Wednesday Morning News Roundup

During a more than two-hour meeting, supporters and opponents of the recall effort reiterated their oft-repeated positions -- with anti-Price folks calling for a special election as soon as possible and the pro-Price crowd pushing for the Nov. 5 date.

"We are here today representing the 123,387 citizens of Alameda County that entrusted in us to help with the safety of our citizens, we're asking for a special election," recall supporter Brenda Grisham said before the supervisors' vote. "All we want is justice, accountability for the citizens of Alameda County."

In the end, the supervisors voted 3-0 to follow Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis' recommendation that the recall be consolidated with the general election, primarily to save the $15 million to $20 million cost of a separate, special election while the county is facing an estimated $68 million budget deficit.

-0-

Following a 6-to-1 vote, the Pride Flag will fly at Stockton City Hall next month despite the mayor dissenting for the second year in a row.

Many LGBTQ+ community members and supporters spoke during public comment before the vote was taken and called on council members to allow the flag to be raised and flown, as it has been for six years running.

Cymone Reyes, executive director at the San Joaquin Pride Center, said that love is a human experience, not a political statement, referring to a previous close vote to allow the flag to fly last year. In that vote, the mayor along with two other councilmembers voted against allowing the flag to fly. This year, only the mayor dissented.

Jason Lee, a candidate vying for a spot on the Stockton city council in the 2024 primary election, also told the council that during an election year there were people watching to see that they believe in inclusivity.

With the passing of the motion the Pride Flag will be displayed from June 25 to July 1 in commemoration of Pride Month.

-0-

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has charged a man in the shooting deaths of two women in San Lorenzo earlier this month, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

Howard Reed, 31, of San Lorenzo, was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances for the shooting deaths of 32-year-old Jingwei "Melanie" Zhang and 38-year-old Dorothy Mak. According to the Sheriff's Office, the shootings occurred on or around May 1 at a home the three shared in the 15000 block of Dermody Avenue, though the women's bodies were discovered on May 4 when officers carried out a welfare check.

Relatives of the women reported them missing after neither responded to phone calls or text messages since April 30, the Sheriff's Office said.

Reed was captured by law enforcement in Kansas, the Sheriff's Office said. He will be extradited back to California.

-0-

The family of a man who died after being in police custody in Antioch in 2020 has settled with the city for $7.5 million, a spokesperson for the law office of John Burris said Tuesday.

The Antioch City Council voted to approve the settlement in closed session on Tuesday night, according to the spokesperson for Burris.

The civil rights suit against the city of Antioch was filed on behalf of the family of Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Filipino American veteran who was suffering from a mental health crisis on Dec. 23, 2020 when Antioch police arrived at his home. Officers were responding to a report that Quinto was having a dispute with his mother.

When paramedics arrived, Quinto's face "was purple in color, there was blood on his face and the floor, and he was unresponsive." They began life-saving efforts and he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Quinto died by asphyxia after being knelt on the neck by Antioch police. According to the lawsuit, Quinto was forcibly restrained during an "obvious mental health emergency.

-0-

An elderly man who was in custody in Santa Clara County died Monday, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The man was being considered by the courts for compassionate release just days before his death, the Sheriff's Office said.

On Monday, doctors at Valley Medical Center entered the inmate's room at 4:15 a.m. to conduct a medical assessment of an incarcerated person. At 4:24 a.m. he was pronounced deceased.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the man had been in custody since 2018 on a warrant for multiple sexual offenses and due to his ailing health had been housed in the jail's infirmary. The inmate had an advanced medical condition and had a Do Not Resuscitate on file. One week ago, he was admitted to the hospital for a higher level of care as his health declined.

The name of the man is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin. No foul play is suspected in the death, but an investigation was carried out, as is standard protocol, the Sheriff's Office said.

-0-

An area of Big Sur's coastal highway will reopen a week earlier than scheduled on Friday following repairs to a section that previously fell into the ocean nearly two months ago.

The repairs in Big Sur were required following a March 30 rockslide off Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge. At the time, approximately 6 feet of the pavement and a portion of a retaining wall that supported the highway fell to the ocean about 170 feet below, leaving the southbound lane impassable.

When it reopens Friday, the area will have signalized traffic control allowing one-way alternating traffic in both directions. A project to construct a permanent repair to the highway at this location is currently in the design phase, with an estimated completion date of spring 2025.

-0-

The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified a 5-year-old boy who drowned over the weekend on Bethel Island.

Lucas Zhang was from Livermore. He was found submerged near the docks at Bethel Island by a rescue diver Saturday and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Deputies from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the 400 block of Halcyon Place in Bethel Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta around 4:30 p.m. Saturday in response to a report of a missing child.

