Tamara Barak Aparton

Bridge repair seen as stopgap

The Bay Bridge could be closed again in the coming months to allow Caltrans to replace a trouble-plagued repair to a cracked support beam. The bridge reopened to traffic Monday morning after a historic near-weeklong closure. The span was closed Oct. 27 when steel components broke loose in strong wind gusts and fell onto traffic during the evening rush hour. The recent repairs replaced and reinforced a failed fix of a support beam, called an eyebar, which had been completed during the scheduled Labor Day weekend closure. The latest work was characterized by Caltrans officials Monday as a short-term repair that will require exhaustive ongoing monitoring and maintenance. On Sunday,...

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Bay Bridge breakdown caused by known flaw

Damage to the Bay Bridge that led to pieces of steel plummeting onto the roadway during rush hour Tuesday was known to officials, who neglected to make the repairs. The bridge is now being fixed with many of the same pieces of failed equipment as well as the structural designs that led to an unexpected shutdown of the span. Problems with the bridge began Labor Day weekend, when an inspection during a scheduled closure — for the building of a new self-anchored suspension bridge span — uncovered a rusted beam. Caltrans, the agency that oversees the bridge, strengthened the surrounding area of the rusted beam, called an eyebar, with improvised steel components. But the repair...

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Bridge repair to be monitored after emergency fix

Repairs on the Bay Bridge were expected to be complete by 10 p.m. Thursday and a bevy of independent inspectors were assembled to sign off on the work to avoid future blunders that closed the span and stranded hundreds of thousands commuters for days. After a cable snapped Tuesday that had been hastily fixed to support a cracked bar during the Labor Day weekend closure, bridge officials have been exceedingly careful about reopening the span. The Federal Highway Administration and the state Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel were each expected to do independent, overnight inspections of the repaired metal bar, called an eyebar. “It’s like kicking tires on a car. They want to...

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City takes aim at hotel plagued with police calls

A Marina district hotel allegedly crawling with bedbugs, rats and criminals is the target of a lawsuit by City Attorney Dennis Herrera. The Bridge Motel, a single resident occupancy hotel on Lombard Street, was the site of 91 police calls in the last seven months alone, according to Herrera. Among the calls were incidents involving violence, drugs, grand theft, weapons possession and terrorist threats. The lawsuit, filed Monday, details dozens of troubling incidents since August 2008, including a tenant throwing hypodermic needles into neighboring yards and arrests for armed robbery, burglary, domestic violence, car theft, failure to register as a sex offender, vandalism and multiple...

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Muni security cameras failed again

The Muni bus where a dead body was found after it had been parked in a storage yard for nearly six hours lacked functioning security cameras, although the system had been tested and worked a week earlier. A cleaning crew discovered the body of Christopher Feasel, 37, of San Francisco around midnight Oct. 16 aboard a 5-Fulton that had been parked since 6:30 p.m. after completing a rush-hour shift, Muni spokesman Judson True said. In response to a request from The Examiner, Muni acknowledged that the security cameras aboard the bus were not working during the time leading up to it being parked in the yard. The bus, however, did have functioning cameras just a week before the incident,...

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Recession to bring more people to huge homelessness event

City officials predict tough economic times will bring more than 2,000 people to an event offering services for the homeless on Wednesday. The 20th Project Homeless Connect event will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium at 10 a.m. More than 1,000 volunteers are expected to be on-hand to help homeless people connect with the under-one-roof services. The event is expected to draw a larger crowd due to more people struggling financially, organizers said....

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Tour of California to zip through city streets in May

The world’s fastest cyclists will zip through San Francisco’s hills May 18 in the third leg of the Amgen Tour of California, arguably America’s most important and prestigious bike race. The 16 host cities were announced Thursday morning through a Twitter exchange between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and cyclists Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie. “The governor essentially put out a challenge directly to Lance Armstrong via tweet,” said Michael Roth, spokesman for the tour. Organizers have made two major changes to the five-year-old race — moving its start from February to May 16, and including the Sierras and Sequoia...

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Hotel workers to vote on strike

In a move that could weaken the San Francisco tourism industry during a dour economy, hotel workers will vote today whether to authorize a strike after labor negotiations have dragged for two months. Tourism — and specifically a 14 percent tax on each hotel room — is one of the largest tax generators for The City, raking in $528 million to the coffers last year. A strike could cause the loss of millions. When hotel workers went on strike and were subsequently locked out in 2004, hotels lost between $50 million and $100 million in business, lowering the amount San Francisco collected in taxes for each room. The 9,000 hotel workers — including room cleaners, bellhops...

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Life of man found dead on bus torn apart by drugs, crime

Warm weather and an impressive skateboard scene lured Christopher Feasel to San Francisco, but he stumbled into drug addiction and homelessness before turning up dead on a parked Muni bus. A cleaning crew discovered Feasel around midnight Friday aboard a 5-Fulton that had been parked since 6:30 p.m. after completing a rush-hour shift, Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman Judson True said. An autopsy was scheduled Monday for the 37-year-old San Francisco resident, who had no fixed address at the time of his death, but the cause may not be known for weeks. The body showed no sign of trauma, according to police. Feasel’s ex-wife, Oregon resident DeDee Peterson, said Monday she...

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Officials meet with neighbors following homicide

Supervisor John Avalos and Ingleside Police Station Capt. David Lazar plan to meet with residents rattled by last week’s mysterious homicide in the Excelsior District. A representative from SFPD’s homicide detail will discuss the Oct. 12 killing of Eric Buschman, 49, and answer questions from residents. Police say Buschman was unloading his pickup truck with a friend in front of his home after a camping trip to Lake Shasta when a man approached and suddenly stabbed him. The killer was last seen running from the area northbound on Athens Street and then west on Excelsior Avenue, police said. The meeting will be held Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. at Coleman Advocates, 459 Vienna St. It...

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Billboard debate scheduled for Wednesday

Creating a two-block “sign district” along Market Street is perhaps the most controversial ballot initiative going before San Francisco voters this November. On Wednesday, supporters and opponents of Proposition D will debate the measure at The SoMa Leadership Council. Supporters of the measure say it will combat blight and renew tourism by creating a safe, well-lit corridor for pedestrians between mid-Market and the Civic Center. Opponents fear the extreme presence of billboards could destroy prospects for reviving all of Market Street. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at The Arc of San Francisco, 180 11th St., second...

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Thursday morning’s siren song

Don’t be alarmed by the sirens and disembodied voice over San Francisco Thursday morning. It’s only an earthquake drill, according to the mayor’s office. The City’s outdoor public warning system sirens will be activated at 10:15 a.m,, producing sirens followed by a voice assuring citizens it is a test. Thursday is the first time officials will use the system citywide other than the regular Tuesday noon weekly test. The test is part of the Great California ShakeOut, the statewide earthquake...

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Bay storm breaks record

Record-breaking rainfall and strong winds walloped the region Tuesday, flooding streets and bringing down trees and power lines. The unusually large October storm, the remnants of Japanese Typhoon Melor, came in near 2 a.m. Tuesday, said Diana Henderson of the National Weather Service. “This early in the season, it’s kind of unusual to have this amount of rain, and this amount of rain this quickly,” she said. In San Francisco, Interstate Highway 280 just south of Mariposa Street and the Sixth Street and King Street offramps were closed because of flooding. “There’s a lot of standing water on the freeways and problems with flooding and wrecks everywhere in...

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Winds topple trees as rain floods major intersections

Heavy winds tore down trees as incessant rain flooded neighborhoods throughout San Francisco Tuesday. In a significant incident, a cyclist’s front wheel was damaged by a towering tree that snapped at its roots at Haight and Broderick streets. The tree landed on a parked car. Department of Public Works spokeswoman Christine Falvey said. DPW’s urban forestry crew, which will work late into the night, is assessing the damage. By 11:15 a.m., DPW had received 40 calls for tree issues, most for hanging tree limbs, Falvey said. DPW is responsible for maintaining only 40,000 of San Francisco’s estimated 130,000 trees, Falvey said. The rest belong to private property...

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Conditions expected to worsen for afternoon commute

Treacherous conditions are expected to stick around for the evening commute, forecasters said Tuesday morning. Between 2 and 8:15 a.m., the storm dropped nearly an inch of rain on San Francisco and the San Mateo County coast, and nearly three-quarters of an inch near San Francisco International Airport, National Weather Service forecaster Diana Henderson said. In Half Moon Bay, wind was measured at 40 miles per hour. The violent gusts and swollen streams prompted the National Weather Service to issue high wind and urban flood and stream advisories Tuesday morning. The storm, which was scheduled to hit Monday night, came in slightly later, Henderson said. Light rain began at 2 a.m., and...

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Businesses in western SOMA up for debate

What kind of businesses should pop up in the western SOMA neighborhood? Zoning discussions are heating up about what to prohibit and what to allow – from bars, medical marijuana dispensaries, large retail stores and movie theaters. On Thursday, residents and city officials will discuss the matter at the Business and Land Use Committee Meeting. The Western SOMA Community Plan, hailed by some residents for maintaining the neighborhood’s historic qualities and criticized by San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association for its limited scale on buildings, is currently undergoing environmental impact report analysis. Thursday’s discussion will take place at 6 p.m....

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Could hotel workers be heading for another strike?

Hotel workers whose 2004 strike and subsequent lockout by employers crippled The City’s tourism industry have shied away from the word “strike” during their current contract negotiations. Until now. “It’s a definite possibility,” said Riddhi Mehta, spokeswoman for Unite Here Local 2. “I can’t say yes or no right now, with how terrible negotiations have been going, it’s possible.” Negotiations between the union and management at San Francisco’s major hotel chains — Hilton, Hyatt and Hilton – have been ongoing since August. Union members say the hotels have proposed cuts to wages and benefits. Hotel management...

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Oracle OpenWorld aims to draw a crowd

Despite companies cutting employee travel and canceling conventions nationwide, Oracle is predicting next week’s OpenWorld to infuse its usual $100 million into San Francisco’s economy. The massive convention, held Sunday through Thursday at Moscone Center and on nearby Howard Street, is expected to draw 43,000 attendees, which is consistent with the past two years, according to Kim Pineda, a spokeswoman for the Redwood City-based enterprise software company. Also holding steady are the more than 450 companies exhibiting at the show. Some 15,500 rooms have been booked, according to San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau data. That number is up from 11,000 in 2007. The...

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In immigration debate, the writing’s on the wall

As the immigration debate rages on national talk shows and at Board of Supervisors meetings, Angel Island is injecting history into the conversation. Often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West,” the century-old U.S. Immigration Station on Angel Island is one of 13 museums taking part in a program launched last week that grapples with issues of citizenship and identity. The program — “Face to Face: Immigration Then and Now” — doesn’t advocate for particular policies, but each museum exhibit is set up to encourage visitors to discuss with each other issues surrounding immigration and health care, labor and history. Angel Island’s...

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Police shoot armed, mentally ill man in Mission District

Police shot and wounded a 27-year-old man Sunday evening in the Mission District after failing to subdue him with pepper spray and a round from a non-lethal projectile weapon. The unidentified man, who was armed with a knife, is expected to survive, police said Monday. At 7:40 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to a call from the family of a mentally disturbed man breaking windows inside an apartment in the 500 block of 14th Street, near Guerrero Street. When officers tried to speak to the man, he became hostile, police said. Officers sprayed him with pepper spray, which appeared to have no effect, police said. An officer then shot the man with an extended range impact weapon, which...

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Number of homeless families skyrocketing

In 2007, Alice Mabry was raising her son, confident that with her ambition and education, things would only get brighter. But in a matter of months she lost her job, and it all crumbled. The pair landed in a San Francisco homeless shelter. “Never in a million years did I think I would end up in a shelter. I have a college education. Not me,” said 41-year-old Mabry. “But people can be one paycheck away from homelessness.” The economic and foreclosure crises have hit families like Mabry’s hard. Shelter beds for single homeless people go vacant in San Francisco, but there are 214 families on a waiting list for accommodations, according to the Human Services...

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Bear enclosure climber has history of mental illness

The man arrested Saturday for barging into a grizzly bear enclosure at San Francisco Zoo has a history of mental health illness, according to family. Twenty-one-year-old Kenneth Herron was rescued in a catatonic state from Grizzly Gulch Saturday after climbing into the enclosure just before the zoo closed for the day. Authorities were still trying to determine how Herron apparently bypassed a fence, moat and electric wiring. Witnesses have given conflicting reports, police said. Surveillance footage that shows Herron entering the zoo around 4:45 p.m. and walking straight to Grizzly Gulch has been turned over to police, zoo spokeswoman Gwendolyn Tornatore said. There is no surveillance...

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Streets around Transbay Terminal reopen after bomb scare

The recent warning about the threat of terror attacks at transit stations played a role in the decision to shut down streets around the Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco on Monday. Streets around the bus terminal, which stretches a city block between First and Fremont streets and faces Mission Street, were closed to vehicles and pedestrians for around 75 minutes and nearby buildings were evacuated while a police bomb squad X-rayed a bag left behind on a 5-Fulton bus around 10:45 a.m. The dark blue duffel bag turned out to contain nothing more than women’s clothing, including a leather jacket, undergarments and leotards, CHP Officer Shawn Chase said. A Muni operator...

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Donald Fisher, co-founder of Gap Inc. dies at age 81

Donald G. Fisher, who founded clothing retailer Gap Inc., has died at age 81 after a long battle with cancer.

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‘Zombielike’ zoo trespasser keeping quiet in jail

A 21-year-old transient who bypassed a fence, a moat and electric wires to throw himself into a grizzly bear enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo appeared “zombielike” — an affect that likely saved his life — as one of the 500-pound animals sniffed at his shoes, zoo officials said. Police and zoo officials are trying to find out how Kenneth Herron intruded on Grizzly Gulch, home to 6-year-old sisters Kachina and Kiona, just before the zoo closed at 5 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses have given conflicting reports and Herron has remained uncommunicative, San Francisco police Capt. John Loftus said. A 4-foot-tall fence, a 15-by-20 moat and electric wire is intended to...

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Nabbing burglars is no easy feat

Just before midnight, two men on bicycles rode up to a car parked on a dark Parkmerced street. One smashed the window before both began ransacking the vehicle for valuables. An off-duty officer called police and within minutes both thieves were in handcuffs, Ingleside Police Station Lt. Tom Clary said when recalling the incident. Vehicle break-ins may be as frequent as foggy days in The City, but arrests like Wednesday night’s are extraordinarily rare. Those who break in to vehicles rarely face consequences, according to Police Department statistics. From Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 7,130 auto burglaries in San Francisco were reported to police. Arrests were made in only 4 percent of...

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Muni disrupted after minor accident

Two people were slightly hurt this morning after the mirror of a 71-Haight-Noriega Muni bus swiped a historic F-Market street car downtown. An injured passenger of the F-line complained of pain but declined to be taken to the hospital, San Francisco Fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. The operator of the street car was “a little shaken,” in the crash, she said. The operator is receiving medical attention but has not been taken to the hospital, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman Judson True said. The 11:20 a.m. crash occurred near the intersection of Market and Grant streets, True said. The street car was traveling outbound on Market Street when it was struck...

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Man hit by train was 49-year-old San Mateo resident

A man who died along with two parrots after being struck by a Caltrain in San Mateo Monday has been identified as 49-year-old Peter Manion. Manion was a San Mateo resident, the San Mateo County coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday morning. Caltrain officials say Manion, who was carrying the parrots, was hit at 4:40 p.m. by a northbound train, at the street-level East Bellevue Avenue crossing, which is between the San Mateo and Burlingame stations and a few blocks west of San Mateo High School. Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said as of Monday night, investigators were still unsure whether the incident was an accident or a suicide and the only known witness was the train...

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Mission district shootings ignite gang-free zone

Homicides in an area of the Mission district designated by authorities as a gang-free zone went from zero during a span of almost 10 months to three in just three days this weekend. Francisco Pena, 41, of San Francisco, and Francisco Cornejo, 26, of unknown residence, died in a gang-related shooting inside a 24th Street pizzeria late Sunday afternoon. A third man suffered life-threatening injuries, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. “We had officers there within a minute,” said Capt. Stephen Tacchini, who commands Mission Police Station. “We couldn’t resuscitate the victims, but we were able to make a quick arrest.” San Francisco residents Andres...

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Two-alarm fire in Bayview leaves seven homeless

Seven people are displaced after a fire whipped through a three story home in the Bayview Sunday night. No one was injured in the two-alarm blaze at 1 Whitfield Ct., fire officials said Monday morning. Engines responded to the fire at 11:23 p.m. and firefighters brought it under control at 11:24 p.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The American Red Cross responded to provide shelter for the...

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Police looking into connections in three gang killings

A gang-related fistfight near a Mission District pizzeria erupted into gunfire Sunday afternoon, leaving two men dead and two others behind bars. The victims were identified by the medical examiner’s office Monday morning as Francisco Pena, 41, a resident of The City, and Francisco Cornejo, 26, whose address wasn’t known. A third man, whose name was not released, remains in life-threatening condition, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. At 4:02 p.m., officers responded to a report of gunshots around 24th Street and Potrero Avenue. They found three people shot and “a very large crime scene,” in the neighborhood, which is a mix of apartment buildings and...

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Mobile phones connect police, community

On any given day, San Francisco police Officer Nicole Jones will receive calls about drug deals in progress, shoplifting problems or concerns about a couple in a violent relationship. Instead of the information crackling through her radio from central dispatch, it comes through her cell phone — and the callers usually know her name and help pay her phone bill. Jones, one of two foot patrol officers in Bernal Heights, is part of a pilot program in which merchants provide cell phones to officers assigned to their neighborhoods. Jones and her colleague, Officer Nathan Bernard, share the phone as well as the beat: Cortland Avenue between Gates and Mission streets, a busy neighborhood...

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Park(ing) Day may be a look into the future

Friday may provide a glimpse into the future. Bicycle riding us up in San Francisco 43 percent since 2006, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s May State of the Cycling report. Now some bike activists are asking: Where’s our parking? At the fourth annual Park(ing) Day on Friday, auto parking spaces will be transformed into parks. A few of those car-less spaces will highlight an innovation called “on street bike parking,” part of The City’s recently-approved 2009 bike plan. The bike parking turns a single car parking space into a dozen bike parking spaces. The bike parking will be found Friday in front of Bi-Rite market and...

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Surplus building to be affordable housing for homeless vets

Neighbors can hear firsthand about a plan provide housing to 76 homeless veterans at the SoMa Leadership Council Wednesday evening. Representatives from Swords to Plowshares will be at the 6 p.m. meeting at The Arc of San Francisco, 180 11th St., to talk about their collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Center. The two organizations want to develop 150 Otis St., a surplus city-owned building, into permanent affordable rental housing for chronically homeless senior citizen vets. The project is scheduled to be completed in...

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Car claims life of S.F. pedestrian

A recent San Francisco State University graduate who friends described as hilarious and quirky was killed after a car hit her on Fell Street early Tuesday morning. A 19-year-old who lives on the Peninsula but was commuting to work in The City drove his Honda Civic to the right around a car that had stopped in front of him — a legal maneuver — according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka. The Civic then struck Melissa Hope Dennison, 24, of San Francisco and the impact threw her “a significant distance” from the intersection of Fell and Broderick streets, Tomioka said. The accident was reported at 6:27 a.m., fire dispatchers said. Dennison died at the scene....

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2 students sent to hospital after school bus crash

Two disabled high school students were sent to UCSF Medical Center Monday morning after a minor injury accident in the Sunset District involving the school bus they were riding. The bus was in the slow lane of Lincoln Avenue and was headed to Lowell High School, which is near Lake Merced, just after 8 a.m. when it was struck by a car making a right turn from Seventh Avenue onto Lincoln Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Shawn Chase said. The impact to the right front of the bus pushed it into a car traveling in the fast lane, Chase said. Two boys, 15 and 16, were transported to the hospital to be checked out. The students didn’t have any visible injuries but had trouble...

