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Friday, 26 January 2024

Recent PG&E bill with rate hike shocks customers

(KRON) -- Sticker shock for some PG&E customers. Even for people who knew the utility was raising rates this year, January bills more than doubled for some.

Rate increases for PG&E customers have piled up in the last year and another could be coming in March. Even some customers doing the math say their bills just don’t add up.

The start of the New Year hasn’t been easy on the wallets of PG&E customers. Despite warnings about rate increases, social media is full of posts like this.

Bay Area customers complain about their monthly bills, and one even regrets their choice to get an electric vehicle.

Executive Director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN) Mark Toney says many PG&E customers are having to choose between heating their homes or feeding their families.

“More and more people are falling behind and are in danger of being disconnected," Toney said. "Many of whom are going to end up on the street homeless because they are going to be evicted from their properties.”

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a rate increase of 13 percent this month and is considering another 7.2 percent hike for March. If approved, PG&E Customers will pay about $48 more a month. TURN is pushing for new legislation that will cap future rate increases.

“At no more than the cost-of-living adjustment provided by social security on an annual basis,” Toney said.

According to PG&E, a majority of the money from the rate hikes will reduce wildfire risks, replace gas pipelines and improve infrastructure. PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian says there were also unexpected costs to cover.

“Things like the storms that we experienced last year -- the impact to our equipment," Sarkissian. "There’s a lot of costs that come with those.”

To help customers cover the costs, PG&E has expanded its Reach Program to provide more support to low-income households in 2024, increasing bill credits from $500 to $1,000 for qualifying customers.

Toney says if the company lowered rates, there would be less need for customer assistance programs.

“People don’t like to be told, do the right thing for the environment, spend extra money to replace your appliances and your reward is that your monthly bills will be higher than before,” Toney said.

This year’s rate hikes aren’t the only frustrations TURN has. They say last year the CPUC approved enough rate hikes to increase customer’s bills by 33%

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This is how much it costs to go to the 49ers-Lions NFC Championship Game

(KRON) -- The San Francisco 49ers play the Detroit Lions on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. While ticket prices to last week's game against the Packers were described by an expert as "fair," they are significantly more expensive for Sunday's conference title game.

On SeatGeek Thursday evening, the cheapest ticket was going for $382 before fees. For the Packers game, a ticket could be had for $180 before fees.

However, fees make a significant difference. After they are included, the $382 ticket on SeatGeek becomes $518.

Prices on other secondary markets were comparable to SeatGeek. On TicketMaster, the cheapest seat was $440 before fees and $532 after fees. On StubHub, the cheapest seat was $436 before fees and $555 after.

Sitting closer will cost more money. The cheapest 100-level ticket on SeatGeek was going for $894 after fees in section 125, behind an end zone. Prices were similar on other sites.

SeatGeek offered front-row tickets behind the end zone for $1,665 apiece. For those really looking to splurge, two tickets were listed on StubHub for $9,200 each offering unlimited food, "Tunnel Club" and VIP Lounge access. Those seats are field-level behind the end zone.

Tickets to get into the NFL's other championship game are even more expensive. Fans wanting to see Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs play in Baltimore against Lamar Jackson's Ravens would have to pay at least $641 after fees based on Thursday's prices, and tickets below $700 are hard to come by.

The 49ers and Lions game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. PT.

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Man killed in shooting in shopping center parking lot

(BCN) -- A shooting left a man dead in the parking lot of a Rohnert Park shopping center on Thursday evening, police said.

Around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, officers from the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety were alerted to a report of gunshot in the 900 block of Golf Course Drive. Upon arrival, they learned from a passerby that what sounded like a gunshot was heard in the vicinity of the Mountain Shadows Plaza.

Officers then found a man on the ground in the parking lot of the shopping center with a gunshot wound to his chest. First responders tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead on the scene later.

The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety withheld the identity of the man.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety at (707) 588-3597 and refer to case #24-0293.

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Thursday, 25 January 2024

Police activity at Rohnert Park Walmart

(KRON) -- Heavy police presence was reported at a Rohnert Park Walmart on Thursday night.

The Rohnert Park Police Department confirmed that officers responded to 901 Golf Course Drive, which is the location of Walmart Neighborhood Market. Police have not confirmed the nature of the police activity.

This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

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East Bay teachers prepare for possible strike

DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) -- Educators across the East Bay announced Wednesday that they are preparing to strike. The coalition is made up of over 18 California Teachers Association chapters, with many who claim management in these districts are not prioritizing students or faculty.

The East Bay Coalition for Student Success said it’s seeking smaller class sizes, a better environment for students all around and a better way to retain teachers. The coalition said that some teachers cannot afford to live in the same area they teach, which leads them to quit and creates larger class sizes for those who stay.

As of Wednesday, 98 percent of Martinez Education Association members voted yes to an authorized strike, with 96 percent of the Association of Piedmont Teachers also voting yes. This follows 98.5 percent of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers and 98.8 percent of Dublin Teachers Association members also voting yes to the authorized strike.

