The “Looking Glass” ponders economic and real estate trends through two distinct lenses: the optimist’s “glass half-full” and the pessimist’s “glass half-empty.” Buzz: California has six of the 10 counties nationwide with the highest risks of home-price declines. The source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at Attom’s study of housing markets “most vulnerable” to price declines based on first-quarter economic measurements such as affordability, underwater mortgages – loans larger than home values – loans in the foreclosure process, and unemployment rates. Debate: Where are California’s shakiest h ..read more

About 1,800 miles separate Oakland and Kansas City, and the cultural divide might be even wider. But baseball fans in both regions share one thing in common: They loved, and then lost, the A’s. The A’s got their start in Philadelphia in 1901 and next season are headed to Sacramento for what is expected to be a pit stop on the road to ultimately resettling in Las Vegas. But no matter where the A’s go, the Oakland-Kansas City connection will always be unique. Kansas City Athletics owner Charlie Finley sits astride the team’s mascot, “Charlie O,” for a short ride during pre-game ceremonies at the ..read more

Don’t expect Klay Thompson to stay out of the headlines. He unfollowed the Warriors and removed team-related posts — to Draymond Green’s apparent amusement. The Athletic reported Monday that Thompson is joining Team Bahamas for training, though he likely won’t be eligible to compete in Olympic play. As soon as the NBA Finals end, Thompson will be eligible to sign an extension with the Warriors. On June 30, he’ll officially be a free agent whom teams can court. Thompson likely won’t be the first domino to fall in the Warriors’ offseason, but he is the most important. Gary Payton II’s player opt ..read more

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Blake Shelton, 48; Carol Kane, 72; Isabella Rossellini, 72; Paul McCartney, 82. Happy Birthday: Spend time with people of interest, and discover what options are available to you. There is a shift in how you think and what you want to do next, which can lead to an opportunity to awaken your senses and help yourself find your purpose in life. Don’t deny yourself the chance to try something new. Follow your heart. Don’t give anyone the right to pressure you or choose for you. Your numbers are 6, 13, 18, 24, 27, 38, 45. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Think before you act ..read more

CHICAGO — The batting cages at Wrigley Field are down one set of stairs, around a corner and past another, longer staircase. To reach the manager’s office requires a climb up another set of stairs, 49 steps, and a march through the cramped clubhouse quarters. The former is where Bob Melvin spoke his team’s late-inning theatrics into existence hours before first pitch Monday, and the latter where he was forced to observe after being ejected from the game in the eighth inning, just before the most-thrilling moments of the Giants’ 7-6 win to begin their three-game series against the Cubs. “I caug ..read more

SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier emphasized Monday that he’s not interested in trading his captain, Logan Couture, who he feels will be a major part of the team’s rebuild as it enters its next critical phase. “(If) stuff’s out there that I’m looking at trading Logan Couture or anything like that, that is absolutely false,” Grier said at the end of Ryan Warsofsky’s introductory press conference. “If you look at us bringing in young players here and having a young team, he is exactly the type of person you want to have around the young players. “He’s our captain, he’s our le ..read more

There will be face painting. Bubbles, too. Oh, and don’t forget Mother Goose story time, farm animals, and police cars with lights and sirens. That, in short, describes aspects of the Vacaville Museum Guild’s annual Children’s Party, this year themed “Fun on the Farm,” and due to get underway Aug. 8. Tickets for the popular event, geared for children ages 3 to 9, are $3, cash or check only, and go on sale Saturday at the museum, 213 Buck Ave., a center for Solano County history. Only 250 tickets are available for two entry times: 10 a.m. (175 tickets) and 10:45 a.m. (75 tickets). Regular galle ..read more

The Dixon City Council will host a public hearing at its regularly scheduled meeting at city hall tomorrow night, where it will hear public feedback on a Cal Trans funded project proposal in the city. Through the Metropolitain Transportation Commission and Solano Transit Authority, the city has been given $129,906 with which to purchase a replacement bus for the Readi-Ride program. “The decision to use the funding to replace one bus was based on the fact that Readi-Ride currently has four buses that have exceeded their useful life benchmark, the staff report on the issue reads. “FTA has set a ..read more

CHICAGO — Willie Mays may not be in attendance this week when the Giants visit his hometown and first professional ballpark, but the oldest living Hall of Famer won’t be far from their minds during Thursday’s Rickwood Classic. “Unfortunately I don’t think he’ll be able to go there,” manager Bob Melvin said, “but we’ll all be thinking about him when stepping on that field, saying ‘Willie Mays played here.’” The Giants were selected to participate in the first major-league game at Birmingham, Alabama’s Rickwood Field due in large part to Mays, who grew up within spitting distance of the ballpark ..read more

District leaders are expected to approve the Local Control Accountability Plan and the 2024-25 budget, key annual financial documents, when the Travis Unified governing board meets Tuesday evening in Fairfield. Approval of the $86.5 million budget comes on the heels of a June 4 governing board meeting, when Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison, in a public hearing and presentation, detailed the pending academic year’s proposed budget for the 5,400-student district. (It operates five elementary schools — two on Travis Air Force Base, Scandia and Travis, and two, Cambridge and Foxboro, in Vacav ..read more