Around 6:30 p.m., a driver hit a pedestrian and was seen driving away westbound on Southwest Boulevard, from Snyder Lane.
The person who was struck died at the scene, police said.
Investigators said they believe the vehicle is a 2014 to 2018 Chevy Silverado based on the crash debris left at the scene. And police said witnesses told them the truck appeared to be black with a lift kit and chrome wheels.
It should also have a substantial amount of front-end damage.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 707-584-2612.
The latest twist came Monday in the high-profile case of animal welfare activist Zoe Rosenberg, who awaits sentencing for her role in taking four chickens from a Perdue Farms processing facility in Petaluma: a celebrity endorsement.
Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, one of Hollywood’s most esteemed actors, released a statement through the group Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, urging the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office to prosecute Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry facility for “years of documented cruelty,” rather than focusing its attention on activists such as Rosenberg.
“Criminalizing people for rescuing suffering animals is a moral failure,” Phoenix wrote. “Compassion is not a crime. When individuals step in to save a life because the system has looked the other way, they should be supported — not prosecuted. We have to decide who we are as a society: one that protects the vulnerable, or one that punishes those who try.”
In addition to circulating the statement to media outlets, DxE posted it on Facebook and Instagram. By 3 p.m. Monday, the post had been shared more than 1,800 times, and had attracted nearly 2,000 comments, most of them supportive of Phoenix’s message.
Carla Rodriguez, the Sonoma County district attorney, said her office had not heard directly from the actor, and she had not spoken to him.
Zoe Rosenberg talks to supporters outside the Sonoma County Hall of Justice after being found guilty of felony conspiracy. Photo taken in Santa Rosa Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Rosenberg, a 23-year-old Cal student billed by Berkeley-based DxE as an “animal cruelty investigator,” was convicted Oct. 29 by a Sonoma County jury on charges of felony conspiracy and three misdemeanors. She is set to be sentenced Dec. 3 and could face up to 4½ years for her actions at the Petaluma Poultry processing plant during a 2023 incursion there by activists.
If it seems odd to see a movie star insinuate himself into the legal affairs of Sonoma County, it fits Phoenix’s lifelong support of animal welfare. He has been vegan since the age of 3.
When he won the Best Actor award for his dark portrayal of the title character in the movie “Joker,” he took the opportunity to speak out on animal agriculture.
“We go into the natural world, and we plunder it for its resources,” Phoenix told the audience in Hollywood while accepting his Oscar at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony. “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf, and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
The next day, Phoenix backed up his words with action. In partnership with the activist group LA Animal Save, he helped remove a cow and newborn calf from a slaughterhouse in Pico Rivera, with permission from the owner, and relocated the animals to the Farm Sanctuary property in Acton. Both locations are in Los Angeles County.
Phoenix won other awards for “Joker” in 2020, and he took up the cause of animal liberation at each step. Before the British Academy Film Awards, known as the BAFTAs, he helped drape a 400-square-foot banner from London’s famed Tower Bridge, declaring “Factory farming destroys our planet. Go vegan.”
Direct Action Everywhere insists producers such as Petaluma Poultry run factory farms that are too large to ensure animal welfare. Local dairy and poultry businesses vehemently disagree, a debate that came to a head in 2024 when DxE members championed Measure J, which sought to sharply limit the size of those operations in Sonoma County. The measure suffered a resounding defeat at the polls.
A month before the BAFTA demonstration, Phoenix thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which at the time hosted the Golden Globe Awards, for adopting vegan standards at its 2020 ceremony.
“But we have to do more than that,” he urged the Golden Globes audience that night. “Together we can hopefully be unified and actually make some changes. It’s great to vote. But sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves.”
A DxE spokesperson said Phoenix’s statement on behalf of Rosenberg was coordinated by his social impact advisor, Michelle Cho.
Petaluma Poultry was locally owned until 2011, when it was acquired by Perdue Farms, the Maryland-based agribusiness giant. The company still buys its chickens from local farms. DxE has claimed for years that conditions at the Petaluma facility are cruel to the birds and unhealthy for consumers.
Perdue Farms denies such claims and has petitioned the courts to prevent DxE demonstrators from protesting at the homes of Petaluma Poultry executives.
Direct Action Everywhere activists protest at the Santa Rosa home of Jason Arnold, Petaluma Poultry director of operations, on March 22. (Direct Action Everywhere) Direct Action Everywhere
“Petaluma Poultry is very committed to proper animal care,” local spokesperson Rob Muelrath said on behalf of the company. “Our birds have room to move around, access to the outdoors, and things to keep them engaged. They’re raised on a healthy diet without antibiotics.”
Muelrath added that the facility is regularly visited by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors, and by Global Animal Partnership, a nonprofit that rates welfare standards at farms, ranches and other businesses related to meat production.
The Sonoma County Superior Court judge in Rosenberg’s trial, Kenneth Gnoss, prohibited her attorneys from introducing documentation DxE had collected at the processing plant in Petaluma.
Her attorneys argued she acted out of moral duty to save animals she believed were suffering. She said after the verdict, she had no regrets about her actions.
Her legal team is planning to appeal.
“The jury found Zoe Rosenberg guilty on all counts,” Muelrath wrote to The Press Democrat. “The break-in was a well-planned, deliberate breach of private property with the intent to steal — a criminal act that was deliberate, strategic, and bordering on corporate espionage or agro-terrorism.”
Phoenix’s filmography also includes starring roles in “Walk the Line,” “Her,” “The Master” and, most recently, “Eddington.”
You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude 4.1 struck northern Sonoma County Monday morning, officials said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake struck less than a mile northwest of the Geysers at 7:08 a.m. An aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 2.8 struck the same area less than a minute later.
The Geysers geothermal field, known as the world’s largest, is a seismically active region and is home to 18 geothermal power plants.
Map of an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 that struck near The Geysers in Sonoma County on Nov. 24, 2025.
U.S. Geological Survey
Visitors to the USGS website, mostly in Sonoma County, reported weak to light shaking. The quake was reportedly felt as far away as San Francisco to the south and Clearlake to the north.
There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake.
On Thursday, a rocket was scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying a special payload with a North Bay connection. The lift-off didn’t go as planned, but students at Sonoma State University are still excited by the chance to put their learning into practice and into orbit.
The university has been part of a project called “3UCubed,” helping to create a small satellite, about the size of a loaf of bread, that will soon be launched into orbit.
“It separates from the rocket, and then it starts to fall towards Earth,” said Dr. Laura Peticolas. “But it’s falling so fast that it keeps going around Earth and comes back around.”
That’s the way all satellites work, and they can stay up there for years, even decades, before coming back down. But Dr. Peticolas, 3UCubed’s principal investigator at SSU, said we are currently in a season called “Solar Max” where huge storms on the surface of the sun are throwing particles at the Earth, having a negative effect on orbiting vehicles.
