Saying they were spurred by the shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, an Alameda County Board of Supervisors committee has passed two proposals to establish a Bay Area regional response in the event that federal immigration agents launch a new operation locally.
“We have to move very quickly,” Alameda County District 5 Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas told Bay Area News Group before the Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday before the Together For All Committee vote. “Since the Minneapolis killing – more than ever – it is incredibly dangerous for people to enter the immigration system.”
During a surge of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good in the head while she was driving away. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was posthumously labeled as a “domestic terrorist” by Vice President JD Vance and Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, whose defense of Ross’ actions ignited furor among Minnesota residents who have taken to the streets in protest.
The incident evoked memories of last October when Border Patrol agents launched an operation in the Bay Area that led to a protest at the entrance to Coast Guard Island. During the standoff, a U-Haul truck driven by Bella Thompson reversed and accelerated toward officers. Thompson was shot by federal officers before she could strike them and was charged with one count of assault of a federal officer. She was released on bail in November and remanded to her parents in Southern California while attending a mental health program pending trial.
In the lead-up to the October incident, Bas said she had drafted a proposal to strengthen the county’s response to immigration enforcement operations. The first of these proposals calls for a coordinated regional response to federal immigration raids, following the example set by Santa Clara County, with public outreach plans and staff trainings on how to protect residents accessing the county’s social services, courts and health care facilities.
The second proposal establishes that ICE and other immigration authorities are banned from county-owned buildings. In addition, the proposal demands that federal immigration officers identify themselves and clarify they are not county employees.
“We’re working to make sure that our communities are informed, prepared and coordinated in protecting the critical health programs and social services as well as constitutional rights that we should all be afforded,” Bas said at Thursday’s committee meeting.
Bas and District 2 Supervisor Elisa Marquez, the vice chair of the ACT All Committee, met with District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez, Public Defender Brendan Woods, Probation Chief Brian Ford and General Services Agency Director Kimberley Gassaway to discuss how each of their respective agencies would implement the proposed policies.
Sanchez noted that ICE agents’ policies are unorthodox among law enforcement professionals.
“Any professional law enforcement agency understands and knows the need to be clearly marked and identified as a law enforcement officer. It is a safety issue,” Sanchez said. “The sheriff’s office has very clear directives on how we do or do not communicate with ICE. I’ve made it very clear that we do not accept civil detainers at our facility at the jail, we only accept criminal warrants for people.”
Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods said he had appealed to the county since last summer about creating policies that would protect the county’s vulnerable communities against ICE. He made specific reference to ICE agents “snatching” people off the street and putting them into vans, and expressed concern about due process and judicial fairness in immigration courts after President Donald Trump fired more than 100 judges and replaced them with Trump-approved successors.
“We are in a state of emergency. In my 55 years on this earth, I cannot recall more dangerous time in our nation’s history,” said Woods. “Our civil liberties are being trampled on a daily basis. Every day we hear new stories of immigration officers descending on our communities with weapons and masks and unmarked vehicles. They snatch people off the street, they break car windows, they pepper spray peaceful protesters.”
The proposals will now head to the full Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The explosion in the community of Ashland on December 11, 2025, seriously injured three residents, along with three Pacific Gas and Electric workers. On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the incident and events leading up to the explosion, indicating that PG&E detected gas near the home after an initial leak was reported to have been capped.
Investigators said a roadwork crew from Mayo Asphalt Milling damaged a 0.75-inch natural gas service line to a home at 868 E. Lewelling Boulevard, across the street from the home that ultimately blew up, shortly after 7:25 a.m., prompting PG&E to respond. Crews confirmed an active gas leak and initially told Alameda County firefighters that assistance was not needed, according to the preliminary report.
PG&E workers squeezed off the damaged service line about 8:18 a.m. and later detected gas near the home across the street at 867 E. Lewelling, the report said. Crews reported knocking on the doors of 867 E. Lewelling and two neighboring homes on both sides of it to warn residents, but said that no one answered.
At about 8:40 a.m., the PG&E crew began digging and squeezed off a 2-inch gas main at 9:29 a.m., stopping the flow in the gas main and service lines in front of 867 E. Lewelling, eight minutes before the home exploded, the report said.
