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San Jose leaders OK $400,000 settlement with ex officer who alleged anti-Muslim harassment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

SAN JOSE – A former San Jose police officer will receive a $400,000 payout to settle a lawsuit that claimed his colleagues subjected him to constant Islamophobic harassment.The San Jose City Council approved the pre-trial settlement with Nabil Haidar on Tuesday.The Lebanese-American officer sued the department in 2018, alleging he was the target of anti-Muslim remarks and insults that ramped up following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He claimed the comments associated him with radical organizations and car bombings, and that he was referred to with slurs attacking his background.The city, for its part, argued Haidar was a willing participant and responded to the remarks in kind.“Officer Haidar is a hero for taking on powers that be within the department, including the top command staff, in order to expose racism and Islamophobia,” Haidar’s Oakland-based attorney, Randall Strauss, said in a statement. “He fought this case for years in the face of intense pressure that ultima...

Officials: Oakland can’t solve its “pirate” problem unless it fixes its homeless crisis first

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

In one of the first public meetings since the Alameda boating community raised the alarm over a “pirate” crime wave in the Oakland Estuary, the state agency in charge of ensuring the wellbeing of bay waterways agreed the situation was unacceptable.But it offered no imminent solution to a crime spree that reached a fever pitch a month ago when dozens of small boats and dinghies were stolen, stripped for parts and often sunk, and 70-year-old and 80-year-old boaters were embarking on vigilante-style missions to retrieve them. Boaters talked of “hand-to-hand combat,” and it seemed only a matter of time before someone got hurt.“I understand the frustration of the people who actually live on the water because it’s impacting them and their daily lives,” said Marie Gilmore, the chair of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.In the meeting this week, members of the boating community again expressed their concerns about crime and “anchor-outs”– ...

What SF Giants are losing in Brian Bannister: ‘A miracle worker’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Almost always shading his stoic expression behind a pair of dark-lensed aviators, Brian Bannister often looked as much like a secret agent as a pitching coach. But his role with the San Francisco Giants would be more aptly represented by a lab coat.Reliever John Brebbia described him as a “miracle worker,” a term other pitchers surveyed by this news organization agreed with unanimously.“I look to him as like a scientist with a baseball,” reliever Scott Alexander said.“He’s the think tank behind it all,” said starter Alex Cobb, who counts himself as one of the Giants’ many reclamation projects who benefitted from Bannister’s input.All things considered, then, the news of Bannister’s departure last week sent ripples through the Giants’ pitching staff. After operating the past four seasons as the Giants’ director of pitching, Bannister accepted a new position in the White Sox’s front office. He will...

49ers’ Javon Hargrave set to face the man who helped him shine in Philly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA — There was a time during the preseason when speculation was rampant the Arizona Cardinals were tanking the season under rookie head coach Jonathan Gannon.Why else would general manager Monti Ossenfort release five-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins and release quarterback Colt McCoy, giving the job to untested Josh Dobbs, and make other roster moves that were deemed dubious by the general public?No one knows when or if quarterback Kyler Murray will play this season. But when the Cardinals could have (and should have) beat Washington and the New York Giants in Weeks 1 and 2 and then rose up and smacked the Dallas Cowboys 28-16, 49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave wasn’t surprised.Nor will Hargrave be shocked if Arizona gives the 49ers all they can handle Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.“I know he’s highly motivated so he’s going to have them boys ready to play,” Hargrave said Wednesday. “They’re going to play good ball....

Michael Gambon, Dumbledore actor in ‘Harry Potter,’ dies age 82

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

By Zahid Mahmood | CNNActor Michael Gambon, best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in most of the “Harry Potter” movies, has died at 82 following a “bout of pneumonia,” a statement issued on behalf of his family said on Thursday, PA Media news agency reported.“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” the statement issued by his publicist Clair Dobbs said, according to PA.Actor Michael Gambon, pictured here in 2016, has died at 82 after a “bout of pneumonia,” a statement issued on behalf of his family said on Thursday, PA Media news agency reported.(Roger Askew/Shutterstock via CNN) “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82.”“We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”Gambon was known for his extensive catalog of work across TV, film and radio, with another of his biggest r...

