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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 26/02/2026

Larry Magid: Smart dehumidifiers help control dust mites. Dehumidifiers aren't glamorous appliances, but dust mites aren't exactly welcome house guests.

<p>I had never paid much attention to the humidity in my Silicon Valley house, but my allergist, who is treating me for a dust mite allergy, suggested using dehumidifiers in my bedroom and home office to keep humidity below 50 percent, making it harder for dust mites to reproduce. For those fortunate enough not to have to think about dust mites, they are microscopic spider-related creatures “that feed on dead human skin cells and thrive in warm, humid settings,” according to the American Lung Association. The ALA recommends keeping humidity below 50% and removing upholstered furniture or drapes where possible. You should also use allergen-proof covers on mattresses and pillows, wash bedding weekly, and minimize clutter and stuffed animals.</p>
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<p>Although it rarely feels tropical, Santa Clara County has moderate to high humidity, averaging around 70 percent in winter and 50 to 60 percent in summer. Dust mites thrive above 60 percent humidity, reproducing quickly and increasing allergen levels. Once humidity drops below 50 percent, reproduction slows. Below 45 percent, populations decline sharply, and sustained levels under 35 to 40 percent make survival difficult for them and easier for me.</p>
<p>Dust mite allergies are primarily triggered by allergenic proteins found in the mites’ fecal particles, which become airborne and are inhaled, causing nasal and respiratory symptoms, according to Dr. <a href="https://allergydr.net/">Anita Carmen Choy</a>, a Palo Alto allergy specialist.</p>
<p>Dust mite allergies are common. “Approximately 20 million people in the United States have a dust mite allergy,” according to <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17712-dust-mite-allergy">Cleveland Clinic</a>. A 2023 study cited by the National Library of Medicine found that 5 to 30 percent of the general population show sensitivity on skin tests. People with asthma are far more likely to be affected.</p>
<p><strong>Smart dehumidifiers</strong></p>
<p>To follow my allergist’s advice, I set out to find the right dehumidifier. To give myself more control, I focused on “smart” models with WiFi and apps that allow remote operation and scheduling, along with voice control through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. I tested devices from Midea, TCL, hOmeLabs and Frigidaire and ultimately bought the Frigidaire 22-Pint Portable Dehumidifier for the bedroom and the hOmeLabs 25 Pint model for my home office. I also removed the carpeting in my office and replaced it with laminate flooring.</p>
<p>Dehumidifier capacity is measured in pints removed per 24 hours, and the size you need depends on square footage and humidity. Home Depot suggests at least a 10-pint unit for 500 square feet or less, adding 4 pints for each additional 500 square feet. Add 10 pints in humid climates, 5 pints if multiple people use the room, another 5 for multiple windows or doors, and 5 more if a washer or dryer is nearby.</p>
<p>Because units come in standard sizes, you may end up buying one slightly larger than the formula suggests. That is generally fine. Extra capacity may slightly increase electricity use and noise levels but can improve efficiency because the unit removes moisture more quickly and may not need to run as long.</p>
<p><strong>Dealing with the water they extract and the noise they emit</strong></p>
<p>One lesson from testing was thinking through where the water goes after it’s extracted from the air. All the models had internal tanks, ranging from 0.8 gallons on the hOmeLabs unit to 3.2 gallons on the Midea Cube 20 Pint, which I tested but did not buy. The Cube’s design requires lifting the main unit off the tank before emptying it. When full, 3.2 gallons weighs about 27 pounds, not counting the tank itself, making it fairly heavy. All units I tested shut off automatically once the tank is full.</p>
<p>All the units also include a drain port and short hose to channel water to a floor drain or outside. I have not yet drilled through an exterior wall, wary of hitting wires or causing other damage, so for now I am using the built-in tanks.</p>
<p>That works reasonably well with the Frigidaire in my bedroom, whose 1.7-gallon tank lasts nearly two days. But the 0.8-gallon tank in my office fills at least once a day. My plan is to enlarge the hole left by a former Comcast coaxial cable since I upgraded to fiber, though I am waiting for help from someone more skilled in drilling holes through exterior walls.</p>
<p>Noise is another consideration, especially in a bedroom or in my case an office where I do radio, TV interviews and podcasts. Using the free NIOSH Sound Level Meter app, I measured the hOmeLabs unit at about 50 dB on low and the Frigidaire at about 46 dB, each from roughly five feet away.</p>
<p>The hOmeLabs is rated at 51 dB and the Frigidaire at 43 dB, but manufacturers measure under controlled conditions at closer distances. My readings likely include background noise and sound reflections, so they are not pure measurements of the machines alone.</p>
<p>When sleeping, the steady sound does not bother me. In fact, it can be soothing, like white noise. The real issue is the compressor cycling off and then kicking back on, which can be abrupt enough to wake you. To avoid that, we either turn the bedroom unit off at night or set it to continuous mode, so it runs at a low, steady speed.</p>
<p>These units all have built-in hygrometers to measure room humidity, but they take readings from the device itself, not from other parts of the room. To get a more complete picture, I bought several Govee digital hygrometer-thermometers for about $10 each. They display humidity on a small screen and in a companion app that tracks levels throughout the day.</p>
<p>Dehumidifiers aren’t glamorous appliances, but dust mites aren’t exactly welcome house guests. Keeping indoor humidity down helps keep those tiny intruders at bay and allows me to breathe more easily. The dehumidifiers I bought may be smart, but following my allergist’s advice is smarter still.</p>
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<p><em>Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at larry@larrymagid.com.</em></p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 18/01/2026

After Trump Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Going All-Out

<p>BRUSSELS — In a single post Saturday night, President Donald Trump upended months of progress on trade negotiations with an ultimatum that puts Europe on a crash course with the United States — long its closest ally and suddenly one of its biggest threats.</p>
<p>In the Truth Social post, Trump demanded a deal to buy Greenland, saying that otherwise he would slap tariffs on a group of European nations, first 10% in February, then 25% in June.</p>
<p>It appeared to leave little room for Europe to maneuver or negotiate in a harsh and combative era of geopolitics. It also left Europe with few options to counter Trump without repercussions.</p>
<p>European leaders are loath to accept the forced takeover of an autonomous territory that is controlled by Denmark, a member of both NATO and the European Union.</p>
<p>Officials and outside analysts increasingly argue that Europe will need to respond to Trump with force — namely by hitting back on trade. But doing so could come at a heavy cost to both the bloc’s economy and its security, since Europe remains heavily reliant on the United States for support through NATO and in Russia’s war with Ukraine.</p>
<p>“We either fight a trade war, or we’re in a real war,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a research institute in Brussels.</p>
<p>Europeans have spent more than a year insisting that Greenland is not for sale and have constantly repeated that the fate of the massive northern island must be decided by its people and by Denmark. Last week, a group of European nations sent personnel to Greenland for military exercises — a show of solidarity that may have triggered Trump, since the same nations are the ones to be slapped with tariffs.</p>
<p>The exercises were intended to reinforce Europe’s commitment to policing the Arctic. Trump has insisted that the United States needs to own Greenland to improve security in the region.</p>
<p>In that sense, the exercises were part of an ongoing effort to placate Trump. For weeks, officials across Europe had dismissed Trump’s threats to take Greenland, even by military force, as unlikely. Many saw them more as negotiating tactics and hoped that they could satisfy the American president with a willingness to beef up defense and spending on Greenland.</p>
<p>But Trump’s fixation on owning the island and his escalating rhetoric is crushing European hopes that appeasement and dialogue will work. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doubled down on that message in a Sunday morning interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”</p>
<p>U.S. ownership of Greenland would be “best for Greenland, best for Europe and best for the United States,” Bessent said, suggesting that would be the case even if Greenland were taken by military force.</p>
<p>“The European leaders will come around,” he added.</p>
<p>There is little sign of that. Facing the reality that a negotiated compromise is less and less likely, Europeans are now racing to figure out how to respond to Trump’s pressure campaign.</p>
<p>Within hours of the post, members of the European Parliament announced that they would freeze the ratification of the trade deal that Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, struck last summer. And members of the European Parliament are openly calling for trade retaliation. Ambassadors from across the 27-nation bloc gathered in Brussels on Sunday for an emergency meeting, diplomats said.</p>
<p>Hitting back is complicated.</p>
<p>Europe has a trade weapon specifically created to defend against political coercion quickly and forcefully, and as Trump’s threats sank in, policymakers argued that this is the time to wield it.</p>
<p>The tool — officially called the “anti-coercion instrument,” unofficially called Europe’s trade “bazooka” — could be used to slap limitations on big American technology companies or other service providers that do large amounts of business on the Continent. But using it would sharply ratchet up trans-Atlantic tensions.</p>
<p>Europe has spent the past year avoiding such escalation, and for a reason. The Continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for NATO protection and for support against Russia in the war on Ukraine, so a full-on trade war could have consequences on other fronts.</p>
<p>“The question is — how far do you want to go?” said Penny Naas, an expert on European public policy at the German Marshall Fund think tank.</p>
<p>European leaders are still hoping that they might be able to talk things out. Von der Leyen struck an accommodating tone in a social media post Saturday night.</p>
<p>“Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the U.S.,” she wrote.</p>
<p>But she also warned that tariffs would “risk a dangerous downward spiral.”</p>
<p>So far, talks have been all but futile. Foreign policy officials from Denmark and Greenland met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in Washington last week. Afterward, the Danes and Greenlanders acknowledged that the two sides remained at an impasse, but expressed hope.</p>
<p>The two sides, they noted, had agreed to set up a high-level working group to work through their issues.</p>
<p>That optimism was quickly snuffed out when the White House said that the group was meant to work on the United States’ “acquisition” of Greenland.</p>
<p>“This is just all brute force,” Naas said. “The president really wants Greenland, and he’s not backing off of it.”</p>
<p>Greenland shows little sign of wanting to be acquired, by money or by military force. Greenlanders have at times chafed at Danish power, but polls and interviews indicate that most don’t want to give up their free education and universal health care.</p>
<p>As Trump takes on a more aggressive posture, European leaders are growing blunter.</p>
<p>Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, wrote that “we will not let ourselves be blackmailed.” Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, wrote on social media Saturday night that “no intimidation nor threat will influence us.”</p>
<p>Macron will request, on behalf of France, the activation of the anti-coercion trade tool, a senior French official said Sunday.</p>
<p>Even Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain — which, like Norway, is not in the European Union, but was listed among the countries that will be slapped with tariffs — called Trump’s tariff move “completely wrong.” Starmer has carefully cultivated a positive relationship with the White House.</p>
<p>“We will of course be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration,” he said in a statement.</p>
<p>Lisa Nandy, a British government minister, told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer would discuss the issue with Trump “at the earliest opportunity,” possibly at the World Economic Forum this week in Davos, Switzerland.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/world/europe/greenland-us-trade-war.html">The New York Times</a>.</p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 30/12/2025

