SF News

Firefighters battled a one-alarm blaze by water and land at a commercial pier in San Francisco's Central Waterfront-Dogpatch District Sunday night, officials said.

Crews responded to a report of a fire at a 30-by-100 foot pier at 401 23rd St. at 10:26 p.m., officials said.

The shipping company DHL is located at that address.

A fireboat was called to assist crews on land from water, according to officials.

The blaze was under control at 11:17 p.m., officials said.

No one was injured.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is believed to be accidental, according to officials.

The fire is under investigation.

 

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Concord Woman Allegedly Started Brush Fire That Threatened Martinez Homes

Martinez police arrested a 48-year-old Concord woman Sunday evening after she was allegedly caught starting a brush fire that threatened homes.

Police were called to a hillside near Alhambra Avenue and Alhambra Hills Drive shortly after 5 p.m. where a brush fire had started, according to Lt. Aaron Roth.

Officers contacted a woman there who had allegedly started the fire, but she became uncooperative and allegedly resisted officers, Roth said. One officer sustained a non-life threatening injury to his leg before she was taken into custody.

Julie Tenpenny was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and arson, Roth said.

The fire spread rapidly in the direction of homes east of Alhambra Avenue between Alhambra Hills Drive and Vine Hill Way, but Contra Costa County firefighters were able to contain it before any homes were damaged.

No evacuations were necessary and no other people were injured, Roth said.

Man Who Fell From Roof At Bay To Breakers Party Died 

A man suffered life-threatening injuries in a fall from a roof during what appears to have been a Bay to Breakers house party Sunday, according to San Francisco police.

The 3:30 p.m. incident on the 2000 block of Fell Street appears to be among the most serious reported during the race and subsequent celebrations.

San Francisco police arrested 21 people for public intoxication, one for possession of a firearm and one felony arrest for robbery during the race and event, according to police Officer Albie Esparza.

Another 16 people were taken into sobering centers.

Police also responded to 20 house parties, notifying party-goers that it was time to "end the festivities," Esparza said.

One officer sustained minor injuries during an arrest, and two bars were admonished about being over their occupancy limits, Esparza said.

Ethiopian Tolossa Gedefa Fufi, 21, was the top male runner, completing the 7.46-mile course with a time of 35 minutes and 1 second, race spokeswoman DeeDee Taft said.

American Ryan Hall, 30, placed second with a course time of 35 minutes and 40 seconds, and Ethiopian Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu, 29, placed third with a time of 36 minutes and four seconds, Taft said.

One the women's side, Burundi athlete Diane Nukuri-Johnson, 28, finished first, running the course in 40 minutes and 12 seconds.

Adrienne Herzog, 27, of the Netherlands came in second with a time of 40 minutes and 42 seconds, and American Chelsea Reilly, 24, placed third at 40 minutes and 56 seconds.

Powerball Ticket Sold In San Jose Worth $2.3 Million

A Powerball ticket bought in San Jose that matched five numbers in Saturday's draw but missed the Powerball number is worth $2.3 million, California Lottery officials said Sunday.

The ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven at 2440 Almaden Expressway. A second ticket with the same matching numbers was sold in Taft, in Kern County, also at a 7-Eleven.

One ticket sold in Florida hit the jackpot, valued at an estimated $590.5 million.

The jackpot is a record for a Powerball game, and ticket sales were high. A total of 769,585 tickets sold in California won a prize.

Alvarado Boulevard In Fremont Reopened, Power Restored After Crash Into Power Pole

Alvarado Boulevard in Fremont has reopened and most customers have had their power restored after a crash Sunday afternoon that knocked over a power pole, according to police and utility officials.

Alvarado Boulevard has reopened between U.S. Interstate Highway 880 and Falcon Drive, Fremont police said shortly before 5 p.m.

Around the same time, Pacific Gas and Electric indicated that all but three of the 3,440 customers who lost power this afternoon in the Fremont and Union City areas due to the crash have had their power restored.

The crash on Alvarado Boulevard sheared off a power pole at Lowry Road around 1:55 p.m., causing live wires to come down on the roadway, PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

Emergency responders blocked Alvarado Boulevard after the crash while at least one occupant in the vehicle was extracted, according to Fremont police.

The collision caused major traffic delays in the area.

Wrong-Way Driving Resulted In Fatal Crash On NB I-680 In Fairfield

A fatal crash in Fairfield closed all lanes on northbound Interstate Highway 680 near Marshview Road Sunday night, causing major traffic backups, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash, reported shortly after 8 p.m., appears to have been caused by a wrong-way driver traveling south in the northbound lanes, according to initial CHP reports.

Two People Killed, One Injured In Two Shootings In Oakland Sunday

Oakland police are investigating two fatal shootings that took place Sunday.

The first shooting occurred shortly after 4:30 a.m. on the 1400 block of 92nd Avenue, according to Officer Kevin McDonald.

Two people were shot, and one was declared dead at the scene. The other is in stable condition, McDonald said.

The second occurred on the 2900 block of West Street around 6:20 p.m. One male victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

No suspect information was available for either incident.

San Jose Man Killed In Solo Crash Saturday Afternoon In Campbell

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a crash on southbound state Highway 17 in Campbell that left a San Jose man dead Saturday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 4:20 p.m. on southbound Highway 17, at the Camden Avenue-San Tomas Expressway off-ramp, the CHP said.

A preliminary investigation determined that a 40-year-old San Jose man lost control of his maroon 1996 Nissan Maxima and went down an embankment and overturned, according to the CHP.

The car came to rest on its roof in the fast lane of the Camden Avenue-San Tomas Expressway off-ramp, the CHP said.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, and witnesses reported him driving recklessly prior to losing control of the car, the CHP said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

It is unknown if drug or alcohol impairment was a factor in the crash, according to the CHP.

The two left lanes of the off-ramp were closed for about two hours during the CHP investigation.

Palo Alto Police Increasing Patrols Downtown After Attempted Armed Robbery

Police in East Palo Alto are investigating a shooting that hospitalized a juvenile male Saturday night, police said Sunday.

Officers responded to the 2500 block of Farrington Avenue when they were notified of shots fired by ShotSpotter at about 9:28 p.m., police said.

When officers arrived, they were unable to locate a gunshot victim, but were later informed that a 17-year-old male, of East Palo Alto, checked into an area hospital, police said.

The victim suffered two gunshot wounds to the foot, police said. He was treated for his injuries and is in stable condition, according to police.

Investigators determined that the victim was standing in a driveway in the 2500 block of Farrington Avenue talking with friends when a dark colored car approached and opened fire, police said.

Suspect information was not immediately available.

Five-Year-Old Child Injured In Fall From Second-Floor Window In Sunset District

A five-year-old child was hospitalized after falling out of a window in San Francisco's Sunset District Sunday morning, a fire department dispatcher said.

Firefighters responded to reports of an injured child at a home in the 3800 block of 38th Avenue at about 11 a.m., according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

The child suffered head trauma falling from a second-floor window and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, the dispatcher said.

The victim was expected to survive, he said.

San Leandro Motorcyclist Killed In Saturday Evening Crash

A motorcycle rider was killed in a crash in San Leandro on Saturday, police said.

Officers responded to reports of a crash involving a motorcycle and vehicle near the intersection of East 14th Street and 143rd Avenue at about 5:20 p.m., according to San Leandro police.

The motorcyclist, who was later identified as San Leandro resident Matthew Mitchell, was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, police said.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The driver of the vehicle suffered injuries that were not expected to be life threatening, police said.

The crash remains under investigation by San Leandro police.

