Powerful gusts blast through Bay Area, wreaking havoc and knocking out power to 180,000
THE CHRONICLE, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "Powerful gusts of wind amid downpours blasted the Bay Area Tuesday as a hurricane-like storm snapped trees and power lines, caused the derailment of an Amtrak train and blew over a tractor trailer on the Bay Bridge. Falling trees killed two people -- in San Mateo and Contra Costa counties -- and critically injured three in San Francisco.
Winds as high as 88 mph -- at Point Potrero in Richmond -- were recorded in the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service. Other unusually strong winds included a reading of 77 mph at Pier 1, near the Ferry Building in San Francisco, 74 mph at Oakland International Airport and 70 in Moraga.
More than 180,000 Bay Area customers were experiencing outages due to wind-related storm impacts as of 7 p.m., PG&E reported. San Francisco had 33,735 customers without power, with 46,403 in Alameda County, 49,679 in Contra Costa County, 40,903 in San Mateo County, and 11,523 in Santa Clara County. In the utility’s overall service area, 250,000 customers were without power."
Deadly ‘bomb cyclone’ storm slams California, toppling trees and causing blackouts
LA TIMES, HAYLEY SMITH, SUSANNE RUST, LUKE MONEY: "At least one person was killed as a wet and windy storm arrived in California on Tuesday, delivering more rain, snow and hazards to residents of the Golden State on the second day of spring.
The person, who has not been identified, was killed when a tree fell onto a vehicle on Alpine Road in Portola Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol. Falling trees injured multiple people in the San Francisco Bay Area, some of them critically, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said Tuesday night.
The toll was reported as the low-pressure system rocked the Bay Area and the Central Coast, with widespread rain and damaging wind gusts snarling traffic, knocking glass out of skyscrapers and leaving tens of thousands without power."
‘Explosively developed’: Showers linger into Wednesday following Bay Area’s ‘once in every 10 year’ weather event
BANG*MERCURY NEWS, AUSTIN TURNER: "Even experienced weather experts were stunned by the destructive, deadly and ultimately rare “bomb cyclone” that touched down in the region Tuesday afternoon.
“Even by the standards of what has turned out to be one of our most extraordinary winter seasons in a very long time, (Tuesday) stands out,” National Weather Service meteorologist Warren Blier wrote in the agency’s Area Forecast Discussion early Wednesday morning.
While it rained throughout the Bay Area for most of Tuesday, it was the explosive and violent wind that packed a real punch, tearing down trees, toppling big rigs and roiling the waters with gusts of more than of 81 miles per hour, according to the NWS."
Bay Area weather: Storm grew two 'eyes,' unleashing winds up to 88 mph in region
THE CHRONICLE, STAFF: "The atmospheric river-fueled storm that rolled into California delivered a late-in-the-day punch to the Bay Area, with powerful winds toppling trees, closing roads and triggering power outages just in time for the start of the evening commute.
More than 200,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers were without power as of Tuesday evening. Most customers without power were on the Peninsula, where nearly 47,000 people had no electricity as of late afternoon, according to the utility company.
At least three people were seriously injured by fallen trees and hospitalized."
Storm winding down today, but more rain-makers on tap for the Bay Area this week
THE CHRONICLE, GERRY DIAZ: "The strong storm that slammed the Bay Area on Tuesday with serious winds and rounds of rain showers is on its way out this morning, leaving a few light showers and south winds in its wake. Conditions will gradually continue to improve in the Bay Area and across California, as drier air rolls onto the West Coast. This air will keep most of California from being washed out by another round of heavy rainfall over the next couple of days.
But two low-pressure systems are slated to approach Northern California by Thursday and Friday. These systems will be relatively weak, but have the potential to raise spotty showers in parts of the state, including the Bay Area. Depending on the duration of the dry air overhead, some of these rainfalls could be on the moderate end."
Poll: Large majority of L.A. residents back mandatory earthquake retrofits
LA TIMES, ROMG-GOMG LIN II: "Los Angeles residents strongly back the city’s landmark earthquake retrofit law, a new poll has found, despite decades of conventional wisdom that such a rule would be politically unpopular because of its cost.
More than 8 in 10 L.A. residents support the retrofit law, which passed in 2015 and targets certain vulnerable concrete buildings and apartment buildings with weak first stories, according to a Suffolk University/Los Angeles Times poll conducted March 9–12. Just 9% opposed the law, and 8% were undecided.
“Oh my God. That’s great! Wow ... I’m gratified,” seismologist Lucy Jones said of the survey results."
