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Cover Story: The Meteoric Metamorphosis of La Monarca Panaderia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

When Alfredo Livas and Ricardo Cervantes were little boys growing up in Monterrey, Mexico, they never ran into each other after school when they indulged in hot chocolate and pastries in the region’s many panaderias. It wasn’t until 20 years later that they met in California and memories of that afternoon ritual would metamorphosize into La Monarca Bakery, a chain of 12 bakeries celebrating their Mexican heritage.The pair met while studying at Stanford Business School and spent nights reminiscing about the bakeries in Monterrey. The 20-somethings noticed that the Hispanic market was a woefully underserved sleeping giant. “If you went to a Mexican neighborhood 20 years ago in L.A. or the Bay Area, there were no Starbucks or In & Out,” Livas tells L.A. Weekly, up to his elbows in conchas, cakes and orejitas in his Highland Park store. “We started comparing that to how things were in Mexico and wanted to recreate that community. We knew we wanted to do a brand that resonated with t...

Letters: Stadium financials | S.J. homelessness | Fund education | Wildfires’ reality | Quality music | Pain of inflation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Levi’s Stadium financialseven out for Santa ClaraRe: “Levi’s Stadium profits in limbo” (Page B1, Sept. 26).I am shocked by the fact that Santa Clara received zero profit from Levi’s Stadium’s nonsporting events this past year. As someone who attended the biggest nonsporting event this summer at the stadium, I would have thought the city would get some profit.The city of Santa Clara and the 49ers have always had disagreements but I assumed it was just logistical issues. However, I suppose other factors still directly benefited the city with the nonsporting events. For example, Taylor Swift’s two-night gig at the stadium gave Santa Clara the biggest economic boost since before the pandemic. With hotel sales and transportation, all that money went to the city, not the stadium. In the end, it realistically evens out financially.Brianna HuffmasterSan JoseSan Jose must do moreto s...

Levi’s Stadium: 49ers made commitments to FIFA for World Cup 2026 without Santa Clara’s consent

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

As Santa Clara prepares to host several matches for the 2026 World Cup, city leaders are accusing the San Francisco 49ers of going “beyond what is normal and customary” in making commitments to FIFA on the city’s behalf — without their knowledge.FIFA announced last year that the city-owned Levi’s Stadium would be one of 16 U.S. venues to host the 2026 World Cup. But planning for the event has been challenging for the city.For the past year, the city’s fought to get access to the necessary documents from the 49ers — who manage non-NFL events for the stadium and have been leading the charge to host the games. In April, Mayor Lisa Gillmor even suggested the city subpoena key documents Santa Clara had yet to obtain.But while City Manager Jovan Grogan on Tuesday evening told the Santa Clara City Council that in it’s role as the stadium authority board, the city has made progress with FIFA, he noted the recent document dump unearthed revelat...

Oakland: Driver agrees to 13-year prison term for killing mother of 7 who spoke out against violence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

OAKLAND — Prosecutors and defense attorneys have reached a plea agreement over the 2020 hit-and-run crash that killed a mother of seven children as she crossed the street to pick up a child from school, court records show.Henry Melendez, 30, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the death of 40-year-old Miesha Singleton, a San Leandro resident and anti-violence activist, and has agreed to a 13-year prison term. Singleton was in a crosswalk and on her way to pick up her child from Elmhurst United Middle School on the 1800 block of 98th Avenue in East Oakland, when Melendez drove a white Nissan into her and kept going, authorities said.Authorities say he then hit a car at Plymouth Street and 98th Avenue, and drove away from that crash as well.Melendez was originally charged with voluntary manslaughter, but the Alameda County District Attorney upgraded the charges to murder in 2021. The murder charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal, court records show.In the second crash, ...

Martinez PD apprehended disruptive man near high school 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

(KRON) – The Martinez Police Department was alerted to perform a welfare check on a pedestrian walking down the street exhibiting “strange” behavior in the area of Alhambra Avenue and J Street. According to Martinez police, officers located an adult male subject walking in the area and attempted to contact him. The subject fled into the Alhambra High School lower-level parking lot. The subject briefly entered the high school building before police contact, Martinez officers said.  Jeremy Stoner’s accused killer linked to 2nd Bay Area cold case Alhambra High School was shortly placed on a lockdown protocol until the issue was resolved.According to police, there were no students or staff were harmed in the incident. The subject was identified as a 31-year-old man from Richmond, CA. Officers ascertained that the subject was experiencing a mental health crisis and was transported to Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center for a 72-hour mental health evaluation. 

