But CBS News Bay Area uncovered evidence that some donations were used to cover personal expenses. Tax documents show program officials spent more than $1 million for things like personal mortgages, car payments and rent. 

We talked to three different experts to help dig deeper into the nonprofit's financials. 

"This would be a red flag," Brandon Philips, assistant professor of public administration and affairs at Cal State East Bay, said. "Forensic accounting is using accounting in the court of law. So, we're looking for any indicators of whether or not someone is doing something nefarious or inappropriate with funds. And we are focused primarily on following the money, following the money trail in the financial statements." 

"I see several red flags," Erick Bell, UC Berkeley forensic accounting professor, said. 

"Certainly raises eyes as to impropriety," tax attorney Sam Brotman said. 

According to their website, Ecumenical Hunger Program is a family affair. Lesia Preston is the executive director, who succeeded her mother, Nevida Butler. Preston's daughter, Lakesha Roberts is the associate director. 

"Particularly when you're using money that is being earmarked for public use, to misuse even a dollar of that could be problematic," Bell said. 

From 2023 to 2024, the nonprofit said it served nearly 20,000 people through its emergency food program. In that same year, however, public tax filings show that the nonprofit paid thousands and thousands of dollars to Preston's family, including in-laws. 

"Looking at the 20 pages of payment of personal expenses, that just stood out, and it wasn't clear on the website to what these payment of personal expenses were," Bell said. "It's good to know that they're being honest and direct in but it doesn't change the fact that this does raise questions."

Documents show that Ecumenical Hunger Program spent more than $47,000 for Preston's sister and husband's personal debts, utilities, insurance and other costs. More than $35,000 for her daughter-in-law's personal debts, mortgage and others. Filings show that Preston's son received more than $4,000 for DMV fees. Additionally, nearly $47,000 for an employee's personal expenses, including a year of rent, was provided. And even a past employee received more than $9,000 for personal expenses. 

"For people who teach or are involved in nonprofit management, this would be a red flag. It's a concept that we call inurement, which is where individuals are profiting from a nonprofit. Typically, with grants, government support funding, community donations and things like that," Philips said. "Money is typically only allocated for services outgoing things like helping clients and other services that the organization provides. So, this type of spending is very much a red flag when you look at a form like this." 

"It would be misleading donors, as to what money that is being donated to the organization is being actually used for," he added. 

Philips said there should be more accountability in the nonprofit sector.  

"When these documents get submitted to the IRS, they should be going over them, and doing oversight, and holding organizations accountable. But because of some of the disarray happening in the federal government, there is probably things like this that is falling through the cracks," he said. 

The nonprofit's IRS 990 form shows that they generated more than $7.9 million in revenue, but also lost more than $642,000 between 2023 and 2024. 

"It definitely stands out, this allocation of money stands out, they're pretty stark to someone like me who has researched and is involved in nonprofit management," he said. 

CBS News Bay Area reached out to the nonprofit to see if they'd sit down with us for an interview, but Preston declined. 

"The issues in the tax filing that you are referring to are still being researched and final determinations have not been made at this time.  Accordingly, I am not at liberty to discuss these issues with the press at this time," she wrote in an email. 

Ecumenical Hunger Program has a board of directors to help oversee operations. In the tax filings, the nonprofit also noted that each member gets a copy of the document. 

"I find it curious that you got all these expenses, which is you know, an effort to be transparent. And there is this section on the tax return that noted that they did an independent audit, whatever that means. But at the same time, they are freely disclosing that they are engaging in these private benefit transactions, without context, it does look very suspect," Brotman said. 

Brotman is a tax defense and strategy attorney based in San Diego. 

"Over a million dollars of benefits that run through these things, you could pretty clearly see it on the tax filings. With that said, when you sign tax filings, they're signed under penalty of perjury, and somebody takes the overall responsibility for the content of return. So, I would think there is some level of ownership or knowledge over these are the things these are the financial transactions this charity engages in, and there are tax consequences of those," he said. 

CBS News Bay Area reached out to board chairman, Jim Anderson, for comment. He emailed back this statement: 

"I am not aware of any funds being used for personal matters by Ecumenical Hunger Program's Executive Director.  Ecumenical Hunger Program did administer a Family Sustainability Program that was started during COVID that provided financial assistance to families in need in our community.  This Program is no longer in existence.  The Board is researching and making determinations whether all the grants under this former Program were properly administrated, which I believe is what you are referring to in our tax filing.  Until the Board has finished its research and made the determinations it needs to make, I am unable to discuss this further."

He also clarified that the COVID program ended in June 2024. 

"Did they conduct an independent audit? That box is checked. But on the other side, you see things that are not common for, you think an organization that goes through an audit, that's a pretty substantial step. And this doesn't pass the test of what that usually looks like," Brotman said. 

We also reached out to the board treasurer who signed off on the documents, but did not hear back. 

Experts said that in past cases where wrongdoing was found in nonprofits, there were consequences. 

"Consequences in California, California corporations including nonprofit corporations are governed by the corporations code. So, when there are situations of self-dealing, the attorney general could get involved. There are sanctions associated with that, and there's charitable oversight arm within California," Brotman said. "They can conduct an audit, there are civil fines, penalties and sanctions that are commonly associated with these. Those are some of the examples on the state side. On the federal side, there are tax consequences to these transactions." 

CBS News Bay Area contacted the Attorney General's office, and a spokesperson responded back with this statement below.

"To protect their integrity, we are unable to comment on, even to confirm or deny, potential or ongoing investigations," the AG's office said.

"If you look at their form 990s from the previous year, it was one line item that said payment of personal expenses. And it had everything lumped into one. Which makes me want to ask the question, if that was broken out, how much will see of the employees' personal expenses?" Bell asked. 

On Saturday, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said the case involves a county resident believed to have been exposed to the disease during international travel. No further information about the individual is being released over medical privacy reasons.

Officials said the person was at SFO in the International Terminal, including passport control, customs and the international baggage claim area between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on June 8.

Later that day, the person was at the Trader Joes at 635 Coleman Avenue and the International Halal Market at 960 East Santa Clara Street, both in San Jose, between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Officials said anyone who may have been at the locations at the dates and times listed should review their immunization records to learn if they are protected against measles, to monitor symptoms for seven to 21 days and to avoid large gatherings.

Anyone who may develop symptoms is asked to call ahead to a medical facility to tell them about potential measles exposure. Common symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash, developing seven to 21 days after exposure.

In a video statement, health officer Dr. Sarah Rudman said the region has strong community immunity from measles.

"Because of our very high vaccination rates and folks who had measles decades ago before there was vaccine, we are very well protected as a community here in the Bay Area. And this becomes even more important during periods of international travel and large gatherings that we have this level of community immunity to protect ourselves and each other," Rudman said.

Health officials said two doses of MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles.

Collaborating with the Centers for Disease and Control and the California Department of Public Health, county health officials are working with the above locations and agencies to identify potential close contacts who were exposed to measles during the infectious period.

Students at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill designed and 3D-printed a new version of the vuvuzela, the loud plastic horn that became infamous during past international soccer tournaments.

The traditional vuvuzela has been loved by some fans and despised by others. This new version is called the "Pleasant Horn."

Ayomi Ikutiminu and other engineering students had just six weeks to design and print the horn. Ikutiminu, who will attend UC Irvine in the fall, even spoke with musicians about how to create a sound that would be less harsh than the vuvuzela.

"Inside of here, there's a balloon, which we used as a diaphragm," Ikutiminu said as he displayed the horn. "It's a lot smaller. This is about ten inches in length. It's not going to sound as loud as the vuvuzela does."

Trish Snowden, CEO of Visit Pleasant Hill, said that was exactly the point.

"It's a very different sound. It's pleasant," Snowden said.

Visit Pleasant Hill partnered with Diablo Valley College to help promote the city as a destination for fans visiting Northern California during the World Cup.

"A lot of these visitors aren't just coming for the game, they're coming to experience Northern California, and the Bay Area.  We want to make sure that Pleasant Hill is on their stop," Snowden said.

Students adjusted the design multiple times. The pieces for the first prototype took more than seven hours to print.

