William Joseph Brooks 1937-2023. Bill died unexpectedly at his home in Burlington, Kansas on February 16, 2023.

Bill was born on April 12, 1937 in San Jose, California to Hollin and Helen Brooks.

Bill’s death was preceded by his brother Hollin, mother and father, and uncle Lock Martin (Gort in The Day the Earth Stand Still Movie 1951).

His remaining family includes Gary Brooks of Ada, Oklahoma, Sean (Elizabeth) Brooks of San Francisco, Jeanine Brooks (Roger Schmidt) of Sitka, Alaska.

Grandchildren are: Elise Brooks, Maren Brooks, Anja Brooks-Schmidt and Mina Brooks-Schmidt.

Bill grew up in Hollister and worked in his father’s grocery store from 1945 to 1955.

From 1955 to 1960 he attended California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering. He later went to the Illiff School of Theology in Denver, CO, where he received a Masters of Divinity.

Bill worked as a private plumbing consultant for schools and hospitals from 1960 to 1963. From 1963 to 1967 he was construction manager for the city of Cupertino.

In 1967, Bill began working as an Assistant Forest Engineer for the US Forest Service in Eldorado National Forest, moved to Inyo National Forest in Bishop, California in 1972, and then to Fresno, California for a year before becoming a forest engineer in Sitka. Alaska in 1976 and remained in that position until 1981.

Bill always had a story to tell about his forest service jobs. Wilderness work has always been interesting.

From 1991 to 2005, Bill was a project manager for the SouthEast Regional Health Consortium in Sitka, Alaska, where he facilitated multi-million dollar contracts and upgrades for the hospital and community health departments.

His most recent position was in Ada, Oklahoma, where he was project manager for the design and construction of the largest Native American-funded hospital in the United States in 2006 and retired in 2013. This construction project was completed in August 2010 on schedule and within the original budget.

Bill enjoyed singing in the church choir, traveling, engaging in good conversation to connect with people, and participating in many organizations wherever he lived—like Kiwanis and the Lions Club. He made friends easily and always had a meeting or gatherings to attend.

One story he personally witnessed was that his front living room window was shattered by the Pearl Harbor newspaper that was thrown into it and that he knew people who went to the Japanese internment camps in California.

There will be no funeral for Bill but the citizens of Burlington, Kansas had to gather as he is missing. This will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 10:30 am in the basement of the United Methodist Church in Burlington, Kansas

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South San Francisco businesses, some facing threats of Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits, could get some financial relief to make accessibility or other improvements with a newly established grant program offering payments up to $25,000.

The City Council this week agreed to use $500,000 from its reserves to aid the small business community following a wave of litigation threats made by a Southern California law firm targeting shops and restaurants with facilities like restrooms or seating options that are not ADA compliant. Legal fees and required changes can cost hundreds of thousands and cause businesses to shutter.

“I am happy that we are moving somewhat quickly in terms of trying to provide some sort of assistance,” Mayor Mark Nagales said of the new program. “The fact that we’re still in the middle of COVID and now they’re getting hit with these lawsuits, I can understand the frustration.”

More than 15 businesses in the city are facing litigation, and several others were south last year, according to Ernesto Lucero, acting deputy Community Development director, who said the program intends to help at least 20 businesses, to be chosen from a tiered lottery next month.

While priority will be given to those planning ADA compliance upgrades, the grants will be available to all small businesses in the city, some of which could use money for facade upgrades if they are already compliant. The funds could also be used to pay off construction costs from upgrades made in the last year.

“There was a feeling we should not exclude people who have perfect ADA facilities, and they’ve invested the funds to be perfect,” City Manager Mike Futrell said.

Eligible businesses are those that are in operation, have a business license and employ no more than five employees or a minimum of three employees who make less than $102,000, the county’s median income. The city previously administered a similar program that used federal funding, requiring a more arduous application process.

Lucero emphasized the new program will be easier to apply for and be administered quickly, as many businesses need immediate relief. Businesses that have received lawsuit threats generally have 21 days to respond, either by agreeing to pay thousands in fees to settle through a compliance process or by taking the matter to court.

