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Pleasanton eyes local tax measure — how did it get here?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

How did Pleasanton get here?That was one question posed by a resident during a City Council meeting Tuesday when the panel gave city staff the green light to explore placing a possible tax measure on a ballot next year.City officials will next take the temperature of the community through public opinion polls and other informational campaigns to determine what type of measure — local sales tax, hotel tax or bond, among possible revenue options — may be successful with voters.The city is studying a tax or bond measure as it stares down projections that show the city in coming years spending more money than it takes in.“Why are we in this situation?” Mayor Karla Brown said at the meeting. “One of them is COVID.”Pleasanton lost $11 million in hotel tax revenue during the last three years of the coronavirus pandemic, Brown said, and the industry has been slow to recover to pre-pandemic levels.Sales tax revenue has not been high enough to meet the city...

Opinion: The two big questions answered by Trump’s Georgia indictment

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

The best way to think about Georgia’s sprawling indictment against Donald Trump and his allies is that it is a case about lies. It’s about lying, conspiring to lie and attempting to coax, coerce and cajole others into lying. Whereas the attorney general of Michigan just brought a case narrowly focused on the alleged fake electors in her state (Trump is not a defendant in that one), and special counsel Jack Smith brought an indictment narrowly focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought a case about the entire conspiracy, from start to finish, and targeted each person subject to her jurisdiction for each crime committed in her jurisdiction.In other words, this indictment is ambitious. But it also answers two related questions: Why bring yet another case against Trump in yet another jurisdiction? Isn’t he going to face a federal trial in Washington, D.C., for the same acts outlined in the Georgia indictment?The answ...

Stake in big San Jose apartment complex is bought by L.A. investors

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

SAN JOSE — A big San Jose apartment complex has drawn investment interest from a Southern California investment group in a sign of ongoing strength for Silicon Valley housing.   

As Michelin expands, Black chefs continue to miss out on stars

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

By Kwaku Gyasi | BloombergEarning just one Michelin star has the potential to elevate just another dining spot to the highest ranks of culinary attention.But even though Michelin Guides have been published for a century and have recently gone on an expansion tear, the number of current Michelin-starred restaurants run by Black chefs is still in the single digits.The issue was thrust into the limelight after British actor Will Poulter, a star of the hit TV show The Bear, said in a July interview that food of African origin is “massively underrepresented at the fine dining level.”Just six Michelin-starred restaurants around the world have Black executive chefs, according to Bloomberg analysis. (The chefs are Michael Caines, Charlie Mitchell, Marcel Ravin, Mory Sacko, Gerald Sombright and Georgiana Viou.) Poulter’s viral clip has amplified an ongoing question: Why are some food cultures overlooked by the standard bearers of restaurant guides—and who sets that standard?Culinary Gold Med...

Court documents allege ‘elder financial abuse’ of Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

By Clare Foran | CNNA petition filed in San Francisco Superior Court alleges that California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been the victim of “elder financial abuse” with regard to the management of a trust.The petition states that when Feinstein’s husband Richard Blum died in February 2022, a trust that had been set up by him required its trustees to establish a marital trust funded with $5 million to benefit the senator. But, the petition alleges the trustees “have still neither funded the Marital Trust nor made any of the required income distributions to Senator Feinstein.”The legal document accuses the trustees of committing “financial abuse” of Feinstein by “wrongfully withholding distributions,” and of “elder financial abuse” by “wrongfully and in bad faith depriving her of property rights.”The San Francisco Chronicle was first to report on the petition.The petition has been brought by Katherine Feinstein, who it says has been appointed by the senator “as her attorney-i...

Elias: Newsom’s gun control amendment may open Pandora’s box

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

The weaknesses in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution do not lie with the gun controls he seeks to win via this long, convoluted route.Related ArticlesLocal News | Saratoga’s State of the City will be family friendly Local News | Opinion: EPA funding will help Valley Water better serve community Local News | Elias: California’s rebellion against housing density mandates has begun Local News | Walters: Newsom intervened on banned textbooks. Why not school closures? Local News | Elias: Forcing appliance electrification may cause California backlash Rather, it’s the rest of the process that’s a potential killer — not of people, but of the basic civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights contained in that Constitution. Newsom, realizing it is unlikely almost to the point of impossibility, has pretty much abandoned the route by which every constitutional amen...

Emergency vehicle collides with Cruise car in SF, rider hospitalized

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

(KRON) -- A collision between a Cruise car and an emergency vehicle occurred Thursday night at the intersection of Polk and Turk Streets, according to Cruise. Just after 10 p.m., a Cruise car entered the intersection on a green light when it was struck by an emergency vehicle that appeared to be on its way to an emergency scene. The Cruise car contained one passenger at the time of the crash and they were transported to a hospital with non-severe injuries, Cruise said."Our primary concern is the rider and their welfare, and we have reached out to offer support. We are also deeply mindful of the well-being of the first responders and any individuals affected by this incident," Cruise said.This collision comes amid the recent approved expansion of robotaxi service in the city despite multiple instances of the driverless cars blocking traffic on city roads.

Police look for attacker who stabbed 2 students at James Lick High in San Jose

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

(KRON) -- Officers are responded to a stabbing that involved two students at James Lick High School in San Jose around 11:25 a.m., according to the San Jose Police Department. The unknown suspect, or suspects, fled the scene before police arrived. Antioch police officers arrested by FBI, mayor says The two students, both described as juveniles, were transported to the hospital. Each had at least one stab wound. One of the students was treated for non life threatening injuries.The second student was treated for life-threatening injuries but has been stabilized, according to SJPD. One student reportedly sustained a stab wound in the arm and the other sustained a stab wound in the back.Police are investigating. The school was temporarily placed on lockdown for around 30 minutes and police are advising people to avoid the area. A notice was sent out to parents notifying them about the incident. SJPD said it is coordinating with school district officials.Police are still looking for th...

How a Leaked Cable Upended Pakistani Politics — And Exposed U.S. Meddling

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

Last week, Intercept journalists Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain published a bombshell investigation into Pakistan’s political crisis. Grim and Hussain were provided a Pakistani intelligence document by an anonymous source, outlining how the U.S. government pressured the Pakistani government to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This week on Deconstructed, Grim and Hussain discuss their reporting, the leaked cable, and the fallout from the political crisis in Pakistan.Transcript coming soon.The post How a Leaked Cable Upended Pakistani Politics — And Exposed U.S. Meddling appeared first on The Intercept.

Chelsea Gray’s triple-double leads the Aces, who end the Liberty’s 6-game win streak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:40 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chelsea Gray had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for her second career triple-double and the Las Vegas Aces beat the New York Liberty 88-75 on Thursday night for their 21st straight home victory.The Las Vegas offense responded after scoring just 63 points in a loss to the Liberty on Tuesday in the Commissioner’s Cup. The rematch on Thursday snapped New York’s six-game winning streak — not including the win in the in-season tournament.A’ja Wilson added 21 points, Kelsey Plum had 18 points and Jackie Young finished with 16 for Las Vegas (28-3). Gray, Plum and Young combined for 23 of Las Vegas’ 25 first-quarter points. The Aces closed the first half on a 12-2 run to take a 53-40 lead. Young scored six straight points during the run, and Wilson made four consecutive free throws in the final 35 seconds.New York got back in it after making six 3-pointers in the third quarter, pulling within 68-64 entering the fourth. The Aces held the Liberty to just tw...