A tow truck driver allegedly targeted a Northern California couple by attempting to steal their car as they were stopped at a traffic light in downtown San Francisco, video footage appears to show.

Joanne, who only gave ABC7 News her first name, and her husband were reportedly driving through downtown San Francisco running errands on the morning of April 9, 2024, before the interaction occurred. As the couple stopped at a traffic light, they noticed a yellow specialty tow truck approaching near them as they sat in their silver 2017 Toyota Corolla, according to the outlet.

The couple initially believed the truck driver was heading toward a nearby Waymo autonomous vehicle; However, according to the outlet, he began reversing toward the couple, lowering the vehicle's lever as he did so. (RELATED: San Francisco Can't Seem to Get Rid of Its Poop Problem Despite Spending Millions on Public Toilets)

“We were at a stoplight minding our own business,” Joanne told the outlet. “It came from the side. I thought he was turning right. It started in reverse and all the lights came on. That’s when we thought, ‘Hey, something’s really wrong.’ His lever fell down.”

Video footage of the incident was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), showing the moment the yellow tow truck appears to attempt to cling to Joanne's car by reversing. The bystander who recorded the video could be heard screaming, “What the hell are you doing?” at the tow truck, as Joanne could faintly be heard also trying to yell at the tow truck driver.

This woman and her husband were stopped at a traffic light at Montgomery & Bush yesterday morning when a tow truck came out of nowhere and tried to hook up to their Toyota!

I spoke to Joanne today who says her car is paid off, she's paid off her registration and doesn't understand why her car was targeted. … pic.twitter.com/6p2z0yBEfg

— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) April 11, 2024

When the light turned green, the tow truck failed to move forward, trapping the couple, according to the outlet.

“We freaked out. “The first instinct was to get away,” Joanne told ABC7 News.

However, a black sedan was seen reversing directly behind the couple's Toyota, giving the couple room to avoid the tow truck and escape down the street. The tow truck then followed the couple's car for several blocks, Joanne claimed, the outlet reported.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced in February that Auto Towing and several related individuals and companies, including Specialty Towing, were suspended and barred from bidding on or receiving city contracts, according to a press release. The towing companies were suspended by authorities for “illegally towing vulnerable people's cars from a private commercial parking lot, limiting vehicle pickup times and pressuring vehicle owners to pay in cash.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — An East Bay couple details the horrific turn of events when a tow truck attempted to tow them away while driving through downtown San Francisco.

“We were standing at a traffic light, minding our own business,” explains Joanne, who asked that we only use her first name. She described running errands with her husband on the morning of April 9th.

While the couple was stopped at Bush and Montgomery, they thought the yellow Specialty Towing truck was driving toward a nearby Waymo autonomous vehicle. But soon it became too close for comfort.

“It came from the side. I thought he was turning right. He put the car in reverse and all the lights came on. Then we thought: Hey, something is really wrong. His lever fell down.”

In the video captured by a witness, you can see the tow truck making multiple attempts to attach itself to his 2017 Toyota Corolla.

On video, a witness can be heard shouting: “What the hell are you doing?”

When the traffic light turns green, the Waymo drives off alongside Joanne and her husband. Then the couple realizes that they are stuck in front of a black limousine.

“We completely freaked out. The first instinct was to get away,” says Joanne.

Luckily, the black car reverses and Joanne's husband can drive away. You can see the tow truck giving chase. Joanne says the truck chased her for several blocks.

“It's definitely really scary,” says Joanne, who looks back on the incident and wonders what would have happened if the tow truck had managed to attach itself to her car.

MORE: New San Francisco program will text you when your car is about to be towed

ABC7 reached out to Special Towing via email and phone but did not receive a response.

The company, along with two other companies, was indicted by prosecutor David Chiu in February on charges of fraud and illegal towing of parked cars. His office described the company as “unscrupulous” in its online press release. Specialty Towing is now prohibited from offering or accepting city contracts.

Joanne and her husband told me that they were finally able to let go of the tow truck and drive back home to the East Bay. They claim they did nothing wrong and are still baffled as to why they were targeted.

“Full disclaimer, I definitely paid off my car, I paid off my registration,” she says.

Joanne plans to file a police report soon and is sharing her story to make other drivers aware.

“Be more careful when driving around and make sure you do your best to protect yourself if something doesn't look right,” she shares.

