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Dianne Feinstein, California’s longest serving U.S. senator, dies at 90

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

Dianne Feinstein, California’s longest-serving U.S. senator who led San Francisco through its darkest and most violent days as mayor in the 1970s and later authored a federal ban on assault weapons that lasted a decade, died Thursday night, according to multiple reports.At 90, she was the oldest member of Congress and the longest-serving female in the chamber’s history. During a lingering bout of shingles earlier this year and ongoing reports of her mental decline, she resisted pressure from her own party to resign her seat.Her death will force Gov. Gavin Newsom to make a crucial decision he said recently he hoped he wouldn’t have to do: appoint a replacement to serve the rest of Feinstein’s term with the hotly contested race to succeed her in full swing.At the start of her career, Feinstein was a trailblazer for women and gay rights, and after the 1978 assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, she emerged as a reassuring leader and formidable ...

Gas prices creep up again, but help may be on the way

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

Gas prices in the Los Angeles area rose again overnight, but not nearly as much as they have in recent days, and state officials are taking action to provide some relief.The average price of a regular gallon of gas rose 3 cents Friday morning after a 13-cent increase the day before.AAA listed the average price as about $6.32, which is still up 28 cents from a week ago and 95 cents more than a month ago.Statewide, the average is about $6.08, more than $2 higher than the national average of $3.83.In response to the high prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom has authorized state officials to roll out winter-blend gasoline earlier than the normal date of Oct. 31. Why do Californians pay so much for gas? "Due to the composition of the gasoline, refiners can produce more of the winter-blend than the summer-blend," Newsom wrote in a letter to the leaders of the Chair California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission."Allowing refiners to make an early transition to winter-blend gasoli...

California Highway Patrol officer hurt during confrontation with protester (video)

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

A protest over rent and wages turned violent Thursday when California Highway Patrol officers tried to remove demonstrators from a state office building in downtown Los Angeles.The chaos ensued as union organizers and supporters of the Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) rallied in front of the Ronald Reagan State Building on South Spring Street.The group is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 567, making it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants.A CHP officer is seen brandishing his service weapon after falling to the ground. Los Angeles, Calif. Sept. 28, 2023. (KTLA)Video recorded by a KTLA photojournalist shows a CHP officer escorting a demonstrator from the lobby of the building and attempting to close the front doors behind him.When another protestor, a man in a yellow shirt, tries to hold one of the doors open, the officer shoves him and they both eventually fall to the ground.A CHP officer is seen brandishing his service weapon after...

*NSYNC's 1st song in over 20 years is here

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

*NSYNC's first song in more than two decades is now out.The song is featured on the soundtrack for the upcoming film "Trolls Band Together," which is the third installment of the "Trolls" franchise. Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC speak onstage the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on Sept. 12, 2023, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV)Justin Timberlake voices Branch in the films and has music featured in the soundtracks. This time around, he brought some familiar faces to be included in the project. On Thursday, Timberlake posted a throwback video montage to Instagram of himself alongside JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass during their early days within the band. "Our first song together in 23 years comes out TOMORROW," the caption read. "Better Place" is definitely a feel-good song, which is a perfect way to kick off the weekend. The song is accompanied by a lyr...

Inside the Bay Area coworking club that wants to help millennials make friends

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

Jermaine Ijieh knows how seriously the coronavirus pandemic has affected the social lives of millennials–the generation of folks generally considered to be in their late 20s to early 40s today.Ijieh, 31, is a co-founder of Groundfloor, a sort of coworking space/social hub/friendship incubator that started in 2021 and has locations in San Francisco, Oakland and now San Rafael.“We had such a unique work-life experience prepandemic, where things were organized for us–even in the jobs that we maybe had,” Ijieh said. “Then pandemic hits and social interactions–in terms of the volume–significantly drops, even if you are in an office. And so you start to realize there’s something considerably lacking.”On a recent tour of Groundfloor’s new San Rafael space in the city’s downtown, Ijieh shared the origins of the business, why he believes connection and relationships can foster wellbeing and how the club landed on its monthly m...

