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Elias: Science only seems to justify Newsom’s policies when convenient

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

Gov. Gavin Newsom is a big advocate of science — the concept, not the magazine. He’s often said science was behind his many controversial moves to counter COVID-19, and he’s using science in the state’s effort to mitigate future wildfires, for just two examples.Related ArticlesLocal News | Elias: California housing policy based on state’s bad forecasting Local News | Elias: For California police, there’s less heat on the heat for the moment Local News | Elias: California housing costs worse for homeowners than renters However, when confronted with the strong possibility that scientific findings may conflict with his years-long push for more housing density, signing bill after bill to further that cause over the last five years, he ignored them.As far back as 2019, fully four years ago, Newsom was presented with evidence from Science (the peer-reviewed magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of, yes, Science...

Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. addresses fans at open practice

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. briefly spoke in front of some 13,000 fans before an open practice on Thursday about the summer blockbuster trade that flipped Jordan Poole for Chris Paul. Dunleavy told the fans at Chase Center that he reached out to both parties once the trade sending Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to the Wizards was finalized in early July. “It was not an easy discussion, but I think those guys are in a good place to continue their careers,” Dunleavy said. “On our end, we reached out to Chris and welcomed him aboard.”For Dunleavy, who was promoted from vice president of basketball operations to general manager after Bob Myers stepped away at the end of last season, it was his first big move as GM.Prior to his work in the front office, Dunleavy was the team’s No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 draft and enjoyed a 15-year career as a player. Dunleavy told the fans that the top priority in the offseason was to keep the veteran...

Opinion: California needs more Latino physicians — 6% isn’t enough

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

I think often about why I chose such a challenging career path, and hear the echoes from the voices of educators and administrators who told me I couldn’t do it.I’ve worked as a physician in California for 14 years — many in so-called Federally Qualified Health Centers in underserved areas. In California there is a lack of representation not only with Latino physicians, but Black physicians as well. This is a major barrier to achieving health equity.Millions of patients are not getting the quality care they deserve from doctors who look like them and speak their language. Research has shown that newly trained physicians of color answer the call to return to their communities and provide culturally competent care that results in improved patient outcomes.California has a lot of work to do to build a representative workforce. While the statewide Latino population is 39%, Latinas make up less than 3% of California physicians, and Latinos overall account for only 6%. Nationwide, l...

Sale closed in Oakland: $1.7 million for a condominium

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

581 El Dorado Avenue – Google Street ViewA condominium located in the 500 block of El Dorado Avenue in Oakland has new owners. The 1,595-square-foot property, built in 2019, was sold on Sept. 14, 2023. The $1,725,000 purchase price works out to $1,082 per square foot. The layout of this condominium includes three bedrooms and three baths. Additionally, the condo provides a one-car garage, offering a designated parking space and extra storage capacity.Additional units have recently been purchased nearby:A 641-square-foot unit on the 3700 block of Harrison Street in Oakland sold in May 2023, for $360,000, a price per square foot of $562. The unit has 1 bedroom 1 bathroom.On Oakland Avenue, Oakland, in August 2022, a 720-square-foot unit was sold for $449,000, a price per square foot of $624. The unit has 1 bedroom 1 bathroom.In January 2023, a 851-square-foot unit on Monte Vista Avenue in Oakland sold for $660,000, a price per square foot of $776. The unit has 1 bedroom 1 bathroom. 

Tupac Shakur homicide: Defense attorney sees holes in case

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

LAS VEGAS — A lawyer speaking for the former street gang leader charged with killing Tupac Shakur in 1996 said Thursday he sees “obvious defenses” in the murder case in Las Vegas.“There’s no gun, there’s no car and there’s no witnesses from 27 years ago,” attorney Ross Goodman told reporters after the briefest of court hearings, at which he told a Nevada judge he was close to being hired to represent Duane “Keffe D” Davis.Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones gave Davis and Goodman two weeks to reach agreement, saying she wants to “get this case moving.” She reset Davis’ arraignment for Nov. 2.Goodman told reporters that although he doesn’t yet represent Davis, he expects Davis will plead not guilty and seek release from jail pending trial. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson did not respond to messages about Goodman’s comments.Davis, 60, is being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas without bail. He is originally from Compton, California.He was arreste...