2025: A look back at Bay Area images that made our year

<p>It’s been a long year.</p>
<p>In 2025, political turmoil reverberated across the Bay Area: immigration raids and ICE protests, rising homelessness and shrinking aid, a resurgent resistance movement and a relentless news cycle that left many feeling worn down.</p>
<p>And yet — amid it all — there were moments of joy. Quiet pauses in nature. Shared rituals that marked the seasons with reassuring constancy. We created art that provoked and inspired, tested our limits, mourned what was lost and celebrated milestones that gave meaning to another year.</p>
<p>Our photographers trained their lenses on all of it, capturing the rage and grief of protest, the towering flames of disaster and the elation of hard-earned victory.</p>
<p>This is our photographic ode to a year that was often difficult and exhausting — and continually defined by human resilience.</p>
<p>— By Luis Melecio-Zambrano</p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">January</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349508"><img alt="A man named Chet, of Martinez, feeds the seagulls along the shore of Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline Park on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Martinez, Calif. Chet, who did not want his last name used, explained how he use to be a big hunter but now enjoys spending time feeding the birds as a way of relaxing and enjoying life. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-1.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A man named Chet, of Martinez, feeds the seagulls along the shore of Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline Park on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Martinez, Calif. Chet, who did not want his last name used, explained how he use to be a big hunter but now enjoys spending time feeding the birds as a way of relaxing and enjoying life. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349509"><img alt="The Golden State Warriors high-five one another after the national anthem was played before their NBA game against the Miami Heat at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-2.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5710" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Golden State Warriors high-five one another after the national anthem was played before their NBA game against the Miami Heat at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349510"><img alt="Wayne Justmann, of San Francisco, and Amy Fisher, of Oakley, kiss as they smoke joints at the Root'd In The 510 Equity Weed Dispensary's Senior Toakland group gathering in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Justmann was the recipient of the first California medical marijuana card. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-3.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6974" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Wayne Justmann, of San Francisco, and Amy Fisher, of Oakley, kiss as they smoke joints at the Root'd In The 510 Equity Weed Dispensary’s Senior Toakland group gathering in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Justmann was the recipient of the first California medical marijuana card. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12386331"><img alt="Contrails from a Space-X rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base fill the sky over San Bruno Mountain, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-LAUNCH-0125-2a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4096" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Contrails from a Space-X rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base fill the sky over San Bruno Mountain, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349511"><img alt="Lisa Dooley, 64, an unhoused resident of Union City, talks during an interview at the homeless encampment near Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2025. Dooley lives on the other side of ravine that runs between Fremont and Union City. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-4.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Lisa Dooley, 64, an unhoused resident of Union City, talks during an interview at the homeless encampment near Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2025. Dooley lives on the other side of ravine that runs between Fremont and Union City. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349512"><img alt="An inmate stays in his cell in the drug detoxification wing at Maguire Correctional Facility on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Redwood City, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-5.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">An inmate stays in his cell in the drug detoxification wing at Maguire Correctional Facility on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Redwood City, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349513"><img alt="A bystander watches the smoke and flames from Castroville as a fire at the Vistra battery storage plant burns in Moss Landing, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-6.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5674" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A bystander watches the smoke and flames from Castroville as a fire at the Vistra battery storage plant burns in Moss Landing, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349514"><img alt="A few birds find some respite on a golden cross atop a dome roof at St. Michael Catholic Church as a waxing gibbous moon is seen in the background in Livermore, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-7.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5592" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A few birds find some respite on a golden cross atop a dome roof at St. Michael Catholic Church as a waxing gibbous moon is seen in the background in Livermore, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349515"><img alt="Golden State Warriors' Kevon Looney (5) can't get a shot off against Boston Celtics' Derrick White (9) and Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porziņģis (8) in the second half at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-8.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4462" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Golden State Warriors' Kevon Looney (5) can’t get a shot off against Boston Celtics' Derrick White (9) and Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porziņģis (8) in the second half at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">February</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349518"><img alt="Flames shoot into the air from an explosion reported at the Martinez Refinery in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-9.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6344" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Flames shoot into the air from an explosion reported at the Martinez Refinery in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349519"><img alt="People, including Ivan Grimaldo, from San Jose, standing on his 1970 Impala, participate in a "No ICE in San Jose" rally at the corner of South King Road and Story Road in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-10.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5734" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">People, including Ivan Grimaldo, from San Jose, standing on his 1970 Impala, participate in a “No ICE in San Jose” rally at the corner of South King Road and Story Road in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349520"><img alt="Trainer Timothy Bellasis brushes a horse in the stables of the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Pleasanton, Calif. The California Authority of Racing Fairs this week announced that it would abandon plans to organize horse racing this year throughout several county fairs in the upper half of the state, including at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-11.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Trainer Timothy Bellasis brushes a horse in the stables of the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Pleasanton, Calif. The California Authority of Racing Fairs this week announced that it would abandon plans to organize horse racing this year throughout several county fairs in the upper half of the state, including at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349521"><img alt="A sawyer with Ascent Forestry works on a fuel reduction project at Anthony Chabot Regional Park on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Castro Valley, Calif. The East Bay Regional Park District is clearing dead and stressed Eucalyptus trees, and brush from 667 acres of land in the park. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-12.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A sawyer with Ascent Forestry works on a fuel reduction project at Anthony Chabot Regional Park on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Castro Valley, Calif. The East Bay Regional Park District is clearing dead and stressed Eucalyptus trees, and brush from 667 acres of land in the park. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349522"><img alt="Dancers from Zhiping Shi Dance perform during the Chinese New Year Parade at Chinatown in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-13.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5818" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Dancers from Zhiping Shi Dance perform during the Chinese New Year Parade at Chinatown in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349523"><img alt="An American Coot swims by the reflection of fences distorted by the ripples of the water at Lake Elizabeth on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-14.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4366" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">An American Coot swims by the reflection of fences distorted by the ripples of the water at Lake Elizabeth on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349524"><img alt="Owner Sarah Jennings plays with her horses Graceful Mischief, left, Bid On The Right and her big goat, Orejas, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds stable in Pleasanton, California, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Jennings like many of the horse owners are relocating their horses and workers to different racetrack stables in Southern Califfornia and outside the state. Some have already become unemployed, and possibly more on March 25, the last day to close the stable, following the California Authority of Racing Fairs' decision to cancel all horse racing in Northern California's circuit of racing fairs. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-15.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6884" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Owner Sarah Jennings plays with her horses Graceful Mischief, left, Bid On The Right and her big goat, Orejas, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds stable in Pleasanton, California, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Jennings like many of the horse owners are relocating their horses and workers to different racetrack stables in Southern Califfornia and outside the state. Some have already become unemployed, and possibly more on March 25, the last day to close the stable, following the California Authority of Racing Fairs' decision to cancel all horse racing in Northern California's circuit of racing fairs. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349525"><img alt="From left, Gloria Navarrete, Rodel Rodis and Zeni Mallari, who organized political support for the Filipino opposition against former president Ferdinand Marcos in the Bay Area during the 1970s and 80s, at Mallari's home on Feb. 27, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-16.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5894" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">From left, Gloria Navarrete, Rodel Rodis and Zeni Mallari, who organized political support for the Filipino opposition against former president Ferdinand Marcos in the Bay Area during the 1970s and 80s, at Mallari’s home on Feb. 27, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349526"><img alt="Everett Alvarez High goalkeeper Alvaro Reyes (1) blocks the ball as he collides with Bellarmine's Gregory Gutierrez (11) in the second half of their CCS Division I boys soccer championship against Bellarmine in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-17.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4920" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Everett Alvarez High goalkeeper Alvaro Reyes (1) blocks the ball as he collides with Bellarmine's Gregory Gutierrez (11) in the second half of their CCS Division I boys soccer championship against Bellarmine in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12386332"><img alt="The crew renovating the Pigeon Point Lighthouse pause for a group photo on the 136 cast iron steps that lead to the sentinel's lantern room on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Nine months into the two-year, $18 million project, the stripped treads will be painted during in the final phase. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-PPLSTAIRS-0220-5a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5912" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The crew renovating the Pigeon Point Lighthouse pause for a group photo on the 136 cast iron steps that lead to the sentinel’s lantern room on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Nine months into the two-year, $18 million project, the stripped treads will be painted during in the final phase. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">March</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349527"><img alt="Ramanama Dasa, life coach and Bhagvatgita Preacher, rests on a cow at Sri Krishna Balaram Goshal in Milpitas, Calif., on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-18.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5688" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Ramanama Dasa, life coach and Bhagvatgita Preacher, rests on a cow at Sri Krishna Balaram Goshal in Milpitas, Calif., on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349528"><img alt="Jonathan Stombres, a singer for Cirque du Soleil, stands in front of the Children's Discovery Museum during a marketing photo shoot in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-19.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5692" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Jonathan Stombres, a singer for Cirque du Soleil, stands in front of the Children’s Discovery Museum during a marketing photo shoot in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349529"><img alt="Indrajit Kumavat, a contortionist for Cirque du Soleil, contorts in front of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-20.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5692" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Indrajit Kumavat, a contortionist for Cirque du Soleil, contorts in front of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349530"><img alt="A view of the kitchen area inside the 3-bedroom house of Rajul Jain and her husband, Vivek Shivhare, is seen on March 13, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-21.