The NTSB said the gas distribution system, which included steel pipelines installed in 1942, was operating within allowable pressure limits at the time. Damage estimates were still being determined.
The preliminary report said the investigation was still ongoing and will focus on physical evidence, safe excavation practices, and PG&E’s leak response and investigation procedures. The NTSB added that federal and state pipeline regulators, utility safety agencies, local fire officials, and PG&E are participating in the probe.
CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Mayo Asphalt Milling for a response, but the company – which public business listings indicate is based in Fremont – has not yet responded.
In a response to questions about its gas leak response, PG&E told CBS News Bay Area in a statement Friday that NTSB rules restrict communications about the investigation while it is pending
“The safety of the public, our customers and our coworkers is our highest responsibility. Our thoughts are with the residents and our PG&E coworkers who were injured during this incident,” a PG&E spokesperson said. “We want to thank the first responders from the Alameda County Fire Department who worked to make the area safe and minimize damage to property. We remain committed to working together with the CPUC, NTSB and other state and federal entities on the safe and reliable delivery of energy to our customers we are privileged to serve.”
HAYWARD — Three people who were hospitalized Thursday when a PG&E gas line exploded and caused a three-alarm fire at two homes in the Ashland neighborhood of unincorporated Alameda County remained in stable condition Friday, officials said Friday.
The explosion happened about 9:38 a.m. in the 800 block of East Lewelling Boulevard as workers from PG&E were in the process of repairing the gas line. An independent construction crew not affiliated with the utility or a utility project accidentally cut the line about 7:30 a.m.
All six people were taken by ambulance to a hospital. The three who were most critically hurt had injuries that included burns to an unknown degree, respiratory issues and bone fractures, Alameda County Fire spokesperson Cheryl Hurd said in a statement.
Three other people who went to a hospital all had minor injuries, Hurd said. Two other people who were missing for hours after the explosion were found later Thursday.
Investigators have not determined what caused the gas line to explode. PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said via email Friday that the utility is also investigating.
One question that has not been answered fully is why nearby residents were not evacuated during the two-hour interim between when the leak first was reported to PG&E and the explosion.
Alameda County Fire Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said evacuation orders are a collaborative decision made between PG&E and public safety agencies. Sarkissian, the PG&E spokesperson, added that further investigation would be required to determine why an evacuation order was not called earlier.
Nishimoto said that when firefighters arrived, they sounded a third alarm to protect other homes in the area. He added that firefighters could feel electricity as they moved through one of the homes because of power lines that fell on top of it.
Fire crews did fully control the fire Thursday night. The blaze caused significant damage to houses on two properties in an area where an Alameda County public works project already had left road dug up in front of homes on East Lewelling Boulevard.
A gas explosion and fire near Hayward and Interstate Highway 238 Thursday morning injured multiple people and destroyed or damaged at least three structures, authorities said.
The incident happened on East Lewelling Boulevard just west of Mission Boulevard and south of Highway 238 in the unincorporated community of Ashland. The area has a mix of commercial and residential structures, including single-family homes.
The explosion scattered debris across a wide area, landing on adjacent rooftops. At least two of the structures destroyed appeared to be contained on the same lot of 867 E. Lewelling Boulevard, which was listed on Redfin as a four-bedroom, 3,957 square-foot home.
Pacific Gas and Electric said at 7:35 a.m., it was notified that a third-party construction crew had damaged an underground gas line while digging on Lewelling Boulevard, and it dispatched crews to the scene. According to PG&E, its workers isolated the damaged line and stopped the flow of gas by 9:25 a.m., but gas had been released at multiple locations, and at 9:35 a.m., the explosion happened.
Security camera video from a neighbor across the street showed construction vehicles in front of the address as a large explosion destroyed much of the main structure. The neighbor told CBS News Bay Area her entire house shook in the blast.
“It looked like a bomb dropped. It just went,” said Brittany Maldonado. “We thought a truck hit the house or something, but no, the neighbor’s house exploded.”
A spokesperson for Alameda County said Redgwick Construction of Oakland is currently working on a project to improve E. Lewelling Boulevard in the area, and the firm lists the project on its website. Documents from the county indicate the work involves new sidewalks, bikeways, and pavement improvements.
CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Redgwick Construction for comment.
Alameda County Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Nishimoto said at least three buildings on two properties were “significantly damaged,” and a third property adjacent to the other properties had minor to major damage on the side where the explosion occurred.
“Two of the three buildings look like residential structures, the one in the back of one of the properties looks like a workshop with maybe a living quarters on top,” Nishimoto said.
Six patients were taken to nearby hospitals, Nishimoto said. CBS News Bay Area has learned that at least three patients were being treated at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley with injuries described as serious.
Eight engines and two ladder trucks responded to the three-alarm fire, said Fire Department spokesperson Cheryl Hurd.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roberto Morales said deputies were dispatched to evacuate other residents in the area. It was unclear how many residents were evacuated.
The California Highway Patrol said southbound Highway 238 to East 14th Street and Lewelling Boulevard from Mission to Paradise boulevards were shut down during the firefight and investigation.
Many neighbors in the area questioned why there wasn’t an evacuation in the two hours before the explosion when PG&E knew gas was leaking.
Maldonado said she was never notified of a gas leak, and the only reason she knew anything was going on was because she saw a PG&E crew member checking her gas meter at around 8:30 in the morning.
“And he said that they were turning off the gas because of something with the road crew,” said Maldonado. “So we were, like, okay. So we were even more confused because we were, like, ‘But the gas was off, how did the explosion happen?’”
PG&E said it does not execute evacuations and leaves that process up to first responders.
The Alameda County Fire Department said it did not evacuate the neighborhood because when crews came on the scene, PG&E told them they did not need the department’s assistance.
“PG&E will be conducting an extensive investigation around a potential cause and will support other investigations that may take place,” said spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian.
BART service between the South Hayward station and the Berryessa station in San Jose remains shut down Friday after the agency said vandals cut a crucial fiber cable.
Around 5:20 a.m., the agency issued a service advisory about the issue, which they said involved an equipment problem.
BART spokesperson Chris Filippi told CBS News Bay Area, “We have crews on the scene and additional staff responding at this point to make repairs and to gather more information on exactly what happened.”
In an update posted around 11:30 a.m., BART said the cause of the disruption was an “apparent act of vandalism” that resulted in a fiber being cut near the Hayward maintenance yard.
Update: The cause of the service disruption is an apparent act of vandalism that resulted in fiber being cut near BART’s Hayward Yard.
The fiber cut prevents BART from being able to safely run trains. Crews are on scene making repairs. There is no time estimate yet for…
“The fiber cut prevents BART from being able to safely run trains,” said a statement on the agency’s social media.
Officials said crews are on scene making repairs. As of Friday morning, there is no estimate on when service is expected to resume through the area.
Other parts of the system in the East Bay, San Francisco and Peninsula are not affected. Green Line trains from Daly City are going as far as the Bayfair station in San Leandro, while Orange Line trains from Richmond are going as far as Hayward.
The agency has sent extra staff to help at stations with no train service. AC Transit is providing free mutual bus service connecting impacted stations between Hayward and Milpitas.
Friday’s incident follows several other high profile service disruptions in recent months. Last month, issues in the Transbay Tube led to major delays, while computer issues led to hours-long shutdowns of the system in May and September.
When asked about the recent issues, Filippi noted that the customer on-time rate remains over 90% even after the disruptions.
“BART typically is a reliable service, but having said that, we have to acknowledge that even at over 90%, that doesn’t matter this morning. That doesn’t matter for folks who impacted by this major service disruption. We certainly apologize to those folks,” he said.
HAYWARD — Detectives with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office have uncovered new leads and reopened the case of a homicide that happened more than 30 years ago, the agency said.
Modesto native Zachary Jackson 30, was found shot to death inside his home in an unincorporated part of Hayward on June 17, 1993.
Cold case investigators have discovered “new evidence” in the killing and developed new leads based on that evidence, sheriff’s office spokesperson Capt. Tye Modeste said in a statement released Monday. Modeste said the new information has created “fresh momentum in the investigation.”
