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As I do every December, I was writing about this years mergers, acquisitions, IPOs and other equity events in the home-technology channel you know, just a quick paragraph on each (coming soon). When I got to Resideo, though, the little blurb I intended to write turned out to be more like a novel.

So here it is in a longer form, starting with the conclusion:Resideo could have the first viable business for comprehensive remotemonitoring and home services basically doing for all home systems what itsdone for security. Who could have fathomed this proposition even a year ago?

We envision a future where our homeanticipates problems, takes appropriate action and connects to a qualifiedprofessional to correct the issue, said Alice DeBiasio, Resideo VP and GM ofGlobal Pros Security, in an August 2019 interviewwith the Electronic Security Association.

Resideo (REZI) is the security, home automation, HVAC and building-controls group that spun off from Honeywell in late 2018, forming a new $5 billion (revenues) public company. Free at last from its $40 billion parent company, Resideo quickly acquired three niche businesses that Honeywell probably wouldnt make time to sneeze at, much less acquire in rapid succession.

The three acquisitions were LifeWhere,WhiskerLabs (one division) and BuoyLabs three relative startups with technology to monitor and react to variousconditions in the home. LifeWhere measures the performance of home appliancesand warns of potential breakdowns. The unit acquired from Whisker Labs learnsthe heating and cooling patterns of a home, mashes it up with outdoor weatherdata, and auto-adjusts the indoor temperature for energy management andcomfort. Buoy Labs tracks the flow of water in a home, issuing alerts and/orcutting off the water supply if anomalies are detected.

Traditional providers of insurance, home warranties, energy, security, and smart-home services will be playing catch-up.

Each solution comes with a recurring fee, which is easilyjustified: Just imagine the expense and heartbreak of doing without theprotection! Non-subscribers could face mold and flooding (from slow and fastwater leaks, respectively), inefficient heating and cooling, and the prematuredemise of unchecked appliances.

In theory, Resideo could prevent all these calamities or atleast mitigate damages, just as the company does today for other threats to peopleand property fire, gas leaks, water leaks, break-ins, vandalism, personalemergencies, and more.

Resideo could wrap the new protections in a bundle that includes existing security and home-automation services. Ultimately, the company could own the home-monitoring and -services category like no one else can, at least not anytime soon. Traditional providers of insurance, home warranties, energy, security, and smart-home services will be playing catch-up. Theyre not even close.

Unlike other would-be home-protection companies, Resideo already has the infrastructure to monitor consumers, their homes, and their things and to respond accordingly:

Looking at the capabilities and strengths above,we can imagine Resideo incorporating LifeWhere, Whisker and Buoy pretty quicklyinto their technological platforms and business models at least much moreeasily than perhaps any other operator.

As for #6 above: We believe there areadded monitoring opportunities for our dealers who are interested in theseadded elements of home protection, beyond just break-ins or fires, said AliceDeBiasio, Resideo VP and GM of Global Pros Security, in an August 2019 interviewwith the Electronic Security Association.

She adds, [A]ll these acquisitions are going to position Resideo and our thousands of professionals as the experts in home protection.

Resideo is in the process of revamping its user app, as well as its dealer portal, to incorporate all the new devices and conditions the company can monitor.

For now, the new Resideo Home app exposes the Buoy Whole Home Water Controller and Buoy Water Leak Detectors. From there, users can access Buoys free features, or upgrade to premium services like advanced automatic water shutoff and leak alerts, Resideo explains.

We should expect the same fremium model to apply to other Resideo offerings all of which eventually will be part of the new app. The company doesnt expect to add its legacy security capability to the app until the end of 2020.

Resideo introduced the new app at a Dec. 4, 2019, event in its home town of Austin, Texas, explaining how it will make whole-home monitoring possible for the four critical networks of the home water, air, energy and security.

Resideo CEO Mike Nefkens said, We do not believe that the critical systems of the home should be a do-it-yourself adventure. Through the new Resideo Home app, were going to bring the world of proactive, professional monitoring to the entire home, helping better protect the people inside and mitigating problems before they arise.

