A couple stories from my new and old beats this week - somewhat disparate topics www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...

An article about a county maintained road that connects to a non-county maintained road that provides access to very valuable homes. And inverse condemnation. And sea level rise. Sounds kind of like a property law final exam question if you ask me. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

This situation in Marin County will likely play out throughout the Bay Area and beyond: whether cities and counties can be held to account for keeping up roads even when the forces of climate change become overwhelming. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Happy to report that no one, including the mountain lion, was hurt. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m...

A Bay Area could could be on the hook for billions of dollars to protect a road connecting a hugely wealthy coastal community to the mainland: www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti... via @taraduggan.bsky.social

This new popup inspires quality time at the wharf.

New: Robin Petravic of Heath Ceramics in Sausalito is used to flooding during king tides, but the high water levels over New Year's weekend took him, and many others in Marin County, by surprise.

Marin is facing up to its future after flooding — and a $17 billion price tag—One alternative is state funding such as from Prop. 4, a climate bond voters passed in 2024, with $1.2 billion out of the $10 billion bond… www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti... @taraduggan.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

Water levels around the Bay Area rose over a foot higher than the tide charts predicted last week, inundating businesses, an offramp of Highway 101 and neighborhood streets. One reason that tide predictions were off: sea level rise. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

If you use the NOAA tide predictions as-is, you have to at least add a proper sea level rise adjustment for your area... a first-order "poor-man's" forecast. In the Miami area, that adjustment is ~8 inches. That's before accounting for any weather-related influences (which isn't as straightforward).

New: Sea level rise from the past 30 years is not factored into tide charts, which can make a difference when king tides combine with storms like they did last week in the Bay Area.

A powerful investigation into California's largest private psychiatric hospital operator from my colleagues Cynthia Dizikes and Joaquin Palomino. @sfchronicle.com

I wrote about a new project in Palo Alto that prepares for sea level rise and expands habitat for wildlife while improving water quality in the bay. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Newsom and other California officials blamed Trump funding cuts for a false earthquake alert earlier this month. The real cause of the mistake is still unknown, @taraduggan.bsky.social reports: www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

The Canal District in San Rafael already fills with saltwater overflowing from the canal during high tides - a problem expected to get worse with climate change. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

I enjoyed getting to speak with Chris Goldfinger, an expert on the terrifying Cascadia fault and a Bay Area native, for this story --while suppressing fears about what this all means. www.sfchronicle.com/science/arti...

The San Francisco SPCA said the difficult economic climate is the reason for biggest layoffs in many years. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Beryllium has been used to craft nuclear weapons and shield astronauts from the heat of reentry. It's also known to cause cancer or chronic respiratory disease. This is the first time anyone's ever found it in a home after a wildfire. W/ @susien.bsky.social! www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...

Over a year after I published an investigation into employee concerns about animal welfare and worker safety at SF Zoo, the director has given notice. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/z...

Marin County released its most comprehensive report addressing sea level rise in a coastal city, but one critic asks -- 'Should we spend $1.3 billion to adapt an area that is walking the plank?'

New - gray whales migrating north showing signs of stress from climate change. From @noaa.gov www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

My latest enterprise story is a difficult one, but the shelter community is working hard to try to find homes for these pups. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/a...

New: The remaining 23 board members of the SF Zoological Society haven't spoken up about the latest controversies at the city-owned zoo, and a city official just called for their removal from the lease.

Breaking new: S.F. office conducting audit of the San Francisco Zoo said CEO initially refused to comply and has provided financials that contract public tax documents, among other things. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Having recently dined at Base Camp Eatery can't say I'm shocked - from @kurtisalexander.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

My latest update on the S.F. Zoo. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/z...

The tiny native oysters of San Francisco Bay managed to outlive the Gold Rush, bay-shore development and decades of punishing pollution. New research shows they have a fighting chance to survive global warming as well. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti... via @taraduggan.bsky.social

I got lots of questions from readers asking how photographer Loren Elliott got his incredible images of coyotes in San Francisco. Here’s how! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/i...

Also new: from me and @michaelbarba.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...

Happy story alert www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

This story has one of the sadder ledes I've ever written. It's disturbing because gray whales are more at risk of getting hit by a ship or ferry in the bay, and it could be a sign that climate change is impacting their food source in the Arctic. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Also, from last night: The Federal Bureau of Prisons appears to be taking seriously the idea of reinstating Alcatraz as a prison. Or acting as if. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/a...

New: the battle over leadership of the San Francisco Zoo continues. With @michaelbarba.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

BREAKING: Feds arrest embattled Sonoma developer suspected of ‘Ponzi scheme’ that cost investors millions www.sfchronicle.com/crime/articl...

The San Francisco Chronicle was named a finalist Monday for two Pulitzer Prizes for investigations it published into different aspects of law enforcement.

New: an attempt to undo the endangered species status of a tiny fish in San Francisco Bay is “undemocratic" according to @earthjustice.org. Other supporters of longfin smelt include @sfbaykeeper.bsky.social and @rephuffman.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Happy news at @presidiosf.bsky.social. A new story from me with lovely photos by @stephenlamphoto.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/p...

New from me, in the not good news but still interesting and important department - a major earthquake could cause coastal areas to drop substantially and increase flood risk, according to a new study. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

Trump's proposed cuts to NOAA could decimate vital ocean science in California and impact lifesaving missions, food safety, weather forecasting and climate research - by @edwardsanthonyb.bsky.social and @jackjlee.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/weather/arti...

As Trump issues an executive order to explore deep-sea mining in untouched international waters, despite unknown risks and an international treaty, the seabed in California waters are protected from mining with a law passed in 2022. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Animal welfare advocates in San Francisco hope to ban a trap used for mice and rats that harms wildlife -- and that causes many people to use it to have regrets even when they catch their intended target. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/g...

ICYMI - a breakdown from @edwardsanthonyb.bsky.social about the proposed $1.7B cuts to NOAA - the folks charged with saving whales, predicting weather and monitoring climate change www.sfchronicle.com/weather/arti...

The Sacramento weather service office just sent an email detailing product changes amid "critically reduced staffing" Highlights: Phone lines no longer answered Reduced staffing from 6pm to 6am Forecast discussions issued only 1x/day Limited social media posting Advisories mainly issued by day shift

No chinook salmon in California this summer, with commercial fishing banned for the third year in a row. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Commercial salmon fishing in California will be banned for the third year in a row, a closure unprecedented in state history. The rationale is that the forecast for the number of chinook salmon in the Pacific Ocean is even worse than it was this time last year. From @taraduggan.bsky.social

New: Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman's lawsuit over the NPS plan to almost eliminate ranching in Point Reyes raises questions about how land that has been farmed for close to two centuries can revert to the way it was before humans intervened. www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Gray whales are migrating past the coast with their calves - here's a guide originally written by Nora Mishanec for where to look for them. www.sfchronicle.com/projects/gui...

In trove of Farmers Insurance internal records, @susien.bsky.social + @meganmunce.bsky.social found the insurer shut down a probe of inaccurate rebuild estimates when wildfire survivors began to sue.

A chimpanzee named Maggie, that came to the San Francisco Zoo in 1970, died last week. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/z...