Dozens of protesters pulled off a four–plus-hour blockade of westbound Bay Bridge lanes during the APEC summit, San Francisco’s highest-profile political gathering in years. How did they do it?

The Nov. 16 demonstrators demanded that President Joe Biden, who was in San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering with other world leaders, call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. 

It marked the longest shutdown of the Bay Bridge since 2016, when activists led by a group called Black.Seed blocked westbound lanes for 96 minutes on the afternoon of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. California Highway Patrol officers arrested about two dozen protesters within half an hour and reopened lanes within an hour, but traffic backups lingered into the early evening.

California Highway Patrol officers walk among protestors during a demonstration that blocked traffic on the Bay Bridge for hours on Nov. 16. | Source: Courtesy of Denis Perez

November’s protest lasted more than twice as long and involved more than three times as many activists, severely inconveniencing thousands of people crossing into San Francisco. 

It also came as a bit of a surprise, given that the California Highway Patrol had commandeered one lane of the bridge in each direction since the day prior, citing security concerns related to APEC.

“This was hours long,” John Goodwin, of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, told The Standard. “I don’t recall an incident of this duration.”

CHP arrested 67 women and 13 men related to the demonstration. One protester was taken to jail, while the other 79 were cited and released. A total of 29 vehicles were towed, the California Department of Transportation confirmed.

To date, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has not filed charges against any of the protesters. The DA’s Office has not responded to a request from The Standard about the status of the cases.

How Protesters Blocked the Bay Bridge

The morning of Nov. 16 began as usual, according to official bridge toll counts: 22,522 vehicles drove from San Francisco to Oakland between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., but just 11 made it across in the hour after 10 a.m.

All five lanes of the bridge were quickly blocked by protesters’ vehicles at 7:42 a.m., when demonstrators parked side-by-side under the tower just before the Treasure Island exit. 

BREAKING: Bay Area residents have SHUT DOWN Bay Bridge to demand ceasefire while @Potus Biden visits San Francisco. #CeasefireNow! No more genocide in Gaza!#BayBridge #CeasefireNow #BidenHarrisCeasefireNOW #APEC pic.twitter.com/xIqkKSc6TB

— AROC #FreePalestine (@AROCBayArea) November 16, 2023

Traffic came to a standstill. 

A Bay Area commuter, who joined the protest as it happened but wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of legal action, said they realized the demonstration was happening as they drove up to Treasure Island and traffic came to a standstill.

“People began to get out of their cars,” the commuter said. “As time passed and everything on the bridge came to a halt, I also got out of my car as everything on the bridge came to a halt. They weren’t driving lanes anymore; they were walking lanes.”

Protesters unfurled huge banners on the road demanding a cease-fire, staging a “die-in.” Many waved placards and banners as over 100 CHP officers and San Francisco County sheriff’s deputies stormed the bridge. Vehicles driven by office workers, school buses, semis and even a truck hauling portable toilets were trapped on the span for hours.

As the commuter walked from his car to the front of the protest, they observed others joining the protest with banners and signs and others hanging out on the bridge, smoking cigarettes.

“Protesters were all chained up to each other in the front in a line,” they said. “They were all chanting, calling for a cease-fire. There was a large banner in the middle of the protest. Someone had a bullhorn, and there were speakers looking like they were having a press conference.”

According to the commuter, organizers were addressing drivers and those protesters who were moving toward the front of the demonstration.

“There were a lot of people walking from far away to the protest area,” they said, adding that those who were protesters were easily recognizable walking up the bridge with banners and signs. “When people had gotten arrested, some protesters were still coming up there even as it ended.”

Some of the activists who abandoned their vehicles tossed their car keys into the bay in an effort to delay their removal, according to CHP Golden Gate Division spokesperson Officer Andrew Barclay. Protesters in their cars further behind the blockade got out of their vehicles and began handing out fliers to motorists.

Each flier began, “Hi, we know this interruption to your commute is frustrating and we wouldn’t do it if it weren’t incredibly urgent!”

The commuter confessed they never actually saw anyone throw their keys into the San Francisco Bay.

“It might have been that one or two people might have done it out of desperation.” 

