ReportWire

Tag: San Francisco

  • Review: Is Sarah McLachlan’s voice still better than ice cream?

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    Having spent much of the last two years celebrating the old — with the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Tour — Sarah McLachlan is now onto something new.

    “This is a brand new show, with brand new songs off the new album called ‘Better Broken,’” McLachlan told the capacity crowd at the Masonic in San Francisco on Friday. “I’m going to pepper the set with new stuff, but there will be lots of old, familiar stuff as well.”

    New path, but one thing definitely remains the same as ever: her voice is better than ice cream. And, yes, that includes cookie dough ice cream.

    During the course of nearly two hours, and running through 20 songs from more than 30 years of her stellar career, McLachlan’s voice was nothing short of exquisite, divine, miraculous, wondrous — take your pick of highly complementary adjectives, since they all pretty much work in this situation.

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    Jim Harrington

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  • Portion of SF Muni’s Central Subway closes after crash

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    A portion of Muni’s Central Subway is back open after a car crashed into the tunnel on Friday night.

    It happened around 10 p.m. at Fourth and Bryant streets, south of Market, a few blocks from Moscone Center.

    The SFMTA closed the tunnel while crews removed the car.

    Crews had to shuttle passengers during this morning’s closure.

    Regular service resumed at about 9:30 a.m.

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    NBC Bay Area staff

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  • Some San Francisco Unified parents frustrated over lack of permanent TK teachers

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    San Francisco public school parents are demanding solutions from district officials after seeing their children attending school without a permanent teacher for months now. 

    Statewide mandates and requirements for transitional kindergarten classes are leaving some school districts like San Francisco in a difficult situation. 

    Pickup time at school has become a stress test for parents. It’s Paul Rivera’s daughter’s first year in the San Francisco Unified School District as a Transitional Kindergartner. 

    “I have never been more frustrated as a parent,” said Rivera. 

    Since the start of the school year, his daughter hasn’t had a permanent teacher she knows by name. 

    “She’s been rotating through a cast of about 10 or so substitute teachers at this point,” said Rivera. 

    Jennifer Bordner also has a child in TK at McCoppin Elementary in the Sunset District.  

    “Sometimes it’s like, ‘We watched Bluey in class today,’” said Bordner. 

    “They were just running around the classroom, and they were playing with the lights,” said parent Susan Zhang. 

    Parents say SFUSD hasn’t been able to permanently staff all 18 of its TK classes. 

    They’re critical SFUSD is receiving more state funding because of TK enrollment, but not offering solutions to fill a glaring gap – leading to what they call chaotic classrooms.   

    “Their pattern recognition is like, ‘I can kind of do what I want.  These teachers sort of know my name. Sometimes they don’t.’ The rules are different every day. They don’t know what to expect, and they’re setting foundations for how to learn. That’s a problem,” said Bordner. 

    “It just feels like there’s chaos in the classroom,” said Zhang. 

    Staffing TK classes in the midst of a mandated statewide expansion has become a challenge for school districts because of a “statewide shortage of credentialed TK teachers” according to SFUSD.  

    Wanzi Muruvi is with the UC Berkeley Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. She says new credentialing requirements by the California Department of Education are problematic. 

    “They need to create a pathway that allows the preschool teachers to get the credentials without having to go through an onerous system when they already are already qualified to teach the four-year-olds,” Muruvi told CBS News Bay Area. 

    Muruvi said the credentialing system is creating a bottleneck and preventing tens of thousands of qualified pre-school educators from securing public school TK jobs.

    SFUSD has touted 97% of its classrooms having fully credentialed teachers. 

    “They’re all like pointing at each other, not my problem, not my problem.  At the end of the day, it’s the kids and their families taking a hit,” said Bordner. 

    “I love public schools, and I wanted to raise a public school child, but this has left me completely frustrated,” said Rivera. 

    The lack of TK teachers is pushing some parents to consider opting out and walking away. 

    CBS News Bay Area requested an interview with SFUSD but the district spokesperson sent us this statement instead, reading in part: 

    “SFUSD continues to actively recruit qualified teachers for a small number of remaining TK vacancies. These positions have been challenging to fill due to statewide shortages of credentialed TK teachers. In the meantime, we are ensuring that all classrooms have consistent coverage by qualified substitutes or long-term staff, with instructional coaches providing support across these sites to maintain continuity of instruction for students.” 

    Parents say the district initially ignored requests for updates but is now holding weekly meetings. 

    They say the district officials have even asked parents for help recruiting qualified teachers.

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    Kenny Choi

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  • San Francisco’s most violent crimes on the decline

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    Tourism in San Francisco still hasn’t fully recovered since the onset of the pandemic more than five years ago, but declining crime rates could help revitalize the city’s image and welcome back the millions of visitors who have yet to return to the city since the spread of COVID-19.

    A review of San Francisco police records by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit shows the most serious and prevalent crimes across the city are all down by double digits compared to last year, that includes homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, car theft, and car break-ins.