San Francisco Bay Area Weather Report

Sunny skies are likely in the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the 60s to 70s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Clear skies are likely this evening, with patchy fog after midnight. Lows are likely to be in the lower 50s, with westerly winds up to 20 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies, with patchy fog, are expected Tuesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s to mid 60s, with westerly winds up to 20 mph.

America's Cup Officials Reviewing Safety Measures After Death Of Sailor

America's Cup race officials said today that they are reviewing the safety of the boats being used in September's regatta in San Francisco following the death of a sailor Thursday in a capsizing during a practice run.

Andrew "Bart" Simpson, 36, a member of the Sweden-based Artemis Racing team, died following the capsizing in the Bay shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday.

Officials held a news conference at race headquarters in San Francisco this morning to discuss the death and how they plan to move ahead with the sailing races that begin in July and end with the America's Cup Finals in September.

Regatta director Iain Murray said Simpson was aboard the Artemis Racing AC-72, a 72-foot catamaran that nose-dived and went into the water upside down.

The boat was broken into many pieces and it appears Simpson was trapped under some of the solid sections of the yacht, Murray said.

Simpson was "out of view, out of sight for the myriad of people on board trying to locate him," Murray said.

The sailor was eventually found after about 10 minutes and CPR was administered while he was taken ashore to the St. Francis Yacht Club.

However, Simpson could not be revived and was pronounced dead at 1:43 p.m., San Francisco fire officials said.

America's Cup Event Authority CEO Stephen Barclay said the death has devastated everyone involved in the race.

The sailors "are a bit like a big family," Barclay said. "When something happens to one of our members, we all feel the loss."

Practices have been suspended for the next three days for teams in the regatta and Artemis Racing officials have not indicated whether they plan to continue in the races, Murray said.

He said while San Francisco police are conducting an investigation into the death, America's Cup officials will conduct their own investigation to see what, if any, changes should be made to the 72-foot boats or other aspects of the races.

"We take the safety of our sport very seriously and respect the ocean at all times," Murray said. "We are constantly trying to improve the way we manage these boats."

He said the area where the capsizing occurred, a "triangle" between Treasure Island, Angel Island and Alcatraz Island, was not part of the planned race course and that there are no plans to alter the course.

He said the area of the capsizing was "a windier spot on the Bay" but it also "wasn't extreme conditions."

Artemis Racing chairman Torbjorn Tornqvist issued a statement today about the death of the team's sailor.

Tornqvist said Simpson "was central to Artemis Racing, both in the course of racing and our lives. His presence and personality was a binding force and he will be missed."

Tornqvist said, "Right now, the primary focus of Artemis Racing is on the well-being of our team members and their families, and the America's Cup competition will remain second to that."

He said the team "will conduct a thorough analysis and review of this accident and will be looking at how the risks inherent to such competitive sailing can be limited in the future for the safety of the team and all competitors in the sailing community."

Simpson won two Olympic medals in sailing, a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games and a silver medal in the 2012 Games in London, according to team officials.

Oakland  Annoucing More Changes To Police Leadership

Oakland city officials are announcing changes to the Police Department's executive leadership again, just two days after then-police Chief Howard Jordan stepped down as the city's top cop.

Jordan on Wednesday announced he was stepping down and taking steps toward medical retirement.

Assistant Chief Anthony Toribio took over as acting police chief, but is reportedly leaving the position after just two days.

Police and city officials have not confirmed reports that Toribio is stepping down, but are holding a news conference late this morning to discuss changes to the department's leadership.

The announcement caps off a tumultuous week for the Police Department, which also received a report Thursday from a group of police experts headed by William Bratton, former police chief in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.

The report criticized Oakland police for a number of shortcomings, including a lack of information sharing and ability to counter the city's growing robbery and burglary problems.

The report recommended that the city implement a more district-based structure to allow officers to more effectively address serious crimes.

Delays On Caltrain After Female Pedestrian Struck In Burlingame, Killed On Tracks

A female pedestrian was struck and killed by a train on the Caltrain tracks in Burlingame this morning, a Caltrain spokeswoman said.

The pedestrian was struck by southbound train No. 314 around 7:40 a.m. south of the Broadway station, located at 1190 California Drive, according to Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Ackemann.

Ackemann said as of 10 a.m. there was a backlog of trains that had been single-tracking around the incident for more than an hour.

Tracks in both directions reopened around 9:50 a.m., but passengers should expect delays of up to more than an hour, Ackemann said.

Regular service is expected to resume around noon.

Buses took customers around the scene of the fatality until about 8:30 a.m., according to Ackemann.

Fire Damages Forbes Island Restaurant At Pier 41

A fire at San Francisco's Pier 41 early this morning damaged part of the small Forbes Island restaurant, which is accessibly only by boat, a fire department spokeswoman said.

The fire was reported at 2:54 a.m. at a structure near the main restaurant at the end of Pier 41, fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

Crews arrived by fireboat and had the blaze under control at 4:11 a.m., Talmadge said.

She said the area affected by the fire was a reception area where patrons order drinks before entering the main dining room.

Restaurant officials were not immediately available this morning to comment on how the fire will affect operations there.

Two Injured After Vehicle Crashed Into Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Building

Two people were injured when a vehicle crashed into a building at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose this morning, according to fire officials.

At about 3:49 a.m. fire officials received a report that a vehicle had crashed into a building at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Both the driver of the vehicle and an employee of the hospital were injured and treated at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's emergency room.

According to fire officials, the injured driver was walked over to the emergency room, while the injured hospital employee was transported to the emergency room via ambulance.

Dignitaries To Speak At Memorial For Fallen Police Officers In Santa Clara County

A tribute today to law enforcement officers killed while on duty within Santa Clara County will include remarks by dignitaries and a reading of the names of fallen officers going back to 1862, a sheriff's office spokesman said.

Family members of about 30 of the 39 officers who have been killed while on duty in the county plan to attend the annual Peace Officers Memorial, hosted by the sheriff's office, sheriff's spokesman Deputy Kurtis Stenderup said.

"We reached out to every family on the list," Stenderup said.

The memorial service starts at noon at the sheriff's headquarters at 55 W. Younger Ave. in San Jose.

Board of Supervisors president Ken Yeager will deliver the keynote speech and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and state Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, will also speak.

Representatives from local law enforcement agencies in the county are expected to attend, Stenderup said.

The program will feature an honor guard, 21-gun salute, the national anthem, taps and a performance by a bagpipes band, Stenderup said.

After the elected officials speak, the names of the 39 peace officers killed in the county since 1862 will be read aloud, including officers from the sheriff's office, the San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale police departments and the California Highway Patrol.

The first fallen officer in Santa Clara County was Deputy Sheriff Martin Roonan, who was stabbed to death on Oct. 23, 1862, and the most recent was San Jose police Officer Jeffrey Fontana, who was shot to death on Oct. 28, 2001, Stenderup said.

At Least Four Injured In Crash Near Eastridge Mall In San Jose

At least four people were injured in a crash near the Eastridge Mall in San Jose this morning, a fire dispatcher said.

The multi-vehicle collision was reported at 7:24 a.m. at East Capitol Expressway and Quimby Road and one of the vehicles overturned, the dispatcher said.

The dispatcher did not know the extent of the victims' injuries.

One-Alarm Fire Damages Kitchen In Mission District Restaurant

A one-alarm fire damaged the kitchen of a restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District this morning, according to a fire department spokeswoman.

The fire at 2288 19th St. was reported at 10:34 a.m. and was brought under control at 10:52 a.m., department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

The restaurant Little Baobab is listed at that address.

Talmadge said damage from the fire appears to have been limited to the area above the stove.

Firefighters Tackle Blaze At Oakland Barbecue Restaurant

Fire crews responded this morning to a fire at a building that houses an Oakland barbecue restaurant, a fire dispatcher said.