Dramatic satellite videos show rare eye of storm centering over S.F.
THE CHRONICLE, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA:"Satellite imagery showed the eye of Tuesday’s storm — a clear spot in the middle of a huge swirl of clouds — making its way toward San Francisco, a marker of just how unusual this spring storm is, according to Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Díaz.
It’s rare for the center of a storm system to come right up onto the coast, Díaz explained — which is why its impacts differed from the many others the Bay Area has seen this year."
Paul Mitchell: Voting Patterns
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STAFF: "CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re back with a regular episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast. California political data guru Paul Mitchell joined us to talk about surprising voting patterns and registration numbers following California’s aggressive voter registration push under the past two Secretaries of State. Who’s voting, who isn’t, and why. And, how is the 2024 Senate race shaping up?
Plus – Who had the Worst Week in California Politics?"
Rising stars: Mario Vasquez Zuniga, Lucas Public Affairs
CAPITOL WEEKLY, LISA RENNER: "Mario Vasquez Zuniga is a digital strategist, co-owner of a flower shop and a passionate LGBTQ+ advocate.
The 28-year-old, who immigrated from El Salvador as a young child and grew up in the Palmdale-Lancaster area, loves coming up with creative solutions to problems. “I definitely have an entrepreneur spirit,” he said.
For the last four years, he has worked at Sacramento’s Lucas Public Affairs, which specializes “in developing and executing high-level reputation, issues management, and digital strategic communications campaigns.”"
LAUSD strikers call for raises, respect as schools close and parents scramble
LA TIMES, STAFF: "A mammoth strike led by Los Angeles Unified’s lowest paid workers and supported by teachers shut down district campuses Tuesday amid a fierce morning storm, sent parents scrambling for child care and meals and brought out thousands of picketers to the streets demanding raises.
The strike, set to last through Thursday, culminated a months-long escalation of labor tensions in the nation’s second-largest school district of 420,000 students. Bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants, cafeteria workers — members of Local 99 of Service Employees International Union — are calling for a 30% salary increase, plus $2 more per hour for the lowest-paid employees.
Last ditch-efforts to avert the walkout failed late Monday, and no new talks are scheduled. Supt. Alberto Carvalho pleaded with employees to come back to the bargaining table Tuesday, calling the district’s offer of a 23% pay increase and 3% bonus “historic.”"
Charts show UC admissions rates for every high school in California
THE CHRONICLE, NAMI SUMIDA: "The merits of a public versus private school education have long been debated among parents and researchers, especially as it relates to college admissions.
But according to new data from the University of California, public and private school applicants in the state have near equal chances of getting into UCLA and Berkeley."
S.F. D.A. Brooke Jenkins tells tourism conference the city ‘will be enforcing our laws’
THE CHRONICLE, ROLAND LI: "San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins began her appearance at the city’s annual tourism marketing conference with indirect criticisms of her predecessor and former boss, Chesa Boudin.
“Not only was the relationship between my office and SFPD strained, when I took over, nonexistent when I took over, it was strained even before the previous administration in the D.A.’s office. And so for me, it was paramount to come in and to repair that relationship,” Jenkins said at a public safety panel, alongside a top police official.
Jenkins said she and her staff have routine meetings with the chief and other command staff. She also implied that Boudin did not adequately prosecute crime."
S.F. estimate to end street homelessness drops to $1 billion as officials clash over best way forward
THE CHRONICLE, TRISHA THADANI: "San Francisco’s homelessness department would need almost $1 billion more funding and more than 6,000 new permanent supportive housing units and shelter beds to end unsheltered homelessness over the next three years — a reduced estimate from the agency’s initial projections last year, but still a huge cost on top of what the city already annually spends on the crisis.
The updated price tag of $992 million was revealed at a Tuesday Board of Supervisors hearing, where the elected officials lambasted the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) for saying it was “not feasible” to end unsheltered homelessness in the next three years under the current fiscal and political environment in San Francisco. They also questioned whether the agency, which was created in 2016, is equipped to urgently tackle the city’s crisis."
Landlords can ask applicants for criminal history, court says in ruling that impacts Oakland, Berkeley
THE CHRONICLE, JOHN KING: "Cities can’t completely prohibit rental property owners from asking prospective tenants about their criminal history, although they can prohibit owners from excluding all tenants who have criminal records, a divided federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The 2-1 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco struck down part of an ordinance in Seattle and will also affect laws in Oakland and Berkeley that ban nearly all questioning about an applicant’s criminal record. But the court approvingly cited a 2014 San Francisco ordinance that lets owners of affordable housing consider a would-be renter’s convictions from the previous seven years."
