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Kaiser Permanente workers are on strike. Here’s what makes it such a unique health care company

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

By Samantha Delouya | CNNLos Angeles  — On Wednesday, thousands of unionized health care employees walked off the job after failed contract negotiations with their employer, Kaiser Permanente, a company whose business model is distinctive, compared to most health care providers in the United States.Here’s what you should know about the medical system.RELATED: Striking Bay Area Kaiser workers seek higher wages, better staffingKaiser is funded by membership feesUnlike traditional health care providers in the United States, Kaiser operates both as an insurance plan and a provider of all care covered by that plan. Patients (or their employers) pay a membership fee to Kaiser Permanente to access its services. That means that although thousands of workers are on strike at Kaiser, the company will continue to collect money from membership fees.“They have members, they have subscribers and so they will continue to get their monthly payments,” said John August, former executive director of t...

Why the power of Barbie, Taylor and Beyonce should worry Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

Diablo Valley College student Zhenaleigh Doldol isn’t sure how she’ll vote in her first election in 2024, but she’s inspired by the messages of female empowerment that radiated around her beloved summer movie “Barbie” and the blockbuster global concert tours of Taylor Swift and Beyonce.“This year has been such a pivotal point for women and women’s rights,” said Doldol, 19, of Pittsburg.During a break between classes, she and a friend, Christian Ebonia, 20, agreed that “Barbie,” Swift’s Eras tour and Beyonce’s Renaissance concerts have given American women an unexpected focus for their anger since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs ruling ended the constitutional right to abortion: the ballot box.“That’s the thing with the ‘Barbie’ movie and these two famous women. (They) can influence a lot of younger people in getting out there to vote,” Doldol added.After “Barbie” opened in July, prominent feminist author Susan Faludi told the New York Times that this ost...

7 terrific Bay Area things to do this weekend, Oct. 6-8

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

From the return of Fleet Week to the forecasts for absolutely gorgeous weather, it feels like a classic fall weekend. So let’s make the best of it, shall we?But please be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: Great shows and events are all overFrom the return of Fleet Week and Litquake to a opera version of Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” there are a ton of great shows and festivals to take in this weekend and beyond.2 BAKE & EAT: Perfect Pumpkin recipesYou’re not plodding through fall baking season with last year’s recipes, are you? It’s time for an upgrade, folks. We’re talking about Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a maple cream glaze. among other tasty dishes.Jin Sun-kyu...

EV charging station experiences vary from surly to social: Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

Q: I am responding to Jo Howard’s comments last week about EV charging station rudeness. We have had an electric car since 2018. I agree that there is chaos and rudeness around EV chargers. I see three types:1. ICEing: This is when an internal combustion engine (gas-powered) vehicle parks in an EV charging space, making it unavailable for EV drivers who need to charge. Sometimes it is done out of ignorance, sometimes out of malice. Most EV drivers have encountered this.2. Non-charging EVs: Most EVs notify you on a phone app when they are done charging. And lots of charging stations have posted time limits. Often, you encounter a fully charged EV that is still connected to a charger. Even worse, some EV drivers treat these spaces as “reserved parking” and don’t plug in at all.3. Line cutting: At busy chargers, a line often forms. Some people try to cut in line, which can result in heated arguments at times.Josh B.A: And…Q: You asked readers to share expe...

San Jose Sharks 23-man roster projection: Who’s trending up, and who is fading away?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier mentioned in August after he brought back two forwards and a defenseman as part of the Erik Karlsson trade that there were still openings for some of the organization’s younger players to be a part of the NHL team’s 23-man roster.“I expect them to come in hungry and ready and if they perform and outplay the veteran guys, then they’ll get the opportunity and we’ll figure the rest out for sure,” Grier said then. “I don’t want to block anyone’s pathway.”Two months later, it’s fair to say two of the organization’s best prospects, forward William Eklund and defenseman Henry Thrun, have been outperforming some of their veteran teammates, and are looking to be with the Sharks when they open the regular season in a week’s time against the Vegas Golden Knights.It’s up to Grier, coach David Quinn, and other members of the Sharks’ hockey operations department to decide if Eklund and Thrun, and perhaps even center Thomas B...

