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Letters: Dig deeper | PG&E ads | Insurance markets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.PG&E reporting shoulddig deeper on ratesRe: “New year means new PG&E rate hikes” (Page B1, Jan. 3).Your reporting on PG&E rates has to improve. I’m not apologizing for PG&E; they certainly have plenty to answer for. But, instead of reprinting the same complaint ad nauseam, invest time in verifying PG&E’s claims about their expenditures on upgrading infrastructure and how much these alleged investments contribute to their rate increase justifications. The work they need to do strikes me as overwhelming; maybe that’s a justification for not rewarding PG&E and finding someone else to do the job.But until that day comes we need to be more realistic about improving our infrastructure and more understanding that it needs to be paid for. Magical realist thinking — demanding improvements and refusing to pay for them — isn’t going to cut it.Eugene ElySan JoseP...

Alameda City Council rejects mayor’s letter calling for ceasefire in Gaza

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

The Alameda City Council voted on Tuesday against a proposal that would have sent federal officials a letter supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, diving into an issue that has divided Bay Area communities and local governments across the region.Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said she drafted the letter because she believed it was “imperative” to speak up against the violence in Gaza. The letter demanded the U.S. government pursue an immediate ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, condemned Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, and recognized Israel’s desire to ensure the safety of its citizens.Related ArticlesPolitics | Strike kills 12, mostly children, in Gaza area declared safe zone Politics | Islamic State claims responsibility for massive Iran bombing Politics | DePetris: Is the Middle East in danger of spinning out of control? Politics | Mother and uncle of a US serviceman are rescued from Gaza in a secret operation Polit...

Richard Thornton, Olympian and legendary Bay Area swim coach, dies surfing in Santa Cruz

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

Richard Thornton, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic swim team and the longtime head coach of San Ramon Valley Aquatics, died on Thursday while surfing at The Hook Vista Point in Santa Cruz. He was 65.Thornton’s younger brother, Marc, announced the news on Facebook.Thornton helped found San Ramon Valley Aquatics — a year-round swim program for athletes of all ages and skills — in 1985. He was an Olympic swimmer for the US in 1980, but didn’t compete as the national team boycotted the games in Moscow.Since 1984, Thornton had coached Olympic and World Championship finalists, world record holders and NCAA All-Americans. He coached US national teams, and junior national teams, in France in 1994; Brazil in 1995; and in Japan in 1997.Thornton graduated from Cal with a degree in physical education and got his Master’s at Saint Mary’s. He led the SRVA team for nearly four decades, until he died “doing what he loved,” Marc wrote.The Thornton name has been s...

Woman killed running across Oakland freeway is identified.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

OAKLAND — A woman killed when she was hit by a pickup truck while running across an East Oakland freeway the day after Christmas was identified by the coroner’s office Thursday as Camilla Dayanna Sanchez, 22.The coroner’s office said it does not have a city of residence for her.Authorities said Sanchez was running across the northbound lanes of Interstate 880 between High Street and 66th Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 26 when she was hit by a pickup truck in the lane closest to the center divider. She died at the scene.The pickup driver remained on the scene and has been cooperating with investigators, the California Highway Patrol said. There were no signs the driver was impaired.The CHP is still trying to determine why Sanchez was on the freeway.  No disabled vehicles associated with her were found in the area.The CHP is continuing to investigate the death. Anyone with information may call the CHP Oakland office at 510-457-2875.

Does San Jose have a statue snatching problem?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

When Edo Rosenberg arrived at his San Jose art studio on Tuesday, he got a big surprise — and not exactly the kind he wanted to start 2024 with.A nine-foot-tall steel sculpture that he had bolted into the parking lot had simply vanished. All that was left were the holes where the over-600-pound artwork once stood, and the remnants of its bright, orangey rust on the asphalt surface — a loss, the longtime artist estimates, of $100,000 in sales.“I feel lots of different emotions, not just one,” said Rosenberg, 70, standing just feet from where the artwork was snatched at his studio near the city’s airport. “Obviously, I feel sad that I lost my piece.”It isn’t the first time a statue has been stolen in the area: Just across town in Saratoga, a statue worth half a million dollars was swiped from an estate in October. It still hasn’t been found. And in January, a statue of a warrior riding a horse that symbolizes the sister city relati...

