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☆ A California restaurant owner says he'll 'absolutely' have to put up wages to compete with fast-food chains now paying $20 an hour
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe owner of a restaurant in California says he'll "absolutely" have to raise his wages to compete with local fast-food chains now that they're paying workers $20 an hour. "It's already hard to find dishwashers, which is a horrible job for minimum wage," Vitalie continued. Restaurant margins 'are so small to begin with'The new minimum wage compounds what Vitalie described as years of difficulties for independent restaurants in California. "And with the rise of inflation with food costs and labor costs, it's getting really, really bad." South San Francisco has put up its minimum wage annually since 2020, and it reached $17.25 an hour in January.

Persons: —, Sal Vitalie, Vitalie, it's, he'd, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Garden Club, South San Locations: California, South San Francisco, San Mateo County

Alphabet's Waymo robotaxi unit won approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand service to parts of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, according to a notice posted to the regulator's website on Friday. "Waymo may begin fared driverless passenger service operations in the specified areas of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula, effective today," the release said. In mid-February, Waymo initiated a voluntary recall filing notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying it would fix software issues. The latest notice applies to the commercial ride-sharing service Waymo One. WATCH: Crowd burns Waymo in San Francisco

Persons: Alphabet's, Waymo, Apple, Elon Musk's Tesla, Cruise robotaxis Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, San, National, Traffic Safety Administration, California Department of Motor Vehicles, General Motors, Cruise, Palo Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco Peninsula, Phoenix, California, Palo Alto, San Mateo County, San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California regulators on Friday authorized Waymo to expand services of its fleet of robotaxis into Los Angeles and to cities on the peninsula south of San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo's application for the expansion of its self-driving taxi operations beyond San Francisco starting Friday. The company owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc. has also been operating the service in Phoenix since 2020. The expansion for Waymo comes after California authorities revoked the license of a rival robotaxi service owned by General Motors after determining its driverless cars that had been transporting passengers throughout San Francisco were a dangerous menace. Officials in San Mateo County and Los Angeles had opposed the expansion and want more local say over how robotaxis can operate.

Persons: Waymo Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, The, The California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco, Google, Inc, General Motors, Cruise Locations: — California, robotaxis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, The California, San, Phoenix, LA, California, San Mateo County

A study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 6.4% of adults living alone had feelings of depression in 2021, compared with 4.1% of adults living with others. Overall, 4.5% of adults reported feelings of depression in 2021, with a higher proportion among women (5.2%) than men (3.7%). Among Hispanic adults living alone, 7.3% reported feelings of depression compared with 3.2% from that group who lived with others. Approximately 6.7% of Black adults living alone reported depression versus 4.5% living with others, while 6.3% of white adults living alone reported depression compared with 4.3% who lived with others. While a higher percentage of adults living alone reported feelings of depression compared to those living with others across all household income levels, a higher proportion was found among poorer adults.

Persons: ”, Vivek Murthy Organizations: Valentine's, Centers for Disease Control, U.S Locations: U.S, San Mateo County, Silicon

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — Police in California arrested a man for allegedly stealing a small aircraft before crashing onto a beach and leaving the scene on Thursday. Deputies received a report of a small airplane landing “near or on a beach” in Half Moon Bay around 5 p.m., the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Police said officers found the aircraft, intact but unoccupied, on the sand south of Poplar Beach, which is about 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Deputies located a man matching the description of a person seen landing the plane and walking away, police said. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft with the Palo Alto Police Department.

Persons: Luiz Gustavo Aires Organizations: — Police, San, San Mateo County Sheriff's, Police, San Mateo County Sheriff’s, Palo Alto Police Department Locations: Calif, California, San Mateo County, Poplar Beach, San Francisco, Miami, Redwood City, Palo Alto , California

☆ Wealthy Silicon Valley county becomes first to declare loneliness a public health emergency
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Silicon Valley county declared loneliness to be a public health emergency. San Mateo County found that 45% of its residents said they were suffering from loneliness. AdvertisementA wealthy Silicon Valley county in California has become the first in the US to declare loneliness a public health emergency. Stephen Lam/Getty ImagesIn San Mateo County, Canepa has proposed several ideas to combat the problem, including making neighborhoods more walkable. San Mateo County, with over 700,000 residents, in the San Francisco Bay Area, includes part of Silicon Valley.

