The Mercury News Sunday Edition — February 13, 2022

SUPER BOWL: Rams, Bengals are ready to roll, but would the 49ers be there if they gave Jimmy G some help? C1

Schools

torn on vaccine mandate

Students of color lag in inoculations, face campus bans

By Kayla Jimenez and Harriet Blair Rowan

Sta writers

Thousands of Bay Area school kids still don’t have their COVID-19 shots despite looming school vaccine mandates, provoking uncertainty among school leaders and fear in parents about how the requirements could impact long- and short-term learning for unvaccinated students.

Despite e orts to boost vaccination numbers across the region since last fall, Black and Latino teens ages 12 and up remain less likely to be vaccinated for the virus than their White and Asian classmates, a Bay Area News Group analysis of data from local school districts and public health departments found.

Vaccination rates for Black students range from 47-63%, depending on the school district, well below the overall rates. Latino student vaccination rates are also lagging, but less so, ranging from 49-80%. Asian students have the highest vaccination rates across the counties, at 85% and up, and White students are between 64% and 80% vaccinated.

Tyrone Howard, a professor of education in the School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA, said it would be a mistake to move ahead with vaccine mandates in schools where a disproportionate number of Black and Brown students lack the shots. Moving those students into online schooling programs with fewer resources would result in unjust segregation, he said.

“We might see tens of thousands of students who are not going to be allowed to go to school,” said Howard, whose research in -

HOW THE RAIDERS MADE $189 MILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY VANISH

Under quietly altered terms on 2 loans, the team le the city and county holding

By Jason Cole Special to the Bay Area News Group

This is the mystery of $189 million in public money, and how the Raiders, the city of Oakland and Alameda County made it disappear.

It’s also a 25-year story of bartering, negotiating and rewriting agreements aimed at keeping the football team in the Bay Area, yet somehow making it even easier for the Raiders to leave for Las Vegas after the 2019 season. Over the course of that quarter-century, the team, city and county completed a financial transaction so complicated and drawn out that it’s befitting of the greatest illusionists appearing on the Vegas Strip.

And as with Criss Angel or David Copperfield, it is dicult to answer how the trick was done.

Amid bitter public controversies about Coliseum improvements, lease payments and personal seat licenses, there was another, little-known tie that bound the Raiders to their Oakland deal: A multimillion-dollar loan handed to the Raiders in 1995 to encourage their return from Los Angeles and never — apparently — intended to be paid o . By June 2020, compounding interest had pushed the value to $189

Weekend heat wave shatters

Bay Area temperature records

Halfway through the snow season, people ock to ice rinks and pools, drawn to parks and ice cream

By Lisa M. Krieger, Kayla Jimenez and Shomik Mukherjee

Sta writers

This weekend marks the ocial halfway point of California’s snow season, but record-breaking high temperatures continue to bake the state, sending residents to pools, parks, barbecues and ice cream shops.

While temperatures across the region have been warmer than average since the beginning of the month, Saturday delivered heat that soared 15 to 20 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures at San Jose Airport hit a high of 81 degrees, breaking the daily record set in 1971 and tying with its all-time February record of 81 from 1986.

Temperatures reached 77 degrees in downtown Oakland, 76 degrees in Redwood City and 74 degrees in San Francisco. The nation’s hot spots on Saturday were the California towns of Chula Vista and Santee, both reaching 93 degrees.

The heat is expected to linger into today, according to the National Weather Service. Traditional February temperatures will return to cool on Monday and Tuesday, with accumulating cloud cover. This change in patter — albeit a modest and brief

Eat Drink Play: Chocolatiers help kick off Valentine’s Day with some delicious, heart-shaped options. F1

ABOVE: JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER; BELOW: STAFF ARCHIVES

Storm clouds descend behind Mount Davis as the Raiders play the Tennessee Titans in their nal season in the Coliseum. Construction of the Mount Davis luxury suites was key to a 1995 deal to lure the Raiders back to Oakland, but 27 years later, another part of the deal is drawing new scrutiny.

RAY CHAVEZ — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Randal Fariss of San Lorenzo enjoys a cold beverage aboard his 27-foot jet boat docked at Jack London Square in Oakland during a heat wave Saturday. The unusually warm winter weather is sending people to places to cool o and have barbecues this weekend.

BALAZS MOHAI — MTI VIA AP

Sting, performing in 2019, is selling his music catalog, including hits he made with the Police and as a solo artist.

Sting sells entire songwriting catalog

By Muri Assunção New York Daily News

He’s setting them free.

Sting has sold his entire songwriting music catalog — both as a solo artist and with the Police — to Universal Music Publishing Group.

The deal was announced by UMPG, Universal Music Group’s music publishing division, Thursday. It encompasses global megahits. including “Roxanne,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” “Desert Rose,” “Message in a Bottle” and “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free.”

The British-born musician, actor and activist, born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, has sold more than 100 million albums and won 17 Grammy Awards during his illustrious career, which started in the late ’70s and shows no sign of slowing down.

His latest studio album, “The Bridge,” was released in November. In March, he will resume his “My Songs” world tour in Europe, followed by his critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in June.

The “Englishman in

New York” singer said that he was “delighted” to have his song catalog managed by UMPG and Jody Gerson, the company’s chairman and CEO.

“It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected — not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations,” he said.

Lucian Grainge, Universal Music’s chairman and CEO, said that after having had “the privilege to work with Sting for over 20 years,” he is now “thrilled to expand our relationship to now include music publishing.”

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but according to Variety, Sting was seeking around $350 million.

The 70-year-old pop superstar is the latest artist to strike a multimilliondollar deal with the sale of songwriting and recorded music catalogs.

Last month, Sony Music Entertainment announced that it had purchased rights to music recorded by Bob Dylan for an estimated $300 million.

MR. ROADSHOW

Google Maps warning legal; police speed traps are not

QI’m an oldschool guy and don’t use Google Maps often. When I do, I find that it likes to warn me when there is a speed trap ahead. It seems to me that our roads would be safer if there were even more speed traps. So why should Google enable drivers to break the law without consequences?

— Larry Edson, Campbell

AThey’re not. Google’s move is legal. It’s not a speed trap, but a warning that a cop is ahead, responding to a crash, disabled vehicles or other tra c-a ecting incidents.

When most people think about speed traps, they think about police hiding, waiting to pick o motorists right where the speed limit changes.

Speed traps are not legal in California. They exist wherever police are focused on extracting revenue from drivers rather than improving safety.

QI have been perplexed by the 55mph speed limit signs on Interstate 280 between

Highway 85 and Page Mill Road. We haven’t seen any sign of construction or similar work in the last 18 months. Is the 55 speed limit still in force? Does some project remain uncompleted?

— Tom Pochylski, Cupertino

ATwo factors are in play here. Trucks are occasionally used at night in this area fro remove construction and other debris. And, frankly, Caltrans is often slow to replace temporary signs like this.

QI was wondering if you knew when Caltrain will be testing its new “two-story” electric trains on our updated Peninsula track? I read last summer that the manufacturer of the new rail cars had completed the first batch and sent them to Colorado for federal testing. I would think they would be ready for testing by now.

— Tom Chambliss

AThey’ll be tested by midsummer.

News of the weird

Unclear on the concept

As she waited to check out at Walmart in Crockett, Texas, on Jan. 13, an unnamed woman was approached by Rebecca Lanette Taylor, 49, who “began commenting on her son’s blond hair and blue eyes. She asked how much she could purchase him for,” police reported. Taylor said she had $250,000 cash, according to Messenger News. When the mom declined, Taylor increased her bid to $500,000. Taylor was arrested Jan. 18 and charged with sale or purchase of a child.

— Send items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

1633

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition, accused of defending Copernican theory that Earth revolved around the sun.

QAs a cat person, I think the Roadshow dog-cat competition is rigged and we must storm your o ce to stop the steal by illegitimate electors. I encourage all cat lovers to unite in our insurrection so that the Bay Area won’t go to the dogs.

— Sam Kim, Rush Prairie, Washington

ARigged election on cats? Not so. I have an allergy to them. You’re not alone in your a ection for cats …

QWe agree on about everything, Gary, but I think you’re missing it on cats. Our little guy, Benny, is such a member of our family that he has even learned to love Diet Cokes, as do my wife and I! What more could you ask for in a cat? (We also have a wonderful dog, Louie, but he is not partial to sodas).

— John LaLonde, Indian

Wells

ABenny, a fellow fan of Diet Coke, has my admiration. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/ mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanewsgroup.com.

Birthdays

Actor Kim Novak is 89.

Actor Bo Svenson is 81.

Actor Stockard Channing is 78. Talk show host

Jerry Springer is 78. Singer

Peter Gabriel is 72. Actor David Naughton is 71. Rock

musician Peter Hook is 66.

Actor Neal McDonough is 56. Country musician Scott Thomas is 49. Actor Mena Suvari is 43.

1935

A jury in Flemington, New Jersey, found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of rst-degree murder in the kidnap-slaying of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh.

2000

Charles Schulz’s nal “Peanuts” strip ran in Sunday newspapers, a day a er the cartoonist died at age 77.

2016

Justice Antonin Scalia, the in uential conservative on the U.S. Supreme Court, was found dead at age 79.

Saturday’s

estimated

estimated jackpot: $172 million

Biden warns Putin of ‘severe costs’ of invasion

U.S. sending troops to the region, but not Ukraine, as Russia bolsters forces

By Jim Heintz and Aamer Madhani

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » President Joe Biden told Russia’s Vladimir Putin that invading Ukraine would cause “widespread human su ering” and that the West was committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but “equally prepared for other scenarios,” the White House said Saturday. It offered no suggestion that the hourlong call diminished the threat of an imminent war in Europe.

Biden also said the United States and its allies would respond “decisively and im-

pose swift and severe costs” if the Kremlin attacked its neighbor, according to the White House.

The two presidents spoke a day after Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned that U.S. intelligence shows a Russian invasion could begin within days and before the Winter Olympics in Beijing end on Feb. 20.

Russia denies it intends to invade but has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and has sent troops to exercises in neighboring Belarus, encircling Ukraine on three sides. U.S. o cials say Rus-

THE WHITE HOUSE VIA AP

President Joe Biden at Camp David, Md., Saturday called on President Vladimir Putin to pull back more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s border.

sia’s buildup of firepower has reached the point where it could invade on short notice.

The conversation came at a critical moment for what has become the biggest se -

curity crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. U.S. officials believe they have mere days to prevent an invasion and enormous bloodshed in Ukraine.

Biden weighs appeal of three top candidates

By Colleen Long

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » President Joe Biden had zeroed in on a pair of finalists for his first Supreme Court pick when there were rumors last year that Justice Stephen Breyer would retire. But since the upcoming retirement was announced late last month, it has come with the rise of a third candidate, one with ready-made bipartisan support that has complicated the decision.

For Biden, it’s a tantalizing prospect. The president believes he was elected to try to bring the country together following the yawning and rancorous political divide that grew during the Trump administration and especially following the Capitol insurrection in January 2021.

And a Supreme Court nominee with a raft of qualifications who has the vocal support of even one or two Republican senators could well attract the back-

ing of other Republicans. That, in turn, could make for a smoother nomination process after some painfully partisan ones in recent years.

Two of the three judges now on Biden’s short list were evaluated last year by White House aides, although that early vetting did not include deep dives into their opinions or backgrounds, formal interviews or FBI background checks.

They are Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, a recent appointee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she has served since June 2021, and Leondra Kruger, 45, a California Supreme Court judge since 2015 who would be the first person in more than 40 years to move from a state court to the Supreme Court if she were to be confirmed.

Jackson is seen as the top candidate. And she, too, has a proven record of bipartisan support: She was confirmed to the appeals court

on a 53-44 vote. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted for her.

But J. Michelle Childs has rapidly become a serious third candidate after House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D.-S.C., publicly announced his support for her, as did the state’s Republican senators, Graham and Tim Scott. Graham has made clear Childs is his preferred choice.

The 55-year-old is a federal judge in South Carolina who has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That nomination is on hold while she’s under consideration for the high court.

Childs lacks the elite law school credentials of many current Supreme Court justices — she attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. But that’s part of her appeal to Clyburn and others who question why Ivy

League credentials are necessary. Eight of the court’s nine current members attended law school at Harvard or Yale. Childs also has a master’s degree from the school as well as a di erent legal degree from Duke.

Among the three justices on Biden’s short list, Childs is considered the most moderate, and she has been criticized by progressives and labor groups who say her record is not sufficiently supportive of worker rights. She was previously a state court judge and has served as a federal trial court judge since 2010.

Jackson did attend Harvard Law School and has expertise that would bring considerable professional diversity to the high court.

Kruger, 45, has been on the California Supreme Court since 2015. She was just 38 when chosen for the job by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. She’s seen as a moderate on the seven-member court. She used to work for the Department of Justice.

And while the U.S. and its NATO allies have no plans to send troops to Ukraine to fight Russia, an invasion and resulting punishing sanctions could reverberate far beyond the former Soviet republic, affecting energy supplies, global markets and the power balance in Europe.

“President Biden was clear with President Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy, in full coordination with our Allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios,” the White House statement said.

The call was “professional and substantive” but produced “no fundamental change in the dynamic that

FOREIGN ASSETS

has been unfolding now for several weeks,” according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters following the call on condition of anonymity.

The o cial added that it remains unclear whether Putin has made a final decision to move forward with military action.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, said that while tensions have been escalating for months, in recent days “the situation has simply been brought to the point of absurdity.”

He said Biden mentioned the possible sanctions that could be imposed on Russia, but “this issue was not the focus during a fairly long conversation with the Russian leader.”

Afghans protest U.S. use of $3.5B for 9/ 11 victims

By Kathy Gannon

The Associated Press

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN » Pro-

testers in Afghanistan’s capital Saturday condemned President Joe Biden’s order freeing up $3.5 billion in Afghan assets in the U.S. for families of America’s 9/11 victims — saying it belongs to Afghans.

Protesters who gathered outside Kabul’s grand Eid Gah mosque asked America for financial compensation for the tens of thousands of Afghans killed during the last 20 years of war in Afghanistan.

Biden’s order, signed Friday, allocates another $3.5 billion in Afghan assets for humanitarian aid to a trust fund to be managed by the U.N. to provide aid to Afghans. The country’s economy is teetering on the brink of collapse after international money stopped coming into Afghanistan with the arrival in mid-Au-

gust of the Taliban. Afghanistan’s Central Bank called on Biden to reverse his order and release the funds to it, saying in a statement Saturday that they belonged to the people of Afghanistan and not a government, party or group. Torek Farhadi, a financial adviser to Afghanistan’s former U.S.-backed government, questioned the U.N. managing Afghan Central Bank reserves. He said those funds are going “to back up the country’s currency, help in monetary policy and manage the country’s balance of payment.”

He also questioned the legality of Biden’s order.

“These reserves belong to the people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban ... Biden’s decision is one-sided and does not match with international law,” said Farhadi. “No other country on Earth makes such confiscation decisions about another country’s reserves.”

Blockade eases, protesters still block bridge to Detroit

Organizers call it a victory as vehicles cleared at busiest crossing with U.S.

By Rob Gillies and Mike Householder The Associated Press WINDSOR, ONTARIO »

A tense

stando at a U.S.-Canadian border bridge eased somewhat Saturday after Canadian police persuaded demonstrators to move the trucks they had used to barricade the busy international crossing. But protesters still blocked access as night fell, snarling tra c and trade between the two countries for a sixth day.

Since Monday, demonstrators angry at COVID-19 vaccine mandates and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have choked o access from the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, a major thoroughfare for commerce.

Surrounded by dozens of o cers, a man with “Mandate Freedom” and “Trump 2024” spray-painted on his vehicle left the bridge entrance early in the day as others began dismantling a small, tarp-covered encampment. A trucker honked his horn as he, too, drove o , to cheers and chants of “Freedom!”

But hundreds more protesters arrived to reinforce the crowd and settled into a faceo with police about two

blocks away, waving flags and yelling. While there were no visible physical confrontations, the crowd still controlled the road to the bridge, and tra c had not resumed as of the evening.

In Ottawa, the ranks of protesters swelled to the thousands as they have on past weekends, and loud music played as people milled about downtown where antivaccine protesters have been encamped since late January. Hundreds also turned out for a counterprotest, with one carrying a sign that read, “Honk if vaccines work.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck protests may be

in the works in the United States.

Trudeau has called the protesters a “fringe” of Canadian society. Windsor police tweeted that no one had been arrested but urged people to stay away from the bridge: “We appreciate the cooperation of the demonstrators at this time and we will continue to focus on resolving the demonstration peacefully. Avoid area!”

Protester Daniel Koss said shortly before police advanced Saturday morning that the demonstration had succeeded in bringing attention to demands to lift COVID-19 mandates and he was happy it remained peaceful.

OPPOSING VIRUS RESTRICTIONS IN EUROPE

“It’s a win-win,” Koss said. “The pandemic is rolling down right now, they can remove the mandates, all the mandates, and everyone’s happy. The government does the right thing, and the protesters are all happy.”

A judge on Friday ordered an end to the blockade of mostly pickup trucks and cars, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure.

“The illegal blockades are impacting trade, supply chains & manufacturing. They’re hurting Canadian families, workers & businesses. Glad to see the Windsor Police & its policing partners commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge,” Federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted Saturday. “These blockades must stop.”

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries, and auto plants on both sides have been forced to shut down or reduce production this week.

Police re tear gas to disperse gathering

By Thomas Adamson

The Associated Press

PARIS » Paris police fired tear gas Saturday against a handful of demonstrators on the Champs-Elysees Avenue who defied a police order by taking part in a vehicle protest against virus restrictions inspired by Canada’s horn-honking truckers.

In the Netherlands, dozens of trucks and other vehicles — ranging from tractors to a car towing a camping van — arrived in The Hague for a similar virusrelated protest Saturday, blocking an entrance to the historic Dutch parliamentary complex.

But a threatened blockade of Paris failed to materialize Saturday, despite

days of online organizing e orts.

Police set up checkpoints into the French capital on key roads and said they successfully stopped at least 500 vehicles from heading to the banned protest, but a few dozen vehicles were able to slip in and disrupt tra c on the boutique-lined Champs-Elysees. Authorities fired tear gas as they demanded that the demonstrators disperse, some of whom climbed onto their vehicles in the middle of the road to create chaos.

An Associated Press photographer was hit in the head with a tear gas canister as police struggled to control the crowd. Police at the scene were growing increasingly tense, and fired the tear gas after several

photographers took photos of o cers kicking and subduing a protester. Police detained 54 people and handed out 300 tickets to motorists involved in the protest. Police also seized knives, hammers and other objects in a central Parisian square.

Protesters railing against the vaccination pass that France requires to enter restaurants and many other venues have converged in recent days toward Paris from the north, south, east and west, waving and honking at onlookers as they drove by. Some convoys sought to avoid police detection by traveling on local roads instead of the major highways leading into the capital. In the Dutch protest, pro-

testers on foot joined the truckers, carrying a banner emblazoned with the Dutch words “Love & freedom, no dictatorship.” Police urged the protesters to move to a nearby park and warned the public about tra c problems.

Online chat groups, meanwhile, are encouraging French and Dutch protesters to join an attempted blockade convoy on Monday in Brussels, capital of Belgium and the 27-nation European Union.

Belgian federal police were urging people to avoid Brussels on Monday, including commuters, and said all vehicles coming to demonstrate will be escorted to a giant parking lot north of town where a protest will be authorized.

Democrats ease up on approach to the coronavirus

By Zeke Miller and Will Weissert

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » “People are tired,” Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock says in the opening ad for his reelection campaign. There’s not a face mask to be seen in the Democrat’s video montage of scenes across Georgia, as he goes on to say people that are “wondering when things will get back to normal, and at the same time not knowing what normal even means anymore.”

The ad reflects a shifting narrative on COVID-19 restrictions across the country: Democrats are now in-

creasingly supportive of easing mandates as they struggle to address voter frustration with the lingering pandemic. They’re hoping a shift in policy could serve to blunt incoming political attacks with the midterm elections — when control of Congress is at stake — now less than nine months away. But their appeals for a return to normalcy, both in symbols and practice, are putting new pressure on President Joe Biden.

More than a year after he was sworn into o ce pledging to bring about an end to the pandemic, the virus’ persistence has taken a toll on Biden’s approval in

Setting the record straight

the midterm election year as COVID-19 restrictions and mask-wearing requirements move to the forefront of the nation’s culture wars.

After months of sparring with Republican governors for standing in the way of public health measures like face-coverings and social distancing, the sudden shift on the part of Democrats in recent days has caught White House o cials o guard and left them seemingly out of sync with their own party.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend indoor masking in more than 99% of the country, even Democratic states

from New York to California began easing mandates for the public, and New Jersey announced plans to roll back its face-covering requirement in schools.

“Some people may call what’s happening now the ‘new normal,’” Biden said last month, acknowledging the frustrations. “I call it a job not yet finished.”

Yet Biden, even some members of his own party contend, isn’t moving swiftly enough to finish the job. Governors in both parties have appealed to the federal government for new, clearer guidelines as COVID-19 becomes endemic and less of a public health emergency.

The Mercury News corrects all signi cant errors that are brought to the attention of the editors. If you believe we have made such an error, please send an email to: mncorrections@bayareanewsgroup.com

NATHAN DENETTE — THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

Police o cers hold a line as protesters against COVID-19 restrictions march in Windsor, Ontario, Saturday.

GOP pushes U.S. schools to post all class materials online

By Julie Carr Smyth and Casey Smith

The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, OHIO » Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. are trying to require schools to post all course materials online so parents can review them, part of a broader national push by the GOP for a sweeping parents bill of rights ahead of the midterm congressional elections.

At least one proposal would give parents with no expertise power over curriculum choices. Parents also could file complaints about certain lessons and in some cases sue school districts.

Teachers say parents already have easy access to what their children learn. They worry that the mandates would create an unnecessary burden and potentially threaten their professional independence — all while dragging them into a culture war.

The bill “insinuates there’s some hiding happening,” said Katie Peters, a high school English teacher in Toledo. “It makes me a little defensive, because I’m like — no, wait a minute, we’re not hiding anything. The transparency is always there, and the parents who have cared to look have always had access.”

The bills arose from last year’s debate over the teaching of race, diversity and sexuality. The GOP insists the changes are needed to give parents a measure of control over what their children see and hear in class.

“I don’t think anybody disagrees that more information is better for parents,” said Brett Hillyer, a Republican state representative in Ohio who is co-sponsoring such a bill. He said the proposal could quell disagreements between parents,

teachers and school boards before they get too far.

Educators don’t take issue with keeping parents informed, but they see a risk that the so-called curriculum-transparency requirements will invite censorship, professional burnout and resignations.

Other state considering some version of the idea include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia.

The Ohio bill would a ect public, private and charter schools, as well as colleges and universities that participate in the state’s dual-enrollment program for seventh through 12th graders.

A panel of three Ohio teachers recently sat down with The Associated Press to discuss the proposal. They said they already post syllabuses, textbook information, course materials and sometimes notes for parents and students — at least at the middle- and high-school levels.

None of them could recall ever denying a parent’s request for additional information.

Juliet Tissot, a mother of two from the Cincinnati suburb of Madeira, said el-

ementary classrooms are a di erent story. The nonprofit worker and volunteer said schools stopped sending home textbooks years ago and often fail to provide curriculum details when asked. That leaves parents groping for information when helping kids with homework.

“Children are with their parents a lot more than they’re with their teachers, and it’s bad that parents don’t know what’s going on — and they don’t anymore,” she said. “I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner, but it seems like it’s finally coming to a head.”

Tissot also supports policing teachers’ behavior more closely, including requiring them to wear body cameras.

The Ohio teachers said parents of older children occasionally pull a student from class — say, when evolution or the Big Bang is being taught in science — or request an alternate assignment when o ended by a selected reading, and those interactions generally go smoothly.

“That’s the thing that this law misses. It’s painted as broad-swath, as if there are these improprieties going on,” said Dan Green -

Teachers tackle Black History Month with additional restrictions

berg, who teaches high school English in the Toledo suburb of Sylvania. “You’re talking to people who are right there in the trenches, and we always have a really good partnership with parents.”

The GOP acted after conservatives complained about public schools’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial reckoning that followed the death of George Floyd, the Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police o cer in 2020. Some states and local school boards have banned books about race relations, slavery and gender.

The Ohio teachers say the Republican e orts could ultimately erode their ability to make professional judgments and stifle the spontaneity that brings their classrooms to life, while adding to workloads that have already taken a serious toll on school sta ng.

“I’m worried it’s sort of a Trojan horse to get into the classroom to pick through what they see and point us in different directions or stop us from doing things,” said Robert Estice, a middle school science and critical thinking teacher in the Columbus suburb of Worthington.

Emerson Sykes, a sta attorney at the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, called the bills “thinly veiled attempts at chilling teachers and students from learning and talking about race and gender in schools.”

Hillyer said he does not intend for parents to be able to censor school materials.

The proposed parents bill of rights calls for access to classroom materials and academic, medical and safety records, as well as certain entry privileges to school buildings and more.

Jacey Fortin and Giulia Heyward The New York Times

In rural New Hampshire, a Spanish teacher took down a “Black Lives Matter” sign in her classroom.

In Lubbock, Texas, a social studies teacher felt that candid political discussions with students were becoming “kind of like a tightrope.”

And in Oklahoma City, a history teacher began to think twice about using the word “white” to describe people who defended slavery.

In February, public school teachers traditionally shape lessons around Black History Month. But this year, educators in several states are handling their classes a bit more gingerly.

Republican-led legislatures in several states passed laws last year to ban or limit schools from teaching that racism is infused in U.S. institutions. And while students in those states are still learning about activists like Ida B. Wells and Claudette Colvin, and eras like Reconstruction and the civil rights movement, some teachers are also exercising a quiet restraint.

The laws, they say, have added the threat of termination to the list of things they worry about, from pandemic safety to struggling students to sta shortages.

“I am not going to let any of these laws deter me from the things that I think work best for students,” said Eric Parker, the history teacher in Oklahoma. “But I also enjoy working with students and having a roof over my head.”

Since January 2021, according to a list compiled by Education Week, 37 states have introduced measures

to limit how race and discrimination can be taught in public school classrooms, and 14 have imposed laws or rules to enforce these restrictions.

“This legislation is very nebulous,” said Grace Leatherman, executive director of the National Council for History Education. “There is certainly a chilling e ect.”

While some educators have left or have lost their jobs amid debates over these new laws, there have not been reports of widespread terminations of teachers.

And defenders of the measures say that they are not meant to stifle teachers’ speech.

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire signed a bill in July that says no public employer should teach that people of any particular race or gender were “inherently racist, sexist or oppressive.”

“Nothing in this bill prevents schools from teaching any aspect of American history, such as teaching about racism, sexism or slavery,” said Benjamin Vihstadt, a spokesperson for the governor.

He added that teachers were “continuing these important lessons during Black History Month — as they should.”

David Bullard, a state senator who sponsored a similar law in Oklahoma, has said that it is “false that the bill prohibits the teaching of racial topics or history.”

According to the state’s academic standards, U.S. history classes can still cover a range of figures and subjects, including slavery, the abolitionist movement, the Tulsa massacre, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and the Black Panthers.

Katie Peters, an English teacher at Whitmer High School, poses in her classroom on Monday in Toledo, Ohio.

Police used shields to rescue baby during Phoenix stando

By Paul Davenport

The Associated Press

PHOENIX » SWAT officers used ballistic shields as they rescued a baby girl during a stando with a gunman who earlier shot and wounded five patrol o cers, including four while they moved to take the baby to safety, Phoenix police said. Initial accounts of the incident Friday that left the gunman and a woman believed to be his ex-girlfriend dead and the baby unharmed hadn’t explained how police rescued the baby after the first attempt was thwarted.

All of the five wounded officers were expected to survive, police said. Four additional o cers had minor injuries after being struck by shrapnel or ricocheting bullets, police said.

In a statement released late Friday, police also said that after he shot one ocer, the gunman tried unsuccessfully to drive out of the garage of the home where he later barricaded himself and was found dead inside hours later.

The getaway attempt was

thwarted because a parked patrol car blocked his vehicle, the police statement said. “When he was unsuccessful, he went back into the house.”

Police on Friday identified the dead suspect as 36-year-old Morris Richard Jones III.

Federal court records showed Jones had a criminal history dating back to at least 2007, including convictions in Oklahoma for using a firearm during a drug tra cking crime and possessing a firearm after a

felony conviction and in Arizona for conspiring to transport, for profit, people who were in the country illegally.

The woman died at a hospital after being found critically wounded in the home. Her name wasn’t released.

It wasn’t known whether Jones killed himself or died from shots fired by police.

Sgt. Andy Williams, a police spokesperson, said Saturday no updates were available.

Police went to the home in response to a 911 call report-

Biden’s power to act on his own is limited

By Colleen Long, Chris Megerian and Michael Balsamo

ing the shooting of a woman. The first o cer was ambushed and shot as he approached the door but “was able to back away and find cover,” the statement said.

The second o cer to arrive fired at Jones, who went back into the home, the statement said.

During the ensuing barricade situation, a man whose identity hasn’t been released stepped out of the front door, put a baby down and then surrendered to police, police said.

O cers then approached the front door to rescue the baby but Jones shot at them, wounding four with bullets as four others were struck by ricochets or shrapnel, police said.

After members of the police department’s Special Assignment Unit arrived at the scene, those o cers used shields to reach the child, the statement said. “Jones also fired shots at the SAU o cers during the barricade.”

“A baby is safe today because of our Phoenix police o cers,” Mayor Kate Gallego said at a news conference near the scene.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » As Republicans impose new restrictions on ballot access in multiple states, President Joe Biden has no easy options for safeguarding voting rights despite rising pressure from frustrated activists.

Unlike on other issues such as immigration or environmental protection, the White House has little leverage without congressional action as the November elections creep up.

“If there were some sort of easily available presidential power on this, others would have done it,” said Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a Harvard Law School professor who researches election law. “There is no significant unilateral authority here.”

Nine months before elections that will determine control of Congress, voting rights advocates are worried there’s not enough time to fend o state laws and policies that make it harder to vote. They view the changes as a subtler form of past ballot restrictions such as literacy tests

and poll taxes that were used to disenfranchise Black voters, a vital Democratic constituency.

Biden did issue an executive order last March that expanded access to voter registration and election information. The order is designed to make it easier for people in federal custody to register to vote, improve tracking of military ballots and provide better access for Americans with disabilities.

But to do more than that, Biden would have to rely on obscure and controversial constitutional provisions that probably could not take e ect in time anyway, Stephanopoulos said. And the further Biden were to go to push the issue of voting rights, the more he could face criticism for overstepping his authority.

“It’s very hard for a president to weigh in,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University. “Everything is being done at a state-bystate level.”

So while Biden may be able to take some small actions around the edges, Brinkley said, “if he tries something extraordinary, it will be tied up in the courts for years.”

Democrats face few paths to victory in evenly divided Senate

By Alan Fram

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

» With elections in view and Democrats’ headline domestic bill in a rut, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer have very di erent takes on how things are going in their chamber.

“I know we’re spending the week dealing with assistant secretaries of something or other, and that’s

terribly important,” Sanders, the progressive firebrand and Vermont independent, said dryly on Wednesday. The Senate confirmed 15 nominees last week for the Federal Maritime Commission, judgeships and other posts.

“It has been a busy, productive and truly bipartisan week here,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the next morning. The New York Democrat cited a sex-

ual harassment bill lawmakers approved minutes later and progress on addressing violence against women, the budget and industrial competitiveness.

The conflicting appraisals of how the party is using its time come as Democrats have run headlong into the limits of running a 5050 Senate with no votes to spare. It underlines a debate over how to balance passion with pragmatism as Demo-

crats court voters before the November elections, when Republicans have a real chance of capturing House and Senate control.

For some Democrats, it’s time to draw contrasts with Republicans by forcing votes on priorities like helping families a ord health care and combating global warming. Others see wisdom in declaring what victories they can and avoiding anything that might complicate

e orts to strike deals with their own party’s mavericks over broader priorities.

Democrats have just 49 votes for at least the next few weeks while Sen. Ben Ray Luján recuperates from a stroke. Yet even with the New Mexico Democrat, goals such as voting rights, immigration and other issues have faced solid Republican resistance and fallen short of the 60 Senate votes needed to approve most legislation.

For many Democrats, the big prize would be resuscitating a smaller version of President Joe Biden’s lead domestic priority: a 10-year, roughly $2 trillion package of health care, family services and environment initiatives. Moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., effectively killed the measure in December when he said it was too costly but has said he’s open to a more modest alternative.

ROSS D. FRANKLIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Holes in windows can be seen at a house where ve Phoenix Police Department o cers were shot and four others were injured a er responding to a shooting inside the home Friday in Phoenix.

million owed by the team to city and county taxpayers, according to the fine print of a financial audit done for the city and county by the worldwide accounting firm of Macias, Gini & O’Connell.

That could have been a big problem for the departing Raiders — and a big hammer for the city and county in negotiations, financial experts say. Even if the city and county agreed to forgo payment, it would have turned the loan into a gift on which the Raiders could have owed at least $60 million in state and federal taxes.

But it turns out local leaders had given that hammer away years earlier in a series of tangled, altered agreements seemingly intended to appease the team, even though politicians insist to this day they never trusted Raiders ownership. Time and again, their negotiating strategy belied those protests.

Worse, despite repeated promises by the Raiders to negotiate in “good faith” with the city and county in exchange for financial considerations, Raiders owner Mark Davis was already holding secret meetings as early as the summer of 2013 with current and former Las Vegas mayors Carolyn and Oscar Goodman.

Believing the team would stay, Oakland and Alameda County ended up with an agreement that allowed the Raiders to turn over their training facility in Alameda to erase their public debt, even though the property was worth just a fraction of the $189 million amount.

Stanford University economist Roger Noll, who has studied numerous municipal-sports team deals, likened this deal to “getting a bank to accept the title to your dog house as payment for your home loan.”

Now you see $189 million. Now you don’t.

The Background

The origins of the convoluted loan deal date to the early 90s, when the Raiders, then in Los Angeles, were first being wooed back to Oakland. Raiders owner Al Davis had moved the team south in 1982 in hopes of making more money to keep the Raiders at the top of the league.

While the Raiders won a Super Bowl in Los Angeles, Davis faced giant obstacles in getting a new stadium there amid his ongoing war with the NFL hierarchy. That eventually made Davis want to go home.

The negotiations for the return among the Raiders, Oakland and Alameda County were long and difficult. Ezra Rapport, the lead negotiator for the city and county, said the public agencies spent more than $1 million on outside legal counsel to draw up the documents.

“We wanted the most iron-clad deal possible because nobody trusted Al Davis. We wanted the team, but we didn’t trust him. It was that simple,” Rapport said. “It’s an incredibly complex agreement that few people have ever read and even fewer understand.”

Certainly few understand it today. Davis, Raiders minority partner Jack Brooks, accountant Bruce Miller and attorney Barrie Engel were the negotiating team for the Raiders. All four are now dead. Rapport and businessman Ed DeSilva were the primary negotiators for the city and county. DeSilva, through an associate, declined to discuss the issue.

The eventual agreement rested on three loans from the city and county, each with their own terms to guard against potential Raiders shenanigans.

The Stadium Improvement loan, for $85 million, covered construction at the Coliseum, including the luxury boxes that became known as “Mount Davis.”

The Training Facility loan, for $10 million, built a practice field and other facilities for the team in Alameda. Both were backed by stadium revenues — parking, concessions, and the sale of personal seat licenses — but were otherwise “non-re-

Oakland and Alameda County o cials paid millions of dollars to persuade the Raiders to return from Los Angeles in 1995, including a $53.9 million “Operations Loan” the team could spend however it wanted. But the terms of that loan were quietly changed over time.

The original loan agreement said that under some circumstances — for example, an early Raiders exit — the public agencies could force the team to pay the money back.

But a 2005 “supplement” undermined those terms. If the Raiders left, the Operations Loan would be fully satisfied upon return of the team’s training facility. That shift also freed the team from possible taxes on the loan amount.

though, contains a di erent answer. While the stadium and training facility loans were fully nonrecourse, the Operations Loan was not, if there was a “termination of the master agreement” because the Raiders failed to live up to its terms. In that case, “the limitation on repayment sources described in Section 5.1 (A) hereof shall not apply to … (3) the unpaid balance of the Operations Loan.” In other words: The Raiders apparently could be held liable for the Operations Loan amount if they bolted, even if they had to use other funds to pay it o It was a stipulation that protected the public. Until it disappeared.

Renegotiating

Almost from the first, the financing deal was a mess.

A 2020 audit of the Coliseum Authority noted the growth of the debt, and expressed uncertainty over whether it would be repaid. It would not.

KEY PLAYERS IN THE LOAN DEAL

From the Raiders’ return to Oakland in 1995 to their exit for Las Vegas in 2020, a small group of team and local ofcials wrangled over contract terms that would force the team to stay — or allow it to go.

The team, city and county had envisioned selling “personal seat licenses” — pricey contracts that would give purchasers merely the right to spend even more money to buy tickets — to build Mount Davis. But the then-novel concept became controversial with fans. And the sales e ort, led by the city and county’s Oakland Football Marketing Association, was a “disaster,” according to multiple sources, with sales falling far short of what was promised.

The Raiders weren’t satisfied with the interest rate they’d agreed to for the loans — 10 percent, a reasonable amount given the high inflation of the earlyto-mid-1990s, but interest rates were heading down. The rate was renegotiated twice, first dropping to 6.56 percent in 1996 (an adjustment worth as much as $109 million to the team, according to evidence that emerged in later court battles, though the actual savings was somewhat less since the loans never reached their full term). In 2005, the interest rate was set at 6.07 percent.