“Based on the new leads, detectives believe there are people in the community who have knowledge of those responsible for Jackson’s murder,” Modeste said. “The sheriff’s office is encouraging anyone with information regarding this case to contact us.”
Lead investigator Det. Patrick Smyth can be reached at 510-667-7538, and anonymous tips can be left at 510-667-3636 or by going to alamedasheriff.gov and hitting the “Community” tab.
The writer seems to think that Donald Trump isn’t up to the task of dealing with the problems in the Middle East because he went to business school, not the School of Foreign Service. Well, all of those people who went to the right schools don’t seem to have done very well in the Middle East.
On the face of it, things haven’t changed that much, but it’s apparent that significant change is now possible. In league with Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has quieted the Iran threat for now. Trump then talked Netanyahu into stopping the firing of further missiles into Iran unnecessarily. Then Trump persuaded Netanyahu to publicly apologize to the leader of Qatar.
Any progress could disappear as quickly as another Oct. 7 event takes place, but at least this is a promising step in the right direction.
Daniel Mauthe Livermore
U.S. should help the poor, not the 1%
How do we justify pulling support from life-saving measures in order to save billionaires money?
Certain members of Congress support our president in punishing poor people in our country and around the world, because they were not lucky enough to have a father who could give his son a real estate empire.
Donald Trump has taken SNAP (food vouchers) and Medicaid from working families, and also fired people who work for the government. He destroyed foreign aid that supports worthwhile programs like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which have saved over 70 million lives and billions of dollars of medical care since its inception.
I believe we should help the poor people in the U.S. and the world, not the richest people who could not have made their fortunes without healthy, educated workers who make a living wage.
Bill Nicholson Martinez
Prop. 50 a childish ploy for dominance
How do you tell the difference between people acting like mature adults or like overgrown children? Mature adults accept that things don’t always go the way we want them to go and that other people have the right to have things the way they want them, at times, even when it’s not the way we like them.
When President Biden took office, there were Democrats who proclaimed that “the adults were back in charge,” but I see plenty of Democrats acting childishly these days, with Proposition 50 being a prime example. Most Democrats today seem to think that “preserving democracy” equals dominance by Democrats on all levels. (And, yes, many Republicans wrongly seek GOP dominance.) But either would actually be the destruction of democracy. And many seem to think that even the courts should always rule the way they think they should rule. Sorry, people, but that is childishness.
Christopher Andrus Dublin
Climate change won’t wait for solutions
Climate change threatens our planet through extreme weather, melting ice and rising sea levels, all stemming from excessive greenhouse gases.
This environmental degradation endangers resources, with rising temperatures leading to droughts that harm crops and water supplies. NASA reports a 1-degree Celsius temperature increase since the late 19th century, causing significant impacts. Climate change also intensifies extreme weather events, displacing communities and causing economic damage.
The direct cause is burning fossil fuels, while deforestation and unsustainable farming practices indirectly contribute. A key solution involves investing in renewable energy, such as solar and wind power. Governments, businesses and individuals must act to promote clean energy policies and reduce carbon footprints.
I urge support for climate-change solutions to protect our planet for future generations.
After Starbucks announced it would be shutting hundreds of stores, its website is listing dozens in the Bay Area as being closed as of Sunday, Sept. 28.
To check if a store is on the closure list, go to the Starbucks store locator online, find your desired outlet and click the information icon to check whether it will be open beyond this week.
As of Sept. 26, the following stores were slated for a Sept. 28 closure:
Oakland Police said a botched robbery attempt ended with the would-be robbers fleeing and crashing into a vehicle in Hayward on Wednesday.
Around 3 p.m., police said they were called to the intersection of International Boulevard and Durant Avenue for a report of an attempted armed robbery.
According to police, a security guard was approached by several armed, masked suspects and threatened. The guard also had a gun and shot in the direction of the would-be robbers, police said.
No one was injured in the shooting.
They then fled the scene in a vehicle, which was later found by officers. A motorcycle officer tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused to stop and sped away. Police said they did not pursue the vehicle, and it was instead monitored by ARGUS, the department’s helicopter.
The vehicle was followed into Hayward, and it was then seen crashing into another vehicle near Hesperian Boulevard and Turner Court, police said.