"I remember the vuvuzela being obnoxious," said Thom Martin of the Diablo Valley College Foundation. "I love the idea of making something that's a little more pleasant that can be part of a sports experience."

Snowden said the students succeeded.

"The new horn is amazing. They really did their job," she said.

A local 3D-printing company produced 50 of the horns for the city's World Cup kickoff celebration.

"We're just very happy we were able to build something that people can use and people can have fun using this," Ikutiminu said.

Visit Pleasant Hill is also buying tickets for Ikutiminu and some of the other students involved in the project to attend a World Cup game in Santa Clara. They plan to bring their Pleasant Horns into the stadium.

"We haven't seen these levels since 2020, May of 2020, so there's a lot of hesitancy out there about investing in their business with the current business climate," said Holly Wade, Executive Director of the NFIB Research Center. 

That's the situation for Steve Heckeroth. He founded Renewables Inc., a small company in Santa Rosa creating tiny electric remote-control tractors for agriculture. He has eight employees on the payroll, including Jaden Bass. 

Bass was hired 2 ½ years ago with zero experience in manufacturing.  But with a good work ethic and a lot of on-the-job training, he has become a valuable worker for the company. He said he didn't think he would have gotten the same opportunity with a large company.

"Absolutely, especially today," he said. "I think most of these businesses kind of filter people in ways that I don't think is really fair, necessarily.  And I think that working with the small business gives you an opportunity to kind of put yourself forward instead of just an AI screening you."

Heckeroth took a chance on Bass, and it paid off.

But since then, tariffs delivered a big blow for a while, and then the Trump administration removed all incentives for electrified technologies, putting the brakes on innovative ideas like the tractor, and the hiring of new workers at the company.

"We're in a position now where we could go full steam ahead if we could get some investment," Heckeroth said. "But the investors are really gun-shy of doing any investing in any new technology because it's not supported."

Heidi Pickman, with the small business support group, CAMEO Network, said the same thing is happening in small business sectors all across the country.

"The idea is that most small businesses have shorter cash runways and they feel the effects of the economic downturns before the larger businesses," she said. "They're the warning signals.  And we've been hearing them for over a year."

The hiring slump really matters right now, because government food benefits now carry a 20-hour per week work requirement. And soon it will apply to MediCalas well, as potentially a million Californians begin looking for work to maintain their coverage.  Bob Brownstein advocates for workers' healthcare with a group called Working Partnerships, USA.

"If you're working 15 hours a week and you're trying to find the extra five hours, you're not going to find the extra five hours at Intel or Cisco," he said. "You're going to find them at a small business.  If small businesses aren't hiring, you're not going to find those extra hours and you'll be denied health coverage."

Brownstein said he thinks that's the ultimate goal of the work requirements: to get people off the programs rather than putting them to work.  In Santa Clara County alone, 55,000 people are expected to lose their food benefits, and 129,000 will likely begin losing their MediCal coverage when its work mandate kicks in on January 1.  

His secret weapon? Katya Smirnoff-Skyy. Aunt Katya, if you will. She grabs their attention on social media, then Frank swoops in and closes the deal. And the best part? Smirnoff-Skyy doesn't take a commission, mostly because they're the same person.

A fixture on San Francisco's drag scene, Katya has taken her act off the stage and onto the market. With more than 200,000 followers, her house tour videos have become must-see real estate TV, part open house, part one-woman show.

"If I can get a property seen by 40,000 people, that's 40,000 people who hadn't seen it before," She said.

But Smirnoff-Skyy doesn't just happen. There's the eyeshadow. The lipstick. The Joan Crawford dress. And then the transformation.

"You pop on the hair and she becomes her," she said. "And then she's ready to do whatever it is she does."

Today's listing, 1220 Russia Avenue, a 1933 Spanish Mediterranean in San Francisco's up-and-coming Excelsior neighborhood. And while Smirnoff-Skyy gets them through the virtual front door, Frank takes it from there.

Marcus Dawson, a tech executive who'd already thrown in the towel on finding a home, stumbled onto one of Smirnoff-Skyy's videos and said something just clicked.

"It was a way of getting me re-engaged to see what was out there," he said.

As for whether Smirnoff-Skyy's flair might give some buyers cold feet, listing agent Adelaida Mejia of Vanguard Properties isn't losing any sleep over it.

"It showed me that he was willing to really put in an effort and that's a benefit whenever someone does something highly creative in the space," she said.

Workers along San Pedro Street are installing massive television screens ahead of what the city hopes will be the Bay Area's biggest viewing party, for all 104 matches over 39 days, free and open to the public. The celebration gets underway Thursday.

City officials are pointing to Super Bowl LX as a benchmark. The event generated an estimated $720 million for the Bay Area, and San Jose wants a comparable windfall this time around.

But the real test may fall on the businesses that line San Pedro Street.

Data from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute shows downtown San Jose has only recovered about 90% of its pre-pandemic foot traffic — a figure that has local business owners eager for a jolt.

"I think we deserve a little break around here after the pandemic," O'Flaherty's Irish Pub co-owner David Mulvehill said.

Mulvehill said he's deep in preparation mode. Summers are typically slow, according to the Irishman, with the Sharks season is over, and colleges are out of session. But this year, he's expecting something different.

"Our Mexican lager will probably be our biggest seller," Mulvehill said, also predicting a spike in his drop-shot cocktail, the Irish Car Bomb. "Whenever someone scores a goal, I think we're going to see the car bombs flying."

Foot traffic on San Pedro Street may also benefit from a new event zone ordinance that allows open containers on the street, sourced from any of the surrounding restaurants and bars — a perk San Jose Sports Authority Director John Poch says gives the corridor a distinct edge.

Mulvehill believes San Jose will claim a bigger share of World Cup spending than it saw during the Super Bowl. He said his Anheuser-Busch distributors told him national attention in the Bay Area is focused on San Jose, not San Francisco.

Poch agrees the city is uniquely positioned.

"San Jose, 40% of our residents are foreign-born," he said. "What city is better made to host the World Cup than the cultural diversity San Jose offers?"

Both men are encouraging locals and visitors to make the trip downtown.

According to the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, an inspection was conducted at the store on Blossom Hill Road in South San Jose on May 28. An inspector found rodent droppings in a location where dairy was stored along with pieces of food, which led to the immediate closure of the grocery section.

The grocery section was allowed to reopen the following morning, but additional droppings were found in an upstairs storage area. Officials said the facility would have to undergo a follow-up inspection on June 5.

Meanwhile, the Target on North Capitol Avenue in East San Jose was ordered to close its grocery section on Friday afternoon. An inspector said they found rodent droppings and chewed food packages on shelves "throughout" the food warehouse.

As of Wednesday morning, the grocery area remained closed.

"The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is Target's highest priority, and we've temporarily stopped selling food items at our San Jose Capitol store to allow for cleaning and sanitizing, following reports of pest activity in this location," a Target spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News Bay Area on Wednesday. "Additionally, we're working with the local health department to ensure the concern is addressed quickly."

The spokesperson went on to say, "We apologize for any inconvenience and invite our guests to visit our nearby store at 1750 Story Rd for food needs."

Last year, Santa Clara County health officials ordered the closure of a Whole Foods Market in Cupertino following a rodent infestation. The store located on Stevens Creek Boulevard reopened five months later.

El Al's San Francisco route is set to begin operations on Oct. 25, 2026, and will offer three weekly 15-hour flights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The outbound flight number from Israel will be LY49, as a nod to the San Francisco 49ers, the airline said in a press release.

Ticket sales opened Monday for the new flights on El Al.

Founded in 1948, El Al is the national airline of Israel and operates more than 50 weekly non-stop flights between the US and Israel. The new route is part of an expansion initiative by the airline, which includes the addition of eleven new destinations worldwide.

El Al said, during the upcoming winter season, it plans to operate 45 weekly flights to its six destinations in the United States: New York, Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The new route is designed to meet what El Al says it identified as a growing demand from the business and tech community and the Israeli community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"San Francisco is one of the world's most important centers for technology, innovation and business, with a large and influential Israeli community," said Shlomi Zafrani, El Al's vice president of commerce and sales.

The Israeli airline is working in partnership with Delta Air Lines so customers can make North American connections — and earn points from both providers. Tickets start at $1,299 for a round-trip Economy Class fare, which includes baggage and seat selection.  

