Bay Area COVID-19 Roundup: Women Face Arrest In Uber Assault; Real Estate Bidding Wars Soaring; Santa Clara Stops Scheduling 1st Dose Appointments
CBS San Francisco Staff Report
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- With the demand for COVID-19 vaccination growing, the information you need to know is coming fast and furious. Here's a roundup of the COVID stories we've published over the last 24 hours.
San Francisco Schools Superintendent Announces Retirement Amid Battle Over Class Reopenings
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews announced Wednesday he was stepping down from his post amid an ongoing and contentious battle over reopening the city's public schools for in-class instruction. Matthews, who became superintendent in 2017, made the announcement just days after the district reached a deal with teachers' union to reopen schools for K-5 students in April. Middle and high school reopenings have not yet been determined. His decision also comes two days after a group of SFUSD parents, frustrated that schools remain closed for in-person learning, proposed doing away with elections for Board of Education commissioners and instead moving to an appointment-based system. Read More
Two Maskless Women Seen Attacking Uber Driver in Viral Video Wanted For Assault, Robbery
SAN FRANCISCO -- A police source on Wednesday night informed KPIX that two of the women seen in a video of a confrontation during an Uber ride in San Francisco that went viral are now wanted for assault and robbery. The Uber driver said the women called him racial slurs, grabbed his phone and ripped off his mask. San Francisco police also said one of the women sprayed what was believed to be pepper spray into the vehicle and toward the driver after getting out of the car. Some of that activity can be seen in the video the driver posted showing the confrontation. The law enforcement source identified the two suspects as Malaysia King -- the woman seen in the video sitting behind the front passenger seat wearing red -- and Arna Kimiai, the woman seen sitting behind the driver who at one point is seen in the clip grabbing the driver's phone. Read More
Project Home: 'Perfect Storm' Sparks Bidding Wars As Bay Area Housing Market Heats Up 1 Year Into Pandemic
KENSINGTON -- In the Bay Area's housing market, bidding wars are back with a vengeance. Despite a global pandemic, 2020 is expected to outpace 2019 when it comes to the number of homes sold. "I'm very surprised by the numbers we're seeing," Michael Delehanty, a Real Estate Agent for Compass said. Delehanty has been a realtor for 16 years, he says he's having daily conversations with clients about overbidding. They go something like this. "I've got good news and bad news, the good news is I think I know what it's going to take to get this property. The bad news? The number is so outlandish that it's hard to even say out loud," he explained. Delehanty recently sold a three-bedroom home in Kensington, a neighborhood in the Berkeley Hills, for $400,000 over the asking price, that overbid is more money than the house sold for back in 2001. Read More
Santa Clara County Stops Scheduling First Dose Appointments Due To Supply
SANTA CLARA COUNTY -- Health officials in Santa Clara County on Wednesday confirmed they have stopped scheduling first dose appointments for the COVID vaccine due to a lack of supply from the state. "Well, then I feel really lucky to have gotten it when I did," said Allison Ireland. "It feels wonderful, I feel a lot more secure. Ireland, who is an occupational therapist and works with special needs children, received her second dose of the COVID vaccine at Levi's Stadium Wednesday evening. A county spokesperson confirmed it had stopped scheduling first dose appointments last Friday because of the shortage in supply, and that its current supply was being reserved for second dose appointments. The county vaccination site reads that "all vaccination sites are currently full", citing "lower than expected vaccine allocation from the state." Read More
Pleasanton School District To Become 1st In Alameda County To Reopen Middle, High Schools
PLEASANTON -- Public schools in Pleasanton on Thursday will become the first in Alameda County to open middle and high schools for in-person instruction. The Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) said its six middle and high schools would reopen Thursday, joining nine elementary schools which have already reopened. Students in K-2nd grade returned to school last week while grades 3-5 returned on Monday. The schools reopening are Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School, Village High School, Hart Middle School, Harvest Park Middle School, and Pleasanton Middle School. PUSD said the move to reopen schools comes after the county Public Health Department's announcement of entering the Red Tier which allows for all schools to open for in-person instruction. Read More
Warriors' James Wiseman Held From Practice After Missing COVID-19 Test; Status Vs. Clippers Unclear
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors rookie big man James Wiseman missed a mandatory COVID-19 test during All-Star break weekend and had to be held out of practice when the team reconvened Wednesday night — and coach Steve Kerr called it "disappointing." Wiseman's status remained unclear for a road game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. The No. 2 overall draft pick last year out of Memphis, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 20.8 minutes. "It was a mistake. He just forgot," Kerr said. "So it's disappointing because he could have used the practice tonight. We need him out there. So it's disappointing that he made the mistake." Wiseman, who turns 20 on March 31, stayed in San Francisco during the break, according to Kerr. The NBA alerted the Warriors on Wednesday the rookie center couldn't practice. Read More
Bay Area Lawmakers Laud Passage Of $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON -- Bay Area legislators celebrated Wednesday following Congress' passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief and stimulus package. The ARPA, which became the chief priority of Congress following the inauguration of President Joe Biden, includes hundreds of billions for aid to state and local governments, vaccine distribution, health care subsidies, unemployment benefits and more. The bill also includes stimulus checks of up to $1,400 for taxpayers and up to $3,600 in child tax credits for parents. "Today is an historic day," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Congressional Democrats. "It is a day of fulfillment as the Democratic House passes the Biden American Rescue Plan, joining in President Biden's promise to the American people: help is on the way." Following the Senate's approval on Saturday, the House voted 220-211 in a party-line vote, with just one Democrat dissenting, to send the bill to Biden's desk. Read More
Women Reporting Worse Side Effects Than Men In CDC Study
SAN JOSE -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a study that examined that first 13.7-million people to receive the vaccine and found that women experienced worse side effects than men. Of the patients who reported side effects like fatigue, injection site soreness, fever or chills to the agency, 79.1% were women, even though women made up on 61.2% of people getting vaccinated. "I didn't have any side effects," says Susan Diederichsen describing her symptom-free experience with the first dose of the vaccine. On Wednesday, Diederichsen received her second dose at Santa Clara County's Berger Avenue vaccination site. She says she would not have been discouraged from getting a vaccine even if she experienced side effects. Read More
Free Program In San Francisco's Mission District Teaches Students the Power of Music
SAN FRANCISCO -- A pair of musicians is using the power of music to transform the lives of underserved students in San Francisco's Mission District. Joyful sounds fill the air as students show off their musical skills in a concert performance. Many have taken free lessons for months or years at Music Mission San Francisco, the nonprofit founded by professional musicians Steve Perdicaris and Margaret Gonzalez in 2015. "The first time we see them holding their instrument is amazing. The pride they feel, the happiness," said Gonzalez, who has worked with several professional chamber ensembles and symphonic orchestras. Perdicaris, a professional musician and associate professor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, said the Mission District was the "ideal" place to open the nonprofit. Read More
Daly City Approves $5/Hour Hazard Pay For Workers At Large Grocery, Drug Stores
DALY CITY -- Daly City's City Council voted this week to establish hazard pay for certain grocery and drug store workers at $5 per hour. The City Council joins a handful of cities in San Mateo County that passed hazard pay ordinances this year to better compensate store workers who are exposed to COVID-19 through their work. Daly City councilmembers voted unanimously to adopt the urgency ordinance, which would apply to grocery and drug stores in the city that are at least 10,000 square feet and which employ at least 500 employees nationwide. Grocery stores are defined as stores that devote at least 10 percent of interior space to selling food products. Employees who work at least two hours in a week and are paid hourly qualify for the hazard pay, which does not apply to managers or supervisors. Read More