The one-alarm fire was reported at 10:01 a.m. at The Smoky Fire Pit restaurant at 6637 Bancroft Ave.

Crews responded and extinguished the blaze by 10:18 a.m. Fire officials said the fire was on the second floor and attic area of the building.

No injuries were reported in the fire, the dispatcher said.

Traffic Stop On Hwy 101 In Sonoma County Leads To Marijuana Arrests

Two men were arrested with more than four pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop Thursday in Sonoma County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

At about 11:20 a.m., a CHP officer on patrol on southbound U.S. Highway 101 spotted the passenger of a 1969 Chevrolet Impala not wearing a seatbelt.

The officer initiated a traffic stop and activated his emergency lights. The officer followed the car for about a mile until the driver pulled over near Geyserville Avenue.

The officer smelled marijuana coming from inside the Impala and conducted a search of the car.

The search netted more than four pounds of processed marijuana packaged for sales, according to the CHP.

The driver, 20-year-old Sebastian Ceja, and the passenger, Jose Vitgen, 22, both of Ukiah, were arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sales, according to the CHP.

Windsor Man Accused Of Starving Retired Racehorse Pleads No Contest

A Windsor man was sentenced today to three years' informal probation and 200 hours of community service in Sonoma County Superior Court in connection with the death of a retired thoroughbred racehorse on his property in 2010.

Mark Ross, 49, was charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly starving the 6-year-old horse to death on his Jensen Lane property.

The horse died in December 2010.

Ross pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge this morning and was sentenced immediately by Judge Robert LaForge.

Animal rights activists, some of whom attended what was to be the start of Ross' trial today, claimed Ross allowed the horse to starve while feeding another horse next to it.

Ross' attorney Andy Martinez said the retired racehorse stopped eating for unknown reasons. He said Ross took the advice of a friend who examined the horse a month before it died and recommended Ross feed it alfalfa instead of hay, Martinez said.

Ross' niece Nicole Ross brought the horse to the property and neglected it, Martinez said.

The niece also was charged with felony animal cruelty. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced in January to three years' probation, 300 hours of community service and 45 days in county jail with the option of enrolling in a work release program.

"We had a defensible case all the way," Martinez said after today's sentencing.

He said his client agreed to plead no contest to the lesser charge because of the cost of an estimated 5- to 7-day trial.

Siobham Duff, of Petaluma, who attended the sentencing on behalf of In Defense of Animals, said the outcome of the case was "horrible and atrocious."

Duff said Ross should have been convicted of a felony charge.

LaForge also ordered Ross to pay $500 to the Sonoma County Coins to Help Abandoned and Neglected Equines program, which paid for a necropsy on the racehorse.

The judge also ordered Ross not to own or have horses on his property during his probation.

Piedmont High School Annual Bird Calling Contest Goes On Stage Tonight

Piedmont High School's nationally known Annual Bird Calling Contest will go on stage at the school's theater tonight.

The 7 p.m. performance at the Alan Harvey Theater will be the 48th annual contest.

In keeping with a tradition in place since the 1990s, the top three winners will fly to New York to appear on the Late Night with David Letterman show on May 21.

Students, either solo or in teams of three, will hoot, squawk, chirp, trill, tweet or warble in imitation of a chosen bird. Last year's winners sang the calls of Greater Prairie Chicken, the Green Heron and the California Quail.

The contestants, often in creative costumes, also present a short skit to give information about their bird.

"It's fun. It's definitely a Piedmont tradition," said Amanda Docter, a parent volunteer who helps with publicity for the event.

"It's an overarching innocent entertainment and it shows the kids' well-roundedness," Docter said.

The contest's three judges will determine the score on the basis of three criteria: the authenticity of the call; the poise and delivery of the performers; and the content of the introductory sketch.

The contest was begun in 1963 by Leonard Waxdeck, who Docter said was a beloved science teacher.

It has continued almost every year since then except for a two-year hiatus in the 1990s.

The winners began appearing on Johnny Carson's Tonight show in 1976. After Carson retired in 1992, Letterman took over being the annual host of the winners.

Firefighters responded to a report of a blaze at San Francisco's Pier 41 this morning, according to fire officials.

At about 3 a.m., fire officials received a report of a fire at the Pier 41 ferry terminal.

Firefighters responded to Pier 41, located at Embarcadero and Powell Street, just west of Pier 39.

 

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Oakland Police Chief Makes Surprise Announcement That He Will Step Down

Oakland city leaders are launching a nationwide search for a new police chief following the surprise announcement by Chief Howard Jordan Wednesday that he is stepping down for medical reasons.

In a statement posted on the department's website Wednesday, Jordan said, "This morning I advised City Administrator Deanna Santana that, effective immediately, I am on medical leave and taking steps toward medical retirement."

He called the decision "difficult but necessary."

Santana confirmed at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that Jordan alerted her that he was stepping down only Wednesday.

Assistant Chief Anthony Toribio will take the helm as acting chief as city leaders launch a nationwide search to find a permanent replacement for Jordan.

"Chief Jordan's announcement was unexpected," Toribio said.

"The suddenness may cause uncertainty inside and outside the department but there will be no change in the department's mission, progress or focus."

Toribio said it would be "presumptive of me to make comment" on whether he would be a candidate for permanent chief. Jordan was appointed police chief on Feb. 1, 2012, by Mayor Jean Quan.

He had served as interim chief since October 2011 after former police Chief Anthony Batts abruptly resigned.

"I'm personally very saddened and surprised about the chief's announcement," Quan said Wednesday.

She said she first met Jordan many years ago while serving on Oakland's school board, when he was chief of Oakland Unified School District police. "He had a great career.

He came up from the ranks and served the city well," Quan said. In his statement, Jordan said, "Through my 24 years of wearing an OPD badge and uniform, I have emulated the department's core values: honesty, respect, and integrity -- values I observed in the men and women who worked with me and for me.

"I know that the members and civilian staff of the department will carry on these values to generations to come," he said.

Armed Suspect Eludes Hayward Police, Despite Shots Being Fired

An allegedly armed suspect escaped a Hayward neighborhood Wednesday afternoon despite police shooting at him, swarming the area and searching a perimeter for over three hours, police said.

Hayward police first responded to a report from BART police that a suspect with a gun was seen leaving the Downtown Hayward BART station at 2:08 p.m.

Police responded and saw four males who matched that description. An officer attempted to detain them, and three complied but one ran away.

More officers responded and found the suspect behind the DMV building at 150 Jackson St. Police said he had a gun in his hand and the officer told him to drop the gun.

The suspect turned toward the officer and pointed the gun at him instead, so the officer fired at the suspect, according to police.

The suspect ran away again, still holding the gun, police said. Police then set up a perimeter around the DMV and the surrounding neighborhood to search for the suspect.

DMV spokesman Armando Botello said he was told around 3 p.m. that the building was closed because shots had been fired in the parking lot.

A resident of Magna Avenue said at 4:45 p.m. that as many as 15 police cars were parked at a house on his street near Winton Avenue.

Officers were outside the house with shields, he said.

The resident said he had heard what sounded like fireworks then saw police running toward the home.

He said they later threw something and he saw smoke.

The resident, who declined to give his name, said it looked like police were trying to find somebody at the home.

He had not seen anyone arrested.

An employee at Crossroads World Market, located at 230 Jackson St., said at 4:15 p.m. that there were police on Magna Avenue, behind the grocery store.

He said it smelled as though tear gas had been released.

The store was evacuated because of the overwhelming odor.

He said a police helicopter overhead was blaring the message, "Come out with your hands up" and that authorities were threatening to release dogs into the area.

Police concluded the search over three hours later without locating the suspect.

