SF News

Rohnert Park: Three People Attacked With Knife at Large Party

Three people were attacked with a knife during a fight at a large party in Rohnert Park Saturday night, police said today.

Police said they were first called to the party at 7652 Bonita Ave. just before midnight on Saturday, after callers reported that more than 100 people were there.

When officers arrived on the scene, the residents had successfully cleared out most of the party-goers.

The residents did not mention any fight or injuries to police.

Around 2 ½ hours later, however, police received a call from the Kaiser emergency room in Santa Rosa reporting that a male patient had a possible knife wound to an extremity, and that the wound had occurred at a party in Rohnert Park's "B" section, police said.

A second victim was reported at a Contra Costa County emergency room a short time later, and around 4 a.m., one of the residents of the house where the party occurred also was reported at Kaiser's Santa Rosa emergency room, police said.

The resident had wounds to his hands that appeared to be from a knife.

When interviewed by police, he said he did not know the suspect and had not invited him to the party.

Police are working to identify the suspect in the assaults.

Anyone with additional information, video, pictures or other leads should call police at (707) 584-2600.

 

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Santa Rosa: Plea by Driver who Struck Bicyclist on Golf Course

An 82-year-old man pleaded no contest this morning in Sonoma County Superior Court to assaulting a bicyclist with his truck on a Santa Rosa golf course last August.

Harry Edward Smith, a Santa Rosa resident, faces up to eight years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced May 3.

Smith pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with his vehicle, as well as hit-and-run and driving without a license.

He also admitted the assault caused great bodily harm.

As part of the plea agreement, charges of attempted murder and threatening to commit a crime will be dismissed at the sentencing.

Smith's attorney Charles Dresow and Deputy District Attorney Barbara Nanney said psychologists examined Smith and the plea agreement was reached because Smith has a mental health condition.

"It's a condition many seniors face," Dresow said.

Dresow said Smith, a Korean War veteran, has led a good life and raised a beautiful family. "It's unfortunate this happened toward the end of his life," Dresow said.

Nanney said the injured bicyclist, Toraj Soltani, 47, a Santa Rosa deli owner, agrees with the disposition of the case.

Judge Ken Gnoss could sentence Smith to probation or a prison term, the prosecutor said.

Smith initially faced 13 years and eight months in prison if he had been convicted of all the charges filed against him, Nanney said.

On Aug. 16, 2012, Soltani was riding on Pythian Road when Smith allegedly began yelling at him and tried to hit his bicycle, Santa Rosa police said.

Soltani fled onto the Oakmont Golf Course to try to escape Smith, but Smith followed him and struck Soltani with his vehicle before leaving the scene, according to police.

At Smith's preliminary hearing, Soltani testified he was sitting upright while riding his bicycle on Pythian Road without his hands on the handlebars to give his back a rest around 5:30 p.m. that day.

Smith pulled his Toyota sedan alongside his bicycle and the pair exchanged words, then Smith struck his thigh, Soltani said.

Soltani testified he became angry and punched the passenger side mirror of Smith's Toyota twice with his fist.

The Toyota was about 12 inches away when Smith said, "You damaged my vehicle. I'm going to get you. I'm going to kill you," Soltani said.

Smith took out his cellphone and said he was going to call the police, Soltani said.

Soltani said he then rode his bike on the sidewalk and turned left on Oak Leaf Drive but Smith followed him.

Soltani said he then rode his bike back to Pythian Road and down the cart path at the golf course to escape the Toyota.

He said he rode about 100 yards when he heard an engine accelerating before the Toyota struck the rear of his bike.

"It's kind of a blur. I went up in the air and the car plowed through me and I went to the ground. I tried to break my fall with my left hand," Soltani said.

The Toyota made a U-turn on the fairway, stopped briefly and sped away, Soltani said.

"I was walking around in a daze," he said.

Soltani suffered a fractured wrist and lacerated tendon but was able to call 911.

A civil suit filed against Smith is nearly resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, Soltani's attorney Tom Kennedy said after today's plea hearing.

 

 

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SF: Giants Sign Buster Posey to Largest Contract in Franchise History

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, last year's National League Most Valuable Player, has signed a contract to stay with the Giants into the next decade, team officials announced today.

The nine-year contract will keep Posey a Giant through the 2021 season with a club option for the 2022 season at the cost of $167 million, the most lucrative contract in the franchise's history, according to MLB.com.

"Buster's work ethic, leadership skills and extraordinary talent represent all that is great about our game and what it means to be a San Francisco Giant," team president Larry Baer said in a statement.

Posey, who turned 26 on Wednesday, has had an illustrious start to his career, winning a Rookie of the Year award and helping lead the Giants to a World Series championship in 2010, then winning the NL MVP and playing a key role in another World Series win in 2012.

"This is an exciting day for Giants fans everywhere and a fantastic way to kick off the 2013 season," Baer said.

Posey is expected to join Baer and other team officials at a news conference to discuss the contract this evening prior to the Giants' spring training game against the Oakland A's at AT&T Park.

The Giants start the 2013 regular season on the road in Los Angeles next week and have their home opener scheduled for April 5 against St. Louis.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Friday Midday News Roundup

Richmond: Baby Hit by Stray Bullet Fragment Thursday in 'Good' Condition

A 1-year-old boy who was injured by a stray bullet fragment at an apartment complex in Richmond's Iron Triangle neighborhood Thursday was in good condition this morning, a police lieutenant said.

The boy was one of two people injured in a shooting around 1:15 p.m. at St. John's Apartments at 121 W. MacDonald Ave., according to police.

Lt. Bisa French said the infant is recovering at Children's Hospital in Oakland after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet fragment from his neck.

French said she did not know when the boy would be released.

A gunman opened fire across the street from the apartment building, striking a man on a bicycle who police believe may have been the intended target.

A bullet fragment also struck the boy, who was being held by his grandmother inside an apartment home, French said.

The man hit by the gunfire arrived at a hospital a short time later suffering from a bullet wound to his leg.

He is recovering today, the lieutenant said.

Police said at least one male suspect fled the scene of the shooting armed with a gun.

Richmond police Chief Chris Magnus said Thursday that finding the suspects in the shooting the department's highest priority.

"Obviously the family is traumatized.You have a 1-year-old child who is literally in the arms of his grandparents, they're feeding him and bullets come into the house," Magnus said.

"I am really angry about this. I am sickened, I am appalled."

The chief more than doubled the usual reward for information leading to a suspect's capture and conviction to $25,000 in the hopes of gathering information as quickly as possible, he said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Richmond police at (510) 233-1214.

Anonymous callers may leave tips at (510) 232-8477. 

Santa Rosa: No Contest Plea by Driver Who Struck Bicyclist on Gold Course

An 82-year-old man pleaded no contest this morning in Sonoma County Superior Court to assaulting a bicyclist with his truck on a Santa Rosa golf course last August.

Harry Edward Smith, a Santa Rosa resident, faces up to eight years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced May 3.

Smith pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with his vehicle, as well as hit-and-run and driving without a license.

He also admitted the assault caused great bodily harm.

As part of the plea agreement, charges of attempted murder and threatening to commit a crime will be dismissed at the sentencing.

Smith's attorney Charles Dresow and Deputy District Attorney Barbara Nanney said psychologists examined Smith and the plea agreement was reached because Smith has a mental health condition.

"It's a condition many seniors face," Dresow said.

Dresow said Smith, a Korean War veteran, has led a good life and raised a beautiful family.

"It's unfortunate this happened toward the end of his life," Dresow said.

Nanney said the injured bicyclist, Toraj Soltani, 47, a Santa Rosa deli owner, agrees with the disposition of the case.

Judge Ken Gnoss could sentence Smith to probation or a prison term, the prosecutor said.

Smith initially faced 13 years and eight months in prison if he had been convicted of all the charges filed against him, Nanney said.

On Aug. 16, 2012, Soltani was riding on Pythian Road when Smith allegedly began yelling at him and tried to hit his bicycle, Santa Rosa police said.

Soltani fled onto the Oakmont Golf Course to try to escape Smith, but Smith followed him and struck Soltani with his vehicle before leaving the scene, according to police.

At Smith's preliminary hearing, Soltani testified he was sitting upright while riding his bicycle on Pythian Road without his hands on the handlebars to give his back a rest around 5:30 p.m. that day.

Smith pulled his Toyota sedan alongside his bicycle and the pair exchanged words, then Smith struck his thigh, Soltani said.

Soltani testified he became angry and punched the passenger side mirror of Smith's Toyota twice with his fist.

The Toyota was about 12 inches away when Smith said, "You damaged my vehicle. I'm going to get you. I'm going to kill you," Soltani said.

Smith took out his cellphone and said he was going to call the police, Soltani said.

Soltani said he then rode his bike on the sidewalk and turned left on Oak Leaf Drive but Smith followed him.

Soltani said he then rode his bike back to Pythian Road and down the cart path at the golf course to escape the Toyota.

He said he rode about 100 yards when he heard an engine accelerating before the Toyota struck the rear of his bike.

"It's kind of a blur. I went up in the air and the car plowed through me and I went to the ground.I tried to break my fall with my left hand," Soltani said.

The Toyota made a U-turn on the fairway, stopped briefly and sped away, Soltani said.

"I was walking around in a daze," he said.

Soltani suffered a fractured wrist and lacerated tendon but was able to call 911.

A civil suit filed against Smith is nearly resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, Soltani's attorney Tom Kennedy said after today's plea hearing. 

Richmond: Alcohol A Factor in Crash That Left Two in 'Extremely Critical' Condition

Two people involved in a head-on collision apparently fueled by alcohol and high speeds in Richmond late Thursday night are clinging to life and another is in critical condition, a police lieutenant said this morning.

Around 7:20 p.m., a Camaro was driving south on South 37th Street and going over the speed limit when it collided with a pickup truck heading north, police Lt. Bisa French said.

The truck flipped over, injuring two passengers and critically injuring the driver, police said.

A woman who was ejected from the Camaro was gravely injured and the driver was critically injured, while two other passengers suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

The drivers and passengers involved in the collision were taken to hospitals.

French said the woman who was ejected and the pickup truck driver were both in "extremely critical" condition this morning.

She said investigators have determined that alcohol played a role in the crash and that all occupants of the Camaro were under 21 years old.

Monterey Co.: Off-Duty CHP Officer Killed While Working on Car at Home

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of an off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer.

CHP Officer Bryan Wright, 41, of Parkfield, was working on a car at his home when an accident occurred and he was killed, sheriff's officials said Thursday.

Additional details about the case were not immediately available, but the death has been deemed accidental.

Gilroy: Update: Man Killed in Crash on Rural Highway

A 44-year-old Watsonville man was killed Thursday night when his car crashed into a tree on a rural highway in Gilroy, a police spokesman said today. The accident was reported to police at about 10:50 p.m. in the 2600 block of Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy police Sgt. Pedro Espinoza said. The man, whose name is not yet being released pending notification of family members, was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-car wreck, Espinoza said. Officers diverted traffic away from the area until about 6 a.m. while authorities investigated the accident, Espinoza said.

SF: Man Found Dead at Ocean Beach Identified

A man who was found dead at San Francisco's Ocean Beach on Thursday morning has been identified by the medical examiner's office as 30-year-old Alex Peer.

Peer, a San Francisco resident, was found face-down in the water near Great Highway and Judah Street at 7:26 a.m.

Thursday, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

U.S. Park police are investigating the death, National Park Service spokesman Howard Levitt said.

SF: Update: Two Men Injured in Shooting Near Alamo Square

Two men were injured in a shooting near San Francisco's Alamo Square early this morning, a police spokesman said.

The shooting was reported at 12:22 a.m. at Oak and Pierce streets.

The two victims, ages 20 and 32, were in separate cars traveling east on Oak Street and stopped at a red light at Pierce, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

A passenger in another vehicle then opened fire at the 20-year-old, striking him in the arm.

The 32-year-old was also struck and suffered facial injuries, either by a bullet fragment or shattered glass, Esparza said.

The 20-year-old victim drove himself to the hospital while the 32-year-old stopped at the scene and flagged down police in the area.

Both victims' injuries are not considered life-threatening, Esparza said.

The suspect vehicle, described only as a blue car, fled east on Oak Street after the shooting and has not been found.

No other suspect information was immediately available, Esparza said.

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

Emeryville: Body Found on Beach Determined to be Suicide from Fremont

A woman's body found on an Emeryville beach Thursday morning has been determined to be that of a reported missing person from the Fremont area, an Emeryville police sergeant said this morning.

At 7:14 a.m. Thursday, a passerby reported seeing an unresponsive person on the beach at Shorebird Park, which is off the western end of Powell Street on a stretch of land that juts into the Bay.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews.

Emeryville police Sgt. Brian Head said the death has been determined to be a suicide and not suspicious.

People wanting to speak with someone about suicide or depression can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255).

Concord: Update: Man Injured After Trying to Save Truck From Burning Garage

A man was injured after trying to save his truck from a two-alarm fire that badly damaged a Concord home this morning, fire officials said.

The fire was reported at 9:13 a.m. at a two-story house in the 900 block of Autumn Oak Circle, said Lewis Broschard, fire marshal of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

One of the house's two residents, a man in his mid 20s, attempted to enter the home's burning garage to salvage his pickup truck.

He suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his feet and was taken to a hospital in stable condition, Broschard said.

The second resident, a roommate around the same age, escaped the home without injury, he said.

Fire crews arriving on the scene saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the home's garage.

The flames quickly spread to second-floor bedrooms and into the house's attic space.

Broschard said firefighters battled the "stubborn" fire for about an hour before getting it under control.

The blaze displaced both residents and significantly damaged the home, although Broschard said damage estimates were not yet available.

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire, but arson is not suspected.

Broschard said the incident serves as a reminder that re-entering a burning home is never a good idea.

"It's just not safe, particularly in this case where the person was going in to try and save a truck," the fire marshal said.

"The truck can be replaced, but he was close to getting himself into some very serious trouble by going back in there and putting his own life in peril." 

Novato: Police Arrest Two in Connection with Attempted Bank Robbery

Novato police arrested two men who tried to rob a bank inside a grocery store Thursday afternoon.

Officers responded to a report of a robbery at about 1:45 p.m. at a U.S. Bank inside the Safeway grocery store located at 5720 Nave Drive, police said.

One suspect, later identified as Joshua Metoxen, 23, of American Canyon, was identified by an employee as having been involved in a previous robbery of the bank on Feb. 19 and the employee called police.

Metoxen fled on foot and was picked up by a car believed to be involved in the attempted robbery, according to police.

Officers eventually stopped the car on northbound U.S. Highway 101 at the Rowland Boulevard off-ramp, about five miles away from the bank, police said.

Police arrested Metoxen and the driver, Jack Dennis, 20, of Napa, on suspicion of attempted bank robbery and burglary, police said.

Metoxen received an additional charge of robbery for the February incident and also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued in Lake County for robbery, police said.

No one was injured in the robbery or arrest.

Both Metoxen and Dennis are being investigated by Novato police, the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the FBI for their involvement in the various robberies.

SF: Female Driver Crashes Into Hunters Point Home, Flees

A female driver crashed into a home in San Francisco's Hunters Point neighborhood early this morning and then fled, police and fire officials said.

The car hit the side of the three-story building in the 1200 block of Hawes Street around 3:55 a.m., fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

The driver fled after crashing into the building's siding and creating a hole, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said. No injuries were reported, Esparza said.

SF: Man Arrested for Attack During Giants-A's Exhibition Game at AT&T Park

A man was arrested at AT&T Park on Thursday night for allegedly kicking another man during a fight at the San Francisco Giants' exhibition game against the Oakland A's.

Trinidad Ortega Juarez, 19, of Millbrae, was arrested following an attack reported at about 10 p.m. Thursday in the arcade area of the ballpark, police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy said.

Officers responding to a report of a fight saw a large crowd congregating, then saw someone on the ground and Ortega Juarez allegedly kicking him in the head, Shyy said.

He was taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and a probation violation, while the 25-year-old victim was treated at the scene for swelling and cuts, according to Shyy.

The A's defeated the Giants 7-3 in the game, the first of three between the two teams to close out spring training.

The teams will play again at AT&T Park at 7:15 p.m. today, then in Oakland at O.co Coliseum for the final preseason game at 1:05 p.m. Saturday.

Bay Area, State Unemployment Rates Drop in February

Unemployment rates in the state and in the Bay Area continued to drop in February, according to employment data released today.

The California unemployment rate dropped to 9.6 percent in February, well below a year ago when it stood at 10.8 percent, according to the California Employment Development Department.

In the Bay Area, the jobless rate was down in many counties, including San Francisco, which saw a drop from 6.8 percent in January to 6.3 percent in February.

Marin County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state, dropping to 5.4 percent last month.

The highest unemployment rate in the Bay Area for February was in Solano County at 9.3 percent.

However, that figure dropped from 10 percent the previous month.

Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent in February.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Friday Morning News Roundup

Richmond: Update: Police Offering $25k Reward for Info on Shooting That Sent Baby, Man to Hospital

Police are still attempting to locate a gunman who fired multiple shots in Richmond's Iron Triangle neighborhood Thursday afternoon, sending a 1-year-old boy and a man to the hospital with injuries, police said.

At about 1:15 p.m., the baby was in his grandmother's arms inside a home at St. John's Apartments at 121 W. MacDonald Ave. when he was injured by gunfire.

A man in his 20s riding his bicycle in front of the apartment building was also shot, police Lt. Bisa French said. Both were in stable condition late Thursday afternoon, police said.

Officers responded to St. John's Apartments a short time after the shooting and found the child suffering from a serious neck wound.

The infant was taken to Children's Hospital Oakland in serious but stable condition, Detective Nicole Abetkov said.

It is unclear whether the wounds were inflicted by a bullet or by debris from the gunfire.

The bicyclist turned up at a local hospital a short time after the shooting suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, police said.

No other injuries were reported. French said at least one male suspect armed with a gun fled from the scene on foot.

Officers fanned out to search for suspects with the help of police K-9s and helicopters.

Abetkov said officers located multiple bullet shell casings in a parking lot on MacDonald Avenue across the street from the apartment building.

Police believe the shooter fired his gun from across the street and may have been aiming for the bicyclist, she said.