The proactive element is the new thing for Resideo. Its current security and home-automation systems are pretty smart today, but dont provide much in the way of AI and predictive analytics. Resideo service providers tend to react to emergencies after the fact, rather than anticipate them through smart devices on the premises and analytics in the cloud.

All three recent acquisitions Whisker, Buoy and LifeWhere bring predictive analytics to the Resideo ecosystem, exposing some amount of information for self-monitoring and reserving some of the smarts for fee-based services.

Resideo also (re)introduced an indoor air quality monitor to its smart ecosystem that will pair with the app to let homeowners and their home pros see real-time carbon dioxide levels, particles, chemicals and humidity to understand the air inside and do something about it.

Meanwhile, Resideo is working on its next-generation smart thermostat that will integrate with the Resideo Home app, and serve as a dashboard for all the new and legacy things Resideo monitors.

For several years, the insurance companies have been eyeing IoT as a way to glean more data from the home and its occupants, and provide more services to the insured. Theyre struggling.

The Holy Grail would be something like a Triple-A for the home, much like we have for cars. Everyone has AAA, because its silly not to. The auto insurance costs just $100 or $200 per year, and theyre everywhere and anywhere in case of an emergency or inconvenience. Towing, changing a tire, jumping a car, adding gas these and similar services are free. If you need anything more, you pay extra.

Its relatively simple to apply this kind of service to automobiles because independent car-towing trucks and mechanics are everywhere the original Ubers of our times.

The home is harder because there are so many specialized systems to master; however, with a growing roster of smart devices to monitor these systems, a cloud service to make sense of the data, apps and dashboards for self- and pro-monitoring, and thousands of feet on the street for service and support (about 110,000), Resideo just might be able to pull it off.

How much would you pay for AAA in the home? Put me down for about $400 per year.

PRESS RELEASE DEC. 4, 2019

AUSTIN, Texas,Dec. 4, 2019 Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI), today announcedthe launch of the Resideo Home app, which will make whole-home monitoringpossible for the four critical networks of the home water, air, energy andsecurity. At an event for industry professionals and partners at the historicAustin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre in Austin, the company showcasedits vision for the future of the smart home and upcoming subscription servicesmade possible by the new app. Through these services, homeowners will easilyconnect with professionals who can help ensure home networks are operatingefficiently and can intervene to help prevent costly damages, like water leaksand major appliance failures.

At Resideo,were committed to helping homeowners make sense of their homes, and in theprocess, help professionals modernize and expand their businesses while givinga better experience to customers, said Mike Nefkens, president and CEO ofResideo. We do not believe that the critical systems of the home should be ado-it-yourself adventure. Through the new Resideo Home app, were going tobring the world of proactive, professional monitoring to the entire home,helping better protect the people inside and mitigating problems before theyarise.

Resideo Homeand Resideo Pro Apps

Designed toprovide homeowners with a simple, unified platform that connects and managesthe home, Resideo will enable the migration of the companys 6.5 million connected customers,currently spread out among its existing apps, into the Resideo Home app throughout2020. Starting today, users of Resideos recently launched BuoyWhole Home Water Controllerand BuoyWater Leak Detectors can begin using the new app and access its free features,or upgrade to premium services like advanced automatic water shutoff and leakalerts. In the coming months, Resideo will integrate air products, such as theT Series line of smart thermostats, into the app. By the end of 2020, the appwill support Resideo whole-home security systems as well.

Unlike other smart-home apps that merely control gadgets, theResideo Home app looks at the entire home by offeringa glimpse into howthe air, water, security and energy systems are performing. The bright andvisually rich user experienceoffers insights through analytics that willhelp the homeowner identify energy savings, water usage and other tips overtime.

A professionalversion of the app, Resideo Pro, will provide professionals with installationtools, help them better service customers through account management andservice calls, and provide access to new business opportunities.

The ResideoHome and Resideo Pro apps are available now in the iOS and Androidapp stores.

NewWhole-Home Services

Resideo alsounveiled its new portfolio of connected, whole-home monitoring solutions thatwill be accessible through the app. Approximately 25% of homes in the UnitedStates have professionally monitored security. In a first for the industry, thenew subscription services from Resideo extend professional monitoring to theother critical networks of the home. Resideos new subscription services will helppros and homeowners use the data already being produced by the critical systemsof the home in ways that make the home work better and more efficiently.

Were givingthe entire home a pulse to help both homeowners and the trade professionalssave time and resources, said Niccolo de Masi, chief innovation officer andpresident of Products & Solutions, Resideo. For most people, their home istheir largest financial investment where they live with their loved ones andkeep their most precious possessions. We are proud to bring this much-neededenhanced protection to the home.

New Toolsand Services for Professionals

Resideo also announced a new digital experience that can help its network of 110,000 trade professionals and their 1 million technicians build business for the future, simplify operations and strengthen relationships with homeowners. The Resideo Pro Portal offers a single destination for product information, product support, access to services and tools to promote and drive leads. A new training and loyalty program called Resideo Pro PERKS launches in January 2020.

Through the ProPERKS program, pros and distributors will be able to access a tiered system ofbenefits, including strategic partnerships with other pros in Resideos networkto take advantage of new business opportunities across the homes criticalnetworks, new marketing tools to sell smart home solutions, and new videocourses to become experts on the latest technologies.

Resideosvalue proposition is firmly grounded in the belief that DIY companies aresimply not equipped to address the installation and integration challenges dueto the vast number of smart-home devices on the market, as well as lacking theknow-how that local contractors have, said Mark Vena, senior smart homeanalyst, Moor Insights & Strategy. In addition, to manage critical systemsin the home like air conditioning, heating, water management and energyutilization, advanced technical training and professional-grade equipment isrequired two things the average consumer or the DIY companies dont possess.

NextGeneration Comfort Platform

Resideo also unveiled concepts for its next-generation smart thermostat it will develop in partnership with professional contractors. Much more than a thermostat, the device will fully integrate with the Resideo Home app, providing insight into the four critical networks and access to subscription services through on-the-wall control with a modern user interface.

The company plans to launch alpha and beta test programs with professionals in 2020.

We have anenormous advantage to deliver whole-home monitoring because of our presence in150 million homes and decades of experience, Nefkens said. Our professionalnetwork of suppliers, dealers, contractors and installers ensures the job isdone right, that dedicated support is always within reach, and will lay thegroundwork to bring the next era of the connected home to life.

AboutResideo

Resideo is a leading global provider of critical comfort and security solutions primarily in residential environments and distributor of low-voltage electronic and security products. Building on a 130-year heritage, Resideo has a presence in more than 150 million homes, with 15 million systems installed in homes each year. We continue to serve more than 110,000 contractors through leading distributors, including our ADI Global Distribution business, which exports to more than 100 countries from more than 200 stocking locations around the world. Resideo is a $4.8 billion company with approximately 13,000 global employees.

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With Smart Devices and Pro Network, Resideo Could be AAA for the Home - CEPRO - CEPro

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Ecobee smart thermostats now start at $ 149 - BGR - themediatimes

Online shopping is one of the great luxuries of our time up there with the invention of the dishwasher and washing machine in terms of saving time and energy in our busy lives. But as a psychotherapist, I realized many years ago that shopping in stores is, for some people, an important antidote to loneliness and isolation. A quick, pleasant conversation with a salesperson or even simply taking in the energy of people in a mall could lift someones spirits and make them feel less alone.

So what are we doing with those lonely feelings now that were doing so much of our shopping online?

One of the things were doing, it seems, is bonding over a controversy directly related to all of that online shopping a controversy that is escalating as holiday packages are being delivered to and stolen from in front of our homes. We're getting pissed at so-called porch pirates.