But the more consequential change on the agreement’s 10th anniversary slipped by almost unnoticed. Buried in the 27-page “Supplement 2 to the Master Agreement” signed in 2005 was a 928-word section regarding the loans, under the don’t-look-here introduction “No Modifications to Loan Agreement,” which might have made a reader wonder why it took nearly a thousand words not to modify it.

ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

AL DAVIS

EZRA RAPPORT

Oakland’s deputy city manager was lead negotiator for the 1995 agreement with the Raiders. A key dynamic in those negotiations, according to Rapport: “Nobody trusted Al Davis.”

course,” meaning the Raiders would not have to o er up other funds if the revenue streams fell short. That was a more reasonable deal than it might sound because the loans were also backed by actual assets. If the Raiders ever left, the physical improvements — the Coliseum upgrades, the training facility, and the land on which the facility sat — all went back to the public agencies, just as if a bank had foreclosed on a delinquent construction loan and taken the collateral.

The third loan was different, and it became the most contentious. The Op -

MARK DAVIS

Al’s son pledged “good faith” in his contract negotiations with Oakland and Alameda County. But a er the Raiders eased contract language binding the team to the Coliseum, he secretly began exploring a move to Las Vegas.

erations Loan was a $53.9 million cash payment to Davis to cover all costs associated with relocating the team from Los Angeles to Oakland — and anything else that Davis chose to do with the money. That loan was also designated to be repaid by stadium revenues — the team and the taxpayers were to share evenly the parking and concessions revenue on home games at the Coliseum.

But it was clear from the start that this split wasn’t going to come close to recouping the public money. Rapport doesn’t try to argue otherwise. In the interview, the former nego -

CAROLYN GOODMAN

The Las Vegas mayor received a surprise phone call in June 2013 from a friend and former Raiders employee. Next thing she knew, move negotiations were underway.

tiator said the terms were designed to “buy revenue streams” for the city and county — in essence, to guarantee their fair share of stadium revenues, not to retire the loans. That’s certainly the way it turned out. Over the course of 25 years, the Coliseum revenue streams accounted for just over $27 million paid to the city and county, according to an accounting by the Alameda county auditor prepared at the request of the Bay Area News Group. This didn’t even amount to half the original debt, let alone the annual escalation at the agreed-upon interest rate.

HENRY GARDNER

The executive director of the Coliseum Authority Joint Powers Agency believes the city and county still may have recourse against the Raiders under the loan agreement. “Di erent lawyers can read the same documents very di erently.”

Rent payments added another $13 million to public co ers.

But in 1995, the Operations Loan was the final piece of the puzzle to satisfy Davis and get the deal done, according to multiple sources. The negotiators had to come up with something. Where, then, was the security, since there was no physical collateral — no building, no land — for the public agencies to repossess in the event of a default on the Operations Loan? This is where Rapport, who is su ering from cancer, gets hazy. He recalls all three loans being “non-recourse.”

The agreement language,

The 1995 language regarding special treatment of the Operations Loan was made moot. Superseding its terms: a hefty, parentheses-laden sentence that for the first time said any unpaid balance on both the Operations Loan and the Training Facility Loan would be considered paid in full when the public agencies took possession of the training facility “without regard to the then market value.”

In other words, the city and county agreed to allow the Raiders to satisfy the Operations Loan by giving back something the Raiders were already obliged to return.

From the team’s perspective, this was a perfect mechanism. If the debt simply had been forgiven, the amount would have become taxable income for the Raiders. That would have been a huge obligation. The Operations Loan was set to mature in 2035, by which time the amount owed by the team is projected to have been approximately $500 million. The potential taxes on that amount: roughly $150 million to $250 million.

That tax burden could have been pressure to keep the Raiders in Oakland. As could the outstanding balance on the Operations Loan itself.

Instead, the debt stayed on the books, showing up in annual audits each year as a multi-million dollar amount owed by the team to the taxpayers. The final, 2020 audit listed its value at $189 million (a potential state and federal tax burden of $60 million to $90 million for the Raiders). Then the team left, and it went to zero.

In its place, the city and county got the training building and property near the north end of the Oak-

The Raiders late owner was looking for a sweet deal to return to Oakland in the mid-’90s a er the disappointment of the team’s time in Los Angeles. Even a er his return, he kept pushing to make the deal sweeter.

A ermath

land International Airport, assessed that year at $24.6 million and worth, by one account, perhaps twice that amount. The facility recently became home to the Oakland Roots professional soccer team.

“The Raiders are no longer contractually obligated for the loans,” said County auditor Melissa Wilk in an October 2021 email to the Bay Area News Group.

“Please refer to the Loan Agreement and supplements for clarification.”

So, who made that deal? And from the standpoint of the public, why?

The who is easy enough to figure out. Officially, responsibility lay in the hands of the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, overseen by a revolving board of city and county officials and local notables. Former members including politicians Scott Haggerty, Ignacio de la Fuente and Nate Miley all say they were unaware of the details of negotiations with the Raiders. But that’s not surprising: As is the case with most public agencies, the real work was done by the executive director and sta A mainstay of the group around this time was Deena McLain, an attorney who served in various roles among the county, the JPA executive sta and, for a time, as the executive director of the JPA.

“No one knows that agreement, its history and what all the parts of the agreement mean better than Deena McLain,” current JPA Executive Director Henry Gardner said in an interview. Gardner said he would attempt to convince McLain to speak with the Bay Area News Group.

But McLain, who is now retired and living in Utah, declined to respond to three phone messages and wrote via text: “Sorry. Unable to help. Please stop contacting me.”

Likewise, de la Fuente

said current Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker had extensive knowledge of the changes to the loan in 2005.

She isn’t talking either.

“Thanks for reaching out. The City Attorney’s O ce has no comment at this time. You can attribute that to the City Attorney’s O ce or to City Attorney Barbara J. Parker,” Supervising Deputy City Attorney Zoe Savitsky wrote via email.

Raiders employees from the key period, including former president Marc Badain, former CEO Amy Trask and former general counsel Jeff Birren, also declined to comment. Raiders spokesman Will Kiss did not respond to at least three email messages requesting comment from the team.

But after multiple requests and going over documents from that period, one source close to the negotiations finally o ered insights earlier this month. Those insights are powerful.

According to the source, the 2005 agreement emerged from a collision of two ongoing disputes, one legal and the other practical. In court, the two sides were debating the blame for empty Coliseum seats — was it the fault of the Oakland Football Marketing As-

sociation for shoddy ticket promotions, or the Raiders for fielding uncompetitive teams? At one point the Raiders won a $34.2 million court judgment. And though the city and county eventually got that judgment dismissed, they were desperate to get out of the ticket-selling business.

But with the original 10year lease about to expire after the 2004 season, there was also the fundamental question of where the Raiders were going to play. Oakland leaders couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the team leave again.

So the Raiders and the JPA worked out a new lease. As part of it, the Raiders took back the responsibility and the expense of marketing. In exchange, the source said, the city and county restructured the loan agreement to free the team of the Operations Loan burden and eliminate the tax considerations.

It was a stunning move.

“The Raiders took over the expenses, that’s true, but those expenses were nowhere close to being equivalent to the debt or the issues related to the Operations Loan,” the source said. “It’s a seismic di erence. … I have no idea why the city and county did that. From a leverage standpoint, it’s ab -

surd.” De la Fuente said he doesn’t know either.

“We didn’t sue them so that we could give them a bigger break,” de la Fuente said. “Honestly, I have no memory of us changing the language to help the Raiders. There were so many lawyers involved in this deal that it’s hard to remember everything that happened.”

However, other o cials concede there was an ongoing appeasement process, attempting to keep the team happy in hopes of keeping them in Oakland.

“We were always just giving the Raiders more and more when it was clear they were just using us,” former JPA member and sports agent Aaron Goodwin said.

What if the city and county had played the game differently? What if they had retained the leverage in the original 1995 agreement? Would a $189 million debt — and its associated tax burden — have been enough to make the Raiders think long and hard before leaving for Las Vegas?

There is no way to know. But this much is clear: Without that obstacle, the Raiders started plotting to procure a deal in Las Vegas, starting with a secret meeting.

In 2013, Oakland and Alameda County began a new round of talks with the team, now with Mark Davis in the lead role after the death of his father two years earlier. Under the ground rules, the Raiders agreed to bargain in “good faith” on a possible new stadium and/or long-term lease. Despite that agreement, Mark Davis had his eye on the exit. Bert Tabor was a Raiders employee when the team was in Los Angeles. Tabor had been fired by Al Davis because of drug issues. He went into rehab, eventually moved to Las Vegas and became successful in the high-end lighting business.

In June 2013, Tabor and his partners were called to Oakland by Mark Davis. Tabor recounted what happened in multiple interviews, including a Las Vegas radio chat in 2020.

“Mark Davis looks at me, shakes my hand and says, ‘You doing good?’ He looks at Bill Smith (one of Tabor’s partners) and says, ‘Hey, suit-and-tie guy, how big is Bert in Vegas?’ And he says, ‘What do you want?’ I calmed down and I looked at … Mark and I said, ‘I know what you want, Mark, hold on.’ I run out in front of his o ce and I called both Goodmans, (former mayor) Oscar and (his wife, current mayor) Carolyn.

“They call me right back and say, ‘What’s wrong?’ I said, ‘You guys, you won’t believe this, Mark wants to bring the team to Vegas.’

She goes, ‘Where are you at?’ I say I’m in front of him. I hand him my cell phone. They’re on the phone about 45 minutes, and we’re sitting there. They hang up and the next thing I know, Mark is coming to town. The secret meeting was at Oscar’s restaurant. … I waited five years (for the team to move). Carolyn Goodman sent me a text, said, ‘Bert, you are the reason the Raiders are coming; me and Oscar want to wish you a beautiful New Year.’”

Carolyn Goodman pub -

licly thanked Tabor during a restaurant opening on August 6, 2020. “I just want to say something a little preemptive here,” Goodman said. “You know we’re getting our Las Vegas Raiders soon. I want to introduce you to someone who was very instrumental in helping us get the Las Vegas Raiders to Southern Nevada. Bert Tabor, put your hand up please.”

Goodman then pointed at Tabor and said: “You really did it. We’re just so grateful for this.”

It took three years after those 2013 conversations for Davis’ Las Vegas ambitions to become public, and another three years for the Raiders to leave Oakland. But an intriguing question remains. Did the teams’ double-dealing leave the city and county, or perhaps even the state, with any recourse? Did the Raiders, somewhere along the way, violate the lease or the loan agreement? Did the promise to operate in good faith pull its own vanishing act?

State Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is from Alameda, has been contacted by Oakland residents about a possible case against Davis but hasn’t pursued the idea. Bonta did not return multiple messages from the Bay Area News Group.

Gardner said the questions are worth looking into. To the issue of the loans, he said, “This is a complicated legal matter and di erent lawyers can read the same documents very di erently.”

A sports law attorney with knowledge of the Raiders agreement with Oakland and Alameda County was more skeptical.

“That’s a pretty big stretch,” he said of the idea that the loan agreement retains power even today. “But there’s certainly a fair amount of proof that the Raiders never had any real intention of staying. If you could prove that, you have a chance for damages.

“Would it be $189 million in damages? Who knows? You can’t find out if you don’t try.”

team photo shows the

team

one — is called an “inside slider” low pressure system, bringing brief snow flurries to the Sierra Nevada.

By midweek, “it turns right back on, with another warmup,” said meteorologist Brayden Murdock of the NWS in Monterey.

At Palo Alto’s Winter Lodge skating rink, a soldout crowd circled in T-shirts and tank tops. Across town, Rinconada Pool was filled with local swimmers lapping the sun-glistened water. Nearby, families waited in line to get into the local zoo and parents applied sunscreen to their kids.

At San Jose’s Santana Row, sisters Arabella, 15, and Mariela Damarillo, 12, took their chess match out-

Rates

volves race, culture, access and educational opportunities for minority student populations.

There’s no clear answer for how to close the gaps. The imposition of vaccine mandates hasn’t worked, and many have now been delayed. School districts and counties haven’t succeeded by ramping up vaccination sites and o ering incentives. And educational campaigns to combat mistrust in the jabs haven’t been successful at increasing vaccination rates much past the halfway mark for Black students.

It’s likely many of them won’t have their shots by the time their school’s deadline arrives — or a statewide vaccination mandate for all students in grades 7-12 takes e ect, perhaps as early as this summer, said Alex Stack, a spokesperson from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press o ce.

Newsom said last fall that his timeline depends on the federal Food and Drug Administration granting full approval of the vaccines for children ages 1215, as it has for youth ages 16 and up.

School districts that don’t want to impose the state’s mandate then will be in a bind: If they defy the immunization requirements, they could be at risk of losing state funding. But if they follow the rules, unvaccinated students would have to disenroll from school and compete for scarce remotelearning resources.

The current numbers are so discouraging that two of the East Bay’s largest districts — West Contra Costa Unified and Oakland Unified — postponed student vaccine mandates that were due to take e ect in January and February. Those mandates are designed to keep students, teachers and sta safe from catching or spreading the virus. But many parents say they feel that forcing their children to get the shots is unnecessary, unsafe and goes against their personal beliefs. Oakland’s mandate includes a religious belief exemption, but West Contra Costa does not.

Although Newsom said the state’s vaccine mandate will include a personal be -

side, playing near the cool central fountain. Albert Zhang didn’t realize how warm his Saturday morning hike at the Shell Ridge Open Space in Walnut Creek would be until he found himself overheating underneath a thick black jacket and exercise pants — his goto gear for winter excursions.

“We had to take a break because it was so hot,” said Zhang, who threw on a Tshirt and shorts as soon as he’d returned to a friend’s home. “I had to suffer it out on the hike, and it got pretty stressful when the sun came out.”

The Khosla family increased sta ng in advance of the warm weekend at Rick’s Ice Cream shop, the small business they own in Palo Alto. Many families with kids donned shorts and flip-flops and sat on benches in front of the shop in a scene rem-

iniscent of a blistering sum-

mer day. Khosla and her family are grateful for hot winter days because the business helps keeps the shop afloat amid constantly increasing rent prices.

In the Sierra Nevada, volunteers with the Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue trained on the cooler eastfacing slopes of Barker Pass in Tahoe National Forest, where snow is still soft in the sun but icy under trees.

“Blue skies and beautiful,” said volunteer Sebastien Levin. “But the snow coverage is starting to decline, with more bare spots than just a week ago. Westfacing slopes are completely melted out along the ridges, where it’s been windy.”

The wildflower season is o to an early start, according to the California Wildflower Tipline. Douglas Irises are already bloom-

VACCINATION RATES BY COUNTY

ing along the trails of Point Reyes National Seashore. Bermuda Buttercups and Beach Wormwood can be seen at Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove. The calla lilies in Carmel’s Garrapata State Beach are already in full bloom. Pink Indian Warriors are decorating the edges of Filoli Trail in Woodside. The warm dry weather is caused by a massive high pressure system, or “ridge,” that’s locked into place far out over the Pacific Ocean, according to meterologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services.

Normally, a high-altitude river of moist air, called the jet stream, would flow into California. But the huge peanut-shaped ridge is splitting the jet stream in two, part of it flowing through Canada and part through Mexico.

Its absence is depriving us of rain and snow. Our storms are going north, through British Columbia and dropping down into Alberta, the Great Lakes and the eastern half of the U.S..

We get warmer as offshore winds push air from the higher-elevation Great Basin toward the low-elevation California coast. As air falls, it compresses, and heats up. For every 1,000 feet that air sinks, it warms 5 degrees

“It’s been persistent,” Null said. “The air mass keeps warming up.”

This was the week that 135 years ago, 3.7 inches of snow fell in downtown San Francisco. That February 1887 event remains the greatest snowfall in San Francisco’s history. We’ve now gone 35 days without rain or snow. And, it’s now o cial: January 2022 was the second driest Janu-

ary on record in California.

In the last eight years, California has experienced three of the top five driest January’s on record in the state.

Seasonal average precipitation is still about normal. But we lose another percentage point of average precipitation for each additional day that it doesn’t rain or snow.

“After two dry years, we don’t need normal rainfall,” Null said. “Normal is not good enough.”

By midafternoon Saturday, the sun’s rays and blue skies were beaming down on the parking lot at Trader Joe’s in Walnut Creek, but longtime resident Ursula Kaprielian wasn’t beaming back, knowing that the warmth came with consequences.

“I’m enjoying this sun, but I’m having a guilty conscience that it isn’t raining,” she said

lief exemption, that could be moot if proposed legislation by Sen. Richard Pan is approved. Pan’s bill would add COVID-19 shots to the list of required childhood vaccinations, and like the rules for those other vaccinations, would not include an exemption. Pan’s bill would not take e ect until January 2023 if approved.

away from unvaccinated students.

SJM-VAXRATES-0213-90 vaxrates-KIDS BY COUNTY-021322

The West Contra Costa school board put the district’s Feb. 18 vaccine mandate on temporary hold after finding that more than 5,000 of the 12,430 kids ages 12 and up had still not notified the district of their vaccination status — 57% of students.

Jan. 26, because of the high vaccination numbers, and to keep kids who aren’t vaccinated learning in classrooms rather than forcing them into an independent study program, Superintendent Randall Booker wrote in a Jan. 27 letter to parents. The district was also facing a lawsuit over the mandate from two anti-vaccination groups and two Piedmont parents. Hayward Unified and Berkeley Unified also have vaccine mandates but o er students a vaccine-or-test option. At Hayward Unified about 70% of students have submitted proof of vaccination. Among Black students, 57% had submitted proof. Berkeley did not provide information on student vaccine rates.

Student social-emotional well-being is a concern for kids who don’t have the vaccine. Kids who won’t be able

to attend in-person learning due to mandates could lose connection to their school communities, teachers and classmates, extracurriculars and miss out on crucial academic benefits o ered in the classroom.

“We saw the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s not good for Black and Brown students,” Howard said. “It’s a 2.0 version of separate and unequal.”

Despite the di culties, Bay Area local health departments, physicians, community activists and others are still plowing forward to combat vaccine hesitancy. California has invested $25 million to build integrated teams of county health and education o cials and is o ering support with school-based vaccine clinics and events.

In Santa Clara County, for example, a county health department team is

working on building trust and education about COVID-19 vaccines in Latino communities, particularly in East Side Union High School and Gilroy Unified school districts. They are promoting the vaccine on Telemundo and bilingual radio shows, hosting promotional giveaways at local department stores and launching mobile vaccine hubs in the least vaccinated communities.

“For many people, what’s on their mind is ‘What’s the added point of a booster if I just got infected or what’s the point of getting the vaccine?'” said Monika Roy, an assistant health o cer.

The school districts there aren’t tracking student vaccination data, but county data shows that Black, Latino and Native American kids ages 5-17 are the least likely to have gotten the shots.

West Contra Costa parents and caregivers Stella Miranda, Venessa McGhee and Mireya Almanza are part of a larger group of parents of kids in the districts calling themselves “Families Against Mandates.”

Je Durham (510) 449-7785 jdurham@bayareanewsgroup.com

JIMENEZ graphics@bayareanewsgroup.com

Only 40% of Black students have submitted proof of vaccination. The school board will meet again Wednesday to decide on a new deadline.

“All parents should be entitled to feel how they want about the vaccine and have the right to decide whether to get their children vaccinated,” McGhee said.

Other parents said they should have the right to send their kids to a school where they don’t have to sit next to a student who isn’t vaccinated and threatens their family’s safety.

Elise Cecaci, a member of the East Oakland Collaborative who is trying to combat vaccine hesitancy among Black parents in her own community, enrolled her son in Oakland Unified’s Sojourner Truth Independent Study program after unenrolling him from Northern Light, a local private school, to keep her son and her family safe from the virus.

“We have pretty much been removed from everybody and are very aggressively trying to not expose anybody or be exposed,” Cecaci said.

But she said she’s unsatisfied with the online program and disappointed that the district hasn’t put the resources to build it up despite increased demand from parents who want to keep their kids home and

In Oakland Unified, about 35% of the district’s 15,160 kids 12 and up have not submitted COVID-19 vaccination records. Only 43% of Black students and 45% of Pacific Islander students have reported receiving their shots. The numbers are slightly higher among Native American kids at 56%, and 68% for Latino students. 84% of White and Asian kids have submitted the records.

Faced with the prospect of having to push out thousands of students of color who haven’t met the requirement, the Oakland school board postponed its student vaccine mandate from Jan. 31 to Aug. 1.

“They would not let so many students end up with the threat of being unenrolled from in-person school for being unvaccinated, not enrolling in independent study, and not having an exemption,” said John Sasaki, a spokesman for Oakland Unified.

The vaccination rates at West Contra Costa and Oakland are dismal compared to nearby Piedmont Unified, where more than 97% of all students 12 and up are fully vaccinated.

The district imposed a vaccine mandate at the end of last year, but dropped it

Cartoonist’s

How far up did SJSU sex abuse cover-up reach?

The recent disclosure of a long-secret 2016 memo exposes former San Jose State University President Mary Papazian’s cover-up of a trainer’s sexual abuse of female athletes — and raises questions about who above her also was culpable.

The four-page memo, written to Papazian as she took the helm at the campus, was authored by her predecessor, former interim President Sue Martin. It warned about trainer Scott Shaw, who abused more than a dozen female athletes.

“There was inappropriate handling, touching of female athletes by the director of sports medicine, who is still here!” Martin wrote to Papazian. Yet Shaw continued treating female athletes for another four years, unfettered, leaving at least two additional victims — and perhaps more — in his wake.

As the Bay Area News Group’s Julia Prodis Sulek reported last Sunday, the memo also warned that then-deputy athletic director Marie Tuite promoted a toxic culture of fear and retaliation and threatened anyone who brought up allegations against Shaw. The university launched a formal “climate review” of the athletic program in 2016, but Papazian inexcusably failed to act. Instead, she promoted Tuite to athletic director.

In 2020, after the first news story about the abuse, Papazian claimed she first learned about the case in late 2019 when whistleblowing Spartan swim coach Sage Hopkins took his yearslong crusade to protect his athletes from Shaw to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

For more than a year after that, Papazian and the university did not acknowledge that

the 2016 memo existed. After months of obfuscation and delay, lawyers from the Cal State system last month finally released Martin’s memo to the Bay Area News Group.

Why the cover-up? And how high did it go in the Cal State system?

The statewide chancellor’s o ce has oversight responsibility for SJSU and its president. When did the chancellor’s o ce first become aware of the sexual abuse case and the memo? If they didn’t know about the memo in 2016, why not? And if they did know and took no action, heads should roll.

Shaw resigned in August 2020 but only after a new victim came forward with fresh allegations. He has not been criminally charged and remains under investigation by the FBI.

The Department of Justice in September 2021 blasted the university’s handling of the claims and announced that the university had agreed to pay $1.6 million to 13 of the victims. Two weeks later Papazian announced she would step down as president. Tuite left the university in October.

Michael Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the chancellor’s o ce, said Thursday in an email that an external Title IX procedural response investigation is underway and “we are hoping that the investigation is concluded in the near future and to be able to share our findings.” He declined to respond to specific questions related to the investigation.

The victims of the abuse and the San Jose State community deserve more than “hope.” The only way to bring closure to this dark period of the university’s history and begin rebuilding trust is full transparency.

U.S. media too harsh on Olympic athletes

Olympic athletes are humans, too.

The NBC television coverage of our Olympians — both summer and winter — are becoming dangerously psychotic in the way the athletes are treated by the broadcasters when our athletes don’t win gold medals. This is not healthy at all. It is very sad that everything seems to be tied to the ad dollars at the expense of the athletes.

Representing one’s country is one of the greatest accomplishments for a human being, irrespective of a gold medal.

— Rajesh Ananth Mountain View

Sunnyvale needs better solution for crows

The lasers are not keeping the crows away from downtown as recent articles in the news claim. The crows are roosting in downtown trees by the thousands. They are there every morning as I drop a passenger at the train at 6:30. I also see them by the hundreds at Las Palmas Park, where they perform coordinated attacks on the parrots. They are eating the tons of garbage that litter our streets, playing fields and playgrounds when they aren’t dining on the garbage from downtown Sunnyvale. We need to find a way to reduce the population of crows, rather than chasing them to Palo Alto and San Jose.

— Maggie DeLoach, Sunnyvale

Santa Clara County should relax its mask mandate

ANDA CHU — STAFF ARCHIVES

APPEASING RUSSIA OR DEFENDING FREEDOM

vestigating until Trump fired him the day before. Surely you remember.

Re: “Most of Bay Area will ease mask rule” (Page A1, Feb. 10): I am upset and disappointed with Dr. Sara Cody’s decision. It is inconsistent with other Bay Area counties and the state. Looking at the hospitalization dashboard, I see we have about 30 ICU and more than 800 regular beds available (twice the number of beds in use). Using

CLAY BENNETT — CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS

those numbers, I don’t see why Santa Clara County wouldn’t lift the indoor mask mandate consistent with the state’s order (effective Feb. 16). Is Santa Clara County really worse o than other Bay Area counties that showed the wisdom and courage to lift the mask mandate? Remember, when COVID-19 broke out in March 2020, all seven Bay Area counties had a unified plan. Let’s do that again.

Enough of sacrifice by the 84% vaccinated (to the other 16% unvaccinated). It’s time for the anti-vaxxers to carry their share of the burden.

— Ram Srinivasan, San Jose Teachers

need more support than higher pay

The article “We love to love teachers, but pay doesn’t reflect it” (Page A7, Feb. 9) was spot on; however, as we are paying less, we are asking more from our teachers without providing support for them.

One assistant principal told me she was testing more than 200 students a day for COVID-19, and started her workday at 7 in the morning and ending it at 9 at night. That’s hardly sustainable. Teacher pay is just one facet of the issue; personnel support in the classroom and for schools, investment in the buildings, equipment, technology, cutting-edge professional development for teachers and other sta , and support for teacher preparation programs are equally essential.

It’s critical to invest time, effort and money in how we prepare teachers for the profession so that they stay in the profession. Mostly, we must accept that not everyone is meant to be a teacher.

— Kalpana Thatte, San Jose San Francisco offers model on helping communities

COVID-19 has a ected our lives in many ways. We have lost jobs, businesses and our livelihoods. Nothing is normal anymore but luckily there are

organizations that are willing to help.

In particular, SF New Deal has been a big help in San Francisco. There is nothing like that in San Jose. What SF New Deal does is provide food to the needy while helping out local businesses.

This is a great way to help the community as a whole because even if things are starting to open up, businesses are still struggling because people are struggling to get jobs. Moreover, it’s the beginning of the year. If you didn’t know, most businesses struggle in the beginning of the year because everyone spent their money during the holidays and is trying to save up.

This is why San Jose should have a similar program like SF New Deal.

— Christian Garcia, San Jose Will rest of GOP follow McConnell, Pence to truth?

It was important front-page news when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted the GOP about the Republican National Committee’s recent announcements (“McConnell blasts GOP over censure,” Page A1, Feb. 9). Much of the political and social disaster our nation is facing would be in our rearview mirror had Republican lawmakers spoken honestly about the free and fair 2020 election and the Jan. 6 insurrection to overturn the results of that election.

The election was not stolen, there was no evidence of voter fraud and Jan. 6 was not “legitimate political discourse.”

Last week former Vice President Mike Pence announced that Donald Trump was wrong in saying he could overturn the election, but that news was buried on page 3. We citizens clearly saw what happened, but it has taken over a year for these key players to acknowledge the truth publicly. One can only hope that others will now relocate their spines and speak the truth as well.

— Mary Certa, Campbell

Lately I’ve been thinking of a scene in the Oval O ce shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States.

It was May 10, 2017. This was when his sta ers were still finding their desks, heads of state were clamoring for a phone call with our new president, and Russia a few years earlier had annexed Crimea and moved special forces into other parts of eastern Ukraine (which they still occupy).

Oh, and there was conclusive evidence Russia’s intelligence services had sought to interfere in our election, which FBI Director James Comey had been in-

Yet, here was the foreign minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov (who, five years later, is still the foreign minister), yukking it up in the Oval O ce with Trump, to the evident dismay of our national security team, which did not even have a chance to brief him in advance, let alone warn him to avoid disclosing confidential matters — which he went ahead and did.

Yes, that happened. The pictures were released by the Russian News Agency. Putin had requested that Trump meet with Lavrov so the foreign minister could spin the recent invasion of Ukraine in a more favorable light. It worked.

For the rest of his presidency, Trump consistently took the Russian side in international disputes, to the great consternation of our allies in Europe, the beleaguered country of Ukraine, and even our own national security o cials, whom he openly ignored and belittled. Indeed, his handling of Ukraine led to his first impeachment.

So, in the present-day crisis, with Russia threatening another invasion of that poor country, and Trump threatening to run again, it’s fair to ask of him, “Which side are you on?” I think everyone knows the answer to that, but the media should get him on record. Because I predict he’ll pick Putin and blame Biden. And maybe the question should be posed to his many en-

ablers in Congress. After all, a significant number of them still support his lies about our election. Again, for the record, “Whose side are you on?”

In the 1930s, there were plenty of apologists in the United States for bad actors in Italy, Germany, Russia and Spain. Then, as now, the defenders of liberal democracy were under siege by autocrats and their apologists. Today it is the alt-right in Europe and America, including Steve Bannon. And in the media, it’s Tucker Carlson, one of Fox News’ main propagandists. Some will always choose appeasement. Lenin called them “useful idiots.” But that never works out because aggressors are never satisfied with just a

little.

We do not have a defense alliance with Ukraine. We will not send troops. But we cannot and must not acquiesce to the lie that their sovereign nation should bend to a Russian hegemony.

Americans must stand for freedom and against its enemies. Trump and his supporters need to choose which side they are on.

Thomas Higgins, of Oakland, served as deputy secretary to the Cabinet in the White House of President Jimmy Carter. His responsibilities included coordinating federal activities for crisis management, including emergency refugee resettlement and natural disasters.

By Thomas Higgins

On Ukraine, Trump and supporters need to choose a side

Opinion MORE LOCAL NEWS » THE MERCURYNEWS.COM 111 A12 THE MERCURY NEWS » SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Decades a er the pill, another revolution

By Therese Raphael

When the BBC reflected on the 50 things that made the modern economy a few years back, of course it included the pill. Oral contraception ushered in a revolution some 60 years ago that freed women to plan their lives. It meant many could enroll in graduate programs and pursue professional careers, raising long-term income levels and spurring far-reaching economic change.

There is no obvious equivalent today. And yet a new move in Britain to address inequalities in health care could prove almost as revolutionary for women — and for a country that, like many others, is experiencing slowing long-term growth trends and an aging population that is living longer.

The U.K. government promised last year to “reset the dial” on women’s health, and its new strategy is due to be published in the spring. We’ll have to reserve judgment until then, but last week Britain’s medicines regulator took a step forward with a proposal to make hor-

Cartoonist’s view

mone replacement therapy, used to treat menopause symptoms, available over the counter and at negligible charge. There is now a consultation to make a single product — Estradiol, a vaginal estrogen — available to women over 50 without a prescription. Like the U.K.’s decision last year to make two forms of oral contraception available over the counter, this move comes with extremely low risks and takes a little pressure o over-stretched doctors. It would be a small change, but also a milestone. For decades, conversation around menopause was either overheated, inhibited or just misinformed.

A minority are lucky enough to breeze through menopause. But 3 in 4 women will have symptoms that alter their quality of life, including trouble sleeping, hot flushes, brain fog, irritability, low moods or anxiety and urogenital problems. The fun lasts seven years, on average, but can go on for a decade or more. A quarter of women will experience severe symptoms, according to the British Menopause Society.

For most women, things really kick o around 50, but menopause has phases and many women experience symptoms from their mid-40s. This is lousy timing on nature’s part. It comes just as women are at a high point in their careers, or are ready to launch new ones, and when they are dealing with the joys and strains of teenagers, older children leaving home or caring for elderly parents.

It’s hard to find concrete data on the impacts on women’s work outcomes, but there’s no doubt menopause a ects careers. In a U.K. survey conducted by YouGov, three out of five menopausal women reported their symptoms a ected their work lives; nearly a third said they had taken sick leave because of symptoms, though only a quarter disclosed the reason to their managers. An October survey found that a quarter of women with serious symptoms left their jobs. Scores of studies have confirmed that hormone therapy, of which there are many kinds, provides substantial relief from the most common symptoms. Many women find it gives them

their lives back. In England, women can get a virtual consultation with a GP and a prescription costing just over 9 pounds ($12) for a three-month supply of a combined HRT (estrogen and progestogen); the government has introduced a bill to remove those costs and set out broader menopause support services. Costs in the U.S., even with insurance coverage, can easily run 10 times that.

The thing is, not all women are good candidates for all HRT, and even when no complications exist there are risks to consider.

It’s important that a medical professional trained in menopause treatment oversee things.

Quantifying risks isn’t simple, as they vary by age, lifestyle, the kind of hormone, how long it’s taken and even the form of delivery. The U.K. medicines regulator says that in those of average weight who use HRT for five years, there will likely be five extra cases of breast cancer per 1,000 women who use estrogenonly HRT, and 20 extra cases per 1,000 women with combined estrogen-progestogen therapy. HRT also carries a small increase in the risk of ovarian can-

cer. Both increased risks are reversed when HRT is stopped, so most women are generally advised to use HRT for five years or less.

Haitham Hamoda, a consultant gynecologist and chairman of the British Menopause Society, says that after years of heightened fears and some continued uncertainties, there is more acceptance now that the balance of benefits and risks is favorable for most women and that the risks have to be compared with other cancer risks factors, such as excess weight or lack of exercise.

The U.K.’s step toward making one targeted HRT product available over the counter may seem small. But the trend toward more menopause information and better access to a variety of treatments will bring other changes too. As with the pill last century, giving women more control over their bodies means they’ll have more control over their lives.

Therese Raphael is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. © 2022 Bloomberg. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

By Joe Mathews

If the crisis in American democracy had a capital, it would be Los Angeles. This may be news to Americans who, in worrying about the nation’s democratic decline, obsess about developments in Washington, pronouncements from Mara-Lago, or election-related legislation in purple states. But in fact it is L.A. — the nation’s most populous county — that best demonstrates the most fundamental failure of our democracy.

WEAK GOVERNMENTS

Increase in military coups sends alarms that democracy is failing

By Elizabeth Shackelford

The latest blow to democracy is the explosion of coups around the world. Weak democratic governments that are failing to deliver are being overthrown. This global phenomenon has been most evident in West Africa.

In the past 18 months, coups have occurred in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Chad. Mali has had two in that period, and Niger and Guinea-Bissau have narrowly escaped coup attempts. More coups occurred in 2021 alone than in the prior five years combined. Africa has been no stranger to coups since the postcolonial independence period began in the 1960s, but they had been on the decline for 20 years — until now.

This uptick in coups has occurred at a time of democratic decline globally. The specific circumstances of each of the recent coups are di erent, but two factors have consistently contributed to an environment conducive to military takeovers.

First, weak democratic governments have failed to demonstrate that they can deliver security or services for their citizens. In Burkina Faso and Mali, people have lived in fear under an increasingly violent insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel, and their governments have been incapable of getting it under control. Military governments are no panacea to insecurity, but the public has become receptive to the idea that strongmen and hard power can save them.

In some ways, international assistance has taken this approach too. International partners have responded to the uptick in violence with a focus on military solutions at the cost of strengthening democratic institutions. France has led this

with a counterterrorism operation in the region that began in 2014, but the United States and others have also been deeply engaged.

Look no further than the generals who led the coups. Since 2008, military o cers trained by the United States have attempted at least nine coups across West Africa, eight of which succeeded. Many of the U.S.-trained military units across the region have been implicated in serious human rights abuses as well.

As a way of addressing terrorism, this might make sense. But the conflicts in the Sahel are driven by underlying grievances that fueled local insurgencies well before the Islamic State group and al-Qaida entered the scene. Without addressing inequality, endemic poverty, scarce resources, ethnic conflict and poor governance, counterterrorism campaigns on their own are little more than whack-a-mole.

The West helps these militaries get stronger while democratic institutions struggle to gain a foothold, leaving populations disillusioned with their leadership. Improving institutions and governance is slow, making it an unsatisfying approach for donor countries seeking results. But leading with a security focus has failed. They should prioritize reinforcing democracy instead.

Second, international partners, including regional multilateral bodies, have been loath to take meaningful action against undemocratic acts in recent years. This has created a permissive environment in which strongmen have felt free to seize power with little concern for facing meaningful consequences.

This di ers significantly from even a few years ago. In 2015, a coup attempt in Burkina Faso was met with uniform push-

back, the threat of international intervention, and outcry not only from regional bodies like the African Union and the Economic Community of West Africa, but from the United Nations as well. African political leaders intervened to hold talks that ultimately resulted in an agreement for a return to civilian rule.

This kind of response has been missing from subsequent coup attempts. The U.N. Security Council, for one, has lost its bite. In 2015, both Russia and China joined the rest of the U.N. Security Council members in condemning the military junta in Burkina Faso. This strongly reinforced the acts of ECOWAS and the African Union, whose actions alone do little to impede military strongmen.

The future of democracy depends on its ability to provide security and prosperity for its people. Those who want democracy to succeed must help make the case. The United States and its democratic allies must work to reinforce democracy in those places where it is getting a foothold, rewarding leaders who make it work and helping them where needed. We must also stop unintentionally undermining it with a fixation on shortterm security. This means not only condemning coups but also discouraging other undemocratic acts.

If this administration really seeks a renewal of democracy worldwide, it must put its money where its mouth is on democracy and human rights.

Elizabeth Shackelford is a senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global A airs. She was previously a U.S. diplomat and is author of “The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.” © 2022 Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

Democracy in this country starts with elected representation, and we Angelenos have less of it than Americans in the other 49 states. Angelenos are often accused of not paying attention to government and politics. But perhaps that’s because our politicians don’t pay attention to us. They are too distant from us to represent us e ectively. In the city of Los Angeles, population 4 million-plus, there are just 15 city council members. That means each council member represents 270,000 people, the highest such ratio in the country. At the county level, L.A. is even less democratic, with just five elected supervisors to represent 10.3 million people — those 2-million-person local districts are among the world’s largest.

