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California bill aims to limit renters' security deposits

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

As apartment rental prices increase across California, so have security deposits. Now, a bill aims to change that.Assembly Bill 12, introduced by San Francisco Democratic Assemblymember Matt Haney, seeks to cap the cost of security deposits as part of a broader effort to make housing units more affordable statewide. This is what a $1,500 rental budget will get you in California The increasing cost of security deposits is partially due to a California law allowing landlords to charge up to three months’ rent as a security deposit, plus the first month’s rent.In Los Angeles, where the median rent for an apartment is $2,260, a security deposit can cost nearly $7,000. In San Francisco, where the median rent is $3,595, security deposits can cost more than $10,000.Should the bill pass, security deposits would be limited to only one month’s rent. California would be the 12th state to pass a bill that limits security deposit requirements. New York, Alabama and Hawaii are among the few sta...

Can a Mega Millions jackpot winner remain anonymous in California?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

A record-setting Mega Millions jackpot is up for grabs — it's an estimated $1.55 billion after no ticket matched the winning numbers Friday. If you're lucky enough to beat the immense odds and win, there are a few things experts recommend you do immediately. Among those is keeping your victory a secret for as long as possible. Depending on where you live (or more specifically, where you win the prize), you may be able to claim your prize anonymously. In many states, however, that isn't the case. According to Mega Millions, it all comes down to your state’s public disclosure laws. Some are required to publicly identify winners while others are not.For example, in California, where a winner has yet to come forward to claim a record $1.08 billion Powerball ticket sold in July, disclosure laws require the California Lottery to share the winner’s full name and where they bought the ticket. Mega Millions jackpot now estimated to be largest in game’s history If you wi...

Man Killed, Child Seriously Hurt in Red-Light Crash on 20th Street East [Lancaster, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

One Pronounced Dead, One Hospitalized after Suspected DUI Collision near Avenue LLANCASTER, CA (August 7, 2023) – Saturday evening, a man was killed and a child was seriously hurt in a two-vehicle crash on 20th Street East.Police responded to the scene around 11:16 a.m., near Avenue L.According to reports, the driver of a northbound Lexus failed to stop at a red light and struck a Ford sedan that was heading west on Avenue L.Investigators said the man sitting in the rear passenger seat of the Ford sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics rushed a male juvenile from the Ford to a nearby hospital in critical condition.Following preliminary duties, officers believe that speed and DUI were factors in the crash. At this time, Lancaster Officials are asking anyone with additional information about the 20th Street two-vehicle crash to contact the traffic investigators at 661-948-8466.The team at Sweet James offers their warm and sincerest sympathies to th...

One Extricated in Two-Vehicle Accident on Prater Way [Sparks, NV]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

SUV-Vehicle Collision Closes Lanes of Prater WaySPARKS, NV (August 7, 2023) – Tuesday evening, police responded to a two-vehicle accident on Prater Way that left one person trapped.According to the Sparks Police and Sparks Fire Departments, the incident occurred just before 7:00 p.m., August 1st, involving a Dodge Charger and a Subaru SUV.Furthermore, the authorities have located one person trapped inside the wreckage, he was then extricated by the responding emergency crews.In addition, the authorities stated that Subaru ended up on its side.Meanwhile, the officials blocked the lanes of Prater Way from McCarran Boulevard to Howard Drive for further investigation.Make our roads safer by abiding by all traffic laws and following the conditions of the road. Remember that willfully disregarding traffic laws and engaging in unsafe driving behaviors frequently lead to auto accidents that can completely change a person’s life.The seasoned team of attorneys at Sweet James provides di...

Man Killed in Pedestrian Accident on Highway 99 [Sacramento, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

22-Year-Old Driver Fatally Struck an Unidentified Man near Mack RoadSACRAMENTO, CA (August 7, 2023) – Early Friday morning, a pedestrian accident on Highway 99 claimed the life of a man.The incident happened on July 28th, at around 2:50 a.m., a pedestrian was struck in the southbound lanes, at Mack Road west off-ramp.The initial report showed that a 2001 Honda driving at 40 mph exited the highway when a man ran in front of the vehicle. The Honda then struck the man leaving him with serious injuries. The impact of the collision damaged the windshield and the right side mirror of the car.Emergency crews at the site of the collision declared the man dead at the scene. However, they were unable to identify the man because he was not carrying any identification.Meanwhile, the 22-year-old driver of the Honda was not injured. He remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities.In addition, the police said that alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the pedestrian accident on High...

