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Are they students or employees? Stanford joins surge in graduate student unions across the country

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

When fifth-year PhD student Jason Anderson volunteered for a pop-up food pantry on Stanford University’s campus, he would see hundreds of grad students standing in long lines in the middle of their work day, sometimes with a wagon in one hand and a child in the other.“The admin would come to the (graduate student government) meetings once a month and say, ‘We really need extra volunteers. People aren’t showing up,’” said Anderson, a former student government member. “And then all I’m thinking of in the back of my head here is, ‘You know, you’re asking for volunteers from the same population that the food pantry is supposed to serve.’”That affordability crisis is one of many reasons why Anderson, along with other Stanford grad student workers, overwhelmingly voted to unionize in July.They are part of a growing movement at university campuses across the country, following in the footsteps of institutions like the University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins Unive...

‘This is hell’: Repeat outages mar PG&E’s wildfire safety shift from tree trimming to circuit breakers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

Laurel Adams Ferns awoke Monday to no electricity at her Walnut Creek home, forcing a trip to a nearby cafe for an internet connection to get through her fourth outage in a little over a month, each stretching more than 10 hours.Pacific Gas & Electric Co., blamed for devastating wildfires sparked by power lines in recent years and under pressure to improve safety, has embarked on a new strategy this year that shifts focus from stepped-up tree trimming near its equipment to advanced circuit-breaker technology. The utility insists the change reduced fire risk with little additional impact on most customers. But customers complain the rollout has been bedeviled by repeated outages — and one of PG&E’s own reports to California regulators shows a spike in customer outages last year as it initiated the program.“For those of us who work remotely,” said Ferns, a lawyer, “this is hell, let alone factoring how many times since this new ‘strategyR...

Lawsuit alleges wrongdoing in Bay Area police shooting — will Alameda County DA Pamela Price charge the officers?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

A federal lawsuit alleges Pleasanton police officers botched an incident with a domestic violence suspect last year, fatally shooting him in the head after he walked out of an apartment building carrying a kitchen knife.The man, 33-year-old Cody Chavez of San Jose, dropped the knife after police hit him with bean bags and less-lethal peller rounds, but was then immediately struck multiple times by deadly gunfire, said Ben Nisenbaum, a civil rights attorney and partner at the Oakland firm Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy.“It’s almost simultaneous, but the less lethal is first,” said Nisenbaum, who is representing Chavez’s family. “Then people start shooting their lethal guns, so they don’t give any chance for the less lethal to work. So why even have this plan? Why even bother?”The officers who shot him were cleared last year of any criminal wrongdoing in the Feb. 17, 2002, confrontation by former Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. But aft...

Five position battles to watch in 49ers’ scrimmages vs. Raiders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

After 11 training camp practices, familiarity hasn’t bred contempt among the 49ers.They’re all in it together, secure in the belief that coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have assembled one of the top rosters in the NFL.But it sure will be nice to break up the monotony with a couple of practice sessions Thursday and Friday in Las Vegas against the Raiders before the two teams square off Sunday in an exhibition game at Allegiant Stadium.How good are the 49ers right now? They sure didn’t look like much passing the ball Tuesday before boarding a plane for Las Vegas. Then again, it’s early August, and training camp is mostly designed to keep players healthy leading up to Week 1 while reinforcing systems of football to veterans and teaching them to newcomers and rookies.When the NFL Network completed its list of the top 100 players in the sport as voted on by players, the 49ers ended up with eight — the most of any team. One of them, defensi...

San Jose office and retail building hits sales block after foreclosure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose building seized through foreclosure has landed on the sales block, a potential deal that may provide clues about the strength — or weakness — of the office market.The development, located just south of downtown San Jose, was never completed and toppled into a loan default and eventual foreclosure, raising questions about the prominent property’s future.Now, Meacham Oppenheimer, a commercial real estate firm, is attempting to sell the office and retail complex on behalf of its current owner, the lender for the property.“We are showing the property regularly now,” said David Taxin, a principal executive and partner with Meacham Oppenheimer. “We have gotten fairly good interest from buyers.”The two-building complex totals about 15,500 square feet and occupies a very visible site next to a busy stretch of Monterey Highway between Umbarger Road and Lewis Road.The developer and prior owner of the complex had obtained $6...