Persons: —, David Canepa, Vivek Murthy, Murthy, Stephen Lam, Canepa, Jennifer Steele Organizations: Facebook, YouTube, Electronic Arts, Service, Supervisors, NBC News, San Mateo, NBC, San Locations: San Mateo County, Silicon, California, California's San Mateo County, Japan, New York, San Mateo's, San Francisco Bay, Francisco, Silicon Valley

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers drenched Northern California on Thursday, flooding roads while triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for powerful downpours, heavy snow and damaging winds. Forecasters also said the Central Coast could see waves up to 18 feet (5.4 meters) high on Thursday and Friday. The storm came a week after heavy rain caused flooding that inundated homes and overturned cars in the county. Last winter, California was battered by numerous drought-busting atmospheric rivers that unleashed extensive flooding, big waves that hammered shoreline communities and extraordinary snowfall that crushed buildings. ___Associated Press journalists Nic Coury in Capitola, California, and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed to this report.

Persons: Brian Ferguson, Cal OES, ” Ferguson, Joshua Whitby, “ There’s, ” Whitby, Daniel Swain, Swain, Snow, Nic Coury, Scott Sonner Organizations: ANGELES, San, San Francisco Bay Area, National Weather Service, Bay, Service, California Governor’s, Emergency Services, University of California, Yosemite National, Associated Locations: Northern California, San Francisco Bay, Coast, Central, Pacifica, San Mateo County, Humboldt County, Eureka, San Diego County, Hawaii, California, Oregon, San Diego, Capitola, Monterey Bay, Los Angeles, Sierra Nevada, Sierra, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Reno , Nevada, Capitola , California

☆ Homebuilt plane sold last year for $100,000 crashes into ocean off California coast, likely killing 4 people
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A homebuilt aircraft crashed into the ocean just south of San Francisco on Sunday. AdvertisementA small homebuilt aircraft crashed off the coast of California on Sunday, The Associated Press reported. But the following morning, authorities said a fishing boat spotted a "deceased female" in the water, which they said was "likely associated with the plane crash given she was located in the same location." The Cozy Mark IV is 16.9 feet long with a wing span of 28.1 feet. It has a top speed of 200 mph and can travel around 1,000 miles, per Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., which sells plans for the Mark IV.

Persons: —, Mark IV, Emma Willmer, Lochie Ferrier, Cassidy Petit, Thane Ostroth, Ostroth, Marc Zeitlin, Zeitlin, Mark Organizations: Sunday, Service, Associated Press, Federal, Facebook, San, San Mateo County Sheriff's, Coast Guard, CHP, Aeronautical, National Transportation Safety Board, Cozy, AP, NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Specialty Co Locations: San Francisco, California, San Mateo County, Moss Beach , CA, Australian, United States

The plane was registered to an Oakland-based company called Winged Wallabies, Inc., according to Federal Aviation Administration records. He said it was “traumatic” to know the plane he had spent so much time on had crashed with people on board. Like commercial aircraft, all home-built planes are required by the FAA to be inspected annually for air worthiness. Cozy aircraft have the same safety record as commercially built planes of similar size, said aeronautical engineer Marc Zeitlin, who consults with the National Transportation Safety Board on crash investigations involving Cozy aircraft, including this one. “You buy foam, you buy fiberglass, you buy metal parts from all the manufacturers.

