Category: Bay Area

Google has fired 28 employees for participating in Tuesday’s protests at company facilities, a spokesperson confirmed to the Mercury News. Roughly 80 employees protested outside Google complexes in Sunnyvale, demanding the company drop Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract that provides computing services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Five were arrested by Sunnyvale police for criminal trespassing after a sit-in at one of the company’s building. Similar sit-ins and protests were held at Google office in New York. Protesters violated Google’s policies by physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing facilities, according to a statement from Google. The company states it conducted individual investigations of the fired employees and will continue to investigate and take action as needed. Google has not revealed how many of the 28 employees worked in the Bay Area. Tuesday’s action against Project Nimbus stem from news outlets reporting that Israel has its own Google Cloud “landing zone”, providing the government with a way to store and process data and access AI services. Protesters have expressed concerns about the company potentially using AI against civilians in Gaza.

DANVILLE — The energy inside Rick Steen Ballpark could be felt from across San Ramon Valley’s campus. Local residents from nearby apartments tuned in from their balcony to watch Wednesday’s highly anticipated matchup between two East Bay Athletic league rivals. While De La Salle and SRV battled it out on the diamond, fans of both teams kept the stands rocking with loud cheers and a little bit of friendly trash talk. But in the end it was De La Salle that came out on top, dominating on both sides of the ball to cruise to an 11-0 victory on the road. De La Salle senior Joe McGee and sophomore Tyler Spangler each had a home run. Graham Schlicht pitched a two-hitter in five innings and struck out six. “This game was really important to us,” Spangler said. “ With SRV being our rivals, we just wanted to play a great game.” De La Salle’s Joe McGee (8) hits a three-run home run against San Ramon Valley at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif., on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

16990 Frank Avenue – Google Street View A 2,041-square-foot house built in 1968 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 16900 block of Frank Avenue in Los Gatos was sold on April 4, 2024, for $3,360,000, or $1,646 per square foot. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property encompasses a generous 7,938 square feet of land. Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby: In March 2024, a 2,432-square-foot home on Frank Court in Los Gatos sold for $3,380,000, a price per square foot of $1,390. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. A 1,667-square-foot home on the 15700 block of Izorah Way in Los Gatos sold in October 2022, for $2,565,000, a price per square foot of $1,539. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. On Leroy Avenue, Los Gatos, in November 2023, a 1,636-square-foot home was sold for $2,285,000, a price per square foot of

Sunnyvale police on Tuesday arrested five Google employees for criminal trespassing after they refused to leave a company building to protest the tech giant’s contract with Israel. Roughly 80 employees protested in the afternoon outside Google’s complexes, demanding the company drop Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract that provides computing services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. They also called on the company to stop the harassment, intimidation and censorship of Muslim, Arab and Palestinian employees. After the protest cleared at 1:30 p.m., five remained in the complex and were allowed to stay by Google, but refused to leave at 6:30 p.m. when they were asked to leave, according to Sunnyvale police Capt. Dzanh Le. The arrestees were booked at the police department and released on a citation that same night. “We were called back by Google. They wanted the individuals to leave but they refused the request,” Le said. “We asked them to leave and they refused again.” Advocate group Notech4apartheid, which also helped organize the protest, claimed in a live Twitch stream of the incident that they sat inside the office of Thomas

Bishop O’Dowd 2, No. 3 Alameda 1 Bishop O’Dowd took the short trip from Oakland to Alameda and handed the Hornets their first loss since Feb. 27.  O’Dowd sophomore Tulip Barnes was 2 for 3 with and RBI, and senior Priya Kasling also scored a run for the Dragons.  Freshman Zoe Bolick pitched five scoreless innings for O’Dowd and allowed just three hits. Alameda, which entered the game on an 11-game winning streak, didn’t go quietly into the night though. Miley Gradney’s single cut the deficit to just one run in the bottom of the seventh, and Alameda later had runners on first and third with two outs.  O’Dowd had lost seven in a row to Alameda prior to that victory. Bishop O’Dowd’s last victory had come in 2019. The Dragons got out of the jam though, and improved to 10-6, 3-1. Alameda fell to 11-2, 2-1.  No. 10  Benicia 14, Granada 10 (8 innings) Benicia won a wild extra-inning game against Granada on Wednesday night, scoring seven in the eighth inning to take the lead, and then surviving a three-run bottom of the eighth