Police have not established a motive for the shooting.

8-Year-Old Girl Returns to School After Struck by Arrow at Lawrence Hall of Science

A Marinwood third-grader returned to class in good health Thursday after she was struck by a arrow while on a field trip to Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science Tuesday.

The arrow pierced the leg of 8-year-old Nadine Hairston, a student at San Rafael's Mary E. Silveira Elementary School, around 10:10 a.m. while she was climbing on a sculpture of a whale outside the science center, located at 1 Centennial Drive on the University of California at Berkeley campus.

She was taken to a hospital where the arrow was surgically removed.

She was released midday Wednesday, school principal Will Anderson said Thursday.

She stopped by her classroom after her release, where classmates gave her get-well cards and hugs, Anderson said.

Nadine said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon that she just finished reading through all the cards, including those from her younger 7-year-old sister's second-grade class.

Her mother, Alicia Hairston, said Nadine is able to walk fine, but is not running yet.

After a full day at school, Nadine admitted Thursday afternoon that her leg hurt "a little." "She bounces back," Hairston said.

Despite the "nutty" start of the week, Nadine's return to school was well received, Anderson said.

"We're trying to get her back to the normal scope of things," he said. "Like being in a school and in a learning environment."

The principal described Nadine as "exuberant, cheerful and smiley" and said that she has remained peppy and upbeat despite the bizarre incident.

"It's amazing this happened to her and she still has the same frame of mind," he said. "Nadine certainly doesn't harbor negative feelings."

Counselors were brought into the third-grade classroom Wednesday to help fellow students cope with the aftermath of the accident.

"We are trying to keep the community informed and calm," Anderson said.

Richmond: Seven Injured, Three Critically, When Camaro Slams Into Pickup

A Camaro crashed head-on into a Chevy pickup at high speed in Richmond Thursday night, flipping the truck and sending the seven occupants of both vehicles to hospitals, police said.

Three of the injured people are in critical condition Thursday night, and one who was ejected from the Camaro is clinging to life, police Lt. Bisa French said.

The crash happened at 7:20 p.m. as the Camaro was traveling south on South 37th Street and collided with the truck heading north.

The truck flipped over and all of its three occupants were injured, one critically.

All four occupants of the Camaro were injured as well, including one female victim in grave condition Thursday night who was ejected from the Camaro.

The Camaro's driver was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.

The other two Camaro passengers' injuries were not life-threatening, French said.

French said that police are investigating reports that the Camaro was speeding and whether that contributed to the crash.

Police are also investigating whether alcohol played a role.

East Palo Alto: Mayor Joins Skateboarders at Reopening of Skate Park

East Palo Alto Mayor Ruben Abrica joined skateboarders Thursday afternoon at the reopening of a city skate park that was closed for months.

A ceremony was held at 1:30 p.m. to mark the reopening of the 5,000-square-foot skate park at Bell Street Park on University Avenue.

The facility originally opened in December 2011 with funding from private grants and $70,000 in city funds.

It closed last August after city officials determined the temporary equipment was overused and no longer safe.

After a nearly $30,000 makeover, the skate park opened again Thursday with permanent, more durable equipment, East Palo Alto community development deputy director Sharon Jones said.

Mayor Ruben Abrica attended the reopening celebration Thursday afternoon, and reflected on the years of meeting with the skateboarding community to build the facility.

"That was the most significant element," he said. "It really was a collaborative effort."

Skateboarders and their families told the mayor and other city officials they had to travel long distances to Menlo Park or Mountain View to find a skate park, and suggested Bell Street Park as an ideal location to build a facility.

Thursday's reopening marks the permanence of the skate park, Abrica said.

"It's there to stay," he said, adding that the city is considering building a larger facility in the future.

At the park opening in 2011, Abrica said he got on a skateboard, and that Thursday afternoon he was considering getting back on.

The remodeling brought in new features, including a quarter-pipe, two jump launches, a grind rail and a skate table, which looks like a picnic table but is intended for boarders to practice tricks on, Jones said.

"I think kids -- well, skateboarders -- are pretty excited," Jones said.

After the ceremony, the community headed out to an open skate session to test out the new equipment, Jones said.

The East Palo Alto YMCA has partnered with the city to keep the facility open more hours, seven days a week, city officials said.

This month, the skate park is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Beginning in April, the park will stay open until 8 p.m. on weekdays.

Solano Co.: Two Occupants of BMW Killed in Crash with Big-Rig on I-80

Two people were killed Thursday morning when a big-rig driver choked on food and lost consciousness, striking three vehicles on Interstate Highway 80, a California Highway Patrol officer said Thursday afternoon.

The deceased were in a westbound BMW that was struck by the eastbound big-rig that crashed through the center divider guardrail into the westbound lanes of the highway near the Solano-Yolo County line, CHP Officer Chris Parker said.

The male driver of the empty commercial trailer was eating as he drove in the far right lane of eastbound I-80 near Old Davis Road around 10:35 a.m., CHP Officer Chris Parker said.

When the driver choked on food and lost consciousness, the big-rig drifted to the right then veered sharply to the left across all eastbound lanes of the highway, Parker said.

The big-rig struck an eastbound Toyota Corolla and a Volkswagen station wagon causing minor to moderate injuries to their drivers, Parker said.

The big-rig driver regained consciousness when the big-rig drove into the center divider of the highway and through the guardrail, Parker said.

The big-rig then collided with a westbound BMW, causing both vehicles to burst into flames, Parker said.

The two people in the BMW were killed on impact, Parker said.

The big-rig driver was able to get out of the big-rig, and he and the drivers of the Toyota and Volkswagen were taken to the UC Davis Medical Center, Parker said.

All three suffered minor to moderate injuries, Parker said.

The Davis Fire Department responded to the crash and extinguished the fires in both vehicles, Parker said.

Both deceased occupants were then found, Parker said.

The crash closed the eastbound and westbound lanes of the highway, Parker said.

Oakland: 19-Year-Old Convicted of Murdering Newark Football Star

A 19-year-old Fremont man was convicted of second-degree murder Thursday for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Newark Memorial High School football star Osana Futi last April in what a prosecutor alleged was a gang-related incident.

Abraham Hade, who had smiled when deputies led him into court Thursday, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion when jurors announced their verdict against him after deliberating for two days.

Prosecutor Elgin Lowe alleged during Hade's trial that Hade was a leader of a branch of the Norteno gang called Fremont Mexican Territory.

Lowe said Hade killed Futi because Futi had quarreled with the gang's members because he believed they were responsible for the fatal stabbing of his close friend and football teammate, 17-year-old Justice Afoa, near the intersection of Cedar Boulevard and Birch Street in Newark at about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2010.

That crime was still unsolved when Futi was stabbed near Yellowstone Park and Hyde Park drives in Fremont shortly after 11 p.m. on April 28, 2012.

Futi died several hours later.

In January, three reputed gang members were charged with murder in connection with Afoa's death, and a fourth suspect was charged with assaulting Afoa and a friend in an earlier incident.

Newark police said Afoa was killed in an act of revenge because he had beaten up a 30-year-old Norteno gang member and the gang member felt embarrassed about it because he was much older than Afoa.

But defense lawyer Tom Knutsen told jurors in his closing argument on Monday that Hade is "an innocent man" and alleged that Futi was actually killed by a friend of Hade's who was only 14 at the time of the murder and at one point confessed to Fremont police that he was the one who stabbed Futi.

Knutsen claimed that Hade is wrongfully accused because of what he alleged was a "rush to judgment" by Fremont police and prosecutors to pin Futi's death on Hade.

However, Lowe said he believes that the teenage boy was only trying to take the rap for Futi's murder because he is a juvenile who would face a lesser sentence in juvenile court than Hade faces in adult court.

Lowe said that in the gang culture, it is expected that juveniles will take the blame for crimes because the consequences they face are less severe than those faced by adults.

Lowe said the boy's confession isn't believable because he was wrong about the area on Futi's body where he was stabbed and wrong about the location where the stabbing occurred.

The prosecutor also noted that the younger teen recanted his confession shortly after he gave it and then told investigators that Hade was the killer.

However, Knutsen said Hade doesn't belong to a gang, although he admitted that Hade may know some gang members.

Jurors found Hade not guilty of an allegation that he killed Futi to benefit a criminal street gang. 

SF: 68-Year-Old Woman Struck by Car in West Portal Last Week Dies at Hospital

A 68-year-old woman who was struck by a car while crossing the street in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood last week has died at a hospital, authorities said Thursday.

The woman, identified by the medical examiner's office as Tania Madfes, died Wednesday after being struck at about 9:40 p.m. on March 21 at West Portal Avenue and Vicente Street, police said.

Madfes and a man were crossing the street in a crosswalk when the vehicle struck them, according to police.

The man suffered minor injuries but Madfes was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

The driver remained at the scene after the collision and cooperated with investigators.

Both the driver and pedestrians claimed to have the right of way, police said.

The driver has not been arrested and the case has been turned over to the district attorney's office, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.

SF: Mural Calls Attention to Growing Number of Suicides by Veterans

Military veterans who have been working on an ongoing mural project in a San Francisco alleyway altered one of the artworks Thursday to call attention to the increasing problem of suicide among former soldiers.

Shannon Alley, located near Geary and Taylor streets in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood, has dozens of murals painted by various veterans as part of a project started in 2011 by Amos Gregory, a veteran from the Gulf War era.

The mural altered Thursday lists the number of suicides by veterans each day in the country.

It was updated from 18 to 22, which is the estimated daily total according to the latest study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which still does not include data from more than half of the 50 states.

"Basically what they're saying is they have no clue right now" about how many veterans are killing themselves, Gregory said.

He said he started the mural project to give a voice to local veterans, primarily ones that are homeless in San Francisco.

Dina Boyer, a transgender woman who served in the Navy from 1982-86, said she is currently homeless.

Boyer spray painted the new number onto an alley wall and said the project is a good thing for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The murals are a way for veterans to deal with their trauma creatively using paint, creativity, images, and if it helps them in the least little bit then it needs to happen, and it needs to happen in every city where we have veterans," Boyer said.

Jordan Towers, who came back from the Iraq War in 2007, said the murals also help to increase public awareness of the struggles military members face after returning from war.

"It's important to highlight the issues that are going on with veterans," Towers said.

"A lot of people don't understand, there's still a disconnect about what veterans face day to day."

More information about the project can be found online at www.sfvetsmural.org.

SF: TV Pilot Starring Minnie Driver Films in City Neighborhoods

Crews were filming the pilot for a TV series starring Minnie Driver and David Walton in various San Francisco neighborhoods this week, a San Francisco Film Commission coordinator said.

Filming wrapped up Wednesday for the pilot episode of NBC's "About a Boy" directed by Jon Favreau.

Shooting was done in front of iconic San Francisco homes in the North of Panhandle area and in scenic spots along the waterfront over the past few days, film coordinator Lauren Machado said.

The series -- based on Nick Hornby's eponymous novel, which also spawned the 2002 feature film starring Hugh Grant -- could be back in San Francisco for more filming if the show gets picked up, Machado said.

Walton is known for his role as Sam on the FOX series "New Girl."

Favreau posted a photo of Driver and Walton online Wednesday and wrote, "That's a picture wrap..."

Favreau is an actor, director and screenwriter who has directed films including "Elf," "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2."

He also starred in the well-known movie "Swingers," which he wrote, and has acted in numerous other movies.

"If all goes well, we should see the pilot in the fall," Machado said.

An ongoing television series based in San Francisco would be an economic boon to the city, Machado said.

"TV is wonderful for the city," she said. "It brings not only many eyes, but many locals are hired."

Weather Forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area

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

Visibility is expected to be a quarter mile or less.

Highs are expected to be in the mid 60s, with northeast winds up to 10 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies are likely this evening.

Lows are expected to be in the lower 50s, with southwest winds up to 15 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies are likely Saturday morning, with a chance of showers in the evening.

Highs are expected to be in the lower 60s, with westerly winds around 10 mph.

 

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Giants, A's Back in Bay Area for Exhibition Games

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's are back from spring training in Arizona and will play some final exhibition games in the Bay Area starting tonight before the regular season starts next week.

The Giants will host the A's at AT&T Park at 7:15 p.m. today and Friday, and then the teams will head across the Bay to Oakland for the final preseason game at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at O.co Coliseum.

The first 10,000 fans to enter AT&T Park for today's and Friday's games will receive a "Giants Mystery Grab Bag," according to the team.

Fans are encouraged to take public transit to the games, such as San Francisco Municipal Railway, Caltrain or BART.

Both Bay Area teams are coming off of playoff appearances last year and each ended their seasons playing the Detroit Tigers.

While the A's lost to the Tigers in the American League Divisional Series, the Giants swept them in four games to win the World Series.

The A's regular season starts on Monday at home against the Seattle Mariners, while the Giants will start on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers and have their home opener on April 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

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SF: Giants Look Forward to 2013 Season

The defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants outlined a variety of celebrations, promotions and special events for the upcoming season today at their annual media open house held at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Announcing details for commemorating their second World Series title in three years, Giants President and CEO Larry Baer touched on several aspects of the team's history, last year's victory, and what the organization has planned for the 2013 campaign.

"I'm proud to be accompanied by our twins here," said Baer, gesturing towards the Giants' two Tiffany World Series trophies that were on display.

"As we look into 2013, we've been able to do something that doesn't happen much in professional sports anymore, and that is to bring a team back," said Baer.

"Essentially the core of the team is returning, and that is something I think is important for fans, and significantly important for the team itself."

Showing a series of new television ads, the Giants introduced this year's advertising theme as "Together + Again."

A number of spots revolved around events from the 2012 post-season run, including Pablo Sandoval's three home runs against Justin Verlander in Game one of the World Series, and how fan support purportedly helped power the feat.

One particularly humorous ad played on Hunter Pence's inspirational pre-game speeches, with a fictional recreation that spoofed John Belushi's famous speech scene from the comedy film "Animal House."

"It's really something that builds upon last year's 'Together' theme, and we feel really blessed that that theme was exemplified in many ways, not the least of which was of course on the field, with the team playing together and battling so much, including in the six elimination games."

Tom McDonald, Giants Senior Vice President of Marketing, added, "We have a great group of players that have very interesting personalities, that all seem to embody the word 'team.'"

"The enthusiasm level of our fans is probably at an all-time high; it's really a very unique connection that has developed between the Giants players and our fans," said McDonald.

The Giants also announced that there will be a new "social media center" at AT&T Park, located in the former Build-A-Bear store, for fans to interact with each other via the Internet.

"We pride ourselves on being a hub for technology and the social media world; we're the number three most checked-in Facebook venue in the world, and each year we install more Wi-Fi capability to deal with that," said Baer.

Among the highlighted special events discussed were the raising of the World Series champions flag, Buster Posey's Most Valuable Player award presentation, and the ceremony where Giants players will receive their World Series rings.

Promotions for the upcoming year will include a variety of bobblehead giveaways, a World Series parade snow globe, the 20th anniversary of "Until There's A Cure Day," a Marco Scutaro 'rain globe,' and "Metallica Night," where the iconic Bay Area band will perform the National Anthem and take part in pre-game festivities.

The Giants start the 2013 season on the road in Los Angeles versus the rival Dodgers on April 1, and come home to celebrate Opening Day on April 5 in San Francisco versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

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San Francisco Bay Area Thursday Morning News Roundup

SJ: Officer Opens Fire After Driver In Stolen Car Strikes Him

A police officer shot the driver of a suspected stolen car in San Jose after the car drove forward and struck the officer, a police spokesman said.

Officers found the car in the 1800 block of Almaden Road at about 4:30 p.m. and while trying to talk to the man and woman inside, the woman driving started moving the car back and forth.

She drove forward and struck the officer. Fearing for his life, he shot at the woman, hitting her at least once, police spokesman Officer Albert Morales said.

The woman was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life threatening. The passenger was also hospitalized for an unknown injury, but was not struck by gunfire, Morales said.

The officer was injured as well when the car struck him but his injuries are not life-threatening, Morales said.

The department's Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, Morales said.

Manager Confident Bay Bridge Bolt Problem Will Be Fixed

A Caltrans official said Wednesday that he's confident a solution will be found soon to cope with the recent discovery of problems with 32 large bolts on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, which is slated to open on Labor Day weekend.

"We hope to reach some conclusions in the very near future and we don't expect a delay to the Bay Bridge opening," toll bridge program manager Tony Anziano told Metropolitan Transportation Commission members at their meeting Wednesday.

Caltrans ordered a total of 288 bolts, also known as rods, to connect the bridge deck to the 10-foot concrete cap that sits on top of the pier just east of the self-anchored suspension span tower.

Manufactured in Ohio, the bolts, which range from 9 to 17 feet in length and are 3 inches in diameter, are part of the seismic protection features on the new span, which will replace the old span that partially collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Anziano said the bolts were installed in 2008 but crews just started tightening a batch of 96 of them immediately below the bridge deck several years ago.

Inspections revealed a problem with 32 bolts that popped out several inches, a one-third failure rate that MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger admitted is "very high."

The 192 remaining bolts, which are further below the deck on the same pier, haven't been tightened yet, MTC spokesman John Goodwin said.

Anziano said access to the batch of 96 bolts just below the deck is virtually impossible because they're in a confined and inaccessible area so he said a design solution that will keep them in place is necessary.

The most likely solution is "some type of exterior collar" that keeps them in place, he said.

Goodwin said if there are problems with the other 192 bolts it will be easier to replace them because they're further down and can be "jacked out."

Heminger said the MTC's initial assessment of the problem is that there is hydrogen in the metal in the bolts, which has made them brittle, and if that proves to be correct then "there clearly was a quality control failure" by the firm that manufactured the bolts.

He said if Caltrans has to order more bolts, it will do a more thorough job of inspecting them this time.

Anziano said it is not unusual for hydrogen embrittlement to occur during the process of manufacturing steel.

SF: City, Business Leaders Break Ground on New Transbay Transit Tower   

San Francisco city and business leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Transbay Transit Tower and the sale of the property to the developers who will build the 60-story building.

The 1,070-foot tower at First and Mission streets in the city's South of Market neighborhood will be the tallest building on the West Coast and seventh-tallest in the U.S. when it is finished in 2016, according to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.

Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, executive director of the TJPA, a collection of Bay Area government agencies collaborating on the project, said the tower "will stand for generations as a model for elegance and functionality."

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the tower will transform the city's skyline and serve as a "critical anchor" for public transit in the Bay Area.

Supervisor Jane Kim, whose city district includes the construction site, said upon completion of the project, the Transbay Transit Tower will serve as the "new center of downtown."

With demolition of the old Transbay Terminal finished, TJPA Wednesday also announced the closing of the sale of the 50,000-square-foot parcel at 101 First St. to Hines and Boston Properties, the firms that will develop the site.

The property, which sold for just under $192 million, will also include a new bus and rail station with a 5.4-acre park on top of it and will include 1.375 million square feet of office space as well as residential and retail space, according to organizers.

"We are dedicated to making this an iconic tower that will stand as a landmark for all who travel to San Francisco and add to its appeal as one of our most sought after 24/7 cities in the U.S. on top of being the technology capital of the world," Boston Properties CEO Mort Zuckerman said.

Updates on construction of the tower and the adjacent transit center is available online at www.transbaycenter.org.

San Mateo: Calgary Man Re-Arrested for Child Porn After Allegedly Flying to SFO to Meet Teen for Sex

A Canadian man who allegedly began an inappropriate online relationship with a San Mateo teenager has been re-arrested on child porn charges in San Diego, one week after being booked and released from the San Mateo County Jail on charges of attempted statutory rape and arranging to have sex with a minor, San Mateo police Sgt. Dave Norris said Wednesday.

Police detectives originally received information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that Adam Ouellette, 26, a Canadian citizen of Calgary, had allegedly been in an online conversation with a 16-year-old girl. The conversation tipped off detectives that Ouellette might travel the distance to meet the girl in person for sex, Norris said.

Posing as the girl, detectives pursued the conversation, Norris said, which led them to discover that Ouellette had allegedly arranged to fly to San Francisco International Airport with intentions of meeting the girl for sex.

In a multi-agency effort that included teams from the Calgary Police Service and the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Team who ensured the suspect boarded the plane; teams from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Airport Division, on March 19, Ouellette was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail.

Upon further investigation, Norris said, his team reviewed evidence and allegedly discovered the presence of child pornography on an electronic device possessed by the suspect.

"At that time as part of the investigation, we obtained a second warrant for his arrest on possession of child pornography and additional charges related to the attempt to travel to meet a minor for sex," Norris said.

The second warrant was served on him on Tuesday at a relative's home in San Diego, where police took him into custody.

Redwood City: Former Water Polo Coach Sentenced to Two Years for Sex Crimes Against Student

Wednesday's two-year prison sentence for a former Aragon High School water polo coach convicted of sexually assaulting one of the girls on his team is a salient example of what happens when a young adult coach is not trained nor supervised around children, an attorney for the victim said Wednesday.

Attorney Robert Allard said that the sentencing of Joshua David Tatro, 25, of El Granada, "highlights the pervasive problem we are having with the lack of training in sex abuse matters and the lack of training we are giving to those who are placed in positions around children."

Tatro collapsed to the floor of a San Mateo County courtroom Wednesday morning when Superior Court Judge Mark Forcum sentenced him to two years in state prison for his crimes, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

He will be transferred this week to San Quentin State Prison to serve his sentence, which also requires Tatro to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Before he was sentenced, Tatro read a brief statement to the court in which he apologized for his conduct.

Upon hearing his punishment, he fell to the floor and was visibly shaken, Wagstaffe said.

In January, Tatro pleaded no contest to one count of sexual penetration of a minor and one count of sending pornographic material with the intent to seduce a minor.

He was arrested June 1, 2012, after a 17-year-old student and water polo player told school officials that Tatro had inappropriately touched her and had sent numerous cellphone pictures of private body parts, prosecutors said.

An additional victim came forward later in June after there was media coverage of Tatro's arrest, according to court documents.

The second alleged victim, also a water polo player, told police Tatro had repeatedly had her over to his home for sleepovers in which sexual encounters allegedly took place, according to the district attorney's office.

Charges involving the second victim were dropped but the original 10 counts were allowed to be considered during sentencing, according to the district attorney's office.

Wednesday, Wagstaffe said, "the court denied probation and said his conduct violated community trust and had a great impact on the victim."

According to Allard, the initial victim in the case is in therapy and has been consistently since the incident occurred.

"She's struggling as most do involved in situations like this and getting justice for her is the first in many steps we now have to take here," he said.

A lawsuit that was filed against the San Mateo Union High School District on Oct. 26, 2012, is currently in litigation, Allard said.

He said he hopes the case will be settled by the end of the year.

The lawsuit alleges that the district was negligent in protecting the high school victim when notified that Tatro was engaging in improper sexual conduct, Allard said.

Governor's Office Unveils Second Installment of 50-Year Delta Plan

The likely environmental effects of a draft plan to build a new water delivery system from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to 25 million Californians while restoring the Delta's habitat were unveiled by Gov. Jerry Brown's administration Wednesday.

The details were revealed in the second installment of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a sweeping 50-year guideline that state water officials say should create a more stable water delivery system from the Delta to the Bay Area, Southern California and the Central Valley while sustaining more than 50 Delta fish, wildlife and plant species.

"At the beginning of the Brown administration, we made a long-term commitment to let science drive the Bay Delta Conservation Plan," California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

"Today, with the public unveiling of the effects analysis, we make that a reality."

The chapters unveiled Wednesday focus on the environmental effects of building a massive, $18 million underground tunnel system designed to move more water from the Delta to other areas of the state.

"This project relies on 40 years of intensive scientific study of the Delta's ecosystem," California Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said.

"It aims to change the way we divert water from the Delta to better protect fish, and it ties water deliveries to the health of the Delta's fish and wildlife populations."

The Department of Water Resources Wednesday focused on the ecological benefits of the proposed plan, which it said would include the restoration, protection or improvement of more than 100,000 acres of habitat, more natural water flow patterns in the Delta and increased food supplies and improved habitats for salmon, smelt and sturgeon.

Water, fish and wildlife officials Wednesday also highlighted the "scientific uncertainty" involved in the 50-year plan and stressed that it is undergoing continued review and fine-tuning.

"Our department will begin to review the science we've been presented," California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham said.

"We're never going to be able to eliminate all uncertainty -- it's just not possible."

Deputies in Arizona Probe Death of Campbell Man Who Fell Off Boat at Lake Havasu

The body of a Campbell man was recovered from a bay in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Wednesday a day after he plunged off of a boat during a Spring Break celebration, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Stefan Fowler, 25, was reported missing after falling overboard from a pontoon boat at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday and failed to resurface, said Trish Carter, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office in Kingman, Ariz.

The accident happened as people ventured on boats on Lake Havasu for parties during Spring Break, which occurs at the resort area throughout March, Carter said.

The boat Fowler was on had driven through a narrow channel under the famous old London Bridge and into part of Thompson Bay that gets congested by other boats during spring celebrations, Carter said.

The area has signs warning boaters to drive slowly and not create wakes that might rock other boats, Carter said.

Fowler, who was not wearing a life jacket, for some reason fell off of the bow of the boat into Thompson Bay and presumably injured himself in the fall, Carter said.

Sheriff's deputies on the shoreline and dive teams from the Lake Havasu Police Department could not locate his body Tuesday and an aerial search also turned up nothing, Carter said.

Mohave County sheriff's waterway deputies started a search Wednesday morning using sonar equipment and found Fowler's body at 10:02 a.m. in Thompson Bay about 300 yards from the Nautical Inn hotel, Carter said.

"It was an accident, but we are continuing the investigation," Carter said.

The sheriff's office obtained a urine sample from the driver of the boat Fowler fell from to test for the presence of alcohol or drugs, Carter said.

An autopsy also will be performed on Fowler's body.

SF: Giants Look Forward to 2013 Season

The defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants outlined a variety of celebrations, promotions and special events for the upcoming season Wednesday at their annual media open house held at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Announcing details for commemorating their second World Series title in three years, Giants President and CEO Larry Baer touched on several aspects of the team's history, last year's victory, and what the organization has planned for the 2013 campaign.

"I'm proud to be accompanied by our twins here," said Baer, gesturing towards the Giants' two Tiffany World Series trophies that were on display.

"As we look into 2013, we've been able to do something that doesn't happen much in professional sports anymore, and that is to bring a team back," said Baer.

"Essentially the core of the team is returning, and that is something I think is important for fans, and significantly important for the team itself."

Showing a series of new television ads, the Giants introduced this year's advertising theme as "Together + Again."

A number of spots revolved around events from the 2012 post-season run, including Pablo Sandoval's three home runs against Justin Verlander in Game one of the World Series, and how fan support purportedly helped power the feat. 

One particularly humorous ad played on Hunter Pence's inspirational pre-game speeches, with a fictional recreation that spoofed John Belushi's famous speech scene from the comedy film "Animal House."

"It's really something that builds upon last year's 'Together' theme, and we feel really blessed that that theme was exemplified in many ways, not the least of which was of course on the field, with the team playing together and battling so much, including in the six elimination games."

Tom McDonald, Giants Senior Vice President of Marketing, added, "We have a great group of players that have very interesting personalities, that all seem to embody the word 'team.'"

"The enthusiasm level of our fans is probably at an all-time high; it's really a very unique connection that has developed between the Giants players and our fans," said McDonald.

Santa Clara: City-Owned Utility That Powers Apple's iCloud Launches Free Outdoor WiFi

After a soft opening today, Santa Clara's electrical utility, home for data centers serving the likes of Apple and Mozilla, now has free outdoor Wi-Fi service throughout the city, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Silicon Valley Power, the city's 117-year-old energy firm, decided to expand its wireless communication system that measures power usage to provide free wireless Internet to residents, said Larry Owens, the utility's manager of customer services.

The expansion, started quietly six days ago to make sure it worked, required a modest investment of about $1 million for 60 fiber communication points plus software and websites, Owens said.

The Wi-Fi system has nearly 600 radio access points in the city that act like wireless routers on lampposts, providing data at a speed of one megabit per second without a login to anyone outside, Owens said.

While the service -- designed for outdoor use -- is currently not fast enough to download videos, users can access it for general online browsing and sending email, Owens said. 

"It's an open system," Owens said. "We can be at a park, at a restaurant outside, at a bus stop, even lounging in your own backyard."

The system permits people using Wi-Fi indoors "to have a similar experience outdoors," Owens said.

The utility itself needed a wireless system to keep tabs on the smart meters that report power usages of residential and business customers and smart grids that send data about power supplies, Owens said.

Silicon Valley Power could also use it down the road for monitoring power charging stations and smart appliances people use in their homes.

"The system allows us to be flexible in the future," Owens said.

"Public access Wi-Fi is a small part of that."

Weather Forecast For The San Francisco Bay Area

Mostly cloudy skies and a slight chance of showers are likely in the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with light winds, becoming up to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Mostly cloudy skies are likely this evening, with a slight chance of showers. Lows are expected to be in the upper 40s, with westerly winds up to 10 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies and a chance of rain are likely Friday morning. Highs are expected to be in the lower to mid 60s, with easterly winds around 5 mph.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday Morning News Roundup

Regional: Eve of Historic Marriage Equality Supreme Court Hearings Marked By SF March, Rally 

California's Proposition 8, the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, goes before the U.S. Supreme Court today.

The justices are expected to rule on the constitutionality of the measure by the end of June, after hearing one hour of arguments this morning.

The challenge to Proposition 8, which started out as a lawsuit filed by two couples in federal court in San Francisco four years ago, is one of two marriage cases being heard by the high court this week.

In a second case, the court will hear arguments Wednesday on a New York widow's challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA.

While the Proposition 8 dispute concerns whether an individual state can prohibit gay marriage, the DOMA case has to do with whether the U.S. government can deny federal benefits and tax advantages to couples who were legally married in their state. Nine states and Washington, D.C., currently allow same-sex marriage.

In today's arguments, the sponsors of Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure, are appealing a ruling in which a federal appeals court in San Francisco last year struck down the initiative.

The sponsors contend California voters were entitled to believe that restricting marriage to male-female unions benefits society because it "advances society's vital interest in responsible procreation and childrearing."

They also argue that states, acting through ballot measures or legislatures, have the right to define marriage within their territory.

The two lesbian and gay couples from Berkeley and Burbank who challenged the initiative say it violates their constitutional rights of equal treatment and due process.

The couples agree that "marriage is a unique, venerable and essential institution. They simply want to be part of it," their lawyers said in a brief submitted to the court.

The plaintiffs say there is no proof that same-sex marriage harms heterosexual marriage.

Meanwhile, they argue, being denied the status and benefits of marriage hurts gays and lesbians and the nearly 40,000 children they are raising in California.

The court could rule on Proposition 8 in any of a number of ways.

It could uphold the initiative or it could strike it down on grounds that could apply to California alone, to eight states or to all 50 states.

The court could also decide to dismiss the appeal if it concludes that the sponsors lacked the legal authority to step in to defend Proposition 8 on appeal after California officials declined to do so.

San Jose: Missing Infant Distraught But Safe After Nearly Five Hour Abduction

A San Jose police officer who rescued an 11-month girl from a stolen vehicle after a nearly five-hour ordeal Monday said the infant was crying when he found her and gave him a hug when he took her out.

Officer Carlos Acosta described as "gut wrenching" the few minutes after someone reported seeing the parked car to when he found the girl crouching in a child seat, distressed but unharmed.

Acosta, a 14-year veteran officer, accompanied the infant in an ambulance to a hospital and she was "very excited" during an emotional reunion with her mother.

"It was a great feeling to locate her safely and return her to her mother," Acosta said at a news conference Monday afternoon outside police headquarters at 201 W. Mission St. in San Jose.

The child, Gabriela Quintero, was inside a Jeep Liberty that was stolen from outside her mother's San Jose home at about 6:45 a.m. and prompted authorities to issue an Amber Alert, police said.

The Jeep was found at an apartment complex near the Seven Trees Community Center after a citizen reported it to an apartment security guard who called 911 at 11:17 a.m., police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.

Acosta and an unidentified police recruit, who were patrolling the area, got the call and arrived at 11:22 a.m. to find the white 2006 Jeep in a carport area in the 400 block of Amargosa Court, Dwyer said.

The Jeep was parked unevenly and the hazard lights were blinking which attracted the interest of the citizen who reported the vehicle, Dwyer said.

The suspected car thief was still at large and police are not sure if the suspect is male or female since no one reported seeing the driver enter or leave the Jeep, Dwyer said.

The girl's mother, Graciella Quintero, said she had noticed a suspicious woman who was wearing a dark top and

Fremont: Lawyer's Give Closing Arguments In Fatal Stabbing of Newark Teen

The question of who fatally stabbed 18-year-old Newark Memorial High School football star Osana Futi in Fremont last April was heatedly debated Monday in closing arguments in the trial of the man who's been charged in the case.

Prosecutor Elgin Lowe told jurors that he believes 19-year-old Abraham Hade of Fremont is guilty because his blood was found on the knife that was used to kill Futi, the victim's blood was found on Hade's pants and footprints matching Hade's size of Air Jordan shoes were found at the scene.

But defense lawyer Tom Knutsen said Hade is "an innocent" and alleged that Futi was actually killed by a friend of Hade's who was only 14 at the time of the murder and at one point told Fremont police that he was the one who stabbed Futi.

Knutsen claimed that Hade is wrongfully accused because of what he alleged was a "rush to judgment" by Fremont police and prosecutors to pin Futi's death on Hade.

Knutsen said the investigation into the death of Hade, who died several hours after he was stabbed near Yellowstone Park and Hyde Park drives after 11 p.m. on April 28, 2012, was "poor and inexcusable" and based on "tunnel vision."

However, Lowe said he believes that the teenage boy was only trying to take the rap for Futi's murder because he is a juvenile who would face a lesser sentence in juvenile court than Hade faces in adult court.

Lowe said the boy's confession isn't believable because he was wrong about the area on Futi's body where he was stabbed and wrong about the location where the stabbing occurred.

The prosecutor alleged that Hade and the juvenile both belong to a branch of the Norteno gang called Fremont Mexican Territory, and that in the gang culture, it is expected that juveniles will take the blame for crimes because the consequences they face are less severe than those faced by adults.

However, Knutsen said Hade doesn't belong to a gang, although he admitted that Hade may know some gang members.

Although Lowe and Knutsen disagree about who killed Futi, who was set to graduate from high school last June, they both said his death stemmed from a long-running feud between Newark Memorial football players and Norteno gang members.

They said the feud started when Futi's close friend and football teammate, 17-year-old Justice Afoa, was fatally stabbed near the intersection of Cedar Boulevard and Birch Street in Newark at about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2010.

That crime was still unsolved when Futi was fatally stabbed.

In January, three reputed gang members were charged with murder in connection with Afoa's death, and a fourth suspect was charged with assaulting Afoa and a friend in an earlier incident.

Alameda Co.: Man Shot By Deputies Friday Dies in Hospital

A Castro Valley man shot by sheriff's deputies Friday in a bizarre confrontation first with his family and then with deputies died in a hospital on Sunday, the sheriff's office announced Monday.

The man, identified as 49-year-old Terrence Barry, allegedly threatened sheriff's deputies who came to his home and shouldered a homemade replica firearm at an approaching sheriff's vehicle, prompting a sergeant to shoot him, sheriff's officials said.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office first received reports at about 7 p.m. Friday from Barry's family in the 3400 block of Seven Hills Road.

The family told dispatchers that Barry was acting belligerent, threatening and that the rest of the family was fleeing and leaving him in the house.

Barry allegedly then called sheriff's dispatchers and said that he was going to "shoot up the world."

He called again minutes later and said he had a machine gun and would shoot any deputies who arrived at his home, sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.

To respond to the threat, deputies loaded into an armored vehicle and as they proceeded up Seven Hills Road they saw Barry come out of the side of the house and shoulder what appeared to be a rifle, Nelson said.

Barry ducked behind some juniper bushes near his driveway, and then popped up again behind the bushes nearby, again shouldering the apparent rifle, Nelson said.

A sheriff's sergeant fired three shots at Barry from a porthole on top of the armored vehicle, striking him twice. He was rushed to Eden Medical Center and was taken to emergency surgery for his wounds but succumbed Sunday afternoon.

