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Walters: California transit systems’ pleas for aid haven’t moved the Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

California’s public transit systems say they are facing a “fiscal cliff” as ridership continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels and federal emergency aid expires.If the state doesn’t cough up billions of dollars to underwrite bus and rail systems – they want $1 billion a year for at least five years – their managers say they will have no choice but to reduce service and/or raise fares, mostly affecting low-income Californians.On Tuesday, transit system leaders, their unions and supportive legislators staged an “emergency press conference” near the Capitol to raise the issue’s profile, as legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom work on a state budget that must be passed by June 15.“It’s a do or die moment for transit in California,” state Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, said.Transit’s pleas haven’t fared well so far. Newsom’s revised budget this month brushed them off with a vague pledge to work on the problem later.Transit has some support in Assembly and Senate bud...

Bay Area tech layoffs top grim milestone after jobs cuts by Meta, Nuro, others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

The latest disclosures of local layoffs by Facebook owner Meta Platforms, along with recently revealed cutbacks by other companies, have shoved the number of tech job cuts in the Bay Area far beyond a grim milestone.Tech companies have revealed plans to eliminate nearly 25,000 jobs during 2022 and so far in 2023, according to this news organization’s analysis of numerous WARN notices that employers have filed with the state Employment Development Department.Meta Platforms, whose apps include Facebook and Instagram, has reported to state labor officials that it has decided to chop 1,125 jobs in the Bay Area.These are the details of the most recent layoffs by Meta Platforms and the number of employees affected by the staffing reductions in each city.Menlo Park, 528 job cutsSan Francisco, 311 layoffsSunnyvale, 169 staff reductionsFremont, 117 job cutsThe layoffs by Meta Platforms are slated to take effect on or around July 28 of this year, the WARN notices show.These layoffs appe...

Kim Cattrall will indeed reprise the role of Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’ reboot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

By Chloe Melas | CNNBuckle up, “Sex and the City” fans, because Kim Cattrall is finally back.A spokesperson for HBO/Max confirmed to CNN that Cattrall filmed a scene as Samantha Jones in March for the hit show’s continuation series “And Just Like That…”. Like CNN, HBO is part of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.The New York Post was first to report the news.This is a major turn of events given that Cattrall, who played the sex-positive, powerful publicist Jones in “Sex and the City” for six seasons and two movies, famously did not appear in the first season of the reboot.“It’s odd, isn’t it? I don’t know how to feel about it,” Cattrall said of how Samantha’s absence was explained in the new series. “It’s so finite for me, so it doesn’t continue. This feels like an echo of the past.”CNN has reached out to a representative for Cattrall for comment on her decision to appear in the series’ second season.According to Wednesday’s reports, Cattrall’s cameo was filmed in secrecy in Mar...

Opinion: California must realign its priorities for water usage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

The massive snowpack in the Sierras looming over California’s Central Valley has shifted the state’s water focus from years-long drought to the threat of devastating flooding. But both of these seemingly opposite perils have a common origin and mandate a common solution. To achieve water stability and sustainability, the state must realign its priorities by putting people and communities over the profiteering industries that are driving the water and climate crisis.For the last 20 years, California has been mired in a historic dry period, punctuated by a few short bursts of strong storms and heavy precipitation. This winter’s deluge is consistent with that pattern, one which scientists predict will become more extreme as climate change accelerates — longer droughts and increasingly severe storms.Our water crisis is inextricably tied to climate change, which is ironically being driven by two industries very familiar to California: fossil fuels and industrial agriculture.The sci...

Four-bedroom home sells in San Jose for $1.6 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

340 Viscaino Way – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 300 block of Viscaino Way in San Jose has new owners. The 2,124-square-foot property, built in 1972, was sold on May 2, 2023. The $1,610,000 purchase price works out to $758 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 7,000-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:A 2,186-square-foot home on the 300 block of Alric Court in San Jose sold in April 2023, for $1,515,000, a price per square foot of $693. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Alric Court, San Jose, in September 2022, a 1,475-square-foot home was sold for $1,780,000, a price per square foot of $1,207. The home has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 2,124-square-foot home on Viscaino Way in San Jose sold for $1,520,000, a price per square foot of $716. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Santa Rosa man arrested for shooting with ghost gun, DUI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) – A man was arrested by police for driving under the influence and possession of a ghost gun following a shooting Tuesday evening, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.Just before 6 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 2800 block of Dutton Meadow. A man had knocked on the door of his previous residence, however the home resident did not answer the door, police said. 4-year-old girl injured in Oakland shooting The resident heard a gunshot outside his home and the suspect fled into his silver BMW sedan. The resident identified the suspect, Jesus Villicana-Hernandez, who was his recent roommate, SRPD said. Police located a single 9mm round outside the residence which appeared to have been shot in the air due to no visible damages on the property. Officers later located the 28-year-old driving in the 1300 block of Guerneville Road and placed him in custody, police said.A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed a 9mm unregis...

Fewer babies born in 2022, and teen births decline, CDC reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

There were fewer babies born in the U.S. in 2022 compared to 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, suggesting that a rebound in births following the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have ended.An estimated 3,661,220 babies were born nationwide in 2022, according to an initial analysis of data from birth certificates issued last year. That is less than a 1% decrease from 2021.“It’s essentially unchanged. It’s a very small difference, relatively speaking, compared to the total number of births, which are in the millions,” said Brady Hamilton, a statistician demographer at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.For 2021, the final report from the NCHS had tallied 3,664,292 babies born across the country.That amounted to the first annual increase since 2014 of the nation’s general fertility rate — new babies relative to how many women are old enough to give birth — after it plummeted 4% in 2020 ...

Recession ahead? By this metric, one’s already here: Earnings shrink and Wall St fears worse to come

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest round of corporate earnings is leaving Wall Street with a confounding sense of relief and lingering anxiety.Companies are in the midst of an “earnings recession,” meaning profits have contracted for two straight quarters, starting with a 4.6% drop at the end of 2022.Profits for S&P 500 companies shrank just over 2% last quarter, compared with forecasts of a 6.7% drop. That brought some relief to Wall Street that the quarter wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But, analysts also expect more pain ahead.Analysts polled by FactSet now expect a 6.4% contraction for profits in the current quarter. That shows just how worried analysts are about the impact from inflation on businesses and consumers. Fears about a recession continue to weigh on the broader economy and are a big factor in corporate and independent forecasts for company profits.“With a recession still looming, it’s unlikely that earnings have hit rock bottom,” said Michael Arone, chi...

PSG coach confirms Lionel Messi will play final game for club this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

PARIS (AP) — PSG coach confirms Lionel Messi will play final game for club this weekend.Source

Kim Cattrall set to reprise role in ‘Sex and the City’ spinoff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:52 GMT

Kim Cattrall attends the "About My Father" premiere at the SVA Theater on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Kim Cattrall attends the "About My Father" premiere at the SVA Theater on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Actress Kim Cattrall is heading back to set to briefly reprise her iconic role as Samantha Jones on the “Sex and the City” spinoff series, “Entertainment Tonight” has learned.According to ET, Cattrall will appear in the finale of the second season of “And Just Like That…”Both the show’s official Twitter account and the streaming service Max, formerly HBO Max, also appeared to confirm th...