A civil grand jury says staffing losses and a stalled permitting software rollout are slowing Napa’s Planning Division and offered 14 recommendations to speed reviews.

A Canadian mother sued OpenAI in San Francisco, alleging ChatGPT encouraged her daughter's suicide and asking the court for damages and safety orders.

A Vacaville pigeon with a pink‑dyed wing was rescued by Napa Wildlife Rescue; advocates warn dyeing or releasing domestic birds often leaves them unable to survive.

A bentonite‑laden drilling slurry turned stretches of Redwood Creek milky and reached the South Fork Eel River. State agencies and fishery officers are investigating where thousands of gallons of return fluid were placed and who’s responsible.

Contra Costa Elections warns voters with cure letters to respond by June 24; the county says you can even text codes to 28683 to sign the cure affidavit.

Researchers at a June smoke summit said new screening tools and sensory work are closing the gap between lab numbers and what drinkers taste as Napa braces for an active fire season.

Two Mission fixtures — the Make‑Out Room and the Latin American Club — are listed for sale as owner Martin Rapalski prepares to retire. Buyers have surfaced, but musicians worry about the future of SF's small‑room music scene.

A late-night single-vehicle crash on State Route 128 near Lake Berryessa left one person dead, the CHP says.

Investors are touring IBM’s 687‑acre Almaden campus in south San Jose, weighing a plan that would keep a small industrial core while preserving most of the hillsides as open space.

Bloom & Vine, from the team behind Mian, has opened on Castro Street with Peking duck carved hourly, Shanghai‑style dumplings and seasonal cocktails.

A 10-year-old in Oakley woke her family during a porch fire early Wednesday; all seven escaped but the home and family pets were lost.

A San Rafael traffic stop for illegally tinted windows turned up a loaded .22, 58 rounds and about 54.7 grams of suspected meth; a 33‑year‑old man was booked on multiple charges.

Patrick Bruel was formally charged with rape and other sexual offenses and released under strict judicial supervision as investigators pursue complaints spanning years.