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BART’s non-peak service slows

Taking BART outside of peak commute hours? Prepare to wait longer on the platform. Beginning today, off-peak trains will run every 20 minutes instead of every 15. The slight overall reduction is part of the transit agency’s strategy to eliminate a $310 million, four-year deficit caused by a sharp decline in ridership, sales taxes, and cuts to state transit funding. But it’s not all bad news, BART officials say. The change will restore a direct train connection between Millbrae and the San Francisco International Airport during non-commute hours. BART discontinued that service in 2008 in exchange for stepping up off-peak service....

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S.F. State student is suicide victim

A man who police say lit himself on fire at a Sunset district gas station Sept. 6 was a San Francisco State University student from San Diego. The Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 19-year-old Anton Jungenberg. Jungenberg was an art major who was talented in many mediums, according to online remembrances posted by family and friends. Police say Jungenberg burned to death at a Shell station at 19th Avenue and Taraval Street after drenching himself with gas from a pump at 3:30 a.m. A station attendant called 911 after coming back from a storage room and spotting Jungenberg engulfed in flames. Police said the incident was a suicide and there’s no evidence...

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Teen’s plea in school bombing delayed

An accused teenage school bomber won’t enter a plea in court for another three weeks — his attorney needs more time to pore over the voluminous evidence in the case. San Mateo police say former Hillsdale High School student Alexander Youshock burst into the halls of his old school Aug. 24 armed with 10 pipe bombs, a sword and a chain saw. He allegedly exploded two bombs, which caused minor damage and no injuries, before being restrained by teacher Kennet Santana. Youshock allegedly targeted a chemistry teacher and an aide, but planned to kill and maim as many students and staff members as possible, police said. Prosecutors have said the case against the teenager will focus...

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Light rail hits pedestrian

A female pedestrian was taken to San Francisco General Hospital this morning after she was struck by a Muni light rail vehicle in the Oceanview neighborhood. The woman is expected to survive, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. Muni officials say the victim was struck by an outbound M Ocean View train at the intersection of Broad Street and Plymouth Avenue. The vehicle was traveling east on Broad Street. Muni service was disrupted for nearly an hour, as bus shuttles provided substitute service in both directions on the M line between St. Francis Circle and the Muni terminal at San Jose and Geneva avenues. The M line service is back to...

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Tough weekend for motorists with street closures, events

In addition to the Bay Bridge closure scheduled from tonight until Tuesday, several San Francisco events will impact traffic and Muni service this weekend. Despite the Labor Day holiday, motorists will still have to feed the meters Monday. However, residential parking permits, commuter tow away, and street sweeping restrictions will not be enforced, according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials. Muni service will operate on a Sunday schedule on Labor Day, except for the Muni Metro, which will stick to a Saturday schedule due to the bridge closure. BART will run after midnight at 14 stations Friday through Monday, including Embarcadero, Powell, 24th Street and...

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Cops clean up Tenderloin

A three-week sweep targeting Tenderloin drug dealers is the beginning of a tough-on-crime era dawning on the gritty neighborhood, authorities promised Wednesday. “Let’s get it really clear,” San Francisco police Chief George Gascón said at a Tenderloin Station news conference. “We’re not talking about a war on poor people or a war on the homeless. We’re talking about a war on drugs and organized crime.” From Aug. 13 to Sept. 2, police arrested 302 people in the neighborhood. Most of the arrests were undercover narcotics stings, in which suspects sold crack-cocaine, heroin and prescription painkillers to police. Nearly half the people...

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Suspicious liquid, notes lead to evacuations

Two bottles of liquid and threatening notes left in front of two Richmond district homes caused the evacuation of 16 residences Tuesday, and others were advised to stay inside. A man walking his dog near 20th Avenue and Balboa Street called 911 at 9:27 a.m. after finding one of the bottles, police and fire officials said. Responding officers found a second bottle and note across the street. The Police Department’s bomb squad, arson investigators and the Fire Department’s hazardous materials team were called, and the surrounding streets were closed. Police declined to disclose the wording of the notes, but Sgt. Wilfred Williams said both were “threatening in...

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Firefighters remain at scene of Bayview inferno

Firefighters continued to extinguish hot spots and inspect ravaged buildings Monday morning – nearly 20 hours after a four-alarm blaze damaged seven Bayview District warehouses. The fire was reported at about 10:50 a.m. Sunday at 1526 Wallace Ave., and spread to three other buildings on Wallace Avenue and three others on Van Dyke Avenue, according to fire officials. Arson investigators and the Police Department’s narcotics unit are probing the blaze after marijuana was found growing in one of the warehouses. No arrests have been made, Sgt. Bill Roualdes of the Bayview Station said Monday. Firefighters are expected to remain at the site until 11 a.m., Roualdes said. Police...

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Infernos rage across S.F.

As many as eight people, including a pregnant woman and her young family, were displaced from their homes when a three-alarm fire ripped through a Cole Valley Victorian and spread to three other homes Sunday afternoon. Celine Monget, who is five months pregnant, lived in the three-story home where the fire started. Her husband, Javier Cardona, said she called him immediately when the fire started and he came home to find his wife — her face black from soot — and their 2-year-old son outside after they escaped through the back of the house. Monget was evaluated at the nearby UC San Francisco hospital and released. The family’s home, at 264 Frederick St., and a...

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What’s inside alleged bomber's mind?

The 17-year-old boy accused of targeting a chemistry teacher and aide in a bomb attack at his former high school remains in a single cell in a San Mateo youth facility, undergoing intense psychiatric evaluation. Accused teen bomber Alexander Youshock walked on to the Hillsdale High School campus Monday with 10 pipe bombs strapped to a vest, a 2-foot sword and a chain saw, according to police. Youshock allegedly exploded two bombs, which caused minor damage but no injuries, before being tackled by 34-year-old teacher Kennet Santana, who has been hailed as a hero for preventing a bloodbath at the San Mateo school. Police said the boy had carefully planned the attack and wanted to kill...

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Latest vehicle arson likely unrelated to earlier spree

San Francisco police say an overnight vehicle arson in the Seacliff neighborhood appears unrelated to a string of torchings that plagued The City earlier this summer. Officers responded to the 2700 block of Lake Street at 1:25 a.m. Thursday to find smoldering newspaper on the hood of a white Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell, Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. The fire caused “very minor damage” to the vehicle, he said. Although police say they have no leads, evidence suggests the incident is unrelated to the fires that damaged 13 vehicles from July 22 to 30 in the Financial and Richmond districts, along with downtown. Williams said police are still investigating whether...

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Case may be thin against S.F. techie

The string of co-workers and computer experts who testified against Terry Childs did not provide sufficient evidence to support charges against The City’s former computer-network engineer, his attorney will argue later this month. Childs is accused of hijacking San Francisco’s FiberWAN network by rigging it with his own passwords and installing traps that would cause a complete system meltdown. City officials estimate Childs’ alleged actions caused $1 million in damages. The hearing to dismiss charges against the Pittsburg resident is scheduled for April 23. On Thursday, the defense suffered a blow when Superior Court Judge Kevin McCarthy overruled a motion by...

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Ingleside district to be SFPD’s testing ground

Ingleside Station will become a model for San Francisco Police Department reforms that could eventually be instituted citywide — changes that include adding personnel, technology and a focus on problem-solving. The Ingleside district was chosen because its ethnic diversity, crime patterns and housing mix mirror citywide demographics, SFPD assistant chief Jim Lynch told police commissioners at their meeting Wednesday night. The Ingleside police district includes nearly two dozen neighborhoods, from tony St. Francis Wood to the Sunnydale housing projects. Police say the timeline for implementing the reforms is still hazy, and depends on technology and training being in place. The...

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Bragging expert explains how to put your best face forward

Peggy Klaus, the author of “Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It,” weighs in on how to artfully boast about yourself. She’s hosting a workshop called “Branding Your Best Asset: You!” at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Is modesty overrated? I think humility and modesty are wonderful traits. When I talk about bragging, I mean it in the best possible sense: being proud of yourself. Modesty and humility gone to the extreme will not let you succeed in this world. The days of your boss being able to advocate for you and promote you are very few and far between. It’s about showing that pride in a very lovely way. How...

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Commission plans to unveil SFPD changes

The massive plan to overhaul the San Francisco Police Department is taking a major step forward today. Suggested reforms are based on a 313-page, $400,000 organizational assessment conducted last year by the Police Executive Research Forum. Just how the overhaul will be completed will become clearer as members of the Police Commission vote on how to implement the massive modifications. Commissioners will prioritize which recommendations to act on first, including the role of the chief, changes at district stations and use of stun guns. The high-priority changes will likely include an overhaul to one district station, commission President Theresa Sparks said. Details will be announced...

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Three injured in separate S.F. shootings

Weekend shootings in San Francisco left three people injured. On Friday night, a shooting was reported in the Double Rock housing projects in the Bayview district. One man was injured by gunfire, but is expected to survive. Less than four hours later, another man was reportedly shot in Bayview by at least two people. Police responded to Palou and Oakdale avenues at 1:30 a.m. and found a man suffering life-threatening gunshot wounds. A motorist was hospitalized in stable condition Saturday afternoon following a shooting and crash in the Mission district. Police said a man was shot in both arms before crashing into another car. No arrests were made in any of the incidents. Bay City...

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Safety concerns abound following officer killings

In response to the deaths of four Oakland officers who were shot with an assault weapon by a parolee, San Francisco officials say it’s time to beef up protective gear for The City’s police force. Regular Kevlar protective vests are insufficient when it comes to withstanding bullets fired from a high-powered assault weapon, Deputy Police Chief Kevin Shinn told The City’s Police Commission last week. San Francisco officers recently began using vests capable of deflecting high-velocity shots, but their cost and cumbersome design means a limited amount are issued to each station. Officers who receive a specific call alerting them to a suspect with an assault weapon wear...

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Lack of waves likely wiping out Mavericks

Big-wave surfers are preparing themselves for a major bummer as the world-renowned Mavericks Surf Contest near Half Moon Bay appears to be a no-go. Weather conditions simply have not been right for producing the large swells necessary for the competition. The window for the contest ends Tuesday. “Something really strange is going to have to happen for us to get in this contest window. We hope it happens, but it doesn’t look good for this year,” contest director Jeff Clark said Tuesday. Last weekend’s high winds raised the hopes of the 24 surfers chosen from around the world to compete. “The wind was here, but the waves never made it,” Clark said....

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Confusing sex-offender mandate stalled in its tracks

A California law requiring a lifetime of GPS monitoring for sex offenders has turned into a logistical and budget nightmare for San Mateo County — and virtually every other jurisdiction in the state. Named for a Florida girl raped and killed by a convicted sex offender, Jessica’s Law was passed by 70 percent of California voters in 2006. The law, also known as Proposition 83, imposes stiffer penalties for sex offenders and makes possessing child pornography a felony. But it’s the legislation’s mandate of Global Positioning System tracking and the prohibition of any offender living 2,000 feet from a park or school that has local jurisdictions scrambling for...

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Difficult case resulted in plea deal for Oakland man

A plea deal for a brutal beating in San Francisco put the man who shot four Oakland police officers Saturday back on the streets in just six years when he faced a life sentence for the crime, court documents show. Lovelle Shawn Mixon was on parole when he fatally shot an Oakland officer during a traffic stop and gravely wounded another. As police were attempting to capture Mixon in an apartment two hours later, he fatally shot two more officers and wounded a third before police shot him to death. The road to Mixon’s prison sentence began began March 21, 2002, in The City when the then-19-year-old San Francisco native and accomplice Johnnie Walker attempted to carjack a man in a...

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Crime reports fall in 2009; police cite new strategies

Crime in San Francisco dropped dramatically in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the same period last year, according to a report released by police on Wednesday. Homicides — which reached a decade high last year — are down 40 percent, the report said. The statistics compare crimes tallied Jan. 1 through March 8, 2008, with those from the same period this year. Fifteen people were killed during that period in 2008, while nine were slain this year. Police saw fewer crimes in every category but arson — which SFPD Deputy Chief David Shinn blamed on a wily portable-toilet bandit who has eluded capture. Rapes dropped nearly 25 percent, from 38 to 29 cases....

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Accused child abuser may receive plea deal

A 24-year-old San Francisco man accused of “unimaginable cruelty” resulting in crippling injuries to his 10-month-old daughter, may be offered a plea deal today. Paul Cote will appear before Superior Court Judge Kay Tsenin this morning to determine if a plea agreement can be reached before trial, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He faces 25 years in prison if convicted on all 10 counts of felony child endangerment. Prosecutors say Cote’s abuse reached its apex on April 27, 2007, when, in an effort to stop her crying, he choked the girl until she stopped breathing. Cote then tried to revive the baby with cold water while his roommate called 911,...

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Retiring district attorney leaves a legacy of respect

Like the sprawling bedroom communities it represents, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office is known for low-key stability over fast-living glamour. Supporters say steady — and extremely few — hands on the helm have allowed the office to remain free of the political maneuvers that dog its counterparts to the north and south. For the first time in decades, however, a changing of the guard is at hand. James Fox, 64, who has served the county as district attorney for the past 26 years, plans to retire when his elected term expires at the end of 2010. Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, Fox’s one-time protégé and his likely...

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Settlement in brutality case rejected by Harvard doctor

Attorneys for a Harvard resident physician who claims he was beaten by San Francisco police and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by a sheriff’s deputy have rejected a $350,000 settlement offer from The City. “We think the case is worth way more than that,” said Sanford “Sandy” Cipinko, attorney for Mehrdad Alemozaffar. “He was stunned 10 times unnecessarily. That leaves a psychological scar.” Cipinko said he would not consider a settlement offer of less than $2 million. The 2007 lawsuit stems from a Dec. 17, 2006, incident in North Beach. Alemozaffar, then a UCLA medical student, claims officers pinned him face down against the street and...

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Parolee faces three-strikes punishment

A man charged in a bizarre supermarket assault involving Drano and a fork will appear before a San Mateo County judge today. Burlingame parolee Thomas Waddell, 47, will meet with Judge James Ellis for a pretrial conference at 1:30 p.m. Waddell has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to assault with a deadly weapon, throwing a flammable substance with intent to disfigure or burn and petty theft. If a plea agreement is not reached, Waddell will go to trial April 10. He faces life in prison under the state’s three-strikes law. In October 2007, prosecutors say Waddell affixed a fork to his middle finger and held a bottle of Drano with his other hand when he approached the...

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Police union targets ’60s radical

Former Weather Underground member William Ayers, who became a household name during Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, is largely responsible for the bombing of a San Francisco police station in 1970 that killed an officer, police officers union leaders claim. The SFPD’s Park Station was bombed Feb. 16, 1970, killing Sgt. Brian McDonnell and injuring eight other officers. Leaders of the San Francisco Police Officers Association say there are “irrefutable and compelling reasons” that establish that Ayers and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn, are responsible for the bombing. Ayers, a 1960s radical who is now a college professor, became a nationally recognized name...

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3-Minute Interview: Jay Dobyns

In his book “No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels,” Dobyns, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, describes the 21-month operation that nearly cost him his family, sanity and life. You say San Francisco is in the “heart of the Hells Angels motherland.” What does that mean? The club, if you trace the history, traces to San Bernardino, where the first true Hells Angels chapter formed. But the true mecca is recognized as the Bay Area, more so Oakland, but San Francisco is a close second. Bay Area Hells Angels are recognized worldwide as some of the most rough and tumble Hells Angels in the entire...

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Four cars collide at Mission Terrace intersection

A four-car accident sent motorists to the hospital and closed a major intersection in Mission Terrace for about an hour Tuesday afternoon. The 4:15 p.m. wreck at the corner of Ocean Avenue at Alemany Boulevard caused at least two cars to roll over, fire officials said. The number and extent of injuries was not immediately known. The accident took place about a block from Alemany and San Juan boulevards, where pedestrian Stacey Krause, 20, was fatally struck in October while using a crosswalk. Neighbors have circulated a petition demanding traffic improvements at the...

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Witnesses sought in homeless man’s killing

Police are asking for the public’s help in solving a the beating death of a 47-year-old homeless man last month. Peter Azadian, 57, died at San Francisco General Hospital Feb. 27 after being kicked and punched by a group of men less than two weeks earlier in The City’s South of Market neighborhood. According to witnesses, two to four men, described as either Asian or Hispanic, attacked Azadian on the unit block of Stillman Street between Second and Third streets either late Valentines Day or the early morning of Feb. 15. The attackers drove off in a silver or burgundy sport utility vehicle with a partial California license plate of “6FHZ---.” Police are urging...

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Glen Park ponies up for Patrol Special

It was a violent attack on one of their own that shook members of sleepy Glen Park wide awake. Neighbors’ outrage over the Aug. 29 beating and stabbing of Buddies Market owner Paul Park turned immediately into action. Six months later, the momentum has never been stronger. Scraping together their own money and without help from homeowners or merchants associations, residents and a few business owners got together and recently hired a veteran law enforcement officer. Calvin Wiley, who has been a patrol special officer for 37 years, has been patrolling Glen Park for six weeks now. Since the Gold Rush days, the San Francisco Patrol Special Police have provided neighborhoods with...

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Charity raffle features sweet Sunset digs

With $150 and plenty of luck, someone could become the proud owner of a $2.4 million, 4,000-square-foot Edwardian home steps from Golden Gate Park. The Inner Sunset district home will be raffled off, with proceeds going to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. If the winner doesn’t want the home, they can accept an alternate cash prize of $1.8 million. Raffle participants are also eligible for thousands of dollars in cash and other prizes, according to a press release for the contest. The address of the home is not being publicized “out of respect to the surrounding community,” according to the contest organizers. The homeowner, who also wants to remain anonymous, is...

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Mayor's role in police chief search challenged

The mayor’s involvement in the search for San Francisco’s next top cop is developing into a political power struggle. At issue is how much say Mayor Gavin Newsom should have as police commissioners weigh candidates to replace Chief Heather Fong, who will retire in April. Commissioners will vote on the matter today. The process of choosing the chief is dictated by the City Charter. Police commissioners, with the help of a search firm, sift through applicants and narrow them down to three nominees, which are forwarded to the mayor. Newsom will appoint the next chief from the list; however, if he rejects all three, the process restarts. The majority of police commissioners say...

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Fatal shooting caps violent weekend in Mission District

One man was killed and 10 other people were injured in a spate of violence over the weekend. The homicide — at 8:30 a.m. Sunday — brings to nine the number of people killed in The City so far this year. Police said residents in the Outer Mission heard shots fired at about 8:30 a.m. Responding officers found the victim, identified only as a Hispanic male, lying wounded in the 5300 block of Mission Street. The man was rushed to the hospital, where he died at 11:20 a.m., according to police. No additional details were available. Several other people were also wounded in a number of shootings and stabbings, although none had life-threatening injuries, police said. Just after...

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Identity theft rises as economy tanks

A married couple charged with bilking unsuspecting diners and a man whose counterfeit check led to a violent confrontation with police are the latest in a rising tide of identity theft cases, San Mateo County prosecutors say. “With the economy moving the way it is, we’re seeing more embezzlement, more identity theft,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. While prosecutors haven’t tallied the rise, “it’s certainly a noticeable increase,” Wagstaffe said. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, according to a 2008 report by the Federal Trade Commission. Statistics from the FTC reveal that 44,000 Californians were...

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S.F. State teacher aid allegedly scammed students

A teaching assistant at San Francisco State University pocketed student fees while presiding over unauthorized placement exams, prosecutors said. Rickey Rickerson, 43, is expected to enter a plea today to 31 felony counts, including petty theft with a prior conviction, using a computer to alter data without permission and falsifying public records. Prosecutors say Rickerson took test-registration fees from university students after lying that he had the authority to personally administer the placement exams. After the students completed the unauthorized tests, Rickerson allegedly altered their school records without their knowledge to reflect they had passed. “This defendant is...

