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Letters: Mischaracterizing homelessness | Repair roads | PG&E failing | Even keel | Protect oceans | Repeating mistakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Letter mischaracterizeshomelessness crisisGiven the suffering of unhoused or “homeless” citizens in most of our communities and the Herculean efforts of elected officials and others trying to help them, mischaracterizing the shortage of affordable housing as a sham, as Mark Fernwood of Danville did on this Opinion Page (“Housing shortage is a manufactured crisis,” Page A12, March 19), is irresponsible at best.These kinds of shameless falsehoods have been energizing housing shortage naysayers since 1972 so that SB9 and SB10, finally passed in 2020 through the efforts of state officials with the responsibility for the well-being of unhoused low-income and minority Californians, became necessary to rein in extreme supporters of “local control.”Fortunately, in a democracy select groups are not entitled to “control their futures” by illegal tactics like redlining other groups out of their communities or misus...

Following landlord protest, Oakland’s eviction moratorium will “ramp down”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

OAKLAND — Following intense protests by property owners against the city’s pandemic-era ban on evictions, officials on Thursday introduced plans to ramp down the moratorium.An ordinance to possibly end the tenant protections that prohibit most evictions will likely be heard by the City Council next month, following a discussion by a council committee on April 11.But at the same time, councilmembers will also have the option of strengthening the city’s “just cause” policies that make it tougher for landlords to evict tenants who pay rent for the first 12 months.Most of the Bay Area adopted moratoriums on evictions in the early days of the pandemic, but Oakland has held onto its ban for much longer than other cities. San Francisco, Berkeley and San Leandro similarly have yet to bring protections to an end.Tenants rights advocates have urged cities to hang onto their moratoriums, arguing that numerous workers in the region are still facing post-COVID econo...

Florida sued over transgender youth care bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

By Devan Cole | CNNFour families in Florida sued the state on Thursday over new rules prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender youth, arguing the bans violate the US Constitution and should be thrown out.The two new rules from Florida’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine prohibit medical professionals in the state from providing gender-affirming care to minors in the state with gender dysphoria, including by administering puberty blockers, providing cross-sex hormone therapy and performing “sex reassignment surgeries, or any other surgical procedures, that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”The rules provide an exception to the hormone therapy and puberty blocker provisions for minors that were undergoing such treatments prior to the effective date of the rules. The Board of Medicine’s rule went into effect on March 16 and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s rule goes into effect March 28.The plaintiffs in the case are ...

Hayward high school is still struggling to heal as hate crimes soar across the country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

Three months after Mt. Eden High School was rocked by allegations of a teacher using antisemitism texts in the classroom, the Hayward school district board has hired a consultant to repair the damage — a move that some students and teachers feel is too little, too late.“There has been no apology or remorse,” said Ruchita Verma, a senior at Mt. Eden who was one of the first to sound the alarm on English teacher Henry Bens late last year. “And no accountability for letting any of this happen.”It took two months for Mt. Eden and the Hayward Unified School District to take action against Bens, who was placed on administrative leave in mid-February. Though the district and school are working with the Anti-Defamation League to provide workshops for students affected by Bens’ antisemitic lessons the initial delay in addressing the problem has driven a wedge between students, teachers and staff — and contributed to a larger trend rippling across the country.In a study released today, ...

SF Giants, Oakland A’s among MLB’s most profitable teams in 2022: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

The Giants and the A’s didn’t provide Bay Area baseball fans much to cheer about on the field last season, but both teams’ bottom lines were big winners.Despite missing the playoffs, the Giants turned the second-largest profit in the majors last season ($74.9 million), while the A’s were the fifth-most profitable team ($62.2 million) despite losing 100 games for just the second time in Oakland franchise history and ranking dead last among the 30 teams in attendance.Those were just a few of the surprising financial details to come out of Forbes’ annual report of MLB valuations, which was released Thursday. MLB values reached record highs – and profits – despite a season that was delayed by a lockout and media rights squabbles.According to the report, the Giants are the fifth-most valuable franchise in the majors at $3.7 billion. The Yankees top the list by a wide margin – $7.1 billion – followed by the Dodgers ($4.8B), the Red Sox ($4.5B) and the Cubs ($4.1B).The Giants’ value went u...

