Water Damage Restoration in San Jose, CA

A series of wind events will result in dangerous conditions throughout California that will have parts of the state on edge anticipating the potential for wildfires.

Southern California was already experiencing strong winds on Monday, and there is increasing confidence among forecasters that another wind event in the middle of the week will be stronger and more widespread. Monday’s strong winds could make fire conditions more likely ahead of Wednesday, and forecasters warned that the combination of strong winds and low humidity would help any fires grow rapidly in size and intensity.

Here’s what to expect and when across California.

Monday

The first Santa Ana wind event was ongoing across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with moderate-strength winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour in the mountains and up to 50 miles per hour in the valleys. These strong winds will combine with dry fuel to create widespread critical weather conditions in this region.

“If a fire starts, there will likely be rapid fire growth,” forecasters with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned on Monday morning.

Farther north, strong winds on Monday in the San Francisco Bay Area were likely to prime fuels for critical fire weather conditions Tuesday through Thursday, forecasters there said.

Although recent rainfall may help alleviate fire weather concerns in the short term, the dry winds will help parch the fuels in advance of a second offshore wind event beginning Tuesday evening.

Tuesday

The winds are expected to begin to increase across the Bay Area Tuesday evening, and forecasters in the region have announced a red flag warning for their area, including San Francisco, which means critical fire conditions were likely to begin Tuesday and run through Thursday.

Elevated fire weather conditions are expected Tuesday into Wednesday in the Sacramento Valley, the Delta and the coastal foothills because of the low daytime and overnight humidity.

Given the recent cooler temperatures and moisture, forecasters in Sacramento wondered if the available fuels would be dry enough to help a fire spread in their region. But with winds picking up in the Sacramento area on Tuesday, any potential fuels may dry out ahead of a windier Wednesday.

There should be a short respite between big wind events on Tuesday for places like Los Angeles. Red flag warnings for the midweek event are likely to be issued for the Los Angeles region after the first Santa Ana event.

Wednesday

Another Santa Ana wind event — this one potentially stronger, longer lasting and more widespread — is on track for Wednesday and Thursday in Southern California. It is very likely that gusts of 60 m.p.h. will extend out of the mountains into some valleys and even coastal locations like Malibu, with the worst winds expected from Wednesday morning into Wednesday night.

Forecasters in Los Angeles warned that this was likely to be a high-end red flag warning event, and said that some of the worst wildfire weather conditions, what the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center calls “sustained critical,” may last for several hours in portions of the region.

Elevated fire weather conditions, which are slightly less severe, are also possible in the Sacramento area on Wednesday.

In the Bay Area, the potential wildfire behavior will depend on how much the earlier winds dry out the fuel across region. Weather forecast models are showing the potential for a moderate-to-strong offshore flow event in the middle of the week, forecasters in the Bay Area said Monday morning.

Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The New York Times. Copyright 2024, The New York Times.

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Downtown San Jose could see an economic boost if city officials adopt a potential initiative for fast-tracking large developments.

Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmembers Dev Davis and Pam Foley are proposing an "Innovative Project Pathway Program" aimed at creating a streamlined approach to development in the downtown core. It would apply to developers interested in constructing new residential and commercial projects. The program could open the door to rezoning areas of downtown to accommodate new development and modifying the city's general plan.

At Wednesday's Rules and Open Government Committee meeting, Foley said the city has been criticized in the past for how slow the process is, but the project pathways program proposal will turn things around.

"This allows the developer to bring in a project that could be beneficial to the city, and for us to make a quicker decision," Foley said at the meeting. "Hopefully, we'll actually get some shovels in the ground."

Councilmember Sergio Jimenez asked city employees how the program differs from existing development reviews.

"In this instance, it would be streamlining for those large projects, as opposed to having multiple conversations with staff and with council offices," Michael Lomio, Mahan's land use and economic development policy advisor, said. "This really creates a dedicated policy lane for those most important projects."

San Jose Downtown Association CEO Alex Stettinski said he agrees downtown needs more investment to cut down on the close to 30% office vacancy rate and create a more vibrant ecosystem. Creative housing or business concepts without clear policy processes would benefit the most under a project pathway program, he said.

"If we recognize as a city something really interesting and say, 'This is innovative and we'd like to make this happen' -- this would enable us to do that," Stettinski told San Jose Spotlight.

Others, like land use consultant Erik Schoennauer, said the pathway program could be beneficial citywide.

"Equally as important is that the city should adopt a citywide residential incentive program this calendar year, which they are analyzing right now," Schoennauer told San Jose Spotlight. "We have 36 projects citywide, that are either approved or near approval, which can't get financing to start construction."

There are at least 13 housing projects totaling more than 1,500 new homes stuck in limbo waiting for city funding. Without future affordable housing dollars from funding sources like Measure E to kickstart the rest of the projects in the pipeline, these proposals could remain on hold.

A proposed multi-family residential incentive program would allow developers more tax and fee reductions to encourage construction, similar to the downtown high-rise incentives program approved earlier this year, but it would also leave the city with less funding.

Land use and development expert Bob Staedler said the most important action city officials could take is streamlining the environmental review process. He said putting the proposed project pathway program into practice will ultimately depend on staff workload.

"As cliche as this sounds, the devil's in the details," Staedler told San Jose Spotlight. "Talk of improving things is great, but we just have to see the willingness of [the] council to direct city staff to make changes."

Doug Bloch, spokesperson for unions affiliated with the Santa Clara and San Benito Counties Building & Construction Trades Council, said his organization represents multiple San Jose union workers -- and factors like high interest rates and construction costs are preventing much-needed housing production from advancing.

"San Jose needs the flexibility to consider non-traditional projects so that we can build more housing," Bloch said Wednesday.

San Jose Oct 30

This story was originally published in the San Jose Spotlight but was provided to NBC Bay Area through the Bay City News service.

Copyright Bay City News

A residential building fire in the Cambrian neighborhood just north of Butcher Park left 16 residents displaced Friday afternoon, according to authorities.

The San Jose Fire Department X account posted that crews had responded to the fire at a two-story fourplex on the 1800 block of Bradford Way at around 2:30 p.m. Friday. San Jose Fire received the call at around 2:15 p.m.

The fire is burning two blocks north of Butcher Park. Heavy smoke and fire are visible from the second floor with two upstairs units involved. PG&E crews are also on scene and have already disconnected power to a downed line. Gas to primary fire building has also been secured.

There were at least six SJFD trucks at the scene. Chopper video of the fire showed the building had sustained major damage on the roof, especially in the rear portion of the building. The fire appeared to be mostly extinguished, but fire units were expected to remain on the scene.

As of shortly after 3 p.m., fire officials said the fire was knocked down.

Fire officials said Bradford Way is currently closed to traffic between Camden Ave. and Ross Ave. People are being asked to avoid the area.

Fire officials later provided the update that the while the fire damage was limited to two upstairs units, the two downstairs units sustained water and smoke damage. The fire made all four units uninhabitable, officials said. The Red Cross is assisting the 16 individuals who resided in the building and were displaced by the fire.

There were no injuries reported in connection with the fire. Officials said the cause remains under investigation.

Dave Pehling

Dave Pehling is website managing editor for CBS Bay Area. He started his journalism career doing freelance writing about music in the late 1990s, eventually working as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He began his role with CBS Bay Area in 2015.

An East San Jose school district plans to close numerous campuses due to an enormous budget deficit.

An Alum Rock Union School District committee is recommending closing 13 of its 21 schools due to declining student enrollment with families moving out of the area, lower birth rates and a steady loss of students to charter schools. On top of that, the loss of temporary COVID relief funds leaves the district with a $20 million budget deficit.

The school district has a population of about 8,000 students. Its schools recommended for closure or consolidation include: Aptitud, Cassell, Cesar Chavez Learning Center, Cureton, Joseph George, Hubbard, Linda Vista, LUCHA, Lyndale, Meyer, Painter, Renaissance at Fischer and Renaissance at Mathson.

“Our district funds are currently spread across school facilities that are underutilized; by reallocating our resources, we can better support essential programs that foster academic and personal growth for all our students,” Superintendent Germán Cerda said in a letter sent to the school community on Thursday.

