Shannon O'Connor, the maligned South Bay “Party Mom,” who was found guilty in March of hosting alcohol-fueled, teen sex parties in 2020 and 2021, was handed a sentence of 35 years and ten months in prison after being confronted by several victims in court.  

Shannon Marie O'Connor, also known as Shannon Bruga, 52, of Los Gatos, was sentenced to 35 years and 10 months Thursday, as KPIX reports.

As SFist reported previously, O'Connor was convicted in March on 48 counts, including felony child endangerment, furnishing alcohol to minors, molesting a child, dissuading witnesses from testifying, and facilitating forcible sexual assault from one child onto another child, committed while hosting several illicit teen parties during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The trial encountered several delays, and the victims in the case — 12 girls and eight boys — are now mostly in college.

Prior to Thursday’s sentencing, several survivors and their family members delivered impact statements describing years of trauma, manipulation, and emotional fallout tied to O’Connor’s parties, per KPIX. One survivor said O’Connor damaged her self esteem and derailed what was once a bright future.

The mother of a survivor described O’Connor as grooming her daughter with inappropriate gifts while pretending they were from her son.

According to KRON4, Deputy District Attorney Joanne Lee called O’Connor “a sexual predator” who groomed children as young as 11, manipulated teens through Snapchat, and pressured minors into sexual activity at alcohol-fueled parties where she was often the only adult present. Prosecutors said O’Connor concealed the gatherings from parents, police, and her husband.

Before sentencing, O’Connor briefly addressed survivors and their families, denying she had any sexual interest in the minors involved. Prosecutors immediately pushed back, with Lee telling the court O’Connor continued to evade accountability and warning she could reoffend.

As previously reported, O’Connor moved to Idaho after allegations against her began surfacing. She was arrested there in 2021 after authorities investigated harassment claims tied to a family that had cut off contact with her upon learning she was under investigation in California.

Per KPIX, detectives later found 12 minors — including 10 boys — staying overnight at her home near Boise.

O'Connor will likely serve around 27 years following credit for time served. As SFist reported in 2023, O’Connor rejected a deal for a 17-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea, which she refused, likely because she would've had to register as a sex offender.*

*Added after publishing.

Previously: Los Gatos 'Party Mom' Shannon O'Connor Faces Sentencing for 48 Felonies Involving Minors

Marin County is facing three additional lawsuits in the deaths of four teenagers last April, on top of one already filed, which allege that hazardous road conditions near the site contributed to the crash. And some are still saying a second vehicle may have forced the driver to swerve off the road.

Marin County is facing three new lawsuits tied to the April 2025 crash that killed four San Anselmo teens, as the Marin Independent Journal reports. Families of Olive Koren, Josalynn Osborn, and Sienna Katz allege the county failed to address dangerous conditions along the curve where the Volkswagen Tiguan struck a tree, citing missing guardrails, limited signage, and overgrown vegetation that obscured visibility.

The cases, filed in Marin County Superior Court, seek unspecified damages, with an initial hearing set for August 27. County officials say they have not yet been served.

SFist reported in October that the Marin County District Attorney’s Office charged the 17-year-old driver, a teen from Fairfax, with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, along with infractions for unsafe speed and violating the terms of her provisional license.

An investigation by the California Highway Patrol found she was at fault, determining she entered a curve at an estimated 60 to 65 mph based on a frozen odometer. Officials said they didn't find evidence supporting surviving passenger Marley Barclay’s claims about an oncoming vehicle forcing the driver to swerve off the road.

According to the Chronicle, relatives of the victims, including the Barclay family, questioned the CHP’s investigation, disputing its conclusion. Prior to the recent lawsuits, Marin County had received 15 legal claims tied to the crash and denied each one, per the Independent Journal.

In February, prosecutors reportedly sought additional records related to the CHP officers who investigated the crash, filing a Pitchess motion to obtain personnel files.

Some of the families questioned whether investigators overlooked reports of pickup trucks seen on the road around the time of the crash, as the Chronicle reported Friday, including one allegedly driving recklessly earlier in the day, and another stopped in the roadway afterward — appearing to call 911. Authorities said the descriptions did not match and found no evidence linking the vehicles.

The families also raised the issue of a similar crash that occurred about 500 feet away almost a year earlier, when a speeding 17-year-old crossed into oncoming traffic before crashing into a tree, causing the car to flip and catch fire, leaving a passenger seriously injured.

In December, following a petition calling for major restrictions on the entire road, county supervisors reduced the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph along the stretch of San Geronimo Valley Drive where the crash occurred, per the Chronicle.

Prior to the recent lawsuits, Sienna Katz’s father Robert Katz previously sued both the county and the driver, pointing to missing guardrails, limited warning signage, and roadside conditions he says made the curve hazardous, as previously reported. His complaint also alleges the driver was speeding, failed to maintain control, and did not take steps to avoid leaving the roadway. Attorneys for both the county and the driver have denied the claims.

