A Better Bay Area

…residential development generates revenue for BART – currently about $2.2 million a year in land leases and fees – and also increases ridership.

BART is turning parking lots into housing. Will 700 new units help its fiscal crisis? BART’s future may be up in the air amid a devastating budget outlook but one thing is certain: The next wave of housing development on its vast parking lots is coming down the track.

BART is turning parking lots into housing. Will 700 new units help its fiscal crisis?—While it may seem incongruous to be aggressively pushing housing development on BART owned-land owned amid a fiscal crisis, advocates say… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @jkdineen.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

While we set our clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, @epaleezeldin.govpeeps.us is taking us back in time. Attempts to weaken and roll back methane pollution protections that #CutMethane take us backward on progress. sc.org/epa

Join our Ski Touring 3/13-15 for this 1-way ski tour.
⛷️
Day 1: ski up to Bradley hut via Pole Creek road, afternoon to explore
Day 2: traverse from Bradley to Benson, expected to take all day
Day 3: descend from Benson down to Truckee
🎿
Learn more and RSVP at tinyurl.com/y5x5vvk4

…City officials and real estate experts have floated various ideas to repurpose the gargantuan space — from a home for pickleball courts to interactive entertainment, a university campus and a soccer stadium.

Buyers selected for downtown S.F.’s shuttered shopping mall San Francisco’s vacant downtown mall has new stewards: A pair of experienced Bay Area developers who are teaming up to reimagine the languishing 1.5 million-square-foot complex.

Buyers selected for downtown S.F.’s shuttered shopping mall—Under the property’s zoning, redevelopment of the mall into one or several towers — either residential or office — is possible…
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Highway 101 carpool hours sparked an uproar. Now they are changing One motorist who regularly drives from Novato to an office in San Francisco, called the traffic resulting from previous changes “an unmitigated disaster.”

Highway 101 carpool hours sparked an uproar. Now they are changing—In the fall, California wound down a program that allowed carpool lane access for solo drivers of electric vehicles. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Three pedestrians have died on S.F. streets this year. Advocates warn more could follow The killing of three pedestrians by motorists in San Francisco this year has renewed pressure on City Hall and transit agencies to speed up safety improvements on high-injury streets.

Three pedestrians have died on S.F. streets this year. Advocates warn more could follow—Lurie’s office reaffirmed in a statement that traffic safety is a top priority of his administration. @walksf.org www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/p... @aldotoledo.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

…relative humidity levels will hover in the 20% to 30% range. The combination of warm temperatures, lots of sunshine and dry air will create a minor heat risk.

San Francisco could hit 80 degrees this weekend in rare March warm spell Offshore winds will send Bay Area temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal this weekend, with San Francisco possibly nearing 80 degrees.

San Francisco could hit 80 degrees this weekend in rare March warm spell—Unlike last weekend, the air mass will not be humid. The offshore winds will keep things dry, and…
www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore... @gporterwx.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Caltrain is hiring a Deputy Director, Rail Systems Engineering to lead the oversight and advancement of critical rail systems including signal, communication, traction power, and positive train control. Apply now today: https://bit.ly/40as7RN.

Time series plot depicting predicted Nino 3.4 region ocean temperature anomalies from the latest (Mar 2026) ECMWF ensemble. It depicts an extremely rapid rise in such temperatures, from modest negative anomalies to strong positive anomalies, by mid-summer 2026--indicative of a transition from weak-moderate La Nina conditions to moderate-strong El Nino conditions over just a few months.

Whew.

All signs are increasingly pointing to a significant, if not strong to very strong, El Niño event. I'll have more to say in coming weeks & months, but for now I'll just say that this is increasingly likely to become a major regional-to-global climate driver in 2026-2027.

COMMENT LETTER: Support for East Palo Alto Reach Code
📣
To East Palo Alto Mayor and City Council
Full letter at tinyurl.com/5y9y692j
📑
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter supports the adoption of the staff recommended reach codes including Two-Way AC, FlexPath, and Electric Readiness policies."

…they stargaze, sing, dance and hike through tree-lined trails. But despite donors and the nonprofit pouring approximately $3 million into the project, strong local opposition could kill it, and the existing overnight camp program could shut down for good.

Bay Area nonprofit’s ambitious kids camp is facing fierce opposition from neighbors A Bay Area children’s camp was tantalizingly close to its ambitious vision to help nearly 1,000 kids a year get off screens and into the woods for a “profound weeklong experience in nature.”

Bay Area nonprofit’s ambitious kids camp is facing fierce opposition from neighbors—It would be a place for fourth- and fifth-graders from many different backgrounds to bridge divides while… www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/arti... @sarahravani.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

…at just 30 officers due to budget concerns. To deal with the stagnant staffing numbers, Chief Thomas Rossberg relies on an unusual solution: 40 civilian volunteers who drive the streets looking for unlocked cars, bags sitting in vehicles and garage doors left open with no car in the driveway.