    San Francisco crime rates during the first 10 months of this year have declined significantly compared to the same time period last, according to data from the San Francisco Police Dept.

    “We are at historic lows in multiple of these categories,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “We can have compassionate values, but we cannot subvert the fundamental things people deserve like … living in their homes free from attack, victimization, and crime.”

    Mayor Lurie recently described the city’s declining crime rates as the “lowest…in decades,” adding that car break-ins are at 22-year lows, and homicides at 70-year lows. 

    Jenkins credits the crime reduction to a stronger police presence across the city and her office’s commitment to successfully pursue criminal cases.

    “We have been able to prosecute more effectively – the people who are doing the most damage in our city, prolific and chronic offenders and keep many of them in custody, which disables them from breaking into 20 cars per day around our city.”

    It was just a few years ago when the Investigative Unit reported on San Francisco’s all-time highs for car break-ins, that totaled more than 70 per day – roughly triple the rate of other major cities, including Houston and Los Angeles.

    Today, the city averages closer to 15 car break-ins per day, with 4,549 smash-and grabs reported in the first 10 months of this year, according to San Francisco police.

    “You definitely have to be cognizant of it,” said Cole Bernabei, who lives in the city’s Marina neighborhood, which has historically had some of the most car break-ins in the city.  “We don’t have a specific parking garage in the city, so we park on the street and before we go home for the night we try to clear out our car as best we can.”

    Bernabei lives within San Francisco’s Northern Police District, which remains the epicenter for car break-ins in the city.

    “We’ve seen on our block shattered glass and a lot of windows that have been broken into,” he said.  “It’s definitely always on the back of my mind.”

    The city’s Northern Police District reported 868 car break-ins from January to October of this year, while 1,530 incidents were reported during the same 10-month period last year – reflecting a 43% decline.

    “In no way do we believe that this data says that our work is done,” Jenkins said. “We know there are still many communities that are struggling — the foot is still on the gas.”

    Contact The Investigative Unit

    submit tips | 1-888-996-TIPS | e-mail Bigad

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    Bigad Shaban

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  • BART train operator reports explosion and fire occurring right in front of his train

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    BART dispatch recordings capture how a train operator maintained his calm immediately after Tuesday’s small explosion and stubborn fire on the subway tracks. The fire filled his train with smoke, forcing passengers to flee to safety at Civic Center station.

    At 11:30 a.m., the operator of train 375 reported to controllers that he had just seen an explosion of an insulator – a ceramic device that prevents voltage from the third rail from flowing into the ground. He told them it exploded “right in front of me.”

    The train operator quickly describes to BART control the challenge he faces. The train is without power, stopped dead with the fire still burning in front of it. He announces a plan to sweep the train to assure everyone is out.

    “It’s got a lot of smoke though and I’ve got everybody off-boarding at this time.”

    “Copy that, great job,” a BART operation official responds.

    Several moments later, with BART police now swarming the smoky platform, the operator reports back to BART controllers that he still sees flames coming from where the insulator exploded in the tunnel. “It’s still going at this time,” he says.

    Even after seeing smoke had dissipated several minutes later, the operator reports back to BART control: “I can’t tell you if we still have fire on third rail yet.”

    After the fire was finally put out, crews discover damage to that exploded insulator as well as the fiberglass board covering the third rail and the rail itself, according to the assessment by crews at the scene.

    After the incident, a BART spokeswoman suggested an unspecified “foreign object” in the trackway may have hit the insulator, touching off the initial explosion.

    The incident on Tuesday bore several similarities to several recent mishaps in the subway.

    The first incident, on Aug. 29, also involved an insulator that exploded, filling the Transbay Tube with smoke. In that incident, the operator stopped the train at the East Bay side of the tunnel, allowing smoke to get sucked into her train through the ventilation system.

    Eventually, the train made it out safely. BART has not said what caused the incident, but it did change its previous policy that kept operators from shutting off the train car ventilation unless their trains came under nuclear, chemical or biological attack. They are now told to deactivate the system as a precaution during fires.
    But in October, the smoky incidents continued, including one on Oct. 7 at Embarcadero station. Like Tuesday’s incident, BART blamed unidentified trackway debris for that incident, but says it is still under investigation. Two more incidents involved insulator failures.

    BART recently acknowledged to the investigative unit that crews had recovered broken metal paddles at the scene of all the incidents in October and August.

    Those paddles, also known as collector shoes, serve as the vital link between the train car and the third rail. But when they come under stress, they are designed to break to protect from causing further damage. It is not clear whether those paddles might be hitting insulators, triggering explosions.

    Separately, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit first reported that it has been five years since the agency cleaned caked-on iron deposits from the surface of ceramic insulators that line the subway.

    Those insulators normally block energy from flowing from the third rail into the ground below. But when iron builds up, it creates an alternative path for that voltage to flow to the ground, sometimes triggering short-circuits and flash over fires.

