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Thought San Jose’s 2022 mayor’s race was expensive? Get ready.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

San Jose’s contentious mayoral race last year between Matt Mahan and Cindy Chavez was a pricey battle between business and labor interests, shattering the city’s all-time campaign spending record to the tune of more than $8 million.Now that figure could climb even higher in the years to come after the San Jose City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday to loosen the city’s campaign finance laws in the wake of a 2022 Supreme Court case involving Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.Candidates running for public office in San Jose will now be able to get back all the money they loaned to their campaign through the use of pre and post-election contributions. Previously, candidates could only claw back up to $20,000.The recommendation to eliminate the cap was made by the city’s five-person Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices. In addition to investigating violations of campaign rules, the board also reviews the city’s current campaign laws during off-election year...

Hip-hop superstar Travis Scott to play Halloween show in Bay Area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

Trick o’ treat?It’s definitely the latter for Bay Area hip-hop fans, as Travis Scott has announced that he’s spending Halloween in the Bay Area.The rapper plays Oct. 31 at Oakland Arena.The gig is part of Scott’s UTOPIA – Circus Maximus Tour, which promises (via a news release) to “transport fans into an unparalleled audiovisual experience.”Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 31. Visit travisscott.com for details.The tour supports Scott’s latest album, “UTOPIA,” which has held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart for four weeks running.The Scott announcement does, however, set up a serious Halloween conflict for Bay Area hip-hop fans, who already have the option of seeing Doja Cat perform on Oct. 31 at Chase Center.Decisions, decisions ….TRAVIS SCOTT UTOPIA – CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR 2023 DATES Wed Oct 11 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum CenterFri Oct 13 – Raleigh, NC – PNC ArenaTue Oct 17 – Dallas, TX – American Airli...

Letters: Dangerous psychedelics | DA credit | BART mismanagement | Protect trees | Undermining IRA | Embracing Trump

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Danger of psychedelicsunderplayed in articleRe: “A trip to healing” (Page A1, Aug. 27).Your article in the East Bay Times detailed the healing power of psychedelic drugs. To balance your article, you briefly quoted the warning of a mother who tragically lost her son to psychedelic drugs. But most of the article was devoted to the “healing” power of these dangerous drugs. You listed examples of how these drugs were a reliable palliative for PTSD in firemen.As a responsible newspaper, you needed to state categorically and emphatically that these drugs can be used only under strict clinical supervision where the dosage is skillfully managed by trained personnel. They are not experimental drugs for a casual user. I kept looking for such a cautionary statement but did not find it.Silloo TaraporeLafayetteTrees need protectionsin turf watering billThe “turf watering prohibitionR...

Three-bedroom home sells for $1.5 million in Oakland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

2001 Asilomar Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 2000 block of Asilomar Drive in Oakland has new owners. The 1,743-square-foot property, built in 1938, was sold on July 12, 2023. The $1,500,000 purchase price works out to $861 per square foot. The layout of this single-story home consists of three bedrooms and two baths. In addition, the home features a garage.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:In June 2022, a 3,174-square-foot home on Zinn Drive in Oakland sold for $1,555,000, a price per square foot of $490.On Asilomar Drive, Oakland, in March 2023, a 2,418-square-foot home was sold for $1,200,000, a price per square foot of $496. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,058-square-foot home on the 6500 block of Saroni Drive in Oakland sold in March 2023, for $1,345,000, a price per square foot of $654. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Oakland PD investigating 'hate speech incident' along with school bomb threat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

(KRON) -- Chabot Elementary School in Oakland was on lockdown Tuesday morning due to a bomb threat, the Oakland Police Department confirmed. The school was cordoned off with yellow police tape and officers from several agencies and K-9 officers are deployed at the school. Burglars targeting boats on Oakland estuary The bomb threat was called in around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday before school started. Students that were on the campus were safely reunited with parents, according to Oakland PD Capt. Lisa Ausmus.OPD was working with Alameda County Sheriff's Office K-9 bomb dogs to investigate. No explosive device was located. As of around 12:40 p.m., the campus was declared clear by OPD. There has been a social media backlash against Chabot Elementary School trending Tuesday morning in reaction to a "Playdate Social for Black, Brown and API families." A major conservative account tweeted about the event, describing it as a "race segregated 'playdate social' for all students except w...

