These are the local news from January 28 to February 3 that you need to know to stay up to date.
After a first month of the year that seemed to have no end, February has arrived and with it the hope of a better month and a celebration dedicated to love. Do you already have Valentine's Day? If so, it's time to book, find a gift, create the ideal atmosphere and say how much love fills your heart.
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The superintendent of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) condemned the use of racial slurs and violence following a confrontation earlier this week between a student and a substitute teacher at Richmond High School.
Superintendent Kenneth "Chris" Hurst issued the statement during Wednesday's school board meeting, where he said schools must be psychologically and physically safe for students to learn and educators to teach.
The district is investigating the interaction. Hurst explained that the substitute teacher was “immediately released from employment with WCCUSD” and that staff is following up with the student and his family to ensure an appropriate response and necessary support.
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Following the release of a video by Memphis police showing the brutal beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols by five officers on January 7, actions that led to his death as he was returning to his mother's home, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus called the events indefensible and repugnant.
“What we saw in that video was indefensible, disgusting and incomprehensible,” Corpus said in a series of tweets posted via the Sheriff’s Office Twitter account. “This is a sad day for Mr. Nichols’ family and our nation.”
Corpus said he will redouble his commitment to serve, protect and engage with the communities that comprise the county, “with compassion, respect, integrity and dignity. As I have said, we must work together as a community for change.”
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A San Francisco state assemblyman has introduced a new bill that would give California community colleges the option of making Lunar New Year a state holiday.
Assembly Bill 264 by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, allows flexibility to observe the Lunar New Year without increasing the number of days schools would be closed.
For example, Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays could be combined into one holiday, and Lunar New Year could be another.
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U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, spoke on the House floor Friday about the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, where seven people were killed earlier in the week.
Eshoo, whose congressional district includes Half Moon Bay, spoke on the House floor about the coastal community being “as American as it gets.”
The official called on her fellow members of Congress to consider their conscience in the wake of the tragedy, one of dozens of mass shootings across the country that have already occurred in the first weeks of 2023.
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San Mateo County residents will now be eligible for federal disaster assistance after the area was included in the Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California after being affected by storms since December 27, 2022.
That was announced by Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, and Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, who said disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will help residents and business owners facing losses from the storms.
They therefore encouraged homeowners and renters who suffered damage or loss as a direct result of the storms to apply for FEMA assistance before the March 16, 2023 deadline.
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The city announced that emergency shelter beds in Redwood City for severe weather conditions are being activated in anticipation of frigid nights.
Thus, beginning the evening of January 30, emergency shelter beds can be used by those in need due to an overnight minimum forecast of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, with a chance of rain of less than 50 percent.
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A fire at a mobile home park in San Jose early Tuesday morning left seven residents displaced, according to the city's Fire Department.
Authorities said no one was injured in the fire, which also prompted a response from PG&E and the American Red Cross.
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San Mateo County will support business launches and growth after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to invest nearly $1.5 million to help entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses.
The funds, they said, will also help job seekers gain the skills they need to compete for in-demand careers.
Programs including how to access capital will be launched through the North Fair Oaks Economic Advancement Center.
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The Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state of California has certified San Francisco's Housing Element plan, which calls for more than 82,000 homes in SF over the next eight years, more than half of them affordable to low- and moderate-income families.
According to state data, San Francisco has some of the longest timelines and highest process hurdles for bringing housing projects to construction. These delays, combined with some of the highest housing construction costs in California, create a barrier to addressing the community’s unmet affordable housing needs.
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Researchers at San Francisco State University have begun a three-year study of Lyme disease at Edgewood Park that will focus on monitoring tick hosts such as mice, deer and woodrats, as well as testing the efficacy of an oral bait vaccine designed to limit the spread of the disease.
According to the San Mateo County Council, the study will continue until December 2026.
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The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) recently awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of Redwood City for its comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.
This is the 35th consecutive year that Redwood City has received this prestigious award.
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Authorities seized a half-pound of suspected methamphetamine from a Santa Clara woman who was visiting an inmate at the Maguire Correctional Center in Redwood City, San Mateo County jail.
Leslie Romero-Silva, 23, was allegedly carrying more than 9 ounces of methamphetamine when she entered the Maguire Correctional Center in Redwood City around 7 p.m. She was arrested on suspicion of bringing a controlled substance into jail and is being held on $50,000 bail.
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