SF News

Gov. Jerry Brown To Sign High-Speed Rail Bill At Transbay Terminal 

Gov. Jerry Brown will be in San Francisco today to sign the High-Speed Rail funding bill at one of the bullet train system's future stations.

Brown will visit the Transbay Transit Center construction site in the city's Financial District, where he will sign SB 1029, a bill that provides nearly $8 billion in funding to start construction on the high-speed rail system's spine, a 130-mile stretch of track in the Central Valley.

The funding measure, which was approved by a slim margin in the state Senate on July 6, also includes money for early investments in local transit systems in metropolitan areas at high-speed rail's "bookends," in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

Caltrain will receive nearly $600 million in high-speed rail funds to modernize the system, the transit agency's spokeswoman Christine Dunn said.

The Caltrain Modernization Project aims to replace its current diesel-powered engines with electric trains, which will run faster, more frequent and more environmentally friendly trains while preparing the transit corridor to accommodate a blended system with high-speed rail.

Brown will attend a signing ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles before heading to San Francisco, where he is expected to sign SB 1029 at 550 Howard Street at 2 p.m.

San Jose Plans To Clear Out Homeless From Kelley Park

Residents of a homeless encampment in San Jose's Kelley Park are making provisions for Thursday, when the city has ordered them to leave as part of a cleanup of the Coyote Creek area.

Earlier this week, city employees posted fliers announcing the cleanup, which state, "You are TRESSPASSING and will subject to CRIMINAL PROSECUTION if you remain."

According to city spokesman David Vossbrink, Thursday's cleanup has been organized by the city and the Santa Clara County Water District to address environmental concerns in a several-hundred-foot area behind the History Park portion of the park.

Elisa Lopez, who has lived in an apartment on Bevin Brook Drive near the park's creek-side encampment for the past seven years, seemed relieved to learn about the cleanup.

Standing in front of her apartment with an armful of groceries, Lopez said, "I feel sorry about them...but we don't feel comfortable...I'm scared to walk back there," as she pointed to the area behind her apartment complex.

The creek's banks are populated by a series of campsites, which Vossbrink estimated are home to at least a dozen residents. Articles of clothing and trash litter some of areas, and many are set up with in a way that indicates long-term camping.

In one campsite, a county flier was posted to a tree that shaded a couch, woven area rug, and a television, among other domestic items.

Jeremy, a 47-year-old San Jose man who declined to give his last name, said he has lived in the Kelley park encampment for a couple of weeks as he was returning to his campsite by bike.

Jeremy said he plans to be gone by Thursday, when he can return to a room in a nearby apartment he had been renting before it failed to pass a structural inspection early this month.

Murder Charge Against Santa Rosa Woman Filed In Fatal Crash On Saturday

The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office Tuesday afternoon charged a Santa Rosa woman with murder in connection with a vehicle collision that killed a Santa Rosa man Saturday afternoon.

Heather Ann Howell, 28, did not enter a plea to murder and reckless driving causing great bodily injury. She will be arraigned and have a bail hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court Friday morning.

Howell is being held under no bail in the Sonoma County Jail. 

The California Highway Patrol said Howell was chasing a man on a Harley Davidson motorcycle in her 2001 Acura on Hall Road near Mancini Road in unincorporated Sonoma County west of Santa Rosa around 4:45 p.m. Saturday. 

Her Acura struck a Lexus then a 1969 Triumph Spitfire driven by 56-year-old Jesse Garcia. The Triumph overturned and caught fire and Garcia died at the scene.

The CHP responded to the collision but turned the investigation over to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office because it appeared the collision might be an intentional, domestic violence incident, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Deputy District Attorney Anne Masterson would not comment on the domestic violence possibility. She said the murder charge includes implied malice based on the evidence and statements from witnesses, who are still being interviewed.

Masterson said the incident is still under investigation.

Sonoma County sheriff's Sgt. Carlos Basurto said Tuesday afternoon Howell and her ex-boyfriend, the motorcycle rider, had an argument.

"He took off and she chased him," Basurto said.

The sheriff's office is not identifying the man on the motorcycle because he might be a victim of domestic violence. Basurto also said that the man has been uncooperative with investigators.

Howell's attorney Steve Spiegelman disputed law enforcement's account of the fatal collision.

"There's no way this should be a murder case," he said.

"It was a terrible accident and very unfortunate, but there's got to be a fall person," Spiegelman said. He said Howell is very remorseful.

San Francisco Board Of Supervisors Approve City's Budget For Next Two Fiscal Years

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved the city's budget for the next two fiscal years.

The budget, which totals about $7.3 billion for the fiscal year that started July 1, was approved by an 11-0 vote.