Overall, the group said the principle behind the strike is that all students deserve a supportive environment with the tools and conditions they need to thrive. The coalition is calling on district management to “get their act together.”

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Wednesday, 24 January 2024

Make-A-Wish Bay Area reaches major milestone

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- This month, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area is turning 40 years old.

Four decades of more than 9,000 wishes, KRON4 takes a look back at what that organization has meant for the kids.

There are five wish opportunities for kids who qualify. "I wish to have, I wish to be, I wish to go to, I wish to meet, or I wish to give. It tugs at the heartstrings every time you see a wish come true."

Nine thousand six hundred (9,600) wishes have been granted through Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area -- dating back to the first wish for a little boy in Union City in 1984.

There may be thousands since, but CEO Betsy Biern says each one is an opportunity to provide a support system for a kid who needs it most.

“You see a marathon and you see those people on the sides of the roads, cheering people on, or handing them Gatorades, wrapping them in those blankets at the end of the race. That’s make a wish," Biern said.

A cheering squad that Amy Vaughn of Vacaville needed six years ago when she was battling Burkitts Lymphoma -- a cancer that came with monthly blood work, doctor’s visits and worst of all: chemo.

“Chemo is really painful, it’s really unpleasant, it hurts,” Vaughn said.

She was just 12 years old and a social worker at the hospital decided to send in an application to Make-A-Wish. Vaughn qualified and wished to go to Paris, France—a place where her, her brother, mom and dad were able to get away from the pain of cancer.

“It was a celebration of my entire family coming together and being whole again,” she said.

Vaughn is 18 years old now, cancer-free and a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, but she still thinks about the Make-A-Wish volunteers that made it possible for her to see the Eifel Tower.

“Brought a sense of life back into a time where I had to be an adult, I had to focus on adult-size problems instead of just being a kid," Vaughn said.

From Paris to Disney World, Make-A-Wish grants around 350 wishes a year in Northern California.

Some had their own viral moment like ten years ago when 5-year-old Miles Scott saved the day as BatKid in San Francisco.

Make-A-Wish has the ability to help a kid, family, volunteer and entire communities.

“We hope it’s the kind of process that is so life-changing that it is giving you hope as you’re going through whatever treatment that is and you’re also meeting a community that may not know you from Adam," Biern said.

“It’s one of my favorite memories of my entire life, and I’m forever grateful for everything Make-A-Wish did for me,” Vaughn said.

More than 800 volunteers dedicate their time to granting wishes in the greater Bay Area and the organization is always looking for more. Click here if you'd like to volunteer.

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eBay cutting 1,000 jobs, becoming latest tech company to reduce workforce

LONDON (AP) — Online retailer eBay Inc. will cut about 1,000 jobs, or an estimated 9% of its full-time workforce, saying its number of employees and costs have exceeded how much the business is growing in a slowing economy. It marks the latest layoffs in the tech industry.

CEO Jamie Iannone said in a message to employees on Tuesday that the company also will reduce how many “contracts we have within our alternate workforce over the coming months.”

Those who are being laid off will be told through Zoom calls with their bosses, Iannone said, requesting that people work from home Wednesday to allow privacy for those conversations.

“We need to better organize our teams for speed — allowing us to be more nimble, bring like-work together, and help us make decisions more quickly,” he said in the note, which was posted online.

“These changes are difficult, but I’m confident that by working together we will become stronger than ever,” Iannone added.

San Jose, California-based eBay is the latest tech company to roll out a series of layoffs after quickly ramping up hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic while people spent more time and money online.

Now, companies from Google to Amazon have been making painful job cuts to reduce costs and bolster their bottom lines.

Just this month, Google said it was laying off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams, while TikTok said its shedding dozens of workers in ads and sales and video game developer Riot Games, behind the popular “League of Legends” multiplayer battle game, was trimming 11% of its staff.

Meanwhile, Amazon said this month that it is cutting several hundred jobs in its Prime Video and MGM Studios unit.

The online retail giant owns two other companies that announced major layoffs in January: Audible, the online audiobook and podcast service, which is trimming about 5% of its workforce, and streaming platform Twitch, which is cutting more than 500 jobs.

Other tech companies, including Spotify, Microsoft, Meta and IBM, also have recently cut jobs.

They're running into a slowing economy following rapid interest rate hikes unleashed by central banks around the world to combat soaring inflation.

The head of eBay pointed to those concerns in the need to trim its workforce: “Despite facing external pressures, like the challenging macroeconomic environment, we know we can be better with the factors we control,” Iannone said.

The company has also faced internal problems that hurt its business. The online retailer will pay a $3 million fine to resolve U.S. criminal charges over a harassment campaign waged by employees who sent live spiders, cockroaches and other disturbing items to the home of a Massachusetts couple, according to court documents this month.

The Justice Department charged eBay with stalking, witness tampering and obstruction of justice more than three years after the employees were prosecuted in an extensive scheme to intimidate a couple who produced an online newsletter called EcommerceBytes that upset eBay executives with its coverage.

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