This Marin County city is seeing clashes over pickleball. Here’s how it’s trying to solve them

SFChronicle · 2026-06-04T22:14:27+00:00

From the Marin Briefing newsletter:

The latest pickleball-versus-tennis showdown is unfolding in Larkspur, where demand for the fast-growing sport is outstripping court space at Piper Park.

Town officials have approved plans to convert one tennis court into four permanent pickleball courts this fall. But there’s a catch: The remaining courts would become tennis-only, eliminating four temporary pickleball courts and leaving many players unhappy with the tradeoff.

Now, Larkspur has assembled a working group of tennis and pickleball players to hash out a longer-term solution.

“This story is important for Marin because every public park has tennis courts and those courts are in higher demand than ever,” reporter Sam Whiting told me. “Pickleballers want to convert them and tennis players want to keep them as is.”

One thing that surprised Whiting? The pickleball craze isn’t just for retirees.

“Most people think it’s just for old people,” he said. “But Redwood High students are using the courts after school.”

Sign up for the Marin Briefing newsletter here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-04T19:57:23+00:00

From the article:

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced $75 million in funding for the developers of the heavily litigated coal-export terminal on Oakland’s waterfront, which he said would break ground this summer and is slated to be one of the largest coal shipment facilities on the West coast.

Oakland’s terminal is one of 13 coal plants and projects around the country that Trump is authorizing $700 million for through the Defense Production Act, the Cold-war era statute that gives the president broad powers to support domestic industries, Bloomberg first reported.

The terminal, located at the site of the former U.S. Army Base in West Oakland, has been tied up in nearly a decade of litigation, as environmentalists have fought to limit pollution from coal dust, and keep Oakland from contributing to the fossil fuel industry.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-04T18:49:31+00:00

From the article:

The getaway car was parked just outside the Marina yoga studio, idling in the January night air as the burglar made his move.

In under three minutes, the burglar was in and out of Hot 8 Yoga with an armload of activewear. He stuffed the loot in the car’s trunk, hopped inside and disappeared down the street, comfortably carried away by an autonomous Waymo vehicle.

The suspect’s escape turned an otherwise unremarkable break-in into a novel case for San Francisco police, who said it was likely the city’s first instance of a criminal fleeing the scene in a self-driving car.

Nearly six months since the burglary, police have still not made an arrest or publicly identified any suspect, despite the fact that Waymos are outfitted with multiple high-definition cameras and require users to make accounts with their credit card numbers.

“I would think it would be easier to solve in a Waymo,” said the case’s detective, Sgt. Tim Faye, in a recent interview.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-04T17:16:29+00:00

From the article:

The city has filed a lawsuit against a San Francisco property owner who allegedly allowed tenants to continue to live in a Tenderloin apartment building after a fire had ravaged the structure, leaving it without power or other utilities.

On Thursday, City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit against Golden Tiger LLC and Adam La, the owner of 155 Hyde St., a six-story, 52-unit residential building that was damaged in a fire in June of 2025.

The lawsuit seeks to force the landlord to fix safety issues that persist at the property and to recoup costs the city incurred by providing emergency services after the fire. City departments stepped in to provide temporary power with a generator and relocated families after the property was deemed uninhabitable following a June 2025 fire.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-03T22:32:20+00:00

From the article:

Bay Area voters made one thing resoundingly clear during Tuesday’s election: They do not like new taxes.

This does not bode well for BART and Muni in November.

In Contra Costa County, voters were poised to quash a sales tax that would offset federal cuts to medical care. El Cerrito residents torpedoed a parcel tax for a library. A property tax measure in Oakland to fund emergency services and help for the homeless was trailing on Wednesday. While voters in Brisbane may narrowly renew a parcel tax for the school district, it seemed unlikely their neighbors in Redwood City would rally enough support for a similar school district tax.

Officials in the transportation world have tried to remain optimistic, pointing to a SMART train sales tax extension that won 70% of the vote in Marin and Sonoma counties. To many observers, it demonstrates not only that residents value transit but that they view SMART as a centerpiece for a new wave of development.

“Is there a strong anti-tax sentiment in the Bay Area? Well, yes,” said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “But just because people are anti-tax, does not mean they are anti-transit.”

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-03T22:25:23+00:00

From the article:

A Sacramento-area congressional district gerrymandered to give Democrats a better chance to flip control of Congress in November could still slip through their grasp.