“So, what was happening is that satellites were flying through that, and then they were suddenly de-orbiting way faster than anyone expected,” said Dr. Peticolas. “So, we want to understand what’s making that happen. And when does it happen and how does it happen?”
That’s what the 3UCubed satellite will be studying, and it will be monitored from the roof of one of the school’s buildings. A receiver will gather data for about five to 10 minutes every 12 hours as the satellite passes overhead. They’re particularly interested in a focused area called “The Cusp,” sitting high up on the Earth, where the particles seem to be more concentrated. Dr. Peticolas is particularly excited by the project because things like this are usually reserved for larger research institutions like UC Berkeley.
Sonoma State is considered a “teaching university,” but she thinks there is an important benefit to including them.
“Doing research with students is a way to train the next generation of teachers and professors,” she said. “And so, teaching universities need these kind of real-life experiences so that our students can go out and speak about what it is to be engineers and be scientists and be computer scientists in the real world.”
And her excitement seems to be contagious.
“I was pretty hesitant about diving deep into physics,” said second-year student Jack Engblom. “But after I took the first semester, I started to fall in love with it.”
“It’s a small school, so it’s kind of hard to not be passionate about such a small program,” said Nick Froehlich, who wants to study astrophysics. “So, everyone here knows what they’re doing, they know what they want to teach and it’s very specialized. So, I do enjoy my time here.”
Physica is one of the majors that was eliminated along with team sports in last year’s budget cuts. The hope is that the 3UCubed project, and the passion of teachers like Dr. Peticolas, will convince the powers that be to reinstate the physics major at SSU.
Because of cloudy weather over Vandenberg AFB, Thursday morning’s launch was postponed. The next possible window will be Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving.
A Sonoma County judge allowed Asia Lozano Morton to await trial outside jail under strict supervision and set her next court date for Dec. 4, according to court records.
Morton must wear a GPS ankle monitor, surrender her passport and get permission from the court before leaving California. She’s also barred from owning guns or using drugs and from contacting her boyfriend, Richard Lund.
Tuesday’s hearing was Morton’s first court appearance since her arrest Friday in the Oct. 3 shooting death of Mark Calcagni.
Lund, 43, remains in custody without bail. Police say he’s accused of shooting Calcagni five times near Calcagni’s home on Brookwood Avenue before driving off in a Toyota RAV4.
Investigators believe the killing was planned and may be connected to Calcagni’s decision to fire Lund and Morton from their jobs at the Condor Club, a North Beach landmark known as the nation’s first topless bar.
Police arrested Lund at his home in Dublin. Morton was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport when she returned from a trip to Spain.
Police said Calcagni had returned home from work around 5 a.m. when he was shot. A passerby found his body on a nearby sidewalk about 90 minutes later.
About 260 sexual abuse lawsuits were paused when the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy in 2023. That has been a frustration for survivors who want the actions of their abusers, and the failings of the powerful institution that obscured the crimes, dragged into the daylight.
Now, it looks like a few of those survivors may have their days in court.
The judge in the bankruptcy, Charles Novack of the Northern District of California, recently put a small set of lawsuits on the path to trial, where they are expected to set a baseline for the diocese’s potential financial liability.
It’s an important step, those involved say, in pushing insurance companies to enter into a global settlement with the diocese and the dozens of people who say they were harmed by predatory church figures. And it could offer a rare chance for claimants to speak openly of their abuse in a courtroom, and to gather additional information through the legal discovery process.
When cases are “quieted” by bankruptcy, said Dan McNevin, who is on the board of directors of the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, it means “the public won’t have a clear read on who enabled the abuse, who covered it up and whether those people are still in power and behaving in that fashion.”
When McNevin was molested in the Oakland Diocese, he said, the bishop there told him his abuser, the Rev. James Clark, had no prior record. After he sued, McNevin found out Clark had in fact been convicted of a sex crime before moving into his parish.
“His file was sanitized. There was no record of his probation,” McNevin said. “We got the information by deposing the former chancellor of the diocese. So discovery is really important.”
Little has been revealed publicly about the cases Novack is allowing to proceed.
Should any of the plaintiffs win those lawsuits, it’s likely funds recovered in judgment would be held in trust, said Jennifer Stein, an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Los Angeles-based firm that has represented thousands of victims of predatory priests. That money would be distributed later among qualifying survivors.
The Santa Rosa Diocese, which oversees 42 parishes reaching from American Canyon in Napa County to Crescent City near the Oregon border, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023. Like Catholic dioceses across the U.S., the local jurisdiction said it was facing an existential threat from a massive wave of sex abuse suits.
Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, Oct. 13, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat
Mike Tarvid filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese after harboring a secret for nearly 50 years involving his abuse at the hands of North Coast priest Gary Timmons. Photo taken in Santa Rosa on Dec. 12, 2022. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Kent Porter/The Press Democrat
Father John Crews, the former executive director of the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma Valley, was among 39 names released in 2019 by the Santa Rosa Diocese, listing those who committed child sexual abuse or were credibly accused of such crimes. Hanna Boys Center is a co-defendant in dozens of lawsuits against the Santa Rosa Diocese. Crews resigned in 2013, when he was first accused of child sex abuse by the widow of a man who had been assaulted at a Sebastopol church. He was last known to be in South Carolina. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
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Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, Oct. 13, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
By that time, the Santa Rosa Diocese had been served with about 160 claims of sexual abuse under a 2019 state law that opened a three-year window for survivors 40 and older to file personal injury cases for past child sex abuse cases.
By August 2023, the diocese had paid out at least $35 million in settlements, dating back to the 1990s, at the onset of a painful worldwide reckoning with sexual abuse by clergy within the Catholic church.
In January 2019, the diocese released a list of 39 of its priests and bishops who committed sexual abuse and misconduct, or had been credibly accused of doing so, between the 1960s and the 2010s.
The efforts of survivors are now moving along two tracks. There is Novack’s courtroom, the setting for one of 17 bankruptcy cases nationwide involving Catholic dioceses, including six in California — Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento among them. Another 20 dioceses have emerged from bankruptcy since 2005.
And there’s Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding 5108, or JCCP 5108, which consolidates hundreds of lawsuits against multiple Catholic dioceses in Northern California. That proceeding is being administered in Alameda County Superior Court.
The decision by religious leaders to file for bankruptcy demonstrates the strength of the abuse cases, according to Stein. “They would not be taking such expensive, egregious measures if there weren’t fear of liability,” she said.
Bishop Robert F. Vasa of Santa Rosa, leader of the diocese since 2011, acknowledges the gravity of the threat.
“It’s absolutely no secret that sexual abuse lawsuits, even in the secular world, bring huge judgments in a court of law,” Vasa said. “So there’s no doubt in the case of the church they be equally large if not larger. But it’s beyond our scope to generate the money to pay for those. Regardless of whether it’s a $1 million judgment or a $2 million judgment, we don’t have the resources in a million years is to pay for those.”