The weapon he was holding turned out to be a replica firearm, made of wood with a handle to resemble a rifle. Barry was on probation for weapons charges, Nelson said.

SF: Muni Reducing Service on Certain Lines During Spring Break Week

With many students on spring break this week, San Francisco Municipal Railway is also taking a break with reduced service on a dozen lines between Monday and Friday, agency officials said.

San Francisco Unified School District and San Francisco State University students are out of school this week, prompting Muni to cut back morning and afternoon service on lines expected to see a decrease in ridership as a result.

The lines that will run less frequently this week are the 8AX/8BX-Bayshore Express, 9L-San Bruno Limited, 14-Mission Local, 22-Fillmore, 24-Divisadero, 29-Sunset, 31-Balboa, 38-Geary, 43-Masonic, 48-Quintara/24th Street and 49-Van Ness/Mission.

Additionally, the 28L-19th Avenue line, which focuses on school trips, will not run at all this week, according to Muni officials.

Regular service will resume on the lines on April 1. Data collected last year showed that the number of people riding Muni on spring break week was about 17 percent less than average for the morning commute and 9 percent less for the afternoon commute.

Muni officials say the reduction in employee overtime and vehicle maintenance this week will save an estimated $45,000.

Similar changes during school breaks in December saved the agency about $275,000 and more reductions could take place this summer as well, officials said.

San Mateo Co.: Devil's Slide Tunnel Opening Celebration Draws Hundreds

Hundreds gathered on a coastal San Mateo County hillside Monday to celebrate the opening of two tunnels that will replace a notorious stretch of state Highway 1 at Devil's Slide.

The event marked the completion of the $439 million Tom Lantos Tunnels, which bypass a steep, winding portion of coastal highway between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay that has long been susceptible to rockslide-related closures.

Monday morning, under gray skies, a crowd gathered outside the tunnels, named after the late U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, whose former Congressional seat is now filled by Jackie Speier.

Addressing the crowd, state Sen. Jerry Hill said that one of the most devastating landslides along Devil's Slide forced a closure of Highway 1 that lasted for several months in 1995.

The closure turned Pacifica into "the world's biggest cul-de-sac" and generated momentum to find a permanent solution to traveling safely and securely through the area all year round.

Caltrans had initially proposed an overland by-pass route east of the troubled roadway, a proposal that met with fierce opposition from local citizens who were concerned about the impact of constructing a four-lane highway over Montara Mountain.

Pro-tunnel advocates -- who eventually called themselves "tunnelistas" -- worked tirelessly to bring the issue to San Mateo County voters, who in 1996 passed Measure T and launched the planning process for what would become the state's newest tunnel to be built since Oakland's Caldecott Tunnel in 1964.

Several dozen "tunnelistas" attended Monday's ribbon-cutting, many carrying yellow bumper stickers from the Measure T campaign that read "Think Tunnel."

Moss Beach resident Zoe Kersteen-Tucker stood before the northbound tunnel bore and thanked the pro-tunnel advocates, who she called "rabble rousers, activists and crusaders." "Hooray! It's the 'people's tunnel,'" she said.

"We did it!" Speier, who called the tunnels "a new landmark" and "the Golden Gate Bridge of the south," acknowledged the dedication of lawmakers and county residents who helped make the tunnel project a reality.

"Tunnel vision is sometimes the broadest vision of them all," she said.

Santa Clara Co.: County's Second Gun Buy Back Yields More Than 600 Firearms

A second gun buy back event held by Santa Clara County officials this month garnered more than 600 firearms and paid out more the $61,000 on Saturday.

The buy back held Saturday at the Reid-Hillview Airport at 2500 Cunningham Ave. in San Jose yielded 610 guns adding to the 1,116 firearms collected at a March 2 event at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

The guns collected comprised of 17 assault weapons, 225 handguns, 237 rifles, 123 shotguns and eight other weapons such as BB guns that did not receive a pay out.

Participants in the anonymous buy back received money for turning in the weapons, with a total of $61,150 paid out.

At the March 2 event sponsored by the county, $114,000 was paid out, a record amount compared to similar events in other Bay Area counties.

Saturday's buy back included a peace walk, a resource fair and other entertainment as part of a third annual event held by county Supervisor Dave Cortese's office at Most Holy Trinity Church, located near the airport at 2040 Nassau Drive.

Some 200 participants were part of the fair, where 150 gang-related items were collected, such as knives, pellet guns, bandanas, and other gang clothing.

Michelle Pelayo-Osorio from Cortese's office said there was remaining money from the county's March 2 buy back that was used for Saturday's event.

Usually Cortese's office hosts a gun exchange with items donated from corporate sponsors at the community safety event, however this year there were funds available to coordinate a buy back, she said.

"The goal is how to continue to do it...and get the neighborhood involved," Pelayo-Osorio said.

Santa Rosa: Two Sacramento Men Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting

Two Sacramento men were arrested Sunday afternoon during a human trafficking sting operation in Santa Rosa, according to police.

At about 12:30 p.m., Santa Rosa police officers responded to a report of domestic violence.

While investigating the report, they learned about a woman who was being forced into commercial sex trafficking.

Detectives were called to take over the investigation, and they found that two women had been brought to Santa Rosa from Sacramento several weeks before to work as prostitutes, according to police.

Using information on the Internet posted by one of the women, a sting operation was conducted at a local hotel and three people were arrested.

Glen Harris, 23, was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and pimping, police said. Jerome Martin, 25, was arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting human trafficking and pimping.

They were booked into the Sonoma County jail. A 27-year-old woman was cited for prostitution and released.

SF: Man Fatally Shot in Bayview Last Week Identified

A man who was found fatally shot in a car in San Francisco's Bayview District last week has been identified by the medical examiner's office as 32-year-old Dwayne Tatum.

The shooting was reported at 3:22 p.m. on March 18 in the 1300 block of Thomas Avenue.

Tatum, a San Francisco resident, was found sitting in a car with gunshot wounds to his head and chest. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

It took a week for the medical examiner's office to release Tatum's identity because authorities were initially unable to find family members to notify them of his death.

No arrests had been made in the case and no suspect information was available as of Monday, police spokesman Officer Carlos Manfredi said.

Anyone with information about the homicide is encouraged to call the Police Department's homicide detail at (415) 553-1145.

People can also call an anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" in the message.

Daly City: Ankle Injury Prompts Air Rescue From Thornton Beach

Firefighters airlifted a person with an ankle injury from a Daly City beach trail Monday afternoon, fire officials said.

The injury was reported 4:29 p.m. near the Thornton Beach overlook at John Daly Boulevard and Skyline Boulevard, according to the North County Fire Authority.

The injured walker was about 150 yards down the trail to the beach.

Firefighter paramedics evaluated her and then called for air support from East Bay Regional Parks because of her injury and limited access to the trail.

She was airlifted from the beach back to the top of the trail and then taken to a hospital by ambulance.

Bay Area Tuesday Morning Weather Report

Mostly cloudy skies and patchy fog are likely in the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with westerly winds around 10 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies are likely this evening, with patchy fog and drizzle after midnight. Lows are expected to be in the upper 40s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph.

Mostly cloudy skies and a chance of rain are likely Wednesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with southwest winds up to 10 mph.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Monday Morning News Roundup

Half Moon Bay: Update: Search Continues For Missing Man 

A search continues for a 22-year-old man who disappeared from a beach in Half Moon Bay near Pillar Point, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. 

The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter from San Francisco at 2:48 p.m. Sunday, Officer Mark Leahey said. A rescue boat crew also responded. The man, who was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, was reportedly playing football on Roosevelt Beach with friends who said they turned around and he was gone. There was no confirmation the man entered the water, Leahey said.

Along with the Coast Guard, the San Mateo Sheriff's Office and the Pillar Point harbormaster were assisting with the search.

Anyone with information about the man is asked to contact the Coast Guard at (415) 399-3451. 

Hayward: Local Soldier Fighting In Afghanistan Has Died

A soldier from Hayward who was working in Afghanistan has died in Europe, the U.S. Department of Defense has announced.  

Sgt. 1st Class James Grissom, 31, died Thursday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, of wounds suffered from small arms fire last Monday in Paktika Province.

He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is near Tacoma, Wash.

Guernville: Man Arrested For Allegedly Crashing Into Vehicles While Driving Drunk

A Santa Rosa man was arrested Sunday after allegedly driving drunk with a suspended license and hitting multiple vehicles and a fence in Guerneville, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Jacob Cyrus Sullivan, 22, was driving a 1998 Saturn that belonged to his girlfriend when he allegedly hit a fence on Center Way in Guerneville. Minutes later, he allegedly hit a Volvo on Guernewood Road east of Center Way.

At 6 a.m., a Safeway employee spotted him driving the Saturn in the grocery store's parking lot, the CHP said. In the parking lot, Sullivan allegedly hit a Ford Escape and a Toyota Matrix. Safeway employees called 911 and Sullivan drove away.

Sonoma County sheriff's deputies located the Saturn near their substation with Sullivan in the driver's seat. The car was stopped in the middle of the roadway.

Sullivan reportedly gave the CHP officer investigating the case a false name and birthday. He was booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, providing a false name to a peace officer, hit-and-run and for an outstanding warrant.

Suisun City: Man Going To Work Robbed At Gunpoint In Front Of His Home

A Suisun City man was robbed at gunpoint in front of his home Friday, police said.

Officers responded to reports of an armed robbery in the 300 block of Shoveller Drive at about 5:45 a.m., according to Suisun City police.

As a resident was getting into his car to go to work, a light blue vehicle -- possibly a newer model Toyota -- with two men in it pulled up.

A suspect got out, pointed a gun at the victim and demanded money, police said.

After taking the victim's property, the suspects fled west on Shoveller Drive.

San Mateo Co.: Sheriff Office Warns San Carlos Residents About Series Of 'Door-Knock' Robberies 

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a rash of 'door-knock' burglaries that have occurred in residential neighborhoods around San Carlos.

Potential burglars have been approaching homes and knocking on doors to see if residents are home, according to the sheriff's office.

If someone answers the door, the burglars ask for bogus directions or ask to see someone who doesn't live there.

If no one answers the door, the home is often burglarized.

The sheriff's office is advising residents to call 911 if stranger knocking on the front door seem suspicious.

An accurate suspect description, vehicle description and direction of travel are always helpful to responding deputies, the sheriff's office said.

Novato: Resident Taken Into Custody For Psychiatric Evauation Following Standoff With Police

A Novato resident was taken into custody after a 90-minute standoff with police Friday.

Officers responded to a home in the 2500 block of Center Road after family members reported that the suspect had started a fire in the home, according to Novato police.

Relatives said the suspect was acting out and was possibly in need of a psychiatric evaluation, police said.

After talking with officers for about 90 minutes, the suspect came out of the home and was taken to psychiatric emergency services for evaluation, police said.

No one was injured in the incident.

Alameda Co.: 46-Year-Old Hayward Man Killed In Crash On Highway 84 Indentified

A Hayward man who was killed in a head-on collision on state Highway 84 in Sunol on Saturday morning has been identified as 46-year-old Todd Shur, according to the Alameda County coroner's office.

Shur was driving a 2003 Dodge east on Highway 84 near Main Street when the crash occurred at around 9:15 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

For an unknown reason, he drove his vehicle across the double yellow lines directly into the path of a 2012 Toyota driving by a 48-year-old Stockton man.

The driver of the Toyota did not have time to react, and the two vehicles crashed, the CHP said.

Shur died from his injuries at the scene. The driver of the Toyota and three passengers suffered minor injuries, primarily complaints of back pain, the CHP said.

The crash closed the highway for nearly two hours.

Redwood City: Vehicle, Home Damaged In Early Morning Structure Fire

Fire officials in Redwood City are investigating a one-alarm fire that damaged a home Sunday morning, a dispatcher said. 

Firefighters responded to reports of a vehicle and structure fire at a home in the 2200 block of Spring Street at about 6:50 a.m., the dispatcher said. No one was injured, and the fire was quickly brought under control, the dispatcher said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Santa Rosa: Man Seriously Injured In Collision Saturday Night, Police Investigating

Police in Santa Rosa are investigating a collision that sent a man to a hospital with life-threatening injuries Saturday night. 

Officers responded to a report of a collision involving a car and a motorcycle in the area of Hoen Avenue and Boston Court at about 7:50 p.m., police said.

When officers arrived, they found the site of the collision in the westbound lane of Hoen Avenue, according to police.

The driver of the car remained on scene and cooperated with police. The driver of the motorcycle was transported to a hospital to be treated for injuries that were considered life threatening, police said.

A portion of Hoen Avenue was closed for several hours after the collision. Officers are continuing to investigate the collision. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Santa Rosa police at (707) 543-3636.

Petaluma: Man Arrested For Burglary While Out of Bail

A man was arrested inside a store in Petaluma on Saturday morning, police said.

An officer responded to an alarm being activated at Kmart, located at 261 N. McDowell Blvd., at about 12:30 a.m., according to police.

When the officer arrived, he noticed a man moving around inside the store, trying to hide, police said.

The officer ordered the suspect, later identified as Jason Michael Remel, 32, of Petaluma, to surrender, and he did without incident, police said. No other suspects were found in the store.

Remel was arrested for burglary and committing a felony while out on bail for a previous, unrelated case, police said.

He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail.

SSF: 80-Year-Old Woman Struck In Intersection

An 80-year-old woman was struck in a South San Francisco intersection Saturday, according to police.

Officers responded to reports of a crash involving a pedestrian at Linden and California avenues at about 7:40 a.m.

A 40-year-old woman had been driving east on California Avenue when she struck the victim, police said.

The driver stopped and called police.

The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and was expected to survive, police said.

Drugs or alcohol were not believed to be a factor in the incident.

Anyone who might have witnessed the collision is asked to call South San Francisco police at (650) 877-8900.

Rodeo: Update: Sig-Alert Canceled

A Sig-alert was canceled about an hour and a half after it was issued Sunday night when dried sulfur spilled in Rodeo, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The spill was reported at 5:47 p.m., and the Sig-alert was issued at 6:16 p.m., CHP Officer Eric Anderson said. It was canceled at 7:52 p.m.

Cummings Skyway was closed in both directions from Crockett Boulevard to Interstate Highway 4 during the spill, he said.

The Contra Costa Fire Protection District responded.

Weather Forecast For The San Francisco Bay Area

Mostly cloudy skies, with patchy fog, are likely in the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with southwest winds up to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Partly cloudy skies are likely this evening, becoming cloudy with patchy fog later. Lows are expected to be in the upper 40s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph. Mostly cloudy skies, with patchy fog, are likely Tuesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph.

 

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Sonoma Raceway Spokesman John Cardinale Dies

Sonoma Raceway spokesman John Cardinale has died of gastric cancer, the raceway's director of marketing and community relations Diana Brennan said this morning.

Cardinale, 47, died at his Martinez home after a two-year battle with the disease, Brennan said. He is survived by his wife Andrea and two daughters.

"There is a hole in the heart of the organization," Steve Page, the raceway's president and general manager said in a statement this morning.

"John Cardinale was as true a friend, as loyal a colleague, as devoted a husband and father and as fine a human being as you could ever hope to know," Page said.

"John has been a part of every good thing that has happened at this track over the last 15 years. We are all so fortunate to have had him in our lives and to have shared in his intelligence, his wit, his integrity and his brave spirit. He will be incredibly missed," Page said.

A memorial will be held at the raceway at a date yet to be determined, Brennan said.

Donations to a memorial fund in Cardinale's honor may be sent to the John Cardinale Memorial Fund, care of Sonoma Raceway, 29355 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, Calif. 95476.

 

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Several Bay Area Police Departments To Join Global Law Enforcement Online 'Tweet-A-Thon'

Several Bay Area law enforcement agencies will be joining police departments throughout the world on a virtual ride-along today.

Nearly 200 police departments from agencies in the U.S. and from at least 10 countries abroad will use Twitter to track a day of patrolling, handling calls and other public safety issues as part of a global police "tweet-a-thon" organized by police media consulting firm LAwS Communications.

Bay Area residents can follow the action online through the hashtag, "poltwt."

The event is slated to begin 8 a.m. this morning. Some departments located in different time zones began the tweet-a-thon Thursday night.

In the Bay Area, Palo Alto police will begin their virtual ride-along around 3 p.m. today with police Chief Dennis Burns behind the wheel of a patrol car.

A public information officer will live-tweet the chief's response to calls, arrests, vehicle incidents and others events that occur during his shift.

In Fremont, police will start tweeting at 8 a.m. this morning with posts about different calls for service that come into the department.

Lauri Stevens, the organizer of the event with LAwS Communications in the Boston area, said the 24-hour global social media event "is about getting police to engage with communities and each other."

As social media use becomes more prevalent, Stevens said police departments are increasingly using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to connect with residents.

The tweet-a-thon aims to "draw attention to police use of social media," Stevens said.

Participating Bay Area agencies include the San Rafael, San Mateo, East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Fremont police departments.

Outside the U.S., police departments from cities in countries including Finland, Spain, England, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand will be online tweeting throughout the day.

Some of the global tweets will be in the department's native language, Stevens said, however many jurisdictions said they will have bi-lingual posts.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Friday Morning News Roundup

Oakland: Auditor Accuses Councilmembers of Interfering With Contract

Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby issued a report Thursday alleging that City Council members Desley Brooks and Larry Reid interfered with the bidding process for the demolition and remediation process at the former Oakland Army Base.

Ruby's report also alleges that Brooks interfered with city workers in her efforts to get two teen centers built in her district in East Oakland, the Rainbow Teen Center and the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center.

In addition, Ruby said Brooks threatened a city employee's work assignment and one of Reid's aides interfered in administrative affairs by directing parking officials to fix two of the aide's personal parking tickets.

Ruby said Reid's aide tried to "intimidate" parking officials and acted "inappropriately" toward the parking officer who issued the tickets by using profanity and trying to slap the tickets out of the officer's hand.

In her report, Ruby said she found "a general culture of interference within the city" which "appears to be felt across many city departments and is perceived to come from multiple councilmembers."

Ruby said some staff, including people in senior management positions, declined to speak with her office during her investigation "because of their fear of councilmembers' retaliation."