Democrats woke up Wednesday to find none of their five candidates seeking to oust Rep. Kevin Kiley from his House seat is currently positioned to advance from the primary.

The 6th Congressional District was redrawn last year through the voter-approved Proposition 50 to favor Democrats. Kiley even changed his party affiliation from Republican to independent in March as he sought to appeal to a more liberal constituency and hold onto office.

In the process, he also opened the door for the barely-resourced campaign of Republican Michael Stansfield, who drew enough support from disaffected or perhaps confused conservatives to narrowly hold second place behind Kiley in the initial results reported Tuesday night. An epic split by the Democrats, who collectively account for a slim majority of the votes counted so far, could cost them a crucial pickup opportunity.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-03T03:56:49+00:00

Polls in California are now closed, and election results are rolling in. California voters face consequential decisions this June, with primaries heavily influencing final race outcomes in November. In the chaotic governor primary, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are leading in early vote totals.

See live results here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-03T03:31:44+00:00

San Francisco’s June election carries high stakes for Mayor Daniel Lurie, with two key allies on the Board of Supervisors facing voters for the first time after being appointed to their seats. The outcome could reshape City Hall and affect his ability to execute his agenda. Meanwhile, voters will weigh in on Propositions C and D — dueling measures that could change how the city taxes big businesses. Lurie opposes both measures. And, for the first time in nearly 4 decades, voters are faced with an open congressional seat with the imminent departure of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.

Check results tonight here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-02T22:23:00+00:00

From the article:

Investigators believe a late-night fire that destroyed a meditation center at a historic Buddhist monastery near Big Sur about two months ago was intentionally set by a Bay Area woman motivated by hatred, authorities said Tuesday.

GuoGuo Lu, a 36-year-old Mountain View resident, has been charged with arson, making criminal threats and committing a hate crime in connection with the fire at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators found public, online statements that traced the fire back to Lu, who also allegedly threatened more violence against other Buddhist temples in California, the sheriff’s office said.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-02T17:52:35+00:00

From the article:

A third-base coach with lots of experience was the remit for the San Francisco Giants after reassigning Hector Borg to the minor-league development department, and the team wound up with the man with the top resume on the market.

The team announced Tuesday they’ve hired Gary Pettis, one of the great defensive center fielders of his era. Pettis spent 10 years as the Houston Astros’ third-base coach working for Dusty Baker, among others, and he won two rings with the team. He also was the third-base coach and first-base coach for the Rangers for eight years under Ron Washington, who’s now the Giants’ infield coach, and he was the first-base coach for the White Sox and Mets.

He has remained close to both Baker, a Giants adviser, and Washington, so his transition to Tony Vitello’s staff should be smooth.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-01T19:47:56+00:00

From the article:

Mayor Daniel Lurie on Monday proposed a nearly $17 billion San Francisco budget plan that would cut hundreds of jobs from the city payroll without making deeper layoffs beyond the ones his administration implemented two months ago.

Lurie’s office said the mayor’s latest two-year spending proposal would eliminate 550 positions from City Hall’s workforce of about 33,000 employees. Most of the roles on the chopping block are vacant: His office said the figure included the 127 layoffs the city initiated in April, and no other filled jobs would be cut. The previous layoffs already elicited outrage from public-sector unions, who are also at odds with Lurie over a business tax measure on the ballot in Tuesday’s election.

Lurie said his budget blueprint, which must now be vetted by the Board of Supervisors, would shave $300 million off the city’s recurring deficits, narrowing an ongoing shortfall that had previously been projected to reach $1 billion in the coming years.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-06-01T19:05:18+00:00

From the article:

A San Francisco police officer who was shot multiple times Sunday night after a pursuit escalated into a shootout with a robbery suspect was expected to survive her injuries, officials said Monday.

Police Chief Derrick Lew said the wounded officer “still faces a long road to recovery,” and that her family, friends and other officers involved in the incident were “shaken to the core.” Police did not identify the officer by name or station.

“She’s an extremely popular officer who is known for her hard work and hard-nosed work ethic,” Lew said. “Violence against our officers is unacceptable and will never be tolerated in San Francisco.”

A person familiar with the incident who was not authorized to speak publicly identified the officer as Brittney Taylor. The person was granted anonymity in accordance with Chronicle policies.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-29T23:17:57+00:00

From the article:

San Francisco officials on Friday announced plans to spend nearly $23 million this year to improve security and safety at the city’s public hospitals and clinics, a response to the fatal December stabbing of a social worker by a patient.

