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‘Excessive wealth disorder’: Should the ultra-rich pay more to help solve America’s problems?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Boosting taxes on America’s wealthiest people could bring in trillions of dollars to help the country solve its most pressing problems, according to Gabriela Sandoval, executive director of the non-profit Bay Area think tank Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute.Sandoval, a former sociology professor at UC Santa Cruz, was hired in January at the San Francisco-based think tank founded last year and named after a concept coined by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. She previously worked at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development in Oakland and became steeped in issues around wealth inequality. “No one wanted to talk about decreasing wealth at the higher end,” says Sandoval.The think tank promotes adding special surtaxes for ultra-wealthy people, imposing a “wealth tax” on assets such as real estate, yachts and luxury vehicles, and increasing IRS enforcement on the super-rich.The institute takes aim at the richest .1% of Americans R...

Chart: Bay Area’s drought-busting year has actually been less rainy than normal, in one way

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

California’s wet and wild winter has come to a close. It certainly seemed like a way rainier than normal year in the Bay Area, but by some metrics it’s actually been just shy of average.That’s right. Rainfall totals were impressive, nearly double the annual average, but the number of rainy days is still slightly below average. Take Oakland for example. It’s just shy of its historical average of 68 days with measurable rainfall in a year, recording 62 rainy days in the rain year starting July 1, 2022, through April 20. There is no rain predicted for the near future, and just over two historically dry months before the rain year ends on June 30.Now, with wildflowers coating the bright green hills, popping up in every highway median and sidewalk crack and with mostly sunshine and warm days on the horizon it’s possible that even in this drought-busting year we will still fall short of the average number of rainy days.The cumulative rainfall might have ...

Saratoga crime report for the week of April 28

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

APRIL 10Vehicle tampering, grand theft: Someone tampered with a vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence in the 18000 block of Kosich Drive and stole a catalytic converter for a total loss estimated at $3,000.Residential burglary, theft by credit card: Someone entered the garage of a residence in the 20000 block of Cox Avenue through the open garage door and stole keys and a wallet valued at $10. They then used credit cards from the wallet to make fraudulent purchases totaling approximately $1,148.APRIL 11Residential burglary: Someone entered the victim’s room at a residence in the 13000 block of Pierce Road by forcing the door open and stole $1,000 cash.APRIL 12Residential burglary: Someone entered a residence in the 21000 block of Dorsey Way by breaking a rear glass door and stole jewelry and purses for a total loss of about $1,900.Hit and run: A non-injury collision occurred at 4:35 p.m. at Saratoga Avenue and Highway 85.APRIL 16False Registration Tab: At 3:39 a.m., deputies...

Proposal for next phase of Los Gatos’ North 40 includes 430 housing units

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Developers unveiled their plan for the second phase of Los Gatos’ controversial North 40 development last week, which includes 437 housing units.The plan for the parcel at the intersection of highways 17 and 85 calls for 119 townhomes and 250 multi-family units, as well as commercial spaces and a two-acre public park.The plan also includes 68 affordable housing units for lower-income residents earning 60% or less of the area’s median income. Grosvenor Property, which led the project team, donated 1.7 acres to Eden Housing to develop these units. Eden Housing worked on the Walnut Grove affordable senior community in the first phase of the North 40 project.If the plan is approved, it would bring the total number of housing units from both phases of the North 40 development to more than 800, with 117 of those being affordable units.Grosvenor Property submitted its preliminary application to the town last week, citing a state housing law that limits local laws or ordinances from blockin...

Alec Baldwin not yet ‘absolved’ in ‘Rust’ shooting though case was ‘weak,’ legal experts say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

With news spreading Thursday that New Mexico prosecutors planned to drop all charges against Alec Baldwin in the “Rust” shooting, the actor looked eager to put the case behind him and celebrate his apparent exoneration by paying tribute to his wife and attorney.But prosecutors suggest Baldwin’s celebration may be premature, saying they continue to investigate the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the low-budget Western. They also said charges could be refiled in the future.That’s not how Baldwin took the news, posting a photo of himself on Instagram snuggling with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and captioning it: “I owe everything I have to this woman. (and to you, Luke).” Baldwin was referring to his attorney Luke, Page Six said. pic.twitter.com/bt88IvXpJg— Clown World (@ClownWorld_) April 21, 2023Later Thursday, prosecutors issued an official statement, confirming their decision to dismiss charges a...