If you're using the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

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On a quiet cul de sac in suburban Los Angeles, the installation of Martin Guevara and Grace Kuo’s prefab accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, caused quite a stir in the neighborhood.

“It was like a block party,” said Guevara, 68. “All of our neighbors came out to watch.”

Guevara was referring to a prefab ADU designed and built by Villa Homes; the 850-square-foot home was craned over the couple’s existing home and placed into position in their backyard in the South Bay last year.

“It was in two halves,” said his daughter Melanie Guevara, 33, who lives in the ADU behind her childhood home with husband Devon Hollowood, 34. “It was already outfitted, including the appliances.”

“We were thinking, ‘Please don’t drop our house,’” Hollowood said with a laugh.

One half of the prefab ADU is installed on the Guevara-Kuos’ property in August 2022.

(Devon Hollowood )

Despite the addition of an ADU, there is still room to garden. The couple hope to add an outdoor dining area in the future.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Like many people who chose to pack up and move during the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple were living in a rental house in Hawaii for three months with Melanie’s brother and his girlfriend. That’s when they had the idea for the ADU.

Melanie had just graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Optometry and Hollowood, a software engineer for Google, was working remotely in San Francisco after receiving his PhD in physics at UC Santa Cruz. While on Oahu, they considered their next steps, including where to live.

The light-filled ADU includes a full kitchen with an island the couple can use for entertaining.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

“In Oahu, many people had ohana suites in back of their homes for family or to rent,” Melanie said, referring to small family dwellings similar to ADUs. “Initially, I thought we could live in a little house and travel. That was the original genesis for the ADU — instead of having to rent something that’s not ours. That was my floating-in-the-ocean fantasy.”

Hollowood, who also loves to travel, took a more businesslike approach. “We were trying to dodge the housing crisis,” said Hollowood, who grew up in Walnut Creek. “We couldn’t afford anything. We didn’t have money for a down payment. But we wanted our own place and didn’t want to waste money on rent. We thought we could move into a backyard unit as a starter home.”

Guevara and Kuo, both optometrists, purchased their 1,300-square-foot home for $300,000 in 1995 and were empathetic to their daughter and son-in-law’s struggle to find housing.

With mortgage rates low in 2021, building an ADU versus the cost of rent “just made so much sense financially,” Guevara said. “And, of course, we loved the idea of them being close to us.”

Today, however, owning a home is a bigger challenge for SoCal millennials and Gen Zers, with mortgage rates at their highest level since 2002 and the median home price in Los Angeles nearing $1 million. This has left some younger people believing they will never own a home.

“So many people of our generation have student loan debt and can’t afford to buy a house,” Melanie said. “When you hear them talking about not having kids, that is partly why.”

The full kitchen features a cozy window seat. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The striking changes in the housing market were not lost on longtime homeowners Guevara and Kuo, who viewed the ADU as a sound investment in a shaky financial market. “We have lived in this house for 28 years, so we could finance the ADU quickly,” Kuo said. “The ADU cost more than our house when we bought it.”

While waiting for her optometrist license, Melanie researched options in Los Angeles. She contacted several ADU companies, including Villa, which offers 10 models ranging from 440 to 1,200 square feet. After an initial video consultation, she learned that a custom 850-square-foot prefab ADU would cost $475,000, roughly $100,000 less than the bids they had received from local contractors.

The ADU is spacious enough for bookshelves.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The couple liked that the designs were preapproved and that the company handled all the permitting and project management.

After they worked on the design — their particular home model is no longer available — Villa poured the foundation, and the house was trucked in and installed in the backyard by crane. Next, Villa added flooring, installed cement board siding, painted, stitched the two halves together and hooked up the various utilities.

The interiors of the ADU are sunny and bright, with a living room, two bedrooms and two baths, a laundry, a full kitchen and a cozy window seat. There is room for a small dining room table and storage in the IKEA sectional. The second bedroom can be used for guests and gives Hollowood space to work from home twice a week.

In the living room, the couple can store items in their sectional.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The family shares the backyard and enjoys gardening together, yet there is a sense of privacy thanks to the orientation of the homes.

James Connolly, co-founder and chief executive of Villa, said he was drawn to ADU manufacturing after trying to help his mother install an ADU in Northern California. “It was difficult, but I thought the concept was promising,” Connolly said. The advantage to prefab, he said, is that it is “more affordable, faster, cheaper and a more efficient use of materials.”