Long list of co-defendants
A bankruptcy court exhibit filed in April offers detail on sites connected to the alleged abuse in the Santa Rosa Diocese.
The largest share of complaints, 60 in all, name Hanna Boys Center, the 80-year-old residential school and service campus for at-risk youth that has sought to remake itself with a retooled mission even as new suits piled up alleging long-ago abuse.
But the list of diocesan sites is long and varied.
Camp St. Michael, an outdoor ministry in Mendocino County that ceased operation in 2011, is named in 25 claims. The diocesan cathedral, St. Eugene’s in Santa Rosa, is named in 13. Nine are tied to St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Eureka, nine to St. Rose of Lima church in Santa Rosa, seven to St. Apollinaris in Napa and six to Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa.
In all, 27 diocese sites are represented.
The exhibit laying out that information pertains to a subset of 207 cases that include co-defendants. The state court is currently weighing a request to allow those suits to proceed against the co-defendants, even if they are paused against the diocese. The church is fighting the effort, arguing that because co-defendants such as Hanna Boys Center and Cardinal Newman are covered by the same insurance policies as the diocese, any legal fees or settlements they end up paying will only further deplete the money potentially available for the wider pool of survivors.
The Santa Rosa Diocese estimates the sexual abuse cases levied against it would average $2 million each in monetary demands — liability that could surpass half a billion dollars if the church were to lose all the cases. In its bankruptcy petition, the diocese reported unidentified assets valued between $10 million and $50 million.
To get a more accurate read on liability, it is common in litigation spanning multiple districts for the court to select one or more cases to proceed to trial. Novack signaled his approval in the bankruptcy, and the diocese worked with a committee of unsecured creditors in the case — made up of sex abuse survivors — to identify a handful of representative cases.
“The committee wanted several cases released for trial to kind of set a benchmark — what are these cases worth in a real trial?” Vasa said. “Just to say to the insurers, ‘If these go to trial, there may be a huge judgment.’”
Insurers called out
Insurance companies are a major player in these bankruptcy proceedings. Some of the other parties believe they are an impediment.
The insurers have been “woefully deficient in fulfilling contractual promises” to pay claims, said attorney Rick Simons, who serves as a liaison for the hundreds of sex abuse cases that make up JCCP 5108, the consolidated civil action.
“They sold these policies in the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’60s, some into the 2000s, for $25,000, $35,000 and $55,000 apiece,” Simons said of the insurers. “Now they owe, nationally, billions and billions of dollars in claims. They don’t care about rules and laws. They just want to keep saying no so they can negotiate a lump sum that’s like 8 cents on the dollar.”
Just over a year ago, the creditors committee petitioned for a two-hour court conference allowing survivors to read personal statements. “This proceeding is likely the only opportunity that Survivors in Santa Rosa will have to seek acknowledgement and justice for the decades of isolation and pain they endured,” the committee argued.
The church supported the motion. At least five insurance companies opposed it — Lloyd’s of London, Pacific Indemnity, Pacific Employers Insurance, Century Indemnity and Westchester Fire Insurance, the latter four all under the umbrella of Pacific. Novack granted the petition over their objections, and survivors were allowed to read statements during a private conference on Feb. 6.
Meanwhile, committee members have joined the diocese and its insurers in several rounds of court-approved mediation. Vasa insists all parties, including the church, are working hard to reach an agreement everyone can live with.
“It’s kind of a dance,” the bishop said. “What is a reasonable number that the committee will accept, so that survivors will see they’ve done their due diligence? We can never compensate for all the harm done. But we can manifest care and concern, and demonstrate that we are not trying to stand in the way of what is just.”
You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.
Highway 101 is a vital commute for tens of thousands of people traveling between Marin and Sonoma counties. But some drivers said recent changes to the carpool lane hours are making their commutes longer and more frustrating.
Katie Clayton, a hairstylist who drives from her Rohnert Park home to a salon in Novato, said the morning drive has become very stressful.
“It affected my commute by adding at least 30 minutes to my commute every morning,” Clayton said. “It’s frustrating, and people don’t deserve to be sitting in traffic that was never there before. Don’t fix what’s not broken.”
Earlier this month, on Sept. 8, Caltrans extended the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane hours on Highway 101 in the North Bay. The new schedule runs from 5 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. in Marin and Sonoma counties. Previously, the hours were shorter and differed between the two counties. In Sonoma County, it was 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., in both directions. In Marin County, the previous hours were 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. southbound only and 4:30 to 7 p.m. northbound only.
Caltrans said the updated hours align the North Bay with the rest of the Bay Area.
“This is a big change, and Caltrans doesn’t take it lightly. We’re doing this to improve safety in the Bay Area,” said Caltrans spokesperson Vince Jacala.
Clayton, however, said the change is forcing more solo drivers into the general lanes, slowing traffic for everyone. She started a petition on Change.org, which had nearly 5,000 signatures by Sunday afternoon, with hundreds of drivers sharing their stories and frustrations.
“Cars sitting on the freeway, trucks sitting on the freeway, just wasting gas, putting more emissions into the atmosphere. That’s the polar opposite of what they’re claiming it’s going to do,” Clayton said.
Jacala said Caltrans consulted with other North Bay transportation agencies before making the switch. The expanded hours also coincide with the opening of new lanes between Novato and Petaluma, part of the Marin-Sonoma Narrows project.
“Caltrans and the different agencies, we’re going to take a look at that. We hear you very loudly. We’re going to take a look at that. And the traffic engineers are going to take a look at the analysis, whatever time it takes. And then, we’ll decide,” Jacala said.
While Caltrans said any reversal of the new hours would require time and a careful study, Clayton and others said they are not backing down.
“I don’t plan to give up, and I don’t think other people are going to give up. This has added hours to people’s day,” she said.
Some city and county officials also agreed with Clayton, saying the expanded hours don’t reflect changed commute patterns since the COVID-19 pandemic. Caltrans maintains that any adjustments would likely be months away.
Da Lin is an award-winning journalist at KPIX 5 News. He joined KPIX 5 in 2012, but has been reporting the news in the Bay Area since 2007. Da grew up in Oakland, and before his return to the Bay Area, he spent five years covering the news at three other television stations in Texas, Southern and Central California. He also spent five years reporting at KRON 4.
A battle is brewing in the small town of Forestville in the Russian River Valley over a proposed project that has become a flashpoint.
The owners of a quarry want to build a modern asphalt plant. But plenty of residents are pushing back, saying they’re concerned about potential environmental impacts to the community.
Mining, crushing, and selling rock has been the Trappe family business for decades.
“We take the rock and it goes through a processing plant. And we break it out into everything from base, which is being made here, to rock going to other asphalt plants” said Jonathon Trappe of Canyon Rock Inc.
Trappe now wants to build an asphalt plant on the site of Canyon Rock quarry. With only two asphalt plants currently operating in Sonoma County, it’s good for business.
