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How invasive—or effective—will Berkeley’s new license plate readers be?

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

BERKELEY — Can a city tackle spikes in violent property crimes, auto thefts and traffic violations without violating privacy rights and increasing police enforcement stops that might be racially biased?Berkeley officials say they can walk that line with the upcoming installation of 52 license plate readers along the city’s busy streets and bustling public corridors, as part of a two-year pilot program to help the city’s understaffed police force investigate criminal activity.The technology — Automatic License Plate Readers or ALPRs — captures images of license plates, then cross-references them with law enforcement crime databases. Police are alerted when plates match descriptions of vehicles involved in active crimes or connected to missing person reports, according to police Sgt. Joe Ledoux.While similar readers are currently used in several Bay Area cities along freeways, bridges and many parking lots, the community was sharply divided during Tuesday’s Berkeley ...

How SF Giants could make history after promotion of top prospect Marco Luciano 

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

The rookie movement has arrived in San Francisco, where the Giants called up yet another prospect on Wednesday.With the arrival of 21-year-old shortstop Marco Luciano, the organization’s top position player prospect and one of the best prospects in baseball, the Giants have a chance to make baseball history.Luciano is the sixth rookie position player to make his debut with the Giants this year. He joins Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, Brett Wisely and Blake Sabol. All six of them have a very good chance at acquiring at least 200 plate appearances with the Giants this year.If they do, and if the Giants maintain their position as a National League Wild Card team, they’d become the first team in MLB history to use six rookies with at least 200 plate appearances and still qualify for the postseason.According to Baseball Reference, the current record for most rookies with 200 PAs on a playoff team belongs to the 2005 Atlanta Braves, who debuted Wilson Betemit, Jeff Francoeur, ...

Mountain View: Il Fornaio ready to open its first new Bay Area restaurant in 7 years

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

The Marin County-based Italian dining group Il Fornaio is preparing to unveil its newest location — a spacious indoor/outdoor restaurant at The Village at San Antonio Center in Mountain View.Lunch, happy hour and dinner service will start Monday, July 31. It’s the first new Il Fornaio in the Bay Area since the Santa Clara Square location opened in 2016.In a departure from the classic Il Fornaio design featured at many NorCal locations, the group opted for a more casual and contemporary look for this eatery. Arcanum Architecture redesigned the space that was formerly home to Paul Martin’s American Grill. The 6,285-square-foot restaurant offers seating for 214 inside and 56 outside on the year-round patio, which is equipped with fire pits (and a dog-friendly policy).Pasta and pizza dough will be made fresh daily by the team headed by Il Fornaio’s executive chef, Roberto Gerbino, and local chef Davide De Falco.Leading off their long lineup of antipasti are Brusc...

There was a problem with Scott Shaw’s defense expert in SJSU athletic trainer’s criminal trial

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

SAN JOSE – Defense lawyers representing the former San Jose State athletic trainer accused of sexually assaulting female athletes suffered a setback on the first day presenting their case Tuesday when the federal judge ruled their expert witness was not qualified to testify “in the area of athletic trainers.”Further, the defense lawyers were unable to convince U.S. District Judge Beth Labson-Freeman that sports medicine doctor Brett DeGooyer from rural Washington knew enough about the individual allegations against Scott Shaw to determine whether the trainer’s treatment was legitimate, only whether it was “potentially legitimate.”The distinction could be key for a case that will rely on whether the eight-woman, four-man jury has reasonable doubt about whether Shaw is guilty of six federal charges when he touched female athletes under their bras and underwear during treatment sessions.Shaw, who resigned as Director of Sports Medicine at San Jose State in 2020, has pleaded not guilty ...

Trump drives Republicans efforts to impeach Biden

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Donald Trump wants to see President Joe Biden impeached, and the former president’s allies in Congress and his 2024 GOP presidential rivals are eager to join that fight as his own legal challenges mount.Trump’s chief opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, this week said the House Republicans “are absolutely within their rights” to consider an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, also running for president, also said Republicans would be “justified to do it.” And House GOP leaders aligned with Trump are foreshadowing what’s ahead.“House Republicans will leave no stone unturned,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the fourth-ranking House GOP leader and a top Trump ally, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick.This week, the prospect of impeaching Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, emerged from the far ...

