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Sonoma County supervisors place Bay Area affordable housing bond on the November ballot
Come November, Sonoma County voters will weigh in on a proposed Bay Area-wide property tax hike to raise money for affordable housing construction. The measure, known as Bay Area Housing for All, could unlock $20 billion from annual surcharges on property tax bills to spur construction of up to 119,000 affordable homes regionwide over 10-plus years. It will appear on the ballot in all nine Bay ...
AI-powered camera helps Cal Fire crews knock down Aptos blaze
APTOS, Calif. — Artificial intelligence helped firefighters respond quickly to a wildfire in a remote part of the Bay Area. The blaze near Aptos was discovered by an AI-powered camera on Wednesday, which detects smoke and alerts crews to put it out before the fire is able to grow.
Bay Area air quality advisory issued because of wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue an air quality advisory for Friday. Smoke from fires in Northern California is expected to impact the Bay Area on Friday. The air district said Thursday morning that conditions can change rapidly and the amount and location of smoke at ground level is hard to predict. The public can check for real-time smoke pollution levels in their local area at https://fire.airnow.gov. Hazy skies may be visible and the smell of smoke is possible in portions of the Bay Area, especially at higher altitudes and in the...
Bay Area man gets prison for selling counterfeit electronics to U.S. military
An Alameda County man has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of selling counterfeit electronics to the Department of Defense that were intended to be used in military equipment, including a nuclear submarine, prosecutors said Thursday.According to Northern District of California U.S. Attorney Ismael Ramsey's office, 63-year-old Steve H.S. Kim was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Kim pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods."Our military must be able to trust that the equipment it is receiving actually reflects what it has purchased," Ramsey said in a statement. Court documents...
Privacy-Centric Lawsuit Against Patagonia Shows AI’s Murky Legal Footing
A newly proposed class-action lawsuit against Patagonia in California shows the rush to use artificial intelligence and personalize the customer experience may cause companies to enter uncharted legal territory. New Class Action Alleges Lululemon's 'Greenwashing' Habit 'Exploits' Consumers Michelle Gills filed the lawsuit against the outdoor apparel maker on July 11, taking specific issue with the company’s partnership with third-party technology provider Talkdesk. Gills alleges that, upon making a call to Patagonia’s customer service line in January, her call was “intercepted, listened to, recorded and used by an undisclosed third party, Talkdesk Inc.” The San Francisco-based company uses AI, among other...
BART begins installing new fare gates at SF stations to stop evaders
BART is installing their next batch of what they are calling Next Generation Fare Gates to deter people from fare evading.The San Francisco Civic Center BART station is the second location where new gates are going. The first station where BART tested new gates was in West Oakland over six months ago.MORE: New BART gates to be installed at 8 more stations for public safety, fare evasion preventionBART rider Dennis Fernandez says he has seen multiple people fare evading."People jumping, or people trying to sneak and squeeze their body through the turnstiles, or I have seen somebody wait for somebody...
Microsoft outage cancels dozens of flights at San Francisco International Airport
Systems at San Francisco International Airport are now functioning after a global tech outage early Friday morning affecting computer systems using Microsoft 365 apps. According to SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel, airlines report systems are still coming back online as of 5:55 a.mBased on tech company FlightAware's tracking data, at least 69 cancellations were recorded at SFO on Friday without a specified cause. "We recommend travelers contact their airline directly for the status of their flight," Yakel said. The airport earlier confirmed that it was experiencing tech issues. At San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, spokesperson Kaley Skantz confirmed that Delta Air Lines canceled an arrival and a departure flight there. Delta Air Lines is one of the numerous carriers that canceled their flights around the time of the IT outage, which media outlets, banks and cyber users worldwide have reported experiencing with systems linked to Microsoft and cybersecurity giant Crowdstrike.
The new road rage: ‘Disrespect’ to drivers fuels an angry political movement
It was a chilly, windy Thursday morning — good weather for getting mad. Denise Selleck drove to a parking lot near Ocean Beach to meet up with other motorists who had gathered to fume before forming a protest caravan that would take over the Great Highway. Selleck was one...
Megan Pagnini wins Miss California Mid-State Fair Pageant
– The California Mid-State Fair announced that 18-year-old Megan Pagnini of Paso Robles has been crowned the 2024 Miss California Mid-State Fair Queen and Miss Congeniality. Ashlee Holt, 18, of Paso Robles, was named 1st Runner Up, and Logan Rutherford, 21, of Paso Robles, was named 2nd Runner Up. Vanessa Pinedo, 18, of Paso Robles, won the Talent Competition with her Folklorico dance to “Son de la Negra.” Hailey Terrell, 17, of Templeton, won the Interview Competition.
Housing, immigrant services, homelessness prevention face cuts in California budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the proposed 2024-2025 California budget details on June 29, detailing the state's planned belt-tightening over the next two fiscal years. The new budget "avoids deep program cuts" and maintains $22.2 billion in reserves at the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year thanks to delays and deferrals that will ultimately impact low-income households and Californians of color, according to the governor's website. ...
Coastsider to discuss new book on gun culture
David Yamane, who was born and raised in Half Moon Bay and is now a professor of sociology at Wake Forest University, will speak about his new book “Gun Curious” at Blue Ocean Brewery this weekend. The book tells the story of how Yamane became a gun owner...
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