Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
SF’s gig economy comes into focus // SF Examiner
“More and more residents in San Francisco are earning supplemental income from digital platforms like Airbnb and Uber, but as this new economy grows, so do the regulation challenges.
"That’s why a new task force is being announced Tuesday to help the mayor and Board of Supervisors craft policies around the growing gig economy in a city already torn over how to regulate and tax technology companies."
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2 women make baseball history in debut with Sonoma Stompers // SF Gate
“The first pitch of Friday night’s Sonoma Stompers baseball game was a breaking ball that went over the plate and into professional baseball history.
"The pitch itself wasn’t that special, but the called strike was thrown by a woman, one of two who started the game for the Stompers against the San Rafael Pacifics at Arnold Field in Sonoma. It is believed to be the first time in more than 60 years that a team with more than one woman has participated in a professional baseball game.”
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Marin-based water taxi looks to break into commute service // Marin Independent Journal
“Marin commuters may have another option within the next year to get to their jobs — a water taxi.
"The Tideline Marine Group of Sausalito has been ferrying people around the bay since 2012 and has stops in Marin at Angel Island, Paradise Cay, Sam’s Anchor Cafe in Tiburon, Cavallo Point and the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, as well as Terrapin Crossroads restaurant in San Rafael. Passengers can be delivered to the East Bay as well as several San Francisco locations, including to San Francisco Giants baseball games at AT&T Park."
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UC Berkeley Vigil Remembers Student Who Died In Bangladesh Attack// CBS News
“UC Berkeley students gathered Tuesday to remember one of their own with a vigil for a victim in the Bangladesh terror attacks who attended the university.
"Tarishi Jain came to Cal in 2014. She was completing an internship with the school’s Center for Bangladesh Studies in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Jain was among the 21 people killed in the terror attack at a bakery on Friday."
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Caltrans: pay by the mile program seeks to balance enforcement, privacy, equity // East Bay Times
“Roughly 5,000 drivers became the state's first guinea pigs on Friday to test out a new revenue pilot program meant to replace the gas tax, representatives from the California Department of Transportation said Tuesday. Rather than paying at the pump, the pay-by-the-mile program offers volunteers six different ways to report their mileage and pay for using state roads. Though no actual money will be exchanged between the volunteers and the state, the pilot will give Caltrans valuable insight into whether a road charge program is a viable way to generate revenue.
"It's all part of an effort to stem the loss of dwindling gas tax funds, which have been falling over the past decade as fuel efficiency standards increase and as more and more people switch to hybrid or electric vehicles.The fuel excise tax funds approximately $2.3 billion in road repairs but leaves about $5.7 billion in unfunded maintenance each year, said Caltrans spokeswoman Vanessa Wiseman.”
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Discovery by Buck Institute scientists may speed use of stem cell therapies // Marin IJ
“Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato have discovered that a protein common to insects, animals and humans may enhance the use of stem-cell-based cell replacement therapies. The finding is reported in the current issue of the peer-reviewed academic journal Science.
"Hopes for stem cell therapies have been high because in theory they could be used to replace virtually any tissue or organ that is injured or diseased. But the integration of stem-cell-generated tissue with host bodies has proved problematic.”