According to an article in The New York Times, in New York City alone 90,000 packages go missing daily, up 20 percent from four years ago. Many of these deliveries are stolen from front porches and building lobbies, where they are dropped off when no one is home to receive them.

The conflict, which sometimes involves name calling and heated attacks on personal values, has to do with who is at fault. Some angrily accuse the delivery companies and their employees for failing to properly ensure for the safety of the packages. Others blame the thieves, some of whom follow delivery trucks and take items as soon as they are delivered. Others attack homeowners for their sense of entitlement.

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You dont leave your car keys in your unlocked car and assume that no one will bother to steal it, do you? said one man I interviewed about this issue.Why should anyone in this day and age believe that they can leave packages unattended outside their homes and not tempt someone else to take them?

Victims of these thefts can also be attacked for not being empathetic enough to the thieves themselves. Ganave Fairley, a convicted porch thief whose story was told recently in The Atlantic, denies that she stole anything that wasn't freely available, despite being caught numerous times on surveillance and personal cameras, and calls her accusers racist. Some readers responded with vitriol toward the neighbors who put Fairley behind bars, perceiving their efforts to stop her as a failure to empathize with her pain and suffering in other areas of her life. One often repeated comment about Fairley is that she represents how childhood mistreatment leads to an inability to cope with real life."

These are all age-old arguments about community members' rights to personal security and what drives a minority of people in marginalized communities to engage in antisocial behavior, sometimes stigmatized as criminal acts, but what is new about the arguments is the intensity of the anger and the resentment that seems to be driving them. And that makes me wonder if the very thing that has created the problem the luxury of online shopping itself has somehow contributed to people's fervor.

Much has been written about the dangers of the internet, and in particular the ways that it can make us feel lonelier and less connected. Humans are social by nature; scientist Mathew Lieberman writes in his book, "Social," that we are wired to connect. Even those of us who identify ourselves as introverts need human contact.

Shopping, at least after the specialization of labor and particularly after the rise of consumerist capitalism, has historically provided some contact for most of us, which can help with depression, loneliness and even eating disorders. But we dont even have contact with salespeople or brush by other shoppers when we shop online.

Emma Seppala, a researcher at Stanford University, writes, People low in social connection are more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, antisocial behavior and even suicidal behaviors. Further, according to a classic study published in Science, the absence of social connection can be more damaging to our physical health than smoking, obesity or high blood pressure.

Some of the response to porch thieves, like in the case of the New York woman who takes in packages for her neighbors, and who receives thanks in cakes and cookies and friendship, is lovely.

But is it possible that joining others in a community of rage is also a way of counteracting loneliness? It would make sense these days, when weve grown accustomed to openly expressed anger as an acceptable form of communication.

David Ludden, a psychologist who writes for Psychology Today, says that when used well, social media can actually help us make connections. And connections are forming as people band together on one side or the other of the porch pirate controversy.

The New York Times article describes the woman who collects delivered packages for all of her neighbors, creating a community in her building. Last year a community in Phoenix organized a similar approach in time for the holidays. Neighborhood watches have sprung up in some areas although as can happen when anger is the unifier, in some cases these watches seem to increase, rather than decrease, the conflict.

And therein is the rub. A family in Florida who filled a decoy package with dirty diapers came in for a lot of positive feedback, but also some criticism for being unkind even more so when they discovered that the packages they thought had been stolen had actually just been delivered to the wrong address.

Anger is a powerful connector. In a world where we often tend to feel isolated and lonely, the package pirates have offered us yet one more opportunity to bond sometimes as neighbors who take in packages for one another, and sometimes over our shared outrage. But anger can destroy bonds, in part by damaging not just the other person, but also your own self-esteem.

In the end, you have a choice about whether youd prefer to connect over anger or over a shared solution. Perhaps when filling boxes with human feces for faceless strangers who may or may not be the faceless strangers who took one of your packages you might consider whether your time and energy would be better spent befriending a retired neighbor who would be happy to answer the door for a UPS delivery person in return for an occasional neighborly visit from you.