Assembly Bill 1640, the "California Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act" by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) was approved on Tuesday. The bill prohibits the unauthorized sale or transfer of restaurant reservations for profit without the restaurant's consent.

Supporters say third-party resellers have used bots and other tactics in recent years to secure hard-to-get reservations at popular restaurants, then resell them online at much higher prices, often without the restaurant's knowledge.

Sponsored by the California Restaurant Association, the bill is intended to protect diners from deceptive markups and give restaurants, which already operate on thin margins, new tools to fight fake bookings, no-shows, and lost revenue.

AB 1640 builds on another bill, AB 1245, first introduced by Stefani last year, which sought to address the rise of reservation scalping in California.

"No one should have to pay a scalper for a dinner reservation that was meant to be free," Stefani said.

The newly updated bill will continue that work while adding a more specific regulation framework, including authorizing the Attorney General to bring enforcement actions against reservation resellers, with penalties of up to $1,000 for each illegal booking.

Restaurant reservation apps like OpenTable and Resy were among backers of the bill.

"OpenTable is proud to support this bill to help safeguard California restaurants from the harmful impacts of reservation fraud," said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable.

"This bill represents an important step toward preserving the integrity of the reservation process and creating a more reliable experience for both restaurants and diners," said Pablo Rivero, CEO of Resy and Head of American Express Global Dining.

The next stop for AB 1640 is the California State Senate for committee hearings.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit on Thursday against San Francisco-based Chrome Holding Co. for failing to protect customers' sensitive personal information, including heath data, genetic risk factors, biological relatives, ancestry, and ethnicity. 

In October 2023, 23andMe disclosed a security incident that the company originally said affected only about 14,000 accounts at the time. However, through the company's opt-in DNA Relatives feature, hackers were able to scrape the profiles of nearly seven million people connected to the breached accounts, including about 855,000 Californians.

Severity of 23andMe data breach unlike others 

While not the largest data breach in history, unlike other financial and identity data breaches that could be mitigated, genetic and ancestry data - including health information, DNA profiles, ethnicity and family tree details - cannot be replaced. 

Bonta said the company violated California law requiring that the information is kept safe and lied to consumers about the severity of the data breach. The breach was discovered after the data of about a million people was put up for sale on the dark web, touted as belonging to Asian American and Pacific Islanders and Jewish users.

"Our investigation found that the company failed to take basic steps to protect users' data - data including the sensitive personal information, family histories, and health conditions of consumers," said Bonta in a statement. "The sale of this data on the dark web took place amidst a period of mounting anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander and antisemitic hate and violence - and explicitly called attention to the deeply personal and identifying nature of that information.

23andMe data breach prompts lawsuits, bankruptcy

Multiple lawsuits against the company were filed across the U.S. in 2024 and consolidated into a federal lawsuit. In 2025, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, restructured and became known as Chrome Holding Co., with the federal lawsuit becoming intertwined with the settlement process tied to the Chapter 11 proceedings. The bankruptcy has also highlighted the concern over what could happen to users' genetic data if the company's assets are sold or transferred.

23andMe was the first and one of the largest direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies in the world. Customers sent their saliva samples to 23andMe for DNA analysis, which the company said allowed users to discover. 

Bonta said the company failed to take reasonable measures to protect its customers' most sensitive data, ignored known vulnerabilities in its systems, and failed to properly investigate or respond to numerous warnings that its systems had been compromised. 

Use of common passwords enabled 23andMe data breach

The breach began with hackers stealing weak or commons passwords from another geneology company it partnered with, MyHeritage, and using those passwords to access 23andMe accounts. The lawsuit claims that although 23andMe's data security team was aware of the MyHeritage breach, the company never checked for or prevented credential reuse, even after the MyHeritage data breach.

Before the breach, 23andMe touted its security practices as meeting the highest industry standards. The lawsuit claims that after the breach, the company tried to hide and downplay both the breach's severity and its responsibility for it. Bonta said 23andMe violated California's Genetic Information Privacy Act, Reasonable Data Security Law, False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

The lawsuit filed on Thursday is separate from another challenge by Bonta about the sale of Californians' genetic information and material in bankruptcy. Twenty-seven other states and Washington, D.C. are also challenging the legality of genetic data transfer during bankruptcy.

It wasn't until "The 1971 Shift" that the California Supreme Court ruled that the ban on women serving up cocktails was unconstitutional.

Sully's Marina Lounge is owned by Kevin and Deborah Sullivan. They say that between both of them combined, they have over 90 years of experience in the bar industry.

"I started bartending in 1979 in LA," Deborah Sullivan, owner of Sully's Marina Lounge said. "I went to UCLA. I was going to be a famous artist. Did not happen. So, I've been in the bar business ever since."

A lot has changed in the industry over the years.

"I wore a button-down Oxford shirt, a tie, khaki pants," she said. "We were dressed like men."

Now, in 2026, women are not only bartending, but they're also owners of popular watering holes. Brooke Janser is the co-owner of Horseshoe Tavern. She organized "The Equal Pour" event to celebrate women in the industry. Mayor Daniel Lurie even stopped by to recognize a legal milestone.

"It means a lot to show the city how integral women are in this industry," Janser said. "Having the 50-plus bars join in with us on this thing is pretty cool because it shows how many places are women-ran, women-owned, women-centric."

Janser had guest women bartenders on this night as part of the celebration. Those who worked behind the bar to achieve other career goals. While Janser says women are more accepted in the workplace now, there is still room for improvement.

"Equality in the workplace for women," she said. "Equal rights. Equal pay. Equal respect."

"The Equal Pour" was a city-wide celebration of women bartenders, but many say it's also a reminder of how important it is for women to keep fighting for equal rights.

"Oh, are you kidding me," Sullivan said. "We have so far to go. I mean, look what we're going through. It's like one step up, five steps back. That's how I feel but, in this business, I think we are on our way."

If all goes to plan, the vast expanse of the old Concord Naval Weapons Station will someday be 12,000 new homes, a development about the size of the neighboring community of Pleasant Hill.  

"And for the first time, we have an agreement between the city, our master developer, and the Navy, over how much we're going to pay the Navy for the 2,400 acres we're going to develop on the former Concord Naval Weapons Station," said base reuse director Guy Bjerke.

That's what the city was approving at their meeting Tuesday night. And they're not getting any discounts. When the project is complete, the Navy's total cut from the profits will be a cool $628 million.

"It's roughly a $7 billion project, with costs of about 5 billion and potential profits of about 2 billion," said Bjerke. "So, it's not an inconsequential project. But it will take 30 years and a lot of hurdles to get to those numbers."

But numbers that big come with big hurdles as well. And that's reflected in how long it's taken to get anything started. The project was conceived in 2010, and so far, not a shovel of dirt has been turned.

And the huge development project isn't helping Concord in meeting the state's housing mandates. The housing element is based on an eight-year cycle, and nothing is expected to be built in time to qualify.  

"Every time somebody says it takes two years, I just kind of go, 'That means five.'  If it's five, it means 10,'" said Councilmember Laura Hoffmeister.

And she said she's learned not to be too locked into any one plan. The city thinks they can begin putting in roads, water, power, and sewer beginning in 2030, with the first buildings being constructed in 2033. But the first stage of development is being planned for the area next to the North Concord BART station. And there is nothing secure about BART's future at this point.

"One of the scenarios in BART's plan is to close the North Concord BART station. And we're planning for transit-oriented development, without transit — Maybe?" Hoffmeister said.

She said planning is difficult when the world is changing so quickly, "Your plans have to be somewhat flexible. I think that's important. Don't get in one rut, and say, 'This is it. This is going to be the commercial space right here.  And this is what we're thinking it's going to be.'  Because that may be not what's existing in 10 years."

Under the deal, master developer Brookfield Residential, the city, and the Navy would all become partners in the development, sharing in the profits. So, there is a reason for everyone wanting it to succeed. But there are still a thousand things that could stall or derail any progress. 

Concord homeowner Pat Kray lives next to the property and wishes it will never happen. But as she looked out her backyard at the quiet, open land, she said she wasn't holding her breath.

