Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
How much water are top suppliers committing to save this year? Zilch // SFGate
"A year after California attacked the drought with an unprecedented water rationing program that drove cities and towns to cut back 24 percent collectively, state officials have changed course and given local agencies the leeway to come up with their own water-saving goals.
But the agencies are not exactly setting a high bar.
Nine of the 10 biggest urban water suppliers in California reported to the state last week that they’ve set conservation targets of zero — yes, goose eggs — meaning they’re not committing to saving any water for the remainder of 2016. These agencies include the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the East Bay Municipal Utility District."
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Protesting higher SF Pride security, 3 groups bow out of parade // SFGate
"Three organizations have pulled out of this weekend’s Pride Parade in San Francisco as grand marshals in protest of the heavy police presence planned during the annual celebration.
Black Lives Matter, the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project and St. James Infirmary are refusing to march in the parade in their honorary roles to make the point that they feel less safe, not more safe, with the added security, according to representatives of the organizations."
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Ten Stabbed During Violent Clash at Rally in Sacramento // KQED
"Ten people were wounded — two of them with life-threatening injuries — on Sunday when counter-protesters clashed with members of a white nationalist group that planned to rally outside the California state Capitol building in Sacramento, authorities said.
California Highway Patrol Officer George Granada said about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party were gathering for a rally around noon Sunday when they were met by about 400 counter-protesters and a fight broke out."
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Study Backs Oakland’s Case for Blocking Coal Terminal // KQED
"A new analysis of proposed coal shipments through a new West Oakland port complex largely supports the environmental and public health arguments of city officials and community groups fighting to stop the facility.
The City Council-commissioned report was released Friday, just days before members are scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on an ordinance that would block shipments of coal through Oakland port facilities."
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North Beach tenant's rent increased from$1,800 to $8,000 a month // SFGate
"It's being called one of the largest rent increases ever in San Francisco.
A North Beach tenant recently received notice from his landlord that the rent on his apartment was going up from $1,800 a month to $8,000.
Neil Hutchinson, who has lived in the building at Columbus and Scotland streets for six years, has been hit with a rent increase of 344 percent.
Hutchinson, 47, said the increase went into effect on June 1, and is fighting it through the San Francisco Rent Board. But he says the landlord recently served him an eviction notice, stating he has to be out by July 21, and the rent board decision won't be finalized until August. "
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S.F.'s "Vision Zero" Isn't Stopping Bad Drivers, Or Hit-and-Runs // SFWeekly
"What we know following the deaths of two cyclists Wednesday in San Francisco is that both were biking legally, the streets are considered high-injury corridors, and advocates say the city isn’t following through on its Vision Zero promises to end traffic fatalities by 2024.
We also know the actions of both drivers in the separate collisions were woefully illegal, including fleeing the scene in each case. That begs the question: No matter how many improvements are made to streets in the name of protecting pedestrians and cyclists, will drivers stop running red lights or making illegal lane changes? And will they stop trying to get away after the fact?"