Cerda said he’ll recommend closing eight schools and consolidating two based on committee input, as well as feedback from discussions and town hall meetings with families in the district. He plans to share his picks on Nov. 4 and present his recommendations to the board of trustees Nov. 14. The board will make the final decision on Dec. 2, with closures taking effect in the 2025-26 school year.

“This is not a final list. It still has to go to the board,” Trustee Minh Pham told San José Spotlight, adding there is a possibility to close fewer schools by reducing administration at the district office. “There are inefficiencies at the district office that we need to look at, with an eye toward protecting as many schools as possible, protecting as many special programs as possible and protecting the kinds of facilities that allow us to offer more programs than charter schools like music, athletics, career technical electives, as well as special education.”

ARUSD Board President Linda Chávez agreed with Pham’s assesssment.

“It is premature information,” Chávez told San Jose Spotlight. “We, the five Trustees will be making the final decisions and the recommendations are just that, ‘just recommendations.'”

Pham said the projected budget deficit requires a shared sacrifice by the beleaguered school district.

“Every part of the district will need to pitch in so that all parts of the district make it out in one piece,” he said. “My eye has always been foremost the protection of student’s families and those who serve Alum Rock. Kids and schools come first.”

As a state funded district, fewer students equate to fewer state dollars for local education, Pham said. He said the inequality in state funding hurts districts like Alum Rock.

“Nobody wants to close schools,” Cerda told San José Spotlight. “It breaks my heart. But there’s a need. We’re stretched too thin. We’re good for the next couple of years, but then we’re bankrupt.”

Cerda said the committee did a good job identifying potential schools to close, reviewing multiple data points to identify under-enrolled schools that can be consolidated and programs to save. He said he’s making it a priority to improve communication with district families, which was previously lacking.

“It’s been tough. It’s a challenge,” he said. “My heart goes out to the families. We have to get through this and hopefully being leaner we can reimagine a better Alum Rock Union School District and focus on what matters most, our kids.”

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at lorrainegabbertsjspotlight@gmail.com.

The San Jose State women's volleyball team has won six of nine matches on the court this season and has picked up an additional five wins because the opponents forfeited. Why did those teams forfeit? Because San Jose State has a transgender player, and the reaction is threatening to derail their season. LA Times reporter Steve Henson has been following the story and joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today."

Henson explained how the controversy over San Jose State's transgender player started and why it's gained so much attention this season, even though the player has been on the team for three years.

"[The transgender player] was outed originally by a teammate, Brooke Slusser, who joined this class action lawsuit against the NCAA in September that states that the transgender athlete's participation in the sport violates Title IX. And Slusser's court filing named her teammate. And the next day, Boise State said it would forfeit its upcoming volleyball match with San Jose State. Since then, four more opponents forfeited: Wyoming, Utah State, Southern Utah and most recently, Nevada Reno," Henson said.

Slusser and her teammate, who Henson said has not publicly identified herself or her gender identity, get along on the court.

"They high-five each other after shots. But when it comes to the whole notion of a transgender player competing in women's collegiate athletics, Brooke Slusser is adamantly opposed to it. And she says so in the lawsuit. And she's appeared on more right leaning media outlets to say so," Henson elaborated.

While several schools have refused to play San Jose State, others in liberal states have played. Henson explained the NCAA's rules on transgender athletes and whether they have an unfair advantage.

"The NCAA follows the same rules for transgender players as those set by USA Volleyball, the national governing body. So the testosterone level of a transgender player must be tested and found not to exceed the upper limit of the normal female reference range for their age group. The testosterone levels are tested at the beginning of the season and again six months later," he said. "Supporters of the rule argue that the political rhetoric and false statements endanger the transgender community. And that debate's going to continue.”

Henson said the San Jose State controversy will come to a head when their division heads to the championship tournament in late November.

"Teams that forfeit tournament games would be giving up a chance to qualify for the NCAA tournament. And it'll be interesting to see if the forfeits continue at that time when there's more at stake," he said.

Watch the full interview above.

Watch "LA Times Today" at 8 and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.