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A law protects Contra Costa County’s dwindling greenspace–but officials are ignoring it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

Contra Costa County, once brimming with orchards and ranchlands, is now turning a distinct shade of gray: dotted with cities, highways and encroaching developments.One of the only mechanisms to slow the growing sprawl is a little-known law that provides tax relief to landowners who commit to keeping their land for open space or agricultural use.The state law, known as the Williamson Act, passed in 1965 in the face of heavy development across California. It was meant to discourage “premature and unnecessary conversion of open space to urban use,” even as the state grew and modernized.In Contra Costa, however, the program has essentially been mothballed, with potentially serious consequences for open space in the county, a civil grand jury report found.“Basically it keeps your property taxes lower so you can produce your product and not go out of business,” said Sue Russo, manager of the Alameda County Farm Bureau–a local nonprofit working to promote the protection of farms, forests a...

Bridge work: Caltrans to close Niles Canyon Road this weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

FREMONT — Niles Canyon Road will be closed Friday night to Monday morning between Fremont and Sunol for bridge work.Caltrans scheduled the closure of the road — also known as State Route 84 — to work on the Alameda Creek Bridge.Niles Canyon Road will be closed in both directions from 8 p.m. July 14 to 5 a.m. July 17 from Palomares Road in Fremont to Main Street in Sunol as crews connect the existing roadway to the new roadway leading to the new Alameda Creek Bridge.Workers will grind pavement, lay down asphalt paving and stripe the roadway.Barring any delays, the road will be opened to traffic with the new bridge.Detours:Traffic from Palomares RoadVia: WB Route 84 (Niles Canyon Road)SB Rte. 238 (Mission Boulevard)On-ramp to NB Interstate 680; NB I-680Off-ramp to EB Route 84Traffic from SB Route 238 (Mission Boulevard)Via: Continue SB Rourte 238On-Ramp to NB I-680NB I-680Off-ramp to EB Route 84Traffic from Sunol and Pleasanton Sunol Road.Via: EB Route 84 (Niles Canyon Road)On-ramp to...

‘Systems have gone down’: Emergency declared as Hayward cyberattack impedes emergency dispatch system

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

HAYWARD — The Hayward City Council declared a local emergency Thursday over an ongoing cyberattack, in an effort to more quickly acquire resources to respond to what officials have described as intruders trying to hold municipal computer systems and networks hostage.The attack has gripped the city since it was discovered Sunday — affecting an array of services from emergency dispatching to electronic payments to library check-out systems — and left officials without an answer for when the disruption will be fully resolved.“We’re still trying to assess that at this point,” Hayward City Manager Kelly McAdoo told the council, adding that some services such as the city website have been restored while others remain offline. “Our priority is ensuring public safety services are restored to the extent that those need to be.”McAdoo said the city’s 911 dispatch center has “had to pivot the most in this emergency” while it continues to answer calls and help police officers and firefighters re...

California AG expands state-sponsored travel ban to other states over LGBTQ+ laws as legislators work to undo it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that California has expanded its list of states to which it will not sponsor travel over LGBTQ+ laws it deems discriminatory, even as his own state’s lawmakers work to undo the travel ban altogether.By law, California will restrict state-funded travel to Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming as a result of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently enacted in each of those states, Bonta said, adding them to the list of 23 other states to which state-funded or sponsored travel is banned. That puts more than half the country off limits for state travel.“These new laws enacted by Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming aren’t just discriminatory, they constitute a clear case of government overreach — and it’s an alarming trend we’re witnessing across the country,” Bonta said in a statement. “By preventing transgender individuals from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, or by denying them access ...

Would-be captors face wily, wary ocean master in surfboard-chewing otter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

A rogue sea otter menacing surfers in Santa Cruz is proving elusive as marine-wildlife experts seek to apprehend it before it bites more than someone’s surfboard.Five-year-old Otter 841 has repeatedly approached surfers and kayakers in and around world-renowned surf spot Steamer Lane, the wildlife service said. The animal has been filmed stealing and riding on surfboards.“Standard methods for capturing healthy wild sea otters have been unusable or ineffective so far,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday. “Sea otters are naturally wary of people, but this individual has been aggressively approaching people,” the wildlife service said.”While notoriously fuzzy and cute, an aggressive sea otter poses a significant danger to humans.“They bite through shellfish, they bite through clams,” said Kevin Connor, spokesperson for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whose marine mammal experts are working with the California Department of Fish and...

