Latest news with #SontayaRose
San Francisco Chronicle
24-07-2025
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
California summers are getting hotter. This map shows the most dramatic increases
California is heating up. Across the state, average temperatures have risen by 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, according to the state's Indicators of Climate Change in California Report. But some places have warmed more than others. While greenhouse gas emissions have made temperatures rise around the planet, other drivers have influenced climate conditions too, on a more local scale. The Chronicle examined gridded temperature data trends to find where summers warmed the fastest in California from 1950 to 2024. The map above is based on gridded temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This data incorporates observations from climate stations — which can move over time — and computes temperatures across the contiguous United States. The Chronicle used the Climate Engine tool to calculate the trends shown. Scientists are still working out how much urbanization, elevation and the ocean collectively impact warming. Other drivers have effects too, including long-term climate patterns like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which alters weather patterns in California. Aerosol pollution also dramatically decreased over the U.S. in recent decades. While the cleanup is a boon for air quality, the drop in sunlight-blocking particles in the atmosphere results in more warming on the ground. The variable nature of weather further complicates analyses, leading to ups and downs in average summer temperatures from year to year. July 2024 brought record-breaking heat across California; this month, the Bay Area generally faced cooler-than-average conditions. But over the course of decades, a rising trend emerges, especially in places like Fresno. Summer heat can have deadly consequences. From 2013 to 2022, seven extreme heat events killed nearly 460 Californians, according to a Department of Insurance report. These events led to over 5,000 hospitalizations and more than 300 cases of adverse birth outcomes, including preterm births and stillbirths. Some cities are taking steps to mitigate public health impacts of extreme heat. Fresno aims to cover 20% of the city with tree canopies over the next 40 years. This target requires planting around 4,600 trees per year. Fresno has planted about 7,600 trees since 2022, said Sontaya Rose, director of communications for the city, by email. Even historically cool locations, like San Francisco, are preparing for hot summers. In 2023 and 2024, the city provided 62 air conditioning units to 23 community-based organizations through the Extreme Weather Resilience Program, according to the Department of Emergency Management. The equipment helps the organizations, including Self-Help for the Elderly and Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, maintain services for vulnerable populations. Scientists expect California temperatures to continue rising in the future, underscoring the importance of preparing communities for the impacts of extreme heat — especially where temperatures are rising the fastest. The Chronicle's most popular stories and best reads of the moment. Sign up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Notice. Credits Reporting, design and development by Jack Lee. Editing by Hannah Hagemann, Dan Kopf and Aseem Shukla. Powered by the Hearst Newspapers DevHub. Advertisement
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's up with Javier's restaurant? Work on empty Fresno building started, stopped
When the popular Javier's Mexican Restaurant closed last summer, fans were heartbroken. The restaurant's owners held out hope they could reopen the nearly 50-year-old restaurant, but it never happened. Now major work is happening on the building, leaving Fresnans driving by on busy on Kings Canyon Road to wonder what's next for the high-profile spot. The Bee did some digging and though very few people could be reached for comment, we found some details about the status of the building — including some drama involving illegal work done on the property. The restaurant closed last summer, three years after founder Louis Duran died at age 88. He originally started the business in 1974 in a different building down the street, eventually moving it to its most recent location in a former bank. His family took over running the business. They sold the building in March for $2.2 million, according to county records. The new owner is a limited-liability company based in Bakersfield. Over the past few weeks, work on the building has drastically changed its look. The awnings that covered the patio out front are gone. So is the fencing that surrounded the patio. The palm trees in front were cut down. The interior of the building has been stripped clean. Heavy construction equipment and a dumpster have been on site, the building surrounded by fencing. But the new owners didn't have permits for the work, according to the City of Fresno. On June 10, the city inspected the property and 'red-tagged' it, issuing a stop-work order, according to city spokesperson Sontaya Rose. Now, the owners must pay four times as much when they apply for the permit they need, she said. None of the people associated with the company that bought the building returned messages from The Bee, or could be reached for comment. The Duran family members who most recently ran the restaurant could also not be reached for comment. City spokesperson Rose said the new owners started a draft application on the city's permit system for tenant improvements for a commercial use — but never finished or filed that application, she said. 'It looks to be commercial, not retail or restaurant,' she said, adding that the use could change if and when they file an application. Regardless of the building's future, it does not appear Javier's Mexican Restaurant and its enchiladas and margaritas will ever make a comeback, noted another family member, Greg Rodriquez, the grandson of Louis and Lupe Duran, who once oversaw brunch at the restaurant. 'No,' he said. 'They're done.'
