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Letters: Effective governing | Butt out of Israel | Attacking democracy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.For effective governing,measure the resultsRe: “Democrats keep repeating the same mistakes” (Page A6, July 18).State Sen. Steve Glazer’s, D-Orinda, op-ed defines an opportunity for Democratic legislators to raise their games to a new level to benefit Californians. The role of government is to do things with our tax dollars to solve problems and make life better for our citizens. It is about effective governing not holding on to power.I feel Democrats are good at holding power, but bad at governing. The senator’s examples of reluctance to measure results is a glaring example. Franklin Roosevelt said of the New Deal that we should try things — if they fail, admit it, learn from it, and try something different. The proof is in the result. Democrats and all of us would be better off if our elected officials lead the way to a more efficient and productive state government that effectively tackles ...

Pac-12 preseason poll: Stanford dead last, Cal not far ahead; both have first-team honoree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

Pac-12 media members don’t have high hopes for the Bay Area schools this fall.Stanford was picked to finish last in the conference this football season, while Cal was selected ninth in the 12-school conference.Both teams are projected to finish one spot lower than they did last year: Stanford was 11th at 3-9 (1-8 in the Pac-12), while Cal went 4-8 (2-7). Stanford head coach David Shaw abruptly stepped down following his 12th season, and the Cardinal replaced him with former Cal quarterback Troy Taylor, who recently elevated Sacramento State to great heights at the FCS level.USC was picked by media members to win the Pac-12 in its final year with the league, while fellow future Big Ten member UCLA was picked sixth. The Trojans received 25 first-place votes, followed by two-time defending champion Utah (6), Washington (4) and Oregon (1).The Bears and Cardinal each have one player on the preseason all-Pac-12 first team. Senior linebacker Jackson Sirmon represents Cal while senior...

Vehicle theft suspect injured trying to run across Berkeley freeway; second person escapes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

BERKELEY — A vehicle theft suspect being pursued by a Contra Costa County deputy sheriff was injured Wednesday night when he was hit by an SUV on Interstate 80 after abandoning the disabled stolen vehicle and trying to flee on foot, authorities said.The man suffered major injuries and was taken to a hospital. His age and residence were not released and his condition was not available Thursday.A second suspect who was able to safely escape was being sought.Authorities said that about 7:48 p.m. Wednesday, a Contra Costa County deputy saw an occupied stolen vehicle in San Pablo. The vehicle’s driver fled, driving down a sidewalk even before the deputy tried to stop them, sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said Thursday.The deputy later caught up to the vehicle but terminated the pursuit when the driver piloted the car recklessly.Another deputy spotted the vehicle later driving westbound on Interstate 80 and began chasing it, Lee said. The vehicle apparently had mechanical ...

Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters swarmed with protestors amid film and TV strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

Hollywood’s strike came to Los Gatos Thursday afternoon as a group of more than a hundred actors, writers and allies picketed in front of Netflix headquarters.The Northern California chapter of SAG-AFTRA, which organized the strike, is protesting the streaming model’s impact on actors’ income and uncertainty around artificial intelligence’s role in TV and films.“More people are watching more programming for longer today than ever before, and we’re making less on residuals. It’s not fair,” said Michael X. Sommers, an Oakland-based actor known for roles in the film “Sorry to Bother You,” and the TV show “Sense8.”Actor Michael X. Sommers, from Oakland, strikes with SAG-AFTRA supporters outside of the Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) This is the first time the organization has picketed in front of Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters on 101 Albright Way, and comes a...

Protesters storm Swedish embassy in Iraq over Quran burning plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

By Hamdi Alkhshali, Celine Alkhaldi and Aqeel Najim | CNNIraqi security forces dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who stormed the main gates of the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, in response to police in Stockholm sanctioning another planned burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.Videos posted on social media showed a large number of protesters inside the Swedish embassy’s perimeter as well as black smoke and fire coming from the building.Security forces armed with electric batons chased protestors and used water cannons to disperse them and put out the fire, a security source told CNN.Eyewitnesses told CNN that the protesters withdrew from the perimeter of the Swedish Embassy after setting part of it on fire “after delivering their message of protest against the act of burning the Holy Book of God.”Several journalists covering the protests were detained by security forces, and at least one was beaten, according to multiple organizations.“Journalists should be...