"It's just like, you just take it for granted that nothing's going to happen," she said. "Then they bring it back up like this. But you know one time they bring it back up, something's probably going to happen. You've got to pay attention to it.  Then, it'll go away or it won't."

It probably isn't going away. Now, that the price has been settled, they can begin trying to plan the details of the project. But while the land isn't going anywhere, the economic landscape is constantly shifting underfoot.

Agriculture officials in Marin, Napa, Nevada and Solano counties issued a consumer alert "urgently asking residents to take immediate action" after glassy-winged sharpshooters were found on grapevines and citrus plants delivered to Costco stores. 

The Napa County Farm Bureau said in a press release that all life stages of the insect were detected on grape vine shipments from Fresno County-based Burchell Nursery to multiple counties, including Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo and other counties not named.

Marin Agricultural Commissioner Joe Deviney said in a press statement that Burchell Nursery was required by state quarantine laws to notify ag offices before shipping, "and that did not occur." 

"Costco is not at fault here, and they've been an exceptional partner throughout this process," Deviney added. "They acted quickly, cooperated fully, and helped us reach customers as fast as possible."

Costco was directly contacting customers who purchased affected plants within the timeframe, Deviney said.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a large leafhopper insect native to the southeastern United States. First detected in California in the late 1980s, it has since become one of the state's most significant agricultural threats for its role as a vector for a deadly plant bacterium that causes Pierce's disease which fatally dehydrates grapevines.   

"GWSS is a devastating pest for our local vineyards, and it is critical for us to track down any potentially affected plants purchased at Costco or brought into Napa County," Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Tracy Cleveland said in a press release.  

"Glassy-winged sharpshooters pose a serious and immediate threat to vineyards, agriculture, and backyard plants throughout Solano County and surrounding regions," Solano County Agricultural Commissioner Ed King said in a statement. "These insects spread the bacterium that causes Pierce's disease, which can kill grapevines and severely impact vineyards. Community cooperation is critical right now."

Officials urged anyone who recently purchased grapevines or citrus plants from Costco since April 21 to contact their county's Agriculture Department so staffers can contain and eliminate the threat. 

Residents were directed to place two garbage bags over grapevines to secure them tightly. For citrus plants, people were asked to contact the department to schedule an inspection. The department urged resident not to return, relocate, or give away the plants, and not place them in trash bins or compost containers. 

The glassy-winged sharpshooter flies higher and farther that native sharpshooters, and can thrive in commercial citrus orchards often planted right next to vineyards. The Xylella fastidiosa bacterium it spreads can also causes diseases in other major California crops such as almonds, alfalfa, peaches and plums, as well as a wide range of plants used in residential landscaping, according to University of California researchers. 

On Tuesday, the "Connect Bay Area" campaign announced that more than 305,000 signatures were submitted, far more than the 186,000 needed to qualify for the ballot. Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized the proposal last year.

"This is a resounding statement by Bay Area voters that they believe in the value of our regional transit systems and how important they are to keeping our region moving," said Libby Schaaf, former Oakland mayor and current president and CEO of the Bay Area Council.

Since January, more than 1,000 volunteers have gathered signatures in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

"This is the largest grassroots signature-gathering effort in the history of the Bay Area, and represents thousands of hours spent by people from all backgrounds and all corners of our five-county region to protect this thing—transit—that matters to millions of Bay Area residents," said Lian Chang of the campaign.

Supporters said the tax is needed as BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit and other agencies are facing looming deficits, as federal relief funding dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic runs out.

According to BART officials, structural deficits are expected to range from $350 million to $400 million per year beginning in Fiscal Year 2027. The agency has approved what they called an "Alternative Service Plan" that would close up to 15 of the system's stations, end daily service at 9 p.m. and make other cuts if the measure does not pass.

Meanwhile, Muni is facing annual deficits of $300 million beginning in July 2026.

If approved, a 0.5% sales tax will go into effect in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Meanwhile, the tax will be at 1% in San Francisco to provide additional support for Muni.

"Tailgating and piggybacking have happened at BART for all of its history," said BART PIO Alicia Trost. "Even with the old fare gates, people would still sneak in behind you."

That's costly to BART and unnerving to the customers, so Trost said they've been working on what seems like an obvious solution.

"It's just the door speed, right?  Let's just have the doors close and open faster," she said.  "So, they're going from 800 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds."

That's less than a third of a second faster, but BART is hoping it will be enough to make it uncomfortable to tag along on a fare. The new timing is being tested at gates in the Concord and Antioch stations, and while it's a little hard to notice the difference, rider Michael Kennedy said he has noticed the effect the new gates are having.

"People can't just shimmy out anymore," he said. "You've got to catch them slipping in or catch the gate open. That's the only time I really saw people slide through."

Kennedy admits he used to sneak in as a kid, "I was a kid, though, you know?  When you grow up, you've got to, you know, not go to jail." But he's also a realist about making sure people pay for their rides.

"I've always seen the benefits, and I've always seen the need for it," he said. "Whether it benefited my personal plan at the moment or not, was up to question. But I've always seen the pros and cons of it, per the establishment."

As part of that "establishment," Trost said they have also shortened the width of the floor sensors and switched off an AI camera that was keeping the door open longer after a person had passed through. That may all sound like nitpicking, but Trost said the impact has been astounding. They figure BART is gaining about $10 million per year because of the fare gates.  And she said it goes far beyond just the revenues.

"Just putting in these fare gates that make it harder to go in without paying has made the whole system literally better. Customer satisfaction: up. Ridership: up. Crime: down. Vandalism: down. Even things like sexual harassment, we're seeing plummet. And all if it is tied to the date the fare gates went in. It's quite remarkable. And the story's still unfolding. Like, we're still realizing the full benefits from it," Trost said.

Kennedy said he wasn't surprised. Still, he knows that whatever BART comes up with, it will never be easy having to deal with the public.

"I feel like society as a whole is, like, anything having to do with the public is a problem," he said. "It's always a problem, always a friggin' problem."

The changes do not require any new equipment, just software changes to the existing gates. Trost said the pilot program in Concord and Antioch has been successful, so they will begin making the switch at all the other stations, as well. They think it may take a few weeks to do that.

The biggest effects of inflation are usually felt in the smallest of businesses. Operating a food truck in Concord isn't likely to make anyone rich, but with the price of gas going ballistic, Ruben Hernandez was having a hard time even breaking even.

"Yeah, yeah, we have to raise the prices because it's a lot of, very expensive right now, the gasoline," he said. "Yeah, we used to fill it up, my truck, with maybe $90. Now I have to spend, like, $150, almost $160 for one tank. It's really, really hard to work like that."

It's tough raising prices on a food that is meant to be affordable, so what happens when you sell a premium product?  

"Concerned? Yeah, pretty concerned," said Coji Fujioka, manager at The Local Butcher Shop in Berkeley. 

These days there is nothing cheap about the meats the shop sells. Ground beef was selling for $16.50 per pound and ribeye steaks for $49.50 per pound. Fujioka said his vendors don't always say why the price is being raised, but he realizes it's important for his customers to know.

"Customers ask why our prices go up," he said. "Like, they're already high, the higher end, so if they go up a little more, it's like, well, we want to have a good reason for actually doing it."

The store is one of the last remaining butcher shops in the region, selling high-end grass-fed meats. Ironically, their business model has protected them from some direct sources of inflation. The store specializes in locally produced meats from within about 150 miles. So, Middle East wars and international tariff fights haven't had quite as much of an impact.

"Seems to be a benefit. Or at least it has provided some of that insulation," said Fujioka. "But that doesn't mean we're immune. And I think we have seen some impacts over the past six months, over the past three months."

The shop is an employee cooperative, which means it is owned by the workers. So, everyone working there has a direct interest in seeing it succeed. Fujioka said his customers seem to appreciate the high-quality standards and business ethic the shop practices. 

That's why Berkeley resident Maile Sherman has remained loyal to the store.

"You get better beef, yes," she said. "I don't buy as much, and I don't buy as often. But I keep the quality up."

Shane Franklin, chief technology officer with marketing firm Constant Contact, said even in hard economic times, people are willing to spend more money at a place they're emotionally connected to.

