One Dead, Three Missing near Alcatraz

One person is dead and three remain missing after a boat carrying 20 people capsized in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday afternoon.

The passengers, mostly family members visiting from outside the Bay Area, had chartered the 50-foot cabin cruiser Volare for a memorial service. The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified the man who died as Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County.

Rescuers pulled 16 survivors from the frigid water, and three who were hospitalized have since been released. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said witnesses reported rough seas before the vessel took on water and overturned about 600 yards from the island. The cause remains under investigation, and officials found no evidence of the fire initially reported by callers.

The search continued overnight with divers, helicopters, 11 boats, sonar, and thermal imaging, and the Coast Guard said it was continuing to treat the effort as a rescue. Mayor Daniel Lurie called the multi-agency response “all-hands-on-deck.”

Fresno Supervisors Delay $7.4B Roads Measure

Fresno County supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to order a 30-day review of the Better Roads Safe Streets initiative instead of placing it on the November ballot.

The measure would replace Measure C, the county’s expiring transportation sales tax, extending the half-cent levy to raise an estimated $7.4 billion over 30 years. It qualified for the ballot last week after gathering roughly 21,000 signatures.

Board Chair Garry Bredefeld and two colleagues backed the review, saying the measure directs too much funding toward transit and could expose the county to lawsuits. “It’s really a public transportation tax disguised as a roads tax,” Bredefeld said.

Supporters, including Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, want voters to decide and warn that losing the tax could cost jobs and stall road repairs. “I think this is voter suppression, quite frankly,” Dyer said.

CalPERS Posts Best Return since 2014

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, California’s largest public pension fund, posted a preliminary 14.8% return in the fiscal year that ended June 30, more than doubling its 6.8% assumed rate of return.

CalPERS said the gain lifted its portfolio to $637.1 billion and its funded status to 85%, up from 79% a year earlier. CEO Marcie Frost called it the fund’s best result since 2014, excluding the 2021 pandemic rebound.

The return matters to taxpayers because state and local agencies can be required to pay more when the fund misses its target. Beating it eases that pressure and extends a recovery from the Great Recession, when CalPERS assets covered just 68% of what it owed.

Not everyone cheered the strategy behind the gains. Former board member J.J. Jelincic said the fund leaned on riskier private equity, telling the board, “These are very good results, however you need to think about how you got there.”

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➤ Lassen County: The Elephant Fire northeast of Loyalton has grown to 15,526 acres and is 42% contained. All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted, though firefighters continue to face dry fuels, gusty winds, and the potential for thunderstorms. (See Details)

➤ Northern California: Meanwhile, forecasters warn of dry lightning across the region this week, with isolated thunderstorms possible over the Elephant Fire zone and gusts up to 35 mph. The weather could spark new wildfires as three large fires already burn across the region. (More)

➤ Bay Area: Grocery Outlet has begun using facial-recognition software at several Bay Area stores to flag suspected shoplifters, drawing mixed reactions from customers. Door signs notify shoppers the system is in use and alert staff when someone on a retailer watchlist enters. (See Details)

➤ San Mateo County: An unidentified marine animal bit a 74-year-old swimmer in Foster City’s lagoon, leaving puncture wounds on his lower leg. Authorities are investigating the incident, but have not confirmed what species was responsible. (See Details)

➤ San Joaquin County: Jerry Bunyard, sentenced to death for hiring a man to kill his wife, who was nine months pregnant, and her unborn daughter in a 1979 attack staged as a suicide, died July 10 at age 76. He had been on death row since 1981. (More)

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➤ Central Valley: With triple-digit heat settling over the region, farmworkers around Exeter are starting shifts at dawn, taking frequent shade breaks, and watching one another for signs of heat illness. Crews say finishing before the hottest hours is now essential. (More)

➤ Fresno County: Supervisors voted 3-2 to reverse an earlier unanimous decision approving a pilot program allowing home-based restaurants after residents raised concerns about traffic, noise, and parking. The program would have licensed up to 66 in-home food operations countywide. (More)

➤ Firebaugh: Jared Williams, 19, was arrested after deputies said he grabbed a laptop during a Facebook Marketplace meetup, then pepper-sprayed the seller and two relatives who chased him. He dropped the laptop and fled but was later identified. (More)

➤ Central Coast: PG&E says parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties could face precautionary power shutoffs as hot, dry, windy weather raises wildfire risk. Areas near Lake Nacimiento, Lompoc, and Solvang could lose power through today. (More)

➤ Tulare County: Two trucking company employees, Christopher Romo and Omar Tapia Lopez, were arrested on suspicion of diverting truckloads of asphalt from their employer during a paving job between Pixley and Delano. Deputies say they took more than $7,500 worth of asphalt, costing the company over $11,000. (More)

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➤ Boyle Heights: Nearly a month after the cold-storage warehouse fire, Sen. Alex Padilla toured the site Tuesday and urged the EPA to continue monitoring air and water quality. Millions of pounds of rotting food remain inside the undamaged portion of the building, causing persistent odors in the surrounding neighborhood. (More)

➤ Ontario: Semitruck driver Jashanpreet Singh was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for a 2025 chain-reaction crash on the 10 Freeway that killed three people. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving after the October crash. (More)