Deputies searched for the boy, who was believed to have fallen into the water. Sheriff's office marine patrol deputies also searched, and a diver from the fire district entered the water near the docks to search for him.

The diver found the boy around 5:10 p.m. Rescuers immediately attempted life-saving measures and the child was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

-0-

San Francisco residential electric customers are getting a healthy rate increase on the "generation" portion of their electric bills, at least if they get their power from the city's CleanPowerSF program.

After a no-drama hearing Tuesday, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (not to be confused with the California Public Utilities Commission) unanimously approved an average rate increase of 8.5 percent, effective July 1, 2024. SFPUC is a city department and has jurisdiction over rate-setting for CleanPowerSF's rates.

While the explanatory materials prepared by SFPUC and posted on its website before the hearing said the average rate increase would be 8.5 percent, they added that "some customers will see higher, some customers will see lower changes in rates."

What the posted materials didn't specifically say, despite SFPUC's vow that it is "dedicated to transparency," is that the commission approved an average rate increase of more than 10 percent for 360,000 residential customers and 27,000 small business customers. It only worked out to be an overall average 8.5 percent increase because a group of large general service users are getting a decrease in rates.

-0-

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be opening an Asylum Office in Oakland on Wednesday.

The new location at 1301 Clay Street will be temporary, as the USCIS San Francisco Asylum Office seeks to increase its capacity to hold asylum interviews.

"Asylum applicants are encouraged to carefully review interview notices as they can now expect to receive a notice to attend an interview at either the San Francisco or Oakland office locations. Visit the Preparing for Your Affirmative Asylum Interview webpage for more information about what to expect at an asylum interview," the agency said.

The public is advised that asylum interviews are by appointment only.

-0-

A cranny of Campbell is slated for demolition to make way for a larger housing project, leaving some residents and businesses unsure if they will be able to stay in the West Valley city.

The Campbell City Council earlier this month unanimously approved a unique housing development that includes 25 townhomes, 10 apartments and 12 tiny homes, also known as junior accessory dwelling units (ADUs) attached to the townhomes. The three-and four-story development will sit on roughly 1.45 acres at 57-101 Gilman and 60 Dillon avenues across from Campbell Park and within walking distance of the historic downtown and VTA light rail station. San Jose-based Robson Homes is the developer and has two years to begin working on the project.

Robson Homes has already developed townhomes down the street from Gilman Avenue on Lottie Lane. Its latest project will add 16 affordable homes, including the junior ADUs, two apartments and a townhome for low-income residents and one moderately priced townhome. But it will also displace residents and business owners who said finding a new place will be difficult, even though some tenants knew of the potential situation when they signed a lease.

-0-

Benicia police arrested two men earlier this week for allegedly stealing a bicycle, then allegedly found one of the men with drugs and an assault rifle, two handguns and parts of another gun.

Someone came to the Police Department to report a stolen bicycle Monday afternoon. While there, the person's spouse called to say she located two males with the bike.

Police went to West 7th Street and Cheryl Drive at 4:54 p.m. to contact the suspects. The male riding the bike was later cited and released. However, the second man allegedly told police he had drugs. Police searched a vehicle in the area containing a tote bag with the man's ID, which they said also held two handguns, an AR-15 assault-style weapon and parts for an additional weapon.

The man also had three no-bail warrants from Tehama County for a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, and prowling.

Police arrested the 37-year-old man and transported him to Solano County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm in public under specific circumstances, carrying a loaded handgun he didn't own, owning a firearm without a serial number, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

-0-

One died and one was injured following a crash Tuesday night on southbound Interstate Highway 280 near Redwood City, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said that around 10 p.m., a Hyundai Accent and a pickup truck collided on southbound I-280 near the Edgewood Road offramp. Both drivers were ejected from their vehicles and were found lying on the roadway.

One of the drivers was pronounced dead on the scene, while the other was rushed to a hospital due to severe injuries. The agency is yet to confirm which driver died.

Due to the crash, the southbound lanes of I-280 south of Edgewood Road were closed.

-0-

The National Weather Service forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area for Wednesday calls for mostly cloudy skies, with slight chances of drizzle for coastal areas.

Daytime highs are expected to be mostly in the 60s on the coast, in the upper 60s to 80s around the bay, and in the 70s to 80s inland. Overnight lows will be mostly in the 50s.

Calm and quiet weather conditions are expected to continue Wednesday, bringing a repeat of morning clouds along the coast and valleys and clear skies elsewhere. Along the coast, there are also slight chances of drizzle.

Forecasters say morning clouds will gradually retreat towards the coast by Wednesday afternoon with sun returning for most areas. By Wednesday evening, low stratus clouds are expected to spread back inland with mostly cloudy conditions returning overnight.

Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.