Stories that shaped the Bay Area in 2023

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Here are some of the biggest news stories of 2023 that impacted the San Francisco Bay Area.

Atmospheric Rivers

A record-breaking “parade of storms” soaked the San Francisco Bay Area with 13 inches of rain between December 26 and January 10. “We are soaked. This place is soaked,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Atmospheric rivers and “bomb cyclones” generated relentless winter storms with deadly flooding. Whipping winds toppled thousands of trees, while mudslides and road washouts created dangerous driving conditions.

Emergency officials told Bay Area residents to stay home and keep off the roads. Residents with flooded and tree-battered homes struggled to cleanup damages before the next big storm hit.

Up the Sierra Nevada mountains, 2023 was the “second snowiest” year on record. More than 600 inches of snow fell on some peaks.

Atmospheric rivers continued drenching California through March. Five people in the Bay Area were killed by one windy storm in mid-March that blew trees on top of victims. Down in Monterey County, the rural town of Pajaro was submerged in floodwaters after the Pajaro River levee broke.

Half Moon Bay Farms Mass Shooting

A farmworker, Chunli Zhao, allegedly went on a rampage in the quiet coastal town of Half Moon Bay and gunned down seven farm workers, prosecutors said. The victims, Asian and Latin migrant farm workers, were shot on January 23 at California Terra Gardens and Concord Farms.

Two hours into a manhunt for the killer, Zhao drove himself to a San Mateo County Sheriff’s substation where several journalists had gathered. An eagle-eyed deputy spotted Zhao and arrested him. The sheriff described the mass shooting as a case of “workplace violence.”

Zhao pleaded not guilty to seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. His preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin March 18, 2024.

The mass shooting led to investigators discovering deplorable living conditions for agricultural workers on local farms.

Banko Brown Killed By Security Guard

Banko Brown’s violent and very public death was riddled in controversy. Brown was a 24-year-old transgender Black man. He was unarmed and shoplifting at a San Francisco Walgreens store when a security guard fatally shot him on April 27. The security guard, 33-year-old Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, was arrested by police on suspicion of homicide. Days later, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that no charges would be filed against Anthony.

Walgreen’s surveillance cameras showed Brown was trying to flee from the store with a bag of stolen items when the guard shot fatally him. The video sent shockwaves through San Francisco. “I am horrified by this video which appears to show Banko Brown being executed for shoplifting,” Supervisor Dean Preston said.

Jenkins said there was not enough evidence to prove guilt to a jury, partially because Anthony had a strong case for self-defense.

“DA Jenkins’ decision to not charge gives every armed security guard in San Francisco a license to have an open season to shoot and kill Black and transgender people for alleged shoplifting,” Supervisor Shamann Walton said.

Tech CEO Bob Lee Murdered

Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in San Francisco near the Bay Bridge around 2:30 a.m. on April 4, 2023.

Investigators said Nima Momeni, 38, of Emeryville, attacked Lee because he was angry about Lee’s “inappropriate” behavior with Momeni’s married sister, Khazar, at a party. The wealthy tech executive attended several parties and used drugs in the hours leading up to his violent death.

Lee went to Khazar’s luxury apartment in Millennium Tower around midnight. Her brother was the last person seen with Lee alive. A witness saw Momeni confront Lee about Lee’s relationship with Khazar, court documents state.

The two men were recorded by security cameras leaving the tower in Momeni’s sportscar. Prosecutors said Momeni drove Lee to a dark and empty street before stabbing the tech mogul in the heart.

Lee, 43, left a trail of blood as he stumbled away looking for help. He died at a hospital. A toxicology report detected cocaine, ketamine and alcohol in his system.

Khazar sent text messages to Lee’s cellphone hours after his death. One text message stated, “Just wanted to make sure your doing ok. Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you. And thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks,” according to court documents.

Momeni pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled to begin on March 15, 2024.

Fentanyl Crisis Rages On

Fentanyl is known as a “silent killer.” The highly addictive opioid quietly ended the lives of more than 1,000 San Franciscans within the past two years.

In 2022, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported that 647 people died from an unintentional drug overdose. 2023 has already surpassed that tragic number. As of November 1, 692 overdose deaths were recorded in San Francisco. The vast majority of deaths were caused by fentanyl.

Governor Gavin Newsom said fentanyl drug dealers are “poison peddlers” who profit from the desperation and misery of addicts.

