Ten Bay Area voters called on a judge on Monday to block a proposed regional sales tax measure that transit advocates say is critical to avoid deep service cuts.

The challengers petitioned for an injunction in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws. 

“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group opposed to the regional sales tax measure. 

Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.”

The San José City Council will consider big shifts for single-family home neighborhoods on Tuesday that could ultimately allow for much denser housing in large swaths of the city that have long been shielded from major change.

City planners and leaders are eyeing ways to foster more housing overall to help meet stringent state goals, and to bring in more “missing middle” housing, aimed at lowering the sky-high cost of homeownership for people earning middle incomes. The median home sale price in Santa Clara County is about $2 million, and residents need an income of nearly $500,000 to purchase one, according to the California Association of Realtors.

City officials say rezoning San José’s low-density single-family neighborhoods — which make up about 85% of its total residential area — could bring more apartment buildings, triplexes and fourplexes, or other kinds of small multifamily housing, to help more equitably distribute housing.

California’s insurer of last resort is about to get significantly more expensive for policyholders starting Oct. 15, 2026. 

The California FAIR Plan will be increasing its rates by an average of 29.1% for its more than 675,000 customers — the highest rate bump in recent history. 

The exact increase depends on each homeowner’s situation. Those living in areas at a high risk of wildfire may pay significantly more. Some will see their wildfire premiums double. 

“It’s definitely going to cause pain for some people,” said Karl Sussman, broker and insurance expert. 

Policyholders with less risk will be less impacted. In residential, urban communities in the Bay Area, some might even see reductions. 

Amid the national outbreaks of cyclospora — a foodborne parasite that causes explosive diarrhea, has sickened tens of thousands of people nationally and led to two reported deaths — California health officials have reassured residents: The state remains one of the few unaffected by the outbreak.

But even as the California Department of Public Health confirmed that none of the iceberg lettuce being investigated as a source of the outbreak was distributed in the state, cases of cyclosporiasis in California have nonetheless jumped up in the last few months.

After reporting only 41 cyclosporiasis cases from January to June this year, CDPH’s most recent data shows that the 2026 number has now risen to 215 “confirmed and probable” cases as of July 15, including 13 hospitalizations.

For context, based on their 2015-2025 figures, CDPH’s annual average for cyclosporiasis cases is 106. 

So if California’s rise in cases isn’t attributed to the national outbreak, what’s going on — and how worried should you be about your personal salad-eating habits? 

Why officials believe cyclosporiasis cases among Californians are up

CDPH said that “every year, cases of cyclosporiasis are reported in California.” The disease is also considered seasonal in the United States: Case counts go up during the spring and summer months every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which frames May 1 through Aug. 31 as cyclosporiasis season in the U.S.

However, since 2015, California’s annual average caseload of just over 100 is far lower than the 201 cases reported since May 1 alone this year.

While the state’s cyclospora dashboard said that “this is a normal seasonal pattern and mostly associated with travel to other countries,” a statement from the agency emailed Wednesday to KQED acknowledged that despite the lack of any connection to the national outbreaks, “our cases are now higher than what we might expect for this point in the season, based on historical data.”

The agency said it’s “still investigating cases and the cause of the increase,” but suggested it could be due to “a number of reasons,” including:

A possible increase in travel

“Most cases” of cyclospora in California tend to be linked to residents traveling to international destinations with cyclosporiasis outbreaks, CDPH said.

But the agency also suspects that this year there have been “increased cases in travelers to areas with cyclosporiasis outbreaks, whether international or domestic.”

Of the 201 cases reported since May 1, CDPH said just 39 of them were “domestically acquired,” and 15 of those people said they’d traveled to other states — meaning that the majority of California cases were instead due to international travel.

Heightened awareness about cyclospora symptoms

Increased awareness of cyclosporiasis amid these national outbreaks has “likely led to increased testing for the illness,” CDPH said, meaning “we may be identifying more cases than we have in previous years.”

Amid this rise in cases, how should I be thinking about cyclospora in California right now?

“I personally would still continue to eat fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF. “The benefits to me outweigh the potential disadvantages.”

The Carquinez Bridge, which connects Vallejo in Solano County to Crockett in Contra Costa County via Interstate 80, is scheduled for closures for maintenance work this month — on two separate August weekends. 

And this will impact anyone hoping to travel between the East Bay and places like Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento and the Lake Tahoe region, as well as weekend commuters.

Caltrans told KQED that it’s investing approximately $1.4 million into rehabilitating the suspension bridge that carries traffic along westbound I-80 — also known as the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge — in the direction of Crockett.

August’s work will take place in two separate phases: first, closing one lane on westbound I-80 on Friday and Saturday this coming weekend, followed by a major closure of all of westbound I-80 over the bridge Aug. 21-24.