Berkeley’s patchwork policies show how state housing goals complicate ADU rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

On paper, it’s never been easier to get plans for accessory dwelling units approved in California.But state lawmakers’ ongoing effort to streamline development of ADUs, which include in-law units and granny flats, frequently butts up against local concerns, especially in places like Berkeley where housing is in short supply, as are plots of land suitable for safely building these minuscule homes.In a marathon race to keep up with complex, ever-evolving state law, Berkeley’s planning and legal departments have stayed busy crafting — and recrafting — byzantine ADU regulations and policies since at least 2019, when state lawmakers started slashing red tape and simplifying approvals for ADU projects that met broad lists of state requirements.And the nearly three-hour legislation session during Tuesday’s City Council meeting offers the rest of the state a peek at what practical implementation of the state’s revised ADU rules actually looks like.In a 7-0 vote, with two members...

SF funding secured to install protected bike lanes near Golden Gate Park, Presido

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

(BCN) -- A bike safety project in San Francisco will move forward following the securing of $1.2 million in state funding that will see the installation of protected bike lanes connecting Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting announced Thursday. Following the death of world champion cyclist Ethan Boyes, who was killed after being struck by a car on Arguello Boulevard on April 4, the cycling community increased their push for new safety measures to be put in place in the area.The Arguello Quick Build Bicycle Safety Project will review and propose safety measures which could include having parked cars, safe-hit posts, or other barriers to separate cyclists from moving traffic, according to Ting. 20,000 Kaiser healthcare workers on strike in the Bay Area "Ethan's passing is such a loss," said Ting in a statement. "I'm answering our community's calls for better bike lanes and improved safety for cyclists in Richmond. We honor him by making sure vehicles an...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as pressure from high bond yields persists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting as pressure from the bond market remains high due to worries about a too-hot U.S. job market. Offering some relief was another sharp drop for oil prices. The S&P 500, the Dow and the Nasdaq composite were all wavering between small gains and losses at the open of trading Thursday. They drifted as Treasury yields bounced up and down. The 10-year Treasury yield initially rose after a report showed fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected, which could be a sign of upward pressure on inflation. The yield later eased as oil prices deepened their weeklong slide.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Crude prices have fallen every day this week save for one and drillers are getting hit hard as potential economic headwinds raise anxiety once again over a recession. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 shuffled between small gains and losses before the opening ...

Quién es Jon Fosse y cuáles son las obras más importantes del dramaturgo y escritor noruego ganador del Nobel de Literatura

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

(CNN Español) — Jon Fosse fue galardonado este jueves con el Premio Nobel de Literatura 2023 por “por sus obras innovadoras y su prosa que dan voz a lo indecible”, dijo la Academia Sueca al anunciar el galardón en una ceremonia en Estocolmo este jueves.Jon Fosse nació en la Haugesund, una ciudad en la costa noruega, el 29 de septiembre de 1959, destacándose como uno de los escritores más importantes de esta época, dijo Anders Olsson, presidente del Comité del Nobel de la Academia Sueca.“La singularidad de Fosse es totalmente evidente”, afirmó Olsson. “En su radical reducción del lenguaje y la acción dramática, expresa las emociones humanas más poderosas de ansiedad e impotencia en los términos cotidianos más sencillo”, añadió.Fosse es, sobre todo, un dramaturgo que se destaca por su capacidad para evocar ” la pérdida de orientación del ser humano” y así “acceder a una experiencia más profunda y cercana a la divinidad”...

Hyundai electric vehicles to use Tesla’s NACS charging ports starting next year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:47 GMT

Hyundai says it’s adopting North American Charging Standard ports for its electric vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, which will give the vehicles access to thousands of Tesla Superchargers across the two countries and Mexico. Tesla’s Superchargers are coveted by other automakers because it has more direct current fast-charging plugs in the U.S. than any other network, and its stations are in prime locations along freeway travel corridors.Hyundai Motor North America said Thursday that new Hyundai electric vehicles in the U.S. will come with the NACS port starting in 2024’s fourth quarter. It will begin in Canada in the first half of 2025.Hyundai electric vehicles with NACS ports will be able to access more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This will double the size of the DC fast charging network available to Hyundai electric vehicle customers.The Tesla network will be able to support the charging speeds on Hyundai’s advanced Electric-...