    BART has acknowledged to the investigative unit it stopped cleaning the insulators in 2020 – saying that using carbon dioxide crystals for cleaning can damage the ceramic surface. BART says it has since been inspecting and replacing at-risk insulators.

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    Jaxon Van Derbeken

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  • SFPD intensifies drug crackdown with federal backing

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    San Francisco continues to crack down on open-air drug markets, city officials say, but there are new hints that the reason behind it may be more than just cracking down on crime.

    The San Francisco Standard reported that recent nighttime drug raids may also be part of a political deal that kept President Donald Trump from sending a surge of federal agents to the city.

    The Standard said minutes from a recent police officers association board meeting indicated Deputy Chief Nicole Jones told the group that the police department’s “show of force” in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods are directly tied to “keeping President Trump from deploying the National Guard and ICE” in the city.

    Last month, dozens of federal agents arrived in the Bay Area along with buzz that Trump was preparing for a major federal operation in the area. But within hours of their arrival, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the planned federal operation had been canceled. Trump took to social media and said he had changed his mind about a San Francisco surge after several friends had told him the new mayor was making progress.

    SFPD said supercharged enforcement efforts a couple weeks ago resulted in 67 arrests and the seizure of a significant amount of narcotics.

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    Ginger Conejero Saab

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  • Filed claim alleges San Francisco sheriff’s deputies recorded strip searches of women at jail

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    A number of San Francisco city leaders joined activists today demanding answers and action, after allegations that deputies recorded strip searches at the county jail back in May.

    Outside the San Francisco County Jail, a coalition of community leaders gathered to push for an investigation into allegations that 19 women were strip-searched in front of male deputies, who had their body cameras recording.

    Julia Arroyo, Executive Director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, told CBS News Bay Area the incident went far beyond what’s acceptable.

    “A line was crossed. People were asked to undress, they were recorded and they are the women in our community that are on the inside,” Arroyo said.

    The claim filed with the city could be the first step toward a lawsuit. It says that on May 22, inside the Seventh Street jail, the women were called into the center of their housing area and strip-searched one by one. They say they were in full view of other inmates and male deputies.

    Lead attorney Elizabeth Bertolino said she’s heard the same thing over and over from the women she represents.

    “I’ve talked to each of these 19 women face-to-face. I’ve heard the horror stories of what happened that day and I have seen the terror in their eyes when they talk about what happened,” Bertolino said.

    According to the complaint, several women said deputies, both male and female, laughed and recorded them, with one deputy allegedly taunting that he’d post the videos online.

    Bertolino said the experience left several women crying.

    “Despite the fact that they have to be in the same county jail with the perpetrators who did that to them, they still are speaking out,” Bertolino said.

    Attorneys say the incident breaks multiple policies, including rules that strip searches of women must happen in private with no male deputies present unless there’s an emergency. They also point out body cameras aren’t supposed to be activated during searches.

    Lead Public Defender Manu Raju says this fits into what he calls a troubling pattern, pointing to another recent report that a deputy sexually assaulted a trans inmate.

    “This is a direct result of archaic policy choices that criminalize, rather than elevate, poverty, substance abuse and mental health issues,” Raju said.

    A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying the conduct described is deeply concerning and does not reflect the policies, procedures, or professional standards required of staff.

    Assistant Sheriff Tanzanika Carter spoke Monday after the press conference but didn’t take questions, citing the ongoing investigation.

    “Although we cannot discuss more specific details of the investigation into this incident, personnel actions were taken. The safety of those in custody remains our highest priority,” Tanzanika said.

    District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder was also at the rally.

    “This is gender-based violence. Every elected official in San Francisco should denounce this immediately,” Fielder said.

    Supervisor Shamann Walton told CBS News Bay Area he’s pushing the Mayor’s Office to fund an independent oversight board for the Sheriff’s Department. It was created in 2020 but has been largely inactive because of underfunding.

    “When people know there is oversight, when people know there are people watching them, it makes a difference. And we have not done that for the sheriff’s office,” Walton said.

    The City Attorney’s Office says it’s reviewing the claims.

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    CBS Bay Area

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  • San Francisco International sees smooth start to Thanksgiving travel surge

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    AAA is projecting that nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes for the Thanksgiving holiday. About 6 million of those people are expected to take a domestic flight.

    It’s supposed to be a 2% increase in air travel compared to 2024. This prediction comes despite weeks of delays and canceled flights because of the government shutdown. 

    On Sunday night, the scene at San Francisco International Airport was a relief for travelers.

    “Completely boring,” said Stewart Alsop, affectionately describing his travel experience.

    Although he did admit there was one hiccup.

    “Well, we had a little bit of a thing at the airport; they couldn’t get the baggage door open on the airplane,” Alsop explained. “But we only left 30 minutes late.”

    Alsop lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but is celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday in San Francisco.

    “Part of my family is here,” said Alsop. “The family down there wasn’t sticking around. We used to live here. I lived here for 35 years.”

    His grandson’s birthday is also earlier in the week, and they have a lot to celebrate.