In a separate letter to Oakland residents, Ruby said, "This report strikes at the very integrity of Oakland's government.

Employees should be able to do their jobs without being subjected to undue influence from councilmembers and citizens and businesses should be able to live and transact business in a city that they know plays by the rules."

Reid and Brooks didn't return phone calls Thursday seeking comment on Ruby's report.

Ruby alleged that Brooks and Reid favored the Turner Construction Group in its bid for the Oakland Army Base project.

But in a letter to Ruby that's included in her 64-page report, Reid said, "Under no circumstances did I, at any time, direct staff to issue a RFP (request for proposals) on behalf of the Turner Group as it relates to the Oakland Army Base development or any other development project within the city of Oakland."

Reid said he was only trying to make sure that local firms had a good chance of getting the contract, which originally was set to go to an out-of-town firm through a non-competitive process.

Ruby said Mayor Jean Quan and City Administrator Deanna Santana "should not tolerate abusive treatment of their staff by councilmembers or their aides" and continue to educate staff that they should make a report anytime a councilmember inappropriately yells at or threatens them.

San Jose: State Agency Says San Jose Must Give Back Land for A's Stadium, Official Says Deal Still On

A state agency found Thursday that the city of San Jose improperly transferred $148 million in assets from its former redevelopment agency including parcels for a potential stadium for the Oakland A's but an official said the ruling does not jeopardize the stadium deal.

State Controller John Chiang said that San Jose must return to its San Jose RDA Successor Agency oversight board the stadium parcels and other property and cash it took from its former redevelopment agency.

Chiang said San Jose shifted the assets after a state law went into effect in 2011 dissolving RDAs. The city will have to transfer titles to about $138 million in land and improvements to the oversight board, said controller's office spokesman Jason Roper.

That property includes about 13 acres transferred to the San Jose Diridon Development Authority, a city joint powers authority, and optioned to A's owner Lew Wolff for a possible new stadium in downtown San Jose.

The group sold the option on parcels along Montgomery Street between West San Fernando and Park Avenue south of Diridon Caltrain station to Wolff in 2011 for about $7 million, its appraised market value for ballpark use, said Richard Keit, managing director of San Jose's oversight board.

Wolff's optioned land and two separate parcels meant for parking lots together have a book value of $29.1 million when the costs of demolishing buildings and relocating businesses are included, which can be expensive, Keit said.

While the controller's office declared the Wolff option property must go back to the oversight board, Wolff has a signed contract that must be honored and he will ultimately get the land back, Keit said.

"We believe the third-party option is legally binding for the A's," Keit said. "It's a legal agreement."

Keit said his legal argument is similar to one used Wednesday by a Superior Court judge in Sacramento that an RDA board could not void a stadium contract by the city of Santa Clara to give the San Francisco 49ers $30 million in redevelopment tax money.

But the controller's office said Thursday that the city signed the third-party contract with Wolff in November 2011, five months after the state law's June 28 cutoff date, Roper said.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, an alternate member of the oversight board, said the controller's ruling would not hurt the A's stadium proposal.

"It doesn't kill the deal, it sends it back to square one," Cortese said. 

Regional: Two Berkeley Women Who Challenged Prop 8 Say They Will Be Proud and Excited At Supreme Court Arguments Tuesday

Two Berkeley women whose bid to marry will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said Thursday they will be proud and excited to be in the courtroom in Washington, D.C., during the arguments.

But Kristin Perry, 48, and Sandra Stier, 50, said they want the focus to be on the case and not on themselves.

"We are very excited to have the end in sight," said Perry. "We think that when we get to the Supreme Court and hear Ted Olson arguing on our behalf, we'll be very proud and very moved."

Olson, of Washington, D.C., is one of two lead attorneys in the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco in 2009 by Perry, Stier and gay couple Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo of Burbank.

He will argue for the plaintiffs on Tuesday, urging the court to rule that Proposition 8, California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional.

On the other side, Charles Cooper, also of Washington, D.C., representing the sponsors of Proposition 8, will be urging the court to uphold the 2008 voter initiative.

The sponsors, who contend that state voters were entitled to choose a traditional definition of marriage, are appealing a decision in which the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco struck down the measure last year.

Perry and Stier, who will fly to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, spoke in interviews at the San Francisco office of Olson's law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. "We feel honored to be in this role," said Stier.

The two women said, however, that they don't know where they'll be sitting in the courtroom and don't care whether the justices notice them or even know who they are.

Instead, they said, they hope the justices will give all their attention to the arguments.

"Our job is just to bear witness at this point," said Stier. "We're just a California couple that wants to get married." 

The high court's decision is expected by the end of June.

Contra Costa Co.: Details Revealed About Shooter Who Killed CHP Officer Last September

An investigation into the shooting death of a California Highway Patrol officer on Interstate Highway 680 near Alamo last September found that the shooter was mentally troubled and pro-guns.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office report released Thursday comes after CHP Officer Kenyon Youngstrom, 37, was shot and fatally injured after pulling over a driver with an obstructed license plate on southbound I-680 on the morning of Sept. 4.

The shooter, Christopher Boone Lacy, was shot by a fellow CHP officer who arrived at the scene. Both Youngstrom and Lacy were later pronounced dead at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

In the months since the roadside shooting, authorities investigated Lacy's motive and background, interviewing as many as 100 family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Investigators analyzed data from Lacy's computers and other digital devices.

The investigation revealed that Lacy had suffered a mental breakdown in 1997 while he was in college.

He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Police found a handwritten suicide note at his home that is believed to have been written during his college breakdown. He earned his master's degree in computer science from San Francisco State University in 2005.

A year before the shooting, family members told authorities that Lacy had become a "loner," and moved to Corning, Calif., where he lived in a trailer.

He worked temporary jobs in Silicon Valley where he had a rented room in Sunnyvale.

Six of his computers revealed that Lacy had a lot of literature about libertarianism and the Sovereign Citizen Movement, and that he was a fervent supporter of the second amendment.

Also on his computers, Lacy had a "wish-list" that included "solar panel, water filter, sleeping bag, pond fence, bulletproof vests."

He had also visited a website about creating explosives.

The gun used to fatally wound Youngstrom was registered to Lacy and lawfully purchased in 2010. He did not have a concealed weapons permit.

His Jeep Wrangler that he was pulled over in was registered in his name.

The report concluded that there was no indication that Lacy intended to kill or assault law enforcement officials, although he strongly identified as a Sovereign Citizen and rejected the idea of government and laws.

SF: Former Alcatraz Residents Return to Island for 50th Anniversary of Closure

Alcatraz Island, which hosted its last inmate 50 years ago Thursday, was also home to prison workers and their families who returned to the island Thursday morning to mark the anniversary and recount their lives there.

The federal penitentiary closed on March 21, 1963, in part because of the high costs of maintaining the facility on an island in the middle of the Bay, according to Superintendent Frank Dean from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which now oversees the property.

"Just as the inmates couldn't wait to get off the island, the public couldn't wait to get on," Dean said, noting that the abandoned prison has now become a tourist attraction drawing 1.5 million visitors each year.

But the closure brought an end to a colorful period of life for many correctional officers, other prison workers and their families who lived on Alcatraz.

Jim Albright, who came to Alcatraz as a correctional officer in 1959, said life on the island was "sometimes very exciting, sometimes very fearful, sometimes very boring."

More than 60 families of the workers lived in homes on the island and all mingled together at the social hall.

"We were just a small town, that's all," Albright said. His wife had to be taken off a boat in the middle of the night to give birth in San Francisco to their daughter, who he said later had trouble getting her passport because authorities did not believe she had lived on Alcatraz.

John Mahoney, another correctional officer at Alcatraz, took the last boatload of inmates off the island and said the men, convicted of murders and other major crimes, were considered extremely dangerous.

"You had to do something very serious to be on Alcatraz," Mahoney said. "These guys were pretty tough," he said. "When they decided someone was going to leave this world, they left it."

However, the inmates had respect for the guards, Mahoney said. No correctional officers were injured by a prisoner during his seven years on the island, he said.

SF: Judge Refuses to Reduce Bail For Man Who Rammed Police With Stolen Taxi 

A San Francisco Superior Court judge Thursday declined to reduce bail for a man who allegedly stole a taxi last week and used it to ram a police car, prompting an officer to shoot more than a dozen rounds at him.

The attorney for Peter Russell, 25, had argued for his $175,000 bail to be reduced or removed so he could go to a rehabilitation facility to be treated for alcoholism after the incident last Friday.

However, Judge Jerome Benson said Thursday that the case was too serious for Russell to be set free on a lower bail, citing the violent attacks on the taxi driver and police. At about 4:30 a.m. on March 15, Russell allegedly began jumping on the hood of a taxi near Jackson and Buchanan streets in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood and smashed its windshield, police said.

The cab driver fled and Russell got behind the wheel and drove away. Officers soon tracked the car to Jackson and Spruce streets in Presidio Heights, where they tried to block it from fleeing.

However, Russell allegedly drove straight at the officers, ripping off one of the doors of the police vehicle in a collision, the judge said Thursday.

One officer jumped out of the way and avoided injury while the other officer fired his service weapon at Russell. Benson said the officer fired 14 shots at the vehicle "because of the danger he felt the defendant posed to the public."

Russell allegedly fled in the taxi, which was found abandoned shortly afterward at Bay and Octavia streets near Fort Mason.

Russell was found a half-block away and taken into custody. He had a blood-alcohol content of at least .15 percent at the time of the incident, according to the judge, while defense attorney Stuart Hanlon said Russell was also taking antidepressants.

"It's a really difficult and sad case," Hanlon said Wednesday.

He had argued that Russell be released to Ohlhoff House, a San Francisco-based recovery center for people with drug or alcohol programs, saying Russell had already gone there on his own last year and completed a program.

However, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Crosby argued to keep the high bail because of the public safety risk Russell posed. He remains in custody on carjacking, assault on a police officer, DUI and reckless driving charges and will return to court again on March 28.

Morgan Hill: Teacher Charged With 10 Counts For Spiking Kids Cups With Sleeping Pills

A Hollister woman was charged Thursday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office with 10 misdemeanor counts for allegedly spiking cups used by pre-schoolers with sleeping pills.

Deborah Gratz, 59, a preschool teacher, was charged with five counts of attempted child endangerment and five counts of assault for allegedly putting the sleep aid Sominex into kids' sippy cups, Deputy District Attorney Sumerlie Davis.

The defendant, who is out of custody on supervised release, is set to be arraigned March 26 in the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill, Davis said.

Gratz, who had worked at the Kiddie Academy in Morgan Hill since 2007 and supervised nap times of about 10 children aged one and two, Davis said.

On March 8, a fellow teacher noticed Gratz allegedly placed the Sominex into the water cups of the kids and confiscated the containers before they could drink from them, Davis said.

Teachers said they found residue of the sleep drug, which contains a warning not to administer to anyone under 12 years old, in five of the cups, Davis said.

The matter was reported to police on March 11, the Monday after the incident, Morgan Hill police arrested Gratz that day, Davis said.

The district attorney's office cannot prove that any children were actually drugged with anything and filed the charges based on the police report, Davis said.

Oakland: Three People Charged in Fatal Shooting Incident

Three people have been charged in connection with a shooting incident at an East Oakland house Sunday morning that stemmed from the theft of some marijuana and left one man dead and another man wounded.

The incident also led to a lengthy standoff with police before one of the suspected gunmen was arrested.

James Shawn, 26, has been charged with murder for allegedly fatally shooting 27-year-old Cruz Mendoza of Oakland at a house party in the 1400 block of 25th Avenue about 1:20 a.m. Sunday Oakland police officer Phong Tran said in a probable cause statement filed in court that Shawn confronted Mendoza because Shawn was upset that his marijuana had been stolen.

Shawn also is charged with two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm for allegedly shooting at 20-year-old Javier Duenas of Oakland, who was hit in the neck but has been treated for his injuries and released, and at Chio Choy Saelee, who wasn't hit.

Although Duenas allegedly was a victim in the incident, in an unusual twist he's been charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling for allegedly shooting at Shawn, who wasn't hit, after Shawn had shot him and with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In addition, Duenas' girlfriend, Analicia Guerrero, is charged with carrying a concealed weapon for allegedly trying to get rid of Duenas' gun.

Oakland police arrested Shawn at about 8 a.m. Sunday after he was found hiding in a yard adjacent to the house in the 1400 block of 25th Avenue.

SF: Judge Declines to Issue Temporary Order Blocking City Nudity Ban

A federal judge Thursday turned down a request by five nudism activists for a temporary restraining order blocking a San Francisco ban on nakedness on public streets, sidewalks and transit vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said in a written ruling that a motion filed by the activists last Friday was not accompanied by evidence, was "lacking in details" and was "lacking in any substantive legal argument in support."

The five plaintiffs filed the motion for a temporary restraining order together with an amended version of a lawsuit challenging the ban. The ban went into effect on Feb. 1.

Three days before that, Chen dismissed an earlier version of the lawsuit that claimed the measure violated the right of free speech. Chen said nudity is not protected speech because it is not "inherently expressive."

The amended lawsuit claims police are enforcing the ban in an unconstitutionally discriminatory way by targeting the plaintiffs in events they organize, but not others who go nude in other events.

In addition to refusing the request for a temporary restraining order, Chen declined to set a hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction, which would be the next step in the case, for the same reasons of lack of evidence and detail.

But he said the plaintiffs could refile a request for a preliminary injunction if the motion is "properly briefed and supported."

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are San Francisco residents Mitch Hightower, George Davis, Russell Mills and Russell "Trey" Allen and Berkeley resident Oxane "Gypsy" Taub.

Their lawyer, Cristina DeEdoardo, said she plans to file a new request for a preliminary injunction.

"We're disappointed but we will continue the struggle," she said.

The law enacted by the Board of Supervisors last year bans public nudity on streets, sidewalks and transit stations and vehicles.

It makes exceptions for young children and participants in parades and fairs that have received permits.

Separate city laws restrict nudity in restaurants, public seating areas and parks.

Contra Costa Co.: Officers Testify Alamo Man Repeatedly Harrassed Neighbor Before Allegedly Killing Her

Multiple cameras captured an Alamo man allegedly beating his neighbor and pushing his wife to the ground, ultimately killing her, law enforcement officers and Contra Costa County prosecutors said Thursday.

A preliminary hearing began Thursday for Michael Littman, 59, who is charged with murder and assault for allegedly striking and fatally injuring his next-door neighbor, 59-year-old Doris Penico, on the steep driveway between their homes in Alamo on Aug. 27, 2012.

The alleged attack came after years of tense-turned-hostile relations between the Littmans and Penicos stemming from the use of a shared driveway and an easement on the Littmans' property, according to prosecutors.

Deputy District Attorney Molly Manoukian said that in the last couple of years before Penico's death, Littman became increasingly aggressive toward his neighbors, videotaping and photographing them on numerous occasions.

Contra Costa County sheriff's Detective Brandon Garry testified Thursday that he examined more than 100 video files, photos and documents seized from the defendant's home documenting the Penicos' actions in the shared driveway or on their own property.

In 2010, the Penicos had hidden surveillance cameras installed at their home with a view of their driveway.

Beltran testified that in the surveillance footage, Littman can be seen "many times" recording the Penicos in their driveway.

Surveillance footage from last February shows Doris Penico running away from Littman, who was "walking very briskly, very aggressively toward her," he testified.

Later that day, the hidden cameras captured the woman walking down the driveway as Littman pulled into the driveway in his van.

He then turned into the driveway, making no attempt to slow down and prompting her to jump out of the way into some mulch off of the driveway, the sergeant testified.

The Penicos' cameras captured the alleged Aug. 27 assault against Victor Penico and the fatal injuries suffered by his wife, according to prosecutors.

Footage from Littman's iPhone showed him recording the couple, and not responding when they asked repeatedly why he was filming them.

That footage ended with a scuffle, prosecutors said.

Around 11 a.m. on Aug. 27, sheriff's deputies responded to 3036 Stonegate Drive for a report of a fight among neighbors.

Contra Costa County sheriff's Sgt. Paul Murphy testified Thursday that he arrived to find Penico lying on the ground, her son holding a bloody T-shirt to her head and her husband, shirtless and with blood on his face, standing beside her.

Penico told officers that his wife had been backing out of the shared driveway in her station wagon when she noticed Littman filming her with his cellphone.

She stopped and asked him repeatedly why he was recording her, then got back into her car and called her husband, who was inside the house, according to prosecutors and law enforcement officers' testimony Thursday.

Bay Area Friday Morning Weather Forecast

Sunny skies are likely in the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the mid 60s, with northwest winds up to 10 mph. Clear skies are likely this evening.

Lows are expected to be in the mid 40s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph. Sunny skies are likely Saturday morning.

Highs are expected to be in the lower 60s, with winds up to 15 mph in the afternoon.

 

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     Love Muni, Hate Muni or Somewhere in Between? Let the SFMTA Know!

 

San Francisco Bay Area Thursday Morning News Roundup

Vallejo: Suspect Found Dead Inside Home After Standoff 

A shotgun-wielding man barricaded inside a Vallejo home and threatening police and neighbors was found dead inside the home after a SWAT team entered, police said.

Police first arrived after receiving reports at 11:36 a.m. that a man was pointing a rifle or shotgun at people on the street.

When police arrived he had retreated into a residence in the 1800 block of Sutter Street, police said.

Police set up a perimeter and surrounded the house.

An armored vehicle was parked outside for police to take cover behind.

Hostage negotiators contacted the man by phone, and he was hostile and threatened to kill police, others, and himself.

He made demands and said he would kill someone if his demands were not met.

At about 1:15 p.m. the man broke a window in the front of the house and pointed a shotgun outside, police said.

Officers fired multiple rounds at him and he disappeared back inside.

Eventually the Vallejo/Benicia SWAT team and the Solano County sheriff's SWAT team arrived and deployed gas to force the man out, but there was no response.

As they were about to send a robot inside, they saw the man down and entered.

He was found dead from a gunshot wound with a shotgun lying beside him, police said.

No officers or civilians were injured. The suspect's identity has not been released pending notification of his family.

Neighbor Tracie Frost, who lives on Illinois Street near that intersection, said elderly and disabled people live at the home, which she can see from her house.

