A Lake Fire was reported in Monterey County on June 13; initial reports say it is burning on private land with cause and containment still unknown.

A $3M state grant that helped Sonoma’s PEARLS outreach ends this month, and nonprofits are racing to plug gaps as senior loneliness climbs.

Novato’s council approved a 28‑pump Costco fuel center at Vintage Oaks after years of lawsuits and an expanded environmental review. Opponents warn of traffic, wetlands risk and climate contradictions.

Lawrence and Stephanie Bondulich are opening Owl & The Vine at 3535 Guerneville Road, converting the former Walter Hansel bistro into a wine bar and taproom late this summer.

ACLU and allies filed a FOIA lawsuit in San Francisco seeking DHS records about alleged retaliation against people who film immigration enforcement. The groups say agencies have refused to produce responsive documents.

Limeta sits just under 50% in Marin County’s District 5; remaining ballots and a manual tally will decide whether Novato’s school board president wins outright.

A 23-year-old Vallejo man was arraigned June 12 on a murder charge tied to a May 11 street shooting. Authorities say video and an interagency operation led to his arrest in Vacaville.

Aubrey Bettencourt, a third‑generation Hanford grower and former NRCS chief, has been nominated to lead the Bureau of Reclamation. Her confirmation would shape water allocations across the West.

Anthropic is committing up to $15 million in Claude credits to help state and local governments scan for and fix software vulnerabilities, with California and Texas among early participants.

NX Ventures has added a floor to a South Berkeley proposal across from Berkeley Bowl, raising the plan to 11 stories and 242 apartments with 30 below-market-rate units. The team says modular construction will speed delivery.

Google sued a China‑based network, saying Outsider Enterprise used Gemini AI to build thousands of fake sites and send millions of scam texts. The company says it is working with the FBI and carriers to take the infrastructure offline.

At Turo HQ in San Francisco, Gov. Newsom and industry executives reviewed pilots that sped hiring, cut printing costs and used AI to process public comments faster.

Chevron will cut up to 8,000 roles as it absorbs Hess, with hundreds already targeted in San Ramon and downtown Houston.