I too am in the Bay Area. Yes, they should be reported. Westnile.ca.gov.
Last summer, I noticed a crow that somehow seemed to be behaving oddly. A few hours later, I found a dead crow in my front yard. I reported it, and the county came a picked it up. It tested positive for WNV. Apparently if it is recent and not chewed on by other animals, they can use it. There is ongoing surveillance for the virus in mosquitoes as well, and in some areas there has been spraying done. The website lists the activity by county across the state, so you can see how often it is found in your area.
I have noticed fewer jays than 15 years ago. Back then I saw them all the time, now it is uncommon. I thought for a while it was because there were so many more crows. Now, we have fewer crows and fewer jays. ?
The best protection, for birds and people, is to be sure there is no standing water around for the little suckers to breed in.