SF News

Bicyclist Struck by Car in Mission District

A bicyclist suffered life-threatening injuries when he was struck by a car in San Francisco's Mission District early Sunday morning, police said.

The collision was reported at about 12:55 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of 14th and Mission streets.

The victim, a 46-year-old man, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for his injuries, according to police.

The driver of the car stopped at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield said.

CONTACT: San Francisco police (415) 553-1651

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Tuesday Morning News Roundup

A California Highway Patrol helicopter located a not-so troubled surfer more than two miles from where he was reported to have been distressed off of the San Francisco coast Monday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard received a call at 8:11 p.m. reporting the possibly distressed surfer near the Cliff House, a Coast Guard petty officer said.

The CHP helicopter was requested by the Coast Guard to assist with the search and responded by searching the surf line, CHP Officer James Andrews said.

The San Francisco Fire Department, which had a command post set up on the beach just south of the Cliff House, directed the helicopter to the surfer's last known location.

Searching ever farther south, the helicopter located the only person who was in or around the surf almost two-and-a-half miles from the Cliff House -- near Rivera Street, Andrews said.

"We were searching the surf line thinking, 'There's nothing out there," he said.

A surfer was walking out of the surf line toward the Great Highway, Andrews said. "The only person out there was the one that got out of the water."

Because of the distance between the man and the fire department command post, the helicopter landed on the beach and a CHP paramedic contacted the surfer, who said he was uninjured.

"He had been surfing up by the Cliff House without a tether and became separated from his board. Someone said he was distressed. He said he never was," Andrews said.

A woman, who self-identified as a surfer and had been out near Ocean Beach earlier Monday evening, reported that the waves in the area were relatively calm.

"It doesn't look scary and horrendous like the waves off of Ocean Beach," she said referring to the waves breaking near the Cliff House.

The woman, who had been in a car traveling south along Great Highway, said that the beach had remained packed even as darkness fell and that numerous emergency vehicles had been clustered around the Fulton Street portion of the beach.
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Two Petaluma toddlers who fell from a second-story window Monday evening were transported to hospitals for treatment of unknown injuries, according to the fire department.

A boy, 3, and girl, 2, were in an upstairs bedroom at 1116 Baywood Drive and toppled through a window screen, falling onto a bush below in a bark-covered planter area, at about 6:35 p.m.

Family members inside the home's first level did not witness the fall but heard the children's crying outside the front door, according to the fire department.

Petaluma fire paramedics assessed the children's injuries, and because of the distance of the toddlers' fall, the children were transported to hospitals.

The girl was airlifted to Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland, and the boy was transported by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

As of 8:40 p.m., the extent of the children's injuries was unknown, according to the fire department.

Police also responded to the scene.
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The entire length of a Golden Gate Bridge sidewalk will close for several months starting today for a retrofitting construction project, bridge district officials said.

The entire west sidewalk will close today and will remain closed through September as part of a seismic retrofit construction project.

Bicycles and pedestrians will share the east sidewalk, with 24-hour access for bicyclists and sunrise-to-sunset use permitted for pedestrians, bridge officials said.

The construction work also involves replacement of the roof of the Marin Anchorage Housing.

Come September, construction will move to the east sidewalk, but only a 300-foot section will be closed for four months into 2012.

The sidewalk closure is part of a third phase of a three-phase bridge retrofit project. The first two phases were completed in 2001 and 2008, respectively, according to bridge authorities.
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Road construction in Salinas is expected today and Wednesday, fully closing a section of U.S. Highway 101, Caltrans officials announced.

Construction work from last week closed both directions of Highway 101 at Airport Boulevard Monday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. These same closures may also occur today and Wednesday, Caltrans officials said.

Motorists headed north will be detoured at Abbott Street to Sanborn Road before reaching Highway 101. Southbound drivers will be detoured at Sanborn Road to Abbott Street before reaching the highway, according to Caltrans officials.