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Family offers reward, blasts SFPD probe of son's death

The French family of a man who died while living in San Francisco pleaded for answers Thursday, and offered their son’s $100,000 life-insurance payout for information about his killer. Francois de la Plaza, whose son Hugues was found stabbed to death in his Hayes Valley apartment in June 2007, said San Francisco police told him Wednesday that they now agree the death was a homicide. The Medical Examiner’s Office, which determines individuals’ cause of death, still lists it as “undetermined.” At a news conference Thursday, the Francois de la Plaza recounted through an interpreter the family’s frustration with police. For nearly two years, investigators...

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San Mateo golf course eatery changing hands

The owner of a longtime golf course restaurant in San Mateo is calling it quits, but a new operator is planning to fire up the grill in April. Dominic’s restaurant, which has served customers at the Poplar Creek Golf Course, will be sold to D-Lew Enterprises, four Bay Area restaurateurs who joined forces in 1998 to develop restaurants in U.S. airports. D-Lew, founded by former Giants outfielder Darren Lewis, currently operates three restaurants at San Francisco International Airport: Yankee Pier, Perry’s and Il Fornaio Caffe Del Mondo. The group plans to rename the restaurant the Poplar Creek Grill. “Nothing will change immediately, but we will probably go toward a...

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Budget cuts hamper S.F. police watchdog

Budget cuts to The City’s already-overburdened police watchdog group are threatening to drastically slow down misconduct investigations. The Office of Citizen Complaints, the main agency in The City that investigates grievances against officers, could lose a staff attorney and an investigator to city budget cuts. The loss of the positions may lengthen the time it takes to resolve a case, and threatens to undermine improvements in handling the complaint backlog. In 2007, the agency was the subject of a scathing audit by the Controller’s Office, which found that mismanagement and understaffing rendered it nearly ineffective in resolving complaints. Since then, a change of...

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Candacy Tayor dishes it out

Photographer and former waitress Candacy Taylor turns her lens on women who have made their living serving food. Her exhibit, “Dishing It Out: Career Waitresses Across the U.S.A.,” runs through April 26 at the San Francisco Main Library. What have you found is a common misperception about waitresses? I assumed most of them would be tired and a little overwhelmed, and not necessarily happy being a lifer. Out of the 76 waitresses I interviewed, there might be three or four who didn’t say, “I absolutely love my job.” When you see a 70-year-old waitress working in a diner, most people feel sorry for her. I was surprised to know they enjoyed the work. Who was...

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Mission Bay may house police hub

The heart of The City’s biotech industry, Mission Bay, is being eyed as a future home for Police Department headquarters. A new study by two architecture firms commissioned by the Department of Public Works names 1.5 acres of city-owned land at Third Street and Mission Rock as the top choice for the $200 million project. The report, which city officials stress is preliminary, also looks at potential sites at Cesar Chavez and Evans streets and near the current Hall of Justice on Bryant Street. The appeal of the Mission Bay site is twofold, said Kelly Kahn, Mission Bay project manager for the redevelopment agency. Unlike the other sites, The City already owns the land and the...

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S.F. man ID’d as victim of fatal shooting

A man gunned down in a Daly City triple shooting Thursday has been identified as 21-year-old Moises Frias of San Francisco. On Sunday, police were investigating leads and had yet to make an arrest, said Daly City police Detective Frank Mangan. Frias was one of four young men in a gold Buick stopped in heavy traffic between the entrance to the Daly City BART station and Junipero Serra Boulevard at 7 p.m. With dozens of commuters watching, two gunmen in a gray or silver Honda hatchback pulled behind the Buick, police said. Armed with handguns, the men walked up to the Buick and riddled the inside of the car with bullets. Frias was pronounced dead on arrival at nearby Seton Medical Center....

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Gay-rights pioneer falls off cliff

A San Francisco man who fell to his death from a Pacifica cliff is being remembered as a pioneer in the movement for gay Asian visibility. The body of Jeffrey Alan Sead, 53, was found at 3 p.m. Wednesday north of Rockaway Beach. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the 500-foot fall. There were no initial signs of foul play, according to Pacifica police Chief Jim Saunders. Edward Lee, a board member for the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, said Sead served as organization co-chair and board member for several years during the 1990s, and was once named the alliance’s “man of the year” for his extraordinary dedication....

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Oakdale Mob members barred from hanging out together in Hunters Point

Six young men accused of terrorizing a Hunters Point neighborhood were added to San Francisco’s 2007 gang injunction against the Oakdale Mob. Police say the gang members have been engaging in an “alarming pattern” of violence, including shootings, home invasions, threats and robberies. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch on Thursday granted City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s request to add the men’s names to the injunction. The March 15, 2007, injunction forbids Oakdale Mob members from engaging in gang-related conduct within the four-block “safety zone.” They are subject to arrest for gathering together and prohibited from engaging in...

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SFPD: Federal support aids in battle against gangs

San Francisco police say opting for federal prosecution has been paying off in helping reduce violence in The City’s most battle-weary neighborhoods. Working with federal authorities to target gang members and drug dealers is among the more effective tools of San Francisco’s one-year-old violence prevention strategy, Deputy Chief David Shin said. Federal enforcement results in longer prison sentences in facilities across the country, instead of offenders being churned out onto the same streets after short jail terms. The violence prevention plan, which hinges on a study that found most of The City’s crime concentrated in small geographic areas, beefs up and targets...

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City may award Harvard physician $350k in police brutality suit

San Francisco officials are poised to pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit with a Harvard University resident physician who claims he was shocked more than 10 times with a stun gun and beaten by police, including by an officer with a history of brutality complaints. The proposed settlement would cover Mehrdad Alemozaffar’s legal fees, said Police Commission President Theresa Sparks. The settlement has been approved by the commission, but must be authorized by the Board of Supervisors, whose Rules Committee is slated to cast an initial vote Thursday. Alemozaffar’s attorney, Jeremy Cloyd, said he has not seen the offer and could not comment on whether his client would accept...

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USF student charged with raping four women

A former ROTC cadet at the University of San Francisco has been charged with several counts of rape after prosecutors said he plied four fellow students with alcohol and assaulted them once they passed out. Ryan Kenneth Caskey, 21, allegedly supplied booze to the women at college parties, then waited till the victims were unconscious before sexually assaulting them in campus dormitories, authorities said. “This defendant was a predator, essentially laying in wait to entrap his fellow classmates and attack them in the most vicious and despicable manner,” District Attorney Kamala Harris said in a statement announcing the charges. Harris called the alleged crimes...

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Shared-stadium idea rankles Niners fans at meeting

A Santa Clara home for the San Francisco 49ers remains a top priority, but team officials said economic realities have forced them to look more closely at sharing the South Bay stadium with the rival Oakland Raiders. “I don’t think it’s a definite, but it’s something the NFL wants us to consider and we’ll definitely consider,” 49ers owner Jed York said at a Monday night meeting with season-ticket holders. The fans responded with a chorus of boos. “Don’t do it!” someone shouted. York, who recently ascended to the role of leader of the front office, also took aim at San Francisco city officials in his State of the Franchise address at...

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Recession threatens to burn out pot clubs

One might guess that tough economic times would only fuel the desire for mind-altering substances. For San Francisco’s cannabis clubs, however, nothing could be further from the truth. The deepening economic crisis has hit the dispensaries hard, forcing the nonprofit collectives to cut staff, business hours and donations to charities. Charlie Alazraie, manager of Bay Area Safe Alternatives, said business has dropped about 60 percent since summer, as the economy forces patients to buy smaller quantities. Alazraie had to let go of one full-time employee and two part-time workers at the small Western Addition collective. Also halted were donations to soup kitchens and low-cost...

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Dog walker discovers body in S.F. park

A dog walker made a grim discovery Thursday morning at Corona Heights Park. The pedestrian spotted a dead man and called police at 7:30 a.m., said San Francisco Police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka. There was no obvious sign of trauma to the body, and police are calling it a “suspicious death.” The San Francisco medical examiner, whose staff retrieved the body, will determine whether or not the still-unidentified man died of natural...

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Will murder trial move?

A judge should consider moving Johannes Mehserle’s murder trial outside the publicity-stoked atmosphere of Alameda County, the former BART police officer’s attorney said in court documents made public this week. In a brief opposing a gag order in the case, defense attorney Michael Rains argued that moving the venue, among other options, would be preferable to restricting those involved from commenting. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson issued a temporary gag order Jan. 30 and will rule Friday on whether to make the restriction permanent. Rains wrote that Mehserle feels the gag order prejudices his right to a fair trail. The defense attorney also took aim...

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Parolee suspected in fatal S.F. shooting

A 23-year-old parolee was arrested on suspicion of killing a 40-year-old Western Addition man, who became a target after reporting the theft of his puppy to authorities. Jonathan Brown of San Francisco was arrested at the office of his parole officer, San Francisco police Sgt. Willfred Williams said. The chain of events ending in Myron Edward’s fatal shooting death began Feb. 4, when Edward’s possessions and puppy were stolen from his public-housing unit, Williams said. Edward reported the burglary, and was beaten by a group of men. That evening, police raided the home of a suspected gang member in the area. Edward’s puppy was found in the home, according to Williams,...

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BART hires Oakland law firm to conduct internal investigation

An Oakland law firm will take control of BART’s internal-affairs probe into the New Year’s Day fatal shooting of an unarmed passenger, the transit agency announced today. Meyers Nave will investigate the actions of all the officers present when 22-year-old Oscar Grant III of Hayward was shot in the back as he lay face down on Oakland’s Fruitvale station platform. Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, who shot Grant, is facing murder charges in connection with the incident. The law firm is known for its work with police and public law, and many of its reports have led to the discipline and termination of officers in other jurisdictions, along with changes in the...

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Man questioned by police in fire speaks out

A man questioned by police about a blaze that nearly killed a firefighter said he is unfairly being painted as a serial arsonist. Civil engineer Jimmy Jen, 54, said two police investigators questioned him Friday about the Thursday morning fire that ravaged a Felton Street property owned by Jen’s daughter and ex-wife, real estate agent Nancy Jen. Jimmy Jen, who owes The City more than $1 million in fines and attorney fees stemming from a legal battle about code violations at several of his properties, has been associated with three other building fires in San Francisco. Fire Department Lt. Mindy Talmadge said although there were allegations of Jen’s involvement in at least...

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Increase in traffic stops leads to claims of racial profiling

Hispanic residents in the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods say they are victims of racial profiling by San Francisco police, and dozens showed up Monday to tell their stories to the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee. Supervisor David Campos called the hearing after an uptick in complaints to his office about the alleged profiling. Residents shared stories ranging from being pulled over without cause by officers to having guns pointed at them and their identification and cars confiscated. Police say they are not targeting immigrants, and people they pull over have committed a violation. However, police said their presence has increased in the Mission district since...

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Neighborhood had calmed down before fatal shooting

Western Addition residents remained on edge Sunday after a 40-year-old man was killed by a hail of bullets just steps from his public-housing residence. Police were two blocks away when gunshots rang out at 3 p.m. Saturday, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. Responding officers found the victim, Myron Edward, laying wounded in the intersection of Eddy and Laguna streets. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died. Edward’s neighbor, who declined to be identified, said she ran outside to find her child when she heard the gunshots. Instead, she found Edward bleeding from his side and arm, and a passer-by screaming for someone to call the police. She did...

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Firefighters remain hospitalized

Two San Francisco firefighters — including a man fighting for his life in the intensive-care unit — remained hospitalized Sunday. The two men, firefighter and paramedic Christopher Posey and fire Lt. James App, were hurt while battling a blaze early Thursday morning that gutted the vacant two-story house at 627 Felton St. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze. A nursing supervisor at San Francisco General Hospital said Posey, an 11-year veteran of the San Francisco Fire Department, remained in “critical but stable” condition. The married father of two and Peninsula resident suffered serious respiratory injuries after inhaling dangerous levels...

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Police seek suspects in fatal daylight shooting

Western Addition residents remained on edge Sunday after a 40-year-old man was killed by a hail of bullets just steps from his public housing unit. Police were two blocks away when gunshots rang out at 3 p.m. Saturday, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. Responding officers found the victim, Myron Edward, lying wounded at the intersection of Eddy and Laguna streets. He was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died. Edward’s neighbor, who declined to be identified, said she ran outside to find her child when she heard the gunshots. Instead, she found Edwards lying in the street, bleeding from his side and arm, while a passer-by screamed for someone to call...

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15 Arrested in Bay Area raids

A San Quentin inmate and a South San Francisco supermarket manager were among 15 people rounded up by federal authorities Thursday during Bay Area-wide raids on two suspected drug rings. Federal agents stormed homes in Redwood City, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and Fremont starting at 6 a.m, seizing guns and smorgasbord of illegal substances. Prosecutors say the suspects were midlevel drug dealers bringing crack, heroin and methampehtemine from Mexico to the Central Valley and the Bay Area. The key players, and most of the profits, reside south of the border. The raids were a culmination of a three-year investigation dubbed “Operation Smack Down.” U.S. Attorney Joseph...

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Jump in reported rapes remains a mystery

Most violent crimes in San Francisco inched up only slightly last year, but rapes rose nearly 14 percent — and police said they aren’t sure what to make of the increase. Last year ended with 181 rapes reported to San Francisco police, 22 more than in 2007. Authorities say it’s hard to tell whether more people are being victimized, or if outreach efforts are prompting more victims to come forward with the notoriously underreported crimes. At a recent hearing, police Capt. John Lazar told members of the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee that police recently found some mathematical errors in the tally that could prove that the 2007 and 2008 numbers are...

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Death of student covered with stab wounds ruled accidental

The 2007 death of a young man whose naked body was found covered in bruises and stab wounds was accidental, the San Francisco medical examiner ruled in a final report. The case of John “Daniel” Schirra was closed last week after investigators ruled his death was caused by blunt-force trauma to the head with acute LSD intoxication. The analysis supports the theory that the 22-year-old fell and hit his head in the early morning of Sept. 3, 2007. Schirra, a musician and college student, had taken LSD for the first time shortly before he died, according to homicide investigators. After getting into an emotional discussion with another person at a party about smoking cigarettes,...

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Memo ‘offends’ grieving mom

BART’s police chief sent a memo to rank-and-file officers instructing them on how to deposit money into an account at the Santa Rita Jail for the former police officer now charged with the murder of an unarmed 22-year-old passenger. The grieving mother of Oscar Grant III said she was “appalled and offended” by the letter from BART police Chief Gary Gee, which also details how former colleagues of Johannes Mehserle can send him books and letters or purchase food for him. Mehserle, 27, is facing murder charges in connection with the Jan. 1 shooting death of Grant. Amateur video of the incident shows Grant laying face down and restrained at the Fruitvale BART station in...

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Independent agency hired to assume BART shooting probe

An outside agency will take control of the internal investigation of the Jan. 1 shooting death of an unarmed BART passenger in an effort to boost public trust in the handling of the incident. BART has been the target of public outrage since the New Year’s Day shooting of Oscar Grant III, 22, of Hayward. Amateur videos show former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle fire a fatal shot into Grant’s back as the young father lay face down and restrained on Oakland’s Fruitvale station platform. A new video that surfaced last week showed a second officer punching Grant prior to the shooting. “A lot of people have said they have no faith that the BART police department...

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SFPD struggling to make budget cuts

Despite crumbling stations and canceled academy classes, the San Francisco Police Department must slash another $37 million from its budget for the next fiscal year to help offset a citywide deficit that’s projected at half a billion dollars. The expected cuts to the police department budget will be more than three times the $9 million the department was asked to cut last fiscal year. The next fiscal year starts July 1, 2009, and runs to June 30, 2010. SFPD Chief Financial Officer Ken Bukowski told police commissioners Wednesday that they must make tough choices in the next several weeks. The plans to civilianize some positions — which allows the department to put sworn...

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Police arrest 18 in violent weekend robberies

A brutal attack on a Muni bus, an armed ambush at an ATM machine and an early morning holdup by a group of teens wielding box cutters were among a spate of gruesome weekend robberies in The City. Police have arrested 18 people in connection with the seven different incidents, thanks to witnesses who came foward with information, said police Sgt. Willfred Williams. The mayhem began at 10:40 a.m. Friday, when two convicted criminals allegedly followed a San Francisco woman to her car after she used an ATM at Beach and Hyde streets near Ghiradelli Square. The men held a gun to the woman’s head and stole her cash, police said. With the help of witnesses, police arrested two San...

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French investigation points to homicide in unsolved death

French officials have determined that the mysterious 2007 stabbing death of a French national was homicide, even after San Francisco police had earlier said it was a likely suicide. Hughes de la Plaza, a 36-year-old sound engineer, was found dead — with three stab wounds — in his Hayes Valley apartment in June 2007. No bloody knife or suicide note was found inside the apartment, but San Francisco police nonetheless believed the death to be suicide. The medical examiner’s office ruled it an “undetermined death” and closed the case six months later. The case provoked allegations of police incompetence by the victim’s loved ones and sparked outrage in...

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Man fatally shot in Bayview

Police are asking for the public’s help in obtaining information about the killing of a 24-year-old man Monday morning outside a Bayview district housing project. Passers-by called police about 7 a.m. after finding the victim, identified by The City’s medical examiner as Darren Johnson of San Francisco, laying in a grassy area in the Hunters View complex on West Point and Middlepoint roads, San Francisco police Sgt. Willfred Williams said. Johnson, who had been shot, was already dead when police arrived. No suspects have been identified. “We’re seeking assistance from the public in our investigation. Witnesses can remain anonymous by calling our tip...

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Community policing model pays dividends in the Tenderloin

At first glance, the Tenderloin’s chaotic streets don’t look like the result of successful police strategy. But while the neighborhood remains scarred by addiction, homelessness and petty crime, it is also significantly safer than it was a year ago. While violent crime increased overall in San Francisco and police closed only about 28 percent of murder cases in 2008, officers in the Tenderloin made arrests in 100 percent of last year’s homicides. Of the four reported, officers nabbed a suspect in each one. It may seem like a small number, but officials said the rate shows that officers walking the beat can make an impact on a community. Violent crime in the Tenderloin...

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BART officials call for ‘rigorous’ investigation of new tape

An attorney for slain BART passenger Oscar Grant III’s family is calling for criminal charges to be filed against a second transit agency officer, after a video emerged showing the man punching the unarmed Hayward resident moments before he was shot early New Year’s Day. The amateur video, which aired Friday on KTVU, shows a BART officer approach Grant, who was lined up against a wall at Oakland’s Fruitvale station with two other men, and strike him in the face. The officer, identified as Tony Pirone, appears to be kneeling on Grant’s head when former Officer Johannes Mehserle draws his gun and fatally shoots Grant, who was laying face down on the platform. In...

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Suspects in murder-for-hire plot held on $5M bail

Two suspects in a foiled murder-for-hire plot each had their bail set Thursday at $5 million. Emerson Portillo of San Francisco is accused of hiring Oakland resident Deonte Bennett to kill his estranged girlfriend for $5,000. Police say Portillo tricked the 23-year-old Bayview district woman into accepting a ride home with Bennett on Friday from South San Francsico. But once in the car, Bennett allegedly held a gun to her head and told her that Portillo had hired him to kill her. The woman was able to bargain for her life by assuring Bennett she would match Portillo’s price of $2,500 that he was owed for the killing if Bennett would let her live. Both men were arrested Saturday...

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Bizarre death marks third homicide of ’09

A 23-year-old San Francisco man fatally shot in the Western Addition this morning has been identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as Leo Jia Jian Yu. San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said officers responded to the 1100 block of Pierce Street just after 2 a.m to investigate a man lying on the sidewalk in front of a public-housing complex. Police discovered Yu suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died. No witnesses have come forward and police have no suspect descriptions, Tomioka said. Yu’s killing is the City’s third homicide this year. Last year at this date there had been seven homicides....