Three suspects were taken to a hospital with injuries ranging from minor to critical. According to police, two of them are juveniles.
The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, police said.
Police said there are at least two other people wanted in connection with the attempted robbery.
Jose Fabian is a web producer for CBS Bay Area where he reports on local crime, politics and breaking news. He studied political science and journalism at Sacramento State and was born and raised in Northern California.
OAKLAND – An attempted armed robbery Wednesday afternoon in Oakland resulted in a shooting and the suspects later crashed their car in Hayward, police said.
The episode kicked off just before 3 p.m. near the intersection of International Boulevard and Durant Avenue in East Oakland, according to the Oakland Police Department.
An investigation indicated several armed suspects approached and threatened a security guard, who was also armed, police said. The guard fired at the suspects, but no one was hit.
The suspects left the scene in a vehicle, which an Oakland motorcycle officer later found and tried to stop. Police said the suspects sped off, but officers did not give chase.
Instead, a police helicopter followed the vehicle into Hayward, where it collided with another vehicle near Hesperian Boulevard and Turner Court, according to police.
Three suspects – one adult and two minors – were taken to an area hospital with injuries ranging from minor to critical. The driver of the other vehicle was also taken to an area hospital, where they were listed in stable condition Wednesday night.
Police are searching for at least two additional suspects in connection with the attempted armed robbery.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the OPD Criminal Investigations Division at 510-238-3728. Videos and photos can be emailed to cidvideo@oaklandca.gov.
A Hayward man who is accused of killing his father and placing his body in a dumpster has been charged with murder and appeared in court Tuesday, prosecutors said.
According to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s office, 25-year-old David Sanchez was arraigned on a charge of murder with enhancements for use of a firearm and for great bodily injury in the death of 58-year-old Hector Sanchez.
“This tragic taking of a life mirrors research that shows the presence of a gun significantly increases the risk of death or serious injury in cases of domestic violence,” Price said in a statement. “In this case, a father is dead allegedly at the hands of his own son.”
The criminal complaint alleges David Sanchez used a gun to kill Hector Sanchez in their Hayward home.
Police were called to the home on the 2000 block of American Avenue to perform a welfare check on Oct. 23, after the father did not show up for work and did not answer phone calls. When officers went inside the home, they did not find anyone but found evidence of a shooting believed to be fatal.
David Sanchez was arrested the following day in Oakland in connection with an unrelated crime.
Hayward police said he told officers that his father was on the 3300 block of Central Avenue in Union City. Officers went to the location and found the body of Hector Sanchez in a dumpster.
The death is the Hayward’s 13th homicide of the year.
According to Price’s office, David Sanchez faces up to 35-years-to-life in state prison if convicted.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to contact Detective Navas of the Hayward Police Department at 510-296-7176.
Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.
The family of a Bay Area Olympic rugby player are beaming with joy after seeing their loved one play for Team USA.
Naima Fuala’au of Hayward is one of two Bay Area players whose family woke up in the early morning to host a watch party. Mata Fualaau-Alefaio, Naima’s sister, said emotions were high.
“It was a lot of mixed emotions; we were very emotional just seeing come out of the tunnel with the team…We’re just so thankful,” she said. “He’s determined to get this win as well as the rest of the squad, we’re excited for them, we know they can do it.”
Team USA came away with a draw against the French Olympic, but ultimately lost to Fiji.
The men’s rugby team faced Urugay Thursday morning.
BYRON – When Marine Sgt. Kyle Garcia stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, he knew exactly what hit him, but he had no idea how completely his life would change.
“I knew instantly what happened,” the Marine scout sniper said. “I knew better than to look because I didn’t want to go into shock.”
The East Bay native, then 23, lost his left leg and severely damaged his right leg in the 2011 blast.
He would later be fitted with a prosthetic leg and undergo months of physical therapy at a base in Southern California. But transitioning to a new life, often bound to his wheelchair, would prove even more difficult. With nerve damage in his right leg, Garcia experienced weaknesses sometimes called “drop foot,” and once-simple tasks like getting on and off furniture, into the bathtub and climbing stairs became more of a challenge.
“Most of my problems were wheelchair-related,” the now-35-year-old Garcia said.
