The nomination window opened July 13 for Palo Alto’s Nov. 3 election. Local hopefuls are filing while a half‑cent Cubberley sales‑tax measure heads to the ballot.

A brush fire near Ledson Winery burned about 10–13 acres along Hwy 12 in Santa Rosa and prompted a mandatory evacuation for zone SON-3H3.

Marin County Chief Probation Officer Marlon Washington died July 10, probation leaders said. Colleagues are mourning while details remain limited.

Seven Equity Group bought the former WeWork building at 25 Taylor Street out of receivership for about $6.75 million, a discounted sale that highlights ongoing distress in San Francisco’s office market.

Eight Fantasy 5 tickets across California paid out $554,155 this week, led by a $189,800 win in Fountain Valley.

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

Mountain View advanced a roughly $24.8M concept to add protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks and traffic-calming at the Middlefield/SR‑237 interchange. Council action moves the project toward final design and a multi‑year build schedule.

More than 200 economists and AI researchers — including Nobel laureates — released a short Stanford-organized statement urging immediate policy and institutional action to prepare for AI’s economic upheaval.

Caltrain’s $1 youth fare has sent teen ridership soaring, with about 355,000 youth trips Jan–May and a bigger weekend share.

San José approved a $764,000 community paramedicine pilot to train firefighter‑paramedics to divert frequent 911 callers to care instead of the ER. The small team could hit the streets this fall if state sign‑off arrives.

UC San Diego modelers show that spraying sea salt into Pacific clouds could weaken a potentially historic El Niño, but experts warn the risks, timing and politics are huge. The idea is a temporary, targeted tool — not a silver bullet.

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.

Neighbors and experts say Google's Meadow Point proposal reads like a data center; Google and city officials say it's R&D and the permit is under review.