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Woman bargains out of death

A quick-thinking woman negotiated her way out of an alleged murder-for-hire scheme by offering to match the price her would-be hitman was to receive for killing her, police said Wednesday. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other charges in connection with the scheme and remain in San Francisco County Jail. Investigators believe domestic violence and revenge for “an earlier event” was the motive that led Emerson Portillo to allegedly hire Deonte Bennett to kill the woman, said San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka, who provided few details. Events unfolded about 7:30 p.m. Friday, when the woman, whose name wasn't released, called Portillo, 24,...

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New Year a prime time for scams

Serving dumplings to a hungry lunchtime crowd in the inner Richmond, Mei Ruan at first appears startled as a city supervisor strolls into her Dim Sum café, followed by a gaggle of police officers. “Gung hay fat choy, happy New Year,” District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar greets her. Richmond Station Capt. Rich Correia asks her if she’s had any trouble in the restaurant lately. Lunar New Year, which officially begins Monday, is a prime opportunity for extortionists, Correia explains. “Thank you. I feel very safe,” Ruan says with a smile and wave of her hand. Ruan’s confidence is a sign of the times. For years, Chinese immigrant businesses were...

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Hundreds celebrate King, Obama

On the cusp of President-elect Barak Obama’s historic inauguration, a jubilant crowd gathered Monday in San Francisco to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and to say the fight for the principles he stood for continues. For many, the civil rights leader’s dream of racial equality in the United States had never seemed so tangible. The Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church said King’s battle for civil rights made possible the Obama presidency. “Dr. King must be smiling today,” he said. “We today are experiencing something we never thought would happen. Isn’t that amazing?” About 1,000 paid...

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Commission seat to be filled quickly

The empty seat on the San Francisco Police Commission could be filled as early as next month and whoever is chosen will be charged with guiding the police department through one of its most critical periods, including the selection of a new police chief. The seat was vacated by former police commissioner David Campos, who was elected in November to the Board of Supervisors. The new commissioner will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors, which appoints three of the seven members of the commission. Mayor Gavin Newsom appoints the other four. The new commissioner will finish the final year of Campos’ term before being eligible to re-apply. Board members serve for fixed, four...

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Autopsy planned for body found in fire

A autopsy Tuesday will determine the cause of death of a 50-year-old man whose body was discovered following a small fire Friday at his Ingleside home, according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office. A nearby business called the San Francisco Fire Department at 8:03 p.m. to report a possible fire at 501 Shield St., fire officials said. Firefighters found a small blaze in the back of the home and were able to get it under control by 8:18 p.m. Firefighters then discovered the body of 50-year-old Louis Decolator Jr. The medical examiner was called at 9:27 p.m. Arson investigators were called in, which is routine for all fatal fires. The cause of the blaze is under...

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Former BART officer pleads not guilty to murder charges

Amid tight security and shielded from the family of the unarmed BART passenger he killed, former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle pleaded not guilty to murder Thursday in an Oakland courtroom. Mehserle, 27, was put inside an enclosure with one-sided opaque glass, preventing most courtroom spectators from seeing him. Wearing a red jail jumpsuit, he was unemotional and spoke only once during the three-minute hearing, answering “yes” to a question about waiving his right to an upcoming hearing. In a highly unusual move, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has charged Mehserle with murder in connection with the Jan. 1 shooting death of Oscar Grant III....

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Man who attacked baby with rock gets three years

A man convicted of bashing an 18-month-old baby in the head with a rock as the boy lay in his mother’s arms was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court. Jose Rivera Salvador, 25, did not speak before being sentenced by Judge James Ellis, said Assistant District Attorney Karen Guidotti. He accepted a plea agreement Nov. 3 , the day his trial was about to start, in which he pleaded no contest to willful cruelty to a child with great bodily injury, in exchange for no more than three years in prison. Prosecutors say the woman was walking to the SamTrans bus stop with her child after shopping at a Redwood City Safeway on April 20, 2007 when...

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BART cancels MLK Day festivities fearing violence

Threats of violence over the killing of Oscar Grant III led BART officials to cancel their annual tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., which had been scheduled for Wednesday. BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency’s 23rd annual tribute to the civil rights leader was canceled because of security concerns surrounding Oakand’s BART headquarters, where the event was to be held at noon. In addition, the event was to be held just hours before a large-scale protest planned in downtown Oakland over the New Year’s Day killing of Grant, 22, by a BART officer. A protest last week over the killing turned violent, with hundreds rioting in Oakland. The cancellation is the...

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Alleged killer remains in S.F. hospital

A San Francisco man charged with murder remains in the hospital five days after allegedly slashing a stranger to death inside a Richmond district parking garage. Superior Court Judge Gail Dekreon rescheduled the arraignment of 45-year-old Peter Fong for a second time Monday due to his hospitalization. He may appear Wednesday if he is well enough. Meanwhile, he is being held on a no-bail status. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Hilton, said she could not disclose Fong’s illness. Prosecutors said preliminary evidence suggests Fong, who had no criminal history, has psychiatric issues. Fong is charged with killing Ryosuke Yoshioka at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in a parking...

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Community outrage mounts in Oakland

More than 10 days after a BART police officer fatally shot an unarmed man at the Fruitvale station, the community remains enraged by the slowness of the investigation and the lack of an arrest. At a community meeting Sunday hosted by BART directors, about three dozen citizens, religious leaders and politicians called for the prosecution of former BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, 27, who resigned last week. He remains free. Mehserle has refused to provide a statement to authorities about the New Year’s Day shooting death of Oscar Grant III, 22. Amateur video shows Grant being shot in the back as he is restrained, laying on his stomach, after a fight on a train. On Sunday, BART...

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Emergency Half Moon Bay landing under investigation

Preliminary findings into what caused a Brentwood couple in a rented Cessna to make an emergency landing on a San Mateo County field could be released in a week, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday. The pilot, 47-year-old Michael Paul Harris, told National Transportation Safety Board investigators he and his wife, Dannette Harris, were flying into the Half Moon Bay Airport on Saturday when he noticed they were low on fuel, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. However, the board is still conducting a formal investigation. Its final report should be released in a month, Gregor said. Harris told investigators he found an open field approximately 1 mile south of...

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New supervisor to drive hearing on racial profiling

Hispanic motorists say they are being pulled over without cause in the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods, according to new Supervisor David Campos, who has called for a City Hall hearing to investigate the complaints. “Many people in the community, especially the Latino community, have expressed concern about traffic stops,” said Campos, who was sworn in Thursday to represent District 9. “I think the key of the concern is there might be racial profiling targeting Latino immigrants.” “My view is, with something like this, you want to be as transparent as possible,” he said. “You want to give the Police Department a chance to explain what...

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BART shooting probe hastened

Less than 24 hours after rioters shattered windows and set fires on downtown streets, authorities announced they will speed up the search for answers in the fatal shooting of a young father by a BART police officer. Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff said the investigation, which would normally take four to six weeks, will be completed in two weeks. Officials will then decide whether to seek criminal charges against the officer, who resigned Wednesday. Results from drug and alcohol tests on former BART Officer Johannes Mehserle and findings from the autopsy of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III will also be expedited, Orloff said. “I think the community deserves a resolution as...

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BART officers carry Tasers, train same way as city police

As BART officials struggle to define the events and actions of the fatal New Year’s Day shooting at the Fruitvale station, the training of the transit agency’s 206 officers has been defined as the equalivelent of other city-based police officers. As rumors and theories circulate that the officer responsible for the killing may have mistakenly used his gun instead of a Taser when he shot 22-yeard-old Oscar Grant III, BART police Chief Gary Gee confirmed on Thursday that officers began carrying Tasers six months ago, after completing a six-hour course. Tasers are worn on the opposite side of the body from firearms in order to prevent confusion about which weapon is being drawn,...

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BART officer's resignation ties investigator's hands

A BART police officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed passenger in the back New Year’s Day resigned Wednesday, dodging a meeting with investigators to provide his account of the deadly incident. The attorney and union representative for BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle attended the meeting with BART investigators and submitted his letter of resignation, according to BART officials. Mehserle, 27, a BART officer for two years, has yet to give his account of the incident. His resignation is effective immediately. BART officials have continuously tried to meet with Mehserle following the 2 a.m. Jan. 1 killing of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III at the Fruitvale station in...

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BART officer involved in fatal Jan. 1 shooting resigns

A BART police officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed passenger in the back New Year’s Day resigned Wednesday after backing out of a morning meeting to provide his account of the incident to investigators. On Monday, Officer Johannes Mehserle’s attorney tried to postpone a Tuesday morning meeting with BART investigators until next week, said BART spokesman Linton Johnson. BART officials were not pleased with the delay and instead rescheduled for Wednesday. At Wednesday’s meeting, however, Mehserle’s attorney and union representative showed up in his place and submitted his resignation letter, Johnson said. The passenger, 22-year-old Oscar Grant III of...

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'Excessive force' claimed in BART shooting

Watch a video. A $25 million claim filed Tuesday by the family of a man fatally shot in the back by a BART police officer details the young father’s last, terrifying moments of life. Attorney John Burris said the wrongful-death claim against BART and Officer Johannes Mehserle is based on excessive force used by Mehserle and the violation of shooting victim Oscar Grant III’s civil rights. The claim was filed on behalf of Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, and Sophina Mesa, the mother of his 4-year-old daughter. Grant, a 22-year-old Hayward resident, was killed about 2 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Fruitvale station in Oakland following a fight on a train....

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BART shooting victim's family files $25 million claim

The family of a man fatally shot in the back by a BART police officer filed a $25 million claim against the transit district Tuesday, their attorney confirmed. Attorney John Burris said the wrongful death claim against BART and the officer who fired the shot is based on excessive force used by the officer, and the violation of 22-year-old Oscar Grant’s civil rights. Grant, a Hayward resident and father of a 4-year-old daughter, was killed about 2 a.m. New Year’s Day after BART police broke up a fight at the Fruitvale station in Oakland. Amateur videos that have surfaced appear to show Grant restrained on his stomach by BART police before an officer pulls his weapon and...

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Rare home robberies put city on alert

Masked men are terrorizing residents of The City’s Taraval, Ingleside and Bayview neighborhoods in a string of violent home-invasion robberies, according to police. The men, who wear ski masks and often follow residents inside through open garage doors, are suspected of committing at least six robberies since Dec. 9, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said Monday. Victims in four of the home invasions reported they were robbed by two men. A third man was present in the other two incidents. The men approach at night through open garage doors or confront residents who are exiting cars in their driveways or walking into their garages, Tomioka said. The suspects demand money and...

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Pro-Palestinian protesters vow more marches

Marchers protesting Israel’s offensive in Gaza Strip disrupted downtown traffic Monday morning and briefly blocked the entrance to San Francisco’s Federal Building, as they vowed to continue staging demonstrations. Waving Palestinian flags and holding banners, several hundred protesters gathered at 8 a.m. in front of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office at Market and Montgomery streets. Holding signs calling for a truce in Gaza and urging dismantling of Israeli settlements, they traveled north on Market Street to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Golden Gate Avenue. Nadeen Elshorafa of Gaza Action Coalition and another protester met with a Pelosi staffer...

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Church defaced by ‘hate crime’

Spray-painted swastikas and an angry message to Catholic leaders confronted Castro district worshippers as they arrived to mass Sunday morning — the latest in a string of highly visible vandalisms around San Francisco. The graffiti message, about 4 feet high and 8 feet long, appeared to indict Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, and San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer for the passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. Bordered by two swastikas, the message, “Prop H8. Niederauer.Ratzinger. Where is the love?” was scrawled sometime between 10 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday on the wall of the Most Holy Redeemer...

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U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello steers clear of politics

Enforcing federal law in a city where cannabis clubs flourish, decriminalizing prostitution was put on the ballot and police are barred from assisting in immigration raids might seem like a thankless mission, made for someone equal parts diplomat and law-and-order stickler. But for Joseph Russoniello, U.S. attorney of the Northern District of California, the job was appealing enough to lure him back to his post for a second time. As Russoniello, 67, looks at The City’s skyline from the window of his 11th-floor office in the Federal Building, he is flooded with memories of cases that defined San Francisco and shaped him as a prosecutor. After being appointed by President Ronald...

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All eyes on police in ’09

Despite the dawn of 2009 and a new police chief on the horizon, the political firestorm concerning San Francisco’s record number of homicides shows no sign of cooling. Staunching the flow of blood on city streets was a stated goal of both Mayor Gavin Newsom and police Chief Heather Fong. But despite their pledges, San Francisco’s homicide rate in 2008 rose to a level not seen in more than a decade. Whomever replaces Fong, who will retire April 30, will have a tough task ahead. “They’re walking into a 10-year legacy of high homicides,” said Theresa Sparks, president of the San Francisco Police Commission. “It’s compounded by the fact we have...

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City surpasses 2007 homicide total

Homicides — which reached 99 on Tuesday — have become a political issue for the mayor and other city officials. Killings have soared under Chief Heather Fong’s tenure. Fong announced Dec. 21 that she will retire in April, and the homicide rate is something the new chief will have to address. The City reached its grim tally despite stepped up police enforcement in “zones” of concentrated violence, increased focus nabbing parole violators, more gun seizures and deployment of the gunshot-location system SpotShotter. “The City’s efforts may have saved some lives, but the homicide rate is unacceptably high,” said Nathan Ballard, spokesman for...

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Trio may have snatched your ID

A San Francisco man and a Daly City couple are facing multiple felony charges for allegedly running a counterfeit document and identity theft scheme that may have involved hundreds of victims. Binh Quoc Du, 25, of San Francisco and Daly City couple Lynette Gaddi, 35, and Pedro Daniel Guaman III, 33, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Redwood City to a variety of theft- and fraud-related charges. The trio was arrested Dec. 12 at Gaddi and Guaman’s home in the 400 block of Rio Verde Street, following a lengthy fraud investigation by U.S. Postal Service inspectors. A search of the home revealed an extensive identity theft operation, said Steve Wagstaffe, San Mateo County chief deputy...

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Tips on keeping your New Year's resolutions

Greg Helmstetter, the chief executive of Goals.com knows a thing or two about New Year’s resolutions — not necessarily making them, but keeping them. What’s the secret to making New Year’s resolutions stick? Right after you make them, the very next thing you should do is create a plan, even if it’s rudimentary. … The plan can happen on a Web site like ours or a legal pad or Post-it notes, whatever works for you. It’s important to do it right away, because you lose momentum. Why do people make such promises to themselves at the start of each year? It’s the new year, so you automatically have motifs in your mind of renewal and a fresh...

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Inmate says he couldn't resist

A San Mateo County Jail inmate who claims he couldn’t resist squeezing the buttocks of his jailer appeared in court on sexual battery charges Tuesday. Abraham Shari, 34, an unemployed carpenter from Vacaville, appeared in a Redwood City courtroom, where two doctors disagreed about his competency to stand trial both on the misdemeanor sexual battery charges and a prior felony theft case involving a Millbrae merchant. The judge then appointed a third physician to evaluate Shari, said Steve Wagstaffe, county chief deputy district attorney. Prosecutors say Shari was being led from the Redwood City facility to a nearby courthouse to appear on theft charges Oct. 29 when he grabbed the...

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Long search for new chief begins

As officials readied the search for The City’s next top cop Monday night, police Chief Heather Fong was awash in mixed feelings about stepping down. “Retiring is kind of bittersweet when you’ve dedicated your whole life to a career, but I also have very optimistic feelings about where the department is heading,” she said, adding the Police Department is poised to implement sweeping reforms from training to technology. Whomever is chosen to lead the department must be willing to “jump in with both feet,” Fong said. “It should be someone that’s committed and really cares about the department and the community,” she said....

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Two men stabbed after dispute on Muni

An admiring glance at a young woman on a Muni bus may have led to the beating and stabbing of two men Monday afternoon on a busy Richmond district corner. Police said two best friends, men in their 20s, were riding a bus just after 1 p.m. when one was confronted by another passenger, who claimed the man was looking at his girlfriend. The man attempted to apologize, but an argument ensued. At some point, according to a witness who declined to be identified, friends of the aggressor began following the bus in a faded red Firebird or Camaro. The two friends exited the bus at Sixth Avenue and Geary Boulevard and were attacked by at least two men, possibly including the bus passenger,...

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Five teens survive slide down cliff

A 19-year-old San Francisco man faces drunken driving charges, after officials said he lost control of his sport utility vehicle on Devil’s Slide early Sunday morning in a single-vehicle crash that sent the car — with four other teenagers inside — careening off the roadway and 130 feet down the rocky cliff off Highway 1. The accident came just hours after a DUI checkpoint on 19th Avenue in San Francisco and during a massive holiday enforcement effort by the California Highway Patrol and Bay Area law enforcement agencies to snare drunken drivers. The driver, whose name was not released, was speeding north en route to San Francisco at 2 a.m. when he hit a wall on the...

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One dead, two injured after SF Christmas crashes

Two car accidents last week in San Francisco left one man dead and two young women seriously injured. Investigators said a 69-year-old man suffered a seizure at the wheel of his 1993 Pontiac Sunbird just before 4 p.m. Christmas Eve at the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and North Point Street, according to police Sgt. Bob Guinan. The man’s car skidded across wet lanes on Van Ness, sideswiping one vehicle and rear-ending another. The driver, identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as Philip Romeo Goulet of Vermont, was unconscious when emergency personnel arrived, Guinan said. Goulet was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died. It is still unknown...

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Languishing officers miss beat

In his 27 years as a San Francisco police officer, James Lewis patrolled some of The City’s roughest housing projects, responded to countless shootings in the Bayview district and forged connections in neighborhoods where police distrust runs deep. But for the past three years, Lewis has been a file clerk in the records room of the Hall of Justice — a file clerk who collects more than $100,000 in salary and benefits. Lewis — who was briefly suspended for taking part in a 2005 internal video decried as sexist and racist by the mayor and chief of police — is one of 15 officers languishing at desk jobs while awaiting resolution of their disciplinary matters. In...

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Rumors swirl over Fong successor

It could be seven months before the San Francisco Police Department’s Heather Fong retires her chief’s cap, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling about her possible replacement. Theresa Sparks, president of the San Francisco Police Commission, said politicians and law-enforcement officials haven’t been shy about offering up recommendations to lead the SFPD since Fong announced her retirement on a Saturday morning radio show. “I’ve heard six names just this morning,” Sparks said Sunday. While she declined to identify the recommendations, others weren’t so shy. SFPD Lt. Lea Militello, the president of the San Francisco Police...

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Gary Cavalli’s life is one of devotion

After a lifelong search, Gary Cavalli found true satisfaction hiding in plain sight at AT&T Park. For the die-hard sports fan and Los Altos resident, founding the Emerald Bowl was about more than bringing college football to San Francisco. It concluded a journey filled with all the exhilarating success and crushing defeat of a once-in-a-lifetime game. On Dec. 27, fans will gather at AT&T Park for the seventh, and possibly biggest, Emerald Bowl. This year, UC Berkeley will play Atlantic Coast Conference representative University of Miami (Fla.), marking the first time the Emerald Bowl has had either of the Bay Area’s Pac-10 Conference teams. Cavalli, 59, was born dreaming...

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SFPD vows to kick old habits

City officials insist they will forge ahead with long-awaited police reform measures, but admit efforts may be stymied by budget cuts. An independently produced audit of the San Francisco Police Department looked at everything from Tasers to officer-involved shootings to the longevity of the chief’s post. The police effectiveness review offers nearly 200 recommendations for making the department better at fighting crime and engaging the community, and more efficient with its resources. At a joint meeting Wednesday night of the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee and the Police Commission, city officials assured the public that — despite San Francisco’s...

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Childs considered city’s network his property, boss said

In his attempt to hijack San Francisco’s computer network, Terry Childs claimed he had copyrighted his configurations and owned The City’s system through intellectual property rights, his boss testified Tuesday. San Francisco network engineer supervisor Herb Tong took the stand in the second day of testimony in Childs’ preliminary hearing, in which both sides lay out their evidence in an effort to substantiate or dismiss charges. Prosecutors claim Childs, 44, of Pittsburg, caused an estimated $1 million in damages by tampering with The City’s FiberWAN network during a three week period this summer, rigging it with secret passwords and installing traps that could...