Medically retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia followed by his son Louis, 10, and his wife Crystal Garcia react as they walk in their newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Life would soon get a lost easier though for Garcia, his wife Crystal and young son Louis, when he learned he would receive a new adapted custom home in East Contra Costa County through Homes for Our Troops, a national nonprofit that supports severely injured soldiers. He credits friends with the Wounded Warrior Project for encouraging him to apply for a HFOT home.
On Saturday, the national nonprofit organization gave Garcia and his family something that will change their world: the keys to a mortgage-free, custom home in rural Byron with an open-floor plan that will make getting around the various rooms easy. Because it’s a single story, he will no longer have to make a difficult walk with his prosthesis up the stairs, as he does now in his Oakley rental home.
The now-medically retired Marine, who grew up in Pinole, chose the Byron location, so he and his wife could be near family and enjoy the large, flat yard.
“I was definitely excited when I heard (of the house gift), but you don’t want to get your hopes up… so you kind of tried to curb your expectations, because it seems so incredible,” he said.
J.R. Wilson, president of the Delta Veterans Group, was there with others on Saturday and several weeks before that when he and other volunteers laid down sod and planted trees and bushes to landscape the yard of the rural home. Other volunteers have been building the four-bedroom house for the past year.
“When I think of these kinds of projects, I always think of the veteran regaining their independence,” Wilson said. “Not only with independence, but with his ability to be a husband, and the father that he wants to be.”
Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia, center, along with his wife, Crystal Garcia, left, their son Louis, 10, and Home for Our Troops president and CEO, Tom Landwermeyer, take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony for their newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
In the past two decades, the HFOT nonprofit has built and donated more than 375 homes in 45 states, according to Bill Ivey, executive director, who said in the nonprofit’s most recent newsletter that “there are nearly 1,000 more severely injured post-9/11 veterans still in need of the secure and accessible homes they deserve.”
Garcia said the homes give “veterans their dignity back.”
His new residence features more than 40 major special adaptations, such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over carpets, or reaching for cabinets that are too high.
Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia speaks during a special ceremony honoring Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Crystal Garcia, in a HFOT nonprofit video about the donation, said she was “excited” that her husband would be able to more easily get around. She secured a moving truck to come the day after they got the keys, so they could move in quickly, Kyle Garcia said.
The nonprofit is able to donate the home to Garcia thanks to contributions from donors, supporters, and corporate partners, according to a spokesman for HFOT.
Not surprisingly, the Garcias are grateful for their new home in Byron.
Having a mortgage-free home “is huge for our family … it’s the No. 1 expense for almost all families,” Garcia said.
Having completed his bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State and later law school in Missouri – all while still recuperating – Garcia has now begun work as an associate attorney in Pleasanton. With his house worries behind him, he is able to focus his energy on his family.
“This is going to pretty much allow us to live here in the Bay Area,” he said of his new home. “And hopefully, when the time comes, I can afford to send my son to college on my own.”
Homes for Our Troops has more than 81 active projects underway nationwide. To find out more on how to get involved or make a donation, visit www.hfotusa.org.
Armed forces veterans, families and members of the community attend a special ceremony for medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Home for Our Troops president and CEO, Tom Landwermeyer, left, shakes hands with medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia during a special ceremony honoring Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia, center, embraces the Quilt of Valor presented by Joan McClure, left, and her husband Jack McClure, right, during a special ceremony honoring Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia, left, is presented with a folded American flag for his service by Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bill Webber, second from right, and Dennis Sikorski after a special ceremony honoring Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Armed forces veterans, families and members of the community attend a special ceremony for medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard stand during the national anthem during a special ceremony honoring Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia at his newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Louis Garcia, 10, son of medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia, looks at the adapted bathroom for his father as the Garcias check their newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, bathroom, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia, left, and his wife Crystal Garcia, right, in company of Home for Our Troops president and CEO, Tom Landwermeyer look around their newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Medical retired Marine Sergeant Kyle Garcia stands next to a poster featuring his photos before and after he lost his left leg in the line of duty as he and his wife Crystal Garcia and their son Louis, 10, look around their newly adapted home donated by the national nonprofit Home for Our Troops in Byron, Calif., on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Sgt. Garcia lost his left leg and sustained severe damage to his right leg when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Their new home comes with more than 40 adaptations, including lower countertops and roll-under sinks, etc. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A Mega Millions player in the East Bay just missed hitting the $67 million jackpot Friday night but still came away with $327,000, according to the California Lottery.