KRON4 launched a special series, “Focus On Fentanyl,” to help bring awareness to the public health crisis.

Some victims are unaware that the recreational drug they used was laced with fentanyl. “He was exposed by taking other drugs that he thought was something else,” Tori Kropp said about her son, Xander. “I came home from work and he was face-down on his bedroom floor. There’s no way to describe that.”

Oakland Athletics Leaving Oakland

In what was crushing news for East Bay baseball fans, the A’s put their plan to depart Oakland for Las Vegas in motion in 2023. The A’s became the third professional sports team to leave Oakland since 2019, joining the Raiders (Las Vegas) and Warriors (San Francisco).

Mayor Sheng Thao fought to keep the team in Oakland, meeting with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in Seattle during MLB’s All-Star festivities. A’s fans made an effort as well, executing a “reverse boycott” by packing the Coliseum for a June game against the Tampa Bay Rays — attempting to demonstrate that fans would show up to watch a solid product.

However, MLB owners voted in November that the team could go forward with its move. The A’s’ lease at the Coliseum is up after the 2024 season, so that could be the team’s final year in Oakland.

49ers Brock Purdy-Mania Takes Over

The San Francisco 49ers have found themselves a quarterback.

Following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garropolo in 2022, the 49ers were forced to turn to rookie Brock Purdy, taken with the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, at the sport’s most important position. In 2023, Purdy proved he was the man for the job.

In January, he won playoff games over rivals Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys before going down with an injury in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy bounced back from elbow surgery in time to start the 2023 season. Fast forward to December, and Purdy has emerged as a candidate for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award, is starring in Alaska Airlines commercials and has the 49ers at 10-3 — tied for the league’s best record.

Cruise Controversies

The future of Autonomous Vehicles — cars without drivers — was looking bright at the beginning of 2023. Cruise proclaimed its technology would make roads safer without human behind the wheel.

In August, Cruise received a green light from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand AV ride-hailing services in San Francisco and charge passengers for rides.

Throughout the year, however, San Franciscans encountered and recorded many bizarre scenes of AV’s stalled out, also known as “bricking,” and blocking traffic.

The SF Municipal Transportation Agency wrote, “When human drivers get confused or have engine trouble, they find a safe place to pull over and sort things out. When AVs get confused, they simply stop wherever they happen to be. Most of the time, a human operator must then travel from somewhere else in the city to rescue the vehicle.”

The most high-profile incident happened on Oct. 2, when a pedestrian was struck by a human-driven car at 5th and Market Streets and tumbled into the path of a Cruise car. The driverless Cruise car ran over the pedestrian. The pedestrian remained underneath the Cruise car and was dragged while it tried to perform a pullover maneuver.

The DMV suspended Cruise’s autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits in October, citing “an unreasonable risk to public safety.” Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt announced his resignation from the company in November.

APEC

San Francisco hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) for one week in November. Dozens of world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as tech industry executives attended.

APEC was the biggest international event to bring world leaders to San Francisco since the city served as the backdrop to the founding of the United Nations in 1945. Biden met with Jinping face-to-face to stabilize their fraught relationship.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a champion of liberal causes who was elected to the Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career, died in September. She was 90.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.

She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female board president in 1978, the year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall. Feinstein found Milk’s body. After Moscone’s death, Feinstein became San Francisco’s first female mayor. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators.

Oakland Police Chief Fired By New Mayor

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong was fired by Mayor Sheng Thao in February. Thao said she fired Armstrong “without cause” because he allegedly failed to discipline officers who committed misconduct and lacked credibility. “Mr. Armstrong failed to stand up for accountability at OPD,” Thao said.

Armstrong said, “This is not a scandal. I did not engage in policy violations. I did not do anything wrong.” Armstrong said violent crime spiraled out of control in Oakland after his firing.

Armstrong is still fighting to get his job back, and Oakland has yet to select a new permanent police chief.

Silicon Valley Bank Collapses

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March. The Federal Reserve blamed the bank failure on poor management, watered-down regulations and lax oversight by its own staffers. The Federal Reserve said the industry needs stricter policing on multiple fronts to prevent future bank failures.

SVB had large amounts of deposits that exceeded the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s insurance cap, making them vulnerable to a panic. SVB’s wealthy clients, many in the tech industry, fled after the bank said it needed to raise capital.

Silicon Valley Bank had more than $200 billion in assets when it failed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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