involving one of their heralded wide receivers — before drafting defensive back Rendardo Green in the No. 64 overall slot. Their third-round pick is slated for the 94th-overall slot, with six slots ensuing before a break until Saturday’s final rounds. A run on offensive tackles presumably prompted the 49ers to ship the No. 63 spot to the Kansas City Chiefs, thus moving the Niners down one slot for Green. As part of that deal, the 49ers acquired a fifth-round pick (No. 173 overall) and sent a sixth-rounder (No. 211) to their two-time Super Bowl nemesis. Renardo Green, FSU  Green brings versatility and speed to the secondary, after five seasons at Florida State. A freshman cornerback in 2019, he spent the next two seasons at safety, then moved back to cornerback the past two seasons. He has one interceptions in 52 career games. The 49ers initially listed him as a cornerback. Earlier this afternoon, first-round pick Ricky Pearsall Jr. arrived at Levi’s Stadium with his

By Tara Copp | Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines. But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds. Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks. The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday. The official spoke on the condition of

By Jocelyn Noveck | Associated Press NEW YORK — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and it’s working. The most obvious proof, Burke said: “Ten years ago we could not get a man like Harvey Weinstein into the courtroom.” The movement, she said, was responsible for that huge cultural shift — regardless of the Hollywood mogul’s ultimate legal fate. Also seeking to take the long view, following a legal setback that stunned many survivors and advocates, was Anita Hill, who famously testified against Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, becoming the face of the fight against sexual harassment more than a quarter-century before the Weinstein case launched the #MeToo movement.

Mystery, sniping and challenged ballots — all swirl around the extraordinary recount in the Congressional District 16 race as it drags into its third week. Who will emerge the victor — if anyone — between Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian who are in a dead heat for second place? There may be no hanging chads in this ballot counting, but the much awaited outcome is still very much unknown. On April 15, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties began the ambitious task of recounting the more than 182,000 votes cast in the March primary race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo. Since then, nearly 175,000 ballots have been pulled out of storage boxes and rescanned by machines. As of Friday afternoon, Low had a one vote lead on Simitian. The political veterans ended the primary with 30,249 votes each behind former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. While there was no trigger for an automatic recount in this race to break the stunning tie, Jonathan Padilla, a 2020 and 2024 Biden delegate and former Liccardo staffer requested it and has been

SANTA CLARA — Ricky Pearsall Sr. clutched an official NFL football in his right arm, an initial memento from the 49ers upon his son’s arrival Friday at Levi’s Stadium as this year’s first-round draft pick. “This came from the locker room,” beamed the proud father. “They said, ‘Go ahead, take it.’ I said, ‘Alright, a little present for dad.’ ” That Wilson football is supersized compared to what father and son played catch with 20 years ago: Skittles candy. “I have a funny story about that,” the elder Pearsall told this news organization after his son’s media meet-and-greet. Here is The Skittles Story: “So, he was pretty young. I saw him running around the backyard (in Chandler, Ariz.) and said, ‘This kid looks pretty fast, even in his diapers.’ I knew I wanted to have a son who played sports. Then it went to the point we’d throw the ball around and we’d play catch. “I wanted him to show him how to catch with his hands from the get-go. No body catches. “So I had a pile of Skittles. I told him, ‘Every time

BERKELEY — Berkeley residents living in District 7 have a new city council representative in Cecilia Lunaparra, whose victory in an election of fewer than 500 votes was certified Friday. Lunaparra, a UC Berkeley undergraduate studying history and urban studies and just weeks away from graduation, will be sworn into office next week after defeating James Chang, chief of staff for Councilmember Ben Bartlett and a graduate student at the Haas School of Business. Lunaparra, 23, will finish out the rest of former Councilmember Rigel Robinson’s term, ending in 2026. Robinson stepped down earlier this year, citing escalating harassment, burn out and a wish to focus on his family. His resignation led to the special election which ended last week. She becomes the first undergraduate student and the first Latina on Berkeley City Council. “I am honored to have been elected as the next City Councilmember for Berkeley’s District 7, which includes UC Berkeley’s campus,” Lunaparra wrote in a statement shared to her social media accounts. “As I complete my last few weeks as an undergraduate student here at Cal, my transition team and I are working hard

OAKLAND — East Bay Regional Park District police allegedly tased a man who was standing in knee-deep water at an East Oakland shoreline earlier this month, causing him to nearly drown after he fell face-first into the bay, the man’s family alleged in a legal claim this week. The Park District’s police department acted with a “reckless disregard for human life” during the April 5 encounter with Deontae Faison, a San Francisco father of two, who remained comatose Friday after falling unconscious during the incident, according to a statement from an attorney representing his family. Earlier this week, Faison’s family filed legal claims against the East Bay Regional Park District and Alameda County. Such claims typically lay the groundwork for lawsuits against government entities. “It’s sad. The fact that this continues to happen shows that there’s issues with policing,” the family’s attorney, Jamir Davis, said. “The fact that you have officers who were bold enough to tase a man in the back while in water — and not be brave or trained enough to jump in and save him — is pretty outrageous.” The encounter

RICHMOND — Ivan Gutzalenko was struggling to breathe in March 2021 as two Richmond police officers restrained him after stopping him for allegedly being intoxicated and bleeding from his hand. Gutzalenko told the officers they were hurting him, and bucked to try to get one of them off his back. A paramedic viewed Gutzalenko’s action as aggression, and went to his ambulance to get a 5-milligram dose of midazolam, a sedative. When he returned three minutes later, Gutzalenko lay motionless. “He’s faking like he’s unconscious,” an officer said, according to footage of the incident. The medic plunged the needle into his bicep. Gutzalenko’s heart stopped. The 47-year-old father was declared dead at a hospital. Gutzalenko was one of seven Bay Area men, including another in Richmond, who died after paramedics injected them with midazolam while police struggled to control them, according to an Associated Press investigation that is shedding new light on forced sedation of people restrained by police. The practice has spread quietly across the nation over the past 15 years. The AP investigation published Friday, in collaboration with PBS Frontline and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism