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Landmark East Bay Claremont hotel is bought for more than $160 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

OAKLAND — The Claremont Club & Spa, an iconic hotel perched in the hills on the Oakland and Berkeley border, has been bought by a Bay Area real estate developer in a deal that tops $160 million.The hotel, part of the Fairmont chain, was bought for about $163.3 million, according to documents filed on May 12 with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office.Redwood City Ohana Real Estate Investors, acting through an affiliate, bought the hotel in an all-cash deal, the county records showed.The 276-room hotel was sold by an affiliate headed up by Blum Capital Partners and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, county and state public documents show. The late Richard Blum for many years was a principal executive of Blum Capital. 

Twitter CEO: What is a ‘glass cliff’ and why is it dangerous?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

By Barbara Ortutay | Associated PressLess than two months into his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, Elon Musk declared that whoever took over as the company’s CEO ” must like pain a lot.” Then he promised he’d step down as soon as he found a replacement “foolish enough” to want the job.That person, Musk announced Friday, is Linda Yaccarino, a highly-regarded advertising executive from NBCUniversal. She’ll start in six weeks. How long she’ll last might depend on her pain tolerance.When Musk tweeted on Thursday that he’s found a new CEO but didn’t say who, one word stuck out: “she.” Some of his more extreme Twitter followers took immediate issue with the new CEO’s gender, but the fact that Musk hired a woman is actually notable simply because it is so rare — in business overall and especially in the tech industry — to see female chief executives.Her appointment renewed questions about the “glass cliff,...

NBA Playoffs: It’s the bubble final four, again, with Lakers-Nuggets, Celtics-Heat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

Welcome back to The Bubble. This time, fans are welcome.The last four teams in the 2020 NBA playoffs that were held in a closed-off bubble at the Walt Disney World complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida because of the pandemic are the last four teams in the 2023 playoffs as well.Out West, it’s Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the East, it’s Boston and Miami. The West series starts Tuesday, the East series starts Wednesday.The Lakers and Heat won the conference finals in the bubble. This time, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, it’s the Nuggets (by a little) and the Celtics (by a lot) who are favored to make it to the NBA Finals.Those four rosters have changed quite a bit since 2020, of course, but the biggest names have remained in place — LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Lakers, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for Denver, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for Boston, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for Miami.WHAT’S NEXT?Victor Wembanyama will find out Tuesday night where his NBA stor...

Gloria Molina dies at 74; groundbreaking Latina lawmaker ‘shaped Los Angeles in a lasting way’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

Pioneering Southern California leader Gloria Molina has died, according to her family members, who issued a statement Sunday evening, May 14.Molina, 74, passed away at her home in Mt. Washington, surrounded by her loved ones, according to her daughter, Valentina Martinez, who spoke on behalf of the family.“We are so proud that Gloria will be remembered in history for the impact she made on Los Angeles, the state, and country as a Chicana activist, State Assemblymember, Los Angeles City Councilmember, and Los Angeles County Supervisor,” Martinez said.Molina, according to the obituary, is survived by her husband, Ron Martinez, daughter Valentina Martinez, son-in-law Brendan Curran, grandson Santiago, as well as nine siblings: Gracie, Irma, Domingo, Bertha, Mario, Sergio, Danny, Olga and Lisa.“In lieu of flowers,” according to the obituary, “Gloria’s family requests that donations be made to Casa 0101 and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in her memory to inspire and empower future generatio...

San Jose: 18-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder in April killing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

SAN JOSE — A teenager was arrested on suspicion of murder last week after the April shooting death of a 41-year-old man in San Jose, according to police.San Jose authorities said in a news release Monday morning that Matthew Antracoli, an 18-year-old San Mateo resident, was arrested May 9 in Morgan Hill. The arrest was in connection to the April 19 killing of Jorge Torres-Maestre on the 1000 block of Blossom River Drive in South San Jose.Police responded to a report of a shooting approximately 1:38 p.m. and found Torres-Maestre suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities say.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | San Jose: Tow truck driver killed while in Highway 101 lanes, driver did not stop Crime and Public Safety | Campbell woman found naked at roadside pleads not guilty in crash that killed S.F. mom Crime and Public Safety | Search for Palo Alto woman missing since 1996 takes authoriti...

