Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 18, and thousands of fire victims are poised to get billions from PG&E — and some of them are not happy about it. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

‘Bamboozled’

The Academy of Art University in San Francisco has tried for 10 years to fend off a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit saying it illegally ensnared students who could not afford tuition or pay student loan debt.

Now, as the lawsuit by ex-employees nears its April 27 trial date, angry, debt-ridden former students are speaking out.

“It’s ruined my life,” said Shaun Dunn, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the school but only after piling $431,607 in student loan debt. He also went bankrupt and remains unemployed.

The Chronicle spoke with more than a dozen former academy students who are stuck with thousands of dollars of debt. Their stories are at the heart of the federal lawsuit. Read Nanette Asimov’s full report here.

The price of surveillance

Home security company Ring, known for its popular “video doorbells,” has netted hundreds of police contracts — including several in the Bay Area — that could help solve neighborhood crime.

But critics say the proliferation of such partnerships has skirted oversight, turned police departments into corporate marketing machines, and threatened people’s privacy.

“Personally, I don’t want to live in a surveillance dystopia where my neighbors are essentially spying on me on behalf of my local law enforcement,” says Mike Katz-Lacabe of Oakland Privacy, a group concerned about surveillance.

Reporter Anna Bauman examines the widening debate over Ring.

Falling short

Tens of thousands of people whose homes burned down in recent California wildfires are in line to receive part of a $13.5 billion court-approved settlement with PG&E Corp.

But some very vocal victims think the deal does not provide enough money to help those who filed claims — about 80,000 people — rebuild their lives. Others object to the settlement being financed partially with stock.

“Our hopes will be shattered if the current plan is approved,” a Camp Fire survivor wrote to the judge handling the case.

Reporter J.D. Morris spoke to some victims caught in this long, arduous process and details what happens next.

Cruising ... or sinking?

The Port of San Francisco is expecting 117 cruise ship calls this year, more than ever before. But the coronavirus outbreak is dampening some passengers’ enthusiasm.

Vancouver, British Columbia, couple Daniel Ho and Winnie Tang thought about canceling their 10-day Mexico cruise that left S.F. last week. Tang even searched for face masks in Vancouver, but stores were sold out. They plan to enjoy the trip despite the fears.

“You’ll find us at the casino and not in the swimming pool, that’s for sure,” she said.

Read the full story by reporter Shwanika Narayan.

Also:

• Air Force officials: Coronavirus patients will not stay at Fairfield base.

• What Bay Area residents need to know about coronavirus.

Taxi medallion woes

A $155 million lawsuit seeking to hold the city of San Francisco accountable for selling pricey taxi medallions that have plummeted in value is slated for a court hearing this week.

If a judge lets the case proceed to a trial, the San Francisco Federal Credit Union, which made loans to cabbies to buy $250,000 medallions, will argue that the city let the taxi industry collapse — in part by turning a blind eye as Uber and Lyft ravaged the market — and now must make good on about 620 medallion loans.

Read more here.

Around the Bay

• A fix for choked S.F. streets: Mayor wants congestion pricing and Sunday parking meters.

• High hopes: At Oakland’s airport, optimism reigns despite loss of JetBlue and Norwegian.

• Thoughtful and haunting: Blackness is the focus in Dawoud Bey’s SFMOMA show.

• Aubrey Huff rebuffed: Giants will not invite ex-player to 2010 reunion because of vulgar tweets.

• “It feels different”: Where does Buster Posey fit in the Giants’ new reality?

• Corruption probe: London Breed says she dated Mohammed Nuru years ago, discloses a recent “gift.”

• Peninsula politics: Money pours into crowded race for Bay Area Senate seat.

• Immigration crackdown: Border Patrol will assist ICE in sanctuary cities.

• Teeny tiny E.T.? Scientists theorize aliens may already be here, but we just don’t recognize them.

• Prop. E fight: S.F ballot measure ties office growth to housing — opponents say that’s a bad idea.

• Easing resistance: Berkeley tries on a new movement: the quest to create housing.

• Ill conceived: More Californians are skipping medical care because of cost, and are sicker for it.

Chronicle Food

If you don’t know Chamorro food, the indigenous cuisine of Guam, the place to go is Prubechu in the Mission.

The history of Guam’s people and their intersections with colonizers and neighboring cultures is reflected in the restaurant, writes critic Soleil Ho. And it’s exposed in such an engaging way that you have no idea that you’re receiving an education with dinner.

From the menu to the clothing to the kinds of animal parts and vegetables here, everything at Prubechu, Ho adds, is part of the greater story that the staff and owners want to tell.

Read Ho’s full review here.

More from Food:

• Jewish bakeries are on the rise in the Bay Area.

• Calabash restaurant plans to bring cuisines of three chefs to Oakland in April.

Bay Briefing is sent to readers’ email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Taylor Kate Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.