It will close a general fund deficit for fiscal year 2012-2013 that had initially been projected at $262 million, but was reduced to about $170 million because of better than expected revenue growth.

The budget includes plans to fund six new police academy classes of 50 officers each over the next two years, as well as six fire academy classes over the next six years.

The budget also included money for each of the supervisors to add a third legislative aide to their office at the cost of $107,000 apiece, an item opposed by Supervisor Sean Elsbernd.

"I have no intention of hiring this aide," Elsbernd said.

He said his constituents need money for "pedestrian safety, capital improvements ... there are a million more priorities than a third aide."

Elsbernd and Carmen Chu each agreed to forgo the third aide and asked for that money to go toward projects specific to their districts.

The rest of the supervisors decided to keep the money for the extra aide.

"It's entirely appropriate to make the board as efficient as it can be," Supervisor Scott Wiener said.

Mayor Ed Lee praised the budget while speaking to reporters prior to its approval by the supervisors, calling it "reflective of our success as a city."

The board's vote gave initial approval to the budget. It will return in front of the supervisors next week for final approval.

Three Charged In Connection With Suspected Gang-Related 2011 Fatal Shooting In San Jose

Three men were charged with murder Tuesday in connection with a 2011 fatal shooting in San Jose, according to police.

Noe Hernandez, 20, and Andy Gomez, 19, were arrested on Friday on a warrant for the Oct. 17, 2011 murder of Hanzel Perez Sacuedo, 18. Another suspect, Jose Gonzalez, 18, was already in custody on separate charges.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against the three men Tuesday with a gang enhancement, according to police.

Sacuedo, a San Jose resident, was found in the 1700 block of Ross Circle shortly before 9 p.m. in October of last year suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose where he was later pronounced dead.

Police believe he was shot while standing near a parked car in front of an apartment complex when two suspects approached him. At least one of those suspects shot Sacuedo.

San Francisco's 'Stop And Frisk' Policy Continues To Draw Backlash

Protesters gathered on the steps of San Francisco City Hall Tuesday afternoon to show their displeasure at the prospect of a "stop and frisk" policy.

In an editorial board meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle last month, Mayor Ed Lee floated the idea of such a policy, which has been used as a violence-reduction tool in other cities such as New York and Philadelphia.

A "stop and frisk" policy would enable police officers to detain and pat down people they consider suspicious. Lee has said his goal in considering the idea is to reduce gun violence and make the city safer. 

Mattie Scott, a San Francisco resident whose son was killed 16 years ago in a violent crime, said she is fearful of what such a policy would do.

"Good things are happening, and this policy would kill that progress," Scott said. "We're going backwards and it doesn't make sense."

Lee released a statement Tuesday afternoon reiterating his concern about a spike in gun violence and homicides in the city's southeastern neighborhoods in June.

"This is unacceptable and while I take this issue extremely seriously, I want to be clear that I have not considered implementing a policy in San Francisco that would violate anyone's Constitutional rights or that would result in racial profiling," Lee said.

Protesters such as Theo Ellington, president of Black Young Democratic Club, are calling into question the mayor's background as a human rights director and civil rights attorney.

"Our civil rights deserve to be protected," Ellington said. "This is becoming an issue of the insiders against the concerned citizens, the haves against the have-nots."

Alan Schlosser, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said a "stop and frisk" policy would increase tension between police and the community.

"This is a terrible perversion of community policing that will lead to confrontations," Schlosser said. "The mayor wants to encourage stops that have no cause."

There is no formal proposal being considered to implement a "stop and frisk" policy, and the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution earlier this month calling on the mayor to drop the idea.

Man Gets 21 Years To Life For Attempting To Kill Fremont Police Officer

A parolee was sentenced Tuesday to 21 years to life in state prison for intentionally striking and seriously injuring a Fremont police motorcycle officer with a stolen van two years ago.

Alexander Diaz, 37, was convicted in June of premeditated attempted murder for ramming Officer Patrick Brower on Oct. 4, 2010.

Diaz also was convicted of the unlawful driving and taking of a vehicle and of grand theft for stealing a delivery van with $33,000 worth of electronics inside while the driver was away making a delivery.

Brower, now 44, who was a 10-year police veteran, was on his motorcycle when he saw the van a short time later as it turned onto Warm Springs Boulevard, police and prosecutors said.

Diaz then noticed Brower, floored the accelerator and aimed the van straight at the officer, according to prosecutors.

Brower was pinned under the motorcycle and was dragged by the van across three traffic lanes before it struck a metal streetlight, sandwiching the officer and his motorcycle against the pole, authorities said.

Brower was extracted from the scene by firefighters and sustained a number of critical injuries, including a compound fracture to his left leg, three fractured toes, a torn rotator cuff, knee damage and a torn tendon in his arm.

