Category: Bay Area

Baseball No. 2 Acalanes 9, Northgate 1 Acalanes extended its unbeaten start to 16 games after blowing out Northgate at home.  The Dons scored four runs in the first and three runs in the third inning as the Lafayette school had eight hits and five walks.  Acalanes third baseman Gavin Bender went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Branson Smith , Jake Colaco , Isaac Copen and Austin McManamon combined to strike out seven and allow four hits and a run.  Connor Weitl scored the Broncos’ lone run on a wild pitch in the second inning.  After Granada’s loss to Amador Valley on Wednesday, Acalanes is now the only team without a loss in the Bay Area News Group rankings. Northgate dropped to 3-12. No. 8 San Ramon Valley 6, California 1 The Wolves jumped ahead of Granada in the East Bay Athletic League standings by snagging a road win over California. The Grizzlies took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but it was all SRV after that. The Wolves scored six runs from the second inning to the sixth in a solid offensive

Slow and sloppy for three quarters, the Golden State Warriors finally came to life in the fourth quarter on Thursday night. Playing against one of the NBA’s worst teams, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Warriors looked lost until the very end, when Steph Curry turned it on and Kevon Looney came off the bench to lift the Warriors to a 100-92 win. “It was a tough night for us, we did not execute very well,” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Portland. “But we pulled through in the end.” Looney hasn’t played much this season and was a healthy scratch on Tuesday night, but when the Warriors were getting buried by Portland’s second-chance points, Looney entered the game and turned things around. “Loon just saved us, like he has dozens of times in his career here,” Kerr said. “He’s kind of been on the outside of the rotation for the last six weeks or so. And he always stays ready. He came in and changed the game. We were really getting bullied on the glass early in the game. I thought he came in

It’s fair to say San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley is looking more comfortable in his NHL surroundings with each passing game. Perhaps more than that, the Los Gatos native looks like he belongs at this level. Cooley set a new personal record as a professional with a remarkable 49 saves Thursday — including 19 in a busy first period — in the Sharks’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, giving San Jose its first victory at Climate Pledge Arena in five tries. “I saw a few shots early on, and that helps you get into the flow of things,” Cooley said of making 10 saves in the first 7:26 of the first period. “Once I made the first couple of saves, I felt good.” Luke Kunin, Kyle Burroughs, and Fabian Zetterlund all scored and William Eklund had two assists as the Sharks (19-51-9) won for the third time in the last seven games and avoided being locked into 32nd and last place in the NHL’s overall standings. Mikael Granlund assisted on Zetterlund’s goal at the 15:37 mark of the second period and now has

It’s fair to say San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley is looking more comfortable in his NHL surroundings with each passing game. Perhaps more than that, the Los Gatos native looks like he belongs at this level. Cooley set a new personal record as a professional with a remarkable 49 saves Thursday — including 19 in a busy first period — in the Sharks’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, giving San Jose its first victory at Climate Pledge Arena in five tries. Luke Kunin, Kyle Burroughs, and Fabian Zetterlund all scored and William Eklund had two assists as the Sharks (19-51-9) won for the third time in the last seven games and avoided being locked into 32nd and last place in the NHL’s overall standings. The 49 saves Cooley made are a record for any Sharks goalie in his first road win. Coming off a 34-save performance against the St. Louis Blues last Saturday when he earned his first NHL win, Cooley stopped 33 of the first 34 shots he faced. In the third period with the Sharks killing an interference penalty to Burroughs

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — A man was arrested on suspicion of hate speech and other crimes at a Gaza cease-fire rally held Monday in South San Francisco, according to police. The incident happened just after 6 p.m. at the intersection of El Camino Real and Chestnut Avenue, the South San Francisco Police Department said in a news release. Citing witness statements, police said a 57-year-old South San Francisco man with “opposing viewpoints approached the group and made threats to a participant based on their perceived ethnicity.” The man then attacked some of the participants, causing minor injuries, according to police. The suspect was arrested at the scene. Police said he was booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of battery, threats and hate speech. Anyone with information related to the case can contact Sgt. Amy Sariotti at 650-877-8900 or tips@ssf.net.