Two women shot in East Oakland

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

OAKLAND — Two women were wounded in shootings that happened in just over seven hours Sunday a few blocks apart in East Oakland, authorities said.Both women are expected to recover.Police said investigators don’t believe the shootings are related.About 9:35 p.m. Sunday a 47-year-old woman was shot multiple times in the leg in the 2600 block of 77th Avenue, authorities said.She was shot after getting into a dispute with some other people, police said. She got a ride from another person to a hospital.The suspects fled in a vehicle before police got to the scene.  Authorities have not specified a cause for the dispute.The other shooting happened about 2:15 p.m.  in the 2500 block of 78th Avenue.A 20-year-old woman got into an unspecified argument with another woman. She was shot by a man who was with the other woman involved in the argument, police said.The wounded woman got her own transportation to a hospital. A detailed description of the shooter was not released and no a...

Man dies in Hayward Interstate 880 freeway crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

HAYWARD — A 27-year-old Newark man died Sunday night on Interstate 880 when the car he was driving crashed into a wall and center divider as he tried to avoid a disabled vehicle on the freeway, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.The name of the man killed was not immediately released.The CHP said the fatal crash happened about 9:21 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-880 south of Whipple Road.The CHP said a Honda CR-V sustained a flat tire and began making its way to the right shoulder of the freeway.According to a news release, the CHP said the Newark man was driving a 2009 Dodge Charger behind the Honda “at a high rate of speed and swerved aggressively around the right side of the Honda, losing control.”The Charger then struck the wall on the right shoulder, traveled across all lanes and crashed into the concrete center divider, the CHP said.The CHP said the Charger driver, the only occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. The CHP said he w...

Report: Kerik meeting with special counsel investigators

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

By Abby Baggini, Paula Reid and Marshall Cohen | CNNDonald Trump ally Bernie Kerik met Monday with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigators who are handling the probe related to the 2020 election aftermath and the January 6, 2021, insurrection.The interview largely focused on what Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani did to prove that really won the election, Kerik’s attorney told CNN.Kerik’s and his attorney were spotted by CNN arriving Monday morning and leaving after roughly five hours. This is the first public sign of activity by the special counsel’s team after it filed landmark criminal charges against the former president last week.Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, is a longtime associate of Giuliani and coordinated with him during the contentious post-election period.Trump was indicted last week in connection with the probe. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including conspiring to obstruct the 2020 election certification and conspiring to deprive A...

This Bay Area school district is already back in the classroom for the 2023-24 school year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

At just past 8 a.m. on Monday morning, Gregory Nash called out to a group of children walking toward Oakland’s Hoover Elementary School.“Welcome to school guys!” shouted Nash, who works as a family liaison at Hoover. He leaned down to collect a series of tiny, haphazard high-fives. “We’re back!”It was the first day of school at Hoover and all 77 schools at Oakland Unified — one of first of the Bay Area’s large public school districts to start the 2023-2024 academic year. As kids streamed through Hoover’s gates, the courtyard began to fill with excitement. Kids ran to greet their friends while parents checked the class assignments; teachers waved to old students and greeted the new ones.“I feel amazing and nervous,” said 6-year-old Daniel Lands, a newly minted first-grader. “I just graduated from kindergarten, so I hope I make some friends.”Those feelings were echoed by moms, dads, and teachers across the school, especially in light of how last year ended. In May, a strik...

DeSantis: ‘Of course’ Donald Trump lost the 2020 election

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:50 GMT

By Michelle L. Price | Associated PressNEW YORK — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said definitively that rival Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, an acknowledgement the Florida governor made after years of equivocating answers.“Of course he lost,” DeSantis said in an interview with NBC News posted Monday. “Joe Biden’s the president.”DeSantis has often sidestepped questions about whether he believes the 2020 election results were legitimate. But in recent days he has started publicly questioning the lies that Trump and his allies have made about the election’s legitimacy.Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general said there was no credible evidence the election’s outcome was affected by fraud. The former president’s allegations were also roundly rejected by courts at the time, including judges he appointed.Last week, Trump was charged by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith with...