Benicia resident Peter Bray gained some notoriety after one of his songs, “Laid Off American Man,” was mentioned in a column by Herb Caen. Bray wrote the song in 1994 after Bechtel fired him.

BENICIA >> It's been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It brought him fame.

Yes, the longtime Benician wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. The title was “Dismissed American Man.” He sent a cassette copy to legendary San Francisco Chronicle gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the lyrics and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful handyman and Benicia poetry group regular.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he received a postcard from noted upstate New York folk singer Pete Seeger that said, “I just read Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song?” I thought, “How cool!” “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger requesting a second copy.

“I thought, 'Okay, he liked it, he'll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it and I'll be home free!' I'm rich and fat and famous!” “

Unfortunately, “it didn’t happen,” Bray chuckled. “It’s a great thing, but I fix toilets.”

Bray, 71, still loves poetry and songwriting. He's been at it for more than 40 years, filling pieces of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that piqued his interest. He still performs at open mics where he uses humor to connect with listeners.

“If you can get the whole room to shut up and become quiet because you really speak in a low voice and bring it up, you can get the whole crowd of 30 people to move with you,” Bray said. who has self-published three volumes of poetry since 1972. “And then when you add something funny and make the same 30 people laugh, that’s just a kick in the butt!”

A native of Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing rockets, before setting up his own business as a design engineer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he worked as a graphics manager. After 10 years, he was laid off as part of a major downsizing.

“So I wrote ‘Laid Off American Man,’” said Bray, who has been writing poetry since the early ’70s. The song begins like this: “I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, I do everything I can, I'm a laid off American man!”

“I had a cassette, I had a cover and I sent it to Herb Caen,” Bray said. “And about a week later, I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ He said, ‘PR is on alert.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about ?” He said, “You didn't see Herb Caen this morning? You'd better.” So I went to Raley, got the Chronicle, opened it up and he typed up all my texts.”

The final verses read: “I was vice president in charge of BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch and a company loan, I was vice president in charge of BD.” Now I'm a gardener in the promised land, all my tools are in a one man van, now I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, do everything I can, I'm a laid off American!”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Weeping at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours after his daughter's death from Crohn's disease in February 2012. It begins: “After house coffee and apple sales and ten thousand words of condolence via email, cell phone.”, cards and letters, it runs to that “Crying at Starbucks while the quiet chatter and overheard music compete.”

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic for me and entertaining,” Bray said. “And maybe…it’ll be helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

The post Benicia handyman, poet Peter Bray thrives after company life – Occasions Herald On-line appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The Yankee whalers had a devastating impact on the Pacific's marine mammals, cleaning out one whale, seal and otter nose after another. According to Walter Sheldon Tower's “A History of the American Whale Fishery” (1907), the impact multiplied after the discovery of the major whaling areas on the northwest coast in 1838.

When the highly lucrative Arctic whaling began in 1848, whalers began settling on this side of the continent, primarily from California. With the advent of railroads after the Civil War, San Francisco effectively became the whaling capital of the country, as whale oil from the far north could be landed there and then quickly shipped east by rail.

Aside from that, the presence of northern whaling ships led to the Pacific Coast's only nautical involvement in the Civil War, when the CSS Shenandoah sailed into high Arctic waters and captured many whalers. Unbeknownst to Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865, the Shenandoah fired the final shots of the war in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska between June 22 and 28, 1865.

Smaller operations continued into the 20th century, including the American Pacific Whaling Co., which wintered in Meydenbauer Bay on Lake Washington, now part of Bellevue.

Locally, Bioproducts Inc. of Oregon moved out of Warrenton and killed about 13 whales between 1960 and 1965 – including two humpbacks. The meat was sold to feed chickens and fur farm minks. For reasons no longer readily apparent, NASA used lubricating oil as part of the Mercury space program, but most of it was sold to the Mt. Hood Soap Co.

One participant's son recalled that minced whale meat tasted just like hamburger.