Connolly grew up in the Bay Area, where many of his childhood friends had been displaced by the cost of housing. “My parents bought a house for $225,000 when I was 4; by the time I graduated from UC Berkeley, it was worth about a million dollars,” he said. “Income opportunities, unfortunately, did not keep up, and it became impossible for my generation to buy a home. Eighty percent to 90% of the kids I grew up with were displaced. It was tearing families and communities apart.”

When the laws passed in 2020 making it easier for homeowners to convert garages into ADUs, Connolly said he saw it as an opportunity to help solve the housing crisis.

The exterior of the 850-square-foot prefab ADU. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

What Connolly finds most exciting about ADUs is their potential to keep families close. At a time when Los Angeles is experiencing a housing shortage, Connolly points out, “I believe that this multigenerational living theme is something that Americans will adopt moving forward, more like our international peers. It will be better for families. Everyone deserves to have a place that they can call home.”

Living at home for the first time since she was 18 has been an adjustment, but Melanie enjoys being near her parents. Past and present collide on the 8,400-square-foot lot, where the family members can “keep an eye on each other,” said Kuo, 64. “We cook dinner together, and Bud [Martin] and Devon often host movie nights in the living room of the ADU.”

Details inside the guest bathroom of the 850-square-foot prefab ADU. The guest bedroom also serves as an office for Hollowood, who works from home twice a week. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The young couple paid a quarter of the cost of the ADU and plan to pay the mortgage as rent. Hoping to have children one day, they don’t see themselves living in the ADU indefinitely. However, that doesn’t worry Guevara and Kuo, who said they can use it for other family members who need housing.

The family is happy with the result of the ADU despite supply chain issues and a long wait for permits to be approved, even with the assistance of Villa.

The master bedroom inside the ADU.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s a huge life upgrade,” Melanie said. “And we can interact with my parents as much or as little as we like.”

“We’ve never lived anywhere bigger than this,” Hollowood added. “It’s perfect for the two of us.”

“We’ve never lived anywhere bigger than this,” Devon Hollowood said, with wife Melanie Guevara. “It’s perfect for the two of us.”

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

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It’s no exaggeration to say that Marlena, the affordable fixed-price restaurant on the side of a hill in Bernal Heights, has been one of San Francisco’s culinary breakthrough stars for the past three years. The restaurant relocated to the former premises of the Hillside Supper Club in August 2020, a time we now remember as the peak of the pandemic, and served sandwiches to go before plunging a foot into indoor dining in November – only to along with every other restaurant in the city to be closed due to a surge in COVID cases. Throughout the spring, the restaurant reopened for al fresco dining and then indoors before being awarded a coveted Michelin star in autumn 2021.

All along, husband-and-wife chefs David Fisher and Serena Chow Fisher have been at the helm, even naming the company in honor of David’s late mother. Together with Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group’s Ryan Cole, they guided the restaurant through the turmoil of the pandemic, then closed for renovations last summer before moving again in the fall.

In short: It was a wild rollercoaster ride and an undeniable success. But on Friday, June 30, the Fishers say they want out.

The couple confirmed to Eater SF on Friday that they were splitting from Marlena effective immediately, announcing the fact in an Instagram post on Friday night. “It’s just becoming something that we don’t want to be a part of anymore,” David said in a recent conversation with Eater SF.

Although the couple have been the faces of the acclaimed restaurant for three years, they explain that they don’t own the company; According to the restaurant’s liquor license, the owner is Bouillon LLC, which is managed by Stephane Roulland, who is also listed as CEO. According to the Fishers, their relationship with the owner has deteriorated to the point where they are unable to continue working at the restaurant. In the post, they give “a conflict with the owner of Marlena about different ideas of hospitality and integrity” as the reason for the departure. Eater SF has reached out to Roulland and will update if we hear anything.

It’s uncertain whether Marlena will remain open without the chef couple who have earned the restaurant a spot in the Michelin Guide. In August 2021, the Guide praised how the couple “creates both the savory and sweet side of things” with “precise technique and subtle yet imaginative use of ingredients.”

As previously reported, the Fishers and Cole are already working on a new restaurant that will take over the premises of the former Gardenia’s at 1963 Sutter Street. The spirits license lists the company name as 7 Adams, but the trio tell Eater SF the vision for the restaurant is still taking shape. Cole, who was hired as a consultant during Marlena’s early days, hasn’t been part of the restaurant team since April.