The southbound on-ramp at Airport Boulevard will be closed through August. A detour is in place, Caltrans officials said.

The construction at Airport Boulevard includes adding new traffic signals at Moffett Street and De La Torre Street and building new on- and off-ramps to and from northbound Highway 101, Caltrans officials reported.

The construction project is expected to be completed in December.
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An 18-year-old man who was stabbed to death early Saturday in San Jose during a gang-related altercation has been identified by police Monday as Vincent Tran.

Officers found the San Jose man at about 4 a.m. in the 1700 block of Schulte Drive. He had been stabbed.

Tran was taken to Regional Medical Center in San Jose and pronounced dead a few hours later.

An investigation revealed Tran was stabbed during an altercation between two local rival gangs. Gang-related slogans and hand gestures were exchanged, witnesses told police, during and before the altercation.

Police believe Tran was friends with members of one of the involved gangs. The degree of his involvement remains under investigation.

The investigation also reveled Tran also had been stabbed during a similar gang-related altercation May 1 in the same area as this more recent stabbing took place.

It is unknown whether Tran was targeted. The motive for the altercation remains under investigation.

No arrests have been made. It was the city's 21st homicide this year.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Sgt. Rafael Nieves or Detective Glenn Albin in the San Jose police homicide unit at (408) 277-5283.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call crime stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867) or visit http://svcrimestoppers.org/. Tipsters might be eligible for a reward.
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Emergency responders were unable to rescue a 53-year-old man who lost consciouness in San Francisco Bay off the Alameda shore Monday in what police are calling an apparent suicide.

Alameda police received a call at 11:31 a.m. regarding a person who had walked into the Bay from Robert Crown Memorial Beach in the 2100 block of Shoreline Drive.

Members of the police and fire departments arrived within minutes, according to police, and immediately began requesting additional resources in rescuing the man who was approximately 150 yards from shore.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified at 11:34 a.m., Lt. j.g. Laura Williams said, and launched a 25-foot response boat from Yerba Buena Island and a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco.

Shallow waters thwarted rescue efforts by the Coast Guard, preventing the boat, which arrived on the scene at about 11:55 a.m., from reaching the man, Williams said.

According to police, prior to the Coast Guard's arrival to the individual, the man lost consciousness and began to drift toward shore.

By the time the helicopter arrived on the scene, some 65 minutes after notification, according to police, another person had entered the water. The good Samaritan, an avid swimmer, swam toward the man when he was approximately 50 yards from the shoreline, police said.

Members of the Coast Guard saw the pair swimming toward the shore and so the helicopter, which had been on another mission and had to return to the airfield to refuel, returned to its air station, Williams and police said.

When the victim was brought to shore, the Alameda Fire Department transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Alameda County coroner's bureau identified the man as Raymond Zack, but had not yet determined Zack's residence. Zack's official cause of death remained under investigation as of Monday evening.

According to police, the Alameda Fire Department is not currently certified in land-based water rescues, and instead the city relies on the Coast Guard to conduct such rescues.

"We always work as a team with our local partners, and thatincludes the police and fire departments of the area we're working in," Williams said.
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The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.1 struck Monday evening in Santa Clara County.

The quake shook an area near Alum Rock at 7:19 p.m. and had a depth of 4.2 miles, according to the USGS. Its epicenter was roughly five miles northeast of Alum Rock.

On Saturday, a 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Morgan Hill at 3:39 a.m. and was centered 13 miles southeast of Alum Rock, according to the USGS.
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California Highway Patrol officers have arrested fewer impaired drivers so far during this Memorial Day weekend in the Bay Area than last year.

Fatalities are also down in the Bay Area.

In 2010, by Monday at 6 a.m., 203 impaired drivers had been arrested, compared to Monday's 184. During the same reporting period last year, there was one fatality, compared to zero so far this year, according to the CHP.

