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ALSO: Bay Area cartoonist diagnosed with aggressive cancer, Waymo expands to San Jose, two fires at SF elementary school

Patch Staff

|Updated Tue, May 20, 2025 at 4:47 pm PT

Catch up on Northern California's top stories for Tuesday, May 20.

2 Boys Accused Of Breaking Into Church, Defecating On Bathroom FloorSanta Rosa officers arrested two boys accused of breaking into a church and defecating on its bathroom floor over the weekend.

Fire Near San Leandro BART Expected To Affect Service Into EveningThe fire was reported around 5 a.m. and has shut down service south of the Lake Merritt station.

Scott Adams, Pleasanton Resident, Has "Intolerable" Cancer: ReportsThe "Dilbert" creator said that he has the same form of cancer as Joe Biden, and only has months to live.

San Rafael Power Restored After Outage Affected Thousands Of CustomersThe outage was first reported at 11:47 a.m.

Find out what's happening in San Franciscofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Waymo Gets Green Light To Expand Robotaxi Service To San JoseThe autonomous vehicle company Waymo can now operate in San Jose, becoming the first robotaxi firm to offer services in the city.

Second Fire At San Francisco Elementary School Prompting Some Concern"I think we're all in disbelief," said parent Sean Phillips. "I mean, why would someone do this."

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More from San Francisco

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Gott’s Launches Summer Flavors At Ferry Building And Thrive City

Nintendo officially opened its second U.S. location in San Francisco. Located at 331 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, the two-level store, located in the city's premier shopping and cultural hub, Union Square, welcomed visitors with exclusive merchandise plus gaming and photo experiences.

In a design similar to some of the recent Nintendo stores in Japan, San Francisco's Nintendo Store is two stories with a larger screen area like the older New York City store. It's a great merging of both modern and older design.

Due to limited capacity, the Nintendo store requires Warp Pipe Pass reservations for entry through May 26 and on select dates afterward, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Book your visit here.

Nintendo of America President and COO Doug Bowser, joined by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event attracted hundreds of fans, many dressed like the classic Nintendo characters like Mario, Princess Peach, and even a few Warios!

The San Francisco location is only the second in the United States, and the only one on the West Coast. It's likely the store will become a big travel destination for Nintendo fans visiting the Bay Area.

What Awaits You at Nintendo San Francisco:

Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo on September 23, 1889. Initially, the company produced playing cards called Hanafuda. 135 years later, the brand has evolved into a world-famous global video game giant. With the Switch 2 release on the horizon, Nintendo fever is at an all-time high. If you're in San Francisco and looking for something to do or are a big Nintendo fan, definitely book a reservation and visit the new Nintendo Store.

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San Francisco Bay Area

When thinking about castles, one continent comes to mind: Europe. From the many castles in England, which are among the oldest in the world, to the beautiful palaces in France, every country on this continent has plenty of ancient châteaux worth visiting.

However, the U.S. also has its own unique castles, which attract plenty of visitors every year (and no, not the castle at Disney World). Halfway between L.A. and San Francisco, Hearst Castle is the perfect way to get a glimpse of Europe without traveling across the planet.

Here's everything you need to know about this stunning European fairy-tale place, from its history to what you can find there and practical information on how to visit.

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Hearst Castle Is Like A European Fairy-Tale Setting By The Sea

Located in the community of San Simeon, Hearst Castle has everything you could expect from an ancient European castle: plenty of rooms filled with works of art and refined furniture, a massive garden where you can stroll on a hot summer day, and a vast library where thousands of books are stored.

While this castle may not have been the residence of powerful kings and charming princes, it hosted renowned celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo and famous politicians, including Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hearst Castle consists of a main house called Casa Grande (Big House), extending over 70,000 square feet, several guest homes, two swimming pools, a lovely garden, and a wine cellar with a vast selection of wines and spirits. The building combines several architectural styles, including Spanish Colonial, Moorish, Mediterranean Revival, and Gothic architecture, making it unique in its genre. This is one of the many Gothic castles you can visit on the East Coast.

Visitors can admire the over 25,000 works of art and antiques found here, including Art Deco pieces and European paintings and sculptures. They can also marvel at the castle's many fireplaces, fine Flemish tapestries, and carved woodwork ceilings.

The History Of Hearst Castle

The history of Hearst Castle started in 1865 when George Hearst purchased 40,000 acres of land. Decades later, in 1919, his son William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper publisher, inherited the area. He soon decided to expand it by purchasing an extra 210,000 acres, bringing the total area to 250,000.

In the beginning, these lands were simply used by his family as a campsite. However, William Randolph Hearst had huge ambitions. In 1919, he wrote to Julia Morgan, a famous architect in San Francisco, stating:

That's how it all began. After decades of work, the massive project was finally terminated in 1947. The estate included 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens, and other unique sites that can still be visited today.

The Best Rooms To Visit At Hearst Castle

There are plenty of rooms worth visiting in the castle. However, some are particularly interesting. In particular, visitors cannot miss the Main Library. While this may not be one of the best libraries in the world, with its hand-painted arches and over 4,000 books, this is a must-see for all bookworms.