This is an evolving story and Eater SF will be updated as more details become available.

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A San Francisco couple accused of robbing the same San Bruno 7-Eleven in the early morning of July 6 and 9 have been arrested after a police investigation, the DA’s Office said.

Gvansa Mangoshvili, 23, and Raymond Yee, 30, are accused of robbing the 7-Eleven on Angus Avenue, with Yee brandishing a BB gun at the clerk and getting around $1000 before fleeing the store and Mangoshvili driving the getaway car, the DA’s Office said.

The pair returned July 9 and robbed the same clerk again and got $500 before fleeing in the same getaway car, the DA’s Offices said. A police investigation led to both of their arrests and found a ski mask, BB gun, and ammunition, according to the DA’s Office. Both have pleaded not guilty, with their case set for July 22.

July 11 saw two people killed and three wounded in robberies before dawn Monday at six 7-Eleven stores in Southern California. The string of violence occurred within about five hours on July 11, or 7/11, the day when the national 7-Eleven brand celebrates its anniversary.

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Are you in a happy, healthy relationship? Do you hate having cell service? Prefer being in relative solitude? Are you a good cook? Do you love being in the literal bay?

It’s a lot of questions at once, but all are relevant for applicants who want in on a once-every-two-years job opening at East Brother Light Station, which houses a teeny 1874 lighthouse-turned-bed-and-breakfast on an island in the San Francisco Bay.

The East Brother Light Station is hiring for two innkeepers with a laundry list of responsibilities, including maintaining and operating the five-room inn, making and serving up breakfast and dinner, and ferrying guests back and forth. The job application, overseen by the city of Richmond, makes clear that “couples,” however you wish to define that, will receive top consideration.

The reason? This is a two-year stint, beginning in April 2023, where you’ll be spending lots of time together. At least one of the two people must have a valid US Coast Guard boat operator’s license. Applicants with children or pets are usually disqualified too.

In 2019, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt — he of the deflated Butt dynasty — told SFGATE that the biannual innkeeper opening garnered “thousands of inquires or applications from dozens of countries, many in languages ​​I can’t even read.” East Brother is a California Historical Landmark, and compensation for innkeepers is based on how well the business does. The prior innkeepers’ combined gross pay was $140,000, according to Butt’s most recent job listing, plus $10,000 for health insurance.

The East Brother Light Station has impeccable reviews on Yelp, a result of prior innkeepers’ hard work. The East Bay Times reported that a previous duo worked 80 to 90 hours a week in their best estimation and that the island doesn’t have Wi-Fi, “reliable” cell service or plumbing. In April 2021, the lighthouse lost electrical power, which led to a GoFundMe and a temporary fix.

Still interested in the job? You can apply here.

The post San Francisco Bay lighthouse seeks innkeeper ‘couple’ for 2-year job appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Are you in a happy, healthy relationship? Do you hate having cell service? Prefer being in relative solitude? Are you a good cook? Do you love being in the literal bay?

It’s a lot of questions at once, but all are relevant for applicants who want in on a once-every-two-years job opening at East Brother Light Station, which houses a teeny 1874 lighthouse-turned-bed-and-breakfast on an island in the San Francisco Bay.

The East Brother Light Station is hiring for two innkeepers with a laundry list of responsibilities, including maintaining and operating the five-room inn, making and serving up breakfast and dinner, and ferrying guests back and forth. The job application, overseen by the city of Richmond, makes clear that “couples,” however you wish to define that, will receive top consideration. The reason? This is a two-year stint, beginning in April 2023, where you’ll be spending lots of time together. At least one of the two people must have a valid US Coast Guard boat operator’s license. Applicants with children or pets are usually disqualified too.

In 2019, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt — he of the deflated Butt dynasty — told SFGATE that the biannual innkeeper opening garnered “thousands of inquires or applications from dozens of countries, many in languages ​​I can’t even read.” East Brother is a California Historical Landmark, and compensation for innkeepers is based on how well the business does. The prior innkeepers’ combined gross pay was $140,000, according to Butt’s most recent job listing, plus $10,000 for health insurance.