At the state level, Angelenos have the misfortune of being Californians, who su er under America’s least representative state government. Our state Senate districts, with nearly 1 million people each, and our Assembly districts, with 500,000 Californians each, are the largest in the country.

And if that’s not outrageous enough, look at Washington. Californians, with just two senators, have the lowest level of representation in the democratic fraud scheme that is the U.S. Senate. The House of Representatives, by guaranteeing one seat to even small states, gives Wyoming three times the electoral power of Californians. And with San Francisco kid Stephen Breyer’s retirement, there is not a single Californian on the U.S. Supreme Court. The sorry state of democratic representation is undermining trust in government.

In order to get elected in districts of such size and scale, our representatives must pay more attention to those who can fund their massive campaigns. That, in turn, explains why people with less wealth or fewer connections — especially women and people of color — are so badly underrepresented in elected o ce.

The answer to this problem is straightforward: Massively expand the number of our rep -

resentatives at every level. That way, each elected ocial would represent a smaller number of people. And creating more positions would open doors for people with more diverse backgrounds and less attachment to political careers.

The good news is that there is real momentum for change here. L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer, now running for mayor, and the Los Angeles Times have called for doubling the size of the Los Angeles City Council. At the county level, the new Citizens Redistricting Commission pleaded publicly for an increase in the number of supervisors, to reflect the region’s diversity and give people more voice in government. And state ballot measures to increase the size of the legislature have circulated in recent years.

The momentum for expanding representation is growing nationally, and across the political spectrum. In December, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences issued The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives. The proposal would lift the 1929 cap on the 435-member House. A resulting increase in House representatives would also boost the number of Electoral College members — mathematically making it more di cult for the loser of the popular vote for president to win the election.

Lately, I’ve been talking with Californians about expanding representation, as part of a national campaign organized by Citizens Rising. One lesson: If you want to go big in democratic representation, it’s essential to think small. Adding a few districts to our city council, or even a few hundred to the House, won’t bring people that much closer to your representatives. Instead, the country needs a real commitment to keeping districts so small — between 30,000 and 50,000 — that we actually know our democratic representatives.

An America with more lawmakers would o er many more opportunities for people to serve, and would make money less determinative of who wins elections. Indeed, such larger bodies might be filled not just by elections but by lot, in the manner of citizen assemblies worldwide that bring everyday people into decision-making.

Such changes would make the biggest di erence in Los Angeles and in California, where our democracy deficit is largest. So, the next time you hear public o cials here promise to save American democracy, please ask them to start by giving us more democracy right here at home.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square.

FUNDAMENTAL FAILURE

If the U.S. democracy crisis has a capital, it has to be Los Angeles

Blinken: U.S. has a ‘long-term future’ in the Paci c islands

By Edward Wong and Damien Cave

The New York Times

NADI, FIJI » As the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Fiji in 36 years, Antony Blinken wanted to make clear that jetting here to meet with Pacific island leaders was just the start of an expanding U.S. presence.

“We see our long-term future in the Indo-Pacific,” Blinken said at a news conference Saturday night, standing next to Fiji’s acting leader. “It’s as simple

and basic as that.” Blinken said the United States would soon open an embassy in another Pacific nation, the Solomon Islands. He pledged more U.S. help on climate change, COVID-19 vaccines and illegal fishing, all issues vital to the region.

But at their core, the commitments reflected U.S. concerns about China and an attempt to compete in a sparsely populated but strategically important area where Beijing has been expanding its influence.

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the acting prime minister of Fiji, welcomed the renewed U.S. engagement.

“America is uniquely positioned to be a direct partner to Fiji for peace and climate security,” he said.

“We need American might and its mind as well as pioneering solutions and investments.”

The Pacific island nations are spread across a broad area, between Hawaii, Asia and Australia. They prize their sovereignty and want to be seen

as autonomous actors. Yet they, like many other small countries, are becoming increasingly enmeshed in the global competition between the United States and China.

“While there are important differences between Pacific island countries, there is a clear understanding, even if they don’t admit it, that they are caught up in an intensifying geopolitical rivalry,” said Iati Iati, a senior lecturer and Pacific security fellow at the Victoria University of Wellington

Many faith leaders wary of the religious exemptions for vaccine

By David Crary and Peter Smith

The Associated Press

By the thousands, Americans have been seeking religious exemptions in order to circumvent COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but generally they are doing so without the encouragement of major denominations and prominent religious leaders.

From the Vatican, Pope Francis has defended the vaccines as “the most reasonable solution to the pandemic.” The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America declared categorically that its followers would not be offered religious exemptions. Robert Jeffress, the conservative pastor of a Baptist megachurch in Dallas, voiced similar sentiments.

“Since there is no credible biblical argument against vaccines, we have refused to o er exemptions to the handful of people who have requested them,” Jeffress told The Associated Press via email. “People may have strong medical or political objections to government-

mandated vaccines, but just because those objections are strongly felt does not elevate them to a religious belief that should be accommodated.”

Rabbi Sholom Lipskar of The Shul of Bal Harbour, an Orthodox synagogue in Surfside, Florida, says he tells congregation members that vaccination should be a matter of free choice. “But I always recommend that they get a medical opinion from a competent professional,” he added. “In a serious matter, they should get two concurring medical opinions.”

Within the U.S. Catholic Church, there are divisions — even though Pope Francis has been clear in his support for vaccinations. While some bishops have forbidden their priests from assisting in seeking exemptions, other bishops and priests have provided template letters for people claiming conscientious objections from the vaccines on Catholic grounds.

“We have had many requests and have helped quite a number process their let-

ter/request,” the Rev. Bob Stec of St. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, said via email.

“Vaccination is not a universal obligation and a person must obey the judgment of his or her own informed and certain Godgiven conscience,” says one of the letters provided by Stec. “If a Catholic comes to an informed and sure judgment in conscience that he or she should not receive a vaccine, then the Catholic Church acknowledges that the person … has the right to refuse the vaccine.”

It’s di erent in New Jersey’s Archdiocese of Newark, which has advised its priests not to support religious exemptions for their parishioners. “I have been asked about six times and have declined,” said the Rev. Alexander Santora, pastor of Our Lady of Grace & St. Joseph Parish in Hoboken.

Candice Buchbinder, a spokesperson for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said the denomination is currently study-

ing the question of religious exemptions. She noted that previous ELCA documents opposed broad religious exemptions and viewed medicine as “a gift of God for the good of the community.”

Even before the pandemic, the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council made clear its stance — adopting a resolution in June 2019 calling for stronger government vaccination mandates.

“The Executive Council recognizes no claim of theological or religious exemption from vaccination for our members,” the resolution said.

However, someone from a denomination that encourages vaccines can still seek an exemption based on individual conscience, said Bruce Ledewitz, a law professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Ledewitz said he would advise a client wanting a religious exemption to say simply, “I have prayed about this, and I have come to the conclusion that God does not want me to take this vaccine.”

in New Zealand. The island nations are diverse, but they have common concerns: slowing the sea-level rise that threatens to drown their low-lying lands; preserving the fisheries and ocean resources that bring them food and revenue; containing the spread of COVID-19; and strengthening their own infrastructure, investment and governance.

Fiji was the second stop on Blinken’s weeklong trip across the region, which is meant to signal that

SOUTH CAROLINA

the Asia-Pacific is the primary focus of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy.

As he was leaving Australia for Fiji, the White House released an 18-page paper on its so-called IndoPacific strategy, emphasizing a need to “shape the strategic environment” in which China operates. That includes promoting democratic institutions and civil society in the region, as well as helping countries “deploy advanced warfighting capabilities,” according to the document.

Push to be the 49th state with hate crime law stalls

By Jeffrey Collins The

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. » It took South Carolina lawmakers only two months to act when a female college student was kidnapped and killed by a man posing as an Uber driver. The Legislature acted swiftly to prevent such crimes in the future.

By comparison, state Rep. Wendell Gilliard says, more than six years have passed since the racist murders of nine African Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, and the Legislature has yet to take action to add punishment to victims of crimes motivated by bias against a particular group. That makes South Carolina one of only two states — the other being Wyoming — without a hatecrimes law.

“It was wrong what happened to that young woman,” Gilliard said of the college student. “Nobody should ever meet their demise in such a way. But when you look at the Mother Emanuel Nine, we have this bill that has been waiting patiently now for six years.”

The “ Clementa C. Pinck-

ney Hate Crimes Act “ is named for the pastor who died in the attack. Pinckney was also a state senator. The bill would add up to five years in prison for someone convicted of murder, assault or other violent crime fueled by hatred of the victim’s race, sexual orientation, gender, religion or disability.

The bill currently sits in the Senate. The clock is ticking. If senators don’t approve the proposal by the end of their session in May, everything goes back to square one.

“We have great senators over there,” Gilliard said. “But now we need them to stand up. Show a little backbone.”

Efforts to pass a hate crimes law in Wyoming, where the killing of gay college student Matthew Shepard led to the federal hate crimes law, have repeatedly failed including in 2021. There is no indication the issue will come up in the session that starts Monday.

Arkansas passed a hate crime law in 2021. Georgia passed its own law in 2020 four months after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

CASES AND DEATHS OVER TIME

CURRENT HOT SPOTS

Swim center in need of care, renovation

CALIFORNIA Groups push for fund for health equity, racial justice

Nonpro t clinics, tribal organizations and other community helpers want to be part of state’s public infrastructure

By Jesse Bedayn jbedayn@bayareanewsgroup.com

Nonprofit health clinics, tribal organizations and other community groups are renewing their push for a $100 million per year health equity and racial justice fund after Gov. Gavin Newsom left it out of the state budget last year.

Democratic lawmakers had included the fund in their version of the state budget last year as part of a broader public health package focused on reducing racial disparities. Supporters noted how COVID-19 has exacerbated long-standing health inequities with a disproportionate number of Black and Latino residents experiencing higher rates of illness and death.

But even as Newsom authorized $300 million per year in new funding for state and local public health departments, his 2022 budget proposal did not include the health equity and racial justice fund, leaving advocates disappointed.

These groups say they should be considered part of the state’s public health infrastructure since they play a crucial role in reaching underserved communities. They argue that they have helped reduce the spread of COVID-19 by educating people about testing and the importance of getting vaccinated, as well as conducting their own contact tracing.

Storied pool closed for maintenance more than 100 days last year

By Grace Hase ghase@bayareanewsgroup.com

SANTA CLARA

» It was considered the crown jewel of the city when it was built in 1965.

Tucked away in a quiet singlefamily neighborhood in Santa Clara, the George F. Haines International Swim Center — named in 2000 after the late legendary U.S. Olympic swimming coach — has been likened to the legacy of Yankee Stadium by coaches past and present.

The Mission City became the epicenter of U.S. swimming in the 1960s and ’70s, with Haines training Olympians like Don Schollander, Donna de Varona and Mark Spitz, who won a record seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympic Games — an achievement only eclipsed by Michael Phelps.

Since then, Haines’ Santa Clara Swim Club has produced 80 Olympians and won 51 Olympic medals. Twenty-three world records have also been set in the Santa Clara pool, with the most recent by a 17-year-old Phelps in 2003. The club also shares the facility with the world-famous Santa Clara Aquamaids, headed by coach Chris Carver who trained the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic synchronized swimming teams at the facility.

But while Santa Clara continues to be ranked among the top swimming cities in the country and its

— Alvaro Jaramillo, a senior biologist at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, on an oriental turtle dove, native to Russia and Japan but rarely seen in the U.S., spotted last week in Palo Alto.

A storage room has holes in the wood at the International Swim Center in Santa Clara.

“To me, that’s shirking his moral and political responsibility to protect the health of low-income communities in California,” said Harold Goldstein, executive director of Public Health Advocates, a California nonprofit that promotes health equity.

Advocates are now hoping Newsom will use a share of California’s $45.7 billion surplus to authorize the fund.

COVID’S TOLL

Tabard Theatre director’s birthday wish is for bigger crowds at shows

Tabard Theatre Company Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Rhys Williams is inviting the public to celebrate his birthday with him at the theater at San Jose’s San Pedro Square on Tuesday. He doesn’t want anyone to bring gifts for him — but he is definitely hoping they consider a gift for Tabard, which he says is in serious financial trouble.

“Rather than just put up a show, we want to tell the story what it’s been like for the last couple of years. I’m hoping to put a personal face on the challenges we’ve been wrestling with to provide these arts experiences for people,” Williams said. “We definitely want to draw awareness to the arts at large. We know we’re not the only ones going through this.”

WOLVES

Federal judge in Oakland sides with environmental groups and reinstates Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in California and the West, rejecting Trump administration decision.

TESLA

Black workers at the electric car giant’s Fremont factory were subject to regular racial epithets, lower pay than White workers and other discrimination, state civil rights agency says in lawsuit.

BRIAN DAHLE

Republican state senator from Lassen County announces campaign to challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom in November. It raises his pro le, but in deep blue California, his odds are remote.

Sunday update not enough? » mercurynews.com/tag/internal-affairs

“With that rusty coloration and the funny little thing on its neck … this looks like you took a dove and kind of added some bling to it.”

SANTA CLARA

PHOTOS BY SHAE HAMMOND — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

TOP: Kevin Zacher, Santa Clara Swim Club head coach, speaks with swimmers during practice at the International Swim Center in Santa Clara on Jan. 28.

ABOVE: Rust shows in parts of the pool at the International Swim Center.

swimmers continue to earn prestige, the more than 50-year-old city-owned swim center is feeling the e ects of its age.

The swim center is composed of three pools: a 17-foot-deep diving well, a 50-meter competition pool and a shallow pool that houses a learn-toswim program. The pools are used by a myriad of groups including the swim club, the Aquamaids, diving and water polo teams and a masters swimming program. The swim center is also open to the public almost daily for lap swimming, as well as recreational swimming in the summer.

But many of those activities came to a halt last year when the pool was closed for more than 100 days due to maintenance issues, according to Santa Clara Swim Club head coach Kevin Zacher. A leak in the pool’s boiler alone led to a more than monthlong closure in the fall as the part needed for its repair had to be custom made.

“We’re just worried that things like that could continue to happen, and to the point where it won’t be repairable and we won’t have a place to swim,” Zacher said.

Other parts of the facility are also showing wear and tear. Tiles along the walls of the 50-meter pool have started to rust, paint is peeling o the sides of the decades-old buildings and a section of the showers have been closed o in the locker rooms because they’re no longer usable.

Veronica Ospina, whose two children have been swimming for the club for six years, said that while the condition of the swim center doesn’t necessarily bother them, it’s become di cult that the pool has been closed so many days.

“It’s really hard because of course you have loyalty to the club, but then you have your kids telling you, ‘Mommy if I don’t swim, I won’t be able to reach my goals,’” she said.

The club recently made its case to the Santa Clara City Council about the declining state of the swim center and the need for a new facility. But the city is facing a $19.6 million deficit in the coming fiscal year, and recent polling indicates that a potential infrastructure bond to fund it wouldn’t have enough voter support to pass this year.

The council has yet to make a final decision on the matter, but it’s possible the bond measure could be delayed until 2024.

The Aquamaids’ Carver has coached at the swim center since 1980 and has watched the facility decline over the years. She’s also witnessed several attempts to breath life back into the swim center or rebuild it completely.

The latest was in 2016 when the council approved plans for a new 171,650-square-foot combined swim and recreation center, along with a 1,242 space parking garage. The state-of-the art designs boasted a warm water pool for swimming lessons, a 50-meter training pool, a 50-meter competition pool and a diving well complete with arena seating. At the time, the International Swimming Hall of Fame was also making plans to move into the new facility once it was complete.

But the project came with a $184 million price tag, and even with a public-private partnership between the city and the Silicon Valley Aquatics Initiative — a nonprofit formed to support a new facility — there wasn’t a way to fund it.

Then, in 2018, the city reviewed the condition of its parks and recreation facilities as part of a discussion of whether to put a bond measure on the ballot to fund improvements. The swim center was deemed to be in critical shape, recording the worst score out of all the city’s parks and recreation buildings. City polling, however, showed there wasn’t enough support from residents. So the idea of a bond was scuttled.

“It impacts us in how we train, it impacts us in how we recruit, it impacts us in what we can o er to the community,” Carver said.

“You get kind of depressed about it because you know it needs to happen, you know that just about every city has a more updated facility than we do.”

Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder Chris Cavanaugh, who serves as the board

Ever y Life Has a Stor y

president for the swim club and the president of the Silicon Valley Aquatics Initiative, said they’ve been waiting to see what the city wants since a bond measure keeps getting put o But whatever Santa

Clara eventually decides, he wants to see a swim center that caters to the needs of the entire community.

While the future of the pool that Haines built hangs in the balance, Cavanaugh assures that the

condition of the pool hasn’t been a limitation in what swimmers over the years have achieved.

“One of the great parts about Santa Clara is the legacy being from the 1960s and the perfor -

mance there, it’s a great draw,” Cavanaugh said. “It has a mystique and a value that not only the community of swimming recognizes, but the community of Santa Clara city recognizes.”

SHAE HAMMOND — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Swimmers practice at the legendary International Swim Center in Santa Clara on Jan. 28.

Tabard is hoping to receive a California Venue Program grant, but Williams says even that would just get the company to the summer. “If it goes through, that’s a big gamechanger for us, but it really just extends the lifeline,” he said. “The only thing that’s going to get us through this is getting more audience in the room.”

Like other performing arts groups, Tabard was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic as live performances were shut down. Anticipating the necessity for livestreamed performances, Williams had a new video and audio system installed in the cozy, 150-seat venue. Between livestreamed shows, rent breaks and extra fundraising, Tabard managed to make it to the 2021-22 season, which everyone predicted would be a return to normal. But this season has been a roller coaster ride with audiences growing over the summer and then shrinking again because of the delta variant.

Things were looking up in early winter, but then the omicron surge came and scuttled plans to produce the musical “Triumph of Love” this month. Williams hoped to replace it with a nonmusical show with a smaller cast, but he couldn’t get one that would allow them to produce it in-person and livestreamed — an option he wanted to keep open for audiences.

Instead, Tabard will offer a “Winter Thaw” concert series for four weekends in February and March, and it’s being launched Tuesday — which also happens to be Williams’ 53rd birthday. He’s invited some of his musician and singer friends, including actor James Creer, to join him, providing entertainment while also sharing their experience during the pandemic.

Doors open around 7 p.m., with the stage stu starting at 8 p.m. Admission is free, and it’s also being livestreamed. You can RSVP to attend in person or online at tabardtheatre.org.

And the first show in the “Winter Thaw” series is just a few days later on Feb. 19 with the Dirt Rakers, a five-person Americana band from the Santa Cruz mountains, hitting the stage at 3 p.m. Other shows are in the works, but the only one confirmed so far is Aardvark, a Grateful Dead cover band, on March 12.

JUST THE TICKET FOR SPORTS FANS » Can you imagine scoring season tickets to the 49ers, Sharks and Earthquakes? It could happen to you, thanks to a new fundraiser by the San Jose Sports Authority, the group responsible for bringing big events from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships to the NCAA basketball tourna-

ment to Silicon Valley.

It was a tough couple of years for the organization, as more than 20-plus events scheduled to come to the area were canceled because of COVID-19. But it hurt even more to lose its signature fundraising events, the 2020 San Jose Sports Hall of Fame ceremony and the annual Bocce Battle in 2020 and ’21.

Executive Director John Poch says that was the inspiration for the Golden Ticket Ra e, which will support its COVID High School Relief Fund for the Central Coast Section and the REACH Youth Scholarship program. There are 1,000 tickets being sold at $100 each, with the prize being a pair of regular season tickets to the 49ers and Quakes in 2022 and Sharks in 2022-23. That’s 67 total games, and you can bet the winner will end up with lots of new friends.

The winning ticket will be drawn on April

2 at SAP Center during the Sharks game against the Dallas Stars. You can get your entry at sjsa.org/ product/goldenticket.

ART AND ABOUT » Santa Clara University’s de Saisset Museum has a new solo exhibition on display featuring the work of Bay Area artist Kara Maria. The series of paintings and works on paper covers her work from 2013 up to her latest piece, “Stardust (Ohlone tiger beetle)” from last year, with the colorful works raising awareness about species that are endangered or extinct. “Kara Maria — Precious and Precarious: Life on the Edge of Extinction” opened Jan. 28 to the campus community, but it’s now also open to the public through June 11. A free public reception will be held April 1 at 7 p.m. Go to scu.edu/desaisset for more details.

You’ve still got a few weeks to check out the Los

Gatos Art Association’s Greater Bay Area Open, a juried exhibit of fine art at the New Museum Los Gatos. Artists from Napa to Carmel submitted pieces in line with the theme, “Listen, Learn, Change, Grow,” which matches the name of a campaign launched recently by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce. The jurors included Triton Museum Executive Director Preston Metcalf and NUMU Art Curator Julie Ericsson. It runs through March 12, and you can get more information at numulosgatos.org.

FIRST LOOK DELAYED » What a bummer that Terri Nunn and Berlin — scheduled to be the first act playing at the revamped Guild Theatre in Menlo Park — have been postponed from their original date of Feb. 19 to May 7. Construction delays are to blame. The historic movie theater, which closed its doors in 2019, is undergo -

Executive Artistic Director

Jonathan Rhys Williams watches over a livestream of the play “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder” for an online audience on Aug. 5, 2020, inside the Tabard Theatre in San Jose.

ing a $35 million transformation into a concert hall. Jazz great Robert Glasper is now on deck to be the opening act Feb. 25, and our fingers are crossed that we don’t have to wait much longer. See the upcoming schedule at guildtheatre.com.

AT THE BIG GAME » Media outlets from around the globe have been converging on Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI this week, and the San Jose-based Bay Area Review is among them this year. Publisher Brigitte Jones says she’s thrilled that the publication was accepted as credentialed media and sees it as an amazing opportunity for a publication owned by a Black woman to share space with the big-name media. You can check out some of what they’ve been doing at thebayareareview.com.

Contact Sal Pizarro at spizarro@ bayareanewsgroup.com.

Two arrested on suspicion of organized retail the

By Jason Green jason.green@ bayareanewsgroup.com

PALO ALTO » Two Southern California residents were arrested Thursday on suspicion of organized retail theft after one was seen shoving bras into his pants at the Stanford Shopping Center, police said.

O cers were called to

FEDERAL CASE

the mall at 180 El Camino Real at 6:43 p.m. for a report of an in-progress shoplifting at Victoria’s Secret, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.

“The reporting party, a store employee, reported that a male suspect was stuffing merchandise down his pants to conceal it while appearing to shop

with a female accomplice,” police said.

The pair left the store without paying for the items and went to their vehicle in a parking lot, where they were detained by o cers, police said.

An investigation revealed the man shoplifted more than $500 worth of bras, police said. Inside the pair’s rented

2021 Ford Explorer, o cers found trash bags filled with nearly 400 pieces of brandnew clothing from Express, Hollister and J. Crew, valued at more than $18,000, police said.

“The investigation into when and where the suspected thefts from these other stores occurred is still ongoing, but police have confirmed that some

of it was stolen from a Victoria’s Secret in Fresno on Feb. 8,” police said.

O cers also found burglary tools in the SUV, police said.

theft, felony possession of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools. Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-3292413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow. org.

South Bay executives vow to ght H-1B visa fraud charges

By Jason Green jason.green@ bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN JOSE » Two South Bay executives have been charged with submitting dozens of bogus H-1B visa applications and laundering $1 million in proceeds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s O ce.

On Friday, Namrata Patnaik, 42, of Saratoga and Kartiki Parekh, 56, of Santa Clara appeared in San Jose federal court to face an indictment charging them with two counts of visa fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Patnaik is also charged with one count of

money laundering.

Attorneys for the executives said they will fight the charges. They called the government’s accusations “a misuse and misapplication of the complex H-1B visa laws.”

“We believe we will ultimately prevail as the allegations are based on withdrawn policies that the Trump administration attempted to enforce that discriminated against Indian entrepreneurs and harm the economic agility of Silicon Valley,” said Chris Cannon of San Francisco-based law firm Sugarman & Cannon in a statement Friday.

According to the indictment, Patnaik and Parekh

served as CEO and human resources manager, respectively, of PerfectVIPs, a computer chip design product and services company based in San Jose, the U.S. Attorney’s O ce said in a news release.

Patnaik and Parekh are accused of submitting 85 fraudulent H-1B visa applications for temporary nonimmigrant workers sponsored by PerfectVIPs from 2011 through April 2017. They allegedly made statements that the workers would be employed by PerfectVIPs to work on the firm’s in-house projects and projects at its o ce locations, but once the applications were approved,

they instead created a pool of H-1B workers that were placed at positions with other employers, according to the release.

“This practice provided PerfectVIPs an unfair and illegal advantage over employment staffing firms,” the U.S. Attorney’s O ce said, adding that the indictment alleges other employers paid fees of nearly $7 million to PerfectVIPs to cover the cost of the workers’ wages and salaries as well as a profit markup for the firm.

PerfectVIPs followed the H-1B policies and properly notified the government when engineers moved from one location to an -

other, Cannon said.

“As with most jobs, sometimes employees work at the home o ce, and sometimes they work at sites designated by the client,” he said. “As long as the employee is paid Silicon Valley wages, the location of the job site does not matter. Moreover, when a job site moved, the company informed the government and filled out the proper paperwork required.”

According to Cannon, the U.S. Department of Justice is being misled by United States Customs and Immigration Service holdovers from the Trump administration who would not issue H-1B visas unless the appli-

cant attempted to provide exact job site location, even though there was no legal requirement to provide that information.

If convicted, Patnaik and Parekh face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy to commit visa fraud count and up to 10 years in prison for each of the visa fraud counts. Patnaik also faces up to 10 years in prison for the money laundering count. In addition, the executives could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for each count.

A judge on Friday ordered Patnaik and Parekh to appear in U.S. District Court in San Jose on April 12.

Health

FROM PAGE 1

“I am hopeful that through budget negotiations, the Legislature and our supporters will be able to convince the governor to appropriately invest in community-based organizations,” said Ron Coleman, policy director for the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, a statewide coalition of health organizations.

So far, Newsom doesn’t appear inclined to create a dedicated health equity fund. In his January budget, his administration proposed redirecting a portion of tax savings from nonprofit hospitals to address health equity. It’s unclear how much that could generate for clinics, tribal organizations and community groups.

A spokesperson for Newsom said that his budget “recognizes the significant contributions of community-based organizations” to the overall health of communities.

Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Los Angeles, who has been spearheading the drive for a health equity fund, said, “We have the money. The time is now.”

Gipson said the pandemic has reinforced what Californians already knew: that Black, Latino, Pacific Islander and Native American communities were more vulnerable to the virus and suffered higher mortality rates than whites.

“We can no longer hide our heads in the sand,” he said.

Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins did not say whether she would include the fund again. Atkins has said the Senate’s priority will be to “create a healthier, more sustainable and equitable California.”

Health clinics, tribal organizations and other com-

munity groups say they could use state grants from a health equity and racial justice fund to benefit the communities that need help the most.

“Community groups need to be at the forefront of tackling health equity and racial justice because they have the trust of the community,” said Rod Lew, executive director of Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership, a network of over 1,200 community organizations working toward health justice across the country.

A report from the American Public Health Association found that communitybased organizations can often amplify community concerns and, in coordination with public health departments, contribute to more e ective policy solutions.

One organization that could benefit from a racial justice fund is Healthy Hearts Institute in Pittsburg, Contra Costa County.

The nonprofit works to reduce the high rate of diabetes among Black Californians. It serves residents in the low-income neighborhood of El Pueblo with nutrition classes, exercise boot camps and distributes fruits and vegetables from a community garden.

“The people closest to the problem should be the people closest to the solution,” said Ray Harts, who founded the institute after working in tech.

A study from the National Institute of Health found that Black adults were twice as likely as White adults to get Type 2 diabetes, largely

because Black populations are more likely to be food insecure, or less likely to access or a ord fresh food.

While Healthy Hearts receives charitable donations, Harts said he could do much more with state funding. Currently, the nonprofit can only pay two workers $15 an hour, 15 hours a week.

“If I had the money to hire people,” Harts said, “we could grow our organization and we could find out if what we are trying to do actually works.”

This article is part of the California Divide project, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequality and economic survival in California.

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Ray Harts, director of the Healthy Hearts Institute, middle, works with Harry Hampton, left, and Marshall Lewis as they tend to a worm composting mound at the institute’s garden in Pittsburg.

PHOTOS BY ANDA CHU — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Taylor Patterson, le , and Tamarin Johnson, right, chop watermelon to feed worms in a composting mound at Healthy Hearts Institute’s garden in Pittsburg last month. The organization focuses on providing access to healthy foods and nutritional education.

—

Bankrupt Fremont village project is bought by lender

Construction was halted years ago on prominent mixed-use complex of housing and retail

By George Avalos gavalos@ bayareanewsgroup.com

FREMONT » A big complex of homes and retail that’s been snarled in loan default, federal legal proceedings and two bankruptcy cases has been bought by the property’s lender.

Mission Hills Square, a housing, retail, and restaurant project near Interstate 680 and Durham Road in Fremont, was purchased by an a liate of Los Angelesbased Parkview Financial, according to documents filed on Feb. 2 with the Alameda County Recorder’s O ce. Parkview Financial, the project’s lender that acted through affiliate 2501 Cormack, paid $40.2 million for the property, the county public records show. Mission Hills Square, a housing, retail, and restaurant project near Interstate 680 and Durham Road in Fremont, faces an uncertain future in the wake of the lender’s purchase.

At first glance, the project would seem to be a sure bet. The development boasts a high-visibility location next to busy Interstate 680 and a residential component at a time when Bay Area housing remains in high demand.

Mission Hills Square, if built, would consist of 148 residential units and include 54,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

The project is only partially completed, according to papers filed in August 2021 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as well as mul-

tiple on-site observations by this news organization both in 2020 and in 2021. Fremont Hills Development, the principal owner and developer of the property, filed for bankruptcy twice, with the most recent bankruptcy court case launched in February 2021.

Construction began in 2017, but by sometime in 2019, construction halted and hasn’t resumed.

In 2019, an appraisal of the partly completed mixed-use complex placed its value at $81.7 million with construction yet to finish. If complete and made available to residential and retail tenants, the project’s value would soar to $164 million, according to the appraisal by Joseph J. Blake & Associates that was filed with a federal Bankruptcy Court.

But by March 2021, the project’s value in its incomplete stage had plummeted to $24.8 million.

By Hannah Kanik hkanik@ bayareanewsgroup.com

More than 80 people have applied for an affordable housing unit in Los Gatos that is selling for $260,067.

The 982-square foot unit, located at 260 Union Ave., has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and is available to households earning 80% or less than Santa Clara County’s median household income of $124,055.

It comes out of Los Gatos’ Below Market Price Housing Program, which aims to increase the number of a ordable housing units in town, with the help of HouseKeys, a Bay Areabased affordable housing program administrator.

The home has garnered a high level of interest from residents. As of Feb. 7, 81 people had applied to purchase the property since the application window opened Jan. 27, and Julius Nyanda, program manager at HouseKeys, said he expects more than 100 applications will be submitted by the Tuesday deadline.

“We’re pretty oversubscribed typically. The program itself has about 694 applicants, so the 81 that applied for that particular property are coming out of that 694,” Nyanda said.

This is Los Gatos’ only a ordable unit being sold through HouseKeys, though Nyanda said more units are likely to come as the town navigates its Housing Element requirements.

The Union Avenue prop -

erty is only available to first-time home buyers, and Los Gatos is utilizing a point system to rank the applications to give preference to those already living and working in town.

Applicants can earn points based on their occupation and disability status, whether they have senior citizens living with them or if they were displaced by actions by the town council, among other factors. Once the application window closes, HouseKeys will randomly assign each application a ranking number and tally up their points.

“The randomly assigned number is the tiebreaker for people who have the same points,” Nyanda said.

Finalists will be selected through a lottery, and ordered based on their Initial ranking number. The higher-ranked applicants will have the chance to officially apply for the home.

The application process is thorough. Candidates must include a loan preapproval letter and income verification with their files, complete an online orientation, pass a quiz and take the Home Buyer Education Class from an HUD Approved Agency, according to HouseKeys.

“Normally when you apply for a mortgage loan or a home purchase, it’s just about ‘Can you make the mortgage payment?’” Nyanda said. “It’s a very straightforward process. But ours is a little more convoluted because you have to verify eligibility as well as

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

If complete, it would be worth $138.2 million, according to a new estimate by the Joseph Blake appraisal firm.

Yet because the project has lingered largely neglected for about two years, completion of construction might not be able to follow a smooth path.

Numerous new factors have emerged between the first appraisal and the present day, court papers show.

“Since the June 2019 appraisal, the property and market have changed, influenced by the following factors: (1) the COVID-19 pandemic, after which condominiums became disfavored over single-family residences; (2) a sharp increase in material costs and an increase in labor costs; (3) the need to renew permits; (4) apprehension regarding the future condominium market,” the court pa-

qualification.”

Applicants also have to sign a restriction agreement that keeps the housing as an a ordable property if the owner decides to sell in the future.

One key di erence between owning an affordable housing unit and renting one is not having to prove income eligibility every year. Renters who end up earning more income could face higher rent payments or eviction from the housing program.

“It’s kind of like a stability factor as well,” Nyanda said. “Obviously you get into the school systems, you get access to the amenities of Los Gatos that are not readily available to everybody there, but the other part is that if it’s an a ordable home vs. rental, you can age in place and grow in place without worrying about being displaced.”

A lack of a ordable housing has been a critical issue across California. The state requires all cities to plan for a ordable housing development, known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

The state determined Los Gatos must add 1,993 new housing units between 2023 and 2031. Of those units, 527 must be priced for very low-income individuals and 310 must be priced for low-income individuals.

“I think it’s critical to provide housing for your workforce,” Nyanda said. “A town is only as good as the people that can af-

Magnitude 3.3 earthquake hits East Bay

By Jason Green jason.green@ bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN LEANDRO » A magni -

tude 3.3 earthquake rattled the East Bay on Friday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was reported at 7:13 p.m. roughly one mile north-northeast of

San Leandro, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The quake occurred along the Hayward Fault, a mostly right-lateral strikeslip fault that runs from San Pablo Bay in the north to Fremont in the South, according to the USGS.

The most recent major quake on the fault occurred Oct. 21, 1868, according to the USGS. The magnitude 6.8 quake was one of the most destructive in California history and remains the nation’s 12th most lethal quake. Five people were killed and $350,000 in property (in 1868 dollars) was destroyed.

pers stated.

Plus, questions have arisen regarding the present-day structures, the court papers stated.

“The condition of the existing construction resulting from potential deterioration related to exposure to the elements” is a fresh concern, the August 2021 court filing stated.

Fremont Hills Development obtained two construction loans for the project: $65 million from Parkview Financial, which recorded a deed of trust that uses the property as the collateral for the loan; and $40 million from Bay Area Investment Fund, which provided its loan without attempting to use the property as collateral.

Significant legal uncertainties loom over the principal executives of Fremont Hills Development.

In October 2018, the Securities

ford to work there, and the more housing that’s available for them to stay there, the more those folks can be

and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint that alleges Danghong “Jean” Chen, an Atherton resident and San Jose attorney, along with her business partner and ex-husband, Jianyun “Tony” Ye, who lives in Atherton, as well other individuals and organizations involved in the property’s ownership or development, committed fraud and other violations.

Fremont Hills Development, the bankrupt real estate firm that launched the uncompleted Mission Hills Square project, stated in court papers that it believes the property sale provides multiple benefits.

“The sale exceeds the ($24.8 million) value of the property by a large margin and eliminates a significant amount of secured debt against the property,” Fremont Hills Development stated in the court papers.

a sustainable part of your workforce and maintain those amenities that make the town so great.

“That character, those restaurants and those local businesses, all those folks have to live somewhere.”

GEORGE AVALOS — STAFF ARCHIVES

Partial construction is visible at Mission Hills Square at 2501 Comack Road in Fremont on Oct. 12, 2020.

LOS GATOS

Obituaries &InMemoriam

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Obituary Index

Please submit your obituary notice to: mnobits@ bayareanewsgroup.com and call (408) 920-5276 for more information.

Please visit www.legacy.com to view the online obituaries and sign the online guestbook

ANDERSON, DOROTHY ARMSTRONG, GORDON BAUMANN, FRANK BEAUDIKOFER, ROSEMARY CALI, BARBARA CARNEY, DAVE CORREIA, MANUEL DI FILIPPI, MARGARET DOWNS, JUNE DUMESNIL, ROSELYN FENOLIO, ANGELICA FISCHER, MARJIE FREEMAN, JEANETTE GREENE, MARRITJE HENNER, JOHN HINES, MICHAEL JOHNSON, RICHARD KUBO, CHIZU LICLICAN, SEVERINO MASSEY, MAXINE NAKASHIMA, TOSHIO PFLUGHAUPT, LOUIS SAKO, TOM SCHNEIDER, JR., JOSEPH SHORE, RICHARD TAKIMOTO, JUNICHI TAYLOR, KATHLEEN URBANSKI, DEAN WATSON, EVA WHITCHER, SYLVIA

Obituaries may not appear in alphabetical order

This index may not reflect all obituaries published

Barbara Lee Cali

June 7, 1936 - February 6, 2022

Resident of San Jose

Barbara Lee Cali passed away on Sunday February 6, 2022 after 85 years of a full and bountiful life. Barbara and her identical twin Beverly Gannon were born on June 7, 1936 to Leonard and Pearl Kuhn. Barbara, Bev and their brother, Richard were raised on Hanchett Avenue in San Jose. Barbara was a graduate of Lincoln High School. After high school Barbara began her career as a legal secretary when it was interrupted by her meeting of prominent local attorney Mark Cali who soon became her husband. Mark and Barbara married on October 4, 1958 in San Jose and eventually settled in their family home on Westgate Avenue where they spent many years together raising Carlee, C.J., Mark and Leeann. Mark and Barbara loved spending time with cherished neighbors, hosting parties, organizing Fourth of July celebrations, creating festive Halloween nights, attending their children’s baseball games and being parents to all the neighborhood children. Mark and Barbara relocated to their beloved Winchester Ranch Mobile Home Park were they resided with their new neighbors, including the return to San Jose of her twin Beverly and Bev’s husband Warren. Barbara was the social director of the Park and was well known for her beautiful garden, lavish holiday decorations and hosting many parties in the clubhouse. Barbara was happiest driving her golf cart through the Park with her dogs, Chester, and later Gucci, while visiting with her neighbors.

