• A San Carlos man, who was charged with brutally beheading his child's mother, Karina Castro, with a samurai sword in broad daylight in September, has been ruled competent to stand trial by a judge in San Mateo County. The ruling came after the man, Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta, underwent a court-ordered mental health evaluation and was found to understand the charges against him, which could bring him up to 26 years to life in prison. [Mercury News]
  • Plans for tiny homes for the homeless in the Mission neighborhood may not come to fruition due to a lack of community support and difficulties in finding a suitable location. The “Mission Cabins” project, which aimed to provide temporary housing and social services for a year-and-a-half to two years before 300 affordable-housing units were built in 2025, will now again be reevaluated and potentially relocated. [Mission Local]
  • The San Francisco Giants are holding their annual free FanFest on Saturday, February 4th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oracle Park. The team is expecting a large crowd for autographs, activities such as a home run derby, and meet-and-greets with players like shortstop Brandon Crawford and newcomer outfielder Mitch Haniger. [KNTV]
  • Oakland’s Lake Merritt will soon have 7-day parking meters installed around the area. The city says that it’s trying to manage the increasing demand for parking in the area and to fund park improvement projects, but residents are angry about the change from previously free parking. [KTVU]
  • The Oakland Zoo is back in action after being closed for a 35-day sabbatical due to early January’s storm damage. The zoo underwent some much-needed repairs to fix a large sinkhole and remove some fallen trees in front of the entrance, and it’s ready to welcome visitors back. [KRON4]
  • Marin County residents, watch out for blood-sucking ticks that could carry Lyme disease or other diseases, as the recent storms have ramped up tick activity. [Mercury News]
  • The well-known Danish juice bar chain Joe the Juice has agreed to pay $715,000 to settle a federal discrimination charge after an investigation found that the company had engaged in discriminatory hiring practices against female employees, as well as retaliated against employees who raised concerns. [Mercury News]

Image via Unsplash/Ronan Furuta.