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His job: Build the largest new reservoir in California in 50 years

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

California is no stranger to severe droughts. Eleven of the past 17 years have been in drought, with urban water shortages, barren farm fields, and a lack of water for fish and wildlife — the most recent ending just last winter when soaking rains finally returned.As the state has struggled, and climate change has made droughts more severe, an increasing number of residents and political leaders have asked “Why don’t we build more dams to increase the water supply?”A few have been built. Contra Costa Water District constructed Los Vaqueros Reservoir in 1998 and expanded it in 2012. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California built Diamond Valley Lake in Riverside County in 1999. San Diego County Water Authority raised the height of its San Vicente Dam by 117 feet in 2012.But there have been no enormous new reservoirs built, like Shasta, Oroville and others were in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Experts cite many reasons. Most of the best spots are already taken. President Reaga...

That sinking feeling: SFO is subsiding in the mud

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

Ladies and gentlemen, San Francisco Airport has begun its descent.Every year, the airport is sinking an average of nearly 10 millimeters, almost a half an inch, according to new satellite data.There’s no need to fasten seat belts or secure carry-on items. The measurement is so tiny that it almost sounds amusing. But there’s concern that the subsidence, which is experienced unevenly around the airport, could crack runways.“Differential sinking along a runway increases the risk of the runway getting damaged, increases the cost of maintenance, and increases the risk to users,” said Oluwaseyi Dasho, an environmental hazard specialist at Virginia Tech who presented the new study this week at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.“Even though it’s just a minute portion of the runway, if it causes a crack, that would render the whole runway unusable,” he said.Built on mud that compacts over time, the airport could sink a foot in 30 years. The...

Highway 84 second lanes expected to open in summer of 2025: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

Q: When will they open the second lanes on the Highway 84 widening project between Livermore and Interstate 680?— Steve StamosA: Janis-the-Caltrans-spokesperson for Alameda County reports that Caltrans plans to open both lanes on Highway 84 in the summer of 2025.Q: Do you know if the Caltrans contractor is going to grind/smooth out the new “speed bumps” they installed on Highway 4 between Port Chicago Highway and Railroad Avenue in Contra Costa County? They ground some of the new sections, but some of the uneven surfaces are brutal to drive over in a large truck. I’ve seen front ends implode, trailers come unhitched and loads shaken loose.— Doug B.A: I’m trying to get an answer for you. In the meantime, try also entering this issue in the Caltrans service request system, available here: https://csr.dot.ca.gov/Q: I am sure you have traveled up and down Highways 101 and 85 lately and noticed the jungle that is growing in the center dividers on both highways. Since th...

Unprotected: Have Santa Clara County’s reforms to keep troubled families together left vulnerable children in harm’s way?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

SAN JOSE — Matthew Kraft collapsed in tears then fell into the embrace of a fellow social worker.Months of anger and heartbreak and guilt came gushing out over the death of a 3-month-old San Jose girl who had ingested a lethal dose of fentanyl last spring while in her father’s care.“It’s not your fault,” Sandra Gregory assured Kraft as he sobbed in the hallway outside a Santa Clara County Supervisors board meeting earlier this month. “You did everything you could.”How had this all become his burden? He hadn’t even been assigned to baby Phoenix Castro’s case. But Kraft had warned his superiors about the baby’s safety after overseeing the custody of the infant’s two older siblings. They were removed from their parents’ care in 2022, months after police found the mother delusional, the father with “what appeared to be methamphetamine” in his pocket and the children sucking on Triple A batteries, records released this past week show.Despite the alarm, nobody removed baby Phoenix.Perhaps...

How Steve Wilks got the 49ers’ defense back on track

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

It didn’t happen simply because Steve Wilks abandoned the isolated think-tank of the coaches’ box for the intensity and electricity of the sideline.Yet when the 49ers defensive coordinator was kicked downstairs after consultation with coach Kyle Shanahan, things have been on an upward trend ever since.The 49ers are rolling again on defense, giving up an NFL-low 15.8 points per game and excelling in every area since the three-game losing streak that precipitated Wilks’ move from the box to the sideline. The change, which Shanahan said was minor, was just a starting gun for what followed.Wilks knew what was coming when he signed on to replace DeMeco Ryans, who like Robert Saleh before him parlayed his success running the 49ers’ defense into a head coaching gig.Much like the move from the eighth floor to ground level at Levi’s Stadium, there was nowhere to go but down in the eyes of the public when taking over a defense as good as the 49ers.“Like I t...