Diaz fled from the scene but was arrested in Los Angeles two days later. He was on parole for a previous grand theft conviction. 

Fremont Police Chief Craig Steckler said Tuesday that it's clear that Diaz intended to kill Brower and Diaz "literally ran over him" with the van.

"By the grace of God and the light pole, he (Brower) didn't die," Steckler said.

Steckler said Brower has undergone a number of surgeries but hopes to return to duty full-time sometime soon after one more operation. Brower already is doing light duty four hours a day, he said.

San Bruno Man Could Have Faced 25-To-Life For Petty Theft Under California's Three Strikes Law

A 60-year-old San Bruno man with a criminal record going back to the 1960s could have faced 25 years to life in prison for stealing $19.83 worth of alcohol under California's three strikes law, the district attorney said Tuesday.

Frederick Howell Kennedy on Monday pleaded no contest to the Feb. 13 robbery, the most recent of nearly a dozen non-violent convictions on Kennedy's record going back to 1968, District Attorney Steve Wastaffe said.

Wagstaffe said his office carefully reviewed the case and used its discretion to drop a prior strike offense and reduce the maximum recommended sentence to four years in prison.

Wagstaffe called Kennedy an alcoholic who was "clearly down on his luck," and said that his crime did not merit a 25-year-to-life sentence.

On the day of the robbery, a manager at La Dora Liquors and Deli on San Bruno Avenue witnessed Kennedy steal four cans of Four Loko beer and a bottle of E&J Brandy and walk out of the store, Wagstaffe said.

When a clerk confronted him outside, Kennedy clenched his fist and swung at him before running away, prosecutors said.

Police tracked Kennedy down a short time later and took him into custody. The man broke into tears, called his crime "stupid" and said he needed help to stop drinking, prosecutors said.

Wagstaffe said that if Kennedy enrolls in a substance abuse program before his sentencing on Sept. 4, Judge Mark Forcum has the discretion to lower the defendant's prison term below the four years he agreed to in Monday's plea deal.

Kennedy remains in custody on $250,000 bail.

Two Police Officers From Mexico City To Ride Along With Oakland Police Department

Two federal police officers from Mexico City will be taken on a ride-along with Oakland police today.

The officers will learn about the Oakland Police Department's approach to fighting crime and the technology it uses, including the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system and the CompStat crime tracking program, police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said.

The officers took a brief tour of police headquarters Tuesday, and will be at the Eastmont Substation this morning, where they will observe the Police Department's morning lineup then head out on the ride-along.

"They seem very excited to be here, and they definitely have a lot of questions," Oakland police Officer Robert Trevino said.

He said they seemed particularly moved by the memorial wall in the lobby of police headquarters that contains the names of officers who have died in the line of duty.

"I think that's one thing we do have in common," he said. "In our line of work we put our lives out there every day."

Trevino said Oakland police learned that the officers would be visiting the Bay Area through Kaiser Permanente's Latino Association.

"We wanted to extend the invitation to them," he said.

The officers don't speak English, but Kaiser has provided translators, Trevino said. The National Latino Peace Officers Association is facilitating the visit.

San Francisco Bay Area Weather Report

Cloudy skies and patchy fog are expected in the Bay Area today. Highs are expected to be in the lower to mid 60s.

Mostly cloudy skies are likely this evening, with patchy fog after midnight. Lows are expected to be in the lower 50s.

Mostly cloudy skies with patchy fog are expected Thursday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s to mid 60s.

A 24-year-old man who has filed to run for supervisor in San Francisco pleaded guilty today to threatening District Attorney George Gascon on Facebook.

Benjamin Castaneda pleaded guilty to two felony counts of attempting by threats to deter an executive officer from performing a lawful duty, and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of making criminal threats.

He is expected to be sentenced to three years' probation when he returns to court on Aug. 7.

Deputy Attorney General Peter Flores said Castaneda threatened Gascon in a Facebook post about the district attorney's prosecution of cases against him and his brother for allegedly violating restraining orders filed by other family members.

The Facebook post did not make a direct threat against Gascon, but Flores said it contained something to the effect of, "Back off of the cases or something bad is going to happen."

The state attorney general's office handled the threats case because Gascon was involved as a victim.

Castaneda's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Vilaska Nguyen, declined to comment on the case outside of court today.

According to the Department of Elections, Castaneda filed a declaration of intent to run for supervisor in District 9 last October. The district is currently represented by David Campos, who is running for re-election.

Upon his release from jail, Castaneda will be turned over to the supervision of the city's behavioral health court for mental counseling, Flores said.

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An outage knocked out power to 1,970 PG&E customers in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood this morning, a PG&E spokesman said.

