State

SACRAMENTO—Since February 2017, Kevin Paz, of San Francisco has uploaded photos to Facebook of animals he has kept in custody and abused, primarily dogs. Paz, also known as "Kev Meija," has reportedly been buying dogs at cheap prices and making them fight. According to some of his posts, he also chained them up (and injured them in the process) and...

SAN FRANCISCO—City, state, and federal agents have begun to prepare for El Nino, and are urging households across the state to stay alert and prepare for weather-related changes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reminding families to create an emergency communication plan for getting hold of each other in case disaster strikes while apart. FEMA’s Southwest District Administrator Bob Fenton...

BERKELEY—On August 26, UC Berkeley students chained themselves to the Sather Gate on campus for nearly 3 hours. In their laps were bodies of dead piglets found by students in the barn of a meat supplier. The supplier, Seaboard Foods, is a major source of meat at UC Berkeley. The protest was organized by 18-year-old freshman Zoe Rosenberg, and...

SAN FRANCISCO—A Bay Area Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) commuter train derailed at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Monday, March 7. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but early reports indicate the derailing was likely due to a large tree that fell onto the train tracks. The train was en route to Stockton after departing from San Jose...

SAN FRANCISCO—Over 100 organized ride-share drivers have filed wage claims against Uber and Lyft to the sum of millions of dollars. On January 5, the claims were filed at the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, California Labor Commission offices.  The wage theft campaign “People’s Enforcement of AB5,” organized with the Rideshare Drivers United, a grassroots driver-group of more...

SAN FRANCISCO— On Thursday, July 16, the US District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed a constitutional challenge against San Francisco's current ban on the sale of fur products. In 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the fur ban, which began on January 1, 2019. They passed the ban to prevent animal cruelty and environmental...

CALIFORNIA—On Thursday, April 22, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) said in a joint press release that they plan on requiring staff and students to be vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine for in-person classes this fall. This "proposed policy" would "require students, faculty, academic appointees and staff who are accessing campus facilities at any UC location...

VIRGINIA—On Wednesday, August 26, two Virginia TV news crew members were fatally shot during a live interview. WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, 27, were gunned down by Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, at approximately 6:45 a.m. local time. The local official being interviewed, identified as Vicki Gardner, was also wounded by the gunman. She has undergone surgery and is said to be in...

SAN FRANCISCO—Newly elected California State Senator, Scott Wiener, introduced a bill that would legally require California cities to build more homes. The former San Francisco Supervisor proposed Senate Bill 35 in Sacramento hours after being sworn into office on Monday, December 5. “The housing crisis is not just about it being hard for people today to find housing — that is a...

CALIFORNIA—A new law that took effect on New Year’s Day 2020 eliminates taxes on both children’s diapers and feminine hygiene, such as menstrual products in California. Senate Bill 92 was approved in June 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom and is set to eliminate taxes on both menstrual products (tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and sponges) and diapers for infants, toddlers,...