The post A quick historical past of Pacific whaling | Coastal Life appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

On October 10, 21-year-old Zachary Kennedy was seen by several witnesses on the bridge in California.

His body was later recovered from the water by the US Coast Guard, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Monday at Chelmsford Coroner's Court, coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict of suicide, saying Mr Kennedy had deliberately taken his own life.

Mr. Kennedy's body was found in the waters of the bay at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic structure that connects San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

At Monday's hearing, coroner Andre Kimche said: “At the time of his death Mr Kennedy was still living in Maldon.”

“On October 10, he was seen jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

“He was recovered from the water by the Coast Guard and brought to shore.

“American authorities did not take toxicology samples and U.S. medical examiners listed the cause of death as blunt impact injuries.”

Ms Beasley-Murray said: “Given all the evidence presented to this court, I have concluded that this man intended to take his own life.”

“He had the intention and acted consciously, knowing full well that it would cost his life.

“I will conclude that he killed himself.

“Please express my condolences to Mr. Kennedy’s family.”

• For emotional support, please contact the Samaritans hotline on 116 123. This number is free.

The post Maldon man who jumped from Golden Gate Bridge took his personal life, inquest guidelines appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A San Francisco woman has spent more than a quarter century helping older adults and people with disabilities stay safely in their homes.

Daisy McArthur lives a life of service because she loves people.

“I say, 'Whatever you do, be patient, be kind and listen to them,'” she said.

At age 76, McArthur has worked for the city's Department of Home Support Services for more than 25 years. It helps low-income seniors and people with disabilities so they can stay in their own homes instead of moving into a facility.

She also serves as secretary to the board of directors. Her service is rooted in her Southern upbringing. As a child, she accompanied her mother and her neighbors during emergencies.

“We watched them take care of the elderly. People who got sick or were bitten by snakes broke a leg or an arm,” she described.

McArthur helps her clients with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking and laundry. She cared for a client for more than 30 years until he recently passed away at the age of 101. Before that, she looked after his 102-year-old mother.

The job isn't easy and can be lonely, but McArthur knows she's making a difference.

“I want to treat myself the way I would treat you, and that is kindness. The golden rule,” McArthur said.

Executive Director Eileen Norman says McArthur is the perfect role model, mentor and trainer for 22,000 home support service providers in San Francisco.

“Ms. Daisy is warm, loving, sensitive and matter-of-fact,” Norman said. “Above all, Ms. Daisy fights for what she believes in.”

When a fire destroyed her Bush Street apartment building 25 years ago, she fought for emergency relief and housing for three dozen other homeless tenants, earning her the nickname “Mayor of Bush Street.”

At the start of the COVID pandemic, McArthur and one of her clients became advocates for vaccinating older adults when many were skeptical of the vaccine.

She also organized memorial services and funerals for several homeless people she met.

Ultimately, McArthur just wants to help people succeed.

“I hope they remember the kindness, the goodness and the work I did,” she said. “There’s an old song: ‘May the work I do speak for me.”

This week's Bay Area Jefferson Award goes to Daisy McArthur for going above and beyond in providing home care and training.

More from CBS News

Sharon Chin

Sharon Chin is a general assignment reporter who also profiles Jefferson Award winners for KPIX 5 Eyewitness News. Since joining KPIX 5 in 1997, Chin has covered everything from fires to features, from politics to perspectives, but she is especially proud of bringing viewers the stories of Jefferson Award winners. She feels inspired when she tells the stories of our community's heroes.

The post “Ms. Daisy” lives lifetime of service serving to San Francisco aged, disabled stay of their houses appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A handyman accused of killing a Jensen Beach woman and then hiding her body in a septic tank has pleaded guilty to murder and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Keoki Demich, 34, was sentenced to three consecutive life terms Tuesday for the murder of Cynthia Cole earlier this year.

By pleading guilty, prosecutors agreed to waive their notice to seek the death penalty.

Demich will serve three life sentences for first-degree murder, burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault or battery and sexual battery. He was also convicted of third-degree grand theft and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Cole’s body was found March 5 submerged in the septic tank — about 4 feet underground — after hours of excavation.