The outage began around 6:30 a.m. in an area that included Townsend Street between First and Sixth streets, and Fourth Street between Townsend and Brannan streets, utility spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

The San Francisco Fire Department's headquarters at Second and Townsend streets was hit by the outage. The building has a backup generator that protected essential functions while the power was out, fire Capt. Jeanne Seyler said.

Power was restored to all customers around 8 a.m. PG&E is still working to determine the cause of the outage.

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An entire cash register was stolen from a gas station in San Francisco's Marina District by a man wielding a tire iron early this morning, police said.

The robbery was reported around 1:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of Lombard Street. The man entered the gas station and threatened an employee with the tire iron, according to police.

The suspect, believed to be in his mid-40s, then cut the wires to the cash register and fled with it, heading south on Broderick Street in a four-door sedan. He had not been found as of this morning, police said.

The employee was not injured in the robbery.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

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A woman was beaten with brass knuckles by two men in San Francisco's Portola neighborhood early this morning, police said.

The attack was reported around 2:10 a.m. near San Bruno Avenue and Silliman Street.

The 25-year-old victim was walking with her husband when a group of suspects drove by in a car and yelled obscenities at her, according to police.

Two of the suspects then got out of the vehicle, a black four-door sedan, and struck the victim with the brass knuckles, police said.

The suspects, described as men between 25 and 30 years old, got back in the car and fled. They had not been found as of this morning, according to police.

The victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for abrasions to her forehead and leg, but is expected to survive.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

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An outage knocked out power to 1,970 PG&E customers in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood this morning, a PG&E spokesman said.

The outage began around 6:30 a.m. in an area that included Townsend Street between First and Sixth streets, and Fourth Street between Townsend and Brannan streets, utility spokesman J.D. Guidi said.

As of 7:45 a.m., power had been restored to all but 380 customers, he said.

Crews were still working to determine the cause of the outage, and there was no estimate yet for when power would be fully restored.

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One-Day Strike Closes Some San Francisco Courtrooms And All Clerk’s Offices

A one-day strike by nearly 200 San Francisco Superior Court clerks closed some courtrooms and all clerks' offices Monday, but administrators said they kept essential functions going by reassigning other, nonstriking workers.

"I'm not saying that justice is at a platinum level, but justice is continuing," said Court Executive Officer Michael Yuen.

"The court is doing everything it can to make sure justice will be accessible and is working in San Francisco," he said.

The strike by members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 was to protest a 5 percent pay cut imposed by the court at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

The cut was made necessary by ongoing court budget reductions made during the state's fiscal crisis, Yuen said.

The local represents clerks who work in courtrooms, stand behind public counters and maintain court files.

Three other unions, representing about 180 managers, supervisors and court reporters, previously accepted the 5 percent cut.

Local 1021 contends the San Francisco court management didn't provide the financial information required by federal labor law to show the need for the cuts.

"We're doing this because the Superior Court is not being transparent about the financial data we're entitled to by law," said Gary Feliciano, a deputy clerk and shop steward who was among about 80 workers marching with picket signs outside the Civic Center Courthouse.

Felciano said that despite any inconvenience to the public Monday, "The public has been inconvenienced for the last three years. The public has lost services, services and services.

"We're the last stand for the public," he said.

Yuen, speaking at a news conference inside the courthouse, said the strike forced the court to close more than one-third of its courtrooms and all of its clerk's offices, including the windows where people pay or contest traffic tickets.

San Francisco Giant Pablo Sandoval Will Not Face Charges

San Francisco Giant Pablo Sandoval will not face charges in connection to allegations that he sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman in Aptos last month, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office.

Sandoval, 25, was being investigated in connection with an incident in which the woman told authorities that the Giants' third baseman had assaulted her at a resort in Aptos.

The announcement follows a similar statement Thursday by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office that it's own independent investigation had not revealed enough evidence to warrant arresting Sandoval.

On Monday, after reviewing the sheriff's department's investigation, the district attorney's office announced it agreed there was not enough evidence to file charges or arrest Sandoval.

"Nothing from the physical evidence and other witnesses helped corroborate her story. All evidence that might be relevant to the contested issues of force and lack of consent is simply inconclusive," said Deputy District Attorney Bob Lee.

Lee also mentioned that the "nature and number of the complainant's inconsistencies" led his office to the decision not to charge Sandoval.

The woman had filed a complaint against Sandoval at 4:25 a.m. on the morning of June 1. She said she had met a group of people in downtown Santa Cruz the previous night, then gone to the resort, according to the sheriff's office.

An employee at the Motiv restaurant and bar at 1209 Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz said Sandoval was at the bar that night.

According to Lee, the sheriff's department's investigation was extensive and included interviews with witnesses, search warrants, security video tapes, text messages, toxicology reports and physical evidence.