Botello said that the DMV will reopen two hours late today, at 10 a.m., to brief employees on the incident.

Transportation Officials Announce Solution to New Bay Bridge Faulty Bolt Problem

Transportation officials overseeing construction of the Bay Bridge's new eastern span said Wednesday they have developed a solution to a problem involving faulty anchor bolts on the span, and that the fix could cost up to $10 million.

They also told the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Bay Area Toll Authority Wednesday that they won't know until at least the end of the month whether the new span will open on schedule on Sept. 3. MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger said the decision on whether to open the span over the Labor Day weekend will likely be made by Gov. Jerry Brown.

"It ultimately will be a decision by elected officials, as it should be," Heminger said.

He said he and other transportation officials will provide advice on the matter.

The MTC and the California Department of Transportation learned in March that about a third of the 96 bolts installed on a pier just east of Yerba Buena Island had failed.

The bolts, or anchor rods -- located near where the new span's self-anchored suspension span meets its skyway -- had popped out several inches after being tightened.

They were manufactured in Ohio in 2008.

Heminger said those bolts will be replaced but transportation officials are still trying to figure out if they need to replace another batch of 192 bolts manufactured in 2010.

He said it is a good sign that none of those 192 bolts failed during tests conducted in recent weeks, but noted that more testing remains to be done before they are considered safe.

Heminger said that if the 2010 bolts need to be replaced, it is possible that could happen gradually after the new span opens.

Caltrans spokesman Andrew Gordon said that to address the problem with the 2008 bolts -- which are holding in place seismic safety devices known as shear keys that help prevent swaying during an earthquake -- officials have decided to install large steel saddles that will essentially perform the same function.

Caltrans Executive Director Andre Boutros said during the meeting that the steel saddle will provide the equivalent clamping force as the original bolt design in holding down the shear keys.

Boutros said there is no estimated time yet for completing the fix because Caltrans is still negotiating with the contractor.

"We hope it will be before Labor Day," he said.

Police Discover Mummified Human Skull at West Oakland Recycling Center

Police discovered what appears to be mummified human skull at a West Oakland recycling center Wednesday, a police spokeswoman said.

California Waste Solutions, located at 1820 10th St., called police at 8:46 a.m. Wednesday to report that workers had discovered the remains among the recyclables.

The discovery is being investigated by Oakland police's major crimes section.

Berkeley Medical Marijuana Dispensary Vowed to Fight Federal Lawsuit

Representatives of a Berkeley medical marijuana dispensary vowed Wednesday to fight a property forfeiture lawsuit filed by federal prosecutors last week.

"We intend to vigorously defend the rights of our patients and the citizens of Berkeley to be able to obtain medical cannabis from a responsible, licensed dispensary," said Sean Luse, the chief operating officer of the Berkeley Patients Group.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, the chief federal prosecutor for Northern California, filed the lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco last Thursday.

It asks the court to order the forfeiture from the group's landlord of the group's leased storefront at 2366 San Pablo Ave., on the grounds that the property is used for illegal sales of marijuana.

The Berkeley Patients Group, founded in 1999, is the oldest continuously operating medical marijuana dispensary in the Bay Area and serves more than 10,000 patients, Luse said.

The forfeiture lawsuit is part of a crackdown announced by Haag and the other three regional U.S. attorneys in California in 2011.

The prosecutors said they planned to target dispensaries they considered to be large-scale commercial operations by filing forfeiture lawsuits against landlords.

Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, an Oakland-based marijuana advocacy group, said the new case is one of about 20 currently active forfeiture lawsuits against California dispensaries.

But Hermes said at least several hundred other medical marijuana stores in California have closed since 2011 because of threats of such lawsuits.

Another of the pending lawsuits is one filed last year against Harborside Health Center in Oakland, the state's largest dispensary.

The state's voter-approved Compassionate Use Act of 1996, also known as Proposition 215, protects seriously ill patients who have a doctor's recommendation from being prosecuted under state law for using marijuana as medicine.

But federal laws criminalizing marijuana make no exception for state medical marijuana laws.

The new lawsuit was assigned to U.S. Magistrate Nathaniel Cousins of San Francisco and is scheduled for a status conference on July 31.

Luse said the dispensary will keep operating while the case is ongoing.

CinéArts Theater, The Dome, Was Demolished Wednesday in Pleasant Hill

The curtain has closed on the beloved CinéArts Theater at Pleasant Hill -- known to many as "The Dome" -- which demolition crews razed Wednesday morning, according to city officials.

The demolition of the theater, located in southern half of the Crossroads Shopping Center at 2314 Monument Blvd., comes after months of vocal resistance from local residents hoping to save it.

On Monday night, dozens of those residents packed the City Council chambers to voice their opposition to a development plan by SyWest, the owner of the theater property, to replace the theater with a two-story Dick's Sporting Goods store, said Martha Ross, a spokeswoman for the group Save the Pleasant Hill Dome Theater.

The public hearing lasted until 2:30 a.m., city spokesman Martin Nelis said.

Many who spoke shared memories of growing up in the area and seeing films in the nearly 50-year-old theater, with its unique space-age-like interior, and lamented the loss of the one-of-a-kind local attraction.

"It was an architectural landmark in the city of Pleasant Hill, it meant an incredible amount to people in the community," Ross said Wednesday morning soon after learning that the theater was being demolished.

Early Tuesday morning, the council voted 3-2 to uphold the planning commission's earlier decision to approve SyWest's project, which called for the theater's immediate demolition.

"They owe their allegiance to their constituents and they decided some developer has more of an important say than the citizens of Pleasant Hill," said Giorgio Sassine, a Pleasant Hill native and spokesman for Save the Pleasant Hill Dome Theater.

Vice Mayor Jack Weir, one of the council members who voted to uphold the demolition plan, said he believes it would be "patently unfair" to impose new criteria on SyWest, which has worked on the development project for nearly a decade.

Councilmen David Durant and Tim Flaherty agreed, noting that the developer has complied with all of the city's specific plan criteria.

In addition, he said, since SyWest would not have preserved the domed building as a movie theater, it would lose any historical value.

Five Women Killed in Limousine Fire on San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Last Saturday

The California Highway Patrol is asking those who want to honor the five women who were killed in a limousine fire on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge last Saturday to refrain from putting memorial items on the bridge.

The massive fire erupted in the back of the limo around 10:10 p.m. as a group of nine women were heading across the bridge to Foster City.

The CHP shared condolences with the family and friends of the women who were celebrating the recent marriage of Neriza Fojas, 31, a former Bay Area resident who worked as a nurse at the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.

Five women perished in the car, while the driver and four other passengers were able to escape.

The victims were identified as Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Neriza Fojas, 31, of Monterey; and Felomina Geronga, 43, of Alameda. The surviving women are Jasmine Desguia, 34, of San Jose; Mary Guardiano, 42, of Alameda; Nelia Arellano, 36, of Oakland; and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro.

Loyola and Desguia were taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose and Guardiano and Arellano to Stanford Hospital.

Wednesday morning, Loyola remained at the hospital in fair condition. Desguia has been released, Valley Medical Center officials said.

The driver was not injured in the blaze.

CHP officials said community members who want to leave something to honor the victims cannot put items at the scene of the fatal incident.

Officials said it is unsafe and risks further harm.

"In times of emotional pain such as this, we are sensitive but we must also remain diligent in our mission of safety," officials said in a statement Wednesday.

Suspect Leads Police on Multi-County Chase After Shooting Man in Antioch

A 25-year-old man was injured in a shooting in Antioch Wednesday morning that involved a suspect who led police on a multi-county chase, a police lieutenant said.