Other rooms worth visiting include the Doge's Suite, whose style was inspired by the Doge's Palace in Venice, the Gothic Suite, where Hearst and his mistress, actress Marion Davies, spent many nights together, the Celestial Suite, and the Refectory, a dining hall built in the Gothic Spanish style.

If heading there, make sure to also visit the gardens. Here, you will have access to panoramic ocean views as well as the Neptune pool, inspired by ancient Roman culture. Mr. Hearst was particularly interested in the pool, as he wanted his kids to be able to play in it. In a letter to Julia Morgan, he wrote:

Apart from the pool, the gardens are home to several terraces and a variety of flowers, including different species of roses.

How To Visit Hearst Castle

The closest airport to the castle is San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport; however, flying here may be quite expensive. Both L.A. and San Francisco are about an hour's drive from this site.

The castle has a visitor center featuring a restaurant and the "Hearst Castle Theater," where you can watch a documentary to better understand the site's history.

There are several tours available depending on which areas you want to visit. Plenty of options are available, from the Cottages & Kitchen Tour to the Grand Rooms Tour and the Art Under the Moonlight. Children under five can enter for free, and the castle is open almost every day except on some holidays.

With plenty of castles throughout Europe, this continent is still the best for ancient palaces worth visiting. Yet, the U.S. is also home to several castles. Hearst Castle is surely a great option for getting a taste of Europe without traveling too far.

A week after securing approval to raise home insurance rates by an average of 17%, State Farm General revealed plans to ask regulators for an additional 11% increase, as well as considerably higher rates for condo owners and renters.

The 17% increase, set to go into effect in June, was granted last week by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara following a monthslong proceeding that was classified as an “emergency” following the Los Angeles fires.

But State Farm had originally requested a 30% rate hike in June 2024 — and now, with the 17% emergency rate hike approved, it wants to return to its original number. The request, if granted, would go into effect in 2026, amounting to an 11% hike on top of the previous 17%.

A hearing slated for this fall will allow State Farm — the largest insurer in California — to argue for justifying the full 30% rate hike it originally sought, according to new documents filed with the state on Monday.

The insurer will also ask for higher increases for condominium owners and renters. In June, rates for those groups are due to go up by an average of 15%, but the new requests would bring that up to 36% for condos and 52% for renters. For rental dwellings policies — a type of insurance that protects landlords who rent out their homes — State Farm is only petitioning for final approval of the 38% rate hike that was initially approved earlier this month.

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“They want more? We want more — more data, more transparency, more policyholders served, and more policies written in wildfire distressed areas,” Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller said in a statement Monday. “Wanting doesn’t change the law. All rates must be justified so consumers don’t pay more than is required.”

State Farm said in a statement that “while we are pleased that Commissioner Lara approved the interim rate of 17% for State Farm General Insurance Company, this change only addressed part of the original request of 30% filed in June 2024. The overall request of 30% would not be on top of the 17% interim rate change. State Farm General is still pursuing the full rate request.”

Though State Farm agreed to lower its rate hike request on an interim basis to 17% during a recent hearing before an administrative law judge, the full 30% was never off the table, noted Carmen Balber, executive director for consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog.

Balber’s group participated in the rate review process and opposed the 17% rate hike at the April hearing. On Monday night, she said the group had not yet reviewed the new data submitted by State Farm to see whether it justified the large price hikes it’s asking for.

During the hearing, Lara pushed State Farm to secure a $400 million loan from its national parent company, State Farm Automobile Insurance Co., and to hold off on non-renewing large numbers of customers at once until at least the end of 2025. But Balber noted they made such a promise with only seven months of the year to go.

“What I think is clear from today’s rate filing is that the commissioner didn’t win anything for Californians in this proceeding,” Balber said.

The newly filed documents include data on State Farm’s losses from the Los Angeles wildfires. The insurer previously said it expects to pay $7.6 billion in claims from the Eaton and Palisades fires, all but $400 million of which will be paid by its national parent company through its reinsurance agreements — insurance for insurance companies.

State Farm has maintained that those losses would warrant a large price hike. When insurance companies apply for rate increases, they let regulators know the maximum increase they feel they could justify under a formula enshrined in state insurance code. It is typically much larger than the rate request they actually ask for.

In State Farm’s case, it initially told regulators last June it could justify an up to 32.8% hike for homeowners while requesting the 30%. Its latest filing documents indicate the insurer believes its maximum permitted rate hike would be 77%.

At the fall hearing, State Farm will be required to defend its requested rate hikes using facts and data, Soller said. A judge could approve the full requests, or the judge could find that even the emergency approved rates were excessive. In that case, the commissioner would order State Farm to refund its customers.

“Commissioner Lara ordered a full rate hearing to get to the bottom of State Farm’s rate increase request,” Soller said. “At the end of the day this is about making sure claims are paid in full and quickly by insurance companies with the financial standing to do that. State Farm will have to justify their rate request and show us their recovery plan in a full rate hearing.”

The already-approved rate hikes will appear on homeowners’ bills at their next renewal date following June 1. An additional rate increase, if approved, would take effect at each customers’ first renewal in 2026.

Reach Megan Fan Munce megan.munce@sfchronicle.com

May 19, 2025|Updated May 20, 2025 1:33 p.m.