Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. San Jose’s quality of life needs a boost Re: “San Jose fourth in quality of life in U.S.” (Page B1, April 6). Being fourth best for quality of life in the country is questionable when the disparity between the rich and poor is extreme. San Jose boasts tremendous diversity in its communities, advanced technology and a robust economy. However, this doesn’t fully encapsulate the city, especially downtown. Despite the accolades the city just received, homelessness, traffic congestion and food insecurity are still immi ..read more

Against the backdrop of growing public frustration over a deepening homelessness crisis, the U.S. Supreme Court could soon make it easier for cities in the Bay Area and across the West to clear homeless encampments — even when beds aren’t available in shelters. Since 2018, federal court rulings have prevented local governments in nine states from arresting or fining people for living on the street if they have nowhere else to go. As a result, when officials move to shut down encampments on public property, they are generally expected to offer shelter or housing. But few cities have the resourc ..read more

RICHMOND — PG&E’s top boss suggested Monday that the utility’s beleaguered ratepayers may see monthly utility bills flatten out and someday even fall below their current levels. In recent years, PG&E customers have seen monthly bills surge dramatically. But the utility titan is looking at ways to curb the increase, according to PG&E Chief Executive Officer Patricia Poppe. “We see a future where customers’ bills can start to come down,” Poppe said in response to questions from this news organization about fast-rising ratepayer costs, after an event PG&E hosted in Richmond. The s ..read more

Critics who blame California’s 2014 Proposition 47 for runaway drug addiction, retail theft and urban squalor said Thursday they have collected enough signatures to qualify a November ballot measure that would restore penalties for serial thieves and treatment requirements for addicts. Backers including owners of small businesses, social justice leaders and drug victim families gathered in San Francisco and Los Angeles to announce they have collected about 900,000 voter signatures, significantly more than the 546,651 required by April 23, and are turning them in to the Attorney General’s Offic ..read more

WATSONVILLE — A two-plane crash over Watsonville Municipal Airport that claimed three lives in 2022 was caused by pilot error, according to a federal aviation accident oversight panel’s recently released report. “The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The failure of the pilot of the multi-engine airplane to see and avoid the single-engine airplane while performing a straight-in approach for landing,” states the 12-page report released March 28. Earlier investigation details were released in a September 2022 preliminary report. The mida ..read more

By Bay City News State Highway 9 will be shut down all day Saturday near Ben Lomond in Santa Cruz County after a vehicle crashed into a power pole, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported shortly after 3:15 a.m. on the highway near Pike Road. Vehicles are being detoured via Alba Road to Empire Grade to Jameson Creek Road to state Highway 236, CHP officials said ..read more

In a major setback for California’s beleaguered fishing industry and the latest reminder of the state’s long-running battles over water supplies, all commercial and recreational salmon fishing will be prohibited off the California coast for the second year in a row. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal agency based in Oregon, announced the decision Wednesday evening, citing low numbers of Sacramento River winter Chinook, Central Valley Spring Chinook and Upper-Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon. Despite ample rainfall over the last two winters, the state’s salmon populations are ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more