Belarus: After days of health rumors, video of leader appears

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

By Yuras Karmanau | Associated PressTALLINN, Estonia — For nearly a week, the whereabouts of Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko have been a mystery.The 68-year-old was seen at a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square, looking pale and bloated, and he skipped a celebratory breakfast in the Kremlin to fly home. Later that day, he appeared at similar event in his capital of Minsk to mark the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but then skipped other scheduled appearances for days, feeding speculation on social media about his health.On Monday, the state news agency Belta reported Lukashenko inspected an air force installation. A photo posted to the presidential website showed him standing stiffly in a military jacket, taking a salute from an officer, while another showed him sitting at a command post desk. A video of Lukashenko speaking to the military later appeared in a Telegram channel with ties to the presidential press service.The intent...

Oakland A’s have deal for Tropicana property in Las Vegas, Bally’s announces

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

The Oakland Athletics agreed to locate their new baseball stadium on land just behind the Tropicana resort on the Las Vegas Strip, according to a statement from Bally’s Corp., which controls the property.The move is subject to approval from the league and would require legislation in Nevada to provide public funding, according to the company. The team, which is leaving Oakland after failing to reach a new deal for a property there, has discussed building a new $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas.Bally’s, which leases the Tropicana land from Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust, won out over other potential sites, including property owned by Red Rock Resorts Inc.Gaming & Leisure has agreed to provide up to $175 million toward improving the land. The proposed stadium, with seating for 30,000, will occupy about nine acres of the 35-acre site. Bally’s expects the stadium to draw 2.5 million fans and visitors to the city annually.Related ArticlesOa...

Prep basketball: Longtime St. Joseph Notre Dame assistant replaces legendary coach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

Jonathan Musson has some big shoes to fill as the new boys basketball coach at St. Joseph Notre Dame.Musson will replace Don Lippi, who retired in March after a 43-year career that included a combined 914 wins at St. Ignatius, Skyline, St. Patrick-St. Vincent and SJND. Lippi ranks fourth all-time in wins among California coaches according to Cal-Hi Sports’ records.Lippi led St. Joseph Notre Dame to four state titles.Musson coached SJND’s freshman team in 2002, led the JV starting in 2003, and became a varsity assistant in 2009 while still coaching the junior varsity. The JV program went 16-9 last season.Related ArticlesHigh School Sports | Prep roundup: Bellarmine walks it off in regular-season baseball finale High School Sports | CIF state swim championships: Palo Alto’s Ethan Harrington sets two meet records to cap ‘historical career’ High School Sports | NCS softball playoffs: First-round matchups in all six...

‘If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to Berkeley’: DeSantis bans diversity, equity and inclusion in Florida colleges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

As protesters chanted in the background, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a hotly contested bill that dismantles diversity, equity and inclusion at Florida’s public universities and colleges.The governor called DEI “a distraction from the core mission” of colleges during the ceremony at New College in Sarasota, a school that DeSantis wants to lead the way for a return to what he calls “classical” education.“DEI would be better called discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” DeSantis said. “What this bill says is that this whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in Florida.”The law also bans courses that “distort significant historical events,” teach “identity politics,” or are “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, or economic inequities.”DEI initiatives, generally designed to increase participation and promote opportunities for...

DUI suspect claims Tesla self-drive malfunction after Marin County crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

A San Rafael man was arrested on allegations of intoxicated driving after crashing a Tesla into three parked vehicles, police said.The driver told police the Tesla was in “full self-drive” mode, but a witness said it was swerving erratically and moving at inconsistent speeds before the crashes, said police Sgt. Justin Graham. Also, the self-driving feature is not a legitimate defense, Graham said.“Care and control still belongs to the driver,” he said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Judge releases Bay Area man accused of helping bury body of 2-year-old boy Crime and Public Safety | Two people shot in Oakland, one during a carjacking Crime and Public Safety | Are you a victim of crypto crime? Erin West wants to help Crime and Public Safety | 17-year-old arrested in fatal shooting of Bay Area teen Crime and Public Safety | CVS to pay Bay Area, other California counties, $7.5 million over expired produ...