PALO ALTO – When Lauryn Selvaraj smacked the ball deep into the outfield, it was obvious she was guaranteed a double. But after the Santa Clara defender had trouble corralling the ball, the Gunn senior motored ahead for a triple.  And when it was clear a throw into the plate wouldn’t get there in time, an alert Selvaraj turned on the jets and sprinted across home plate for an inside-the-park home run.  Great hitting, alert baserunning, and some iffy fielding by the other team led to a lot of smiles in the dugout in a blowout victory. Everything went right for scorching-hot Gunn, which run-ruled visiting Santa Clara 14-3 in five innings to win its 13th game in a row.  “We’re putting in a lot of work in practice, and we’re really seeing that come out in the games,” Selvaraj said. Gunn is better known for being one of the top public schools in the state than for its teams’ athletic prowess.  But the Titans softball program has quietly been a solid team in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division for several

OAKLAND — Despite an uproar from politicians and tourism executives, officials who oversee Oakland International Airport voted Thursday to add “San Francisco Bay” to the transit hub’s name. The change is meant to spur economic growth in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and create a higher profile for the least busy of the Bay Area’s three major airports. But the controversial move may also unleash a legal war. The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve the name change to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. “We are going all-in with Oakland,” Barbara Leslie, president of the port’s board, said before voting for the new moniker. “We want to keep money in the local economy.” A vehicle rides past the Oakland airport and Port of Oakland signage near the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Oakland Airport officials say they are concerned that many people who want to travel to the Bay Area are flying into San Francisco International Airport — which actually is located in San Mateo County and not

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Private-equity practice is bad for patients Re: “Hospitals cash in on a private equity-backed trend: concierge physician care” (April 5) The concierge physician care highlighted in the article does more harm than good for patients. Hospital consolidation drives inequities by increasing the cost of care without corresponding increases in quality. Furthermore, concierge physician care reduces the availability of primary care physicians as each concierge physician serves a few hundred patients versus thousands. Patients should not have to face 30% to 50% higher spending for their health care without any difference in their health outcomes. Health policy should address the increasing rise in hospital consolidation to ensure that Americans are getting the care at the price and quality they deserve. Proposed bills such as AB 3129 are crucial for addressing health care system consolidation and tackling issues such as this. These private equity-backed practices cannot continue without oversight and intervention. We must ensure that patient care comes above all and that health systems are accountable. Navya Pariti Berkeley Justice doesn’t seem to

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Only more housing will solve homelessness Re: “Homelessness issue brings divisiveness” (Page B1, April 8). Requiring shelter or housing before clearing homeless encampments is a humane way to deal with homelessness. More than $20 billion has been allocated in California to solve this growing problem. Despite all these efforts, the unhoused population is climbing. More than 80% of Californians feel it is a serious issue. What are the main drivers of this problem? Unaffordable housing, stagnated income for the working poor and mental health are the major drivers. The recently passed Proposition 1 addresses the last issue. Booming job creation may lift the wages of the working poor. Unless we quickly build more affordable housing, the homelessness problem is here to stay. Mohan Raj San Jose PG&E disingenuous on executive pay Re: “PG&E CEO, other execs land huge payouts” (Page A1, April 6). Patricia Poppe earned $17 million in cash compensation in 2023 along with $24.4 million in restricted stock gains. Ten other key PG&E executives similarly received huge compensation

BAY POINT — A series of police raids, methamphetamine seizures and felony cases can all be tied back to Aug. 18, 2022. That’s the date Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputies arrested 45-year-old Robert Brown and seized two cellphones from his Corvette after a police chase in Bay Point. The discovery gave local drug investigators a glimpse into several suspected drug and gun rings around the county and led to a new federal case against a man Brown allegedly supplied with drugs, who fainted at his first court appearance and ended up hospitalized with cancer, according to court records. The two phones weren’t all deputies pulled from the Corvette. They also reportedly found 1.6 pounds of methamphetamine, a silencer, roughly 1,000 fentanyl pills and almost two ounces of heroin, along with two guns and 13 round of ammunition, authorities said in court records. In late March, Brown pleaded guilty to federal gun possession and drug distribution charges. He’s awaiting sentencing later this year, court records show. The large-scale investigation started when investigators found a contact listed as “Grandma” in Brown’s phone. But the things they said weren’t