The CHP will continue its maximum enforcement efforts, which began Friday at 6 p.m., through midnight Monday.
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An 18-year-old San Jose man suspected of driving under the influence was arrested early Monday morning after colliding with a utility pole near a San Jose mobile home park, police said.

Diego Reyes drove a 1996 Honda four-door car into a utility pole at the intersection of Hillsdale and Narvaez avenues, police said.

Reyes was not injured in the collision, but his 17-year-old passenger sustained leg injuries, which were not life threatening. The passenger was treated and released from Regional Medical Center in San Jose, police said.

Several other utility poles and transmission wires went down in the incident, but no customer power outages were reported, according to PG&E spokeswoman Jana Morris.

Reyes was arrested on suspicion of alcohol or drug use and was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on a felony DUI charge and a misdemeanor driver's license charge, police reported.

Near the downed utility poles, the main entrance to Mountain Springs Mobile Home Park, at 625 Hillsdale Ave., was blocked as utility personnel worked to repair fallen poles, police said.

Officials from Mountain Springs Mobile Home Park said the frontentrance reopened at 2 p.m.
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Power was restored to more than 770 customers who were without service Monday afternoon in San Jose, a PG&E spokeswoman said.

Power was fully restored to all 776 customers in the area south of Story Road and McGinness Avenue by 3:23 p.m., about three hours after the outage began at 12:20 p.m., PG&E spokeswoman Jana Morris said.

No cause for the outage had been reported as of Monday evening, but PG&E staff was on site investigating, Morris said.
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A 35-year-old San Jose woman who died in a Saturday night shooting has been identified by police as Melissa Ross.

Police found Ross in the driver's seat of a black Mercedes sedan in the 4000 block of Ambler Way at about 10:30 p.m., Officer Jose Garcia said.

It appeared that Ross had been shot in the car.

Richard Herrera, 20, of San Jose, a relative of Ross, arrived at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center at 11 p.m. with gunshot wounds that were not life threatening, Garcia said. He was treated and released at the hospital.

Herrera was in the passenger seat of the car at the time of the shooting, investigators said.

No arrests have been made. It is unknown if the suspect, or suspects, targeted Ross, Herrera or both, Garcia said.

Police say the Ross shooting is not connected to the stabbing of San Jose resident Vincent Tran, 18, in the 1700 block of Schulte Drive earlier Saturday morning. Police suspect a gang connection in Tran's death.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Detective Sgt. Tony Mata or Detective Jaime Jimenez at (408) 277-5283. To call anonymously, tipsters can call the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-7867 or visit svcrimestoppers.com and may be eligible for an award.
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Three people were arrested Saturday in unincorporated Monterey County by sheriff's deputies on suspicion of having a handgun in their possession.

Deputies stopped a 2007 Ford Focus on U.S. Highway 101 near Mallory Canyon Road for speeding. A 17-year-old boy was driving.

A loaded, unregistered, concealable handgun was allegedly located in the passenger compartment.

It was accessible to all three occupants in the vehicle, according to sheriff's deputies. All three occupants - the 17-year-old, an 18-year-old and a 29-year-old were arrested.

The teen was booked into juvenile hall and the other two were booked into Monterey County Jail.
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Mostly cloudy skies and a chance of showers are in the forecast for the Bay Area today, with highs expected to be in the upper 50s.

Tonight is expected to be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and lows around 50. Southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to around 5 mph after midnight, are also expected.

Wednesday is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a chance of showers a slight chance of thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce small hail. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s.

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Fire in SF Home at 1059 Hollister Ave.

Two adults were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire in San Francisco this morning, a fire dispatcher said.

Firefighters responded to the one-alarm blaze at a two-story home at 1059 Hollister Ave. at around 2 a.m. The fire was under control by 2:20 a.m., a fire dispatcher said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
 
    CONTACT: San Francisco fire (415) 558-3268

Bay Area Monday News Roundup

East Bay Shooting

A man and a woman are dead after a Sunday night shooting near the
East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club that left another woman hospitalized with major injuries, Oakland police said.

