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California bill aims to provide more protection for employees facing layoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

Amid mass layoffs in the tech industry, a new California bill aims to give impacted workers better advance notice.The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), would require California employers to alert employees of mass layoffs 90 days before they happen and prohibit employers from forcing employees to sign their rights away in exchange for severance pay.Twitter, for example, allowed employees to receive severance pay if they signed notices that prohibited them from speaking out against or suing the company, owner Elon Musk, or Twitter management, the Los Angeles Times reported. California lawmaker proposes bill to limit the risk of homelessness for state renters “Innovative industries like tech are a critical part of our state’s economy, and we know that tech companies start here and grow here because of our highly skilled workforce,” Haney said in a statement.  “This bill is about protecting that workforce, from the engineers to the janitors, and ma...

Victim identified in Los Angeles hit-and-run; driver still at large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

Authorities continue to search for a driver who allegedly plowed into two pedestrians in Pico Rivera late Sunday night, killing one of them, and then fled the scene.The crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of Rooks and Rose Hills roads, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Two women were walking southbound on the curb of Rooks Road when they were struck by a vehicle traveling in the same direction. The driver took off, continuing south and out of view, officials said.Los Angeles County firefighters responded and provided life-saving measures, but one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Coroner identified her as Yesenia Sanchez, 36, of Los Angeles.The other victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.No further details about the incident, including information about the suspect vehicle, were released.Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Pico Rivera sheriff’s station at 562-949-2...

Flood fighters race to plug 360-foot levee breach along Pajaro River as next storm roars closer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

PAJARO – Dump trucks stuffed with potato-sized rocks and half-ton boulders lined up along a strawberry field here Monday, all racing against time – and another oncoming storm – to help fill a destructive break in the Pajaro River.Truck drivers made 120-mile round trips to quarries in Cupertino and Greenfield that normally shut down at 3:30 p.m. but promised to stay open into the night.“My dispatcher told me, ‘You better pack a lunch,’” said Todd Mosley, waiting for his turn to empty his truck and help plug another section of what the day before was a 360-foot wide breach.By midday Monday, boulders had filled in about 100 feet. The rest was an open spigot of muddy water, still flowing freely into the streets of the nearby Pajaro. It was too late to save the town from rising waters that have plagued it before. The quest now is to keep the river from doing even more damage.State water department workers start repairing the failed Pajaro River levee in Pajaro, California on Monday, Marc...

Court upholds most of Prop 22 in win for Uber, Lyft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

By Kellen Browning | New York TimesA California appeals court said on Monday that Proposition 22, the ballot measure passed by state voters in 2020 that classified Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, should remain state law.The decision by three appeals court judges overturned the ruling last year by a California Superior Court judge, who said the proposition was “unenforceable.” It was a victory for companies like Uber, which use gig drivers to transport passengers and deliver food, but do not pay costs that an employer would have to. Those costs can include drivers’ unemployment insurance, health insurance and business expenses.Still, the appeals court ruling was not the final say. The Service Employees International Union, which, along with several drivers, filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition 22 in early 2021, is expected to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court, which would then have several months to decide whether to hea...

Warriors optimistic Gary Payton II could return at some point this season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II took an important step in his recovery from a core muscle injury in the last week. Payton recently returned to various non-contact, on-court activities, including shooting, and his workload is expected to intensify in the coming days, the Warriors announced Monday. Payton has yet to play for Golden State since the reigning champs acquired him in a four-team deal at the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but the most recent update has given the team increased hope that he could be back at some point this season, coach Steve Kerr said. Payton, who admitted to playing through abdominal pain earlier this season after having offseason surgery to repair a core muscle injury, has been “doing well,” according to Kerr. “There’s definitely hope and optimism that he’ll be able to play at some point,” Kerr said. Payton, a key rotational piece in last year’s title run, could help provide a defensive lift as they’re amid a t...

Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse undercuts key engine of Bay Area economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has stripped the Bay Area’s startup industry — a key driver of the region’s economy — of a crucial source of funding that for decades has fueled innovation and growth.  “The failure of Silicon Valley Bank leaves an enormous void,” said Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a business-backed policy and advocacy organization. “Looking at their role in lending to startups, where funding wasn’t otherwise available, this has driven economic growth here for 40 years.”The startup-focused institution headquartered in Santa Clara imploded Friday after a bank run sparked by news of losses in its investments. The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation shut the bank down and appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver to hold its assets for future sale.Before it went under, Silicon Valley Bank said it provided banking services for nearly half Am...

Maine lobster industry groups sue Monterey aquarium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

By Patrick Whittle | Associated PressPORTLAND, Maine — A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state.Industry groups including Maine Lobstermen’s Association are suing the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for defamation, arguing in a lawsuit filed Monday that their prized catch shouldn’t be on a “red list” published by Seafood Watch, a conservation program it operates.Last year, Seafood Watch put lobster from the U.S. and Canada on its list of seafood to avoid due to the threat posed to rare whales by entanglement in fishing gear used to harvest American lobster, the species that makes up most of the U.S. lobster market.Endangered North American right whales number only about 340 and they’ve declined in recent years.But the lobster industry is arguing to the U.S. District Court in Maine that the aquarium&...

Teen rescued from suspected sex trafficker in San Pablo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

PINOLE, Calif. (KRON) -- A man was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking of a minor in San Pablo Wednesday, according to the Pinole Police Department. Two students arrested for knives on campus days after fatal student stabbing at MHS After midnight on Wednesday, PPD received a report that a 16-year-old runaway was possibly being sex trafficked by a man in at a house in Pinole. Officers went to the house, but they were not able to find the minor. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KRON4 Breaking News SIGN UP NOW The Criminal Investigation Division was able to find the minor at a house in San Pablo. The minor was at the house with an 18-year-old man. Investigators interviewed the minor with the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office Human Trafficking...

2 dead, 9 injured after truck hits pedestrians in Quebec

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Two men died Monday after a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians beside a road in the eastern Quebec town of Amqui, although a senior Canadian official rapidly ruled out a terrorism attack or a national security incident.A provincial police spokeswoman said nine other people were injured, including two whose injuries are considered serious.Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre said the 38-year-old driver, a local resident, turned himself in to police and was arrested under suspicion of committing a fatal hit and run.A senior government official familiar with the matter said the incident was not terrorism or national security related. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Authorities had not mentioned any motive. St-Pierre said the two people killed were both men, one in his 60s and the other in his 70s. Among the injured, two suffered serious injuries and the other seven were being evaluated, she said.St-Pierre said ...

Por qué la frontera norte de EE.UU. ahora tiene una inmigración récord

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

Champlain, Nueva York (CNN) — En una nevada tarde de marzo, un pequeño convoy de taxis y vehículos de alquiler se dirigía hacia el norte por una carretera rural de Nueva York que termina en la frontera con Canadá. Entre los pasajeros había una familia nigeriana de cinco miembros, un hombre ruso que viajaba solo y una sudamericana llamada Giovanna.“Tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados por este momento, porque tuve que dejar atrás a mi familia”, dijo en español a CNN una temblorosa Giovanna al salir de su taxi frente al paso fronterizo no oficial de “Roxham Road”, tristemente famoso por un capricho de la diplomacia y la planificación urbana que permite a alguien conducir hasta la frontera y entrar ilegalmente en Canadá, en lugar de ser rechazado.La madre colombiana se encuentra entre el flujo aparentemente interminable de migrantes que desde 2017 se han visto atraídos por este gélido tramo más septentrional de Estados Unidos, con la intención de cruzar l...