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7034" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A view of the kitchen area inside the 3-bedroom house of Rajul Jain and her husband, Vivek Shivhare, is seen on March 13, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387829"><img alt="Young northern elephant seals lounge on the sand at Año Nuevo State Park in Pescadero, Calif., Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-SEALSOUNDS-0000-10a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4266" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Young northern elephant seals lounge on the sand at Año Nuevo State Park in Pescadero, Calif., Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349531"><img alt="Volunteer Tammy Brumley, known as the "Rosie Wrangler," left, escorts former Rosie the Riveter Jeanne Gibson, 99, to the parking lot after Gibson gave a talk at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif., on Friday, March 14, 2025. Gibson is traveling to New Orleans this week to speak at the National World War II Museum for Rosie the Riveter Day. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-22.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6764" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Volunteer Tammy Brumley, known as the “Rosie Wrangler,” left, escorts former Rosie the Riveter Jeanne Gibson, 99, to the parking lot after Gibson gave a talk at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif., on Friday, March 14, 2025. Gibson is traveling to New Orleans this week to speak at the National World War II Museum for Rosie the Riveter Day. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349532"><img alt="Team White goaltender Justin Voltaggio (38) listens to the National Anthem before their game against Team Black for their Special Olympics Northern California floor hockey game at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-23.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5848" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Team White goaltender Justin Voltaggio (38) listens to the National Anthem before their game against Team Black for their Special Olympics Northern California floor hockey game at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349533"><img alt="A view of the Glory Hole spillway at the Monticello dam in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. It experienced its first spillover since 2019. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-24.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5280" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A view of the Glory Hole spillway at the Monticello dam in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. It experienced its first spillover since 2019. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349534"><img alt="Workers struggle to load a horse onto a trailer at the Alameda County Fairgrounds Racing Stables on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Pleasanton, Calif. Tuesday was the final day of training and the stables close for good on March 28, at the last Bay Area racing facility. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-25.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8264" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Workers struggle to load a horse onto a trailer at the Alameda County Fairgrounds Racing Stables on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Pleasanton, Calif. Tuesday was the final day of training and the stables close for good on March 28, at the last Bay Area racing facility. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349537"><img alt="Customers are seen in a reflection of a message board at Danville Bowl on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Danville, Calif. The bowling alley is closing shop on March 31 after 60 years in business. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-26.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Customers are seen in a reflection of a message board at Danville Bowl on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Danville, Calif. The bowling alley is closing shop on March 31 after 60 years in business. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349538"><img alt="Mills' Lucy Esquivel (12) dives into home against Sequoia's Mariangel Perez (10) in the first inning at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif., on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-27.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5688" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Mills’ Lucy Esquivel (12) dives into home against Sequoia's Mariangel Perez (10) in the first inning at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif., on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349539"><img alt="San Jose residents Nancy and Jerry Kettmann celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary at The Villages in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-28.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6110" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Jose residents Nancy and Jerry Kettmann celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary at The Villages in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349540"><img alt="Athletics' Max Muncy #13 can't get to a single by Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch #29 in the seventh inning of their opening day game at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, March 31, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-29.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3642" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Athletics’ Max Muncy #13 can’t get to a single by Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch #29 in the seventh inning of their opening day game at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, March 31, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">April</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349541"><img alt="Greenery outside is reflected in a bedroom window at the Bazett-Frank House in Hillsborough, California, on April 8, 2025. The house was designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-30.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3948" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Greenery outside is reflected in a bedroom window at the Bazett-Frank House in Hillsborough, California, on April 8, 2025. The house was designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349542"><img alt="Bay FC midfielder Kiki Pickett (23) battles Chicago Stars Julia Grosso (21) for the ball during the first half of their game on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-31.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Bay FC midfielder Kiki Pickett (23) battles Chicago Stars Julia Grosso (21) for the ball during the first half of their game on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349543"><img alt="Stanford celebrates after winning against the California Golden Bears during the women's college rugby Spring 2025 USA Rugby XVs National Championships at Steuber Rugby Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-32.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6498" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Stanford celebrates after winning against the California Golden Bears during the women’s college rugby Spring 2025 USA Rugby XVs National Championships at Steuber Rugby Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349544"><img alt="Participants in the "Bring Your Own Big Wheel" race roll down Vermont Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-33.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8206" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Participants in the “Bring Your Own Big Wheel” race roll down Vermont Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12386334"><img alt="Silhouetted halfway up a 45-foot-tall, steel mesh structure rising next to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif., a construction worker puts the final touches on Marco Cochrane's female sculpture titled "R-Evolution," Thursday, April 11, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-SFLADYCLO_04XX-2a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3412" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Silhouetted halfway up a 45-foot-tall, steel mesh structure rising next to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif., a construction worker puts the final touches on Marco Cochrane’s female sculpture titled “R-Evolution,” Thursday, April 11, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349545"><img alt="People view a dead gray whale that washed up on the shoreline of the Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda, Calif., on Monday, April 21, 2025. The whale marks the fourth gray whale to wash up in San Francisco Bay this year." class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-34.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5088" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">People view a dead gray whale that washed up on the shoreline of the Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda, Calif., on Monday, April 21, 2025. The whale marks the fourth gray whale to wash up in San Francisco Bay this year. </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12386335"><img alt="Neary Hang, far right, coaxes a group of woman fighting a tug of war between the sexes at the Cambodian New Year celebration at the Wat Dhammararam Buddhist Temple in Stockton, Calif., Saturday, April 12, 2025.(Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-CAMB-NEWYR0414-16a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4266" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Neary Hang, far right, coaxes a group of woman fighting a tug of war between the sexes at the Cambodian New Year celebration at the Wat Dhammararam Buddhist Temple in Stockton, Calif., Saturday, April 12, 2025.(Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349546"><img alt="Ophthalmology doctor and UC San Francisco professor Nisha Acharya at the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in San Francisco, Calif. Acharya's grant to study the effects of a vaccine against shingles on people who have had shingles in the eye has been has been cut by the Trump administration. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-35.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6120" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Ophthalmology doctor and UC San Francisco professor Nisha Acharya at the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in San Francisco, Calif. Acharya’s grant to study the effects of a vaccine against shingles on people who have had shingles in the eye has been has been cut by the Trump administration. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">May</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349547"><img alt="Dancers with Casita de las Artes perform during the 2nd Annual San Jose Cinco de Mayo Celebration Parade in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, May 4, 2025. The parade was along King Road from Alum Rock Avenue to Virginia Avenue. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-36.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5462" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Dancers with Casita de las Artes perform during the 2nd Annual San Jose Cinco de Mayo Celebration Parade in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, May 4, 2025. The parade was along King Road from Alum Rock Avenue to Virginia Avenue. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline" id="attachment_12349548"><img alt="Scooby the Chihuahua gets ready to take a shot during a timeout in the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors NBA Western Conference semifinal game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-37.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="1690" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Scooby the Chihuahua gets ready to take a shot during a timeout in the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors NBA Western Conference semifinal game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349549"><img alt="Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (10) fights for the ball against the San Jose Earthquakes' Daniel Munie (5) during the first half of an MLS soccer match at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-38.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="2500" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (10) fights for the ball against the San Jose Earthquakes' Daniel Munie (5) during the first half of an MLS soccer match at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349550"><img alt="Bellarmine's Christian Duarte (27) and Bellarmine's DJ Dunne (22) jump together in celebration for winning against Valley Christian in the West Catholic Athletic League championship game at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-39.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5688" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Bellarmine’s Christian Duarte (27) and Bellarmine's DJ Dunne (22) jump together in celebration for winning against Valley Christian in the West Catholic Athletic League championship game at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349551"><img alt="Graduates walk towards the Provident Credit Union Event Center before the College of Social Sciences graduation ceremony at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-40.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5692" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Graduates walk towards the Provident Credit Union Event Center before the College of Social Sciences graduation ceremony at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349552"><img alt="Tune-Yards band members Nate Brenner, left, and his wife, Merrill Garbus, strike a pose at their studio in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-41.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3794" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Tune-Yards band members Nate Brenner, left, and his wife, Merrill Garbus, strike a pose at their studio in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349553"><img alt="Bicyclists race during the Thursday Night Track League at the Hellyer County Park Velodrome on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-42.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Bicyclists race during the Thursday Night Track League at the Hellyer County Park Velodrome on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349554"><img alt="De La Salle's Jaden Jefferson celebrates after crossing the finish line in the Boys 100 Meter Dash during the North Coast Section Meet of Champions at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. Jefferson set a NCS record and a Meet of Champions record with a time of 10.30. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-43.