Tensions have reportedly deepened in the community over the past year. A petition at one point sought to bar the driver and her mother, a teacher at the high school, from campus, while the mother later filed — and did not win — a restraining order against a friend of Josy, alleging harassment.

In a message to the Chronicle, the driver’s mother said the family “think[s] constantly about the lives lost” while also describing ongoing harassment directed at them. A recent encounter near their home escalated into a brief but heated roadside exchange involving the teen driver, her mother, and relatives of one of the victims. A classmate is also accused of directing a racial slur at the driver’s father, who is Black.

Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli said the case has exposed deep divisions, calling it an “incredibly painful and emotional situation,” and emphasized that prosecutors are focused on a fair, evidence-based legal process rather than public debate, per the Chronicle.

“We understand that people may see this case differently, especially given the tragic circumstances,” Frugoli said in a statement. “Our responsibility, however, is not to resolve public debate — it is to ensure that the legal process is fair, thorough and based on evidence.”

Some families, including Josalynn Osborn’s mother, said the severity of the crash pointed to excessive speed, noting the lack of skid marks and the extent of the damage.

“I feel like someone is responsible for killing the girls, and it’s not [the driver],” Olive’s mother, Gail Koren said.

Sienna Katz’s mother, Margaret Minicozzi, said she has not attended court hearings and is seeking accountability, though not necessarily through detention.

Linda Kepley, the mother of Ada Kepley, the fourth victim who died in the crash, told the Chronicle the case has strained relationships among families who were once close, and expressed concern that the driver is carrying more blame than she should. She said choosing to forgive, in spite of lingering uncertainty, has brought her some peace.

“If she was speeding, she’s a teenage girl, and kids speed,” she said. “I’ve already made my peace with this. I think what people really need to do is to ask themselves, ‘Did I do that at that age?’ We’re all human beings. We’re all flawed.”

Previously: In Marin Crash That Killed Four Teens, Parents Point Fingers at CHP, County Road Maintenance

Images via GoFundMe, here, here, here, and here

A Benicia couple was charged with child abuse after their teen suffered severe injuries in an e-moto crash in Walnut Creek last fall. The Contra Costa County district attorney alleges they allowed him to drive in an unsafe manner for three years, while ignoring repeated prior citations.  

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Steven Leroy Crews and Jeanna Marie Gabellini, both 58, of Benicia, have been charged with child abuse and are scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning, as NBC Bay Area reports.

The district attorney claims the couple “willfully and unlawfully” endangered their teen by allowing him to operate an e-moto bike in an unsafe manner at unsafe speeds over the span of three years, from ages 14 through 17. Authorities allege the teen’s parents ignored the multiple prior citations he had received while riding the bike.

Per NBC Bay Area, the teen crashed a Surron Light Bee e-Moto into a minivan in Walnut Creek last September, sustaining severe injuries. Investigators determined the teen had been riding unlawfully at dangerous speeds, based on evidence gathered at the scene, along with reports from multiple witnesses.

According to Surron's website, there are currently three Light Bee models on the market. The kids' version, discontinued last year but still available through retailers, is not road legal and can reach a top speed of 30 miles an hour. The road-legal and off-road versions of the adult model both reach a top speed of around 45 miles per hour.

There has been a lot of talk from Bay Area lawmakers in recent months seeking to tighten laws surrounding two-wheeled electric vehicles. The Chronicle reports that some high-performance e-bike and e-moto vehicles can reach 70 miles per hour, and sometimes even higher speeds using a “jail-break” method.

The Marin County government collected data on e-bike and e-moto vehicles, which found the death rate from crashes is 37 times higher than pedal bicycles, per the Chronicle. Officials also found that 10-to-15-year-olds are five times more likely to be involved in accidents than other age groups, based on data from 2023 to present.

In response, the Marin County government launched an e-bike awareness campaign keeping families informed about the dangers.

Additionally, Democratic Representative Jared Huffman of San Rafael authored a new state bill, the Safe Standards for Personal E-Bike and E-Moto Specifications Act, which would establish federal standards for classifying and labeling e-bike and e-moto vehicles, while also suggesting age restrictions.

“The Safe SPEEDS Act will bring much-needed clarity and consistency to the e-bike marketplace, a growing safety concern for families across the country,” said Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett in a press release. “Federal consumer product safety standards for e-bikes and e-motos are currently nonexistent, resulting in confusion and the inadvertent purchasing of e-motos for young riders."

“Marin County is proud to be a national leader in youth e-bike safety and e-bike adoption for active transportation,” said Sackett, “and our experience shows how urgently this federal leadership is needed to bring guardrails to the marketplace for families.”

