Oakland in the news for city firepower: Bay Area crime and politics, OpenAI/Musk battles echoing tech headlines; local crime/school cases loom. Pop: 2020 pop 440k.
Rising gas prices, driven by the Iran war, have increased costs for US, Canadian, and Australian drivers. Companies are offering incentives, but drivers face reduced earnings and higher expenses. The US IRS is urged to raise mileage deductions to offset costs.
Oakland’s airport now may be called Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport under a settlement with San Francisco. The agreement restricts how “San Francisco” is used in marketing, requires the word “bay” after San Francisco, and includes no monetary payment. Traffic trends remain down year over year as the change unfolds.
Oakland has achieved record-low homicides since the 1960s, with officials crediting the Ceasefire-Lifeline program that pairs at-risk individuals with life coaches and coordinates weekly reviews of shootings. The program, originated in Boston, saw a temporary dismantling during the pandemic but has since been reformed following an audit and is linked to the city’s recent decline in violent deaths.
A teenage driver has led to a fatal crash near International Boulevard and a city neighborhood, with three people killed at the scene and several others injured. The driver has been detained; police are investigating potential alcohol or drug involvement. The incident is developing.
A California jury has found Elon Musk’s 2024 lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman to be time-barred under the statute of limitations. The verdict, accepted by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, clears OpenAI of liability over Musk’s claims that the nonprofit pivot to a for-profit structure harmed his early contributions. Musk plans to appeal; OpenAI edges toward an IPO path with Microsoft’s backing.
Meta has settled with Breathitt County School District in Kentucky over claims that its platforms fuel addictive behavior harming students. Terms are undisclosed; the suit sought more than $60 million for a 15-year mental health program. Settlements with TikTok, Snap and YouTube precede this accord, while other bellwether trials are scheduled.