Newsom gives green light to S.F. housing tower that the Board of Supervisors delayed
THE CHRONICLE, JOHN KING: "The much-publicized saga of San Francisco’s thwarted tower on a downtown parking lot continued Tuesday, as Gov. Gavin Newsom approved using a recent state law to take the city’s Board of Supervisors out of the review process.
Newsom’s move applies to 469 Stevenson St., a stretch of flat asphalt tucked between Market, Fifth, Mission and Sixth streets. The city’s Planning Commission in June of 2021 approved a 27-story, 495-unit apartment tower on the site — only to have the Supervisors stall the project four months later by demanding new environmental studies."
Will San Jose take a harder stance on homeless encampments?
BANG*MERCURY NEWS, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "Kicking off a contentious debate early in his tenure, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is pushing for a stricter approach to homeless encampments that have cropped up below the city’s underpasses and along its rivers, describing them as a public safety and environmental hazard for all residents.
The mayor’s proposal, still in the early stages, would push for 1,000 interim housing units to be built by the end of the year to combat the city’s homelessness crisis while simultaneously establishing a pilot program to prevent the expansion of encampments that pose heightened safety risks and require the greatest share of city resources.
He claims the strategy will make a serious dent in shelting the 5,000 San Jose residents who sleep on the streets every night, contending that once an unhoused resident receives shelter through the city, an encampment should no longer be an option. The plans include the hiring of mental health workers and law enforcement to prevent expansion of the tent cities."
Waterfront project, tax increase discussed at Berkeley City Council special meeting
DAILY CALIFORNIAN, JOANN MOON: "A hot hangout spot that highlights Berkeley’s shoreline and nature for visitors and residents alike is set to debut in the next couple of years.
Monday’s special Berkeley City Council meeting revealed the ongoing progress of the Waterfront Specific Plan for the City of Berkeley Public Tidelands Area. Director of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Scott Ferris presented possible development ideas for the space surrounding the city’s public tidelands.
“The project has been a team effort at the city attorney’s office,” Ferris said at the meeting."
This Bay Area city ranked high in livability; other local cities move up
BANG*MERCURY NEWS, PUENG VONGS: "In a new nationwide ranking of livable cities, Berkeley topped other Bay Area cities and ranked number six overall in the U.S. The study was compiled by Niche, which looked at factors like the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities."
S.F. Mayor Breed wins $25 million in police overtime despite report questioning SFPD productivity
THE CHRONICLE, MALLORY MOENCH: "San Francisco supervisors passed Mayor London Breed’s request to spend another $25 million on police overtime amid alarm from constituents about public safety and the city’s struggle to staff the Police Department.
But Tuesday’s vote came a day after a new report released by the independent Budget and Legislative Analyst disclosed data that raises questions about the department’s productivity."
Los Angeles police accidentally release photos of undercover officers to watchdog website
LA TIMES, LIBOR JANY/RICHARD WINTON: "In a still-unfolding drama that has reached its top ranks, the Los Angeles Police Department accidentally released the names and photos of numerous undercover officers to a watchdog group that posted them on its website.
The controversy began late last week when the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition launched a searchable online database — called Watch the Watchers — of more than 9,300 city police officers’ photos, complete with their names, ethnicity, rank, date of hire, division/bureau and badge numbers. The group called the site the first of its kind in the country.
Stop LAPD Spying officials said they believe police officers are not entitled to the same expectation of privacy as other residents because of their status as civil servants. They said in an interview about the site that what they published was obtained through a public records request by a civilian journalist and turned over by the LAPD."
S.F. leaders share action plan for youth violence in wake of stabbings, brawls and weapons at schools
THE CHRONICLE, JILL TUCKER: "A recent spurt of violence among San Francisco young people has pushed city and education officials into action, with promises to boost resources and efforts to stem the stabbings, brawls and weapons at schools that have parents and community members worried.
District and city leaders announced plans Tuesday to attack the problem from all angles, including expanding several programs to prevent school and street violence, increasing mental health support, and boosting law enforcement or other adult intervention on buses and in schools and other hot spots."
As trial determines Ridley-Thomas’ fate, his son’s life gets dissected
LA TIMES, MATT HAMILTON: "He has not been charged with a crime. But in the ongoing trial of suspended Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, his son is in the spotlight.
Jurors have seen photos of Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, read his words in emails and heard about his rising debt, medical problems, education and career.
In 2017, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas was 30 years old and abruptly resigned from the state Assembly before the end of his third term in office."
