Albany, CA Municipal and More

publisher · 63.8K followers

The Great Highway’s neighbors flipped and saved the park they once hated

Adam Browning, who lives on La Playa Street in the Outer Sunset, just a few doors down from Java Beach Café, was skeptical that the Great Highway could be transformed into a worthwhile park. And, of course, he thought it’d be an annoyance in terms of traffic to close the artery to vehicles.

San Francisco, CA · 3d

SFGate

San Francisco supervisor wants to permanently close Castro gas station

"Do we need two gas stations in the Castro? Probably not."

San Francisco, CA · 20h

Fortune

partner publisher · 539.7K followers

Voters in Silicon Valley rejected the billionaire wealth tax while those in Los Angeles and San Francisco—home to the two top AI companies—wanted it

"A 'no' vote doesn't mean similar measures won’t ever be implemented."

bayareatelegraph.com

partner publisher · 101.5K followers

Walnut Creek Voters Just Cleared the Way for a New Housing Development Near BART

WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA — A prominent office property across from the Walnut Creek BART station could soon make way for hundreds of new homes for seniors, following a decisive vote by Walnut Creek residents in Tuesday’s election. Measure U, which would rezone a 2.4-acre property at the northeast...

Walnut Creek, CA · 2d

ABC7 News Bay Area

Corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao centers on collapse of Evolutionary Homes

The collapse of Evolutionary Homes took center stage Thursday in the federal bribery and corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three other defendants, as business partner Mario Juarez delivered emotional testimony about the company's downfall and an alleged violent attack that led him to go to police.

Oakland, CA · 3d

USA TODAY

partner publisher · 2.1M followers

Bay Area approved saving public transit, but how much will it cost you

Bay Area voters approved two transit tax measures in the 2026 general election, adding new costs for residents in five counties while funding BART, Muni, Caltrain, and other transit systems. How much more will residents pay? It depends on where they live. The Regional Transit Measure will impose a 14-year sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. San Francisco will add a 1% sales tax, while the other four counties will add 0.5%. San Francisco voters also approved Proposition H, a 15-year property tax to fund the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Here's more about the two measures, how each Bay Area county voted, and how the new taxes will affect residents in each county. Regional Transit Measure and Proposition H explained The Regional Transit Measure will create a 14-year, five-county sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, expected to generate about $980 million annually as a new revenue source for the region's transit system. Specifically, San Francisco County will introduce a new 1.0% sales tax, and Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties will introduce a new 0.5% sales tax. The Metropolitan Transportation

Santa Clara County, CA · 2d

bayareatelegraph.com

Permanent Closure of Orinda BART Presumably Off the Table as Measure RTM Passes

ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – For much of 2026, Orinda residents faced an unsettling possibility: Their local BART station, a fixture of the community for more than 50 years, could close as the transit agency struggled with a massive financial shortfall. Now, following Tuesday’s election, that possibility appears to be off...

Orinda, CA · 3d

KRON4

Macy’s ends 30-year tradition of paying for the Union Square Christmas tree

(KRON) — After more than 30 years, Macy’s will not pay for a Christmas tree in Union Square. Instead, a real tree will start a new holiday tradition. The decades-long tradition of the Macy’s-funded tree lighting up Union Square around the holidays will instead be replaced by a real tree funded by the city.

berkeleyside.org

partner publisher · 6.6K followers

Election results in Berkeley and Alameda County

Read all Berkeleyside’s coverage of the 2026 election. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters published its latest batch of election results Friday evening. Many votes in Berkeley remain uncounted, meaning the results are preliminary and incomplete. They could change. Preliminary City Council returns show a close race in Districts...

Berkeley, CA · 2d

San Francisco Examiner

Annual report shows sharp rise in child homelessness in San Francisco

This year’s Point-in-Time Count found a significant increase in the number of homeless children in San Francisco over the last two years, which local experts and advocates say is in line with a rising need for support for homeless families. The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing presented its full report on data from the Point-in-Time Count conducted in January to the Homelessness Oversight Commission on Thursday. The Point-in-Time Count is conducted every two years as part of a federally mandated evaluation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The collected data are often used to shape policy decisions. The 2026 report was meant to be released last month, but it was delayed until just after the election. The report showed a 27% increase in homelessness among children since the 2024 count — from 618 to 786. Of those counted, 190 were unsheltered, according to the report. This year’s count included changes to its methodology — for instance, the tally was conducted in the morning rather than at night, which advocates have said makes it more challenging to compare the results with previous years. “The PIT Count is never a perfect count,” said Christin Evans, who