After pointing to the dire conditions in Gaza and the president’s presence at APEC, the protest urged readers to tune into an FM radio station, or to follow live broadcasts from Instagram accounts for the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Anti Police-Terror Project, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center Bay Area, Bay Area Palestine Solidarity and the Palestinian Feminist Collective.

Some drivers turned around on the bridge and began driving back toward Oakland by 8:20 a.m. 

Passengers stuck in the mounting chaos also left vehicles and walked east along the bridge just after 9 a.m. 

A Standard staffer even spotted commuters using the portable toilets on the back of the flatbed truck at 10:52 a.m.

Bless this savior driving a porta potty truck pic.twitter.com/r5nerGvqrM

— Alicia Cocchi (@HellaDislike) November 16, 2023

Protesters tried to make it more difficult to be arrested by chaining their arms onto what appeared to be a drainpipe. Barclay told The Standard the pipe has handles inside, which activists gripped onto.

“However, those were easily removed with no problem, and they were taken into custody,” Barclay said.

FINAL UPDATE: All lanes of westbound I-80 on the Bay Bridge have reopened. pic.twitter.com/dWFTpbVAu0

— CHP San Francisco (@CHPSanFrancisco) November 16, 2023

By 11:55 a.m., the bridge had fully reopened to traffic, making the duration of the disruption four hours and 15 minutes. 

The 2016 protest employed similar tactics to November’s cease-fire action but also used of chains.

The group that says it organized the cease-fire protests declined to comment for this story. Several protesters who were detained on the bridge could not be reached for comment.

The post How San Francisco Bay Bridge Protesters Blocked Visitors for Hours appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Protesters chained themselves to their cars to show opposition to both the APEC summit underway in San Francisco and U.S. aid to Israel.

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Protesters opposed to an annual economic summit of world leaders and U.S. aid to Israel shut down the San Francisco Bay Bridge for hours during the morning rush period Thursday.

At around 7:40 a.m. Thursday, protesters blocked all cars heading west on Interstate 80, hampering access to the main bridge into San Francisco. In a coordinated action, between 50 to 100 protesters stopped their cars on the bridge east of Treasure Island Road and chained themselves and their vehicles together, California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division public information office said.

The protesters took issue with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit wrapping up Thursday in San Francisco, and of Israel’s bombing of Palestinians in Gaza — all part of a series of similar protests underway in the Bay Area since Sunday. The United States is hosting the annual summit of world leaders for the first time since 2011, as leaders from the 21-member group gather to discuss trade and economic deals within the Pacific region.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area said, “Dozens are shutting the bridge down during commute hours, DEMANDING a cease-fire in Gaza while Biden is here in San Francisco. No Gaza genocide, no more bombing, stop killing children.”

The organization shared a video around 7:50 a.m. of protesters on the bridge carrying signs reading “Stop the genocide” and “No military aid to Israel.” The organization Critical Resistance shared photos of protesters lying on the road under sheets. 

According to CHP, the activists tossed their car keys into the Bay to make their vehicles part of the blockade to block all westbound lanes. Within minutes, the division’s special response team with more than 100 officers arrived and arrested about 50 people.

“Although we did have some officers on scene, there was just a significant amount of protesters so we had to call more officers on site,” a spokesperson for CHP said. The division office could not confirm how many officers were deployed on the bridge or where the arrestees were taken.

As of 10:50 a.m., about 15 vehicles that were left as blockades had been towed. Officers worked to clear all drivers and vehicles from the bridge who were stuck on the bridge due to the protest. Commuters who were backed up before the toll plaza were guided back to Oakland. Caltrans urged people to take public transit, and transbay bus lines have been diverted to the West Oakland BART train station, according to AC Transit.

At about noon, the CHP reported the roadway had finally reopened to traffic.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk’s big bet that Tesla price cuts could boost sales and profits amid increased competition and poor economic sentiment appears to be yielding mixed results. Sales soared and the company beat analysts’ expectations for net income in the April-June quarter, even as the company’s profit margins declined. Tesla shares followed suit in after-hours trading.