Minor: The one-lane closure this weekend

On Friday, Aug. 7, crews will close one lane of westbound I-80 over the suspension bridge at 6 p.m. and reopen the next day, Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. 

Cars can still get through the bridge but should expect more traffic.

During this 25-hour partial closure, work crews will be testing out a new kind of asphalt they plan to repave the entire bridge with during the second phase of work. 

Major: The full closure coming later this month

On Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 p.m., Caltrans plans to completely close westbound I-80 on the Carquinez Bridge — for the entire weekend. 

The bridge will reopen on Monday, Aug. 24 at 3 a.m.

More than 300 residents turned out last week to oppose a plan to replace the Marina District Safeway with two residential towers — the latest effort to stop or redirect a project the city says qualifies for fast-track approval under state law.

If you’ve been out on a hike near the Bay Area recently, especially somewhere that’s shady or dense with vegetation, you or your pets might have accidentally carried home an unwanted traveler: a tick.

These tiny bugs — some as minuscule as a poppy seed in their young 1-year-old “nymph” stage — are out in full force during springtime, when the weather is wet. And unfortunately, they’re looking for a warm host for a “blood meal,” which is key to their survival.

Even after a relatively mild and somewhat dry winter, Bay Area hikers have reported ticks all over local trails this spring. And local parks districts are advising hikers to cover up their skin and be extra vigilant.

It’s important to protect yourself from ticks and tick bites, wherever you live. Find out more about avoiding ticks, removing ticks from your body and how to keep your pets safe.

What to know about Bay Area ticks

Several types of ticks call the Bay Area home.

The American dog tick and the Pacific Coast tick are larger and don’t typically infect humans with Lyme disease (although they can carry other pathogens that lead to illnesses, like fevers and rashes. But the Western blacklegged tick does pose a Lyme risk — and right now, during springtime, is when they’re the smallest and most easily missed, Curtis-Robles said.

“The danger is … they’re only the size of a poppy seed,” she said. “So those can be really hard for a person to notice if it’s on them.” (Western blacklegged ticks are different to Eastern blacklegged ticks, which are also known as deer ticks and are found outside of the western U.S.)

Some reassuring news: Less than 5% of the ticks tested in San Mateo County are carrying the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease, she said.

That’s in contrast to the East Coast and Midwest, where 50%-60% of ticks have been found to carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease — and some studies even suggest that number is up to 80%, according to Curtis-Robles.

That’s in part due to a secret weapon we have here in California: the Western fence lizard. These iridescent lizards are common hosts for ticks in their adolescent stage — and are even preferred by teenage ticks over other hosts like rodents, deer or dogs — but the lizard’s blood contains a protein that kills the Lyme-causing bacteria.

How to avoid ticks and tick bites in the Bay Area

Watch where you walk

Stay on trail — in the middle is best — and out of tall grasses. Ticks don’t tend to be in manicured lawn areas like soccer fields, but they can be found on trails near beaches at similar rates to woodland areas, Walsey said.

Cover up your skin (the right way)

Wear light-colored long pants and sleeves. Also, tuck in your clothes: This helps keep ticks off of your skin so you can catch them before they bite.

Consider using chemical tick repellent

If you’re really worried about tick bites, you can use a repellent on the skin you’re not able to cover up, Curtis-Robles said.

There are several insect or tick repellents that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including DEET or Permethrin. Be aware that DEET can erode plastic, so be careful not to use it on polyester clothing or opt for Permethrin-treated clothing instead.

“That will help deter the ticks,” she said. “If they get on you, they’re going to very quickly want to get off of you, even sort of just letting go and falling off, because it’s very uncomfortable for them to even touch the repellents.”

Protect your pet

Talk to your vet, Curtis-Robles said, and ask for a medication that repels fleas and ticks, to give them an even better chance of avoiding tick bites.

Watch your head 

Ticks are commonly found on peoples’ and pets’ heads, Curtis-Robles said, and some people assume that’s because they drop from trees above.

But that’s not necessarily the case, she said — rather, they are doing something called “questing.”

How to do a proper tick check

• When you get home, remove the clothes you wore outside as soon as you can. If you’re not immediately planning to wash them, at least put them in the dryer, which should kill the ticks.
• Run your hands on your entire body and through your hair, checking for any ticks. They don’t bite instantly, so double check the “cozy spots,” as Curtis-Robles calls them, like your groin area, between your toes, belly button, behind your ears and in your armpits — anywhere a tick might seek warmth.
• Remember that ticks can be as small as a sesame or poppy seed
• For children: Check during bathtime when you can see their whole body
• For dogs: Run your fingers through their fur to detect little bumps — this is easier than parting their hair. Don’t forget to check their face, in and around their ears, and under their back legs, “really running your hands over their entire body — especially with dogs that have that thicker undercoat,” Curtis-Robles said.