Image: Surron

• Laura X, a prolific 85-year-old women’s rights activist and organizer in Berkeley who’s credited with getting spousal rape banned in California, lost all of her money to a Ponzi scheme while creating a million-page women’s history archive, and her friends have launched a couple fundraisers to help her get back on her feet. [Berkeleyside]
• A 66-year-old nanny in SF’s Diamond Heights was detained Friday morning by ICE agents in an unmarked car, and a judge ordered her release ten hours later, largely due to the work of immigration advocates. [Mission Local]
• Gay and lesbian couples and activists commemorated the 22nd anniversary of “the Winter of Love” at City Hall Friday, marking the landmark month in 2004 when then-mayor Gavin Newsom issued same-sex marriage licenses before the state Supreme Court later invalidated them — four years prior to the legalization of same-sex marriage federally in 2008. [KRON4]

• A woman whose car got stuck on the railroad tracks in Emeryville early Saturday morning narrowly managed to escape the vehicle before an oncoming train struck it, causing it to catch fire. [Bay Area News Group]
• The first in a series of storms is expected to hit Northern and Central California Sunday night, bringing moderate to heavy rain, followed by a colder storm Tuesday and yet another storm system Thursday. [Chronicle]

Image: Stockton Street during Chinatown's Flower Market Fair; Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Newark Memorial High School in the East Bay began dismissing all 45 of its athletic coaches and assistants at the end of their respective seasons last month, telling them they may be rehired next year as part of a new policy.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the Newark Memorial High School community was blindsided Thursday by the news that all of the school’s coaches and assistants were being let go at the end of their seasons and told to reapply next school year, with no certainty about getting their jobs back. Very little information was provided by the school district aside from the move being part of a new hiring policy.

“Newark Unified School District is strengthening its coaching hiring practices to ensure the safety and well being of students,” said Newark Unified School District’s Superintendent Tracey Vackar, who’s retiring this year, per KPIX. “Releasing coaches at the end of each season allows the district to complete required vetting, background clearances, and mandatory trainings so students are supported by properly qualified adults.”

Per Bay Area News Group, coaches are being released on a rolling basis as their seasons end.

“I can’t help thinking about the negative impact on athletics in general,” Gordon Crosby, who coached swimming and water polo at the school for over 30 years, told NBC Bay Area. “When there are question marks and no consistency in a program, then programs fail.”

“These coaches have been here for so long,” parent Jazmin Padilla told KPIX. “It's surprising. It's a decision that, why all of a sudden are they doing this?”

Per KPIX, while the school has yet to provide any comments to the media, some community members have speculated whether the school district is dealing with legal concerns surrounding a particular coach, prompting routine background checks.

“I think they should just let everybody know if there is,” said Padilla, “just so nobody is doubting or has any thoughts of 'what ifs and buts.’”

Crosby told NBC Bay Area he reapplied for his position but was skeptical others did the same. “Will some coaches say ‘Enough is enough, I’m tired of being jerked around’? Crosby said. “I think it’s hard not to think that way after the way it’s all been handled.”

“I would think that they would have the foresight to see that this is not going to attract quality candidates to a school,” Crosby told KPIX, “but it's going to chase them away.”

Image: Newark Unified School District

A shocking video has been circulating of a dirt bike crash that erupted into a large fireball last month in the Monterey Bay city of Salinas. The teen rider, who suffered minor burns and a broken ankle, is shown stumbling away from the crash — with flames clinging to him.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the teen, who was identified by NBC News as being 16 years old, was filmed allegedly running a red light in Salinas on October 30. The teen then crashed the bike into the side of a car, causing the bike to burst into flames. Immediately following the crash, the teen attempted to get up as his 15-year-old friend, who was on a second dirt bike, rushed over to help. Per NBC News, the dirt bike, which is considered full-size, was not street legal.

Sergeant Zach Dunagan of the Salinas Police Department told NBC Bay Area that the teen was not speeding and suffered minor burns and a broken ankle. He said the fire was likely ignited when a spark hit some leaked gas or oil.

While NBC Bay Area is reporting the driver of the car was unhurt, the driver told NBC News in the below video segment that the top of her head caught on fire during the incident.

Dunagan told NBC Bay Area both teens were cited for driving recklessly and without a license. He said he hopes the video serves as a cautionary tale for other teens and their families.

NBC Bay Area notes the case is being sent to the district attorney’s office for any potential charges.

Image: wattanaphob/Getty Images

This week: Making use of rotten pumpkins; dancing at the Filipino market; growing up on an Alameda shellmound, and reclaiming the past through kids’ books. Plus, SF Trans Film Festival, teen inventors, the art of falconry, capybara mania, and a serendipitous City Hall photo-op.

New water walkers

At the Sacramento Zoo, a first-time mother named Peppermint Patty just gave birth to five capybara pups — a small herd of newcomers already paddling around the zoo’s pond like seasoned pros. The keepers say the babies are walking, eating solid food, and keeping close to their patient mom.

Additionally, fans can also find a charming pair of capybara sisters at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, who transferred from Texas through a species survival plan in 2022. Visitors can spot them lounging poolside or nibbling bamboo from Wednesday to Sunday. — FOX40 Sacramento, Bay City News

Flight school

In Yuba County’s Marysville, former West Marin resident Kate Marden runs West Coast Falconry, where guests can step into the old world of falconry — leather glove, hooded bird, and all. Her 14 raptors, from Harris hawks to Siberian eagle owls, live in mews designed for their health and temperament, tended daily with raw meat and steady hands. Marden, who founded the school in 2006, calls falconry a lifelong “virus” — a mix of obsession and devotion that requires love for creatures who might fly away.