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7892" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson celebrates after crossing the finish line in the Boys 100 Meter Dash during the North Coast Section Meet of Champions at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. Jefferson set a NCS record and a Meet of Champions record with a time of 10.30. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349555"><img alt="Girls compete in a track meet in California in 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-44.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4382" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Girls compete in a track meet in California in 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12386333"><img alt="De La Salle starter Roman Bartosh pitches into the fifth inning before giving up a hit to College Park in the NCS Division I baseball championship game, Saturday, May 31, 2025, at St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BNG-L-NCSBSBCHAMP-0531-8a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="1840" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">De La Salle starter Roman Bartosh pitches into the fifth inning before giving up a hit to College Park in the NCS Division I baseball championship game, Saturday, May 31, 2025, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349556"><img alt="College dual enrollment leader Dionne Embry is comforted by her daughter Daijha Teague during a vigil for Castlemont High School teacher Marvin Boomer at the corner of East 21st Street and 12th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 30, 2025. Boomer died at the scene Wednesday after a car that had been chased by California Highway Patrol officers sped through an intersection while he and his partner were walking nearby. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-45.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">College dual enrollment leader Dionne Embry is comforted by her daughter Daijha Teague during a vigil for Castlemont High School teacher Marvin Boomer at the corner of East 21st Street and 12th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 30, 2025. Boomer died at the scene Wednesday after a car that had been chased by California Highway Patrol officers sped through an intersection while he and his partner were walking nearby. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">June</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349558"><img alt="Rosa Lopez wipes tears during a rally in support of her husband Miguel Lopez at the Livermorium Plaza in Livermore, Calif., on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Lopez, a native from Mexico, a Livermore resident and father of three, was detained by immigration officials when he showed up for a citizenship hearing in San Francisco last week. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-46.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3592" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Rosa Lopez wipes tears during a rally in support of her husband Miguel Lopez at the Livermorium Plaza in Livermore, Calif., on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Lopez, a native from Mexico, a Livermore resident and father of three, was detained by immigration officials when he showed up for a citizenship hearing in San Francisco last week. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349559"><img alt="The Salinas High softball team celebrates after winning their CIF NorCal Division II championship softball game 4-1 against Liberty High in Salinas, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-47.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6012" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Salinas High softball team celebrates after winning their CIF NorCal Division II championship softball game 4-1 against Liberty High in Salinas, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349560"><img alt="Stanford Business School students celebrate their Conferral of Degrees announcement during the 2025 Stanford Commencement ceremony at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-48.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5698" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Stanford Business School students celebrate their Conferral of Degrees announcement during the 2025 Stanford Commencement ceremony at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387921"><img alt="The Golden State Valkyries bench celebrates a basket and foul by Golden State Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen (2) against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-YEARINPICS-1230-24A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5272" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Golden State Valkyries bench celebrates a basket and foul by Golden State Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen (2) against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349561"><img alt="A drone view of the Waymo Depot in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 23, 2025. The company recently announced that it's expanding its driverless-car fleet to new locations. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-49.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4000" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A drone view of the Waymo Depot in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 23, 2025. The company recently announced that it’s expanding its driverless-car fleet to new locations. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349562"><img alt="San Jose Earthquakes' Beau Leroux (34) celebrates with the San Jose Earthquakes after scoring a goal against LA Galaxy at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-50.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="9000" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Jose Earthquakes' Beau Leroux (34) celebrates with the San Jose Earthquakes after scoring a goal against LA Galaxy at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">July</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349563"><img alt="Pedestrians appear in window reflections in downtown San Francisco on July 2, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-51.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7000" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Pedestrians appear in window reflections in downtown San Francisco on July 2, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline" id="attachment_12349564"><img alt="G. Omar, is photographed at her store Aghan Bazaar in Fremont, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Omar stated that the Trump Administration's travel ban is an unfair policy and hurts the local communities. She said her cousin has tried for months to get his wife and two children into the US from Afghanistan, but now there is no chance he can cross the border now. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-52.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="3623" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">G. Omar, is photographed at her store Aghan Bazaar in Fremont, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Omar stated that the Trump Administration's travel ban is an unfair policy and hurts the local communities. She said her cousin has tried for months to get his wife and two children into the US from Afghanistan, but now there is no chance he can cross the border now. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349565"><img alt="Flames shoot into the air as a Contra Costa County Fire investigator uses a garden hose to extinguish a fire in the backyard of a home on Point Andrus Court in Antioch, Calif., on Friday, July 4, 2025. The investigator arrived first on the scene. Fire crews worked to extinguish the vegetation fire caused by illegal fireworks behind Country Manor Park. The vegetation fire traveled uphill into the back of a home and caught their fence line on fire. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-53.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Flames shoot into the air as a Contra Costa County Fire investigator uses a garden hose to extinguish a fire in the backyard of a home on Point Andrus Court in Antioch, Calif., on Friday, July 4, 2025. The investigator arrived first on the scene. Fire crews worked to extinguish the vegetation fire caused by illegal fireworks behind Country Manor Park. The vegetation fire traveled uphill into the back of a home and caught their fence line on fire. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1></h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349567"><img alt="A participant competes in the Bull Dogging competition during the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park in Castro Valley, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-55.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8096" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A participant competes in the Bull Dogging competition during the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park in Castro Valley, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349568"><img alt="David Gutierrez's cousin, Michelle Gutierrez, left, his stepfather, Andrew Collins, and his mother, who did not want to give her name, react as a memorial altar is set up in his honor at his home in Redwood City, Calif., on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. David Gutierrez, 15, was stabbed to death by a purported 13-year-old gang member at Santana Row while he was on a Valentine's Day date. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-56.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6884" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">David Gutierrez’s cousin, Michelle Gutierrez, left, his stepfather, Andrew Collins, and his mother, who did not want to give her name, react as a memorial altar is set up in his honor at his home in Redwood City, Calif., on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. David Gutierrez, 15, was stabbed to death by a purported 13-year-old gang member at Santana Row while he was on a Valentine's Day date. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349569"><img alt="Sevan Ikeda a member of the USA Deaf Track and Field team on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. Ikeda will compete in November at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-57.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Sevan Ikeda a member of the USA Deaf Track and Field team on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. Ikeda will compete in November at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349570"><img alt="The Goldens State Valkyries play a game against the Dallas Wings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-58.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5692" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Goldens State Valkyries play a game against the Dallas Wings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">August</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349572"><img alt="Houston Dash's Delanie Sheehan (8) kicks the ball against Bay FC's Alyssa Malonson (20) and Bay FC's Joelle Anderson (18) in the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-59.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6592" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Houston Dash's Delanie Sheehan (8) kicks the ball against Bay FC’s Alyssa Malonson (20) and Bay FC's Joelle Anderson (18) in the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349573"><img alt="Officers from the Oakland Police Honor Guard prepare to fold and remove the American flag from the casket of retired Oakland police officer Toft Jessen, who died at age 104, during his funeral service at the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-60.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6252" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Officers from the Oakland Police Honor Guard prepare to fold and remove the American flag from the casket of retired Oakland police officer Toft Jessen, who died at age 104, during his funeral service at the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349574"><img alt="Tampa Bay Rays' Ha-Seong Kim (7) takes a helmet to the face after being tagged out at third base as San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Koss (50) stands above him in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-61.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7880" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Tampa Bay Rays’ Ha-Seong Kim (7) takes a helmet to the face after being tagged out at third base as San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Koss (50) stands above him in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349575"><img alt="Faz Saidy, of Pacifica, prepares to launch from a cliff at Mussel Rock Beach in Daly City, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy conditions weren't perfect for paragliding, said Saidy, who had been flying for 27 years. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-62.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6468" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Faz Saidy, of Pacifica, prepares to launch from a cliff at Mussel Rock Beach in Daly City, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy conditions weren't perfect for paragliding, said Saidy, who had been flying for 27 years. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349576"><img alt="San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers (16) is showered in Gatorade by San Francisco Giants' Willy Adames (2) after their 12-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-63.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6234" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers (16) is showered in Gatorade by San Francisco Giants' Willy Adames (2) after their 12-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">September</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349621"><img alt="San Jose Earthquakes fans cheer during the first half of an MLS game against the LAFC at Levi's Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-63b.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3096" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Jose Earthquakes fans cheer during the first half of an MLS game against the LAFC at Levi's Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349578"><img alt="San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames #2 tags out St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott II #11 on a steal attempt in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. He was initially called safe and after the play was reviewed he was called out. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-64.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="2658" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames #2 tags out St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott II #11 on a steal attempt in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. He was initially called safe and after the play was reviewed he was called out. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349622"><img alt="The California Golden Bears marching band performs on the field before the start of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-64b.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8954" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The California Golden Bears marching band performs on the field before the start of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349579"><img alt="Breck Parkman a retired archaeologist for the California State Parks stands inside the chapel area of Mission San Francisco de Solano on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Sonoma, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-65.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5988" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Breck Parkman a retired archaeologist for the California State Parks stands inside the chapel area of Mission San Francisco de Solano on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Sonoma, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">October</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349580"><img alt="Liberty's Skylar James (4) collides with Heritage players on her attempt to catch a pass during a flag football game at Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-66.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4988" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Liberty’s Skylar James (4) collides with Heritage players on her attempt to catch a pass during a flag football game at Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349581"><img alt="A spectator watches as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly over San Francisco Bay during the annual Fleet Week, as seen from Treasure Island in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-67.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8688" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A spectator watches as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly over San Francisco Bay during the annual Fleet Week, as seen from Treasure Island in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349582"><img alt="Surfer Ricardo Urbina, from Aptos, heads into the water with the SwellCycle Lava by Spina Surfboards, on a SwellCycle demo day at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-68.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5928" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Surfer Ricardo Urbina, from Aptos, heads into the water with the SwellCycle Lava by Spina Surfboards, on a SwellCycle demo day at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349583"><img alt="A peaceful demonstrator picks up an American flag that was lying on the ground as California Highway Patrol officers arrive in riot gear to disperse anti-immigration demonstrators protesting and blocking the entrance to U.S. Coast Guard Island, after dozens of federal agents, including personnel from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), entered the island earlier in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-69.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3934" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A peaceful demonstrator picks up an American flag that was lying on the ground as California Highway Patrol officers arrive in riot gear to disperse anti-immigration demonstrators protesting and blocking the entrance to U.S. Coast Guard Island, after dozens of federal agents, including personnel from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), entered the island earlier in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349586"><img alt="Police investigate after shots were fired near the Coast Guard Island entrance in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard police opened fire on a U-Haul truck after it backed up a ramp at the entrance to the Alameda island, where U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have been staying. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-70.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4726" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Police investigate after shots were fired near the Coast Guard Island entrance in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard police opened fire on a U-Haul truck after it backed up a ramp at the entrance to the Alameda island, where U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have been staying. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349587"><img alt="Hockey fans try to get on the Jumbotron during the San Jose Sharks game against the New Jersey Devils in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-71.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6214" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hockey fans try to get on the Jumbotron during the San Jose Sharks game against the New Jersey Devils in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">November</h1>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349590"><img alt="Lauren Valenzuela, of San Jose, wears a Catrina makeup and custome during the Day of the Dead celebration at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. The event included altar displays along Avenida de Altares on Alum Rock Avenue and at La Plaza, where traditional Mexican folklore dances, live music, arts and crafts, lucha libre, and a Catrina costume contest entertained visitors. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-72.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6760" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Lauren Valenzuela, of San Jose, wears a Catrina makeup and custome during the Day of the Dead celebration at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. The event included altar displays along Avenida de Altares on Alum Rock Avenue and at La Plaza, where traditional Mexican folklore dances, live music, arts and crafts, lucha libre, and a Catrina costume contest entertained visitors. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349591"><img alt="During the early morning hour, a honeybee searches for nectar on a Mexican Bush Sage plant at Larkey Park in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-73.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="8328" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">During the early morning hour, a honeybee searches for nectar on a Mexican Bush Sage plant at Larkey Park in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349592"><img alt="A young girl walks down a hill as the Beaver moon rises up into the sky at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. The moon is at 96% illumination tonight and will be a full moon on Nov. 5th. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-74.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5598" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A young girl walks down a hill as the Beaver moon rises up into the sky at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. The moon is at 96% illumination tonight and will be a full moon on Nov. 5th. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349593"><img alt="Senior Collections Manager of Ornithology and Mammalogy Moe Flannery holds the mandible of a Baird's beaked whale in a storage room at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-75.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="7112" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Senior Collections Manager of Ornithology and Mammalogy Moe Flannery holds the mandible of a Baird’s beaked whale in a storage room at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349594"><img alt="Participants crowd the deck following a wreath-tossing ceremony during a Veterans Day celebration aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-76.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6434" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Participants crowd the deck following a wreath-tossing ceremony during a Veterans Day celebration aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2025. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349595"><img alt="A Sandwich tern dives into the water while hunting for food near Shoreline Park in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-77.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5336" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A Sandwich tern dives into the water while hunting for food near Shoreline Park in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349596"><img alt="San Jose Sharks' Ty Dellandrea (10) collides with Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) as the puck goes over the net in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-78.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="4588" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">San Jose Sharks' Ty Dellandrea (10) collides with Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) as the puck goes over the net in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12349597"><img alt="A pedestrian walks along a trail at Marina Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. Rain is expected to return to the Bay Area on Thursday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-2025YIP-79.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5812" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A pedestrian walks along a trail at Marina Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. Rain is expected to return to the Bay Area on Thursday. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">December</h2>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387841"><img alt="St. Ignatius celebrates after winning against Ventura during the Division 3-AA state championship football game at Fullerton Union High School District Stadium in Fullerton, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BNG-L-STIGNATIUSFB-1212-13A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5688" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">St. Ignatius celebrates after winning against Ventura during the Division 3-AA state championship football game at Fullerton Union High School District Stadium in Fullerton, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387840"><img alt="Newsstand sign located in the Diridon Station on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. McCarthy's Newsstand has been operating at the train depot for over 60 years is closing on December 9, 2025. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SJM-L-PIZARRO-1209-3A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5684" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Newsstand sign located in the Diridon Station on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. McCarthy's Newsstand has been operating at the train depot for over 60 years is closing on December 9, 2025. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387839"><img alt="Mary Grafilo, of Lafayette, and fellow dancers take part in a Heels & Grooves class, led by studio owner and dance instructor Izzy Gonzales (pink skirt) at Vibe Dance Studio in Martinez, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/MAG-L-HEELS-XXXX-7A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5334" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Mary Grafilo, of Lafayette, and fellow dancers take part in a Heels & Grooves class, led by studio owner and dance instructor Izzy Gonzales (pink skirt) at Vibe Dance Studio in Martinez, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387842"><img alt="Stanford Cardinal's Lara Somfai (12) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Oregon Ducks late in the fourth quarter for the 2025 Invisalign Bay Area Women's Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BNG-L-WBBCLASSIC-1222-11A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6240" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Stanford Cardinal's Lara Somfai (12) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Oregon Ducks late in the fourth quarter for the 2025 Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387836"><img alt="An aerial view of the scene as officials investigate the aftermath of an explosion and three-alarm fire on East Lewelling Boulevard in unincorporated Ashland, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Six people were transported to the hospital after a PG&E gas line exploded on Thursday. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-L-FOLOHAYEXP-1213-17A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="5280" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">An aerial view of the scene as officials investigate the aftermath of an explosion and three-alarm fire on East Lewelling Boulevard in unincorporated Ashland, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Six people were transported to the hospital after a PG&E gas line exploded on Thursday. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387838"><img alt="Studio M Ballroom Club instructors Polina Oddr, left, and Artem Shmigelyuk demonstrate dancing the cha-cha-cha on Dec. 1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/MAG-L-BALLROOM-5A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="6213" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Studio M Ballroom Club instructors Polina Oddr, left, and Artem Shmigelyuk demonstrate dancing the cha-cha-cha on Dec. 1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387833"><img alt="A pair of American white pelicans groom themselves while at the Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-L-CLOPHOTO-12XX-03a.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3726" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A pair of American white pelicans groom themselves while at the Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387837"><img alt="Carissa Stach of Danville, dressed as Cindy Lou from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, strikes a pose at Aracely Lounge during the first-ever SantaCon event in downtown Danville, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-L-SANTA-12XX-3A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="9714" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Carissa Stach of Danville, dressed as Cindy Lou from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, strikes a pose at Aracely Lounge during the first-ever SantaCon event in downtown Danville, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed" id="attachment_12387834"><img alt="A person makes a phone call while contemplating the view as fog moves over Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-L-CLOWEATHER-1219-2A.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C350px&ssl=1" width="3906" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A person makes a phone call while contemplating the view as fog moves over Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<p style="text-align: center;">PHOTOGRAPHERS</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Ray Chavez</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Aric Crabb<br />
Jose Carlos Fajardo<br />
Shae Hammond<br />
Karl Mondon<br />
Nhat V. Meyer<br />
Dai Sugano<br />
Jane Tyska</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">PHOTO EDITORS<br />
Doug Duran<br />
Laura Oda</p>

