Headlines Archive | The Bay Link Blog

Headlines for January 20, 2026

The Oaklandside

18 speed cameras just went up in Oakland. See where
Local News Matters

‘We want to change behavior’: Oakland speed cameras go live as 5-year safety pilot begins
San Francisco Chronicle

Parents are letting teens ride in Waymos without an adult. That poses a dilemma for the company
Mercury News

Is it legal to drive with a pet on your lap in California?
Bloomberg

Seattle Is Building Light Rail Like It’s 1999
Transportation For America

Report: USA Must Triple its Transit Vehicles to Offer ‘World-class’ Transit
Mercury News

Bay Area transit agency seeks $44 million from the state for added service during World Cup
San Mateo Daily Journal

SamTrans moves slowly but surely toward AI adoption
San Mateo Daily Journal

Caltrain ups capital budget for critical bridge project
Mercury News

Home prices dip in 88% of California
San Jose Spotlight

VTA to bring thousands of homes online
San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. didn’t make Zillow’s list of hottest markets — but one part of the Bay Area did
San Francisco Chronicle

Dozens of S.F. tenants stunned by eviction notices despite paying rent
KPIX

Fairfax community helps purchase land to prevent housing development
San Jose Spotlight

Cricket stadium a no-go at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
Marin Independent Journal

Report delivers ominous data on Marin shorebirds
Mercury News

From fuzzy flowers to see-through sea slugs, here are some of the new species discovered last year by California scientists
Associated Press

Sharks are famous for fearsome teeth, but ocean acidification could make them weaker

Headlines for January 16, 2026

Contra Costa Herald

Connect Bay Area campaign raises nearly $3 million to support signature gathering for regional transit tax measure
Mass Transit

New California law expands protections for public transit workers
SFMTA

Podcast: The Road to City Hall
Mercury News

Recent BART fiber optic cable theft cost agency $1+ million
Railway Age

California Investing $97MM in Rail Transit Projects
Fairfield Daily Republic

One-way traffic control coming to Miner Slough Bridge
KQED

San Francisco Airport’s Fear of Flying Clinic Welcomes Nervous Passengers Aboard
Mercury News

Homebuying burden quadrupled in California’s low-price counties
San Francisco Chronicle

Wealthy S.F. neighborhood’s 700-unit housing development to break ground after 10 years
Marin Independent Journal

Mill Valley reapproves city-led affordable housing project
Marin Independent Journal

San Rafael commission approves 200-apartment high-rise
San Francisco Chronicle

Downtown S.F. towers project, stalled for years, auctioned off as planned reboot takes shape
Mercury News

Real estate deal for Fremont site may boost city’s manufacturing push
Vallejo Times-Herald

Solano County mayors address fallout of major closures
Vacaville Reporter

California Forever advocates for Maritime Prosperity Zone
Mercury News

Baby sea lion rescued from Mountain View parking lot
San Francisco Chronicle

Doug McConnell, longtime host of ‘Bay Area Backroads,’ dies at 80
Marin Independent Journal

Doug McConnell, Marin television host and environmentalist, dies
Local News Matters

Spare the Air Alert extended through Saturday, banning wood burning in Bay Area

Headlines for January 15, 2026

KGO-TV

BART continues to face issues as push for regional transportation funding measure underway
Sustainable Bus

Californian government backs 143 local transit projects with $202 million funding
Bloomberg

E-Bike Boosters Ask: Is It All Downhill From Here?
San Jose Spotlight

Wildlife corridors planned in South County’s Coyote Valley
Point Reyes Light

A new home energy program
San Francisco Chronicle

Rent hikes up to 10% hit S.F. neighborhood exempt from city tenant protections
San Francisco Chronicle

‘Blindsided’: Residents of this Bay Area city say officials hid plan to build tiny cabins for homeless
Press Democrat

243 homes, new senior care facility proposed for former Vintage Oaks site near Windsor Town Green
Mercury News

