It’s been a season of discovery for the great American mezzo-soprano, and she says that’s just how she likes it.

DiDonato, who earned international acclaim in opera roles such as Rosina in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” — a role she has sung many times, around the world, to perfection — has just finished singing the role of Virginia Woolf in “The Hours.” The new opera by composer Kevin Puts, which also featured singers Renee Fleming and Kelli O’Hara, made its staged world premiere to rave reviews in November at the Metropolitan Opera.

Now DiDonato’s returning to the Bay Area with a new program, “Eden,” a semi-staged concert focusing on climate, the natural world, and our place in it. Directed by Marie Lambert-Le Bihan and conducted by Zefira Valova, it features DiDonato and the Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro in a program spanning early music to a new work by English composer Rachel Portman. Performances are scheduled at Stanford University and UC Berkeley.

In a recent phone conversation, it was easy to hear DiDonato’s excitement about the project, which she said is both a reflection on the beauties of the natural world and a call to action to preserve them.

“We launched this work in the spring, in Brussels, and we did a handful of festival performances at the end of the summer,” she said. “It’s been the most special project of my career. It feels so timely to be talking about our connection to each other, and to the world around us.”

DiDonato says the project was inspired in part by an earlier program, “In War and Peace: Harmony through Music,” which she performed with Il Pomo d’Oro at Stanford in 2016.

This program is “an extension, if not quite a sequel” to “War and Peace,” she said. “But it’s certainly connected. There was a quote by Jonathan Larson that said ‘the opposite of war is not peace, it’s creation.’ I don’t think it was conscious, when I came up with the title ‘Eden.’ But it’s directly related — that this is about creation, about asking ‘What are we participating in, in the creation from day to day life that we’re living now?’”

The music for the program opens with Ives’s “The Unanswered Question” and closes with Mahler’s autumnal “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen.” In between are works by Cavalli, Handel, Copland and others — along with Portman’s newly composed “Eden.” DiDonato said she’s thrilled with the results.

“When we were setting up the repertoire for this concert, we all wanted to get outside of the Baroque world and go in whatever direction we felt the music would take us,” she said. “I don’t think anyone thought it would take us to Ives, but there we are.”

Portman’s new work, created specifically for this project, exceeded expectations, DiDonato added. “It’s been a joy to work with her,” she said.

“I wanted to commission a piece primarily because the idea of Eden is really all about creation, coming back to creative power in the natural world. And I really wanted to tap into the feminine power — again, Eden being very much about the garden, about Mother Nature, about that idea of nourishment and bringing new life into the world.”

“Rachel created this beautiful soundscape of something that is emerging,” DiDonato added. “We knew that we wanted it to follow the Ives, and she had that composition in mind as well. So we end up with this beautiful seamless start to the concert that really lets people know we’re going to take them on a kind of narrative journey. Every time the music starts, I get so excited, because I know the audience is going to be hearing something so nurturing and beautiful.”

As part of “Eden”’s development, DiDonato has been leading workshops with students — seeking to re-build connections to “nature in its extraordinary balance.”

“You know, I had intended to be a teacher, before I got sidetracked in opera,” she said. “So to have this opportunity to merge that idea of working with kids, elevating them in their lives, has been extraordinary. And to bring this project, which I think in terms of repertoire really shows where I am after twenty-some years in my career, spanning four centuries and loving all the nooks and crannies of this repertoire I’ve been able to do over my career, just feels like such a full-circle moment in every element of what I love about the possibilities of singing.”

Contact Georgia Rowe at growe@pacbell.net.

‘EDEN’

Featuring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato

When & where: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University (presented by Stanford Live); $15-$48; livestanford.edu; 8 p.m. Jan. 21at  Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley (presented by Cal Performances); $18-$86; calperformances.org.

Picked seventh in the Pac-12’s preseason media poll, the Sun Devils are alone in second place thanks to a transfer-heavy starting lineup and scrappy defense.

They are 6-1 in league play for the first time since the early 1980s and have the best chance to provide the conference with a third NCAA Tournament berth, alongside UCLA and Arizona.

But that’s just one of the Tempe twists unfolding as we hit the midway point of the regular season.

Here’s the other: ASU’s greatest vulnerability is typically one of the program’s greatest strengths.

Coach Bobby Hurley has always been willing to play anyone, anywhere — from Kentucky and Kansas to Virginia and Baylor — and typically boasts one of the strongest non-conference schedules in the Pac-12.

But this year, ASU owns one of the weakest. If the Sun Devils end the season on the NCAA Tournament bubble, that could be their undoing.

What does the data say?

ASU’s non-conference schedule is No. 182 nationally, and ninth in the Pac-12, in the well-regarded Pomeroy efficiency ratings.

And in the all-important NET rankings used by the NCAA selection committee, 60 percent of ASU’s 15 victories are of the Quadrant III (below average) and Quadrant IV (poor) variety.

One reason: The Sun Devils played three teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (Grambling, Texas Southern and Alcorn State), plus Tarleton from the WAC and Northern Arizona from the Big Sky.

In other words, five of the 11 non-conference opponents (45 percent) are typically viewed as creampuffs.

That said, scheduling depends on both foresight and fortune. Hurley also scheduled a handful of high-level games against opponents whose seasons haven’t gone as expected:

— Michigan was No. 22 in the AP preseason poll but is just 10-7 overall.

— SMU, which won 24 games last year, is a paltry 6-12 this season.

— Nor does it help that ASU lost by 37 points at San Francisco, which is near the bottom of the West Coast Conference.

The Sun Devils are No. 40 in the NET rankings that stand at the heart of the NCAA Tournament selection process, suggesting a position on the bubble.

If that range holds into March, the committee will compare ASU’s non-conference wins, losses and strength-of-schedule to those of other teams on the bubble.

It will find that Hurley attempted to challenge his team a handful of times but also scheduled a slew of low-level foes. Some members might look favorably on the lineup; others might grimace.

The Sun Devils’ best path forward is to remove the risk.

