The Point in Time count is a snapshot of overall homelessness looking at those in emergency shelters and transitional housing, and those considered unhoused -- sleeping on the streets, in cars, or abandoned properties, the city said Friday.
The biggest decline was in unsheltered people, which fell 49%, from 749 to 384, compared to the previous year, the city said.
The number of individuals sleeping in emergency shelters decreased by 1%, from 279 to 275, compared to the previous year.
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An endangered young female red panda named Little Mebo has been welcomed to the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, officials said Friday.
Little Mebo's name was chosen by San Francisco Zoological Society board member Kevin Xu in honor of his mother and to complement the animal's playful and curious nature.
The youngster was flown to San Francisco from Memphis as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Red Pandas, said Tanya Peterson, chief executive officer and executive director of the zoo.
Little Mebo joins the zoo's male, Tenzing, and an older female, Hunter, at the Red Panda Treehouse located at the Zoo's Youth Exploration Zone.
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A man was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution for a series of snatch-and-grab thefts from Lululemon apparel shops in San Francisco, prosecutors said Friday.
Bernard Appel, 32, was convicted after pleading guilty to organized retail theft with the intent to resell merchandise and commercial burglary, the San Francisco District Attorney's offices said in a press release.
Appel committed a string of thefts from Lululemon stores in San Francisco Centre Mall and on Fillmore Street from July 10, 2023, through November 19, 2023, prosecutors said.
He would use a large bag or a large Lululemon coat, turned upside down and inside out, to carry off leggings and other merchandise as he quickly exited the stores, prosecutors said.
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The San Francisco Police Department's Traffic Unit will be conducting a "DUI saturation patrol" beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, according to the department.
Drivers caught driving impaired face jail time, fines, fees, and DUI classes.
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Four of the victims in a suspected mass shooting by a family member in an Alameda home earlier this month have been identified. Another victim's identity is still being determined, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
The victims included two of the suspected gunman's children. His 6-year-old son William Andrew Killian was found dead from gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Kitty Hawk Lane on July 10. Wesley James Killian, who was 1, died after being hospitalized in critical condition.
The man's wife, 36-year-old Brenda Natali Morales and her father and mother were also killed in the shooting. Her father was identified as Miguel Angel Carcamo Ramirez. Brenda's mother's identity was still being confirmed as of Friday afternoon, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Police accuse 54-year-old Shane Killian of shooting his family members, but investigators have not released a motive.
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Three homes and multiple outbuildings were destroyed Friday in a fire burning on Liberty and Mackville Road in San Joaquin County, Cal Fire said.
The Liberty Fire burned 104 acres and was 25 percent contained as of 8 p.m. Crews will be on scene through the night, spokeswoman Marjorie Minor said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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An Oakland man has been accused of a freeway shooting after a road rage incident northeast of Orinda, the California Highway Patrol said Friday.
Aaron Demetrius Davis Jr., 30, was accused of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and illegal firearm possession, the CHP said in a Facebook post.
The freeway shooting was reported about 6 p.m. on June 16 on eastbound state Highway 24 at the Acalanes Road off-ramp, police said.
The victim, who wasn't injured, told police that a road rage incident led to a non-injury crash on Highway 24. As both vehicles were stopping on the shoulder, a gunman shot at the victim's vehicle and fled.
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The owner of two Carmel restaurants pleaded no contest to charges of grand theft and credit card fraud, Monterey County prosecutors said Friday.
Dia Kheir, who owns the restaurants Yafa and Carmel's Hidden Gem, also admitted to a sentencing enhancement alleging that the crimes resulted in a loss of over $100,000, prosecutors said.
Kheir entered the plea Thursday. Charges were also brought against a co-conspirator, Tarek Hamade, who has yet to be apprehended.
Kheir and Hamade are accused of defrauding credit card companies by using Yafa's payment system to run tens of thousands of dollars in charges on Hamade's credit cards for large catering transactions that never occurred, prosecutors said.
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A San Francisco man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for firing more than a dozen shots at a U.S. Postal Service worker delivering mail, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Vo Nguyen pleaded guilty in May to assault on a federal employee with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in the course of the assault, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
The attack took place on April 1, 2023, when a mail carrier was making a delivery to Nguyen's residence, prosecutors said in a press release.
Nguyen came out of the house and yelled at the postal worker, who turned and ran. Nguyen followed, and the carrier used pepper spray to stop him, prosecutors said.
Nguyen went home and obtained a 9mm pistol, then went looking for the letter carrier in his car. Finding the carrier, he fired at least 15 shots, prosecutors said.
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Two Pacifica police officers who shot and killed a woman who pointed a gun at them after shooting her son and a dog in March won't face criminal charges, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Friday.
Officer Kevin Contreras and Cpl. Hayden Fry acted in self-defense and in defense of others on March 27 when they shot Michelle Arrais, 50, four times as she was driving away from the apartment complex at 2562 Francisco Blvd., according to a report from Wagstaffe's office.
Arrais, who earlier shot her son in the arm and wrist and also shot and killed the family dog in their shared apartment, was in the driver's seat of a white SUV when Fry and Contreras -- who were on opposite sides of her vehicle -- shot her just moments after arriving on the scene.
Body camera footage from both officers shows Arrais pointing what turned out to be a 9mm Glock handgun at each of them before being shot, although it doesn't appear as if she fired her weapon during that encounter.
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San Francisco police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 76-year-old man.
Kelley Guest was last seen about 2 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of Chestnut Street, police said.
Guest was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with gray hair and brown eyes. Police had no description of his clothing.
Anyone who sees Guest is asked to call 911 and report his location and physical description.
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The first bill arrived in Sultan Khan's mailbox two years after his release from Napa State Hospital. Khan had received psychiatric treatment there for three years after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to a criminal charge stemming from an assault.
He stared in disbelief at the paper in front of him. The Department of State Hospitals wanted him to pay back the cost of that stay: $769,490.
Wondering if he was being scammed, Khan phoned the department. They suggested a payment plan.
The department's practice of billing patients exorbitant sums after releasing them from its care has existed for decades, attorneys and advocates say. Such billing has been required under state law since 1967, and has been allowable since the 1930s. The practice has endured even though the state has passed laws in recent years preventing other government entities from charging big fees to vulnerable populations. One example: People leaving prisons and jails no longer have to pay for many of the costs of their incarceration.
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Cupertino has waived millions of dollars of development fees for the largest housing development in its history after years of disputes -- bringing the city closer to filling the void at the former Vallco Town Center.
The Cupertino City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to waive roughly $77 million in developer fees for The Rise in the final steps of a settlement between the city and Palo Alto-based developer Sand Hill Property Company. Councilmember Liang Chao was the only no vote and said she didn't want to give large concessions to the developer. The city waived fees for below-market-rate housing because Sand Hill exceeded the required number of apartments by about 356. Cupertino also waived planning fees because the developer will pay up to $500,000 for future projects in the area.
The agreement is a result of consistent disputes between the developer and city, raising concern from officials about potential legal action.
The project will pay roughly $43 million to the city over its lifespan, including roughly $10.3 million for transportation and roughly $32 million earmarked for affordable housing, transportation and parks and recreation. Sand Hill is slated to begin construction this August.
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The National Weather Service forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area for Saturday calls for sunny weather.
Daytime highs will be mostly in the 70s in the Bay Area, although inland areas can expect weather in the high 80s. Overnight lows will be mostly in the upper 50s.
There is a coastal floor warning in effect through early Tuesday morning for San Francisco.
The weather is expected to heat up again next week, according to the NWS.
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