The Austin, Texas-based maker of electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries reported net income of $2.7 billion in the quarter, up 20% year over year. Earnings per share also rose 20% to 78 cents as measured using generally accepted accounting principles. Total revenue increased 47% to $24.93 billion.

However, analysts tend to focus on Tesla’s own earnings measure, which excludes stock-based compensation expense. Using that metric, Tesla’s net income rose to $3.15 billion, or 91 cents a share, comfortably beating the average analyst estimate of 80 cents a share, according to FactSet. Some analysts had expected falling profits due to the price cuts.

However, Tesla shares initially remained flat around $292 in after-hours trading immediately following the release of the earnings report, climbing slightly above its close of $291.26. As Tesla executives spoke to analysts on a conference call, shares plunged more than 4%.

Tesla reported strong vehicle shipment numbers on July 2, saying they were up 83% from the year-ago quarter after the company repeatedly slashed prices on its four electric vehicle models. Tesla sold a record 466,140 vehicles worldwide from April to June, almost double the same period last year (254,695).

The vast majority of these sales were for Tesla’s popular Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossover SUVs.

However, the earnings report delivered mixed messages on one of the larger questions facing Tesla: whether the automaker’s rebate strategy can increase sales while preserving its profit margins. Tesla’s operating margin, which measures how efficiently it converts sales into pre-tax profits, fell to 9.6% in the April-June quarter, a notable decline from 14.6% a year earlier. The key figure also fell sharply in the January-March quarter.

While profitability and pricing pressures continue to weigh on Tesla, Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau said he found some comments from management on cost controls optimistic and said the company’s overall performance remains solid.

“The long-term drivers of growth remain and there will only be short-term headwinds in the current environment that we are in,” he said.

On the company’s conference call with analysts, Musk praised the company’s performance despite high interest rates and what he called significant economic uncertainty, then quickly switched to the topic of Tesla’s advanced projects like its so-called “full self-driving” software.

Despite the name, software-enabled Tesla cars can’t drive themselves, and the company warns drivers to be ready to intervene at all times. Musk praised Tesla’s work on a new machine learning system called Dojo, which the company plans to use to improve its self-driving software.

Musk also said Tesla should deliver its long-promised Cybertruck — an unusual-looking pickup truck with an angular design that couldn’t look out of place in a Mad Max movie — by the end of the year. Tesla announced on Saturday that the first Cybertruck had rolled off the assembly line.

However, analysts aren’t convinced the vehicle will be widely available anytime soon, not least because other automakers have already unveiled conventional-looking electric pickups like the Ford F-150 Lightning.

“I don’t think we’re going to see significant volume, especially this year,” said Seth Goldstein, an analyst at Morningstar Research. “Not even next year. Maybe we’ll be looking more to 2025, 26, 27 until we see them.”

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed, or redistributed without permission.)

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Rush hour traffic crawls along Highway 101 into San Francisco, California on Thursday morning, March 30, 2023. (Photo: Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

There’s a new mystery thousands of Bay Area commuters are trying to solve. Downtown offices that were once teeming with techies and lawyers are deserted. BART’s ridership is down 60% after many passengers fled the system three years ago and never returned.

So why are the freeways full again?

Radio stations ping with morning traffic jam updates: The MacArthur Maze is a mess, I-880 a nuisance, and the 101 a zoo — though remote working has led to a colossal shift in travel patterns and taxpayers have spent billions of dollars providing buses, Trains and other alternatives to driving. Ultimately, the long-term solution to resurgent congestion is perhaps the least-common idea yet: making it even more expensive to commute by car.

“It’s a paradox, isn’t it?” said Alexandre Bayen, an engineering professor at UC Berkeley who studies traffic patterns. “We’re busy. It may not be the exact same times, under the same circumstances. But we are working at full capacity.”

Commuters travel across the Bay Bridge towards San Francisco on Thursday, March 30, 2023 during the morning commute in San Francisco, California. (Photo: Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Perhaps nowhere is this more visible than at the Bay Bridge. While overall bridge traffic is still down about 10% compared to 2019, morning commutes from Oakland to San Francisco are often worse than before the pandemic. Riders fill the bridge during rush hour, and morning travel speeds are 32% slower than four years ago, according to congestion data tracking speeds from Treasure Island to the Fremont Street exit in San Francisco. But the afternoon commute is still easier for many — speeds at the Bay Bridge average 34% faster exiting San Francisco.