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Stefan Lyon is an accomplished 13-year-old

The Three-Minute Interview: The13-year-old seventh-grader in The City just published his third book, “Stitch and Friends Go Green.” Proceeds help build schools in Kenya. Stefan’s books, which can be purchased at www.stefanlyon.com, have funded construction of two African schools. Tell me about your latest book. It’s based on the environment. We go to the recycling center and do other things related to the environment. I’m building my own school called Stefan’s Academy. It’s my school and I’m on the fourth room right now. That’s what my third book is for. What inspired you to do this? I wanted to help the less fortunate. There’s...

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Childs resented management, refused to reveal password

The man accused of hijacking San Francisco’s computer system for a week earlier this year grew increasingly possessive of the network he built in the face of mounting hostility toward his boss, testimony from a former co-worker revealed Monday. The testimony provided the first details in the case against Terry Childs, 43, the former computer network administrator accused of using a private password to lock all other administrators out of The City’s FiberWAN network between June 20 and July 10. The system was only unlocked after Childs revealed the password to Mayor Gavin Newsom during a jailhouse meeting. The preliminary hearing in Child’s case began Monday in San...

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Punch leaves pedestrian in hospital

A 53-year-old pedestrian was taken to the hospital Thursday, after an altercation with a motorist near Golden Gate Park on Wednesday night. Police say the man was crossing Hayes and Stanyan streets against a red light just after 5 p.m. when a motorist honked at him. In response, the pedestrian slammed his backpack on the hood of the vehicle. The driver got out of the car and punched the pedestrian, who fell to the ground and hit his head. He remains hospitalized with a head injury. Police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said the man’s injuries were not life threatening. No arrests have been made in the case. Police said the suspect was possibly driving a Cadillac four-door sedan, cream...

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Altercation with motorist sends pedestrian to the hospital

A 53-year-old pedestrian was taken to the hospital Thursday after an altercation with a motorist near Golden Gate Park the previous evening. Police say the man was crossing Hayes and Stanyan streets against a red light just after 5 p.m. when a motorist honked at him. In response, the pedestrian slammed his backpack on the hood of the vehicle. The driver got out of the car and punched the pedestrian, who fell to the ground and hit his head. He remains hospitalized with a head injury. Police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said the man’s injuries were not life-threatening. No arrests have been made in the case. Police said the suspect was possibly driving a Cadillac four door sedan, cream...

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SFPD seeks breadth of experience from retirees

As a rookie officer in the 1970s, Don Ross took his cues from the salty, streetwise veterans who taught him to get to know the people he was sworn to protect. The advice served Ross well as he walked beats in Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf up until his retirement in 2001. If an idea posed by police Commissioner Thomas Mazzucco has legs, Ross — and other retired officers like him — may be walking the beat again. The plan, still in its infancy, would bring San Francisco Police Department retirees back as part-time employees in their field of expertise — from walking the beat to solving homicides to training new officers at the academy. Retired city workers,...

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S.F. homicide-arrest rate dismal

San Francisco police have made arrests in only 26 percent of the homicides committed in the first 10 months of the year, a document obtained by The Examiner shows, a far lower rate than comparable cities. As of Oct. 31, 92 homicides had been recorded in The City by the Police Department. Arrests have been made in connection with 24 of those homicides, or 26 percent, according to the document, which was prepared by the department’s homicide unit. The figure pertains only to arrests and does not reflect if a suspect was convicted. To date, police have logged 97 homicides in The City. An additional victim was found on Ocean Beach, which is federal property and not included in Police...

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Homicide count nears ’07 total

Gunshots erupted at a raucous party in Golden Gate Park on Saturday night, leaving a 20-year-old San Francisco man dead. Witnesses say the victim, identified by authorities as Brandon Evans, was among about 100 young people drinking and listening to a live band perform at the horseshoe pits above the Conservatory of Flowers. A 911 call summoned authorities to Conservatory Drive shortly before 11 p.m., where they found Evans fatally wounded, Park Station police said. No arrests have been made. The east end of Golden Gate Park is the scene of occasional assaults, usually between homeless people, but shootings are rare, authorities said Sunday. San Francisco couple Anita Carter, 41,...

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Police investigating Golden Gate Park homicide

A man fatally shot Saturday night near Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers has been identified as 20-year-old Brandon Evans of San Francisco. A 911 call summoned authorities to Conservatory Drive shortly before 11 p.m., where they found Evans mortally wounded, said Park Station police. No arrests have been made. The east end of Golden Gate Park sees occasional assaults, usually between homeless people, but shootings are rare, authorities said Sunday. Evans’ death marks the 97th homicide investigated by San Francisco police this year. An additional killing, in which the victim was found on Ocean Beach, is being probed by federal authorities. The killing is the second...

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Guns to blame in killings, S.F. police chief says

High-powered weapons may be helping to propel San Francisco toward a triple-digit homicide total this year, according to police. With 95 recorded homicides, San Francisco is on pace to break last year’s decade-high 98 killings. Homicides are adding up even as police are getting more guns off the streets and are seeing fewer nonfatal shootings, according to police and recently released data. San Francisco police Chief Heather Fong told The Examiner that fewer people are surviving gunshot wounds due to the proliferation of large clips that can fire hundreds of rounds. “We’re not talking about pistols, we’re talking about semiautomatic and automatic weapons,”...

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Judge drops three counts against Barry Bonds

A federal judge on Monday dismissed three of the 15 charges against embattled former Giant Barry Bonds, who is accused of lying to a grand jury in 2003 about his alleged steroid use. In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston dismissed three of Bonds’ perjury charges and agreed to consolidate another two. Bonds, who has pleaded not guilty, is still scheduled to go to trial March 2. His attorneys, Dennis Riordan and Allen Ruby, did not return calls for comment Monday. U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joshua Eaton was also unavailable. On Nov. 5, Bonds’ attorneys argued that 10 of the 15 counts against him should be dropped due to the “fatally...

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The City's homicide total is tough to tally

San Francisco’s homicide tally is inching toward triple-digits this year, yet it’s difficult to determine exactly how many people were murdered. The San Francisco Police Department’s official homicide count stands at 94. But officials also track other deaths — called suspicious deaths or justifiable homicides — that could later alter The City’s homicide count. Also complicating the matter are the homicide numbers the SFPD provides to the Federal Bureau of Investigation each year. For the last two years, the figures provided to the FBI have been higher than what police reported to the media and public. The tally has become a political lightning rod...

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Community Justice Center backers seek outside funding

Unexpected results on Election Day have left a new downtown court program championed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to target quality-of-life crimes — including prostitution, aggressive panhandling and theft — snagged within The City’s thorny politics. On Tuesday, San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly introduced legislation to reverse the $2.6 million in funding approved by the board in July for the Community Justice Center. Daly told The Examiner he was prompted by voters, who rejected a measure put on the ballot by Newsom that would guarantee first-year funding for the center, and authorize the leasing of space for the program, among other provisions. “There’s now...

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Police file age discrimination suit

The San Francisco Police Department is being sued by its own, with officers saying they were passed up for promotion because they were too old. The 34 veteran officers, who filed a class action lawsuit on Monday, say their concerns are in line with the recommendations of a police effectiveness review study released last month, which called for building increased specialization and experience to help solve more crimes. The city of San Francisco and police Chief Heather Fong are named in the complaint, which seeks a preliminary injunction barring police brass from continuing to promote less qualified officers to the inspector level. Police are also seeking monetary damages, said Richard...

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Senior citizen foils alleged scammers

A quick-thinking senior citizen in the Richmond district foiled a trio of scam artists who have been preying upon elderly Asian residents, San Francisco police reported Monday. Police said the three suspects — Los Angeles residents Ricky Guy, 37, Frank John, 35, and Michael Ulrich, 35 — are suspected in 15 imposter scams during the last two months, San Francisco police Sgt. Willfred Williams said. The men would pose as water company personnel in order to gain access to residences, primarily targeting Asian seniors; once inside, one man would distract the homeowner while others rifled through the house for valuables, according to police. The scam ground to a halt Monday,...

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Broken bottle lands man in critical condition

A man bludgeoned with a broken bottle near the 24th Street BART station was clinging to life Monday. At 7:40 pm. Sunday, Mission district officers responded to a report of an injured person in the 900 block of Capp Street, San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old man on the ground bleeding profusely from his head. The man was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he remains with life-threatening injuries, Williams said. A motive for the attack hasn’t been determined, but Williams said two men and two women were reported as possible suspects. No arrests have been made. The incident occurred about a block from the...

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Attorney wants all charges dropped

A grand jury wrongfully indicted a San Francisco police officer for theft based on insufficient evidence, her defense attorney will argue this week. Attorney Lidia Stiglich said she will argue Thursday to dismiss all charges against her client, Michelle Alvis, who was indicted by a grand jury in April on charges she stole money from an evidence locker. Stiglich said the evidence heard by the grand jury was one-sided, and the prosecutor in the case withheld evidence that could have helped clear Alvis. “The prosecutor has an obligation to give both sides of the story,” Stiglich said. Alvis, 30, is accused of stealing $2,390 from a police evidence locker in October 2006....

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Police looking for face-slasher in South City

A man who tried to play peacemaker in a fistfight was rewarded with an 8-inch slash to the face on Friday, South San Francisco police reported Sunday. Investigators are still looking for the suspect, police said. The Friday night incident occurred in the 600 block of First Lane – the same block where a 21-year-old man was killed Oct. 29. South City police said Friday’s slashing victim, 37-year-old Marcus Jon Bettis, had been drinking on the street with a group of men when a fight broke out about 7 p.m. When Bettis tried to intervene, one of the young men cut the left side of his face with a knife before possibly driving off in a dark green late 1990s Ford Mustang, police...

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Four dozen state prisoners move to county jail for rehabilitation

Four dozen state prison inmates are moving into San Francisco’s county jail, part of a controversial program that aims to see if intensive rehabilitation closer to home can help ex-convicts mend their lawless ways. As early as January, the state prisoners will begin serving out their sentences in the county jail in San Bruno — a pilot program hoped to keep them on track when they are released onto The City’s streets. The newly inked deal between the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was green-lighted by city supervisors last week. The state will reimburse the county up to $4.8 million to care for...

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The City struggles to reach those living in cars

Surrounded by found treasures and knickknacks in his rusty Dodge van, Vincent Gurtler lingers over his morning newspaper to the sounds of waves breaking at Ocean Beach. These are the good times, says the 61-year-old grandfather with a craggy smile. But there are bad times, too — like when he’s startled awake by police knocking at his window in the middle of the night, seeing his frozen breath in winter or fretting about leaving the city he loves. When members of The City’s homeless outreach team ask him if he needs anything — housing, medical care, food — Gurtler politely declines. Through a combination of choice and chance, Gurtler has lived in his car...

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UCSF researcher allegedly tried to poison colleague

A researcher at UC San Francisco who allegedly poisond the drink of a female colleague is behind bars on attempted murder charges, according to police. Ben Chun Liu, a 38-year-old postdoctoral fellow in the urology department, was arrested Friday by campus police, UCSF spokeswoman Kristen Boles said Tuesday. Liu, a Chinese citizen employed at UCSF on a work visa, remains in San Francisco County Jail on an immigration hold. The victim, fellow urology department researcher Mei Cao, was examined at the UCSF Medical Center and released, police said. UCSF police detectives recovered evidence of the poisoning after searching Liu’s home and the university lab where he worked alongside...

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Potrero Hill man, woman dead in possible murder-suicide

Friends of a San Francisco man and woman discovered dead in a possible murder-suicide described them as gentle people whose brutal fates were incomprehensible. The bodies of David Boyce, 35, and Vicky Velarde, 30, were discovered Monday morning by a roommate at Boyce’s residence in the 200 block of Missouri Street in Potrero Hill, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office and Police Department. Boyce and Velarde were both killed by gunshot wounds, said San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens. Velarde “was just a good person, a sweet person. She was looking forward to life. It’s heartbreaking,” said Ron Guidi of Oakland. Velarde lived in Guidi’s...

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Parade marches down Market in honor of veterans

Accompanied by high school marching bands, hundreds of veterans have begun marching through the streets of Downtown San Francisco in their annual parade. Representatives from the American Legion, Veterans for Peace and various Rotary Club chapters gathered at 11 a.m. today at Second and Market streets. The group will travel west on Market Street, turn west on McAllister Street, and finally arrive at City Hall, according the City’s Veteran’s Affairs Commission. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency closed Second Street from Market to Brannan streets at 9 a.m. in preparation for the parade. Streets will open as the parade passes, and drivers may cross Market Street...

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Bonds seeks to have charges dismissed

The majority of charges against embattled slugger Barry Bonds should be dropped due to “fatally ambiguous questions” posed to him during a grand jury session, defense attorneys argued Wednesday in federal court. U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston said she needed time to consider whether to drop 10 of the 15 charges Bonds faces. Illston will issue a written ruling on the motion. Bonds, 44, faces 14 charges of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice stemming from grand jury testimony during which he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. He has pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney Dennis Riordan said 10 of the counts should be dismissed due to...

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Voters split on housing; reject set-asides

A measure to provide significant set-aside funding for affordable housing is still undecided, while voters passed a measure that establishes a city policy against such set-asides. Prop. B requires The City to set aside 2.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value through 2025, according to the City Controller's Office. The estimated $2.7 billion gained would be committed to building affordable housing for households that earn not more than 80 percent of the San Francisco median income. For example, The City's median household income in 2007 was $68,023, according to the U.S. Census; 80 percent would mean a threshold of $54,418. At least half the units would have two bedrooms and target...

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New court rejected; funding for treatment approved

Proposition L — which would have locked in first-year funding for a new downtown court for offenders charged with misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies in the Tenderloin, South of Market, Civic Center and Union Square neighborhoods — did not receive voter approval. The court is scheduled to open in February nonetheless, since supervisors have already earmarked $2.5 million for the court. The passage of Prop. L would have added an additional $129,177 and prevented the funding from being put on hold or re-appropriated. The court will allow those charged with crimes such as vandalism, prostitution and drug use to opt for care for addictions and mental illnesses over jail time,...

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Castro St. closed as revelers celebrate Obama win

Hundreds of revelers lit fireworks, whooped and danced in the street Tuesday night to celebrate Barack Obama’s historic presidential win. Both spontaneous and planned celebrations prompted street closures in the Castro, Mission and Alamo Square neighborhoods. Police shut Castro Street between Market and 18th streets as people waving American and gay-pride flags flooded the area. At one point someone ignited an effigy of President Bush in the middle of street. The fire, which shot flames several feet into the air, was quickly extinguished by police officers. Overall, the mood was jubilant as a DJ played dance music and streamers fluttered down on the cheering...

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Sergeant’s party snafu highlights proposed “zero-tolerance” policy

The accidental discharge of a police officer’s weapon at a Halloween party Friday night could jump start a movement to stop off-duty officers from drinking if they’re toting a gun. Sgt. Mike Everson, a 26-year-veteran who works in the investigations bureau, found himself in handcuffs briefly after his gun went off at a small party Friday on Arbor Avenue in unincorporated Los Altos, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Don Morrissey confirmed. Everson was off-duty at the time. Morrissey confirmed that witnesses reported hearing a single shot while Evanson was in the side yard of the home. Witnesses told police that just before the gun fired, Evanson, who had...

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Head of Patrol Specials slapped with suspension, fine

The head of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officer Association will be suspended from her post after allowing an unauthorized man work as an armed and uniformed officer, police commissioners ruled Monday. Patrol Special Officer Jane Warner allowed Willie Adams, who failed a background test, to misrepresent himself as an assistant patrol special officer, the commission found. Two additional administrative charges against Warner — that she appointed Adams without proper authority and failed to cooperate in the ensuing investigation — were found to have no merit. Warner will serve 45 days of her 180-day suspension beginning Nov. 9. The remaining 135 days will be held...

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San Francisco Patrol Specials on firing line

The head of a city-sponsored security force accused of hiring an unauthorized man to carry out armed patrols will likely have her case decided by police commissioners today. The administrative charges leveled against Jane Warner, the president of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officers Association, highlight long-simmering tensions between police and the citizen-staffed security unit that has protected San Francisco since the Gold Rush. Police say Warner appointed a man named Willie Adams to the unit, even though his application was denied in 2003. Warner has refused to reveal when Adams was hired, police say, but he was allegedly spotted on patrol Oct. 3, 2006. Warner did not...

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Extra force may be on its way out

A longstanding disagreement on the role of city-sponsored security officers may be a thing of the past as soon as next year. The San Francisco Police Commission is contracting with an outside company to study the Patrol Special force, which has patrolled San Francisco for more than a century and falls under the city charter. Unlike police officers, their salaries are paid by local merchants. “My personal opinion is there is a place for them in San Francisco policing,” Commission President Theresa Sparks said. “They’re an asset that’s essentially cost-free for The City.” The year-long, $50,000 study will examine how to integrate the Patrol Specials...

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Robbery spree nets 60-year sentence

A man who terrorized restaurant employees during a robbery spree last year will serve 60 years to life in prison. Gregory Garrett, 54, of Hayward was sentenced Wednesday by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Georgi after a jury convicted him July 8 on three counts of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery and one count of burglary. Prosecutors said during his four-week trial that Garrett’s yearlong series of restaurant robberies began in January 2006. He was caught in the act Jan. 14, 2007, during a takeover robbery at a SoMa Subway restaurant. Investigators say Garrett roughed up the owner of the franchise while co-defendant Allan Cook bound employees with a phone...

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Man in fatal fight won’t face charges

A 47-year-old man will not face charges in a Mission district fistfight that left another man dead. San Francisco District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Erica Derryck confirmed Tuesday that Mike Riddick will not be charged with the death of 53-year-old Steven Yarger of San Francisco. Yarger and Riddick engaged in a physical altercation Sept. 21 at the corner of Potrero Avenue and 15th Street, police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. “The fight caused the victim to be pushed to the ground, where he struck his head,” Williams said. Riddick was arrested later that day and charged with assault, authorities said. However, charges were later dropped when the investigation...

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Man clings to life after shooting

A young man remained in the intensive-care unit at San Francisco General Hospital on Tuesday, four days after being shot multiple times in the Sunnydale housing projects in Visitacion Valley. Police and a family friend declined to identify the man, who was shot along with another victim at 3 p.m. Friday in the 100 block of Rey Street, authorities said. San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said the suspect, 20-year-old Kevin Mitchell, approached and fired multiple shots at the two men, 20 and 21, as they stood on the corner. The bullets sent neighbors scattering and shattered the back window of a woman’s car as she drove to pick up her child from school. Officers from the...

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Deadly fall was escape attempt, friends and police say

Loved ones of a San Francisco woman who fell to her death while trying to escape an allegedly abusive boyfriend say they are struggling to accept how a vivacious free-spirit met such a violent end. Elroy Muniz will be arraigned this week on murder charges in connection with Cindy Weaver’s death. Weaver, 46, fell from an upper-story bathroom window in the 2700 block of Folsom Street on Oct. 3, and died from her injuries Oct. 20, San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. Muniz has been in County Jail since his Oct. 16 arrest on suspicion of false imprisonment, domestic violence and assault, Williams said. On Friday, Muniz was charged with murder. While few details on the...

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Teen arrested in Friday night stabbing

A 19-year-old remained behind bars Sunday for the alleged stabbing death of a teenager at a party in the Ingleside neighborhood Friday night. Martin Martinez of San Francisco was arrested at 1:45 a.m. Saturday in the 300 block of Edinburgh Street in the Excelsior district, about two miles from where 17-year-old Angelo Zuniga was attacked two hours earlier, San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. Zuniga’s death is The City’s 92nd homicide. There have also been a handful of suspicious deaths. “The suspect may have some prior gang affiliations,” Williams said. However, police say the killing was not gang-related. Witnesses at the party, held at 439...

