Here’s what’s happening in the Bay Area as curated by KALW News:
$260M bailout approved for Transbay Transit Center - San Francisco Examiner
“San Francisco approved a $260 million bailout of the major Transbay transportation and development project Tuesday after multiple errors have sent costs soaring to nearly double the initial estimate.
“The multibillion-dollar project’s bailout, which was introduced by Mayor Ed Lee, was approved by the Board of Supervisors in a 10-1 vote."
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'Better BART' website straddles line between education, advocacy - San Jose Mercury News
“BART is pulling all the stops in an effort to let riders -- and potential voters -- know just how badly it needs to upgrade its transit system, and how it hopes to pay for it.
“Last week, BART launched an informational website called ‘Better BART’ aimed at educating voters about the transit agency's proposed $3.5 billion bond measure.”
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Protests, Security Concerns Prompt SFPD Chief Greg Suhr to Cancel Appearance at Forum - NBCBayArea News
“San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr cancelled a planned public appearance with Public Defender Jeff Adachi Tuesday evening after a day of protests calling for his job.
“The appearance was scheduled to take place at the planned police accountability forum, at the Congregation Sherith Israel on California Street.”
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City officials: Feds drop lawsuit on Harborside, Oakland's largest medical marijuana dispensary
“A lawsuit against the nation's largest medical marijuana dispensary has gone up in smoke after Oakland city officials announced Tuesday that the federal lawsuit has been dropped.
“The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the status of the civil forfeiture suit, filed by former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag in 2012. Haag's action threatened the Harborside Health Center property in Oakland with seizure on the basis that the building was being used for illegal activity.”
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Growing pessimism about Bay Area economy, poll finds - Santa Cruz Sentinel
“Bay Area residents are more pessimistic about the region’s still-sturdy economy than they have been since 2014, with more than one-third expecting a significant downturn within a year, according to poll results released Tuesday.
“ ‘The mood is worsening, softening, slipping a little bit,’ said Ruth Bernstein, senior economic principal with EMC Research, which conducted the poll for the Bay Area Council”
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Combination of the Two: How San Francisco Helped Make Janis a Legend - KQED
“When Chet Helms first saw Janis Joplin sing while on a trip to Texas in the early ’60s, she apparently had to get drunk to even stand on stage.
“ ‘She just wouldn’t sing unless she had a few belts in her. Then, she would stand very rigidly,’ Helms said in an 1998 interview.
“She might not have had her legendary stage presence yet, but she certainly had that legendary voice.”
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