Even reverse commuters feel some pain. Ian Brown, 47, is driving from San Francisco to Los Gatos for a job at Netflix. “You kind of got used to putting it in cruise control and going 75 mph,” he said. “Maybe three or four months ago you’ll turn the corner and the traffic will stop. It’s all about reactive driving again.”

RELATED: Bay Area drivers face DMV registration bans amid mounting express lane debt

Regional data shows the return to traffic chaos. INRIX, a traffic analysis company, found that Bay Area congestion has fully returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The region ranks 15th in the world for traffic congestion, with drivers spending an average of 97 hours in traffic last year. There is a caveat to the study’s conclusion: congestion on the city’s roads remains low, while the freeways have filled.

Increasing highway congestion is particularly confusing when you consider not only remote work but also historically high gas prices and recently increased bridge tolls, factors expected to discourage driving.

“I think traffic will only get worse,” said Bob Pishue, author of the INRIX study. “There’s a lot of demand and not enough street supply.”

Rush hour traffic crawls along Highway 101 into San Francisco, California on Thursday morning, March 30, 2023. (Photo: Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Traffic patterns also underscore a new system of winners and losers – at least when it comes to road transport – brought on by the pandemic. People who work from home, more often employees who can shop at lunchtime or hit the gym, see far less congestion. Workers who have to do their jobs in person — like plumbers, nurses and teachers — are back on congested roads.

But why do autobahns fill up so quickly?

Michael Manville, a professor of urban planning at UCLA, said Californians find many reasons to keep driving even as they commute less. One reason is that driving became even easier when COVID-19 and remote working emptied the streets. That only enticed drivers to fill the freeways until the congestion returned.

“Traffic jams aren’t just annoying — they’re a deterrent,” Manville said. “When the traffic eases, people will see that the freeway is empty and they will get in their cars and go somewhere else.”

At the region’s most notorious bottleneck, the Bay Bridge, commuters pack their journey into too few hours, exacerbating congestion. East Bay drivers driving down the peninsula from the Bay Bridge witness some of the region’s worst morning commutes, with westbound I-80 speeds dropping 44% compared to 2019 as they approach Highway 101 .

If upside-down work patterns can’t end traffic congestion, is there an answer to the region’s traffic woes?

Rush hour traffic crawls along Interstate 280 into San Francisco, Calif. Thursday morning, March 30, 2023. (Photo by Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

One solution to highway congestion is to get people out of their solo driving habits and into trains and buses, or carpooling. In 2018, voters across the Bay Area voted to increase their bridge tolls to now $7 on promises of freeing highways from congestion. Funds are flowing to send BART trains to San Jose, expand ferry service, and build a network of express lanes. These measures are intended to make the region’s ailing local transport system a viable alternative to car travel.

But changing driver behavior is a difficult task. A common refrain, supported by research, is that voters often approve public transit funding in the hope that others will use the system and make their commute easier.

Some public transport advocates say commuters’ reliance on one-person vehicles and aversion to public transit has hardened over the past three years. They point to concerns about the reliability and safety of BART, as well as an ongoing stigma that riding public transit poses a health risk. For others, commuting to work a few times a week means they’re more likely to grit their teeth in traffic, even as congestion mounts.

“People still commute,” said Emily Loper, vice president of the Bay Area Council, which tracks return-to-office trends. “You just choose to drive more than before.”

Now, transit planners in the Bay Area are landing with a controversial idea: Really reducing congestion is less about encouraging transit ridership and more about making it more expensive to drive.

At the heart of the plan is a two-year study commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission into imposing a per-mile charge for driving on freeways in the Bay Area. Some plans under study also include charging on roads adjacent to freeways or a toll for downtown access in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland. The study should pave the way for the implementation of a new motorway toll system in 2035.