“I feel like we can do it better than the next guy because of how we look at things. We own that responsibility to do it right,” Trappe told CBS News Bay Area.
But a growing group of residents are banding together to fight the proposed project.
Darek Trowbridge is a local winemaker, and farmer, whose family has for generations lived off the land. He has become the leading voice for Russian River Community Cares, a dedicated group of more than 700.
“It’s different if the asphalt plant is somewhere where it’s not right next to a town or it’s not in extreme fire danger. There are plenty of places that are closer to the freeways,” said Trowbridge.
They’re concerned about potential environmental impacts including contamination of nearby waterways, and more trucks on local roads.
“We’re going to have bigger tankers coming through town, and we’re going to have much more toxicity,” said Trowbridge.
Trappe sees it differently, arguing trucks wouldn’t have to make extra trips to other asphalt plants for road projects if a new one is built on site.
“It would eliminate the traffic associated with moving that rock,” said Trappe.
Sonoma County officials are already in the process of putting together an environmental impact report (EIR).
John Mack is the Natural Resources Division Manager for Sonoma County, who points to Canyon Rock’s concrete plant already on site.
“Ancillary facilities are allowed at quarries. This facility already has at least one. It’s allowed. Whether it makes sense here, that’s what the environmental review is supposed to get to,” said Mack.
Mack said the county had to pause the EIR process for months because of a violation at Canyon Rock.
“There was an enforcement matter at this facility. They expanded into some areas where they weren’t permitted,” said Mack.
As both sides dig in, the county says completion of an EIR could take years.
Trappe lives on the property of the quarry and says health concerns are not an issue.
“I have an immunocompromised kid. The asphalt plant, we’ll be adjacent to it. I feel comfortable with it,” said Trappe.
“A large company can have such a big impact on a community. That’s our worry. Will they roll over the community as if it doesn’t exist? To us, that’s not okay,” said Trowbridge.
It took years for Trowbridge to grow and preserve various dry goods. Now he’s fighting to preserve a part of his community.
A representative for the Trappe family and Canyon Rock Company says it has asked but not heard back from the Russian River Community Cares group to meet and hear their concerns.
After the EIR is completed, the county planning commission will hold a public hearing.
The Board of Supervisors will then make a final decision, but the county said that could be years down the road.
When Kenny Choi jumped into the backseat, he never thought he would be introducing his ride share driver to National Public Radio. The hour-long ride to the airport turned into a conversation that included politics, the economic divide, and the cultural differences between the East Coast and the West Coast.
SAN JOSE — The Valkyries’ season hangs in the balance.
Down 1-0 in their first-round series against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, Golden State faces a win-or-go-home Game 2 at SAP Center on Wednesday.
The expansion team has lost each of its last five games against the Lynx, and most recently suffered one of their worst losses of the season in Game 1 on Sunday in a 29-point defeat.
But while the Valkyries will be clear underdogs playing in an arena they haven’t called home, the gritty first-year team is confident anything can happen in front of their favorable crowd.
“It’s win or die time,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after Tuesday’s practice. “We understand that, but we’ve been approaching it every game since the time we played the L.A. Sparks (Aug. 9) and we made it a thing. In order to make the playoffs, it’s a must win mentality.
“We don’t think of it potentially being our last, we just think it’s a must win. And then we got to do our job. Minnesota did their job at home and we got to take care of doing our job here at home. It’s a must win.”
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, right, drives past Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle (14) during the first half of an WBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
With the season on the line, the Valkyries will be playing in front of a sold out crowd on Wednesday night. Golden State opted to stay in San Jose and held practice at SAP Center on Tuesday.
Here are three keys for the Valkyries going into Game 2:
Stopping guard penetration
While Napheesa Collier is the driving force of Minnesota’s offense, it’s been the guard duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the viral steaming pair called the StudBudz, that have given Golden State’s vaunted defense problems.
Williams, the steady floor general, has a knack for finding a way to get into the paint to score or dish to shooters. The veteran point guard is a threat to pull up from the 3-point line or in the mid-range as she has averaged 13.2 points per game on 40.3% shooting from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line.
Point guard Natisha Hiedeman has torched the Valkyries coming off the bench. The sixth woman of the year candidate has scored 24, 21, and 18 points in the last three games against the Valkyries and has routinely been the spark plug for Minnesota in stopping the Golden State’s runs.
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) reacts after making a three point shot against the Golden State Valkyries during the first half of an WBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
On Sunday, Hiedeman posted the second-highest plus-minus rating in Lynx postseason history with a +32.
“We really need to try to be more solid on defense, but as a unit,” Valkyries center Iliana Rupert said. “Be more aware when to shift and try to help more. Even if there’s a lot of rotations, at least not letting them get easy buckets. So we saw all of that on the video, and hopefully tomorrow will get even better.”
Make open looks
This one is simple. The Valkyries need to hit more shots.
After a hot start in which they hit nine of their first 18 shots, and five of their first eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Valkyries finished the game making just 11 more field goal attempts.
In the five games the Valkyries played against the Lynx this season, they shot just 36% from the field and 25.7 from beyond the arc.
A common thread in each of the five losses has been Golden State’s inability to stop Minnesota when it gets on a roll. The Valkyries have kept the game close in spurts, but the Lynx have always been able to deliver a crushing run that puts the game out of reach,
“We have to respond better,” Valkyries shooting guard Kate Martin said. “We have to know that basketball is about a game of runs, and they’re a really good team. So they’re gonna go on their runs. We’re gonna have to limit that as much as possible and make adjustments quicker.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 14: Cecilia Zandalasini #24 of the Golden State Valkyries shoots against Courtney Williams #10 of the Minnesota Lynx during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images)
A big factor going into Wednesday’s game will be if the Valkyries could get consistent scoring out of sharpshooting forward Cecilia Zandalasini.
Zandalasini will be playing in her fourth game since coming back from a calf injury that kept her sidelined for eight contests. She shot just 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-5 from the 3-point line on Sunday.
Play off the momentum of the crowd
While the venue will be new, the Valkyries have consistently shown that they are at their best when they could feed off the home crowd’s energy.
The Valkyries have not been worried about the change in location as they have faith the home crowd will come through.
Golden State Valkyries fans watch the action during the fourth quarter of their WBNA game against the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
“Someone told me the arena is smaller than Chase Center, but I’m sure the fans are going to come through,” Valkyries rookie forward Janelle Salaün said. “I just know the fans are going to come through and it’s going to be amazing.”
The Valkyries are 14-8 at home this season.
Notable
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase revealed that she was fined by the league after her comments regarding Game 1’s officiating. The first-year coach said she didn’t know how much the fine was, but said she stands by what she said.
“I heard it’s a tax write off,” Nakase said. “I moved on. We’ve already talked about the new game plan, offensively and defensively. That’s where I got to make sure my girls are at.”