Barbara is survived by her children Carlee, C.J. (Kim), Mark (Nina) and Leeann (Dan), her 12 grandchildren, 4 great grandsons, 7 nephews and one niece. She is preceded in death by her husband Mark and more recently her twin Beverly. Many thanks to all of her close friends who enjoyed having a glass of wine with her on Westgate Avenue or Winchester Ranch. There will be no formal services due to current public health circumstances. In lieu of fowers, please consider a donation to your favorite charity in Barbara’s memory.

May 10, 1926 - January 31, 2022

Resident of San Jose

On Monday morning, January 31, 2022, Margaret Di Filippi passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family and loved ones who cherished her dearly. She was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Leonard Di Filippi. Margaret was born in Worcester, Massachusetts as the second daughter of four girls to the family of Pietro and Anna Maria Scappaticci. After fnishing prep school, she moved to New York City where she designed children’s clothing and ball gowns. Fending off numerous suitors, resulting in six marriage proposals, Margaret waited for ‘the one’ that would steal her heart. Lee charmed her with his fnesse and good looks, and she soon found it diffcult to resist him. They were happily married on January 21, 1951 and welcomed their frst daughter, Lauraine, born in New York. Soon after her birth, they decided that California was a better place to raise a family. After they relocated to Fresno, her second daughter, Carole, was born. They settled in San Jose where she lived in her current home for 57 years. After both of her daughters married, she enjoyed her wonderful grandchildren, Christina (Andrew), Melissa (Julie), Nicholas (Sarah), Marianne, and Anna Marie. With each one, her heart became warmer and her smile broader. She experienced more joy with great-grandchildren, Leo, Luca, Stella, Sofa, and Vega who lovingly referred to her as Gigi. Margaret will bestow her heavenly love and blessings on her upcoming great grandchild to be born this coming April.

Margaret was a woman of great faith and trusted in the Lord. She was a selfess woman, always fnding ways to give to others. Working in the healthcare feld was a perfect ft for Margaret and her huge heart. Throughout her life, she was a voracious reader and enjoyed tackling the daily crossword puzzle. The center of her life was always family; from making all her children’s clothes, to creating a warm and welcoming home. Her gourmet meals gave her a great sense of satisfaction, generously feeding anyone seated at her table. Margaret’s traditional Christmas Eve ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’ will be carried on with her children and grandchildren.

She loved her current neighbors and those from the past. She reminisced about the costume and block parties, chatting over morning coffee, or rooting for her favorite local sports teams, especially the Giants. A new generation of neighbors gave her more to love. Their support to both Margaret and Lee as they grew older will never be forgotten. Margaret’s travel to Italy was a highlight in her life; exploring her roots and traditions. Margaret dearly loved her immediate and extended relatives from both her and Lee’s family. She adored her friends and many became like family. Many of her friends and family are here to celebrate her life, as well as those in Heaven to welcome her. Margaret always said, “I’ve lived a good life and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Rosemary Beaudikofer

May 28, 1935- Dec. 14, 2021 San Jose

Rosemary passed away peacefully in San Jose. She moved from Santa Ana to San Jose with her family at age 13. She attended San Jose High where she met the love of her life Bob. They were married 68 years.

Rosemary worked at Andrew Hill High for 24 years until her retirement in 1994. She was an avid bowler at Fourth Street Bowl for over 50 years.

She is greatly missed by her husband Bob “Bodie”, her daughters Carmen and Diane, 3 grandsons, 3 great grandchildren, her sister Francis, nephews and nieces, also by the many friends whose lives she touched. The Love Of My Life!

Dave Carney

Nov 28, 1962 - Jan 25, 2022

Sunnyvale, CA

Dave passed away peacefully, in his sleep, on January 25, 2022. Dave grew in Sunnyvale and graduated from Fremont High School in 1981. He continued to live in the area. He had several companies, a body shop, limousine business and a tanning salon. He was known for his love and knowledge of cars. He worked in the housing maintenance business for the last 30 years. Dave is survived by his wife Ann Carney, father Mike Carney, sister Diane and her husband Jeff, daughter Kelsey and son Keaton, his son Paul, fance Misty and daughter Alene. A service is being held on February 20th at 11am Lima & Campagna Sunnyvale Mortuary corner of Hollenbeck and Fremont.

Maxine Massey

July 28, 1940 - Feb. 8, 2022

Resident of Sunnyvale

Maxine passed away unexpectedly at the age of 81 on Tuesday, Feb. 8th in Sunnyvale.

May 1952 - Jan 2022 San Jose, CA.

Born to Don & Doris Cone, Marjorie Grace was the third of three children, after brothers Doug and Andy. They attended the Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto, CA, which set her up for a lifetime of serving the Lord. As a child she enjoyed time with family at Boy Scout Camp, cooking with her mom, playing games and singing. In her mid-20s she rededicated her life to God after a service at Los Altos First Baptist Church; and through her participation in choir and small groups, met her husband, Kent. They married in 1980 and in the years following welcomed three children, moving to San Jose, CA. She continued her career of serving by running the church nursery, teaching Bible at AWANA, and singing in choir, all with Kent by her side. More recently she used her cooking skills to minister and connect with families at Bridges Church. As her children entered high school, Marjie took a job in Special Education at Homestead High School, where she worked for 20 years before retiring in 2021. She brought joy to the offce, was known for recruiting friends to work with her, playing pranks, and bringing in tasty home-made treats. She loved to be around people and saw each day as an opportunity to spread God’s love through her humor, food, and ability to make everyone feel cherished.

She is survived by her husband, Kent, son David (wife Veronica), daughter Katie Speck (husband Ryan), and daughter Suzie. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, February 19th at 10:30am at Bridges Community Church in Los Altos, CA.

Angelica Louise Fenolio

March 6, 1924- January 31, 2022

Resident of Monte Sereno

A life well lived. Angelica Louise Fenolio passed away in her sleep Monday January 31 at the age of 97. Ann was born and raised in San Jose. Graduated from San Jose High and San Jose State College. In 1947 she married Lawrence Fenolio and they established their home in Los Gatos in 1950. She spent the majority of her career as a dietician working at O’Connor & Campbell Community hospitals, retiring from Valley Medical Center in 1986. Ann greatly enjoyed volunteering, frst at the Village House in Los Gatos then Assistance League of Los Gatos/ Saratoga. An active member of AAUW where she developed many friendships. She traveled extensively with friends and her late husband Lawrence. She loved museums and the arts, sharing these experiences with friends and family. The proud mother of Jan (Bart), Doug and Ken (Kim), preceded in death by children Kurt & Susan. Loving grandmother of Megan, Peter, John, Justin, Briana & Bryce, great grandmother of eight. Ann will be remembered for her vivaciousness, positive, caring and nurturing qualities. She loved preparing and dining on good food enjoyed with family and friends who will all miss her greatly.

A celebration of her life will be held when in-person gatherings are deemed safe.

In Loving Memory

October 3, 1929 - January 28, 2022

Resident of San Jose

Frank, a life-long San Jose resident and passionate supporter of the GAELS of St. Mary’s College of Moraga passed away peacefully at home on January 28.

Frank the only child of Frank Baumann and Anna Steiner was born in the family house on Capitol Avenue. Frank attended St. Mary’s grammar school and San Jose Tech High. After a brief Army reserve stint, he was a printer for Globe Publishing and later the Mercury News.

Frank recently lost his loving wife, Anne just after celebrating their 64th Anniversary. They were married at St. Leo’s the Great in San Jose in 1957. He will be missed by many cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends, athletes and coaches.

Frank, an Honorary Alumnus of St. Mary’s College attended over 2000 games of basketball, football and baseball in 8 different decades of athletic support. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Leo’s the Great in San Jose and he will be laid to rest at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. A Life celebration for Frank and Anne will be held at the chapel at St. Mary’s College on March 11. In lieu of fowers, please consider a donation to the Frank and Anne scholarship at St. Mary’s or to Faith in Action International https://faithinactioninternational.org/ or your favorite charity.

Michael T. Hines

Sept. 27, 1954 - Jan. 8, 2022

Michael T. Hines of San Jose, California passed away suddenly on January 8, 2022, at the age of 67 years young. Michael is greatly missed by his beloved wife of 27 years, Consuelo Hines. Fond memories and expression of symphaty may be shared at https://obituaries.tridentsociety.com/obituaries/fremont-ca/michael-hines-9095761

On January 29, 2022, Severino “Johnny/John” Liclican Estillore, Jr. passed away into God’s graces. A ferce warrior throughout life, he was 78 years old. He was born in the Philippines on November 5, 1943 to Severino , Sr. and Maria Estillore. He graduated from Feati University with a BS in Engineering, immigrated to the US in 1969, and spent seven years as a Electrical Engineer/Inspector for the City of SF. He eventually met Gloria Alcordo and was wed in 1970, and they built a successful career in real estate and fnance for over 50 years. John was a force of nature, hard working, and determined to provide for his family. He was a self made man with a winning personality, kind, humble, generous, and full of wisdom. He loved music, dancing, fshing, and could often be found enjoying the outdoors. He was unendingly proud of children: Grace, James, Joyce, and even prouder of his grandkids: Jordan, James, Trevor, Courtni, Jaren, Justen, Evan, and Leo, and always tried his best to support them. John was preceded in death by his father, Severino Sr, and is survived by his wife, children, grandkids, his mother, eight siblings, relatives, and friends. The family requests that all fowers and notes are sent to Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, Daly City, CA.

Severino Liclican Estillore, Jr. San Francisco 500 Westlake Ave, Daly City (650) 756-4500 www.duggans-serra.com

Marjie Fischer

Frank Lawrence Baumann

Margaret Di Filippi

Obituaries &InMemoriam

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Marritje Van Arsdale Greene, loving wife, mother and grandmother, compassionate friend, and award-winning humanitarian, passed away suddenly on January 8, 2022 in Burlingame, California surrounded by her husband, children and their spouses.

Marritje’s guiding star was her family. She spent the last day before her fatal stroke in her favorite pastime: painting art projects with her grandchildren. Engaging in outdoor adventures and activities with children Lindsay, Jamie, Charlie, and their spouses and seven children, flled Marritje with joy. She loved being in Hawaii where, with her grandchildren, she swam, hiked, played, and entertained guests. An accomplished skier, she continued to ski (with a new knee!) until the week before her death. She and husband Jamie instilled the love of skiing in their family and it became a favorite tradition. An avid fan of the San Francisco Giants, Warriors, and 49ers, Marritje, when not in attendance, was more than likely watching from her couch. Her boundless generosity of spirit extended throughout her lifetime among a broad network of friends. She had an innate ability to comfort those in crisis, listening intently with her heart to provide encouragement and support. Along with her sage advice, she brought her famous cinnamon friendship bread. As a friend reminisced, “When she spoke to you, you felt as if you were the only person in the room.” She worked her magic with humility and humor.

Marritje was an award-winning volunteer giving her time, energy, and wisdom to organizations ranging from research, the environment, and underserved youth to schools and garden clubs. Among her awards: Citizen of the Year, Town of Hillsborough; St. Madeleine Sophie Award, Sacred Heart Schools; Outstanding Service Award from The Buffalo Seminary as a loyal alumna; Ruth Easton Rodgers Special Award and President’s Award, Hillsborough Garden Club; Medal of Merit, the Garden Club of America; and the Nate Thurmond Award from the Good Tidings Foundation for assisting Northern California underserved youth. More recently she was integral to the success of the Hypopara Research Foundation and the UCSF Neuro-Oncology Caregiver Program. Her participation with the Save the Redwoods League and the Peninsula Open Space Trust helped both organizations toward the process of acquiring key parcels to protect majestic redwoods and the San Mateo coast. In the past, Marritje spent countless hours volunteering with the Hillsborough public schools, the Hillsborough Garden Club (where she served as president), the Garden Club of America, Hillsborough AYSO, and Hillsborough Beautifcation Foundation. She also served as a board member at Crystal Springs Uplands School, Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton, and Good Tidings Foundation. Her tireless talents were put to good use when she chaired several capital campaigns. Marritje’s love of family and community began at birth. The daughter of Charles (Bud) and Marjorie (Mardi) Van Arsdale, and sister of Pamela (Pam) and Charles (Chuck), she grew up in Castile, a small town in Western New York State. There she was surrounded by a large and loving extended family. Marritje’s summers were spent at the family cottage on Silver Lake where she raced Lightning sailboats, while winters were spent skiing. She attended high school at The Buffalo Seminary in Buffalo, New York. Marritje received her B.A. from Smith College in 1973, where she majored in sociology with a minor in psychology. After graduation, she spent two years as a litigation paralegal for Peabody, Brown, Rowley, & Storey in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1975 to 1977 she was employed by the Aspen Highlands Ski Company in Aspen, Colorado. Marritje moved to New York City in 1977 where she joined Bankers Trust Company. She was a vice president of institutional sales in the New York and Los Angeles offces, specializing in fxed income sales. Marritje met her husband and love of her life, James H. Greene, Jr. (Jamie), while at Bankers Trust in Los Angeles, and they were married in 1981. In 1986, Marritje joined Greenwich Capital Markets in Greenwich, Connecticut. After moving to Hillsborough, California, and the birth of her third child in 1988, Marritje retired from the securities business and began her community involvement.

Marritje is survived by her husband Jamie; children Lindsay Ramsay (Alex), Jamie Greene, and Charles Greene (Sarah); grandchildren Tyler, Emma, Ryan and Griffn Ramsay, and James, Jack and Vivienne Greene; her sister Pam Van Arsdale; brother-inlaw Bob Dewey; nieces Sara Dewey (Noah Walker) and Kate Dewey (Allison); greatniece Alden Dewey; and great-nephew Alexander Walker. She was predeceased by her mother Mardi, father Bud, and brother Chuck.

Marritje’s family and friends are devastated by this sudden loss, but hold close in their hearts her beautiful smile, warm chuckle, and loving nature. She would want you to give an extra hug to those you hold dear - every day.

In lieu of fowers, the family has suggested memorial donations be made to the Hypopara Research Foundation (https://www.hypoparafoundation.com/donate; 155 Bovet Road, Suite 770 San Mateo, CA 94402) or the Good Tidings Foundation (https:// goodtidings.org/donate/; 1469 Rollins Road, Burlingame, CA 94010).

Feb.

Surrounded by loving family, Roselyn (Roz) Dumesnil died peacefully at home in Palo Alto on December 8, 2021. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six months earlier, Roz approached her death with the same faith, courage and grace with which she lived. Roz was born on February 12, 1947 in San Francisco and was raised in Burlingame. She formed treasured lifelong friendships while attending Our Lady of Angels and Mercy High School, where she shined in student leadership. A third-generation Californian, Roz’s childhood was a happy one -- flled with music, large family Sunday dinners, frequent opera and theater outings, and memorable summer vacations at Hoberg’s Resort with cousins, aunts and uncles. From age 13 through her college graduation, she worked for her father’s CPA frm where her disciplined work ethic was honed.

At Santa Clara University, Roz grew as a writer, met Paul, the love of her life, earned a bachelor’s degree in French, and spent her junior year abroad in Rome, Italy -- studying Italian language and art history, exploring her roots with Italian family in Rovegno, and traveling Europe and the Middle East with dear Romani friends, with whom she remained travel buddies for life.

Roz and Paul married in 1969 and made a home for themselves in the South Bay, where she began a career in development for non-proft organizations. Raising their children in the Almaden Valley of San Jose, Roz’s creative gifts were channeled into homemaking, parenting and community. A resourceful, present and loving mother, during the 80s and 90s, Roz could often be found rooting her kids on in Archbishop Mitty High School’s gym, Bellarmine’s theater or in the boardroom, where Roz served terms as both a member and President of Presentation High School’s Board of Trustees. Bringing family and friends together was a value Roz lived, creating decades of beautiful celebrations in her home for holidays and special occasions. Reading, writing, art, poetry and travel were as essential to Roz as her relationships. She journaled and meditated daily, designed the most thorough and rich travel itineraries, wrote fction and read voraciously -- always had at least two books going. Roz’s happy place was the library, any museum, her backyard garden and most especially, her pool, where she swam every chance she got. As grandma, Roz was a devoted “Nonnie,” whose wisdom, generous listening and unconditional love was sought and valued by her nine grandchildren.

In 2010, Roz earned a diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from the San Francisco Theological Seminary and for the 11 years that followed she practiced as a Spiritual Director, continuing a long thread of mentoring and supporting others in their experiences of faith. In 2016, Roz and Paul moved to Palo Alto, where together they took advantage of Stanford University’s many cultural offerings, enjoying local concerts, exhibits, speaker series and the area’s natural beauty.

Roz lived fully, gathering her large family well into her fnal days with words she often echoed throughout the pandemic: “Until Further Notice, Celebrate Everything.” From nightly Scrabble marathons with Paul … to cheering on her San Francisco Giants … to a backyard flled with swimming grandchildren … to her fnal gift: facing her death by teaching us a master class in acceptance and gratitude … she indeed celebrated everyone and everything. Roz is survived by her beloved husband of 52 years, Paul Dumesnil, of Palo Alto; her daughter, Elisa Dumesnil and son-in-law, Jay Momet, of Piedmont; her son, Peter Dumesnil and daughter-in-law, Anna Dumesnil, of Sunnyvale; and her nine grandchildren: Mia and Bennett Stillman; Chloe and Avery Momet; and Jack, Joe, Trey, Cash and Britt Dumesnil. Roz will also be missed by her extended family with whom she delighted in sharing life: Brothers-and sisters-in-law Robert and Marilyn Dumesnil, Ellen Dumesnil and Erik Ambjor, Madeline Crisaf and Michelle Crisaf; Cousins Joan Rettagliata Shannon (Vincent Shannon), Tom Rettagliata (Lauren Rettagliata), Susan Haus and Cynthia Haus (Tom Guice), Patti Crisaf. Goddaughter, Maria Asturias. Nephew, Phillip Dumesnil (Janice Flux); Nieces Michele Wharton (Mark Wharton), Cheryl Dumesnil (Sarah Richmond); Beth Crisaf Smith (Justin Smith); Ali Crisaf Roberts (Rich Roberts) and their children who brought Roz much joy: Emily Shannon and Cassie Shannon LaLonde, Molly and Megan Wharton, Brennan and Kian Dumesnil-Vickers, Dana Walter and Monique Crisaf, Will and Blaire LeLonde; Arthur and Henry Smith, and Annabella Roberts. She was preceded in death by her parents Nicholas Crisaf and Anna Rettagliata Crisaf, of Hillsborough and Burlingame, and by her brother Anthony (Tony) Crisaf, of Hillsborough. We warmly invite family and friends to celebrate Roz’s life at a Memorial on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Kohl Mansion on the campus of Roz’s alma mater, Mercy High School, with a reception on site to follow: 2750 Adeline Dr, Burlingame, California. A private burial was held on January 23, 2022 at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.

Roz’s family would like to thank her dear friends, ministry colleagues and spiritual directees who so enriched her life, including hospice nurse Jill Slyter, whose presence and care during Roz’s last months was a gift. In lieu of fowers, donations In Memory of Roz Dumesnil may be sent to Mission Hospice (www.missionhospice.org) or to Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (www.iibayarea.org).

Junichi Takimoto

June 1, 1932 - December 31, 2021

San Jose, CA

Junichi “Junior” Takimoto passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones on New Year’s Eve 2021. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeanne, his children, Marty (Linda) Takimoto, Judy (Steve) McGrody, and Nancy (Bennet) Goff, grandchildren, Matt, Lyndy, Keeley, Lizzie, Ian, and Nathan; and sisters, Lily and Arline. He was predeceased by his parents, Kajiro and Chiyoko, brother Karl, and daughter Vivian. Known as “Junior” most of his life, he was born to a farming family in San Jose and his early years centered around school and helping out on the farm.

His family relocated to Utah during WWII to work picking sugar beets and after the war, returned to farm life in San Jose. Junior continued with school and working to help the family and graduated from Campbell High School.

Drafted after high school, Junior served as a corporal in the US Army in Korea and as an Army reservist, before returning to San Jose after completing his tour of duty. He was working in the produce business when he met his lifetime spouse, Jeanne Misao Miyakusu. They married in 1956 and raised four children, mostly in their longtime family home in west San Jose.

Junior worked as machinist for Litton Industries in San Carlos for 40 years before retiring in 1997. He carpooled to work with friends from San Jose and knew where every pothole was on the stretch of 101 between home and work.

When not working, he enjoyed fshing and camping with the family, league bowling, and good food and he was an active father, volunteering as a Little League coach and Cub Scout leader. After retiring, Junior and Jeanne traveled to places near and far, enjoyed hiking, and made regular trips to the bowling alley and local casinos.

He is already being missed terribly but the legacy of Junichi Takimoto will live on through his children, grandchildren, and the many relatives and friends who were fortunate to know him through the years.

Interment services will be private due to the current pandemic conditions. In lieu of fowers, please consider making a donation in the memory of Junichi Takimoto to the Mt. View Buddhist Temple, 575 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043 or via their website.

Dean Urbanski

Apr. 26, 1952 - Jan. 30, 2022

Resident of San Jose

Dean was a beloved father and grandfather leaving behind so many friends, loved ones and adorers. He was an accomplished outlaw, biker, karate master, entrepreneur and all-around cool person. He lived life to the fullest and taught us all how to cherish every moment. He will forever be missed. Memorial held at Oak Hill Funeral Home, Santa Clara, Feb. 27th 10am in the Chapel of Roses.

Eva Ann Watson

Aug 27, 1925 - Feb 1, 2022 San Jose

Eva Ann Watson passed peacefully at home on February 1, 2022 at the age of 96. Eva is preceded in death by her loving husband Kenneth and son Kenneth Jr. She is survived by her sons Donald (PJ) and Gary (Candace) along with her 4 grandchildren, Kimberly, Candace (Ryan), Jessica, Brian (Alexia), and great grandchild, Aaliyah. The family will hold a private celebration of life to remember her

May 11, 1943 - January 12, 2022

Incline Village

Beloved husband, dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, and friend, Richard “Dick” Ernest Johnson, passed away peacefully at his home in Incline Village on January 12, 2022, at the age of 78. Dick was born on May 11, 1943, in Eureka, California to Mid and Ernie Johnson. He was a proud Cal Bear earning a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering in 1966 and later received a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University in 1967.

As a Silicon Valley pioneer in the 1970s and 1980s, he designed technologies in computer systems, electro-mechanical products, and emerging direct-to-home satellite television. In 1992, Dick left the Silicon Valley to join EchoStar in Denver, Colorado where he served as Vice President of Advanced Development and was responsible for developing the system architecture of Dish Network and its uplink center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He also leant his expertise as a consultant, sitting on several advisory boards and consulting internationally, primarily in China where he helped build a satellite uplink center in Shanghai. When he was not busy with his many business ventures, Dick spent his free time camping and waterskiing on Trinity Lake, snow skiing in Tahoe, completing multiple marathons, traveling to his second home in Shanghai, and watching his beloved bay area sports teams and his grandchildren’s many activities. He also kept busy as a master wood worker and skilled handyman.

Dick is survived by his wife Becky Johnson, his three children Jenny Doyas, Andy Johnson, and Dawn Curtis, his fve grandchildren, Johanna Doyas, Leigh Doyas, James Doyas, Anne Curtis, and Joseph Curtis, his brother Bob Johnson, and sister Linda Hooper. Dick will be deeply missed by the many people he touched with his intellect, charm, and warmth.

Manny Correia passed away on Jan. 2, 2022. He was 81. Manny was born in San Jose, CA to Manuel and Mildred (Mendoza) Correia. He proudly attended Mountain View High School in Mountain View, CA. He married the love of his life, Penny (Holcomb) on August 20, 1960 in Los Altos, CA. The couple moved to Poulsbo, Washington in 1977.

Manny was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and an instant friend to anyone he met. He greatly enjoyed camping, fshing, travel, and spending time with his family. Hot rods were a passion that he enjoyed from his teens until recently. He was very proud of his 1949 Ford (Lil Funa) and enjoyed every minute he could show it in the local car shows with his friends.

His laughter, his love for his family and his love of life will stay in our hearts forever.

Please feel free to visit and share memories at www.tuellmckee.com Tuell-McKee 253-845-5090

Marritje Van Arsdale Greene Aug. 1, 1951 - Jan. 8, 2022 Hillsborough

Roselyn Crisaf Dumesnil

12, 1947 - Dec. 8, 2021 Palo Alto

Richard E. Johnson

Manuel Correia April 30, 1940 - Jan. 2, 2022 Poulsbo, WA

To place an Obituary notice in e Mercury Ne ws, please email mnobits@bayareane wsgroup.com or call us at (408)920-5276. www.bayareaobits.com

Gordon Robert Armstrong

Sept. 21, 1953 - Jan. 29, 2022

Resident of Woodside

Gordon Armstrong passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 29th with his family by his side. A San Jose native, he attended St Joseph’s School, Bellarmine College Preparatory, and Del Mar High School.

Gordon had a successful 45-year career in electrical contracting. His initial career was with Rosendin Electric, followed by Sasco Electric, and fnally as a founding partner to Redwood Electric Group. The bulk of his last 40 years in the industry was focused in marketing and sales. He was involved in the construction of commercial properties, hospitals, and high-tech campuses throughout Silicon Valley. Gordon’s long and successful career can be attributed to his charismatic personality, perseverance, tenacity, and integrity.

In life, Gordon was an open door man. People came to him for advice; he was always there for support. He was a very giving man and he never judged. Many people came to him for guidance, support, mentoring, and a good laugh. Everyday that he could, he wanted to make sure that everyone he’d meet knew that they mattered to him. Gordon was fercely loyal to his family and legions of friends.

Gordon was a true Renaissance man. He enjoyed great architecture, rock music, and traveling the world with his wife and children. He cherished fshing trips to La Paz and wine making with friends. His most recent hobby was to drive his car at the racetrack. He learned and practiced this skill until he became one of the fastest drivers at the track. This was Gordon: be the best you can be, never give up, and have a great time doing it. That was how he lived.

Gordon had a strong affection for his country and community- which he honored as an advisory board member of San Mateo County’s Sheriff’s Offce and supporter to many other causes. He put service above self. He was more than just generous; he was eternally grateful.

Gordon was a loving husband to Gayla and a dedicated father to Haley and Johnny. He is further survived by his devoted sister Kathy Kellogg of Roseville, CA, ffteen nieces and nephews and many grand nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his loving sister Suzanne Vierra and his parents Gordon and Mary Armstrong.

Family and friends are invited to a funeral service on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave, Los Altos. In lieu of fowers, the family requests that donations be made in Gordon’s name to Stanford Medicine - The Health Care Partners Fund.

Dorothy Anderson

1928 - 2022

Resident of Los Altos

Dorothy Anderson (nee Bothroyd) of Los Altos passed away in her own home, surrounded by loved ones, on February 2, 2022. Born on November 15, 1928, in London, England, she lived through the Blitz as a young teen living near the city. Upon leaving school, she joined Wimpy in England as a secretary. In the early 50s, she moved to Alsace, working for both the Council of Europe and Stars and Stripes Newspaper. While there, she met a handsome Yank, Walter Anderson, a young lieutenant stationed in Heidelberg, who she married in 1955. After moving back to the US, the two spent a few years in Ohio and Wisconsin before putting a mattress on the top of their station wagon in 1961 and driving across the country to the Bay Area, which they immediately decided was “the place they oughta be”. She worked at Lucky Lager as an executive secretary in the early 60s and began her next career in real estate with Walter, buying and renting duplexes and then larger apartment complexes in partnership with Walter while beginning a family. Over the years the two would grow the business, investing in larger and larger properties as they expanded their family. They moved into their brand new dream home in Los Altos in 1969 and made it their permanent home, where she worked on the family business and took care of her family at home. After the passing of Walter, she took over the running of the business and continued to do so until her late 80s.

She enjoyed bridge and traveling all over the world, from China to Italy, and passed her wanderlust on to her children. She was an avid gardener. She also loved a good debate and spending time with family. Strong minded and determined, she could be counted on to get things done, and protected beloved family and friends. She will be missed by son Kent Anderson, daughter Elaine Anderson, daughter-in-law Rosa Anderson, and sonin-law, Andrew Murray. Her sister Irene Coles, along with 5 granddaughters: Sofa Murray, Kylie Anderson, McKenna Anderson, Hannah Anderson and Melissa Anderson will also miss her, along with nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Anderson, and son, Greg Anderson.

A celebration of life will be held in the late spring or early summer, and friends or acquaintances wishing to pay their respects can leave a message at Cusimono Mortuary website cusimanocolonial.com Donations preferred to The Salvation Army or the ALS Association.

Chizu Kubo

January 20, 1925 ~ January 12, 2022

Resident of San Jose, CA

Chizu Kubo passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 in her home in San Jose, CA., just shy of her 97th birthday. She was a resident of Santa Clara Valley for over 75 years. As was her wish, Chizu was able to stay in her home until the end, surrounded by her family. Chizu was born in Vacaville, CA to Issei parents Tsurukichi and Tokie Matsuura. She was active in girls sports, as well as in Buddhist church and Japanese community activities. She graduated from Vacaville High School in 1942. That same year, with sisters Josephine and Helen and brother Ben, the entire family was relocated to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona for the duration of WW2. After World War 2, the family moved on to Cupertino, CA and settled in at the Pon Ranch where Ben worked as the foreman and the rest of the family worked seasonal orchard jobs—picking cherries, cutting apricots and picking prunes. Chizu married Yone Kubo in 1948 and together they raised a family of two boys –Duane and Larry—and immersed themselves in family life. Chizu became a hair stylist and worked in beauty salons in the Santa Clara Valley for over 40 years.

Chizu had the boys active in many endeavors from Little League to school events to Buddhist Church activities and the Community Youth Service (CYS). She always made sure her boys had pressed trousers at school and clean uniforms for their games.

Chizu was a core member of the San Jose Gardener’s Association Auxilury. In her later years she was grateful for the many activities at the Yu Ai Kai Senior Center in Japantown San Jose. After retirement, Chizu engaged in creative endeavors along with her girlfriends which included many beautifully crafted and framed Japanese Bunka (embroidery) pieces. Chizu and Yone were well-known for their love of travel and the many motorhome trips they had taken since the 1980s. They were early RV travelers criss-crossing the country as well as adventuring all the way to Alaska with their good friends, the Itatani and Idemoto families.

In their later years, Chizu and Yone greatly enjoyed the many sports and school activities of their grandchildren. When commenting on her granddaughter Justine’s success in high school basketball, Chizu would remind us that when she played, she was one of the two girls allowed to cross midcourt to play both offense and defense. In that era, most girls were considered too weak to play fullcourt basketball. Chizu’s husband Yone passed in 2016. She is survived by her two sons, Duane (Lucien) of Soquel, CA and Larry (Karen) of Foster City, CA, grandchildren Miasa (Christopher) Wong of Reno, NV, Darren Kubo of Sacramento, Ca, Kurtis Kubo of El Dorado Hills,CA, and Justine Kubo of Boston, MA. She is also survived by her sister, Helen Mukai of Sacramento, CA., and numerous nieces and nephews. Due to covid concerns, only a private family service will be held. Special thanks and recognition to Belma Agruda and Cora Pascual, Chizu’s longtime caregivers.

Willow Glen Funeral Home

June Downs, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, was born March 15, 1923 to William Reid and Blanche Gordon Danforth. The family soon relocated to Mitchell, South Dakota where they established their permanent home. Proud of her Danforth family ancestors who made their way to America in 1634, she also embraced her Gordon Scottish Highlander roots. As a girl, June delighted audiences dancing with her sister Carol throughout South Dakota, including the renowned Corn Palace in her own hometown. Always a woman of beauty inside and out, she won beauty contests as a youth and as a Pi Beta Phi at the University of South Dakota. Even as a young mother, she modelled in charity fashion shows.

Rooted in Midwestern values, June lived her adult life with honesty, kindness, generosity and cheerfulness, which never wavered during her 20 years as a Navy wife. Her positive outlook made her a pleasure to be around, and she thanked God daily for her many blessings. June’s 57-year marriage to her beloved Arnie, another South Dakota native, produced two children, Judy and Scott, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. While family was always frst and foremost with June, she was multitalented. After her children had grown, she pursued a teaching career. Adored by her students, she was selected as Teacher of the Year in two different schools. June loved fowers, fashion, art, music and all things of elegance. She was a superb decorator. Though born in the center of the North American continent, she never lived more than a short drive from an ocean, living in Rhode Island, Saipan, Florida (Key West, Jacksonville), Virginia, Hawaii and California. Since 1959, June considered Pebble Beach and Los Gatos as her hometowns and volunteered in a variety of community activities, serving on her local Panhellenic boards, as a “Pink Lady” at various hospitals, Cub Scout Den Mother, church choir member and as a Bible Study Fellowship Discussion Leader. June passed on to her Heavenly home January 23, 2022 surrounded by loving family. She was predeceased by her husband Arnold, her daughter Judith Gilbert and her sister Carol Williams. She is survived by her son Scott (Debbie), grandchildren Nathan Gilbert, Ryan Downs (fancé Kati), Shawna Gonzales (Craig), Kyle Downs and two great granddaughters, Melody and Taylor Gonzales.

A graveside service will be held in South Dakota. Memorial contributions are welcomed and appreciated to Red Cloud Indian School, 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota 57770 or to Hospice of the Central Coast, 2 Upper Ragsdale Drive Suite 120, Monterey, CA 93940.

Sylvia Whitcher

April 19, 1926-January 23, 2022 Los Altos

(408) 295-6446 • FD813 www.willowglenfuneralhome.com

Obituary:

Sylvia Bennett (Lyman) Whitcher

April 19, 1926 – January 23, 2022

Sylvia was the youngest of three daughters of Duane Elizabeth Stimson Lyman, of 50 Lyman Road, Eggertsville, New York. Duane Lyman was described at the time of his death as “dean of Western New York architecture.” Sylvia’s deceased sisters were Janie Lyman Driscoll and Mary Elizabeth Lyman Letchworth.

After graduating from the Park School of Buffalo, Sylvia gained an Artium Baccalaureus degree in in 1948 Vassar College, majoring in music. At the age of ffty-three she completed her Master of Arts in Teaching (music) from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California. Sylvia and her frst husband Dr. Charles E. Whitcher, also from Buffalo. N.Y., lived in Seattle Washington, Lawton Oklahoma, and Winston Salem, N.C, before settling with their four children in Stanford, California, where Charles was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology at the School of Medicine.

In Stanford, Sylvia taught piano and volunteered for several organizations, most especially the Unitarian Church of Palo Alto, CA, as well as the American Association of University Women, and the Music Teacher Association of California.

Following her divorce from Charles in 1990, Sylvia remarried a fellow member of the Unitarian Church of Palo Alto, Sylvan Rubin, with whom she lived in Los Altos until his death in 2019. Sylvia will be missed, not only by her next of kin, but also by her stepfamily, consisting of Kim, Jan, Sophie, and Alissa Rubin.

Sylvia is survived by three of her children: Dr. Bruce (Lyman) Whitcher of Templeton Ca, Sarah Chenkin Ph.D. of Swarthmore PA, Douglas Whitcher Ph.D., of Winterthur, Switzerland, but was preceded by her son David Stimson Whitcher at the age of ffteen.

Known for her generosity, feisty humor, interest in other people, talent in the art of conversation, and her skills as a pianist capable of teaching, composing, and accompanying, she was less well known as an autobiographical writer. Persons interested in her writings can contact her son at douglas.whitcher@gmail.com.

Sylvia requested donations in Lieu of fowers to the Palo Alto Unitarian Universalist Church. A virtual service is planned by her family, date to be announced.

1-877-938-0672

Richard Shore

September 15, 1936 - December 19, 2021

Resident of Los Gatos

Richard “Dick” Shore peacefully entered his heavenly home on Dec. 19, 2021, 4th generation Los Gatos native born 09/15/1936. Retired from the San Jose Mercury News Product Distribution after 41 years. Recognized with the ACE Award for his supervisory accomplishments and for going above and beyond to ensure a quality product was distributed effectively. Avid cyclist, runner, weightlifter, gardener and beach lover. Longtime member of Hillside Church devoted to youth ministry.

Survived by wife of 64 years, Patricia; children Shelley (James) McKinzie of Bakersfeld and Craig (Jill) Shore of San Jose; granddaughter Carly McKinzie, grandsons Clayton McKinzie, Brandon, Bryce, Braden and Brent Shore; great granddaughters Caroline and Sophie McKinzie. A Celebration of Life will be held on February 26th, 2pm at Hillside Church: 545 Hillsdale Ave., San Jose, CA 95136.

Toshio Nakashima was born July 18, 1928 in Oakland, CA to Kikutaro and Kane Nakashima and passed away peacefully with his loving family at his bedside, in Redondo Beach, CA on January 20th, 2022.

Tosh was preceded in death by his frst wife, Grace Nakashima and most recently by Carol Sato Nakashima. He was the last surviving Nakashima sibling of his generation and leaves behind his daughters Jodeene (Alan) Aikawa, Teresa (Chuck) Nakashima Rennie, Karen (Jan) Sato, son Ken (Sherri) Sato; grandchildren Alexandra Rennie, Kaileen Glass, Jennifer Caravelli, Kendra Sato, Ryan Sato and numerous nieces and nephews.