000 0

The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 21/12/2025

Alameda Food Bank’s new building highlights rising food insecurity.

<p>After <a href="https://alamedapost.com/news/court-dismisses-lawsuit-against-new-alameda-point-food-bank-facility/">defeating a legal challenge</a> earlier this year that prevented Alameda Food Bank from operating in its new headquarters in a warehouse at 677 Ranger Avenue, the food pantry is preparing for a new challenge: a record surge in food insecurity expected in 2026.</p>
<p>As Congress is set to enact deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps, on Jan. 1, a move that advocates say will lead to a steep rise in food insecurity, the once small pantry that served 60 people is fortifying to feed up to 700 families, according to Executive Director Teale Harden.</p>
<p>“We knew and wanted this facility to be a regional asset,” Harden said. “We wanted to be prepared to play that role in future situations as well, which we did during the SNAP delays.”</p>
<p>County leaders expect a new surge in food insecure clients in January when Congressional cuts to food stamps in HR1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” will result in an estimated <a href="https://www.acgov.org/board/bos_calendar/documents/DocsAgendaReg_09_23_25/INFORMATIONAL%20ITEM/Set%20Matter%20Calendar/Informational%20Item_393353.pdf0">$70 million annual cut to food stamps</a> for Alameda County residents. The Alameda County Community Food Bank estimates that one in four Alameda County residents is experiencing food insecurity, which disproportionately impacts seniors, children and people of color.</p>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366575"><img alt="Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-7.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="5190" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<p>When Alameda Food Bank moved into the building on Oct. 20, Harden said the facility was almost immediately “pressure-tested” with the lapse in SNAP funding as Congress wrung its hands while attempting to pass a funding bill. The food pantry tries to provide a baseline of produce, protein and stable shelf goods, but the organization has made a 35% cut to that baseline to preserve its resources.</p>
<p>“To be completely honest, we’re already struggling with having to reduce the number of options that we have available. It used to be that we would provide closer to like 20 dry-good options, and we’ve brought that down to 14,” Harden said. “And so we’re just continuing to see this trend of there being a greater need and fewer resources in the form of financial assistance grants.”</p>
<p>Alameda Food Bank’s efforts to overcome the pandemic and the recent lapse in SNAP funding has readied the food pantry for the coming challenges in 2026, Harden said. Ahead of Alameda Food Bank’s open house on Saturday where it welcomed the public to tour its 1.7-acre, 18,000-square-foot headquarters, Harden said it was “fortuitous” that Alameda Food Bank had not built a headquarters in the past decade, because it would not have been adequate to respond to the rising needs of today.</p>
<p>“The facility did everything we needed it to,” Harden said, “and we were able to provide a very high quality service to people during this really uncertain and stressful time.”</p>
<p>“I believe it was the 70s, and the last line of the news article was: ‘Alameda Food Bank is looking for its forever home.’ And so we finally fulfilled that mission,” Harden added.</p>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366577"><img alt="Donor Sally Faulhaber, of Alameda, tours the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-5.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="5808" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Donor Sally Faulhaber, of Alameda, tours the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366576"><img alt="Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-8.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="5672" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366578"><img alt="Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-4.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="5609" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366579"><img alt="John Hamilton, of Meals on Wheels, tours the new Alameda Food Bank location during an open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-6.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="5808" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">John Hamilton, of Meals on Wheels, tours the new Alameda Food Bank location during an open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline" id="attachment_12366574"><img alt="Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EBT-FOODBANK-1114-3.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" width="4941" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Visitors tour the new Alameda Food Bank location during the open house in Alameda, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) </figcaption></figure>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 21/12/2025

Power Restored for Most of San Francisco After Widespread Outage

<p>SAN FRANCISCO — Power was restored for tens of thousands of electricity customers in San Francisco late Saturday, after an hourslong outage affecting nearly a third of the city left many neighborhoods in darkness by nightfall.</p>
<p>About 24,000 of the city’s 414,000 customers were without power as of 1:30 a.m. Sunday, down from about 124,000 early Saturday evening, according to the site PowerOutage.com. Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility serving the city, said on social media that its crews were working through the night.</p>
<p>When night fell, the outage was affecting many neighborhoods in the northern half of the city, including the Richmond and Sunset districts, and stretching through Haight Ashbury into downtown. Much of the west side near Golden Gate Park and north toward the Presidio were dark. So was City Hall’s dome. Pedestrians used their phone flashlights to cross streets as some restaurants served meals by candlelight.</p>
<p>The outage forced stores and mass-transit stations to close, and led Waymo to temporarily suspend its driverless car services. The San Francisco Ballet canceled a performance of “The Nutcracker.”</p>
<p>The cause of the outage was not immediately clear. A fire at a five-story Pacific Gas & Electric substation in the South Market neighborhood Saturday was a contributing factor, said Lt. Mariano Elías, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department.</p>
<p>Power had been out in parts of the city before the fire started Saturday afternoon, according to a map of outages maintained by Pacific Gas & Electric. The number of outages expanded by tens of thousands of customers around the same time as the fire. But Elías said he could not say whether the fire was the sole cause.</p>
<p>The fire had been extinguished by Saturday night.</p>
<p>The outage proved frustrating to people attending gatherings and shopping on the last weekend before the Christmas holiday. Stores and restaurants were also struggling to conduct transactions without their electronic payment systems in the tech-driven city.</p>
<p>Cellphone service was initially intact, but some towers went dark and data speeds were slower than usual — when available — because residents no longer had Wi-Fi. Many of the businesses, restaurants, bars and grocery stores on Divisadero Street near Alamo Square closed until their power was restored.</p>
<p>The Bay Area Rapid Transit system closed its Powell Street and Civic Center stations in downtown San Francisco because of the power outage. The city’s Muni light-rail system also had to curtail service because the outage impacted the computer system controlling its trains.</p>
<p>But there were mixed indications of how well Waymo’s driverless taxis were functioning at such intersections, with social media users reporting that some were stuck and clogging roads. The company temporarily suspended services Saturday night because of the power outage and was still working to bring the taxis back into service as of Sunday morning, according to Suzanne Philion, a company spokesperson.</p>
<p>Some drivers looking to escape the city were stuck at a gas station, waiting to pump gas after the power went out at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time. The pumps rely on electricity.</p>
<p>“No power, no business,” said Kevin Lee, a gas station attendant.</p>
<p>At one neighborhood watering hole, Fool’s Errand, the power outage attracted a crowd looking for something to do. The business was taking cash payments, and beer and wine were flowing.</p>
<p>Some customers who sat down before the power went out were unable to pay, but a surprising number of them still carried cash, said Denise Yuki, 37, who runs the bar with her fiance.</p>
<p>“We got these lights from our neighbor,” she said, pointing to some battery-operated lamps that had been placed on tables.</p>
<p>She added that some neighbors had been so grateful the bar was still open that they began trying to acquire candles for the business.</p>
<p>When the lights started to flicker back on shortly after 9 p.m., Jacob Oakman, 27, and his partner, Tokay Alberts, 25, were taking in the view of the darkened city from Alamo Square Park.</p>
<p>Oakman, a software engineer, said he was slightly disappointed to get power back. “It’s nice to see it, but it’s a bit bittersweet,” he said.</p>
<p>Alberts, a master’s student at San Francisco State University, had a similar reaction.</p>
<p>“I wanted to do a puzzle by candlelight,” he said.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/san-francisco-electricity-out.html">The New York Times</a>.</p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 07/07/2025

