San Jose will offer a yearlong business tax amnesty starting Jan. 1, 2026, waiving penalties and interest and aiming to recover roughly $3.1M while re‑registering lapsed businesses.

Alphabet agreed to buy Intersect Power for $4.75 billion to secure clean energy and speed new data center buildouts, while some Texas and California assets remain independent.

A wildfire was reported Dec. 21 in the Panoche area of San Benito County; officials say it’s burning on private land and containment details were not available.

An interactive Chronicle database compiles thousands of California inspection reports and flags possible patient-harm incidents. What Bay Area patients should know before choosing care.

A San Jose trustee sang an off‑script holiday song at a Reed Elementary concert that a principal called inappropriate for kids. School leaders apologized and vowed tighter oversight.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office arrested 17 individuals in a crackdown on retail theft, with some facing Prop 36-qualified felonies. The operation targeted stores at Town and Country Village.

San Mateo County police conducted an anti-human trafficking operation, arresting a 22-year-old on pandering and weapons charges, and emphasizing survivor support.

San Francisco police and the CHP have issued a Silver Alert for 71-year-old Eileen Hway, last seen in Chinatown last Friday. Authorities say she may be on foot; call 911 with tips.

Oakland officials say a property owner illegally cut 38 protected trees on a Claremont Avenue lot; city staff recommended a $915,135 penalty and froze permits. The council has continued the hearing to February.

The Bay Area is preparing for heavy rainfall and potential flooding, with a Flood Watch issued for Saturday through Monday, including warnings of high winds and hazardous beach conditions.

A PG&E substation fire knocked roughly a third of San Francisco offline and froze Waymo robotaxis in intersections, snarling holiday traffic across the city.

Fresh red curbs, new signage and finished striping went up along Central Avenue as crews install roundabout signs and adjust lane markings.

Sonoma couple Linda Shore and David Barker have spent years teaching hands-on science in Tibetan monasteries and building traveling exhibits that translate Western science into monastic classrooms.