    Officers responded to reports of gunfire at 88th Avenue and
International Boulevard at about 9:20 p.m., Officer Holly Joshi said. The three victims were found with gunshot wounds near the East Bay
Dragons' clubhouse, Joshi said.

    The man and the woman were pronounced dead at the scene and another woman was transported to Highland Hospital with life threatening injuries, she said.

    The Oakland Police Department is investigating the homicide, but
no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made.

Sunday Service Today

Caltrain and SamTrans will operate on Sunday schedules today for
Memorial Day, officials said.

Twenty-eight trains and four weekend Baby Bullet trains will be running between San Francisco and San Jose, according to Caltrain.

Train service will not operate south of Caltrain's Diridon station in San Jose, but a shuttle bus will be available between the Tamien and Diridon stations.

The last southbound train of the day will leave San Francisco at
9:15 p.m., Caltrain officials said. For more information about SamTrans or Caltrain routes and fares, call (800) 660-4287 or visit www.samtrans.com or www.caltrain.com.

 
Motorcyclist Killed

    A motorcyclist who was killed in a solo-vehicle crash in Livermore
on Saturday afternoon has been identified by the Alameda County coroner's
bureau as Freddy Escovar Jr. The 25-year-old Hayward man was riding a Yamaha motorcycle on National Drive near Longfellow Court at about 12:40 p.m. when the motorcycle struck a tree, police said.

    Escovar was airlifted to Eden Hospital Trauma Center in Castro Valley, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. Just prior to the crash, witnesses told police they saw Escovar traveling at about 80 mph. National Drive has a 40 mph posted speed limit.

Injury Accident

    A pickup truck collision on a Santa Rosa freeway injured two adults and an infant, sending the adult passenger to the hospital with major injuries early Sunday morning, according to officials.

    Driver Robert Walburn, 23, of Laytonville was driving a 2003 Ford pickup truck south on Interstate Highway 101, just south of the Mendocino
County line, when he drove off the road onto the shoulder, California Highway
Patrol officials said.

    The truck overturned multiple times, ejecting passenger Heather
Walburn, 20, of Laytonville, from the car, before coming to a rest in the southbound lane where it caught on fire, CHP officials said.

    The driver and passenger, an infant girl named Kynie, 1 year and 5 months, escaped the car before it became fully engulfed, CHP officials said.

    The infant and driver were treated at the collision for minor injuries, but the ejected passenger was air lifted to Santa Rosa Memorial hospital with major injuries, CHP officials reported.

    The roadway was closed for roughly an hour Sunday morning with traffic diverted onto the shoulder to pass the incident, according to CHP officials.

    Transformers on the Embarcadero

    About a dozen fire personnel responded to an underground transformer explosion near San Francisco's Pier 3 that blew two manhole covers off Sunday morning, a fire dispatcher said.

The San Francisco Fire Department sent carbon dioxide specialists along with firefighters and paramedics to the blown electrical transformer on the Embarcadero near Pier 3 minutes after a 8:27 a.m. call, a dispatcher said.

No one was injured, but part of the road on the Embarcadero near
Pier 3 was closed to traffic. Transformers, which reduce high energy to lower levels, blow often, but this one is underground instead of on a power line or above ground, the dispatcher said.

Two Shootings in Oakland

    Two unrelated shootings in Oakland sent two people to the hospital
Saturday night, police said.

    A man was shot near the intersection of Apgar and Market streets just after 7:30 p.m., Officer Kevin McDonald said. At about 11 p.m., a person was shot in the 8700 block of G Street, he said.

    Both victims were taken to the hospital in stable condition with injuries that are not life threatening, McDonald said. The Oakland Police Department doesn't have suspects in custody for either shooting.