You can even request a free tick bite prevention kit from your local vector control district, which includes information about repelling ticks and tools to remove them.

Google workers signed, sealed and delivered a petition to Google and Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday, asking for more protections against layoffs. 

Members of the Alphabet Workers Union descended on the company’s Mountain View campus to deliver the petition, signed by 4,500 employees. While the union leaders said that Pichai did not meet with them, they described a productive conversation with one of his staff members. 

KQED reached out to Google for comment but did not receive a response. 

If you’re a Bay Area hiker who feels like you’ve exhausted all of the region’s most scenic parks and trails — or are just getting tired of being surrounded by people on crowded trails when you’re looking for solitude — there might be a cost-effective solution. 

That is, buying this $10 annual pass to be able to enter 57,000 acres of East Bay Municipal Utility District land.

Bordering reservoirs in the East Bay and the Sierra foothills, EBMUD’s land includes the entire watershed the utility manages and is full of hiking, biking and even watersports opportunities that only people with an annual pass can access.

Why the $10 fee for the pass? Nelsy Rodriguez, spokesperson for EBMUD, said the agency asks for this paid yearly trail permit to cover trail and land maintenance, and also so the agency can monitor how many people are actually using its trails.

“For a very small fee, just so that we know who’s there, we can fund the maintenance of these trails,” she said. “There’s worlds of trails to explore out there.”

Cases of a stomach parasite that causes abdominal pain and severe diarrhea have been rising in other states. How worried should you be in California?

if you’re in the Bay Area — or are planning to visit any of the affected states in the coming weeks — what should you know about your individual risk of cyclosporiasis? What’s the source of this outbreak? Should you be thinking about your fruits and vegetables differently right now, and how can you reduce your family’s chances of being hit by this truly unpleasant disease this summer?

If I’m visiting an area with a cyclosporiasis outbreak, should I be avoiding certain foods to lower my risk?

Cooking your produce to an internal temperature of at least 158 degrees will kill cyclospora.

But cooking your fruits and vegetables this way might not always be realistic. And while washing produce isn’t guaranteed to remove all traces of cyclospora, when done thoroughly, it could help reduce your risk of infection.

Dr. Erika Noel, an assistant professor at Hawaii’s medical school and a pediatrician on the island of Kauai, shared the following tips for washing produce with the Associated Press:

• When washing items like cilantro and basil, separate the leaves.
• For green onions, cut off the roots, remove the outer layer and run them under water while rubbing the surface.
• Research shows that washing fruits and vegetables in vinegar can be helpful. Vinegar won’t kill the parasite but can help remove it. Noel recommends submerging produce in a bowl filled with three parts water and one part vinegar and swishing it around for a few minutes. Using a salad spinner to rinse with water can help get rid of the vinegary taste.
• Instead of purchasing pre-mixed salad and washing individual leaves, opt for a head of lettuce and remove the outer layer.
• For melons, scrub the outside before cutting through as the knife can carry germs from the rind into the fruit inside.
• Peel fruits and vegetables as much as possible.

Don’t forget to wash cutting boards and countertops. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill cyclospora, but soap and water are highly effective at killing or removing the parasite from hands.

Even with low case counts in California, I’m really worried about getting cyclosporiasis. What should I be doing?

First of all, remember that according to CDPH, “there are no known local outbreaks in California, and no California cases are currently known to be linked to multistate outbreaks under investigation by the CDC.” The CDC’s surveillance map, last updated on July 9, shows “1-10” cases currently reported in California.

“We would have seen it if it was some distributor that we had, that the Midwest groceries or restaurants also use,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF. “Because it should all happen at the same time.”  And because of the foodborne nature of cyclosporiasis, and the lack of human-to-human transmission, “it’s not like somebody from Michigan travels to California and then spreads it around,” he said.

I’ve got diarrhea and now I’m panicking. Could this be cyclosporiasis?

Right now in the Bay Area, getting diarrhea is way more likely to be due to another gastrointestinal disease.

According to Stanford University’s WastewaterSCAN, a team that measures viral levels in human sewage, both Norovirus and Rotavirus — gastrointestinal diseases which, like cyclosporiasis, cause prolonged diarrhea — have been detected in over 99% of samples from their sites across the Bay Area in the last three weeks.

How dangerous is a cyclospora infection?

Cyclosporiasis is not fatal, and no deaths have been reported to the CDC during this current outbreak. 

But Chin-Hong stressed that the dehydration this kind of prolonged diarrhea can cause still poses a danger to the very young and the very old, in how it could impact their organs.