The Bay-Delta ecosystem is collapsing. California just unveiled rival rescue plans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

BY RACHEL BECKER | CalMattersWith the Bay-Delta watershed in the throes of an ecological crisis, California’s water regulators Thursday unveiled several controversial options for managing the heart of the state’s water supply.The long-awaited, nearly 6,000-page draft is part of a fiercely contentious but under-the-radar process to update the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, with high stakes for both wildlife and water providers serving cities and millions of acres of farms.State water officials have said that existing requirements for water quality and flow through the critical but imperiled San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed have “failed to protect fish and wildlife” and must be updated “to halt and reverse the ecosystem collapse.”Several of the strategies the report evaluates would set minimum amounts of water to remain in rivers and streams, which could ultimately require water suppliers and other water users to cut back on how much they divert for ...

After grim report, council members ask if Antioch police should call sheriff, CHP for help

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

ANTIOCH – “How low do we have to go?”That was Councilmember Mike Barbanica’s question for Acting Antioch Police Chief Joe Vigil about requesting outside agencies to assist, knowing how depleted the force is.Vigil told the council this week that of 95 police officers on the books, only 44 are working in “full service” now, and of those, only 31 are assigned to patrol.Another 51 officers are on administrative leave, either on light duty, on medical leave or out for other reasons. It is unclear how many are on leave due to the racist texting scandal, the investigation of which is still underway with outside investigators.The department meanwhile is authorized for 115 officers, with the ability to overhire six in anticipation of pending retirements or resignation and to help limit lapses in police services. Six new officers came aboard this week, but still need to go through field training, Vigil said.“My concern is we’re drastically understaffed,” Barbanica said, adding he was co...

Melania Trump moves to protect Barron’s trust fund from Trump’s legal troubles

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

Melania Trump has no intention of leaving Donald Trump but her team has “quietly” renegotiated the terms of her prenuptial agreement to ensure that she’ll always be financially secure and that their son Barron’s “substantial” trust fund won’t be affected by all of her husband’s legal troubles, a report says.A source told Page Six that Melania Trump has worked out a new “postnup” agreement with Trump, whom she married in 2005. Her aim is to protect herself and her 17-year-old son’s financial future, as her husband runs to win a second term in the White House but also faces dozens of criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions. He’s also dealing with the potential loss of his New York real estate empire and a $5 million legal judgement, after a civil jury found he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll.“This is at least the third time Melania has renegotiated the terms of her marital agreement,” t...

Official statement confirming U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

U.S. Sen Dianne Feinstein, 90, died on Thursday night, according to a statement released by James Sauls, her chief of staff.It will now be up to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to name a replacement to serve out the rest of her term. Feinstein was the state’s longest-serving senator and also the longest-serving woman in the chamber.Here is the statement from James SaulsRelated ArticlesCalifornia Politics | What California Gov. Gavin Newsom said about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death California Politics | Trailblazer Dianne Feinstein, California’s longest serving U.S. senator, dies at 90 California Politics | Barabak: Newsom is right in pledging a caretaker for U.S. Senate seat California Politics | Senator Dianne Feinstein’s family feud is set for private talks California Politics | Rep. Lee: Newsom ‘insulting to countless Black women’ on potential Senate appointment “Sadly, Senator Fei...

Three reasons the Cal Bears should win – or could lose – pivotal home game vs. Arizona State

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:57 GMT

BERKELEY — Coaches preach playing them one at a time, and this is one game the Cal Bears can’t afford to let get away.The Bears (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday for a noon kickoff against Arizona State (1-3, 0-1) in a game that could go a long way in determining the trajectory of the rest of Cal’s season.On the heels of a 59-32 reality check crushing at No. 7 Washington last week, the Bears won’t get another chance like this one all season: At home, mostly healthy and favored by nearly two touchdowns against an opponent without an FBS victory.Victory becomes imperative on the final day of September because of the gauntlet directly ahead in Cal’s path. The Bears’ next five games over six weeks are against opponents with a combined record of 19-1 — home games vs. Oregon State, USC and Washington State, and grueling road tests at Utah and Oregon.The Bears have little wiggle room in their pursuit of six victories and bowl eligibility and ASU is a game...