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) reacts to a call during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO — If the Valkyries reach the postseason in their inaugural year, one of the biggest questions will be where they will actually play.
A scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup — an international tennis tournament that includes stars Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz as well as legend Andre Agassi as a coach — presents Chase Center’s biggest hurdle in trying to accommodate a Valkyries playoff game.
In all likelihood, the Valkyries will not get a Top 4 seed in order to host two games in the first round, meaning their possible lone postseason game will take place either on Sept. 16 or 17.
The Laver Cup runs from Sept. 19-21, but setting up the state-of-the-art tennis court and allowing players time to practice before the tournament starts is the biggest challenge. The event was booked before the Valkyries became a franchise.
Golden State officials said an update on a decision on where the team will play will be coming in the next few days.
“We are finalizing details regarding our potential playoff venue and will share a comprehensive update with fans and season ticket holders in the coming days,” the Valkyries said in a statement sent to this news organization on Thursday. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through the logistics of the possibility of a historic inaugural playoff run and pre-existing scheduling conflict at Chase Center.”
A Golden State Valkyries fan wears a winged helmet while sitting courtside in the fourth quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Washington Mystics 99-62. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Valkyries’ issues with scheduling their playoff game hasn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the league.
“You want to think that you’re past it,” Stewart told SFGATE on Monday. “We want to think that we’re, like, better than this. Listen, sometimes it’s out of the control of everyone involved. But it’s just … You don’t see it happening with the NBA.”
The Valkyries will have other venues to consider should Chase Center not be available.
Oakland Arena, formerly known as Oracle Arena, would be an easy option as it was the Golden State Warriors’ former home. The venue does not have anything on its schedule the week of Sept. 15. SAP Center in San Jose has a concert scheduled on Sept. 15, but will have openings in the four days after.
Seating capacity won’t be a problem for Oakland Arena (19,200) and SAP Center (17,562) as they both seat over 17,000 fans.
Some reports have floated Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, home of the Sacramento Kings, as a possible venue as it is a current NBA Arena, though it would be the farthest trek for Bay Area fans.
Golden State Valkyries fans dress like the female warriors the name represents while cheering for their strong, bold and fierce Valkyries as they battle the Dallas Wings at the Chase Center in San Francisco on July 25, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
When reached for comment last week, Sacramento officials did not respond to questions about if Golden 1 Center would welcome the Valkyries for a home playoff game.
The Laver Cup is a relatively new tennis tournament, holding its inaugural event in 2017. The tournament pits some of the best international players against the best players from the United States.
According to the Laver Cup website, the unique black playing surface is the largest known court in the world at 49 meters long and 23 meters wide. The website claims the court is portable and can be set up in tight time frames.
Golden State has exceeded expectations this season.
BetMGM had their win total odds at 8.5 before the season started, finishing last in the league. The Valkyries eclipsed the previous highest win total set by an expansion team, previously held by the 1998 Detroit Shock, who had 17 wins in their inaugural season.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Valkyries looked as connected as they have all year on Tuesday night.
Playing the star-studded New York Liberty, Golden State made all the right plays, hit all the necessary shots and kept the visiting team’s high-powered offense in check.
The result: The expansion team played perhaps its best game of the season, defeating the defending champion Liberty 66-58 in front of its 20th consecutive sellout crowd of the season.
“I think when we’re communicating and we’re executing the game plan, I think, like I said, we’re pretty dangerous,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Credit to our players for believing, trusting and executing.”
Temi Fágbénlé led the Valkyries with 16 points and five rebounds. Janelle Salaun had 10 points. Kate Martin came off the bench and scored 11 points.
Monique Billings made her return to the lineup after missing the last 14 games with a right ankle sprain. She played 20 minutes, scored five points and grabbed three rebounds.
Guard Natasha Cloud was a bright spot for the Liberty, leading New York with 19 points. Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu missed Friday’s game with a toe injury.
The Valkyries held the Liberty to 31.6% shooting and didn’t allow the Liberty to get to the line consistently in the first half, holding the visiting team to two free throw attempts. Breanna Stewart saw only four of her 15 shots go through the basket, but got most of her points at the free throw line.
“We stayed very connected throughout the whole game, through the ups and downs, through the runs. That’s the main thing,” Fágbénlé said. “Communicating throughout the whole game really helped us, and sticking with the schemes.”
With the win, the Valkyries now have a one-game lead over the Indiana Fever for the sixth seed. A Los Angeles Sparks loss against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday and a Valkyries win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday would clinch a playoff spot for Golden State. The Valkyries are also a game and a half behind the Liberty for the fifth seed.
Golden State fell behind by four points after the first quarter, but an offensive explosion in the second period gave the Valkyries a comfortable halftime lead.
Martin scored all 11 of her points in the second quarter, hitting 3-of-6 of her 3-point attempts to lead the Valkyries in the first half.
The Valkyries held the Liberty to 32.3% shooting through the first two quarters and led 40-26 going into the intermission.
New York’s eight second-quarter points is tied for the fewest points a Valkyries’ opponent has scored all season.
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) celebrates her 3-point basket against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Natasha Cloud (9) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) ights for the ball against New York Liberty’s Emma Meesseman (33) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Iliana Rupert (12) defends against New York Liberty’s Kennedy Burke (22) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Rebekah Gardner (7) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) scores a basket against New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich (13) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) talks to teammates during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Temi Fagbenle (14) tries to steal the ball away against New York Liberty’s Kennedy Burke (22) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu (20) sits on the bench during their game against the Golden State Valkyries in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) takes a shot against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) reacts to a call during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Emma Meesseman (33) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22), Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) and Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) celebrate their 66-58 win over the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) celebrates their 66-58 win over the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) celebrates her 3-point basket against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State ballooned its lead to 24 early in the third period, but the Liberty finished the quarter strong by forcing seven Valkyries turnovers. The home team went into the final 10 minutes of play with a 12-point lead.
But much like they have done during this home stand, the Valkyries didn’t let up in the fourth quarter.
Golden State’s inside-out attack paced its offense against a more athletic Liberty defense. On the other end, the Valkyries got timely stops and didn’t allow New York’s trio of post players consisting of Stewart, Emma Meesseman and last year’s Finals MVP Jonquel Jones to get going.
During this home stand, the Valkyries have beaten teams by average of 19 points.
The Valkyries will play their final two home games on Thursday and Saturday, starting with a matchup with the Dallas Wings followed by the regular season finale against the Minnesota Lynx two days later.