Shellfish dumped at Jewish UC Berkeley frat in possible hate crime

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

(KRON) -- A Jewish fraternity at UC Berkeley was the target of an antisemitic act of vandalism over the weekend, according to a post from AEPi House. In the early morning hours Saturday, an individual or individuals allegedly approached the frat house and scattered shellfish on the premises, at the front door, and threw it in the windows.Shellfish is non-kosher and with the incident occurring on the first Shabbat of the school year, the incident, which was first reported in J., had the hallmarks of a deliberate antisemitic act. SF store owner killed after robbery, assault with bat "By singling out AEPi, the Jewish fraternity, and deliberately employing non-kosher food, this act of vandalism goes beyond mere destruction," read a post on the frat's Instagram page. "It represents a calculated decision to target Jewish students within our campus community.""We are working in close collaboration with both the Berkeley and university police, as well as the campus administration, to iden...

Beyoncé declared honorary mayor of Santa Clara

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

(KRON) -- Move over Taylor Swift. The "Queen Bey," Beyoncé, is about to become the new honorary mayor of Santa Clara. Beyoncé is bringing her "Renaissance World Tour" to Levi's Stadium for a highly-anticipated 3-hour performance Wednesday night. Her dedicated fans, also known as "The Bey Hive," are swarming into the city to see the songstress perform dozens of songs. The show's set list is packed with hits from her newest album, including "Cuff It." Mayor Lisa Gillmor said, "In recognition of her artistry and humanitarianism, we are proud to present Beyoncé a key to our city, along with the title of honorary mayor. Beyoncé demonstrates an incredible dedication to economic equity and championing marginalized communities through her service to communities globally."Beyonce performs onstage in 2015 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian /Getty Images)The city's proclamation celebrating Beyoncé states, "American singer-songwriter, actress, and business entrepreneur Beyoncé Giselle ...

15-year-old arrested for elder abuse, attempted carjacking in Alameda

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

(KRON) -- A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday in Alameda in connection with an attempted carjacking in the 1300 block of Sherman Street, according to the Alameda Police Department. Alameda PD dispatchers received a call at around 6 p.m. reporting an attempted carjacking. At the scene, officers located the victim and several witnesses, according to police. Officers ascertained that the victim had been sitting in their car when the suspect approached them and pulled them from the vehicle. SF store owner killed after robbery, assault with bat While the victim was on the ground, police said the suspect punched them several times and demanded their car keys. The suspect was unable to start the car and ran from the scene.Witnesses were able to offer a detailed description of the suspect who was seen running down Sherman Street. After canvassing the area, officers located the suspect in the 1300 block and took him into custody.The 15-year-old suspect was charged with attempted car...

Guatemalan president calls for transition of power to anti-corruption crusader Arévalo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei called Tuesday for a democratic transition of power to anti-corruption campaigner and president-elect Bernardo Arévalo and his Seed Movement party, which have faced waves of legal attacks in attempts to block his rise to power.The president’s statement came after a night of political chaos in the Central American nation following one of its most tumultuous elections in recent history.Hours before the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified late Monday that Arévalo won this month’s presidential election, another government body — the electoral registry — suspended his party from all political activities. The Seed Movement asked the country’s top electoral authority to lift the suspension.Arévalo called the suspension illegal at a news conference Monday and said that now the vote has been certified “no one can impede me from taking office on Jan. 14.” Arévalo and his party, posing a threat to those keen...

Tribal ranger draws weapon on climate activists blocking road to Burning Man; conduct under review

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:10 GMT

NIXON, Nev. (AP) — A tribal ranger’s conduct is under review after he pointed a weapon Sunday at environmental activists and plowed his patrol vehicle through their blockade on the road leading to the annual Burning Man counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert.The incident unfolded on a rural stretch of highway on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation in northwestern Nevada. The protest calling attention to climate change stopped traffic as attendees were headed to the Black Rock Desert north of the reservation for opening day of Burning Man.A news release from the tribe’s chairman, James J. Phoenix, described the incident as a ranger using his patrol vehicle to clear “debris” out of the roadway after climate activists refused to leave.Videos on social media, however, showed the ranger had slammed his vehicle into the blockade — a metal travel trailer frame that some of the protesters had chained themselves to — then drove back toward the activists while announc...