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$44 Billion Twitter Sale to Elon Musk Ignites Fears Company May Be Moved Out of San Francisco – California Globe

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$44 Billion Twitter Sale to Elon Musk Ignites Fears Company May Be Moved Out of San Francisco – California Globe


The acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion by Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk on Monday fueled fear by Twitter staff and others that that the corporate could possibly be moved out of state, or at the least out of San Francisco, the place the corporate has been headquartered since its founding in 2006.

Neither Musk nor any Twitter govt mentioned something a couple of potential transfer on Monday, with Musk focusing solely on the sale and assuaging fears to customers that he would use the platform as a approach to limit-free speech regardless of being an advocate of free speech expansions on Twitter, would reinstate former President Donald Trump to Twitter, or different actions that will significantly change the platform. In an announcement on Monday, Musk maintained his dedication to free speech, in addition to enhancing the social media platform.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital city sq. the place issues very important to the way forward for humanity are debated,” mentioned Musk on Monday. “Twitter has great potential — I sit up for working with the corporate and the group of customers to unlock it. I additionally need to make Twitter higher than ever by enhancing the product with new options, making the algorithms open supply to extend belief, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all people. Even my worst critics stay on Twitter, as a result of that’s what free speech means.”

Musk’s phrases quieted some critics, with the buyout inflicting Twitter’s inventory to leap up over 5% earlier than the bell on Monday. Different fears had been additionally lessoned following the Twitter boards announcement that they rigorously assed Musk’s supply, with Twitter Board chair Bret Taylor noting on Monday that “The Twitter Board carried out a considerate and complete course of to evaluate Elon’s proposal with a deliberate concentrate on worth, certainty, and financing. The deal was greatest path ahead for Twitter’s stockholders.”

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Nonetheless, for a lot of Twitter staff, the query over Musk’s dedication to California remained within the air.

“There’s no means we’re shifting to a hellhole like Texas,” mentioned a bunch of 4 Twitter staff in a Globe interview on Monday. “Everybody right here is totally on edge after it was introduced right this moment. I imply, we’ve been this fashion for awhile with Musk coming out and in of being on the board or making an attempt to purchase us. However now that it has occurred, and contemplating that Musk has moved a lot he had in California out of state, we’re very involved.”

Concern of a transfer exterior of San Francisco

Previously, Musk has had a blended relationship with California. He personally moved from California to Texas in 2020, shifting Tesla’s headquarters from Palo Alto to Austin late final yr and SpaceX increasing into Texas. Nonetheless, he has additionally proven exceptional dedication to the state, preserving the House X headquarters in Hawthorne, enhancing the Tesla plant in Fremont, and constructing a brand new manufacturing unit in Lathrop. Many within the tech business have famous that Musk has hinted about shifting Twitter out of San Francisco previously.

“Musk has mentioned earlier than that he desires to show Twitter’s HQ right into a homeless shelter,” mentioned Anthony Ferry, a San Francisco tech guide, to the Globe on Monday. “He even reiterated on Twitter that he was critical. That’s not precisely concrete, however it’s a pink flag.”

“Plus many in Texas try to get Musk to maneuver them in. Governor [Greg] Abbott tweeted to Musk earlier right this moment to maneuver them to Texas. So this isn’t simply hypothesis. That is an lively motion. If I used to be somebody in energy right here in San Francisco I might be extremely nervous. Twitter is without doubt one of the principal firms right here for tech. In the event that they had been gone, many would begin panicking.”

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Twitter staff had been additionally involved.

“Past Musk taking on right here, we’re nervous simply what he’ll do right here now,” mentioned “Saanvi,” one of many 4 Twitter staff interviewed, to the Globe. “All of us have lives right here now and like residing right here. Nobody actually desires to go.”

One other worker, “David,” instantly added, “It could sound like we’re simply exaggerating issues, however we aren’t. We aren’t in some bubble. Nobody desires a transfer. And you’ll wager that town doesn’t need them to go too. There’s a variety of taxes using on Twitter right here, in addition to Twitter being an vital a part of the financial system. California loses Twitter, there goes one other huge firm in addition to loads in taxes and plenty of well-paid staff.”