Visitors can book lessons or walks through the surrounding oak forest, watching the birds swoop between gloves and trees. West Coast Falconry offers year-round public classes, private sessions, and apprentice programs. — Chico Enterprise-Record

Return to the earth

When the jack-o’-lantern grin fades, most pumpkins end up in the trash, releasing methane as they decompose in landfills. Yet every part of a pumpkin can serve another purpose — seeds can be roasted, flesh can be cooked, and leftovers can feed farm animals.

Even the soft, moldy ones can be composted to nourish the soil instead of adding to waste. — Associated Press

Aisles of light

At Seafood City in Daly City, the fluorescent aisles have turned into a dance floor. What began as a playful idea from Vallejo-born DJ JP Breganza — spinning sets in grocery stores — has become an ongoing series of Filipino supermarket dance parties across the country.

Organized with the SF Kollective, the “Late Night Market Madness” events bring line dances, pancit, and barbecue to the aisles, where remixed love songs and disco hits spill out into the parking lot. The event’s Halloween and Filipino American History Month edition continues through Saturday night. — KQED

Through a different lens

The world’s longest-running transgender film festival returns to San Francisco this month, bringing stories that stretch far beyond visibility — from animated features to intimate documentaries and sharp-edged comedies.

Each program draws on the experiences of trans and gender-nonconforming filmmakers, shaping cinema that reflects, questions, and reimagines identity in motion. Screenings run November 13–15 at the Roxie Theater, followed by a week of online programming through November 23. — San Francisco Transgender Film Festival

City Hall serendipity

Outside San Francisco City Hall, newlyweds Haley Drexler and Pilar Dizon, stars of Netflix’s The Ultimatum: Queer Love, were shooting photos of there special day when they spotted California Governor Gavin Newsom descending the steps and called out “Daddy Newsom.”

ABC7 political reporter Monica Madden, who had just finished an interview with the governor inside, was also there to capture the moment as Newsom, who famously defied marriage bans in 2004, paused for a photo alongside a same-sex couple tying the knot two decades later. — KGO

Breath of possibility

Three Bay Area teens are testing a new way to detect lung cancer early, using a portable breath analyzer that reads chemical signals in exhaled air. The device, developed with a mix of biology, AI, and circuitry, recently showed 96% accuracy in trials with 46 patients in India.

Alongside the tech, the process has been a crash course in teamwork, patience, and problem-solving, from hospital coordination to hardware tweaks. The group hopes their low-cost prototype could one day reach clinics, giving patients earlier detection and a better shot at survival. — KPIX, Patch

Time travel library

San Francisco-born historical archaeologist Dr. Cheryl LaRoche welcomes young readers to step into the past with her new series, The Resurrectors. Through vivid illustrations and time-traveling storylines, children can witness moments from America’s freedom struggles, from the oratory of Henry Highland Garnet to the courage of everyday Black heroes.

LaRoche’s Kickstarter campaign keeps the project independent and interactive, letting readers and educators engage directly with the books before they hit Amazon in early 2026. The series blends imaginative adventure with real history, offering a chance for kids to see themselves reflected in the figures who shaped the nation. — The Bay View

Shellmounds and shadows

Walking Alameda today, the layers of time are almost tangible. Beneath streets and houses, Muwekma Ohlone ancestors lie in shellmounds that have marked this land for over 10,000 years, quietly shaping the city long before anyone called it Alameda.

Gabriel Duncan, a Native American two-spirit adopted at birth and raised in Alameda, threads together personal memory and archaeology — from a vertebra unearthed in a basement to the haunted echoes of childhood homes — through the Native History Project, which seeks to reclaim and share Indigenous histories. — Native History Project

Top image: West Coast Falconry

Previously: Field Notes: Filipino Tea Party, Candelabra Redwoods, Fog and Folklore, and Mezcal Lineage

• Several homes in Cupertino were flooded Friday after a water line was damaged near Scenic Boulevard around 10 am. Area residents are urged to momentarily boil their water to avoid contamination. [KGO]

• Students from Oakland’s Coliseum College Prep Academy organized a protest Friday in response to last week’s school shooting in Minneapolis. The students walked out during lunch holding signs that proclaimed: “WE DESERVE TO LIVE,” as part of a nationwide campaign by Students Demand Action [KQED]
• BART made promises in 2019 that the agency would build a backup system to prevent system-wide meltdowns such as the one that occurred Friday morning, but they have yet to follow through on it. [NBC Bay Area]
• Diplomats from Seoul, South Korea are currently in Georgia negotiating the release of around 475 South Korean nationals who were detained by ICE at a Hyundai factory; all business trips from South Korea to the US have been cancelled. [BBC]
• A drive-by shooting occurred around 11:12 pm on the 6000 block of Stevenson Boulevard in Fremont in which at least two people were hit; police are investigating. [KPIX]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