A wealthy Bay Area city uses an unexpected strategy to stop crimes of opportunity Most residents of Danville never have to think twice about public safety. Home to about 43,000 people, the wealthy East Bay suburb has recorded just eight homicides in 20 years.

A wealthy Bay Area city uses an unexpected strategy to stop crimes of opportunity—For 30 years, the police force, which contracts with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for deputies, has stayed steady… www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/arti... @sarahravani.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Scaled-back Potrero Yard plan clears way for 100 affordable homes in S.F. In the works for more than seven years, the Mission District project, which originally proposed hundreds of housing units on top of the bus storage structure, was scaled back to save money and time.

Scaled-back Potrero Yard plan clears way for 100 affordable homes in S.F.—SFMTA is donating a portion of the property on the Bryant Street side to nonprofit developers who will build about 100 apartments. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/h... @jkdineen.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Marin, Sonoma send SMART tax renewal to June ballot Six years after SMART’s high-stakes tax extension failed to meet the two-thirds majority to pass, Marin and Sonoma voters will have another chance to decide the future course of the endangere…

Marin, Sonoma send SMART tax renewal to June ballot—In the past year, SMART reported more than 1.1 million passengers, a 33% increase over the previous year, which was largely attributed to two pilot programs to let youths & seniors ride free. www.marinij.com/2026/03/04/m... Adrian Rodriguez MarinIJ

…ridden independently through the Transbay Tube before making its escape, a train operator later told passengers, trying to explain the latest disruption for an agency that can’t seem to catch a break.

Off leash, on track: Rogue pup tours train tunnel to cause latest BART delay The train operator attempted to explain the situation to frustrated passengers, noting that she had to be careful while following the four-legged intruder.

Off leash, on track: Rogue pup tours train tunnel to cause latest BART delay—What appeared to be a black Chihuahua had evidently separated from its owner at the West Oakland station and… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/b... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

…a mixed-use project that includes up to 2 million square feet of life-science space and at least 1,000 housing units near the San Bruno BART Station, keeping only a Target store and movie theater. @california-hcd.bsky.social @airresources.bsky.social

Barnes & Noble announces closure of longtime Bay Area bookstore Barnes & Noble will close its longtime San Bruno bookstore at the Shops at Tanforan, citing the end of its lease.

Barnes & Noble announces closure of longtime Bay Area bookstore—The Pasadena-based developer has proposed replacing much of the aging shopping center with… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @aidinvaziri.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Refinery in Benicia flaring as it prepares to close The flaring at the Valero plant was not immediately explained by the company.

Refinery in Benicia flaring as it prepares to close—the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said Monday, potentially sending harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. @airresources.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @aldotoledo.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

…in Northern California is become self-sustaining. Condors, which are the continent’s largest flying birds with nearly 10-foot wingspans, were driven to near extinction last century. They’ve only recently begun to recover, thanks to reestablishment programs.

‘Huge moment’: Northern California’s first condor egg in 100 years reported in redwood tree The likely discovery of a condor egg on California’s north coast gives new hope for the recovery of the endangered bird.

‘Huge moment’: Northern California’s first condor egg in 100 years reported in redwood tree—The prospect of a new chick in the coastal forest is the first sign that the reintroduced condor population… www.sfchronicle.com/california/a... @kurtisalexander.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

…push high temperatures into the 70s in the Bay Area. Fire danger will remain low despite the elevated temperatures and dry winds.

…Those types of winds are typically strongest in the hills, but can occasionally bring high speeds to Wine Country, Oakland and Berkeley, especially in hilly neighborhoods when conditions align. Weak to moderate Diablo winds will last through the weekend and…

A cold front is just the beginning of California’s windy stretch A cold front set to move across the state Wednesday has prompted an array of wind advisories, including in Lake Tahoe and parts of Los Angeles.

A cold front is just the beginning of California’s windy stretch—Friday’s winds will be a traditional Diablo wind, blowing from the north down the Sacramento Valley before turning east-northeasterly in the Bay Area… www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore... @edwardsanthonyb.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

How a California desalination plant could ease water shortages on the Colorado River Relying on desalination, the San Diego County Water Authority will consider transferring water to cities in Arizona and Nevada that will soon face cuts in Colorado River water.

With cities like Phoenix and Tucson bracing for their allotments of Colorado River water to be slashed, San Diego County’s water agency could sell some of its water to other states by drawing on its ample supplies from the nation’s largest desalination plant. www.latimes.com/environment/...