Without a new “stick” to add to the “carrot” of improved public transport, drivers will stay on the streets and the collective misery of congestion will only worsen, Anup Tapase, chief planner of the MTC, said during a meeting at the MTC Month.

It is a method of reducing traffic congestion that has gained traction among many experts.

But in the Bay Area, there are deep concerns about the potential impact of congestion charges on the region’s low-income communities. The move could also spark an uprising among voters who are already paying the highest gas prices in the country.

“The word freeway has a very deep meaning in Californian culture. People believe that driving on these roads is a right,” MTC committee member Frank Welte said at a meeting earlier this month. “Any motorist who now drives for free on a freeway, who starts paying a toll, will see it as treason and theft.”

The post Bay Space drivers spend 97 hours a 12 months in visitors. Why didn’t distant work finish commute nightmares? – Purple Bluff Day by day Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

This is the second story in a three-part series about Doug Clark, who was inducted into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame. Read the first part here.

All the players that make it to the lower leagues have been great somewhere.

Best in your city. Best in her school. Best in their condition. It’s not just an American competition either. Baseball is followed with religious fervor in many Latin American countries. (Last year, 28.5 percent of major league players were Hispanic or Latino. The percentage is higher among minors.) The game is also popular in Japan and South Korea, as well as parts of Canada and Australia.

Ninety percent of these ultra-elite minor leagues will never spend a day in the big leagues.

It’s ruthless competition and sometimes an unhealthy culture. The success of a player who is playing your position is bad for you. His injury improves your chances.

It’s a tough life. You’re always on the move, long bus rides to a number of Days Inns and late-night drives to Taco Bell. Again and again you see friends being “released” – baseball’s cruel term for “fired.” For years you earn meagerly.

Off-season jobs are a must, which means years as a substitute teacher at Central High School for Doug Clark.

Yes, there are the transcendent moments: the setting sun on a perfect summer’s day, the fans singing along to John Fogarty’s “Put Me In, Coach”, the serious Little Leaguer asking for an autograph, that incredible feeling when the bat hits the ball perfect, at the sweet spot, starts a drive deep into the night.

As the competition intensified in the higher tiers of the Minors, Clark did his best to keep going and compete against the best of the best. It was a steep climb. The guy who played his left field position in the big leagues was called Bonds. Barry Bonds. The man who went on to win seven MVP awards, hit more home runs than anyone and shrouded his career in controversy over performance-enhancing drug use.

Sometimes at spring practice in Arizona, Clark would watch Bonds in the batting cage: the short, wild swing, the ball soaring into the desert sky. “He has so much power up there,” Clark once said, “that you can’t even fathom it.”

**

Doug Clark’s six siblings stayed close to home, working as teachers, coaches and counselors. His journey was different. Bill and Peggy Clark followed as best they could, logging into late-night games to listen to the webcasts, reveling in the good nights and gulping down the bad.

Clark wasn’t a superstar, but he was good enough to keep going, keep moving up, and hope that one day he would break through.

In 2005, he was eight years old and approaching 30 on his next birthday – becoming baseball old. He had the year of his life at Triple-A with the Fresno Grizzlies. Hit well over .300. Thirteen homers, 30 doubles, 29 stolen bases. He was confident he would finally get the call on Labor Day, when the minor league season ended and the big league rosters were expanded.

It did not happen. He trotted home. Moved back to the basement on Piedmont Street.

On a muggy Tuesday morning, September 13, he and his sister Molly (a special education teacher) drove to Central in a gray Ford Escort. He turned off his cell phone and got to work. That afternoon, while teaching an American history class, he heard a knock on the door, looked through the rectangular window, and saw his father. He thought this couldn’t be good news.

He awkwardly introduced his father to the class. Then his father whispered urgently, “You have to call the Giants!”

There had been a few injuries the night before. The Giants needed a left-handed hitter off the bench. His plane left in two hours.

Bill drove Doug to the airport. They shook hands. He flew first class for the first time in his life.

The next day, the Clarks exploded in the Piedmont Street family room when a certain No. 40 stepped on the plate as a pinch hitter at the end of the ninth inning in a 4-4 game. He ended up walking four pitches.