The shooting occurred around 9:45 a.m. in the 4500 block of Pampas Circle, Antioch police Lt. Tammany Brooks said.

Brooks said officers arrived at the scene to find the victim, an Antioch resident, suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.

The man was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

The shooter, who was still at the scene when police arrived, got into a car and tried to ram a patrol car head-on, the lieutenant said.

The suspect then accelerated away, leading police on a chase through Antioch, Brentwood, Discovery Bay and into Stockton. Antioch police called off the chase in Brentwood, Brooks said.

Brentwood police and local sheriff's deputies also aided in the pursuit. Brooks said police are still trying to locate the shooter.

The shooter and victim appear to know each other, and the victim is believed to have been the intended target, he said.

Detectives have not yet established a motive for the shooting, but Brooks said there is nothing to indicate that it was gang-related.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Today Marks Bay Area Bike to Work Day

Residents will be taking to the streets by bike today in the annual Bike to Work day, with a number of events planned throughout the Bay Area.

In San Francisco, the San Francisco Bike Coalition will have a theme of "Bikes Count," coalition spokeswoman Kristin Smith said.

The theme is a celebration of the Market Street Bike Counter, which is scheduled to be unveiled in the morning, Smith said.

The counter, which has been installed on Market Street between Ninth and Tenth streets, aims to encourage commuters and others to ride bicycles by keeping track of ridership and displaying the number of riders who pass by.

It is the first barometer of its kind in the city's history.

Mayor Ed Lee and a number of San Francisco supervisors are scheduled to be some of the first people to have their bikes roll past the counter, she said.

Smith said the coalition also has several planned community convoy bike rides throughout the city.

Each district supervisor is scheduled to lead a community group to City Hall, where a news conference will be held at about 8:30 a.m. to celebrate the day.

There will also be a commuter convoy with about 500 people that will leave around 6:30 a.m. from the 24th Street BART station and finish at Google in Mountain View, Smith said.

Energizer stations will be set up throughout the city to cheer on bikers as they ride by, Smith said.

The stations will have coalition members handing out information about biking, gear, food, coffee and more, she said.

Stations will be scheduled between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., and 5 and 7 p.m., she said.

Elsewhere in San Francisco, riders who bike to work and commute on the San Francisco Bay Ferry will ride the ferry for free, according to ferry officials.

Meanwhile, in the South Bay, employees at the company Lockheed Martin, a global security, aerospace and information technology company, will celebrate Bike to Work Day by riding from the Santa Clara Convention Center to the Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, company spokeswoman Dana Carroll said.

Joining them for the ride will be Sunnyvale Mayor Anthony Spitaleri, Carroll said.

In the East Bay, the East Bay Bike Coalition has a number of events scheduled, including riding with Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and elected officials, coalition officials said.

The city of Berkeley is scheduled to start updating its bicycle plan for the first time in more than a decade.

An announcement is planned at a news conference after the bike ride, coalition officials said. More information on Bay Area Bike to Work Day events can be found on the website http://www.youcanbikethere.com/.

Two Men Found Guilty of Murder for Shooting Death Involving Marijuana Grow Site

Two men were found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man at a marijuana grow site in Sonoma County in 2011, according to a district attorney.

A jury found Sidonio Cruz-Santos, 36, of Santa Rosa, and Agustin Zepeda-Onofre, 25, of Windsor, guilty of shooting 46-year-old Healdsburg resident Gabino Lopez-Santiago following an argument on Oct. 15, 2011, District Attorney Jill Ravitch said.

Cruz-Santos was also found guilty of intimidating the victim's brother-in-law, Ramon Lopez-Velasco, according to Ravitch.

On Oct. 15, 2011, Lopez-Santiago went to a marijuana grow site located on Chemise Road, to drink with his brother-in-law, Lopez-Velasco, and another friend.

Lopez-Velasco was hired by Cruz-Santos to help trim and guard the marijuana garden operated by the defendants.

A verbal argument began between Lopez-Santiago and the friend.

Cruz-Santos and Zepeda-Onofre, both armed, ordered the two arguing men off of the property at gunpoint.

While Lopez-Velasco went to retrieve a vehicle to remove Lopez-Santiago and the friend from the property, Lopez-Santiago was shot to death.

Lopez-Velasco was ordered to remove the body from the property.

He left the victim's body on the shoulder of a nearby road and went to the Healdsburg Police Department to report the crime, Ravitch said.

Lopez-Velasco led police to the site of the shooting and admitted that he had moved the body away from the crime scene.

He also reported that Cruz-Santos threatened to kill him if he told anyone.

The jury also found the defendants guilty of unlawful cultivation of marijuana while armed with a firearm and three separate counts of assault with a firearm.

The defendants claimed the grow operation was legal based on a medical marijuana recommendation posted on-site.

The jury rejected this defense.

A narcotic detective said the marijuana found drying would produce about 72 to 90 pounds of marijuana, much more than could be justified by the single recommendation posted on-site.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on May 10. Each defendant faces 25 years to life in prison.

San Francisco Golden Gate Conservatory of Flowers Announces New Butterfly Exhibit

Anyone with an affinity for butterflies now has the opportunity to get up close and personal with the insect.

The Butterflies and Blooms exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, located at 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, was unveiled Wednesday and is open to the public.

Visitors, after paying the price of admission, can walk into a roughly 1,800-square-foot cottage garden style room and be one with the butterflies' environment, conservatory spokeswoman Nina Sazevich said.

Between 12 and 20 different species of North American butterflies will be on display, fluttering around and drinking the nectar from the many flowers, Sazevich said.

The species will change throughout the seasons.

Some of the species butterfly lovers can expect include monarchs, western swallowtails, red admirals and zebra long wings, Sazevich said.

All the butterflies are free flying, she said.

In addition to having the opportunity to view several butterflies in the exhibit's intimate setting, visitors will also get to see the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly, Sazevich said.

A butterfly bungalow is set up in the center of the room, where butterflies "will be emerging left and right," according to Sazevich.

Anyone visiting the exhibit will get a booklet that explains a butterfly's life cycle, as well as a chart identifying each species at the exhibit, she said.

Docents will also be on hand to answer any questions.

It is the third time the exhibit has been on display at the conservatory, previously on display in 2003 and 2008.

The exhibit is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 20.

Admission ranges from $2 to $7; children 4 and under are admitted for free.

Redwood City Police Department Mourns Officer Who Fell in the Line of Duty

Flags at the Redwood City Police Department flew at half-staff Wednesday in honor of a fallen officer killed 32 years ago Wednesday in the line of duty.

Redwood City police officers of all ranks Wednesday donned their "Class A" uniforms to honor the sacrifice made by Sgt. George Garrett, 39, who was killed in an attempted bank robbery in Redwood City on May 8, 1981, Lt. Sean Hart said Wednesday.

Garrett was one of four officers who were responding to a call of a possible bomb threat and two silent alarm activations at the Bank of America, then located at 110 California St., just after noon on May 8, 1981.

The bank was crowded with customers and Garrett, who was first on scene, approached the bank manager Sylvia Harris' desk, according to police.

Sitting at her desk was a man, whom when Garrett tapped on his shoulder to say hello pulled a gun from his waistband.

Police say Garrett shoved bank manager Harris out of the way while grabbing for his gun but was shot by the suspect once in between the eyes and once in the chest, according to police.

The suspect, identified as Raleigh Porsche, 36, an ex-convict released in a Mexican prisoner exchange program, was shot dead at the scene by the other responding officers.

Each year, the Police Department uses May 8 as a day of remembrance, Hart said.

At every briefing Wednesday, command staff, including chaplains and chiefs, shared the story of Garrett and highlighted the risks associated with law enforcement.

"We honor this on every death anniversary," Hart said.