Persons: Mark IV, Thane Ostroth, Ostroth, “, I’ll, ” Ostroth, Marc Zeitlin, Zeitlin, ”, Zeitlen, Emma Willmer, John Antczak Organizations: ANGELES, Wallabies, Inc, Federal Aviation Administration, Authorities, Cozy, FAA, National Transportation Safety Board, Burnside Aerospace, San, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, U.S . Coast Guard, San Mateo County Coroner’s, The National Transportation Safety Board, Associated Press Locations: California, San Francisco, Oakland, Thane, Australia, Michigan, Florida, Ross, San Mateo County, U.S, Los Angeles

☆ Former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor dead at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/5] U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor speaks during an interview with Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler at the 92nd Street Y in New York March 15, 2012. Chief Justice John Roberts recalled O'Connor as having "blazed an historic trail as our nation’s first female justice." "We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education." Her 1981 appointment by Republican President Ronald Reagan made her the Supreme Court's first woman justice nearly two centuries after the Supreme Court was established in 1789 but her place in history went beyond breaking men-only barriers. The Supreme Court, which has had a 6-3 conservative majority since 2020, overturned the landmark Roe ruling in 2022.

Persons: Sandra Day O'Connor, Stephen Adler, Shannon Stapleton, Sandra Day O’Connor, O'Connor, John Roberts, Roberts, George W, Bush, Samuel Alito, Ronald Reagan, you’ve, Roe, Wade, Republican George W, Democrat Al Gore, O’Connor, Harry, Ada Mae, Rehnquist, John, Warren Burger, Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Justice Potter Stewart, “, Barack Obama, Bill Trott, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democrat, Chicago Tribune, Stanford University, Arizona, Democratic, Senate, Ladies, White, Thomson Locations: New York, Phoenix, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Florida, El Paso , Texas, Los Angeles, San Mateo County , California, United States, West, Reuters Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat representing parts of California's Silicon Valley, announced Tuesday that she will not run for reelection next year, marking the end of her more than three decades in Congress. Eshoo joins more than a dozen House Democrats who are opting to retire or run for another office next year. Political Cartoons View All 1260 ImagesIn a statement, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries saluted Eshoo’s years of public service. “It is fitting that Silicon Valley has been represented by a prolific legislator, innovator, and barrier breaker like Anna Eshoo,” the New York Democrat said. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who has represented California’s San Fernando Valley for nearly three decades, also said this week that he will be retiring when his term is up.

Persons: Anna Eshoo, “, ” Eshoo, Eshoo, I’ve, Hakeem Jeffries, Eshoo’s, “ Anna, Tony Cárdenas Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Congressional, Democratic, San, Supervisors, Democrats, House Energy, Commerce, New York Democrat, California Democrat Locations: Silicon, California's, Santa Jose, San Mateo County, California, San Fernando Valley

☆ At their annual mega-party, real estate agents on edge over the potential erosion of their commissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Anna Bahney | Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Courtesy National Association of RealtorsKasper echoed those sentiments in a keynote address to agents at the convention on Tuesday, telling agents: “We will continue to listen closely to your feedback. Real estate agents generate about $100 billion in commissions a year, according to the Department of Justice. And about half of that, plaintiffs in the recent case argue, goes to buyers’ agents. Visitors at the National Association of Realtors convention on November 14 in Anaheim, California. She said that buyers’ agreements may have to have wording that says that if a seller doesn’t agree to pay the buyer’s agent commission, the buyer is on the hook for that money.

Persons: Keller Williams, Tracy Kasper, Berkshire Hathaway, Silverhawk, ”, ” Tracy Kasper, National Association of Realtors Kasper, Renée Roqué, Alexis McGee, “, Liu Guanguan, John Natale, Natale isn’t, Lynn Madison, Madison, Chuck Simons, “ It’s, Matt Troiani, Troiani, it’s, ” Troiani, ” ‘, Jim Flanagan, Flanagan, isn’t, Nate Johnson, haven’t, Johnson Organizations: California CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, of Justice, NXT, Department of Justice, China News Service, Social Media, Realtors, Coldwell, RedKey Realty Locations: Anaheim, California, Missouri, America, Texas, Berkshire, Boise , Idaho, Stevenson Ranch , California, San Mateo County , California, New Jersey, Anaheim , California, Illinois, Valencia , California, Ocean County , New Jersey, Flanagan’s, St, Louis , Missouri

☆ $104,400 classes as a 'low' income for a single-person household in San Francisco, California's housing department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