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Porch pirates have become public enemy number one. Stopping them might require more kindness. - NBC News

With online-ordered holiday gifts being delivered to doorsteps across Ventura County, many local residents are probably worried about porch pirates.

But potential victims can take heart in this: Statistics show package thefts are down this year from 2018. Some local cities are on track to see only half the cases they saw last year.

As of a few days ago, the Ventura County Sheriffs Office, which provides police services in unincorporated areas as well as Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Ojai and Fillmore, had received reports of 53 cases so far this yearcompared to 93 last year. according to Sgt. Marta Bugarin.

Holidays: Ventura County should see wet Christmas as holiday travel soars

Also seeing a sharp decline was Simi Valley, with 27 cases this yearcompared to 60 in 2018, according to Cmdr. Steve Shorts.

Ventura had seen 12 cases this yearcompared to 23 in 2018, said Sgt. Edward Caliento.

Port Hueneme was on track to roughly match last years total, with 59 cases this year compared to 62 in 2018, said Norma Rodarte, senior record technician with the Port Hueneme Police Department.

Figures werent available for Oxnard, and the Santa Paula Police Department didnt have the exact number of package thefts because the agency doesnt track them separately from other thefts, saidRecords Supervisor Dianna Miller DeRemer.

Oxnard police arrested a suspected package thief after a neighbor reported suspicious activity on Tuesday.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The decline in incidents surprised some local law enforcement officers.

One of the things we are surprised is that there are not as many package thefts reported in December, Shorts said.

Officers attributed the decline to better prevention efforts by homeowners.

Almost universally, they cited increased use of video doorbells that can record the thefts and thus deter porch pirates or help police catch those who go through with the crime.

Demographics: California's population stalls at 39.9M as more flee state

Besides getting a video camera, agencies offered this prevention advice:

Preventing theft of whats on the porch is only part of the holiday battle against thieves; they could still break into your home, especially if youre out of town on a holiday trip.

The U.S. sees about 1.5 million home burglaries each year, with FBI statistics showing nearly 76,000 occur in Southern Californias Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

For people who are going out of town for the holidays, the Auto Club of Southern California offered these burglary prevention tips:

Mo Jazi is a breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach him atmo.najafianJazi@vcstar.comor 805-437-0236.

Support local journalism: Follow high-profile court cases and track public safety threats so you can protect your family, Get unlimited access to coverage like this with a digital subscription to The Star.

Read or Share this story: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/12/22/amazon-package-theft-ventura-county-california/2687703001/

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Stats on package thefts from porches in Ventura County could surprise you - VC Star

Twas a couple of weeks before Christmas, when the culprit sneaked up to a San Pedro home, snatched a package on the porch and ran off with the goods.

But a witness quickly caught the thief: an unlikely but rather anxious bushy-tailed squirrel.

The package was returned to its owner. The incident was caught on a home surveillance camera.

Not everyone is so lucky, however. As online shopping becomes increasingly popular, so too has porch piracy or the pilfering of delivered packages.

Typically, according to FedEx, Amazon and other delivery and online companies, such issues are swiftly resolved.

But sometimes particularly during the holidays, when timing is of the essence porch piracy begets long-term conflict and disappointment.

Recently, nearly 300 Amazon packages were stolen from a post office in Amador County in Northern California. Indeed, the problem appears to be especially acute in the most populous state in the country.

Three of the top 10 metro areas in the nation most susceptible to porch piracy are in California, according to a recent report by SafeWise, an independent security system review site. The rating list was compiled by comparing FBI crime data with Google Trends searches for missing and stolen packages.

The watchdog site examined metro area package-theft rates for the entire year, compared with holiday-specific theft rates.

The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area came in first, SafeWise found. Los Angeles and the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area came in at ninth and 10th places, respectively. In these areas, the rate of theft was determined to be consistent throughout the year.

Other regions in the top 10 list were Salt Lake City; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; Seattle-Tacoma; Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Denver.