More than a year after the deadline and being hit with a lawsuit over the delay, Cupertino has received a green light from state regulators for a housing plan to add more than 4,500 homes by 2031. Every eight years, California law requires cities to submit a blueprint, known as a housing element, for how they will add a specific number of homes at a range of price points. The state Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) endorsed Cupertino’s housing element on Wednesday, bringing the city one step closer to resolving any penalties it faces for missing the Jan. 31 2023 deadline, including being subject to the builder’s remedy, a legal mechanism that allows developers to push through projects that are larger than local zoning laws would otherwise permit. Now, the City Council and Planning Commission have to review and adopt the plan and related zoning ordinance amendments, which is expected to happen in mid-May, according to Mayor Sheila Mohan. The housing element will then be sent back to HCD for final approval. “It’s a milestone. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,”

Edward Hodges is on an unusual quest. The retired teacher and volunteer San Jose Unified School District historian has put together a display for Anne Darling Elementary School all about its namesake — a glass-ceiling-breaking administrator who served as deputy superintendent for the city’s schools a century ago. With a 29-year tenure in the office, Darling was so well-respected that a year following her death in 1928 at around age 58, the city decided to name a new school in her honor. The school opened in 1930 on North 33rd Street and McKee Road and in the late 1950s, a shopping center with her name opened across the street. There’s an Ann Darling Drive just a couple blocks away, and the whole neighborhood around the school is officially known as Anne Darling. Anne Darling Elementary School in San Jose opened in 1930 and was named for a longtime schools administrator who died in 1928. Historian and retired teacher Edward Hodges is looking for a photograph of Darling for a planned exhibit at the school. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)  But, alas, while there are many

Golden Gate Fields, Genentech and Intel are among the latest high-profile employers to disclose plans to chop Bay Area jobs soon, disquieting new revelations that hint at a wobbly regional economy. More than 1,000 jobs are being lost in the Bay Area as a result of the latest staffing reductions that companies are disclosing in official notices they sent to the state Employment Development Department. This time around, the vast majority of the layoffs are not in the tech industry, a sector that has been trimming jobs at an elevated pace for more than two years. Even so, chipmaker Intel and electric vehicle charging firm Volta are among the latest tech companies that revealed plans for staffing reductions in the Bay Area, according to the public posts on the EDD website. Here are some details for the latest job cuts affecting workers in the Bay Area, based on the EDD posts: — Golden Gate Fields, whose parent is Pacific Racing Association is chopping 203 jobs in Berkeley at the racetrack. These are part of a “permanent closure” at that site. The layoffs are due to

With the death of O.J. Simpson, Kris Jenner and other members of the family of the late Robert Kardashian were reminded of their deep and sometimes troubling connection to the disgraced former football star. This was especially for Khloe Kardashian, who has long been the subject of a persistent but unsubstantiated rumor that she secretly was his biological daughter. Soon after news broke Thursday that Simpson had died of prostate cancer, Khloe Kardashian’s social media accounts were inundated with messages from people expressing sympathy, no doubt in a joking, mean-spirited way. LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Murder defendant O.J. Simpson (R) listens to testimony by the Los Angeles County Coroner 07 June on how his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, died of a deep slashing wound to her neck. The Coroner detailed how he estimated that a 6-inch knife was used to cut her neck almost to the spinal column. Next to Simpson is attorney Robert Kardashian. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)  “My condolences,” wrote one person in reply to her recent Instagram post, showing her walking on a white-sand beach

It all started when chef Derrick Jones came to Crockett for a sandwich during the pandemic. The longtime chef, who’d worked for years as a sous chef at Pixar Animation Studios, gave his compliments to chef and sandwich maker Randy Valdez, owner of Lucia’s Craft Sandwich, and the two men became friends, Valdez says. After a couple of years of a friendship forged around food, they decided to start a restaurant together. They looked for locations for more than a year before space opened up next to Valdez’ sandwich shop in Crockett. After a successful pop-up run, the restaurant received a beer and wine permit and is now open for lunch on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays as well as weekend brunch. However, it won’t be fully operational until the wood smoker they have planned is up and running, Valdez says. “It’s kind of a long journey because of that element,” he says. Smoked salmon, a cornmeal waffle, cream cheese, watermelon radish and mixed herbs are served at Bobby Mac’s BBQ, a new barbecue restaurant in Crockett. (Courtesy Sarai Fox)  Currently, they’re doing Creole and Southern