Inflation rate in Bay Area rises at fastest pace in more than a year
San Francisco Examiner

Venture capital just can’t quit San Francisco
Vacaville Reporter

Solano mayors discuss shipbuilding, jobs, growth
San Francisco Chronicle

The California wine industry might finally hit bottom next year
Knee Deep Times

The Race Against Runoff
Local News Matters

Wood burning ban in effect Thursday after Spare the Air Alert issued
Knee Deep Times

What You Need to Know About Artificial Turf
Knee Deep Times

New Year Immerses Concord Residents in Flood Preparations
Knee Deep Times

Threatened by Trump’s Policies, GreenLatinos Refuses to Back Down

Headlines for January 14, 2026

Marin Independent Journal

Highway 37 bridge project in Novato gets $25M influx
San Francisco Standard

Sunset recallers launch effort to reopen Great Highway after supervisor’s plan crashes
San Francisco Examiner

Supe’s Great Highway ballot measure fails to qualify
The Oaklandside

More AC Transit bus schedule changes starting Feb. 1
San Francisco Examiner

Biz, labor, advocates 'pick up the mantle' for transit sales-tax push
KQED

California’s Cost of Living Keeps Climbing — How Are You Coping?
Cal Matters

Building homes is a top priority for California Democrats again this year. Voters could get a say
Marin Independent Journal

Sausalito seeks public collaboration on housing projects
San Jose Spotlight

Cupertino not meeting its housing goals
Local News Matters

Apartment building first in Canal District to use regional affordable housing program
Local News Matters

San Rafael to host community meeting on interim housing project for Merrydale Road
SF Gate

San Rafael.: Apartment Building First In Canal District To Use Regional Affordable Housing Program
Mercury News

Are ‘hot’ California housing markets a good thing?
Local News Matters

Prefabricated affordable housing units arrive in Marin City; crane work may impact traffic
San Francisco Chronicle

Vanderbilt deal includes second property — an upscale East Bay site slated for housing
Local News Matters

New fully-electric cranes arrive at Port of Oakland
Mercury News

Why Trump’s tariffs barely dented trade at the Port of Oakland
San Francisco Chronicle

Williams-Sonoma to close last San Francisco store in Union Square
San Francisco Examiner

Why a 150-year-old Nashville university is opening an SF campus
KQED

As Sea Levels Rise, What Will It Take to Protect the Bay Area From Flooding?
KQED

As Sea Levels Rise, What Will It Take to Protect the Bay Area From Flooding?
Stateline

Plastic pellets known as ‘nurdles’ are polluting beaches and waterways

Headlines for January 13, 2026

San Francisco Chronicle

A ‘world without BART’: Major outages show how bad Bay Area traffic can get
San Francisco Standard

Sunset supervisor gets cold shoulder from colleagues in bid to reopen Great Highway
Mercury News

Gov. Newsom’s new budget wants to revive California rebate program for EVs
Mercury News

Caltrain copper theft suspect caught in San Mateo County
Marin Independent Journal

Marin Transit gets $5.64M grant for Novato bus hub
Associated Press

Railroads and their regulators thwart safety fixes, costing lives
KXTV

Drivers question toll charges after I-80 express lanes open in Vacaville and Fairfield
Local News Matters

Last remaining encampment residents in Novato await dwindling housing vouchers
San Francisco Chronicle

Two of California’s largest home insurers to raise rates by 6.9% this year
San Francisco Standard

How a sleepy Peninsula suburb became the Bay Area’s hottest homebuying market
Richmond Standard

Forty-six townhomes proposed for vacant Richmond Annex site
San Francisco Standard

It’s been a North Beach nightlife staple for 30 years — and it’s nearly ready to reopen
San Francisco Examiner

Your favorite cup of local coffee is only $2
KPIX

Avian flu devastates elephant seals in Southern Hemisphere, raising concerns for California coast
KPIX