Asked if SafeWises findings aligned with their own internal data, the U.S. Postal Service and Amazon did not respond or declined to comment. Jonathan Lyons, a spokesman for FedEx, also declined to provide data about reported package thefts. But he did cite a 2018 Comcast and Wakefield Research Survey, which indicated that 1 in 4 Americans has fallen victim to package theft.

But he also noted that there are steps our customers can take for added peace of mind.

FedEx has instituted its own preventive measures, including having items shipped to alternative destinations, such as a relatives home, ones workplace, a FedEx office location or an authorized shipping center, such as Walgreens or Albertsons.

To ensure that items are not left unattended, customers can also schedule deliveries at a convenient time or require a signature from the recipient. Specific delivery instructions can also be provided to FedEx drivers. Do you like your packages left behind the big planter or tucked behind the grill beside the back door? the company asks.

Some customers have installed surveillance cameras and video doorbells to keep an eye on their parcels, while a few law enforcement agencies have resorted to elaborate sting operations, using packages with GPS trackers inside, in an effort to reduce the number of thefts.

In Amador County, where some 300 parcels were stolen from the post office on Dec. 1, local authorities have no surveillance footage or witness information to go on. On the sheriffs Facebook page, victims of the theft are encouraged to share their experience.

Through a post, Jean Michelle Morgan Ballard indicated that shed lost out on nine packages of gifts for her grandchildren. Likewise, Victoria Cox Noble was waiting on three presents. When Cox Noble reported the loss, she said, Amazon gave her a refund. Still, she will not be able to replace the products, one of which was part of a Black Friday sale, because they are no longer available.

To date, only a handful of victims have come forward. Plus, Amazon never reached out to us, never gave us any information, Amador County Undersheriff Gary Redman said. As a result, the agency has been unable to determine the level of theft.

All of the stolen packages were taken from a post office that was closed for the day.

The delivery person, who was hired through a third-party company, left them at the wrong place, Redman said.

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Three of top 10 metro areas in the country vulnerable to 'porch piracy' are in California - Los Angeles Times

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Its been a violent start to the holiday week in Philadelphia. A teen boy was gunned down on a front porch of a home and a 19-year-old man was critically wounded in separate shootings in North Philadelphia on Monday.

(credit: CBS3)

Police say the 16-year-old boy was shot multiple times and killed while standing on his porch on the 3100 block of North 24th Street, shortly after 1:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The detectives have not found a weapon.

I was making an order when I heard the shots. There were eight of them. I heard four and then it was like a 30-second delay and then I heard another four, said Giles Jones, of Peralta Hector Grocery.

When I came out I heard yelling and my brothers shot, my brothers shot. And then he said, someone call 911 and I dialed 911 for him, Jones said.

Neighbors say theyre tired of having to bury children who were gunned down.

Stop thinking to kill somebody is the answer, that it makes you a big man or it makes you the big guy in the neighborhood. No, it doesnt make you any of those things. Youve taken another life, youve taken another black life. You are contributing to the decline of our communities and our families, neighbor Charlotte Murray said.

In a separate shooting some 15 minutes later, a 19-year-old man was critically wounded after he was shot in the arm on the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. He was transported to Temple University Hospital.

No arrests have been made in either shooting.

To date, at least 113 kids have been shot this year in Philadelphia.

CBS3s Kimberly Davis contributed to this report.

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Teen Boy Killed On Front Porch Of Home, 19-Year-Old Man Critically Wounded In Separate Shootings In North Philadelphia - CBS Philly

TUCSON, Ariz. In a world where we've got to stress about people stealing our delivered packages, we now have something new to worry about.

However, it may not be there intention.

In Oklahoma, a family's doorbell camera captured a "Pooch Pirate" in the act as it snagged one of their packages. Apparently, the Christmas gift traveled all the way from California, and a large, white dog decided to take the gift home perhaps back to his own family.

Take a look at the video...

