Greetings & Spring Things from Santa Cruz

A person trespassing on Caltrain tracks early Sunday died after being hit by a train. Authorities have not determined what caused the collision or why the person was on the tracks.

Across the country, cities have begun experimenting with artificial intelligence to map potholes, reduce traffic and fight wildfires. In San Jose, officials are now harnessing the rapidly evolving technology with another goal in mind: detecting homeless encampments.

To understand the mind-boggling, consequential power of just one vote in this year's historic District 16 congressional primary, take a stroll through downtown Saratoga, the heart of Santa Clara County's Precinct No. 4692.

None of the 105 passengers or five crew members on the plane, United Airlines Flight 2181, an Airbus A319, was injured. The flight was arriving from Reno and headed next from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, flight records show. The other plane was parked.

The Oakland Ballers are an independent team, unaffiliated with Major League Baseball, and they hope to incorporate some of the Savannah Bananas’ silly spirit into what they’re doing.

In an attempt to end five years of litigation, the 49ers made an offer of of $18M and other concessions to resolve two ongoing legal actions.

Apple has filed a disclosure with the state Employment Development Department stating an intention to layoff 600+ local Silicon Valley employees in May.

Parents and students are voicing opposition to a new middle school schedule which would cut time for electives.

Planning is underway to expand the homeless tiny home facility at 5898 Rue Ferrari in South San Jose with an additional 124 beds, a laundry area and community center.

Mountain View is considering a number of recommendations to reduce injuries and eliminate traffic fatalities in the city by 2030.

Stanford University named business school dean Jonathan Levin as its new president.

A San Jose-based modular apartment firm is teaming up with a South Korean real estate company to build 700+ units of affordable housing to a 3.2 acre site at 7 Topgolf Drive in north San Jose.

The Los Altos City Council approved a new fee schedule for building, engineering and planning services after discovering it had been undercharging by up to $1.9M annually.

Mission Early College High School was honored by the State Department of Education with the California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award.

The Palo Alto City Council voted 6-1 on a bundle of improvements, including elimination of some parking, to improve safety on El Camino Real.

Thirty years after prisoners with disabilities sued the state of California and 25 years after a federal court first ordered accommodations, a judge found that state prison and parole officials still are not doing enough to help deaf and blind prisoners.

Anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades.

I thought my journalism and others’ could change policy, perhaps even inspire a New Deal-style response equal to the challenge. Such was my naiveté.

Tenants in many new privately owned, low-income units will be protected from double-digit increases. So will some in existing units, after a state committee on affordable housing imposed a rent cap.

Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

The move puts the fate of AB 2222 in question, but supporters insist that there is room to negotiate changes that can help tackle the state's literacy crisis.

It quickly became clear that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was responsible for the show. The lights were a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 new Starlink satellites into orbit. The rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:30 p.m., and it’s trail was visible from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park.