A shooting by a Los Angeles police officer in a department store killed a man who was on a violent rampage — and a 14-year-old girl who was Christmas shopping with her mother, says a newly released report on the 2021 incident. California Department of Justice investigators gave a detailed description of the officers’ encounter with the man, who had used a bike lock to beat a shopper, and concluded that “there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officer” who fired the fatal shots. The report, however, did criticize the “breakdown of communication” that derailed the police’s plan to use a less-lethal projectile. The investigation was required by a state law that covers any shooting by a law enforcement officer that kills a person who does not have a lethal weapon. The shootings took place on Dec. 23, 2021, in a Burlington store in Los Angeles’ North Hollywood neighborhood. Officer William Jones Jr. fired three rifle shots at Daniel Elena Lopez, 24. One of the shots fatally struck Elena Lopez; another went through a wall into a dressing room, where it

682 Wildwood Lane – Google Street View The property located in the 600 block of Wildwood Lane in Palo Alto was sold on April 5, 2024 for $3,000,000, or $1,712 per square foot. The house, built in 1950, has an interior space of 1,752 square feet. This single-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and two baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. In addition, the home features a single carport. The property occupies a sizable 6,050-square-foot lot. These nearby houses have also recently changed hands: On Tulip Lane, Palo Alto, in March 2023, a 1,549-square-foot home was sold for $3,200,000, a price per square foot of $2,066. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In October 2023, a 1,496-square-foot home on Wildwood Lane in Palo Alto sold for $3,000,000, a price per square foot of $2,005. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A 2,468-square-foot home on the 2000 block of Channing Avenue in Palo Alto sold in January 2023, for $3,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,256. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

A Vallejo man charged with possession of child pornography has recently been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Jose Navarro Mendoza will also serve five years of supervised release after his prison term is completed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern California District. The sentence was imposed on April 12. The 45-year old pleaded guilty in May 2023 to one count of possession of child pornography and was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022. Mendoza possessed more than 1,500 images and videos of child pornography on his electronic devices, including nearly 100 files depicting sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum. Additional evidence found on Mendoza’s electronic devices suggested he used social media and/or messaging apps to participate in chat groups where users posted and exchanged child pornography. The memorandum also states that Mendoza groomed and sexually abused several members of his extended family when they were 6 to 11 years old. The victims included two minors, who told investigators that the defendant had rubbed their bodies, including their genitalia.

STANFORD – Kate Paye’s first staff meeting as head coaching didn’t get off to a smooth start when she hesitated to sit in Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer’s chair. There are sure to be even bigger challenges when it comes to succeeding the coach with the most wins in college basketball history, but Paye said she has been set up to succeed. “It was awkward to sit in the chair that normally Tara sits in, but it was the most obvious one,” Paye said. “I feel so well-prepared for this opportunity. I know Stanford, I love Stanford. I know our players, their parents, their families. I know there are challenges ahead but I feel totally prepared and ready to get to work.” After 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford, including the past eight as associate head coach, Paye was introduced as the new head of the program at a campus news conference Wednesday. VanDerveer, who announced her retirement last week after 38 seasons in charge of the program, sat in the front row. Former Stanford’s women’s basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer listens

A man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in the 2022 hit-and-run crash that killed an elderly Oakland woman. Jose Perez faces one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving for the May 31 death of 73-year-old Emelia Martinez Roa. He also faces enhancements for prior convictions and violence or bodily harm. The case is set for arraignment on April 25, 2024. If convicted, Perez could be sentenced to six years in state prison, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Police said Martinez was crossing 16th Avenue at International Boulevard in a marked crosswalk around 5:33 p.m. when she was hit by a mid-90s white Hummer SUV that was turning northbound onto 16th Avenue from International. Perez, who was allegedly driving the stolen vehicle at the time, allegedly hit and killed Martinez without stopping to call for help or render aid, the office states. Martinez was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

Associated Press LESBOS, Greece — Most drowned making the hazardous sea crossing from nearby Turkey, while others died of natural causes in migrant camps on the Greek island of Lesbos. After years of neglect, a makeshift burial ground for migrants on the island has been cleaned up and landscaped to provide a dignified resting place for the dead, and for their relatives to visit. Earth Medicine, the Lesbos-based charity that handled the project near the village of Kato Tritos, formally handed over the redesigned cemetery to municipal officials on Wednesday. “We wanted it to be clear that this was a burial ground, (mostly) for people who died at sea — some of whom have been identified while others have not,” Earth Medicine spokesman Dimitris Patounis said. “It used to be just a field.” For years, Lesbos has been a major destination for people seeking a better life in the European Union. They leave Turkish shores crammed into small, unseaworthy vessels provided by smuggling gangs. About 3,800 people have made the journey so far this year. Before the intervention, the weed-choked graves were marked by a

