The following our headlines discussed during the WTF California podcast for the week of March 29-April 2 where Kenny and Mike discuss. All of these articles were talked about during this weeks shows. If you want to listen, be sure to subscribe.
Monday, March 29
Tuesday, March 30
- Protest criticizes Danville police for Tyrell Wilson shooting
Dozens turned out for a march and rally in Danville to honor a man recently shot and killed by law enforcement. The march began close to where 32-year-old Tyrell Wilson’s life ended, near the Park and Ride lot on Sycamore Valley Road and Camino Ramon.
- Basic Income Programs in Marin County and Oakland Exclude White People. Is That Legal?
The answer mostly hinges on how much the government is involved. Basic income pilot programs are proliferating throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The goal is to empower poor families with unconditional cash grants. But there’s a catch: You aren’t eligible if you’re white. - California’s election rules could make a Newsom recall a wild ride
There is very little set in stone for a recall election in which voters could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office beyond the ballot’s basic question of whether the governor should keep his job. Recall elections have been the electoral equivalent of a comet making its way through the solar system. Of the 55 attempts in California history to qualify a gubernatorial recall, only one, the dismissal of then-Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, has made it to the ballot. That is likely to change by year’s end, as backers of the effort to oust Newsom are on the verge of triggering a special statewide election this fall. - CDC director warns of “impending doom” as COVID cases increase
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky went off script at a briefing Monday and made an emotional plea to Americans not to let up on public health measures amid fears of a fourth wave. - Study: Media Reported Only Bad COVID News (Until Trump Lost)
Researchers at Dartmouth College and Brown University did a content analysis of tens of thousands of COVID-19 news stories to look at the levels of negativity. What they found was that 87% of the stories published by the top 15 news sources in the country were negative in tone. That compares with 50% of international news sources, and 64% for scientific journals. They also found the mainstream media were 25 percentage points more likely to be negative than more general U.S news sources. - Gloria announces policy changes to homeless encampment cleanups
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Mayor Todd Gloria Monday announced a number of changes to polices governing how the city intends to handle homeless encampments and unsheltered people’s belongings. The changes are aimed at providing transparency and consistency to reduce negative impacts of city sidewalk-cleanup activities on people experiencing homelessness. - New bill aims to prevent use of pepper spray in juvenile detention centers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – A new bill being proposed may end the use of pepper spray in all juvenile detention centers across California. Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility officials told FOX40 Sunday that pepper spray is used by every one of their assistant probation officers. - Man convicted of helping brother who killed Newman police officer sentenced to 21 months in prison
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A man convicted for helping his brother escape to Mexico after killing Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh in 2018 was sentenced in federal court on Monday. Mendoza was found guilty in October 2019 of conspiring to aid and abet Paulo Virgen Mendoza’s flight to avoid prosecution for Cpl. Singh’s murder, along with Erick Quiroz Razo, 28. - Jack London had racist ideas. It’s time to rename the square
The Jack London I learned about in grade school was a seafaring adventurer. High school teachers taught me about his prolific pen and penchant for weaving together intoxicating descriptions of elemental sensations. It wasn’t until adulthood that I realized London was more complicated than his reputation. While he was noted for being a progressive socialist, London was also adept at dystopian race-baiting and published horribly xenophobic prose, including about Asian people. Some of his writing also revealed an affinity for white supremacy. - California members of Congress want wildland firefighter jobs to become year-round
California’s U.S. senators and nearly two dozen representatives asked the Agriculture and Interior departments on Monday to transition their agencies to a year-round wildland workforce because blazes are no longer limited to traditional fire seasons. The move would require reclassifying more seasonal federal firefighter positions as permanent, said a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. - Citrus Heights home for sale receives 122 offers in one weekend, sells in 3 hours
CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (KTXL) — A Citrus Heights home in a quiet cul-de-sac received 122 offers in one weekend on the market. The 1,400 square feet home has three bedrooms, two baths and a spacious backyard with a swimming pool and an asking price of $399,900. - February 2021 Hottest Housing Markets
Smaller outlying markets continued to rise in the rankings in February. Affordability continues to be a driver of demand as spillover markets dominate our list of the hottest housing markets. Realtor.com’s Market Hotness rankings take into account two aspects of the housing market: 1) market demand, as measured by unique viewers per property on realtor.com, and 2) the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active on realtor.com. - Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years, NASA assures
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Whew, now here’s some good cosmic news: NASA has given Earth the all-clear for the next century from a particularly menacing asteroid. The space agency announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out any chance of Apophis smacking Earth in 2068.