Santa Clara: Legal attempt to change ‘biased’ ballot measure on police chief job fails

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

A last ditch effort by a group of Santa Clara residents to change the language of a ballot measure that could get rid of California’s last elected police chief has failed.On Dec. 18, Satish Chandra, Joyce Davis and Carolyn McAllister filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court over Measure B, which will ask voters on March 5 whether the city should change the police chief role from an elected position to an appointed one.The three residents — two of whom were on the seven-member Charter Review Committee that examined the issue earlier this year — argued that the way the question was worded was “biased and unlawful” and left out crucial information: that the police chief is currently an elected position. They asked the court to step in ahead of the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Dec. 29 printing deadline for ballots.Judge Thomas Kuhnle, however, disagreed with the residents’ argument in his Dec. 26 ruling, which denied their reques...

Masked suspects in Hercules follow woman home from bank and rob her

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

HERCULES, Calif. (KRON) -- Taking a quick trip to the bank for some cash and then heading home seems like a routine task. But for a woman in Hercules late Tuesday afternoon, it ended with an attack and robbery.Hercules Police Department Reserve Detective Connie Van Putten said the victim withdrew her cash from inside a Wells Fargo branch in town."And, she did have the money in a bank bag. And, we discourage people from showing those," said Van Putten. Thieves ram-raid San Francisco bank, steal cash Detective Van Putten said it appears the bag caught the suspects' eyes and, they followed her to her home on Pepperwood Street. A neighbor's surveillance cameras captured two hooded and masked suspects park in front and then approach the victim.Police say they pushed her and stole the bag of cash from her hands. Police say if you think you're being followed the last thing you want to do is drive directly to your home."Get to a place of safety," said Van Putten, "somewhere where there's ...

Pacifica Pier closed after being damaged by high waves

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

(KRON) -- The Pacifica Pier will be closed for three weeks after being damaged by high tides and large waves last week. The pier will be closed from Jan. 5 until Jan. 26, according to the City of Pacifica.Sections of the Pacifica Municipal Pier's west-facing desk and concrete railing were damaged by high surf on Thursday, Dec. 28. The pier was subsequently deemed unsafe for users and visitors by the city's Public Works Engineering Division and a structural engineer consultant. Masked suspects in Hercules follow woman home from bank and rob her Officials plan to conduct an expedited structural assessment of the pier. An analysis, staff review, and finalization of the assessment are expected to be completed by Jan. 25.Once the assessment is complete, city officials will determine if the pier can be reopened safely.

Influential former Texas US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson dies at 89

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

DALLAS, Texas (AP) — Trailblazing longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a nurse from Texas who helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region’s most powerful Democrat, died Sunday. She was 89.President Joe Biden, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and many other leaders issued statements about her death after her son posted about it on Facebook. The Dallas Morning News also confirmed her death with an unnamed source close to the family. No cause of death was given.Biden hailed her “immense courage” and called her “an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure.”“She was the single most effective legislator Dallas has ever had,” the mayor said in a statement. “Nobody brought more federal infrastructure money home to our city. Nobody fought harder for our communities and our residents’ interests and safety. And nobody knew how to navigate Washington better for the people of Dal...

US, Sweden will play for world junior gold after US beats Finland and Sweden tops Czech Republic

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:30 GMT

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Sweden will play the United States for gold on home ice at the world junior hockey championship.Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored on a power play in the third period before adding an insurance goal as the tournament hosts defeated the Czech Republic 5-2 on Thursday.The Vancouver Canucks prospect blasted a one-timer past Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal on Sweden’s first man advantage of the afternoon at 5:14 to snap a 2-2 tie.Noah Ostlund then added his third goal of the under-20 event on a breakaway with eight minutes left to make it 4-2 before Lekkerimaki sealed things with his sixth just 1:02 later to blow the top off Scandinavium arena.The United States battled back from an early two-goal deficit to down Finland 3-2 and book the other spot in Friday’s final.The Finns and Czechs will play for bronze on Friday.“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Lekkerimaki said of the gold-medal game. “Very excited.”Axel Sandin Pellikka and Theo Lindstein had a goal and an assist ...