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Gang that terrorized Mission on ICE

Suspects in two of The City’s homicides — including the death of a 14-year-old boy — were targeted Wednesday in a raid by federal officials seeking suspected members of the notorious MS-13 gang, law enforcement officials revealed Thursday. In addition to the alleged killers, the raid also picked up the top local leadership of the gang, which police officials have said is responsible for much of The City’s violence. Twenty-nine suspected members or associates of the gang were indicted on charges including drug and firearms trafficking, attempted murder, robbery, assault and other violent crimes, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday. Among those facing...

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Gangs uprooted in area raids

Police, immigration officials and SWAT team members swarmed homes in San Francisco, San Bruno, South City and Richmond on Wednesday, nabbing alleged members of a violent street gang. Public-safety officials say those arrested were suspected members of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a gang made up largely of Central American immigrants, according to the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center. Police believe MS-13 members may be behind some of The City’s escalating violence, including the June shooting deaths of Tony Bologna and two of his sons in the Excelsior district. Nationwide criticism of San Francisco's sanctuary-city ordinance followed the revelation that the accused...

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Neighbors cite blight in violence

Residents in a stretch of the Mission district known for its tight-knit neighbors and frequent gang violence say vacant, dilapidated buildings are partially to blame for criminal activity. Neighbors near 23rd Street between Treat Avenue and Folsom Street say they are fed up with the block’s crumbling structures across from a children’s playground. The street has seen five shootings in the last 10 months, and the empty buildings attract graffiti several times a week, which is nearly always cleaned up by neighbors, they say. Neighborhood resident David Delp said landlord neglect is chipping away at recent signs of hope, such as better lighting and a taco truck that neighbors say...

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Mission fire disrupts transit

Firefighters are mopping up after battling a two-alarm blaze at a commercial building in the Mission district Thursday. Nobody was injured in the fire, which was reported at 11:15 a.m. in the basement of 2619 Mission St., said San Francisco Fire Lt. Carl Drake. The restaurant Smile Barbecue is listed at the address. Nobody answered the phone at the eatery late Thursday morning. Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control by 11:46 a.m., Drake said. As of noon, transit was still disrupted due to the fire, said Muni spokeswoman Kristen Holland. Both the 14 Mission and 48 Van Ness/Mission bus routes had been rerouted in both directions. Outbound lines have been redirected onto...

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Icer Air hasn’t always been a darling of San Francisco events

It’s been three years, but Olympic gold-medalist Jonny Moseley won’t soon forget the spectacle and drama of Icer Air 2005, in which 20 tons of snow trucked into Pacific Heights delighted thousands but failed to cool the ire of hot-tempered neighbors. “It weighed heavily on our decision to move it,” Moseley said. Event organizers endured weeks of permit hearings with city officials and meetings with residents who feared the death-defying stunts and speed-skiing in the streets of their tony neighborhood. “Truth be told, The City wasn’t that bad,” Moseley said. “It was just the people [were] scared out of their minds — it wasn’t...

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Mogul champ now a mogul in business

It’s been a decade since Jonny Moseley captured the gold medal, but the Tiburon resident is back to his Olympic training schedule. Rising at dawn, his focus is laser-sharp. These days, the parties are few and far between, and slacking is not an option. But Moseley’s lifestyle change has nothing to do with skiing and everything to do with the rigors of an adventure of another sort: parenthood. Moseley and wife Malia Rich welcomed son Jack 13 months ago. Fatherhood, Moseley says, has changed him profoundly. “I feel like I’m simultaneously much more productive but much busier,” Moseley said. “I’m up earlier, to bed earlier, with no time for...

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Settlement decision looms in wrongful-death lawsuit

A possible $150,000 settlement for the family of a Seattle man who fell to his death in an unsuccessful rescue will briefly go before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors today to be assigned to a committee for review. The family of Nick Torrico filed a wrongful death lawsuit against The City July 13, 2007, claiming Torrico fell to his death Oct. 12, 2006, after a fire lieutenant tried to wrestle him away from the edge of a Nob Hill rooftop. The settlement offer was previously rejected by The City’s Fire...

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Caltrain strikes vehicle in Burlingame

A southbound Caltrain car smacked into a big-rig Monday morning, injuring the truck’s driver and snarling the morning commute. The incident started at 7:30 a.m. when an express train clipped the back of the tractor-trailer on the tracks at Broadway, Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said. The train had just stopped in Millbrae and its next scheduled stop was in Redwood City. “The truck driver was driving through the crossing and did not allow enough time or space to clear the intersection before the train went through,” said Dunn. Caltrain passengers, who were not injured, were taken off the train. The truck’s driver suffered minor injuries. All lights,...

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City may ‘blaze a trail’ by building near transit

Developers building near transit would save money and those whose locations encourage driving would pay more under a new fee system being considered by San Francisco officials. “This is likely to blaze a trail in the state, if not nationally. It’s momentous,” San Francisco Transportation Authority Executive Director Jose Luis Moscovich said recently. Since the 1950s, U.S. cities have calculated developments’ transit impacts by how long drivers must wait at a traffic light. San Francisco officials want to change the formula, basing impacts on the number of new automobile trips generated — something routinely calculated by developers. The result, proponents...

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Man convicted of stabbing brother accused in S.F. kidnapping, rape

A man convicted last year of stabbing his brother in the heart was charged in a cold case Thursday of kidnapping, raping and robbing a woman after rear-ending her car in San Francisco in 2005. Daniel Quiles, 23, pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to five felony counts, including carjacking, kidnapping, rape, robbery, false imprisonment and two counts of rape, prosecutors said. Quiles is serving a three-year prison sentence stemming from the 2006 stabbing of his brother in South San Francisco, San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. He was due for release early next year. Quiles' brother underwent open-heart surgery and survived, Wagstaffe said. In...

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Spate of killings puts city's total at 86

A man opened fire on another man and a woman in a parked car in the Crocker Amazon neighborhood Wednesday night, killing the man and wounding his companion, according to police. The victim, 32-year-old Wesley Simpson of Daly City, is San Francisco’s 86th homicide of 2008. Last year, when The City recorded a decade-high 98 homicides, there were 83 at this time. Simpson’s death is the third slaying in three days. September has been the bloodiest month in San Francisco this year; there were 17 homicides — five more than the previous month high of 12, which came in March. Of the 17, just two have resulted in arrests by the Police Department. The second victim in...

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Terrorism expert notes progress, failures

This week, terrorism expert, Brian Jenkins, the Mineta Transportation Institute Security Center director spoke at The City’s commonwealth club about his book, “Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?” How far have we come since Sept. 11? It’s certainly a mixed picture. There’s undeniable progress, and clearly some failures. What are the successes? We’ve removed some of the key operational planners of al-Qaida, we have kept al-Qaida’s leadership on the run, We have made operating more dangerous for al-Qaida in terms of international travel and money. The preparations for carrying out the 9/11 attack would be much more dangerous today. Failures? We have...

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Mid-Peninsula engineers biotech bargain

Lured by inexpensive leases, more space and easier commutes for employees, biotech companies are flocking to cities in the mid-Peninsula, according to a new survey. The southward trend is a shift from the years when the northern part of the county, ruled by South San Francisco giant Genentech, held the majority of the biotech companies. “People are starting to realize, yes, the north Peninsula is nice, but they can get exactly the same thing for less [in south San Mateo County],” said Doug Davis, a principal at AE3 Partners, which conducted the survey with CB Richard Ellis. At $2.16 per square foot, the average lease price on the mid-Peninsula is more attractive than the...

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Police: Slayings in S.F., South City linked

A single shooter killed a man in Visitacion Valley and another in South San Francisco an hour and a half apart Tuesday, police said. The fatal shootings were followed Wednesday by a fatal stabbing in the Tenderloin, which brought the homicide tally for San Francisco to 85 for the year. A suspect in Tuesday’s slayings was being detained by police on unrelated charges Wednesday, police said. At 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, 44-year-old longshoreman and East Bay resident James Starghill was shot multiple times as he stood in front of his mother’s house at Brussels and Maynard streets in The City’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood, San Francisco homicide Inspector Mike Johnson...

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Second-degree murder verdict in domestic violence stabbing

The family of a woman stabbed to death by her batterer left a San Francisco courtroom in tears Tuesday after a jury failed to convict him of first degree murder, but found him guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict followed an emotional two-week trial that included the victim Claire Joyce Tempongko’s 18-year-old son detailing the Oct. 22, 2000, attack on his mother by her former boyfriend, Tari Ramirez. Tempongko was stabbed several times inside her apartment in the Richmond district in front of her two young children. The killing was the culmination of a string of documented domestic violence incidents, prosecutors have said. Ramirez fled to Mexico but was arrested by the...

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Light at end of Mission violence?

During a sunshine-drenched afternoon, the corner of 23rd Street and Treat Avenue seems almost idyllic. Shrieks of children’s laughter rises from a nearby playground. Residents stroll in front of tidy single-family homes and Victorian apartment buildings. When night falls, however, it’s a different story, neighbors say. The corner, which until recently was dimmed by broken streetlamps, has reportedly been the site of multiple shootings and gang activity. Many residents say they simply don’t leave their homes at night. San Francisco School Board President Mark Sanchez said two of his former students have been shot on the corner in the past six weeks, including Jorge...

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Man slain in Potrero Hill, body found on Fillmore

A man was gunned down on a Potrero Hill street Tuesday afternoon, the latest in a rash of killings that have plagued the city over the past month. The victim, whose identity has not yet been released, is the 15th slaying this month and the 82nd in 2008, putting the city on par with last year's decade-high death count of 98. San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said 911 callers reported multiple gunshots on the 1400 block of Illinois Street near 25th Street at 1:40 p.m. Police arrived to find the man, who was in his 30s shot. He was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died. The suspect, a man in his 20s, was last seen fleeing west on 24th Street in a white Ford...

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Knoller resentenced for fatal dog mauling

Condemning her behavior as reckless and outrageous, a judge sentenced Marjorie Knoller to 15 years to life in prison for the 2001 dog-mauling death of neighbor Diane Whipple. The killing of the 33-year-old college lacrosse coach — who bled to death after being bitten 77 times — and the trial that followed has grabbed headlines with such details as the dogs owned by Knoller and her husband once belonging to a white supremacist and a judge’s decision in 2002 to overturn a jury’s second-degree murder conviction. Last month, Superior Court Judge Charlotte Woolard reinstated the murder conviction. Although Knoller, 53, had been eligible for probation in the Jan....

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Firefighter injured in residential building fire

A Sunday morning blaze in an apartment building near Union Square injured a firefighter and displaced six people. The two-alarm fire’s cause is still under investigation, but it appeared to start in a lightwell on the second floor of the three-story, 20-unit building at 686 Post St., San Francisco fire Lt. Ken Smith said. The flames scorched a second-floor unit before jumping to the third-floor unit above it, Smith said. Firefighters, who were called at 3:47 a.m., were able to prevent the fire from jumping the roof line and completely contained it by 4:30 a.m., Smith said. One firefighter was hit in the head by falling debris. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital,...

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Three killed, two injured in violent weekend

The slayings of three men during the weekend has put San Francisco on pace with last year’s murder toll. The weekend killings bring The City’s 2008 homicide tally to 81. Last year, San Francisco had 82 killings at this time and eventually reached a decade high of 98 homicides. On Sunday, officers in the Tenderloin were searching for an assailant who stabbed 59-year-old Ralph Ruiz to death during a 10:45 a.m. argument on Hyde Street. Tenderloin Police Station Capt. Gary Jimenez said witnesses had come forward in the brazen daylight killing and police had obtained evidence from video cameras. “Our plainclothes and uniformed officers have been canvassing the...

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Bay's richest among nation's largest accounts

The caviar budgets of Bay Area tech kings Larry Ellison, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are in no danger of collapse in the near-future. The local entrepreneurs once again found their way into the top 20 of Forbes magazine’s 400 Richest Americans list Thursday. Oracle Corp. CEO Ellison, who lives in Woodside, is the third richest American. Only Bill Gates and Warren Buffet can top Ellison’s $27 billion. Ellison, 64, was ranked fourth last year. While the wealth of Sergey Brin and Larry Page exceeds the gross domestic product of some countries, the 35-year-old Google founders slipped in the rankings. Brin, of Palo Alto, earned 14th place with $15.9 billion. Page, of San...

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California Academy of Sciences unveiled

From the albino alligator basking in its swamp to the rolling hills of wildflowers serving as its roof, the California Academy of Sciences is burbling with life. After a decade of planning, the museum will open to the public Sept. 27. The Academy kept many of its iconic displays, such as the dioramas of taxidermic animals that have graced the African Hall since 1934. But it also added live penguins, more multimedia and a living rainforest. Light pours into airy, open galleries from every direction. The 38,000 animals of the Steinhart Aquarium, once confined to their own hall, appear throughout the Academy. In the Rainforests of the World exhibit, visitors are enveloped in humidity,...

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New warrants in Ramos probe

The man suspected of killing a San Francisco father and two of his sons has been behind bars since June, but prosecutors say the investigation is still very active, with new search warrants served Wednesday. The latest search warrants were revealed at an evidentiary hearing for 21-year-old Edwin Ramos. The suspected gang member faces three counts of murder and multiple special circumstances in the June 11 shooting deaths of Anthony “Tony” Bologna and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, in the Excelsior district. Outside court, Assistant District Attorney Harry Dorfman hinted that the new search warrants were for phone records, but declined to confirm whether or not...

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All aboard for electrifying Caltrain

When Caltrain Rail Transformation Chief Bob Doty looks to the future, he envisions the commutes of millions not only improved, but completely reinvented by electrification. Starting in 2015, faster, safer European train cars will zip passengers to more stations in record time. The all-electric system will wean Caltrain off costly diesel fuel, ending the cycle of raising fares to pay for operations. Improved grade crossings will reduce the risk to the public. In short, Doty said before the agency’s joint powers board earlier this month, Caltrain will become a model for the entire United States. As the heady presentation wound down, Caltrain directors paused. Executive Director...

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Woman pleads not guilty to officer assault

A mentally ill San Francisco woman pleaded not guilty to five felony counts Wednesday stemming from an altercation with police that resulted in officers shooting her five times. Teresa Sheehan, 56, is facing charges of assault on a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats against a social worker. Sheehan was shot in the face and torso by two police officers after allegedly threatening them with a knife at her Mission district group home Aug. 9. Police have said the social worker backed away after Sheehan brandished a knife. The officers pepper-sprayed Sheehan, but she continued to threaten them and began confronting them with the knife, police...

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Woman avoids prison in fatal hit-and-run

A 25-year-old woman accused of driving away after fatally striking a pedestrian in a San Francisco crosswalk days before Christmas will spend no time behind bars. Novato resident Samantha Osborne pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of felony hit-and-run and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Two other counts were dropped. She was sentenced to five years probation, six months home detention, 90 days in a work alternative program and 720 hours of community service, said Erica Derryck, spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Osborne will have to submit to periodic searches by police...

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Motorist will face no jail time in optician's death

A 25-year old woman accused of driving away after fatally striking a pedestrian in a San Francisco crosswalk days before Christmas will face no time behind bars. Novato resident Samantha Osborne pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to one count of felony hit-and-run and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, said San Francisco District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Erica Derryck. Two counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury or death, and one count of alcohol-involved manslaughter were dropped. She was sentenced to five years probation, six months home detention, 90 days in a work alternative program, and 720 hours community service, Derryck said....

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Dangerous day to drive on Geary

Two separate major accidents struck within three hours Tuesday afternoon in the Richmond district, leaving a 73-year-old pedestrian with life-threatening injuries and another victim with stab wounds. The pedestrian is fighting for his life following a hit-and-run incident at 20th Avenue and Geary Boulevard, which occurred around 1 p.m. Ywe E. Emerson, 49, was allegedly making a left turn from 20th Avenue and struck a 73-year-old pedestrian walking in the crosswalk. Emerson then backed up and sped off northbound on 20th Avenue, San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens said. A witness followed Emerson’s vehicle, Gittens said. The good Samaritan eventually lost sight of...

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Hells Angels offer roaring farewell

Amid a sea of leather and the roar of nearly 2,000 mufflers, Frisco Hells Angels leader Mark “Papa” Guardado was laid to rest Monday after a funeral that tested police departments in San Francisco and the Peninsula. Hells Angels from chapters around the world and mourners from dozens of other motorcycle clubs packed into the parking lot of Duggan’s Serra Mortuary in Daly City for the 10 a.m. service. Spectators filled surrounding blocks and watched from every level of a nearby six-story parking structure. Guardado, the 46-year-old president of the San Francisco Hells Angels chapter, was shot and killed outside a Mission district bar on Sept. 2. Police have issued a $5...

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Slain mother was 'good person'

A young mother was felled by bullets while socializing outside a public-housing complex in Potrero Hill on Saturday night, the latest in a rash of killings in San Francisco. The victim was identified by the San Francisco medical examiner Sunday as 19-year-old Caprisha Green. Police say Green was shot about 10:25 p.m. in the 1000 block of Connecticut Street. She was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police have made no arrests in the case. Green’s death marks The City’s 75th homicide. At the same point in 2007, there had been 80 killings in San Francisco. Last year, The City’s homicide rate was the highest it has been in a decade,...

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Bikers roar in to remember

Hells Angels from across the United States and as far away as British Columbia and Italy roared into Daly City on Sunday afternoon for the wake of a West Coast leader. Mark “Papa” Guardado, the 46-year-old president of the motorcycle club’s San Francisco chapter, was gunned down Sept. 2 in the Mission district. On Tuesday, police issued an arrest warrant for Christopher Ablett, his suspected killer. Ablett, 35, a member of the rival Mongols motorcycle club, has not been found despite a raid on his Modesto home. Guardado was one of nine homicide victims in The City in the past three weeks. Police expect Guardado’s funeral at 10 a.m. Monday to attract as many as...

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Exploring the 'Bizarro' world

The “Bizarro” cartoonist, Dan Piraro, came to San Francisco on Wednesday to perform his critically acclaimed multimedia comedy show. All proceeds went to Pets are Wonderful Support and Born Free USA. What is the Bizarro Comedy Show? I do songs, I do puppets, I show videos and I read hate mail. How does the hate mail go over with the audience? It’s the most popular part of the show. Some golden fool with a typewriter or an e-mail account will write me some cockamamie message about a cartoon they didn’t understand and I read it at my show. People roll in the aisles about the kinds of things people get upset about. What made you become a vegan? I met a woman who I...

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Gas prices continue to decline

It was just a few months ago that gas prices in San Francisco were hovering around $5 per gallon, but 11 straight weeks of declining costs have lowered that number by almost a dollar, AAA reported. A strengthening U.S. dollar and a drop in demand are helping to keep prices down, experts say. “Consumers are having a big influence on the gas market,” AAA spokesman Matt Skryja said. “Once gas started reaching the $4 mark, that was a wake-up call to a lot of people. They started to use mass transit. As it continued to climb, people changed their habits.” Concerns about recent hurricanes slowing oil production in the Gulf Coast have not made a big impact on the...

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Defense argues for new lineup in Ramos hearing

The surviving son whose father and brothers were gunned down in the Excelsior district may have been too shaken up by the June 22 attack to properly identify the shooter in a police lineup, the alleged killer’s attorney said Tuesday. The attorney for Edwin Ramos — who is charged with three counts of murder and multiple special allegations in the deaths of Anthony “Tony” Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16 — has asked Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson to allow a new photo lineup. Investigators say Ramos, an alleged gang member, mistook his alleged victims as members of a rival gang. At Tuesday’s hearing, public defender Marla Zamora...

