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Opinion: How off-shore wind farms could solve California energy needs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Offshore wind could be the economic engine and energy solution California needs, but only if our state policymakers lead the way — and we’re running out of time to get it right.Last year California set its first offshore wind goal — 25 gigawatts by 2045, enough to power 25 million homes. That announcement was soon followed by the first federal Pacific offshore wind lease, and port investment announcements in Humboldt County and Long Beach that could support such development.While this is the boldest goal of any state, California should aim higher to fight climate change, bolster the electric grid and strengthen our economy.New research from Energy Innovation, GridLab and UC Berkeley shows smart state and federal policies could help install over 100 gigawatts’ worth of offshore wind farms along the West Coast by 2050, primarily off California’s shores. Thanks to Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives and falling technology prices, electricity costs from offshore wind turbines would b...

Group ends San Jose brutalist building case, focuses on “endangered 8”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose group has terminated its lengthy court fight over a downtown brutalist building and now hopes to rescue what it calls an “Endangered Eight” set of structures that include a neglected old church.The Preservation Action Council has decided to drop its legal challenges against the city of San Jose’s decision-making process that ultimately cleared the way for a developer to bulldoze the brutalist building at 199 Park Avenue.Demolition equipment is visible next to the “brutalist” bank building at 199 Park Avenue in downtown San Jose, November 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)The group decided to terminate the legal fight after it lost a 3-0 state Court of Appeal ruling in April that upheld the procedures San Jose officials employed when they approved a big tech campus at CityView Plaza, a process that also enabled the removal of structures ahead of the development.“We have chosen not to pursue any further appeals...

Air horns and moving trucks: How Oakland residents are facing a surge in crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

By Kyung Lah and Chandelis Duster | CNNOakland  — After 60-year-old retiree David Schneider was shot and killed here while trimming a tree in his yard, his neighbor, Toni Bird, said she retreated indoors.“People aren’t feeling safe out of their house,” she said. “It makes sense that you would want to protect your house then, right? You would barricade it.”Amid a surge in crime in Oakland, police have advised residents to use air horns to alert neighbors to intruders and add security bars to their doors and windows.RELATED: Borenstein: Oakland crime surges way beyond San Jose and SF levelsBird, who moved to Oakland 2 1/2 years ago, said she took their advice to heart. She now has three air horns and five security cameras around her home.Toni Bird holds an air horn, which Oakland Police suggested could scare away criminals and alert her neighbors.(Kyung Lah/CNN) “The types of crime that we’re seeing feel much more violent and the consequences feel much more severe,” she said. “An...

Opinion: Shadowy land deals near Travis Air Force Base require scrutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

When it comes to our state’s agricultural preservation and our nation’s security, knowing who owns and controls land is crucial.In just five short years, a mysterious corporation called Flannery Associates, based out of Delaware – where corporations don’t have to disclose their owners or officers – has spent nearly $1 billion acquiring 52,000 acres in Solano County, becoming the largest landowner in the county. This includes important agricultural land, open spaces and, most concerningly, land encircling Travis Air Force Base, the largest hub for our Air Mobility Command.Yet, despite the scale, strategic location and potential risk of these acquisitions, we know surprisingly little about Flannery Associates. Who are they? Do they represent foreign interests? What are their intentions for this land?We have some troubling clues. As a state water quality regulator, I helped put in place stringent monitoring and enforcement standards for the controversial application of biosolids – trea...

Judge resentences jailed Bay Area mother of newborn twins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

A Solano County Superior Court judge on Monday resentenced a 33-year-old Dixon mother of newborn twins to one year in jail, then suspended the punishment and ordered probation.Judge Carlos R. Gutierrez’s decision came after he denied bail for Patricia Anne McCleese on July 28 following her April conviction for fraud and a July 18 sentencing to two years and eight months.The judge, after hearing arguments from the prosecutor and defense attorney in Department 9, also accorded McCleese 61 days credit in custody but cautioned her, “If you violate probation, you’re going away for one year.”RELATED: ‘Heartless’ jail time for Bay Area mother of newborn twinsConditions for her probation, Gutierrez added, included not using illegal drugs, not possessing drug paraphernalia, submitting to drug testing and being subject to search and seizure at any time by a probation or law enforcement officer.Gutierrez also ordered McCleese, who was previously convicted of two felonies, not to possess firear...

Five-bedroom home in Oakland sells for $3.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

6219 Virgo Road – Google Street ViewA 5,359-square-foot house built in 1999 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 6200 block of Virgo Road in Oakland was sold on June 26, 2023, for $3,500,000, or $653 per square foot. This two-story house offers a spacious layout with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. In addition, the house features a two-car garage. The lot of the property is substantial, measuring 0.3-acre, and boasts a pool for relaxation and recreation.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:On Broadway Terrace, Oakland, in September 2022, a 2,004-square-foot home was sold for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $749. The home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,970-square-foot home on the 6200 block of Swainland Road in Oakland sold in June 2022, for $2,245,000, a price per square foot of $756. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In March 2022, a 2,601-square-foot home on Broadway Terrace in Oakland sold for $2,040,000, a pri...

Elias: California’s rebellion against housing density mandates has begun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

If any California news media had actually covered these two strongly-related stories, it would have been difficult to avoid seeing the irony in them.Related ArticlesLocal News | Walters: Newsom intervened on banned textbooks. Why not school closures? Local News | Elias: Forcing appliance electrification may cause California backlash Local News | Elias: GOP hopeful’s entry changes race for Feinstein’s seat considerably Local News | Active citizens are the cornerstone of the Saratoga community Local News | Simitian: Let’s make Santa Clara County a more accessible place for all On the same July day that California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a stern warning to cities and counties around the state about alleged misuse of local “urgency” zoning rules designed to frustrate the increased housing density laws Bonta loves to push, the rebellion against those very laws formally began.This happene...

New athletic conference sets sights on Cal, Stanford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

(AP) -- The four remaining Pac-12 schools still aboard for next season — California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — have options if they are looking for another conference. Angus Cloud memorial grows in Oakland The Atlantic Coast Conference is exploring the possibility of adding the West Coast schools, with an emphasis on California and Stanford in the San Francisco Bay Area, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the ACC was not making its internal discussion public and the conversations were still in early stages. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KRON4 Breaking News SIGN UP NOW The person said the ACC’s presidents are expected to dig into the merits of e...

Swimmer Katie Ledecky says the thrill of winning a gold medal for Team USA never gets old

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Katie Ledecky recently surpassed Michael Phelps' record of world swimming titles. Katie Ledecky recently surpassed Michael Phelps' record of world swimming titles. (CNN) — She might recently have surpassed the legendary Michael Phelps for the most career individual world swimming titles, but Katie Ledecky says the thrill of winning remains as powerful as ever.Ledecky eclipsed Phelps’ tally of 15 world swimming titles at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July. The 26-year-old finished first in the 800-meter freestyle, an event she was won an incredible six times in a row.“It felt great. It was so much fun to represent Team USA at the international level again,” Ledecky told CNN’s The Source...

Madrigal: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (AP) — WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (AP) — Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MDGL) on Tuesday reported a loss of $85.8 million in its second quarter.On a per-share basis, the West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based company said it had a loss of $4.69.The results missed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of $4.47 per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MDGL at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MDGLSource