Opinion: What billionaires planning Bay Area city can teach us about housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

A cadre of Silicon Valley elites is drawing fierce criticism from local residents and environmentalists for planning a new city on the outskirts of the Bay Area, a project dubbed “California Forever.” But the effort should be applauded for revealing a truth about California’s failed housing policies.This group of California’s most influential wants to build one or more new towns on the urban fringes, having spent about $900 million to buy an area roughly twice the size of San Francisco some 60 miles east of the city. The project breaks with the philosophy of the state’s housing policy, which has long been focused on urban densification.Despite the state’s efforts to encourage residential development, California’s housing markets remain among the least affordable in the country. The homeownership rate is near the nation’s lowest. To afford a house at the median price today in Southern California, a family needs an annual income of $180,000, twice the region’s median.Some housing advo...

Big San Jose hotel gets finance boosts from lender as occupancy rises

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

SAN JOSE — A big hotel in San Jose has received multiple financial boosts from its lender this year, hopeful indicators that the lodging facility has begun to recover from coronavirus-linked economic woes.The Signia by Hilton San Jose hotel in downtown San Jose has landed two increases during 2023 in the principal amount of its real estate loan, documents on file at the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.The financing boosts that the lender, an affiliate of Brightspire Capital, provided to the Signia by Hilton offer strong signals that the financier is confident in the prospects for the hotel at 170 South Market Street in San Jose, in the view of Sam Hirbod, principal owner of the hotel property.“Our lender recognized the great amount of equity that we have and continue to build in the Signia,” Hirbod said in an interview with this news organization. “This is why they increased the loan sizes a couple of times.”The upswing in the loan amoun...

Man armed with ax arrested after standoff with Marin County police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

A Novato man accused of vandalism and wielding weapons was arrested after a standoff at his home.The incident began around 5 a.m. Wednesday, when witnesses called authorities reporting a man with an ax breaking windows in the downtown area.Police caught up with the suspect, Bjorn Schwindt, 28 at his home on Gustafson Court getting out of his car holding an ax and pipe. He entered the home and barricaded himself inside.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | East Bay man takes 13 years in Oakland homicide Crime and Public Safety | Exclusive: Man charged in Vallejo boy’s 1987 killing is now a suspect in killing 9-year-old East Bay boy Crime and Public Safety | Feds charge four with trafficking guns from Texas to East Bay; one firearm was seized in quintuple shooting Crime and Public Safety | San Jose police arrest man on suspicion of illegal gun possession one month after road-rage incident Crime and Public Safety...

China Camp State Park’s new trail markers aid emergency response for injured hikers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

A new trail marker system installed at China Camp State Park near San Rafael this summer is helping emergency responders to more quickly locate and rescue injured, lost and ailing hikers.More than 60 markers at trailheads, bridges and trail intersections were set up along the 15 miles of trails in the park bearing both the trail names and a unique number. These numbers were then placed on a digital map and provided to Marin emergency response agencies.Injured hikers or bystanders who call emergency dispatchers need only provide the number of the closest trail to help them pinpoint their location.San Rafael fire Battalion Chief Kyle Hamilton said while they can usually track a reporting party’s location using cellphone GPS data, the nearly 2.5 square-mile China Camp State Park has a more complex trail system compared to other open space areas in San Rafael and has areas where cellphone signals are weak.Especially for trauma cases or major medical emergencies, Hamilton said “time is o...

Opinion: Governor should help California cities protect against flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

The series of strong storms that California experienced this past winter brought not just intense rainfall, devastating flooding and terrible loss of life, but also a growing awareness that California urgently needs to protect against the flood impacts of climate change.Coastal areas that were inundated by rainfall experienced a preview of where rising seas will soon bring more frequent flooding. Those areas face a daunting future as climate change also brings intense storms more often. Now Gov. Gavin Newsom can take an important step to protect communities against these floods by signing a bill that requires cities to create effective shoreline resilience plans.Most cities are aware that rising sea levels and climate-induced storm activity pose growing risks to people, property and nature, and some have started to identify vulnerable areas and plan how to manage rising tides and storm water. Hayward adopted a Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan that maximizes wetland restoration. San ...