Wednesday, March 31
- Two recent in-custody deaths put spotlight on Antioch police as city pushes reforms
ANTIOCH, Calif. – When Angelo Quinto’s family came forward in February with revelations of the young man’s death during a Christmastime police encounter in Antioch, it stunned the community. - 2 Stockton officers fired for excessive force during teen’s arrest; Parents call for prosecution
Two police officers have been fired over excessive force and others are being disciplined for their actions during the arrest of a 17-year-old in December, the Stockton Police Department said. - Berkeley cop fired for use of force after shooting at car
BERKELEY — Berkeley Officer Cheri Miller was responding to what she believed was a theft in progress in July — an event that cost her job after she fired her gun at a fleeing car. - California crime bills stir controversy as they work their way through legislature
BERKELEY, Calif. – Two companion California crime bills, working their way through the legislature, caused a powerful backlash from a coalition of organizations looking out for the rights of theft victims, especially when violence comes into play. - San Jose sees violent crime increase since start of pandemic
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – Police aren’t saying so officially, but several recent incidents suggest there’s a spike in violent crime in the South Bay. No clear pattern has emerged, but homicides are up from last year in the South Bay. There have been four this month alone. - San Jose Lawmakers Approve Plan To Punish Sideshow Promoters
SAN JOSE (KPIX) – A plan to stop illegal sideshows before they get started just got a green light in San Jose. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously, Tuesday night, to move forward with a proposal to create harsher punishments for people who promote and post about sideshows on social media. - Fresno police chief doubles down in fight against gang-related killings and violent crimes
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama wants gang-related killings and violent crime in the city to stop. Balderrama’s is adding more resources to the Multi-Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) in response to the 22 homicides — 14 of which were gang related — and 152 shootings in 2021. - Latest poll shows 40% support Newsom recall
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – The latest poll reveals 4 in 10 likely voters say they would vote yes on removing Governor Gavin Newsom from office in a special recall election. - California Republicans and Democrats both favor citizenship for undocumented residents, poll says
A new poll released on Tuesday suggests the vast majority of Californians regardless of political party support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. About 85% of Californians surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California said they supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants if they met certain requirements, “including a waiting period, paying fines and back taxes, and passing criminal background checks,” according to the poll. - Parents Called ‘White Supremacists’ by Sacramento Teacher For Demanding Schools Reopen
Parents calling for in-person learning and supportive of the online group Reopen California Schools got an earful over the weekend. A teacher who lives in West Sacramento but teaches at Kennedy High School in the Sacramento City Unified District went on a rant Sunday morning on Facebook, the Globe has learned. - Sacramento County considers mental health crisis response system
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors’ discussion on possibly creating a mental health crisis response team was an hourslong meeting, with plenty of public comment from residents offering their opinion on the matter. - Suspected migrant smuggler charged in connection with Imperial County crash that killed 13
A Mexican man was charged Tuesday with coordinating a smuggling effort that left 13 people dead when their overloaded SUV was struck by a big-rig after crossing the border into California. - Berkeley Home Sells for $1 Million Over Asking After Getting 29 Offers
BERKELEY (KPIX) — Bidding wars over homes in the East Bay are not unusual during the pandemic, when remote workers started to look for more space for their families. But selling a house for $1 million over asking was a first for listing agent Jill Carrigan with The Grubb Co.
Thursday, April 1
- No stories
Friday, April 2
- On April Fool’s Day, S.F. Supe Dean Preston tweeted Muni was fare-free. Some people didn’t get joke
San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston fired off an April Fool’s Day joke tweet on Thursday that many did not think was funny: that Muni had been made free for riders (which Preston is advocating). As is often the case with Muni, the joke was on the riders. - Too militaristic? Alameda police to keep armored vehicle
The council’s 3-2 vote comes as cities across the country are reviewing policing methods amid questions as to how law enforcement interacts with people of color, plus whether police have become too militarized. - NBA Star Draymond Green Attacks Female Athletes Fighting for Equal Pay: ‘I’m Really Tired of Seeing Them Complain’
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Greenlaunched into a rant against female athletes “complaining” for equal play, arguing that they were not putting in enough effort in their fight for equity. - California prisoner confesses to murdering his serial killer cellmate, the I-5 Strangler, in a five-page letter where he called it his ‘mission’ to avenge the victims
A California prisoner has admitted to strangling the serial killer known as the I-5 Strangler in the cell prison cell that they shared. Jason Budrow, 40, claimed he murdered the notorious killer Roger Kibbe, 81, in a five-page letter he titled ‘Ascension … May Their Souls Go To Heaven’ to the local Bay Area News Group. - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopens rides
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) — The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is reopening just in time for some hotter-than-average temps in the Bay Area. - Monterey Bay Aquarium will reopen in May
MONTEREY, Calif. (KRON) — After more than a year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is joining businesses in announcing reopening dates. The aquarium will open again to the general public on May 15. - Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo reopens roller coasters
VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom opened up its roller coasters for the first time in over a year Thursday. The theme park has been allowing visitors inside since July for their animal displays but has been unable to reopen the rides until California modified the restrictions. - California State Railroad Museum is now open again. Here’s what you should know before you go
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — All aboard — with your masks! The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento on Thursday reopened for the first time in a year, save a few days back in the fall. - Man arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto for stealing Highland fire engine
A 44-year-old man was arrested after allegedly stealing a fire engine in San Bernardino on Thursday, officials said. - 2 more tech companies are leaving California
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Two California tech companies have announced plans to bring their businesses to Reno, and local economic development officials say they’re perfect examples of the type of firms they’re targeting as part the effort to diversify the region’s economy.