Don’t wobble down the stretch. Don’t lose games they shouldn’t lose. Don’t finish on the bubble and, above all, don’t give the committee any chance to decide they aren’t worth of an at-large bid.

If the Sun Devils keep winning, the non-conference schedule could knock them down a few notches in the brackets, but it won’t keep them out of the tournament.

To the power ratings…

(NET rankings through Monday)

1. UCLA (16-2/7-0)

Last week: 1Results: beat Utah 68-49 and Colorado 68-54Next up: at Arizona State (Thursday)NET ranking: 6Comment: The Bruins have enough Quad I games left to make their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs, but because of the Pac-12’s collective weakness, there is little margin for error in the resume-building process

2. Arizona State (15-3/6-1)

Last week: 3Results: won at Oregon 90-73 and OSU 74-69Next up: vs. UCLA (Thursday)NET ranking: 40Comment: BracketMatrix.com, which aggregates dozens of NCAA projections, currently slots ASU on the 10-seed line. Sweep this weekend, and the Devils will assuredly jump to No. 7 or 8.

3. Arizona (15-3/4-3)

Last week: 2Results: won at OSU 86-74, lost at Oregon 87-68Next up: vs. USC (Thursday)NET ranking: 13Comment: No need to panic, yet. But if the perimeter inefficiency is unchanged a month from now, the Wildcats will have cause for alarm.

4. USC (13-5/5-2)

Last week: 8Results: beat Colorado 68-61 and Utah 71-56Next up: at Arizona (Thursday)NET ranking: 67Comment: Why the jump from No. 8? Because the Hotline has grown weary of all the Mountain school mediocrity and was in the mood for a change.

5. Utah (12-7/5-3)

Last week: 4Results: lost at UCLA 68-49 and USC 71-56Next up: vs. Washington State (Thursday)NET ranking: 63Comment: The Utes are 1-3 against the top half of the conference and 4-0 against the bottom half — a huge improvement over last season but not enough to get them into the NCAAs.

6. Colorado (11-8/3-5)

Last week: 5Results: lost at USC 68-61 and UCLA 68-54Next up: vs. Washington (Thursday)NET ranking: 60Comment: The softest stretch of the conference schedule has arrived. Will the Buffs take advantage? It’s all about avoiding the No. 8-9 game in Las Vegas.

7. Oregon (10-8/4-3)

Last week: 6Results: lost to ASU 90-73, beat Arizona 87-68Next up: at Cal (Wednesday)NET ranking: 68Comment: The Ducks merely need to sweep the Bay Area to generate real momentum. It’s so close, and yet — quite possibly — so far away.

8. Washington State (9-10/4-4)

Last week: 7Results: beat Cal 66-51 and Stanford 60-59Next up: at Utah (Thursday)NET ranking: 71Comment: The NET ranking doesn’t match the loss total, except nine of the 10 are of the Quad I and II variety.

9. Washington (11-8/3-5)

Last week: 10Results: beat Stanford 86-69 and Cal 81-78 (OT)Next up: at Colorado (Thursday)NET ranking: 128Comment: Good thing the Huskies secured that victory over Cal. From the looks of the schedule, their next win won’t be coming for many, many weeks.

10. Cal (3-15/2-5)

Last week: 11Results: lost at WSU 66-51 and Washington 81-78 (OT)Next up: vs. Oregon (Wednesday)NET ranking: 249Comment: We didn’t realize the Bears are taking a religious studies course on the life of Lazarus.

11. Oregon State (11-7/1-6)

Last week: 9Results: lost to Arizona 86-74 and ASU 74-69Next up: at Stanford (Thursday)NET ranking: 229Comment: The Beavers have three losses by five points or less. The opponents in those instances: ASU, USC and Duke.

12. Stanford (5-12/0-7)

Last week: 12Results: lost at Washington 86-69 and WSU 60-59Next up: vs. Oregon State (Thursday)NET ranking: 151Comment: We didn’t hesitate to put Stanford in the 12th spot. Given the state of affairs on the bottom tier of this conference, that’s quite an indictment.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

Either way, if you weren’t a dessert person before this, you will be after reading this take on the region’s hottest new bakeries — from a Walnut Creek shop crafting Romanian specialties to an Oakland cheesecake house and a Santa Clara bakery where a couple has found their encore career in Portuguese recipes.

East Bay Bakery, Danville

Across the street from Blackhawk Plaza, this stand-out bakery with the simple name has been wowing locals with its sweet and savory offerings since it opened in July. Glass cases display in jewel-like fashion the laminated croffles, curry puffs and pretzels that have become proprietor-baker Gaby Lubaba’s signatures. East Bay Bakery has no seating but the counter offers views of the open kitchen, where the bakery crew prepares Lubaba’s unique spins on danishes, cookies and croissants. (We recently spied both a baklava croissant and a pastrami-cheese version.)

Lubaba, who made our 2022 list of Rising Stars, offers a wide selection of classic treats and fresh baked breads, too, including rye brownies and a craveable olive fougasse. But there is a certain magic in the seasonal items — hello, pistachio chocolate escargot — and treats inspired by her native Indonesia. Be sure to get your hands on the crispy beef curry puffs filled with real curry leaves. They go fast.

The treat: Made from buttery croissant dough, the croffle ($5) is a crowd-favorite that taps into something deeply nostalgic. The crispy, almost caramelized outside leads to a chewy, satisfying interior that’s buttery and not too sweet. Perfection.

Details: Open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends at 6000C Crow Canyon Road in  Danville. Also Saturdays at the Orinda Farmers Market and Sundays at the Walnut Creek Farmers Market; https://theeastbaybakery.com

LeLe Cake, Los Gatos

Elena Leskina says she’s pretty fearless when it comes to challenges — whether it’s “new business, new skills, new country.” An electrical engineer by trade, she taught herself how to bake intricate desserts by watching YouTube videos during her young daughter’s two-hour naps back in Moscow. When she and her family immigrated to the U.S. five years ago, she opened a commercial kitchen.

