After freezing $1 billion in much-needed state funds and chastising local leaders for doing far too little to address the homelessness crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office says cities and counties have agreed to step up — and therefore the money will start flowing this week. Earlier this month, the governor said he would freeze the money — which is supposed to fund everything from shelter beds to case management services in the Bay Area and throughout the state — until local officials produced more ambitious plans to reduce homelessness in their communities. The surprise announcement, less than ..read more

It’s a NIMBY’s worst nightmare: high-rise apartment buildings going up in suburban neighborhoods — and local officials helpless to halt construction. That scenario could soon become a possibility for Bay Area cities large and small should they fail to convince the state they’re doing enough to help solve a deepening housing crisis. It’s all thanks to a little-used section of state housing law known as the “builder’s remedy.” Uncertainties remain, but the three-decade-old provision could enable developers to push through projects of virtually any size almost anywhere they please, as long as a p ..read more

In an apocalyptic vision of Bay Area public transit, BART cancels its weekend service and shutters nine stations just to keep the lights on elsewhere. Trains run once an hour, instead of every 15 minutes. San Francisco’s Muni buses crawl around on life-support, and the East Bay’s AC Transit eliminates “numerous local lines.” Ferry service across the bay is halved. This is not a doomsday fantasy, conjured up on a paper napkin. These are real scenarios drafted by the region’s transit agencies in a series of federally mandated planning documents obtained through a public records request by the Ba ..read more

REDWOOD CITY — A female San Mateo County sheriff’s deputy is suing her department with claims that male supervisors and commanders fostered a hostile work environment “rife with sex harassment and discrimination” that stymied her advancement, including an allegation she was sexually assaulted by her supervisor in front of several colleagues with no consequences. Carryn Barker asserts in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court that she has become a decorated sex-crimes detective and the only female SWAT team member in her six-year tenure, but that has not spared her from repeated discrimination, reta ..read more

DALY CITY – One person was injured after an unattended candle sparked a fire at a home Wednesday in Daly City, authorities said. The fire was reported around 1:50 p.m. at a single-story residence in the 100 block of Plymouth Circle, according to the North County Fire Authority. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the home. After searching the home and finding no one trapped inside, crews worked to put out the fire and ultimately kept it from spreading to adjacent buildings, authorities said. One occupant who escaped from the residence before crews arrived suffered minor burns and smo ..read more

As early election results continued to roll in Wednesday, voters up and down the Peninsula elected a new congressman, a new assembly member, and reaffirmed their confidence in experienced incumbents at the local level. From the 15th Congressional District race pitting an establishment Democrat against a progressive to the Palo Alto City Council shake-up and incumbent victories in Mountain View, here are some key races we have our eye on: 15th Congressional District In the race for who will replace Congresswoman Jackie Speier to represent the 15th District in Washington, D.C., California Assemb ..read more

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — In early vote counting Tuesday night, California Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin held a strong early lead against opponent David Canepa, a San Mateo County supervisor, in the race for the 15th Congressional District, a safe Democrat seat being vacated by longtime Rep. Jackie Speier. Early results in San Mateo County on Wednesday showed Mullin with 56.48% of the vote ahead of opponent Canepa with 43.52%. The margin is smaller in San Francisco, with Mullin leading by less than 600 votes with 52.4% to Canepa’s 47.6%. The two San Mateo County politicians were the fa ..read more

Below are results from the San Mateo County registrar of voters for the Nov. 8, 2022, general election. Results from other counties and California are at these links: Santa Clara County Alameda County Contra Costa County San Francisco County California Read all of our election stories and follow updates and analysis from Bay Area, California and national races in our live stream. Use this link if you are having trouble receiving the results on your mobile device. Related Articles Election | Andrew Butt holds 5-vote lead in race for Richmond City Council seat Election | Marchand wins cont ..read more

The Bay Area has changed radically in the last few decades — new companies, new residents, new energy. But the people we send to Congress? They’ve stayed — remarkably — the same. As Democrats and Republicans mount a pitched battle across the nation for control of the House and Senate, a Bay Area News Group analysis shows why our political inertia is all but certain to survive election day: Our region is by far the least competitive major metro area in the country for congressional races. No Bay Area House race outcome is likely to cross the lips of cable news pundits on Tuesday night. Amid nai ..read more

MARTINEZ — A Pittsburg man has been charged with three felonies in the attempted rape Oct. 6 of a woman in an elevator at the Walnut Creek BART station, prosecutors said Thursday. Richard Lee McDowell, 35, was charged with attempted rape by force, kidnapping for robbery or sexual purposes, and assault with intent to commit a felony, said Ted Asregadoo, a spokesman with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. McDowell, who has been in custody since his arrest Saturday, was being held at the Martinez Detention Facility in lieu of $1,150,000 bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned ..read more