Diablo Valley College alumni dominate national speech and debate competitions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Two Diablo Valley College alumni have been making waves in the world of speech and debate, showcasing the skills they honed at the community college on the national stage.Brenna Seiersen and Tristan Keene, both former co-captains of the Diablo Valley College speech and debate team, swept the competition and secured two national championship titles at the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship and the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence this spring.Their victories crowned a successful season for the Diablo Valley team.Parliamentary debate is a demanding two-on-two style of debate that requires quick thinking and preparation, and it’s done at the high school and college level, where students are given a topic and then they have 30 minutes to prepare before they go into the debate, said Paul Villa, head of the Diablo Valley debate team, in an interview.Seiersen and Keene, who graduated from Diablo Valley College in 2022, went undefeated in the...

Daly City police investigate carjacking

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Police in Daly City are investigating a carjacking that occurred last weekend. On Sunday, officers with the Daly City Police Department responded to the 1900 block of Junipero Serra Boulevard on a report of a carjacking. Police said the suspect first tried to take a 2005 Toyota Prius, and after the suspect was unsuccessful, he entered the front passenger side of a 2015 Toyota Prius. The suspect then held a knife to the victim's neck, yelled and motioned for the victim to drive. The suspect grabbed the victim's sleeve as the victim tried to exit the vehicle. The victim yelled for help, and the suspect released the victim from the vehicle, and the suspect drove away, police said. The suspect is described as a Black man with a thin build who is about 30 years old and between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall. The suspect was wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt. The vehicle was later recovered by the California Highway Patrol at an Interstate Highway 28...

Q&A: ‘Dear Mama’ director resigns Tupac feud with docuseries

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Filmmaker Allen Hughes thought participating in any Tupac Shakur project was a farfetched idea especially after surviving a brutal altercation involving him and the rap legend three decades ago.For years, Hughes firmly held a grudge even after a public apology from Shakur — who along with nearly a dozen gang members in 1993 physically attacked the filmmaker for firing the rapper from the cult classic “Menace II Society.” He along with his brother Albert Hughes had previously directed Shakur’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” music video in 1990s. After the dispute, Shakur was convicted and served about two weeks in jail.It took Hughes some time, but he finally stopped holding onto his deep-seated resentment a few years ago when Shakur’s estate approached him to direct a documentary called “Dear Mama,” which premieres Friday on FX and will stream the following the day on Hulu. The five-part docuseries explores how the mother-son duo of Tupac and Afeni Shakur shape...

After 4 US price cuts, Tesla raises cost for older models

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — After cutting U.S. vehicle prices four times this year, Tesla raised the cost overnight on its slow-selling more expensive models.The hike could be an effort to appease investors, who dumped shares of Tesla on Thursday after earnings and profit margins dropped due to previous price cuts. The Austin, Texas, company added $2,500 to all four versions of the Models S and X, increasing their prices from 2.4% to 2.9%.The lowest-price Model S now starts at $87,490, while the base price for the X is $97,490, according to Tesla’s website early Friday. Neither is eligible for the U.S. government’s $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit because they exceed sticker price limits. Prices of the company’s top-selling Model Y small SUV and Model 3 small sedan remained the same after being lowered earlier this week.Tesla shares closed Thursday down nearly 10% after CEO Elon Musk said it would sacrifice profit margins in order to boost sales. On Wednesday Tesla reported f...

Public forum scheduled on search for new schools leaders in Prince George’s Co.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) announced this week that she will host a public forum for residents to have their say on the search for a new public schools leader to oversee Maryland’s second largest school system.The forum will start at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Charles Flowers High School in Springdale.Members of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the firm hired to help with the national search, also will attend.According to the county executive, an online survey drew more than 5,400 responses suggesting that the new schools leader should be “courageous, innovative, a collaborative leader and an outstanding communicator” with experience in elementary and secondary instruction and administrative leadership.Those interested in testifying must sign up and can do so here, but must register by 5 p...