Borenstein: Even Bay Area congressional reps question BART’s fiscal folly

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

As BART hurls toward what it calls a fiscal cliff, one would expect the transit system to tap the brakes. Instead, its leaders are pressing the accelerator while insisting that Bay Area residents pay for a bridge over the rapidly approaching abyss.It’s fiscal recklessness that, if not stopped, could cost residents billions in higher taxes and bridge tolls. The good news is that six Bay Area members of Congress last week started questioning this insanity.In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly, Reps. Mark DeSaulnier, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee, Eric Swalwell, Mike Thompson and John Garamendi voiced “strong concerns” about a proposed $1.50 Bay Area bridge toll hike to bail out BART and other transit agencies.The letter from the six, all labor-friendly Democrats, indicates that the union-driven BART board majority is pushing the envelope beyond even what some of its allies can stomach.Congressional ethics rules prevent House members from explicitl...

Opinion: Moving beyond thoughts and prayers to solutions on guns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

All of California’s gun control laws couldn’t save Jose Hernandez III, one of the nine victims of the Valley Transportation Authority mass shooting. Despite our best efforts to achieve gun safety, there is still a catastrophic cost. It is a bill we all must pay.In California, we have a 10-day waiting period to purchase a gun. It’s illegal for anyone who doesn’t have a license to carry a gun in public. To buy a handgun, you must be at least 21. Yet guns are California’s third leading cause of death among kids. A gun suicide occurs every six hours. A mass shooting leaves an innocent person, such as Jose Hernandez III, dead every eight days. It’s always a terrible price to pay. Jose was a family man, a master mechanic and a guitarist in his church band. A disgruntled employee with a semiautomatic handgun killed Jose and eight others just a five-minute walk from my office.If our gun laws are so strict, why is there still so much bloodshed? As a district att...

Marin County man arrested for suspected hate crimes twice in six days

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

A Novato man was arrested on stalking and hate crime allegations.Brian Collins, 59, of Novato was arrested around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Police said he was repeatedly harassing the victim by making threats and using racial epithets.Collins was free on bail in connection with another hate-crime-related arrest. Police said he attempted to hit a bicyclist on Fourth Street on Aug. 2. The suspect, who accused the cyclist of stealing his bike, threatened to kill the cyclist and used racial epithets, according to police.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | New wave of antisemitic flyers on East Bay trail adds to hate-crime ‘heat map’ Crime and Public Safety | Elon Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hateful tweets Crime and Public Safety | LGBTQ+ Russians fleeing Kremlin’s anti-gay propaganda seek safe haven in California Crime and Public Safety | Arrest made in spate of Tracy-area taqueria va...

Truck theft suspect arrested after alleged burglary, carjacking in Walnut Creek

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

(BCN) -- A suspect was arrested Wednesday after a busy afternoon during which he allegedly committed crimes in Walnut Creek, unincorporated Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill. The man started by allegedly trying to use a hammer to burglarize a home on Birch Drive, near Treat Boulevard, in unincorporated Walnut Creek, Walnut Creek police spokesperson Lt. Holley Connors said. Fire causes heavy smoke near Port of Oakland The suspect then allegedly committed a carjacking on Treat Boulevard before dumping the vehicle at approximately 1:59 p.m. on West Holly Drive in Walnut Creek. The man is then suspected of stealing a landscaper's van. The shirtless suspect was apprehended 45 minutes later on Hookston Street in Pleasant Hill, police said. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Man hit, killed by truck on Hwy 101 near Morgan Hill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:30 GMT

(BCN) -- A 36-year-old Riverside man died Wednesday after he was hit by a box truck while standing on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 101 near Morgan Hill, according to the California Highway Patrol. The man was securing something to his vehicle on the side of westbound 101 south of San Martin Avenue, where the collision occurred about 12:30 p.m., CHP Officer Alfredo Uribe said. For unknown reasons, the truck swerved onto the shoulder of the road and hit the man. Fire causes heavy smoke near Port of Oakland He was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries. His name has not been released. The collision is under investigation, but the CHP said it's not believed that alcohol or drugs were a factor.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.