Man killed in spray of Antioch gunfire that left 60 shell casings is identified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

ANTIOCH — A 45-year-old Antioch resident was identified Thursday as the man who died amid a barrage of bullets that left 60 shell casings in the downtown area last week.Authorities said Byron Turner Jr. was shot more than once early Saturday. Officers were downtown when at about 2:10 a.m. they saw a crowd of people running near a bar and restaurant on I Street.Police said at least two other people also were wounded, including a woman they found on West First Street. They have not announced any arrest in connection with the shooting.The homicide is the fifth investigated by Antioch police in 2023.Two other shootings were reported over the weekend in Antioch, police said. A domestic dispute ended with a shooting near Putnam and D streets but the intended victim was not hit. Officers also found a man with a wound to his leg after being called to the Babe Ruth baseball fields at 1550 Auto Center Dr., for a shooting Sunday.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Author...

Concord woman shot at Oakland apartment complex, suspect later arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

OAKLAND — A 35-year-old Concord woman was shot multiple times Wednesday night at an East Oakland apartment complex and a suspect was later arrested, authorities said.Additional suspects were being sought Thursday.The shooting was reported about 6:54 p.m. Wednesday outside at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of 65th Avenue.The woman was visiting and was near some other people when the occupants of two vehicles began shooting at them, authorities said.The woman was the only one wounded. She got a ride to another location where police were called. She was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.A motive for the shooting is under investigation and police are trying to determine if the woman was the intended target.Descriptions of the vehicles involved in the shooting were obtained and broadcast over police radio channels.One of the vehicles was stopped by officers later in the area of 55th Avenue and Bancroft Way and the 21-year-old occupant was arrested, auth...

Spare the Air Alert issued for Friday in Bay Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

(BCN) -- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air alert for Friday because of a forecast for unhealthy levels of smog caused by hot temperatures, vehicle exhaust and smoke from a wildfire in Oregon.The alert comes as some inland parts of the Bay Area are expected to see temperatures as high as 108 degrees Friday.That hot weather, combined with the pollution from cars and smoke from the Flat Fire in southwestern Oregon, is expected to create unhealthy levels of smog, also known as ozone, which can cause throat irritation, congestion and chest pain, particularly for children, seniors, and people with respiratory and heart conditions, according to the air district.On Spare the Air days, people are advised to only exercise in the early morning hours when smog levels are lower.People can find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect by registering at www.sparetheair.org, calling (800) HELP-AIR, downloading the Spare the Air app or connecting with Spare t...

Texas man found dead in UC Berkeley building was slain years ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

(BCN) -- Skeletal remains discovered on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley were identified and the death has been ruled a homicide, university police said Wednesday.DNA evidence revealed the bones are those of Texas man Steven McCreary and were discovered in a brick storage building on the university's Clark Kerr campus in January.McCreary was about 37 years old when he was last known to be alive. He was born Oct. 8, 1972. He was not affiliated with the university and did not have a home in the Bay Area.Rather he was known to travel around the country by hitchhiking and riding trains. The Alameda County coroner analyzed McCreary's bones and their condition showed he was killed by someone else.Police are seeking help from the community to solve the crime.UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr campus houses students and is used as an event space. It is located about a mile from the university's core near Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way in Berkeley.The brick building where McCr...

Senate committee approves legislation to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court justices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a response to recent revelations about donor-funded trips by justices. The bill faced united opposition from Republicans, who said it could “destroy” the court. The panel voted along party lines to set ethics rules for the court and a process to enforce them, including new standards for transparency around recusals, gifts and potential conflicts of interest. Democrats first pushed the legislation after reports earlier this year that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in luxury vacations and a real estate deal with a top GOP donor — and after Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify before the committee about the ethics of the court. Since then, news reports also revealed that Justice Samuel Alito had taken a luxury vacation with a GOP donor. And The Associated Press reported last week that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, aide...