After the U.S. Supreme Court granted cities broad new authority to clear homeless camps last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom had a clear message for local officials: no more excuses. Newsom, under growing pressure to make progress on homelessness, ordered state agencies to work with cities and counties to shut down encampments and threatened to cut … Read more
So much is changing about the way people buy and sell homes since the National Association of Realtors reached a settlement over commissions earlier this year. That includes open houses. The door will still be wide open for both looky-loos and serious buyers alike — but upon entering, some real estate agents will ask visitors … Read more
The real estate industry was set to implement new rules on Saturday that will shake up what agents get paid for the sale of a home — and by whom. The changes stem from a settlement announced in March by the National Association of Realtors over how commissions are set. Typically, a seller uses the … Read more
PIEDMONT — A 52-year-old man who allegedly emailed threats to Piedmont Chief of Police Jeremy Bowers and other members of the police department, including “I will show up with a machine gun and kill everyone of you,” has been arrested and charged with three misdemeanor criminal counts, according to authorities and court records. The man, … Read more
It’s that time of year again: back to school. But this year kids are walking back into their classrooms in the middle of a big statewide COVID surge. The weekly update published Friday by the state health department shows the COVID positivity rate continuing on its steady upward trajectory, reaching 14.7% as of August 12. The … Read more
A blockbuster class-action lawsuit against Tesla over treatment of Black workers at its Fremont electric car factory will go before a jury next fall, a judge ordered this week. It is the largest of several lawsuits — including by the state and federal governments — claiming the automaker led by CEO Elon Musk has allowed … Read more
OAKLAND — Top brass of the Oakland Police Department on Friday announced arrests in four homicides, including three suspects apprehended this week, and also provided details of recent enforcement actions while vowing to continue their efforts to keep crime down. “We are working hard as a police department to reduce the crime and we are … Read more
A California bill to regulate artificial intelligence cleared a crucial legislative hurdle Thursday as it advanced out of a key committee hearing despite heavy opposition from technology companies. The State Assembly’s Appropriations Committee approved an amended version of the bill, SB 1047 by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, on an 11-3 vote Thursday, … Read more
A Fremont mother pleaded guilty this week to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her youngest toddler, who fatally overdosed on the powerful narcotic fentanyl just two weeks shy of his second birthday. Sophia Gastelum-Vera, 27, formally agreed to the plea deal Wednesday after prosecutors voiced plans to drop a slew of lesser charges in … Read more
HERCULES — The Rodeo-Hercules Fire District could be dissolved in under a year — a change enthusiastically backed by district firefighters but protested by some residents — after the special district’s directors and the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to move forward with annexation into Contra Costa Fire District. A final vote on … Read more