Tosh was born into a rose nursery family located in San Leandro, CA. The Nakashima family was very active in the Japanese community and spearheaded the construction of the Oakland Buddhist church which was completed in 1927.

He grew up during WWII as a Kibei, having been partly educated in Japan as he was not able to return to the rest of the family in America when the war started. He and his family were grateful to the family friends who maintained the nursery property during the war and returned it to the Nakashima family at the war’s end. Tosh served in the army during the Korean War and afterwards married his sweetheart, Grace Aoki, with whom he had his two daughters, maintained his successful nursery and was active in the local JACL.

Tosh was one of three brothers involved in the nursery business and assumed control of the San Leandro branch after his oldest brother decided to form a separate nursery in Watsonville. The K. Nakashima nursery thrived for decades under Tosh, including a move of the company to Gilroy, CA in the early1980’s. He would tell people how it was never work for him because he loved the rose industry, collaborating with other industry friends, walking among the acres of greenhouses of roses, and creating hybrid varieties including one which he named for his wife Grace. He loved to travel and visit his many rose growing friends in America, Europe and Japan.

Tosh was known both as a mentor to younger rose growers and for implementing innovative ideas such as growing hydroponic roses.

Shortly after moving the nursery to Gilroy, Tosh suffered the devastating loss of his wife Grace. During the last ffteen years of his life he was able to fnd love and joy again by marrying Carol Sato and gaining a son (Ken) and another daughter (Karen) and three grandchildren

Initially Tosh and Carol alternated living between Carol’s home in Morgan Hill and a home on Millerton Lake, where they loved to entertain friends and family. They eventually settled full time in the Morgan Hill home, where they were wonderfully cared for by Ken and Karen, who both lived nearby.

Due to Carol’s passing in 2021 and his failing health, last summer Tosh moved to Terry’s area where she and her husband, Chuck and their daughter Alexandra, made sure his time remaining was comfortable and flled with additional love and happy memories.

Tosh was a constant source of support and entertainment for his many family and friends. He wanted them to know how proud he was of them and how much he loved them.

A private family memorial service will be held in Gardena, with fnal internment at Chapel of the Chimes Hayward. A celebration of his life will be held when the COVID pandemic permits.

Joseph Schneider, Jr. 1934-2022 Saratoga, CA

Joseph Schneider, 87, of New York, NY (lately of Saratoga, CA) was done with these earthly shenanigans and fnally joined his wife, Olga, in that heavenly road trip and adventure. Olga, 89, preceded him in 2013 after a fve year battle with vascular dementia.

Joe was beloved by all who knew him; A good father and husband who will be deeply missed by family, friends, and caregivers who were always entertained by his stories and sense of humor. He prided himself on always being the quintessential “wise guy.”

Joe, Jr. was born in New York, NY in 1934 to Joseph Schneider and Rosa (née Irizarry) Schneider. According to his mother, Joe, Jr. was spoiled, as he was the frst boy born after four girls (they went on to have a few more boys, but he was the best). Joe’s youth included amateur boxing with the NYC Golden Gloves organization and racing a car he owned with fve other guys that was held together with “rubber bands and spit.”

Joe met his future bride, Olga, when they were both attendants in his sister’s wedding. As the story goes he showed up at Olga’s house at 8am the very next day. They were married six months later. After 56 years of marriage and even after she passed away, Joe always referred to Olga as his bride. They both spoke several languages which added to their travels. Joe had a deep love of languages. Besides speaking Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew he could greet and swear in a variety of dialects including Farsi, Greek, Somali, Arabic, and Portuguese.

Joe’s professional career centered on sales as well as operations for an air freight company and exotic car dealership. Cars being one of his favorite interests. When he turned 80 he bought a Corvette, because that’s always the go to goal for any octogenarian.

However, Joe’s most favorite thing was spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his daughter Carla (Daniel Neumann), son Joseph, III (Amy), and his grandchildren Jake and Olivia Neumann, Corinne and Cole Schneider. He is also survived by his sister-inlaw Phyllis Padro who he often referred to as his other daughter (Phyllis lived with them from a young age); siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Joe is at peace, joining his bride Olga - who may or may not be patiently waiting. At the very least she’ll have a lot to say about his extensive wardrobe of jeans, suspenders, and at least one pair of horrifyingly bright plaid pants. There will be a private celebration of Joe’s life later in the year.. “I was born and bred a New Yorker” - Joe, at some point in almost any conversation.

Kathleen Taylor

July 4, 1945 - February 1, 2022

Goleta, CA

Wife. Mom. Mom-in-law. Sister.Nana. Friend. Since a near life-ending episode 24 years ago, she made a miraculous comeback and put up with numerous health setbacks, never once with an attitude or complaining. No matter her own opinions, she welcomed and talked to absolutely everyone and was inclusive of all. She ventured on long international tours and domestic road trips with her family, making priceless memories even when it was diffcult. She loved fercely - her kids, her adopted kids, her friends, her neighbors, and of course her beloved “grandies” who were the apple of her eye . Mom, you set an example for us all, put up one heck of a fght, and were truly one of a kind. Rest easy in Heaven … we love you. See you soon. Kathy was a long time resident of Palo Alto, CA and taught in Cupertino Union School District for many years before retiring to the Santa Barbara area in 2013. A private family burial will be held February 18th with a Memorial Service at Mission Santa Barbara in the coming weeks, details to come. In lieu of fowers, donations may be made to Nor Cal Aussie Rescue.

John Henner

July 19, 1933 - Feb. 4, 2022

Resident of Morgan Hill, CA

Jeanette Margaret Freeman

Sept. 1, 1921 - Jan. 23, 2022

Resident of San Jose

Louis “Elliott” Pfughaupt

February 22, 1941 - February 2, 2022

Resident of Los Gatos, CA

Elliott was born in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Bellaire High School in 1959, he earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin in 1964. He then took a job with IBM in San Jose and began working on his MS in Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara University. Throughout high school and college, Elliott developed a deep interest and love of cars, especially Corvettes. During summers, he enjoyed overhauling transmissions and restoring engines as he contributed to his college education. He went on to build a modest car collection over the decades. Another passion of Elliott’s was collecting model trains, both early classic trains and modern trains. Trains from Elliott’s extensive collection spent many a Christmas circling the family Christmas tree. Elliott was also an avid reader and student of history. He liked nothing better than to sit in front of the fre in winter with a glass of port and a good book of history. He loved to follow up a good read by traveling to many of the places from his reading – Normandy, England, Germany, Italy, Russia and other WW II sites. In the last decade, Elliott has come to enjoy debating politics via emails with his good friends. Elliott leaves behind Jane, his wife of 59 years, daughter Cheryl, son Russ and his wife Judy, loving grandfather to Bill, Alex and Ryan.

In lieu of fowers, the family requests donations be made in Elliott’s name to The Alzheimer’s Association via BrightFocus Foundation, https://support.brightfocus.org/ default.aspx?tsid=9987

Apr.

On Friday, January 7, 2022, Tom Tamotsu Sako, loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and father-inlaw passed away peacefully of natural causes in Sunnyvale, CA at the age of 99. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Michi in 2013.

Tom was born on April 30, 1922, and raised in Sunnyvale, California, the youngest of three children, to Nizo and Mishi Sako. The family lived in Sunnyvale until WWII when Executive Order 9066 led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans into internment camps. The Sako family was relocated to Heart Mountain, Wyoming for the duration of the war and eventually settled in Los Altos after returning to the Bay Area.

Tom was a licensed cement contractor and small businessman until his semi-retirement in 1990. It was semiretirement as he would always be doing small jobs for people (including family members) for at least another decade. Tom was also a talented vegetable gardener with an annual yield that was enjoyed by neighbors, family, and friends for many years.

Tom married Michi Tanouye in 1951 and they soon started a family and settled down in the Barron Park section of Palo Alto and later moved to Mountain View in 1958. He was a quiet, generous, humble and kind man who participated in weekly bowling leagues and tournaments for decades and was a longtime 49ers season ticket holder dating back to the Kezar Stadium era. He was also a devoted Giants and Warriors fan and passed that devotion onto his sons.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Parkview Residential Care Home as well as Hospice of the Valley for their tireless efforts, care, and love they showed to Tom during his last year of a life well lived, while working with the continual challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tom is survived by sons Thompson (Linda) and Mitch (Mie) and his three beloved grandsons, Greg (Jillian), Nick and Taka. Per his wishes no services are planned. Donations may be sent to Hospice of the Valley in Tom’s memory.

Jeanette Margaret Freeman of San Jose passed away, at the age of 100, on Sunday, Jan 23, 2022. Jeanette was born on Sept 1, 1921, to Edward and Margaret Smithey of San Jose. She married William J. Freeman in 1946 and together they started a chain of sporting goods stores which they ran for 40 years. She is survived by her son David, grandson William and granddaughter Marguerite. Her cheerful disposition and calm demeanor will be missed by all who knew her. Memorial services are private and with immediate family only. In lieu of fowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society.

Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park

(408) 297-2447

www.oakhillfuneral.com

John (Jack) Henner passed away at his home in Morgan Hill on February 4, 2022. Jack grew up in San Francisco and attended Balboa High School. He was a proud Union Construction worker until retirement. Jack always had a funny story to tell and his family and friends enjoyed listening and laughing with him. Jack is survived by his children Jeff and Janet Henner. He arrived in Heaven greeted by his Mother Mary, his brother Bud and 2 sisters Dorothy and Barbara, 4 nieces, 1 nephew, 2 grand sons and 1 grand daughter. He is survived by many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be missed…until we meet again. We love you Dad. Services will be private.

Toshio Nakashima

July 18, 1928- Jan 20, 2022 Morgan Hill

Tom Tamotsu Sako

30, 1922 - Jan. 7, 2022 Mountain View

Ihavebeenprinting,

Aces on Bridge

Dear Mr. Wol : You hold ♠ A-K-8-4-3-2, ♥ 9-4, ♦ Q-2, ♣ A-10-9, with no one vulnerable. Your right-hand opponent deals and opens one heart. You overcall one spade and hear a raise to three hearts on your le Your partner competes to three spades. Would you bid one more for the road?

— Bad Omen, Midland, Michigan

Answer: The small doubleton in the enemy suit does not bode well for o ense. You might then struggle to limit your minor-suit losers to one, given that you have no reason to expect a source of tricks in dummy. Passing is the prudent course, especially when you consider that partner might have stretched to bid game on this sequence if he had a full invitation with a singleton heart.

Dear Mr. Wol : My partner and I have taken up transfers a er our major-suit opening is doubled. In these methods, what sort of hand-type would you expect for a one-no-trump transfer to clubs?

— Confused Conventions, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Answer: A lot of people transfer with balanced hands and ve-card suits here, but that is not the best strategy. You should either pass or redouble with those. A transfer should typically be based on the sort of hand you would open a weak two with, so 5-9 points and a six-card suit, or unbalanced stronger hands with at least a ve-card suit, when you can transfer and then bid again or raise partner.

Dear Mr. Wol : Do you think serious top-level bridge events should be played online?

— Inherent Downsides, Laredo, Texas

Answer: It is somewhat easier to cheat at online

The New York Times Crossword

bridge. The spate of unethical behavior exhibited over the pandemic was alarming and detrimental to our game. The risk is smaller in a live game, so I would say that the big tournaments should be played face-toface whenever possible, even if that is less convenient.

Dear Mr. Wol : Which card would you recommend we lead from ace-king doubleton against suit contracts?

— Reversed Order, Nashville, Tennessee

Answer: I would tend to lead the one that is contrary to my usual ace-king agreements. This way, I can wake partner up to the possibility of a ru . I do the same when planning to shi to a singleton.

Dear Mr. Wol : We had a disaster on this board when I doubled a one-diamond opener with ♠ A-Q-10-2, ♥ A-4-3, ♦ Q-10, ♣ Q-J-9-3 at unfavorable vulnerability. My le -hand opponent redoubled, and I had to run to one spade, doubled for minus 800. Partner had nothing but six small diamonds, so one diamond would have gone down. Should I have passed that out?

— Neutral Pass, Levittown, Pennsylvania

Answer: Partner’s pass is not for penalty here. Instead, it denies a good bid. He will not have a four-card major, but he may have four clubs. Imagine if he held a 3=3=3=4 distribution. He might pass, with the aim of getting out into your four-card major, rather than bid and guess which major you have length in. Therefore, I think you have to bid, and one spade is as good as anything.

Contact Bobby Wol at bobbywol @mindspring. com.

WATCH YOUR STEP! By Ross Trudeau / Edited by Will Shortz

Ross Trudeau is a writer and puzzlemaker in Cambridge, Mass. This is his 48th crossword for the Times. He posts a free original puzzle every week on his website, Rossword

Reader wants the chance to live alone

DEAR HARRIETTE » I don’t want to live with my boyfriend yet. We’ve been together for a year, and he’s been asking me over and over again when we can start looking at places together. I’ve never had the chance to live on my own, and I’m very excited about being able to do it in the near future.

I don’t want to live with anyone. He feels that if we don’t live together, we aren’t progressing in our relationship. What should I do?

— Ready to Live Alone

DEAR READY TO LIVE ALONE » Here’s where my old-school self steps in. You should not feel pressured by your boyfriend to live together. It is smart for you to live by yourself, establish your own life and get to know who you are as an independent person — independent of

your parents and your boyfriend. That doesn’t mean that you choose to look outside your relationship — not at all. It means that you fully embody yourself as a young, independent person. This can be hard for a partner to accept, especially if he is eager to take your relationship to a deeper level. But living together is not the same as getting married. Have you had that conversation? Even then, I recommend waiting and establishing yourself independently first.

What you two can do now is talk about the long term. What do you want for your future? What do you imagine your future to be with each other? What goals can you set that will get you there?

This is important for both of you, but especially for him right now so that

Horoscope » By Eugenia Last

Happy Birthday: Keep your ideas to yourself until you are ready to launch. Be true to yourself, and move forward with discipline and optimism. Your numbers are 8, 14, 22, 24, 31, 38, 43.

Birthday Baby: You are emotional, proactive and skilled. You are tactical and persuasive.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Take care of your responsibilities, and relax. Refuse to act on assumptions or let your emotions spin out of control. Keep the peace and give yourself a chance to put things in perspective. ★★

Taurus (April 20-May 20):

Embrace whatever comes your way. Learn from the experiences and people you meet, and use what you discover to get ahead. Don’t let a lack of con dence stand between you and what you want. ★★★★

Gemini (May 21-June 20): Keep your life and relationships simple. An unexpected change handled diplo -

matically will bring positive results. Don’t fuss when an intelligent conversation favors getting the help you want. Shared expenses will lower your overhead and free up cash. ★★★ Cancer (June 21-July 22): Do whatever it takes to get what you want. Take on more if it will help you gain momentum and win favors. Put more emphasis on meaningful relationships to ensure you nurture and protect what you’ve worked so hard to achieve. ★★★

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Sit back and observe what’s going on around you. Let others dip, dive, and make decisions and changes while you relax and decipher what works best for you. Learn from others’ experiences, and you’ll bypass mistakes and losses. ★★★

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change of plans will favor you. Get together with friends or attend a function that o ers valuable

he doesn’t feel you are abandoning him.

DEAR HARRIETTE » I am 30 years old, and I’ve never successfully saved any money long term. I’ve tried time and time again to keep money in my savings account, but I always end up using it for unforeseen expenses. I don’t make a lot of money to start with, but I have friends who have somehow saved a lot of money. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. How can I successfully build my savings account? No Savings

DEAR NO SAVINGS » The good news is that you are realizing this when you are only 30. Sadly, I have talked to many people who are at retirement age who are crying the same song and are worried sick because they see that they may never be able to retire. You have plenty of time to get your finances

information that can help you use your talents in new and exciting ways. Make romance part of your plan, and you won’t be disappointed. ★★★★

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t start something you cannot nish. Getting involved in a dispute that can a ect your personal life won’t pay o . If you want to make a change, lower your overhead or invest in something that is low risk and helps you save. ★★

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov.

21): Be creative, and you’ll come up with a plan that will o er skills, knowledge and connections that will help improve your life. Physical or virtual travel will help clear up a pending problem and free up cash.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put your time and e ort into something meaningful. Reach out to a friend or relative who can o er expert advice or insight into some -

in order if you start now. One of the simplest things you can do is to have money deposited from your paycheck into an account before you even get it. Instead of putting it in an easily accessible savings account, choose a di erent financial instrument like a Roth IRA. Talk to a financial adviser at your bank or credit union and get advice on the best ways to start saving today. For more ideas on savings, go to: americasaves. org/resource-center/ insights/54-ways-to-savemoney.

Harriette Cole is founder of DreamLeapers, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

thing you want to pursue. Don’t trust an o er someone makes that sounds too good to be true. ★★★

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Set high expectations. Implement changes that o er less stress and good relationships with those near and dear to you. A physical transformation you make will boost your ego and con dence and result in additional attention from someone special. ★★★

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Own whatever you do, and don’t let anyone steal your thunder. It’s easy to follow someone, but it’s not the way to get ahead. Rely on your ingenuity, and strike out on your own. ★★★

Pisces (Feb. 19-March

20): Take to the podium, and you will draw a crowd. Network, socialize and share your vision with movers and shakers. Expand your concepts and charm those who have something to o er in return.

2022 Ñ2023 Area Plan on AgingUpdate Virtual Public Hearings

The Sourcewise Area Plan is acomprehensive needs assessment meant to identify the unmet needs of seniors, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities in Santa Clara County. The Area Plan on Aging Update explains how Sourcewise prioritizes and addresses those needs in a detailed manner.

Public hearings offer the community the opportunity to comment on the 2022-2023 Area Plan Update.

Join Sourcewise at one of the virtual 2022 Ñ2023Area Plan on Aging Update public hearings. The public hearings will be scheduled via Zoom and registration details can be found on the Sourcewise Event Calendar on our website at: https://www.mysourcewise.com/calendar

If you need help to register, interested community members can contact aCommunity Resource Specialist at: (408) 350-3200, option 1 or email

Engaged couple faces ‘Momzilla’

DEAR AMY

» My fiance and I recently became engaged. He is originally from another country, and his family still lives there. Because of COVID-19 restrictions and the visa process, most are unable to travel to the U.S. for a wedding, so we decided to host (and pay for) a small U.S. ceremony and have a big wedding in his home country (where costs are much lower).

My parents have stated that they will not travel, even though they take trips elsewhere. We are deeply hurt and disappointed by this. My fiance is especially hurt, because this may be their only opportunity to meet his family.

Initially, we wanted to include our families in the planning, but my parents have argued every step of the way.

I called my mother to invite her to look at a venue; it ended with her insulting me and then hanging up on me.

My fiance and I looked at the venue, loved it, and booked it on the spot. My mother was then devastated that she was not included. We also told my parents that we would not be able to include some of their friends on our guest list, but that they were welcome to invite these friends if they covered the cost. (I have not seen most of these people in several years, and none have met my fiance.)

Both parents called me several times during my workday and sent me multiple harsh emails.

My parents have complained about the situation to other family members, who have told us that we are wrong for “ruining their day.”

We’re at the point where we are considering canceling our wedding in the U.S. Are we wrong? Aside from continuing to enforce boundaries, how do we handle “Momzilla”?

— Bride-to-Be in CT

DEAR BRIDE-TO-BE » You are trying to set and enforce boundaries, but so far, you seem to be closing the gate after your folks have already scaled the wall. You are paying for this entire a air. You and your fiance are the hosts. Your folks should be treated as honored guests: invited, given appropriate seating and roles during the ceremony and reception, but — NO control over your plans, because they are demonstrating that they can’t handle being included.

You should not welcome them to invite people to your wedding whom you have no desire to see.

I think you should take a deep breath and make a real choice about what you want to do next — not reacting out of this moment’s anger, but with a wider view concerning what you are doing, and why, and how you want to look back on all of it.

Contact Amy Dickinson via email at askamy@ amydickinson.com.

Five steps add interest and pizazz to a kitchen hutch

Here’s the problem with talking to creative people with good taste and good ideas: Once you know what’s possible, you can’t unknow. It can drive you nuts. Which brings us to my kitchen hutch, a plain, pine, country French workhorse with open shelves and cabinet space below. We’d been living together without complaint for 15 years, since I bought her for a steal at a going-out-ofbusiness sale.

That is, until a few months ago when, while interviewing Dallas interior designer John Phifer Marrs about his new book, “Interiors for Collectors” (Gibbs Smith), he mentioned that open shelving units or cabinets you can see into look far nicer and showcase their contents much better when they are well lit and have colorfully painted interiors. The book’s many photos amplified the message.

To my newly educated eyes, my humble hutch was no longer OK as she was. However, when I considered how to light and paint the shelves, I froze. If I put a light on the top ceiling of the upper section, lower sections would still be dark. Lights in every bay seemed excessive, and switching out wood shelves for glass ones would not fit the hutch’s rustic style. Then what about the cords? And what color would I paint the background?

As with so many good creative ideas that die on the road between Vision Street and Execution Avenue, my inspiration almost ended there.

Until last week. An electrician was at the house working outside. I showed him the hutch, and asked what it would take to light

the shelves top to bottom.

“Oh, easy,” he said.

(Watch the word “just.”)

“You just run LED strip lights vertically down the inside of the front door frames. Then you just drill small holes in the shelves to pass the light strip through. Then you just put a transformer on the top of the cabinet and run a cord down the back.”

“You lost me at transformer,” I said.

“You could do this or just get a handyman.”

“How about you?”

“I really don’t do furniture,” he said. I waited.

“But …” he conceded at last, “I could.”

Two hours later, the shelves were delightfully aglow.

Next came the challenge of choosing a paint color.

I narrowed the choice to three: shades of blue, green and orange, all colors found in the nearby drapes and throughout the house. I asked anyone who would listen for their opinion. I got a three-way tie. So I texted Marrs, who was happy to hear he’d inspired me. I sent him photos. Within seconds he replied: “I vote orange. It is in the fabric, and would look great with the dishes. It will be pretty with the yellow walls and the crisp white trim. What a happy room!”

“And about to get even happier!” I texted back. Then I gathered my paint supplies and painted the

hutch’s back wall Sherwin Williams Quite Coral. I replaced the dishes and glassware, pulling out stray pieces that weren’t part of a cohesive set and staging the shelves with more intention. I sent Marrs photos.

“Looks fabulous! That cabinet was starved for color!’ Lights. Color. Control. Boom! Once you see it, you can’t go back.

If you have shelves in your home or a hutch in need of pizazz, here are five steps to take a basic backdrop from ordinary to extraordinary.

Define it. Visible displays should feature edited, curated content, said Marrs.

• Light it. “Proper lighting makes everything look more dramatic,” Marrs said.

• Paint it. Dropping a dramatic color on the wall behind a collection is a simple way to make a huge impact, Marrs said.

• Control it. When purchasing LED lights, make sure they’re dimmable. If you can control the light, you can control the mood. Install a dimmer as well as a timer to control when the lights go on and o

• Stage it. Be intentional about what you place and where when you display contents on the shelves. I edited out fringe glassware, hung (rather than propped) decor plates and grouped like items. If you can see it, make it pretty.

Bathroom boundaries needed

DEAR MISS MANNERS »

I’ve been working from home. One morning last week I was in the bathroom when my 5-year-old daughter barged in with my phone and yelled, “Phone call, Mommy!” It was my boss. After a minute of chat, he chuckled and said, “I asked your daughter where you were, and she said, ‘She’s on the toilet.’ ” I was so embarrassed! I said I’d call him back, and he said, “Oh, I just have a couple of quick questions.”

But I replied, “This is inappropriate,” and he ended the call brusquely. Twenty minutes later, I called him back and we had a civil conversation. Was I wrong?

GENTLE READER » Not wanting to conduct business while you are ... well ... conducting business is certainly not wrong. But using the word “inappropriate” might have come o a bit brusque to your boss.

If the relationship has returned to being civil, however, Miss Manners would leave it alone — or make a joke at some point about reinforcing boundaries with your daughter. The insinu-

ation that you also must do so with him will no doubt be implicit.

DEAR MISS MANNERS

» A friend of mine from high school, whom I have seen a few times in the intervening 50 years, came to my home with his wife. They suggested they would like a tour of our home, but I deflected this request.

Our home is relatively comfortable and well-kept, but not exceptional. I am a very private person and do not care to invite acquaintances, strangers or even friends to gawk at my personal space or paw through my belongings.

When we entered our home, my friend’s wife began to wander freely throughout while I talked to her husband. From across an open area I saw her pick up items in my workspace or pull them aside to see what was beneath. I was so stunned by her rudeness that I said nothing at the time.

Can you please o er a polite rejoinder for such occasions? It seems inhospitable to call out, “As I implied

earlier, I do not care to give you a tour of our home. Can you please join us, Megan?”

Loading the medicine cabinet with marbles is tempting, but installation and cleanup would be very time-consuming. Such a request from an acquaintance and a stranger who have arrived for a brief visit seems wildly inappropriate, but perhaps I am missing something here? Are requests for home tours now considered a polite means to express interest in others?

GENTLE READER » Unwitting guests who have been forcibly taken on such tours may now think so — and suddenly feel required to ask.

A polite response to the inquiry might be, “Oh we don’t want to bore you with that; there’s really not much to see.” And then Miss Manners suggests that you tell Megan that she will not want to miss appetizers in the living room — and politely decline all requests for help in the kitchen.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com.

Puzzle answers

COURTESY OF MARNI JAMESON

L VE OF THE GAME

By KURT SNIBBE /Southern California News Group

Where’s the love?

In 2016, 65% of U.S. adults said they follow the NFL in some form with 56% watching games on television and 9% tuning in via the internet.

Globally, 38% of adults are fans, with particularly notable peaks in Mexico, India and China. Overall, that means there are four times as many NFL fans in the rest of the world as there are in America. American men (74%) are more likely than women (56%) to be fans with 25-34s the leading age group.

Favorite league

Home Team Sports, a leader in sports marketing, commissioned a joint study with Wake eld Research Partners and YouGov to better understand the roots of fandom. They surveyed 2,462 fans representative of the U.S. adult population who selected a favorite league.

NFL (45.3%)

MLB (21.9%)

NBA (18.9%)

NHL (10.3%)

MLS (3.5%)

Team loyalty

Whether my team wins or loses, I will stay forever loyal in support of the team: MLB NFL NBA NHL MLS

I could never change my a liation with my favorite team to another pro team:

With the Super Bowl today and Valentine’s Day Monday, we look at the NFL’s passionate fans

Ratings game

The 2021 NFL regular season averaged 17.1 million viewers (TV and digital), which is the highest regular-season average since 2015 and up more than 10% from 2020. The Cowboys accounted for ve of the top 10 ratings. Throughout the season, there were 370 billion total minutes consumed, which is up 18% more in 2020. The NFL added one more regular-season game, stretching to 17 games.

Generation Z

According a 2021 Next Gen Fandom Survey from Emory University, Generation Z has the least amount of avid fans for the NFL and all sports. Young women express a higher level of fandom for all sports except Esports.

All sports Football Basketball

Esports

Super fans

Each NFL team selects a fan of the year in November.

The contest celebrates extraordinary fans who inspire others through their love of football and show what it means to be a fan. NFL collected nearly 35,000 submissions from fans vying for the chance to represent their team as a nominee.

In partnership with the league, each club has now selected their 2021 Fan of the Year, who will attend Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium and represent their team in the stands.

Cincinnati Bengals: Jimmie Foster

Rams: Amanda Filimon

I watch my favorite team play regardless of who they’re playing:

Putting money where your heart is

The Super Bowl’s prices are setting records. As of Wednesday, a report by CBS said the average ticket price is $8,772 and top VIP suite level tickets were priced at $100,000.

The regular season

The average cost for a family of four to attend an NFL game in the 2021 season was $568.18, an increase of $14.05 over 2020, according to Team Marketing Report's NFL Fan Cost Index. The average NFL ticket was about $107. The Raiders, in their new Las Vegas home, topped the list for average ticket price at $153.47. The lowest average ticket price was for those watching the Bu alo Bills, at $74.95.

In thousands

Filimon, a 15-year combat veteran who served in Iraq and currently serves as a registered nurse with Cedars-Sinai. Filimon continues to put the needs of others above her own and takes care of COVID-19 patients during surgery. NFL.com/fano heyear

Thirsty and hungry?

Levi’s Stadium, where San Francisco plays, has the most expensive beer at $14. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Atlanta plays, has the cheapest beer — the only team that charges just $5 for a beer, according to OnlineGambling.com’s Gameday Calculator. Atlanta’s stadium is known for its low-price food, with hot dogs about $2. M&T Bank Stadium, where Baltimore plays, sells hot dogs for $3.

Most emotional fans

StatSocial, a social media data company, used IBM Watson Personality Insights to rank NFL fans on emotions using factors that included language people use to express themselves, frequency of communication and interaction with others.

Jets Jaguars Rams Dolphins Buccaneers

The scores are based on a percentile ranking of 1 to 100 with 50 being the average. An emotionality score of 53.65, means the corresponding audience is in the 53.65th percentile for that trait.

Amanda Filimon

Hertl is open to staying in San Jose, but wants fair deal

MLB’s new offer doesn’t bridge gap with the players

Upcoming memorial a time to re ect on past glory

By Cam Inman cinman@ bayareanewsgroup.com

A Lombardi Trophy will be hoisted tonight in Los Angeles for the first time in 29 years when the Dallas Cowboys routed the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl.

Either Sean McVay of the Rams or Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals will join the list of coaches to win their first Super Bowl in Los Angeles. It’s a heavy list that includes Hall of Fame coaches Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson and John Madden. Madden knew his Raiders would beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 9, 1977. He was as certain as the final score: 32-14.

“I just said, ‘Hell, we’re ready for this,” Madden recalled clear as day in an exclusive interview with me before his 2006 Hall of Fame enshrinement.

WILL IT BE SUPER?

The team that plays clean, avoids mistakes will take home the Lombardi Trophy

By Barry Wilner

The Associated Press

INGLEWOOD » Stay clean. Avoid the critical mistakes.

That’s a mantra both the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams should have adopted as they head to today’s Super Bowl. Limit the turnovers and costly penalties. Don’t waste timeouts, particularly in the second half. Get physical rather than fancy. Being e cient can trump being spectacular. All they need to do is look back to the last time the Los Angeles area hosted a Super Bowl nearly three decades ago. That game at the Rose Bowl became an almost laughable rout as the Bu alo Bills kept surrendering the ball to the Dallas Cowboys.

49ERS

“Just going to go out there and impose our will and play physical and let the chips fall where they may,” Bengals cornerback Eli Apple said. Echoed Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey: “Do our thing, and do it the best we can. That’s winning football.”

Sure, the Super Bowl is America’s biggest sporting event; some would argue it is America’s biggest event of any kind. It’s splashy, it’s overhyped, with a weeklong publicity machine by the league, the teams, the host city, the network televising it.

To understand what this week was like 45 years ago for him, here is how he retold it in that interview, along with what Al Davis recalled in a separate sitdown:

Madden: “I really believed the whole time that if this was going to be the best time in your life and you’re going to look back at it for the rest of your life,

UP NEXT

Monday: Public memorial for John Madden at Oakland Coliseum, 5:30 p.m.

49ers in Super Bowl if they’d helped Jimmy G?

For much of the last calendar year, 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have insisted quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gave their team its best chance to win.

What if we actually took them at their word?

Last March, the 49ers provided an obvious clue they weren’t completely convinced of Garoppolo’s abilities to play at a championship level when they

WARRIORS

moved up from pick No. 12 to pick No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to select their quarterback of the future.

In the days following the team’s 20-17 loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, Lynch and Shanahan praised Garoppolo for his leadership and toughness this season, but after selecting rookie Trey Lance last April, the 49ers’ brass made it clear that change is imminent.

Warriors relieved as trade deadline passes

By Shayna Rubin srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN FRANCISCO » The trade deadline has come and gone, and it looks as though the Warriors’ path back to the NBA Finals did not get much more di cult.

They’ll likely roll with what they have on the roster into the playo push.

Despite some rumblings that the Warriors — holding the second-best record in the West — might explore the market for another center, the team allowed Thursday’s trade deadline pass without making a deal. Notable, too, is that their biggest competition atop the Western Conference didn’t make much

UP NEXT

Monday: Warriors at Clippers, 7:30 p.m., NBCBA

noise, either.

“It’s one of the hardest parts of being in the NBA. When guys are released or traded, guys you grow close with,” coach Steve Kerr said Friday. “There is a sense of relief today. We love everyone that’s here and we have a great group. We’re all very excited that we can now move forward.”

The first-place Phoenix Suns made a marginal move to re-acquire Torrey Craig from Indiana for Jalen Smith and a future secondround pick, along with acquiring

Aaron Holiday from Washington.

The third-place Memphis Grizzlies stood pat, as did the struggling Lakers — weighed down by an immovable Russell Westbrook contract — along with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the playo picture.

Among the strongest contenders out West, the Dallas Mavericks made the most substantial moves, trading Kristaps Porzingis to Washington for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.

That other contending teams didn’t make a splashy trade makes the Warriors’ decision to roll with what they have more palatable. While adding depth at the center

What if the 49ers didn’t telegraph the transition a year ago and instead worked to build their 2021 roster around one quarterback instead of navigating the season with two?

As the team prepares to watch the Super Bowl from home Sunday, it’s fair to wonder if the 49ers would be suiting up in Los Angeles had Lynch and Shanahan taken a di erent approach into last year’s draft. Given Garoppolo’s injury history and durability issues, it would have

KARL MONDON — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The 49ers picked up QB Trey Lance, le , and le starter Jimmy Garappolo, right, in a tenuous position.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rams head coach Sean McVay, le , and QB Matthew Sta ord will be put to the test today in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

ZACH BOLINGER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor are the underdogs today in Los Angeles. The Rams are favored by 4 in the betting line.

(5) at Chase Center. The game was

NBA

Hertl on his next contract: ‘You just want ... what you deserve’

UP NEXT

By Curtis Pashelka cpashelka@ bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN JOSE » Tomas Hertl is open to staying with the Sharks long term, but said Saturday he wants to be compensated in a way that’s commensurate with other leading NHL centermen.

Fox, Sabonis power Kings past Wizards

By The Associated Press

De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points, Domantas Sabonis added 16 points and 11 rebounds in his second game with Sacramento, and the new-look Kings beat the Washington Wizards 123110 on Saturday night.

Maurice Harkless added 17 points and Justin Holiday had 12 in his second game since joining Sabonis in a trade that sent both from Indiana to Sacramento.

Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points and Corey Kispert added 20 for the Wizards.x

TRAIL BLAZERS 112, KICKS 103 » Anfernee Simons had 30 points and eight assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers erased a 23-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the New York Knicks 112-103 on Saturday.

Newly acquired guard

Josh Hart added 23 points in his Blazers debut.

GRIZZLIES 125, HORNETS 118 » Ja Morant scored 26 points, Desmond Bane added 25 and the Memphis Grizzlies held o the Char-

CHRIS SZAGOLA — AP Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, right, celebrates with Matisse Thybulle in a game against the Cavaliers.

lotte Hornets for their fifth straight win. 76ERS 104, CAVALIERS 93 » Joel Embiid had a triple-double of 40 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists along with a highlight-reel jam, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.

NUGGETS 110, RAPTORS 109 » Rookie guard Bones Hyland made a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 2:16 to play and the Denver Nuggets beat Toronto, ending the Raptors’ winning streak at eight. Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 15 rebounds.

Hertl, San Jose’s secondleading scorer this season with 38 points in 46 games, is in the final year of a fouryear, $22.5 million deal he signed with the Sharks in July 2018 and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer without a new contract.

Assistant general manager Joe Will said Thursday the Sharks want to keep Hertl in teal well past this season and was of the impression that Hertl wanted to stay with the team.

Hertl, asked if he wants to stay in San Jose, did not want to commit to anything just yet, saying, “I’m not

NHL standings

Monday: Oilers at Sharks, 7:30 p.m., NBCCA

like saying anything 100% because nothing is ever 100%. I just say this is my team now when I’m playing and I’m doing all I can.

“We’ll see what happens in four weeks or the rest of the year. I want to just focus on playing.”

Right now, Hertl’s pay is not on par with his impressive production.

Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Hertl is third among all Sharks players with 305 points in 430 games, behind only Brent Burns (405) and Logan Couture (323), each of whom signed eight-year, $64 million contract extensions with San Jose when they were 31 and 29, respectively.

Since the start of the 201920 season, Hertl ranks 18th among all NHL centermen in total faceo s (1,338), 23rd

in average time on ice (19:01), and 19th in goals (57).

Per CapFriendly, the average annual value of Hertl’s current contract, $5.625 million, makes him the 37th highest-paid centerman in the NHL.

Hertl, in his ninth year with the Sharks, leads the team this season in goals (22) and all of the team’s forwards in average time-on-ice (19:28) and total faceo s (782).

“I think I did a pretty good job the last couple of years proving I can be a top centerman in the league,” Hertl said.

Hertl, 28, indicated that the length of his next contract is vital.

The Sharks can offer Hertl an eight-year contract, as they did with defensemen Burns, Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and center Couture. If Hertl remains with San Jose until the start of NHL free agency this summer, other NHL teams would be

able to sign him for a maximum of seven years.

“It’s always nice to get (more) years because you work hard work for this moment,” Hertl said. “It’s not often you get this point, maybe once or twice in life, and you just want to get what you deserve.”

The NHL trade deadline is March 21 and if the Sharks and Hertl are unable to reach an agreement on a new contract, there is a strong possibility that San Jose will entertain trade offers from other teams.

Will, who has taken over day-to-day general manager duties while Doug Wilson is on medical leave, said he was not thinking about trading Hertl.

Still, the Sharks have 36 games remaining this season and entered Saturday seven points out of a playo spot, leaving little margin for error if they want to avoid missing the postseason for a third consecutive year.

AROUND THE NHL Wheeler’s 5-point game leads Jets over Predators

By The Associated Press

Blake Wheeler scored two goals and assisted on three others to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Kyle Connor and PierreLuc Dubois also scored for Winnipeg, which has won two of its last three.

Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene scored and Juuse Saros made 38 saves for Nashville, which has lost three of four.

RED WINGS 4, FLYERS 2 »

Thomas Greiss made 32 saves to help Detroit beat Philadelphia for the second time in the four days.

Rookie Moritz Seider scored a big power-play goal in the third period as Detroit won for the third time in four games overall. BRUINS 2, SENATORS 0 » Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves, leading Boston to the road win.

BLUE JACKETS 2, CANADIENS 1 » Patrik Laine scored a power-play goal in the final seconds of regulation, and Columbus extended Montreal’s winless streak to nine games.

WINTER OLYMPICS

Vinecki is chasing Olympic dreams and her father’s spirit

By Scott M. Reid Southern California News Group

Winter Vinecki has spent more than half her life chasing his spirit around the world.

BIATHLON

MEDALISTS

Men’s 10km sprint

Gold — Johannes Thingnes Boe, Norway

Silver — Quentin Fillon Maillet, France

Bronze — Tarjei Boe, Norway

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Women’s 4 x 5km relay

Gold — ROC (Yulia Stupak, Natalia

Nepryaeva, Tatiana Sorina, Veronika

Stepanova)

Silver — Germany (Katherine Sauerbrey, Katharina Hennig, Victoria Carl, Sofie

Krehl)

Bronze — Sweden (Maja Dahlqvist, Ebba Andersson, Frida Karlsson, Jonna

Sundling)

SNOWBOARD

Mixed team snowboard cross

Gold — United States (Nick Baumgart-

ner, Lindsey Jacobellis)

Silver — Italy (Omar Visintin, Michela

Moioli)

Bronze — Canada (Eliot Grondin, Mery-

eta Odine)

SKI JUMPING

Men’s large hill individual

Gold — Marius Lindvik, Norway

Silver — Ryoyu Kobayashi, Japan

Bronze — Karl Geiger, Germany

SKELETON

Women

Gold — Hannah Neise, Germany

Silver — Jaclyn Narracott, Australia

Bronze — Kimberley Bos, Netherlands

SPEED SKATING

Men’s 500m

Gold — Tingyu Gao, China

Silver — Min Kyu Cha, South Korea

Bronze — Wataru Morishige, Japan

She has run marathons on seven continents trying to do her late father Michael proud. She ran across Antarctica and up Machu Picchu at 14, and later skied the Alps and the Rockies, driven by his memory and the determination to spare other families the pain she and her family endured.

She has refused to be deterred by a torn ACL or seven facial fractures that required reconstructive surgery. After the surgery, a bandage covered the right side of her face.

“NEVER GIVE IN,” her mother wrote on it, summing up her daughter.

And on Sunday evening, the journey and Michael’s spirit will lead Vinecki, 23, to the top of Genting Snow Park A&M Stadium, in front of her the Olympic Games women’s aerials competition and the stage she has dreamed of since she was 9.

Vinecki has come to the Beijing Olympics to not only chase a medal but to use the Games’ global stage as an opportunity to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

Team Winter (www.teamwinter.org), a nonprofit foundation Vinecki and her mother, Dr. Dawn Estelle, set up when Winter was 9, has raised more than $500,000 for prostate cancer research.

“I’ve always dreamed of going to the Olympics and competing on the biggest stage in the world,” she said. “When I was younger, it was always more gratifying knowing that I was crossing the finishing line not just for myself but for a cause. So it’s really amazing knowing that I’m out there raising awareness for prostate cancer, but in general inspiring kids and adults to do something for a cause.”

The feeling of the loss never goes away.

“Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago that he was here and passed away,” Vinecki said, “and other times it feels just like yesterday.”

Michael Vinecki was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer on his 40th birthday. Winter, the second of his and

Estelle’s four children, was just 9.

The family lived in the small town of Gaylord, Michigan, about an hour south of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the state’s two peninsulas, on 200 acres next to her grandparents’ 2,000-acre potato and carrot farm.

Estelle was a runner and triathlete. Trips to her races were family adventures. A race in Canada had a kids’ event and Vinecki hopped in. Before long, she was joining her mother in road races. She was 5 when she did her first triathlon.

The mother and daughter were competing in a race in Florida that o ered participants an opportunity to raise money for a cause of their choosing. Vinecki chose childhood obesity. She decided to set up Team Winter to raise money and awareness for the issue after returning to Michigan.

Michael Vinecki’s interests were more musical. He played in a polka band. Eventually he decided to follow his wife and daughter in triathlons. He purchased his first triathlon bike shortly before his 40th birthday.

He never had a chance to race on it.

Michael and Dawn were open

with their children about his diagnosis.

As well as his prospects.

“They didn’t try to hide information from us just because we were so young,” Vinecki said.

She decided to shift the focus of Team Winter from childhood obesity to prostate cancer.

“When my dad was going through prostate cancer, there wasn’t much awareness of it,” she said. “It was more common than breast cancer at the time, but the men didn’t want to talk about it, so a 9-year-old girl at the time was going to talk about it for them.”

And talk she did. Handing out blue Team Winter wristbands at races, imploring dads and grandfathers during talks at races to get tested regularly.

And she and Estelle raised money. A lot of money. By the end of the first year, Team Winter had collected more than $100,000.

Ten months after being diagnosed, Michael Vinecki died at 41.

His daughter channeled even more energy into the foundation. It was her way of fighting back against the disease and heartache.

“I think it made it so I felt I had a way to honor my dad,” she said,

“and do something so I wasn’t just bottling up all these feelings and being sad all the time. I was able to do something about it.”

After Michael’s death, Estelle moved the family to Salem, Oregon. Vinecki took up alpine skiing on Mount Bachelor in the Cascades.

Vinecki was at an awards ceremony in the fall of 2011 when she was approached by Emily Cook, a three-time Olympic freestyle skier.

Vinecki’s speech at an awards ceremony had resonated with Cook, who had lost her mother at a young age. Cook invited Vinecki to Park City, Utah, to try freestyle skiing.

By the summer of 2017, Vinecki was on track to qualify for the Olympics in South Korea. But while training, Vinecki lost her balance and landed face first in a training pool, shattering her face.

A few weeks later, she tore her ACL to put her Olympic dreams on hold.

Her breakthrough finally came last season with a World Cup victory in Moscow. She followed that with two podium finishes. This season, she posted fifth-place finishes at World Cup events in Finland.

“My strength comes from trying to be the best that I can be, no matter what I’m doing,” Vinecki said. “Another thing that my strength comes from was losing my dad at a young age. Seeing all the things that he never got the chance to do, I really want to take advantage of every opportunity that I have and to really live each day like it’s my last.”

Monday evening, she will stand atop the Olympic hill, her biggest opportunity yet before her, a blue Team Winter wristband tight against her pulse, other memories of Michael even closer.

“Most of what I carry about him is in my heart,” she said.

Then she will take o , attacking a series of obstacles as she always has, fearless and driven by the spirit of a father who never saw her take flight.

“I’ve got to think some part of him is up there watching down, giving me a big smile,” she said. “I think he would think it was pretty crazy and also pretty cool that I’m getting to to fly around through the sky.”

Brushing up against heaven.

Young U.S. too much for rival Canada in men’s hockey

By The Associated Press

It’s no secret the young United States men’s hockey team is fast and skilled.

Turns out the kids can hit, too.

Answering all the questions raised about their youth and inexperience, the U.S. went toe to toe with Canada in a bruising matchup between the longtime rivals. Using not just speed and skill but also a healthy dose of physicality, the Americans emerged with a hardearned 4-2 victory Saturday and are unbeaten in two games at the Olympics.

“We didn’t back down from their physical play,” said captain Andy Miele, who led the U.S. with a goal and an assist. “I love the way our team responded. I’m so proud of this group. We took a beating. They kept on going forward, we kept on coming back at them and got the outcome that we deserved.”

Thanks to Miele’s response goal 70 seconds after Canada scored and 35 saves by Strauss Mann, the U.S. is in the driver’s seat to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Beating Germany on Sunday night would put the Americans first in the group and could make them the top seed in the knockout round.

Ben Meyers, Kenny Agostino and Brendan Brisson also scored for the U.S., and Mat Robinson and Corban Knight tallied for Canada.

Canada wraps up preliminary play against China on Sunday night hoping to pick up one of the other three spots in the quarterfinals and avoid the qualification round.

In other action, the Czech Republic beat the Russians 6-5 in overtime, Germany beat China 3-2 and Denmark beat Switzerland 5-3.

Serious allegations

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is investigating charges that longtime Olympic coach Peter Foley took naked pictures of female athletes and that Olympic snowboard racer Hagen Kearney used racist language to pro-

voke a teammate.

Ex-snowboardcross rider Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 Olympic team, wrote in an Instagram post that in addition to taking the photos, Foley had made inappropriate comments, and that Kearney repeatedly used the N-word to “intentionally get under my skin.” Chythlook-Sifsof is from Alaska and describes herself as Yupik and Inupiaq. Both Foley and Kearney were in China this week for the Games. Foley said he was surprised by the allegations and denied them.

Skeleton

For Kelly Curtis, representation absolutely matters. And in her first Olympic appearance, she became a trailblazer.

Curtis finished 21st in the women’s skeleton, but the result isn’t why she’ll be remembered. Curtis was the first Black athlete to represent USA Skeleton at the Olympics — and she hopes her presence at the Games will open more doors to her sport.

“It’s pretty important. It’s part of my identity, but it’s not the only thing that I lean on,” Curtis said. “I would like to be known as one of the

best sliders. It’s nice with a cherry on top to be known as the first Black Olympian for USA Skeleton, but I would also like to be one of the best. So that that’s really what I’m trying to progress toward every time I go out there and slide.”

Hannah Neise was the surprise gold medalist. The 21-year-old became the first German woman to capture the gold medal in Olympic skeleton by rallying in the final two heats to edge out silver medalist Jaclyn Narracott of Australia and bronze medalist Kimberley Bos of the Netherland

Cross-country skiing

The Russian cross-country skiing team started strong and finished strong Saturday in the women’s 4x5 kilometer relay, winning another Olympic gold medal.

Yulia Stupak broke away early with nine women chasing. On the next leg, Natalia Nepryaeva was chased down by Katharina Hennig of Germany.

The Germans briefly took the lead on the last lap, with Russian skier Veronika Stepanova just behind Sofie Krehl. But Stepanova pulled away on the final climb and won in 53

minutes, 41 seconds. Germany took silver, 18.2 seconds behind. Sweden edged Finland for bronze.

Ski jumping

Marius Lindvik of Norway won Olympic gold in the men’s large hill event, holding o Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan.

Lindvik jumped 140 meters on his final attempt and earned 296.1 points overall to become the first Norwegian to win the event since Toralf Engan in 1964.

Kobayashi earned silver after winning on the normal hill earlier in the Games. Karl Geiger of Germany finished third.

Snowboarding

Lindsey Jacobellis won her second gold medal of the Games, teaming with 40-year-old Nick Baumgartner for the title in the new event of mixed snowboardcross.

The 36-year-old Jacobellis took gold earlier this week in the women’s event; it came 16 years after a late showboat move as she was cruising in for an apparent win cost her the title at the Turin Games.

The Italian team of Omar Visintin and Michela Moioli won silver and the Canadian duo of Eliot Grondin and Meryeta O’Dine won gold.

Speedskating

Gao Tingyu thrilled the home crowd by becoming the first Chinese man to claim an Olympic gold medal in speedskating, winning the men’s 500 meters.

And Gao did it in an Olympic-record 34.32 seconds.

The silver went to South Korea’s Cha Min Kyu, and Wataru Morishige of Japan took the bronze.

Ice dancing

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron broke their own world record in the rhythm dance, scoring 90.83 points to begin the ice dance event. That gave the four-time world champs from France a cushion heading into the free dance.

RICK BOWMER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Winter Vinecki is trying to become only the third female from America to take home Olympic gold in the individual freestyle aerials event.

Bay Area NFL writer Soliday dies at 78

The

By Jerry McDonald and Jon Becker jmcdonald@bayareanews -

jbecker@bayareanewsgroup.com

Friends, family and former colleagues are mourning the loss of Bill Soliday, who kept Bay Area readers entertained and informed for 40 years.

Soliday, who worked for the Hayward Daily Review, Oakland Tribune and this news organization from 1968 through 2008, died Feb. 1 at age 78 after a twoyear battle with cancer.

Best known for his work covering the Oakland Raiders and the NFL starting in 1969, Soliday was also a columnist and versatile journalist who wrote with humor and perspective as well as tackling serious subjects and issues. He covered the 49ers when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, then returned to the Raiders beat upon their return to Oakland in 1995.

Carl Steward, a former Bay Area News Group columnist, called Soliday “perhaps the most underrated sports writer in the Bay Area . . . he had an engaging style, a crackling sense of humor, a wisdom grounded in personal experience and loads of raw perspective.”

Soliday became the Raid-

ers’ beat writer in 1969, which coincided with John Madden’s first season as head coach.

“John Madden used to sit in his o ce with a handful of writers every day after practice and just shoot the (bull),” Soliday told the Napa Valley-Register in 2016. “He would tell you what he really thought. It was understood it was o the record, and he trusted us. I learned more about football in those years than at any time since.”

Late Raiders owner Al Davis, who rarely talked with the media, called Soliday “Billy” and consented

to a 2 ½ -hour interview when the Alameda Newspaper Group named Davis the most significant sports figure of the 20th century.

The following was Soliday’s lead paragraph in a long-form story on Davis:

“He is a mover. A shaker. A rebel. An iconoclast. A plainti . A defendant. Some say he is the football version of a saint. Others say scoundrel.”

Davis had the story laminated and placed on a wall outside the door of his o ce at team headquarters in Alameda.

Soliday covered 19 Super Bowls and was the beat writer for eight world cham-

pions — three with the Raiders and five with the 49ers. A member of the Board of Directors of the Pro Football Writers of America, Soliday estimated he had traveled 1.5 million miles covering the NFL. With a deep bass voice one colleague compared him to actor James Earl Jones, Soliday could be passionate and appear gru but was generous with his time and wisdom with young writers.

“I was thoroughly intimidated by him,” said Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area and a former coworker. “It didn’t take long for me to get to know him

Madden

FROM PAGE 1

that this was the highlight of your career, it’s going to be the Super Bowl, and it’s only going to be winning the Super Bowl. It’s not going to be losing the Super Bowl. So if that’s going to be the highlight of your life, then act like it and get ready to play the best game of your life and get ready to enjoy it.

“I remember practicing on Thursday (at UC Irvine) and we went out there, and it had been wet; it was raining. My thing was I wanted a bunch of footballs, because I never wanted my quarterback to throw a wet football, because it would slip out of his hands. I had all kinds of footballs.

“When you’re at the Super Bowl, you can get anything you wanted. That whole practice — we passed one-on-one, skeleton, team — only one ball hit the ground. One ball. It was a ball out on the left to Dave Casper. It went through his hands and hit the ground. So that was as perfect a practice I’ve ever been involved in. Stabler was as good as I’ve ever seen him, and no one made a mistake.

“So I remember walking o the field after that practice and I said to myself, ‘You’ve got to this point. They’re ready. Just don’t screw ‘em up. Because they’re ready.’ I did a very little talk and I did very little. Friday we went through special teams, didn’t do much on Saturday.

“A big game like that, you don’t have to fire them up. We had so much confidence. We practiced at UC Irvine and stayed at Newport Beach. We just matched up so well with (the Vikings).

“I remember the night before I talked with Al on the phone. I said, ‘Al, we’re

and discover the real Bill Soliday.

Under his rough exterior was a kind, fun-loving person who would have done anything for me or any of his friends and colleagues.”

Soliday kept copious and meticulous notes and brought volumes of research material on game days in addition to an oversized keyboard for his laptop.

He even used a stopwatch for the hang-time of punters, something he started when Ray Guy, a future Hall of Famer, joined the Raiders. Always on the lookout for a story, Soliday one day saw Raiders backup quarterback Wade Wilson injecting himself in the locker room. As a diabetic himself, Soliday later approached Wilson and ended up with a story on the challenges and dangers of playing in the NFL with diabetes.

Some of the best stories involving Soliday never made it into print. He once inadvertently knocked over Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi at Kezar Stadium. Another time, 49ers defensive end Charles Haley pushed Soliday away from an interview scrum, the two went nose-to-nose. Haley backed down when Soliday, measuring every word, said, `Go ahead! Buy my house!”

Former Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy may have summed up Soliday best when he said, “It would have been far more interesting to have players write about Bill and his personality than vice-versa. He was a singular and unforgettable colleague.”

Soliday is survived by his wife Martha and adult children Heather and Kent. Plans for a celebration of life are pending.

position might’ve been a safe move, the team seems assured that that depth will come when Draymond Green and James Wiseman return from their injuries.

Golden State was more likely to make a trade if Green’s return from back injury and 7-foot center Wiseman’s long-anticipated return from knee surgery became uncertain.

If Green and Wiseman hit a snag in their injury rehab

after the deadline, the Warriors can still sift through the buyout market for a big man — that deadline hitting on March 1. But the Warriors remain hopeful about Green’s timeline for return from a disk injury that’s sidelined him since Jan. 9; Green himself projected earlier this month a three-to-four week return to the court.

There is no set timeline for Wiseman’s return. The 20-year-old former No. 2 pick went through his first contact practice in Utah this week, a milestone in his recovery. But after 10 months o , it remains to be seen how Wiseman can

be folded into the playo race. Will he have minutes restrictions? Can he play high-leverage minutes in must-win games?

Plenty of questions surround Wiseman’s return.

First, the team will need to set a return date. Until both return, Kevon Looney remains the lone true center on the Warriors roster. Dealing with a quad contusion most recently, Looney has still managed to play all 55 games. The 26-year-old has established himself as a leader defensively, calling out plays and vacuuming rebounds.

The Warriors play small ball

going to kill them.’ (Davis responded) ‘Don’t say that! Don’t say that!’ ‘We’re going to get them.’”

Davis used to call Madden every Saturday night on the eve of games. He had made Madden head coach, at age 32, promoting him after two years as linebackers coach. Davis stuck with Madden despite the Raiders finishing one step short of the Super Bowl in five of seven years, losing the AFC title game, before they broke through in 1976.

Here is what Davis said in 2006 when recalling his Super Bowl eve phone call with Madden and whether he had any doubts of winning the first of the Raiders’ three Super Bowl titles.

“No, I thought we could do it,” Davis said. “I thought personally we were going to win some other championship games. We just didn’t get it done. The agony of defeat is unbelievable.

“He told me, I don’t remember the exact words, ‘We’re going to kill them. We’re going to get these guys.’ That’s the way he talked. I thought we could get them, too.

“We had a defensive backfield that was pretty good. That damn Willie Brown might be the best

when Looney isn’t on the court, an advantage in some matchups and disadvantage in others, including against center Hassan Whiteside in Wednesday’s loss against the Utah Jazz. But rookie Jonathan Kuminga’s emergence as an experimental small-ball five, along with Juan Toscano-Anderson as depth, can get them through the next few weeks.

Overall, the Warriors are well in position to keep up their pace near the top of the West. A move at the deadline could have created some depth, but ultimately the Warriors will likely run with what they have.

that’s ever played.

“(Madden’s) records are unparalleled. He had 10 years of greatness. We had adversity. We couldn’t get over the hump. We went several years where in big games we’d get beat at the end.”

Then came Jan. 9, 1977.

“That’s the ultimate, winning the Super Bowl,” Madden said. “Then it’s, ‘What are you going to do next?’ ”

Madden coached two more seasons, and he retired from a 10-year stretch that featured a .759 winning percentage (103-32-7) that still ranks the best in modern NFL history. After that, he became football’s ultimate pitchman, from the broadcast booth to commercials, from a video game to philanthropic endeavors, from a consultant to current coaches to a doting grandfather of five.

NOTE: Madden, who died Dec. 28 at age 85, will be celebrated in a public memorial Monday at the Oakland Coliseum. Admission to the event, which starts at 5:30 p.m., is $32.14 in commemoration of the Super Bowl XI victory. Proceeds will benefit youth programs.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — 1977

Oakland Raiders coach John Madden is carried o the eld by his players a er the team defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — 1977

Oakland Raiders coach John Madden, le , and team owner Al Davis,show o the Super Bowl XI trophy in Pasadena.

group.com,

area’s ‘most underrated sports writer,’ he covered the Raiders, 49ers

COURTESY PHOTO

Bill Soliday, an award-winning NFL reporter who entertained readers of the Hayward Daily Review, Oakland Tribune and this organization for 40 years, has passed away. He was 78.

STAFF — 1987

Bill Soliday, in driver’s seat, covered 19 Super Bowls during his 40 years of covering the NFL. He and his colleague Carl Steward, top, made the trek to Pasadena for Super Bowl XXI.

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kevon Looney (5) is the lone true center on the Warriors roster until James Wiseman returns.

On a mission

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, in his eighth season with the Rams, had 12.5 sacks in 2021 and has 98 in his career.

BENGALS

The Los Angeles Rams are in their second Super Bowl since 2018 and playing in their home stadium. They face the Bengals, who haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 1989.

By KURT SNIBBE / Southern California News Group

GAME SNAPSHOT

The Rams are 4.5 point favorites against the AFC’s Bengals. Both teams bring in high powered passing games. The biggest di erence may be the two teams’ ability to protect their quarterbacks. The Bengals o ense gave up a league-leading 55 sacks in 2021, the Rams gave up 31. Both teams were able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. The Rams had 50 sacks and the Bengals had 42 in the regular season.

THE QUARTERBACKS

Joe Burrow: Burrow won a National Championship at LSU and was the rst overall pick of the 2020 dra by Cincinnati. Burrow led the NFL in completion percentage (70.3) and his 108.3 quarterback rating was 2nd in the league. Burrow sat out the last regular-season game a er getting banged up in a playo -clinching victory against the Chiefs in week 17. Burrow’s leading receiver is Ja’Marr Chase, who had 1,455 receiving yards (4th in the NFL) and the o ense also features running back Joe Mixon who ran for 1,205 yards (3rd in the NFL).

Matt Sta ord: The Rams traded their 2016 rst overall pick, Jared Go , to Detroit for Sta ord in the o season. Sta ord went to Georgia and was dra ed by Detroit rst overall in 2009. Sta ord played 12 seasons in Detroit where they made the playo s three times and went 0-3. Sta ord’s 2021 quarterback rating was 102.9 and he was third in the NFL in passing yards (4886) and second in TDs (41). Sta ord’s leading receiver is Cooper Kupp, who led the NFL with 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 TDs this season. 2021

NFL REGULAR-SEASON RANKINGS

COACHES

Cincinnati’s coach Zac Taylor, 38, has been head coach since 2019. Before that he was the Rams quarterbacks coach in 2018, and the rams receivers coach in 2017. He was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and ensive Player of the Year in 2006.

Sean McVay, 36, was born in Ohio. He has been the Rams head coach since 2017. McVay was the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2017. He was a wide receiver at Miami University in Ohio.

Note: The youngest coach to win a Super Bowl is Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin (36 years, 11 months. If McVay wins he’ll be the youngest. If Taylor wins, he’ll be second youngest.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

In good company

Bengals’ Joe Burrow is the seventh QB to get a team to the Super Bowl in his second year.

Others:

Dan Marino

Kurt Warner

Tom Brady

Ben Roethlisberger

Colin Kaepernick

Russell Wilson

FRANCHISE DYNAMICS

Payrolls and highest average salaries

Bengals highest paid players:

1. Trey Hendrickson DE $15 million

2. D.J. Reader DT $13.3 million

3. Joe Mixon RB $12 million

4. Tyler Boyd WR $10.7 million

5. Trae Waynes CB $14 million

Rams highest paid players:

1. Matt Sta ord QB $27 million

2. Aaron Donald DT $22.5 million

3. Jalen Ramsey CB $20 million

4. Robert Woods WR $16.2 million

Estimated 2021 Bengals payroll $201 million

Estimated 2021

Rams payroll $224 million

Defense $107.4 million

Special teams, $4.4 million

O ense $88.7 million

Defense $107.2 million Special teams, $5.3 million

O ense $112.3 million Source: spotrac.com

5. Leonard Floyd OLB $16 million

FROM PAGE 1

SuperIn the end, it’s a football game. And most football games are won by the team that minimizes miscues.

The Rams are 4-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but they might not even be in this Super Bowl in their new $5 billion SoFi Stadium had 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt not dropped an easy interception late in the NFC title game. Bringing in veteran Matthew Sta ord at a hefty price in draft picks — along with a younger quarterback, Jared Go , who was part of the LA team that lost in the 2019 Super Bowl, when he struggled mightily — has paid o richly for the Rams. Sta ord’s 49,995 yards passing and 323 TD passes are the most for a QB making his first Super Bowl appearance. Stafford needs 209 yards passing to become the sixth player to reach 6,000 in a single season.

But he also puts the ball up for grabs at times. That needs to be limited today.

“We went out and got him because we thought it was a chance to be able to get a great player of his magnitude,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Stafford, who spent a dozen seasons playing well without winning in Detroit. “What he’s done, he’s elevated everybody around him. He’s made me a better coach. He’s made his teammates better.”

So has the guy on the other side, Joe Burrow. Like Stafford, Burrow was the top overall draft pick. His rookie season was curtailed after 10 games by a knee injury, but his second year has been so terrific he won NFL Come -

back Player of the Year. His most recent production has been magnificent. And nearly spotless.

Burrow has gone from No. 1 overall pick to starting quarterback in the Super Bowl faster than anyone else. He has 15 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in his last seven games, while averaging 331.1 yards passing per game.

Rarely has Burrow gambled in the last two months, and look how that has paid o

Of course, this matchup is about a lot more than when and where the quarterbacks throw the ball. It’s about Cincinnati’s o ensive line — which allowed Burrow to be the mostsacked passer in the league, 51 times, nine more in a playo victory at Tennessee — bowing up against a generational talent such as Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and other top pass rushers Von

Miller and Leonard Floyd.

“This is a special group of talented guys on this defense,” said Miller, who won the 2015 NFL championship in Denver, when he was Super Bowl MVP.

“I’m talking about one of the best groups I’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of. We work together as a team, and it just gets better each week.”

It’s about Ramsey being a shutdown cover guy against O ensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, and the rest of the Los Angeles secondary handling Chase’s compatriots, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. And about the same on the other side, with Apple and fellow defensive backs trying to slow down O ensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr. and Van Je erson.

It’s about the kicking games, which have been very

RAMS (15-5) VS. BENGALS (13-7)

When: Today, 3:30 p.m., NBC

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

Line: Rams by 4

Notable injury designations: Rams: TE Tyler Higbee (knee) and OL Joe Noteboom (chest) were placed on injured reserve; RB Darrell Henderson (knee) and NT Sebastian Joseph-Day (chest) were activated; S Taylor Rapp (concussion) is cleared to return. Bengals: TE C.J. Uzomah (knee) is questionable.

What’s at stake?: It’s the nal exam for the judgment by L.A. GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay that bringing now-34-year-old QB Matthew Sta ord over from the Detroit Lions to join forces with WR Cooper Kupp and the Rams o ense would make a Super Bowl winner of both. While resisting the “Super Bowl or bust” narrative, the Rams clearly made moves to take advantage of having Super Bowl LVI on home turf. The pressure to win now weighs more heavily on the Rams than the Bengals.

Who’s better?: Four points is a relatively big point spread for a Super Bowl, and it re ects the Rams’ superiority by most measures all season. That doesn’t mean the Bengals can’t spring another postseason upset a er beating the Titans and coming from behind to shock the Chiefs. But Football Outsiders analytics say that if Cincinnati wins, it will have the lowest regular-season overall rating of any NFL champion since 1983.

Matchup to watch: Rams CB Jalen Ramsey vs. Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase. Cincinnati needs a big game from the league’s O ensive Rookie of the Year, whose attributes include the fact his yards a er catch ranked behind only Kupp and the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. Ramsey allowed a 71.1 passer rating on throws in his direction during the regular season, fourth lowest among cornerbacks with 16 starts or more.

Rams win if: ... Sta ord continues to meet situations as well as he did in the three playo games; the Rams are 13-1 when he commits one or zero turnovers. ... If the Rams’ defensive front takes advantage of the Bengals’ o ensive line and records at least three sacks; QB Joe Burrow was sacked at least three times in all of Cincinnati’s losses. ... If the special teams, led by K Matt Gay and PR Brandon Powell, keep up the performance that has made them the Rams’ most-improved unit from early to late season.

Fantasy pick: Kupp. McVay won’t miss the chance to capitalize on having the NFL Offensive Player of the Year for this Super Bowl a er he was injured for Super Bowl LIII. Per Football Outsiders analytics, the Bengals have the lowest-rated pass defense the Rams have faced since they routed the Jaguars 10 weeks ago.

Prediction: Rams 27, Bengals 20. Underdogs have generally been good bets in recent Super Bowls. And the Bengals have beaten the spread in seven games in a row. But in this matchup, expectations should be high for the Rams to bring home – a 50-mile drive from SoFi Stadium to their practice facility in Thousand Oaks – the rst Super Bowl championship in their L.A. history.

— Kevin Modesti

solid in the postseason, continuing to perform on the sport’s biggest stage.

Same for the coaches: McVay, who is accustomed to the glaring spotlight after taking the Rams to the playo s in four of his five seasons, and Taylor, his former assistant, in his first postseason as a head man. McVay did not perform well, nor did his team, in that Super Bowl three years ago, looking uncomfortable against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

As di cult as it may be — and it is very di cult — it’s about treating the Super Bowl in the cliched phrasing players use: just another game. There’s plenty of truth to that.

“You got a job to go out there and execute and try to lead your team,” Sta ord said. “The game begins, and it’s football. That’s what we’re here for.”

been irresponsible for the 49ers to open this past season without a viable backup for their starter.

The organization chose to pursue its backup — and Garoppolo’s eventual replacement — through the draft and traded away two future first-round picks to bring Lance into the building. But San Francisco could have signed a veteran and opted to keep its original No. 12 pick instead of trading up to the No. 3 spot in the draft.

Would the 49ers have been better o staying put at No. 12?

That’s where first-team

All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons was ultimately selected by the Dallas Cowboys. It should be noted that there are no guarantees the 49ers would have selected a hybrid defender such as Parsons for coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ 4-3 scheme.

If Lynch and Shanahan were intent on giving Garoppolo the best chance to succeed, it’s likely San Francisco would have chosen an o ensive lineman such as guard Alijah Vera-Tucker out of USC (14th overall pick) or

traded right tackle Mike McGlinchey and taken tackle Rashawn Slater from Northwestern (13th overall pick) to replace him. Both Vera-Tucker and Slater were named to the Pro Bowl.

Still, considering the 49ers’ need for help in the secondary, it’s possible that staying put at No. 12 or even trading back in the first round would have led the team to pursue a corner such as Greg Newsome II (26th overall pick) or Eric Stokes (29th overall pick).

Such a move would have helped the 49ers plug a

hole when starting corner

Jason Verrett tore his ACL in Week 1 against the Lions. But it has been nearly two decades since San Francisco drafted a cornerback in the first round (Mike Rumph in 2002), and that didn’t work out too well.

The bottom line for the 49ers is several productive players were still available with the 12th pick, and any number of them could have aided a Garoppololed team as a plug-andplay starter.

Regardless of what the 49ers decided to do with their first pick, it’s now

clear the team missed opportunities to help Garoppolo (and themselves) with their choices in rounds two and three.

Guard Aaron Banks, taken with the 48th overall pick, played just five offensive snaps, the fewest of any second-round draft choice other than Kyle Trask, the quarterback behind Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. The whi on Banks was a major issue in 2021, and could hurt the 49ers moving forward, too, as they might need to use one of their early-round picks this spring on another offensive lineman.

In the third round, the 49ers again tried to fortify their o ense. The choice of Ohio State running back Trey Sermon might still pan out, but Sermon spent much of the year on injured reserve and was limited to 41 carries. Fortunately for San Francisco, sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell emerged as one of the NFC’s best running backs and helped oset the loss of Raheem Mostert to a season-ending injury in Week 1.

There are other ways the 49ers could have built around Garoppolo on offense or used early-round selections to add depth to their defense. But once they committed to trading up to select Lance, the franchise lost its best opportunity (a first-round pick) to find additional support for their starting quarterback, not to mention the inclusion of firstrounders each of the next two years.

Considering the 49ers plan to have Lance eventually succeed Garoppolo, it’s also possible the team’s best chance to win a Super Bowl to cap the 2021, 2022 or 2023 season would have been trading Garoppolo as soon as San Francisco committed to replacing him.

It’s unlikely Lance

would have become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl title, but by o oading Garoppolo’s contract through a trade, the 49ers might have created enough cap space to surround the rookie with more veteran help.

Turning the o ense over to Lance right away might have reduced the 49ers’ chances of advancing past the NFC Championship Game this year, but he would have benefited from playing and the 49ers would be entering next season with better odds than they will.

It’s not unreasonable for the 49ers and their fans to look back and contemplate whether a di erent draft strategy and a decision to fully commit to building around Garoppolo would have led to a better outcome.

By staying put at No. 12, the 49ers would have obviously benefitted from drafting Vera-Tucker or Slater to start along their o ensive line and almost assuredly wouldn’t have used a second-round pick on Banks.

Yet the reality is neither Garoppolo nor Lance was likely good enough to carry the 49ers to a Super Bowl title this year.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is one of the main reasons his team has reached the Super Bowl today.

MARK J. TERRILL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Von Miller has made a signi cant contribution since coming over from the Denver Broncos late in the season.

Crowley

JAE C. HONG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was injured and missed Super Bowl LIII, gets his chance on the big stage today vs. Cincinnati.

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The 49ers might have been better served building around starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo instead of dra ing Trey Lance. They could even have made the Super Bowl.

Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as ashock, leading people to put off or even go without care.

Simply put —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

 Look for coverage that helps pay for major services Some plans may limit the number of procedures or pay for preventive care only

 Look for coverage with no deductibles Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid

 Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000

That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meanttocover everything. That means if you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance. Early

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a.m. Mexico: León at UNAM UNIV

TENNIS

5:30 a.m. ABN AMRO or St. Petersburg, nals TENNIS 11 a.m. ATP Dallas Open or Argentina Open, nals TENNIS

2 a.m. Delray Beach, Rio Open or Open 13 (early Mon.) TENNIS

WINTER OLYMPICS

5 a.m. Speedskating, freestyle skiing, cross country NBC

5:10 a.m. Men’s ice hockey (U.S. vs. Germany) USA

Noon Men’s curling (U.S. vs. China) USA

5:15 p.m. Figure skating free dance, freestyle skiing USA

7:45 p.m. Figure skating free dance, women’s monobob NBC

8:10 p.m. Women’s hockey semi nal (Canada vs. Switz.) USA

9:30 a.m. Women’s snowboard; women’s freestyle skiing NBC

10:35 p.m. Men’s snowboard USA

Midnight Women’s freestyle skiing; women’s curling USA

MONDAY

COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL

2 p.m. Saint Louis at St. Bonaventure

4 p.m. Bucknell at Lehigh

6 p.m. Washington State at Oregon

6 p.m. Georgetown at Creighton

COLLEGE WOMEN’S

Disappointing MLB talks threaten spring training

News service reports

Baseball negotiations lasted for an hour Saturday when Major League Baseball made a new proposal that lawyers for locked-out players thought had only minor movement.

Major League Baseball eliminated the penalty of a third-round amateur draft pick for exceeding the luxury tax threshold.

Management maintained its plan to increase the threshold from $210 million to $214 million in both 2022 and 2023. Baseball increased its proposed threshold to $216 million in 2024, followed by $218 million and $222 million in the last two years of its proposal.

Bruce Meyer, the union’s head negotiator, arrived at Major League Baseball’s o ce with two sta lawyers for the meeting just four days before the scheduled start of spring training workouts.

It was just the fifth bargaining session on core economics since the ninth work stoppage in baseball history began on Dec. 2, after the expiration of a five-year labor contract.

The clubs made a 130-page o er that they hope could be the structure of an eventual memorandum of understanding.

MLB also proposed raising the minimum salary from $570,500 to $630,000 or alternatively a tiered minimum of $615,000 for initial major leaguers, $650,000 for players with one year of service and $725,000 for those with two years — the latter an increase from $700,000 in the previous proposal.

MLB also o ered to increase the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $10 million to $15 million. The union is at $100 million.

To address union allegations of service time manipulation, MLB o ered to award two draft picks — one amateur, one international — for rookie accomplishments, up from one. The union opposes an international draft.

In addition, MLB proposed a limit of five optional assignments of a player to the minors each season.

REPORT: A’S AGREE TO DEAL WITH

THAMES » Eric Thames, a 35-year-old San Jose native who starred at Bellarmine Prep, agreed to a minor league deal with the A’s, according to MLB. com.

Thames, who su ered a torn right Achilles tendon after appearing in just 10 games for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan last season, has spent six seasons in the major leagues. His best big league season was in 2017 with Milwaukee, when he hit 31 home runs and had an .877 OPS.

College basketball

SHEPHERD’S 33 POINTS POWER CAL

UPSET OF OREGON » Jordan Shepherd scored a career-high 33 points and California earned its first win in Eugene and the Pac-12 Conference’s biggest upset of the season, smacking the Ducks 78-64. Cal (11-15, 4-11) grabbed the lead with a 24-0 run in the first half and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the entire second half. Oregon (16-7, 9-3) had won 10 of its last 11 games. USF, MASSALSKI TOO MUCH FOR SANTA CLARA » Yauhen Massalski had 19 points and 10 rebounds, his eighth consecutive double-double, to help San Francisco (21-6, 8-4 West Coast Conference) snap a four-game winning streak for Santa Clara (17-9, 7-4). NO. 1 AUBURN 75, TEXAS A&M 58 »

Walker Kessler had a triple-double with 12 blocked shots, 12 points and 11 rebounds as No. 1 Auburn (22-3, 11-1 SEC) bounced back from a loss.