Bay Area Home Depot bookkeeper accused of $1.2 million theft

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

An employee at the Home Depot in San Rafael was arrested on allegations she embezzled about $1.2 million from the store, police said.Letitia Marie McAdoo, 42, of Richmond was arraigned in Marin County Superior Court on Thursday on three felony charges covering the 15-month span of the alleged crimes.The San Rafael Police Department opened a case after receiving information from an internal investigative team at Home Depot. McAdoo worked in the financial office at the store, said San Rafael police Lt. Scott Eberle.McAdoo allegedly manipulated financial records so she could take cash from the business. When police arrested her Tuesday at the store on Shoreline Parkway, she had about $1,500 in her bra, Eberle said.Investigators searched her vehicle and home, finding thousands of dollars in cash. They also found expensive designer clothing at the residence.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Suspect charged in two killings outside East Bay gym Crime and Public Safe...

When Disneyland passholders will get their share of $9.5 million Magic Key settlement

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

Disneyland annual passholders hoping to use their share of the $9.5 million Magic Key settlement for some Christmas shopping on Main Street USA will have to wait to spend their bounty instead on the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.A U.S. District Court judge granted preliminary approval this week of the $9.5 million payout after the Anaheim theme park agreed to a class action lawsuit settlement over allegedly “deceptive” Magic Key blockout dates, according to court documents.SEE ALSO: How to get your Disneyland Magic Key class action settlementDisney agreed in September to settle the federal lawsuit filed in California alleging that annual passholders who purchased the $1,399 Dream Key in 2021 were unable to make theme park reservations at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure despite the promise of “no blockout dates.”U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter set a final approval hearing for the Disneyland Magic Key class action settlement on Feb. 20, acco...

Mortgage rates advance toward 8%

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

Mortgage rates continued to climb last week amid a stronger-than-expected economy and geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.63% in the week ending October 19, up from 7.57% the week before, according to data from Freddie Mac released Thursday. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate was 6.94%.“Mortgage rates continued to approach 8% this week, further impacting affordability,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, in a statement.The average mortgage rate is based on mortgage applications that Freddie Mac receives from thousands of lenders across the country. The survey includes only borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit. A current buyer’s rate may be different.Not only are homebuyers feeling the impact of rising rates, but home builders are as well, Khater said.“Construction of new homes rebounded in September but as rates keep rising, home builders appear to be losing confidence,” he said. “As a result, we expect ...

Review: David Cornwell: The author who came in from the cold

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated PressErrol Morris’s conversation with the late David Cornwell in ” The Pigeon Tunnel ” is fascinating even without the filmmaking flourishes.Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le Carré, was the spy-turned-novelist whose tales of espionage and betrayal defined an era, gave literary heft to a genre and inspired numerous adaptations. And here, Morris challenges him to reflect on his unconventional childhood — his con-man father, his mother who left him at 5 never to return — on through his time in the secret services and beyond. You hear how he quite literally began life on the run, how he learned to be a “little spy” from quite a young age, how his father loomed so large in his imagination and how untrustworthy his own memory even turned out to be.It could have been just a transcript; It would have been a must-read.Cornwell died in 2020 at 89, and this film which will be streaming on Apple TV+ Friday, is said to be hi...

Philp: Is Newsom moving to the center as California becomes more liberal?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:36 GMT

In navigating the gauntlet of bills from the California Legislature, Gov. Gavin Newsom largely rejected legislation that would have created more state spending in a budget deficit year. Instead, Newsom signed bills that will force new mandates on big private sector companies. He’s initiated a focus on new government requirements to increase certain minimum wages and expand climate change monitoring, as two examples.But after five years of budget surpluses, Newsom appears to be ending an expansion of government with budget deficits looming in coming years. These actions may give the impression that Newsom, perhaps driven by national political ambitions, is moving to the center politically. The governor did, after all, veto bills to distribute condoms in high schools and to legalize the recreational use of psychedelics. Don’t be fooled.It is the Legislature that is continuing to shift to the leftward, creating a political/optical illusion that it is Newsom who is evolving into somethi...