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Esteury Ruiz homered for the second time in three games since being recalled from Triple-A, and the Oakland Athletics beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep. Ruiz drove in two runs, scored twice and stole a base. He has homered twice in six at-bats since his return Monday from Triple-A Las Vegas. A crowd of 9,551 attended the game, with the three-game series totaling 18,355 fans. The A’s, who have announced plans to play in Sacramento from 2025-27 while a new ballpark is built in Las Vegas, have had an average attendance of 6,244 through their first 13 home games. Tyler Nevin added three hits and an RBI as Oakland improved to 4-9 at home. Iván Herrera drove in two runs for the Cardinals, who fell to 0-6 in series finales this season. Willson Contreras had two hits and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. He has reached base safely in 23 straight games dating to last season. A’s starter Paul Blackburn allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings, ending

By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Rebecca Boone and Claudia Lauer | Associated Press HONOLULU — As wildfires ripped across Maui last August, the head of the emergency management agency dragged his heels about returning to the island amid the unfolding crisis, while a broad communications breakdown left authorities in the dark and residents without emergency alerts, according to a report released Wednesday. Communications problems were also encountered by the Hawaiian Electric Company, with officials unable to confirm that power lines were de-energized until well after the flames had caused widespread damage, the Hawaii Attorney General’s report said. It is the second of two major assessments out this week of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. A report released Tuesday by the Western Fire Chiefs Association detailed the unprecedented challenges facing the Maui Fire Department during an unprecedented series of blazes, including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina. The new report says that five days before the fire, meteorologists issued a dire warning that strengthening winds resulting from a hurricane south of Hawaii could create an extreme risk of wildfires across

It’s not known if Lauren Sanchez and Sydney Sweeney ever crossed paths in Hollywood, but the two famous women could have gotten together for coffee or a spa day to share tips on how to silence critics who grabbed social media attention this week by hurling insults at them or by denigrating their looks and professional capabilities. Each woman, in her own way, clapped back at high-profile critics who made headlines this week. Sanchez did so by going on Instagram Story to post a not-so-cryptic comment about leading “with kindness,” which appeared to brush off insults directed at her by the famously provocative New York City restaurateur Keith McNally, Page Six reported. Executive chairman of Amazon Jeff Bezos and actress Lauren Sanchez arrive for a State Dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at the Booksellers Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by Drew Angerer / AFP) (Photo by DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images)  Seemingly out of the blue, McNally, the owner of celebrity hotspot Balthazar, opined on Instagram Monday that the former L.A. TV news

From Brian Copeland to Cirque du Soleil, there are a lot of great shows, recitals and concerts in the Bay Area to catch this weekend and beyond. Here’s a partial rundown. Iconic Copeland show hits a milestone It was 20 years ago that actor, comedian and playwright Brian Copeland debuted his solo stage show “Not a Genuine Black Man” at The Marsh in San Francisco, and it’s no exaggeration to say it has had a profound impact on the Bay Area theater scene. By turns hilarious, poignant, shocking and even suspenseful, “Black Man” recounts Copeland and his family’s life in San Leandro, which in the 1970s was branded a “racist bastion of white supremacy” by a national housing agency. Key to its success is the fact that Copeland — as he has demonstrated in several shows over the years — is a natural and masterful storyteller who, of course, makes it look easy. In a region where solo stage shows are performed with regularity, “Black Man” is the production to which all others must be judged. It’s that good, and that deeply ingrained in the

Third-ranked Cal and No. 19 Stanford are on a collision course at the women’s gymnastics NCAA championships, making up half of the Semifinal I field on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Bears and Cardinal, along with No 2 LSU and No. 12 Arkansas, are vying for two spots in Saturday’s championship final. Top-seeded Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Utah and No. 8 Alabama will claim two championship spots from Semifinal II, which also is Thursday in Fort Worth. Oklahoma is the two-time defending champion and has won five of the past seven national titles, but the Bay Area teams enter the championships posting some of their best scores of the season. Cal returns to the national semifinals after finishing seventh last season and is seeking its first Four on the Floor appearance. The Bears spent much of this season ranked No. 2 behind the Sooners and won the final Pac-12 title – the program’s first outright regular season crown. The Bears capped their home regional victory last weekend with a team score of 198.275, the highest postseason mark in school history. It was