There were precious few chances this September. As a pinch runner, he slid home with the winning run one night — a brief moment of glory on ESPN SportsCenter — but he only went 0-5 on the plate. Still, he had finally made it.

He had had the faintest taste of the nectar. He longed for more. He wanted to return to the big leagues to secure his first major league hit.

In 2006, he signed as a free agent with the Oakland A’s. It’s been another productive season, but mostly more of the minor leagues, not quite well enough. At the end of June, however, the opportunity knocked again very briefly. Veteran Frank Thomas was injured. The A’s called Clark back to the big leagues.

He knew it would only be for a short time. Thomas’ injury was minor. Clark came off the bench and went 0 for his first 4, dropping him to 0 for 9 in his big league career. The clock was ticking.

On the night of June 28 in San Diego, the A’s fell behind the Padres early, and Clark was told he would hit Clay Hensley for pitcher in the fourth inning. He stepped into the box, looked at Padre’s catcher and future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, and offered a “What’s up, Mike?” which received no reply.

He swung the first two pitches and only managed a weak foul tip. The next delivery came, a plumb line that just sagged a bit. Clark hit him on a line to left center, saw center fielder Mike Cameron close up quickly, but then backed away as the ball landed beautifully on the green. The ball was thrown into the A’s shelter and from his seat on first base he watched as a teammate pretended to heave it into the crowd.

After the season, Doug took this ball out of a sock, put it in a case, and presented it to his parents. It has been on Piedmont Street ever since.

The post How Doug Clark went from a substitute trainer to the San Francisco Giants in 24 hours appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Another major retailer in San Francisco is cutting its hours due to what one city official called “increasing” theft in the shop.

The Safeway located in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, standing on Market and Church, was a longstanding, 24-hour fixture in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.

But as of last week, the store’s hours have been cut back to 6 am to 9 pm, the earliest closing time of the 15 Safeway markets in the city – most of which shut at 11 pm or midnight.

A Safeway spokesperson told Hoodline, which first broke the news, that the cutbacks are “due to an increasing amount of theft at the store.” Earlier this year, the company reportedly grappled with high rates of grocery carts being stolen from storefronts.

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told KPIX and Hoodline that the shutdown is part of a larger trend in retail theft.

“I think the last six months from what they say has been sort of off the charts in terms of how bad it’s been,” he told KPIX. “It’s sad, upsetting and frustrating.”

And while retail theft has historically been a troubling issue in San Francisco, and has gained national media attention as of late – especially following a viral video shared by KGO’s Lyanne Melendez of an ongoing theft at a Walgreens, followed by multiple local Walgreens closing down – it is worth drawing scrutiny into these company’s claims.

Follow-up investigations by SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle have contended that retail theft was likely not the lone factor contributing to those shutdowns.

And in the Walgreens case, publicly available data does not wholly align with the company’s claim. (It is worth noting, however, that retail theft often goes unreported, as Mandelman told KPIX, and that 2017 FBI data found that San Francisco had the highest rate of property crimes per capita.)

From April 1 to October 24 this year, 1,658 larceny thefts were reported in San Francisco Police Department’s Mission District in 2021, according to the police department’s crime dashboard. That number is higher than in 2020, when 1,361 larceny thefts were reported in the same timeframe. But it is significantly lower than in 2019 – the last pre-pandemic year – when 2,585 larceny thefts were reported in the same timeframe.

The company did not make its retail theft incident data publicly available; Safeway did not respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.

But no matter the cause, neighborhood customers who shop during late hours either due to necessity or convenience will have less options for grocery shopping.

Mandelman told KPIX and Hoodline that he is planning a meeting with San Francisco police and the District Attorney’s Office over theft at the Market St. Safeway.

The post San Francisco Safeway cuts hours, allegedly attributable to ‘off the charts’ theft appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SONOMA COUNTY (CBS SF) – CHP issued a severe traffic warning Friday afternoon following an accident involving multiple vehicles, including two large oil rigs, that blocked both directions of State Highway 37 in Sonoma County for hours.

KCBS Traffic’s Twitter account posted about the incident around 1:24 p.m.