    “My grandson had the winning touchdown in a football game, so going to treat him like a star,” Alsop detailed. 

    Vivian Kwok anticipated a busy travel week, which is why she was coming home to Redwood City on Sunday.

    “It’s usually more crazy during the holiday season,” said Kwok when asked why she traveled the week before Thanksgiving. “We wanted it to be more relaxed.”

    Kwok visited family in Vancouver, and even though they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in November, some of the activities were similar.

    “We definitely did a lot of souvenir shopping and we definitely ate a whole lot of food, so it felt like Thanksgiving,” Kwok said.

    Jexy Nepangue was getting back from a work trip, just in time for the holiday. She was grateful to touch down at SFO without any flight issues.

    “I was like, I’m so glad I’m back in the Bay Area,” said Nepangue. “There’s nothing like the Bay.”

    Alsop is a seasoned traveler. He’s already visited the Bay Area several times this year, and those would be considered small trips.

    In the last few weeks, he flew out to the United Arab Emirates.

    “I just came back from Abu Dhabi, and all my flights were on time in both directions and that was three flights both ways,” Alsop explained. 

    AAA recommends traveling earlier in the day to avoid congestion. 

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    Amanda Hari

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  • Home burglary in San Francisco leaves 1 person dead

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    A home burglary in San Francisco left a person dead Sunday afternoon, the police department said.

    Police said officers responded to the 200 block of Granada Avenue just after 3 p.m. regarding a burglary.

    According to authorities, responding officers found an adult victim injured on the scene. Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was ultimately pronounced dead, police said.

    This is an ongoing investigation, and the police department said no arrests have been made. They added that the person who died was not the burglary suspect.

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    Victoria Meza

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  • CCS, NCS football playoffs: Best of Saturday’s semifinals

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    Saturday’s games

    CCS Division II

    No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral 63, No. 3 Santa Teresa 27 

    The game was tied at seven in the first half Saturday, but that’s as close as Santa Teresa would get as SHC routed the Saints to advance to the section title game, where the Fightin’ Irish will play rival St. Ignatius next week. SHC used a 28-point second quarter to propel the San Francisco school to the win. Quarterback Michael Sargent accounted for six touchdowns – throwing for four and rushing for two. Running back Jaylen Malcom had three touchdowns for Santa Teresa, which finished 11-1. – Nathan Canilao

    CCS Division V

    No. 1 Piedmont Hills 41, No. 4 Jefferson 14

    Piedmont Hills will play in its first section final since 2010 after making quick work of Jefferson at home. Senior Diego Arias was excellent on both sides of the ball, getting a 32-yard pick-six and throwing a 50-yard touchdown to Travis Linane. Running back Alijah Torres had two rushing scores. Quarterback John Palomo ran for a touchdown and kicker Cash Martinez knocked in field goals from 26 and 32 yards away. Jefferson quarterback Robert Saulny-Green accounted for both of his team’s touchdowns with a rushing score and a passing TD. The Pirates will play Sobrato for the D-V championship next week. They will try to avenge a 40-30 loss to the Morgan Hill school this season. Jefferson ended its season 9-2. – Nathan Canilao

    No. 2 Sobrato 27, No. 3 Terra Nova 19

    Brady Lennon rushed for 272 yards and three touchdowns to help Sobrato to the win and the program’s first appearance in a CCS title game. Lennon broke a 70-yard scoring run on the second play of the game. Brandon Huighes connected with Jacob Sorrentino on a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0. After Terra Nova drew to within 20-19, Lennon’s 26-yard TD run with 1:46 left gave Sobrato (8-4) an eight-point lead. Then when kicker Kyle Gurney recovered a fumble on the subsequent kickoff, the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock. For Terra Nova (8-4), QB Joey Donati rushed for 93 yards and passed for 184 and touchdowns to Robbie Johnson and Holden Najar. – Glenn Reeves

    NCS Division V

    No. 2 Ferndale 35, No. 3 Salesian 7

    Salesian traveled more than 250 miles up Highway 101 for its semifinal game against Ferndale, hoping to return home to Richmond with a shot to capture the program’s eighth NCS championship next week. For three quarters Saturday, there was still hope. The Pride trailed 14-7 with 12 minutes to play. But the home team found another gear down the stretch, scoring three touchdowns in the final quarter to advance to play top-seeded St. Vincent de Paul for the championship next Saturday at Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park. Instead of Salesian playing for an eighth NCS crown, Ferndale (12-0) will be seeking its 15th. Salesian finished 10-2.  – Darren Sabedra

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    Nathan Canilao, Darren Sabedra, Glenn Reeves

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  • Crashes involving 5 vehicles block Hwy. 101 lanes near SFO

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    At least three lanes on Highway 101 were blocked following what CHP said were two separate but possible related crashes involving up to five vehicles near SFO on Saturday night.

    CHP said the first report came at around 6:20 p.m., and it was initially regarding a four-vehicle crash northbound Highway 101 in San Bruno near the 380 interchange.

