- In the wake of Twitter rebranding to X, the nebulously named company is now auctioning off more Twitter-branded stuff, including a lot of furniture, and guitars and drum kits they inexplicably have around the office. And in Twitter lawsuit news, the company now denies its stopped paying rent on their SF headquarters in their ongoing litigation against their landlord, an affiliate of Shorenstein and JPMorgan Chase. [HGPAuction]
- A post-pandemic glut of Airbnb rentals means the company itself is still doing well, but individual hosts have a lot more competition and fewer bookings. Bookings are down not just in San Francisco, but also down 17% near Joshua Tree, and one Orlando-based host says “We have absolutely zero bookings in August.” [Bloomberg]
- California is seeing a serious (10%) increase in positive COVID-19 tests, thanks to the EG.5 “Eris” variant. But UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong says that “the soil in which [EG.5 is] landing is a very experienced soil,” and he does not expect significant increases in serious illness or deaths. [SFGate]
- Monterey County was hit by a 4.3 magnitude earthquake Thursday afternoon, according to the California Geological Survey, which says the quake could be felt as far away as Fresno and San Luis Obispo. [Chronicle]
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed the seven busloads of migrants sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott by setting up the “LA Welcomes Collective” which provides the migrants with services. [CalMatters]
- Bay Area views of the Perseid meteor shower will peak this weekend, between 11 p.m. on Saturday night and 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. [Hoodline]
Image: Joe Kukura, SFist
