Ross, CA Local News and More

‘Incredibly striking’: Massive bronze sculpture offers S.F. an open-air prayer

A new 60-foot-wide crucifixion sculpture by Timothy Schmalz is on display at the St. Mary’s Cathedral plaza in San Francisco.

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The Financial Wire

The FTC and seven states, joined by Los Angeles County and San Francisco officials in California, sued Toast over alleged hidden restaurant fees, including a $5,318.87 early termination fee one customer says he was charged

The Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of seven states sued the restaurant technology company Toast Inc. on Oct. 29, alleging that it charges hidden and unauthorized fees and makes its subscriptions hard to cancel. One of the examples in the complaint is a $5,318.87 early termination fee that a customer says he was... The post The FTC and seven states, joined by Los Angeles County and San Francisco officials in California, sued Toast over alleged hidden restaurant fees, including a $5,318.87 early termination fee one customer says he was charged appeared first on The Financial Wire .

San Francisco, CA · 19h

hoodline.com

Crucifixion Sculpture Installed on St. Mary’s Cathedral Plaza

A bronze Crucifixion sculpture was unveiled and blessed on Nov. 1 at the plaza of San Francisco’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. The Archdiocese of San Francisco identifies the work as “Father, Forgive Them,” by Toronto-based sculptor Timothy Schmalz; the San Francisco Chronicle reports that more than 100 people attended the ceremony.

San Francisco, CA · 17h

San Francisco Chronicle

Sean Penn tells S.F. crowd why he thinks Ukraine can prevail after U.S. midterms

The three-time Oscar-winning actor introduced the Ukraine war documentary “Black Sunflowers” at SFFilm Doc Stories.

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Mission Local

Westside voters, once strongly against Sunset Dunes park, flipped to save it

Voters in the Richmond and Sunset districts, who two years ago railed against the new park, have decidedly softened. Westside voters, once strongly against Sunset Dunes park, flipped to save it

CNBC

NYC now has more tech workers than San Francisco – here’s why

New York City has the highest number of tech workers in the country. A 2026 report found that it beat out even San Francisco. CNBC Make It explores how the biggest city in the U.S. also became the country's biggest tech hub.

New York, NY · 22h

hoodline.com

Empty Berkeley Bookstore Reborn as Artist Studios, Rent Runs About $550

Zero Empty Spaces has turned the former Half Price Books storefront on Shattuck Avenue into a mix of artist workspaces and a retail marketplace. After the store sat empty for months, the organization divided the space into small studios where artists pay around $550 a month to make and sell their work. Its opening event included a ribbon-cutting, a pop-up exhibition and a musical performance; the group calls the Berkeley site its 35th location nationwide.

Berkeley, CA · 14h

sfstandard.com

SF guarantees eviction lawyers for tenants. Good luck getting one

As San Francisco rents skyrocket, evictions are spiking as well. In 2025, there were 3,600, the most in a decade. The number looks likely to jump even higher in 2026. This is stretching a city program meant to provide lawyers to tenants facing eviction to the breaking point. The Tenant Right to Counsel program promises to provide full-scope representation in every eviction but was designed to handle around 2,500 cases annually.

San Francisco, CA · 22h

scotscoop.com

North American river otters resurface in the Bay Area after 100 years

A rare sighting of the North American river otter in the San Francisco Bay Area has caused environmentalists to rejoice. “It has been really exciting and thrilling to watch these animals come back and be doing so well in the Bay Area,” said Megan Isadore, co-founder and executive director of the River Otter Ecology Project.

San Francisco Bay Area, CA · 1d

sfstandard.com

SFUSD’s struggle to recover from COVID, explained in 5 charts

After the pandemic hit in March 2020, San Francisco kept most of its public school students out of classrooms for nearly a year and a half. By the time schools fully reopened in August 2021, the San Francisco Unified School District had lost 5,000 students, and those who stayed had fallen behind.

San Francisco, CA · 22h

KQED

Claudia Jiménez Declares Victory in Richmond Mayor Race

Richmond City Council member Claudia Jiménez said she is now the city’s mayor-elect, after a Friday afternoon ballot count put her ahead of opponent Ahmad Anderson by over 2,000 votes. Unofficial end-of-week numbers from Contra Costa County elections officials show that Jiménez leads Anderson with 54.31% of the...

Richmond, CA · 1d

San Francisco Chronicle

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CEO of S.F. downtown recovery group working with Lurie steps down

Shola Olatoye’s departure comes just more than a year after she was named DDC’s inaugural leader.

San Francisco, CA · 7h

The Associated Press

Takeaways from AP's report on school closures in the US

VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) — The start of a new school year can be nerve-wracking under any circumstances. But for thousands of students across the U.S., this academic year brought the added difficulty of adjusting to an entirely new school after their previous ones shuttered. As U.S. birth rates continue a multidecade slide and state and federal education funding dries up, an increasing number of cash-strapped school districts around the country have resorted to closing campuses to save money. At the same time, new research shows student enrollment has fallen much faster than schools are closing, suggesting more painful financial choices lie ahead. The Associated Press is covering school closures in partnership with The Hechinger Report and Big Local News at Stanford University. These are some takeaways from their reporting. School closures are accelerating A total of 1,156 U.S. schools closed during the last academic year — the highest number since the pandemic, according to an analysis of federal data by Big Local News at Stanford University. For example, the Vallejo City Unified School District, a working-class district near San Francisco, serves half as many students as it did two decades earlier. District leaders have closed five campuses since 2025 —

Vallejo, CA · 1d

beyondchron.org

San Francisco’s Election: The Big Takeaway

San Francisco’s November 2026 election clearly demonstrated Mayor Lurie’s popularity. It also showed how billionaires can impact local elections. Particularly on measures like D, E and F that don’t directly impact voters economic-self interest. But the big takeaways from last week go deeper. First, it again confirmed...

San Francisco, CA · 21h

vgtimes.com

ChatGPT Allegedly Helped Plan a Poisoning, Lawsuit Against OpenAI Claims

James Gates has sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in San Francisco Superior Court after prosecutors dropped charges against his wife in a poisoning case. The lawsuit says ChatGPT helped Cheryl Harris Gates plan an alleged attack and conceal evidence during their marital problems. Gates says he became seriously...

San Francisco, CA · 20h

bearinsider.com

129th Big Game Kickoff Time Announced

The 129th rendition of the Big Game between California football and Stanford will kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT at Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium on November 21. The rivalry matchup will be aired live on the ACC Network. The Golden Bears will return home to Berkeley after a...

Berkeley, CA · 18h

San Francisco Chronicle

Johnny Foley, namesake of famed San Francisco Irish pub, dies at 94

Johnny Foley’s name has been attached to one of San Francisco’s best-known Irish pubs since 1998.

richmondconfidential.org