The 57-year-old woman had been missing for more than a week after attending the Jammin’ Jensen event in downtown Jensen Beach.

Demich was a longtime handyman for Cole.

According to court documents, Demich hid inside Cole’s shower while waiting for her to return home.

Records show he attacked her, drowned her inside her bathtub and then proceeded to sexually abuse her before burying her inside the septic tank.

Sheriff William Snyder said investigators secured surveillance video that showed Demich walking away from Cole’s car on the night she disappeared.

The sheriff said Cole and Demich had known each other for years.

Scripps Only Content 2022

The post Handyman pleads responsible, sentenced to life in jail for homicide of Jensen Seashore lady present in septic tank appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A Nevada handyman convicted of strangling to death an 81-year-old man in the bedroom of a Newport Beach home was sentenced Monday, May 23, to 25 years to life in prison.

Anthony Thomas Garcia, 63, continued to profess his innocence during his sentencing hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom, a little more than a year after an Orange County Superior Court jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for the April 11, 2015, slaying of Abelardo Lopez Station.

Garcia’s conviction came at the end of his second trial; an earlier jury did not reach a verdict. The second jury found the killing was not carried out for financial gain, which had been alleged by prosecutors and could have led to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

On Monday, Garcia told Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Hanson that his conviction was a “failure of the justice system. …

“I have been wrongly convicted of a crime I did not commit,” Garcia said. “I am an innocent man. I have always been an innocent man.”

Estacion’s killing came in the midst of an ugly fight over the estate of Dortha Lamb, Estacion’s dying wife who has since died. Garcia is the former boyfriend of Lamb’s granddaughter and two of Garcia’s daughters are Lamb’s great-granddaughters.

Lamb was a self-made woman who owned valuable real estate in Newport Beach, San Clemente and Costa Mesa. She had been with Estacion for more than 20 years, marrying him shortly before his death. At the time, Lamb was dying from terminal cancer and suffering from dementia.

Garcia and some of Lamb’s relatives apparently believed Estacion was abusing Lamb and taking advantage of her health issues to siphon money from her accounts. According to testimony during the trials, Garcia had told others he wanted to kill Estacion.

Lamb’s family got her out of the Newport Beach home she shared with Estacion, and went to court to try to get Estacion kicked out of the residence.

A judge delayed a decision on whether to approve a temporary restraining order against Estacion. Hours later, someone entered the Newport Beach home, cut the power and smothered, struck and strangled Estacion.

Prosecutors accused Garcia of driving from Carson City to Newport Beach to kill Estacion, alleging he then immediately drove back to Nevada. They also alleged he left his cell phone with his adult daughter, Samantha Garcia, to make it look like he had stayed in Nevada.

Samantha Garcia initially told investigators she had her father’s cell phone the night of the killing and sent fake text conversations between his cell phone and hers. But during both trials the daughter recanted those earlier claims, alleging detectives pressured her to lie about having the cell phone.

During the trials, Garcia’s attorney, Alisha Montoro, described him as a non-violent, devoted family man who lived a simple life. The defense attorney denied the allegations by prosecutors that Garcia believed his daughter’s were entitled to Lamb’s money. She said Garcia wasn’t even in California the night of the killings.

During the sentencing, Clara Sanchez, Garcia’s sister, described him as funny, kind and unselfish, adding that he is “generous and giving to a fault.” She denied that he has ever been “a violent or aggressive human being. …

“We are all so proud that he has been able to survive in an unfair and prejudiced judicial system,” Sanchez told the judge.

The defense attorney unsuccessfully requested a new trial, alleging, among other things, that some jurors had fallen asleep during the second trial and that a juror had cited their own medical experience to claim the death could only have been a homicide.

The judge described the allegations of jurors falling asleep as “not credible” and said the discussion about the cause of death appears to have been based on opinions formed from courtroom testimony, not outside evidence

“Nothing I say will make this feel better for Mr Garcia or Mr Garcia’s family,” Judge Hanson said. “But make no mistake, I would not proceed with sentencing if in the court’s view Mr. Garcia was an innocent man.”