Three-bedroom home sells in Oakland for $2 million

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

4331 Bridgeview Drive – Google Street ViewA 3,377-square-foot house built in 1936 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 4300 block of Bridgeview Drive in Oakland was sold on June 14, 2023. The $1,960,000 purchase price works out to $580 per square foot. This two-story house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Additionally, the house provides a garage. Nestled on a spacious 5,070-square-foot lot, this property boasts a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In August 2022, a 1,288-square-foot home on Clemens Road in Oakland sold for $1,472,000, a price per square foot of $1,143. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Leimert Boulevard, Oakland, in April 2023, a 3,040-square-foot home was sold for $2,300,000, a price per square foot of $757. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,219-square-foot home on the 1800 block of Clemens Road in Oakland sold in June 2022, for $2,285,000, a price per square foot of $1,030. The home has 3 bedrooms and ...

Letters: Purchase power | Reopen library | No specifics | Targeted reparations

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Schools’ buying powercould force changeRe: “Dying Chromebooks crowd e-waste bins” (Page A1, July 24).Fascinating to learn that Google Chromebooks have a “baked-in death date” of three to six years.  Would we accept that with any other consumer product, like a car, or a stereo? We would not.This raises the question: Is “consumer” another word for “powerless”?  When “planned obsolescence” goes from being an embarrassment to deliberate corporate planning, then we had better change our perspective.  Instead of the school districts mentioned in your article saying, “Gee whiz, this is terrible and a terrible waste” why don’t they (collectively) tell Google: “We are not going to accept this. Either you reverse the death date and open the code to allow us to continue running the machines where possible, or we will not buy anymore from you.”If school districts did this, what do you think would h...

CHP: Lafayette freeway shooting ends in crash on Highway 24

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

A portion of Highway 24 was temporarily closed Wednesday after a shooting near Lafayette ended in a crash.The freeway shooting and subsequent crash happened at about 11 a.m. on Highway 24 near Pleasant Hill Road, just west of Interstate 680, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Lane.Someone inside a vehicle traveling west on the highway fired at another vehicle, Lane said. Sometime after that, one of those two vehicles crashed into a third motorist. The two vehicles involved in the shooting fled the scene, Lane said. No arrests have been announced.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Dietary supplement company Balance of Nature to pay $1.1 million over misleading advertising Crime and Public Safety | Man beaten, robbed and carjacked after using Oakland ATM Crime and Public Safety | CHP investigates man found dead in truck in Santa Cruz County Crime and Public Safety | San Francisco homicide: Man stabbed i...

Vehicle catches fire in middle of Benicia Bridge

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

(KRON) -- A vehicle caught fire midspan in the southbound lanes of the Benicia Bridge Wednesday afternoon, according to the Benicia Fire Department. Firefighters quickly extinguished the burning car in the southbound lanes of Interstate 680. 2 arrested in San Francisco Sanchez Stairs crash, carjacking Photos of the blaze showed what appeared to be a white Nissan Altima completely engulfed in flames.Photo: BFDPhoto: BFDPhoto: BFDThere were no injuries, firefighters said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Netflix invests more than half a million dollars in machine learning role amid SAG, WGA strikes

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:39 GMT

(KRON) -- As writers and actors continue to strike in demand for fair pay, streaming giants are investing their money into artificial intelligence, and Los Gatos-based company Netflix is leading the way. Two arrested in Sanchez Street Stairs crash, carjacking in San Francisco Though the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has failed to meet demands from Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild, Netflix's company leadership appears to be hedging its bets and going all in on AI efforts. A Research Scientist in Machine Learning role at Netflix will work on building up the company's technical capabilities by diving deep and exploring research questions aligned with the biggest challenges at Netflix, and the annual compensation is between $390,000 - $900,000.Marc Maron, right, Hannah Einbinder, from second left, and Debby Ryan walk on a picket line outside Netflix studios on Friday, July 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)One of the biggest com...