Last June, she launched LeLe Cake, a cute all-day cafe where brunch is as popular as the pastries and custom cakes. It’s worth waiting for a table to try one of the Euro-style dishes that customers rave about — the Syrniki (Russian cheese pancakes) with berries, perhaps, Homemade Salted Salmon Toast or the Gruyere Waffle with goat cheese and onion marmalade.

If you didn’t save room for dessert, stop at the bakery case for a takeout order of, say, Kartoshka (chocolate cake “truffles” topped with fruit), Pavlova or Trifle. The full-size cakes are multi-layer, highly decorated beauties with selections such as the Choco Girl, Poppyseed & Lemonade, flaky Napoleon cake or the Sever, a Norwegian national favorite topped with meringue.

The treat: The star is Leskina’s version of the Medovik, a Russian honey cake layered with fresh raspberries and a light white chocolate and sour cream frosting. It’s available by the slice (three layers) or as a full-size cake (five or six layers).

Details: Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 14178 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos; https://lelecake.me/

Crumble & Whisk, Oakland

Charles Farrier’s somewhat random entry into the bakery world came when a coworker asked if he could contribute to a potluck dinner. “I was like, ‘Sure.’ I brought a cheesecake. Everyone loved it,” he recalls.

That revelation triggered a slow and deep dive into the art of baking, with Farrier studying cookbooks, experimenting with different styles of cheesecakes, and then distributing them at barbershops and businesses along Oakland’s MacArthur Boulevard and later at farmers markets. This December, he opened a brick-and-mortar location in the Laurel District, where he prepares not just the confection that put him on the map but scrumptious pastries, artfully decorated cookies and so much more.

“This is about building up community, so people can get to know me as a neighborhood staple,” Farrier says. For his breakfast peeps, he has coffee cake, overnight oats and huge cinnamon buns with a jiggly, custard-like frosting. (Try to get them hot.) Folks celebrating a special occasion – or who just want to treat themselves – can order his super-creamy cheesecakes in full and puck-sized versions, with vegan options to boot. And for dinner, you can pick up a flaky-crusted pot pie and a banana pudding that’d fool your Southern grandma, with vanilla wafers and the obligatory toupee of whipped topping.

The treat: The much-lauded cheesecakes are not dense but rather melting, creamy delights with seasonal surprises. Cold weather might see a maple-pecan crumble or apple-cider cake version with chunks of fruit. In the summer folks, rave about the blackberry and corn cheesecake, made with a puree of off-the-cob kernels, thyme and brown butter.

Details: Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at 4104 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland; www.crumbleandwhisk.com.

Little Sky Bakery, Menlo Park

For years, Tian Mayimin was focused on the law. Since 2017, it’s been all about leavening.

In the beginning, the self-taught baker delivered her naturally leavened breads, baked in her Menlo Park home kitchen, to neighbors. Then she became the darling of the Peninsula and South Bay farmers market circuit with her creative lineup of loaves. Next came pop-ups. And soon she set her sights on a dedicated brick-and-mortar.

Last March, she and her team opened a storefront location on Santa Cruz Avenue near the Caltrain station. Late in the year, she expanded the hours of their indoor pop-up at the State Street Market in Los Altos, all while maintaining a strong farmers market presence. They staff 16 markets every week, with four seasonal ones starting up again this spring.

With the expansions came more innovation. Pistachio Bundt Cakes and Caramel Nut Tarts for the holiday season. Roman-style flatbreads. Baozi, yeast-leavened, filled buns. Open-face lox sandwiches on European rye. Jalapeno Cheddar Rings. A signature Challah made with orange juice and honey and brushed with olive oil. And Volkornbrot, the hefty German loaf nicknamed the king of seeded breads. Some creations are available weekly; some rotate into the lineup.

The treat: The popular Raisin-Walnut loaves go fast. And keep your eye out for batches of the Provencal herbal flatbread called fougasse.

Details: Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 506 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park, with a permanent indoor pop-up at State Street Market in Los Altos; https://littleskybakery.com/

European Delights, Walnut Creek

Since opening in July on Walnut Creek’s east side, this bakery has become a haven for European expats and others craving Italian coffee and classic pastries without gobs of frosting or other sugar bombs. From the open kitchen, Romanian co-owner and head baker Rica Zaharia, a native of Transylvania, greets customers with a smile and talks them through the day’s fresh bakes while the Lavazza brews on the counter.

The glass case holds a medley of goodies, like almond and honey shortbread, apple morning buns and giant, 7-inch cookies packed with caramel and chocolate chips. Some items, like the covri dog, a frankfurter wrapped in golden pastry dough, are a nod to Zaharia’s Romanian roots. Others are collaborations between Zaharia and staff baker, Vida. One such creation, the tiramisu cookie, features pastry cream sandwiched between soft, round ladyfinger-like cookies.

The treat: We’re big fans of the börek. Thin, flaky, phyllo-like pastry dough is filled with ham, vegetables, cheeses and other savory ingredients. Our favorite is the mushroom ($5), which has flecks of herbs and a distinct truffle flavor. Keep an eye out for heart-shaped treats in February.

Details: Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and until 2 p.m. Sunday, at 2236A Oak Grove Road in Walnut Creek; https://european-delights.com.

Max’s Cakes, Hayward

This classic, family-owned bakery opened five weeks ago and has already added much-needed pizzazz to downtown Hayward. Horchata cheesecake and café de olla and buñelo cupcakes, nods to baker Max Soto‘s Mexican-American heritage, line the pastry case alongside cookies and brick-sized slices of his Instagram-famous layer cakes. Those cakes come in five flavors, including coconut cream, burnt almond and confetti, and are already proving to be top sellers.

After ordering your dessert, take a seat — or a selfie inside the giant picture frame against the white subway-tiled wall. Or spend some time admiring the historic black and white photos of downtown Hayward lining the walls. Soto appeared on Buddy Valastro’s “Big Time Bake” in 2020 and became the youngest contestant ever to win a “Food Network” competition. There are some pretty cute photos of him eating cake as a baby, too.

The treat: You have to get a slice of cake ($8). Two, actually. The 24-Karrot cake is super moist, topped with cream cheese frosting and brimming with shredded carrots and toasted walnuts. If you’re a lemon fiend, Lemon Supreme, a lemon cake layered with lemon curd and vanilla buttercream, is your jam.