The post Nevada handyman will get life for killing 81-year-old man in Newport Seaside – Orange County Register appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A Nevada handyman convicted of strangling to death an 81-year-old man in the bedroom of a Newport Beach home was sentenced Monday, May 23, to 25 years to life in prison.

Anthony Thomas Garcia, 63, continued to profess his innocence during his sentencing hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom, a little more than a year after an Orange County Superior Court jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for the April 11, 2015, slaying of Abelardo Lopez Station.

Garcia’s conviction came at the end of his second trial; an earlier jury did not reach a verdict. The second jury found the killing was not carried out for financial gain, which had been alleged by prosecutors and could have led to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

On Monday, Garcia told Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Hanson that his conviction was a “failure of the justice system. …

“I have been wrongly convicted of a crime I did not commit,” Garcia said. “I am an innocent man. I have always been an innocent man.”

Estacion’s killing came in the midst of an ugly fight over the estate of Dortha Lamb, Estacion’s dying wife who has since died. Garcia is the former boyfriend of Lamb’s granddaughter and two of Garcia’s daughters are Lamb’s great-granddaughters.

Lamb was a self-made woman who owned valuable real estate in Newport Beach, San Clemente and Costa Mesa. She had been with Estacion for more than 20 years, marrying him shortly before his death. At the time, Lamb was dying from terminal cancer and suffering from dementia.

Garcia and some of Lamb’s relatives apparently believed Estacion was abusing Lamb and taking advantage of her health issues to siphon money from her accounts. According to testimony during the trials, Garcia had told others he wanted to kill Estacion.

Lamb’s family got her out of the Newport Beach home she shared with Estacion, and went to court to try to get Estacion kicked out of the residence.

A judge delayed a decision on whether to approve a temporary restraining order against Estacion. Hours later, someone entered the Newport Beach home, cut the power and smothered, struck and strangled Estacion.

Prosecutors accused Garcia of driving from Carson City to Newport Beach to kill Estacion, alleging he then immediately drove back to Nevada. They also alleged he left his cell phone with his adult daughter, Samantha Garcia, to make it look like he had stayed in Nevada.

Samantha Garcia initially told investigators she had her father’s cell phone the night of the killing and sent fake text conversations between his cell phone and hers. But during both trials the daughter recanted those earlier claims, alleging detectives pressured her to lie about having the cell phone.

During the trials, Garcia’s attorney, Alisha Montoro, described him as a non-violent, devoted family man who lived a simple life. The defense attorney denied the allegations by prosecutors that Garcia believed his daughter’s were entitled to Lamb’s money. She said Garcia wasn’t even in California the night of the killings.

During the sentencing, Clara Sanchez, Garcia’s sister, described him as funny, kind and unselfish, adding that he is “generous and giving to a fault.” She denied that he has ever been “a violent or aggressive human being. …

“We are all so proud that he has been able to survive in an unfair and prejudiced judicial system,” Sanchez told the judge.

The defense attorney unsuccessfully requested a new trial, alleging, among other things, that some jurors had fallen asleep during the second trial and that a juror had cited their own medical experience to claim the death could only have been a homicide.

The judge described the allegations of jurors falling asleep as “not credible” and said the discussion about the cause of death appears to have been based on opinions formed from courtroom testimony, not outside evidence

“Nothing I say will make this feel better for Mr Garcia or Mr Garcia’s family,” Judge Hanson said. “But make no mistake, I would not proceed with sentencing if in the court’s view Mr. Garcia was an innocent man.”

The post Handyman will get life for killing 81-year-old California man appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It’s an idea that’s sweeping the country: unconditional cash handed out on a monthly basis to families most in need. Universal basic income pilot programs are popping up all across the US But rarely do we get to follow a family and see the impacts these small amounts of cash can have on the recipients. ABC7 News followed one family from one basic income pilot for an entire year, here’s what we saw.

