More Than Two Inches of Rain Reported in Some Bay Area Locations

Some parts of the Bay Area received more than two inches of rain while others saw a fraction of an inch between Saturday and Sunday evenings, National Weather Service officials said. The unincorporated Sonoma County community of Venado, seven miles north northwest of Guerneville, received 2.96 inches, according to data released at 6:24 p.m.

A gauge three miles west northwest of Guerneville collected 2.31 inches and a gauge in the unincorporated community of Rio Nido recorded 2 inches, NWS officials said. One gauge in Marin County collected 1.36 inches, while in Napa County, Mt. Saint Helena received three quarters of an inch and Calistoga received about a half an inch, according to NWS officials. 

Three locations in Oakland received about a tenth of an inch, NWS officials said. Ocean Beach in San Francisco received about a tenth of an inch and other places in the City received about half an inch, according to NWS officials. Day Valley, an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County, received nearly nine tenths of an inch, NWS officials said.

Other gauges in the county recorded less than a tenth of an inch, according to NWS officials. Only Orinda, near the San Pablo Reservoir, received more than a tenth of an inch, at .11 inches, while all other places in the county reported less than a tenth of an inch of rain, NWS data show. NWS officials said not all of the data released is official.

Coast Guard Urges Beachgoers, Boaters to be Cautious

U.S. Coast Guard officials are urging beachgoers and boaters to be cautious this morning through Tuesday morning because of forecasted strong swells along the Northern and Central California coasts, Coast Guard officials said. The forecast calls for large breaking waves and strong rip currents on all beaches facing west and northwest from Sonoma County to Monterey County, according to Coast Guard officials. Boaters and beachgoers should be more cautious near jetties, inlets and piers where rip currents are stronger and more frequent, Coast Guard officials said. Swimmers are urged to use a buddy system and swim close to a lifeguard, according to Coast Guard officials.The Coast is ready to help if someone is in distress, Coast Guard officials said.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. Founder Charles ‘Chuck’ Williams Dies

The man who founded the Sonoma County-born business called Williams-Sonoma Inc. has died, the company announced Saturday. Charles “Chuck” Williams was born in North Florida in 1915 and started the first Williams-Sonoma store in Sonoma in 1956, company officials said. He was 100 years old when he died, according to company officials. 

When Williams returned from WWII he visited Sonoma on a golf trip from southern California and gained affection for the place, company officials said. He moved to Sonoma and started a home construction business, according to the company. A trip to Paris in 1953 where he saw many great tools for cooking inspired him to open the first Williams-Sonoma store off Sonoma’s town square, company officials said. He refurbished the store by hand, laying black and white checkerboard tiles on the floor and building customs shelves on which to display pots and pans, according to company officials. He relocated the store to a 3,000 square feet location off Union Square on Sutter Street in San Francisco in 1958 when the company published its first catalog, company officials said. The Sutter Street store grew to twice its original size by 1972 and Williams and business partners opened stores in Beverly Hills and Palo Alto, according to company officials. 

Williams sold the company in 1978 and stayed involved with it until he died, company officials said. He edited cookbooks, provided advice on merchandising, and appeared in public into his nineties, according to company officials. “Chuck taught us that when we open our doors to a customer, we welcome a friend into our home,” Williams-Sonoma Inc. President and CEO Laura Alber said in a statement. “He had impeccable taste, unique insight for selecting the right products at the right time, and the highest standard of customer service. Most of all, Chuck was our mentor and friend. We will miss him dearly,” Alber said in her statement.

El Nino Bringing Less Rain Than Other El Ninos so Far

The amount of rain in the Bay Area during the last half of 2015 is less than in previous El Nino years, National Weather Service officials said Saturday. The amount of rain that has fallen from July 1 to Dec. 5 is inches less in many cities across the region, according to NWS officials. 

The lack of rain makes it less likely this year’s El Nino will alleviate California’s drought, NWS officials said. The North Bay has been especially dry, NWS officials said. Kentfield received 2.55 inches of rain in the last half of this year, compared with 18.53 inches in 1997 and 23.69 inches in 1982, according to NWS officials. Napa received 2.33 inches, compared with 10.52 inches in 1997 and 13.07 in 1982, NWS officials said. Oakland received 1.45 inches, as recorded at the Oakland Museum of California, compared with 9.66 inches in 1997, according to NWS officials. 

The differences south of San Francisco are not as much, NWS data showed. The Salinas airport reported 3.23 inches, compared with 5.54 inches in 1997 and 7.40 in 1982, according to the NWS data. King City reported 2.04 inches, compared with 5.69 inches in 1997 and 4.18 in 1982, NWS data showed.   

Community Members Express Anger, Frustration During Meeting for Police Shooting

Angry residents called for Police Chief Greg Suhr’s resignation Friday evening at a packed community meeting in the Bayview District to discuss the fatal shooting of a San Francisco man by police earlier this week. Hundreds of people filled a room at the Southeast Community Center at 1800 Oakdale Ave. for the town hall meeting on the death of 26-year-old Mario Woods.

