Samwise SF Bay Area Newsletter
Monday, April 13, 2026
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s SF Home Hit With Second Attack in Four Days
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home was targeted in a second attack Sunday, April 12, just days after a 20-year-old Texas man named Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the Russian Hill mansion on April 10. Police arrested two additional suspects Sunday — Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23 — on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm. The back-to-back incidents came days after OpenAI published a policy document arguing that AI could reshape society faster than institutions can manage, proposing a public wealth fund, a robot tax, and a four-day workweek. No injuries were reported in either attack.
Sources: SF Standard
Swalwell Exits California Governor’s Race After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his California gubernatorial campaign Sunday after sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women, including a former congressional staffer who told the San Francisco Chronicle she was assaulted twice while working in his office. CNN later reported four women had made similar claims. Fifty-five of Swalwell’s former staffers signed a public letter calling on him to withdraw and resign from Congress. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office confirmed it had opened an investigation. In a social media statement, Swalwell said: “I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I have made in my past.” He had launched his gubernatorial bid in January 2026.
Sources: SF Standard
Two Earthquakes Rattle Bay Area in Early-Morning Hours Sunday
Two earthquakes jolted the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday morning, April 12. A magnitude 4.6 quake struck near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 1:41 a.m., followed by a separate magnitude 4.2 tremor centered near San Ramon at 7:01 a.m. The San Ramon area has experienced more than 162 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher since November 2025, one of the region’s most active swarms in recent memory. USGS seismologists say they are deploying new ground-sensor arrays to track fault movement along the Calaveras Fault, and Bay Area emergency managers are urging residents to download the free MyShake early-alert app. No injuries were reported.
Sources: KQED
Oakland Violent Crime Falls 22 Percent in Early 2026, but Residents Remain Skeptical
Oakland recorded its steepest crime decline in decades during the first quarter of 2026, with violent crime — including homicide, rape, and assault — down 22 percent compared to the same period last year, according to city data released April 2. Homicides alone fell 39 percent. The drop continues a trend from 2025, when Oakland saw its sharpest reductions since before the pandemic, mirroring a national pattern in which U.S. cities recorded some of their lowest homicide rates since the late 1950s. Police officials and criminologists say the causes remain unclear, and many Oakland residents say they have not yet felt the change in their daily lives.
Sources: KQED
Construction Begins on SF’s Largest Affordable Housing Project Near Mission BART
Construction has begun on the Marvel in the Mission, San Francisco’s largest affordable housing development, at 1979 Mission Street adjacent to the 16th Street BART Station. The 19-story, 382-unit project — co-developed by Mission Housing Development Corp. and the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) — will include 136 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless residents in its first phase. Western Alliance Bank is providing $78 million in financing. The development, known as “La Maravilla,” will bring nearly 400 deeply affordable homes to the Mission District when fully complete. A community groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for April 23, 2026.
Sources: Mission Local
Alameda County Votes to Oppose Converting FCI Dublin Into an ICE Detention Center
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution April 8 opposing any effort to reopen the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin as an immigration detention facility. The prison was shuttered in 2024 after federal correctional officers were convicted of sexually abusing women housed there. The resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisors Elisa Márquez and David Haubert, is largely symbolic — the federal government controls the property. An ICE spokesperson told The Oaklandside that the agency is not currently considering the conversion. The vote reflects mounting local resistance to federal immigration enforcement priorities across Bay Area jurisdictions.
Sources: The Oaklandside
SF Streets Become Open-Air Gallery as Big Art Loop Installs Burning Man Sculptures
San Francisco is filling its public spaces with monumental art through the Big Art Loop, a citywide project spanning 34 miles that will eventually place 100 large-scale installations across the city, many salvaged from Burning Man. The initiative is funded by the Sijbrandij Foundation — created by GitLab co-founder Sid Sijbrandij — and organized with arts nonprofit Building 180. Anchor works include Marco Cochrane’s 40-foot steel figure “R-Evolution” near the Ferry Building and a 100-foot sea serpent called “Naga” at Rainbow Falls in Golden Gate Park. New installations continue through October 2026, coinciding with SF Art Week events throughout the city this April.
Sources: SF Examiner
Bay Pulse
Giants: Next: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks — Mon. Apr 13 at 6:45 PM PT, Oracle Park
Warriors: Next: at LA Clippers (NBA Play-In) — Wed. Apr 15 at 7:00 PM PT, Intuit Dome
Sharks: In NHL playoff push; regular season ends Thu. Apr 16 — visit NHL.com for final schedule.
Earthquakes: Next: vs. Phoenix Rising FC (US Open Cup) — Wed. Apr 15 at 7:00 PM PT, PayPal Park
49ers: 49ers’ season starts again September 2026.
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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