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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
DA to pursue death penalty for Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect
San Mateo County prosecutors announced Tuesday they are seeking the death penalty against Chunli Zhao, who is charged with murdering seven people during a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay in January 2023. The decision to seek the death penalty, which was announced by San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe during a court hearing, comes even as California has a moratorium on executions. Zhao, 68, is accused of fatally shooting seven people and severely injuring another in what prosecutors described as a fit of workplace rage that became the deadliest mass shooting in San Mateo County's history. Zhao has pleaded not guilty to the charges — seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder — and denied all allegations. Zhao waived his right to a speedy jury trial, Wagstaffe said previously. Authorities said Zhao, a farmworker, walked into his workplace, the California Terra Garden, and opened fire just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2023, leaving four people dead and another person with life-threatening injuries. Zhao then drove to Concord Farms, authorities said, where he shot and killed three other people, all of whom were also farmworkers. Law enforcement said that after the shootings, Zhao drove to the San Mateo County sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay, where he was taken into custody. Wagstaffe's decision to seek the death penalty against Zhao comes after months of debate over whether to pursue capital punishment, the Mercury News reported. Zhao's trial has not yet been scheduled. Even those sentenced to die in California, however, are not executed. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on death penalty executions upon taking office in 2019 then dismantled the execution chamber at San Quentin. Many of the Democrats most likely to succeed him in 2026 also oppose the death penalty. At the same time, death penalty sentences have fallen in the state. As of January, juries in California have sentenced 20 convicted murderers to death in the past six years, an average of 3.3 per year, according to a report from the Death Penalty Policy Project. From 1995 through 2000, there were 223 death sentences in the state, or 37.3 per year. California voters, in past elections, have decided against getting rid of the death penalty permanently. In 2012 and 2016, majorities of 52% and 53% rejected ballot measures to reduce the maximum sentence to life in prison without parole.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
High school track star stripped of state title over celebration paying respect to Olympic gold medalist: ‘I would say reinstate her'
A California high school track star's post-race celebration that paid homage to an Olympic gold medalist resulted in her disqualification and the stripping of her state championship title by outraged officials. North Salinas High School sophomore Clara Adams had just crossed the finish line as the winner in the 400 meters at Buchanan High in Clovis on Saturday when the excited teen ran over to her father to celebrate, the Mercury News reported. Her proud father, David, handed his daughter a fire extinguisher, and away from her competitors, she sprayed on her shoes as if they were on fire. Advertisement 4 Clara Adams' post-race celebration resulted in her disqualification and the stripping of her state championship title. ksbw However, the moment was quickly extinguished by California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials, who viewed Adams' actions as unsportsmanlike and disqualified her. 'I don't know what's going through my mind right now,' Adams told the Mercury News. Advertisement 'I'm disappointed and I feel robbed. I am in shock. They (officials) yelled at me and told me, 'We're not letting you on the podium.' They took my moment away from me.' That decision was handed down minutes before the young track star was about to run the 200 meters, but because she was disqualified for what was ruled an unsportsmanlike act, Adams was not allowed to run the race where she was one of the favorites to win. Her father, who is also her sprinting coach, is adamant that his daughter did nothing wrong, and when she celebrated, she wasn't near any of her competitors in the 400m sprint. 4 Her proud father, David, handed his daughter a fire extinguisher, and away from her competitors, she sprayed on her shoes as if they were on fire. Oceanside Dolphins Track Club/YouTube Advertisement 'When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone,' David told KSBW. 'That was our moment of celebration, and CIF officials made it about them. The crowd went crazy, they loved it, the CIF booth went crazy, they loved it. But those few guys in those jackets took offense to it, didn't like it, and made a decision based off emotions.' Adams' disqualification caught the attention of the man who made the celebration she did famous — a US Olympic gold medalist and sprinting icon, Maurice Greene. 4 Maurice Greene celebrates as teammates spray his feet with a fire extinguisher after winning the Men's 100 meter with a time of 9.86 during the Home Depot Invitational, the first invitational stop on USA Track & Field's 2004 Outdoor Golden Spike Tour on May 22, 2004 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Getty Images Advertisement 'When I heard, cause it happened, and then people just started calling me 'This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration' I was like huh? What?' Greene told the outlet. The sprinter — who took home the gold for the US in the 100m and 4 × 100m relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said he feels CIF officials should reconsider their decision. 'If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her,' the Olympian said. 4 Her father, who is also her sprinting coach, is adamant that his daughter did nothing wrong, and when she celebrated, she wasn't near any of her competitors in the 400m sprint. Oceanside Dolphins Track Club/YouTube Despite being the fastest runner in the 400m dash on Saturday, with a time of 53.24 seconds, Adams went home empty-handed. Adams finished in first place in the 400m dash at the Central Coast Section Championships and finished first in three races at the Pacific Coast Athletic League Masters Meet in May. There have not been any other instances of disqualification for unsportsmanlike conduct in the past 20 years, according to KSBW. According to CIF's code of conduct, athletes are expected to 'be a good sport, teach and model class, be gracious in victory and accept defeat with dignity; encourage student-athletes to give fallen opponents a hand, compliment extraordinary performance, and show sincere respect in pre- and post-game rituals.'