Details: Opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday at 1007 B St., Hayward; https://maxscakesofficial.wixsite.com

Portuguese Tasty Desserts, Santa Clara

What’s new in Santa Clara is delightfully old school: a bakery specializing in nostalgic Portuguese recipes that made their way from the Azores to the Bay Area many decades ago.

When Teresa and Nelio Defreitas retired from school district careers (she as a kitchen supervisor, he as a campus maintenance manager), they decided to resurrect her parents’ Portuguese Bakery, which had been in business locally for more than 40 years. They found a spot and opened a year ago.

“This is what we love to do, especially the interaction with the customers,” she said. “We have such an amazing mix in this community.”

Customers come from as far away as Sacramento for the pillowy Portuguese sweet bread, pastel de natas (custard tarts), rice pudding, a rich, smooth flan and other goodies. The malasadas — the Portuguese doughnuts so popular in Hawaii — are available in 12 flavors (including guava and custard) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Know you won’t have time to cook for that upcoming potluck? They will bake to your specifications. “Bring me your Pyrex dish and I’ll fill it up with rice pudding,” Teresa said.

The old-school touches extend beyond the recipes. Walk in and you’ll be welcomed, as all customers are, with a complementary cup of coffee, sweet bread samples and conversation. You won’t walk out empty-handed.

The treat: Biscoitos, the not-too-sweet cookie rings, come in almond, lemon, cinnamon, anise, chocolate and other flavors and are perfect for dunking in coffee or snacking.

Details: Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 1085 El Camino Real, Santa Clara; www.facebook.com/PortugueseTastyDesserts/.

Simurgh, Emeryville

If you took a bagel, crusted it in sesame seeds and stretched it out like one of those old-timey hoops kids pushed with a stick, you’d get simit. Every Turkish city has shops hawking simit – and around here, there’s no better place to try them than Hatice Yildiz’s cafe that opened on San Pablo Avenue in late 2022.

A daughter of Istanbul restaurateurs who took an interesting journey to baking – she got a PhD in religious studies in Berkeley – Yildiz makes simit that’s crackling outside, soft and stretchy inside and kissed with the smoke of the oven. Order it with lox and cream cheese or, more traditionally, with tahini and grape molasses. There’s charred-top rice pudding, too, and baklava with housemade phyllo and imported “emerald” pistachios, famous for their startling green hue and nutty-fresh taste. Try the chocolate version, whose honey and bitter cocoa notes somehow improves on the original.

A heartier bite can be found in boreks, quichelike pies with fillings of goat cheese, mushrooms and kale, and stuffed eggplants that were sun-dried in Turkey. Yildiz plans to diversify her savory side this year with lahmacun, as well, a thin flatbread topped with minced beef, peppers and herbs and baked to perfection. (Just don’t call it “Turkish pizza.”)

The treat: The Russian/Ukrainian honey cake is a masterfully constructed slab of housemade graham crackers, condensed milk and brown butter. The sweet-sensory overload is like sticking your head in a honeybee hive, without the bees.

Details: Open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at 4125 San Pablo Ave. in Emeryville; www.simurghbakery.com.

Forest & Flour, Fremont

Many Bay Area residents with dietary issues have found sweet salvation at Sway Soturi’s farmers market booths over the past few years. Now the San Jose wellness entrepreneur can offer a larger menu of organic and gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, soy-free and corn-free savories and sweets to a broader audience at her new cafe in Fremont’s Mission San Jose district.

“We try to make things that people would miss,” said Soturi, who started baking allergen-friendly fare for herself. Take, for example, monkey bread and soup. Her Monkey Party muffins are as ooey-gooey as expected, thanks to a coconut-sugar caramel. The creamy, satisfying Clam Chowder is made with chicken broth, coconut milk and cashews, which naturally add an interesting nutty tone.

You’ll also find gluten-free muffins (carrot, matcha and seasonal), baguettes, brioche, chocolate chip cookies and more. For lunch, she and her team offer congee and French toast too.

By the way, this greenery-filled cafe is located near Mission Peak, which is good to keep in mind if you need fuel for a trip up or replenishment after coming down.

The treat: The big hit is the aromatic Lavender-Lemon Bread. It’s available by the loaf or as a small toast order, with a side of locally made Rose Petal Jam. Soturi also showcases other like-minded Bay Area purveyors.

Details: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at 43587 Mission Blvd., Fremont; https://forestandflour.com/.

Bake Sum, Oakland

As a kid, Joyce Tang loved to eat at bakeries in Oakland’s Chinatown. “When I got older, I didn’t really feel like I saw anyone iterating those types of flavors at the patisseries I’d visit around the Bay Area,” she says.

Her solution: Quit a Facebook job, land an internship at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Spain, then come back and start her own bakery specializing in memories from her childhood. The philosophy at Bake Sum is pastries should not just be beautiful (though they are, wonderfully so), but also meaningful to a staff of predominantly Asian and female bakers.

“We always try to find nostalgic flavors that speak to us and our upbringings,” Tang says.

Walk into the charmingly decorated shop in Grand Lake and you might see lilikoi “mochi bites” and loco-moco danish with a meat patty, gravy and runny egg. There’s a croissant and Spam musubi crossover called a “crusubi” and an okonomiyaki danish with garlic oil-roasted mushrooms, Kewpie mayo and furikake. It all sounds hearty, but with the skill of the bakers in making delicate, flaky doughs, you’ll be ready for seconds in no time.

The treat: The green-onion croissant is a popular offering that blends two styles of scallion pancakes from Northern and Southern China. It has a pleasantly bready, oily and crunchy exterior, with a soft interior of scallions, toasted sesame oil and sea salt.

Details: Open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday-Sunday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday and Monday at 3249 Grand Ave. in Oakland; www.bakesum.com.