"It is about that relationship they're building with their customers," he said. "Because at the end of the day, it is about that relation, who's going to show up at their door, or go to their website, or purchase from them over somebody else. It is all about the relationship that they build."

Still, everyone is a worried about where the economy is headed. There's no escaping the pain of inflation. When consumers' buying power is lessened, everyone suffers. But it's usually the little guy who feels it first.

Musk, the world's richest man, is seeking Altman's ouster from the company leadership as part of a civil lawsuit accusing him of betraying their shared vision for OpenAI. Since its start as a nonprofit funded primarily by Musk, OpenAI has evolved into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

In the third week of the trial in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, neither of the tech titans has emerged as an overly sympathetic character. But nobody has more to lose than Altman.

Even if Musk loses the case, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman's leadership at a crucial time for the company and its competition with Musk's own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders. All three firms are moving toward planned initial public offerings that are expected to be some of the largest ever.

Under a barrage of questions by a lawyer for Musk, Altman said he did not agree with trial testimony that depicted him as dishonest.

"I believe I am an honest and trustworthy businessperson," Altman said.

A jury that's already heard about Altman's character from a parade of his former allies and adversaries will ultimately decide the verdict. But the repercussions could reverberate widely.

"This is not looking good for any of them, and I think that that's a little bit unfortunate for the AI industry at a time when the public perception of AI is quite negative and seems to be getting worse," said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute.

The lawsuit accuses Altman and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company's founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back. Musk is seeking an unspecified amount of money to be paid to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI's charitable arm.

While Musk, the head of SpaceX, Tesla and a slew of other companies, was well known by the San Francisco Bay Area jury pool, fewer knew who Altman was before the start of the trial, even if they were familiar with ChatGPT.

Since the start of the trial, testimony about Altman's turbulent tenure at OpenAI has become prime fodder for internet jokes. One piece of evidence that has inspired countless memes was a text exchange between Altman and a company officer, Mira Murati, in 2023 during his short-lived ouster as CEO, when Altman asked if things were moving "directionally good or bad" and she wrote back: "Sam this is very bad."

Jurors have heard from witnesses including OpenAI ex-board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, who spoke about the decision to fire Altman in 2023 before they were themselves ousted from the board of directors when Altman returned to his role.

In video testimony last week, Toner said a starting point for the decision to oust Altman was when OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, a respected AI scientist, reached out to confide some of his own concerns.

"A phrase we used was 'a pattern of behavior,' so no one single cause," Toner said. "The pattern of behavior related to his honesty and candor, his resistance of board oversight."

Sutskever was instrumental in the unsuccessful attempt to oust Altman but later said he regretted his role in the shakeup. In his own testimony Monday, Sutskever confirmed that he wrote a 2023 memo to OpenAI's board that characterized Altman as pitting his executives against one another and exhibiting a "consistent pattern of lying" that was causing a loss of trust and productivity.

He said he later backtracked and signed a letter supporting Altman's reinstatement to try to keep the company from being destroyed.

The trial has carried risks also for Musk, who is pursuing an initial public offering this summer for his rocket ship maker, SpaceX, which could make him the world's first trillionaire.

Sutskever testified to his early admiration for Musk as an entrepreneur but said that once they were working together as co-founders, Musk's push for a controlling stake in the startup "just felt aggressive to me."

OpenAI has brushed off Musk's allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that's aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk's own xAI, now part of SpaceX.

Altman and Musk both vied to be OpenAI's CEO in its early years. In his testimony Tuesday, Altman said he had concerns about Musk's attempts to gain more control over OpenAI, which was aiming to safely build a better-than-human form of AI called artificial general intelligence.

"Part of the reason we started OpenAI is we didn't think AGI could be under the control of any one person, no matter how good their intents are," Altman said.

He described what he called a "particularly hair-raising moment when my co-founders asked Mr. Musk about, well, 'If you have control, what happens when you die?'"

Altman said Musk's response was that maybe "control of OpenAI should pass to my children." Altman said he did not feel comfortable with that.

Altman said Musk was known to be "fairly mercurial" and only trusted himself to make the right decisions that were not obvious to others but which Musk believed would "turn out to be correct." Among the pressures on OpenAI were Musk's repeated attempts to have his car company Tesla absorb OpenAI, a proposal Altman said would not have aligned with OpenAI's mission.

Altman testified that OpenAI has ended up creating "through a ton of hard work, this extremely large charity" and sought to challenge Musk's contention that Altman had violated the nonprofit's original purpose.

"Mr. Musk did try to kill it, I guess twice," Altman added, before Musk's lawyer interrupted to object to Altman's remark. The judge struck it from the record.

Near the end of his testimony, Altman said he had thought incredibly highly of Musk during his early involvement with OpenAI, before things turned sour.

"I felt like he had abandoned us, not come through on his promises, put the company in a very difficult place, jeopardized the mission, didn't really care about the things I thought he cared about," Altman said. "It's been an extremely painful thing for me...to have someone that I respected so much not acknowledge that and continue to publicly attack us."

"When I look back at what we all said in 2015 and what we wanted to accomplish and we have accomplished, I think it's an incredible overall thing," Altman said, calling Musk a "critical contributor" to OpenAI early on.

He attributed Musk's leaving OpenAI and the ongoing conflicts to "jealousy, as we got more and more successful, in trying to beat us down as he was starting a competitor."

New data from real estate company Zillow shows Oakland home values have dropped more than 11% over the past year, adjusted for inflation, tying the city with Cape Coral for the largest decline in the nation.

The typical home in Oakland is now valued at about $716,000, according to Zillow.

Real estate agents say the market slowdown began after mortgage interest rates surged in 2022, making homes less affordable and cooling buyer demand.

"Oakland homes are sitting on the market longer and selling for less," said Beth Tehrani, a realtor with Redfin.

Tehrani said sellers are adjusting to a market that no longer resembles the rapid price growth prior to 2020. 

"Before, sellers had the same mentality as during COVID," Tehrani said. "But now they understand if they don't price it right, the property will be sitting on the market for a longer time."

Some homeowners say they are preparing for further uncertainty.

Frank, an Oakland homeowner who asked that his last name and address not be used until he formally lists his home, is renovating his property in the southern Oakland Hills and says he is prepared to wait out the market if prices continue to fall.

"Let's say hypothetically the bottom falls out of the market within the next month or so," Frank said. "I can sit for a year and just wait."

Real estate agents and analysts say concerns about crime, a struggling downtown and changing buyer preferences have also weighed on the market.

Some neighborhoods are being hit harder than others.

Downtown Oakland and condo-heavy neighborhoods have experienced some of the sharpest declines, while wealthier areas such as Rockridge and Temescal remain competitive, with some homes still drawing multiple offers.

"The condo market downtown is really suffering," Tehrani said. "Most of the properties are condos and were built before COVID, and a majority of them are just sitting more than 90 days."

A home near Lake Merritt was sold late last year at a loss of about $150,000 after the previous owner feared values would continue to decline.

Despite the downturn, some homeowners remain optimistic that desirable neighborhoods within Oakland will continue to attract buyers.

"I've seen a lot of houses go on the market," Frank said. "The ones that are selling are selling at good prices."

Housing experts say that while buyers may have more negotiating power in some parts of Oakland, elevated mortgage rates continue to keep monthly payments out of reach for many would-be homeowners.

According to Zillow data, Oakland home values have fallen nearly 30% since 2019 when adjusted for inflation.

On Wednesday, City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit against the Corner Store on 401 Eddy Street. Chiu's office is seeking to shut down the store for one year in addition to damages.

"The Corner Store didn't just promote drug activity – it became the drug dealer," Chiu said in a statement Thursday. "Families and minors rely on convenience stores, and we will not tolerate a store that that sells drugs. We are asking the Court to protect the community, shut this store down immediately, and level the playing field for law-abiding small businesses."

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents the neighborhood, said, "For too long, a small number of bad actors have exploited the Tenderloin's most vulnerable residents while evading real consequences. When a corner store turns into a hub for drug activity, it undermines the safety and dignity of the entire neighborhood."

According to Chiu, between Mar. 2023 and Nov. 2025 police officers were called at least 12 times for reports of theft, vandalism, physical altercations and arrests in and around the business.

