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Oakland city attorney Barbara Parker won’t run for re-election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

OAKLAND — Barbara Parker, who a decade ago became the first and only Black woman to hold citywide office in Oakland, will not seek re-election as the city attorney.Parker was appointed as Oakland’s top lawyer in 2011, following 20 years working in the office; she later won election three times, most recently receiving 80% support from voters in 2020.In a statement, Parker’s representatives cited as her “crowning achievement” the establishment of a new division in the office that pursues matters of public interest, including housing justice, civil rights and environmental work.The division’s work includes protecting immigrants from predatory forces, targeting removal of toxic paint and shutting down hubs around the city — including illegal massage parlors and hotels — where human trafficking takes place.“Throughout my tenure, I have been guided by my commitment to maintain the integrity and enhance the diversity of the Office, to ...

Appeals court upholds some abortion drug restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

By Kevin McGill | Associated PressNEW ORLEANS — New restrictions on access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. would be imposed under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday, but the Supreme Court will have the final say.The decision by three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturned part of a lower court ruling that would have revoked the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone. But it left intact part of the ruling that would end the availability of the drug by mail, allow it to be used through only the seventh week of pregnancy rather than the 10th, and require that it be administered in the presence of a physician.Even those restrictions won’t take effect right away, because the Supreme Court previously intervened to keep the drug available during the legal fight.“We are very pleased with the 5th Circuit decision,” Erin Hawley, an attorney for the Alliance Defen...

California report credits gun laws for drop in killings; rates differ sharply across Bay Area counties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

Firearm deaths have fallen sharply in California over the last 30 years compared with the rest of the country, a new state Department of Justice study has found, but rates vary dramatically across counties in the Bay Area and throughout the state.The Golden State had the third-highest firearm-homicide rate in the country 30 years ago, 50% above the national average, but now has a rate 33% below the rest of the country, according to the first report of DOJ’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, released Tuesday.“While California is not immune to this disease, thanks to our nation-leading, commonsense gun laws and prevention policies, we’ve made substantial progress,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta in the report by the office he established in September.But the numbers also show progress has been uneven across the state, with substantial disparities in gun homicide rates in neighboring counties with similar demographics. In the Bay Area, for example, Alameda Cou...

Jerry Moss dies at 88; music giant was co-founder of A&M Records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

By Hillel Italie | Associated PressJerry Moss, a music industry giant who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police, the Carpenters and hundreds of other performers, has died at age 88.Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California, according to a statement released by his family.“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun,” the statement reads in part, “the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure.”For more than 25 years, Alpert and Moss presided over one of the industry’s most successful independent labels, releasing such blockbuster albums as Albert’s “Whipped Cream & Other Delights,” Carole King’s “Tapestry” and Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive!” They were home to the Ca...

San Jose came in where? U.S. News and World Report ranks top places to raise a family

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

Even as many Silicon Valley residents pack up and leave for more affordable places like Pheonix, Las Vegas and even Seattle, U.S. News and World Report has ranked San Jose the second best area of the country in which to raise a family.The news publication, known for its voluminous rankings and lists, looked at factors including cost of living, average salary, quality of high school education and crime rates to determine the most desirable metro areas for families looking to relocate.The San Jose metro, which includes Santa Clara and San Benito counties, owed its high ranking in large part to having the best college readiness among high school students, according to U.S. News. The downside, of course: sky-high housing costs, with a typical single-family home going for more than $1.5 million.The report revealing the list notes, however, that San Jose’s average income of $99,430 a year is well above the national average of $58,260. But that’s little comfort for many familie...

4-year-old girl killed, parents injured in crash near Oracle Park, driver arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A driver who allegedly killed a 4-year-old girl and injured her parents in a crash in San Francisco on Tuesday has been arrested, the San Francisco Police Department said Wednesday. SFPD responded to 4th Street and King Street at about 5:15 p.m. regarding a crash involving a vehicle and pedestrians. The victims were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital. Teen girls nabbed after San Francisco business ransacked Each of the victims was a pedestrian. The girl who was killed was in a stroller. Her father has life-threatening injuries. SFPD said the family was in from out of town. The involved car was pinned against a pole after the crash. The driver remained at the scene, police said. Drugs and alcohol are not expected to be a factor. The driver was subsequently arrested for three counts of failure to yield to pedestrians and vehicular manslaughter, SFPD confirmed on Wednesday.The crash is one block away from ...

'Flaming Lips Day' proclaimed in San Francisco this Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- This Sunday, Aug. 20 will officially be declared "Flaming Lips Day" in the City of San Francisco. The long-running indie group will receive the honor prior to taking the stage for their headlining appearance at the Stern Grove Festival on Sunday.San Francisco Mayor London Breed will be on-hand to present the band with a special proclamation, recognizing the Flaming Lips' "longstanding contribution to the cultural fabric of San Francisco," according to a press release. Photo: Stern Grove Music FestivalStern Grove Festival Board Chair Matthew Goldman, Executive Director Bob Fiedler, and Commissioner and Chair of California State Parks Phil Ginsburg will also be present. SF farmers’ market leaders consider U.N. Plaza makeover a ‘logistical nightmare’ "We're very grateful to embrace August 20 as The Flaming Lisp Day in San Francisco," said Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. "We've had many shared moments in this city and we feel grateful to be part of the creat...

Alameda road closed after car crashes into light pole

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

(KRON) -- An Alameda road is closed Wednesday afternoon after a vehicle crashed into a light pole, the Alameda Police Department (APD) tweeted. At 12:55 p.m., the department tweeted the westbound lanes on Shore Line Drive between Harbor Light Road and Fair Haven Road are closed.At 2:45 p.m., authorities announced Shore Line Drive has reopened. APD said a light pole was blocking the roadway. Crews from Alameda Municipal Power assisted in police and fire crews' response. These 2 cars were most frequently stolen in July: Alameda PD No injuries have been reported in this crash. Shore Line Drive is right off the San Francisco Bay side of Alameda.

SF farmers' market leaders consider U.N. Plaza makeover a 'logistical nightmare'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

(BCN) -- As San Francisco parks officials plan to transform United Nations Plaza into a skateboarding and recreation haven, a longstanding farmers' market will be relocating close by. Market leaders consider the move to be a "logistical nightmare." San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department first proposed a pilot project in July to make U.N. Plaza -- currently considered the epicenter of the city's open drug market and overdose crisis -- safer and more inviting to residents. If all goes to plan, the 150,000-square-foot plaza in the city's Civic Center will begin construction in September to be transformed into a skate park and recreation space. NAACP says rise in crime due to firing of Oakland police chief Mirroring the work done in other major cities like Paris and Madrid, the space would include exercise equipment, chess and ping pong tables and daily programming, among other activities. This means that The Heart of the City Farmers' Market, which has operated at t...

Davante Adams, 1st-round pick Tyree Wilson back at Raiders practice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:28 GMT

The Las Vegas Raiders removed first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson off the non-football injury list on Wednesday, and wide receiver Davante Adams returned to practice after a short absence.Wilson, a defensive end drafted seventh overall, was placed on that injury list before training camp because of a foot injury suffered last season at Texas Tech. He also didn’t participate in organized team activities or minicamp.There was no corresponding move because Wilson already was on the active roster.“He’s progressing the way we thought he would,” Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels said. “Now it’s kind of time to take the next step here and get him on the field and get him in his pads and start working toward the ability to be in team drills. We’ll try to take it at the right pace as we go.”The Raiders hope Wilson will be a part of the rotation this season that includes Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones and aid a pass rush that ranked 30th in the NFL last season. Wils...