Moves, expansions and other new-ish bakeries to check out:

Lolita Bakery Cafe: Silvia Leiva Browne has supplemented her Hillsdale Shopping Center location, which opened in 2018, with a larger retail shop where fans of Argentinean baked goods can find her alfajores, empanadas and more. 3790 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo; www.lolitaalfajores.com

Republic of Cake: This longtime Orinda bakery known for cupcakes moved to Danville in 2022, expanding its offerings to include more pastries, quiches, sandwiches and ice cream. 730 Camino Ramon, Suite 196, Danville; www.republicofcake.com

Wingen Bakery: Peek into a new bread room and enjoy extra seating with a bistro-style menu of breakfast and lunch items at this recently-expanded Livermore bakery known for bread and pastries. 50 S. Livermore Ave., Livermore; www.wingenbakery.com

Ono Bakehouse: The East Bay’s only dedicated Hawaiian bakery has been open since Dec. 2020 and continues to wow with malasadas, savory ham-and-pineapple buns and tropical Queen Emma cake. Best to pre-order. 1922 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley; https://ono-bakehouse.square.site

Sunday Bakeshop: StarChefs 2022 Rising Star Award winner Elaine Lau marries classic French training with the Asian flavors of her childhood for magically nostalgic treats that have mass appeal: White Rabbit cookies, a char siu croissant, Thai tea milk buns and halo halo cake are all stunners. 5931 College Ave., Oakland; www.thesundaybakeshop.com

National Weather Service predictions showed calm, chilly air Tuesday in the Bay Area. Highs in the mid-50s were consistent throughout, with San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland each expected to top out at 55 degrees. Overnight temperatures could drop to the mid-30s, however, accompanied by calm winds and a dry, rainless night.

Those showers should diminish by Thursday, however, as temperatures were forecast to drop to highs in the low 50s before slowly rising to the high 50s by Saturday, giving the Bay Area its first completely dry weekend of 2023.

After weeks of rain, one last storm Sunday night had residents waking up to more floods and mudslides Monday morning.

Ryan Orosco found himself in 3-foot-deep floodwaters at his mobile home along Bixler Road in Bryon shortly after daybreak. He carried his wife and young son separately out of the home. Thanks to the home standing on a raised platform, none of the water managed to make it inside. However, 3 to 4 inches of water seeped inside his parents’ home next door.

“It’s really stressful to deal with it,” said Orosco, 35. “It just baffles me how much water came down.”

In Berkeley, a mudslide slammed into Marjorie Cruz’s home on Middlefield Road about 6:30 a.m. Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders to more than a half-dozen properties in the area.

“It’s completely shocking – I don’t have words to describe what I’m looking at,” she said. “Who expects to wake up in the morning and see an entire hillside in their dining room?”

For now, however, evacuees and weathered residents across Northern California can refocus on clearing the mounds of dirt and detritus thrust into their homes and draining lingering rainwater as the National Weather Service lifts flood advisories and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state’s Office of Emergency Services deploy aid.

Scroll down for photos, then click here to read the rest of our coverage.

We won’t know whether it qualifies as a lopsided victory or narrow escape until later this week. While Monday is the deadline for early entrants to declare for the April draft, news will trickle out for several days. Some prospects simply aren’t interested in announcing their decisions on social media. (Imagine that!)

However, enough stay-or-go decisions have been made public for the Hotline to offer preliminary judgment …

Arizona

Our verdict: winnerComment: The Wildcats aren’t loaded with pro prospects but have retained three key players: tailback Michael Wiley, receiver Jacob Cowing and left tackle Jordan Morgan. The least-known of the trio outside of Tucson, Morgan’s decision is the most important. He might have jumped into the draft if not for a season-ending knee injury against UCLA. Assuming good health for the start of the season, Morgan will be one of the Pac-12’s best at a high-value position.

Arizona State

Our verdict: case dismissedComment: Several key players are out of eligibility, including star linebacker Kyle Soelle, while other starters have transferred. (Offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson is heading to Michigan, for example.) But the direct damage to ASU from draft decisions is minimal as new coach Kenny Dillingham works to retool the roster.

Cal

Our verdict: winnerComment: We considered dismissing this case, as well, since the Bears weren’t exactly loaded with draft-eligible talent. However, one key stay-or-go decision went the direction they hoped: Jackson Sirmon, a first-team all-conference linebacker, will return for the 2023 season. We should mention that punter Jamieson Sheahan declared for the draft — not because of the ramifications for next season as much as because we get a kick out of punters declaring for the draft.

Colorado

Our verdict: case dismissedComment: Much like ASU, the Buffaloes had a limited number of players whose NFL decisions would impact the trajectory of the program, for better or worse, in 2023. (It’s all about coach Deion Sanders working the transfer portal.) The departure of receiver Daniel Arias isn’t nearly significant enough for a verdict.

Oregon

Our verdict: winnerComment: The biggest news broke a week before Christmas, when quarterback Bo Nix announced his plan to return. But he’s not alone in that endeavor. Offensive lineman Steven Jones passed on the draft. So did linebacker Mase Funa. Defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rodgers and Popo Aumavae are returning, too. (The Ducks will be stacked up front.) However, two of the top defensive players in the conference, inside linebacker Noah Sewell and cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a potential first-round pick, are turning pro.

Oregon State

Our verdict: loser (by a hair)Comment: Many of OSU’s key players have used up their eligibility — cornerback Rejzohn Wright, for example — and another anchor, linebacker Omar Speights, is transferring. The list of top talents who had the opportunity to return for the ’23 season and instead chose to enter the draft features cornerback Alex Austin and tight end Luke Musgrave. As a counterweight, the Beavers got good news on the draft front from safety Kitan Oladapo.

Stanford

Our verdict: loserComment: This ruling shouldn’t come as much surprise — very little has gone right for Stanford over the past 18-24 months. Quarterback Tanner McKee declared for the draft in early December, perhaps a year too late. (His value plunged to such an extent during Stanford’s dismal season that the university should offer him compensatory damages.) And not for nothing: The Cardinal also lost all-conference cornerback Kyu Blue Kelly. It wasn’t long ago that Stanford possessed enough players with high-end draft value to create drama at the deadline.