Sonoma County start-up Resynergi says it has developed a new way to recycle most plastics that would normally end up in a landfill. They say they will use a method called pyrolysis, which uses a microwave to heat the plastics to separate their molecules from contaminants. That turns the plastic into an oil that will be reused to make more plastics. “Instead of drilling out of the ground, which causes a lot of greenhouse gases, we take the plastic, chip it, process that plastic,” said Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer. Their warehouse in Rohnert Park is full of various plastics waiting to be recycled while the company waits for the green light from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. However, some in the community claim Resynergi isn’t paying attention to its potential emissions. They say pyrolysis is just another form of incineration. “The lack of regard for the potential health impacts,” said Molly Rubardt, a Rohnert Park resident. “The lack of regard for the potential real fire and explosion risk, we live in a fire-risky area.”The company claims its methods will not involve burning plastics. “Incineration requires oxygen, you’re burning plastic,” said Sasha Kosek, Resynergi’s lead chemist. “Pyrolysis, you have removed all the oxygen and the molecules literally cannot burn.”The other concern is about the plant’s close proximity to Credo High School. Residents fear the emissions will create a health risk for the students. “You can’t have a petro-chemical plant that produces thousands of gallons of oil next to schools and communities next to homes,” said Mike Puccetti, another Rohnert Park resident. Many of the concerned residents protested in front of city hall, asking their council to revoke Resynergi’s permit to operate. They are also gathering a petition to send to the BAAQMD to ask them not to offer Resynergi a permit to start their machines. “Rohnert Park doesn’t allow incinerators within city limits,” Rubardt said. “If it is not an incinerator and it is what they say it is, they need to go back and get reclassified.”However, the company continues to insist emissions will be low. “The emissions coming from here are the equivalent of a semi truck driving down the road,” Bauer said. The BAAQMD sent out three notices of violations in August, claiming Resynergi built equipment without proper permits. They also told the San Francisco Chronicle that its experts evaluated the added risk of cancer from the plant’s estimated emissions would be minimal.Some in the city think this technology could be beneficial for recycling plastics, but they don’t want it this embedded in their community. “Why not build it near Recology or near a highway?” Puccetti said. “I don’t think anybody is thinking it is a bad idea, but why is it in a subcommunity? Why is it right next to a high school?”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
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. —
Sonoma County start-up Resynergi says it has developed a new way to recycle most plastics that would normally end up in a landfill.
They say they will use a method called pyrolysis, which uses a microwave to heat the plastics to separate their molecules from contaminants. That turns the plastic into an oil that will be reused to make more plastics.
“Instead of drilling out of the ground, which causes a lot of greenhouse gases, we take the plastic, chip it, process that plastic,” said Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer.
Their warehouse in Rohnert Park is full of various plastics waiting to be recycled while the company waits for the green light from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. However, some in the community claim Resynergi isn’t paying attention to its potential emissions. They say pyrolysis is just another form of incineration.
“The lack of regard for the potential health impacts,” said Molly Rubardt, a Rohnert Park resident. “The lack of regard for the potential real fire and explosion risk, we live in a fire-risky area.”
The company claims its methods will not involve burning plastics.
“Incineration requires oxygen, you’re burning plastic,” said Sasha Kosek, Resynergi’s lead chemist. “Pyrolysis, you have removed all the oxygen and the molecules literally cannot burn.”
The other concern is about the plant’s close proximity to Credo High School. Residents fear the emissions will create a health risk for the students.
“You can’t have a petro-chemical plant that produces thousands of gallons of oil next to schools and communities next to homes,” said Mike Puccetti, another Rohnert Park resident.
Many of the concerned residents protested in front of city hall, asking their council to revoke Resynergi’s permit to operate. They are also gathering a petition to send to the BAAQMD to ask them not to offer Resynergi a permit to start their machines.
“Rohnert Park doesn’t allow incinerators within city limits,” Rubardt said. “If it is not an incinerator and it is what they say it is, they need to go back and get reclassified.”
However, the company continues to insist emissions will be low.
“The emissions coming from here are the equivalent of a semi truck driving down the road,” Bauer said.
The BAAQMD sent out three notices of violations in August, claiming Resynergi built equipment without proper permits. They also told the San Francisco Chronicle that its experts evaluated the added risk of cancer from the plant’s estimated emissions would be minimal.
Some in the city think this technology could be beneficial for recycling plastics, but they don’t want it this embedded in their community.
“Why not build it near Recology or near a highway?” Puccetti said. “I don’t think anybody is thinking it is a bad idea, but why is it in a subcommunity? Why is it right next to a high school?”
The basketball game almost seemed like background noise as fans were asked to dance to a mix of Bay Area classics and new age pop music with each game stoppage. Both the Valkyries and the visiting Indiana Fever were both visibly frustrated by the start-stop nature of Sunday’s game that took two hours and 38 minutes to complete.
But what mattered most is that the Valkyries gave the sold out crowd of 18,064 something to dance for after the game ended.
Golden State Valkyries’ Iliana Rupert (12) scores a 3-point basket against Indiana Fever’s Aerial Powers (23) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The Valkyries won their third straight game, beating the injury-plagued Indiana Fever 75-63 behind a hot shooting start. The 158-minute game was the longest contest that ended in regulation since the Chicago Sky played the Dallas Wings in a two-hour, 41-minute game on Aug. 6, 2023, per Elias Sports Bureau. Sunday’s game had five clock stoppages in the first half.
The Valkyries attributed the clock malfunctions to a power outage that occurred at Chase Center on Sunday morning.
Iliana Rupert posted a career-high 21 points and hit 5-of-8 shots from the 3-point line. Rookie Janelle Salaün had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists. Veronica Burton finished with eight points, 13 assists and seven rebounds.
“I think it was the first time in all of our lives that we had so much stuff (go on), but it’s not stuff that you can control,” Rupert said after the game. “We really just tried to stay together. The fans obviously helped a lot because you can lose energy really quickly, and they were pushing us.”
A broken shot clock above a basket during the Golden State Valkyries game against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The Fever were without superstar Caitlin Clark, who missed her 18th straight game with a left groin injury. Former Valkyries guard Aerial Powers scored 17 points off the bench and Kelsey Mitchell had 14 points in the loss.
The Valkyries held the Fever’s other star, Aliyah Boston, to just four points.
“We really tried to be physical with her and try to make the night hard,” Rupert said. “I think we did that really well. So yeah, I’m happy of the work because it was really a team effort to stop her.”
After two different clock stoppages forced a 25-minute delay in the first quarter, the Valkyries went on a run. Golden State hit seven of its eight 3-pointers and took a 25-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
More stoppages allowed Indiana to get back within striking distance, but Golden State kept the high-paced offense at bay.
The Valkyries led by as much as 20 in the first half behind a 75% shooting quarter from beyond the arc. Rupert and Salaün accounted for 21 of the Valkyries’ 44 first-half points, and the home team led 44-32 after two quarters.
With all the stoppages, the first half lasted a whopping 92 minutes but Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said the breaks in action helped the Valkyries regroup.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) talks to Golden State Valkyries’ Temi Fagbenle (14) during their game against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
“We did get to talk about defensively, continuing to focus on our game plan and our execution in terms of the defense and what was hurting us,” Nakase said. “We just tried to make it an advantage as best we can.”