• During a homicide investigation Friday night, Pleasanton police found what appeared to be improvised explosive devices at the scene. Suspicious devices were also found at the home of the suspect, Lucas Chan, 29, of Pleasanton, who was booked into Santa Rita Jail on homicide charges. [KPIX]
• Former Emeryville mayor John Bauters has been eliminated from Australian reality show, The Snake, after five weeks presumably due to his reportedly insufferable personality, prompting speculation that he may have sullied his chances at a political comeback. [The E’ville Eye]

• An Ebony Alert has been issued for 15-year-old Neveah Sheltan who was last seen in Castro Valley around 5:50 p.m. Saturday wearing a black T-shirt and camouflage pants. [KRON4]

• A driver allegedly attempted to hit a pedestrian in a road rage incident near 7th Avenue and Clement Street in SF's Richmond District Saturday afternoon after the pair got into an altercation and the pedestrian tried to damage the car’s side mirror. [Hoodline]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

In this week’s Field Notes: a live pipe organ at Legion of Honor, stone legacy in Mill Valley, Recology’s Artist in Residence exhibit, and an Aquatic Park doc. Also: Amy Tan with Christian Cooper, teen film 'The Jar', and Sacramento’s music archive.

Rodin, chandeliers, and a hundred-year-old organ

Every Saturday at 4 p.m., the Legion of Honor fills its Rodin Gallery with the sound of a 100-year-old pipe organ.

Jonathan Dimmick playing the Spreckels Organ at the Legion of Honor, 2002. Photograph by Gary Sexton

Built into the museum itself, its 4,500+ pipes are tucked behind chandeliers and sculptures, designed to resonate through the marble rotunda. The concerts are free with admission, turning a quiet weekend visit into something grander. — Secret San Francisco

Sculpting history in Mill Valley

Mill Valley’s O’Hanlon Center for the Arts pays tribute to its founder, the late sculptor Richard O’Hanlon, with Dialogue with Stone, a display of his monumental stone sculptures, sketches, and archival photos.

Fabrice Florin/Flickr

Alongside it, the Dreams and Visions exhibit explores O’Hanlon’s life, techniques, and inspirations — including geology and astronomy, providing context to his body of work as well as his hillside studio and its surrounding landscape, which O’Hanlon and his wife Ann converted from an old dairy farm in 1942.

The grounds feature outdoor works, some now home to lichens, inviting visitors to wander through both art and history. Runs through August 31, with guided tours available. — Bay Area News Group

From trash to treasure: 35 years of Recology AIR

San Francisco’s Recology Artist-in-Residence program turns the city’s garbage into gallery-ready art. For 35 years, artists have transformed discarded materials — from meat grinders to hair clippings — into striking, unexpected works.

The anniversary show at 1275 Minnesota Street highlights 35 years of creativity, with over 250 artists’ pieces on display. Free to visit through August 30, it’s a uniquely SF experience that makes you look twice at what we throw away. — Recology Artists in Residence

Ship-shaped SF landmark gets its due

The iconic Maritime Museum, formerly known as the Aquatic Park Bathhouse — a 1939 WPA-built bayfront building — has a new spotlight in KQED’s documentary A Balcony on the World.

Premiering August 22, the film traces the bathhouse from public gathering space to WWII Army post to museum, highlighting its murals, glazed-tile sculpture, and restoration projects. Catch it on KQED August 22 at 8 p.m., with re-airings August 23 at 2 a.m. and August 30 at 6 p.m. — SF Examiner

10 peaks, one unforgettable walk

Peak2Peak returns Saturday, September 13, for its 21st year, sending participants on a 10-mile urban adventure through San Francisco’s hidden stairways, quiet streets, and secret viewpoints. Guided groups enjoy coffee, lunch, and snacks along the way, plus a commemorative keepsake at the finish.

Even locals will spot corners of the city they didn’t know existed — just be ready for plenty of hills, stairs, and some serious sightseeing. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. — WalkSF

Amy Tan and Christian Cooper to host delightful nature journaling conference in Palo Alto

Amy Tan, Bay Area born and raised, took NatGeo host Christian Cooper on a birding tour of the region — from Bolinas cliffs to Point Reyes marshes, and of course her own backyard. Along the way, they commiserated over dog owners who ignore leash laws and trample birds’ nesting grounds. Cooper — host of Extraordinary Birder and author of Better Living Through Birding and Urban Owls — knows his birds and the rules they deserve.

On September 14, the pair will share the mic at the 7th Annual Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference at the Foster Museum in Palo Alto, live and online. — Amy Tan

Teens turn summer into a city-wide film set

Seventy-one Bay Area teens spent four weeks making THE JAR, a feature-length chase through Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, and the city’s steep streets. Guided by Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), they rotated through writing, directing, and cinematography, learning pro-level gear and techniques.