In a major setback for California’s beleaguered fishing industry and the latest reminder of the state’s long-running battles over water supplies, particularly during drought years, all commercial and recreational salmon fishing will be prohibited off the California coast this year for the second year in a row. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal agency based in Oregon, announced the decision Wednesday evening, citing low numbers of Sacramento River winter Chinook, Central Valley Spring Chinook, and Upper-Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon. The state’s salmon populations are struggling from the effects of the severe drought that gripped California from 2020 to 2022, when hotter temperatures and lower water levels in streams and rivers killed many of the young fish. During the drought, cities, farms and fishing interests battled for limited water supplies. On Thursday, fishing and environmental groups said state and federal water managers should have kept more water in rivers and behind dams to reduce the impact and managed it more effectively. That almost certainly would have meant less water would have been pumped to cities and farms during the drought. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s a

After a stunning tie vote in the Bay Area congressional race to replace retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo, it looks like voters will get the recount they deserve. Sadly, it’s coming with shameful, politically opportunistic, anti-democratic demonizing by two leading South Bay elected officials who should instead be embracing this victory for election integrity. The recount, if it begins on Monday, will provide a much-needed check on the highly improbable deadlocked vote for second place in the March 5 primary. And if, as is likely, the recount breaks the tie, we will have a November runoff between two rather than three candidates, meaning the winner will need a majority of voter support rather than just a plurality. To recap where we’re at today: The final results of the District 16 congressional primary covering parts of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties show that former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo finished first with 38,489 votes, or 21.1% of the ballots cast. Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian tied for second place, each receiving 30,249 votes, or 16.6%. The tie is unprecedented for a

CONCORD — A 40-year-old man has been charged with raping and robbing a woman on a trail near the North Concord BART station, a crime that authorities describe as an attack on a randomly-selected victim. Larry Ridge Jr. was charged Wednesday with one count of forcible rape, one count of assault with intent to commit rape and one count of robbing the woman of her cellphone, records show. He is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon before Judge Patricia Scanlon. Ridge was serving a life sentence for two second-degree murder convictions from 2004 until 2019, when a change in California law led to his release from jail. Those convictions stemmed from a quadruple shooting in Oakland that occurred — coincidentally — exactly 20 years to the day before Ridge allegedly raped the woman in Concord. On April 8, 2004, Ridge’s brother, 46-year-old Donald Jones, fired a rifle from a van containing Ridge, 28-year-old Ray Gilbert and one other person, at a group of people on 29th Street in West Oakland. A 15-year-old boy, Thomas Simpson, was killed and another teen was injured, prompting someone in

By The Associated Press Reaction to the death of O.J. Simpson after prostate cancer. He was 76. Simpson’s family announced the news on his X account. Relatives said he died Wednesday. RELATED: 49ers’ historically bad trade for O.J. Simpson was mere blip in his complex life | O.J. Simpson rode his speed out of the Bay Area to fame and infamy. It didn’t start that way ___ “I feel that the system failed Nicole Brown Simpson and failed battered women everywhere. I don’t mourn for O.J. Simpson. I do mourn for Nicole Brown Simpson and her family and they should be remembered.” — Attorney Gloria Allred, who once represented Nicole’s family, on ABC News. ___ “The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years. It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.” — Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, to NBC News. ___ “O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000

By Alex Brown, Stateline.org After years of legal appeals and delays, some oil companies are set to stand trial in lawsuits brought by state and local governments over the damages caused by climate change. Meanwhile, dozens more governments large and small have brought new claims against the fossil fuel industry as those initial cases, filed up to a half-dozen years ago, inch closer to the courtroom. “It’s all building toward more cases in more places using more legal theories to hold these companies accountable,” said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit that offers legal and communication support to communities suing oil companies. Wiles’ group has tracked 32 cases filed by state attorneys general, cities, counties and tribal nations against companies including Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell. The lawsuits cite extensive news reporting — including investigations by the Los Angeles Times and Inside Climate News — showing oil companies’ own research projected the dangers of climate change decades ago, even as the industry tried to undermine scientific consensus about the crisis. Those practices, the claims argue, violate a variety of laws including consumer protection

SAN JOSE — A pedestrian was seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle early Thursday in the city’s Little Saigon neighborhood, police said. The collision was reported at 5:22 a.m. near Story Road and Roberts Avenue, according to a social-media post from San Jose police. The injured person was taken to a hospital with what were deemed life-threatening injuries, police said. Morning traffic in the area was expected to be impacted around the collision site while police investigate the scene, including a blockage of eastbound Story Road between Roberts and Lucretia avenues. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.