    According to authorities, the vehicles included a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda van. The crash led to three lanes being blocked, and officials added an infant in a car seat was pulled safely from one of the vehicles.

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    Victoria Meza

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  • New vending machine dispenses fresh pasta in San Francisco

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    When most people walk up to a vending machine, they expect to find sodas, chips or candy bars. But at a new kiosk in San Francisco, customers are met with something different: fresh pasta.

    Chef Anthony Strong, owner of Pasta Supply Co., spent Monday restocking his latest project, a vending machine filled with freshly made pastas and sauces prepared at his flagship restaurant in the Mission District.

    “So our most popular pasta by far is mafaldine,” Strong said, as he loaded containers into the machine.

    Strong says the idea came from wanting to make his restaurant’s ingredients more accessible, even for people who have never visited in person.

    The pasta and sauces are produced daily at the shop, then packaged and delivered to the vending machine for customers to take home and cook in minutes.

    “I was like, hah, maybe we could actually just open tiny little versions of our pasta shop, selling fresh pastas and sauces, and you know, easy things for dinners at home,” he said.

    From mafaldine to rigatoni, Strong said he hopes the machines can help busy workers avoid the nightly scramble for dinner.

    “If they’re leaving work and they’re like, ah shoot, I didn’t make a plan for tonight, what am I going to do, we just wanted to be another option so people didn’t have to make an extra stop at a grocery store or go online and order a 40 dollar salad delivered on an app, or anything like that,” he said.

    Customers appear curious and hungry. As Strong replenished the machine, David Pincus walked up and inspected the offerings.

    “I haven’t seen a vending machine for homemade pasta before, so I hope it works out,” Pincus said. When asked what he chose, he replied, “I got meatballs, bucatini and chocolate panna cotta.”

    Strong isn’t Italian, but he credits his early start in the restaurant world at age 15 for setting his path.

    “Pasta found me,” he said with a laugh.

    With two restaurants already open in San Francisco and more vending machines in development, Strong says his mission is simple: make fresh, approachable meals available to everyone, especially after a long day.

    “Getting people, you know, approachable, affordable meals out, and approachable and affordable ingredients for meals at home.”

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    Loureen Ayyoub

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  • Bay Area used car dealerships see low inventory as prices continue to climb

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    Increasing inventory continues to be a challenge for some used car dealerships.

    “Normally, these spots would be filled, with a row of cars here and the garage packed,” said Omid Khalili of Marin Motors, a used car dealership in San Rafael.

    Khalili has been selling cars for 17 years and says the numbers aren’t where they should be. His co-worker Don Davis is in his 47th year.  

    “Every car sale is unique. It’s one of a kind,” said Davis. 

    They both say the inventory at online auctions is relatively low.  

    “It’s slim pickings. It’s not the same anymore. The inventory is not there,” said Khalili.  

    The latest data from CARFAX shows that average used car prices have climbed to their highest point in 18 months to just under $25,000. 

    That means shoppers are paying around $1,300 more for the average used vehicle than they would have just a year and a half ago. 

    Car prices in the Bay Area are even higher. 

    Brian Moody is Executive Editor at Kelley Blue Book Autotrader. 

    “The San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose area at those prices being about 4.5% higher than the rest of similar-sized cities across the country,” said Moody. 

    “On a list of 50, the San Francisco Bay Area is about number nine in terms of higher-than-average prices for used cars,” said Moody. 

    The ripple effects of reduced new-car sales during the pandemic mean there are fewer used cars today, according to CARFAX.  

    That means it could be a good time to sell, especially if you have an extra car.  

    “Any dealership would be happy to take a car that someone’s looking to sell. Bring it to a dealership,” said Khalili. 

    Industry experts say typically, a three-year-old car loses about 40% of its value. 

    Analysts at CARFAX say the price gap between new and used cars right now is “unusually narrow” for some models and that buying new could be the better option.

    Khalili and Davis just sold this 2019 Mercedes-Benz.

    “I think it’s great. Hopefully it fits me well,” said one customer at Marin Motors. 

    However, the numbers fluctuate, they say they’re focused on making their customers feel whole when leaving the lot.  

    “If you’re not having fun and you’re not enjoying it and the people that are selling in the car aren’t feeling like they’re with you, don’t spend your hard-earned money there,” said Khalili. 

    They’ve been in the used car business long enough to navigate the ups and downs of the market.  

    Industry insiders say don’t assume “used” is cheaper right now. 

    If a new car’s price is close to the older model, consider the value of fewer miles, newer features, full factory warranties, interest rates, and lower maintenance costs.