‘I wasn’t giving up the will to live’: California hiker rescued 3 days after nearly 1,000-foot fall off Hawaii trail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

By Ashley R. Williams | CNNA hiker from California who fell about 1,000 feet to the bottom of a mountain down a trail in Hawaii called his rescue “a miracle” after he survived three days before being found.“I never expected a day of hiking like this to go the way it did,” Ian Snyder said at a news conference Tuesday where he thanked rescuers for saving his life.Snyder, 34, was hiking alone on December 4 when he fell from the Koʻolau Summit Trail near the Pali Notches Trail, according to the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.Honolulu first responders located him on December 7 near the bottom of a waterfall.Snyder said on the day he went missing, the trail’s peak was steep and the hike became more treacherous as he continued. “I was in good shape and able to navigate things well,” he said at the news conference.“I looked down at Pali Highway and went, ‘Man, that’s a long way below me and I need to get down there,’ that was my plan,” the hiker said.Snyder, a father to two sons and a daug...

Two Bay Area adults, two juveniles arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

Two adults and two juveniles were arrested early Thursday morning by Vacaville police officers in connection to an October shooting.A SWAT team, with assistance from the Vallejo Police Department and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, conducted two search warrants within the city of Vallejo, while detectives from the department served two additional warrants at an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Alamo Drive in Vacaville.Vacaville officers arrested 32-year-old Dallas Drew Deleon, of Vallejo, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, child endangerment, and violation of parole as well as 22-year-old Davina Ramona Espinoza, of Vallejo, also on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and child endangerment.Two juveniles, ages 14 and 15, both male and from Vallejo, also were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Their names were not released because of their ages.Because officers recovered three firearms when executing the warrants, officials also are seeking ...

Golden Gate Bridge toll increases likely again amid deficits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

Faced with looming budget deficits, Golden Gate Bridge district officials are considering a five-year toll increase plan — again.The price to cross the bridge for many drivers ticked up 35 cents to $9.75 on July 1, the final increase in the five-year toll hike plan that started in 2019. However, toll revenues took a plunge when the COVID-19 pandemic kept commuters away, and many still have not returned.While the district did receive $278 million in pandemic relief, those funds will be exhausted by the end of the fiscal year. On Thursday, officials reported an estimated $220 million shortfall over the next five years and a $679 million deficit over 10 years.“Bridge tolls are by statute the backbone of the district’s revenue source,” said Jennifer Mennucci, the district’s budget director. “They fund both bridge operations and operations and maintenance of both bus and ferry, as well to fund reserves for our future capital needs in bridge and transit.”Traditionally, about half of the t...

California Realtor groups hit with copycat commission rates lawsuit by Bay Area home seller

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

Five weeks after a Missouri jury issued a $1.78 billion judgment finding that Realtors charge anticompetitive commission rates, a “copycat” lawsuit has been filed in the Bay Area making similar claims.A Marin County home seller filed the antitrust complaint in federal court this month seeking unspecified damages from the National Association of Realtors, several local Realtor associations, and a north-Bay Area multiple listing service. The complaint also sought damages from five of the nation’s leading real estate brokerages.The lead plaintiff, Christina Grace, paid a $50,358 commission to sell her home in 2020, “a rate higher than it would have been in a competitive market,” the lawsuit said.The proposed class-action case also seeks to end the requirement that sellers pay commissions to their buyers’ agents — a long-standing practice that allegedly keeps broker commissions in the 5-6% range despite technological advances, the suit said.Currently, NAR requires sellers to specify buy...

Blistered Green Beans / Belkys

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:10 GMT

If you’re looking for the perfect side dish to compliment your next meal, we’ve got you covered — Blistered green beans.That’s what’s cooking, as we grab a bite with Belkys.Ingredients:1 pound green beans, trimmed2 tablespoons Harissa seasoning2 teaspoons honey1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime)Salt to taste2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil10 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes1 tablespoon unsalted butterMethod of Preparation:In a bowl, combine Harissa, honey and lime juice. Stir together until combined and season to taste with salt.In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add green beans and cook undisturbed until they begin to char in spots, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, tossing frequently, until beans are just cooked through and slightly blistered and browned in spots, about 5 to 6 minutes more. (Some beans will be more cooked than others – that’s O.K.) Season with salt and place beans in a bowl.Heat t...