The premiere at the Great Star Theater earlier this month drew a line up Jackson Street, and the Q&A revealed the city’s usual hazards: traffic, curious bystanders, and one very unhelpful passerby. Beyond the polished shots, campers walked away with friendships and creative collaborators that might last a lifetime. — Mission Local

A shed full of music history

In a suburban shed outside Sacramento, Shayne Stacy sits among towers of VHS, cassettes, and reel-to-reels — nearly 20,000 recordings of Bay Area punk, thrash, indie, and metal shows. He started filming local gigs in the ’80s, trading tapes through the mail, and now digitizes rare early footage of Nirvana, Green Day, as well as long-lost basement bands.

Musicians, fans, and former roadies drop off forgotten boxes, and he cleans them up, uploads them online for free, and quietly preserves decades of Northern California music history, one tape at a time. — KQED Arts

North Beach movie mash-up

Every third Wednesday of the month, Films with Friends takes over three venues at the same time in North Beach for a unique and festive night of co-occurring film screenings. This month, live male strippers will be on hand to accompany Savoy Tivoli’s screening of Magic Mike. Alternatively, take a deep dive into Mazatec psychedelic plants at Live Worm’s screening of Salvia Divinorum.

Families should definitely head to Piazza Pellegrini for the 1971 classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. — Renegade Cinema

Walnut Creek cafe in the national spotlight

Recently recognized as one of the top new women-owned cafes in the country, Prologue Coffee & Tea quietly thrives inside Walnut Creek’s public library. Vietnamese coffee gets a twist with banana milk, and banh mi sandwiches are crafted from house-made spreads and family recipes.

Owner Thuy Nguyen left banking to open the shop just over a year ago, and locals — plus visitors from across the Bay — are quickly discovering this unexpected gem. — KGO

Top image: Tariq Stone, A Little Bit of This, 2024. Photo by Tariq Stone; Model: Isabel Li; Production Design: Emily Hernandez; Makeup: Niku Radan; Production Assistant: Theo Garvey

Previously: Field Notes: Prelinger Library’s Treasures, SF to Guerneville by Clipper, Historic Lanterns Relit

Civil rights leaders and elected officials are demanding the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reinstate a gold medal stripped from 16-year-old Salinas sprinter Clara Adams who celebrated her win by spraying her cleats with a fire extinguisher in tribute to Olympian Maurice Greene.

As reported by KTVU, Adams was disqualified from the competition for celebrating her 400-meter state championship victory by briefly spraying her cleats with a fire extinguisher — while standing on a grassy area, away from the track and other athletes. The gesture was a tribute to Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene, who celebrated the same way in 2004.

Adams' father handed her the extinguisher after her uncle, a former firefighter, showed her how to use it safely. “My feet were on fire,” she said. “I just ran 53 seconds in the 400 for the second time in my life. That was a big moment for me.”

As KGO reports, despite the celebratory nature of the act, CIF officials quickly ruled it “unsportsmanlike conduct,” disqualified Adams, stripped her of the state title, banned her from running the 200-meter event, and, according to her family, physically escorted her from the infield. “I was just like, ‘what?’” she recalled. “I can’t even explain what was going through my mind.”

The incident unfolded at the same CIF championship meet where transgender athlete AB Hernandez’s top-tier performances were similarly undercut—this time by a last-minute policy shift that redefined podium placements, as reported by SFist. That rule change, enacted days earlier, came in response to political pressure from the Trump administration and reshaped how medals were awarded to avoid declaring Hernandez an outright winner. In both cases, CIF has faced mounting criticism for decisions that appear more reactive to politics and optics than athlete well-being.

The CIF has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer accused the organization of being arbitrary and heavy-handed by disqualifying Adams: “They robbed her of her achievement and have yet to explain what they based their actions on.” His firm is exploring legal options, including compensation for emotional distress. Co-counsel Marlon Monroe added, “You have a young girl who should be celebrated as a champion, but instead was publicly humiliated.”

According to NBC Bay Area, Adams said she’s now in counseling, adding, "I’ll never get that back. I’ll never get that back to enjoy the medal  around my neck around everybody. And I’ll never get that back to run the  200, and we’ll never know what could’ve happened.”

Support has poured in from both Democrats and Republicans, including California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo. “Officials clearly overreacted,” Alejo wrote. The Monterey County Republican Party also issued a statement calling her win "a source of pride."

Meanwhile, Adams has received attention from universities like UCLA and Princeton, and Nike has reportedly reached out with interest. “I’m going to bounce back,” she said. “That’s the kind of athlete I am.”

Image: eyetoeyePIX/Getty Images

Previously: Trans Athlete AB Hernandez Wins Triple Medals at CA Track Finals Amid Policy Change, Protests

Trans athlete AB Hernandez medaled in all three events at the CA state track finals over the weekend—just days after a last-minute rule change aimed at appeasing the Trump administration diluted her wins with shared titles.

As SFist previously reported, the Trump administration targeted the Fresno-area event, threatening a Department of Justice investigation and potential cuts to federal education funding over Hernandez’s participation. In response, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) implemented a new policy stipulating that if transgender athletes place first in any event, the cisgender competitor who placed second would also be awarded co-first and full team points.