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    Kenny Choi

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  • As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

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    As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

    6 P.M. WE’RE STARTING THIS FRIDAY EVENING WITH A LIVE LOOK HERE AT THE ROADWAYS ACROSS OUR AREA. AND THIS IS HIGHWAY 50 IN RANCHO CORDOVA, I-5 IN SACRAMENTO, WHERE IT’S SLOWING THROUGH THAT S-CURVE RIGHT THERE THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND I-80 AND ROSEVILLE. WE HAVEN’T REACHED THE BIG THANKSGIVING TRAVEL RUSH JUST YET, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT GETTING OUT TO THEIR DESTINATION ALREADY. MILLIONS WILL BE DRIVING, FLYING, MAYBE TAKING A TRAIN SOMEWHERE AHEAD OF THE BIG HOLIDAY NEXT THURSDAY. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT AT SIX. I’M GULSTAN DART AND I’M EDIE LAMBERT, SO THE BUSIEST DAYS WILL BE NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE THE HOLIDAY, AND THEN THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING IS EXPECTED TO BE EVEN MORE CROWDED. FOR A LOOK AT THE AT THE ROADS RIGHT NOW, LET’S GO OUT LIVE TO KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ SHE’S LIVE. TRACKER THREE. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT THERE? EDIE? WE ARE DRIVING ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WESTBOUND AND YEAH, THIS. ISN’T THAT HOLIDAY TRAFFIC JUST YET, BUT IT IS EXPECTED THAT MORE THAN 11 MILLION CALIFORNIANS WILL BE TRAVELING. SO THIS IS SOMETHING OF WHAT WE MAY BE SEEING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THOSE PEOPLE TRAVELING ON THE ROAD FOR THANKSGIVING, BECAUSE MORE THAN 9 MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO HIT THE ROAD ACROSS THE STATE. NOW, IF YOU’RE LEAVING FROM THE SACRAMENTO AREA, TRIPLE A RECOMMENDS GIVING YOURSELF EXTRA TIME AND CHECKING YOUR ROUTE BEFORE YOU GO. THEY DID A STUDY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SANTA ROSA, AND THEY’RE EXPECTING THAT DRIVE TO TAKE MORE THAN TWO HOURS. SO IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80, JUST BE PREPARED FOR THAT. NOW, IF YOU’RE FLYING. GOOD NEWS. AIR TRAVEL IN THE STATE WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER AT AROUND 1.1 MILLION PASSENGERS AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, A SPOKESPERSON TELLS US THEY’LL BE FULLY STAFFED NEXT WEEK. BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HEADING OUT, THEY’RE ENCOURAGING TRAVELERS TO TAKE RIDESHARE TO THE AIRPORT. NOW, TODAY, WE HEARD FROM SOME OF THOSE TRAVELERS WHO DECIDED TO LEAVE TODAY BECAUSE THEY SAY TICKETS WERE A LITTLE CHEAPER AND THEY WERE ALSO TRYING TO AVOID THE CROWDS. I ALWAYS DO WHERE I CHECK EACH DAY, AND IT WAS A CHEAP DAY, SO THAT WAS PART OF IT. I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO TRAVEL THE WEEK OF. IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE. FRIDAY WAS MORE CHEAPER, AND THEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MORE CROWDED. MY AUNT JUST DROPPED US OFF BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A LOT OF CARS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND AND IF YOU’RE STILL SET ON PARKING, JUST A HEADS UP, IT COULD TAKE UP TO AN HOUR. FROM THE MOMENT YOU PARK TO THE MOMENT YOU REACH YOUR TERMINAL. NOW, WE’RE TOLD BY A SPOKESPERSON AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THAT THEY WILL BE PLANNING ON OPENING THE WEST ECONOMY LOT. IF IT DOES GET PRETTY PACKED OUT THERE, ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 3000 PARKING SPACES. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN LIVE. TRACKER MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, MARICELA. WELL, IF YOU’RE DRIVING, YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY FOR GAS, OBVIOUSLY, UNLESS YOU’VE GOT AN EV. AND HERE’S A LOOK AT PRICES RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN ALSO SCAN THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. TRIPLE A SAYS THAT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RIGHT NOW IS 309 A GALLON. THAT’S FOR REGULAR. THAT’S A FEW CENTS MORE THAN WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR. WE’RE PAYING MORE HERE IN CALIFORNIA FOR 63

    As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

    Updated: 6:52 PM PST Nov 21, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday. Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.”I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy. The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo. “Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said. Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal. The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday.

    Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.

    AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.

    For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.

    “I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy.

    The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo.

    “Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said.

    Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal.

    The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • OpenAI Locks Down San Francisco Offices Following Alleged Threat From Activist

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    OpenAI employees in San Francisco were told to stay inside the office on Friday afternoon after the company purportedly received a threat from an individual who was previously associated with the Stop AI activist group.

    “Our information indicates that [name] from StopAI has expressed interest in causing physical harm to OpenAI employees,” a member of the internal communications team wrote on Slack. “He has previously been on site at our San Francisco facilities.”

    Just before 11 am, San Francisco police received a 911 call about a man allegedly making threats and intending to harm others at 550 Terry Francois Boulevard, which is near OpenAI’s offices in the Mission Bay neighborhood, according to data tracked by the crime app Citizen. A police scanner recording archived on the app describes the suspect by name and alleges he may have purchased weapons with the intention of targeting additional OpenAI locations.