Councilmember Mark Addiego said he had heard from a business owner who had received a litigation threat despite being ADA compliant but was considering paying the fees simply to avoid litigation.

“That’s very disturbing,” he said. “They’re just throwing those lawsuits out without ever stepping on the property or knowing the exact violation.”

City Attorney Sky Woodruff said the district attorneys in San Francisco and Los Angeles counties have filed a lawsuit against Potter Handy, the San Diego law firm responsible for the wave of violation notices in the city and throughout the state.

“The wheels of justice grind slowly, as they say, but it may be of help to the community to know that there is a lawsuit that was filed,” he said. He recommended business owners try to delay their case as the lawsuit could have an outcome in their favor.

Burlingame, San Mateo, San Carlos and Redwood City have been hit with similar waves, among other local cities. Businesses with parklets have often been targets.

“We’re stepping out as leaders here in South San Francisco to do this,” said Councilmember Eddie Flores, who added he was unaware of any other city in the county offering a similar program. “This is not something that other cities have done with their general fund money … this council is committed to not leaving these businesses behind.”

Those who apply will need to indicate how the money will be spent. Once a business is selected, city staff will work with the applicant to determine needs and amount to be granted. While the program is expected to be oversubscribed, the city manager indicated another round of funding was a possibility.

Online applications will be open April 20 to May 13, and the lottery will be held May 18. Lucero said help with applications, including in Spanish, will be provided at the city’s economic advancement center. Go to ssf.net/EAC to apply.

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The joint venture that built Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, has agreed to pay the NFL team $ 6 million in severance pay in connection with a class action lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act counting.

The 49ers had sued Turner / Devcon, the joint venture between New York-based Turner Construction Co. and Milpitas, California-based Devcon Construction Inc., which built the stadium.

The settlement in Forty-Niners Football Co. et. al. v. Turner / Devcon, a joint venture, dates back to a class action lawsuit filed in 2016 by Abdul Nevarez against the team and the city of Santa Clara, California, where Levi’s Stadium is located and affiliates, alleging the Stadium did not have adequate public facilities such as barrier-free seating, toilets and signage, which is against the federal laws of the ADA and the state.

In a March judgment in Hartford Fire Insurance Co. v. Turner / Devcon et. al., the 9th US Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Chubb Ltd. and Markel Corp. are not liable in defense of the joint venture.

The settlement agreement, filed Thursday, is slated for a hearing for approval in the US District Court in San Jose on February 3rd.

The settlement agreement filed by an attorney for the joint venture argues that the settlement is “fair and reasonable”.

According to court records in the case, the San Jose Court approved a class action lawsuit against Abdul Nevarez et al. v. Forty Niners Football Company, LLC v. The 49ers and Santa Clara for $ 24 million plus $ 12.3 million in legal fees and expenses.

The lawyers on the case did not respond to a request for comment.

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The San Francisco Prosecutor announced Wednesday that it is opening an investigation into allegations whether traders in Chinatown have been targeted as victims of possible unlawful lawsuits.

District Attorney Chesa Boudin said he made the announcement after reports that attorneys were filing potentially fraudulent lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act to blackmail small businesses into paying. He attended a town hall meeting in Chinatown on Wednesday to hear concerns from local traders.

“We will not tolerate the exploitation of the Chinese community or any business owners,” Boudin said in a press release. “We know that Chinese merchants are no more likely to violate the ADA than any other business owner, and we take these allegations very seriously. We encourage anyone who believes they have been attacked fraudulently to contact our office when we begin our investigation. “

The investigation was welcomed by local vendors and disability rights leaders.

“These types of lawsuits are very annoying and do nothing to improve accessibility for the disabled community,” said Sascha Bittner, a commissioner for San Francisco Disability and Aging Services. “It is particularly annoying that these lawsuits are being brought against the Chinese community as companies are reopening after the pandemic and this community has already been so severely discriminated against.”

Boudin encouraged anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud to contact the prosecutor’s consumer protection and fraud hotline at (628) 652-4311.

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