UCLA

Our verdict: loserComment: The Hotline delayed judgment on the Bruins until word from Westwood arrived at lunchtime Monday that star tailback Zach Charbonnet is headed to the NFL. (No surprise: He’s the rare tailback who warrants a high-round valuation.) Charbonnet joins a slew of teammates who have already declared, including receiver Kaz Allen and offensive lineman Jon Gaines. However, a key decision isn’t yet public: edge rusher Laiatu Latu.

USC

Our verdict: loserComment: This decision carries slightly more nuance than you might expect. Yes, the Trojans took a combination punch to the gut with the losses of star receiver Jordan Addison and the top defensive player in the conference, lineman Tuli Tulipulotu. However, offensive lineman Justin Dedich and linebacker Shane Lee are returning. And a vital point: Quarterback Caleb Williams isn’t eligible for the draft until the spring of 2024, thus limiting the range of outcomes for the Trojans.

Utah

Our verdict: winnerComment: The Utes lost a hefty amount of talent but still emerged as a winner in the declaration game, primarily because quarterback Cam Rising is coming back (although his health remains an issue following a serious leg injury in the Rose Bowl). Top receiver Devaughn Vele and all-conference tight end Brant Kuithe are returning, too. That said, the Utes lost Clark Phillips III, perhaps the top cornerback in the conference, along with tight end Dalton Kincaid and linebackers Gabe Reid and Mohamoud Diabate.

Washington

Our verdict: winner (by a landslide)Comment: The Huskies lost their starting tailback (Wayne Taulapapa) and a key edge rusher (Jeremiah Martin) but nonetheless finished as the Pac-12’s biggest winner. Because quarterback Michael Penix is returning. So are his favorite targets, receivers Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze. And edge rushers Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui. And mammoth defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa. And all-conference left guard Troy Fautanu. Tally it up, and those seven form the core of what should be a preseason top-10 team.

Washington State

Our verdict: winnerComment: The Cougars were hit hard by the transfer portal but received good, if somewhat limited news on the draft front. All-conference edge rushers Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson are returning. Their presence ensures that if the Cougars’ front seven regresses — the linebacking unit was hit hard by attrition — the scope will be limited.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

— Berkeley Humane

Yoda, I am. Like the infamous grand master of Jedi Order, I believe size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?

— EBSPCA

Meet Chopper, a sweet senior looking for a new home. This low-key, laid-back low-rider has one walk speed: leisurely. The only time he breaks into a trot is when he spies a cat, and then he quickly stops to watch from a distance. Chopper ignores other dogs in his vicinity. He just wants to sniff, nap and get your attention and treats! Chopper’s big noggin is made to lie in a lap and be petted. He can be your shop dog, your couch potato, wherever you need a mature lovebug to brighten your day. Chopper weighs 53 pounds, and we estimate his age to be around 8. To meet this pet at Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS), call 510-337-8565 or visit alamedaanimalshelter.org/adopt online.

— FAAS

Tink is the sweetest little girl, born in her foster mom’s living room the day after her mother was rescued from an overcrowded residence. She was the tiniest of the litter and is the last of her family to find a home. Our tortie is initially quite shy, needing a little time to warm up and realize you’re not a predator, but once she does, look out! To meet our purr monster and lap sitter, contact Kay at kericksonttt@yahoo.com. Community Concern for Cats (CC4C) now holds weekend adoption events at Pet Food Express stores in Martinez and Concord plus our regular location at 1250-H Newell Ave. in Walnut Creek. Visit communityconcernforcats.org online for more information.

— CC4C

Finn is an extra-special ginger girl! Most ginger cats are male, and just a special few are female. Female ginger cats are well known to have calm and quiet personalities, and that’s Finn to a T! Finn is a people lover, lap lover, nap lover and playtime lover. Contact the staff at Milo Point Richmond for assistance at 220 S. Garrard Blvd. in Richmond from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. any day but Tuesdays. Our dedicated staff is on duty every day caring for our animals and have saved more than 39,000 lives in 28 years. For more details, visit milofoundation.org/contact-us.

— Milo Foundation

Mama Lana is a 1½-year-old domestic longhair beauty with a great personality and curly, fluffy tail. She loves people and will happily snuggle on your lap, purring away. But wait. Then there’s the Lana that gets the zoomies, flying around the house and playing with toys. She gets along with other cats and would make a great addition to your family. For more information about this or any other adoptable pets with the Contra Costa (CCSPCA), call Pat at 925-323-0667.

— CCSPCA

Downpours triggered the release of millions of gallons of raw sewage mixed with rainwater across the region in just two weeks, spilling contaminated water into dozens of rivers, creeks and ultimately into the ocean and San Francisco Bay, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis of 88 reports to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Flooded waters contain pathogens,” warned Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “If you touch flood waters, you want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to make sure that you don’t get yourself exposed.”

When sewage flows into homes and businesses, expensive remediation and decontamination is needed to make them safe again. Overflows also may have dangerous consequences for the environment, because human waste, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and other harmful products are flushed down drains and toilets.

In one incident, the Martinez Refinery Company reported releasing more than six million gallons of storm and wastewater into the Carquinez Strait estuary, which drains into the San Francisco Bay, on Jan. 4, according to state records. The discharge of partially treated “process water” and storm water was necessary to avoid damage to the refinery, the company reported.

Dozens of other smaller incidents were caused by open manhole covers, broken pipes and overwhelmed treatment facilities, from Corte Madera to Woodside and Half Moon Bay to Pleasanton.

State records show that between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, a total of more than 14 million gallons of sewage were discharged in the San Francisco Bay region, enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to White. The Jan. 4 storm triggered the release of another 8 million gallons, or 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More recent releases are still being tallied. Experts say the total volume is likely to be much larger than current estimates because the chaotic circumstances surrounding these emergency flooding situations mean it’s nearly impossible to accurately evaluate the true scale and impact of sewage contamination.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain weights, stormwater management systems are designed within the limits of weather — and can’t handle the intensity of storms that might happen only every decade or two.

In dry times, waste from homes and businesses is whisked immediately away to wastewater-treatment plants, never to be seen, smelled or considered again.