Homes in the area were evacuated during the standoff, and Frost and her family took shelter in the back of their home for about two hours, Frost said.

Frost said police snipers were on the roof of her house and other homes in the area, and described the scene as similar to a "battle zone."

San Jose: Private Vigil Planned for High School Student Killed By Passing Train

Well-wishers for a high school student musician killed Tuesday by a passing train near San Jose Diridon station are to take part in a private vigil today, a school district spokesman said.

Donae Johnican, 16, a junior at Lincoln High School in San Jose, was the person struck and killed by a Caltrain line, said Paul Higgins, spokesman for the San Jose Unified School District.

Higgins said that parents, family members and friends of Donae plan to attend the evening vigil but he declined to divulge the time and location citing the wishes of the mourners.

"We're saddened to learn of the loss of Donae and we offer our condolences to the family," Higgins said.

Caltrain officials reported Tuesday that a pedestrian had been hit and killed by train No. 263 south of Diridon station near West Virginia Street at about 4:05 p.m.

The northbound train had recently left Tamien Station with only one passenger on board, transit officials said.

The school district recruited grief counselors to come on the Lincoln campus at 555 Dana Ave. Wednesday and today to help students cope with the tragedy, Higgins said.

Donae was an aspiring musician and guitar player at Lincoln, a high school for the performing arts, according to a video he posted Feb. 26 on YouTube.

In the two-minute video, on a channel called Silicon Valley De-Bug, Donae is seen playing his guitar on a sidewalk and talking about writing songs.

"I put my emotions into music and I find it's really hard to if you're not putting your emotions into it," he said. 

"I like to say this to a lot of people: music can change the world, all you need is the right song."

Donae said that he started his interest in music in the sixth grade and started playing the guitar in the seventh grade.

"Teaching is not just a job, it's like a gift from God," he said. "The kids and teachers need to put in 100 percent for the school to be a good school."

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office's Transit Police Bureau is investigating Donae's death, Caltrain spokesman Jayme Ackemann said. 

Santa Clara Co.: Man Arrested in Robbery, Sexual Assalt of Masseuse in Palo Alto Hotel

A San Jose man has been arrested in connection with the March 9 armed robbery and sexual assault of a masseuse at a Palo Alto hotel, police said Wednesday.

Palo Alto police served an arrest warrant on David Yi, 44, on Tuesday after the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office charged him with robbery, attempted robbery and forcible oral copulation, police said.

Officers delivered the warrant while Yi was in the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose where Palo Alto police had him booked Friday on two other felony warrants, police said.

On March 9, a person contacted a woman who had placed an online advertisement for massages and the two agreed to meet at a guest room in the Glass Slipper Inn at 3941 El Camino Real, police said.

After they entered the room, the suspect produced a knife, ordered her to hand over all of her money and then forced the woman to participate in a sex act, police said.

The suspect left the room with the victim's money and confronted a second woman sitting in a chair outside, brandished a knife and demanded money.

The woman replied that she had no money and the suspect fled on foot.

On Friday, Palo Alto police arrested Yi in the 3300 block of Cropley Avenue in San Jose on outstanding warrants for alleged assault with a deadly weapon in San Jose and a probation violation out of Santa Clara County, police said.

Yi was on probation related to a prior conviction for possession of methamphetamine and being under the influence of narcotics, police said.

San Mateo: Threat Against Aragon High School Made in Social Media Post

A heightened police presence will be seen on the campus of Aragon High School in San Mateo today after San Mateo police received a threat to the school via a social media site, a police sergeant said Wednesday.

Police were notified Wednesday morning of a rambling threat that appeared on a Facebook Anonymous "confessions" page.

The online posting lead San Mateo police officers and detectives to the school to investigate the threat and provide increased safety to the high school, which is located on Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo's tony Baywood neighborhood, according to San Mateo police Sgt. Dave Norris.

The high school is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District.

Officials at the San Mateo-Foster City School District were also notified as one of its elementary schools, Baywood Elementary School, is located close to Aragon.

"While it's not our experience that real threats are posted in advance on popular online forums, the safety of our city's students and school campuses are of paramount concern," Norris said in a statement.

Security operations and a strong police presence will greet students at school this morning.

The San Mateo Police Department is working closely with the school districts to investigate and assess the source and level of the threat.

According to police, offenders issuing or posting any threats will be held accountable.

Police will provide updates to the community when information comes available, according to Norris.

SF: Singer Says Alleged Anti-Gay Comments at SF Venue Were Misinterpreted

A Grammy-nominated folk singer who reportedly made anti-gay comments at a San Francisco concert venue on Sunday released a statement Wednesday proclaiming her support for the LGBT community.

Michelle Shocked, whose career started in the 1980s, reportedly said "God hates fags" and made other anti-gay comments during a show at Yoshi's in San Francisco's Fillmore District, drawing controversy and the cancellation of all upcoming dates on her tour.

Officials from Yoshi's also said Shocked would never be invited back to their venue.

Shocked said in the statement Wednesday that she was misinterpreted by the Yoshi's audience, some of whom wrote on social media about the comments.

"I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals," Shocked said.

She said when she told fans, "Twitter that Michelle Shocked says 'God hates faggots,'" she was "predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted."

Shocked said, "To those fans who are disappointed by what they've heard or think I said, I'm very sorry: I don't always express myself as clearly as I should. But don't believe everything you read on Facebook or Twitter. My view of homosexuality has changed not one iota. I judge not."

She said, "If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them." 

Nevertheless, the singer's comments at Yoshi's prompted concert organizers to cancel all upcoming shows on Shocked's U.S. tour, according to the website of John M. Becker, who created a Change.org petition encouraging the venues to cancel her shows.

The upcoming concerts included ones in Santa Cruz and Novato. Shocked's statement Wednesday also did little to assuage angered fans on social media.

One person wrote on Twitter, "Sorry Michelle Shocked but some vague PR letter doesn't get you off the hook. It's over. You're done." 

Oakland: Man Convicted of Murdering Google Job Hopeful

An Oakland man was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder and other charges for the shooting death of a Virginia man who had come to the Bay Area for a job interview at Google.

George Huggins, 26, also was convicted of the special circumstance of committing a murder during a robbery for the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Jinghong Kang, who was fatally shot in the 1900 block of Webster Street in Downtown Oakland at about 11:30 p.m. on July 18, 2010.

In addition, Huggins was convicted of attempted second-degree robbery for trying to rob Hai Huang, a dental assistant who had just cleaned Kang's teeth at her office on Webster Street that night, and of two counts of second-degree robbery for taking items from a man and woman, both 26 at the time, as they were sitting in a parked car in the 1700 block of Telegraph Avenue early the morning of June 21, 2010, several weeks before Kang was killed.

Huggins also was convicted of using a gun to shoot and injure the man in the earlier incident.

He faces a term of life in state prison without parole when Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Rolefson sentences him on April 18. Jurors only deliberated for a day before returning their verdict against Huggins, who bowed his head and was comforted by his attorney, Annie Beles.

Prosecutor Tim Wellman told the seven-woman, five-man jury that Huggins, and his former girlfriend, Althea Housley, 36, also of Oakland, targeted Kang and his friend Huang as they stood next to Kang's rental car because they "were vulnerable and were easy targets."

Wellman said Kang had flown to the Bay Area because he had a job interview at Google the next day and he had driven his rental car to Downtown Oakland to have his teeth cleaned by Huang, a dental hygienist whom Kang had met at a church conference.

He said Huggins and Housley worked together as a team, with Huggins approaching male victims and Housley approaching female victims, and that was what they did when they walked up to Kang and Huang.

Wellman said Housley grabbed Huang by her hair and threw her to the ground and Huggins pointed a gun at Kang and demanded that he turn over his money.

Kang told Huggins all he had was $17, and he gave Huggins that amount but Huggins still fired three shots at him, striking Kang in his leg and his chest and killing him, Wellman said.

Housley and Huggins then fled, according to the prosecutor.

Oakland police obtained video footage of the suspects captured by surveillance cameras at nearby businesses and they were later arrested, Wellman said.

Housley initially told police that she wasn't involved but later admitted she was present.

However, she said that Huggins was the person who shot Kang and claimed she didn't know anyone would be shot, he said. Wellman said police ballistics experts determined that the same .22-caliber handgun was used to shoot both Kang and the male victim in the earlier robbery.

Berkeley: Council Passes Resolution Supporting Student Denied Entry to U.S.

The Berkeley City Council has voted unanimously to approve a resolution in support of a Berkeley fourth-grader who wasn't allowed to return home when his family tried to come back to the U.S. from Mexico in January.

Councilman Kriss Worthington, who authored the resolution along with colleagues Jesse Arreguin and Max Anderson, said 9-year-old Rodrigo Guzman and his parents, Reyna Diaz Mayida and Javier Ponce Guzman, were detained by federal authorities in Houston on Jan. 10 when they returned from a trip to Mexico because the parents' visas had expired.

The family was told that they could not re-apply for a visa for five years and was sent back to the Mexico City area, Worthington said. Rodrigo has lived in Berkeley since he was two years old and was a student at Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley, Worthington said.

A similar resolution was passed by the Berkeley school board last week.

The City Council's resolution, passed at its meeting Tuesday night, says Rodrigo and his family were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Houston and prevented from returning home to Berkeley.

But ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said her office wasn't involved in the matter and it was handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection because it's the agency responsible for determining the admissibility of aliens at ports of entry.

Yolanda Choates, a spokeswoman for the Customs and Border Protection office in Houston, said she could not comment on the specifics of Rodrigo's situation because of privacy laws.

But Choates said that under immigration law applicants for admission "bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the U.S."

She said, "In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome all grounds of inadmissibility."

Choates said there are more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility, including documentation requirements. She said that if a child has a valid visa but his parents don't he would only to be allowed to enter the U.S. if there was an adult who was prepared to receive the child and accept custody of the child.

The resolution approved by the City Council calls on President Obama, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-California, to support the family's return.

Worthington said five of Rodrigo's classmates are hoping to travel to Washington, D.C., during their upcoming spring break to lobby Congress and even the president for Rodrigo and for immigration reform.

SF: Attorney Argues For Rehab For Man Who Stole Taxi, Rammed Police Car 

A San Francisco man who allegedly stole a taxi early last Friday and tried to run over police with it, prompting an officer to shoot at him, should be released without bail to a rehabilitation facility, his defense attorney said Wednesday.

Peter Russell, 25, is charged with carjacking, assault on a police officer, DUI and reckless driving for an incident that began around 4:30 a.m. Friday near Jackson and Buchanan streets in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Russell allegedly began jumping on the hood of a taxi and smashed its windshield, causing the cab driver to flee.

Russell then got behind the wheel and drove away, police said.

Officers soon tracked the car to Jackson and Spruce streets in Presidio Heights, where they tried to block it from fleeing.

However, Russell allegedly drove straight at the officers, clipping a patrol car.

One officer jumped out of the way and avoided injury while a second officer fired his service weapon at Russell, who was not hit, police said.

The suspect fled in the taxi but it was found abandoned shortly afterward at Bay and Octavia streets near Fort Mason.

Russell was found a half-block away and was arrested, according to police.

"It's a really difficult and sad case," defense attorney Stuart Hanlon said outside of court.

"This is the danger of alcohol."

Hanlon argued to Superior Court Judge Jerome Benson that Russell should have his $175,000 bail reduced or removed completely so he can enter Ohlhoff House, a San Francisco-based recovery center for people with alcohol or drug problems.

Hanlon said Russell entered and completed the program on his own last year, but suffered a relapse before his run-in with police on Friday.

"He doesn't have a history of violence, he has a history with alcohol," he told the judge.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Crosby argued for the bail to remain at $175,000, saying the fact that Russell had already been in the program but still was drinking and endangered so many people made him a public safety risk.

Crosby said, "Potentially the defendant can return to a residential facility ... I don't think that day should be today."

The judge said he would take the matter under submission and make a ruling on this afternoon.

Russell has not entered a plea to the charges against him and remains in custody.

Santa Cruz Co.: County Hands Out Free Canvas Reusable Shopping Bags as 25-Cent Fee for Paper Begins

Shoppers in parts of Santa Cruz County are paying more to use paper bags starting Wednesday and the county handed out free canvas bags to encourage reusable over single-use bags.

Grocery markets and other stores outside city limits must begin charging customers 25 cents per paper bag at checkout as part of the county's effort to reduce disposable carryout bags, county public works resource planner Tim Goncharoff said.

Wednesday also is the first anniversary of Santa Cruz County's ban on single-use plastic bags.

The cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Capitola also have approved bans on plastic, Goncharoff said.

While paper bags will still be permitted for the 25-cent fee -- which the businesses keep as revenue -- the county is seeking to discourage paper bags as well, Goncharoff said.

Unlike plastic bags that take years to decompose and are more harmful to the environment, paper bags deteriorate faster but contain chemicals like mercury and the paper manufacturing process "is one of the dirtiest industries we know," Goncharoff said.

"The key is to have people bring their own reusable bags so that we have taken care of the problem of disposable bags," Goncharoff said.

Another ban takes effect on April 22, to coincide with Earth Day, when restaurants in unincorporated Santa Cruz County may no longer hand out food in plastic bags.

Restaurants, however, will be permitted to provide paper bags free of charge for takeout food, Goncharoff said.

"We didn't want people to have to hold out their hands for their burgers and fries," he said.

About 68 cities in California have enacted bans on plastic bags, about 100 others are considering it and there are bills in the State Legislature to ban them statewide, Goncharoff said.

"We think the time will come when we will see the end of plastic bags in California," he said.

Bay Area Thursday Morning Weather Forecast

Partly cloudy skies are likely in the Bay Area this morning, becoming sunny later in the day. Highs are expected to be around 60, with winds up to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Clear skies are likely this evening. Lows are expected to be in the mid 40s, with westerly winds up to 20 mph.

Sunny skies are likely Friday morning. Highs are expected to be in the lower 60s, with winds up to 15 mph in the afternoon.

 

Check out some of our most popular blogs:

     We Built a Stronger SF Economy on Smart Government Investments

     The BART That Could Have Been

     Run For Your Life! (For Fun)

     Love Muni, Hate Muni or Somewhere in Between? Let the SFMTA Know!

 

Judge Urges more Diversity on Civil Grand Jury

San Francisco Superior Court judges called today for more minorities and LGBT community members to apply for the city's civil grand jury.

The 19-member citizen panel, which is selected by the court to investigate the city's government, "should have the input and views of multiple communities," said Presiding Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee.

Of the 102 applicants for last year's panel, 70 were white and only five identified themselves as gay, according to court officials.

Judge Teri Jackson, who chairs the court's Civil Grand Jury Committee, said the panels are "kind of a well-kept secret" in California's local governments.

"It's our watchdog, where citizens can actually participate," Jackson said. Beate Boultinghouse, vice president of the California Grand Jurors' Association and president of the local chapter, said the civil grand jury investigates how taxpayer money is being spent, citing reports from recent years on Municipal Railway service, technology for city workers and the Healthy SF restaurant surcharge.

The grand jury's upcoming term runs from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, with members expected to devote at least 15 hours per week to the service.

A pool of 30 potential jurors will be chosen, then 19 members will be selected randomly while the remaining 11 will serve as alternates.

Applications are due by April 15. People must be at least 18 years old, have lived in the city for a year and have a basic English comprehension, according to court officials.

More information about the program can be found by calling (415) 551-3605 or visiting www.sfsuperiorcourt.org and then clicking on the Civil Grand Jury link.

 

Check out some of our most popular blogs:

     We Built a Stronger SF Economy on Smart Government Investments

     The BART That Could Have Been

     Run For Your Life! (For Fun)

     Love Muni, Hate Muni or Somewhere in Between? Let the SFMTA Know!

 

Singer Michelle Shocked makes Anti-Gay Remarks at San Francisco Yoshi's

A Grammy-nominated folk singer who reportedly made anti-gay comments at a San Francisco concert venue on Sunday released a statement today proclaiming her support for the LGBT community.

Michelle Shocked, whose career started in the 1980s, reportedly said "God hates fags" and made other anti-gay comments during a show at Yoshi's in San Francisco's Fillmore District, drawing controversy and the cancellation of all upcoming dates on her tour.

Officials from Yoshi's also said Shocked would never be invited back to their venue.

Shocked said in the statement today that she was misinterpreted by the Yoshi's audience, some of whom wrote on social media about the comments.

"I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals," Shocked said.

She said when she told fans, "Twitter that Michelle Shocked says 'God hates faggots,'" she was "predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted."

Shocked said, "To those fans who are disappointed by what they've heard or think I said, I'm very sorry: I don't always express myself as clearly as I should. But don't believe everything you read on Facebook or Twitter. My view of homosexuality has changed not one iota. I judge not."

She said, "If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them."

Nevertheless, the singer's comments at Yoshi's prompted concert organizers to cancel all upcoming shows on Shocked's U.S. tour, according to the website of John M. Becker, who created a Change.org petition encouraging the venues to cancel her shows.

The upcoming concerts included ones in Santa Cruz and Novato.

Shocked's statement today also did little to assuage angered fans on social media.

One person wrote on Twitter, "Sorry Michelle Shocked but some vague PR letter doesn't get you off the hook. It's over. You're done."

 

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San Francisco Symphony Plans Small Concert Despite Strike

San Francisco Symphony musicians plan to hold a small public concert today as their strike against symphony management passes the one-week point.

The musicians went on strike on March 13, prompting the subsequent cancellation of multiple concerts at Davies Symphony Hall last week as well as a three-city East Coast tour.

A brass quartet will play at 11:30 a.m. outside the symphony hall, where other musicians and their supporters will also picket.

The musicians are unhappy with proposals by management that they said do not allow them to stay competitive with other top orchestras in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Symphony officials have said substantial pay hikes are not likely since operating expenses have outpaced income for the past four years.

San Francisco Symphony musicians make an average of $165,000, the third-highest total behind Chicago and Los Angeles, but the musicians say the costs of living in the Bay Area and expensive instruments take up a large chunk of their paychecks.