NFL WILSON RECEIVES 2022 BART STARR AWARD » Seattle’s Russell Wilson received the 2022 Bart Starr Award at the Super Bowl Breakfast. The award honors the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.

Tennis OPELKA’S WIN FEATURES RECORDBREAKING TIEBREAKER » Reilly Opelka won the longest tiebreaker in ATP Tour history to finish a straight-sets win over John Isner and advance to the final of the inaugural Dallas Open. The second-seeded Opelka had a 24-22 tiebreaker victory in the second set to secure the 7-6 (7), 7-6 (22) win.

Ryder aces wild 16th, Theegala holds on to lead in Phoenix Open

By John Nicholson The

Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. » Sam Ryder brought down the house with a hole-in-one on the stadium 16th hole Saturday in the WM Phoenix Open, where newcomer Sahith Theegala topped a leaderboard as crowded as the course.

Ryder’s wedge shot on the 124-yard hole landed just right and short, bounced a couple of times, spun left and tumbled in. The rowdy fans on the 17,000-seat hole threw drinks in the air in celebration and littered the turf with bottles, cans and cups, leading to about a 15-minute delay.

“I don’t know how I could pick a hole over this one,” said Ryder, eight strokes behind Theegala after an evenpar 71. “I don’t think there’s any hole that has the electricity that this one has.”

Ryder’s first tour ace was the 10th at No. 16 since the tournament moved to the course in 1997 and first since Francesco Molinari in the third round in 2015. Tiger Woods did it in 1997 before grandstands ringed the hole.

“It just ended up being a perfect 54-degree wedge,” Ryder said. “Everything always plays a little shorter in there, adrenaline or whatever it is.”

With around 200,000 fans packing firm and fast TPC Scottsdale on another sunny,

80-degree day in the Valley of the Sun, Theegala overcame a double bogey on the par-4 second to shoot a 69.

“What a day,” Theegala said. “So many ups and downs. I mean, it was wild.”

Making his event debut on a sponsor exemption, Theegala had a 14-under 199 total for a one-stroke lead over defending champion Brooks Koepka. FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schau ele, Scottie Sche er and Talor Gooch were another stroke back.

“I’m really exhausted right now,” Theegala said. “Probably, I hit it in the desert five

times. I got my ball stepped on twice, got my ball picked up twice. Very draining, for sure.”

Theegala is trying to become the first player to win on a sponsor exemption since Martin Laird in the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open.

The 24-year-old IndianAmerican grew up in Chino Hills, California, and starred at Pepperdine. In 2020, he swept the three major college player of the year awards.

He’s playing for the fifth straight week, with his parents and some family members attending the last four in California and Arizona.

“It was hard to see them,” Theegala said. “Just engulfed in the sea of people.”

After hitting the lip of a fairway bunker en route to the double bogey on No. 2, Theegala rallied with birdies on Nos, 6, 7 and 8. He dropped a shot on the 11th, birdied the par-5 13th and holed a 15-footer on the par-4 17th.

“Obviously, really bad start and proud of the way I fought back there,” Theegala said. “But still trying to take it all in. There’s just is so much going on there, too. Which is a good thing. I really enjoyed the fans out there.”

Koepka had a 68. The four-time major champion is the last player to win the event in his first appearance, doing it in 2015.

“I’m playing solid, so just go out and go play a good round tomorrow and see what happens,” Koepka said. “Just need to keep putting it the way I did. I feel confident. I like where my game’s at, and we’ll see.” Sche er flirted with his second 59 before settling for a 62. Seeking his first tour victory, he began the day nine strokes behind Theegala.

Scheffler was the last player on the tour to shoot 59, doing it in the 2020 Northern Trust. Jim Furyk is the only player to break 60 twice in the PGA Tour, shooting 58 and 59.

ANDY NELSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Cal guard Jordan Shepherd celebrates during the second half of Saturday’s 78-64 victory at Oregon.

MIKE MULHOLLAND — GETTY IMAGES

Sam Ryder reacts to his hole-in-one on the 16th hole during the third round of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open.

Making babies not trendy in California

Happy Valentine’s Day, millennials.

Speaking of love, can you please help the economy and start having more babies?

Yes, we must talk of the business of romance.

This lustful holiday is a great time for restaurant owners, chocolatiers and anybody selling anything in any shade of red. But with passion in the air, I must note one troubling trend: Young adults aren’t making babies like they used to. This isn’t just a monetary headache for purveyors of baby care and youth-oriented gear. Procreation, or the lack thereof, is one of those longview demographic patterns that raises all sorts of questions regarding future education needs, the workforce, tax revenue and demand for homes or roads.

With that all in mind, I filled my trusty spreadsheet with government demographic data to see what’s going on with baby production — both in California and nationally.

The baby bust

California between 2018 and 2020 averaged 440,553 births per year. Yes, that was No. 1 among all states, ahead of Texas at 374,804 and New York at 219,038.

But, dear millennials, that big baby number hides worrisome shortfalls.

California’s baby-making pace is down 15% from Gen X’s 1999 output. Only nine states have fared worse so far this century, with Illinois in last place, o 23%, followed by Connecticut, down 21%, and Michigan, o 20%.

California’s baby bust is far greater than the nationwide tumble, which saw births o 6% in this period. By the way, where did we see the biggest baby booms? North Dakota was up 36%, followed by two California rivals — Nevada, up 19%, and Florida, up 10%.

Or look at the Golden State’s newborn shortage another way, measured by the “fertility rate” — births compared with the population of women 15 to 44 years old.

As the 21st century started, California was a baby-making machine — 69 births for every 1,000 women of childbearing age — eighth-highest among the states. In 1999, the top states were Utah at 89, Arizona at 76 and Texas at 74.

Then consider 2018-2020 as California fertility fell to ninth-lowest at 55 babies per 1,000 possible moms. The nation’s best had pivoted to South Dakota at 70, North Dakota at 70 and Alaska at 68.

And California’s 21% drop in fertility was topped only

LANSNER » PAGE 2

By Annie Sciacca asciacca@bayareanewsgroup.com

After making its debut in 2019, the Oakland Roots Sports Club has quickly built a strong fan base that shows up in full force for the professional soccer team’s games to soak in the festive atmosphere, cool merchandise and community spirit.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though, as some games had to be postponed because of COVID-19 and the field’s turf hasn’t always held up.

To steer it going forward, the team last month announced it has hired Lindsay Barenz as its new president. Barenz previously was president of business operations for the Washington Spirit, and before that vice president of business development for the National Women’s Soccer League.

She sat down with the Bay Area News Group to discuss operating a soccer club in the midst of a pandemic and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Oakland’s soccer team.

QYou’ve held a diverse array of jobs across di erent industries; can you describe your path to being a sports executive?

AI started in sports with Real Salt Lake about three years ago. Before that, I had a diverse career working in law as a mergers and acquisitions attorney. I worked in the Obama administration, in digital entrepreneurship and activism as a union organizer. In 2018 I was distraught about the state of the country, and I was looking for something I could do to try to make a positive contribution to the direction of our country. My instinct was to go into politics, but I’m a values-driven person, and the compromise that politics requires was challenging for me. A team was launched in my hometown, Salt Lake City, and I felt like maybe sports was the intersection of my skill sets, like deal-making, and my passion.

QHow does sports help bring about that positive change you talked about?

AI think sports generally brings people together. Whether it’s on

PHOTOS BY ANDA CHU — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Lindsay Barenz recently was named president of the Oakland Roots Sports Club, a United Soccer League Championship team.

In ation climbs to highest in 40 years

From news service reports

Inflation soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, hammering American consumers, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates across the economy.

The Labor Department said Thursday that consumer prices jumped 7.5% last month compared with a year earlier, the steepest year-over-year increase since February 1982. The acceleration of prices ranged across the economy, from food and furniture to apartment rents, airline fares and electricity.

When measured from December to January, inflation was 0.6%, the same as the previous month and more than economists had expected. Prices rose 0.7% from October to November and 0.9% from September to October.

Shortages of supplies and workers, heavy doses of federal aid, ultra-low interest rates and robust consumer spending combined to send inflation leaping in the past year. And there are few signs that it will slow significantly anytime soon.

Wages are rising at the fastest pace in at least 20 years, which can pressure companies to raise prices to cover higher labor costs. Ports and warehouses are overwhelmed, with hundreds of workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest, out sick last month. Many products and parts remain in short supply as a result.

Small businesses raising prices as costs increase

A record share of U.S. small businesses raised their prices in January to combat high costs of materials and labor. A net 61% of owners reported increasing average selling prices last month, the most in monthly data back to 1986, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday. Inflation remains a top concern for small businesses, still cited by the greatest share of respondents since 1981.

“More small business owners started the new year raising prices in an attempt to pass on higher inventory, supplies and labor costs,” NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said in a statement. “Owners are also raising compensation at record high rates to attract qualified employees to their open positions.”

In another sign of inflationary pres -

sures, a record 50% of firms said they boosted compensation amid di culty attracting qualified talent.

Filing tax returns necessary to claim child tax credit

The Biden administration wants families with children to know that there is roughly $193 billion waiting for them — all they need to do is file their taxes to claim it.

That estimated total is what remains of the expanded child tax credit, and the administration is concerned that some of those most in need of the assistance may be the least likely to get what is due to them.

President Joe Biden increased the payments and expanded who was eligible as part of his coronavirus relief package. While most families already received half of the credit as monthly payments last year, they’ll lose out on the remaining balance unless they file their taxes.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and White House senior adviser Gene Sperling held a virtual event Tuesday to encourage people to send their tax forms to the IRS, including those whose incomes are so low that they might not have traditionally filed.

Families should go to childtaxcredit. gov to check their eligibility. The tax filing deadline is April 18.

The administration estimates that roughly 58 million households would qualify for the credit, which averages $3,300 and could be used to o set an existing tax bill or be paid out as a refund.

The Associated Press and Bloomberg contributed to this report.

Personal Finance

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— D.H., San Ysidro, New Mexico

AIt’s the way a business makes its money. For example, you might think that CocaCola’s business model is making and selling sodas, but it actually just makes the syrup and lets bottling companies do much of the heavy work. Many printer and razor makers don’t make much on their printers or razors; instead they focus on selling lots of ink and blades, respectively.

Similar businesses can have very di erent models: A traditional furniture company may sell costly, handmade bookcases, while Ikea can charge much less for mass-produced bookcases (and sell many more of them) by shipping them unassembled and in flat, stackable boxes.

Some other (of many) business models feature direct-to-consumer sales (Girl Scout cookies), subscriptions (Microsoft’s O ce 365), franchises (McDonald’s), advertising (YouTube) and peerto-peer transactions (Airbnb).

When studying a company, it’s well worth spending time figuring out its business model’s risks and advantages to see how attractive it is.

DUMBEST INVESTMENT

Lansner

FROM PAGE 1

by two states: Arizona, down 26%, and Utah, down 25%. Nationally, fertility was o 10%.

Money matters

What’s driving fertility and births lower in many states? Sadly, I’m guessing it’s money.

Babies are expensive, and households seem to be making children a financial choice. That’s what my trusty spreadsheet — with the added help of state scorecards from U.S. News & World Report, WalletHub, Pew Foundation and Gallup — found when looking at state-level factors that might play into childbearing decisions.

Cost of living? The 10 priciest states (California is No. 3) saw baby-making dips running far above average since 1999 — 20% lower fertility and with 13% fewer births. That’s basically double the U.S. decline.

My thought: Maybe in some not-toodistant future the nation will create or incentivize a ordable child care.

Pay? It’s a debate for another day, but women still bear the brunt of child care responsibilities. The 10 states with the highest women’s pay, adjusted for the cost of living, also saw babymaking down more than the national norm: Fertility fell 13% with 9% fewer births.

My thought: Well-paid women seem

less likely to have kids.

Livability? Families seek great places to live, right? Yet the 10 states found atop those much-debated quality-of-life rankings also had declining birthrates larger than the nationwide U.S. dip. Fertility in the 10 “mostlivable” states fell 12% with 8% fewer births.

My thought: High-ranked states are often costly places to live.

Education? You’d think baby-making would be popular where schools were better. Again, nope! The 10 states graded best for education had slightly above-par baby-making declines: fertility o 13% with 11% fewer births.

My thought: Remember, good schools are often found in pricier neighborhoods. Health care? Great doctors and hospitals would seem to be a key draw for younger families. But the 10 states dubbed tops for medical care saw a 14% fall in fertility with 9% fewer births.

My thought: Great medicine can be costly.

So, I had to seek a higher power for a better answer. And I discovered baby-making and faith may be linked.

The 10 states ranked as “most religious” had minimal baby-making dips this century: just 2% less fertility and 4% fewer births.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com.

can be instructive to think back to when you were “so committed” to the company and to ask yourself what made you so committed. It’s generally best to steer clear of stocks that are falling sharply, as they often do so for good reasons — and it’s usually best to avoid all penny stocks (those trading for less than about $5 per share).

If you must buy more of a falling stock, you should first research it deeply. And in general, favor stocks with proven products and services, growing revenue and earnings, and competitive advantages.

FOOLISH TRIVIA

Think you know the answer? Send in your guess and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a ni y prize!

Name that company

Relatively few Americans know my name. (Until 2014, that name was Shuanghui International.) Based in Hong Kong, I own Asia’s largest animal protein company — and am the world’s largest pork producer, involved in everything from hog production and processing to packaged meats and pork-product distribution. In 2013, I bought U.S. pork giant Smithfield Foods, which traces its roots back to 1936. My brands now include Armour, Carando, Cook’s, Curly’s, Eckrich, Farmer John, Farmland, Gwaltney, Healthy Ones, Kretschmar, John Morrell, Margherita, Nathan’s Famous and Pure Farmland. I employ around 40,000 people in the United States and more than 100,000 globally. Who am I?

Last week’s trivia answer

I trace my roots back to 1849, when two cousins founded me in Brooklyn. My headquarters moved to lower Manhattan in 1868 — it’s in midtown Manhattan today. By 1936, I was the world’s top producer of vitamin C, and during World War II, the top penicillin producer. Today, with a market value recently topping $300 billion, I’m a major pharmaceutical company; drugs that have been sold under my name include Advil, Chantix, Lyrica, Prevnar, Viagra, Xanax and Zoloft — and even a COVID-19 vaccine. I spun o my Upjohn generics business in 2020; it joined Mylan and became Viatris. Who am I? (Answer: Pfizer)

Bank on this stock

When Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) reported its earnings for the fourth quarter and full year of 2021, they exceeded expectations. The nation’s second-largest bank by assets appears to be a solid investment in today’s tricky market.

After nearly two years in a low-rate environment with lower loan demand, it looks like loan growth has finally returned and may even accelerate this year, despite projected interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.

Bank of America is also positioned to benefit if the Fed raises interest rates, which it has signaled it will do. The bank estimated that a 1% interest rate hike would likely generate $6.5 billion in additional net interest income over the next year.

Meanwhile, Bank of America’s investment banking pipeline remains very healthy, and wealth management is trending well as advisers are able to meet with more customers in person again and increase the pipeline of new business. Heavily linked to the economy, banks always come with some risk. If inflation and interest rate hikes accelerate faster than expected, that could slow loan growth and increase credit costs. But the economy still looks very healthy — as does Bank of America’s future. And its stock pays a dividend, too, which recently yielded 1.8%. (That payout has been increased robustly in recent years.) Long-term investors might consider shares for their portfolio.

FOOL’S SCHOOL Dividend yields, explained

Dividend-paying stocks tied to healthy and growing companies can be great wealth-builders. You can generally count on dividend payments to arrive regularly, in both growing and ailing economies — and you can expect them to increase over time, too.

Too committed

When I first started investing, I came upon a penny stock that really looked promising. I got obsessed with it, doing online searches for it and following it on discussion boards every day and every hour. I eventually bought in, and watched it jump up, then come back down fast. What I did next led to a lesson I had to experience firsthand to really learn: I was so committed to the company that I kept buying shares as they fell closer to zero. Soon, my initial position of $500 had turned into a $35 position, for a 93% loss. Some 18 months later, the shares were at $0.05 apiece. The moral of this story: Don’t chase losers; more importantly, don’t invest in penny stocks. Lesson learned — and luckily it was early.

— F.D., online

THE FOOL RESPONDS » It

Companies can use their profits in a variety of ways. Younger, faster-growing businesses often reinvest most of their profits to further their growth — perhaps by hiring more people or building more factories. More established companies may not need every dollar of profit, so they often pay dividends to shareholders.

To invest in dividend payers e ectively, you’ll need to understand what a dividend yield is. It’s essentially a fraction, expressed as a percentage, reflecting the portion of a stock’s price that’s paid out in dividends annually.

Consider Starbucks. It was recently trading for around $95 per share, while paying $0.49 per share in quarterly dividends (that’s $1.96 annually). To determine the dividend yield, simply divide

$1.96 by $95, and you’ll get a little over 0.02 — or expressed as a percentage, 2%. So if you buy a share of Starbucks at that price, you’ll earn a 2% return on your investment each year in dividends alone.

Over the past five years, Starbucks has hiked its dividend — the payout, which is not the same as the yield! — at an average annual rate of nearly 16%, roughly doubling it in that time. The best dividend payers also reward shareholders via a stock price that rises over time. Starbucks’ stock price, for example, has grown by about 341% over the past decade, averaging 16% annually — and that excludes dividends. Dividend yields fluctuate along with the stock prices they’re tied to. As a stock price rises, the yield falls, and vice versa. If Starbucks’ stock fell to $50 per share, for example, its yield would be $1.96 divided by $50, which is nearly 0.04, or 4%.

Unusually fat dividend yields may be attractive, but make sure the reason for a high yield isn’t that it’s tied to a stock that crashed for good reasons.

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MAP BY FLOURISH

SUSAN WALSH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The IRS has launched a revamped child tax credit website meant to steer people to free ling options for claiming the credit.

the field or the court, it’s having a common purpose. It allows us to overcome a lot of the barriers, and maybe it allows us to look at those barriers or divisions and question whether we should allow them to divide us. Whether it’s the NBA players and their activism after George Floyd’s murder or the women’s national team demanding equal pay, or even going back to activism we saw with Muhammad Ali and the Olympics. And soccer is the global game.

QWhat are some of the challenges and opportunities of building up a new soccer team like the Oakland Roots?

AWhen you’re launching a new team, it’s all about letting people know they exist and making sure they’re aware of your brand, your players, the competition, and the wonderful experience that is attending one of your games. The Roots have done an incredible job with their branding. They have amazing merchandise and a fan base that is so much larger than you would expect for a team that’s really in its infancy. It’s been around a few years but is now in its second year in the (United Soccer League) Championship. I can’t wait to attend a game after everything I’ve heard.

We are very fortunate to have our training facility at the Raiders’ old training space in Alameda. We are interested in expanding our team, too. I won’t say when, but we’re interested in having a women’s team in the future. That will require additional training space and additional places to have game days. So those are the challenges I see on the horizon.

QIn what ways has COVID-19 disrupted soccer, and has it compounded the challenges for new teams?

ACOVID was di cult for everyone, and it was particu-

Mutual funds

larly challenging for anyone who wanted to put on a live event where anyone would gather in a small space. That includes live sports, and it was di cult in all sports. But it seems to be rebounding well. Hopefully we are going to be in an improved situation this spring. We are fortunate in soccer that we play outdoors, which is a much safer environment than being indoors. We do expect to be at full capacity in the stadium, with all necessary safety precautions, so hopefully we weathered the worst of it.

The Roots did an incredible job of not just surviving but elevating the club through the pandemic and jumping up to USL Championship and putting on a large number of games that were well attended and fun to attend.

I think it’s now about stabilizing and building from here.

QYou mentioned eventual plans to start a women’s soccer team in Oakland. How do you see soccer in the grand scheme of women’s professional sports right now, and is soccer a cool place to be a woman leader?

AWe have reached a tipping point in women’s sports where we are certain of its value. We no longer have to debate whether we should or should not have professional women’s sports. It’s really about how to make it as successful as possible. I think there are a variety of factors that contributed to that tipping point, like the longevity of the WNBA. I think the 2019 Women’s World Cup was a partic-

ularly powerful moment because the potential for the sport to reach millions and influence millions was undeniable, and people with capital started to understand that if they invest money into it today, that’s like putting money into some of these men’s leagues in the early 1900s. So now it’s like, how do we make it as successful as possible?

The other thing about professional women’s sports: Being a physically active person is important to each person’s physical health but also to their emotional and mental health. But when we gender sports, we deny women and girls those benefits. There are also things like like leadership, teamwork, overcoming obstacles. Resiliency is actually a skill that’s hard to learn, but one area where it’s common

to learn it is in sports, because you lose but you don’t give up. You keep trying and fight the next day. It’s very harmful when we try to tell girls this isn’t for you. And to be able to truly tell young women and girls that it’s important for them to lead active and healthy lives, we have to be able to show them the full spectrum that we show to men.

I think it’s truly important that we have professional women’s sports because professional women’s sports are awesome, fun to watch, fun to attend, fun to root for, but also an important social message to deliver to kids that they be active because it’s good for them physically but also mentally. I really think that message is damaged in society if we don’t have professional women’s sports.

ANDA CHU — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“We’re interested in having a women’s team in the future,” says Oakland Roots Sports Club President Lindsay Barenz.

IRS targets the gig economy — and misses

By Alexis Leondis Bloomberg News

The IRS is going after the gig economy, dramatically lowering the threshold for reporting income outside traditional workplaces. But if you’ve been keeping your side hustle o the books, the new rule probably won’t be what forces you to come clean.

As of Jan. 1, Venmo and other payment apps are required to alert the IRS when a user receives more than $600 annually for selling goods or providing services. Previously, IRS notification was necessary only when there were more than 200 transactions totaling at least $20,000.

It’s a lot harder to shirk tax obligations when income is reported to the IRS because it creates a “paper” trail. The way it’s

supposed to work now, once a business user hits the $600 limit, the payment app will send them a special tax form to fill out and also notify the IRS. Then, when the person files their taxes, the government can check to make sure they’ve disclosed the same amount that was reported by the payment network.

It’s typically a red flag for the IRS if someone has received one of those forms but hasn’t reported any additional income.

Not surprisingly, there’s been a backlash against the new provision. Etsy sellers, Airbnb hosts, hairstylists and more say they’re being targeted by the IRS while audit rates for the wealthiest Americans have dropped to less than 2%.

But attacks about fair-

ness miss a much more basic fact: The rule is easy to ignore. If lawmakers and the IRS are serious about Uncle Sam getting his bite of gig economy income, they’re going to have to put more teeth into it. IRS notification under the new rule is limited to commercial transactions, while personal reimbursements, gifts and charitable contributions are exempt. But the law was written in a vague and confusing way, giving the payment apps and many of their customers plenty of wiggle room.

Overwhelmed by years of underfunding and facing a backlog for this year’s filing season, the IRS hasn’t o ered much clarification or additional guidance. So it’s been left to the payment networks to decide for themselves how to comply.

And that’s leading to more confusion as compliance rules diverge. For example, Cash App says it will only report on users with business accounts, so those operating a side business under personal accounts may have the easiest time avoiding additional taxes. But Venmo’s website says it will send a tax form to any customer with transactions for goods and services above $600 in both personal and business accounts. Meanwhile, Zelle says it doesn’t have to comply with the reporting requirement at all.

On Venmo’s part, the payment company says it will freeze account holders’ funds if they fail to provide their Social Security numbers and other tax information as requested. But to get to that point, payments must have been clas-

sified as a business transaction in the first place.

As it stands now, much depends on the person making the payment, who must check the correct box when sending across their money to indicate whether it’s business or personal.

Venmo users may not even notice the prompt to toggle yes or no if the payment is for a good or service. Some simply may not care enough to bother, and yet others may have agreed with the recipient of the funds to classify the transaction as personal.

Regardless of the motivation, it’s very unlikely that a person making a payment is going to su er any consequences for getting it wrong. The bar is high to show that the person buying a good or service has intentionally misclassified a transaction

A side e ect of China’s strict virus policy: Abandoned fruit

By Vo Kieu Bao Uyen, Sui-Lee Wee and Muktita Suhartono

The New York Times

HANOI, VIETNAM » At Pham Thanh Hong’s dragon fruit orchard in Vietnam, most of the lights are turned o . All is silent except for the periodic thud of the ripe pink fruit falling to the ground.

Pham, 46, is not bothering to harvest them.

The farmer watched dragon fruit prices plummet by 25% in the last week of December to nearly zero, pushed down by what several ocials in Vietnam say is China’s “zeroCOVID” policy.

“I’m too disheartened to use my strength to pick them up, then throw them away,” Pham said.

Selling fruit to China in the coronavirus pandemic is not for the fainthearted.

China has gone to great lengths to keep the virus out of its borders.

It has screened mail and tested thousands of packages of fruit and frozen foods despite little evidence that the virus can be transmitted through such products. It has locked down entire cities, leaving Chinese citizens stranded without medicine or food.

That strict virus policy has also had alarming consequences well beyond China. Southeast Asian fruit farmers are especially vulnerable because so much of the region’s exports are directed toward the country. In 2020, the total fruit exports from Southeast Asia to China stood at roughly $6 billion.

“If they buy, we’re alive. If they don’t, we’re dead,” Pham said. “We are growing dragon fruit, but it pretty much feels like gambling.”

Long lines of trucks arriving from Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos are now backed up on China’s border crossings. Dragon fruit farmers in Vietnam, who export mostly to China, have been pushed heavily into debt.

In Myanmar, watermelon exporters are dumping their fruit on the border because truck drivers have been told to quarantine for 15 days before they can bring the goods into China.

The restrictions appear to have especially hurt Vietnam’s dragon fruit farmers. After nine cities in China

said they had detected the coronavirus on dragon fruit imported from Vietnam, authorities shut down supermarkets selling the fruit, forced at least 1,000 people who had come into contact with the fruit to quarantine and ordered customers to be tested.

Then, in late December, China closed its border with Vietnam for the first time during the pandemic.

“China did not tell Vietnam anything in advance,” said Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

“They acted very suddenly.”

More than 1 million Vietnamese dragon fruit, mango and jackfruit farmers have been a ected by the curbs, according to Dang. China accounts for more than 55% of Vietnam’s $3.2 billion in fruit and vegetable exports, chief of which is the dragon fruit.

Pham Thi Tu Lam, a farmer from Vietnam’s Vinh Long province, said she decided to switch from growing oranges to dragon fruit in 2015. At that time, she could fetch $1.22 for 1 kilogram, or a little over 2 pounds, of the fruit. Now, because prices have plunged to one-tenth of that, she has had to abandon 1,150 of the concrete posts where the plants are typically grown.

Unable to find any buyers, she gave most of last year’s harvest to her neighbors, used it for chicken feed or tossed it. She had invested more than $1,300 and three months into growing the dragon fruit. “All of which is now gone, with nothing left,” she said. The ripple e ects of China’s zeroCOVID-19 policy have accelerated discussions about Southeast Asia’s dependence on the world’s secondlargest economy. They have also coincided with growing anxiety in the region over Beijing’s presence in the South China Sea, disputed waters that many Southeast Asian nations claim as their own.

“Until COVID, it seemed to me that the economic influence of China was so great in Southeast Asia that all those countries, notwithstanding the political tensions, were gravitating more toward the Chinese orbit,” said Bill Pritchard, a professor at the University of Sydney who has studied Southeast Asia’s fruit trade with China. “I think this has been some

sort of a road bump on that. Whether it’s permanent or whether it’s temporary, I don’t know.”

For more than a decade, fruit farmers in Southeast Asia have capitalized on a rising Chinese middle class that has become increasingly health-conscious. They also benefited from a robust road and highway network linking their countries to China.

Many of them had high hopes for the Lunar New Year, during which plates of cut tropical fruit are common features at dinner tables across China during the weeklong holiday.

Chinese authorities reopened the border with Vietnam last month, but they have not relaxed their screening measures. In late January, roughly 2,000 vehicles were stuck at the border, down from 5,000 in mid-December, according to Dang. Vietnamese o cials have told businesses to avoid the crossing for now.

Nguyen Anh Duong, a director specializing in economics at Vietnam’s Central Institute for Economic Management, said the Vietnamese government is trying to help farmers find alternative markets, including diverting dragon fruit to local supermarkets in Vietnam.

But diversifying from China will be di cult. Using planes and ships to send fruit to other countries would drive costs higher. Several of the fruit-growing regions in Southeast Asia are not close to airports.

The exporters do not expect the situation to ease until after the Winter Olympics end in Beijing on Feb. 20. China is also trying to stamp out several outbreaks of the omicron variant at home, which could lead to even more stringent border screenings.

Patchaya Khiaophan, vice president of marketing for the Thai Durian Association, said she expects China to continue to periodically open and close its borders in the coming months. Thailand is developing disinfectants to spray on containers of durian for export and tightened the safety and packaging standards for the spiky fruit in time for the harvest in April.

“We have to reassure the Chinese side that Thai durian is free from COVID,” said Khiaophan. “We have prepared our farmers and businesspeople,” she said. “For me, I don’t have high hopes.”

or knowingly violated the law, says Steve Rosenthal, a tax attorney and senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Some side hustlers may decide they’d rather just deal in cash than have to face new reporting requirements, even if they’re easy to dodge. But given the convenience of cashless payment apps, especially as people increasingly transact remotely, most will continue using them. For the government to get its legal share of that growing income category, it’s going to have to plug a lot of holes in its rule. Maybe it should start by deciding who it’s going to make accountable for compliance.

Alexis Leondis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering personal finance.

CRYPTOCURRENCY INVESTORS

They made millions on Luna, Solana and Polygon: Crypto’s boom beyond Bitcoin

By David Yaffe-Bellany

The New York Times

Etienne vantKruys, a globe-trotting cryptocurrency investor from Amsterdam, was hunting for a new investment two summers ago when he met some early backers of Luna, a digital coin that o ers a framework for decentralized finance. Impressed by their commitment to the project, he bought $25,000 of Luna for 20 to 35 cents a coin.

These days, despite a recent fall in cryptocurrency prices, the value of a Luna coin is up to around $50. VantKruys’ original investment? It’s now worth about $5 million on paper.

“Dude, man,” he said on a recent call, “we’re in some happy country.”

You have probably heard of Bitcoin, Ether and even Dogecoin millionaires. But over the past two years, their ranks have rapidly expanded, as speculators recorded huge profits from more obscure cryptocurrency projects, some with names that sound cribbed from a children’s cartoon. Now there are Solana millionaires, Luna millionaires, Polygon millionaires.

Even after the drop in cryptocurrency prices dampened some of the hype, the gains remain staggering. The value of Solana, a cryptocurrency platform that provides an alternative to Ethereum, has grown by more than 6,000% since January 2021. The price of Cardano, another crypto platform with its own currency, is up 500%.

The wealth generated by these coins shows how widespread the cryptocurrency phenomenon has become. More than 11,000 digital currencies exist, and anybody can create one with a bit of coding. Some of the coins are tied to complex “DeFi” projects, which o er decentralized borrowing and lending options, while others serve as currency in video games like Axie Infinity. These currencies, usually created for some kind of practical application, are distinct from meme coins like Dogecoin, a joke currency that soared in value last year.

“Every type of financial service is now being replicated in these decentralized environments,” said Stephen McKeon, a cryptocurrency expert at the University of Oregon. “This is what’s driving all the investment.”

The investors profiting from obscure coins come from a variety of backgrounds. There are industry aficionados who had already made money on Bitcoin and Ether, and newcomers who have notched impressive gains practically overnight.

In interviews, members of this new class of crypto millionaires said they were still figuring out what to do with their growing wealth. Some have made splashy purchases, renting fancy apartments or partying in for-

eign countries. Others have relocated to tax havens like Puerto Rico or quit their day jobs as they plowed even more money into an ever-expanding set of tokens.

In January, Cal Graham, 28, a British cryptocurrency speculator, invested $200,000 in a new token called LooksRare, which is part of a trading platform for the unique digital collectibles known as NFTs, or nonfungible tokens. He sold all his LooksRare holdings less than two weeks later, walking away with nearly $500,000 in profits.

Graham, who lives in a luxury apartment in London, became a crypto millionaire through his investment in Ether, the second-most-valuable digital currency behind Bitcoin. He said he had made at least $1 million more by trading lesser-known currencies like LooksRare.

“I’m a simple man, I like simple pleasures,” he said. “I will be buying myself an expensive car and an expensive Rolex at some point.”

A former human resources officer, Graham described himself as “semiretired,” with a daily routine that often consists of several hours of intensive tweeting (he doles out market analysis to his 90,000 followers), boxing practice at the local gym and movies in the evening. Eventually, he plans to funnel his LooksRare profits back into the cryptocurrency market.

But as some people mint millions from little-known cryptocurrencies, others have seen impressive gains disappear overnight. For every Solana or Luna, there’s an outof-the-way token that shoots up in value, only for its price to collapse. Some of these projects are scams, or what industry experts call “rug pulls,” in which someone aggressively markets a coin, then immediately liquidates the holdings, leaving investors with major losses.

“There’s too many pockets of froth that lure a lot of people who are just getting crushed and duped,” said Ed Moya, a cryptocurrency analyst at the trading company OANDA. “You have a lot of social media influencers that are pumping up certain coins that are worthless.”

Even paper gains from a successful investment in a legitimate coin can turn out to be just that: paper gains. That’s because it’s di cult and labor-intensive to convert large amounts of cryptocurrencies into dollars. Some little-known coins are unavailable on mainstream exchanges like Coinbase, meaning they first have to be converted into a better-known cryptocurrency, like Ether or Bitcoin, said Philip Gradwell, the chief economist at the crypto tracking firm Chainalysis.

A sudden conversion of a large amount of cryptocurrency can also be dangerous, causing the price of the coin to collapse as it’s turned into dollars.

KICKOFF TO VALENTINES DAY

DANVILLE CHOCOLATE SHOP WHIPS UP SUPER TREATS YOU’LL LOVE

By Jessica Yadegaran jyadegaran@bayareanewsgroup.com

Pink and red paper hearts dangle from the ceiling at Danville Chocolates, where Jacqui Amayo and her team of turbocharged candymakers arrived at the shop before the sun came up, fingers flexed and ready to dip strawberries into Guittard milk chocolate.

But these aren’t just any chocolate-dipped strawberries. And this will be no ordinary Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl fans. While today’s game won’t include our beloved 49ers, we still feel strongly about Super Bowl-ing in style this year. It’s not often that heart day and game day kiss. (Actually, it’s never happened before. The game is normally played in January or early February.)

But back to those strawberries. Amayo and her crew of local high school and college students have the technique down: Dip, shake and twist prepares these berries for their “laces,” a vertical white chocolate line crossed with three shorter lines, which transforms them into adorable mini footballs.

Like their hand-dipped and decorated caramel apples, the strawberry footballs ($4.25 each) are a specialty of the 175 E. Prospect Ave. chocolate shop. Between Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day, Amayo, the shop owner, estimates they’ll make more than 3,000 strawberry footballs this season.

“We have extra dippers that we pull in when necessary,” says Amayo, who begins transforming the tiny shop into a heart-filled wonderland the day after Christmas. Otherwise, “it’s two (people) on dark, two on milk, somebody making white chocolate and somebody doing decorations.”

The fact that they’re doing the signature Super

BAY AREA CHOCOLATIERS

Looking for a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates? These 5 Bay Area chocolatiers have some delicious, heart- lled options:

Casa de Chocolates: Mexican-inspired chocolates with an Amour Collection that includes dark chocolate “angelitos” and an 11-piece box of heart tru es in avors like mole and Mayan espresso ($33). 2629 Ashby Ave., Berkeley; casadechocolates.com

Sweet 55: The 6 Hearts for Your Valentine ($22.50) features dark and milk chocolate ganache, mocha ganache and more. Or, say “My Valentine” as a Message in a Box with letters made from dark hazelnut gianduja. 225 Cabrillo Highway, Suite 104C, Half Moon Bay; www. sweet55.com

Michael’s Chocolates: The 2022 Good Food Award winner o ers stunning, jewel-like Valentine’s Day collection chocolates in passion fruit, hazelnut and a single-origin 70% cacao tru e. 3352 Grand Ave., Oakland; www. michaelschocolates.com

Deux Cranes: French-trained chocolatier

Michiko Marron-Kibbe o ers boxes of four, eight and 16 artisanal bonbons ($12-$36) for Valentine’s Day, with inventive avors like pistachio rose and shichimi togarashi caramel. www.deuxcranes.com

Leonidas Love + Chocolate: Wide assortment of Leonidas Belgian chocolates, petit fours, fruit jellies and more in red or gold heartshaped boxes. 1397 N. Main St., Walnut Creek; loveandchocolateshop.com

Bowl treat at the same time as Valentine’s Day is “just crazy,” Amayo says. Every corner of the shop is packed with hand-dipped love candy. Sour gummy hearts. Chocolate-dipped “Be mine” graham crackers. Oreos that say “Smooch.”

Of course, one option is to make these little footballs at home. Eight ounces of chopped chocolate or chocolate candy coating and ¼ cup white chocolate chips are all you need to turn 24 strawberries into sweet footballs.

Make sure your strawberries are completely dry before you start dipping. Using tempered chocolate — chocolate that has been melted, cooled and gently rewarmed — or chilling the strawberries for 15 minutes between dipping and serving helps avoid streaking and softening, which happens when chocolate sits at room temperature.

Post-dipping and drying, pour melted white chocolate into a paper cone or plastic baggie with a small hole cut in the corner. Carefully draw a white chocolate line around the top and bottom of each strawberry, then add the white “laces” in the middle. Let the white chocolate harden completely before serving.

What about the rest of your Super Valentine menu? We’ve got you covered with chef-inspired recipes from John Currence and his cookbook, “Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating” (Ten Speed Press, $28), that are a notch above your usual game-day nachos and blanket-wrapped piggies: A killer Bu alo chicken dip, totally extra gin-based pink cocktail and a grilled portobello slider even meat lovers adore. Plus, we have Amayo’s number if you need a rush dessert order. Just kidding. You know where to find her.

