Category: Bay Area

Century-old Oakland tower is seized by lender as office market flounders Oakland highrise is a registered landmark (Google Maps) The Leamington, an 11-story mixed-use office and retail building at 1814 Franklin Street in downtown Oakland, seen in a July 2024 image capture. A century-old highrise in Oakland has been seized by the property’s lender. Originally Published: January 14, 2025 at 7:15 AM PST

Neither the Eaton nor Palisades fires grew Monday and fire officials said they had resources in place Tuesday as crews prepare for another challenging day with strong Santa Ana winds expected. Containment of the Palisades fire, burning in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga and Mandeville canyons, continued to trend upward, as officials reported 17% containment early Tuesday morning, Jan. 14. The fire remained at 23,713 acres, according to Cal Fire. Meanwhile, crews inched forward on the Eaton, getting to 35% containment and holding the fire at 14,117 acres Monday, the Angeles National Forest said. With strong winds anticipated Tuesday, engines, bulldozers and hand crews were staged overnight in communities and foothills near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “ready to respond if needed,” Angeles National Forest officials said. Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said officials had both ground and air resources ready and they were prepared in the event the fires expand, or a new one ignites. Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Monday that strike teams were being prepositioned for any new fire that breaks

The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged 10 people with felonies in connection with four crimes, including looting and arson, committed during the ongoing Palisades and Eaton wildfires. District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday announced that nine people have been charged in connection to residential burglaries in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, and one man was charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire in Azusa about 100 yards from the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The charges, Hochman said, show that anyone who tries to steal from, price gouge or scam wildfire victims will be caught and punished. “Do not commit any of these crimes in which people are trying to profit from the tragedy of the people who have suffered from these various fires,” Hochman said. A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were charged with first-degree residential burglary and looting during an emergency or evacuation. The men are accused of stealing more than $200,000 of property from a Mandeville Canyon home between the late hours of Jan. 8 and the early morning hours of Jan. 9. Officials believe the 22-year-old committed the

In less than a week, the man who promised to be “a dictator on Day One” will take the presidential oath of office for the second time. He’s likely spent much of his time during the transition period of more than two months since the Nov. 5 election drafting executive orders and other measures to act immediately on that promise. About the least surprising order will likely be one declaring a national state of emergency on immigration. Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, with about one-third of the nation’s reported 11 million living in California. What realities might this produce? For one thing, don’t expect open conflicts between federal and local authorities, even though Los Angeles and other cities here have declared themselves “sanctuaries” for immigrants lacking legal status. Trump may press other federal agents along with the Border Patrol into service to help enforce a wide-ranging deportation order. He promised he would start by going after criminals who sneaked into this country, but that doesn’t mean he won’t target anyone else, including hard-working field hands, restaurant dishwashers, roofers, car wash workers

The Department of Justice early Tuesday released special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into Donald Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Read the report: The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Originally Published: January 14, 2025 at 4:57 AM PST

By Tierney Sneed, Marshall Cohen, Holmes Lybrand and Evan Perez | CNN Attorney General Merrick Garland has publicly released special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into Donald Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, detailing the president-elect’s “criminal efforts to retain power” and projecting confidence in the investigation. The more than 130-page report, which was submitted to Congress and released early Tuesday after a court hold blocking its release expired at midnight, spells out in extensive — if largely already known — detail how Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election. Smith’s team states in no uncertain terms that they believed Trump criminally attempted to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election results. “As set forth in the original and superseding indictments, when it became clear that Mr. Trump had lost the election and that lawful means of challenging the election results had failed, he resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power,” the report states. The transmission of Smith’s January 6 findings came after the president-elect and his allies were unable to stop the department from