Texas firm's plan to restart oil rigs off California coast gets Trump administration support, legal pushback

Headlines for January 12, 2026

San Jose Spotlight

Major Mountain View intersection gets new traffic signal
KPIX

Transportation commission investigating false toll fee claims in Solano County's new express lanes
San Mateo Daily Journal

Caltrain finances improve but major gaps remain
Daily Cal

Newsom’s budget proposes short-term loans for cash-strapped Bay Area transit agencies
Marin Independent Journal

SMART tax renewal pitch heads to district board
Richmond Standard

AC Transit service changes coming in February
Local News Matters

VTA board approves wildlife crossings under Highway 101, Monterey Road and rail lines
San Mateo Daily Journal

$200M going for road upgrades
Marin Independent Journal

Highway 101 flooding solution in central Marin remains years away
Marin Independent Journal

Highway 101 flood in Marin prompts calls for better communication
Marin Independent Journal

Corte Madera path project gets $60K funding boost
KTVU

Piedmont kids ride bikes together after AC transit bus route eliminated
Marin Independent Journal

Editorial: Collaboration key for Marin affordable housing plans
SF Gate

Experts predict what's next for the Bay Area housing market in 2026
Bay Nature

Underneath California Forever
San Francisco Chronicle

This Bay Area exurb is full of McMansions — and may be the ‘next frontier’ of the housing crisis
San Francisco Chronicle

These San Francisco neighborhoods have hit record high home prices
San Francisco Standard

This housing policy was too radical for CA Dems — until Trump embraced it
Gilroy Dispatch

Gavilan celebrates one year at new Hollister campus
Mercury News

Why earthquake swarms happen — and what they mean for California
Marin Independent Journal

Marin’s king tide preparations worked — until they didn’t
KQED

Bay Area Climate Stories We’re Watching This Year

Headlines for January 9, 2026

Mercury News

VTA anticipates a record-breaking number of riders for Super Bowl LX, but it will come at a $3.8 million cost
San Mateo Daily Journal

Caltrain is split on independence from SamTrans
Palo Alto Daily Post

San Francisco wants Caltrain to be independent of San Mateo County
San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area commuter ferry is turning Friday nights into a floating party
The Oaklandside

Over 2,000 East Bay residents bought e-bikes with vouchers in the last 6 months
San Francisco Chronicle

Sunset supervisor will push S.F. ballot measure to reopen the Great Highway to cars during the week
San Francisco Examiner

Another measure over Great Highway closure might head to voters
San Francisco Standard

An artist spent a decade beautifying her Divisadero block. The city destroyed it in hours
Sonoma Index-Tribune

Sonoma Valley’s Cavedale Road reopens Friday after almost a year of major repairs
San Francisco Chronicle

Lawsuit challenges S.F. mayor’s housing plan, sending ‘Family Zoning’ to court
Mercury News

President Trump’s bid to ban corporate homebuying blindsides Wall Street
Mercury News

Is California’s economy healthier than we think?
Vallejo Times-Herald

Garamendi, Thompson question non contract with Mare Island Dry Docks
San Francisco Standard

SF drops another $32 million on street ambassadors. Here’s where the money’s going
San Francisco Standard

Sunset Night Market to return after last year’s political chaos
KQED

For Marin County, Last Weekend’s Floods Were a Wake-Up Call
San Francisco Chronicle

A forgotten corner of San Francisco is transformed into a public green oasis
San Francisco Standard

There’s a tree massacre at Lake Merced. Why that’s not such a bad thing

Headlines for January 8, 2026

Local News Matters

Experts discuss how Bay Area transit has gotten more integrated over past few years
KGO-TV

SF finalizes plan to save Muni with parcel tax amid budget deficit: Here's how it would work
San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. sees record drop in pedestrian fatalities, bucking statewide trends
Mercury News

Repairs to storm-damaged stretch of Highway 116 could take a year, Caltrans says
KQED

