A magnitude 4.3 temblor hit San Ramon on Monday morning as a series of quakes shook the area. The largest quake hit just after 7 a.m. on Monday about four miles east south east of San Ramon. In total, eight quakes hit the area on Monday ranging from magnitude 2.5 to 4.3, with the first striking just before 6:30 a.m.
2026 UPDATE: Sadly, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has confirmed that its Free First Thursday program is temporarily paused beginning February 2026. The museum says the program will be re-envisioned and relaunched at a future date, with updates to be shared once plans are finalized. As of January 15, no additional Free First Thursday dates are scheduled. The change affects the long-running program that provided free general admission to Bay Area residents on the first Thursday of each month from 4 to 8 pm.
Essential Properties Realty Trust paid a combined $10 million for the four Bay Area restaurant sites, the real estate documents show. The sales were all formally completed on Jan. 26 with the filing of several grant deeds. We acquire, own and manage single-tenant properties that are net leased to middle-market companies operating in service-oriented or experience-based businesses, Essential Properties Realty Trust states on its website.
For Staller, foraging is a "precious" and "simple" activity that one can do to connect with nature. They can experience a sense of mindfulness from gathering together, looking for food and then cooking the bounty, she said. "We are returning to the most basic part of being a human, which is eating food and celebrating it," Staller said. "It's a lost artform."
During the Great Depression, the New Deal put millions of Americans to work building parks, schools, bridges, housing, murals, and civic spaces that continue to serve the public nearly a century later. KALW and Living New Dealinvite you to an evening exploring the lasting imprints of this ambitious era here in the Bay Area. Through film screenings and a community conversation led by Sheryl Kaskowitz, creator of The Public Works,
There is a type of rhododendron which makes a superb container plant, and even performs greatly when pot bound, since many species are epiphytes in nature. https://growplumeriafrangipani.blogspot.com/2011/04/tropical-rhododendron-vireya.html These are vireya rhododendrons. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v32n1/v32n1-leach.htm https://rhododendron.org/vireya/index.html https://rhododendron.org/vireya/gallery.htm https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/archive/StevensNRBGE85.pdf https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/archive/CallardRSF2011.pdf https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/history.htm http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v46n1/v46n1-moynier.htm Many vireya hybrids were created in the Bay Area, especially at the San Francisco Botanical Garden which was the Strybing Arboretum. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v45n1/v45n1-morebeck.htm
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- You may get a chance to see the northern lights in the Bay Area skies Monday night! Experts say the auroras - or northern lights - might be seen as far south as Northern California.
Construction of hotels has plunged in the Bay Area, a nosedive that was unleashed by stubborn problems for hotel financing and elevated construction costs, a new report from Atlas Hospitality Group shows. An estimated 15 hotels with an aggregate 1,610 rooms were under construction in the Bay Area during 2025, representing a sharp decline from the equivalent totals in 2024, according to the report from Atlas Hospitality. This news organization derived the totals from figures that Atlas Hospitality compiled for its report.
Authorities are investigating an incident caught on video of a man assaulting someone trying to protect a fellow Caltrain passenger whom the attacker was verbally harassing. The incident took place on December 23 at the San Carlos station, and the Good Samaritan was taken to the hospital with facial fractures. [KTVU] Parts of Marin County experienced heavy flooding Friday, and a flood advisory was in effect along the coast of the Bay Area through Sunday.
The third round of king tides since November arrived Friday, coinciding with a set of storms that started to drop rain Wednesday and won't stop doing so until Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The region also saw king tides in early November, and another round of them in early December. That said, these king tides are expected to be in a class of their own.
9:00 am Japanese Tea Garden's Free NYE Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park) FREE* *Free from 9-10am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; otherwise non-resident admission is $12 - $16 depending on the season. San Francisco residents are always free with valid ID 9:00 am Noon Year's Eve at Bay Area Discovery Museum (2025) $28* *Free for Bay Area Discovery Museum members 9:30 am Free Kwanzaa & Noon Year's Eve 2025/2026 at SF's Thrive City (Chase Center) FREE*
Prolonged exposure to the cold conditions will lead to hypothermia for people, pets, and livestock. Cold conditions may damage or kill sensitive crops, plants, and vegetation if appropriate precautions are not taken, according to the NWS. Ensure portable heaters are working properly and are used correctly to avoid sparking a fire indoors. Do not use generators or grills inside as carbon monoxide poisoning can result.
Cold conditions with temperatures as low as 34 degrees expected. Cold conditions will be hazardous to sensitive populations such as unhoused individuals. Prolonged exposure to the cold conditions will lead to hypothermia for people, pets, and livestock. Cold conditions may damage or kill sensitive crops, plants, and vegetation if appropriate precautions are not taken, according to the NWS. Ensure portable heaters are working properly and are used correctly to avoid sparking a fire indoors.
In response to a survey asking, "Which of the following do you think have increased the most in cost for you over the past year?" groceries and food topped the list at 64%, followed by housing at 50%, utilities at 33%, restaurants and entertainment at 28%, taxes at 25%, health care at 23% and home insurance at 22%. Joint Venture conducted its poll in August, surveying 1,750 residents from Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
PINOLE So-called ICE free zones, a policy prohibiting federal agents from staging on publicly owned property, have expanded across the Bay Area after recent adoptions of the restrictions by Pinole and the West Contra Costa Unified School District. A vote by the Pinole City Council during a Dec. 16 meeting and the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education during its Dec. 17 meeting
Be the first to try Ben & Jerry's brand new ice cream bars. For one day only, they're giving out free ice creams bars on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at select scoop shops. Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day 2025December 17, 2025 | Noon to 8 pm* (hours not stated, but these are the typical hours for their free giveaways) Ben & Jerry's locations (Most, but not all) FREE
It's time for the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, held each year from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5. The citizen science tradition dates back to 1900, when an early officer of the society, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, proposed a bird census rather than a hunt over the Christmas holiday. Today, tens of thousands of participants across the Americas participate in one of the longest-running wildlife censuses, which is designed to assess bird populations.
In the world of Bay Area ballet, Michael Smuin's Christmas Ballet is one of the most sought-after events (and tickets) around. Soloist Myles Thatcher challenges rigid ballet gender norms with an unparalleled exuberance, and the fluidity of this seasonal regional gem changes every season with new works by Julia Adam (Dance Director), and Amy Seiwert (Artistic Director) leading the way.
With it's significant Bay Area connection, The Nutcracker has been a mainstay of local dance companies for decades and decades. And why not? The ballet and its iconic score by Tchaikovsky has everything a holiday production could ask for sumptuous choreography, unforgettable music and a Christmas setting. Once again, Bay Area troupes are offering a wide array of versions of the ballet that dominates the winter dance season and which historians estimate accounts for 40 percent of ballet company box office income each year.