East Bay Assault

    An Oakland resident was assaulted and robbed in his car Saturday night, police officials reported.

    The male victim was sitting in his car while on his cellphone on
39th Avenue at 9:30 p.m. After talking on his phone for several minutes, he was approached by two people who opened the car door, assaulted and robbed him, police said.

    According to police, street robberies are on the rise in Oakland and incidents like this can be avoided. Police remind the public to stay alert and practice sound personal safety habits.


Fatal San Jose Shooting

    San Jose police are investigating the connection between the fatal shooting of a woman Saturday night and a man who arrived at a hospital with gunshot wounds about 30 minutes later, an officer said.

    A 35-year-old San Jose woman died in a shooting after police found her in the driver's seat of a black Mercedes sedan in the 4000 block of
Ambler Way at about 10:30 p.m., San Jose police said.

    CPR was performed on the victim, but she died at the scene, he said. It appeared that she had been shot in the car.

    At about 11 p.m., a 20-year-old San Jose man arrived at Santa
Clara Valley Medical Center with gunshot wounds that were not life threatening, Garcia said.

    The man told hospital employees that he had been shot in the same
area where police found the woman, he said. The man was treated and released from the hospital and is being interviewed by police, Garcia said. It is not clear whether the two shootings are connected, but investigators are considering the possibility, he said.

    Officers originally responded to the area after receiving calls of an argument and then reports of multiple gunshots, Garcia said.

    Investigators are working to determine possible suspects or motives for the fatal shooting.


San Francisco Celebrates Carnaval

Crowds poured into the Mission District Sunday morning for San
Francisco's annual Carnaval Grand Parade.

    San Francisco Carnaval 2011 "Live Your Fantasy" two-day celebration, presented by San Francisco Cultural Arts Traditions, began Saturday morning and continued with the parade Sunday at 9:30 a.m., according to organizers.

    The 33rd annual parade, showcasing Latin American and Caribbean cultures, begins at Bryant and 24th streets and continues north down Mission
Street to 17th Street, organizers said.

    This year's parade grand marshal is Dr. Ana Maria Polo, author and
star of the Spanish television program, "Caso Cerrado." The San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series trophy will also make an appearance during the parade.

    The parade is part of the Carnaval celebration, which includes a
wide array of food, music, drumming, dancing, live music and art.

DUI Arrests Down

    California Highway Patrol officers have arrested less impaired drivers so far during this Memorial Day weekend in the Bay Area than last year. Fatalities are also down in the Bay Area.

    In 2010, by Sunday at 6 a.m., 150 impaired drivers had been arrested, compared to Sunday's 129. During the same reporting period last year, there was one fatality, compared to zero so far this year, according to the CHP.

    The CHP will continue its maximum enforcement efforts, which began Friday at 6 p.m., through midnight today.

DUI Crackdown Continues

    A Memorial Day weekend DUI crackdown climbed to 47 people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Santa Clara County on
Friday and Saturday, according to the sheriff's office.

    Officers from 15 law enforcement agencies throughout the county worked all day Friday and Saturday to catch the offenders, deputies said.

    Three DUI-related crashes were reported, but no DUI-related injuries or deaths were reported.

    In 2010 during the same two-day period, officers arrested 73 people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.


Bay Area Weather

    The San Francisco Bay Area is expected to be mostly cloudy this morning before becoming partly cloudy later today. Highs in the mid 50s to upper 60s are anticipated, with west winds 10 to 20 mph.

    Forecasters predict partly cloudy skies this evening and lows around 50 degrees tonight. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph are also anticipated.

    Tuesday is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a slight chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph are anticipated. Highs in the mid 50s to mid 60s are also expected.

Sunday News Roundup

Motorcyclist Killed

       A motorcyclist was killed in a solo-vehicle crash in Livermore Saturday afternoon, according to police.

       The 25-year-old cyclist was riding a Yamaha motorcycle on National Drive near Longfellow Court at about 12:40 p.m., when something went wrong and the motorcycle struck a tree, police said.