Woods was shot Wednesday shortly after 4:30 p.m. in the area of Third and Keith streets by officers attempting to stop him in connection with an earlier stabbing. Several videos of the shooting have circulated on social media, fueling outrage in the community. As Police Chief Greg Suhr described the events that led up to the fatal shooting, he was repeatedly interrupted by a visibly upset crowd, some of whom yelled things such as “lies,” and “murderer.” Some community members pleaded with others to “have respect for the family,” asking them to hold off on their comments until Suhr was finished. 

“A lot of this is about how many rounds and couldn’t you have done something different,” said Suhr, who noted that the investigation was ongoing and urged attendees to wait for the results. Police have said officers had been looking for a man who matched Woods’ description after a stabbing victim showed up at San Francisco General Hospital, according to police. 

The victim said he had been stabbed in the 6600 block of Third Street, providing officers with a description of the suspect, police said. When police spotted Woods in the area, he was allegedly armed with a knife, police said. Several officers responded and gave orders for Woods to drop the knife. When Woods failed to comply, officers fired a less-lethal firearm, also known as a bean bag gun, to try and subdue him, according to police. When the weapon had no apparent effect on Woods, officers used pepper spray, which also failed to subdue him, police said. Officers next used a higher-powered bean bag weapon, which caused Woods to drop to one knee. Woods, however, did not drop the knife, according to police. Woods then stood back up and attempted to walk away. An officer positioned himself on the sidewalk, in attempt to stop Woods from fleeing, police said. 

As Woods moved toward the officer, the officers began shooting at Woods. Woods was struck by gunfire and fell to the ground, according to police. Officers rendered aid to Woods and attempted CPR, police said. Paramedics arrived at the scene and pronounced him dead. 

Dozens of people lined up for a chance to speak at Friday’s meeting, with many calling for Suhr’s resignation. Speakers asked for the release of the names of the officers involved and called for them to face murder charges. One woman spoke directly to Suhr, asking him “what would you advise a young man in the same situation?”“Drop the knife,” Suhr replied, to which many in the room responded with yells of disbelief and anger. 

Activist and Black Panther member Elaine Brown attended the meeting and urged community members to organize. “We have got to seize control of our own destiny. Do not keep begging these pigs for your own future. You’re going to have to seize the future,” Brown said. The officer involved shooting is being investigated by the homicide division, the department’s internal affairs division, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the medical examiner’s office and the city’s Office of Citizen’s Complaints.The medical examiner’s office said an autopsy is being conducted to document the official cause of Wood’s death.

City Attorney Seeks Court Injunction to Stop ‘Predatory’ Landlord’s Evictions

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has filed a motion this week to stop a San Francisco landlord accused of evicting and harassing her tenants living in rent-controlled apartments, including seniors and those with disabilities.

Herrera said Friday that the preliminary injunction is a necessary next step since the landlord, Anne Kihagi, has allegedly not stopped her “egregious and predatory conduct.” Herrera said tenants have been dealing with Kihagi for years, but shortly after the City Attorney’s Office caught wind of the allegations against her, his office filed a complaint in San Francisco Superior Court.

Kihagi’s tenants have shared stories of misconduct and submitted declarations in support of Herrera’s motion stating that their landlord has been violating tenants’ rights, despite the complaint filed against her and her associates on June 4. 

Kihagi, who goes by various spellings of her first and last names, apparently has practiced a predatory business model along with her business associates Julia Mwangi and Christine Mwangi, and the numerous companies under their control, according to the City Attorney’s Office. 

An injunction hearing is scheduled for December 23 before Judge Ronald E. Quidachay, although the City Attorney’s Office has said Kihagi’s attorney is trying to stall the hearing. If the injunction is granted and Kihagi and her associates continue to engage in the alleged illegal behavior, they could face financial penalties as well as jail time, Herrera said.

“The conduct and tactics that she engaged in were often times directed … at seniors and those that were disabled.” according to Herrera. The civil action pending in San Francisco Superior Court contends that Kihagi has been waging “a war of harassment, intimidation, and retaliation” against dozens of her tenants. 

Fifteen of Kihagi’s tenants have provided declarations describing her allegedly unlawful practices. Many of the tenants, who reside in the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, said she was trying to force them from their rent-controlled homes. 

The complaint filed on June 4 states that after Kihagi successfully evicted tenants, she would routinely order unpermitted construction to be done and then rent out the units to new tenants at much higher rents. The preliminary injunction aims to halt Kihagi’s allegedly illegal evictions, as well as restrict her personal contact with tenants by requiring her to hire a third-party professional to manage the properties, according to the City Attorney’s Office. This injunction would also require the landlord to fix housing and safety code violations, as well as submit to building inspections.

Weather

A High surf warning remains in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday. Today will be mostly cloudy. Highs will be in the lower 60s and west winds will reach 5 to 10 miles per hour. Tonight is mostly cloudy in the evening, becoming partly cloudy. Lows will be near 50 and west winds will reach around 5 miles per hour in the evening, becoming light winds. Tuesday will be partly cloudy. Highs will be in the lower 60s and southwest winds will reach 5 miles per hour, becoming south winds reaching up to 5 miles per hour in the afternoon.