The latest updates on the labor negotiations and possible cancellations of other upcoming symphony concerts can be found online at www.sfsymphony.org.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday Morning News Roundup

Redwood City: Suspected Drunken Driver in Triple-Fatal Daly City Crash Pleads Not Guilty

A man accused of killing three people in a Daly City drunken driving crash earlier this month pleaded not guilty to three counts of DUI vehicular manslaughter among other charges in San Mateo County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney.

Sunnyvale resident Denis Pereria Demacedo, 28, appeared in court Tuesday afternoon following his arrest in the March 9 drunken crash in which Josefa Osorio Acevedo, 50, and her sons Amado Osorio Acevedo, 23, and Josue Osorio, 15, were killed after they were struck on Eastmoor Avenue in Daly City.

Prosecutors allege Demacedo was speeding away from an earlier drunken driving incident.

A fourth passenger, a woman, was severely injured in the crash and remains hospitalized, according to the district attorney's office. Josefa was a single mother.

Her only children were Amado and Josue.

Demacedo was on probation from a 2010 drunk driving conviction, and on the day of the triple-fatal accident had spent the afternoon drinking beer with friends at a Daly City pizzeria before getting behind the wheel at around 8 p.m. that night, prosecutors said.

Before broadsiding the victims' car, Demacedo allegedly reached speeds of up to 60 mph.

A blood test taken two hours later measured his blood-alcohol content at .18 percent, which is more than twice the legal limit, according to the district attorney's office.

He was arrested at the scene and charged with three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, felony DUI causing great bodily injury and misdemeanor hit-and-run, according to district attorney's officials.

Demacedo, a native of Brazil, is scheduled to return to court on April 9, according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. He remains in custody on no bail.

SF: MTA Votes to Build Taxi Smartphone App

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors voted Tuesday to build a mobile phone application to connect passengers to taxis throughout the city.

The legislation would create an electronic taxi access network that would track data while forming an Internet accessible centralized dispatch service.

The board voted unanimously to amend the transportation code in part to allow the mobile phone service to be implemented, MTA spokesman Paul Rose said.

The legislation stems from the growing competition from other rideshare and car service programs, such as Lyft, Sidecar and Uber that take advantage of the connectivity of smartphone customers.

Support for the city's proposed taxi application appears split within the cab industry, longtime driver Brad Newsham said.

At Tuesday's board meeting, cab drivers filled board chambers and an overflow room at City Hall, with several voicing concerns about the proposed legislation.

Newsham is in favor of a smartphone app, calling it a "wonderful thing," especially if it will improve customer experience.

However he said he understands qualms other drivers have about the agency collecting data through the service, such as the length of rides, pick-up and destination locations, fares and number of passengers of driver's trips.

"A lot of cab drivers like myself have been clamoring for a dispatch system that would be integrated fleet-wide," Newsham said.

On the other hand, Newsham said, "I am completely in support of the people who are concerned with privacy invasion."

He said there is reluctance within the cab industry to give such detailed information about whereabouts and other activity.

Another contingent of cab drivers appear to be neutral on the technological changes, Newsham said.

Across the board, however, cabs are feeling the effects of smartphone-based companies, who take potential customers and do not have the same regulations and fees mandated by the city.

"When you have someone from the outside taking those fares," Newsham said. "It's really a problem."

Regional: Fugitive Pinole Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested in Vallejo This Morning

A man who allegedly robbed a Pinole bank earlier this month and was initially released from jail due to a miscommunication between police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is back behind bars.

FBI officials said 22-year-old Gary C. Fite, Jr. was located near the intersection of Humboldt and Tennessee streets in Vallejo around 10:30 a.m. thanks to a tip from the public.

Officers from the FBI, Pinole and Vallejo police, the Contra Costa County sheriff's and district attorney's offices worked to locate and safely arrest Fite, police said.

He was booked into county jail in Martinez for the second time this month, where he is being held without bail.

The 22-year-old was wanted on a federal warrant after he was mistakenly released from Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez on March 5, according to police.

The arrests stem from an incident around 4:30 p.m. on March 1 at the Mechanics Bank at 2690 Pinole Valley Road. During the robbery, Fite allegedly jumped over a bank counter, held a gun to a teller's head, demanded money and made off with a large amount of cash from the drawer.

Pinole police arrested both Fite and a getaway driver, identified as 37-year-old Regina Dean of Antioch, later that day after a brief low-speed car chase.

The stolen money and the gun used in the robbery were recovered from the car, police said.

Police said both suspects were booked into county jail in Martinez around 4:55 p.m. that day.

Contra Costa County prosecutors discussed the case on March 4 and notified police that they would file charges against Fite and Dean.

Suspects must be released if they have not been charged within a certain window of time after their arrest.

However, there was confusion between police investigators and the district attorney's office over whether charges needed to be filed by March 5 or March 6.

Since charges were not filed by the deadline at 5 p.m. March 5, the pair was released as required by law, sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

After realizing the mistake, the district attorney's office issued warrants for both suspects. Dean was located and arrested later that night, while Fite remained at large until Tuesday morning.

Dean, who was wanted on another warrant in connection with a separate crime, has since been released after posting $40,000 bail, Lee said.

The pair was charged with bank robbery in federal court in Oakland on March 8, and the FBI issued a federal arrest warrant for Fite, leading to his arrest Tuesday, according to FBI spokeswoman Julianne Sohn.

Fite's most recent addresses were listed in Oakland and Vallejo, but he also has ties to Antioch and Reno, Nev., according to police.

He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Oakland this morning.

Milpitas: Mother Injured, Three-Year-Old Girl Safe After Car Runs Off Road Into Creek

An injured mother and her three-year-old daughter were rescued from a damaged car in Milpitas Tuesday after the car skidded off an embankment into a creek, according to Milpitas police and fire officials.

The mother was driving on Calaveras Road two miles east of Highway 880 when her car went off the road and fell about six feet into a creek, said Milpitas police Sgt. Frank Morales.

The Milpitas Fire Department was dispatched at 12:44 p.m. and found a badly damaged small sedan with a woman suffering moderate to major injuries and a girl with minor injuries, firefighters said.

Firefighters immediately removed the girl from a child safety seat and took about 15 minutes to remove the mother using a basket stretcher with ropes to bring her up the embankment to the road.

The operation involved seven fire personnel and Milpitas police closed off Calaveras until the rescue was completed, firefighters said.

The 29-year-old mother was taken to a hospital with and is expected to survive her injuries, Morales said. 

A passerby reported the accident to emergency responders, Morales said. "You could clearly see the car from the street," Morales said.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, he said.

SF: SFMTA Board Approves $900K Settlement for Widow of Reporter Struck, Killed by Muni Train in 2009

The widow of a Bay Area journalist struck and killed by a San Francisco Municipal Railway vehicle in 2009 will receive $900,000 in a wrongful death settlement.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors, in a closed session meeting Tuesday evening, approved the settlement for Daryl Brand, widow of Oakland Tribune reporter William Brand.

A lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court against the agency on March 16, 2010, following Brand's death on Feb. 20, 2009.

Brand, 70, was struck by an inbound N-Judah light-rail vehicle at the intersection of Second and King streets on Feb. 8, 2009, around 9 p.m.

The suit alleges the Muni vehicle operator Anthony Harge thought Brand was stopping and continued driving, striking Brand and sending him into a light pole.

He died two weeks later after falling into a coma.

A Tribune reporter for 27 years, Brand retired from his fulltime position in 2008 but was writing a beer column at the time of his death.

Contra Costa Co.: Man Accused of Killing Father Pleads Not Guilty To Murder, Assault

A 22-year-old man accused of killing his father earlier this month pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges in a Martinez courtroom Tuesday afternoon.

Matthew Wester entered the not guilty pleas in Contra Costa County Superior Court to charges of murder and assault by force likely to cause great bodily injury for allegedly killing his father, Richard Wester, 61, at the father's home near Clayton on March 8.

Wester is scheduled to return to court on April 16 to set future court dates.

Sheriff's deputies were called to Richard Wester's home in the 400 block of Meadow View Lane around 11 a.m. on March 8, where they found him unconscious and not breathing, according to sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee.

Autopsy results released last week show the 61-year-old died from chest injuries, and that there was blood in his chest from multiple rib fractures.

An investigation soon led detectives to Matthew Wester, who was arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was taken to county jail, where he remains on $1.08 million bail. Court documents show that Richard Wester filed a restraining order against his son in 2010.

In the restraining order, Wester described an incident in March 2010 in which his son became angry when told he could not live at his father's house.

In the documents, Wester said his son "spit in my face, punched and kicked me, destroyed furniture, waved a knife, stole from me and broke into my house."

He noted that his son suffers from Asperger's syndrome and was living in a group home and described him as having anger problems and being "prone to rage."

Wester wrote in the restraining order that his son's violent outbursts had been increasing in both frequency and intensity.

Santa Clara Co.: Officer Who Shot Driver Who Tried to Ram Him Identified, Passenger Arrested with Burglary Tools

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Tuesday identified Officer Bruce Barthelemy as the San Jose police officer who shot and killed a suspect who tried to ram him with a car.

A passenger in the car with the suspect faces charges Tuesday after he was allegedly found with burglar tools.

The officer-involved shooting took place at around 6:45 p.m. Monday in the area of White and Story roads in East San Jose just after police arrived to investigate an unrelated case, sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.

The officers, members of San Jose police's METRO unit and dressed in plain clothes, noticed a suspicious vehicle and learned from checking the license plate that it had been reported stolen, Cardoza said.

The officers followed the car, a white Honda Civic, into a residential area northeast of White and Story roads and using flashing red lights and sirens tried to pull the car over.

The driver in the car slowed down at first but drove his vehicle right at two of the police cars and then crashed into an unoccupied parked car.

When of one the officers exited his car and ordered the suspect at gunpoint to come out, the driver ignored the demand and accelerated toward the officer.

In fear of his life, Barthelemy fired a round and hit the driver, Cardoza said.

The wounded suspect, a man in his 20s, was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The passenger in the Honda, also a man in his 20s, was arrested after officers found burglary tools on his person, Cardoza said.

He was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of violation of probation, possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property, in connection with being in a stolen car, Cardoza said.

Barthelemy is a five-year veteran San Jose police officer, Cardoza said. The shooting remains under investigation.

SF: Defenders at Justice Summit Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Landmark Gideon Decision

Public defenders celebrated the 50th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court decision at a San Francisco conference Tuesday, but at the same time heard warnings that the promise of that decision has not been fully met.

"Fifty years after Gideon v. Wainwright, equal justice for all eludes us," author Karen Houppert told the audience at the annual Justice Summit convened by the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.

This month is the anniversary of the 1963 decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling in the case of Clarence Gideon of Florida, said that people accused of serious crimes have a constitutional right to a free attorney if they can't afford to pay one.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi chose to make the ruling the theme of the 10th annual summit organized by his office.

"The decision was arguably the most important Supreme Court decision of our time and a rare triumph for poor people in the United States," Adachi told an audience of about 200 lawyers and members of the public in an auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library.

About 80 percent of criminal defendants are now represented by government-paid public defenders, according to Adachi. Houppert, the author of a book called "Chasing Gideon: the Elusive Search for Poor People's Justice," was the summit's keynote speaker and a member of a panel on the legacy of the decision.

She said her research showed that public defenders, while often dedicated, are overburdened by large caseloads and underfunded for resources such as investigators.

Houppert recounted that during her first six months of research for her book, she felt disoriented as she sat through trials because she didn't understand the legal language and procedures being used.

"I realized that if you understand that disorientation, then you understand the need for having an attorney," she said.

Jonathan Rapping, the founder of an Atlanta-based training center for public defenders called Gideon's Promise, said, "There's no civil rights struggle going on in this country that's more important than the right of poor people to have lawyers."

Panelist Maurice Caldwell told how he was freed from prison in 2011 after serving 20 years for a conviction for the second-degree murder of a man in the Alemany housing project in San Francisco.

A judge found that Caldwell's 1991 trial lawyer, a private attorney who was hired by Caldwell's family and who was later disbarred, was incompetent in failing to interview two witnesses who later swore that Caldwell did not participate in the shooting.

Caldwell told the conference audience that at the time of the trial, "I felt that I had no weight and that my story even if it was true had no weight" because he came from the housing project.

Caldwell was released with the help of the Northern California Innocence Project at the Santa Clara University School of Law.

Napa Co.: Sheriff's Office Says Man Shot by American Canyon Police Pointed 'Multi-tool' as Simulated Firearm

Four American Canyon police officers shot the driver of a stolen truck in a field after he pointed a "shiny metallic object" at them after a pursuit Friday night, a Napa County sheriff's captain said.

The object turned out to be a silver-colored, metal, 4.5-inch opened multi-tool that the suspected car thief, 27-year-old Angelo D. Moreno, used to simulate a firearm, Capt. Tracey Stuart said.

Results of the autopsy are still pending, but the preliminary cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds, and Moreno, a homeless man from the Vallejo and Martinez area, tested "presumptive positive" for the presence of methamphetamine and marijuana, Stuart said.

The "presumptive positive" test indicated the presence of methamphetamine and marijuana pending confirmation in lab tests that will also determine the levels of the drugs, Stuart said.

Moreno had a glass pipe in his mouth, repeatedly reached to his mouth and other areas of the truck and failed to obey the officers' repeated commands, Stuart said.

Moreno reached over toward the passenger side of the truck and "came up with a shiny metallic object, held it as if it was a firearm, and pointed it toward the officers on the driver's side of the truck," Stuart said.

The three officers on the driver's side and the officer on the passenger's side of the truck then fired at Moreno, who was then pronounced dead at the scene, Stuart said.

American Canyon police tried to stop the white 1991 Mazda pickup with no license plates around 10 p.m. Friday, Stuart said.

The truck was reported stolen earlier in the day from Rodeo, Stuart said. Moreno didn't stop and led police in a short pursuit that ended north of the dead end of Newell Drive in American Canyon where the truck got stuck in a field, Stuart said.

The officers involved and their length of law enforcement service are Sgt. Mike Hunter, 17 years; Deputy Cullen Dodd, 10 years; Deputy Bryan Schultz, 17 years; and Deputy Kenneth VanDyke, almost two years, Stuart said.

All the officers are on paid administrative leave but are expected to return to work next week, Stuart said.

The Napa and Calistoga police departments, Napa County Sheriff's Office and Napa County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting.

Bay Area Wednesday Morning Weather Forecast

Rain is likely in the Bay Area this morning, with showers likely in the afternoon. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with southwest winds up to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Mostly cloudy skies and a chance of showers are likely this evening. Lows are expected to be in the mid 40s, with westerly winds up to 15 mph.

Partly cloudy skies are likely Thursday morning, becoming sunny later in the day. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with northwest winds up to 20 mph.

 

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San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday Morning News Roundup

Santa Clara Co.:  Suspect Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting Was Trying to Ram Officer 

A single shot from a San Jose police officer killed a suspect who was allegedly trying to ram the officer with a suspected stolen car Monday night, sheriff's officials said.

The officer-involved shooting was reported at about 6:45 p.m. in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County near East San Jose, just north of the intersection of Story and South White roads.

San Jose police were conducting a follow-up investigation on an unrelated case but saw a suspicious vehicle nearby that had license plates reported stolen, sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.

When they tried to pull the car over, the driver rammed the police car and then crashed into another parked car nearby.

The officer got out of his damaged car, and the suspect then pulled away from the crash and drove directly toward the officer.

Fearing for his life, the officer fired a single shot at the driver, striking and wounding him, Cardoza said.

The suspect was conscious when he was taken to a hospital but died there from his injuries.

There was a passenger in the suspect's car and he is cooperating with the police investigation and is being considered a witness.

Cardoza said that investigators have not yet determined the identity of the driver.

San Jose: Former Supervisor Pleads Guilty to 12 Criminal Acts, Admits Won $400,000 Gambling with Campaign Money  

Former Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa pleaded guilty Monday to a dozen criminal charges for filing false campaign and expense reports and revealed to prosecutors he won $400,000 gambling with the campaign donations.

Shirakawa, appearing in Superior Court dressed in a dark pinstripe suit, replied "Guilty, your honor" to each of the five felony and seven misdemeanor charges against him read aloud by Judge Philip Pennypacker.

Pennypacker told the defendant to report to the county probation department within two days for an evaluation and then set a hearing date of April 30 to receive Shirakawa's probation report.

Shirakawa's sentencing hearing would then be scheduled and prosecutors will argue for a term of one year in the county jail, Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu-Towery said.

Pennypacker, who noted that Shirakawa's plea agreement with prosecutors states he would not be sent to state prison, told him he could be sentenced to years of supervised probation and sent to jail for up to one year if he violated probation.

Shirakawa, 51, resigned from office March 1 as part of a deal with the district attorney's office to plead guilty to four felony counts of perjury, one count of felony misuse of public funds and seven misdemeanors for filing inaccurate campaign and government finance reports.

Elected to his District 2 seat in 2008, Shirakawa ran unopposed last year and won a second term last November.

His plea arrangement requires Shirakawa to make restitution related to his crimes, including repaying the county Department of Revenue $12,000 and paying $50,000 in fines to the state Fair Political Practices Commission for 10 campaign report violations, Sinunu-Towery said Prosecutors are still investigating the sources of funds Shirakawa deposited into a private "Slush Fund" bank account associated with donations to his supervisor campaign from 2010 to 2012, Sinunu-Towery said.

Shirakawa apparently withdrew money from campaign donors to gamble with it at casinos and turned over to prosecutors IRS tax records detailing the large amounts he won gambling, Sinunu-Towery said.

"Today they gave me some documents that proved he won about $400,000 gambling, so we're going to check that out and get back to you on that," she told reporters outside the courthouse.

During Shirakawa's court hearing, Sinunu-Towery revealed that Shirakawa had surrendered four firearms worth about $1,000 as part of a bankruptcy filing by the former supervisor.

After his hearing, Shirakawa followed his attorney John Williams outside the courthouse, looked down at his smartphone and said nothing to reporters before entering an SUV that sped away down Hedding Street.

SF: Folk Singer's Anti-Gay Comments Cause Online Stir, Concert Cancellations

A folk singer's reported anti-gay comments at a San Francisco concert venue on Sunday night has caused a stir online and prompted at least one other Bay Area venue to cancel an upcoming concert with her.