$104,400 is a "low" income in San Francisco County, according to California's housing department. Such a salary classes as a "low'" income in San Francisco County, according to California's Department of Housing and Community Development. In San Francisco County, the median income for a one-person household is listed as $122,500, per California's housing department. Making $18,400 a year is an "acutely low" income, $39,150 is "extremely low," $65,350 is "very low," and $104,400 is "low." Marin County, which is directly north of San Francisco County, and San Mateo County, to the south, both have the same income limits.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, California's Department of Housing, Community, Fox Business, US Department of Housing, Urban, Survey, Stanford University, San, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Locations: San Francisco County, Mississippi, San Francisco, Marin County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara, Jose, Google's, Palo Alto, New York City, Jersey City, San Francisco's

☆ The doctor who drove his Tesla off a cliff with his family inside says he was pulling over to check his tire pressure, but his wife says he was trying 'to kill everyone:' report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff told officials he was checking his tire pressure. But his wife said the crash was intentional, per The San Francisco Chronicle citing court documents. All four family members in the car, including the couple's 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son miraculously survived the steep fall. But Patel's wife, Neha Patel, told first responders "multiple times" that her husband intentionally drove the car off the cliff, the outlet reported, citing court records. In February, an attorney for Patel said in court that the man's wife did not want him to be prosecuted.

☆ Why Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is suing social media companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court, said “the need is great” to continue to fund mental health outpatient programs, mobile crisis units, family-based mental health services, and in-school mental health programming and training to address the mental health of young people. Bucks County is joining a small but growing number of of school districts and families who have filed lawsuits against social media companies for their alleged impact on teen mental health. Some families have also filed wrongful death lawsuits against tech platforms, alleging their children’s social media addiction contributed to their suicides. Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, believes it will be “difficult” for counties and school districts to win lawsuits against social media companies. “There will be the issues of showing that the social media content was the cause of the harm that befell the children,” he said.

☆ California farm worker pleads not guilty to 7 murder counts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The next hearing in the case was set for May 3, the district attorney, Steve Wagstaffe, confirmed to Reuters. Zhao is charged with seven counts of premeditated murder and a single count of attempted murder in a criminal complaint that also cites "special circumstance" allegations accusing him of "personally and intentionally" shooting to kill. read moreUnder California law, defendants convicted of murder with "special circumstances" are eligible for the death penalty, though Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 declared a moratorium on executions. Authorities said the Monterey Park assailant, Huu Can Tran, 72, shot himself to death the next day as police closed to make an arrest. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles Editing by Alistair Bell and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The wife of the doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff in a Tesla doesn't want him to be prosecuted. A domestic violence expert says this kind of behavior isn't uncommon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The wife of a man accused to driving his family off a cliff in a Tesla doesn't want him prosecuted. A domestic violence expert told Insider this type of behavior in victims is not uncommon. Prosecutors handling the case are treating it like a domestic violence case, a local DA said. A domestic violence expert and the local district attorney handling the case told Insider on Tuesday this type of behavior in victims is not uncommon. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Insider that his office is "viewing" the case as a domestic violence case.

☆ Four-time NBA champion Steph Curry joins his rich neighbors in opposing much-needed new housing near their Bay Area backyards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Steph and Ayesha Curry penned a letter opposing a townhouse development near their home in Atherton, California. "This is a tough thing for a community like Atherton to change," Atherton City Manager George Rodericks told NBC. Since 1969, California law has required cities to update their housing and land use needs, known as "Housing Elements," every eight years to ensure enough affordable housing is available to residents. Cities who fail to comply with the deadline could lose grant funding and face lawsuits from the state Attorney General. Cities spanning from San Francisco to Los Angeles have had their plans approved by state regulators, with many plans including efforts to increase density on developable land.