“If we don’t give up earlier than,” added a 3rd worker. “If there’s a transfer, a few of us may simply transfer on elsewhere right here somewhat than go there. That is one thing nobody desires however Musk may. And if he does, effectively, keep in mind when Boeing was moved out of Seattle after which tanked in Chicago due to the mind drain and all of the errors with it? Loads of parallels right here is all I’m saying.”

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As of Monday, Musk nor anybody else in Twitter has talked about a doable transfer, with no different metropolis reporting on a transfer exterior of hypothesis.





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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Giants 2024 season preview: Projected lineup, rotation and whether there’s ever enough pitching

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San Francisco Giants 2024 season preview: Projected lineup, rotation and whether there’s ever enough pitching


The San Francisco Giants have slipped from 107 wins in 2021 to 81 in 2022 to 79 last season. In an attempt to arrest this pattern of decline, lead decision-maker Farhan Zaidi has positioned the Giants as one of the most active teams of the winter. To improve his club’s chances of getting back in the playoffs — likely via wild-card berth given that they share division with the Dodgers — Zaidi has signed the likes of Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks, and, just this week, Blake Snell, among others. As well, the Giants swung a trade for Robbie Ray and replaced Gabe Kapler in the dugout with new manager Bob Melvin. That’s a lot of churn and investment, and there’s mounting pressure for those moves to pay off and, yes, yield a postseason berth. 

Will that happen? A deeper dive into the current state of the 2024 Giants may shed some light. Let’s undertake that right now. 

Win total projection, odds

  • 2023 record: 79-83 (fourth in NL West)
  • 2024 SportsLine win total over/under: 82.5 
  • World Series odds (via SportsLine): +6000

Projected lineup

  1. Jung Hoo Lee, CF
  2. Thairo Estrada, 2B
  3. LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B
  4. Jorge Soler, DH
  5. Michael Conforto, LF
  6. Matt Chapman, 3B
  7. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
  8. Patrick Bailey, C
  9. Marco Luciano, SS

Last season, the Giants ranked 24th in MLB in runs scored and 26th in OPS. That obviously needs to improve, and the hope for the Giants is that Lee gives them a much-needed dose of OBP and contact at the top of the lineup — more on that in a moment. Meantime, Soler and Chapman should improve the Giants’ problems versus lefties and in terms of power. It’s entirely possible that veteran NRI Nick Ahmed emerges as the starting shortstop, at least to start the season. 

Projected rotation

  1. Logan Webb, RHP
  2. Blake Snell, LHP
  3. Kyle Harrison, LHP
  4. Jordan Hicks, RHP
  5. Keaton Winn, RHP

The San Fran rotation in 2023 placed 10th in MLB with an ERA of 4.12. That rotation also ranked an impressive fourth in the majors with a K/BB ratio of 3.84. Notable losses from last year include Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, Alex Wood, and Jakob Junis. 

Projected bullpen

  • Closer: RHP Camilo Doval
  • Setup: RHP Tyler Rogers, LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Luke Jackson
  • Middle: RHP Ryan Walker, LHP Juan Sanchez
  • Long: RHP Daulton Jefferies

Last year’s pen was 14th in MLB with a relief ERA of 3.92 and fourth with a relief K/BB ratio of 3.03. Like all teams, there’s been a substantial level of bullpen turnover. There’s really no call for such details, though, just as there’s no call for further discussion of the Giants’ bullpen. It will probably be fine, much like you. 

Is there enough starting pitching?

Logan Webb is a certifiable ace at the front end, and the late signing of reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell gives them a true co-ace. But what about the remainder of the Giants’ rotation for 2024? As noted, Manaea, Wood, Junis, and DeSclafani are gone, and they were all varying degrees of useful last season across a combined 44 starts. Hicks is new to the fold, and he’s got one of the biggest fastballs (sinker, actually) in the game today. However, Hicks is primarily a reliever, and the only time he tried his hand at starting the results over eight starts for the Cardinals in 2022 were hardly encouraging. It’s difficult to imagine Hicks this season will be able to handle a starter’s workload while also being effective. 