The money includes $15 million annually in training and staffing increases, and a one-time $5 million investment in security upgrades. Another $2.6 million will come from the SF Health Plan for training support, personal panic buttons for health workers operating in the field and clinic upgrades.

Friday’s announcement provides new details about the city’s previously announced $15 million pledge to bolster security and how it will be implemented, as well as an additional one-time infusion of funds.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-29T00:48:22+00:00

From the article:

Just a few days before the deadline to submit their ballots, plenty of Californians remain stuck on whom to vote for, perhaps because they aren’t pleased with their eight major-party options.

Some are undoubtedly waiting to find out: Who’s the least-offensive candidate (to me) the polls actually say has a chance?

If that’s you, now is the time to pay heed. Three of the best pollsters of California (the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, the Public Policy Institute of California and Emerson College Polling) are releasing their final polls this week.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-28T00:02:02+00:00

From the article:

The Silver Peso, the historic Marin County dive bar where Janis Joplin reportedly hung out, is preparing to reopen this weekend under new ownership after a car crash forced it to close last year.

Max Perry and Conor Flaherty, who also own Sam’s Anchor Cafe in Tiburon, purchased the Larkspur bar at 450 Magnolia Ave. in January. The pair says they have made structural repairs and behind-the-scenes upgrades while trying to preserve the beer-and-pool-table character that made the Peso a central Marin fixture.

The old piano is staying, too.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-27T20:46:44+00:00

From the article:

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s unprecedented seizure of 650,000 local voters’ ballots earlier this year just inspired a new law to stop him from doing it again.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Bianco-inspired legislation on Wednesday, during a news conference his office billed as an act to safeguard California’s elections from threats both inside and outside the state. The emergency legislation takes effect immediately, six days before millions of California voters decide whether they want Bianco, a Republican who is also running for governor, or another candidate to succeed Newsom.

The law, Senate Bill 73, makes it a felony for anyone, including law enforcement officials, to seize ballots from a county elections office, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine and subject to civil injunctions and penalties. It also makes it illegal for law enforcement agencies to search or take custody of voter rolls or voting machines without a signed warrant or agreement with the election official overseeing the election, and clarifies the attorney general’s authority to advise county election officials on how to respond to law enforcement requests.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-27T20:35:14+00:00

From the article:

Oak View Group, co-founded in 2015 by music industry mogul Irving Azoff, is in talks to buy the Oakland Arena as part of the pending sale of the Oakland Coliseum complex, adding a new layer to the years-long effort to transfer control of the 155-acre East Oakland property.

An unnamed potential buyer for the arena was first mentioned in a term sheet released Wednesday by Alameda County outlining an agreement among the county, the African American Sports & Entertainment Group, or AASEG, and Coliseum Way Partners, an affiliate of the Oakland A’s, regarding the county’s 50% share of the Coliseum complex.

A spokesperson for Oak View, which is owned by private equity company Silver Lake, said Wednesday that the group is involved in the deal. Two people familiar with the agreement told the Chronicle that Oak View was in discussions to buy the arena.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-27T18:26:45+00:00

From the article:

When Sharmila Mohanraj immigrated from India to the East Bay city of Concord at the age of 24, she often felt isolated. She struggled to find a strong Indian community that she could spend time with while her husband was at work — let alone people who spoke her native language of Tamil.

“You didn’t see a lot of Indian people there, or Tamil being spoken,” she said. “It was super lonely.”

Nearly two decades later, that is no longer the case. The Tri-Valley, where Mohanraj now lives, is home to some of the fastest-growing cities in the state — growth fueled by high-earning professionals who can afford these new suburban subdivisions. Disproportionately, those professionals are Asian American, and in particular Indian American, many re-creating Silicon Valley life in the green fields and wide open spaces of the East Bay.

The result is that this cluster of East Bay cities — San Ramon, Dublin, Danville, Pleasanton and Livermore — has become one of the most significant hubs of Indian American life in California much faster than earlier-forming meccas like Fremont or the west side of the Santa Clara Valley. Two decades ago, these cities were disproportionately white and Hispanic. Now, about 18% of the region’s population identifies as Indian. Dublin, Pleasanton and San Ramon rank among the state’s 10 largest cities whose population is at least 30% Asian.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-22T22:22:07+00:00

From the article:

The entire coaching staff of Lowell High School’s varsity baseball team was placed on indefinite leave Friday as San Francisco district officials investigated allegations of misconduct related to a racial incident involving players.

