Oakland, California, airport can use 'San Francisco' in name after settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco has settled a two-year legal fight with its neighbor across the bay that will allow the city of Oakland to include “San Francisco” in its airport’s name if it doesn’t highlight the two words in any way.

The settlement announced Tuesday allows Oakland’s airport to be called “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport,” but it bars the city from spotlighting “San Francisco” or “San Francisco Bay” in fonts, highlights, different colors or any other way. It also requires Oakland to use the word “bay” right after “San Francisco” and bans it from using the word “International” in the airport’s name, even though it provides international flights.

The spat began in 2024 after Oakland, a diverse port city often seen as the underdog in the Bay Area compared to its richer neighbor to the west, changed its airport’s name to “San Francisco-Oakland Bay Airport,” prompting San Francisco officials to sue over what they said was a trademark violation.

The two airports are across from each other on the San Francisco Bay and about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) driving distance.

Oakland officials said the name modification was necessary to help travelers unfamiliar with the region place the city in the Bay Area. They said visitors often fly into San Francisco’s airport even if their destination is closer to the Oakland airport. The airport’s three-letter code OAK did not change.

“We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay,” Mary Richardson, attorney for the Port of Oakland, which manages the airport, said in a statement.

San Francisco argued having “San Francisco” in Oakland’s airport name would confuse travelers, especially those flying in from abroad and those unfamiliar with the Bay Area. But on Tuesday, San Francisco officials had a friendlier tone.

“We are grateful to have reached a resolution in this matter,” San Francisco International Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet said. “This agreement provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”

Neither side admitted liability, and there was no monetary settlement.

San Francisco International Airport, known as SFO, is owned by the city, though technically located south of it.

FILE - Vehicles wait outside the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport, in San Francisco, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

FILE - Travelers walk toward the entrance of Oakland's international airport Nov. 13, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

A businessman accused of stealing more than $50 million from hundreds of people in upstate New York as part of a massive Ponzi scheme pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from the fraud, according to the state attorney general.

Miles “Burt” Marshall faces four to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree grand larceny, securities fraud and first-degree scheme to defraud, according to the attorney general's office, which secured an indictment against him last summer.

Marshall, 74, prepared taxes and sold insurance in the quaint village of Hamilton, near Colgate University. For decades, he also took money for what was sometimes called the “8% Fund,” which guaranteed that much in annual interest. He took money from neighbors, churches and area organizations, with referrals often coming through word-of-mouth.

A bankruptcy trustee later determined that Marshall had been using new investment money to pay off previous investors by 2011. He eventually owed almost 1,000 people and organizations about $95 million in principal and interest, according to the trustee.

Attorney General Letitia James said Marshall also spent his investors’ funds on shopping, vacations and restaurants.

“Miles Burton Marshall scammed his clients out of their life savings and used their hard-earned money to fuel a classic Ponzi scheme,” James said in a prepared release.

An email seeking comment was sent to Marshall’s attorney.

Marshall is scheduled to be sentenced in Madison County Court on June 11.

“I am shocked and a little upset that he didn’t get more time. I don’t feel justice was served,” Dennis Sullivan, who was owed about $40,000, wrote in a text after the plea. “He has ruined so many of our lives.”

Marshall had made good on his promises to pay interest and process withdrawals for many years. But he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023 after a hospitalization for a heart condition and a subsequent run on note holders asking for their money back. He declared more than $90 million in liabilities and $21.5 million in assets.

FILE - The main intersection of Hamilton, N.Y., July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Hill, File)