    Hours before the incident on Friday, the individual who police flagged as allegedly making the threat said he was no longer part of Stop AI in a post on social media.

    WIRED reached out to the man in question but did not immediately receive a response. San Francisco police also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI did not provide a statement prior to publication.

    On Slack, the internal communications team provided three images of the man suspected of making the threat. Later, a high-ranking member of the global security team said “At this time, there is no indication of active threat activity, the situation remains ongoing and we’re taking measured precautions as the assessment continues.” Employees were told to remove their badges when exiting the building and to avoid wearing clothing items with the OpenAI logo.

    Over the past couple of years, protestors affiliated with groups calling themselves Stop AI, No AGI, and Pause AI have held demonstrations outside the San Francisco offices of several AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, over concerns that the unfettered development of advanced AI could harm humanity. In February, protestors were arrested for locking the front doors to OpenAI’s Mission Bay office. Earlier this month, StopAI claimed its public defender was the man who jumped onstage to subpoena OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during an onstage interview in San Francisco.

    In a Pause AI press release from last year, the individual who police said was alleged to have made the threat against OpenAI staffers is described as an organizer and quoted as saying that he would find “life not worth living” if AI technologies were to replace humans in making scientific discoveries and taking over jobs. “Pause AI may be viewed as radical amongst AI people and techies,” he said. “But it is not radical amongst the general public, and neither is stopping AGI development altogether.”

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    Zoë Schiffer, Maxwell Zeff, Paresh Dave

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  • Longtime Warriors assistant DeMarco to lead WNBA’s New York Liberty: reports

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    SAN FRANCISCO — The WNBA’s New York Liberty tabbed one of the Warriors’ top assistant coaches to be their next head coach.

    Longtime Golden State assistant Chris DeMarco agreed to a midseason deal to become their head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday morning. The New York Post’s Madeline Kenney first reported he was a leading candidate for the position on Tuesday.

    DeMarco, 40, who is also the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national team that stars current Warrior Buddy Hield, has been an assistant coach for all four of the Warriors’ recent titles.

    Following a Hall of Fame college playing career at Dominican University in San Rafael, he joined the organization as a video intern in 2012, becoming an advance scout in 2014 and advancing to becoming one of Kerr’s lead assistants this season.

    “Yesssirrr CD,” Draymond Green wrote in a post on Instagram. “(New York) got a great one!”

    He has handled skill development and has been lauded for his work as a defensive coach. He will now join a Liberty team with championship aspirations following a disappointing first-round exit this September.

    The Liberty fired coach Sandy Brondello despite her leading the franchise to the 2024 title.

    DeMarco will inherit a roster that expects to return perennial MVP candidates in Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu.

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    Joseph Dycus

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  • Devon Franklin: How the Bay Area shaped a Hollywood trailblazer

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    DeVon Franklin has built a career as an award-winning film producer, bestselling author and motivational speaker, but he says he’s never forgotten where it all began, in the East Bay.

    During a recent visit to Oakland, Franklin stopped to greet relatives at his childhood church and reflect on how the region has shaped him. 

    “This is my Aunt Nuna,” he said proudly, introducing the 99-year-old family matriarch.

    Franklin, 46, was born in Livermore and grew up between Pleasanton, Richmond, and Oakland. At just 9 years old, he lost his father to a heart attack, an event he has said defined his childhood and redirected the course of his life. The church his family established in Oakland became a place of refuge.

    “Right after my father died, it was really church and going to the movies and watching TV that became my therapy,” Franklin said.

    Raised by his single mother, grandmother and aunts, Franklin was the middle child of three boys. The family relied on welfare at times, he said, but he never let hardship dictate the size of his dreams.

    “If I had allowed the environment to dictate my dream, I would have never been here. I would have never made it,” Franklin said. “And so sometimes, with the way we use faith, we just gotta close our eyes. And whatever we see there, that’s what we follow.”

    Franklin’s early years in Oakland, he said, gave him both perspective and purpose. His passion for storytelling grew from hours spent in church pews and movie theaters, two places that, for him, offered meaning and possibility.

    “It really came from being here in this environment, and saying, you know, I want to make a mark on the world,” he said.

    Franklin went on to attend the University of Southern California, where he began interning for actor Will Smith, an entry point into Hollywood that would eventually shape his career. After working his way up through major studios, Franklin launched his own production company in 2014.

    Over the years, he has collaborated with industry giants, including Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, producing inspirational and faith-based films that have reached audiences worldwide.

    His latest project, “Ruth and Boaz,” recently hit No. 1 on Netflix, a milestone Franklin described as surreal, especially when reflecting on how far he has come.

    “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Growing up, in high school, we used to come down here to Oakland and do Festival at the Lake, which was an annual event that they had. And you know, nobody knew me at all. And so the idea that I come back here, we’re here at the lake, and people are like, ‘Oh, what’s up DeVon?’ I’m like, that’s just crazy. It’s amazing.”

