Livermore Library Sets December Author Series as 12 House Races Tally

Livermore Public Library Announces December 2026 Virtual Author Series

The Livermore Public Library announced its free December 2026 Online Author Talk Series, giving residents live question-and-answer access and archived recordings at libraryc.org/livermoreca:

• Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 4 p.m. PST: Sparks, Shadows, and Epic Romantasy with Helen Scheuerer, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Legends of Thezmarr series.
• Tuesday, December 8, 2026, at 11 a.m. PST: Exile, Memory, and the Meaning of Home: A Conversation with Ana Hebra Flaster, award-winning author, essayist, and cultural commentator.
• Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 11 a.m. PST: Comic Strips and Kimchi: Cooking Korean Food Made Easy with bestselling author, cartoonist, and illustrator Robin Ha.
• Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at 4 p.m. PST: Laugh-Out-Loud Nostalgia: Bringing Junie B. Jones to Life in Comics with National Book Award finalist and graphic novel creator Colleen AF Venable.

12 California House Races and Over Half of Statewide Propositions Remain Undecided

Following Tuesday's midterm elections—which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described as close to a "level extinction event" for Republicans—12 California congressional contests remained uncalled by the Associated Press on Wednesday morning, according to Patch. While Republicans Tom McClintock (District 5) and Vince Fong (District 20) won their races and Democrat Randy Villegas defeated Republican incumbent David Valadao in Central Valley District 22 at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, three of the five remaining GOP incumbents awaited final outcomes: Rep. Ken Calvert led fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim in Inland Empire District 40, Rep. Jay Obernolte faced a tight contest in San Bernardino's District 23, and the Republican candidate trailed in redrawn District 48 spanning San Diego and Riverside counties.

In San Francisco's District 11 race to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi, State Sen. Scott Wiener led Supervisor Connie Chan. In the Los Angeles mayoral election, Democratic Socialists of America-backed City Councilwoman Nithya Raman led incumbent Mayor Karen Bass 51.12% to 48.88%—a 16,594-vote margin—after overcoming a 40,000-vote deficit in the June primary and leading 69% to 15% among voters ages 18 to 29 in an October UC Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll. Across California's 14 statewide ballot measures, NBC News projected Propositions 1, 2, 3, 37, and 44 to pass and the Associated Press called Proposition 39 as failing, leaving the remaining propositions—including the billionaire tax—too close to call Wednesday morning.

Seasonal Advisories: Window Weatherproofing, Commercial Leases, and Holiday Plumbing

Three consumer and business advisories published via the Castro Valley Forum highlighted winter property preparation and commercial contract scrutiny:

• California Winter Window Inspections: Citing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's October 2026 El Niño winter outlook for December through February and U.S. Department of Energy findings that heat gain and heat loss through windows account for 25% to 30% of residential heating and cooling energy use, Rancho Cordova-based Northwest Exteriors urged homeowners across Northern and Central California—including Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Santa Rosa—to follow California Energy Commission recommendations and inspect caulking, weatherstripping, Low-E insulated glass seals, and door frames before winter rains arrive.
• Commercial Lease Scrutiny: Attorneys Samuel B. Weissman and Jonathan J. A. Paul of Weissman | Paul Attorneys at Law noted that third-quarter 2026 commercial real estate reports showed average office asking rents of $29.67 per square foot (CBRE) and retail asking rents of $31.19 per square foot (Cushman & Wakefield) in Orlando, urging small and midsize businesses to review rent escalation clauses, common area maintenance charges, and personal guarantees before signing or renewing leases.
• Thanksgiving Kitchen Plumbing: Ahead of Thanksgiving on November 26, First Quality Plumbing and the City of Orlando's Grease Management Program warned homeowners against pouring cooking fats and oils down kitchen sinks or overloading garbage disposals, pointing to a Miami-Dade County advisory documenting more than 600 grease- and debris-related sewer clogs over the prior year that cost approximately $383,000.