Maliya Ellis

Hilton workers authorize strike at downtown Houston hotel over $23 minimum wage Workers can now call a strike at any moment, escalating a labor dispute with the hotel giant.

Workers at one of Houston’s largest hotels authorized a strike yesterday, escalating demands for a $23 minimum wage from hotel giant Hilton. It was their union’s first such vote in Houston and a rare tactic in a largely un-unionized city. www.houstonchronicle.com/business/art...

Personal news: I’ve joined the business desk of @houstonchronicle.com covering affordability for the second year of my Hearst fellowship! Send tips and Texas recs: maliya.ellis@hearst.com 🤠

‘Crisis’: S.F. fire chief says city’s aging fleet could limit capacity to fight major blazes More than a third of the San Francisco Fire Department’s truck fleet is at least 20 years old, potentially limiting emergency response after a major earthquake.

Over a third of San Francisco’s fleet of fire trucks and engines is more than 20 years old and maintenance runs $500k a month. That could limit SFFD’s ability to fight giant blazes, like the ones that would likely spark after a major earthquake.

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/f...

S.F. leaders hail city’s revitalization on 119th anniversary of 1906 quake Mayor Daniel Lurie spoke at the event held at Lotta’s Fountain for the first time.

My San Francisco-est (and earliest) story yet: at 5:12am, S.F.’s leading lights and most loyal larks gathered downtown to commemorate the 1906 earthquake that killed 3,000 people 119 years ago.

Did Daniel Lurie wear period clothing? Read to find out: www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/1...

Al Gore to keynote S.F. climate conference with record attendance expected Organizers expect more attendees this year — despite, or perhaps because of, the Trump administration’s focus on rolling back climate action.

Former vice president Al Gore will deliver the keynote speech at San Francisco Climate Week on April 21.

The third annual conference, held 4/19-4/27, is expected to draw record attendance of at least 25,000 people, organizers said.

Details:

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/c...

List shows 62 California grants the EPA wants to terminate Bay Area nonprofits and several local governments are on the list of recipients whose funding could be revoked.

Dozens of California climate grants worth millions are on the chopping block, per a new EPA list. That could mean slashing projects like one to give air purifiers to East Palo Alto kids with asthma. Climate groups are suing to stop the terminations.

www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

How an S.F. Pilates instructor became the face of the city’s anti-Trump, anti-Musk protests A San Francisco pilates instructor has became the leader of the city’s anti-President Donald Trump and Elon Musk protests and will hold them "indefinitely."

Patty Moddelmog, 32, a San Francisco Pilates instructor, has a grand total of 2 weeks of organizing experience. But she’s become the unlikely face of weekly protests against President Trump and Elon Musk, protests she plans to keep up “indefinitely.”

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/t...

California’s almond crop threatened by ‘catastrophic’ honeybee losses Beekeepers across the country lost around 60% of their bees this year — the worst die-off in close to 20 years.

Bees are dying. Again.

Beekeepers lost about 60% of their commercial honeybees this winter, the highest losses in ~20 years. That’s bad news for the bee industry and for California’s $3B+ almond crop, which depends on pollination. W/ @jachristian.bsky.social

www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

Three college sophomores who died in a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont last week were remembered as kind and loving. The cause of the single-vehicle crash is under investigation.

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