Catch Me Up: Daily news roundup for May 13, 2025

This Daily News Roundup for the 24 hours from 4:00 PM Monday 5/12 to 4:00 PM Tuesday 5/13 is based on news articles created by Bay City News reporters and editors. We prompted ChatGPT to analyze the articles produced by our staff and to choose 5 stories to highlight. Then we used ElevenLabs and other tools to help us convert the text into audio based on the voice of Leslie Katz, one of our Bay City News editors. This content was verified by a human editor.

Hello, and welcome to Bay City News for Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Here is a look at some of the top stories from across the region.

Healthcare advocates, caregivers, and residents are rallying today at numerous hospitals throughout California, including several in the Bay Area, to protest proposed cuts and changes to Medicaid. The demonstrations are a response to a legislative package introduced by congressional Republicans, which includes stricter eligibility and citizenship verifications for Medicaid, reduced reimbursements to providers, and potential funding cuts to states covering undocumented residents. A controversial work requirement for some adults is also part of the proposal. Rallies are scheduled at locations including Wilma Chan Highland Hospital in Oakland, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, organized by the “Fight for Your Health” coalition. They argue the changes could cause millions of Californians to lose care and lead to significant job losses.

This comes as Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday called on all local governments in California to adopt ordinances restricting public camping. The Governor’s office provided a model ordinance that suggests banning camping in one location for more than three consecutive nights and prohibiting semi-permanent structures on public property. Newsom stated there is “nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets” and urged urgent local action, citing a recent Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass versus Johnson. His push is accompanied by a promise of $3.3 billion from Proposition 1 to address street homelessness and mental health. While the Governor’s directive is not a mandate, he has previously threatened to withhold funding from local governments deemed not to be doing enough to remove encampments.

Meanwhile, in San Jose, several City Councilmembers on Monday expressed concerns about Mayor Matt Mahan’s proposal to arrest unhoused individuals who refuse offers of shelter. During a budget study session, council members discussed the plan, which includes establishing a special police unit to cite, hospitalize, or arrest those who resist shelter offers three times within an 18-month period. Councilmembers questioned the timing of the policy, given the current availability of shelter beds, and stressed the need for a confirmed partnership with Santa Clara County, which provides many homeless outreach and mental health services. Mayor Mahan and Police Chief Paul Joseph described the plan as a diversion tool to behavioral health court, not an effort to criminalize homelessness, aiming to connect individuals with services.

In Santa Clara County, a decades-old cold case reached its conclusion on Monday. Seventy-eight-year-old Gary Ramirez was sentenced to life in prison for the 1982 slaying of 15-year-old Karen Stitt of Palo Alto. Stitt was sexually assaulted and stabbed over 50 times after visiting her boyfriend in Sunnyvale. Her body was found near a bus stop. The case went unsolved for years until a tip in 2019 led investigators to Ramirez. DNA evidence left at the crime scene ultimately confirmed his involvement. Ramirez, who had been living in Maui, Hawaii, pleaded no contest to the homicide in February and will be eligible for parole after 25 years. Many of Stitt’s family and friends attended the sentencing.

From Stockton, federal prosecutors announced Monday that 43-year-old Jamar Deontae Barnes has been sentenced to over 16 years in federal prison for drug manufacturing and dealing. Barnes was convicted for his role in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs. According to court documents, from at least September 2015 through May 2019, Barnes and his twin brother, Jamaine Dontae Barnes, along with others, used pill presses to create counterfeit pills. A search of Jamar Barnes’ Stockton residence in May 2019 uncovered a pill press machine and illicit substances. Nine other defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the conspiracy.

And in San Francisco, police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run collision that occurred in the Bayview District on Monday morning. The incident was reported shortly after 6 a.m. in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue. Officers arrived to find the victim, a man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. As of midday Tuesday, investigators have not announced an arrest or released any suspect information. The pedestrian advocacy group Walk San Francisco identified the victim as a 47-year-old pedestrian and is calling on city leaders to take action to prevent traffic deaths. Anyone with information is asked to contact San Francisco police.

And those are some of the top stories we’re following. Thank you for joining us with Bay City News.