That policy was put to the test almost immediately on Friday as Hernandez’s jump of 42' 2¾" in the triple jump was the day’s best, however she was declared co-champion with St. Mary’s-Berkeley’s Kira Gant Hatcher, whose jump was more than a foot shorter at 40' 5", according to Southern California News Group. In the high jump, Hernandez tied with two other athletes at 5' 7", again resulting in a shared title – despite clearing the height on her first attempt, which is typically a tiebreaker.

She also claimed silver in the long jump with 20' 8¾", just behind defending champion Loren Webster of Long Beach Wilson.

Hernandez was the only athlete at the meet to win three medals, though the CIF’s revised scoring format prevented her from standing alone atop the podium.

While the on-field action was relatively calm, the atmosphere around the venue was charged. According to Associated Press, A small group of anti-trans protesters gathered outside with signs and chants, and a plane flew overhead dragging a banner reading “NO BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS,” funded by conservative advocacy groups. No organized counterprotest appeared, but many in the crowd cheered for Hernandez as they would any other standout athlete.

Inside the stadium, Hernandez chatted easily with competitors and appeared undeterred by the controversy. She declined media interviews, but her demeanor and performance were steady throughout the day.

Among those cheering her on was Bryn Williams, a high school senior from San Diego who competed in the 800-meter race. "This is still a high schooler," Williams said, according to CBS News affiliate KCAL. "She is learning, she is navigating the world just like we are every single day and that I know I would want grace if I was put in a situation where I had a bunch of light on me and what I was doing. So I encourage people to remember that. We are all human and at the end of the day we are all trying to navigate this world."

CIF defended its decision to uphold Hernandez’s eligibility, citing state law that protects transgender students’ rights to compete according to their gender identity. The new rule was framed as a "pilot entry process," a compromise intended to preserve inclusion while preempting federal retaliation.

Whether that compromise will satisfy federal officials remains unclear. As SFist Joe wrote last week, it’s likely that “reasonable compromises might not be possible or even desired.”

Hernandez’s success, and the highly visible effort to dilute it, underscores how the culture war over trans inclusion in sports is accelerating, with high school athletes increasingly caught in the middle.

Top image: CLOVIS, CALIFORNIA - MAY 30: Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa  Valley competes in the girls high jump during the CIF State Track and  Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium on May 30, 2025 in  Clovis, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

Previously: Trump Administration Goes After Fresno-Area Track and Field Competition Over Trans Athlete

The Bay Street Emeryville mall was the scene of a large-scale teenage donnybrook starting late Sunday afternoon and lasting well into the evening, with a gunshot fired, and one juvenile stabbed and hospitalized.

There was big time unrest at the Bay Street mall in Emeryville Sunday afternoon, as one large disturbance at around 4:30 in the afternoon begat multiple large brawls involving hundreds of teens, according to the Bay Area News Group. A gunshot was fired just before 6 p.m., and one teen was stabbed sometime before 7 p.m., in a series of large fights that kept reprising for a few hours. Some TikTok video from one teen on the scene has been posted online.

@iiam_wisss #mongomerybrawl #charlidamelio #chairs #dogs #bayarea #shooting #shooter #bays #emeryville #teenagers ♬ original sound - 🫀

This may all sound familiar to East Bay residents. The same Bay Street shopping center saw massive teen brawls on two consecutive weekends in September 2020. And just like in those brawls, Sunday’s rough-and-tumble required Emeryville police to call in Oakland and Berkeley police to help quell the uprisings.

Per an Emeryville Police Department report, the four hours of mall melees started when they received a 4:30 p.m. call regarding “50 young adults inside [a] store causing a disturbance.” KTVU’s Betty Yu adds that “the call to congregate was put out on social media.” While police cleared that store pretty quickly, the troubles were only just beginning.

“At about 5:15 p.m., while patrolling the area, officers observed that another group of about 100 young adults arrived at the [mall],” the police report continues. “Over the next 30 minutes, an additional 100-150 more young adults showed up at the mall.  At about 5:40 pm, the first of several fights were reported near the courtyard area of the mall.”

One teen eyewitness told KTVU it was "people going around pepper-spraying people. There was, like, people throwing chairs." Police say a single gunshot was heard just before 6 p.m., but identified no victims or suspects in that incident.

But KTVU’s full report notes that one juvenile was stabbed, as police discovered around 7 p.m. That individual was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

@iiam_wisss #bayarea #shooting #shooter #emeryville #bayarea #bays #teenagers #ghettø #lord ♬ The Ghetto - Reality Tv City

NBC Bay Area notes that one juvenile was arrested, though the charges were not announced. That station also adds that the mall’s movie theater had to be evacuated as the situation escalated over the evening. But according to police reports,  “By 8:30 p.m., most of the crowds had left the area.”

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact the Emeryville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section at (510) 593-3700 or email acassianos@emeryville.org.