But two weeks of near-constant storms have stressed the system, as heavy rainfall and flooding infiltrate sewer pipes.

“We saw 13 times our average wastewater flows,” said Andrea Pook of East Bay Municipal Utilities District.

Most of the releases were caused when storm water backs up into the streets, flowing up through drains or manhole covers forced open by the overwhelming volume of high-pressure torrents, the reports show.

In Redwood City, a manhole overflow sent polluted water into Borel Creek at a rate of 150 gallons per minute. In San Mateo, 100 to 150 gallons per minute flowed into a storm drain that empties into Polhemus Creek. About 50 gallons a minute were dumped into Sonoma Creek. In Oakland, the overflow of three manholes spilled 25,000 gallons into Lake Merritt.

When a sewage lift station in Daly City overflowed because of stormwater, 35,950 gallons of waste were released into the Pacific Ocean. The rupture of a main treatment line in Moss Beach also caused a spill into the ocean. In Pacifica, an overflowing pump station caused 20,000 gallons to be discharged at Linda Mar Beach.  About 34,000 gallons were released in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when a West Bay Sanitary treatment plant couldn’t keep up with the flow.

In Richmond, the West County Wastewater facility pumped sewage directly into the San Francisco Bay, according to a Jan. 11 report.  “It is unknown how long the releasing will be going for,” it said.

Three discharges into Oakland’s San Leandro Creek, Barnhill Marina and an estuary at the foot of Alice Street originated from the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s “overflow structures,” which are designed to discharge water in high-flow conditions.

Farther south, a sewage treatment plant was flooded Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. Percolation ponds in the city of Templeton also were flooded, sending 300,000 gallons into the river.

Mother Nature is wreaking additional chaos. In Oakland, a tree fell on the sewer line, causing 5,100 gallons of sewage to be released into Sausal Creek. In Crockett, a hillside eroded and collapsed — causing a pipe to break and release 2,700 gallons. When debris blocked a sewer conduit, about 10,000 gallons overflowed into a drain that leads to Oakland’s Lake Temescal.

Records show that a single day — Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve — was responsible for the largest number of reports to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, with 51 discharges in different Bay Area cities.

On that morning alone, there were 15 sewage discharges in 12 cities: Hillsborough, Woodside, San Bruno, Daly City, Pacifica, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Lorenzo, Richmond, Piedmont, Oakland and Daly City.  By midnight, there were an additional 36 discharges in 25 cities: Alameda, Oakland, San Mateo, Richmond, Pacifica, Martinez, El Granada, Montara, Pittsburg, Corte Madera, San Francisco, Antioch, Redwood City, Dublin, San Leandro, Albany, Berkeley, Woodside, Vallejo, Menlo Park, Benicia, Sausalito, Pleasanton, Foster City and Hayward.

The problem isn’t new, said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit focused on the health of the San Francisco Bay. But the constant rain has exacerbated the issue.

“Over the years, and typically every time it rains, we see sewage spills in the streets and wastewater overflows,” she said. “But the back-to-back-to-back-to-back major storm events is causing a continuous discharge. That’s what is new.”

With continued population growth, the demands on our sewer systems have increased, say experts. Meanwhile, more development leads to more asphalt and cement, so the bulk of the rainfall ends up in our sewage systems.  And our wastewater pipes, often made of clay, are aging, so water infiltrates through cracks and gaps.

The rate at which the urban Bay Area is adapting to these threats is lagging behind the speed at which rain is drowning it, said Choksi-Chugh.  Cities need to invest in replacing pipes and upgrading wastewater treatment systems to increase storage capacity and install more recycling technologies, she said. Cities also could incentivize homeowners to replace old pipes through grants or low-interest loans.

“Our old infrastructure is just not going to be up to snuff,” Choksi-Chugh said. “It’s not going to be able to handle these larger storm events, year upon year. So we really need to be thinking about the future.”

Nearly half of the almost 52,000 people who called 211 — the nationwide social services hotline — in six Bay Area counties last year needed housing help, from a place to shelter for the night to assistance paying their rent so they wouldn’t be evicted. That’s up from about a third the year before.

The surge in demand, which came as the last statewide COVID-19 eviction protections expired and inflation soared, is overwhelming the Bay Area’s resources, meaning many people in need are turned away or left to languish on long waitlists.

“We’ve always received calls about housing needs, but the past quarter especially we’ve been seeing thousands of our neighbors reach out about housing,” said Clare Margason, 211 director for United Way Bay Area. “Our residents are struggling to pay their rent, to meet basic needs.”

United Way recently released its first public, online database tracking the number and types of calls it receives at the 211 centers it operates for San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Napa and Solano counties. (The call centers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties are run by different organizations.) Margason hopes the data will help make their services stronger by identifying gaps in resources.

After housing at 47%, food was the second-most needed resource last year, comprising nearly 17% of requests, followed by help with health care, at 13%. Requests for help with mental health or substance abuse, at nearly 7%, also ticked up despite the launch last summer of 988 — a nationwide mental health crisis hotline.

Pleas for housing help have soared in Alameda County as well, jumping up 27% last year, according to Eden I&R, which operates the county’s 211 line locally. The call center, which keeps an extensive housing database, sometimes can refer callers directly to affordable housing units or shelter beds, or help them get on waitlists. Because of the bureaucratic nature of the county’s affordable housing system, 211 operators often have to refer callers to other resource centers where they can begin a complicated screening process to determine if they are eligible for help.

“There’s never enough,” said Eden I&R Executive Director Alison DeJung. “It can be pretty common that a caller will call and there’s no shelter bed available.”

Because the need is so great, her team launched a new “housing specialty unit” in October designed to help callers hold onto their housing and avoid ending up on the street. They hired three employees specially trained in tenant rights to help callers who are at risk of eviction or struggling to pay rent. The Bay Area’s other 211 call centers are working on similar experimental programs.

United Way outsourced its 211 call centers to Southern California in 2012 due to financial challenges and now calls from San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Marin and Sonora counties are answered in Ventura County.