Michelle Shocked, a Grammy-nominated singer whose career started in the 1980s, reportedly said "God hates fags" and made other anti-gay remarks during a show at Yoshi's, located in San Francisco's Fillmore District.

The comments prompted concert organizers to say Shocked will never be invited back to Yoshi's.

"We at Yoshi's SF do not and will not ever tolerate the type of bigotry and hatred exhibited last night," a representative from the venue wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon.

"She will never be back."

Shocked's comments also received widespread criticism from social media users.

One Twitter user wrote, "You just committed career suicide. If you believe that nonsense you deserve the ignominy ur gonna get."

Another wrote that Shocked "ended her career last night. You should probably know who your fans are before you spew hate at them."

Other concert venues, including HopMonk Tavern in Novato, announced Monday that they are canceling upcoming shows that were set to feature Shocked in light of her comments.

Shocked has not commented publicly since Sunday's show.

The media contact listed on her website, Cary Baker, said he has not been associated with her for four years.

Baker said he was "shocked" by the comments and is asking the artist to remove his name from her website.

Oakland: Police Chief Hopes Second Reorganization Effort Will Be Successful

Oakland police Chief Howard Jordan said Monday that he hopes his department's second attempt at reorganizing into smaller geographical districts will be more successful than its first.

Jordan said the second effort, which began on Saturday, will be phased in gradually, instead of all at once, and will aim to have "the right people in the right jobs."

Jordan said his department also will focus more on building better relationships with the community than it has in the past.

The reorganization plan, which was announced several months ago, calls for switching from two large police districts to five districts that Jordan said will be "smaller and more manageable geographic areas."

In the first phase of the plan, East Oakland, which has the highest crime rate in the city, has been divided into two districts, one overseen by Capt. Ersie Joyner and the other by Capt. Steven Tull.

The other new districts will be created later this year, Jordan said.

Assistant Chief Anthony Toribio said the captains will manage the day-to-day operations in their districts and oversee officers who respond to emergency calls and other service calls.

Toribio said the captains also will identify neighborhood crime reduction strategies to address crime and other quality of life issues and strengthen the department's partnerships with local communities.

He said that will include forming community advisory committees that will consist of religious leaders, neighborhood crime prevention councils, business leaders and others.

The captains will be held accountable to Jordan, Toribio said.

Tull said, "Our core function will be to work with the community and change the way we did business in the past."

Joyner said another priority is "being proactive in reducing crime instead of reactive." Toribio said, "The idea is to provide the community with a more intimate and personal relationship with high-ranking officers and have clearer communications and better directions for officers."

Jordan said the new reorganization plan was developed by Robert Wasserman, a police consultant who was hired by the city last fall.

He said the plan is supported by William Bratton, a police consultant working with Wasserman who formerly headed departments in New York, Los Angeles and Boston.

Santa Clara: City Wants Super Bowl Committee to Pay for City Services if 2016 Bid Succeeds

Santa Clara wants the group bidding for the San Francisco 49ers to host the 2016 Super Bowl to pay for government services if the event is played at the city's planned new stadium, a spokesman said Monday.

The city, which has drawn up a proposal to provide public safety services for the National Football League, will ask the San Francisco Super Bowl Committee to cover the costs, city spokesman Dan Beerman said.

Under the proposal, the Super Bowl committee would reimburse the city for services related to the Super Bowl at the city's $1.2 billion Santa Clara Stadium, to be completed in 2014, Beerman said.

To win the bowl bid, Santa Clara would have to give government services requested by the NFL for the game and special events such as the NFL Tailgate party, the on-field Media Day and the NFL On Location hospitality event, Beerman said.

Seeking to save itself money, the NFL has asked the city to exempt it from paying for things like the $4.45 parking space fee for off-site parking the city plans to charge at stadium events to defray police and traffic management costs.

The Santa Clara City Council will consider voting for the pacts -- reimbursement for city services and exemptions requested by the NFL -- at a special meeting in City Hall today.

The 49ers team, which has been at Candlestick Park in San Francisco since 1971, is to start playing in Santa Clara starting with the 2014 season.

The NFL team's only rival in the bidding for the 2016 game, the 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl, is the Miami Dolphins in South Florida.

NFL team owners will select the winner on May 22. The San Francisco Super Bowl Committee is a non-profit corporation coordinating the 49ers' bid package for the game.

Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the committee, based in San Francisco, said the group is working with governments in San Francisco and San Jose as well as Santa Clara to make the Bay Area's bid a strong one for the NFL.

The committee supports Santa Clara's request to be compensated for the costs of government services if the 49ers host the game, Ballard said.

"We are looking for incentives to make the Bay Area even more attractive," Ballard said. "We are going to get this done," Ballard said. "We've had nothing but the highest cooperation between the cities and the host region."

Under the NFL proposal up for a vote today, Santa Clara would waive off-site parking and other fees on game tickets and hotel rooms if team owners choose the 49ers.

That second agreement could be the key to the 49ers winning the bid, which city officials said in a staff report last week pumped as much as $300 million into the regional economies of other host regions.

Beerman said that officials representing South Florida in its Super Bowl bid have declined to exempt the NFL from paying hotel taxes, thus strengthening the 49ers' bid.

"The regional effort here is what is really going to help us," Beerman said. "Everybody is putting their best face on it."

SF: Former CalPERS CEO and Investment Agent Indicted on Conspiracy Charges

A former chief executive of the California Public Employees Retirement System and an investment placement agent have been indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on conspiracy charges related to allegedly fraudulent letters concerning $14 million in fees.

The system, known as CalPERS, is the nation's largest pension fund, with $255 billion in assets.

It provides pension and health benefits to 1.6 million current and retired public workers.

Former CEO Frederico Buenrostro, 64, of Sacramento, and former agent Alfred Villalobos, 69, of Reno, are accused of conspiring to deceive federal investigators and conspiring to commit fraud in connection with letters related to $14 million in fees received by Villalobos.

Villalobos received the fees from a private equity firm, Apollo Global Management LLC, for a $3 billion investment CalPERS made in funds managed by New York-based Apollo in 2007 and 2008.

The indictment was issued on March 14 and announced by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag Monday after the two men made initial appearances before a federal magistrate in San Francisco. Both were released on $500,000 personal bonds.

The indictment alleges that Buenrostro and Villalobos fabricated investor disclosure letters that falsely stated CalPERS was aware of fees that Villalobos had arranged to be paid by Apollo.

As a result of the letters, Apollo paid $14 million to Villalobos's company, ARVCO Capital Research LLC, the indictment says. Buenrostro was chief executive officer of CalPERS from 2002 to 2008.

The day after he left CalPERS, he began working for Villalobos, on July 1, 2008. Villalobos was a member of the CalPERS board from 1992 to 1995.

The two men have previously been sued for fraud in civil lawsuits filed by the state attorney general's office in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2010 and by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in federal court in Las Vegas in 2012.

Both lawsuits are pending.

CalPERS Board President Rob Feckner said, "This long-awaited indictment of two former officials is another step on the road toward justice for California's taxpayers, public employees and for all of CalPERS staff and stakeholders.

"This type of behavior has no place in our organization," Feckner said in a statement.

Feckner said CalPERS has been implementing a series of reforms recommended in an outside law firm's review of its use of placement agents.

The indictment charges Buenrostro and Villalobos each with one count of conspiring to deceive agents in the SEC civil investigation and an FBI criminal probe, one count of engaging in deceit, and one count of conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud related to the letters.

The former CEO is additionally accused of two counts of making a false statement to investigators in 2012 and obstructing justice.

Buenrostro and Villalobos are due to return to court on March 25 and April 9, respectively, for arraignment, further bail hearings and identification of their defense lawyers.

They will appear before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, the trial judge assigned to the case, for a status conference on May 8.

The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison upon conviction.

The other counts each have a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

SF: Postmaster General Speaks at Convention; Postal Workers Protest Outside

As the U.S. postmaster general spoke in San Francisco Monday at the nation's largest mailing industry convention, postal workers gathered outside to criticize the state of the postal service.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe was in San Francisco Monday morning to deliver the keynote address at the National Postal Forum and outlined recent budget cuts that have led the U.S. Postal Service to reduce its workforce by 193,000 employees since 2006.

"No other organization that I can think of -- either public or private -- has gone through a similar downsizing so rapidly and continued to function at a high level," Donahoe said.

However, those cuts -- as well as proposals to eliminate Saturday mail service and close more post offices -- were what prompted a rally outside the convention center by dozens of current and former postal workers and their supporters.

"We're here to say no to excessive closures and consolidations," said Kim Garcia, a mail handler at a postal facility in San Francisco's Bayview District.

"We need a postmaster who supports the postal service and not one who is actively trying to dismantle it."

David Welsh, a retired letter carrier in Daly City, said the move to five-day mail service will be a big blow to customers, particularly the elderly and disabled who could see delays in receiving prescription drugs.

"It's going to be a big cutback," Welsh said.

Postal officials have blamed a mandate instituted by Congress in 2006 requiring the agency to pre-fund its retiree health care costs as well as customers' changing mailing habits as reasons for the downsizing.

Donahoe Monday encouraged the mailing industry to use technology such as imbedded QR codes or augmented reality to improve the experience of customers who are increasingly relying on e-mails or other online means of communication.

"We must continue to work to drive innovation and leverage data and technology to improve the consumer experience and grow revenue," Donahoe said.

"Our challenge as an industry is to shape those moments when people are experiencing mail, and make them more powerful in the future."

The protesters outside acknowledged the congressional mandate has prompted some layoffs and called for its removal, but argued that new technology was not a reason to cut the budget further.

"The Postal Service was there before the Constitution," said Harvey Smith from the group Save the Berkeley Post Office.

"This is an organization that survived the telegraph, survived the telephone, survived the fax ... it'll survive e-mail."

The National Postal Forum runs through Wednesday at Moscone Center West.

Regional: Fatal Racecar Crash Investigation Will Consider Speed, Disconnected Steering Wheel

The Yuba County Sheriff's Office is investigating why a racecar crashed and killed a Santa Rosa teen at the Marysville Raceway Park Saturday evening.

Marcus Johnson, 14, and 68-year-old Dale Richard Wondergem Jr. of Grass Valley died after a sprint racecar driven by Johnson's 17-year-old cousin, Chase Johnson of Penngrove, left the track and crashed in the pit area of the raceway in Marysville.

Wondergem died at the scene and Marcus Johnson died soon after he his arrived at Rideout Hospital in Marysville.

Yuba County Undersheriff Jerry Read said the investigation will include the possibility the steering wheel in Chad Johnson's car became disconnected, and that the car was traveling around 90 mph when it entered the pit area around 6 p.m.

"We have the car and we'll examine it. No one has reported seeing the disconnected steering wheel in his (Chase Johnson's) hands," Read said Monday afternoon.

Read also said, "We don't know how fast the car was going."

Wondergem owned one of the racecars at the track but not the one Chase Johnson was driving, Read said.

Chase Johnson was not injured in the crash that happened as the drivers of six or seven winged sprint cars were completing their "hot", or warm-up laps before the race.

Johnson's car tipped onto its side and stopped after it hit Marcus Johnson and Wondergem who were standing near each other, Read said.

It was reported that Marcus Johnson was not an official member of Chase Johnson's pit crew, and his presence in the pit area is still being investigated, Read said.

The racetrack was hosting its Battle of Marysville for the sprint cars Saturday.

The race is part of the California Sprint Car Civil War Series.

SF: Man Accused of Impersonating Law Enforcement Misses Court Hearing

A man cited last month for allegedly posing as a law enforcement officer in San Francisco is now being sought by authorities after not showing up to his arraignment in court Monday, prosecutors said.

Angel Wilfredo Castro, 47, faces three misdemeanors and four infractions for the Feb. 11 incident in the city's Mission District.

Castro is charged with unlawful use of a badge to impersonate law enforcement, reckless driving, unlawful carrying of a loaded firearm, impersonating a federal agent, and operating an unregistered vehicle that had an unlawfully equipped light bar and siren.

He was set to be arraigned Monday in San Francisco Superior Court but did not come to the hearing.

A $50,000 bench warrant has been issued for his arrest, district attorney's office spokesman Alex Bastian said.

The incident began at about 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 when a patrol officer at 24th and Capp streets heard a siren approaching and then saw an unmarked white Ford Crown Victoria pass by, Bastian said.

The officer, who hadn't heard any radio calls or emergencies and thought the car might be from an outside agency, followed the vehicle as it went through a red light and stop sign and then stopped in the 2600 block of Mission Street, according to Bastian.

A man got out of the car wearing a polo shirt with an FBI emblem on it and a silver star in his belt.

The officer asked him what was going on and the man allegedly said, "There was an emergency there but it's over now," Bastian said.

After circling around the block, the officer decided to check the license plate number and determined it was not a law enforcement vehicle.

The man, later identified as Castro, eventually returned and told the officer he worked for a security company and that the emergency was that, "I had to pay my phone bill," Bastian said.

The officer took custody of Castro's loaded weapon, cited him for the various violations and released him at the scene, Bastian said.

Berkeley: Ashkenaz Managing Director, Second Employee Recovering After Violent Robbery

The managing director of a Berkeley music venue is recovering along with another employee who was shot during a robbery at the center early Saturday morning, a center spokesman said.

Larry Chin, who has worked at Berkeley's Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center for about 30 years, was shot in the head just after midnight Saturday and another employee was struck in the arm at the center located at 1317 San Pablo Ave., Joe Balestreri said.

The Ashkenaz Music and Dance Center is an international music and dance venue and teaching center.

Chin was expected to be released from the hospital Monday, Balestreri said, and to go to his Concord home to continue his recovery.

The other employee, who has worked at Ashkenaz for about five years, underwent an operation Sunday and is expected to fully recover, Balestreri said.

The two were shot early Saturday morning when two armed suspects entered the center and demanded cash.

The suspects shot and wounded Chin and the other employee before fleeing, Berkeley police said.

Officers arrived on the scene within moments and attempted to stop one of the suspects who was fleeing from the area.

The suspect ran into a yard and officers surrounded the block.

Police conducted a yard-to-yard search of the area with the aid of an Alameda County sheriff's K-9 deputy and found the suspect hiding behind a building in the 1300 block of San Pablo Avenue.

Police have not released the name of the suspect who was arrested. As of Monday afternoon, the second suspect remains at large.

Balestreri, who has worked at the venue for 16 years, said this weekend a series of events were held for the center's 40th anniversary and continued as planned despite the early morning violence.

"We felt a real solidarity over the weekend," he said with many supporters and former employees coming to anniversary events after hearing about the shooting.

"All went well and smoothly and peacefully," he said.

Before Saturday night's show a community leader led a prayer and ceremony for the two shooting victims, he said. The violent robbery has prompted Ashkenaz staff to re-evaluate their security policies, Balestreri said.

Balestreri said the center is looking into having security staff and having less cash out.

A security camera at the front door captured some of the violence and the footage has been given to Berkeley police investigators, he said.

"I still feel completely safe here," he said, emphasizing the staff's prime concern is keeping patrons and employees protected.

Balestreri said the community is generally peaceful and this was only the second violent incident in the venue's 40-year history.

"Seems like a good record to me," he said.

Bay Area Tuesday Morning Weather Forecast

Mostly cloudy skies are forecast for the Bay Area this morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with southwest winds up to 10 mph.

Rain is likely this evening. Lows are expected to be around 50, with winds up to 10 mph.

Showers are likely Wednesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with winds up to 15 mph in the afternoon.

 

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Santa Clara Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges

Former Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa pleaded guilty today to a dozen criminal charges for filing false campaign and expense reports and revealed to prosecutors he won $400,000 gambling with the campaign donations.

Shirakawa, appearing in Superior Court dressed in a dark pinstripe suit, replied "Guilty, your honor" to each of the five felony and seven misdemeanor charges against him read aloud by Judge Philip Pennypacker.

Pennypacker told the defendant to report to the county probation department within two days for an evaluation and then set a hearing date of April 30 to receive Shirakawa's probation report.

Shirakawa's sentencing hearing would then be scheduled and prosecutors will argue for a term of one year in the county jail, Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu-Towery said.

Pennypacker, who noted that Shirakawa's plea agreement with prosecutors states he would not be sent to state prison, told him he could be sentenced to years of supervised probation and sent to jail for up to one year if he violated probation.

Shirakawa, 51, resigned from office March 1 as part of a deal with the district attorney's office to plead guilty to four felony counts of perjury, one count of felony misuse of public funds and seven misdemeanors for filing inaccurate campaign and government finance reports.

Elected to his District 2 seat in 2008, Shirakawa ran unopposed last year and won a second term last November.

His plea arrangement requires Shirakawa to make restitution related to his crimes, including repaying the county Department of Revenue $12,000 and paying $50,000 in fines to the state Fair Political Practices Commission for 10 campaign report violations, Sinunu-Towery said Prosecutors are still investigating the sources of funds Shirakawa deposited into a private "Slush Fund" bank account associated with donations to his supervisor campaign from 2010 to 2012, Sinunu-Towery said.

Shirakawa apparently withdrew money from campaign donors to gamble with it at casinos and turned over to prosecutors IRS tax records detailing the large amounts he won gambling, Sinunu-Towery said.

"Today they gave me some documents that proved he won about $400,000 gambling, so we're going to check that out and get back to you on that," she told reporters outside the courthouse.

During Shirakawa's court hearing, Sinunu-Towery revealed that Shirakawa had surrendered four firearms worth about $1,000 as part of a bankruptcy filing by the former supervisor.

After his hearing, Shirakawa followed his attorney John Williams outside the courthouse, looked down at his smartphone and said nothing to reporters before entering an SUV that sped away down Hedding Street.

Shirakawa, a former San Jose city councilman, has apologized and blamed his behavior on untreated gambling addiction and depression problems for which he said he is seeking medical treatment.

The perjury charges stem from his filing of false reports about five campaign bank accounts starting in 2002 when he was elected to the board of trustees of the East Side Union School District.

An investigator for the district attorney's office reported this month that Shirakawa had shifted more than $130,000 out of campaign and public government accounts starting in 2008.

The plea agreement also bars him for life from running for public office in California.

 

Check out some of our most popular blogs:

     We Built a Stronger SF Economy on Smart Government Investments

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     Love Muni, Hate Muni or Somewhere in Between? Let the SFMTA Know!

 

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