Bill Lockyer Files For Divorce From Wife Nadia Lockyer

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer has filed for divorce from his wife, former Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Davis Lockyer, his spokesman said Monday.

Bill Lockyer, 71, filed the divorce papers in Alameda County Superior Court on Friday, according to his spokesman, Tom Dresslar.

The couple have been married for nine years and have an 8-year-old son.

Nadia Lockyer, 41, who has been in a substance abuse treatment program and alleges that her ex-boyfriend assaulted her in a motel in Newark on Feb. 3, announced her resignation on April 20.

Lockyer, who was elected to office in November 2010, said in her letter of resignation that said she wasn't able to be a good mother to her child and represent her 325,000 constituents in District 2 "while also trudging the waters of early recovery from addiction and the aftermath of interpersonal violence."

Lockyer apparently was referring to an incident at a motel in Newark on Feb. 3 in which she alleges that an ex-boyfriend assaulted her.

The District 2 seat that she served encompasses Hayward, Newark and Union City and parts of Fremont and Sunol. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted last month to have former Union City Councilman Richard Valle fill the seat until the November election.

Dresslar said Bill Lockyer wants the divorce petition "to be resolved to serve the best interests of his son" and "to be handled as privately and amicably as possible."

Lockyer's attorney, Bruce Jobson, couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Nadia Lockyer also could not be reached for comment.

Tenderloin Market Accused Of Illicit Activity To Pay $30,000 To City Of San Francisco

The owner of a market in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood accused of allowing drug deals and other illicit activity to take place there agreed Monday to pay $30,000 to the city and abide by a strict injunction, according to the city attorney's office.

Barah Market, located at 200 Leavenworth St., was one of two Tenderloin markets targeted by City Attorney Dennis Herrera in a lawsuit filed Jan. 30 that alleged the business provided a safe haven for drug deals and also bought and sold stolen merchandise.

The other market named in the lawsuit, Razan Deli at 391 Ellis St., was ordered closed for a year by a judge on April 1.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge Monday approved an agreement requiring Jaber Algahim, the owner of Barah Market, to pay $30,000 over the next 45 months, as well as fulfill several other obligations.

The market must close between midnight and 7 a.m. each night, employ a security guard between 8 p.m. and midnight and maintain a video surveillance system, among other terms of the injunction, which will last for at least the next two years, according to the city attorney's office.

The market "played a central role in drug dealing and related crimes that victimized its neighbors for too long, and the court acknowledged that the evidence of their lawlessness was overwhelming," Herrera said in a statement.

"My clients are glad that they have this thing resolved, but at the same time, they feel the city and county was very hard on them," said Dan Siegel, an attorney representing the market.

Attorney Seeks Damages For Hans Reiser’s Children

An attorney who represents Hans Reiser's two children asked jurors Monday to order Reiser to pay millions of dollars of damages for depriving them of their mother, Nina Reiser, by murdering her.

In his closing argument in Reiser's wrongful death trial in Alameda County Superior Court, the children's attorney, Arturo Gonzalez, said, "I ask you to do some justice for Nina and her family. They didn't deserve this."

Hans Reiser, 48, is serving a term of 15 years to life in state prison for murdering Nina Reiser, 31, at his home in the Oakland hills on Sept. 3, 2006, while they were in the midst of divorce proceedings.

Nina had been awarded custody of the children but Hans was allowed to have them on alternate weeks.

The couple's children, Rory, 12, and Niorline, 11, have been living in Russia, where Nina was born and raised, with Nina's mother since December 2006.

Gonzalez is asking jurors to award a total of $25 million to Rory and Niorline. He said each child should get $10 million in damages and Reiser should be ordered to pay an additional $5 million in punitive damages to deter other husbands from murdering their wives.

Gonzalez said that although it's uncertain if Reiser has any assets at this time, he said Reiser has an opportunity to create valuable business ideas while he's in state prison because of his experience as a computer engineer who still owns a software company.

Jurors deliberated for about 90 minutes Monday and will resume their deliberations this morning.

Addressing jurors in an hour-long closing argument, Reiser was unapologetic for killing Nina, saying he did so to stop her from harming their children by inventing illnesses in an effort to make him look like a bad father so she could get custody of them.

Reiser alleged that Nina suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is a disorder in which parents fake illnesses in their children to gain attention and sympathy, and said there was nothing he could do to cure her of that syndrome.

Reiser said, "My heart didn't want to kill her but I forced myself to kill her" because he believed a textbook's assertion that people who have Munchausen syndrome by proxy and have elevated levels of the hormone oxytocin "are like heroin addicts" and can't be helped.

Construction Of New Wharves, Promenade Set To Get Under Way At Redwood City Port

A $13.9 million project to revamp the Port of Redwood City is set to begin at the end of August, a port official said Monday.