      The man, who is from Hayward, suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Eden Hospital Trauma Center in Castro Valley, according to police.

      The victim later died from injuries sustained in the crash, police said. Just prior to the crash, witnesses saw the cyclist traveling at about 80 mph, according to police. National Drive has a 40 mph posted speed limit.

         It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash. The victim's name was not immediately available from the Alameda County coroner's bureau as of 10 p.m.

San Jose Stabbing

An 18-year-old man was stabbed to death early Saturday morning in eastern San Jose, according to police.

The teen, whose identity has not been released, was found at about 4 a.m. suffering from stab wounds after officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Schulte Drive, police said. 

The man was taken to Regional Medical Center in San Jose and pronounced dead a few hours later.

No arrests have been made in the case, which was San Jose's 21st homicide of the year, police said. The motive and circumstances surrounding the stabbing remained under investigation Saturday.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Sgt. Rafael Nieves or Detective Glenn Albin in the San Jose police homicide unit at (408) 277-5283. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call crime stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867) or visit http://svcrimestoppers.org/. Tipsters might be eligible for a reward.

Parents Thank Community

         The parents of a Danville girl believed to have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge last week thanked the community for its support on Friday and announced a public celebration of the girl's life.      

      Hundreds of volunteers helped search for Allison "Alliy" Bayliss, 15, after she was reported missing on Monday. Officials uncovered evidence the next day indicating she had jumped from the bridge in an apparent suicide.

"The tremendous support and love shown for Alliy has been overwhelming," her family said in a statement. "We are grateful beyond words for the outpouring of concern, care and community that makes this place we live so special."

The family will hold a celebration of Allison's life on Monday at the Community Presbyterian Church in Danville. Attendees are asked to wear blue and bring photos of Allison or other memorabilia to add to the family scrapbook."

Alliy was a caring and compassionate young woman and an avid learner who was always interested in helping others," the family said.

With that in mind, the "Allison Bayliss Donation Fund Account" has been established to further her interests. Donations can be made to any Wells Fargo bank.

Allison was a sophomore at San Ramon Valley High School, school district spokeswoman Terry Koehne said. She was a member of he junior varsity swim team and a very good student academically, he said.

Police Need Help

Police are asking for the public's help locating a nursing student who went missing from a hospital in Hayward on Friday.

Michelle Hoang Thi Le, 26, was last seen at 7 p.m. on Friday at Kaiser Hospital at 27303 Sleepy Hollow Ave. South, according to police. Le was at the hospital taking a class, which is part of a nursing course she's enrolled in with Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, police said.

Le told many classmates she was planning to drive to Reno after class. She left class during a break and didn't return, according to police.

Police found her car parked a few blocks from the hospital and have not been able to reach Le by calling her cellphone.

Le is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Le's whereabouts is encouraged to call Hayward police at (510) 293-7000.

Sonoma Earthquake Reported

A 3.7-magnitude earthquake shook Sonoma County at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

         The quake was centered two miles east of The Geysers and 24 miles north of Santa Rosa, the USGS said.

         The USGS reported the temblor to have a depth of 2.3 miles. The area of The Geysers stands as the largest single geothermal field in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

         The region continually produces earthquakes between 0.5 and 3.0 on the Richter scale, related to deep-well injection that the Department of Energy says is necessary for the extended and sustained production of geothermal resources at the site.

Memorial Day DUI Crackdown

A Memorial Day weekend DUI crackdown netted 16 people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Santa Clara County on Friday, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Officers from 15 law enforcement agencies throughout the county worked all day Friday to catch the offenders, deputies said.

No DUI-related crashes, deaths or injuries were reported. In 2010 on the same day, officers arrested 22 people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Once Bitten – Snakebite Advice

Santa Clara County fire and emergency officials are reminding the public to watch where they walk this spring and summer to avoid venomous snakebites.