Max, the large, white dog, has since been put in timeout and the neighbors offered to pay for the package.

Over in San Pedro, California, a ambitious squirrel was able to steal a package from a resident's porch.

The video footage shows the squirrel creep up on a number of packages on the doorstep, and select one and drag it off-camera.

Then, when it's not your packages being stolen it's your beloved Christmas decorations you've got to worry about.

With a "bah humbug" and a few stamps of a hoof, the decorations were destroyed outside a home in Georgia.

In conclusion, these kind of instances have been happening for years. Now we've got fancy cameras to document it.

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Four-Legged Porch Pirates on the prowl - KGUN

Thieves who steal packages from peoples porches or mailboxes are a constant holiday problem, but this year was supposed to be different.

A bill was introduced earlier this year to raise package theft to a higher level of crime, even a felony.

The bill, AB 1210, was designed to deal out harsher punishments and act as a stronger deterrent toward so-called porch pirates. But the legislation was blocked.

Police agencies and victims say thieves are becoming more brazen than ever.

In the case of Alison Casanova of San Jose, the thief waited until the mail delivery man left then sauntered up to the porch, covering his face from the camera.

"And he knew he was doing it, and he knew he was being filmed," Casanova said. "So that tells me he was casing the house, too, because how would you know I had a camera right there."

But now, even thieves who are caught face a punishment equal to only a citation. South Bay Assemblyman Evan Low introduced a bill, co-authored by Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, in February to raise the crime to the level of breaking and entering and as high as a felony.

The bill was blocked and is being reworked after other lawmakers said a suspects prior criminal record and the value of the stolen merchandise need to be considered.

Low, Rosen and police officers were disappointed the proposed new law wouldn't be ready for this holiday season.

Last week, Milpitas police used a decoy package and caught an alleged thief within minutes.

"Any bill that helps our efforts to fight crime is great, but we still have a job to do regardless of what the laws are and what the bills are," said John Torres, spokesman for the Milpitas Police Department.

Casanova added: "It would be nice if we could have something change sooner rather than later because it sounds like it's getting worse."

Lows office said the reworked bill should be ready for consideration by mid-January.

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Package Theft Bill Being Reworked as Porch Pirates Become More Brazen - NBC Bay Area

Its a studio environment where we all bring something to our projects, and thats for the better, Elizabeth Roberts tells me over the phone. Personalities are really important and all my strong, creative clients dont just have a point of view; they are down to earth, problemsolving people. Roberts, whose tenor is equal parts modest and warm nwhen she speaks about her eponymous architecture firm, belies the impact she has had on contemporary living ideals. Indeed, the Brooklyn based architect has been behind countless respectful transformations of outdated and run-down early New York brownstones, which she spins into bright aeries that boast both beautifully preserved crown mouldings from yesteryear as well as Instagramworthy modern kitchens.

Robertss devotees include a cadre of prominent female powerhouses in creative industries such as Rachel Comey, Athena Calderone and Ulla Johnson, whose home spaces have been widely covered by the likes of Architectural Digest and are sure to be aspirational lifestyle fodder for years to come. While each of these residences feel distinctive to their inhabitants, there is a tie that binds. Robertss skill is in navigating and mediating juxtaposition to elegant and fresh effect, leaving the homes she touches both contemporary and historically soulful.

Her education and experience reflect the duality she is recognized for; after earning her first architecture degree from UC Berkeleys School of Architecture, where she learned modernist start from scratch principles, the Marin County native went on to Columbia, receiving her second degree in historical preservation. Adaptive reuse was an important ideait made all sorts of sense to me at a young age: using existing buildings and finding a way not to tear them down. Roberts found beauty in the historical and industrial. I love the elements we dont often create anymore as architectsheavy timber, true brick walls and creating features out of historic details. But she is quick to point out that she is no anachronist. We build to the timesI love contrast: the glossy new with the old.