Related: Teen Mobs Have Been Doing Battle at Emeryville's Bay Street For Two Weekends Running [SFist]

Image: iiam_wisss via TikTok

A Brentwood mother of a teenage girl who participated in teen beauty pageants has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for cyberstalking and harassing teenage acquaintances of her daughter after they had fallings-out.

The story dates back to 2016. Ramajana Hidic Demirovic, now 47 and formerly a resident of San Francisco, began taking an apparently unhealthy interest in her daughter's social life. As described in a release from the U.S Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Demirovic began a campaign — apparently with her daughter's help — of cyberstalking and seeking to "destroy" any teenager whom she perceived as having wronged her daughter.

All of these crimes took place while Demirovic and her family lived in San Francisco. She has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and conspiracy to commit cyberstalking.

This all began with a 14-year-old boy who "dated Demirovic’s [daughter] for only a few days in February 2016." Demirovic admitted in a plea agreement last year that she falsely accused the boy of being violent against her daughter, repeated such accusations to the boy's mother, and "went to the victim’s school, located him, accosted him, and, in front of other students, threatened him."

As described in a 2021 indictment, per Bay Area News Group, the boy became depressed and "began skipping field trips and singing classes when he knew that Demirovic might be present." Also, "He sought therapeutic help. His grades slipped so far that his parents considered withdrawing him from school."

A second victim was a female friend of the daughter — identified in court filings as Ayra Demirovic, now a 20-year-old college student who formerly interned with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors — with whom the daughter had a falling out. Federal prosecutors say that the elder Demirovic said that she'd "fabricated incriminating evidence to the police and [threatened] to arrange to have this victim disciplined by her school." She further left multiple threatening voicemails and sent text messages to the second victim.

There were two other male victims, at least one of whom briefly dated the daughter. One was apparently a high school student about whom Demirovic fabricated lies about abusive behavior and drug and alcohol use, leading to him quitting his job. Demirovic also "used Instagram spoof accounts that used the victim’s name and images of him."

Another male victim, a college student, was harassed and bullied via a host of fake social media accounts, "some that impersonated the victim and others that used pseudonyms," over the course of a concerted, 17-month campaign allegedly involving the daughter as well.

"Messages were sent to the victim, his family, friends, school officials, and strangers. For example, Demirovic created social media postings suggesting, among other things, that the victim was high on drugs, that he was emotionally and psychologically abusive, and that he was engaged in online bullying and anonymous messaging," prosecutors say.

Demirovic also tried to get him in trouble with his college by submitting a Title IX complaint alleging that he "harassed and stalked" girls.

Demirovic participated in the "scholarship pageant" circuit around this time, winning the Miss San Francisco Outstanding Teen title in 2017 — these pageants are connected to the larger Miss America organization, with the ultimate title being Miss America Outstanding Teen. She then competed for Miss Treasure Island Outstanding Teen the following year.

Interestingly, the elder Demirovic is a Bosnian Muslim refugee who appeared in a 2018 documentary called Faces of Genocide, describing how she escaped slaughter in Bosnia after her mother was killed by soldiers at their home.

The Jewish News of Northern California reported on an appearance she made in 2006 telling this same story of escape at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, noting at the time "There were few dry eyes in the great hall" after Demirovic told her story.

Image via YouTube

A Tamalpais High senior got to jam with Pearl Jam at Saturday night’s Oakland Arena show, and even flowed right in after the band's drummer tested positive for COVID-19.

Late 1990’s grunge superstars Pearl Jam had to delay their current Gigaton tour by two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the tour started, as luck would have it, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron tested positive for COVID not even two weeks into the tour. But for Saturday night’s show at the Oakland Arena, their stand-in percussionist provided some Bay Area beats, as the Chronicle reports 18-year-old Tamalpais high senior Kai Neukermans got to play drums for Pearl Jam onstage for their first track “Mind Your Manners.”

“He hasn't graduated high school yet,” Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder told the Oakland crowd. But their young drummer Neukermans plays in a metal cover band called The Alive, and Vedder praised them, saying “They’re pretty young for how hard they can play.”

“Everybody this is Kai; Kai this is everybody!” Vedder said, introducing the band's new teenage drummer. ”We're ready when you are. You're leading the band, brother.”

Neukermans is a pretty well-connected young man, and the Chron reports he’s a personal friend of Vedder’s daughter. So when Cameron caught COVID, Neukermans volunteered his services, the band listened to his drumming and took him up on the offer, and off he goes.  

Neukermans only performed that first number, he did not play the whole show. But Consequence of Sound reports that another local drummer Josh Arroyo also got to fill in for one song at the Friday night Oakland show. Touring member Josh Klinghoffer and Richard Stuverud are filling in for most of the temporary Pearl Jam drumming duties.

Because of the tight scheduling timeline, the Chronicle reports that “Neukermans had missed a statistics test to get to this moment.” But judging from the tweet above from Tamalpais High School, it doesn’t seem like he’s in trouble with the school district administration.

Related: Video: Phish's Trey Anastasio, In Town For Three Shows, Jams With Chinatown Street Musicians

Screenshot: mfc172 via Youtube