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will publicly face senators for the first time Tuesday after weeks of privately pushing back on criticism over his qualifications and personal past. Hegseth, a 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host, has faced strong criticism from Democrats over his thin resume compared to previous defense secretaries, along with allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and mismanagement of veterans organization finances — all of which he denies. Many Republicans have been vocally supportive of Hegseth’s nomination, but others have remained noncommittal as the reports surfaced about his past behavior. President-elect Donald Trump has remained strongly supportive of Hegseth, who has worked to win favor with Senate Republicans in one-on-one meetings over the last month. Trump posted on social media in December that “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” What to watch as Hegseth’s hearing gets underway on Tuesday morning: How he would run the department Republicans have said they view Hegseth’s combat experience as

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been feeling overwhelmed at work. I was hired as support for one team but have now been expected to regularly cover two large teams. I sometimes find myself struggling to efficiently and seamlessly complete tasks for my main team while juggling tasks on both ends. Per my year-end review, I think my manager noticed a shift in my attitude in the office and with my colleagues (specifically, that I’ve been less social and much more uptight). As a result, my manager let me know that if I would prefer to support only the team I was originally hired for, I just need to let them know, and they’ll begin looking for another hire. This feels like an impossible decision. I can’t help but feel like neither scenario is a win. If I say I no longer want to support both, it appears as though I am not able to handle more (even though this is a company I’m looking to grow with). If I continue to let the strenuous weight of the second team impede my performance with the first team, I

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am currently staying with a family friend and her husband for a few days while visiting my hometown. The husband clearly isn’t happy with me staying here, so I have not interacted with him much. On my second day here, he asked my friend for a divorce. Now I can hear them fighting, and the tension is insane. Is it rude if I just avoid him? Currently, our conversations are barely existent. GENTLE READER: Currently? Your hosts are fighting to the point of divorce, and you are sticking around, listening? And your only question is how to deal with an ungracious host? A guest must also be gracious, even under extraordinary circumstances. The rule that applies here is the one about happening upon accidents: If you can help, jump in and do so. If not, don’t gawk — move on. Miss Manners wonders why you did not leave for your own sake when you noticed that the host was unhappy with your being there, for whatever reason. Surely the awkwardness and inconvenience you would have experienced would have been better than

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2025. There are 351 days left in the year. Today in history: On Jan. 14, 2013, cyclist Lance Armstrong ended a decade of denial by confessing to Oprah Winfrey during a videotaped interview that he’d used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times. Also on this date: In 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April. In 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French Gen. Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco. In 1952, NBC’s “Today” show premiered, with Dave Garroway as host. In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with the pledge, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever!” — a view he later repudiated. In 1967, the “Summer of Love” unofficially began with a “Human Be-In” involving tens of thousands of young people at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. In 1970, Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I rent half of a house owned by my sister and brother-in-law. They live in the front part; we live in the back. We have our own separate kitchen and bathroom, though we must go outside and around the corner and then re-enter to use it. We went on vacation for a month. While we were gone, my brother-in-law was supposed to remodel our kitchen and bathroom and be done by the time we got back. Four months later, nothing is ready to use. They told us we could use their kitchen and dedicated one of the inside bathrooms for us. Using their kitchen never worked for us, and my wife is always uncomfortable going into their part of the house. Because of the inconvenience, my brother-in-law reduced our rent by half, and we were good with this. We mostly communicate by texting. He now claims he will be done next month, but I’m not so sure. Regardless, he now wants to raise our rent to approximately 75% of the “usual” instead of half. What do you think of this?

PLEASANTON — The Bay Area Blasters, led by four time Olympian Lily Zhang, took home a win and two losses in matches over the weekend at the Major League Table Tennis Tournament at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The Blasters on Friday lost to the Princeton Revolution from New Jersey, beat the Carolina Gold Rush on Saturday and wrapped up the weekend with a loss to the Texas Smash. The Smash is the best team in the West Division, and the winners of the league’s inaugural Major League Table Tennis 2023-2024 Cup final. Zhang, who first competed in the Olympics in 2012 in London when she was 16 years old, began playing table tennis in a laundry room at Stanford growing up, where her father was a professor. She racked up a singles win against Princeton’s Jiangshan Guo on Friday, but later lost matches against the Gold Rush’s Hong Lin and the Smash’s Amy Wang, who is another table tennis Olympian and Zhang’s fellow 2024 Team USA teammate. The Blasters will be competing again in the Major League Table Tennis tournament in Miami from Feb. 14-16