➤ Southern California: So-called Perkins operations, in which undercover agents pose as inmates to draw confessions, are spreading through California jails and have helped secure hundreds of murder convictions. Every one of the 10 cases now before the state Supreme Court comes from San Diego, Riverside, or Los Angeles counties. (See Report)

➤ Rancho Cucamonga: An elderly couple says a pack of coyotes has been living beneath their mobile home for weeks, leaving them afraid to enter and exit the property. City officials say the mobile home park must report the den before Animal Services can assess the situation. (See Video)

➤ Riverside: An 18-year-old killed in a 1978 crash was identified as Mark Alan Smith nearly five decades later through forensic genetic genealogy. Investigators said advances in DNA technology and federal funding helped solve the long-cold case and bring closure to his family. (More)

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➤ Bellflower’s St. John Bosco opens at No. 1 in the preseason MaxPreps high school football Top 25, leading five California programs in the rankings. (See Rankings)

➤ Kingsburg High School pitcher Jensen Hirschkorn signed with the Atlanta Braves for a record $4 million bonus for a third-round MLB draft pick, forgoing a scholarship to LSU. (More)

➤ Former UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky agreed to a record $10.35 million signing bonus with the Chicago White Sox after being selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft. (More)

➤ San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, 20, will appear on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 27 video game, becoming the youngest player in history to receive the honor. (See Cover)

➤ The Los Angeles Kings open the 2026-27 NHL season Sept. 30 at Colorado in one of the marquee matchups on the league’s newly announced opening slate. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | WNBA

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➤ The Writers Guild of America filed an antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco federal court to block the proposed Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The suit came a day after California and 11 other states filed their own challenge to the deal. (More)

➤ Twenty-six Meta employees sued the company in Oakland federal court, alleging its AI-driven layoff system disproportionately targeted workers on medical, parental, or family leave during May’s 8,000-job cuts. (More)

➤ McDonald’s will debut its first-ever Caesar sauce July 21 at participating restaurants, including locations in Fresno and Bakersfield. The limited-time menu includes a Bacon Caesar McCrispy, a Caesar Snack Wrap, and McCrispy Strips served with the new Parmesan, garlic, and lemon-flavored sauce. (More)

➤ Santa Barbara ranked as the nation’s third-worst city for first-time home buyers in a new WalletHub study, citing housing affordability and one of the country’s highest costs of living. Nine of the 10 lowest-ranked cities were in California. (More)

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This Metal’s Price Went Up 170%

No, not gold. Lithium. Prices more than doubled from last June to this one, spurring a modern-day “white gold” rush driven by AI, energy, and more. 

With demand growing 5X by 2040, a major opportunity’s emerging. No wonder 50,000+ people have  invested in EnergyX.

Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, in days instead of months. That combination of technological prowess and market demand earned an investment from General Motors.

In the past 24 months, EnergyX has raised ~$100M from retail investors, formed a first-of-its-kind lithium agreement with the U.S. Army, and oil supermajor Eni just signed an agreement to invest up to $225M.

Now they’re preparing to unlock ~15M+ tons of lithium. Invest in EnergyX before midnight PT.

➤ Bonnie, an 18-month-old dachshund from Farmersville, won the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals Championship at Los Alamitos Race Course, earning the title “Fastest Wiener in the West,” a $1,000 prize, a golden championship jacket, and a Wienerschnitzel-shaped doghouse. (See Video)

➤ A monthlong scavenger hunt called Pursuit has kicked off in San Francisco, sending players across the city to solve riddles and uncover hidden clues at local landmarks and businesses. Free to join through Aug. 7, it drew more than 2,000 participants last year. (More)

➤ San Gregorio Ranch, a San Mateo County property that has long provided access to one of California’s oldest clothing-optional beaches, opens July 29 as a public expansion of San Gregorio State Beach. The $10 million conservation deal expands the state beach by more than 50%. (More)

➤ Bakersfield police could get their first robotic K-9, a Spot robotic dog funded with more than $404,000 in state grant money through Kern County. It can detect hazardous materials, stream live video, and help clear buildings during dangerous incidents. (More)

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➤ “Impossible” Bone Density Improvements Linked to Overlooked Protein. Doctors are doing double-takes at recent DEXA scans showing unprecedented bone density improvements in women over 60 after adding this protein in their diet. The stunning results have doctors questioning if their equipment is malfunctioning—but the explanation lies in a revolutionary protein compound that provides what calcium supplements alone cannot. (Learn More)

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Potentially groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research focused on a new protein in the brain, and the results are turning heads. (Hear Details)

➤ Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota is engulfing the Midwest and Northeast, exposing millions to hazardous air. (Hear Episode)

➤ California’s high-speed rail project is seeking hundreds of millions in fresh federal funding after Washington clawed back $4 billion. (Listen Now)

Should counties allow residents to run small restaurants out of their homes?

1. Yes, with health and safety rules
2. No, only in commercial spaces
3. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

Deer-hunting permits are up for grabs in the Central Valley this fall. Are you a hunter?

1. No, not for me: 34%
2. Once in a while: 23%
3. Yes, I hunt regularly: 22%
4. No, but I’d like to try: 21%

Alcatraz takes its name from an old Spanish word for which seabird, a nod to the flocks that once nested on the island?

Show me the answer