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Battle Royal — Royal and the Serpent Drop Pride Anthem (by Accident)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

Battle Royal: When Royal and the Serpent, the musical project of Jersey-raised, L.A.-based artist Ryan Santiago, was preparing to release its new track “One Nation Underdogs,” it hadn’t occurred to Royal that the empowering LGBTQ+ anthem would be dropping just as Pride Month was kicking off. Talk about a happy accident!But sheesh, as state after state goes out of its way to pass draconian, medieval laws aimed at stripping rights away from gay and trans people under the bogus guise of “protecting the children” (as if there’s any line connecting gay and trans people with pedophiles), this is the song that Pride 2023 needs. It’s a call to arms, a statement of intent, and it’s fucking powerful.“At the beginning of the song, I rewrote the pledge of allegiance,” Royal says. “It’s basically a pledge to the LGBTQ+ community and there were a lot of people that didn’t like that, had a lot to say about that, and thought that I was disrespecting our country. I started getting some death threats...

Jill Stein, 2016 Green candidate, now running Cornel West’s third-party presidential bid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

By Gregory Korte | BloombergCornel West, the Ivy League academic and progressive activist mounting a third-party campaign for president, has chosen former Green Party candidate Jill Stein to help him challenge to President Joe Biden from the left.Stein said Wednesday that she’s serving as the “interim coordinator” for the West campaign, a catch-all role that encompasses fundraising, communications and campaign management until West can build a more traditional campaign.Stein’s role will likely rekindle the debate in liberal circles over whether third-party campaigns like West’s could divide the Democratic vote and make more likely the election of former President Donald Trump in 2024, assuming that he becomes the Republican nominee.Many Democrats blame Stein for Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election, pointing out that her vote total exceeded Trump’s margin of victory in the crucial battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.Her involvement also signals that We...

7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, June 23-25

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

The Bay Area is pivoting into the summer-fun season, and we’ve got a bunch of fun weekend ideas along those lines, from outdoor concerts to killer recipes for pies and ice cream.As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 WATCH: It’s a good week for quirky fareFrom Boots Riley’s “I’m a Virgo” to Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” there’s no shortage of eccentric stuff to watch on the big and small screen this weekend.2: EAT & DRINK: Check out The CatsThe legendary historic 1896 roadhouse near Los Gatos has reopened under new ownership, and of course we just had to check it out.Jill Scott, who performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in A...

Can Alameda County recover from botched elections?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

When Alameda County made the worst kind of election error—declaring the wrong winner—in November’s election, it set off a series of very public missteps that took months to straighten out.Coming in the midst of a tense moment when concerns about election integrity had gained a foothold nationally, it was a black eye for the county, the region and democratic elections more broadly.In response, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted this month to establish an election oversight commission that they say will provide much-needed transparency and accountability to the election process.RELATED: After election debacle in Oakland, what’s next for ranked choice voting?But can it repair the perception that the county’s electoral system is broken? Helen Hutchison, chair of the Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters, says it may be too late.“The damage is definitely already done in terms of the public trust,” Hutchison said. “I used to be able to say that the registrar̵...

How many of California’s homeless residents are from out of state?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

Contrary to the oft-spouted belief that California’s temperate climate and supposedly generous social services make it a magnet for the country’s homeless people, a comprehensive new study finds the vast majority of the state’s unhoused residents lived here before losing their housing.Why, then, is California home to almost a third of the nation’s homeless population? The main answer is simple, the University of California San Francisco study authors say: a severe shortage of affordable housing.According to the study, which surveyed nearly 3,200 homeless people statewide, nine in 10 respondents lost their housing in California. Three-quarters still lived in the same county as their last home.And while the majority reported having used illicit drugs or experiencing serious mental health issues, the study found homelessness was inextricably linked to the challenge many residents face in finding and affording stable housing.RELATED: These Bay Area cities and cou...