Manager of operations Don Snaman said the Wharves 1 & 2 Modernization Project will create hundreds of feet of new concrete docking space for ships and barges that will allow for safer, more efficient use of the port's facilities.

"We're removing the old, unsafe, dilapidated dock that was originally built in the late 1930s and replacing it with a new concrete structure," Snaman said.

The Port of Redwood City -- the southernmost deepwater port on San Francisco Bay -- saw the number of vessels making calls nearly double during the last fiscal year compared to the year before.

Snaman said that 48 ships and 26 barges called at the port last year, a significant increase from the 36 ships and 11 barges that came in the year before.

The increase is due in large part to a rise in Bay Area construction activity, according to port executive director Mike Giari.

Sand, gravel and other construction materials that move through the port saw a 51 percent increase in volume in fiscal year 2011-2012.

The wharves modernization project will allow the port to increase its operating capacity even further, Snaman said.

The first phase of the project involves demolishing existing wharves, pilings and warehouses, while the second phase will see the construction of the new concrete wharf, which will be 426 feet long and 58 feet wide, with 30-foot wide access ramps to shore.

The improvement project also includes upgrades to the port's public access areas, including the marina and fishing pier.

The major addition will be a new 400-foot waterfront promenade running parallel to the shoreline, with new handicap access and parking.

The promenade will feature a new lawn, landscaping and a raised seating area with views of the Bay.

The modernization project is currently in its design phase, with demolition work scheduled to begin in August or September, Snaman said.

Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2013.

Crews Break Ground On New High-Rise At One Rincon Hill In San Francisco

Crews broke ground Monday on a new high-rise building at One Rincon Hill in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, a companion to the taller tower already at the site.

The new, 52-floor north tower at First and Harrison streets will go alongside the 64-floor south tower, which its developers tout as the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi River.

The new 299-unit tower "will bring much needed housing to the San Francisco residential market, while at the same time, adding another high-quality real estate property to the fantastic city skyline," Rod Vogel, managing director at Principal Real Estate, said in a statement.

Principal Real Estate is one of the developers of the tower, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014.

The north tower at One Rincon Hill opened in February 2008 and currently has more than 650 residents, according to the developers.

Because of a lack of below-market rate units at the new building, developers are paying a $15.1 million fee to the city, as well as more than $10 million in other fees.

San Jose Defendants Accused Of Neglecting Disabled Residents Appear In Court

Four people accused of neglecting mentally disabled residents at an uncertified group home were arraigned Monday, according to Deputy District Attorney Charles Huang.

On July 2nd, police arrested five caretakers after finding 12 dependent adults living in a squalid house with rotting food, locked refrigerators, no running water and about 25 dogs.

All five were out on bail but four were taken into custody again Monday after the judge raised their bail from $10,000 to $50,000.

The defendants, Kathy Le, George Dac Nguyen, Jennifer Ngo, Charles Nguyen, and Margaret Ngo, were charged with dependent adult abuse and animal neglect on July 5, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

The defendants were accused of beating, rarely bathing, and withholding food and toilet use from 12 dependent adults who suffer schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Prosecutors also allege that the defendants were taking the residents' social security checks.

Authorities first learned of the abuse on May 31, when family members of one disabled adult complained to San Jose police that they could not visit their relative at the home and were told that the relative did not even live at the care center.

Initially unable to enter the home, police saw the resident inside and entered to discover abject conditions. Residents were sleeping on mattresses and the home was filled with urine and feces from the 25 dogs, according to prosecutors.

Residents there told investigators they were kept in their rooms all day and their clothes were only washed once a month, right before their monthly doctor's appointment.

None of the defendants, all of whom have hired private attorneys, entered a plea Monday, Huang said. Le was the only defendant who did not appear in court Monday, though her lawyer was present.

According to Huang, the adults who were removed from house and taken into Adult Protective Custody are now in licensed care facilities. The dogs were taken by Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control.

Huang added that resident's families and caretakers had informal care agreements with the defendants, whose neglectful "care facility" was not licensed.

If convicted, the defendants could each face up to 18 years in prison.

The defendants are scheduled to appear in court again on August 21.

23-Year-Old Man Killed In Half Moon Bay Crash With Parked Car

A 23-year-old Sacramento man was killed in fiery crash in Half Moon Bay early Monday morning, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were called to a the 400 block of Kelly Avenue, where a 1991 Honda Civic had crashed into a parked 2000 Honda Passport at about 3:25 a.m., according to the sheriff's office.

The engine in the Honda Civic burst into flames upon impact, and the driver was pulled out of the car by nearby residents, the sheriff's office said.

The Honda Passport was pushed about 150 feet from where it was parked by the force of the crash.