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Bay Bridge work delayed

Construction of the decks for the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge have fallen four to five months behind schedule, transportation officials said Monday. Bart Ney, spokesman for the $5.5 billion replacement project, said the problem would not delay the opening of the new span in 2013. “We’re not at a point where we’re saying this is bad enough to affect the delivery date of the bridge,” he said. The Shanghai-based firm, ZPMC, has fallen behind due to the complexity of the project, Ney said. ZPMC is a subcontractor of American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises, the prime contractor for the Bay Bridge project. ZPMC is charged with building not only the decks but the...

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Justin Dillon raises awareness with rockumentary

The Berkeley musician rockumentary on human trafficking, “CALL+RESPONSE,” opens Oct. 10. It pairs celebrities with indie musicians to help raise awareness of the global issue. You made this movie with no film industry contacts or experience. What prompted this kind of a project? I took my band to Russia and these younger girls were hanging around because they had never seen a rock band. We started hearing all these job opportunities being offered to them ... [that] were scams by human traffickers. ... They were desperate to come to the States and these people were preying upon their ambition. It made me angry this could happen out in the open. Do you think slavery is...

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Muni buoyed by increased sales, fare enforcement

For years, sneaking onto Muni buses was like jaywalking. Warnings of its illegality loomed large, but the chances of punishment were slim. But fare evaders — long a thorn in the side of paying passengers and Muni officials — are now being slapped with $50 tickets in greater numbers than ever before, according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The crackdown was just one of many reasons the transit agency has experienced a 5.7 percent increase in fare revenue, or $8.1 million, during the last year. Two years ago, there were only 16 fare enforcement officers at Muni. Today, there are 51, Muni chief Nathaniel Ford said, who added that another 20 will be hired...

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Series of scares slows holiday transit

A man apparently suffering from psychological problems walked right into the Transbay Tube on Monday morning, capping off a weekend of scares and delays involving Bay Area transit. The 53-year-old Albany man will not face charges after climbing onto the tracks at the Embarcadero BART station and walking into the tube that connects San Francisco with the East Bay, BART spokesman Linton Johnson said. The man was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation after authorities shut down all trains between San Francisco and the East Bay, delaying passengers for about one hour. Johnson said the man was in the tube for about 45 minutes before being removed. “There was no evidence of...

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Bernie Ward sentenced for child porn

Bernie Ward, the popular radio talk-show host disgraced by federal child-pornography charges, was sentenced Thursday to seven years and two months in prison. Ward, who is married and has four children, was fired in December 2007 from KGO-AM in San Francisco after a grand jury indictment accused him of actively uploading and sharing images of child pornography on the Internet. His KGO-AM shows included the Sunday morning “God Talk” program. “I feel very sorry for you and your family,” Judge Vaughn Walker told Ward. The judge said he was troubled by Ward’s hypocrisy — while the former priest was lambasting the Roman Catholic Church for not rooting out...

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‘Pay as you drive’ rolls forward

The less you drive, the less you may have to pay for auto coverage, under a new plan proposed by the state’s insurance commissioner Wednesday. The program, dubbed “pay as you drive” in which drivers document their mileage and pay accordingly, will encourage motorists to drive less, saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions, environmental groups said. In doing so, they also would lower their insurance premiums. The plan is already an option from several insurance companies in 34 states as well as Canada, Japan and Europe. California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced the plan Wednesday along with state Assemblymember Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, who dropped...

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Group sues homeless program

San Francisco’s Care Not Cash program blatantly discriminates against disabled people, forcing them out of shelter beds and onto the streets, charges a lawsuit against The City filed Wednesday. The class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Care Not Cash program gives participants priority help when it comes to shelter reservations and case-management services — leaving nonparticipants — including the disabled — out in the cold, since there are not enough shelter beds for all of The City’s homeless. Disabled people who receive Social Security or veterans benefits are often above the income...

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A new look for Valencia Street

On a busy weekend, the heart of Valencia Street beats with an exhilarated flutter. Shoppers, diners and bar hoppers crowd the narrow sidewalks. Bicyclists dodge car doors while unlucky or impatient motorists park illegally in the median. But the heavily traveled business corridor is preparing for a major facelift — one that will remove the striped center median, make more room for bikes and pedestrians, widen sidewalks by up to 5 feet, improve lighting and add trees. The design for the first phase of the project — from 15th to 19th streets — is complete. Construction is scheduled to begin in April and end in March 2010, said Department of Public Works project manager...

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Culture lovers, hop on board!

Standing on a Muni platform, Canadian tourists Deb and George Padden squinted at their maps, trying to discern the quickest route from The Embarcadero to the Castro. They only had the weekend, and wanted to spend it soaking in the sights — not waiting for transit. After September, visitors like the Paddens may be riding the 74-Culture Bus — a pilot route shuttling visitors and residents to museums and attractions in SoMa, downtown and Golden Gate Park. “I like the idea that it’s direct. You get on, you get to your destination. Buses aren’t always the most efficient way to travel, but you end up seeing more things,” George Padden said. San Francisco...

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Speed a factor in crash, police say

A speeding driver who died in a crash on the Bay Bridge early Saturday morning after weaving in and out of traffic was identified as Richmond resident David Catlett, authorities said Sunday. Catlett is the second motorist to die on the span within a week. “Definitely, speeding was involved in both these accidents. It’s unfortunate,” California Highway Patrol Officer Shawn Chase said Sunday. In the latest crash, 35-year-old Catlett was driving east on the bridge in his 1994 Honda Civic at a high rate of speed and using all lanes to pass slower moving traffic, the California Highway Patrol reported. About 12:05 a.m., Catlett made a series of unsafe turns, which made...

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Illegal left turn leads to Muni crash

An illegal left turn by a young woman in a car led to a collision with a Muni light-rail vehicle Thursday in the Bayview that left 10 people injured, police said, the latest in a string of incidents involving Muni this week. The 20-something woman was driving her gray Dodge Magnum north on Third Street when she cut in front of the T-Third train to turn left on Galvez Street, San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens said. Only Muni vehicles are permitted to make left turns at the intersection. The accident is one of several Muni incidents recently. One day before this crash, an N-Judah light rail hit a woman at 30th Avenue and Judah Street in the Sunset district. She was sent to San...

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Resident witnessed beating but failed to call police or show up to court

A man who failed to call the police after witnessing his neighbor bludgeoned and dragged into the garage has no regrets, he said. “Looking back on it now, I’d do exactly what I did then. I couldn’t see. I wasn’t Superman,” said Larry Pope, outside a San Francisco courtroom Wednesday. Pope, who was brought to court by police after twice failing to show up, took the stand Wednesday in the trial of Richard Carelli and Michelle Pinkerton, both 38, who are charged in the Sept. 22, 2007 beating death of 49-year-old housemate Leonard “Milo” Hoskins in his Mission Terrace home. Carelli is charged with murder and Pinkerton as an accessory to murder....

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Fast Passes near long-sought boost

Muni riders who purchase senior or disabled Fast Passes will soon be able to use the discount cards to ride BART in The City. For years, seniors and disabled Muni riders have lobbied for a pass program that allows them to ride BART, the way holders of regular monthly Fast Passes can. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency directors Tuesday unanimously approved the Senior and Disabled Fast Pass Pilot Program, and BART directors are expected to approve it at their Sept. 11 meeting. SFMTA Director Bruce Oka, a disability-rights advocate, cheered the decision. “This has been a long time coming for me,” he said. Disabled Muni rider Bob Planthold, who said...

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Street fairs could face fee hike

Street fairs, the hallmark of summer in The City, are straining to survive under the weight of skyrocketing city fees, organizers say. Now, Muni is considering increasing its fee for rerouting some service around the events. When there is an event in The City that interrupts electric buses or light-rail vehicles, the event must pay Muni $6.31 an hour per bus so the transit agency can substitute diesel buses around the route. Muni now wants to incrementally increase that fee to $20 per hour in 2011. The fee hike follows the Aug. 1 doubling of costs for temporary street-closure permits, bringing them as high as $750, depending on advance notice given to the San Francisco Municipal...

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Muni goes shopping for ads aplenty

Imagine riding home on a Muni train sitting firmly on a Macy’s logo. Or, if you’re not lucky enough to grab a seat, simply reaching between the dangling Outback Steakhouse cards to hold onto the safety bar above you. Tourists who want to drink in The City’s sites can peer around window stickers as ads flash on monitors inside the bus. And if you think you can escape commercial messages by driving, think again. In city-owned parking garages, you may find backlit wall signs, full elevator wraps and planter boxes selling you everything from bank accounts to iPods. This week, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will issue a request for proposals to take...

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Fatal weekend on roads, rails

A fiery fatal crash Sunday morning on the Bay Bridge capped off a weekend of mishaps on Bay Area roads and transit systems. The Sunday morning wreck on the eastbound span of the Bay Bridge left 21-year-old Scott Leister of Castro Valley dead and a 22-year-old Fairfield motorist behind bars, the CHP said. Authorities say the allegedly intoxicated Fairfield man was driving his 2005 Subaru Impreza on the bridge just east of Treasure Island at more than 100 mph when he rear-ended a 1995 Mercedes E420 with three men inside. Both cars then spun out of control and struck the bridge’s southern railing, where the Subaru burst into flames, authorities said. The Subaru driver escaped the...

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Garages gear up for change

City-owned parking garages have long been worth their weight in gold, but even these traditional moneymakers have begun to feel the effects of age, understaffing and the downturn in driving caused by sky-high gas prices. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board will hear a plan to revitalize The City’s 40 parking lots and garages, which generate more than $80 million in gross revenue annually. “Almost every aspect of parking garage management is being evaluated and is changing,” SFMTA spokesman Judson True said. “We expect to see significant capital investments to make sure they will serve our customers well and provide a continuous...

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Western SoMa plan building up

A plan that would turn Folsom and Howard into two-way streets and breathe new life into a neglected neighborhood is poised to take a major step forward today. The City’s Planning Commission is expected to approve the draft of the Western SoMa Community Plan, an ambitious vision by residents to attract thousands of residential units to a nine-block area running from 13th to Fourth streets south of Market Street. The plan, proponents say, will create a thriving business district. South of Market activist Jim Meko, who chairs the Western SoMa Citizens Planning Task Force, said he and other residents are breathing a sigh of relief after learning earlier this month that major transit...

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Cab company asking drivers to prepay fees

Cabbies asked the San Francisco Taxi Commission on Tuesday to bar the city's largest taxi company, Yellow Cab, from making drivers prepay their gate fees each month. These fees now average $98.50 per shift. For busy drivers, the new policy means shelling out nearly $2,000 a month. Yellow Cab assistant manager Jim Gillespie said drivers would be required to comply with the new policy by December. Drivers say the policy is a legal maneuver to cement their status as independent contractors instead of employees, depriving them of their rights to workers’ compensation and other benefits. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors also opposes the policy. An attorney for the state...

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Woman stages China protest, falls 15 feet

A protester staging a mock hanging at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Wednesday plummeted about 15 feet to a landing below. The woman, identified as Nyendak Wangden of San Francisco, was conscious when firefighters rescued her, fire Capt. Mindy Talmadge said. Wangden, who was at the consulate with two dozen other protesters, remains at San Francisco General Hospital and is expected to survive, Talmadge said. The group was protesting China’s human-rights record in Tibet, days before the opening of the Beijing Olympics. Wangden and another woman staged mock hangings from the roof of the building. Police were investigating the incident and had no comment. The Associated...

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Muni fine-tunes transformation

San Franciscans lamenting the elimination of neighborhood bus lines marked for destruction may see those routes resurrected with vans. The idea to carry passengers through hilly residential areas by van was one of dozens of revised recommendations released by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Wednesday as part of the agency’s Transit Effectiveness Project. The initial recommendations, released in February, include beefing up Muni’s main transit lines in The City’s main corridors and eliminating some of its lesser-used routes. Thursday’s revisions addressed some concerns that riders had voiced in the past five months. “Obviously, not...

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Muni crash driver was warned

The transit operator who rammed into a historic streetcar Monday evening had been admonished an hour before the crash for tailgating another tram, a top Muni official said Tuesday. Ken McDonald, the chief operating officer for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, told the SFMTA Board of Directors on Tuesday that he, Mayor Gavin Newsom and Muni Chief of Staff Debra Johnson had been giving Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson a Muni station tour Monday evening before the accident. When they emerged from Van Ness station onto Market Street at 5:15 p.m., McDonald said, he saw something that disturbed him — an F-Line driver, identified by Muni officials as Jeanette...

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Laptop loss snarls TSA program

An unsecure laptop containing personal information of 33,000 travelers applying for a fast-pass plan was never switched on during its apparent weeklong absence from San Francisco International Airport, though the incident has forced a federal agency to shut down its nationwide security program. Officials from Verified Identity Pass, the firm under contract with the federal Transportation Security Administration to run the Clear program, said it was impossible that any information about passengers could have been released. Company spokeswoman Allison Beer said it still wasn’t clear whether the laptop was stolen, misplaced or simply overlooked. An investigation by was conducted by...

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MTC approves outlook plan for Bay Area

Despite pleas that some projects be replaced with more transit-friendly alternatives, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved its $223 billion, 25-year Bay Area transportation plan Wednesday. About 85 percent of the budget was committed to ongoing projects, MTC spokesman John Goodwin said. Nearly $6.1 billion went toward establishing 800 miles of carpool and high-occupancy toll lanes. The Transportation and Land Use Commission, a partnership of environmental and social-justice groups, unsuccessfully sought a re-evaluation of projects that added lanes, but lauded the plan’s climate-change goals, investments in walkable neighborhoods and programs that......

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Where are the cabs?

He ignores your phone calls, makes you wait and sometimes stands you up on a Saturday night. He’s your San Francisco taxi driver, and you just can’t call it quits.While it’s improved throughout the years, the age-old relationship problem remains. You need him more than he needs you — especially if you live in a far-flung neighborhood or call during peak times.From a new and controversial idea to pay extra for guaranteed service to a renewed interest in a citywide dispatch......

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City ‘gateway toll’ considered

Running late for her job at the Westfield Centre, Sunset district resident Lisa Ellen admits to sometimes ditching her long journey on Muni in favor of navigating the crowded downtown streets by car. But under a controversial plan being studied by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the 21-year-old retail worker would pay a toll for bringing her vehicle into the congested area during peak drive times. "I’d be annoyed, but it would be worth it if it relieved some of the congestion," Ellen said. "I guess it would depend......

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Slow pace irks bike-plan fans

San Francisco’s bike plan, hobbled by a court injunction for more than two years, is now facing further delays due to poor project management by city officials, cyclists charge.Nearly 60 projects — including the installation of bike racks, additional lane striping and a city bike-shareprogram — have been on hold since Superior Court Judge James Warren issued a preliminary injunction in June 2006.The order came at the request of two groups, 99 Percent and Coalition for Adequate Review, which sought greater public review of The City’s bike plan. The groups’......

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Violence claims life of murder suspect

A motorcyclist gunned down near the Bayview district Saturday evening was a former murder suspect and suspected gang member who walked free after the 2006 execution of a protected witness. San Francisco’s medical examiner on Sunday identified the victim as Daniel Dennard, 23, of Oakland. Dennard, a defendant in The City’s 2007 injunction against the Oakdale Mob gang, was gunned down 1½ miles from......

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SFO to offer travelers a chance to freshen up

For travelers at San Francisco International Airport, life is about to become less sweaty.In addition to the airport’s two full service spas and luxury shopping, a shower service has been resurrected to serve the everyman at $11 a pop. While those traveling business or first class often have access to swanky airline lounge showers, "everyone needs to not be sweaty and stinky," Airport Travel Agency manager Carol Feiner said.It also will sell the essentials of feeling civilized after a long flight: clean underwear and toothpaste.Feiner says she hopes to reopen......

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Cracks slow Caltrain commute

Caltrain riders were hit with a one-two punch at the height of the morning commute Wednesday after unrelated mechanical problems in both directions caused delays of up to an hour.The malfunctions — a broken rail in the northbound tracks and an engine problem on a southbound train — mark the third time in seven weeks that major mechanical troubles have affected train service.The trouble began at 5:18 a.m. just south of Continued...

 

Freeway could become toll-way

The Bay Area’s solo drivers may soon be able to bypass freeway gridlock by buying their way into the carpool lane.The Metropolitan Transportation Commission will vote Wednesday on a $228 billion long-range plan that includes allocating $6 billion toward building a network of high-occupancy toll lanes.HOT lanes, which have operated in Southern California for the last decade, allow drivers to pay a variable fee based on congestion in order to drive in the high-occupancy lane. The first Bay Area HOT......

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Union, agency fail to see eye to eye

The existing pay scale and working conditions for Muni operators will likely be extended for another three years after union leaders and San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency officials failed to agree on a new contract.Union members, who voted Tuesday afternoon, approved the contract extension by 82 percent of the rank-and-file, Muni officials said Wednesday. The contract is expected to go before the SFMTA board for final approval in mid-August, though the deadline could be extended. "Over the course of a dozen meetings, SFMTA sought a variety of contract provisions......

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Muni, union close to new accord

After a long, contentious negotiation process, the Muni operators’ union potentially hashed out a tentative new contract Tuesday.Representatives of the Transport Workers Union Local 250-A — which includes approximately 1,900 Muni operators — have been butting heads with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials, who had called for stricter discipline for problematic drivers and scheduling changes, among other concessions from the transit operators.The workers, who operate Muni’s streetcars, buses and cable cars, have been working without a contract......

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Cabbie’s DUIs jeopardize permit

A longtime city cabdriver with a string of drunken driving arrests is battling to retain his right to drive a taxi in The City.Robert Friedman, who has driven a taxi for 40 years in San Francisco, has drunken driving convictions in 1999 and 2001 in Plumas County, a 2001 conviction in Contra Costa County and a 2006 arrest in Alameda County that hasn’t resulted in a conviction.The convictions came to light after San Francisco police sent a letter to the Taxicab Commission nearly a year ago, San Francisco Taxicab Commission......

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Muni Ladies preach proper bus behavior

Two genteel ladies were leaving their downtown office on a shopping jaunt when an overzealous Muni passenger began shoving anyone standing between him and a potential seat.The ladies were nearly knocked out of their high heels, but their sense of decorum remained steely as ever.One turned to the other and uttered the prophetic line, "Someone really needs to craft some manners for the Muni."Days later in May, www.munimanners.com was born and so were the ladies’ alter egos: Muni Lady 01 and Muni Lady 02.While poor hygiene, loud singing, nose......

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Statewide high-speed rail plan on track

The plan for a high-speed rail route across California is steaming ahead.The agency in charge of building the line that would shuttle riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles in just more than two hours is gearing up to focus on the details, such as where the trains will stop.Today, the California High Speed Rail Authority is expected to finalize its route from San Francisco to the Central Valley, which would bring it down the Peninsula, through San Jose and across the Pacheco Pass.Today’s vote will complete the final segment......

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Wiesel relives attempted attack by alleged assailant

Screaming for help and seized with a level of fear he hadn’t known since the Holocaust, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel was struck by the impassive expression of the man trying to kidnap him, the human-rights activist testified Monday."I didn’t see anything else except his face. He did not look surprised when I was shouting. I could have shouted till the end of my life as far as he was concerned," Wiesel said.The 79-year-old professor, human-rights activist and author of 50 books,......

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Lawsuit aims to chop menu info

A federal lawsuit served up by fast-food chains is threatening to nix San Francisco’s plan to require chain restaurants to list nutritional information on their menus.The California Restaurant Association, which represents chains including McDonald’s and Burger King, filed the lawsuit late Thursday in the Continued...

 

Planned ahead but left behind

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, but it threatened to turn into the headache of the year.Following the travel industry’s advice, Michael Cottam’s clients booked their Tahitian honeymoon months in advance, only to find the itinerary changed due to flight cuts, resulting in a daylong layover."We’ve seen a bunch of these schedule changes lately. You lose a day or more in that fabulous place and nobody offers to make it up to you," said Cottam, co-founder of travel registry TheBigDay.com, which caters to honeymooners — many......

