By Christopher B. Dolan Special to The Examiner Over the past decade, at the beginning of baseball season, I have published a column concerning who is responsible if someone gets hit with a line drive, foul ball and/or broken bat while watching a game. As a lawyer, and a big Giants fan, I like to start off the season by saying, put down your cell phone and keep your eye on the ball during play. A distraction can lead to serious and even life-threatening injury. Balls and bats leaving the playing field and entering the stands are not uncommon. In a 2014 Bloomberg News analysis of ballpark injur ..read more

Caltrain is on the cusp of completing its most significant upgrade since the rail line debuted in 1863. By converting its power source from fossil fuels to electricity, trains travelling between San Francisco and San Jose will be faster, more frequent and far less polluting. Up and down the corridor, catenary poles for overhead electrical wires are already visible, and brand new electric trains are undergoing testing at Caltrain’s maintenance facility. But to finish the project, the rail agency needs a big infusion of cash — $260 million to be exact. Caltrain is eyeing California’s historic $1 ..read more

Hey, down in front.  Unease over the future of the historic Castro Theatre now centers on planned changes to its seating arrangement, which cinephiles allege could degrade the moviegoing experience. The proposal raises questions about whether anyone should govern the operational minutiae of an iconic building in the name of historic preservation, pitting those who want the theater to stay as is versus a new management company that hopes to feature more live events that will ensure its viability as a business. The century-old building is as San Franciscan as just about any other. The Castr ..read more

DALLAS — Every NBA postseason is a journey of discovery. You learn about your team. Its makeup. It’s resiliency. And in the end, you learn if they have what it takes to bring home the trophy. Who can forget the Warriors’ first championship path, back in 2015-16? The emergence of Draymond Green. The selfless play of Andre Iguodala and David Lee. The transcendence of Steph Curry, who put the league on notice that he’d be a force for years to come. Head coach Steve Kerr showed his first flashes of genius, eschewing the NBA’s dependence on isolation play and, instead, installing an eye-candy motio ..read more

By Ana B. Ibarra and Kristen Hwang CalMatters California reported its first case of suspected monkeypox today in Sacramento County. Officials were alerted of the possible case three days prior by a medical provider. The individual recently returned from a trip to Europe where clusters of cases have been recently reported. Officials did not disclose the date the individual returned from their trip nor any demographic information about them. Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said the individual is not hospitalized and is in isolation. “There is minimal risk to the genera ..read more

By Soumya Karlamangla New York Times Ten months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for Californians to voluntarily cut water consumption by 15%. But that goal remains far off — water use has come down less than 4% — and the state’s drought has only been getting worse. So state officials Tuesday adopted emergency regulations aimed at delivering the most drastic statewide cuts to address the drought thus far. The rules require local water agencies to reduce water use by up to 20% and prohibit any watering of ornamental lawns at businesses and other commercial properties. Officials earlier this year a ..read more

High employee turnover often worsens living conditions in San Francisco’s residential hotels. As a result, extremely low-income residents can get caught in between staff churn, blighted buildings and just holding on to the roof over their heads. Now, San Francisco leaders are hoping that an influx of cash aimed at increasing wages, growing the number of caseworkers and upgrading buildings themselves might slow down the “revolving door” of nonprofit staff who work on-site in permanent supportive housing buildings that The City oversees. “The actual amount of need in these sites is significant ..read more

By The Examiner Editorial Board Most Californians do not pay much attention to the role of the state controller. Yet the holder of this important office acts as a fiscal watchdog with the power to audit government spending and even withhold payment for things deemed illegal or improper. The controller also sits on dozens of state boards and commissions that come with a wide range of duties. In the last few years, with billions of dollars in unemployment fraud at the Employment Development Department and questions about other government spending programs, the controller’s office has attracted m ..read more

DALLAS — Maybe it was the epic lightning storm that plowed through Texas on Tuesday night, springing a leak in the roof and delaying the start of the second half. Maybe it was Steve Kerr’s pregame explosion, in which the Warriors coach grew visibly upset about the never-ending gun violence plaguing America. Maybe it was simply the law of averages, which predicates you can’t win ’em all. Actually, it was a lot simpler than all of that. Dallas hit a remarkable percentage of three-pointers Tuesday night, blowing Golden State off the American Airlines Center court for most of the game, before hold ..read more

By Amanda Susskind and Dan Shur CalMatters In a time of increased polarization and divisiveness, it is critically important for California’s young people to learn the essential components of a stable and successful democracy. That’s why our state’s public schools require our children to learn civics. In a time of increased hatred and intolerance, it is equally vital for young people to learn their own cultural histories and heritage, as well as those of others with whom they live in the most diverse communities we have seen in the history of our planet. That’s why our state’s public schools wi ..read more