Bay Area Home Report 6841 Elverton Drive – Google Street View A 2,989-square-foot house built in 2002 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 6800 block of Elverton Drive in Oakland was sold on Oct. 15, 2024, for $1,625,000, or $544 per square foot. The layout of this two-story home includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property encompasses a generous 0.4-acre of land. Additional houses have recently been sold nearby: A 2,975-square-foot home on the first block of Ormindale Court in Oakland sold in May 2024, for $1,300,000, a price per square foot of $437. The home has 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. On Elverton Drive, Oakland, in January 2024, a 3,319-square-foot home was sold for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $588. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. In August 2024, a 3,871-square-foot home on Diablo Drive in Oakland sold for $3,108,000, a price per square foot of $803. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates

Here are five celebrity-backed cannabis brands that really stand out in the market, each for their unique approach and influence. Let’s dive into why they’re considered some of the best: Seth Rogen’s Houseplant Seth Rogen’s brand, Houseplant, is all about offering a fun, easygoing cannabis experience. The brand, which started in Canada and expanded to the U.S., has become popular for its smoke-free options, like their THC-infused sparkling waters. These drinks come in flavors like pineapple and blackberry, making them a hit for people who want a low-key high without the smoke. Plus, Rogen’s comedic charm and passion for cannabis make the brand feel authentic and personal. Example: When Seth Rogen talks about Houseplant, it feels less like a product pitch and more like a conversation with a buddy who’s genuinely excited to share something cool with you. Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Reserve Willie Nelson’s cannabis line is a must-try for anyone who’s a fan of the man, the legend, and the high-quality weed he’s been advocating for. His brand, Willie’s Reserve, is all about sourcing top-notch cannabis from independent growers. It has a laid-back, “just

Bay Area Home Report 451 Carolina Lane – Google Street View A house located in the 400 block of Carolina Lane in Palo Alto has new owners. The 1,069-square-foot property, built in 1950, was sold on Dec. 9, 2024, for $2,610,000, or $2,442 per square foot. This single-story house has three bedrooms and one bath. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house provides a single carport. The lot of the property is substantial, measuring 6,545 square feet. These nearby houses have also recently been purchased: On Wilkie Way, Palo Alto, in January 2024, a 1,874-square-foot home was sold for $3,200,000, a price per square foot of $1,708. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A 1,874-square-foot home on the 4100 block of Wilkie Way in Palo Alto sold in September 2023, for $2,450,000, a price per square foot of $1,307. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In April 2024, a 1,252-square-foot home on West Charleston Road in Palo Alto sold for $2,380,000, a price per square foot of $1,901. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This article was generated

RICHMOND — A local resident was sentenced to two months in a work program — as an alternative to jail — for killing a man in a drunk driving, hit-and-run crash, court records show. Jesse Dubois, 34, of Richmond, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit-and-run and leaving the scene of a crash. In return, he was sentenced to 60 days in a work alternative program, which requires participants to spend eight to 10 hours doing community service until their time is served. Dubois was arrested hours after he killed 68-year-old Wolfgang Reinhardt Hebold in a May 7, 2022 crash near 19th Street and Rumrill Boulevard in San Pablo. Police said at the time that they were able to “quickly” identify his 2011 burgundy Nissan Sentra as the suspect vehicle, and when they found the car it was damaged. Hebold was on a bicycle when Dubois ran into him, authorities said. The criminal complaint indicates that Dubois had no prior convictions. He received credit for nine days of time behind bars, which counts toward the 60 days in the program, records show. His