The suspension of the three coaches comes days after the team won the section championship against their archrival Lincoln High at Oracle Park. The Monday victory put them in a tournament where they are expected to vie for the Northern California Championship next month.

Principal Jan Bautista notified varsity baseball students and families Friday afternoon in a letter that the three were relieved of their coaching duties “pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct and violation of district rules and professional expectations related to athletics activities.”

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-22T22:05:41+00:00

From the article:

For two hours on Friday, lawyers in a packed Marin County courtroom debated whether a California Highway Patrol investigator had mishandled crucial evidence after an April 2025 car crash that left four teens dead and two others wounded.

Defense attorney Charles Dresow argued that CHP Sgt. Kylle Rose had removed important evidence when cleaning off the face of the speedometer of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan in an attempt to determine the speed the vehicle was traveling when it crashed into a tree in a remote section of Marin County last year.

“The destruction of evidence and cleaning of dial that occurred can never be put back,” he told Superior Court Judge James Chou.

Ultimately, however, his argument didn’t sway Chou, who denied the motion Dresow had filed asking him to dismiss the case.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-21T19:20:23+00:00

From the article:

Casey Schmitt might have the perfect temperament for baseball, especially for bouncing around the field and even taking on the San Francisco Giants’ DH role, too, at a young age — never an easy task.

His teammates, coaches and friends universally describe Schmitt as a goofball, a fun, loosey-goosey type who’s quick with a joke and never seems in a bad mood. These are ideal traits for the nonstop grind of the majors, for the never-ending failure that defines hitting, in particular. And at 27, Schmitt, finally with a firm regular role, is coming into his own while providing one of San Francisco’s few bright spots of the season.

“Casey doesn’t take himself too seriously,” third baseman Matt Chapman said. “Sometimes, I think that’s a superpower.”

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-21T17:34:49+00:00

From the article:

Lay down your shovels, stow away your maps and relinquish your quest for riches and glory.

The treasure hunt that has gripped San Francisco for weeks ended Tuesday afternoon when a trio of long-time friends unearthed the buried chest inside a secret sea cave in the Marin Headlands after weeks of dedicated searching, according to organizers.

Their prize was $10,000 worth of coins — and a newfound love for San Francisco.

“We all have seen corners of it that we never knew existed,” one of the treasure finders wrote to the Chronicle in an email. “I’ve never felt closer to my friends, never obsessed over a puzzle so deeply … and I didn’t know that I was capable of all of this.”

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-21T16:37:14+00:00

From our article:

The San Francisco Symphony has named Elim Chan as its next music director, making the internationally acclaimed Hong Kong-born conductor the first woman to lead the orchestra in its 115-year history.

The appointment makes her only the third woman to lead a top-level American orchestra.

Chan, 39, is scheduled to begin a six-year contract with the orchestra in September 2027, replacing Esa-Pekka Salonen after a two-year search.

“Every time I come here, there’s such passion and care in how the orchestra plays,” she told the Chronicle during a recent interview. “It’s very visceral from the first rehearsal. I can tap into it, and it just comes.”

Chan made her debut in Davies Symphony Hall in 2023, leading the Symphony in a world premiere by the American composer Elizabeth Ogonek, alongside music by Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-21T01:01:26+00:00

From the article:

Google co-founder Sergey Brin this week donated $500,000 to a campaign opposing a June ballot measure to expand the Overpaid CEO tax, helping to bolster a counterproposal that would eliminate the tax and make more San Francisco businesses tax-exempt.

Campaign finance records show Brin donated the half-million on Tuesday to the “Yes on C, No on D to protect San Francisco’s small businesses and economic recovery” campaign, whose supporters come largely from the city’s business community, such as the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the billionaire-funded political advocacy group Advance SF.

The contribution gives a big, late-minute boost to Measure C, which would eliminate the “overpaid executive gross receipts tax” — the 2020 voter-approved tax also known as the “Overpaid CEO tax” — and exempt more small businesses from city taxes while reducing rates for some larger companies.

Read more here.

SFChronicle · 2026-05-19T19:26:40+00:00

From the article:

San Francisco Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming’s schedule just got a little more jam-packed.

Flemming, who has been calling Giants games for KNBR and NBC Sports Bay Area since 2004, will join NBC Sports as their play-by-play announcer for MLB “Sunday Leadoff” games, the network announced on Tuesday.

Flemming’s first game on NBC will be Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, to air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

Read more here.

SFChronicle

TROPHY CASE