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Koch network raises millions to take on Donald Trump

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

By Fredreka Schouten | CNNThe influential network associated with conservative billionaire Charles Koch has collected more than $70 million for political races, the group announced Thursday, as it gears up to help shape the outcome of next year’s contests up and down the ballot and encourage Republican voters to bypass former President Donald Trump in the White House nomination fight.Americans for Prosperity Action has pledged to back a single contender in the GOP presidential primary for the first time in its history. It has not yet announced whom it will support, but the group could dramatically reshape the Republican field by deploying its vast resources and standing army of conservative activists on behalf of a single candidate.The sums raised by the group will help advance those efforts. The lion’s share of the total announced Thursday came from two organizations affiliated with Koch: $25 million from his Kansas-based industrial conglomerate Koch Industries, and another $25 mil...

UCSF security guard charged with stealing $200,000 in Apple devices

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A security guard who patrolled the halls of UC San Francisco’s medical buildings has been charged with stealing $200,000 in Apple devices from the facilities, the city’s top prosecutor announced Thursday.Niyja Anthony Bassard, a 24-year-old Pittsburg man, was arrested last week and pleaded not guilty Wednesday to numerous felony counts of second-degree commercial burglary and grand theft, plus two additional allegations that he accessed a computer system without permission and deleted data.Bassard’s preliminary hearing date will be set July 27. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 15 years in state prison.UCSF police linked Bassard to multiple thefts that occurred between last May and this past month, all involving locations where there was no evidence of forced entry, authorities said.The devices were uniquely configured for use by UCSF’s medical staff and “may have been used for life saving purposes or treatments,” Sa...

Letters: BART recovery | Art’s reflection | Walgreens’ pain

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.BART needs fundingto continue recoveryRe: “BART’s desire for money fuels toll hike issue” (Page A6, June 28).I could not disagree more with your editorial admonishing BART.The federal government had provided COVID “handouts” to over 14.7 million recipients amounting to over $2.3 trillion. BART has been severely impacted by COVID with plummeting ridership. During recovery, they need all the assistance they can get to rebuild.It is unconscionable to suggest that BART run fewer trains — inconveniencing people who depend on BART for their livelihoods. Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal (to increase bridge tolls to support the agency) is appropriate — if it propels people to convert to using mass transit over driving. Except for the Massachussetts-New York-New Jersey area, mass transit in this country is severely lacking. We need to do everything in our power to reverse this tren...

Four-bedroom home sells for $3 million in Palo Alto

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

485 Ferne Avenue – Google Street ViewA house located in the 400 block of Ferne Avenue in Palo Alto has new owners. The 1,765-square-foot property, built in 1956, was sold on June 12, 2023, for $2,988,000, or $1,693 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on an 8,030-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In July 2022, a 2,474-square-foot home on Christopher Court in Palo Alto sold for $3,500,000, a price per square foot of $1,415. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,097-square-foot home on the 4100 block of Middlefield Road in Palo Alto sold in July 2022, for $2,501,000, a price per square foot of $2,280. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom.On Mackay Drive, Palo Alto, in August 2022, a 1,674-square-foot home was sold for $3,312,500, a price per square foot of $1,979. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Can’t find affordable housing in the Bay Area? This new tool can help

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

For many people struggling to make ends meet in the Bay Area, how to go about finding affordable housing is anything but clear.Some may get a tip from a social worker or stumble upon a for-rent sign on the side of an apartment building. Others are left scouring online for openings scattered across city websites and listing platforms.“It’s just luck that you find out about it,” said Barry Roeder, a project manager with the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, a regional housing agency. “That’s not exactly equitable.”And even if a renter can track down an affordable unit, they’re often stuck navigating a complicated application process and making sense of a jumble of bureaucratic jargon to figure out if they’re eligible.That’s all keeping an untold number of people from the chance to move into already competitive low- and middle-income housing as the need only gets more dire. More than 207,800 low-income renter households in the Bay...

