• A car went off a cliff on Highway 1 around 2:30 p.m. Friday, falling 300 feet into the sea after a collision near the Scott Creek Bridge in Davenport and closing the road. Only one person who was inside the vehicle, and they are now in the hospital in critical condition. [ABC7]
• "Bastille on Belden," the SF celebration of French culture and cuisine, will make a comeback for its second year this Friday evening. Belden Place was formerly known as “The French Quarter” back in the Gold Rush days so the scene is set. [Examiner]
• After a period of decreasing hospitalizations and ICU admissions for COVID, the decline has halted, indicating a possible increase in new infections. The state's test positivity rate and viral concentration in wastewater samples also suggest a rise in cases. [Chronicle]
• California Republicans got a win in Sacramento with the reintroduction of a bill this week that aims to increase penalties for child traffickers endorsed by Gov. Newsom. The bill, proposed by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, seeks to include child trafficking as a serious felony and increase prison sentences. [AP News]
• The Dallas-based ride-hailing company Alto is exiting San Francisco and Palo Alto after just a year to “focus on other markets” and says it will refund any membership fees to riders. [SF Biz News]
• Even with the severe heatwave bearing down on the Bay, meet the tourists still heading to the infamous Death Valley this weekend — which could approach 130 degrees this weekend. [ABC7]
• The Oakland Police Department recommended that residents reinforce their doors and install security cameras as home invasion robberies are spiking in several neighborhoods. [SFGate]

Image via Unsplash/Lili Popper.