Letters: A real fix | Federal policy | Accountability | Housing teachers | Greek system

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Pajaro residents deservea real fix to leveeThe Pajaro River flood is the perfect case of closing the barn door after the horse leaves.This river has flooded numerous times in years past inundating Pajaro and Watsonville yet nothing substantial was done to the levee other than minimal repair consisting of rock and dirt. Apathy and indifference prevailed until The Mercury News and other media outlets brought the plight of the residents to light and now the ball is hopefully rolling to rectify the problem permanently.Sadly, disparity is evident regarding Pajaro. To prevent this from happening again, the offending levee needs concrete embankments similar to a canal or aqueduct. Also, new development in the form of retail such as Walmart will give it a huge employment boost and complement the agricultural jobs.The Pajaro residents are the salt of the earth and agriculture is the heart of the valley.Gary V. Pl...

Catalytic converter theft suspects arrested with help of American Canyon PD K9

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

(KRON) -- When it comes to the old saying about "the bark being worse than the bite," one catalytic converter theft suspect in American Canyon decided he didn't want to find out for himself. Officers with the American Canyon Police Department located a suspicious white Acura backed into a U-Haul business on Paoli Loop Road, according to a social post from the department. Suspect shot, killed during standoff with San Jose police The officers were patrolling due to recent catalytic converter thefts in the area and noticed that the license plate on the Acura belonged to a Chevy Trailblazer and that the Acura was reported stolen. The conducted a search and found two men hiding around a corner not far from the stolen Acura.One suspect, who was later identified as Matthew Brown, 31, of Benicia, ran from the officers. Officers chased after Brown who stopped running when he heard K9 officer Brick barking along with police announcing the K9 was about to be deployed. The second suspect atte...

Louisville’s Van Lith relishes March Madness back home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The chatter Hailey Van Lith heard from back home started in the immediate aftermath of the NCAA Tournament bracket being unveiled. Two wins. That was the request from friends and family in her small hometown, all hoping that to see Van Lith get a trip home. “Everyone was like, you just need to get there, you just need to make it to Sweet 16. And we have,” Van Lith said Thursday. “The best of the best happened that we got the right region and we were able to win our first two games and I’m going to be able to play in front of a lot of people who haven’t seen me play in a while.” Van Lith is the main attraction for a Seattle regional site mostly devoid of any West Coast influence. The No. 5 seed Cardinals will face No. 8 seed Ole Miss in the Seattle Regional 4 semifinals on Friday night, but with a cheering section likely the envy of the other teams playing in town. Around these parts, Van Lith is a household name. She’s the small-town standout from 130 miles away...

Violent French pension protests erupt as 1M demonstrate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

PARIS (AP) — More than 1 million people demonstrated across France on Thursday against unpopular pension reforms, and violence erupted in some places as unions called for new nationwide strikes and protests next week, coinciding with King Charles III’s planned visit to France.The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris — marred by violence, as were numerous marches elsewhere — drew 119,000 people, which was a record for the capital during the pension protests. Polls say most French oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat.Building on the strong turnout, unions swiftly called for new protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is scheduled to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. The heavy wooden door of the elegant Bordeaux City Hall was set afire and quickly destroyed Thursday evening by a members of an unauthorized demonstration, the Sud Ouest...

March Madness: Alabama’s Oats not offended by Saban comments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:53 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama coach Nate Oats said Thursday he was not offended by comments Nick Saban made regarding Saban’s handling of a football player’s arrest in contrast to how the top-ranked Crimson Tide have dealt with the controversy surrounding All-American freshman Brandon Miller.Saban on Monday suspended freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell after his arrest on a drug charge. In handing down the punishment, Saban said, “everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions.” He added, “there’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”The “no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time” comment was perceived by many to be directed at Oats, the Alabama basketball coach who hasn’t disciplined Miller for being at the scene of a Jan. 15 fatal shooting involving a former teammate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.Oats initially said Miller was “in the wrong spot at the wrong time” during the shooting death of 23-year-old J...