Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
California Drought: Governor Orders First-Ever Water Restrictions// SFist
"While at the annual April 1st Sierra snowpack measurement, California Governor Jerry Brown announced an executive order directing the State Water Resources Control Board to work with local agencies to reduce water use statewide by 25 percent. In response to the ongoing drought, it's the first set of mandatory water restrictions in state history.
According to officials, the order will impose water cutbacks for everyone from homeowners, to farmers, golf courses, campuses, and cemeteries. Punitive measures such as fines could be the price of noncompliance. The order would also create a statewide rebate program to replace old appliances with more water-efficient options, ban the watering of grass on public street medians, ask water agencies to implement new pricing models to discourage overuse of water, and regulate agricultural reports of water use."
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Poverty rates near record levels in Bay Area despite hot economy // Contra Costa Times
"SAN JOSE -- Despite being a nationwide leader in job growth, the Bay Area suffers from a poverty rate that still hovers near historic highs, with more than 800,000 people in the region living below the poverty line, a report released on Wednesday shows.
About 11.3 percent of Bay Area residents are living at or below the poverty level, according to the report, "Poverty in the Bay Area," that was released by the Joint Venture Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies. The data reflects levels reached in 2013, the most recent year for which these statistics are available."
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Researchers advocate open discourse on genome editing// The Daily Californian
"On March 19, researchers led by campus professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology Jennifer Doudna published an article advocating open discourse regarding the use of technology that can manipulate the human genome.
The CRISPR-Cas9 system, co-invented by Doudna, allows molecular biologists to modify genomes in two ways: by enabling changes to DNA sequences that correct genetic defects in whole organisms and by changing an organism’s “germline” — altering the DNA in nuclei of reproductive cells, which transmit information between generations. By altering the genetic makeup of differentiated cells in an organism or by changing the germline, researchers can ensure that changes to specific DNA sequences will be passed to the next generation."
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Faux Real 3 Is the Drag Party to End All Parties // East Bay Express
"Faux Real 3 is an "avant-drag" show, immersive theater performance, masquerade ball, birthday party, and interactive art installation with the theme "aliens and androgynous gods."
At least those are the words that organizers TiareRibeaux and Najee Rene are using to describe it. The event, which will take place at B4BEL4B (184 10th St., Oakland) on April 4, is intended to offer a one-night-only alternate reality — complete with over-the-top outfits, mind-bending tech art, and gender-bending performances in which no one is themselves. Or, rather, everyone is so authentically themselves so as to be unrecognizable."
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Long-Time Artist Captures a Genteel Mission in HomieBoxes // Mission Local
"Chances are, you’ve seen Cindy DeLosa’s work in windows around the Mission: small dioramas with “homie” figurines depicting iconic scenes and moments in the neighborhood. The “homie boxes,” as they’re called, can be spotted everywhere, but if you want to see about a dozen of them in one place, head for the window galley at Precita Eyes on 24th Street, where Cindy is the store manager.
A friend of mine who knew I wanted to learn some Mission history and was looking for long time residents introduced me to Cindy. It makes sense that she’s at Precita Eyes. Its visitors center has the best tours for murals in the neighborhood. As artists themselves, the guides are highly knowledgeable about the Mission’s public art. And Cindy, who knows the art currently decorating the Mission, is also a human memory bank for its past."