Elsewhere, Robbie Ray probably won’t be available until the second half of the season as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Right-hander Tristan Beck recently underwent vascular surgery after being diagnosed with an aneurysm in his upper arm. He’s still weeks from even throwing, and he doesn’t yet have a timetable for his return. Alex Cobb is still recovering from offseason hip surgery, and Keaton Winn is well behind schedule after suffering elbow discomfort early in spring training. It should be apparent that the Giants have serious depth concerns, mostly because of all those injuries.

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Will Lee give the Giants what they need at the top of the order?

The Giants’ priciest move of the offseason was the six-year, $113 million pact they forged with Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee. Lee, to state the obvious, is vital to the Giants’ hopes in 2024 and beyond. He’ll man the critical position of center, and the hope is that he’ll give San Fran on-base skills as the leadoff hitter. Lee has good bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline, but the question is how his power — or lack thereof — will translate in making the leap from KBO to MLB. His maximum exit velocity makes him a peer of Andrew Benintendi and Robbie Grossman, and if you exclude his 23-homer effort in 2022, Lee averaged just seven home runs per season in his other six years in the KBO. Generally speaking, hitters do not add power when jumping from the KBO to MLB. This isn’t to say that the Giants need Lee to be a leading home run threat at the No. 1 spot, but they do need him to drive the ball enough to be a viable hitter. The guess here is that Lee will pass muster, but it’s a bit of an unknown going into 2024. 

What would make for a successful season?

Before he inked an extension in late October through the 2026 season, Zaidi was presumed to be under some degree of pressure following a second-straight middling campaign and repeated failures to land a marquee free agent. So, no, Zaidi’s job very likely doesn’t hinge upon getting the Giants back to the postseason this year, but there does seem to be a level of impatience with regard to their on-field results. As such, the Giants need to be part of the 2024 playoff fray in order for this season to be a success. As noted above, there’s almost no chance that they’ll win the NL West, not with the juggernaut Dodgers around. The expanded 12-team playoff field means there’s now a third wild-card spot in each league, so that lowers the bar. Still, the Diamondbacks, Padres, Phillies, one or more NL Central teams, and possibly even the Mets figure to have realistic designs on a wild-card spot, which means it’s probably going to be a competitive jumble for those three spots. It’ll be a challenge for the Giants, but they need to make it happen. 





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Vigil held for victims of deadly San Francisco West Portal crash

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Vigil held for victims of deadly San Francisco West Portal crash


Vigil held for victims of deadly San Francisco West Portal crash – CBS San Francisco

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Kelsi Thorud reports on a vigil that was held for the family who was hit in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood.

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San Francisco 49ers lose Draft advantage after NFL sanction due to payroll irregularities

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San Francisco 49ers lose Draft advantage after NFL sanction due to payroll irregularities


The San Francisco 49ers can’t catch a break, not only did they lose the Super Bowl LVIII in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs but now the NFL has sanctioned them for an administrative error, which will affect them in the 2025 draft.

The 49ers have accepted the NFL sanction without appeal

ESPN reported that after detecting errors in the 49ers’ accounting and payroll, the NFL penalized San Francisco with four spots for the 2024 Draft, dropping them from 131st overall to 135th overall.

The NFL determined that the club would have remained under the salary cap at all times, regardless of the error, and there was no intent to circumvent the salary cap.”

Addin to the sanction, the league informed the 49ers that they would have to give up their fifth-round pick in the 2025 Draft.

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The NFL noted that after a review of reports provided by all 32 teams, it detected accounting errors in San Francisco’s payroll at the end of the league’s 2022 operating year, resulting in failures to report accrued compensation for players.

San Francisco acknowledges its mistake and accepts their punishment

The San Francisco 49ers responded to the disciplinary action imposed by the NFL, something the California squad did not appeal and accepted the league’s punishment against them.

We take responsibility and accept the imposed discipline from the NFL due to a clerical payroll error,” the 49ers said in a statement. “At no time did we mislead or otherwise deceive the league or gain a competitive advantage in connection with the payroll mistake.”





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