☆ Wife of doctor accused of driving his Tesla off a cliff with his family inside shouted to rescuers 'he intentionally drove the car over' edge, DA alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The wife of a man accused of driving a Tesla off a cliff said he "intentionally" did it, the DA said. The woman shouted to medics that her husband "intentionally drove the car over," the DA said. "She just said to the paramedics that he intentionally drove the car over the cliff," Wagstaffe said. He is accused of intentionally driving a Tesla off a notorious 250-foot cliff in Northern California with his wife and two young kids inside on January 2. The district attorney's office has not yet spoken to the suspect's wife, who remains hospitalized, said Wagstaffe.

☆ $100 repair bill sparked Half Moon Bay shooting, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO — A farmworker charged with killing seven people at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms reportedly told investigators he was spurred to carry out the shootings after his supervisor demanded he pay $100 to repair a forklift damaged at work. KNTV-TV, the NBC affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area, was first to report the development. Zhao told KNTV-TV in a courthouse interview Thursday that he committed the shootings. He said he has a 40-year-old daughter in China and lived with his wife in Half Moon Bay. The coroner’s office has named six of the victims: Zhishen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, of Moss Beach, California; Aixiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Jingzhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; and Yetao Bing, 43, whose hometown was unknown.

☆ Tesla driver taken from hospital to jail without bail after being accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A man accused of intentionally driving off a cliff was moved from a hospital to jail, local news reported. The San Mateo District Attorney's Office said the driver was booked without bail. Authorities are seeking to rule out any mechanical issues with the Tesla, including brake failure. The San Mateo District Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet on January 2 that the children were "unharmed" at the time of rescue.

☆ Suspect in Half Moon Bay Killings Charged With Seven Counts of Murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The man accused of killing seven people in two Northern California shootings earlier this week has been charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. District Attorney for San Mateo County Steve Wagstaffe filed the charges Wednesday against the alleged gunman, Chunli Zhao.

☆ California shooting victims: Who died in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Back-to-back mass shootings in California have claimed the lives of people who loved to dance at a studio in Monterey Park and farm workers in the coastal community of Half Moon Bay. HALF MOON BAY VICTIMSSeven people were killed and one person was in critical condition after a 66-year-old man on Monday attacked two mushroom farms near the resort town of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, police said. "You look to improve your life and then you end up with this," said Juarez, quiet and sullen as he took a break from cooking at a Mexican restaurant in a Half Moon Bay strip mall. Perez was stunned when, upon arriving in Half Moon Bay in the late 1990s, he saw Martinez-Jimenez again at a party. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office declined to comment on the identities of the victims in the Half Moon Bay shooting.

Northern California prosecutors on Wednesday filed seven murder charges and one attempted murder charge against the man accused of gunning down farm workers Monday in the quaint oceanside town of Half Moon Bay. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office has named six of the seven victims: Zhishen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, of Moss Beach; Aixiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Jingzhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; and Yetao Bing, 43, whose hometown was listed as unknown. Chunli Zhao being arrested on Monday in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Office Half Moon Bay as a suspect for the mass shooting earlier that day. Zhao worked at Mountain Mushroom Farm, one of two agricultural businesses where workers were killed on Monday afternoon, authorities said. Zhao was arrested about two hours after the shooting as he sat in his parked car outside the sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay.

☆ Suspect in California's latest shooting rampage due in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alexandra Ulmer | Thomson Reuters | U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Who Spent Four Years In Venezuela Covering President Maduro'S Administration | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A suspect is arrested by law enforcement personnel after a mass shooting at two locations in the coastal northern California city of Half Moon Bay, California, U.S. January 23, 2023 in a still image from video. HALF MOON BAY, Calif., Jan 25 (Reuters) - The man accused of shooting and killing seven farm workers near San Francisco in the latest of two back-to-back gun rampages in California that claimed 18 lives overall was due in court on Wednesday for his initial appearance before a judge. Chunli Zhao, 66, the lone suspect in Monday's massacre at two mushroom farms in the seaside town of Half Moon Bay, is expected to be formally presented with murder and other charges at the San Mateo County Superior Court in nearby Redwood City. The suspect was described as a resident of Half Moon Bay, a community of about 12,000 residents known for its foggy weather, fishing, and agriculture. San Mateo County jail records showed Zhao was booked on suspicion of premeditated murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses.

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