Car plunges over cliff into ocean in Santa Cruz County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) -- A driver lost control on Highway 1 in north Santa Cruz County and plunged 300 feet down a beach cliff Friday afternoon. Highway 1's southbound lanes are closed with no estimated time for reopening, CalTrans officials said at 2:38 p.m. A witness first reported the crash to California Highway Patrol dispatchers at 1:25 p.m. The vehicle rolled on Highway 1 near Scott Creek Beach before it went over a 300-foot cliff, witnesses told dispatchers.Emergency crews rescued one victim in the water. Cal Fire CZU wrote, "Firefighters set up rope rescue, but Copter 106 out of Alma Helitack Base Cal Fire SCU was able to pull 1 patient from vehicle quickly. Patient was taken to hospital in critical condition."Crews are still trying to tow the mangled vehicle out of the ocean, and traffic controls remains in place. This breaking news story will be updated.

Car crashes through window of business at Benicia shopping center

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

(KRON) -- A vehicle drove into a business at a shopping center in Benicia, according to the Benicia Fire Department. The vehicle, which appeared to be a white SUV or crossover, drove into the Southampton Shopping Center, crashing through the window of California Rehabilitation & Sports Therapy. More Bay Area tech layoffs on the way There were no injuries or structural damage to the building, according to Benicia PD. The business is reportedly working with its contractor to secure the building.It is not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.

16-year-old arrested after turning himself in for July 4 SF homicide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A 16-year-old boy from Oakland was arrested Friday for a homicide that took place in San Francisco on July 4 after turning himself in to investigators, the San Francisco Police Department said. In the initial incident, officers with the SFPD Bayview Station responded to a report of a shooting at Jamestown Avenue and Ingalls Street.Officers arrived on the scene and found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim died at the hospital. Menacing band of car burglars caught on camera roaming Antioch neighborhood SFPD Homicide Detail investigators assumed charge in the investigation. The suspect was identified as a 16-year-old Oakland juvenile. Investigators developed probably cause to obtain a Ramey warrant for his arrest.On Thursday, July 13, the juvenile turned himself in to homicide investigators at the San Francisco Hall of Justice. He was taken into custody without incident, police said.The 16-year-old was taken to the Juvenile Justice Center and book...

If you see these at Yosemite, here's why you should push them over

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Have you ever passed by a rock cairn and felt the urge to knock it over? Well, officials with Yosemite National Park strongly advise that you do.Rock cairns are man-made piles of rock stacked on top of each other. According to park rangers, Leave No Trace ethics states that when recreating in wilderness spaces, the goal is to leave no signs of human impact on the land so as to respect the other creatures living in it.And while the effort and aesthetics of these rock cairns may seem too precious to ruin, oversized cairns are a mark of human impact and are distracting in a wilderness setting. Officials also say building them disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that live on the underside of these rocks.In general, park rangers say rock cairns should only be built by trail workers and are meant for navigation, safety, and delineating new or hard-to-follow trails.KRON On is streaming live news.embed-container { position: relative; padding-b...

Flash flood warnings issued for parts of DC area as severe storms roll in

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:36 GMT

Thunderstorms rolling through the D.C. area have led to a ground stop at D.C.-area airports Friday afternoon.Planes scheduled to arrive at Reagan National, BWI Marshall and Dulles International airports may be affected by the ground stop.The ground stop is expected to last until at least 7 p.m.The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for D.C., parts of Prince George’s County in Maryland and parts of Arlington and Alexandria counties in Virginia, which is in effect through 7:15 p.m.A severe storm was located over Nationals Park shortly before 6:30 p.m., moving east at 30 mph.Another Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, including the city of Manassas, in Virginia is in effect until 7 p.m.Another Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for D.C., southeastern Montgomery and northern Prince George’s counties in Maryland and northern Arlington and northeastern Fairfax counties through 6:30 p.m.Accordin...