Letters: Cultural significance | Giants’ glee | Edwards’ lessons | Reusing plastics | Citizens’ obligation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Removal denies culturalsignificance of the crossRe: “Cross removal riles emotions” (Page A1, June 28).Separation of church and state issues aside, it is always interesting to observe the denial of more than 2,000 years of history in the Western world — as most recently evidenced by the Albany City Council and mayor.In the interest of historical fairness and a broader historical perspective on the subject of crosses and Christianity in general, even Wikipedia affirms the importance of the Christian worldview in articles like “The Role of Christianity in Civilization.” There would likely be no such thing as freedom and national, state or city government as we know it without the cross and Christ.Before the cross and Christ there was no universal concept of freedom and human worth such as we enjoy today. It is culturally shortsighted to deny the importance and display of the cross. G...

San Mateo summer school program director arrested for child sex abuse

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

(KRON) -- A Redwood City man was arrested on child sex abuse charges after a parent alerted police. The accused predator worked for a summer program held at Fiesta Gardens International School at 1001 Bermuda Drive in San Mateo, according to police. A mother reported "inappropriate interactions" between her child and a staff member of the summer program on Wednesday. The San Mateo Police Department wrote, "The Boys and Girls Club operated the summer school program at the school."Kevin Granados-Elizalde, 25, was employed by the Boys and Girls Club as an assistant site director, according to police. "Because of the magnitude and seriousness of the victim’s statements, SMPD Detectives worked unceasingly," police wrote. Detectives said they determined Granados-Elizalde had sexually abused the victim, who is less than 14 years old. According to the Boys and Girls Club's website, its free summer program at Fiesta Gardens International School is for students in grades between kindergarten ...

A teachers union opposes Las Vegas A's stadium with 'Schools Over Stadiums' PAC

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Thursday filing with the State of Nevada appears to show an effort being spearheaded by the state's teachers union to oppose the construction of a Major League Baseball stadium for the would-be Las Vegas Athletics on the Strip.The State of Nevada Committee Registration Form requests a change to the name, officers, and address of the Educators for Washoe Schools committee to the Schools Over Stadiums committee.A Political Action Committee, or PAC, is a group representing a specific interest formed to raise money in an effort to support or oppose political candidates or efforts. The newly transformed Schools Over Stadiums PAC is affiliated with the Nevada State Education Association, according to the document filed Thursday with the office of Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. The purpose given for the PAC listed on the form is "to prioritize public education over corporate tax giveaways."The NSEA is separate from the Clark County Teacher's Associatio...

Suspect arrested after being tasered multiple times and jumping through plate glass window: SRPD

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

(KRON) -- A suspect who endangered juveniles, fought with officers and jumped through a plate glass window after being tasered multiple times, was arrested the San Rafael Police Department said.. Brandon Hernandez-Sanchez, a 29-year-old San Rafael resident, was arrested on June 23 after calling 911 and making a false police report.Officers arrived at an apartment complex on the 200 block of Canal Street at 4:38 p.m. to find Hernandez-Sanchez standing at the top of the stairs. On the 911 call, he told officers he could see a woman being killed through an apartment window. The suspect, who police described as a 6-foot, large stature male, exhibited outward signs of being under the influence.Two juveniles at the building told police that Hernandez-Sanchez had been bothering them and trying to get into their apartment. As officers tried to talk to him, Hernandez-Sanchez fled down the stairs. ‘Influencer mom’ Katie Sorensen sentenced to Sonoma County jail He went to the rear of the apa...

UCSF security officer charged with stealing $100K of Apple products from medical center

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A Pittsburg man was charged with theft after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said he repeatedly stole from the UCSF Medical Center, where he was an employee. Niyja Anthony Bassard, 24, is accused of stealing $200,000 worth of Apple products from the hospital. Man hospitalized after being attacked with pipe in Mission District robbery: SFPD Bassard worked at UCSF Medical Center as a senior security guard. Court documents say Bassard patrolled various buildings and facilities at the hospital for work.Between May 2022 and June 2023, multiple thefts of Apple devices were reported at the hospital, but there was no sign of forced entry, per Jenkins' office. The devices were "uniquely configured for use by medical staff in their duties at UCSF," Jenkins' office wrote. Bassard was linked to the thefts by UCSF police. He was arrested on June 22 by the UCSF Police Department and arraigned on Wednesday. “Commercial burglary deeply impacts small busines...