Bay Area Updates
BART Fares Going Up Average of 15¢ Starting July 1, 2022
Bay Area Updates, Oakland, San Francisco, Transportation By Eli Walsh Bay City News Foundation BART’s governing board unanimously approved its budget for the coming fiscal year on Thursday as well as a preliminary budget for the following 2023-2024 fiscal year. The balanced budget includes the use of $313.6 million in federal COVID-19 emergency funding in the 2022-2023 fiscal year more...
Mask Mandate is Back in Alameda County Starting June 3
Bay Area Updates, COVID-19 Updates, East Bay, Masks, Transportation By Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation Alameda County health officials announced Thursday that they are reinstating the county’s indoor mask mandate as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase locally and across the Bay Area. The mandate will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday and will apply to most indoor more...
SF Police Can Now March in Pride Parade in Uniform
Bay Area Updates, Pride, San Francisco San Francisco police said Thursday that they will march in the city’s annual Pride Parade after coming to an agreement with parade organizers who had previously said officers could not wear their uniforms at the event. The San Francisco Police Officers Pride Alliance came to an agreement with Pride organizers who more...
Mount Diablo Beacon Lights at Sunset for Memorial Day
Bay Area Updates, Holidays, Outdoorsy, Parks & Beaches A joint proclamation was signed on February 25, 2022, at the Veterans Memorial Building in Danville, to light the Beacon on Mount Diablo to honor veterans on Pearl Harbor Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day from sunset to sunrise, beginning in 2022 and every year thereafter. The lighting of the Beacon more...
Big Basin Finally Reopening (Partially) in Summer 2022
Bay Area Favorites, Bay Area Updates, Outdoorsy, Parks & Beaches BIG BASIN UPDATE State Parks Shares Concept for a Connected, Collaborative, Reimagined Big Basin Redwoods State Park Vision for the Reimagined Park to be discussed at a community event on June 3, 2022 California State Parks this week announced the release of the Reimagining Big Basin Vision Summary, a collaborative vision created more...
BART Testing New Transit Pass Compatible with All Bay Area Transit Agencies
Bay Area Updates, Transportation By Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation BART plans to launch a pilot program later this year to test the viability of a global transit pass compatible with every public transit agency in the nine-county Bay Area. The first phase of the pilot program could begin as early as August and more...
Heavy Spring Rains Destroyed 80% of the Bay Area’s Strawberry Crop
Bay Area Updates, Outdoorsy By Hoda Emam, Bay City News Foundation After a wet autumn and warm sunny days in the first three months of this year, the 2022 strawberry crop was exceptionally promising — growing earlier and more rapidly than usual. It was a pleasant surprise for Javier Zamora, owner of JSM Organics in Watsonville. more...
Golden Gate Park’s JFK Drive Now Car-Free Forever
Bay Area Updates, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Parks & Beaches, San Francisco On April 26, 2022 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved Mayor Breed’s legislation to ensure John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park remain vehicle-free permanently. See the map of car-free JFK Drive. The legislation, co-sponsored by Supervisors Matt Haney, Rafael Mandelman, and Dean Preston, greenlights more than 40 improvements more...
World Famous Gilroy Garlic Festival Cancelled Indefinitely
Bay Area Updates, Fairs & Festivals, Festival Updates, Goodbye The world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, a much-loved annual event that has been a mainstay since the late 1970s, is not moving ahead with a festival this summer nor for the foreseeable future, according to festival organizers. Citing lingering uncertainties from the pandemic, along with “prohibitive insurance requirements” by the city of more...
SF’s Golden Gate Park Gardens Now Free for Residents (Starting April 22)
Bay Area Updates, Only in San Francisco, Outdoorsy, Parks & Beaches San Francisco residents will finally get free admission to the Conservatory of Flowers and Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park starting April 22, 2022 On Friday, legislation will go into effect making the Gardens of Golden Gate Park free for San Francisco residents (as well as all veterans regardless of more...
SF’s “The Great Highway” Turns Into the “Great Sandway”
Bay Area Updates, City Insight, San Francisco, Storm Watch Thanks to SF Gate for sharing the news that after two unusually windy storms, San Francisco’s The Great Highway has turned into the Great Sandway. An abundance of sand has taken over sections of The Great Highway, creating massive sand dunes that have engulfed traffic light poles and buried rip current more...
SF’s “Phoenix Irish Bar” in Mission to be Demolished for New Housing
Bay Area Updates, Brand New, Housing, San Francisco Thanks to SF Gate for sharing the news that the 21-year old pub, The Phoenix Irish Bar & Restaurant, located at 811 Valencia Street in the Mission, is set to be demolished. The 63-year-old building is being demolished to make way for the construction of a brand new six-story, mixed-use building. more...
SF’s Muni and Caltrain Say Mask Mandate Still In Place (For Now)
Bay Area Updates, Masks, Transportation A Monday ruling by a federal judge in Florida overturning mask mandates on public transportation doesn’t appear to be immediately changing most local transit agency policies, at least yet. SFMTA, Caltrain, The Vine transit services, and Solano County Transit all say that riders and staff are still required to wear face more...
For the 1st Time Ever, You Can Buy Weed Legally at SF’s 420 Fest at Hippie Hill
Bay Area Updates, Brand New, Fairs & Festivals, Festival Updates, Only in San Francisco, San Francisco By Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation San Francisco will allow on-site cannabis sales at Wednesday’s 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park for the first time in the annual event’s history, city officials said Monday. The celebration, returning for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, is scheduled from noon to more...
CDC Extends Muni/BART/Travel Mask Requirement 2 Weeks
Bay Area Updates, Masks, Transportation, Travel Thanks to AP News for sharing the update that the nationwide mask requirement for public transit has been extended for 15 days in order for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases due to the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. The mask mandate for travel more...