The ticket matching the first five numbers in Friday night’s draw was sold at Karavan Liquors, 27445 Hesperian Blvd. in Hayward, the lottery said.
The winning numbers in the Mega Millions draw were 20-30-54-63-65 and the Mega ball 14.
No jackpot tickets were sold in the multi-state lottery game, so the estimated pot for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions draw grows to an estimated $97 million.
Meanwhile, Powerball fever has gripped the nation for Saturday night’s draw, with an estimated jackpot worth $1.3 billion, the fourth-largest pot in the game’s history.
HAYWARD — The cold cases of two East Bay women who were murdered and sexually assaulted seven years apart in the 1970s in eerily similar circumstances — home intrusions committed while other family members were asleep — now have a suspect: A man who died in 2007 after DNA genealogy analysis linked him to the victims.
Hayward and Newark police announced Thursday that Fred Farnham, who died at the age of 73, was responsible for the slayings of Nellie Ann Hicks in 1972 in Newark and Theresa Pica in Hayward in 1979. Both women were found by family members who woke up in the morning to discover their loved ones’ bodies bludgeoned and raped; an intruder had quietly entered their homes and attacked them as they slept in their living rooms.
DNA evidence retrieved from Pica’s body had been analyzed multiple times in the past two decades, and several people who were investigated as possible assailants were excluded from suspicion. One potential suspect was exhumed two years ago and was also later excluded.
But this past December, Hayward and Newark investigators consulted with the FBI to analyze the DNA; the results led Farnham being identified as the killer. Officials say Farnham is likely to be suspected in other unsolved murders.
Pica, 48, was discovered slumped over her couch, face down, by one of her twin 10-year-old daughters on May 15, 1979 at their home on Edloe Drive in Hayward. Her nightgown had been pulled up, exposing her legs, her hands were bound behind her back with rope, and a blood-stained rock was found next to her. A shirt had been used to gag her, police found.
She was last seen alive the night before by her three children. A front room window had been pried open, and the only witness account of an intruder came from a neighbor who heard rustling near the home in the middle of the night.
Pica’s purse was missing, and her wallet and other contents were later discovered in a neighbor’s yard and in a garbage can down the street. Several people were investigated in the ensuing decades, but no suspects emerged until now.
Hicks, a 59-year-old fourth-grade teacher at Ashland School in San Lorenzo, was found dead May 10, 1972 in her Newark home. Her body was partially naked, and police determined that she had been raped and bludgeoned with a brick wrapped in pantyhose. The brutality was immediately apparent, with her head split open by the force of the blows.
Evidence at the scene indicated that her killer entered the home through an unlocked sliding glass door and used manicure scissors to cut her dress and bra. The only forensic evidence that police recovered were fingerprints that for decades were never tied to a specific person.
What made the killing even more notorious is the fact that her adult son and his wife as well as her longtime friend all lived in the home, and were asleep as the slaying unfolded. That led police to suspect that the intruder knocked her unconscious before sexually assaulting her.
A motive for the killing eluded everyone who knew Hicks, who was remembered as a well-liked, respected teacher. She left an abusive husband a decade prior, but that thread and interrogations of other men she dated proved fruitless in finding a possible suspect.
Hicks’ housemate, a fellow teacher, briefly spoke with her around 1 a.m. the morning of the killing, dozing off on a living room sofa. It was the last time she was seen alive.
About four hours later, Hicks’ son discovered her lifeless body in the same room. Hicks’ wallet was missing, though it was later found a few blocks away next to a pair of blood-stained panties.
Staff writers Nate Gartrell and Sandra Gonzales contributed to this report.
Since 1960, the small town of Hayward, Wisconsin, has hosted what has been called the “Olympics of the forest,” featuring competitive events for lumberjacks (and lumberjills). Correspondent Conor Knighton witnessed some class axe.
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