Roberts had formative periods interning and working for famed California modernist William Turnbull, preservationist Alice Carey and the award-winning firm Beyer Blinder Belle. In 2003, after being offered a partnership at a firm in San Francisco, she decided instead to strike out on her own, turning her West Village apartment bedroom into an office. I managed to afford it by splitting my bedroom diagonally in half with a blackout curtain, she recalls. Roberts initially took on mostly residential projects, including a number of Brooklyn townhouses, presaging the boom that was about to occur in the residential market. For many years I intentionally didnt do commercial. I realized the pressure and the values were not in line with what I wanted to spend my time and energy on; I wanted to work with families to create lifetime houses, she says.

As artful residential renovations started to become her calling card, addressing the interiors was a logical next step. Theres no reason that when we are building a building we should stop at the walls. Why not talk about color on the walls, and the furniture? she asks. Im really interested in blurring those lines. Roberts now has six full-time interior designers on her team. She has also returned to taking on select commercial projects, starting with Rachel Comeys flagship store in 2014. It was such a personal expression of hers. That exploration for a beautiful, concise and lasting backdrop for her creations was a great re-entry into commercial [work] for me, says Roberts, who most recently designed the NoMad restaurant Il Fiorista, for which she tapped artist Leanne Shapton to create bold, watercolor-like murals.

Her firm is now working on several ground-up projects and, as ever, Roberts is keen on finding the tension that will keep it interesting. Its easy with old buildings. New construction is more complicated. But its a blast finding contrast in the landscape, how it sits in nature, and bringing organic forms into a clean box, she says. Her cach among influential women hasnt waned, either. A roster of current clients includes chef Melia Marden, Atlantic Records executive Julie Greenwald, supermodel Daria Werbowy, jewelry designer Mary MacGill and former HBO president Sue Naegle.

Asked about her sustained influences, Roberts offers a paean to her chosen city. I dont know if I would have found a place as an architect if I hadnt been so inspired by New York and its history. I love the grit, the grime and the glorious architecture, she says. And things evolve [here]. One thing about New York City is that nothingor very littleis too precious to change.

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Architect Elizabeth Roberts Builds the Rooms Powerful Women Want and Need Mieke Ten Have 12.25.2019 - Cultured Magazine

If anyone can offer us some motivational words of wisdom in a year that has pretty much gone to shit, its Architects frontman SamCarter.

From his admirable campaigning ahead of the UKs general election in December, to his powerful, political lyrical statements throughout the Brighton metallers discography, the vocalist is constantly standing up for whats right and hes got plenty to say in the way of hope going into2020.

It really can feel like that when were smashed with how shit things are from every angle, every day, but I think you have to look at the youth and be hopeful for the future, Sam tells Kerrang! in the latest issue of the magazine. I look at [teenage climate change activist] Greta Thunberg, who is so great and has done so much. Shes inspired so many people to stand up and make a change in their lives. I see so many brands and companies now moving more towards an ethical direction. And, okay, you can easily be cynical about that and assume that is just their way of trying to make money, but you have to take the small victories where they are and try to build on them. There has been a definite shift in attitudes, so we have to run with that to achieve even more and to keep trying to be better people, generally.

Read this next: 10 artists helping to save the planet through environmental activism

Away from these world issues, 2019 has actually been a pretty special one for Sam and Architects and the biggest lesson that hes learned this year is that dreams can cometrue.

I always wanted to record at Abbey Road, and we did that this year [for a Spotify session], he smiles. I cant explain how much that meant to me so many of my favourite records were made there. But then also I think this year has really reminded me that its important to help other people whenever you can. The past couple of years have been really hard, with everything this band has been through, and when youre kind of broken like that, you dont want to put yourself out there so much anymore. But this year has really reminded me how important doing thatis.

Sams full interview is available to read in the new issue of Kerrang!, which you can get anywhere in the world through Kerrang.Newsstand.co.uk. Or, if you live in the UK, you can grab it now from all goodnewsagents.

Link:
Architects' Sam Carter: "You Have To Look At The Youth And Be Hopeful For The Future" - Kerrang!