How has life in the Bay Area changed over the last 20 years? These stories straight from our Bay City News archives capture news of the day from 5, 10, and 20 years ago – as originally published at the time. Explore these history snapshots and ponder how today’s news compares to that of years past.
JULY 16, 2021
Coastal climate policy now includes rebuilding ecosystems that protect shorelines, fisheries and carbon storage. The KELP Act shows a North Bay lawmaker seeking federal money for kelp forests after steep losses along Northern California’s coast.
Bay City News Reported:
“Federal Kelp Restoration Bill Targets Climate Damage”
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, introduced new legislation Thursday to establish a federal grant program funding conservation and restoration projects for kelp forests.
The Keeping Ecosystems Living and Productive, or KELP, Act authorizes $50 million in funding between 2022 and 2026 for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant program. The program will fund projects that address regional kelp declines and long-term ecological recovery, especially in focus areas identified by federal and state management plans.
Huffman has introduced the legislation both as its own bill and as an amendment to the Oceans Based Climate Solutions Act, a bill by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, that proposes a number of solutions to climate change’s impact on oceans, including prohibiting offshore fossil fuel activity and establishing a manufacturer’s fee on new single-use plastic items. The bill was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee with the KELP Act amendment included.
“Kelp forests are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world,” Huffman said during the Wednesday committee markup. “Communities from Alaska to southern California depend on these functioning kelp forest ecosystems to reduce wave action and buffer shorelines, to support important fisheries like abalone and rockfish and to provide recreation and tourism opportunities.”
Kelp forests also store carbon dioxide, Huffman said, helping to fight global warming.
But warming may also be behind the forests’ dramatic decline. In a 2021 study, researchers across the University of California system found that the coastal area covered by kelp forests in Northern California dropped by over 95 percent between 2008 and 2019. A lack of natural predators for sea urchins — which eat kelp — has left the kelp forest in Northern California particularly susceptible to damage from heat waves and weather events, the researchers found. Huffman’s legislation directs efforts specifically toward predator control efforts and sea urchin removal.
The KELP Act is supported by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Nature Conservancy, the Ocean Foundation and other conservation groups and was introduced in tandem with other representatives from California, Montana, Oregon and the District of Columbia.
JULY 16, 2016
Bay Area sports history is also civic history when franchise figures become long-term community ambassadors. Nate Thurmond’s death marked the loss of a Warriors icon whose influence extended from the court into decades of local public presence.
Bay City News reported:
“Warriors Legend Nate Thurmond Dies In San Francisco”
One of the 50 greatest NBA players ever and a Golden State Warriors legend died today in San Francisco, officials with the Golden State Warriors said.
Nate Thurmond died of leukemia. He was 74.
Thurmond was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985 after 11 seasons with the Warriors, more than a year with the Chicago Bulls and more than a season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Big Nate” became the first player to record a quadruple double in a game, scoring 22 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, making 13 assists and blocking 12 shots when the Chicago Bulls played the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 18, 1974.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, “Nate Thurmond was a giant of his era and one of the greatest players in the history of our game. Nate brought the same passion to his longtime community relations role with the Golden State Warriors, who benefited from his deep knowledge of the game and warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered for more than 30 years. We are deeply saddened by his loss.”
Both the Warriors and Cavaliers retired Thurmond’s jersey after a career that included seven times as an All-Star and averages of 15 points and 15 rebounds per game, Warriors officials said.
After the 1967-68 season, Thurmond joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only Warrior to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in season.
Thurmond averaged 20.5 points and 22 rebounds that year, according to Warriors officials.
Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob said in a statement, “We’ve lost one of the most iconic figures in the history of not only our organization, but the NBA in general, with the passing of Nate Thurmond. Nate represented this franchise with class, dignity and humility as both a player and community relations ambassador for over 40 years.”
In his statement, Lacob called Thurmond a Hall of Fame Player and a Hall of Fame person, which is why Thurmond’s No. 42 jersey hangs from the rafters in Oracle Arena.
Thurmond is one of only six players to have their number retired by the Warriors. The others include No. 16 Alvin Attles, No. 24 Rick Barry, No. 13 Wilt Chamberlain, No. 14 Tom Meschery and No. 17 Chris Mullin.
The Warriors selected Thurmond third overall in the 1963 NBA Draft after a college career at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Thurmond’s friend and Cavaliers teammate Campy Russell said in a statement, “We are very saddened by the loss of Nate Thurmond. Nate’s Jersey hangs in the rafters at The Q because of the unselfish way the Akron native and Hall of Famer approached the game we all love.”
Alvin Attles said in a statement, “Although I had prepared for this news for the past several days, I was heartbroken and devastated when I was informed of Nate’s death earlier today. Looking back, he was as ferocious as any player in the history of the game on the court, but one of then kindest and nicest souls in everyday life.”
JULY 16, 2006
San Francisco’s debates over car-free park space continue to shape how residents balance access, recreation and disability concerns. The Healthy Saturdays compromise shows advocates revising a Golden Gate Park closure plan after a mayoral veto.
Bay City News reported:
“Golden Gate Park Saturday Closure Plan Returns”
Proponents of “Healthy Saturdays,” an initiative which seeks to close sections of John F. Kennedy Drive in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to vehicle traffic on Saturdays, gathered in the park today to discuss how to best proceed with their campaign.
Undeterred by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s veto of legislation in May that would have closed portions of JFK Drive to vehicles to allow the roads to be used for biking, walking, running, and other recreational purposes, supporters of the road closures are working on a compromise plan.
According to David Miles Jr., one of the organizers of the Healthy Saturdays campaign, the proposed compromise would keep certain roads in the park open to vehicles on Saturdays to allow for access to the Conservatory of Flowers.
Access to the Conservatory of Flowers was one of the concerns cited by the mayor before he vetoed the Saturday road closure ordinance.
The new plan would keep JFK Drive between Kezar Drive and Bowling Green Drive open to cars on Saturdays, according to Miles. Conservatory Drive East and a portion of Middle Drive East would also be open to cars.
This would allow motorists to reach the Conservatory of Flowers in a car, removing a main “bone of contention” that was in the original road closure legislation, Miles said.
The new plan also calls for parking spaces to be available on the Eighth Avenue entrance to the park, according to Miles.
How people with disabilities would access the park on Saturdays if roads were closed to vehicles — another concern cited by members of the Board of Supervisors who did not support the legislation — would be addressed through the use of shuttles and special handicapped parking, measures that are already being implemented on Sundays, when JFK Drive is closed to vehicles, according to Miles.
The Healthy Saturdays supporters are testing the waters with this revised plan, Miles said. The group will decide shortly whether they will try again to pass legislation through the Board of Supervisors, or whether they will take the issue directly to the voters through a ballot measure.
Editor’s Note: All the reporting, writing, and editing of this content was done by human journalists at the time of initial publication. AI tools were used to surface these stories from our internal Bay City News archives and provide the introductory context.