Indiana made headway in the third quarter, cutting the Valkyries’ lead to seven going into the final 10 minutes.
Powers cut the Golden State advantage to just five with a layup at the 7:37 mark of the fourth quarter, giving the Fever a much-needed momentum swing.
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
Golden State Valkyries’ Kate Martin (20) heads to the basket against Indiana Fever’s Lexie Hull (10) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Martin finished with 10 points.
Indiana never got back into the game after Powers’ foul. Carla Leite iced the game when she hit a wild circus shot while getting fouled from the left wing with just over 90 seconds left in the game.
Despite the odd breaks in the game, Nakase credited the crowd for keeping the energy high.
“That’s just great that our crowd doesn’t just get frustrated. They don’t leave. They stay behind us,” Nakase said. “Credit to our fans for just keeping it lively, keeping it entertaining because at the end of the day, we do want to enjoy this time. When we’re all together for two hours and like 45 minutes, we want to put on a show. We want to entertain people, and we want to have almost like a party.”
The Valkyries will return to Chase Center on Tuesday when they play the New York Liberty (7 p.m., KPIX+).
Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) scores a basket and a foul against Indiana Fever’s Natasha Howard (6) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) takes a shot against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Iliana Rupert (12) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Indiana Fever in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Laeticia Amihere (3) and Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) fight for a rebound against Indiana Fever’s Shey Peddy (5) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Kate Martin (20) hugs San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle after their 75-63 win over the Indiana Fever at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits for the start of their game against the Golden State Valkyries in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) takes a shot against Indiana Fever’s Lexie Hull (10) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle and 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall celebrate a 3-point basket during the Golden State Valkyries game against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Indiana Fever’s Brianna Turner (11) blocks a shot against Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) looks to pass against Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell (0) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) takes a shot against Indiana Fever’s Brianna Turner (11) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) takes a shot against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Golden State Valkyries’ Iliana Rupert (12) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Indiana Fever in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Her WNBA journey looked about finished for the 2025 season until the Valkyries gave her an opportunity just after the All-Star break after a plethora of injuries left the expansion team shorthanded. Now, the Valkyries can’t imagine a rotation without her.
On Sunday, she had her best game of the season as she locked up former teammate and rookie of the year candidate Paige Bueckers while tying a career-high 16 points in a 90-81 win over the Wings.
“I think it was a full circle moment,” Charles said after Sunday’s win. “I started the season here, and to be cut was sad, but it also gave me the opportunity to get film and get picked up by the (Valkyries). So even though it didn’t work out here like I wanted to, it gave me another opportunity where I fit in a little bit more.
“So it just shows that everything happens for a reason, and I’m really glad that I was able to win with my team and do well and help them.”
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) loses control of the ball against Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
When the Valkyries first signed Charles on Aug. 1, the former University of Maryland standout was tasked with learning a new system and teammates on a team that’s in the midst of trying to make a playoff push.
On the morning she joined the team, Charles boarded a plane to Chicago and had a few hours to learn the Valkyries’ playbook before a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Sky. The Valkyries coaching staff quickly briefed Charles before the game and the shooting guard was immediately in the rotation that night.
That night against, Charles played 17 minutes, scored five points, grabbed five rebounds and closed the fourth quarter in her first game with the team.
“Sometimes it’s on the fly,” assistant coach Landon Tatum told this news organization in a recent interview about how they fit players like Charles into their rotation the day of a game. “We know this person can do this really well. So, let’s see if this works. I wouldn’t necessarily say we know ahead of time going into games this is going to for sure work, but I think because we do a solid job of knowing what players do well, we can kind of plug and play specific people with certain people.”
Since then, Charles has been a rotation regular. She’s played in every game and been a valuable piece off the bench for Nakase as a defensive stopper and consistent catch-and-shoot player.
In her first start with the Valkyries on Sunday, Charles was tasked with guarding Bueckers, who came into the game with a streak of 30 consecutive double-digit scoring games.
Charles shadowed Bueckers for every minute she was in the game. Her active hands bothered the rookie star and her quick feet kept Bueckers away from the basket.
Charles held Bueckers scoreless in the first half and eventually limited her to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
“Credit to Kaila for coming and doing what she does,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Locking people up, and also on the offensive end, just being confident in her shot making. She makes quick decisions, taking it hard to the basket. Credit to Kaila because she’s really only had two practices with us.”
With the injuries the Valkyries have, Charles’ role will only get larger in the coming weeks as the Valkyries try to secure a playoff spot.
Golden State is currently in eighth place with a half-game lead over the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks for the final playoff spot. The Valkyries are also a half game behind the sixth-place Indiana Fever and seventh-place Seattle Storm with matchups against both franchises in the coming weeks.
The battle to make the playoffs makes Charles’ presence, and her ability to step in when her team needs her most, all the more valuable.
“I think some people may limit or not understand the challenge that can come from being cut, but her ability to come in and affect everything, not just offensively but also defensively, says a lot about who she is as a person.” Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton said of Charles after Sunday’s win.
“It’s a major testament to come in, back to the team that waived you this season and play 35 minutes and impact the game.”
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 24: |Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries and Kaila Charles #6 celebrate the team’s win over the Dallas Wings following the game at College Park Center on August 24, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Sonoma County Republican Party held their annual convention Saturday, with the upcoming special election on redistricting and picking the party’s nominee for governor among top priorities.
Hundreds of people gathered to connect and listen California GOP leaders, including two gubernatorial candidates.
Republican Chair Debbie LeBoy has been looking forward to the convention since she got the job.
“I’m grateful for the word getting out,” said LeBoy.
LeBoy became chair in January, she says the convention is only in its 5th year but it’s roots go deeper.
“We had one of our members a couple of years ago find an article that showed Republicans came together in Sonoma County, about a thousand of them, and we went well we can start this up again,” explained LeBoy.
In the last few years, she’s seen it grow, this year they had almost 400 people exchanging ideas and hope for the future.
“We just want to do good policy that works for everybody,” LeBoy said. “We don’t want the partisanship.”
They bring in candidates to speak to constituents, the headliners were two of the men running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Chad Bianco is the sheriff of Riverside County but says he’s been all over speaking with voters.
“I’ve already talked to people who are saying ‘we’re not Republican, we’re Democrats,’ and they’re supporting me, and they know that I have to win,” said Bianco. “We’re at a point in California where people are starving for a leader they can trust.”
Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County, a candidate for the 2026 Republican nomination for California governor, speaks at the Sonoma County Republican Party Convention in Santa Rosa on Aug. 23, 2025.
CBS
The event’s theme is “Restore the Golden State,” a topic that has become an even bigger effort for the party since Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats started pushing for redistricting in California amid redistricting efforts in Texas and other states.
Voters will decide on the plan in a special election this November. Under the new plan, much of Sonoma County will be added to the 1st congressional district, transforming a district where people voted for President Donald Trump over Kamala Harris by 25 points, into a Harris +12 point district.