    Though his work has taken him around the world, Franklin said he credits his Bay Area upbringing, and the faith that steadied him through grief, for shaping who he is today.

    “When you look at the Bay, the Bay is an incubator for greatness,” he said. “If you don’t see what you want in your circumstances, that is the perfect environment to become everything you want.”

    From the pews of Oakland to the studios of Hollywood, Franklin’s path has come full circle, and he hopes his story serves as a reminder that sometimes, your origins, can be your greatest source of strength.

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    Loureen Ayyoub

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  • Suspect arrested after multiple stabbings in San Francisco

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    A man accused of stabbing multiple people in San Francisco’s Richmond District last month has been arrested, police announced Wednesday.

    Police said Joncarlo Gutierrez, 32, was booked into jail last Friday on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, three weeks after a mass stabbing injured five victims.

    On Oct. 24 at 2:10 a.m. police officers responded to reports of a stabbing in the 3900 block of Geary Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers discovered five people suffering from apparent stab wounds, according to officials.

    Authorities said four of the victims were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the fifth victim was treated on scene for non-life-threatening injuries.

    An investigation revealed that there was a verbal altercation between multiple people inside a business in the area. It turned violent when the suspect allegedly assaulted several people with a knife, according to police.

    Officials said Gutierrez was identified as a suspect and police obtained an arrest warrant. He was located near the area of Richland Avenue and Mission Street and arrested by officers in plainclothes.

    His bond has been set at $1 million. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has not yet announced charges against Gutierrez.

    His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 4.

    Although an arrest has been made, the investigation is still open. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.”

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    Bay City News

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  • Microsoft partners with Anthropic and Nvidia in cloud infrastructure deal

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    Microsoft said Tuesday it is partnering with artificial intelligence company Anthropic and chipmaker Nvidia as part of an AI infrastructure deal that moves the software giant further away from its longtime alliance with OpenAI.

    Anthropic, maker of the chatbot Claude that competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, said it is committed to buying $30 billion in computing capacity from Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.

    As part of the partnership, Nvidia will also invest up to $10 billion in Anthropic, and Microsoft will invest up to $5 billion in the San Francisco-based startup.

    The joint announcements by CEOs Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Jensen Huang of Nvidia came just ahead of the opening of Microsoft’s annual Ignite developer conference.

    “This is all about deepening our commitment to bringing the best infrastructure, model choice and applications to our customers,” Nadella said on a video call with the other two executives, adding that it builds on the “critical” partnership Microsoft still has with OpenAI.

    Microsoft was, until earlier this year, the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI and made the technology behind ChatGPT the foundation for its own AI assistant, Copilot. But the two companies moved farther apart and their business agreements were amended as OpenAI increasingly sought to secure its own cloud capacity through big deals with Oracle, SoftBank and other data center developers and chipmakers.

    Asked in September if OpenAI could do more with those new computing partnerships than it could with Microsoft, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told The Associated Press his company was “severely limited for the value we can offer to people.”

    At the same time, Microsoft holds a roughly 27% stake in the new for-profit corporation that OpenAI, founded as a nonprofit, is forming to advance its commercial ambitions as the world’s most valuable startup.

    Anthropic, founded by ex-OpenAI leaders in 2021, said Claude will now be the “only frontier model” available to customers of the three biggest cloud computing providers: Amazon, which remains Anthropic’s primary cloud provider, and Google and Microsoft.

    AI products like Claude, ChatGPT, Copilotand Google’s Gemini are reshaping how many people work but take huge amounts of energy and computing power to build and operate. Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic has yet reported turning a profit, amplifying concerns about an AI bubble if their products don’t meet investors’ high expectations and justify the expenditures. As part of the deal, Nvidia said Anthropic will have access to up to a gigawatt of capacity from its specialized AI chips.

    Huang said he’s “admired the work of Anthropic and Dario for a long time, and this is the first time we are going to deeply partner with Anthropic to accelerate Claude.”

    At Microsoft’s Ignite conference, a showcase of its latest AI technology which opened Tuesday in San Francisco, Anthropic’s chief product officer Mike Krieger highlighted the budding partnership during an on-stage appearance.

    “From the beginning, it has seemed there has been a lot of shared DNA between our companies,” said Krieger, who was also the co-founder of Instagram.

    ——

    AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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  • 2 injured in violent, high-speed San Francisco crash

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    Two people were hospitalized Tuesday morning after a three-vehicle crash sent a pickup truck partially through the wall of a building in San Francisco’s Marina District, authorities said.

    The impact at Broderick and Lombard streets left the truck lodged in the structure’s exterior, with debris scattered across the sidewalk. San Francisco Fire Department crews stabilized the vehicle while medics treated the injured.

    Broderick Street was closed between Lombard and Greenwich streets, and fire and police units are expected to remain at the scene at least until 8:30 a.m. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection is evaluating the damage to determine whether the structure is safe.

    Motorists and pedestrians are urged to avoid the area.

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    Bay City News

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