Bay Area Couple Safe; Milpitas Father Missing

The Nepal-Tibet flood left two Bay Area families with starkly different outcomes: Anjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan escaped, while 48-year-old Milpitas father Prabhath Sajeepa remained missing Saturday.

Raja and Venkatesan fled their tour bus after seeing what appeared to be a 60- to 70-foot wall of water rushing toward them. They climbed to higher ground, spent the night in a goat shed, and were airlifted to safety the following day. Everyone aboard their bus survived.

Sajeepa, a U.S. citizen and father of two, was among at least 77 people on an Isha Foundation pilgrimage. His family lost contact with him near an immigration center struck by the flood.

The disaster began after a Himalayan glacier collapsed, sending water, mud, rocks, and debris through mountain valleys. 

Lawmakers Unveil Hollywood Tax-Credit Fix

California lawmakers unveiled a compromise Friday intended to protect the state’s $750 million film and television incentive program from a new annual cap on business tax credits.

Assembly Bill 186 and Senate Bill 186 would exempt independent productions from the cap, which generally limits businesses to $5 million or 70% of their tax liability annually, whichever is greater. Major productions would remain subject to the limit.

The proposal would also let productions convert 95% of their credits into cash, up from 90%, and receive the money over two years instead of five. Certain older, unused credits would receive extended expiration dates.

The Motion Picture Association and entertainment labor groups support the compromise. Both legislative chambers must approve it by Monday, when the legislative session ends.

California Keeps School Vaccine Rules

California will maintain its existing school vaccination requirements despite President Trump’s Aug. 10 executive order urging states to reconsider their immunization policies, Dr. Erica Pan, California’s public health officer, said.

The federal order recommends vaccines against 11 diseases for all children, down from 18 under the previous federal schedule. It also calls for spacing vaccines across separate medical visits and administering measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines separately once individual shots become available.

The California Department of Public Health said the state’s school and child care requirements remain unchanged. California requires students to be vaccinated against 10 communicable diseases and does not permit religious or personal-belief exemptions for students subject to the requirements.

The decision comes amid rising measles cases. The CDC reported 2,777 confirmed U.S. cases as of Aug. 20, surpassing the 2,289 recorded during all of 2025. California has reported 58 cases this year, up from 25 last year.

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➤ Sacramento: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation restoring the California Sea Otter Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund to state income tax returns for tax years 2026 through 2033. Taxpayers may make voluntary donations to sea otter conservation efforts. Beginning in its second year, the fund must receive at least $250,000 annually to remain active. (More)

➤ Petrolia: A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck roughly 60 miles off the Northern California coast Friday evening and was felt in communities more than 100 miles away. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. (More)

➤ San Jose: City electrician Ari Green, 50, died after the parked bucket truck he was using to repair a streetlight was struck by a box truck Tuesday. The other driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators; San Jose police and Cal/OSHA are investigating. (More)

➤ Yosemite: The Interior Department is considering a land swap that would give Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital a strip of Yosemite National Park for a private road connecting its adjacent property to a main park route. Officials said no decision has been made and any proposal would require environmental review and public notice. (More)

➤ Bakersfield: Police arrested two suspected gang members on suspicion of firearm- and gang-related offenses and resisting arrest after officers said they fled a traffic stop. The arrests came during patrols aimed at preventing retaliatory violence following the deadly Independence High School shooting; officers also reported recovering a loaded ghost gun. (More)

➤ Monterey County: The Marine Mammal Center rescued up to 20 sick sea lions in three days amid a surge of animals showing signs of domoic acid poisoning, including seizures and disorientation. Officials urged people to remain at least 150 feet away and report distressed marine mammals rather than approach them. (More)

➤ Quartz Hill: An aspiring rapper was arrested after being charged alongside two others in an alleged scheme involving more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks worth over $8.1 million. (More)

➤ La Jolla: A large sea lion wandered onto a sidewalk near La Jolla Cove and strolled past onlookers before an animal control officer guided it over a railing. It returned once before being redirected again, and no injuries were reported. (See Photos)

➤ Coachella Valley: An Eisenhower Health physician said a new primate study offers a promising potential strategy for curing HIV. Eight infant rhesus macaques receiving a combination of antiretroviral therapy and two antibody treatments showed no evidence of replicating or latent virus one year after treatment ended, though human applications remain years away. (More)

➤ No. 14 USC opened the season with a 42-26 win over San Jose State at the Coliseum. Quarterback Jayden Maiava completed 25 of his 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. (More)

➤ Stanford scored two touchdowns in the final 1:41 to rally past Hawai’i 37-27 after the Rainbow Warriors opened the fourth quarter with three straight touchdowns to take the lead. (Watch Highlight)

➤ Sacramento State football played its first game as a member of Division I FBS on Saturday in a Mid-American Conference clash at Eastern Michigan. (See Result)

➤ The San Francisco Giants were set to retire Hall of Fame second baseman Jeff Kent’s No. 21 between games of Saturday’s day-night doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (More)

➤ Cal Poly quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. threw four touchdown passes in Friday’s season-opener, including a 34-yard game-winner to Tayvion McCoy with nine seconds left, to beat Idaho 38-34. (Watch Touchdown)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NCAAF | Soccer | WNBA | Golf | NASCAR | IndyCar | LLWS 

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➤ People are calling THIS the easiest fat-loss hack they’ve ever tried… What if adding 1 simple ingredient could help melt belly fat… Thousands are trying it and seeing shocking results within just days…  (More)              

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Explore the History Behind Revelation

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➤ A Siskiyou County advocate wants wild horses enlisted as a four-legged fire brigade, arguing their grazing can reduce vegetation that fuels wildfires while benefiting forest ecosystems. Bill Simpson has spent more than a decade studying a roughly 200-horse herd along the California-Oregon border. (More)

➤ The Butte County Fair is putting local agriculture back in the spotlight with its inaugural Fairtime Marketplace, featuring goods grown and made by seven Gridley-area vendors. The fair ends today. (More)

➤ More than 3,000 endangered frogs made a leap back into the wild this year as conservationists reintroduced southern mountain yellow-legged frogs and tadpoles in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. The decades-long recovery program has has now reintroduced more than 10,000. (See Photos)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ Forecasters can’t agree whether fall will bring sweaters, storms, or lingering summer heat. (Hear More)

➤ Thieves pulled off a massive beer run involving 1,600 cases. (Listen Now)

➤  A veteran’s final words captured a life filled with family, laughter, and adventure. (Podcast Available)

Would you support using wild horses to reduce vegetation that fuels wildfires in California?

1. Yes, let them graze
2. Maybe, if research supports it
3. No, use other strategies

Yesterday’s Results:

When two products are sitting side by side, would a “Made in California” label win your vote?

1. No: 41%
2. It depends—I may already prefer another brand: 39%
3. Yes: 20%

In 1958, a San Francisco pasta family boxed up a quick version of an Armenian neighbor’s rice pilaf recipe, creating a side dish that became a grocery-store staple. What is that product?

Show me the answer