Supervisors head into a Tuesday vote on a two‑year homelessness spending plan that budgets roughly $23M per year and aims to unlock about 1,267 supportive placements.

A new Oak Grove Behavioral Health Campus in Concord adds rapid screening, outpatient care and the county’s first peer respite.

A tidy line of tents that startled downtown commuters was not a new encampment but a staged set for a Netflix AI thriller. City film rebates helped bring the production to Battery Street.

Cal State is recasting its Basic Needs Initiative into proactive, campus‑wide hubs that connect food, housing and mental‑health supports to keep students enrolled. Early data show big increases in pantry use and new centers on several campuses.

Alum Rock tapped George Sanchez as a one-month interim superintendent as trustees continue a search amid layoffs, enrollment drops and a county watchdog report.

A Good Samaritan found 17 puppies in a Livermore Walmart lot; 16 survived and are now in East Bay SPCA care, with some expected to be ready for adoption soon.

After a bulk sugar shipment was rerouted from Crockett, union pickets converged on Levin Richmond Terminal and called for inspections and regulatory review.

Napa’s one-night tally jumped 14% to 428 while Sonoma’s official count held near 1,951 — but a big youth spike and a larger by-name list have providers warning the picture is still fragile.

Napa County is asking residents to temporarily care for healthy found kittens while the animal shelter contains a spike in feline panleukopenia.

A five‑county coalition backed by Contra Costa taxpayers has launched a campaign to stop the Connect Bay Area sales tax, warning of double‑digit local rates and demanding agency reforms.

At Hopland, robots, drones and smart valves demoed for winegrowers — and Napa’s farmworker report shows the region is especially exposed to automation.

Redwood City’s Pal Center turns 30 as the city secures a $4.5M Prop. 64 grant to expand youth prevention, diversion and community wellness programs. The funding will back a police‑partnered diversion plan and evaluation by Stanford.

Placer County closed Lake Forest beaches after large teen gatherings left trash, fueled underage drinking and snarled neighborhood streets during the holiday weekend.