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Jay Barmann

Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years.

San Francisco, CA •

21483 posts •

Day Around the Bay: SF Teachers Vote to Authorize Strike

Teachers went on strike today in the West Contra Costa school district; SF Unified teachers have taken a vote to authorize a strike, but this may not be imminent; and a car crashed into a doggy day care in Alameda.

Arts & Entertainment

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Director Jon Chu Make Surprise Appearance at 'Wicked' Screening In San Rafael

The two stars of Wicked For Good and the film's Bay Area-born director made a surprise appearance after a screening of the film Wednesday night in San Rafael, and did a Q&A with the audience.

Marina Safeway Also on the Redevelopment Docket With Plans For 790 Units In 25-Story Complex

They saved likely the most controversial for last. Align Real Estate, the SF-based firm that is seeking to redevelop three other Safeway properties in the city into large mixed-use developments, also has a very ambitious plan for the waterfront-adjacent Marina Safeway.

Stanley Roberts Returns! 'People Behaving Badly' Gets Revived on KRON4 After 7-Year Hiatus

The Bay Area's favorite finger-wagging scold of the local news, Stanley Roberts, will be back on the air on KRON4 starting next week, with his first "People Behaving Badly" segment in seven years.

Arts & Entertainment

Cause of Death Revealed for Claude, the Academy of Science's Albino Alligator

Claude the albino alligator, the longtime mascot of the California Academy of Sciences who died unexpectedly earlier this week at the age of 30, now has an official cause of death.

Thursday Morning What's Up: Darrell Issa May Relocate to Texas Due to Prop 50

Republican Congressman Darrell Issa is likely to be a casualty of Prop 50 and is talking about moving to Texas; an abalone poacher was arrested in Sonoma; and some atmospheric rivers are coming... to the Pacific Northwest.

That 5.9M Earthquake Warning Out of Nevada Was Fake News

Millions of Northern California residents received a Shake Alert warning at 8:06 am Thursday about an earthquake with an epicenter in Lyon County, Nevada, but the quake itself soon disappeared from the USGS website, and the agency said it was a false alarm.

67-Story Residential Tower at South Van Ness and Market Is Moving Forward

A stalled residential project which could make up nearly 1,000 of the 82,000 new units San Francisco is mandated to build in the next half-decade appears to be back in motion and headed toward construction.

Randa's Market on 16th Street, Home of the Late KitKat, Has Gotten a New Bodega Cat

The home of the bodega cat who was tragically killed by a Waymo in October, Randa's Market on 16th Street, has gotten a new cat, and her name is Coco.

Elizabeth Holmes, Angling for Trump Pardon, Challenges Specific Evidence From Her Trial

Elizabeth Holmes's best bet for getting out early from the Texas prison where she's incarcerated is probably a pardon from President Trump himself, and she's using social media, via a surrogate, to make her case.

Mint Plaza Sleeping Pod Developer Buys Mostly Vacant Live-Work Building on Mid-Market

A Mid-Market building full of affordable studio units that was the subject of a protracted eviction fight in the last decade is now slated to become home to 400 sleeping pods, if a developer gets his way.

Convicted Killer Nima Momeni Sues Media for Defamation

Nima Momeni, the man who was convicted one year ago in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, has now filed a lawsuit against multiple media organizations claiming defamation, among other claims.

Humpday Headlines: Elderly Pedestrian Killed In Russian Hill

A 72-year-old pedestrian was killed by a vehicle in Russian Hill Tuesday; the DA in Santa Clara County is seeking to try the Valley Fair Mall shooting suspect as an adult; and more Ubers and Waymos could be coming to Market Street.

AC Transit Bus Crashes Into Oakland Building, Injuring 11

An AC Transit bus reportedly went crashing into an auto repair shop in Oakland's Eastmont neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, injuring at least 11 people, including nine passengers on the bus.

Arts & Entertainment

Beloved Albino Alligator Claude, Mascot of the Academy of Sciences, Has Died

Claude, the albino alligator who has been a favorite pet to the city and revered resident of the California Academy of Sciences for almost two decades, has died at the age of 30 of a suspected infection.

SF Just Recorded Its Coldest Day In Nearly Three Years, and Set a New Record

You weren't imagining it: This past weekend in San Francisco was especially chilly. And while it may not have been East Coast or Upper Midwest frigid, it was still bone-chilling for those of us acclimated to the temperate climate here.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Oakland Beats Out SF and New Orleans In New Ranking of Best Food Cities

Oakland has come out on top in Condé Nast Traveler's latest Readers' Choice Awards ranking of the best US food cities, but San Francisco comes in at number five.

Waymo Strikes Small Dog In Western Addition, Dog's Condition Not Known

Weeks after one of its robotaxis struck and killed a beloved Mission District bodega cat, Waymo has confirmed that one of its cars also struck an unleashed dog.

Man Fatally Shot While Sitting In Vehicle In SF's Tenderloin

There was a fatal shooting early Tuesday in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, and a male victim was reportedly found dead in his car.

Tuesday Morning Topline: Death on BART Train Leads to Monday Evening Delays

A death onboard a BART train in the East Bay caused significant delays Monday evening; San Jose police revealed the Valley Fair Mall shooting suspect is 17 and has a prior gun charge; and Costco is suing Trump over tariffs.

Day Around the Bay: One Person Dies In South SF Apartment Fire

One person was killed in an apartment fire in South San Francisco early Monday; a coast flood advisory has been issued due to King Tides; and the TSA is going to start charging you if you don't have a Real ID or passport.

Business & Tech

Instagram Ordering Everyone Back to the Office Five Days a Week

There's been a long tail on pandemic-era hybrid work across the Bay Area and the tech sector especially, but some big companies like Meta are now cracking the whip and calling for five mandatory in-office days, just like olden times.

Arts & Entertainment

North Beach Building Owned for Over 50 Years By Francis Ford Coppola Put Up as Collateral

A striking, flatiron-shaped building in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, owned since 1973 by filmmaker and winery owner Francis Ford Coppola, has been put up for collateral on a loan as Coppola continues weathering the financial fallout from his flop passion project 'Megalopolis.'

[Updated] Suspect Arrested In Black Friday Valley Fair Mall Shooting, Identified as 17-Year-Old With Priors

San Jose police announced Monday morning that they had made an arrest Sunday in Friday's shooting at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall, which left three people injured, and which authorities say was gang-related.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Local Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri 'Exploded' Leg Muscle In Fall, Will Spend Eight Weeks Wheelchair-Bound

Sonoma County celebrity chef Guy Fieri had a slip-and-fall mishap recently that landed him in emergency surgery, and his recovery period will probably throw a wrench in his many TV hosting gigs.