While engaging in a podcast chat about the #MeToo movement, alleged predatory men in the media and so-called cancel culture, Bill Maher and Katie Couric focused a bit on Woody Allen. The once revered filmmaker has been back in the news lately because of his struggles to promote his latest film, “Coup de Chance.” The 88-year-old director of “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” became a pariah in the American film industry during a #MeToo-era reconsideration of his career and the long-roiling sexual assault allegations made against him by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. On his “Club Random” podcast this week, Maher said he never believed Allen molested Dylan in 1992 when she was 7 years old, and he buys the view that Allen’s ex-girlfriend Mia Farrow coached Dylan to say he had touched her inappropriately during a bitter custody dispute. Seven months before Dylan Farrow says Allen molested her, Mia Farrow discovered that her then-57-year-old boyfriend was having an affair with another of her adopted children, Soon-Yi Previn, then a 21-year-old college freshman. Dylan Farrow sits down with “CBS This Morning” to talk about allegedly being

A condo in San Jose that sold for $360,000, is the most affordable real estate sale in San Jose in the past week. For comparison, the overall average price of real estate in San Jose over the last week was $1.5 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $966. A total of 96 home sales were recorded for the period with an average square footage of 1,579 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. The top 10 list below includes the best deals on real estate priced between $10-$10,000,000. Please note that the prices in the list below are for real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of April 8, even if the property may have been sold earlier. 10. $660K, condominium in the 5900 block of Charlotte Drive The property in the 5900 block of Charlotte Drive in San Jose has new owners. The price was $660,000. The condominium was built in 2019 and has a living area of 935 square feet. The price per square foot is $706. The condominium features 1 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms.

By Beth Harris | Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Carl Erskine, who pitched two no-hitters as a mainstay on the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20-game winner in 1953 when he struck out a then-record 14 in the World Series, died Tuesday. He was 97. Erksine died at Community Hospital Anderson in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, according to Michele Hockwalt, the hospital’s marketing and communication manager. Among the last survivors from the celebrated Brooklyn teams of the 1950s, Erskine spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers from 1948-59, helping them win five National League pennants. The right-hander had a career record of 122-78 and an ERA of 4.00, with 981 strikeouts. Erskine had his best season in 1953, when he went 20-6 to lead the National League. He won Game 3 of the World Series, beating the Yankees 3-2 at Ebbets Field. He struck out 14, retiring the side in the ninth, for a record that stood until Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax got 15 in 1963. The Dodgers went on to lose in six games as the Yankees won their fifth consecutive

Laurie Baratti | (TNS) TravelPulse Google Maps is launching new updates that are intended to make finding travel inspiration and local recommendations in your destination easier. Users will start seeing these lists of suggestions popping up in Google Maps in more than 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada this week. These updates will also be rolled out globally on Android and iOS mobile platforms later this month. With this trio of updates, users can discover curated lists of local recommendations from other users and esteemed websites, customize their own lists and access key insights, making vacation planning a breeze and ensuring a seamless on-the-go experience. To access the new features, simply search for a city in Google Maps and and swipe up to see curated lists of places from people who know the city inside and out. You’ll also see lists from such reputable sources as Lonely Planet, The New York Times and OpenTable. And, when away from home, the question of where to eat is always top of mind. Now, whether you’re a traveler or just want to find a trendy spot in

Hannah Wyman | St. Louis Post-Dispatch (TNS) ST. LOUIS — Anheuser-Busch InBev’s beer sales dropped by $1.5 billion in North America last year, but its nonalcoholic beer sales are exceeding expectations, a shift experts credit to consumers becoming more health-conscious and beverage choices expanding. The company’s no-alcohol beer portfolio, which includes Budweiser Zero, Stella Artois 0.0, O’Doul’s and Busch NA, saw revenue growth “in the high teens,” according to A-B’s annual report. It comes at a good time for the company. Consumers appear to be moving away from alcoholic beverages, according to a report on store-bought alcohol by market research firm Circana. Surveyed consumers’ preference for beer and hard cider shrank from 16% in 2020 to 13.5% in 2023. Wine dropped about 3% in preference, while the spirits/cocktails/coolers category decreased by 1%. Customers are increasingly favoring soft drinks and sports/energy drinks, the report found. But the shrinking preference for alcohol does not point to abstinence, said Scott Scanlon, Circana’s executive vice president of alcoholic beverages. Instead, consumers are less likely to overindulge — especially after drinking more during the pandemic — or are reevaluating their