"All officers wear their Class A uniforms, which is a dress uniform with their tie and a black band over their badge in his honor."

Hart added that not only is it important to honor Garrett's memory for his legacy and what he did for the department and the community but also use his story in the forethought of the minds of the city's officers.

"Our job is dangerous and this story keeps us aware of officer safety and that these things happen, even here in Redwood City," Hart said.

More than 1,400 people attended Garrett's funeral.

He was survived by his wife, who was eight months pregnant with their first child at the time of his death. Nineteen days after his murder, his daughter Nicole was born.

Paraglider Injured After Falling into Lake Berryessa

A paraglider was injured when he fell from 500 feet into Lake Berryessa Tuesday morning, a Napa County sheriff's captain said Wednesday.

William Straw, 69, a member of Eagle Paragliding, a training organization in Santa Barbara, was being towed on the lake by a boat operated by Kevin Howe, 44, of Santa Barbara around 11 a.m., sheriff's Capt. LeRoy Anderson said.

When the boat got up to speed and Straw became airborne, Straw disconnected his glider from the boat, Anderson said.

He glided for about 10 minutes before crashing into the lake from about 500 feet, Anderson said.

Howe retrieved Straw, who was unconscious for several minutes, out of the water and took him to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Visitor's Center on Knoxville Road.

A REACH helicopter then flew Straw to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Anderson said.

The sheriff's office was notified of the incident at 11:09 a.m., Anderson said.

Straw's condition was not immediately available Wednesday.

San Francisco Bay Area Weather Report

Mostly cloudy skies and patchy fog are likely in the Bay Area this morning.

Highs are expected to be in the 50s to mid 60s, with westerly winds up to 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph in the afternoon.

Partly cloudy skies are likely tonight. Lows are likely to be near 50, with westerly winds up to 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph.

Partly cloudy skies are expected Friday morning becoming sunny later in the day.

Highs are likely to be in the mid 50s to upper 60s, with westerly winds up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

 

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CPUC Recommends PG&E Pay $2.25 Billion For San Bruno Blast

Staff with the California Public Utilities Commission Monday recommended that the commission impose a $2.25 billion fine against PG&E for a deadly pipeline blast in San Bruno in 2010.

The CPUC's safety and enforcement division recommended the penalty for three cases related to the explosion that killed eight people and leveled dozens of houses on Sept. 9, 2010.

If the commission approves the recommendation in a decision expected late this summer, it would be the largest fine ever levied by a state regulator in the U.S., CPUC officials said.

The CPUC recommended that the money be used solely for safety purposes to improve the utility's infrastructure and would include costs of safety work already done since 2010.

The money would come out of shareholder funds rather than from ratepayers.

Brigadier General Jack Hagan, director of the CPUC's safety and enforcement division, said in a statement that the $2.25 billion fine was "the highest penalty possible against PG&E."

Hagan said, "There is no amount of money that will bring back the eight people who tragically lost their lives in the pipeline blast or heal the lasting wounds to the people of San Bruno.All we can do is make sure such a tragedy does not happen again."

He said the CPUC should also blame itself for "its contribution to the lax safety culture that directly led to the unsafe conditions resulting in the explosion."

San Bruno city officials had also called for the $2.25 billion number in a filing with the CPUC earlier Monday, the same day that PG&E was holding its annual shareholders meeting in San Francisco.

"The eyes of the nation are watching the CPUC to see whether it will provide leadership and levy appropriate fines against PG&E adequate enough to ensure they fulfill the public trust placed in them," Mayor Jim Ruane said.

Ruane questioned whether the commission's "cozy relationship with the utility company will interfere with the independent role it should play in safeguarding the public."

The watchdog group Utility Reform Network had recommended a smaller fine of $1.7 billion.

Monterey Man Accused of Murder and Carjacking Tries to Commit Suicide in Jail

A man accused of murdering a taxi driver and carjacking a pickup truck in Monterey last week was taken to a hospital Sunday after trying to kill himself in jail, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

A sheriff's deputy conducting a routine health and welfare check at 2:30 p.m. found Joshua Kannon Claypole, 20, of Big Sur, hanging in his cell at the Monterey County Jail in Salinas, deputies said.

Deputies and medical staff worked to save Claypole, who was transported to a local hospital for treatment, deputies said.

Ryan McGuirk, a supervising deputy district attorney who is handling the investigation into Claypole's suicide attempt, could not be reached to comment about the suspect's condition Monday.

Claypole was arrested by the Monterey Police Department at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on Del Monte Drive near Broadway Avenue in Seaside on suspicion of murder and carjacking, police said.

Claypole had been a passenger in a taxicab driven by Daniel Garcia Huerta, 44, who picked the suspect up outside a Wells Fargo Bank in Carmel, police said.

At about 1:11 p.m., Huerta was stabbed to death in the parking lot of Enterprise Car Rental at 1178 Del Monte Road in Monterey, police said.

About three minutes later, the suspect confronted a woman who was inside a Ford pickup at 1100 Del Monte, forced her out of the truck and drove away until police pulled him over and arrested him in Seaside, police said.

The attack on the taxi driver appeared to be "random and unprovoked," police said. Claypole had been housed in a single cell for his protection due to the notoriety of the case. His bail was been set at $1.1 million, police said.

Oakland Murder and Attempted Murder Case Dismissed After Key Witness Disappears

Murder and attempted murder charges against an Oakland man in connection with a fatal shooting last August were dismissed Monday after prosecutors said a key witness has disappeared and there's a lack of evidence.

Daron Woods, 24, was charged with murder for the death of 21-year-old Lamon White, who was sitting in a car with a woman in the 700 block of Market Street in West Oakland when he was shot at about 3:15 a.m. on Aug. 20.

Woods also was charged with attempted murder for shooting at the woman, who wasn't injured.

Oakland police said they didn't know the motive for the shooting but all three people knew each other.

Woods was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Monday which would have determined if there was enough evidence to have him ordered to stand trial.

But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Reardon dismissed the charges against him after prosecutor Venus Johnson told him that her office has "lost contact" with an eyewitness that she said was "essential" to the case and there's not enough evidence to proceed with a case against him at this time. Woods, who has short hair and a beard and was dressed in a yellow jail uniform, hugged his attorney after the charges against him were dismissed.

Woods was on probation for an attempted grand theft conviction in Contra Costa County in 2011 when he was arrested in the 1800 block of Brush Street in Oakland last Aug. 22 after a brief standoff with police, one day after the fatal shooting.

He has been in custody without bail since that time but is expected to be released soon.

Petaluma Man Leads Police on Wild Police Case in Rohnert Park

A Petaluma man led Rohnert Park police on a chase where he drove through lawns, fences, and a motel room before being arrested Monday morning, a police sergeant said.

Matthew Knope, 45, was arrested after leading police on a chase through the city ending when he crashed his vehicle into a motel and was captured soon thereafter, Sgt. Aaron Johnson said.

The chase began after police received a report that a landscape trailer had been stolen from the Walmart at 4625 Redwood Drive at 8 a.m., Johnson said.

Officers then received a report of a white truck with a landscape trailer in a nearby parking lot driving recklessly. At 8:25 a.m., police began receiving 911 calls from residential areas reporting the same white truck driving recklessly through the streets, Johnson said.

Among the streets the truck was spotted on were Santa Dorotea Circle, Santa Cruz Way, and Emily Avenue. The truck also hit several cars and went down a creek path.

The truck was again spotted at 8:29 a.m. by an unmarked police car on Emily Avenue and equipment had begun falling out of the trailer, including an industrial mower, Johnson said.

During the pursuit, Knope drove the truck onto San Rafael Court, drove through the backyard of one of the homes and plowed through two others before coming out on the adjacent San Francisco Court, Johnson said.