Following complaints by the community, Chiu said an undercover operation in Apr. 2024 by the city's Department of Public Health (DPH) found an illegal flavored tobacco vape. After additional complaints, San Francisco police, DPH and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration conducted an inspection last November.

During the inspection, investigators said they found 48.1 grams of methamphetamine, nearly five pounds of cannabis and illegal tobacco products. A "ghost gun," digital scales, small plastic baggies and hundreds of glass pipes used to smoke methamphetamine and crack cocaine were also found at the store.

"Its continued operation is a nuisance that threatens the health and safety of the neighborhood and the well-being of those who live and work in the area, as well as the general public," the lawsuit said.  

A CBS News Bay Area photographer stopped by the Corner Store on Thursday afternoon and found the doors locked.

According to Chiu's office, one of the owners of the Corner Store is an owner of the SF Discount Market, also located in the Tenderloin. In Oct. 2024, Chiu sued the SF Discount Market for allegedly operating as an illegal gambling den, hosting a fencing operation and fueling drug activity.

The court ordered the SF Discount Market to close while the lawsuit is ongoing.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the NFL schedule has not been finalized.

The game will be aired in primetime in the United States at 8:35 p.m. ET and 5:35 p.m. PT on Sept. 10. Melbourne is 14 hours ahead of New York and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles and San Francisco, meaning it will kick off at 10:35 a.m. the next day in Australia.

The matchup between the NFC West rivals is one of nine international games the NFL will play this upcoming season, and the first one in Australia.

Reigning AP NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and the Rams will be the home team for the game after it split the season series with Brock Purdy and the 49ers last season.

The league previously announced that the kickoff game, where the Seattle Seahawks will begin defense of their Super Bowl title, will be played on Sept. 9. The opponent has not been announced.

The NFL could opt for an immediate Super Bowl 60 rematch since New England is scheduled to visit Seattle. Last season, the Super Bowl 59 rematch between Philadelphia and Kansas City took place on Week 2.

It is the second time the season has opened on Wednesday. In 2012, the New York Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys in order to avoid a schedule conflict with President Barack Obama speaking on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

The NFL is still finalizing the schedule, but it is expected to be announced next week. League officials would like to get it wrapped up by the weekend since network upfronts start on Monday. Typically, the networks announce one of its showcase games during upfronts to advertisers.

Netflix, which has aired games on Christmas Day the past two seasons, could also be in the mix for games on the night before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The streamer also has two games again on Christmas.

The proposed changes by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District would affect the cost of replacing furnaces and water heaters across all nine Bay Area counties, drawing both support and criticism.

Under rules adopted in 2023, only zero-nitrogen oxide water heaters would be sold starting in 2027, followed by air heaters in 2029 and larger commercial systems in 2031.

Homeowners would not be required to remove existing appliances. The rules would apply only when systems need to be replaced, effectively phasing out gas-powered units over time.

Supporters say the move is necessary to reduce air pollution and combat climate change.

"We think this is critical for moving everybody in the direction of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change," said Ken Strong of the Marin Conservation League.

The district estimates it would cost about $3,500 more to install an electric heat pump water heater compared to a natural gas model.

Regulators are now considering one-time exemptions for lower-income households, homes that require major electrical upgrades and buildings that cannot accommodate electric systems.

Opponents argue the policy could create a financial burden for homeowners and small businesses.

"It's been dismal, the outreach that they've done, and this law affects everyone," said Johnny Khamis, president of the Silicon Valley Business Alliance. "Everybody has a water heater at their house, whether they rent or own."

The organization represents small businesses, including landlords, and says the transition could lead to higher costs even with rebates.

"The business community has felt like they're at war with elected officials," Khamis said. "They keep passing laws that affect business in one way or the other."

Regulators estimate up to 38% of homeowners could qualify for exemptions under the proposal.

Environmental groups say exemptions are appropriate for those who need them but warn against delaying or reversing the rules entirely.

"We think it's a health issue, and delaying this rule-we don't see clear reasons why it should be delayed in its entirety," Strong said.

The proposed rules would not apply to gas stoves or ovens.

The air district board is expected to take up the exemption proposal Wednesday.

According to a report from commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield, about 38 percent of downtown Oakland office space sat empty in the first quarter of the year. That lack of workers and visitors has created significant challenges for businesses that rely on steady foot traffic.

Among them is Coco Noir, a wine shop and bar that will soon close its doors after three and a half years in business.

"I have to close the doors on July 5. I cannot sustain it anymore. Downtown right now, very low foot traffic," said owner and sommelier Alicia Kidd.

Oakland has earned national recognition for its food scene, with Condé Nast Traveler magazine naming it the best food city for the past two years. Still, business owners said downtown has struggled to draw consistent crowds.

Kidd, an Oakland native, said she worked long hours and tried creative ways to bring people in, but it wasn't enough to overcome the broader economic challenges.

"I can only throw so many events. It's dead downtown. We have to get more foot traffic. We have to create more engagement," she said. "I had plans. I wanted to do something with the World Cup, meaning host block parties. I had big plans. But if I'm not able to sustain and get support from my city. Retention, we need retention programs from our city."

Business owners said the absence of office workers and tourists has forced them to rely heavily on a smaller base of loyal customers.

Some describe the current conditions as a lingering "pandemic-era economy," and are urging city leaders to invest more in events and initiatives that attract visitors.

"The city of Oakland, I feel, is losing a gem," Kidd said. "This business is more than wine. It's about community. It's about the jobs."

City officials acknowledged the challenges, but said progress is being made.

Councilmember Carroll Fife said while crime has decreased significantly, public perception has yet to catch up.

"It is not the role of government to subsidize a private business, right? We have our own internal challenges that we're working through with the City of Oakland," Fife said. "I want all businesses to thrive. And at the same time, it's difficult to make sure every single business that goes into becoming an entrepreneur is a successful entrepreneur. What we're doing is partnering with the Chamber. We're partnering, as City of Oakland, with other organizations like Visit Oakland to bring attention to the businesses."

Mayor Barbara Lee struck a similar tone, emphasizing both the city's difficulties and its potential.

"Yes, we have our challenges, but we also have our opportunities," Lee said. "So I'm trying to get people to understand that we've got to do both, deal with the challenges, but also have a vision and know that the opportunities are vast and great."

For Kidd, however, that vision will no longer include Coco Noir.

"I'm just really, really sad about this," she said. "You have to remove emotion. You have to look at your business. And for myself and for my sanity, I just want to be at peace."

Coco Noir's final day of business will be on July 5. Kidd said she hopes to serve her loyal customers one last time before taking a break to reassess her next steps.

Chris Larsen, co-founder of Ripple and head of the Clean Break Fund, is pushing for changes to the way California manages its commercial Dungeness crab season. In recent years, the season has been delayed from its traditional mid-November start to as late as January in an effort to reduce whale entanglements, cutting into what fishermen say is their most profitable time of year.

For fishermen like Casey Crowl, the shorter season has taken a toll.

"It's a reduction. It means that you've got to just work that much harder," Crowl said.

What was once a six-to eight-month season is now compressed to about four months, with this year's season ending on April 30 for fishermen who use conventional equipment.  Fishermen can continue crabbing through June 30 by using newly approved, whale-safe pop-up gear.

Missing the holiday demand window has significant financial consequences for the industry.  Larsen said the timing of the season is critical not just culturally, but economically.

"They're missing the critical November, December season, which is also super important for San Franciscans that enjoy that for Thanksgiving and Christmas," Larsen said. "From an economic point of view, that's 90% of the season, 90% of the revenue.  It's when all the demand is. That's when the crabs are out there. And we've missed that now for six years in a row."

Larsen has brought the issue to South Bay congressmen Sam Liccardo and Ro Khanna, who are now co-sponsoring a whale protection bill. The proposal would establish a whale monitoring desk at the San Francisco Coast Guard station to provide real-time tracking of migrating whales, allowing fishermen to avoid high-risk areas.

"I think we've got to try some of the drone technology. If we can spot... 'Hey, here's a whale. Hey crabbers, stay away from this area while these whales are coming by,'" Larsen said.

If the legislation fails, Larsen said he is prepared to fund a legal challenge to current regulations.