Miguel Cabrera’s 511th home run lifts Tigers, who sweep Royals 8-0 and 7-3

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit his 511th home run as Detroit won the completion of a suspended game 8-0 and Spencer Torkelson hit a three-run homer in a seven-run seventh inning that led the Tigers over the Kansas City Royals 7-3 Thursday for a sweep both games.Cabrera, who is retiring after the season, tied Mel Ott for 25th on the career home run list. The 40-year-old has 373 homers for Detroit, tying Norm Cash for second behind Al Kaline’s 399.Cabrera did not play in the regularly scheduled game but intends to appear in the season’s final three games this weekend against Cleveland.At 54-105, the Royals have their most losses since 2005.Cole Ragans (5-2) led 3-0 after 6 1/3 innings in the second game before Parker Meadows hit an RBI single and Matt Vierling tied the score with a two-run single off Carlos Hernández.“He said he didn’t feel right mechanically all day,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. ” That’s the kind of thing he has to be able to overcome.”Andy Ibañez singled f...

Correction: California-Home Insurance-Things To Know story

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In a story published September 22, 2023, about property insurance, The Associated Press erroneously reported that insurers must pay into a fund to provide coverage for people who can’t get coverage through no fault of their own. The fund is primarily funded by policies sold to customers. Insurers only pay into the fund if it is insolvent or to keep it from going insolvent.Source

Canelo puts unified belts on line versus Charlo in ‘hometown’ match

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It didn’t take long for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to consider Las Vegas his second home.He came here to fight Jose Cotto on May 10, 2010, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and right away Alvarez felt the support from his Mexican compatriots.Alvarez won that fight by technical knockout in the second round, the first of many trips to Las Vegas. He is back again, this time as the unified super middleweight champion preparing to face junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.“I think it’s the capital of boxing,” Alvarez said of Las Vegas. “I just feel (it’s) like coming home because a lot of Mexicans go there and support me. So that’s why I like fighting in Vegas, and there’s a lot of history there.”The 33-year-old Alvarez has been a big part of that history, whether it’s beating Gennadiy Golovkin twice with another fight ending in a split draw, or defeating Shane Mosley, Daniel Jacobs or Sergey Kovalev. His favo...

France’s injured Dupont ‘doing as well as possible’ post-op at Rugby World Cup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (AP) — France captain Antoine Dupont was “doing as well as possible” six days after surgery on his facial fracture, a team spokesman said on Thursday at the Rugby World Cup.Dupont suffered a broken jaw in an illegal head-on-head tackle against Namibia and had surgery the next day. He hasn’t been publicly seen since the game.The scrumhalf is considered rugby’s best player and there are doubts whether the injury will allow him to return to the tournament. He can wear a mask, World Rugby has said.“The swelling has gone down,” France team health manager Bruno Boussagol said.“He’s having some pain that’s linked to the head injury, but which has nothing to do with the post-op. He’s doing very well. He’s in high spirits. He’s quite confident.“The plan for him is a visit to the surgeon, which is going to happen fairly quickly. It’s a post-surgery visit to assess his progress and to give the first instruction...

Delivery driver who shot YouTube prankster acted in self-defense, jury finds

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:27 GMT

A Loudoun County jury ruled Thursday that a delivery driver acted in self-defense when he shot a YouTube prankster who was following him around a mall food court earlier this year.Alan Colie, 31, was acquitted of aggravated malicious wounding, the most serious charge he faced in the shooting of Tanner Cook, 21, who runs the “Classified Goons” YouTube channel. Colie was, however, found guilty of unlawful discharge of a firearm in an occupied building.The April 2 shooting at the food court in Dulles Town Center, about 45 minutes west of the nation’s capital, set off panic as shoppers fled what they feared to be a mass shooting.Colie’s defense attorney, Adam Pouilliard, said during Thursday’s closing arguments that his client felt menaced by the 6-foot-5 (1.95-meter-tall) Cook during the confrontation, which was designed to provoke a reaction that draws viewers to Cook’s YouTube channel.Cook, Pouilliard said, “is trying to confuse people to post videos. He’s not...