Arriving deputies put out the engine fire, and the victim was taken to Stanford Hospital where he later died.

The medical examiner's office did not release his name pending notification of his relatives.

The sheriff's office is searching for anyone that might have witnessed the crash. Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office at (650) 726-8288. 

Weather Forecast For The San Francisco Bay Area

Mostly cloudy skies, patchy fog and drizzle are expected in the Bay Area today. Highs are expected to be in the 60s.

Partly cloudy skies are likely this evening, becoming cloudy with patchy fog and drizzle after midnight. Lows are expected to be in the lower 50s.

Mostly cloudy skies with patchy fog and drizzle are expected Wednesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s to mid 60s.

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San Francisco Protesters Angry Over Police Shooting Disrupt Morning Muni Service

A group of protesters upset over police shootings disrupted San Francisco Municipal Railway service this morning.

Shortly before 7 a.m., protesters gathered at Church and Duboce streets, blocking N-Judah and J-Church light-rail vehicles from entering and exiting the tunnel system, SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said.

Shuttle buses substituted for the N and J lines until 7:30 a.m. when the protesters were cleared from the Church and Duboce intersection, Rose said.

The protesters marched to the SFMTA headquarters at 1 S. Van Ness Ave. where they continued their protest.

They held signs, including some reading, "They Shoot Us Down, We Shut It Down" and "Stop the Brutality."

The protest came one year after the death of Kenneth Harding, Jr., 19, who was shot after a MUNI fare inspection by San Francisco police.

Police initially said Harding was shot after an exchange of gunfire with officers after he tried to avoid paying Muni fare. However, investigators later said that bullet that killed Harding appeared to have been fired from Harding's gun, not a police weapon.

When no gun was found on Harding's body and videos began to circulate showing the teen bleeding to death on the ground, many community members were outraged.

Police contended that amateur video shows someone removing Harding's gun from the scene, and that that weapon was eventually recovered.

Marco Scott, Harding's uncle, was among those who participated in today's protest. He said today's attempt to shut down Muni is meant to be a peaceful protest against police aggression.

"We want to honor (Harding) and our other fallen children that have been killed by police brutality -- we're here to make a statement," Scott said.

Scott said he and other protesters today want to alert Muni riders to what he calls "the profiling of inner-city kids."

Protester Charles DuBois, 59, said he has been fighting against police brutality since the 1960s and said the police have the "same tired excuses from police. 'They thought they had a gun.'"

"Every working-class person that is out of a job is being taken advantage of by the system," DuBois said. "They're squeezing us. This action is designed to be an educational example."

Thomas J. Medina-Jimenez, 25, joined the protest after waking up near Church and Duboce and seeing the demonstrators. He said he had spent six months in jail and that he was beaten while in custody.

Today's protest was organized by groups including the Oscar Grant Foundation, an organization created after the BART police killing of Oscar Grant to foster better communication between police and the community.

Other organizers included Labor Black and Brown and Grant's uncle, Cephus Johnson.

Flyers calling for the Muni shutdown also cited the June 5 shooting of 15-year-old Derrick Gaines by South San Francisco police.

Protesters will reconvene at 5 p.m. to hold a vigil for Harding at Third Street and Palou Avenue.

San Francisco Court Workers Walk Off The Job This Morning

A number of San Francisco Superior Court workers walked off the job today in a one-day strike to protest a labor contract recently imposed on them.

Dozens of members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents the court clerks and other workers, gathered outside the Hall of Justice and two other courthouses in the city this morning for the protest.

Superior Court management imposed a contract on the workers on July 2 that includes a 5 percent pay cut, according to Jacquelyn Willis-McGhee, a member of the union's bargaining team.

Willis-McGhee said many of the workers' problems stem from wasteful spending by the state Administrative Office of the Courts, which disseminates the funding for each county superior court.

"They've taken money allocated for the courts and funneled it into their own causes," including a plan for a computerized court records system that was scrapped in March after more than $500 million was spent on the project, she said.

SEIU members, who authorized the strike in a vote in May, also picketed this morning outside the Youth Guidance Center and the Civic Center Courthouse.

San Francisco Superior Court spokeswoman Ann Donlan said the courthouses remain open today and all essential functions will proceed.

However, district attorney's office spokesman Alex Bastian said court proceedings are limited today, with only a few courtrooms handling cases.

Court officials have previously said that the 5 percent pay cut is necessary to address ongoing state budget reductions, and that SEIU was the only one of the court's four unions to reject the proposal.

Hans Reiser’s Wrongful Death Trial Wraps Up, Deliberation Begins

Convicted wife killer Hans Reiser told jurors in his civil wrongful death trial today that he would like to have a chance to teach his children important lessons about life.