The East Brother Light Station has impeccable reviews on Yelp, a result of prior innkeepers’ hard work. The East Bay Times reported that a previous duo worked 80 to 90 hours a week in their best estimation and that the island doesn’t have Wi-Fi, “reliable” cell service or plumbing. In April 2021, the lighthouse lost electrical power, which led to a GoFundMe and a temporary fix.

Still interested in the job? You can apply here.

The post San Francisco Bay lighthouse seeks innkeeper ‘couple’ for 2-year job appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has filed charges against a married couple, accused of human labor trafficking, according to a press release from her office.

“Domestic workers play an important role in our economy and like all workers should be paid fairly and protected from exploitation,” Jenkins stated in a press release. “Domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking due to their isolation within their employers’ homes. Our office stands with the victim and will do everything in our power to hold Jose Aguila and Lorraine Lim accountable and send a message that this conduct will not be tolerated.”

The San Francisco couple brought a nanny, Nicel R., to the United States from the Philippines in June 2019, the DA’s office stated in the press release.

The nanny was “was forced to work seven days a week caring for the suspects’ disabled child in addition to other forced labor in and outside of the home,” she claims, and that while she was told she’d only have to be in the US for three months, that turned into two-and-a-half years.

San Francisco legislator receives another bomb threat

“The suspects allegedly isolated Nicel R., who does not speak English, through various means, including by remaining in possession of her passport, restricting her from having friends or cell service, and controlling and monitoring her ability to leave the home/workplace, ” the press release stated. “By making her dependent on the suspects for life’s basic necessities, such as food, shelter and money, Nicel R. lacked the resources to leave her employers.”

For the first several months, Nicel R. was paid $240 a month, the DA’s office stated. Then that was reduced to $40 a month, despite the fact she was required “to be available at all times, even in the middle of the night.” Nicel R. lived in a storage room without heating and stacked with clothes and boxes, the DA’s office claimed.

“Aguila and Lim also did not provide other mandatory employee benefits such as payment for the substantial overtime hours she worked, meal and rest breaks, paid sick leave, workers’ compensation insurance, and proof of wages,” the press release stated. “Nicel R. was saved in large part because of a neighbor’s call to police. Once the neighbor realized what was happening, she alerted the San Francisco Police. The SFPD Special Victims Unit rescued Nicel R. on November 29, 2021, with support from Homeland Security Special Agents. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division supported the victim since the rescue by placing her in a safe environment and providing resources for her to build a life free from abuse.”

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Aguila and Lim surrendered on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.

“Each of the suspects posted bond on $100,000 bails set by the court,” the press release stated. “Pre-trial release conditions include electronic monitoring by the San Francisco Sherriff’s Department, surrendering passports and abiding by the terms of a Criminal Protective Order which states that they must have no contact with the victim and must stay 100 yards away from her. If convicted of all charges, they face each over 19 years in State Prison.”

Anyone with information on labor trafficking is asked to call the SFPD tips line at 1-415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

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One of San Francisco’s most prominent and wealthy tech power couples are reportedly leaving the city.

Stewart Butterfield, the co-founder of both Slack and Flickr, and his wife Jen Rubio, CEO of luggage manufacturer Away, listed their Presidio Heights mansion this week, reports the Wall Street Journal. The 7,700-square-foot, seven-bed Victorian at 3636 Clay Street hit the market on Monday at $19.8 million.

The pair are leaving San Francisco for Aspen, Colo., where they recently purchased a $25 million mountain home, reports the WSJ.

Once referred to as “Silicon Valley’s newest ‘it’ couple” by Insider, the couple got engaged in 2019 after Butterfield appeared to propose to Rubio over Twitter, seemingly as a joke. Butterfield was previously married to his Flickr co-founder, Caterina Fake.

3636 Clay Street, San Francisco

Google Earth

After a previous stint working with Warby Parker, Rubio launched Away with co-founder Steph Korey in 2015. The luggage company has been valued at $1.45 billion, and Rubio’s net worth estimated at $130 million.

After founding photo hosting site Flickr in 2005, Butterfield and co-founders launched messaging software Slack in 2015. The company was bought by Salesforce in 2020 in a $27.7 billion “megadeal.” Butterfield’s net worth is estimated at $1.3 billion.

The home at 3636 Clay, between Locust and Spruce streets near Laurel Village, was built in 1899 and features a guest suite, a gym, a four-car garage, a private yard and a deck that opens out to a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Find the full, on the Sotheby’s site.

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