SFist

SF’s Repair Cafe Movement Is Growing, With Free Fix-It Events This Weekend

Free mending and bike clinics at public libraries this weekend are part of San Francisco’s growing repair cafe movement, which is helping residents save money, reduce waste, and learn to fix their own belongings. San Francisco’s repair cafes are giving residents an opportunity to bring broken household items, damaged...

sfstandard.com

partner publisher · 926 followers

Silicon Valley had a terrible election night. One local billionaire did not

Election night was, to put it mildly, a bloodbath for the tech industry. But one local tech billionaire emerged almost spotless. Ripple chairman and San Francisco native Chris Larsen poured more than $22 million into national politics this cycle, much of it to the Democratic candidates and PACs that helped usher in a historic blue wave. In California, he spent millions boosting moderate, business-friendly candidates and measures that scored wins in deep-blue districts.

San Francisco, CA · 18h

Mission Local

Everyone knows about Bayview’s 3rd St. — but there’s far more to the neighborhood

The Old Clam House, Cafe Alma, Two Jack’s Seafood — there’s a smattering of businesses off of Bayview’s Third Street, if you know where to look. Everyone knows about Bayview’s 3rd St. — but there’s far more to the neighborhood

San Francisco, CA · 20h

San Francisco Chronicle

partner publisher · 35.5K followers

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee pushes out 3 top execs just days after reelection

Just days after she was elected to a full four-year term, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is shaking up the city’s top leadership. The moves include two holdovers from Sheng Thao’s administration.

Oakland, CA · 2d

SFist

Jane Kim Defeats Well-Funded Opponent In Race for California Insurance Commissioner

Former SF Supervisor Jane Kim declared victory Friday in the race for state insurance commissioner, despite millions spent supporting her opponent or attacking her campaign, after she ran on a proposal for publicly funded disaster insurance. Jane Kim declared victory Friday morning at Dolores Park, where she addressed a crowd...

California · 2d

sfstandard.com

‘It doesn’t pencil’: The brutal math of why developers won’t build in SF

Rents are soaring and homes sell for millions over asking. So why can’t developers make the numbers work?. San Francisco needs more housing. Almost everyone agrees on that. But before a single shovel hits the ground, a project has to “pencil out,” and right now, almost nothing does.

partner publisher · 35.5K followers

San Francisco Chronicle

Taylor Mac was the theatrical election celebration that San Francisco craved

“Tender Heart Revolution” is a book tour in concert form for “Bark of Millions: Queer Songs for the Living Library of the Deviant Theme.”

partner publisher · 3.4K followers

The Berkeley Scanner

Berkeley District 1 race: Wrubel takes 55-vote lead

The race for Berkeley's open District 1 City Council seat has tightened dramatically, with Daria Wrubel now leading Laura Babitt by just 55 votes in the latest ranked-choice results. On election night, Babitt led Wrubel 52% to 48%, with 144 votes separating the two candidates. Friday's update showed Wrubel ahead with 2,847 votes (50.49%) to Babitt's 2,792 (49.51%). District 1: First-choice votes The raw vote tallies are also remarkably close. Wrubel leads with 1,523 votes, followed by Babitt with 1,508 and Ross Bernet with 1,471. Just 52 votes separate the top three candidates. Friday's count added about 2,100 ballots in District 1: 5,950 ballots, up from 3,832 on election night. The race remains too close to call, with additional ballots still to be tallied. In 2022, 6,625 votes were cast in Berkeley's District 1 City Council race . The next results are expected Monday after 5 p.m. See our complete Berkeley results roundup and full Elections coverage . Learn more about the District 1 candidates

Berkeley, CA · 2d

sfstandard.com

SF nearly sent a gay politician to Congress in 1987. Scott Wiener will finish the mission

In 1987 in Turnersville, New Jersey, a conservative slice of farm country where subdivisions had begun sprouting up across old fields, a self-described nerdy, introverted, 17-year-old Scott Wiener — a young Jewish boy whom his graduating class would later dub “most studious” — was about to admit something to himself.

partner publisher · 35.5K followers

San Francisco Chronicle

What do you want to see in a revived downtown San Francisco?

San Francisco’s downtown has struggled with empty storefronts and offices. Tell us what you think it needs to thrive again.