"When November 15th comes, we want to see these boats out there. We want to see the whales protected. We can absolutely do both," he said.

But marine conservation experts caution that the issue is more complex.

"When we had the fishery open in those late fall months in November, December, those years we saw a lot of entanglements happen, and so the closures have been put in place to reduce the entanglements," said Geoff Shester PhD, Oceana's senior scientist and fishery innovation director.

State regulators have begun allowing the use of pop-up, or ropeless, fishing gear to help extend the season while reducing risks to whales. But some fishermen said newer pop-up gear is not a viable option for everyone, particularly those with smaller boats or limited crew, leaving them reliant on traditional equipment and vulnerable to ongoing restrictions. Shester said broader collaboration and innovation will be necessary.

"We haven't gotten a chance to talk with Mr. Larsen yet. I think we, and a number of folks who have been innovating, would be very excited to have a conversation about taking that to the next step, because ultimately, I miss having crab at Thanksgiving too," he said.

Many fishermen said they support efforts to protect whales but also want to preserve their livelihoods.

"We have to fight back through the legal system. And as independent fishermen, that's very difficult. It's hard to get everybody organized. So, we're happy to get the help," said John Barnett, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association.

Larsen echoed that frustration.

"Beyond frustrating. It really was just grossly unfair to some of the least politically powerful people you'll ever find," he said.

Crowl said he hopes a compromise can be reached soon.

"We've got to keep persevering and moving forward," he said.

The study compared 1,334 cities nationwide, with a population between 25,000 and 100,000 residents. Officials said the best small city to start a business is St. George, Utah, and they had come to this conclusion based on business environment, access to resources and business costs. 

 "There's some truth to that. Pacifica is cut off, and it's probably the worst place for a startup or tech company or something like that," Robby Bancroft, the owner of The Shore Shack in Pacifica, told CBS News Bay Area. "But a small hometown restaurant, it's almost like the best."

Bancroft and his father opened up the restaurant five months ago, a risk he said was worth taking in his quaint hometown. 

"It's like a dream come true, you're literally standing in something that we dreamed of," said the Pacifica native, who has been selected as the 2026 Small Businessperson of the Year for the San Francisco District of the Small Business Administration. 

"I love my community," he added. 

Archie Judan, the president of the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, said that the city serves a different type of population. 

"I mean it's a beach town. It's quiet, it's where CEOs who work in Palo Alto, they go to escape from, to decompress," Judan said. "Not really focusing on how to create a business or create a name brand that they could actually bring to the market and pursue an IPO." 

He added, "A huge brand awareness campaign really needs to focus on a lot more Pacifica truly as a visitor serving city. It is good to really identify a lot of the good aspects, we have access to the beach." 

Judan said there are about 3,000 active businesses filed in Pacifica, and hopes that the city and entrepreneurs can collaborate more in the future. 

"Being able to maintain a consistent revenue stream that can make the city more economically viable, and that is a domino effect of how successful our local businesses," Judan said. "And that is going to be focused more on a lot of the local support that we get from our residents."

City leaders said that with a new economic development workplan, they hope to keep small businesses open while also attracting new ones with more streamlined planning and permitting guidelines.

"I don't think it's productive to rank any community as the worst of anything. I think it overlooks the critical issues that Pacifica is facing on a day-to-day basis," Pacifica City Councilmember Mary Bier said. "We are a seaside town, so we are heavily regulated by California agencies. We have sea level rise, fire hazards, erosion. And the community that hasn't wanted any development or change, right? And so, we're dealing with those things every day." 

Bier added, "One thing like a single ranking doesn't show is the heart of my community. And the Pacifica community is amazing. We come together all the time, we support each other's families.

The WalletHub study also showed that of the 1,334 small cities ranked, the bottom 10 are all from the Bay Area: just in front of Pacifica in reverse order: Danville, Castro Valley, Saratoga, Belmont, Morgan Hill, Martinez, Brentwood, Los Gatos, and San Carlos. The highest-ranked small city in the Bay Area was Walnut Creek at No. 891, while the highest-ranked in California at No. 160 was Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County.

Interim City Manager Yulia Carter and City Economic & Housing Manager Gretchen Heckman sent a joint statement on behalf of the city:

The City of Pacifica is deeply committed to supporting a resilient local economy in a way that reflects our community - supporting our businesses, serving our residents, and maintaining the quality of life. Our goal is not just economic activity, but a healthy, vibrant community where people want to live, work, and spend time. 

Rankings like the WalletHub report can be a useful data point, but they do not fully capture the conditions that drive business success in a community like Pacifica. The methodology relies heavily on cost-based and generalized national metrics, which tend to favor lower-cost markets. While affordability is one factor, it does not necessarily translate to stronger long-term business outcomes.

Many of the factors used in the ranking, such as commute times, labor markets, access to capital, and state-level tax structures, are regional or market-driven and largely outside of a city's direct control. Applying these criteria uniformly across evaluated communities can create a limited view of local economic conditions.

Pacifica is also part of a larger regional economy, with proximity to San Francisco and Silicon Valley. That "destination of choice" benefit brings access to talent, customers, and overall strong regional economy for businesses that choose to locate here, which is not captured in this one size- fits-all national ranking. What the ranking also does not reflect is the work happening at the local level. 

The City Manager's Office recently approved, and is actively implementing an Economic Development Workplan that focuses on supporting and retaining our businesses, thoughtfully attracting new ones, and making it easier to navigate City processes by streamlining planning and permitting requirements. We are also working to better connect our small business community with county, regional, and state resources and provide technical assistance so they can thrive. We are not trying to be the cheapest place to do business, we are focused on being a place where businesses can truly belong and succeed. That means building strong partnerships, reducing barriers where we can, and being responsive to the needs of our local business community, while preserving our coastal identity and charm that make Pacifica unique. 

As for Bancroft, he said he is looking forward to the future of working more with the city. 

"Bringing housing to Pacifica and also saving the economy at the same time. So, we're out 5 to 10 years, I hope to see some of these things solved in my lifetime," he said. 

Bancroft said to be ranked the worst isn't the best feeling, but he is hoping that some publicity from this rating can encourage others to come check out the charm of this quiet beachy town. 

"I would encourage people to visit Pacifica. And then I would encourage locals to keep your dollars local as much as possible," Bancroft said. 

On Tuesday, SFO announced the launch of the SFO Gate Explorer program, in which airport visitors without a plane ticket can apply for a pass to be permitted through the security line. Participants would be subject to the same security procedures as ticketed passengers and would need a Read ID or passport to go through security.

Applications for a Gate Explorer pass can be made on the same day of an airport visit and up to 30 days in advance, SFO said in a press release. Other airports across the country have similar programs, which have become increasingly popular as a nostagic slice of travel before 9/11, as well as a vehicle to increase the number of people spending money inside the terminals. 

"Airports are about bringing people together, and this program creates so many new ways for friends and family to connect, whether on arrival, departure, or even a long layover," said Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet in a prepared statement. "This also allows a new audience to enjoy all the shopping, dining, artwork, museum exhibitions and amenities that make SFO so special."

The airport said the number of passes granted per day would be limited to avoid impacting wait times for traveling passengers at security checkpoints.  

SFO is the second Bay Area airport to offer a program allowing for family and friends of flying passengers to see them off or welcome them at the gate. Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport launched its OAK Guest Pass program in December. Other airports in California with guest pass programs include San Diego (SAN), Orange County (SNA), and Ontario (ONT).

The universal practice of visitors accompanying airport passengers to the gate ended abruptly following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, which led to the creation of the Transportation Security Administration and mandatory security checkpoints, along with secure "sterile" areas of airports where only ticketed passengers are allowed. 

In 2017, Pittsburgh International Airport was the first U.S. airport to allow non-fliers to have access beyond security since 9/11. Currently, at least 20 U.S. airports offer a visitor pass program. 

"I was very dispirited. I'm really concerned about the future of San Francisco," Shereck said. 

Shereck says the neighborhood will try to find some middle ground.

"Given what we can suggest at this point would probably be considering the color of the tower, covering up exposed wires, trying to make the antenna somewhat less obvious in the community," Shereck said. 

