• Several Oakland residents displaced from their homes during the storm — including from trees falling down this week and from flooding on New Year’s Eve — are still stuck in hotel rooms. A group of families, including some with schoolchildren, from a Coliseum neighborhood apartment building reportedly don't know the conditions of their homes or vehicles, and aren't sure when they can return. [KRON4]
  • California Republican Kevin McCarthy, notoriously disliked across the aisle, finally received enough votes to be elected House Speaker on his 15th try just after midnight Saturday. After a chaotic week in which he faced opposition from many Republicans and was forced to make concessions to the position that would limit its power, McCarthy reportedly secured the remaining votes after also disgraced former President Trump made some phone calls. [AP News]
  • Federal prosecutors have charged a San Francisco man with the alleged possession of two pistols in a hidden compartment of his pickup truck, court records show. The prosecutors say that the suspect, Nicholas Addleman, is allegedly a “shot caller” in the Mission District’s Norteño gang, and he now faces a 15-year federal prison term if he is convicted. [Mercury News]
  • After Alameda County announced that it had miscounted ranked-choice votes during its elections, resulting in one flipped Oakland race after the results had been certified, a special meeting was called late this week to try to figure out how to handle this unprecedented situation. The Alameda County registrar Tim Dupuis reportedly said he had been working with county legal counsel to figure out how to ensure the “proper candidate can be certified as the winning candidate.” [Chronicle]
  • As Bay Area residents take a second to breathe from past week of storms while preparing for next week’s forecasted ones, cleanup is underway in Santa Cruz. You can see some of the wild before-and-after pictures from the hard-hit city here. [ABC7]
  • As Biden’s “National Human Trafficking Prevention Month” gets underway, San Jose Police said they arrested Donnovan Dawkins, a 29-year-old Maryland man on suspicion of human trafficking when he tried to virtually recruit a 16-year-old San Jose girl into sex work, but she was actually an undercover cop, authorities said. [KTVU]
  • A 37-year-old Antioch woman, Serico Justice, has been formally charged with fatally shooting her next door neighbor, 31-year-old Hannisha Jamilah Willis, on December 27, authorities said. [Mercury News]

Image of storm damage at an apartment in Fruitvale, Oakland, via Holly Secon.