         Emergency officials recommend using caution during outdoor activities such as running and hiking, and keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes while enjoying the county's hills and open spaces. 

         The county has offered the following advice:

         Wear long pants and heavy boots that come up about four inches above the ankle. Be careful when walking in high brush areas and while stepping

over logs and fallen trees.

         Keep dogs and other pets on a leash when on a trail. If bitten by a snake, call 911. Avoid movement in the area that was bitten and keep the area below heart level. Take note of the time of the bite, and do not attempt to cut the bite or apply a cold pack or tourniquet.

Firearm Arrest in Santa Cruz

Police have recovered a stolen firearm that was reported missing after a teen was arrested near a school in Santa Cruz Thursday night.

Police responded to the area near West Cliff Drive and Sacramento Avenue at around 7 p.m. after receiving reports of a car with bullet holes and a flat tire that was driving recklessly in the area.

Responding officers learned that a gun was thrown from the car and a man walking in the area reportedly took it, police said. Officers spotted Derek Bodiford, 19, in the area and he matched the suspect's description, according to police.

Bodiford allegedly ran from officers into the back of a school in the 200 block of Swift Street, police said.

Officers received assistance from a K-9 unit, State Parks officials and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office to establish a perimeter around the school.

Police said Bodiford attempted to leave the school grounds by a back gate onto Merced Avenue and was detained by authorities.

A search of the school grounds and surrounding area was conducted but police did not recover the firearm.

Police informed school officials and contacted nearby residents using reverse-911 to alert them about the missing gun. Bodiford was arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on $100,000 bail.

On Friday morning, Bodiford told police where to find the firearm, near the area where he was first spotted. Officers found the gun in the bushes of a home in the 100 block of Stockton Avenue, police said.

Police said they also found the car that had been driving recklessly with bullet holes and a flat tire. They discovered the silver Mercedes E-430 in the 200 block of San Jose Avenue.

Two people were reportedly in the car when it was seen driving recklessly.

Boost for San Francisco Filmmakers

Local independent filmmakers could find themselves in a low-cost office space on July 1 thanks to the San Francisco Film Commission's new project. The commission's SF Film Collective will provide affordable office space to local filmmakers to help create more film production in the city and nurture "home-grown" talent, commission officials said.

         To be considered, filmmakers must be at least 21 years old and actively engaged in a film, video, television, or multimedia project.

         "We see this as a way to not only support local filmmaking talent, but to shine a light on San Francisco as a city which welcomes independent

productions," executive director Susannah Greason Robbins said in a statement.

         Participants must either be a resident of the city or working on a project that is directly related to San Francisco. The office space is located at 134A Golden Gate Ave. Twelve offices are available and the space offers a common area, conference room,

and a communal kitchen.

         Applications are due by June 1 and can be found at www.filmsf.org. Spaces will be awarded on June 8 for July 1 occupancy. Anyone interested in touring the space should call (415) 554-6241. 


Charity Winners of Facebook Contest

         Two Bay Area charities were named as winners of the Chase Community Giving campaign.

The campaign gave $5 million in total to the 100 charities that received the most votes on Facebook.com. The Blue Devil Parent Association in Concord came in 16th out of 100 with 7,847 votes. They received $45,000 to support their youth music and performing arts program -- One Music, One World.

The Santa Clara Vanguard Booster Club in Santa Clara came in 24th with 5,351 votes. They plan to use the $45,000 grant to support their music and movement education program.

These Bay Area organizations were two of four California charities in the top 100.

The number one pick for Chase's campaign received a $500,000 grant and won with 27,514 votes. Chabad of Argentina Relief Appeal Inc. in New York

City is a UNICEF-supported charity that works with children who are considered at-risk due to abuse or abandonment.

Corte Madera Arrest

A 39-year-old Corte Madera man was arrested in Petaluma Friday evening when a police dog allegedly found several grams of methamphetamine in

his vehicle, Petaluma police said. 