Bay Area Home Report 4185 Peregrine Way – Google Street View A 1,245-square-foot house built in 1976 has changed hands. The property located in the 4100 block of Peregrine Way in Pleasanton was sold on Oct. 14, 2024, for $1,100,000, or $884 per square foot. The lot of the property covers an area of 4,102 square feet. These nearby houses have also recently changed hands: A 1,369-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Groth Circle in Pleasanton sold in September 2024, for $1,000,000, a price per square foot of $730. The home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In September 2022, a 1,439-square-foot home on Morganfield Court in Pleasanton sold for $1,571,500, a price per square foot of $1,092. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. On Morganfield Court, Pleasanton, in April 2023, a 1,919-square-foot home was sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $808. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates an article based on a template created by

Developed in Cuba centuries ago, the mojito is a drink made from rum, sugar, lime, and mint. The word mojito derives from the African word mojo, which means to cast a little spell. Ernest Hemingway brought mojitos from Havana to Key West, Florida, in the 1950s, but the cocktail was a sleeper until it showed up in the 2002 James Bond movie “Die Another Day.” Since then, the mojito has been showing up on cocktail menus worldwide, in delightful variations from frozen to dirty (made with raw sugar). Andie Leon makes her refreshing version with two ounces of cannabis-infused light rum and two ounces of coconut rum, coconut palm sugar, coconut water, and coconut milk. She crushes the lime, mint, and coconut palm sugar into two highballs using a wooden pestle (you can use the back of an ice cream scooper if you don’t have a pestle), then fills the glasses with ice and pours in the rums and finishes with a splash of coconut water and a splash of coconut milk. Coconuts are a delicious source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, giving

The Associated Press In the winter months, it seems few are safe from some kind of illness — flu, COVID-19, norovirus, colds. While many of the germs that cause this misery can circulate throughout the year, scientists think that the winter surge of flu and cold activity may be because we spend more time indoors and the cold, dry air may weaken our defenses. But knowing what these bugs are and how they spread can help. While it may be difficult to make it through the season totally unscathed, there are some things you can do to protect yourself from these respiratory and stomach viruses. How do I know whether I have the cold, the flu, COVID-19 or something else? Some symptoms are hard to distinguish among illnesses, especially with respiratory viruses. Others are unmistakable. — Norovirus is a foodborne illness that can spread through water and contaminated surfaces and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain for about one to three days. — The common cold can be caused by several different types of viruses and can cause a runny nose, congestion, cough

SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith wore a coat over a sharp-looking burgundy suit on Monday morning as he and his teammates got ready to board a charter flight to Detroit to begin a five-game road trip. In other words, Smith is a Shark, and the organization plans to keep the 19-year-old in the NHL and continue to work with him as he experiences his share of adversity at the midway point of his rookie season. “He’s going to stay here,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Smith. “He’s going to play against Detroit, and we’re going to keep working with him.” Two days after he was benched for the final 25 minutes of San Jose’s 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Smith was on the ice first thing Monday morning, working with the Sharks coaching staff to try and improve his work along the boards as he continues to make the adjustment from center to wing. It hasn’t been easy. Not only is Smith, listed at 181 pounds, trying to battle fellow wingers at this level who are often 20-30 pounds

For the first time in decades, Albert Brooks will make a live appearance in San Francisco. Brooks, 77, will return to the Bay Area as a headliner for this year’s SF Sketchfest, the annual 2½-week comedy festival that began in 2002. Brooks will sit down for a Q&A with comedian and San Francisco native Kevin Pollak — a regular at the festival and a member of its advisory board — Jan. 21 at the Sydney Goldstein Theatre. “We’re still pinching ourselves that Albert Brooks is coming,” said Sketchfest co-founder David Owen. Brooks, who began his career by performing unusual one-man comedy bits like “The Dummy” ventriloquism spoof back when variety shows ruled the airwaves, saw his fame grow quickly through regular appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” He made his acting debut in Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” (1976), and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as a talented if prickly TV reporter in “Broadcast News” (1987). He’s put together a wide-ranging career with appearances in more than 40 films and TV shows, and has directed and/or written such comedies “Lost