Eater
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
At Long Last, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Has Returned
It was back in 2022 that the organizers of the Gilroy Garlic Festival let the greater garlic community know there'd be no more grand festivities, 'indefinitely.' Thankfully, the drought is over: from July 25 to 27, there'll be a smaller, more intimate garlic festival in Gilroy. Tickets are already waitlisted since, per the Mercury News , they sold out within hours. There'll be all the food, music, and activities of former fests, just on a smaller scale. The 3,000-person event will take place on the five-acre South County Grove next to the Gilroy Gardens theme park. In 2019, a gunman wounded 17 people and killed three attendees, and the festival went on hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19. The festival then transitioned to a drive-thru version in 2021 and other smaller events, according to the Mercury News . The festival was founded in 1978 and became a keystone of the area's annual goings-on. Marina burger joint cited for rodent droppings Athleisure-clad diners on Chestnut Street may pause before eating at Super Duper Burgers next time. A routine city inspection found rodent droppings throughout the restaurant and bread containers stored on the floor. Though the original order instructed the restaurant's outpost to close, the San Francisco Chronicle reports the restaurant received a conditional pass; the original order's closure instruction was apparently an error. An Anchor Brewing update looks nonexistent Fans of Anchor Brewing have been waiting to see what new billionaire owner Hamdi Ulukaya would do with the steam beer-producing hometown hero. The San Francisco Standard took it upon themselves to figure it out. Unfortunately, there's been little activity since May 2024: there was a February Alcoholic Beverage Control permit secured, an April sighting of Ulukaya at Mexican restaurant Papito, and that's about it. Ciccio reopens after a fire It seems it's comeback season for two local restaurants that were hit by fires this spring. Niku Steakhouse made its comeback on Friday, May 30, after a fire in March. Now, Ciccio in Yountville — which suffered a minor fire at the end of April — is back in action as of Saturday, May 31. Mellow coffee lounge opens in Berkeley University Avenue's Wine So Cru is about to open a 'collaborative coffee lounge,' per an Instagram announcement. Styled as 42ndPour, the business will open Saturday, June 7, from 7 to 11 a.m., pouring the immaculate Hydrangea Coffee Roaster. There'll be East Bay-baked pastries and tea, too. Sign up for our newsletter.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
See's Candies, a Bay Area favorite, closing a longtime store on Mother's Day
The Bay Area's treasured See's Candies is closing one of its longtime stores. See's at 1238 W. El Camino Real in Sunnyvale will close Sunday, an employee confirmed. The closure, which falls on Mother's Day, was first reported by the Mercury News. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The employee said it was a 'business decision' but did not provide further information. The Sunnyvale See's, located in a strip mall, is a 'volume savings shop' that specializes in bulk orders, along with a typical candy counter, according to the business website. It has been in business since 1994, according to Sunnyvale city records. See's also closed a downtown San Francisco storefront in late 2023. Founded in 1921, See's remains an iconic Bay Area business known for its free samples and chocolates packaged in black-and-white boxes and made in a South San Francisco factory. I See's has now grown to more than 250 locations worldwide, including more than 30 throughout the Bay Area.
New York Post
03-05-2025
- New York Post
California railroad executive used public funds to build secret apartment inside train station
A California railroad executive stole public funds and built a lavish apartment inside a historic train station where he lived while working eighty hours each week. Joseph Navarro was found guilty of using $42,000 to create his own private living space inside the Burlingame train station, 16 miles south of San Francisco, the San Mateo County District Attorney announced Thursday. Navarro, the former deputy director at Caltrain, furnished the private pad with a bedroom, living room and gym. 3 The Burlingame train station in Burlingame, California, where a former Caltrain worker built an apartment using public funds. Google Maps The 67-year-old conspired with former station manager and TASI worker Seth Worden to approve building expenses to convert a part of the historic building into a dwelling, under the guise of an office remodel. Worden, 62, was also accused of using an additional $8,000 to construct his own living space at the Millbrae station, 3 miles down the track. The pair schemed the backroom projects between 2019 and 2021. Caltrain officials were alerted to Worden's digs in 2020, but were left in the dark about Navarro's place until receiving an anonymous tip in 2022, the rail service said. The two men were arraigned in March 2024, nearly three years after the project was completed. 'The misuse of public funds for private use is a violation of the law, Caltrain policy and the public's trust,' Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said after the arraignments.. 3 The Burlingame Station is a registered landmark in California and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. pikappa51 – 'Caltrain investigates every claim of such misconduct, and in cases where there is evidence of unlawful conduct by an employee or a contractor, we immediately act to rectify the situation and hold the individuals who are responsible accountable.' Navarro's attorneys argued the statute of limitations had expired, but the jury ruled the charges were filed within the three-year timeframe. Worden pleaded no contest to misdemeanor embezzlement by a public officer in January and agreed to testify against Navarro. While living in the station, Navarro had his then-girlfriend stay with him while she recovered from surgery. His assistant also had a key to the room, sparking debate on whether Navarro hid the secret apartment from anyone. During the trial, prosecutors alleged Navarro and Worden schemed to cover up their tracks by not leaving a paper trail and keeping invoices below $3,000, the threshold needed for further approval, according to Mercury News. 'This is a case about abuse of power and abuse of authority. … Mr. Navarro abused his authority as rail operations director in multiple ways, multiple times, affecting multiple people,' Deputy District Attorney Joseph said in his closing arguments. 'His abuse of power did not just affect him.' 'Turning a historic train station into your personal crash pad is 100% a conflict of interest,' Cannon said. 'That's just common sense.' 3 San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe discuses the secret apartment built inside the historic train station. NBC Bay Area Burlingame Station was built in 1894 and was designated as a registered landmark in the state in 1971 for its Mission Revival-style building, according to the state. The Bay Area station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Navarro, who has been living in Pennsylvania, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11. He faces up to 4 years in prison, but a judge could instead hand down probation to the former executive.