There’s a new crash going east 37 east of Hwy-121 that at least partially blocks the lone trail. A large team and two cars are involved and the traffic hardly moves behind them. #SonomaCounty #KCBSTraffic photo: Caltrans pic.twitter.com/XqLNQbMPH2

– KCBS Radio – The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) November 5, 2021

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The Twitter account 511.org published about the accident around 1:40 p.m. and said that traffic was blocked in both directions.

UPDATE: Traffic collision with injuries on CA-37 heading east and heading west east of CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes blocked in both directions. https://t.co/ITRwoLsl4h

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

The accident on CA-37 east of CA-121 blocked traffic to both east and west, according to the CHP.

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Shortly after 2 p.m., authorities confirmed that traffic on CA-37 had been diverted east to CA-121.

UPDATE: Traffic collision with injuries on CA-37 heading east and heading west east of CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes remain blocked in both directions. Eastbound traffic will be diverted at CA-121. https://t.co/ITRwoLsl4h

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

Photos released by an ambulance service showed several rescue vehicles, including a CHP helicopter at the scene. Footage captured by Chopper 5 appeared to show a lane of traffic moving past the accident.

Skaggs MVA pic.twitter.com/SbeHVWNfjW

– Paramedics Ambulance (@MedicAmbulance) November 5, 2021

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., according to KCBS Radio, the lanes of the motorway to the west were released again. The lanes to the east were still closed.

Update – #SonomaCounty – # Highway37 WB lanes are now open. 37 EB remains closed on # Hwy121. #KCBSTraffic https://t.co/3vpTT8uPJk

– KCBS Radio – The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) November 5, 2021

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Shortly before 5 p.m., CHP announced that all lanes were open again. The drivers were advised to expect residual delays.

UPDATE: Residual delays on CA-37 going east between Walnut Ave and CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes open.

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

The post All Lanes Reopen After Huge-Rig Accident Shuts Down Freeway 37 for Hours – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco supervisor Rafael Mandelman said another major San Francisco retailer has made the decision to close earlier due to excessive theft, especially at night.

The Castro Safeway on Market and Church Street was open 24 hours, but that is no longer the case. Signs at the entrance indicate that the new opening times will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. from October 24th.

CONTINUE READING: ‘Back to normal on tiptoe’; Marin County is easing mask requirements for vaccinated residents indoors

Many shoppers were surprised to find that the Safeway they use outside of business hours is declining.

“I feel like it’s definitely an inconvenience, not everyone makes it to the grocery store between these hours so it’s a little frustrating, especially for me personally. I like to go shopping later, ”says Chris Rankins, who lives in the Castro.

Mandelman’s precinct includes the Market Street Safeway. He said the company reached out to him to discuss issues with the theft.

“I think, like many retailers, they are seeing increasing property crime and theft from their stores,” Mandelman said. “I think the last 6 months have been kind of off the charts after what they say, as far as the bad development goes. It’s sad, angry and frustrating. “

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Mandelman said he is now working to organize a meeting with Safeway, the San Francisco police and the district attorney.

“It’s an equity problem,” he said. “There are many low-income people, seniors, people with disabilities who rely on these Safeway and other Safeways across town.”

Johnny Denham, who works at night, has to change his routine for now.

“It is better for me to come here after work, shop, and go home,” he said. “Now it’s like I either have to go shopping before work or on my days off, which I don’t really enjoy doing.”

Safeway did not immediately respond to KPIX 5’s request for a comment.

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Mandelman added that Safeway told him that the police rarely arrest someone for a property crime if they make it to the scene.

The post Safeway In Castro Cuts Hours Due To ‘Off The Charts’ Shoplifting; ‘It’s Unhappy, Upsetting And Irritating’ – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Target has cut its store hours in San Francisco due to rampant and increasingly brazen incidents of shoplifting in certain locations across the city.

A Target spokesperson sent the following statement to KPIX 5, confirming that the decision to adjust the opening hours of stores in San Francisco was related to theft.