Thomas James Taylor was pulled over at about 6:40 p.m. on the North McDowell Extension because of a vehicle equipment violation, police said.

The officer discovered he was on probation and subject to a warrant-less search.

A K-9 unit allegedly found 6.25 grams of methamphetamine in Taylor's vehicle, police said. He was arrested and booked at Sonoma County Jail.

Mushrooms in Morgan Hill

         Morgan Hill's two-day Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival kicked off its 32nd year Saturday with entertainment, arts and crafts, and the highlight of the weekend -- fungi.

         Attendees can savor different types of mushrooms in a multitude of forms: in soup, sandwiches, marinated, stuffed, and deep-fried. Fungi aficionados can even find carved wooden mushrooms and attend educational talks about how mushrooms are grown and the latest nutritional research. 

A Ms. Mushroom and Mr. Fungi will be crowned for the first time this year, organizers said.

The festival will also feature live music, children's rides and games, and booths selling art and clothing.

The event takes place in downtown Morgan Hill, and admission is free. The festival is being held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and today

from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Weekend Weather for Memorial Day

Partly cloudy skies are expected in the Bay Area this morning, before becoming sunny later today. Highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s are anticipated. Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph are also expected.

Skies are expected to be mostly clear this evening before becoming partly cloudy. Lows around 50 degrees are anticipated, with northwest winds 20 to 30 mph.

Monday is predicted to be partly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s to upper 60s. West winds 10 to 20 mph are also expected. 

May 31, 2011

It’s 7 a.m., 56°, and that’s exactly where it’s going to stay. It gets worse tomorrow. Details are here. Duc-Loi, the Vietnamese grocery store on Mission Street, speaks any language its patrons want, writes the SF Chronicle. In case anyone has not been to the bathroom at Little Star Pizza, here you go, from We...

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The San Francisco Chronicle will release an app for the iPad today, bringing a daily edition of the newspaper to Apple's tablet computer along with breaking news and live updates throughout the day. San Francisco...

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It's a new budget era in San Francisco - for one year, at least. Substantial cuts will still be a reality when Mayor Ed Lee rolls out his first budget Wednesday. Just don't expect widespread layoffs, closed fire...

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Popular wisdom holds that people who lose their homes to foreclosure must be irresponsible deadbeats who can't handle money. But a new study shows that many homeowners who defaulted on their mortgages during the...

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It's not exactly a tell-all. More like a tell-some. Still, the joint interview of Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Mark Farrell in the current issue of Genesis, the St. Ignatius alumni magazine, is worth a read. The...

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June 1, 2011

A San Francisco jury convicted a 19-year-old man of second-degree murder Tuesday for fatally shooting a man at the Metreon complex after complaining he was clogging an escalator. Christopher Canon, of San Francisco, 15...

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May 30, 2011

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A bicyclist hit early Sunday morning by a taxi cab in San Francisco’s Mission District is in critical, according to police. A name has not been released. The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m.  on 14th and Mission Street,  where the San Francisco Armory, now Kink.com stands. Mission Street has no  bike lane but 14th street...

Eating More Greens potluck and a talk by Katrina Balir from Durang. More information is here.

It’s 7 a.m, 52° and we’re headed for 58°. I had hoped to have good news for you on the weather front, but I just looked at the 10-day forecast and it’s really pretty miserably under 60 until a week from today and then we crack 60 but just barely. Details are here. The Los...

This cyber attack didn't go after people playing war games on their PlayStations. It targeted a company that helps the U.S. military do the real thing.
Lockheed Martin says it was the recent target of...


There are a number of events happening around the Bay Area today to honor our nation's troops. Here are some of them.

9 a.m. Mare Island Naval Cemetery, Vallejo
10 a.m.


Paid for by Phil Ting for Assembly 2012. FPPC ID# 1343137