Sonoma County Highway Eroded by Storm Raises Concerns About Fire Evacuation
San Francisco Chronicle

Inside Daniel Lurie’s handling of Waymo crisis during S.F. power outages
Marin Independent Journal

Marin Transit adopts bus yard environmental assessment
KQED

San Francisco’s Historic ‘Relief Cottages,’ Built After the 1906 Earthquake, Are Hidden in Plain Sight
Mercury News

The trends dominating the luxury real estate market in 2026
San Francisco Chronicle

S.F.’s next sign of downtown recovery: Plans for a rooftop restaurant on ‘office resort’ tower
San Jose Spotlight

Audit shows rebound for San Jose hospitality and tourism
Reuters

Valero to keep importing gasoline after Benicia refinery closure
The Oaklandside

A’s denied ‘Las Vegas Athletics’ trademark
San Francisco Chronicle

4.2 magnitude quake strikes near Cloverdale in early morning hours
KQED

Sonoma County Storms Spill Wastewater into Russian River, Residents Warned to Stay Away

Headlines for January 7, 2026

Politico

BART’s doing the humpty dance
San Francisco Standard

Botched Clipper card upgrade creates new problems for riders, transit agencies
Marin Independent Journal

Marin Transit selects next general manager
KALW

Crossing guard program misses staffing goal despite gains
Mercury News

California drivers: Drive 100+ mph, possibly lose your license
San Francisco Standard

Waymo has the robotaxi lead. Tesla, Zoox, and Uber are coming to the streets
Mercury News

Super Bowl prep reshapes traffic in Santa Clara: What roads are closing, and when
San Francisco Chronicle

Muni parcel tax: S.F. renters would pay up to $65 annually to help cover the cost
San Francisco Standard

Here’s what homeowners are being asked to pay to save Muni
SF Gate

SF: SFMTA Asks Riders For Input Amid Funding Crisis
KQED

2025 Was a ‘Blockbuster Year’ for Housing Laws. What Does That Mean for 2026?
San Francisco Standard

San Francisco is littered with closed drug stores. Could housing replace them?
KQED

San Francisco Community Land Trust Preserves Affordable Units to Meet State Housing Goals
Mercury News

Saratoga approves agreement with developer to retract builder’s remedy project
Marin Independent Journal

Developer of Point Reyes Station subdivision revises plan again
Mercury News

Bay Area and California rebound with job gains after months of losses
San Francisco Chronicle

Mare Island Dry Dock layoffs follow loss of $10 million Coast Guard deal
San Francisco Chronicle

A new California law aims to help the struggling wine industry. Will it work?
Mercury News

California tax revenue getting a boost from AI boom — but for how long?
Mercury News

California’s largest reservoir rises 36 feet as rains boost water supply statewide
San Francisco Chronicle

Map shows where California rainfall is over 300% of average this season
San Francisco Chronicle

California bill would help renters lower electricity bills by easing rules for plug-in solar panels

Headlines for January 6, 2026

Local News Matters

Preliminary engineering on Markeley Lane reconnection may last through spring
East Bay Times

10 fascinating U.S. transportation museums to geek out to in 2026
San Francisco Chronicle

Yes, Muni buses are slow. But they’re also more efficient than you might think
San Francisco Chronicle

BART to host first-ever comedy show on moving train for SF Sketchfest
San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco judge rejects lawsuit, keeps Sunset Dunes Park open
San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. theater to be replaced by a 9-story family housing development in West Portal
San Francisco Chronicle

Iconic S.F. restaurant’s neon signs removed as Fisherman’s Wharf landmark is dismantled
Mercury News

East Bay steel plant property bought for more than $200 million
San Mateo Daily Journal

San Mateo County economy is stable
Petaluma Argus-Courier

Trump administration sues Morgan Hill, Petaluma over natural gas bans
Richmondside

Record number of birders join Richmond’s 5th annual Christmas Bird Count