“It’s an absolute joke,” said Bianco. “They are absolutely out of touch with Californians. They couldn’t care less about Californians. They care about their own personal and political agenda and they are not listening to anything going on in California.”
Steve Hilton was the other headliner. A former Fox News personality, Hilton is a British-American political commentator and also thinks more redistricting is a bad idea.
“If you actually look at the way it’s done the districts we’re already heavily gerrymandered in California there’s probably an extra 10-12 seats that should be in Republican hands if we had fair representation when you look at the house seats,” said Hilton.
He feels confident things will be different after next election.
“I’m 100% certain that California’s going to vote for change next November,” said Hilton. “There’s a massive majority for change. We can’t go on like this. We have the highest everything: highest gas prices, highest electricity bills, highest housing costs. It’s really tough to live here.”
LeBoy echoed the need to turn the page.
“Let’s just do some good policy that has less taxes, and of course they’re going to take taxes, but use our money wisely,” LeBoy detailed. “We’re looking for some simple solutions, some commonsense solutions. You’ve got homeless, you’ve got crime, high taxes. We just have to work on those and fix it for everybody regardless of party.”
Animal rescues and sanctuaries in Sonoma County are at capacity as they are seeing a record number of roosters being dumped or donated. They can’t pinpoint an exact cause, but a trend to fight high egg prices may be partly to blame.
Roosters are not the only animals at the Sonoma Chicks Rescue and Sanctuary. Currently, it’s taking care of more than a hundred birds, along with goats, rabbits and pigs.
“I am just one of those people that absolutely loves animals, and I have done so since I was a kid,” said Tania Soderman with the Sonoma Chicks Rescue and Sanctuary. “And this is my dream.”
Tania Soderman created this sanctuary in 2015. While her dream has come true, this summer has proved that there can be too much of a good thing.
“You know, it’s overwhelming,” she said. “We get the emails and phone calls, and I have to pick up and say no every day now. It’s heartbreaking. Then they are like I’ll dump them, and I have to go to sleep knowing that.”
Just a few minutes away at Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary, they are noticing the same problem. Harold the rooster was dumped in Alameda. Sanctuary Director Kate Ritchie says there could be a number of reasons for the increase in roosters needing a home, but she suspects many bought chicks in the spring, hoping for hens.
“The fact that egg prices went up, and people thought this will be great,” Kate Ritchie with Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary. “We can just have a couple of hens and we’ll have our own eggs. And maybe not thinking it fully through in regard to the care and their lifetime.”
Ritchie says it’s impossible to tell the sex of a chick at a young age. She tells people if they are serious about having hens as pets, the best thing is to adopt.
“When you get these baby chicks and some of them will end up being roosters, and that’s not what you wanted, this will solve that problem,” said Ritchie.
With sanctuaries at capacity, Sonoma Chicks Rescue and Sanctuary is only taking birds that have special needs.
“This is Penelope,” said Jovani Contreras with Sonoma Chicks Rescue and Sanctuary. “One of our turkey chicks that we have. She was super sick when we got her. She had trouble eating and she has an issue with her foot.”
Sonoma Chicks says feed and vet bills have skyrocketed this summer. Soderman and Contreras work from sunrise to sunset to feed, clean and take care of the animals. They say they can use all the help they can get.
“You can’t just expect us, the few rescues that are here, to take on your bad choices,” said Soderman. “We are too small and too few to do this. At least offer us your support if you’re coming to give us your animals.”
Like a lot of transit agencies, the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter train line in Marin and Sonoma Counties has been struggling to regain ridership and revenue lost to the pandemic. But now, there’s welcome news from the state that will keep the rail line on track to extend service to the town of Healdsburg.
It’s been a long time since any train arrived at the Healdsburg Depot. Its buildings are boarded up and the sign is cracked and faded. But there was a time, before the car became king, when traveling by rail was the way nearly everyone got to the northern Sonoma towns.
“The train was one of the main ways that people came up to visit Healdsburg way back in the day,” said Mayor David Hagele. “They’d come visit the Russian River, there were trains that would go out all over the place. And it’s great to have some of that piece of history and the connection to the past coming back.”
Hagele is excited by the announcement last week that the California State Transportation Authority approved $81 million to extend the SMART train line to Healdsburg. The news comes as the system is set to begin service from Santa Rosa to Windsor sometime in 2025.
“But the bigger part is the connectivity,” said Hagele. “It connects us even closer to Windsor and soon to Cloverdale and that’s a big part with trains, how they’ve been able to connect small communities together.”
Federal funding is already in place to rebuild the rail bridge over the Russian River and into town. The $81 million from the state will go to replacing all the tracks, adding a required automated control system and constructing a bike and pedestrian path along the corridor. If there are no delays, SMART expects the extension to Healdsburg to be completed sometime in 2028. SMART Board Vice Chair Melanie Bagby said it shows the state’s commitment to complete the system.
“Everyone said, ‘You’ll never get to Larkspur.’ SMART got to Larkspur. ‘Oh, you’ll never get to Windsor.’ SMART will be opening in Windsor next year. And now we have the funding to go to Healdsburg,” said Bagby. “So, I think it’s pretty evident that we’re on a trajectory to complete the vision of the voters for SMART.”
But that vision has changed over the years. SMART was sold to voters as an eco-friendly way to get North Bay commuters to San Francisco. But ridership never really took off, especially after work habits changed during the pandemic.
“You know, I think that we had an idea originally in 2008 that it was going to be a lot of folks just going to their jobs and what we’re finding is the whole community is taking advantage of it,” said Bagby. “It’s not just commuters. It’s also retired people going out to lunch, meeting their friends and it’s overwhelmingly school-age kids going to and from school.”
Of course, that may be happening because in April SMART began letting seniors and kids ride for free. The truth is, the farther you get from San Francisco, the more the mission of SMART changes and probably should. On Saturday, Jeff Saunders and Cheryl Valez drove up from Santa Rosa for a picnic overlooking the bridge.
“If it was almost recreational, as opposed to work-related, then perhaps that might be a better, stronger mission for them,” said Saunders. “If the train came in here and unloaded, you’ve got a two-block walk, three-block walk to everything. So, you could see it actually working here.”
The new, proposed Healdsburg station is only a couple of blocks from downtown shops, restaurants and wine-tasting rooms.
“I think coming up to Healdsburg would be nice if they’re going to keep going with it. I mean, this is THE destination spot. We come here all the time,” said Valez. “Quite frankly, I didn’t think it was worth the money it cost and I wouldn’t have voted for it. But since it’s already here now, I think bringing it up to Healdsburg would be…more people would ride it.”
So, as the world has changed, so must SMART. A train that was meant to get people to work is rapidly becoming a way to get them “away from it all.”
John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing smart-alecky satire pieces for the Bakersfield High School newspaper.