The bickering billionaires' appearances at the Oakland, California, federal courthouse foreshadow the start of a legal drama that is expected to brim with intrigue and potentially embarrassing details about the two tech moguls. Musk filed the lawsuit against Altman and Brockman along with Microsoft over its investments in OpenAI, in 2024.

"Fundamentally, I think they're going to try to make this lawsuit...very complicated, but it's actually very simple," Musk said. "Which is that it's not OK to steal a charity."

The jury was selected Monday and the trial is scheduled to take three weeks.

Opening statements began with Musk's attorney, Steven Molo, who quoted OpenAI's mission statement when it was created as a nonprofit for the benefit of humanity as a whole and not constrained by the need to generate financial enrichment for anyone.

Altman and his top lieutenant Brockman, aided by Microsoft, "stole a charity," Molo said, "a charity whose mission was the safe, open development of artificial intelligence."

In the civil lawsuit, Musk accuses Altman and Brockman of double-crossing him by straying from the San Francisco company's founding mission to be a steward of a revolutionary technology. He is seeking damages and to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI's charitable arm and Altman's ouster from OpenAI's board.

OpenAI has brushed off Musk's allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that's aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk's own xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor.

In his opening statement, OpenAI lawyer William Savitt told jurors "we are here because Mr. Musk didn't get his way with OpenAI."

Savitt said Musk used his promises to provide funding to bully OpenAI founding members and tried to take control of OpenAI and merge it with Tesla. In fact, he said Musk wanted to form a for-profit company and own more than 50% of it. In the middle of discussions about OpenAI's future, he added, Musk pulled the plug on $5 million quarterly donations he was making.

There is no record, Savitt said, of promises made to Musk that OpenAI was going to remain a nonprofit forever, or open-source everything. What Musk ultimately cared about, he said, was not OpenAI's nonprofit status but winning the AI race with Google.

Molo said the case is not about Musk, but rather Altman, Brockman and Microsoft.

By 2017, about two years after OpenAI's founding, it became clear that OpenAI would need more money, and Molo said the founders eventually settled on the idea of creating a for-profit arm of OpenAI that would support the nonprofit. Terms were capped for investors so they "couldn't make infinite profit."

"There is nothing wrong with a nonprofit having a for-profit subsidiary, but (it) has to advance the mission," Molo said.

Microsoft initially invested $2 billion in OpenAI. Then, in 2022, news spread that OpenAI had done a deal with Microsoft and "this was a horse of a completely different color," he said. It was a "gamechanger," Molo said, that violated "every commitment" OpenAI made not just to Musk but to the world. It was no longer open source, it became a for-profit company for the benefit of the defendants and Microsoft was going to have control, through licensing, of much of its intellectual property, Molo said.

After opening arguments wrap up, testimony will begin with Musk's side presenting a tale chock full of alleged betrayal, deceit and ambition that caused OpenAI to pivot from its founding mission as an altruistic startup to a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

Musk, the world's richest person with an estimated fortune of $778 billion, is among the witnesses who will testify during the trial.

Altman, OpenAI's CEO, is also expected to testify, along with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, one of the technology leaders who helped fund the late 2022 release of ChatGPT, the chatbot that unleashed the current AI boom that has propelled the stock market to record heights.

Altman's court appearance likely made him unavailable to attend an Amazon event across San Francisco Bay on Tuesday at which both companies announced an expanded partnership.

"I wish I could be there with you in person today," Altman told attendees of Amazon's event in San Francisco via a prerecorded video message. "My schedule got taken away from me today."

Officials in both cities announced Tuesday that a settlement has been reached and both parties will drop their respective lawsuits.

"When more visitors come to the Bay Area, our entire region benefits. San Francisco cares deeply about the success of all of our Bay Area airports and tourist destinations," San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement. "We are pleased that we could come to a mutual resolution that accomplishes Oakland's goals while still protecting the San Francisco International Airport® trademark."

In April 2024, the Port of Oakland renamed OAK to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport". At the time, the airport said the change was prompted by a lack of "geographic awareness" among out-of-town visitors about where Oakland is located and to boost airport traffic.

Following the port's decision, officials in San Francisco filed a lawsuit alleging the name infringed on the trademark held by San Francisco International Airport. A federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Port of Oakland, which led the port to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Soon after, the Port of Oakland renamed the airport again to the current "Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport." At the time, San Francisco officials raised objections to the second renaming.

Under the settlement agreement, Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport must ensure that "San Francisco" does not appear more prominent than "Oakland" in displays or marketing materials. Oakland is allowed to use "San Francisco" or "San Francisco Bay" when referring to a geographic location, for example "the airport is convenient to San Francisco."

The airport in the East Bay will retain OAK as its International Air Transport Association (IATA) code and has agreed not to change to one with "SF" in the name.

Just this week, Meta announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs, about 10% of its workforce. It's the latest in a string of layoffs that have swept through the sector.

So far this year, tech companies have issued more than 92,000 layoffs, according to Layoffs.fyi, a website that has tracked industry job cuts since the pandemic. In total, roughly 900,000 tech positions have been eliminated since 2020.

Employment experts said the result is an intensely competitive job market, even as broader unemployment rates remain relatively low, at 5.4% in California.

For workers like Alejandra Hernandez, the impact has been deeply personal. Hernandez was among the thousands laid off by Meta in November 2022. She said the experience was jarring.

"We were the first round of layoffs," she said.

In a TikTok video posted shortly after losing her job, she described the emotional toll.

"I was part of the Meta layoffs this morning. And I am still processing what that means," said Hernandez in the video. "I feel like this is just so surreal and I don't even know what to do with myself."

She said she believed her position was secure at the time.

"You have a high-paying salary. You have phenomenal benefits. I thought I was going to be at Meta forever. I was a lifer. I was never going to leave Meta," said Hernandez.

The Bay Area native later found another job with a tech company in Utah, only to be laid off again last August. After six months of searching for another role in tech without success, she shifted her focus to running her wedding planning business full-time.

"The job market is so unstable right now. And the long-term unemployment is so high that you could be looking at six to 12 months of unemployment," Hernandez said.

Experts said her experience is increasingly common, as waves of laid-off workers compete for a limited number of openings.

"I haven't seen anything like this in, as I say, more than 45 years in the field," said Michael Bernick, a labor and employment expert and former head of California's Employment Development Department. "Even though our unemployment rate is not that high. It's just so competitive to get any job these days."

Bernick is now a legal counsel with the Duane Morris law firm.  He said several factors are driving the trend, including over-hiring during the pandemic and companies shifting investments toward artificial intelligence.

"Part of it is still the residual over-hiring that was done during the pandemic. And part of it is AI taking some of the tasks over, and part of that is companies investing in AI, and thus pulling back on other investments, including in personnel."

Recruiters said job seekers need to be strategic and proactive.

Jeanette Larkin of Santa Cruz Staffing, who has more than 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent acquisition, emphasized the importance of networking in a crowded field.

"Volunteer with something that you're passionate about, whether it's a food bank, a soup kitchen, animals, tutoring, you are not only going to keep your communication skills going and fresh. It's going to feed your soul. You are going to just help so much where it's needed. And you're going to meet other people. And you know what? Finding a job is all about connecting, right?" said Larkin.

She also recommends attending or volunteering at local chamber of commerce events to build connections with potential employers.

For Hernandez, she's open to eventually returning to tech, even as she builds her own business.

"I do keep a pulse on the job market because I don't want to be self-employed forever. I don't think this is my end game, my long-term goal."

In an announcement on April 16, the Food and Drug Administration said Loard's Ice Cream of San Leandro issued a voluntary recall of all products sold in retail-sized packaging.

The ice cream was distributed to the company's parlors in Northern California and sold in storefront freezers. Products were sold in 32-ounce paper containers and 56 ounce plastic cups.

"People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, or wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products," the agency said in a statement.

The FDA listed more than 40 flavors of ice cream and sherbet that are subject to recall, including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, mango, rocky road and coconut pineapple, along with seasonal flavors such as eggnog and pumpkin. Officials said the recall was prompted following an inspection by the agency.

Officials said no illnesses have been reported.

Consumers are urged to return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund or a replacement with updated packaging.

The FDA urged consumers who have questions to contact Loard's by emailing hello@silvermoonfoods.com or by calling 415-547-0520 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.