In his closing argument, Reiser, who is acting as his own attorney, told the jury that his 12-year-old son Rory and 11-year-old daughter Niorline "need someone who believes in them and their success."

Reiser, 48, a computer engineer who owned a software company, said of himself and his children, "If we were a team, we could build a business."

"There are things I'd like to pass on to my kids that could be worth money," he added.

Reiser is serving a term of 15 years to life in state prison for killing his wife, 31-year-old Nina Reiser, on Sept. 3, 2006.

His children have been living in Russia, where Nina was born and raised, with their grandmother since December 2006.

The children's attorney, Arturo Gonzalez, is asking jurors to award $10 million in damages to each child, plus an additional $5 million in punitive damages.

Gonzalez said he agrees with Reiser that his children need compassion and caring. However, Gonzalez said, "they had it, but Mr. Reiser took it away" by killing their mother. Gonzalez said it's not clear whether Reiser has any assets now, but that he wants jurors to award damages to Reiser's children because he thinks Reiser might be able to come up with valuable ideas while in prison because of his background in the computer industry.

Reiser said again this morning that the reason he killed his wife was to prevent her from harming their children. He has admitted that there was no physical abuse but said she was harming them in other ways.

He said in the trial that Nina convinced a number of health professionals to invent illnesses in the children that could be blamed on him so she could have custody of them after she filed for divorce in 2004.

Jurors began their deliberations at about 11 a.m. today.

Man, Woman Injured In Potrero Hill Shooting This Morning In San Francisco

A man and woman were injured in a shooting in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood this morning, a police spokesman said.

The shooting was reported at 9:13 a.m. near 25th and Connecticut streets, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

The victims are a 27-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening, Esparza said.

The suspect or suspects fled in a green vehicle, possibly a Honda, and have not been found, according to Esparza.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Two Men Arrested For Home Invasion Robbery In Sunnyvale

Two men who allegedly broke into a Sunnyvale home early this morning have been arrested, a city spokeswoman said.

Police responded to the 100 block of Florence Avenue around 3:40 a.m. after receiving a call from a concerned neighbor who had heard strange noises and seen suspicious activity, Sunnyvale spokeswoman Jennifer Garnett said.

At least one resident was at home and awake when the two men entered the home and stole items, among them a laptop and watch, according to Garnett.

Officers immediately arrested one suspect, then conducted a yard-by-yard search with K-9 units until they found a second suspect hiding in a nearby yard. The search took about two or three hours, Garnett said.

Garnett said police are still investigating the incident and that more suspects may have been involved.

Power Restored In Hayward and San Lorenzo After Morning Outage Affected Thousands

Thousands of San Lorenzo and north Hayward residents were affected by a power outage this morning, a PG&E spokeswoman said.

About 2,762 residents lost power at about 9:25 a.m. when a third party dug into a PG&E line near Grand and A streets in Hayward, PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said.

As of noon, all customers had gotten their power restored, Sarkissian said.

Two-Alarm Fire Destroys Single-Family Home In Vallejo

A two-alarm fire gutted a house in Vallejo early this morning, a Vallejo fire official said.

The fire was reported at 3:51 a.m. at a single-family home in the 300 block of Seawind Drive, Vallejo Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Coordinator Michael Humphrey said.

Arriving crews found the house engulfed in flames that were threatening to spread to neighboring homes, Humphrey said.

Firefighters aggressively attacked the fire and confined it to the house where it started, he said.

Humphrey said he did not have information about the house's occupants but said that residents of neighboring homes all evacuated safely.

The fire appears to have destroyed the house, although no damage estimate was available early this morning, Humphrey said.

Firefighters said the flames were driven by wind, but what sparked the blaze is under investigation, he said.

Fire crews remained on the scene of the fire just before 6 a.m.

Monterey County Investigators Seek Man Who Stabbed Two People Near Salinas 

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is trying to locate a man suspected of stabbing two people near Salinas on Sunday.

Deputies responded to reports of a fight in the area of Milano Street and Boronda Road, just east of Salinas city limits, shortly before 2 a.m. and found two victims suffering from multiple stab wounds, sheriff's officials said.

The sheriff's office has identified the suspect as Richard Boyd. As of this morning, he was still at large.

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A man and woman were injured in a shooting in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood this morning, a police spokesman said.

The shooting was reported at 9:13 a.m. near 25th and Connecticut streets, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

The victims are a 27-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening, Esparza said.

The suspect or suspects fled in a green vehicle, possibly a Honda, and have not been found, according to Esparza.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and join the conversation on Facebook.

Check out some of our most popular blogs:

     Universal Internet Access for All San Franciscans

     Why is San Francisco So Dirty?

     SFPark – The iPhone App for Smart Parking in San Francisco

     Food Truck Rodeo Review – Off the Grid