From chocolate to sugar cookies, scones and more Deisy Chan loves making sweet treats at the bakery she works at in the Mission.

The early days and long hours of standing can be tiring, but it’s all in support of her family.

We first met Deisy in November of 2021 when she and her family of four called a three-bedroom apartment in the Tenderloin home.

Before the pandemic, another couple lived with Deisy and her family and paid half the rent. But that family moved out during the pandemic leaving Deisy’s family with the entire bill.

RELATED: San Francisco launches new guaranteed income program for transgender community

Then, it was only Deisy, her husband Miguel Senior, and her two boys: 3-year-old Mateo and 13-year-old Miguel Jr.

Deisy speaks Spanish and an indigenous language native to Mexico. She spoke to us in Spanish as she prepared dinner for her boys.

“To live here is expensive,” she said. She’s paying more than $3,000 a month in rent now that the family moved out.

“It’s tough buying things for the kids because I have to save so much for rent,” she said.

But saving got easier for Deisy and financial burdens less stressful.

A month before we met her and her family, in October of 2021, she received $350 of unconditional cash.

The payment was the first of six monthly checks as part of a Basic Income Pilot program.

“It’s a great help,” she said.

She’s able to buy food for her family without worrying if she can afford it. Deisy told us her youngest is growing fast. Now she’s able to make sure he has the basics, thanks to the additional cash.

Deisy and her family were selected to be one of the 13 families enrolled in the basic income program run through Compass Family Services.

The San Francisco nonprofit has been around for more than 100 years, focused on safety net programs for families that are unhoused or on the brink of living without shelter.

Compass offers wrap-around services like food assistance and free childcare.

Deisy’s youngest, Mateo, is enrolled there. That’s how she heard of the program.

The program provided each family $350 a month for six months for a total of just $2,100.

VIDEO: Universal basic income for Californians? Assemblyman breaks it down

“A little bit of money can make a really big difference for the families,” said Erica Kisch, executive director of Compass Family Services. “The families are using these funds for basic needs.”

Kisch said the basic income pilot was made possible by a $35,000 grant from Wells Fargo.

She said the nonprofit surveyed the families before, during, and after the program concluded.

ABC7 News followed Deisy and her family for the six months of the program.

“One of the words (the families) used when they were describing how the funds impacted them was that it increased their calm… So the idea that families are so stressed out by their finances, or lack of finances, and that affects everything ,” said Kisch.

There are currently more than 100 active Basic Income programs being tested in all 50 states – most of them following the huge success of a program started in Stockton by former Mayor Michael Tubbs.

Tubbs now leads the group Mayors for a guaranteed income. The group is a network of dozens of mayors across the country that have pledged to test the idea of ​​a guaranteed income in their cities.

The locations range in size from major cities from San Francisco, Oakland, and Atlanta to smaller cities like Salisbury, Maryland.

A newly released report by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income shows that families surveyed from 20 guaranteed income programs primarily used the funds on necessities.

The report shows 39% of the fund’s recipients received was spent at discount superstores for clothes, food, household goods and hygiene products.

Another 27% of funds were spent at grocery stores, 9% on transportation costs including gas and car repairs, and 7% on housing utilities.

Other notable expenses included loan payments, medical expenses, and tuition.

RELATED: Oakland to launch universal income program

“If you’re worried about food to feed your children, pay your rent, pay your utilities, buy milk – that’s going to impact your mental health, that’s going to impact your ability to parent… So just the idea that we could reduce that tension-that stress-and support the families’ calm just feels like it’s certainly a good use of $350 a month,” she added.

Along with the six monthly payments of unconditional cash, the 13 families enrolled in this pilot program received additional help including access to family counseling and money management classes, much-needed help when you’re just one unexpected bill away from homelessness.

“The situation that they are facing is they cannot pay their rent or they cannot buy groceries or they cannot pay other bills,” said Gerardo Gonzalez, Compass Family Services family and community engagement coordinator.

That’s the exact situation Deisy and her family found themselves in when we checked in halfway through the program, some three months in.