You’re welcome. Happy Valentine’s Day. And … go Rams?

Store owner Jacqui Amayo is ready for Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl with a plate of chocolate-dipped football strawberries at Danville Chocolates.

Chocolate-dipped football strawberries for Danville Chocolates are dipped in chocolate, then refrigerated for two minutes before each is hand-decorated with white chocolate.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND PROVOLONE SLIDERS

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

12 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1½ cups red wine

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil for the marinade

½ cup Worcestershire

sauce ¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon

mustard

½ cup minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon salt

1½ tablespoons black pepper

24 slider buns

1½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s

1 pound provolone

cheese, thinly sliced

4 cups arugula

2½ tablespoons extravirgin olive oil for the dressing

Grated zest and juice of

1 lemon

Salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Using a spoon, carefully scrape out the black gills from the underside of the portobello caps. Set the mushrooms in a shallow casserole or roasting pan, gill-side up. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wine, olive oil, Worcestershire, soy sauce, Dijon, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Prepare a hot charcoal or wood re. When the coals have burned down, cook the mushrooms on the hottest part of the re for 3 minutes, brushing regularly with the marinade. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes. Flip back to the rst side and cook again for 3 minutes on each side, brushing with the marinade.

Remove from the heat and cool brie y. Cut the mushrooms in half on the diagonal, and slice the halves on the diagonal to create as much surface area as possible. Preheat the broiler. Open the slider buns and toast them lightly.

Spread 1½ teaspoons of mayonnaise on each of the slider tops and

bottoms. Spread the sliced portobellos over the bottoms and top each one with a half slice of provolone. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese.

In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with a dressing of 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss

RECIPE FRENCH 150

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

1 (750 ml) bottle gin, preferably Hendrick’s

1 tablespoon bitters

2 ounces St-Germain

liqueur

½ cup simple syrup

¼ cup juice from Luxardo maraschino cherries, plus Luxardo cherries for garnish

7 ounces fresh lemon juice

Sparkling wine (preferably sparkling rosé) for serving Lemon peel for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large pitcher or container, combine the gin, bitters, St-Germain, simple syrup, cherry juice and lemon juice and stir to blend well. Fill each glass with ice, then ll twothirds full with the gin mix. Float sparkling wine on top and garnish with lemon peel and a cherry.

— From “Tailgreat: How to Crush it at Tailgating” by John Currence

again. Place a pinch of arugula on each of the bun tops, and assemble tops and bottoms as soon as they come out of the broiler. Wrap nished sandwiches in foil and hold warm to transport.

— From “Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating” by John Currence (Ten Speed Press, $28)

Beer is ne, but Super Bowl is more fun with a batch of pink-hued French 150s from John Currence’s “Tailgreat” cookbook.

RECIPE

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

8 cups nely chopped, le over, commercially fried chicken, preferably Popeyes

1½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2½ teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

½ cup hot sauce, preferably Texas Pete Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

1½ cups crumbled blue cheese

½ cup sliced green onion, for garnish Celery sticks, crackers or chips for serving

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 4-quart sou e dish. Place the chicken in a large bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer tted with the paddle at-

tachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Turn down the mixer to low and add the mayonnaise and buttermilk, beating until smooth. Add the dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper, beating until well combined. Slowly add the hot sauce and lemon zest and juice.

Pour the mixture over the chicken, stirring to blend. Stir in the blue cheese. Pour into the prepared sou e dish and bake for 25 minutes or until the dip is bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Garnish with the green onion and serve hot with celery, crackers, chips or a combination.

— From “Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating” by John Currence

GOD’S OWN BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

PHOTOS BY PETER FRANK EDWARDS

Firing up the grill for Super Bowl? Make sure to throw on some meaty portobello mushrooms to make these sliders.

John Currence’s God’s Own Bu alo Chicken Dip is sure to please your valentine during the Super Bowl.

Try sweet and spicy for your Valentine’s Day

By Lynda Balslev Columnist

It’s never a bad idea to spice things up on Valentine’s Day. After all, in many successful relationships, a little intrigue and an element of surprise keep things exciting. Now, before you jump to any conclusions (after all, this is a food column), I am talking about cake.

In this recipe, chocolate is teased with a little spice, resulting in a luscious flourless cake, perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day when you crave a rich chocolate dessert.

Don’t be deterred by the spices.

Laced with chile powder, cayenne and cinnamon, this dense fudgy cake has a naughty kick of smoke and heat cloaked in chocolate.

While the spices may sound, well, savory, and yes, spicy, they are restrained and add just enough complexity to thoroughly complement the intensity of the chocolate and seductively round out its flavor, providing a playful je ne sais quoi moment for the happy recipients. Now that’s an exciting cake.

THE HEAT IS ON

COURTESY

This spicy, ourless chocolate cake is just the thing for Valentine’s Day.

Spicy Chocolate Cake

Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in pieces

12 ounces semisweet (65% to 70%) chocolate, chopped

6 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1⁄2 teaspoon ground

cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne

Powdered sugar or whipped cream for serving

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light and u y. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, chile powder, cinnamon, salt and cayenne and stir to combine. Pour into the springform. Bake until cake is set and the top begins to crack, about 40 minutes. (The center will still be moist.)

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Remove the side of the pan. The cake may be made up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate.

Cut into wedges and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or topped with whipped cream.

Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Area cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer.

TASTE-OFF

By John Metcalfe jmetcalfe@ bayareanewsgroup.com

The scenario: You’re on an outdoor restaurant patio with the sun dropping quick. In the formidable Bay Area winter, temperatures could soon plummet to the low 50s. Goose bumps are forming. A hungry wolf — or maybe a goldendoodle — howls in the distance.

What do you do?

How will you make it through the night?

Many restaurateurs would suggest heat lamps. But Cody Lundin, a primitive-living expert and former host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dual Survival,” has other thoughts on how to navigate the brutal urban NorCal dining environment.

“The next several minutes will be critical to your survival,” Lundin emails, tongue in cheek. “As you are not dressed for the cold, quickly grab all of the tablecloths to wrap around your body to conserve precious body heat. Likewise, immediately eat your appetizers. These fatty calorie foods that you purchased to ‘reward yourself’ act as fuel for your body, allowing for a longer survival time.”

He goes on: “Dig deep into your archival memories and make that

1Canyon Club Brewery, Moraga

The brewery’s spacious patio literally shines at night with comfy furniture clustered around hard-plumbed naturalgas heaters, the gold standard for heaterdom. Gentle flames from fire pits illuminate families munching on Bu alo wings, fried Brussels sprouts and fish and chips. Look forward to new beer o erings in February, like a Brewer’s Soul on Whiskey porter and Chaos Quencher, a bracing 11.3% imperial IPA made specially for the pandemic. Open daily at 1558 Canyon Road, Moraga; canyonclub.works.

childhood fort. Use the tables, the walls and the remaining propane patio heaters to create a microclimate to mitigate convection and conduction while maximizing long-wave radiation.”

OK, so our situation isn’t quite that dire. But day and nighttime temperatures routinely vacillate by as much as 20 degrees in the winter — and East Bay temperatures averaged 51.3 degrees, more than 1 degree chillier than normal, in December.

A good source of heat is obviously a crucial part of alfresco dining. That was an issue in fall 2020, when heat lamps were in such short supply, businesses grappled with two-month waiting lists.

“It has been hard to replace heaters if they break,” says Wendy Sanchez, a management-team member at Torsap Thai Kitchen in Walnut Creek, where heat lamps keep things toasty.

“We bought a dozen (heat lamps) over the summer,” says Kevin Hamilton, owner of Moraga’s Canyon Club Brewery. “The bigger issue now is getting propane.”

Fortunately, many Bay Area venues have tweaked their sourcing strategies and now operate outdoor areas as warm as a sauna.

Halal Mexican food truck opens a San Jose eatery

By Jessica Yadegaran jyadegaran@ bayareanewsgroup.com

GETTY IMAGES

Unlike dark and milk chocolate, white chocolate is technically not chocolate at all. But whether you’re using it by the bar or in chip form, its avor can be great in baked goods.

How do white chocolate chips compare?

Most white chocolate chips do not actually qualify as chocolate. No need to argue about it — it’s a fact. But it’s also true that wellmade white chips are delicious. They deliver a milky, silky pop of sweetness that is a perfect counterpoint to salty nuts, earthy grains and buttery, citrusy des-

serts of every kind.

Even so, plenty of bakers have turned against white chocolate out of frustration. It’s a notoriously finicky ingredient. First, it must be stored carefully. Storing white chips for too long or under conditions that are too hot,

Elevated halal street tacos sprinkled with cloves and stu ed with cuminmarinated meats are about to become a fixture in San Jose.

After a successful run as one of the only spots for chef-driven Mexican food that is halal, El Halal Amigos food truck has opened a permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant at 1100 Lincoln Ave. in the Willow Glen neigh-

OF LYNDA BALSLEV

DINING SCENE

PHOTOS BY JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Patrons sit around the re pit at Canyon Club Brewery in Moraga.

IT’S COLD OUT THERE. STAY COZY AND DINE SAFELY AT THESE WARMED, OUTDOOR BAY AREA RESTAURANTS

Bay Area’s 139 Indian restaurants, ranked by price, popularity

By John Metcalfe jmetcalfe@ bayareanewsgroup.com

Leave it to an outsider to do what a local should’ve done a long time ago: make a thorough accounting of Bay Area Indian restaurants graphed by price and popularity.

Rajesh Niti, a cancer biologist in Tempe, Arizona (who originally hails from Chennai), is the creator of a genius visualization of 139 Indian eateries across the Bay Area, from Palo Alto’s Rooh to Berkeley’s Vik’s Chaat, plotted on axes of “average rating” and “average cost of meal.” The lower left quadrant pens in restaurants that are “cheaper than average but not as tasty,” while the rarefied upper-right corner identifies places that are “more expensive than average and

SEE THE CHART You’ll nd the graphic visualization at https:// public.tableau.com/app/ pro le/messidude/viz/ SanFranciscoCostvs RatingsComparisons/ Dashboard2.

tasty.” (You’ll find Los Altos’ Aurum and Palo Alto’s Ettan there.) The bottomright section is perhaps the sweet spot for most people, where the price is low, and the quality ain’t lacking.

(Hello, Curry Up Now.)

The data graph was “requested by a graduateschool friend who lives in the Bay Area and, by the way, works at Twitter,” emails Rajesh. “He wanted to know which Indian restaurants served the best food at an a ordable price. During my visits to the Bay Area, he and I

sampled many restaurants, and the visualization simply identified new places for us to try.”

The graph encompasses San Francisco, the South Bay and East Bay cities like Oakland and Fremont. For the data, Rajesh scraped review websites like Yelp and Zomato and food-delivery sites like Uber Eats and Grubhub. “I only use data from websites which have a significant number of reviews, and avoid any which have just a few as they may skew the visualization,” he says. (On the graph, larger dots represent places with more reviews.) Rajesh says a couple of things jumped out at him when making his graph.

“I discovered that restaurants specializing in North Indian cuisine received higher average ratings than those specializing in South

Heat

FROM PAGE 4

Here’s a sampling of dining and drinking establishments that have patios with heat lamps and fire pits — just the thing you need for those colder days forecast for February.

2Social Bird Kitchen + Bar, Lafayette

The inventive American eatery from the folks behind Danville’s Esin restaurant and Revel Kitchen & Bar has three heated patios. Social Bird hits the California trifecta of fresh seafood, local veggies and good wine. Head in for happy hour to enjoy oysters and avocado bruschetta with a glass of Napa chardonnay. Open daily at 3593 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette; social-bird.com.

3Ettan, Palo Alto

A patio on a bustling side street has plenty of Silicon Valley peoplewatching, some quirky upside-down umbrellas and plenty of radiant heat. Executive chef Srijith Gopinathan, who has two Michelin stars under his belt from San Francisco’s

Dining

FROM PAGE 4

borhood, taking over the former Main Street Burgers spot.

Chef-owner Hisham Abdelfattah, a South Bay native who is Filipino-Palestinian, founded El Halal Amigos in 2020 as a food truck in Fremont and quickly drew a following for his 100% halal menu of street tacos, burritos and plates with brisket barbacoa, chicken al pastor, carne asada and vegan potato and cauliflower. Shareables include spicy queso and chips, and churros served with chocolate and Marianne’s vanilla ice cream.

El Halal Amigos is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The food truck can be found at 4050 Alder Ave. in Fremont; hours there are Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m.

DETAILS » www.elhalalamigos.com

Campton Place, oversees artful Indian dishes that burst with textures and flavor — think chaat-flavored fried sesame leaves with chickpea crumble and okra with peach masala and buttermilk curry. Open Tuesday-Sunday at 518 Bryant St., Palo Alto; ettanrestaurant.com.

4Prizefighter, Emeryville

The bar just refreshed its drinks menu, so now would be a good time to check out its wellheated patio, tucked in a little jungle of greenery. The cocktails never fail to impress — an aquavit-soaked onion in the Gibson is a bracing surprise — and for down-and-dirty options you can’t beat the Oaxaca Stando , a shot of mezcal, can of cheap beer and a sangrita chaser.

(The tamale-only menu includes vegetarian and pork options.) Open Tuesday-Sunday at 6702 Hollis St., Emeryville; prizefighterbar.com.

5Pho Ha Noi, San Jose

Eating pho is a natural way to stay warm. But Pho Ha Noi’s heated outdoor booths and parklet are enough to keep anyone toasty on a cold winter night. The northern-style pho with minced rare flank steak is excellent, as is the spicy bun bo hue. After you’re done slurping, head

Oakland’s Bacheesos buffet now a Persian eatery Bacheesos, the 15-year-old Mediterranean bu et restaurant that has been closed since March 2020, is reopening later this month with a remodeled look and a new menu focused on Persian cuisine. The restaurant, at 246 Grand Ave. in Oakland, is now called Persian Nights at Bacheesos, and will have dinner service featuring Persian stews, rice dishes and other specialties.

When the pandemic hit, bu ets were deemed unsafe, and owner Amir Asli had to figure out a plan. His co ee shop, 1888 Co ee Station at Bacheesos, was still bustling, especially for grab-and-go breakfast and lunch. Asli expanded the co ee shop menu to include bu et favorites converted to a walk-up windowfriendly format. Standouts include the Persian Stallion — dates, honey and eggs in a warm pita — and marinated “lollipop” lamb chops served with basmati rice and tomatoes.

For dinner, Asli has brought in Iranian chef Farshad Moradi, a na-

Indian cuisine. This is unfortunate, because there are many wonderful South Indian restaurants, but the cuisine is so di erent from North Indian food that someone new who goes in expecting naan and butter chicken/chicken tikka masala is unlikely to find it on the menu. And the food tends to be spicier than the usual North Indian fare, which turns o people who don’t go in expecting it.” He also noticed some reviewers were dinging restaurants for things not related to the food, an annoy-

ance he wishes he could excise from the data.

Then there’s the fact that certain diners seem unfamiliar with Indian food in general. There’s not much that can be done about that, though one person on Reddit o ers this possible solution (pending for lack of current technology): “Can we filter the reviewers by Indian names”?

“I spend a lot of my free time in the Bay Area. Because I have so many friends who live here and work in the tech industry, I have to make mul -

Taste-o

FROM PAGE 4

too cold or too moist can mess up the flavor and texture. For example, a chip that’s taken on moisture during storage may never melt. And palm oil, a commonly used ingredient, goes rancid so fast that chips should be used within a few months of purchase.

That said, even fresh chips require patience and care if you’re melting them, as they are so quick to burn or seize. The trick is to remove the chocolate from the heat before it’s melted and stir, allowing the warmth of the bowl to finish the task. Once melted, it’s ready to become a drizzle, a dip or a nut- or candy-topped bark.

tiple trips to see different groups of people,” says Rajesh. When he’s here, he sometimes ducks into one of his favorite restaurants — Annachikadai in Mountain View, located toward the bottom of the higherquality/higher-cost quadrant — and suggests others do the same:

“They serve truly authentic South Indian cuisine at a very reasonable price. I would recommend trying the ‘ilai virunthu,’ which is a complete meal made up of a variety of dishes.”

Good & Gather White Baking Chips

Exactly how these chips can be so buttery and tender without the use of cocoa butter is a mystery, but there it is! They melt better than most and are easily the best inexpensive white chips out there. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 10 mg sodium, 10 g sugar. $1.99 for 12 ounces at Target.

Ghirardelli Premium Classic White Baking Chips

The dry milk flavor is far too prominent in these chips, but the extra hit of salt and a dash of real vanilla is a plus. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 20 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $3.99 for 11 ounces at Safeway.

around the corner to CA Bakehouse for a freshly made pandan-custard tart. Open Thursday-Tuesday at 969 Story Road, San Jose; phohanoisanjose.com.

6Palermo, San Jose

Fans of Italian classics like eggplant Parmesan, linguine with clams and pizza flock to Palermo’s spacious roofed patio with tableside heaters. The restaurant used to be a beloved family deli that has since passed its recipes to the new owners. The meatball sub is locally famous and features meatballs the size of what you’d find on a bocce court. Open Tuesday-Sunday at 791 Auzerais Ave., San Jose; palermosj. com.

7Alley & Vine, Alameda

The newish California farmto-table restaurant comes with serious chef cred — pappardelle with red royal shrimp and caviar with pain de mie, anyone? — and would be a primo spot to visit on Valentine’s Day. There’s a gorgeous vine-covered patio and heat lamps stocked with weekly propane deliveries. The eatery is also introducing a revolving $49 three-course menu on Thursday nights that, we’re told, is guaranteed to be “fun.” Open daily at 1332 Park St., Suite D, Alameda; alleyandvine.com.

The very best white chocolate chips are made with cocoa butter instead of palm oil, which makes all the di erence. The cocoa butter is lusciously smooth and buttery, making for a creamcolored chip that’s light, tender and tastes like fresh milk. Bad chips are gritty, achingly sweet, nearly impossible to melt and taste like a mouthful of nonfat milk powder.

Here’s the scoop on the creamy, dreamy white chips that will boost any dessert from good to great, and the gnarly ones that are sure to expand the ranks of white chocolate-haters. Nutrition info refers to 1 tablespoon.

365 Mini White Chocolate Baking Chips

These tiny, ivory colored chips are minimally sweet, melty and smooth, and have a generous hit of real vanilla. These are hard to beat. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 10 mg sodium, 10 g sugar. $3.39 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods.

Guittard Choc-AuLait Gourmet White Baking Chips

tive of Tabriz who owned a restaurant on the island of Kish, a tourist destination in Iran. Moradi will serve marinated filet mignon kabobs and classic stews such as gheimeh. Opening dinner service will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays. Breakfast and lunch are served from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday and until 4 p.m. Sundays.

DETAILS » www.bacheesos.net

Send restaurant news tips to lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup. com and jyadegaran@ bayareanewsgroup.com.

Lily’s White Chocolate Style Baking Chips

The oddball list of ingredients in these ultrasweet chips — erythritol, stevia, chicory root powder — isn’t promising, but they taste OK thanks to lots of cocoa butter. But please don’t melt these: They turn gritty and strangely alcoholic. 50 calories, 4 g fat, 10 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $6.99 for 9 ounces at Whole Foods. ★★

Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels

Premier is a great title, but a lot to live up to. These chips don’t deliver. They are di cult to melt and have a single flavor note — sugar. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 5 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $5.19 for 24 ounces at Target. ★

Sunny Select White Confectionery Baking Chips

Tahitian vanilla and both butter and cocoa butter make for luscious chips that coat the palate with fresh, melty sweetness. 80 calories, 4.5 g fat, 25 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $4.79 for 12 ounces at FoodMaxx.

Hershey’s Premier White Creme Chips

The caramel note in these tasty chips is unexpected and delicious. These just might win over a white chocolate hater. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 35 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $4.95 for 12 ounces at Walmart; $13.02 for 2 packages on Amazon.

The murky flavor of milk powder in these cocoa butter-free chips is guaranteed to sap the deliciousness out of anything they touch. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 10 mg sodium, 10 g sugar. $1.79 for 12 ounces at Food Maxx. 

Great Value White Baking Chips

These gritty, palm kernel oil-based chips taste like canned vanilla frosting and remain gritty even when melted. 80 calories, 4 g fat, 5 mg sodium, 10 g sugar. $1.79 for 11 ounces at Walmart. (No stars)

Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail. com.

DAI SUGANO — STAFF ARCHIVES

Avocado bhel with green chickpea, pu ed black rice, togarashi and radish is served at the Palo Alto Indian restaurant Rooh.

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The patio at Ettan, a Cal-Indian restaurant in Palo Alto, o ers plenty of warmth on chilly evenings.

PERSIAN NIGHTS

Oakland’s reimagined Persian Nights at Bacheesos specializes in Persian fare.

Along the Placer County Wine Trail, all paths eventually lead to a tasting

By Nora Heston Tarte » Correspondent

The Sierra Foothills AVA is home to the Placer County Wine Trail, a stretch of countryside near Auburn that brims with hiking paths and tasting rooms, a combination that o ers plenty of enticing options for anyone who enjoys mixing a little outdoor adventure with their winery hopping. With 19 wineries included on the trail map and several outdoor experiences nearby, creating your own wine/hike adventure is easy to do.

& the bottleBeauty

Hidden Falls and a trio of wineries

Popular with locals and visitors alike, Auburn’s Hidden Falls Regional Park o to explore on foot, bike or horseback. There are easy trails with so-worth-it views, such as the 0.3-mile Canyon View Trail, moderate but still short jaunts like the 0.7-mile Seven Pools Loop, and more chal lenging hikes, including the 1-mile Poppy Trail and 1.4-mile River Otter Loop.

Choose a trail that crosses the Canyon View Bridge for some of the best views in the park. Visit in the spring, and you’ll find wildflowers blooming across the hillsides.

Post-hike, you’ll find a trifecta of worthy winery stops nearby, including Vina Castel lano Estate Vineyards and Win ery, Fawnridge Winery and Lone Bu alo Vineyards.

Taste through Vina Castel lano’s Spanish and Rhone va rietals in the winery’s stone barrel cave, where you can sample a flight of four wines of your choice. Walk-ins are welcome, but large groups may want to make reservations.

From there, you can head to Stewart and Stephanie Perry’s Fawnridge Winery for everything from sauvignon blanc to old vine zinfandel. Finish up at Lone Buf falo, which is as charmingly rus tic and cowboy-esque as the name suggests. A tasting here includes 2.5-ounce tastes of three wines.

Water views, wine and a museum

Auburn’s Lake Clementine is in the Auburn State Recreation Area, where a 3.8-mile out-and-back trail offers plenty of shade, as well as

Wine

Looking for some spirited fun? Here’s a sampling of real-life and virtual wine tastings and events.

Anderson Valley Winter White Wine Weekend: Saturday and Feb. 20, wineries throughout the Anderson Valley. The annual Mendocino region celebration of Alsatian and sparkling wines will feature wine tastings and food pairings at 27 wineries, including Baxter Winery, Fathers & Daughters, Handley Cellars, Husch Vineyards, Navarro Vineyards and Roederer Estate. A weekend pass ($130) includes up to four reserved tasting experiences each day. Details: avwines.com.

Hidden Falls Regional Park: Park reservations are required on weekends. Parking reservations ($4-$8) are required on high-use days, such as President’s Day and the rst week of April. Open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily Mears Place in Auburn; www. placer.ca.gov/parks.

Viña Castellano: Tastings are $12. The winery opens at noon Thursday-Sunday at 4590 Bell Road in Auburn; vinacastellano.

Fawnridge Winery: Tastings are $5. Opens at noon FridaySunday at 10024 Fawnridge Road in Auburn; www. fawnridgewine.com.

alo Vineyards: Tastings are $10. Opens at noon Friday-Sunday Wise Road in Auburn; alovineyards.com.

Auburn State Recreation Area: Open from sunrise to sunset. Parking is $10 (bring cash). 501 El Dorado St. in Auburn; www.parks.ca.gov.

Bonitata Boutique Wine & Bernhard Tastings are $7. Opens at p.m. Wednesday-Friday at Auburn Folsom Road in Auburn; www.winesbymark.com.

Casque Wines: Tastings are $15. The winery’s Tasting Room at the Flower Farm opens at 11 a.m. Thursday-Sunday at 9280 Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis; www.casquewines. com.

The Pour Choice: Open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, until p.m. Friday-Saturday, at Sacramento St. in Auburn; thepourchoice.com.

More information: Find more Placer County Wine Trail hot spots and download a map at placerwine.com.

Heitz Cellar’s Tasting Salon: Open by reservation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, beginning Friday. Heitz Cellars is debuting a new salon that includes a grand tasting room, veranda and the Quartz Creek Garden, where guests can sit by the fountain with a glass of wine and jazz music before their formal tasting begins. 436 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena; www.heitzcellar.com.

“You Did What?” Live Chat: 5-6 p.m. Thursday, via Zoom. How do beers get made? From chance avor encounters in the kitchen to niche interests in mathematical patterns and mysticism, two SF Beer Week collaborations are the topic this evening. Join brewers from Fort Point, HenHouse Brewing Co. and Fox Tale Fermentation Project as they taste and discuss. Free. Eventbrite: bit.ly/3ogtZpk

Calistoga Wine Experience:

1-4:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Golden Gate Club, Presidio of San Francisco, 135 Fisher Loop, San Francisco. Enjoy a premier tasting of wines from 30 Napa Valley wineries. $100-$125. Eventbrite: bit.ly/3c7Q2rU

Marine Layer: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Sip your way through ve limited production, cool climate wines, with a focus on Sonoma Coast chardonnay and pinot noir, at this new tasting room on Healdsburg Plaza. Wine tastings are $35. Complement your tasting with a seasonal mezze platter from Little Saint, SingleThread Farms’ newest project. 308 B Center St., Healdsburg. marinelayerwines.com

Comstock Wines Experiences:

Taste your way through this Healdsburg winery’s varietal offerings virtually or in person on the terrace, where you can pair wine ights with a mezze platter ($45), mini-grilled cheese sandwich array ($75) or woodred fare ($75) by appointment. 1290 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg; www.comstockwines.com

Hoyt Family Vineyards Tasting in a Box: This Paso Robles winery is open for tastings by reservation. Enjoy a private tour, wander through the vineyards and hike up to the hilltop to take in the view. Can’t make it to the Central Coast? The winery will ship you a ight ($35), with 50 ml tastes of viognier, pinot noir rose, chardonnay, petite sirah and a red blend. www.hoytfamilyvineyards.com/ tasting-box

Larkmead Estate Tastings:

Open for outdoor estate tastings at the winery, as well as virtual tastings from home. Tasting fee ranges from $45-$95. Reservations required. 1100 Larkmead Lane, Calistoga. www.larkmead. com

Wine Road Barrel Tasting

Weekend: March 3-6 at participating Sonoma County wineries. Learn about the winemaking process from winemakers, taste limited production wines and purchase “futures” of wines sampled directly from the barrel. Reservations required. Tickets are $75 for Thursday or Sunday or $200 for the four-day weekend. www.wineroad.com/events/ barrel-tasting-weekends

J Vineyards & Winery: Virtual tastings noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Choose your favorites for a custom ight, explore a new collection or take a deep look at a single wine through the years. www.jwine.com/ bespoke-virtual-tastings

WINE HIKES

HEITZ CELLARS

St. Helena’s Heitz Cellars will open its new Tasting Salon on Friday.

VISIT PLACER

Casque Wines is one of 19 winery tasting rooms on the Placer County Wine Trail.

Nearly 20 wineries dot the Placer County Wine Trail. PLACER WINE

BELIEVE ACHIEVE WITH HELP FROM

By Janet Fullwood Correspondent

Snow play is a wildly popular winter pastime in Northern California. Drive up to a Tahoe resort on any frosty weekend, and you’ll see cars parked out to the highway and hundreds of skiers and snowboarders lined up at the li s and zooming down the mountains.

At Northstar California and Palisades Tahoe at Alpine Meadows, you might also spot folks sliding — not on regular skis, but on sit-down, sled-like devices, single skis with “outrigger” balance poles and other adaptive apparatuses designed to accommodate folks with a wide range of disabilities. Most likely, they’re students taking lessons with Achieve Tahoe, an adaptive recreation organization that has provided year-round outdoor activities for people with cognitive, sensory and physical challenges since 1967.

Haakon Lang-Ree started out as a volunteer 30 years ago. Now, he’s the executive director of an organization that counts about a dozen Professional Ski Instructors of America sta ers and an army of some 200 enthusiastic interns and volunteers working out of Alpine and Northstar.

“At rst,” Lang-Ree recounts, “we were pulling Vietnam veterans, who had lost their legs, right out of their beds and saying, ‘We’re going skiing.’ ”

Adaptive technology and instruction

The list » The 10 hottest U.S. destinations in 2022, according to Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards o er up a variety of “best destinations” — especially this time around when they’ve added niche lists for outdoors enthusiasts, city lovers, beach bathers and foodies.

Back this year are the site’s venerable “most popular destination” lists, which bestow awards on locations with the most good reviews over time. Although there’s some jostling for position, the list doesn’t vary much from year to year — Dubai took the top nod for 2022, but London, Paris and Rome are all still right there. That’s why the site’s “trending destinations” list is so interesting. It marks the cities whose appeal to travelers — and wannabe travelers — surged the most over the last year, and it’s always loaded with surprises.

Last week, we shared the 10 trending destinations around the world, according

to Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards. Now we’re looking closer to home, and let’s just say, beaches reign supreme. Here’s a peek. Find all the lists — popular hot spots, cities for foodies, outdoor wows — at tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoiceDestinations.

TOP 10 TRENDING U.S.

DESTINATIONS FOR 2022

1 Island of Hawaii, Hawaii

2 Charleston, South Carolina

3 Branson, Missouri

4 Moab,

There’s no ‘can’t do’ with this skiing program for kids and adults who have physical, sensory and cognitive challenges

Adaptive ski devices, such as this mono ski, help snow lovers with physical challenges enjoy the slopes, too.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ACHIEVE TAHOE

Achieve Tahoe participants hit the slopes with an instructor and adaptive equipment, such as sliders, bi-skis or other devices, so they can enjoy the snow experience.

Refund from Iceland Car Rental seems to be frozen

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER » I’m trying to get a full refund from Iceland Car Rental for our trip to Iceland in August 2020 that was canceled because of COVID-19.

At the time we booked the rental, in March 2020, they o ered a “100% money back” guarantee. We notified them to cancel our reservation as soon as our flight was canceled, in July 2020. Can you help me get my $545 back?

— Kristen Nelson, Minnetonka, Minnesota ANSWER » This shouldn’t have happened. Most car rental companies don’t charge you until you pick up your car. I reviewed the terms of your agreement with Iceland Car Rental, and it works a little di erently. If you cancel your reservation up to two days before your pickup date, you get a “100% refund.” If you’re within the 48-hour cancellation window, they’ll charge you for your rental.

You canceled before two days, so you should have received your money back. So why didn’t you?

An Iceland Car Rental representative tried to explain it in an email to you.

“The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in thousands of cancellations,” he explained. “This means that a lot of people have applied for refunds — including you. Each refund application is handled individually. And with the great amount of cases that we’re currently processing, the waiting time is currently too long.”

But after you asked how long it might be, you got a di erent answer.

“As is the case for many tourism related companies around the world, the future of our company has been secured throughout this dicult period with a survival agreement with our bank,” the company noted. “However, the financial restructuring of the company could not include the refunds of outstanding reservations for the foreseeable future; therefore, we will not be able to refund your booking.”

This appears to be a di erent argument. The car rental company was restructuring, which means the old company — the one with which you had the reservation — technically no longer exists. The new Iceland Car Rental apparently didn’t feel it had to honor some of the obligations of the old company.

But the Iceland Car Rental you were dealing with shouldn’t have charged your card in the first place. I think you would have had a legitimate case for a credit card dispute, had it come to that.

It didn’t. I contacted Iceland Car Rental on your behalf, and it issued a full refund.

Contact Christopher Elliott at elliott@elliott.org.

While

Ski

Achieve

techniques have evolved over the decades, and so has the breadth of people coming into the program, he says. While many participants are physically challenged, others live with less visible di erences, such as autism, Down syndrome, poor vision or blindness.

“You’re either born with something or something happens that changes your life,” Lang-Ree says of participants. “There are many ways that people come to us. The secret is that there are no prerequisites. We can take you o the couch and provide a safe experience from Day 1, and you get the benefit from Day 1. We spend a lot of time telling people, ‘You can do it!’

While some Achieve Tahoe participants can stand on two skis and use poles, others are fitted into “sit skis,” “mono-skis,” “bi-skis” and other devices that can accommodate those with missing or poorly functioning limbs. There’s even a new device — the TetraSki — that operates with a joystick and pu s of breath, much like high-tech electric wheelchairs. Will Crichton, 58, of Oakland, was a software developer and avid skier who regularly chalked up 100 days a year on the slopes. About five years ago, a stroke changed his life in an instant. After the stroke, Crichton couldn’t stand, and he still can’t move one arm. But after a lot of work, he can get around the house on a cane and uses a wheelchair for longer distances.

“I was a very active skier — and then got paralyzed,” he says.

“Achieve Tahoe got me back on skis. It was terrifying and painful … and great.” On the snow, he buckles into an adaptive device called a “slider” that functions as a kind of walker on snow. It’s tethered to an assistant who skis and helps guide from behind. “It has armrests and a handle and I drive it one-handed,” Crichton says.

Getting there took motivation and perseverance. “It took four

Menlo Park teen Indie Gerard, seen here in 2018, has not let cerebral palsy get in the way of his snow play. Instructors from Achieve Tahoe began getting him out on the slopes ve years ago.

“Every time we go up, they push him a little bit farther. We’ve seen so much improvement. His stamina in particular has really improved.”

people helping for half an hour and half a can of baby powder to get the boots on for the first time,” he recalls. “But I got up there and said, ‘Yeah, I can drive this thing.’ Trying to ski with one paralyzed leg and one half-working leg was brutal. My balance was so o , it was terrifying. There was a lot to overcome, but after about four years it got better.”

Achieve Tahoe’s lessons are one (and sometimes two) instructors per student and can accommodate children as young as 4.

Indra “Indie” Gerard is a 13-year-old Menlo Park eighth grader who lives with cerebral palsy and has been active with Achieve Tahoe for the past five years.

“Every time we go up, they push him a little bit farther,” his mother, Suneeta Krish, says. “We’ve seen so much improvement. His stamina in particular has really improved.”

While Indie can take independent steps, he uses a cane

or walker for safety. For skiing, “they have an apparatus that essentially creates another set of skis around him, because he can’t hold onto poles,” his mother says. “And he always has assistants around him.”

Confidence and independence are the goals, says Josephine Comier, communications and program coordinator for Achieve Tahoe. “We will pretty much work with anyone,” she says.

Kayla MacLennan, a tech worker from Truckee, is one of Achieve Tahoe’s avid volunteers. “I wouldn’t want to spend my time doing anything else. It’s so much fun,” she says. “I’m a teacher, a yoga instructor; I like to spend my time making other people better. These folks are living with disabilities in a world they have to adapt to.

“What I like is that I’ve improved as an instructor and helped other people improve, too. It’s all about skiing and getting that sense of moving on snow. If

Wine hikes

FROM PAGE 6

panoramic views along the North Fork of the American River and under the towering Foresthill Bridge. Don’t miss the cascading waterfalls formed by the Lake Clementine Dam.

Afterward, head for Bonitata Boutique Wine, which is tucked inside the historic winery building at Auburn’s Bernhard Museum. One of the oldest buildings in Placer County, the site once operated as a hotel. Browse the historical artifacts and exhibits, then enjoy a little wine.

And Le Casque Wines, in nearby Loomis, o ers food, shopping and, of course, vino — with a focus on Bordeaux and Rhone varietals. A cute storefront sits on one side of the estate garden, the tasting room is at the other end,

you’re living in a wheelchair, you don’t get that sensation very often. We’re really glad to inspire that confidence.”

From Heavenly and Sierra at Tahoe to Mammoth Mountain, many Sierra ski resorts offer adaptive ski and snowboard lessons.

Achieve Tahoe includes adaptive ski and snowboard lessons for all abilities, as well as a full range of summer recreation programs — kayaking, paddleboarding, rafting and more — for children and adults. Snowsports lessons are o ered at Alpine Meadows and Northstar daily through April.

At Alpine, the program costs $125 for a half-day or $250 for a full day, including private instruction and lift ticket; discounted equipment is extra. At Northstar, the program costs $135 for a half-day or $270 for a full day, including lift ticket and equipment. Find more details at www.achievetahoe.org.

CASQUE WINES

Loomis’ Casque Wines o ers food, shopping and, of course, wine tasting with a focus on Bordeaux and Rhone varietals.

and outdoor seating (with patio heaters) takes advantage of the pretty views all around. The on-site Flower Farm Cafe o ers lunch and brunch fare. And during the summer months, there’s live music on Friday nights.

Grab a bite — or a cup of Joe

Before you head home,

swing by Auburn’s The Pour Choice to refuel — a grilled cheese sandwich made with raclette and herb butter, perhaps, or a cheese and charcuterie board.

This eatery in Old Town Auburn o ers craft co ee, local beer and wine on tap, as well as light bites and cozy spots to gather indoors and out.

The Auburn State Recreation Area hiking trails are popular with visitors and locals alike.

ACHIEVE TAHOE

some

Tahoe participants can stand on two skis and use poles, others use adaptive equipment, such as bi-skis.

COURTESY OF SUNEETA KRISH

— Suneeta Krish, whose 13-year-old son with cerebral palsy, Indie Gerard, skis with Achieve Tahoe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE: By Stephan Pastis

PICKLES: By Brian Crane

RED & ROVER: By Brian Bassett

CANDORVILLE: By Darrin Bell

JUMP START: By Robb Armstrong

LUANN: By Greg Evans