2 Palo Alto cats having trouble adjusting to new catio

<p><strong>DEAR JOAN: </strong>We just added a catio to our patio for our two adult ragdoll cats that have always been indoor cats. We thought they would love to spend time with us outside admiring nature.</p>
<p>Not!</p>
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<p>They are very traumatised and try to tear it apart to escape, while crying the entire time. We have added more fun things to the catio (toys and a scratch pad) and we have been keeping the door to the catio open so it doesn’t feel so much like a cage. What other things can we do to help them learn to love their new environment?</p>
<p><em>— Christine Buss, Palo Alto</em></p>
<p><strong>DEAR CHRISTINE: </strong>The great outdoors can be a big and frightening place, especially for cats who have only seen it from the safety of the great indoors. Because this is their first experience of being on the outside, they might be overwhelmed by it all, not recognizing that they are in a protective enclosure.</p>
<p>In your excitement to provide your cats with a treat, you might have moved too quickly. Cats are very much creatures of habit and many are very comfortable inside the protective (and solid) walls of their home.</p>
<p>You might need to start over with short visits to the catio and by joining your cats inside the enclosure, playing with them and having some cuddle time. Slowly increase the amount of time they’re in the catio, and decrease your amount of time inside.</p>
<p>You might also want to enhance the feeling of security by draping sheets over most of the catio. As they start to feel more comfortable, start peeling back the sheets to expose more of the outdoor view.</p>
<p>You’re doing all the right things now, so just keep at it.</p>
<p><strong>DEAR JOAN: </strong>I wonder if you know whether domestic cats who love sleeping outdoors are in danger from the numerous hawks I see circling around I-580 between High Street and Keller Avenue where the Oakland Zoo is located.</p>
<p>We have three white Persians who may be easy to spot because their white fur is very bright. Our cats range between 2 to 11 years old and weigh around 9 pounds.</p>
<p><em>— Robert Zolly, Oakland</em></p>
<p><strong>DEAR ROBERT: </strong>Hawks will and do prey on cats and small dogs, but attacks are infrequent. With any predators, size matters. Kittens and unhealthy cats are more likely to be preyed upon by hawks than larger, healthy adult cats.</p>
<p>Hawks feed on rats and mice, squirrels and other birds, but if they are hungry or seeking food for their offspring, a small cat or dog might be taken. The bigger threat to outdoor cats is coyotes, which also hunt smaller animals but go after cats more often than birds of prey do.</p>
<p>The best way to protect your cats is to keep them indoors, and I highly recommend that or using a catio. But if you insist on letting your cats snooze outside, you should join them whenever they’re outside. The presence of a human is a deterrent to most predators. You also should keep them indoors around dawn and dusk, which is when hawks are most likely to be out hunting.</p>
<p><em>The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.</em></p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 28/05/2025

East Bay man accused of a string of Marin County burglaries arrested after police pursuits

<p>Police have arrested an East Bay man linked to a series of burglaries in San Rafael.</p>
<p>The suspect targeted the Harbor Freight hardware store on Francisco Boulevard East at least six times since February, San Rafael police Lt. Scott Eberle said. The man used the same vehicle each time.</p>
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<p>At about 7:40 p.m. Saturday, an automated license plate reader alerted San Rafael police that the vehicle was near the store. The suspect exited the business with $1,400 in merchandise and left it by his vehicle when he saw police approach, Eberle said.</p>
<p>The suspect allegedly rammed a police car before heading to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge with officers in pursuit. Police called off the chase because of safety risks, but San Leandro police arrested the man that night after a chase that ended in Hayward, San Leandro police Capt. Ali Khan said.</p>
<p>Shahkir Ahmad Ahmadzai, 29, of Hayward was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, evading police and hit-and-run driving. His bail amount was set at $100,000.</p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 22/03/2025

George Foreman, Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate, Dies at 76

<p>George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman, died Friday night. He was 76.</p>
<p>Foreman’s family announced his death on social media, not saying how or where he died.</p>
<p>“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose,” his family wrote. “A humanitarian, an Olympian and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected. A force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.”</p>
<p>A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated only a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt in one of the greatest fights ever staged.</p>
<p>Foreman left the sport a few years later, but returned after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.</p>
<p>The 45-year-old then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history in 1994, flooring Michael Moorer — 19 years his junior — with one perfect combination to claim Moorer’s two heavyweight belts.</p>
<p>Foreman’s transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.</p>
<p>He was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, which launched in the same year as his victory over Moorer. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.</p>
<p>“George was a great friend to not only myself, but to my entire family,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said. “We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated.”</p>
<p>In the first chapter of his boxing career, Foreman was nothing like the smiling grandfather who hawked his grills on television to great success.</p>
<p>Foreman dabbled in petty crime while growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, but changed his life through boxing. He made the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and won gold in Mexico City as a teenager, stopping a 29-year-old opponent in a star-making performance.</p>
<p>Foreman rose to the pinnacle of the pro game over the next five years, but was also perceived as an aloof, unfriendly athlete, both through his demeanor and through the skewed racial lenses of the time. He stopped Frazier in an upset in Jamaica in January 1973 to win the belt, with his knockout inspiring Howard Cosell’s iconic call: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”</p>
<p>Foreman defended his belt against Ken Norton before accepting the fight with Ali in the now-immortal bout staged in Africa by promoter Don King. Ali put on a tactical masterclass against Foreman, showing off the “rope-a-dope” strategy that frustrated and infuriated the champion. Foreman was eventually knocked down for the first time in his career, and the fight was stopped in the eighth round.</p>
<p>Foreman told the BBC in 2014 that he took the fight almost out of charity to Ali, who he suspected to be broke.</p>
<p>“I said I was going to go out there and kill him, and people said, ‘Please, don’t say you’re going to kill Muhammad,’” Foreman said. “So I said, ‘OK, I’ll just beat him down to the ground.’ That’s how easy I thought the fight would be.”</p>
<p>Exhausted and disillusioned, Foreman stopped fighting in 1977 and largely spent the next decade preaching and working with kids in Houston after his religious awakening. He returned to boxing in 1987 in his late 30s with a plan to defy time through frequent ring appearances, and he racked up a lengthy series of victories before losing to Evander Holyfield in a surprisingly competitive title fight in 1991.</p>
<p>Three years later, Foreman got in the ring with Moorer in Las Vegas, more for his celebrity than for his perceived ability to beat Moorer. The champion appeared to win the first nine rounds rather comfortably, with Foreman unable to land his slower punches. But Foreman came alive in the 10th, hurting Moorer before slipping in the short right hand that sent Moorer to the canvas in spectacular fashion.</p>
<p>Foreman quit the ring for good in 1997, although he occasionally discussed a comeback. He settled into a life as a boxing analyst for HBO and as a pitchman for the grills that grew his fame and fortune. He briefly starred in a sitcom called “George” in the 1990s, and he even appeared on the reality singing competition “The Masked Singer” in 2022. A biographical movie based on his life was released in 2023.</p>
<p>Foreman had 12 children, including five sons who are all famously named George Edward Foreman.</p>
<p>“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”</p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 10/03/2025

Bay Area tech workers see post-COVID hiring boom morph into jobs bust.