We caught up with Deisy over Zoom as the entire family recovered from COVID.

She told us her husband was out of work for two weeks because he was still testing positive for COVID.

Paid sick leave through Deisy and her husband’s job kept the family afloat, but still sick, her husband couldn’t work his part-time job so money was tight.

Deisy said she’s unsure how they would have purchased groceries without the extra cushion from the program. She’s grateful for the assistance – and is already saving what she can. She’s planning ahead for when her family will no longer have that added help and hopes the family can move into a less expensive apartment to save even more.

Months later, we caught up with Deisy on a busy summer day as she picked up her youngest son from after-school care offered by Compass Family Services.

She’s grateful for this support along with the $350 of unconditional cash she’s received for the last six months.

With a sense of gratitude and emotion akin to guilt, Deisy told us she wishes even more families could receive this basic income on top of services like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) her two boys already receive.

Her wish is becoming reality as an increasing number of organizations and city governments across the Bay Area, and beyond, test out basic income programs.

The City of Mountain View, which started sending out $500 payments to more than one hundred families just days ago, is the latest city to test out a basic income in the Bay.

“We can definitely call the movement,” said Sean Klein, associate director of the Stanford Basic Income Lab. “I don’t think we ever thought we would be at this place even a few years ago.

Stanford’s Basic Income Lab was launched in 2017 to study the successes and roadblocks of basic income pilots across the country.

Early findings from the lab suggest families spent the money on necessities like rent and food – not drugs and alcohol.

Kline also noted the added assistance allowed adults to look for better-paying, full-time jobs and does not cause reliance on the program, a major argument by naysayers.

“The evidence suggests that unconditional cash is efficient. It’s swift. It’s much more powerful than in-kind assistance: food, even housing, because it gives people the agency and the means to make the choices they know are right for their family,” Kline added.

Kline points to recent examples of the government doling out unconditional cash at large scales as an example of the power these programs could have if applied more broadly.

Just think back to the several rounds of stimulus checks during the onset of the COVID pandemic from the federal government and the State of California.

Or look at the longest-standing basic income program in the country just to our north in Alaska with the “Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend”.

For nearly the last four decades residents of the state have received an annual lump sum payment of approximately $1,600. The money is generated through taxes on the state’s oil companies.

“Middle and upper-middle-class families receive a tremendous amount of in-kind, unconditional tax benefits from the government. We don’t call into question when someone’s able to write off the interest on their mortgage, we don’t ask them for a urine sample. And yet, when it comes to those who are really in dire straits and need support from the government, who they pay taxes to as well, we call into question their deservingness,” Kline said.

When we caught up with Deisy, just weeks after receiving the final check in the pilot program, it was in her new government-subsidized apartment.

She and her family moved in just weeks earlier and now they are able to save money on rent.

Deisy gave us a tour as little Mateo showed us what he’s most excited about in his new home: toys. Just like every other kid.

Deisy tells us the six months of unconditional cash has been significant. It allowed the family to be financially secure when her husband lost his job.

It even gave the family enough breathing room to save up to buy new beds and even pay for her 13-year-old to start playing soccer.

For most, these are the basics. For Deisy it’s the American Dream. Out of reach for so long, now possible with just a little extra help.

It’s a transformation of the organization behind the basic income pilot calls a “huge success.”

It’s been so successful, Compass plans to expand the program to many more families thanks to a newly awarded grant.

“Absolutely, we plan to do more of this,” said Kisch.

This is welcome news for Deisy who wants more families to get the help her family did.

“I’m thankful to God that he puts people in my path who want to help me,” Deisy said.

Now Compass plans to do the same for so many others.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post Does common primary revenue work? Here is the way it modified this San Francisco household’s life appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two San Francisco gang members who opened fire during a funeral reception for a pimp, killing one person and wounding four innocent bystanders, were sentenced Wednesday to life in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Robert Manning, 31, and Jamare Coats, 29, were sentenced for a March 23, 2019 shooting that took place in front of the Fillmore Heritage Center and not far from a police station.