In Santa Clara County, there has been such a desperate need for emergency shelter that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the county launched a separate hotline just to connect people to beds. Dubbed the Here4You hotline — 408-385-2400 — the number is now operated by the Bill Wilson Center, which runs shelters and housing programs in the county. Before the recent storms wreaked havoc on the region, the hotline received about 300 calls per day, said CEO Sparky Harlan. Now, that’s up to between 400 and 450. There are so many people in need, that the call center is constantly turning people away.

“We’re probably able to place a third of the people right now that are calling,” Harlan said.

The need is similarly high in Contra Costa County, where the number of calls specifically related to evictions nearly doubled — increasing from 681 in 2021 to 1,196 last year.

Tom Myers, executive director of the nonprofit Community Services Agency in Mountain View, isn’t surprised by the spike in 211 requests for housing. He’s seen a similar increase at his own agency — both in the number of people who need help paying rent and in those who are trying to claw their way out of homelessness. Unable to keep up with demand, his team is forced to put people on waiting lists. The average wait for rental assistance is between two and four weeks, he said.

“Unfortunately, I think we’ve known for some time that we have a group of people who are living in incredibly housing insecure environments,” Myers said. “And that number increased. It multiplied during COVID. And it’s not going away. Until the Bay Area solves its affordable housing crisis, we are going to continue to have this problem.”

1. Utah’s band is back together

Quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe announced they’re returning for the 2023 season, instantly elevating the Utes to contender status in what should be a loaded conference.

There is one significant unknown in Salt Lake City, however: Rising’s health. He suffered a serious leg or knee injury in the Rose Bow that, according to coach Kyle Whittingham, will require a prolonged recovery.

Utah should open the season in the top-25, and perhaps in the top-15. If Rising is near (at) 100 percent when conference play begins (Sept. 23), the Utes have a real chance to become the first team in the Pac-12’s expansion era to win three consecutive titles.

2. More good news for Washington

Star receiver Rome Odunze became the latest Husky to announce his return in ’23, following the path of fellow wideout Jalen McMillan, edge rushers Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, left tackle Troy Fautanu and some dude named Penix.

Odunze was a first-team all-conference selection and, with McMillan, forms the best receiver tandem in the Pac-12. (They combined for 16 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards.)

UW was the hottest team west of Fort Worth at the end of the season and, with so many key players returning, should start ’23 in the top-10, with designs on the College Football Playoff.

3. Big exit from the Big Ten

After three uneventful years (massive sarcasm), commissioner Kevin Warren is leaving the conference to become president of the Chicago Bears — a move that carries repercussions for near-term realignment.

Warren made no secret of his desire to continue expanding the Big Ten, potentially with Washington, Oregon and the Bay Area schools to form a West Coast division that would kill off the Pac-12. But he was at the mercy of the university presidents, who don’t have the interest, and the league’s media partners, who don’t have the money.

There’s little chance of the Big Ten making another expansion move in the coming months as it searches for a commissioner, giving the Pac-12 room to breathe.

4. Pac-12 schedule on hold

Fans across the footprint are awaiting the release of the 2023 conference schedule, which has been delayed for unspecified reasons. However, external developments suggest the process is nearing completion.

Both the ACC and Big 12 are expected to unveil their schedules before the end of January. Because ESPN and Fox make programming decisions for all the Power Five conferences — each network slots games into a master grid across four time zones — resolution for two leagues indicates the puzzle is almost solved.

5. Week Zero plans nixed

Clarity came to one aspect of the ’23 conference schedule after the NCAA reportedly denied a Pac-12 request to switch the Colorado-Arizona State game to the final Saturday in August (aka: Week Zero).

The conference wanted to move the game in order to prevent one, or both, of the participants from having to play nine consecutive weeks. (That case wasn’t strong enough for the NCAA, which is forever worried about precedent.)

Whether the ASU-Colorado situation was the final snag in the Pac-12’s scheduling process is not known.

6. Transfer portal mayhem

The movement of players has slowed, but hardly stopped, since the chaotic stretch in early December.

This week, Cal grabbed a little-known quarterback, Sam Jackson V, who spent this season as TCU’s third stringer, while Washington lost a high-profile passer: Sam Huard, the former mega-recruit with deep UW bloodlines, will seek playing time elsewhere.

But the most impactful move came in Corvallis, where all-conference linebacker Omar Speights bid adieu to Oregon State and entered the portal. Without the tackling machine as an anchor, the Beavers must retool their linebacking unit.

7. Pac-12 Networks on the move

The conference announced last spring that it would seek an alternative location for its production studios once the pricey lease in San Francisco expired in the summer of 2023.

On Wednesday, the location of the new facility became public: The East Bay city of San Ramon, which isn’t far from the Pac-12’s former, longtime home in Walnut Creek.

The 42,000-square foot office space will house the production studios needed for the networks, in whatever form they take — a streaming-only platform seems likely — during the next media rights cycle.

8. March Madness expansion on hold

The NCAA’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved a recommendation to expand the size of championship events to match the number of schools that sponsor the particular sport.

For the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the fields would need to expand to 90 teams (approximately) to meet the recommended threshold for the 360-something programs in Division I.

However, the governing board referred the final decision to each sport’s specific oversight committee. In the case of March Madness, the men’s and women’s selection committees will ultimately determine whether or not to expand.

We expect a verdict on the highly-nuanced issue sometime this summer.

9. A legend passes

Former USC running back Charles White passed away Wednesday, at the age of 64, following a fight with cancer.

White won the Heisman Trophy in 1979, was the headliner on several of the greatest teams in conference history — the Trojans were 42-6-1 during his four seasons — and remains the Pac-12’s career rushing leader with 6,245 yards.

Nobody is close.

10. Key deadline approaches

Monday is the final day for early-entry candidates to declare for the NFL Draft.

Thus far, the Pac-12 has received more good news than bad, but there are typically a slew of last-minute decisions that carry a wallop. And in some cases, players don’t reveal their decisions until the deadline has come and gone.

Be ready for a Pac-12 surprise, or three.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.