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“For more than a month now, we’ve seen a significant and alarming increase in theft and security incidents in our San Francisco stores, similar to other retailers in the area. Target is engaging local law enforcement, elected officials, and community partners to address our concerns. With the safety of our guests, team members and communities a top priority, we have temporarily reduced our opening hours in six stores in San Francisco. “

Target stores in San Francisco have switched to a 9am to 6pm schedule, while most of the other Target stores are open between 7 or 8am and 10pm

“I wasn’t surprised because we saw other retailers in San Francisco close. I take pride in the fact that they are trying to hold on and keep business open, ”said Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association.

Michelin told KPIX that San Francisco is the fifth worst city in the country for retail theft, with Los Angeles taking first place. She says the shoplifters don’t work alone. Often it is young people and people without shelter who are tapped by organized crime to do the dirty work.

“There comes a point – with what we’ve shared with the city’s elected leaders – where these kinds of decisions need to be made,” said Michelin. “The bottom line is when these people don’t feel safe coming to work. Then they have to take these drastic measures. “

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KPIX asked the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, to consider Target’s move.

“I think part of that is a combination of our collaboration and the right security and staff to ensure that the customer experience is improved. Cutting hours is not a solution, ”said Breed.

The mayor also said enforcement needs to be addressed.

“The question is, will this person be held accountable for what they did? And that has to be part of the equation too, ”she explained.

Stores like CVS and Walgreens have been major San Francisco destinations for the past several months, as have smaller retail stores. Companies say the thefts, many of which are linked to major criminal fencing operations, are escalating at a rate they have never seen before.

The problem was highlighted recently in a viral video in which a man rummaged through the shelves of a Walgreens store in San Francisco and quietly rode a bike out the door while a security guard and customers watched.

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Andria Borba contributed to this story.

The post San Francisco Goal Shops Reduce Working Hours Due To Retail Theft Surge – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The coronavirus husband who tore off his oxygen mask after hearing his wife died of the disease in another ward: Bill, 90, died just days after Mary, his 63-year-old wife

• Mary Dartnall, 90, stopped responding and went to the hospital in Southampton
• After initially things seemed to be better, Ms. Dartnall died a few days later
• Bill Dartnall took off his oxygen mask after learning of his wife’s death
• How to help people affected by Covid-19

By Henry Martin for Mailonline

Released: 4:50 AM EDT, April 29, 2020 | Updated: 11:09 AM EDT, April 29, 2020

A retiree with coronavirus died on the same day as his 63-year-old wife after she was refused treatment when he learned of her death.

Bill Dartnall, 90, took off his oxygen mask after learning of the death of his wife Mary, 81, who had also tested positive for the virus.

Mr Dartnall worked as a chimney sweep in Southampton for over 40 years and was also a noted beekeeper with his wife.

After Ms. Dartnall fell ill, she stopped responding and was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where she tested positive for Covid-19.

A few days later, her husband suffered a stroke and was admitted to the same hospital where he was found to have the virus.

The couple who lived in Millbrook were both treated for something called Covid-19 pneumonia.

Bill and Mary Dartnall at the hospital on March 17th before landing on the coronavirus ward

Bill and Mary Dartnall on their wedding day in November 1956. It was a devastating double tragedy for the couple’s two daughters, Rosemary and Ann

After initially improving, Ms. Dartnall deteriorated for the worse and died a few days after she was admitted.

When her husband was given the news, he refused any further oxygen and died five hours later.

It was a devastating double tragedy for the couple’s two daughters, Rosemary and Ann.

Rosemary said, “When he was told that Mom had died, he tried to pull the mask off his face and made it clear that he no longer wanted oxygen.

When Mr. Dartnall was given the news, he refused any further oxygen and died five hours later

Mr and Mrs Dartnell in their garden. According to the NHS England, patients have the right to refuse treatment

“Dad refused to wear the mask – we don’t know exactly why, but he didn’t want to continue.

“He continued to receive care and passed away peacefully in his sleep a few hours later.

“Dad probably wouldn’t have wanted to live without mum. They were very much a couple and it’s hard to imagine either of them without the other. ‘

According to the NHS England, patients have the right to refuse treatment.

The website states, “If you refuse treatment, your decision must be respected, even if it is believed that refusing treatment would result in your death.”

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