Truck traffic is on the rise, and not only on Highway 17: Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

Q: Why are there suddenly so many semis and other large vehicles on Highway 17 through the Los Gatos mountains? Weren’t they restricted, other than the local bus designated for that route?David Haskin, Los Gatos MountainsA: There are only a few restrictions on truck traffic here. Trucks are limited to 35 to 50 mph and must stay in the right lane, except to pass. Truck traffic is increasing, overall, and also in this area.Q: Is there a way I can get to Modesto from San Jose on Amtrak?Loretta Du Bois, San JoseA: Take a Capitol Corridor train from San Jose Diridon to Oakland Jack London Square, then transfer to a San Joaquin train from Oakland to Modesto. There may be Amtrak train/bus combinations, as well. Check for details on Amtrak’s website.Q: Interstate 680 is still a bumpy ride in the Sunol area. When will the pavement be smoother?Many readersA: Caltrans has begun closing the right-most lane of southbound Interstate 680 at various locations and times between Alcosta B...

San Francisco's hiring practices to blame for vacant job crisis, jury finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

(BCN) -- San Francisco is in the throes of a hiring crisis, according to a report released by the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury on Wednesday. Vacant permanent city jobs -- from bus drivers to hospital workers and 911 call center operators -- have more than doubled in size from pre-pandemic levels, according to the report. The city's hiring practices are to blame. The city's hiring process takes too much time. The median time it takes the city to fill a job is 255 days -- about eight and a half months -- according to the report. The city's hiring process consists of three phases -- the request to fill a vacant position, recruitment and referral. In some cases, according to the jury, hiring city workers requires more than 50 steps. Search for missing Titanic submersible nears the critical mark for oxygen supply The city's hiring practices are also "notoriously opaque," as information on aspects of the hiring process like budgeting and quitting rates is not readily ava...

San Francisco business owners fed up with repeated break-ins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco small business owners were shaken up after repeated break-ins and vandalism at their two restaurants.The latest crime was caught on camera early Tuesday morning in the Castro. The struggle of running a small business is a shared experience in the city, but with six break-ins and cases of vandalism over eight months, the restaurant owners say the crime is beginning to feel targeted.Gai Chicken and Rice is a queer-owned business and Tuesday's burglary is a discouraging hit ahead of Pride weekend. Burglars and vandals keep hitting their two San Francisco locations. CHP investigating 5 highway shootings in 7 days in East Bay “At this point we're a little shook and in fear. We don't know what's going on. It's becoming way too regular,” said Gai Chicken and Rice business owner.A part-owner in the family business, who asked for his name and image to not be used, said since last October, the windows have been smashed at their downtown and Castro restau...

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German rail workers’ union said Thursday that it will ask its members to vote on all-out strike action after long-running salary talks with the main national railway operator broke down.The EVG union has already staged hours-long or one-day “warning strikes,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations. But it’s now threatening to move to longer walkouts as its negotiations with state-owned Deutsche Bahn have reached an impasse.Union leader Martin Burkert said authorization for open-ended strikes will require three quarters of all votes cast in the ballot that will take four to five weeks to be completed. He said “warning strikes” would not be ruled out while voting is taking place. The announcement comes just as school summer vacations are starting in Germany.Union leaders on Wednesday said the latest round of talks had failed. EVG has called for a pay increase of 12% and for the agreement to remain valid for 12 months rather than Deutsche Bahn’s propose...

Britain eyes boost for baseball with return of MLB, new youth programs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — In a country full of soccer, rugby and cricket stars, young Alex Lintern went in a different direction on dress-up day at school.“I was two people: a baseball player and Spider-Man,” the 6-year-old Londoner said.That was shortly after the World Baseball Classic, where Britain’s first-ever win at the tournament sparked some interest back home. Harry Ford, the 20-year-old American catcher with British parents, became a mini-celebrity.Baseball enthusiasts in the U.K. — there’s more than you’d think, they say — hope to build on that momentum with the return of Major League Baseball to London this weekend when the St. Louis Cardinals face the Chicago Cubs at London Stadium.“America’s pastime” likely won’t be challenging anytime soon as a first-choice sport in Britain, but baseball officials are optimistic they’re making gains. In a country that has just 60 baseball clubs and a limited Little League system, five new youth programs popped u...