Knope swerved to try to hit a motorcycle officer before coming out onto Rohnert Park Expressway, where he reached speeds between 60 and 65 mph.

He drove down the expressway until he reached the Budget Inn at 6298 Redwood Drive, pulled into the parking lot and began to do laps, Johnson said.

Knope drove onto the median, the lawn, and hit two parked cars in the parking lot.

He then drove onto the sidewalk and rammed into one of the motel's rooms, Johnson said. Knope got out of the car and fled on foot but was captured soon thereafter by police at 8:43 a.m.

Police said there was an indication Knope was under the influence of drugs. Knope was booked on possession of stolen property, felony evasion, assault on a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and violation of probation, Johnson said.

No injuries were reported.

Sonoma County Jury Convicts Houston Heczog for First Degree Murder of Father

A Sonoma County jury Monday afternoon convicted Houston Herczog, 22, of the first-degree murder of his father Mark in their Santa Rosa home in 2011.

The nine women and three men on the jury deliberated about six hours since Friday.

They will return to Sonoma County Superior Court today at 10 a.m. to hear evidence at the sanity phase of the trial.

Herczog has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Deputy Public Defender Karen Silver said she was shocked by the first-degree murder conviction.

In her closing argument she told the jury the slaying was voluntary manslaughter and not first-degree murder because Herczog was having delusions and hallucinations when he stabbed his 63-year-old father dozens of times and smashed his skull with a guitar amplifier in the kitchen of their Rincon Valley home on Nov. 21, 2011.

In his closing statement to the jury, Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner argued for a first-degree premeditated murder.

Waner said Herczog was angry at his father because he confronted him about stealing the drug Adderall, an amphetamine, from his mother hours before the slaying.

"It pissed him off so he grabbed a knife and killed his dad," Waner said. Waner said psychiatrists who examined Herczog and concluded he was schizophrenic relied heavily on Herczog's self-serving account of the motive for the murder.

He said all of Herczog's statements to the doctors should be viewed with distrust.

In an interview with a Santa Rosa police officer, Herczog said his father mocked him and suggested he was having an incestuous relationship with his mother.

Waner said even if Herczog was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the murder it still didn't rule out his ability to form an intention to kill his father.

He said people suffering from schizophrenia have varying abilities to function, and Herczog was able to drive a car, play guitar and spend time on a computer days before the homicide.

Silver said the injuries Mark Herczog suffered are consistent with those that would be inflicted by a person in a psychotic frenzy.

She said the crux of the case was Herzog was suffering from a mental illness that prevented his ability to form an intention to kill his father.

"The only way to explain this is his craziness," Silver told the jury Friday.

She said Herczog's comments about his father's allegations that he made to the police officer who interviewed him four hours after the murder didn't make sense.

Silver said Herczog thought his father was a "monster" and was evil, and he was in a self-preservation mode at the time of the killing.

Silver said the prosecution didn't prove Herczog did not have a mental illness.

Waner said he could not comment on the verdict.

Silver said four psychiatrists are scheduled to testify at the sanity phase of the trial, and the testimony will be about Herczog's childhood and adolescence and not about the murder.

Califronia Supreme Court Ruled Unamiously Cities and Counties Can Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that cities and counties have the right to ban medical marijuana dispensaries within their borders, despite the existence of a state law that protects patients who use the drug.

The court said the scope of the voter-approved Compassionate Use Act of 1996, or Proposition 215, and a related 2003 state law is "limited and circumscribed" and does not prevent local governments from prohibiting marijuana dispensaries.

Currently, 193 California cities -- including more than 40 in the greater Bay Area -- ban medical marijuana dispensaries, according to statistics compiled by Americans for Safe Access, an Oakland-based marijuana advocacy group.

Twenty counties, including Contra Costa, prohibit dispensaries within unincorporated county land.

The court issued its ruling in a case in which a Riverside dispensary, the Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness Center, was challenging a city zoning law prohibiting such facilities.

Proposition 215 and the state's Medical Marijuana Program law of 2003 protect seriously ill patients who have a doctor's recommendation from being prosecuted under state law for using the drug for medical purposes.

Lawyers for the Riverside business unsuccessfully argued that local bans on dispensaries should not be allowed because they conflicted with the two state laws.

The court, in a decision written by Justice Marvin Baxter, said the state measures are merely "incremental steps toward freer access to medical marijuana" and do not require local governments to allow dispensaries.

Baxter wrote that nothing in either law limits the authority of a city or county "to regulate the use of its land, including the authority to provide that facilities for the distribution of medical marijuana will not be permitted to operate within its borders."

Bay Area cities that prohibit marijuana dispensaries include Antioch, Benicia, Calistoga, Concord, Corte Madera, Dublin, El Cerrito, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Newark, Petaluma, Redwood City, San Rafael, Sunnyvale, Union City and Vacaville, among others.

Americans for Safe Access Chief Counsel Joseph Elford said, "This ruling maintains the status quo," since it upholds existing bans.

At the same time, Elford said, the decision "seemingly allows localities to choose to regulate marijuana dispensaries" and thus permit them to exist.

"We urge localities to choose to regulate dispensaries," he said. Forty-four California cities currently have regulations that allow dispensaries, including Oakland, Martinez, San Jose, San Francisco and Santa Rosa, according to Americans for Safe Access.

Ten counties, including Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma, have such laws.

The state high court justices' questions during arguments in the case in San Francisco in February had indicated that the court was likely to uphold the local bans.

Sonoma County Coroner's Office Identifies Two of Three in Cloverdale Mobile Home Fire

The Sonoma County coroner's office has identified two of the three people who died in a Cloverdale mobile home fire early Monday morning as Charles and Paula Baynes, both 33 years old.

A juvenile also died in the blaze, which was reported at 1:44 a.m. at 53 Sherwood Circle in the Briarwood Mobile Home Park, but the coroner's office is withholding his name because of his age.

Claire Caudill, who lives next door, said the third victim was the couple's 5-year-old son Phillip. "They kind of stayed to themselves," Caudill said of the family.

Caudill said Paula had been living with Charles for about 10 years, and that their son attended school in Cloverdale.

She said Charles had worked as a chef but was unemployed and Paula worked at the Goodwill store in Healdsburg, Caudill said.

Cloverdale Fire Chief Jason Jenkins said Paula and Phillip were taken to Healdsburg District Hospital where efforts to revive them were unsuccessful.

Charles was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jenkins said the fire appears to have been accidental, and the cause is under investigation.

There were no working smoke detectors in the doublewide mobile home, Jenkins said.

Twenty firefighters from Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg and Cal Fire responded to the blaze, Jenkins said.

The family members were all unconscious, and firefighters pulled them from the home and started CPR.

Autopsies are scheduled for today, the coroner's office spokeswoman said.

Berkeley Police Determin Death of Mental Ill Transgender Woman An Accident

The death of a mentally ill transgender woman who died in a struggle with officers three months ago was an accident, a Berkeley police sergeant has ruled in a lengthy report.

Sgt. Peter Hong also said he believes the physical force used by officers trying to restrain Xavier Moore, 41, who identified as Kayla Moore, at the Gaia Building in the 2100 block of Allston Way shortly before midnight on Feb. 12 was "reasonable."

Members of Berkeley Copwatch and the Coalition for a Safe Berkeley have raised concerns about the way police handled the incident with Moore, alleging that they may have used excessive force.

But the Alameda County coroner's bureau ruled that Moore died from acute combined drug intoxication from toxic levels of methamphetamine and codeine.

It also said that an enlarged heart and morbid obesity were contributing factors to Moore's death.