The men who belonged to a local street gang got into a shootout on a crowded sidewalk during which at least 24 shots were fired, the US attorney’s office for the Northern District of California said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the battle began with a confrontation between several gang members and associates attending a reception at the center for Ron Newt, who had died that month at 69. Newt was a well-known and flamboyant San Francisco pimp in the 1970s and 1980s.

The victim, 25-year-old Mister Dee Carnell Simmons III, “acted disrespectfully towards them, branding a firearm and threatening” them, the US attorney’s statement said.

Manning, Coats and others left the building and went to their parked cars where Manning and Coats armed themselves and got into the shootout with Simmons, who died of his wounds, authorities said.

Four other people were wounded in the crossfire, including a bystander who was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down as he tried to escape the shooting, prosecutors said.

Manning and Coats were convicted in August of murder in aid of racketeering and of being felons in possession of firearms.

The post 2 get life for lethal capturing at San Francisco memorial appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Sally McKnight, 65, owns the Irish Sweep Inc. in Alameda. She’s been a sweep for 29 years and enjoys her work too much to retire, even though she’s the grandmother of seven, an art-loving traveler and a creative cook.

When I graduated from high school, I wasn’t prepared at all to go to college. Emotionally, I wasn’t ready for that, and education wasn’t my thing at all. I was alarmingly dyslexic, but I learned to compensate.

I wanted to be a flight attendant. My mother discouraged that. I came from an entrepreneurial family, my grandfather was an inventor, and I needed to find something to do. My family was pretty traditional in their thinking, so after high school I went to Warren-Dickinson Secretarial School. My first job, I worked at Herrick Hospital and was promoted in three months to a job that was typically done by RNs.

I got married Nov. 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. We had children, a boy and a girl, in 1966 and 1968, and I got to be a stay-at-home mom. When separation and divorce came, I responded to an ad in the East Bay Express for a part-time office job at the Irish Sweep Inc. My boss there started in 1979, and I joined in 1982.

I went out with him and with that first chimney, I realized that there were things I could learn, and that I could push the parameters of my life. It was a huge awakening.

I learned by the seat of my pants. That’s how everybody learned it. In 1988, I purchased the entire company.

I have a contractor’s license, and I have a C29 masonry license. I also have a C61-D34 metalworking license. I’m certified by the National Fireplace Institute to work on gas hearth appliances.

On our van, we have at least three different systems for cleaning a chimney. Two can be used from down in the house, the other from the roof or chimney top.

There’s not one customer in the world that wants you to come in their house and make a mess. We put down clean white drop cloths. The deal is to keep it all contained.

Most residential chimneys, there’s no way out at the bottom. The thing to me that is still so consummately interesting about fireplaces and chimneys, especially masonry or brick chimneys, is that each one is constructed by hand. There are infinite differences in these fireplaces.

I am looking for any clue the chimney can tell me about its history and why it is the way it is. You’re using your brain, your vision, your smell, your touch. You can fix a chimney, but if you don’t find out what caused the problem, if you don’t mitigate, you’re just setting it up to happen over and over again.

How do I stay clean? Protective clothing. It can be very sophisticated or not, depending on the job. I have a $400 head mask with a battery pack. We’re talking about carcinogenics.

I sculpt inside fireplaces in places nobody will ever see. I can work with one leg around the back of my neck, laying brick.

When I first became a sweep, the National Chimney Sweep Guild had just come forward with a certification. I took that test three times before I passed it. While I was on the board of directors, I served as a treasurer and I served as the ethics chair. I have been president of the Golden State Chimney Sweep Guild and treasurer of the organization. I’ve tried to make my contribution to my industry.

My mother used to shake her head and ask why couldn’t I have been a nurse or a teacher. I told her that being a chimney sweep has been my way of being of service. I love doing what I do. I’m so impressed. I’m fed daily. I go into houses with absolutely amazing artwork, and I’ve been known to cry. It just doesn’t get much better.

The post Chimney sweep job sparks inspiration for all times appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.