<p>The Bay Area tech sector soared for three years in the wake of a global pandemic, but the industry’s jobs boom has since nosedived into a bust.</p>
<p>“In the last half of 2020, and throughout 2021 and the first part of 2022, the major Bay Area technology firms went on wild hiring sprees that were never sustainable,” said Michael Bernick, an employment attorney with law firm Duane Morris and a former director of the state Employment Development Department.</p>
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<p>In that time, tech companies have fundamentally shifted their hiring strategies, said Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based think tank.</p>
<p>“Silicon Valley has entered a state of uncertainty and flux,” he said. “It’s driven employers to focus on efficiency and sustainable profits.”</p>
<p>The contrast between the boom and the subsequent bust in the Bay Area is stark, according to this news organization’s analysis of seasonally adjusted industry totals that Beacon Economics culled from the state EDD.</p>
<p>“Tech employment has been on a roller coaster since the pandemic started in 2020,” said Scott Anderson, BMO Capital Markets’ chief U.S. economist and managing director.</p>
<p>The plunge has affected the jobs of tens of thousands of workers, including employees at a slew of industry icons.</p>
<p>In 2020, Bay Area tech companies added workers when the world abruptly shifted to remote work and distance learning. Tech extended the gains into 2021 and 2022.</p>
<p>The tech sector scrambled to hire people quickly enough to meet the fevered demand for working from home.</p>
<p>In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Bay Area added 74,700 tech jobs, Beacon’s compilation shows.</p>
<p>But in 2023 and 2024, employers slashed a net total of 80,200 tech jobs in the region.</p>
<p>“The tech employment resurgence was short-lived,” Anderson said. “Tech industry over-hiring earlier in the pandemic likely aggravated the tech job losses.”</p>
<p>Despite shedding jobs, tech companies are seeking to fine-tune hiring as they scout for fertile new fields in artificial intelligence, in the view of Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Campbell-based Creative Strategies.</p>
<p>“Demand for tech workers is still strong, but more focused and targeted toward AI, high-speed computing and integration of AI into business processes,” Bajarin said.</p>
<p>For now, however, the tech industry must cope with more immediate challenges, such as the region’s brutal housing woes and uncertain federal policies.</p>
<p>“Deportations, tariffs and continuing lack of enough new housing will present challenges,” said Steven Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. “We must come together to overcome and preserve our unique advantages as an innovative economy.”</p>
<p>The first yellow flags for tech surfaced in late 2022 when Facebook app owner Meta Platforms encountered a rare event in its corporate history: a decline in revenue.</p>
<p>Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s top boss, pursued ways to streamline the social media network’s operations. Layoffs quickly became a prime solution.</p>
<p>In November 2022, Meta announced it would eliminate 11,000 jobs worldwide, including 2,565 jobs in the Bay Area, state EDD WARN notices showed.</p>
<p>Before long, it became clear that the tech industry woes weren’t confined to Facebook. Amazon, Cisco, Salesforce and Tesla followed suit, turning a trickle of cuts into a stream and then a flood of layoffs.</p>
<p>Still, it took one more significant event to make it clear that the tech’s bust wouldn’t immediately yield to yet another boom. In January 2023, Google chopped 1,600 Bay Area jobs.</p>
<p>Suddenly, efficiency and streamlining became industry watchwords as AI beckoned from the horizon.</p>
<p>“We think the last two years are the result of more than the economic cycle,” said Jeff Bellisario, executive director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “The region and the state need to do more to attract and retain all types of employers.”</p>
<p>By the end of 2024, the tech industry in the Bay Area had shriveled to just 880,200 jobs, far below the peak level of 960,400 that it had reached by the end of 2022.</p>
<p>The Bay Area tech sector is even smaller than it was in 2019, when it accounted for 885,700 jobs.</p>
<p>The tech industry’s job losses are particularly pronounced in the South Bay and the San Francisco-San Mateo metro area, sometimes touted as a trendy spot for fledgling tech firms.</p>
<p>The tech downturn has hammered the San Francisco metro area the hardest, with a loss of 39,600 tech jobs in 2023 and 2024, or an 11% plunge in that urban center’s tech jobs.</p>
<p>The South Bay hasn’t fared much better. Over the same two years, the South Bay lost 33,300 tech jobs for a decline of 8.1%.</p>
<p>The tech industry’s fading fortunes have also jolted the East Bay, but to a much lesser extent. The East Bay lost 6,500 tech jobs over the last two years, a 3.9% decline.</p>
<p>While the Bay Area remains a primary hub for the worldwide tech industry despite recent job losses, the sector’s faltering job market could erode some of the region’s dominance.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to say anything for certain, but we may be looking at a tectonic shift, where Silicon Valley becomes one node in a more dispersed innovation ecosystem,” Hancock said.</p>
<p>One thing seems certain: The once high-flying tech industry has come back to Earth.</p>
<p>“The past two years, economic reality has set in,” Bernick said.</p>

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The Mercury News [Unofficial] @mercurynews.com.web.brid.gy · 26/02/2025

House Passes GOP Budget Teeing Up Enormous Tax and Spending Cuts

<p>WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday narrowly passed a Republican budget resolution that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over a decade, clearing the way for major elements of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.</p>
<p>The nearly party-line vote of 217-215 teed up a bitter fight within the GOP over which federal programs to slash to finance a huge tax cut that would provide its biggest benefits to rich Americans. It came after a head-spinning hour on the House floor in which Republican leaders toiled to put down a small revolt among conservatives who wanted to slash federal spending even more deeply, failed to do so, canceled the budget vote and then abruptly reversed course minutes later and summoned lawmakers back to call the roll.</p>
<p>The chaotic scene underscored the unwieldy path House Republicans have ahead of them as they try to push through Trump’s domestic policy agenda through Congress over the objections of Democrats.</p>
<p>Approval of the budget plan was a crucial first step for Republicans to smooth the way through Congress for an enormous fiscal package using a process called reconciliation, which allows such bills to steer clear of a filibuster and pass the Senate on a simple-majority vote.</p>
<p>“It’s sort of the kickoff in what will be a four-quarter game, and that very important, very consequential game begins as soon as we get this thing passed,” Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday morning before the vote. “This has been necessary because we promised to deliver President Trump’s full agenda, not just a part of it. We’re not just going to do a little bit now and return later for the rest. We have to do it now.”</p>
<p>It almost did not happen. In the minutes before the vote Tuesday evening, Republican leaders could be seen buttonholing defectors on the House floor, imploring them to support the budget resolution.</p>
<p>When it appeared their efforts had fallen short, they announced that there would be no vote on the plan Tuesday night, and lawmakers quickly filed off the House floor. But minutes later, Johnson ran back into the chamber, yelled “one more,” and called lawmakers back for the vote.</p>
<p>In the end, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the sole “no” vote in his party. A group of centrist Republicans from competitive congressional districts who had initially balked at the plan over concerns that it would lead to deep cuts to Medicaid, which provides health care to more than 70 million Americans, ultimately fell in line and voted yes.</p>
<p>The blueprint sets the contours for the legislation that House Republicans will now turn to writing. It puts a $4.5 trillion upper limit on the size of any tax cuts over the next 10 years, but does not dictate which taxes should be reduced, a complex and politically tricky question of its own that could take months to sort out.</p>
<p>It also calls for slashing $2 trillion in spending over the same period, without specifying which programs should be cut, though top Republicans have targeted Medicaid and food aid programs for poor Americans. And it directs increases of about $300 billion for border enforcement and defense programs.</p>
<p>The resolution ties together the lower taxes and spending cuts. If House Republicans ultimately find less than $2 trillion in spending to eliminate, the allowance for tax cuts will shrink by the amount of the shortfall. That means the budget for the tax cut could ultimately drop to $4 trillion if Republicans cut only $1.5 trillion in spending — the floor set in the bill.</p>
<p>Even if they are able to cover the full $4.5 trillion, Republican tax writers have been agonizing over what they can squeeze into the bill. Much of the tax revenue will be consumed by simply continuing the tax policies that Republicans put into place in 2017, which expire at the end of the year.</p>
<p>Extending the 2017 tax law will cost roughly $4 trillion over a decade, while several other desperately desired business tax breaks will eat up another couple of hundred billion. That leaves only a sliver of the budget for the potpourri of other tax cuts that Republicans hope to cram into the legislation, including not taxing tips and lifting the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction.</p>
<p>Achieving near unanimity on legislation that meets the spending targets laid out in the blueprint will also present GOP leaders with a gargantuan challenge. Before the vote Tuesday, Republicans in swing-seat districts had said that they would be uncomfortable approving a plan that could lead to major cuts to Medicaid and food stamps.</p>
<p>The plan instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, to come up with at least $880 billion in cuts. While some Republicans denied that they would slash programs for the poor, the amount of revenue they are calling to raise would all but certainly necessitate some cuts to at least one of those programs.</p>
<p>“I’m still making my point all the way to the end about the need to protect the services that are important to my district,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona said as he left a closed-door meeting of Republicans on Tuesday morning to discuss the plan. “Obviously, this is only the beginning. This is where the real fight actually begins to protect the services that I’ve been fighting for, while also delivering on the promise of slashing down the size of government.”</p>
<p>Many states have expanded Medicaid since the passage of the Affordable Care Act to offer coverage to more low-income adults, with the federal government covering most of the cost of the additional care. But Republicans have discussed cutting off that enhanced federal spending, which could force states to dedicate more of their own resources or stop providing coverage to as many as 20 million Americans.</p>
<p>Democrats see the Medicaid cuts that are likely to be included in whatever legislation House Republicans put together as a salient line of political attack, akin to their efforts to campaign in 2018 on the GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>“It has to come from Medicaid, it has to come from the ACA premiums,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, “because that’s the only place you can find $880 billion.”</p>
<p>(STORY CAN END HERE. OPTIONAL MATERIAL FOLLOWS.)</p>
<p>At the same time, conservatives in the conference have said they want to see deep spending cuts codified into law, and signaled that they would be loath to lend their vote to a final product that adds to the deficit.</p>
<p>“It’s insane,” Massie said. “We’re going to increase the deficit with this. Why would I vote for that? You can’t cut taxes without cutting spending, and they’re not really cutting spending.”</p>
<p>Passing the budget resolution through the House is only the first step in unlocking the reconciliation process. Republicans in the Senate will also have to adopt it, though lawmakers there have their own ideas for how to tackle Trump’s agenda.</p>
<p>Senate Republicans have passed a budget outline for a narrow bill focused on border enforcement and defense, hoping to take a more ambitious swing at tax policy in a separate bill later this year.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/us/politics/mike-johnson-budget-resolution-vote.html">The New York Times</a>.</p>

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