Moore, who weighed 347 pounds, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was a heavy smoker who used crack cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the 350-page report by Berkeley police.

Moore's roommate, John Hayes, told police in a statement that he called police the night of Feb. 12 because Moore was acting belligerent and he feared that Moore would attack him.

Berkeley police said that as they were responding to the incident they learned that San Francisco police had issued a warrant for Moore for a battery in their city in June 2010.

They also said that Moore was combative with officers who came to her apartment.

Officers put restraints on Moore but removed them after she became unresponsive and stopped breathing, according to the report.

Officers then removed the restraints, performed CPR and took her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the report.

Moore's stepmother, Elysse Paige-Moore, said in a statement released by Copwatch last month that, "Xavier had a very difficult life but an indomitable spirit. He suffered with mental illness from an early age, struggling throughout his life with paranoid schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress syndrome."

Paige-Moore said, "He was a poet and a gifted singer and oh could he dance even at 350 pounds!" Copwatch spokeswoman Andrea Pritchett was unavailable for comment Monday.

Coalition for a Safe Berkeley spokeswoman George Lippmann said he doesn't yet have enough information to comment on the police report.

Berkeley police spokeswoman Jennifer Coats said it took police a long time to release their report because "with this type of investigation we want to be as detailed as we can be."

Coats said, "We understand that it took a while and we appreciate everyone's patience. We hope it answers the questions the public had."

East Palo Alto Police Vow to Find Perpetrators of Bus Stop Drive By

East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis Monday called the shooting of five people at a bus stop on Sunday afternoon "a cowardly act" and vowed to find those responsible.

"We are going to hold them accountable," Davis said.

"We are going to do everything possible to put them behind bars."

Two people in a sliver or gray-green sedan drove by the bus stop near a McDonald's restaurant at Bay Road and University Avenue at about 2:45 p.m., Davis said.

At least one person inside the vehicle opened fire and shot five people waiting at the bus stop, including a grandmother who was there with her six-year-old granddaughter, Davis said.

The girl was not shot, but injured herself as she fell to avoid the spray of bullets, he said.

The five people who were shot suffered bullet wounds in their legs and lower extremities, he said. All of the victims were expected to survive.

As many as four of the victims were suspected of having gang affiliations, and the shooting was believed to be gang-related, Davis said.

"The shooting was absolutely targeted," he said. "It was not random."

The police chief sought to reassure the community by pledging to commit law enforcement resources and manpower toward targeting the suspected gangs that were involved in the shooting.

Davis declined to name the suspected gangs, but said the Police Department's effort to target their activities and social networks would "ramp up significantly" in the coming months.

According to recent statistics, shootings have been on the rise in East Palo Alto from a low of around 40 incidents in 2010, Davis said.

"This increase is starting to concern us greatly," Davis said. "We've made too much progress to move backwards."

A 30-year-old man was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in the 2100 block of Cooley Avenue on Saturday night.

No one was arrested, and the victim was expected to survive, police said. There was no immediate indication that the two weekend shootings were related.

Davis said that part of the community's response to Sunday afternoon's shooting will be modeled on a countywide crackdown on the activities of the "Taliban" and "DaVill" gangs that was launched in November 2012.

That effort, also known as Operation SMART or Strategic Multi-Agency Response Team, has so far been successful in preventing and decreasing the violence and criminal activities associated with both gangs, Davis said.

Davis said that a combination of law enforcement, faith-based intervention and community services will be employed to combat the recent spate of violence.

"We cannot have a community where a grandmother can't get on a bus with her granddaughter," he said.

Police Start Test on Allegedly Poisened Orange Juice at Starbucks Found in San Jose

It may take up to three weeks to test orange juice allegedly poisoned a week ago at a Starbucks in San Jose because no one knows what is in it yet, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

"They have to test a lot of things when they don't know what it is they are looking for," Deputy District Attorney Luis Ramos said.

Ramos had the orange juice sent on Friday for testing and it may take two to three weeks to compare it to untainted juice to see "what, if anything, that was contained in that juice was foreign or toxic."

The results of tests are crucial if a case is to be made against Ramineh "Romi" Behbehanian, 50, whose arrest last Monday for allegedly placing rubbing alcohol in two bottles of juice at a Starbucks at 6009 Snell Ave. made national news.

Behbehanian was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and felony poisoning after a customer said she swapped out two bottles of orange juice in the café's refrigerator with her own tainted bottles that she brought to the store in a Starbucks bag.

Witnesses said Behbehanian left the store after the customer told café employees about it and a person followed her to her car to obtain her license plate number for police.

San Jose police arrested Behbehanian on the basis of a determination by the San Jose Fire Department that the bottles allegedly contained lethal doses of rubbing alcohol.

Ramos said he assumed the fire department used a test kit, with paper or a vial, to conclude there was enough rubbing alcohol mixed inside the bottles to kill someone if they drank it.

But Ramos sounded skeptical that the juice contained that much or that kind of alcohol.

"I don't know how they could know that," said Ramos, adding that the alcohol may have come from natural fermentation of the orange beverage after it spoils.

"There's not enough information at this point," Ramos said. "Simply not enough to make a charging decision, certainly not enough on the charge she was booked for."

Behbehanian was released Thursday from the Elmwood Correction Facility, Santa Clara County's jail for women, hours after the district attorney's office missed a 48-hour deadline to file charges.

A trained chemist who works for a subsidiary of drug maker Johnson & Johnson, she is represented by criminal defense attorney Dennis Lempert.

"I am waiting for the district attorney to do their thing and come to a conclusion and that's precisely what I'm going to do," Lempert said Monday.

After his client's release last week, Lempert attributed the case to "mass hysteria," disputed the statements from witnesses and maintained that the smell of alcohol in the juice could have been due to fermentation.

San Francisco Bay Area Weather Forcast

Mostly cloudy skies are likely in the Bay Area this morning.

Highs are expected to be in the 50s to upper 60s, with winds up to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Cloudy skies and patchy drizzle are likely tonight.

Lows are likely to be near 50, with westerly winds up to 20 mph. 

Mostly cloudy skies and patchy drizzle are expected Wednesday morning.

Highs are likely to be in the 50s to mid 60s, with westerly winds up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

 

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One person was injured this morning when a van went down a cliff on San Francisco's Twin Peaks and crashed into a home, fire department officials said today.

The van went off Twin Peaks Boulevard and crashed into a building at 2 Clarendon Ave. around 10:20 a.m., according to fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

One person was transported to a hospital by ambulance after the crash with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, Talmadge said.

Some gasoline leaked from the van as a result of the crash. The Department of Building Inspection is checking the building to determine if it has been structurally damaged, Talmadge said.

 

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A van went off a cliff and crashed into a building on San Francisco's Twin Peaks this morning, according to a fire department official.

The van and its three occupants reportedly went off a cliff and struck a building at 2 Clarendon Ave. around 10:20 a.m., the official said.

At least one person was transported to a hospital by ambulance after the crash, but the official did not know the extent of the injuries.

The city's Department of Building Inspection will check the building to determine if it has been structurally damaged.

 

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The U.S. Coast Guard airdropped packaged blood for an ailing passenger aboard a cruise ship about 1,000 miles off the coast of San Francisco on Wednesday.

At about 9:45 a.m., a doctor onboard the cruise ship Oosterdam contacted the U.S. Coast Guard requesting medical assistance for a 68-year-old woman with internal bleeding, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

At about 5 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircrew dropped two units of blood, sourced from a local blood bank in Sacramento, via parachute to medical personnel aboard the Oosterdam.

The Oosterdam crew and medical personnel will maintain close communication with the U.S. Coast Guard until the vessel arrives in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday.

 

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     We Built a Stronger SF Economy on Smart Government Investments

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