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Chase slows earlyMuni commute

Two men — one chasing the other — jumped onto the San Francisco Municipal Railway tracks and ran into a downtown tunnel Monday, ending in an arrest and a transit slowdown that vexed morning commuters. San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said the 8 a.m. incident appeared to begin at the Civic Center station when 41-year-old El Sobrante resident Jimmy Johnson began running on the tracks toward the Powell Street station with another man in pursuit. "The incident was reported to the police by Muni," Williams said. "It appeared one......

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3-Minute Interview: Joo-Hee Bae

The Academy of Art graduate, 39, of San Francisco, won the coveted Elisabeth Gordon Chandler Prize in the 2008 National Competition for Figurative Sculpture in Connecticut last month. Bae was one of 13 people in the nation chosen by the National Sculpture Society to compete.You had to model a full-length figure in 28 hours over five days. What was it like having to create under a time crunch? There was a lot of pressure, especially the last day, when we had to make fingers and toes.It took a lot of......

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Reporting crimes now just one text message away

With the days of "dropping a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes long gone, Bay Area law enforcement officials are urging residents to instead help collar criminals through text messages. "So many young people text message these days, that’s why it works so well," said Tony Fasanella, president and executive director of Bay Area Crime Stoppers, which offers rewards to anonymous tipsters in the nine regional counties. The text-message......

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One dozen accused of victimizing the vulnerable

A dozen people accused of preying upon San Francisco’s poorest residents were arrested in two stings in the Tenderloin and Market Street areas. On Friday and Monday, officers in The City’s robbery abatement team went undercover in the neighborhoods in an effort to catch people who commit violence against the homeless, San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens said. "These are crimes of opportunity through force and fear, which makes these operations dangerous......

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Airlines to enforce carry-on size limit to deter ‘bin hogs’

Airline passengers will cram just about anything in an overhead compartment — from giant, bulging duffel bags to an actual human being."A flight attendant told a passenger to put her baby seat in the overhead bin, so she tried to stuff it up there with the baby strapped inside," United Airlines flight attendant Jennifer Kilbourne said Tuesday.Known in the industry as "bin hogs," those who take up too much space with their oversized carry-on luggage may be in for a rude awakening when they are forced to cough money for......

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Airlines to enforce carry-on size limit to deter ‘bin hogs’

Airline passengers will cram just about anything in an overhead compartment — from giant, bulging duffel bags to an actual human being."A flight attendant told a passenger to put her baby seat in the overhead bin, so she tried to stuff it up there with the baby strapped inside," United Airlines flight attendant Jennifer Kilbourne said Tuesday.Known in the industry as "bin hogs," those who take up too much space with their oversized carry-on luggage may be in for a rude awakening when they are forced to cough money for......

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Daily News cuts workers, two days of distribution

A newspaper chain on the Peninsula has made cuts to its newsroom.The Daily News, which publishes editions in Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame and Palo Alto, laid off six employees Friday afternoon at the papers’ Menlo Park office.Daily News Continued...

 

Caltrain deaths surpass total from last year

Despite the screamed warnings of waiting commuters, a woman wandered onto the tracks at the San Bruno Caltrain station Monday and was killed by a northbound train.The victim, whose name has not been released, was the ninth person fatally struck by a Caltrain this year, Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said.An engineer reported seeing a woman lie down on the tracks at 1:15 p.m. but was unable to stop, Dunn said.A group of teenagers waiting for a southbound train about 200 feet away said they saw a pedestrian, who appeared to......

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Put your cell phone down and drive — or face the penalties

For Sara Baldwin, zipping down the freeway at 70 mph doesn’t get in the way of a friendly phone chat — or even a text message.The Oakland resident says it breaks up her long commute, which involves shuttling her fiancé to work in San Francisco before arriving at her job in Daly City. The 30-year-old human resources manager says she has no illusions that it’s safe, but old habits die hard — she’s been driving with a phone to her ear for 10 years."It’s bad, but I still do it,"......

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Hands-free units are flying off the shelves

Cell phone users who want to avoid a chat with the police are snapping up hands-free devices in electronics stores across the Bay Area.Best Buy mobile assistant Leo Rabago travels often between stores in San Mateo County, San Francisco and the East Bay. He estimates sales of the units have quadrupled......

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Law works best in bad weather, study contends

Despite its relatively weak penalties, California’s hands-free law should save 300 lives each year, based on the drop in fatalities in other states that passed similar laws.The prediction is based on a Public Policy Institute of California study released May 12, which found that the law will have the greatest effect when the weather is bad or the roads are wet.Research fellow and study author Continued...

 

NRA targets San Francisco’s anti-gun laws

A San Francisco ban on gun ownership in public housing is unconstitutional and unfairly prevents its poorest residents from defending themselves, according to a lawsuit filed against The City on Friday by the National Rifle Association. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, comes one day after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment right......

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Teens face felonies for alleged holdup

A group of teens, including a star basketball player from a prestigious San Francisco preparatory school, is facing felony charges for allegedly holding up a day laborer with a plastic gun in San Mateo.Teandre Hubbard, 18, of San Francisco, Ryan Nelson and Bernard Shipp, both......

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3-Minute Interview: Rod Diridon

The head of the Mineta Transportation Institute is called the father of the modern transit system in Silicon Valley. The proponent of high-speed rail says he is encouraged by a recent poll in which 58 percent of Californians said they would vote for a $9.95 billion bond measure to build the system.You’ve said, "We are a Third World country when it comes to modern, sustainable transportation systems." How so? All the other major industrialized countries and many nonindustrialized countries have electrically powered mass transportation. Even some of the emerging countries,......

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Man’s best friend doesn’t have to be one of a kind

The furry, gray-and-white dog snoozing under Lou Hawthorne’s desk doesn’t look like a controversial figure, but the way she came into the world prompts responses from exhilaration to derision.Mira, a border collie-husky mix, is a clone of Hawthorne’s dog Missy, who died in 2002 at age 15."We’ve had a lot of dogs, but Missy was amazing," the Mill Valley resident said. "She was more beautiful, smarter and had an eerie capacity with......

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Pilot flies chopper ‘like a magic carpet’

Soaring hundreds of feet above San Carlos in an aerobatic helicopter, my feet are where my head should be, and my stomach is somewhere near my feet.Doing flips in the chopper, the world is a blur of trees, tiny houses and open sky.For a woman who gets dizzy on hotel balconies, this is a huge step. But despite my personal victory, my professionalism seems to have taken flight when I did. I’m clutching my notebook, but all note-taking has been replaced......

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Juror chucked for lying about gang relations in trial

An accused "stealth juror" who prosecutors said infiltrated the jury pool of the Faustino Ayala trial in order to throw the outcome of the high profile gang murder case was tossed for misconduct Thursday. The unnamed woman wept and said she was misunderstood during the nearly three-hour hearing, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Judge Barbara Mallach ruled that the woman had......

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‘Reasonable’ ruling for teen escapee helper

A teenage inmate convicted of helping accused murderer Josue Orozco escape from the San Mateo County juvenile facility in February will likely be free in four months after a judge refused to send him to state prison Wednesday.Vanher Cho, 18, was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years of probation by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford Cretan.......

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Spare the Air rolls out free transit one last time

The free transit rides enjoyed by Bay Area commuters on Spare the Air Days have reached the end of the line.Today’s free transit day is the first not directly linked to air pollution, but announced in advance by the Spare the Air campaign to allow more time for trip planning.It likely will be the last free rides of any kind due to dwindling funds and a new strategy for the Spare the Air program, said Lisa Fasano, communications director for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.The district and Metropolitan......

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Site for new jail a no-go

A county plan to purchase a site within city limits for a new jail, a proposal that has angered city officials, has now been abandoned.Following a closed session meeting Tuesday morning, Supervisor Jerry Hill said the county is no longer in negotiations with Cemex Inc. to purchase its Maple Street property, which sits several hundred feet from the current women’s jail."The Continued...

 

Wedding bells ring for gay nuptials in the county

For Redwood City residents Beverly Thames and Billie Norman, it almost seemed like fate. The first day of same-sex marriages in San Mateo County just happened to fall on the couple’s 23rd anniversary. Thames, the public information officer for the county’s health department, and Norman, who works in hospital construction, had been married......

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A new boost for homebuyers

Five days a week, Claudia and Courtney Young rise before dawn and steel themselves for the two-hour trek from Modesto to their jobs on the Peninsula.Claudia, a housing and community development specialist for San Mateo County, estimates she and her husband, an IT administrator for the San Francisco Airport Commission, spend $150......

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Men charged with rape in San Mateo assault

In a case prosecutors are calling an "ugly, violent crime," two alleged gang members are charged with barging into a San Mateo home, where they allegedly choked, raped and sodomized one of the men’s ex-girlfriends. Belmont residents and alleged Norteño gang members Wilfredo Ramirez, 31, and Moise Enrique Pineda, 20, remain in the Continued...

 

Man pleads no contest to sex crimes

Published: Jun 17, 2008

 A former San Mateo County Probation Department employee accused of having sex with his underage charge in a South San Francisco parking lot last year took a plea deal Monday that ensures he will spend no more than two years in state prison. Carlos Alberto Ordonez Jr., 25, pleaded no contest to one felony count of unlawful intercourse......

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Abuser gets two years prison

Published: Jun 14, 2008

Calling him "self-absorbed and narcissistic," a judge sentenced a San Mateo man to two years in state prison Friday for beating and kicking his girlfriend because she cooked his breakfast wrong, then punching her in the face before their child’s baptism. Scott Watson Adams, 38, pleaded for treatment instead of prison moments before his sentencing. "I really do need help," Adams said. "The letting my family down, letting my parents down......

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A history of healing victims of violence

Published: Jun 14, 2008

When Raye Lynn Rapoza’s husband intentionally drove her and the couple’s 4-year-old daughter to their deaths off of a Moss Beach cliff in 2002, the crime shook Wendy Miller to her core.Miller wasn’t simply Rapoza’s friend, but her human resources manager at Hewlett-Packard. Miller realized she didn’t know how to recognize the signs......

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Half Moon Bay finds legal-fees relief

Published: Jun 14, 2008

The lawsuit-beleaguered city of Half Moon Bay has found help to pay its substantial legal fees. The Association of Bay Area Governments’ insurance coverage will cover $5 million in legal costs the city has incurred during litigation related to the Beachwood property, as well as anticipated fees. The money will not cover the $18 million the city will have to pay if Assembly Bill 1991 fails, Half Moon......

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DNA may play role in murder case

Published: Jun 13, 2008

The life Fernand and Suzanne Wagner carefully built together during 40 years of marriage came to a cruel and brutal end June 13, 2006, at the hands of their trusted friend and employee Joseph Cua, prosecutors said Thursday. Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher told jurors during the openingstatements of the Burlingame man’s trial that they......

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Stars in Google co-founder’s eyes

Published: Jun 12, 2008

Sergey Brin, the Google co-founder and billionaire whose company’s software has mapped the Earth and stars, is planning to blast off into the final frontier.And though Brin will enjoy unparalleled views on his future orbital space flight, he will also experience some decidedly unglamorous side effects.An announcement Wednesday by the Virginia-based Space Adventures, which sets up voyages for tycoons to ride on Russian Soyuz rockets to the International Space Station, stated Brin, 34, has paid a $5 million deposit to book a seat aboard a Space Adventures’ flight into space.......

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Man faces charges in brutal rape, theft

Published: Jun 11, 2008

A 19-year-old man appeared in court Tuesday on charges he allegedly raped an intoxicated teenager and left her lying half-naked and unconscious behind a Daly City paint store.Daly City resident Randy Pollard is facing felony charges of rape of an intoxicated person, unlawful intercourse with a minor, grand theft and possession of stolen property. He is also charged with misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Tuesday, a judge delayed his......

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Light sentence for firebug's DUI

Published: Jun 11, 2008

The man who torched the historic fire chief’s residence after an alleged lover’s quarrel will toil for one day in the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office work program, among other punishments.Prosecutors say Lance Farber, 48, toppled furniture and smeared tomatoes on the walls of the historic residence he shared with newly hired Planning Director John Rahaim on Feb. 22 before igniting a mattress in the home.Farber was later pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence on U.S. Highway 101 in San Mateo County.On Tuesday, San Mateo County Judge......

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Man ‘gutted’ at baptism party

Published: Jun 10, 2008

A child’s baptism in an unincorporated area turned bloody after a guest was nearly stabbed to death in what prosecutors are calling a "depraved" crime. Victor Vallegas, a 24-year-old Half Moon Bay man and alleged Sureño gang member arrested in the attack, appeared in a Redwood City courtroom Monday. He was appointed a public defender and denied bail. Vallegas is expected to enter a plea to the attempted murder charge and......

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Murder victim’s mother converts her grief into goodwill

Published: Jun 10, 2008

As jubilant Giants fans celebrated Barry Bonds’ 700th home run Sept. 17, 2004, Tim Griffith was dying of a stab wound just outside of the ballpark.For his mother, Redwood City resident Stacy Redman, the days following the attack were darkened by intense grief. But......

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Peninsula parks lose extra green

Published: Jun 04, 2008

Tax-weary voters have rejected Measure O, which promised to spruce up Peninsula parks but would have raised the county’s sales tax to among the highest in the Bay Area.With 191 out of 553 precincts reporting, voters shot down the measure, aka Parks for the Future.The measure, which needed twothirds approval, would have raised San Mateo County’s sales tax from 8.25 percent to 8.375 percent, making it one of the highest in the Bay Area, second only to Alameda and San Francisco counties.Peninsula residents faced several tax measures on Tuesday’s ballot.......

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Trial for suspect in double-killing hangs on DNA

Published: Jun 03, 2008

 As the double-slaying trial of Joseph Cua begins today, prosecutors say the casewill hinge on DNA gathered from the grisly crime scene left in the victims’ Millbrae home."Motive, opportunity and the calling card he left — that’s the core of the case," Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. Cua, 54, is accused of the June 13, 2006, killing of his former employers, Millbrae investor Continued...

 

Planning for aging boomers includes rethinking transit

Published: May 31, 2008

George Cagle, 52, can’t see himself playing bingo in his golden years — unless it’s atop Mt. Whitney.The Pacifica resident took up wilderness survival two years ago, and has since climbed Half Dome, tested his mettle in the Anza-Borrego desert and backpacked all over California with wilderness travel company Adventure Out."I think a lot of baby......

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Higher tax or better parks?

Published: May 30, 2008

A measure that would give Peninsula parks a facelift but make San Mateo County’s sales tax among the highest in the Bay Area will be put to the test in Tuesday’s election.Measure O, aka Parks for the Future, is a one-eighth-cent sales tax that promises to secure more than $16 million per year to fund county and city parks, the Ladera and Highland Recreation districts and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.The measure, which needs two-thirds approval, would raise the......

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Measure would offset shortfall by taxing visitors

Published: May 30, 2008

With a growing budget deficit and mounting financial worries, Half Moon Bay officials are placing their hopes on Tuesday’s ballot with a proposed 2 percent hike in a hotel guest tax. Measure Q, which needs 55 percent approval to pass, would raise the city’s transit occupancy tax from 10 percent to 12 percent. For years, the city’s expenses have increased while its revenue has remained static, Mayor Bonnie McClung said. City......

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Bill to save city millions clears Assembly

Published: May 30, 2008

As a bill to rescue the city’s budget heads to the state Senate, environmentalists who oppose AB 1991 say they’re looking forward to a fairer fight.The legislation, which would allow the city to avoid an $18 million payment in settlement of a $41.1 million judgment, passed 45-19 in the state Assembly on Wednesday night.On Thursday, Sierra Club California Deputy Director Paul Mason said that although he was disappointed with the Assembly vote, he looks forward to senators hearing the concerns of environmentalists. AB 1991 was passed without being heard in......

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Feds raid Peninsula’s only marijuana club

Published: May 29, 2008

Federal agents smashed the front door to the Peninsula’s only cannabis club Wednesday morning, seizing marijuana and shutting down the downtown dispensary.Commander Mark Wyss of the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force confirmed that his agency assisted in the 6 a.m. raid at Holistic Solutions at 216 Second St.Federal Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent Casey McEnry said searches were conducted at several locations in the Bay Area and Northern California, but refused to divulge details, saying that the documents relating to the raid were under court seal.No arrests have been......

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Supervisor incumbents face new blood

Published: May 28, 2008

Two of the three San Mateo County supervisors running for re-election Tuesday face challengers who say they want to inject new life into the board.In District 1, Demitrios Nikas, of San Mateo, is challenging incumbent Mark Church, who has served on the board since 2000. Nikas, 60, admits he has never run for office before and has not done much fundraising for his campaign. But the Greek-born former aircraft mechanic says......

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Justice for alleged molestation victims postponed

Published: May 24, 2008

Another delay in the trial of a former child psychiatrist who is accused of molestation has families of the alleged victims fuming.Despite a partial victory for prosecutors in the Dr. William Ayres molestation case Friday, the trial has now been delayed another five months. "We’re just frustrated," said the mother of one alleged victim outside of court. "He has a right to a speedy trial. Why don’t the victims’ families?"The trial, which was set to begin June 23, will likely start......

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County may mimic hospital interpreters

Published: May 24, 2008

In a typical day, Fernando Ibanez enables as many as 35 English-speaking doctors to communicate with their Spanish-speaking patients across the state.Ibanez watches the eyes of the doctors and the body language of the patients to make sure everyone is on the same page — without ever leaving his office at San Mateo Medical Center.San Mateo County supervisors recently voted to explore implementing a network of interpreters in other county departments, potentially serving crime victims contacted by sheriff’s deputies or defendants in the criminal-justice system.Supervisor Jerry Hill, who proposed expanding......

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Activists can’t stop bailout for Half Moon Bay — yet

Published: May 23, 2008

A controversial bill to rescue Half Moon Bay from long-term financial strain is now one step closer to saving the city $18 million.The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Gene Mullins, D-South San Francisco, would allow the city to avoid an $18 million payment to developer Charles "Chop" Keenan by allowing him to build subdivisions on two properties containing wetlands.The deal between Keenan and city officials was struck in March as a way for the city to dodge bankruptcy due to a $41 million judgment it owed Keenan.On Thursday, the state Assembly......

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Local beaches aren’t total bummers

Published: May 22, 2008

Despite spills of oil and sewage into local waters over the past year, all Bay Area beaches managed to stay off of the dreaded Beach Bummer list.The list of top 10 most polluted beaches in the state is compiled annually by Santa Monica-based environmental group Heal the Bay. The group issued its 2007-08 report Wednesday, handing out A to F grades for beaches statewide.California enjoyed its best beach water quality in dry weather......

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Betting machines may have had big handicap

Published: May 22, 2008

The maker of betting machines that allegedly ripped off gamblers at Bay Meadows and other racetracks has a history of fraud and may have known about the glitch in its quick-pick system, says a local lawmaker. State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco-San Mateo, who called for an investigation by the state auditor this week, questioned the integrity of officials at Scientific......

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A small slip could mean jail time

Published: May 21, 2008

A bumbling thief who made the critical mistake of failing to properly attach his disguise faces up to 30 years in prison for a string of armed robberies and an attempted carjacking in Foster City, prosecutors said Tuesday. Prosecutors believe a crime spree by Tyler Redick, 20, began and ended Friday, when he and two accomplices allegedly robbed four people at gunpoint. The victims, who were all in their 20s, were sitting......

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Papan campaign earns scolding

Published: May 20, 2008

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo-San Francisco, said recently she is "deeply disappointed" in Assembly candidate Gina Papan after Papan invoked Speier’s name in campaign advertising, giving the possible appearance of an endorsement she hasn’t earned.The political dustup has caused Papan to pull a television ad — in which she says, "I’ll pick up where Jackie Speier left off in the state Capitol" — from local cable stations.Papan is running against Continued...

 

Officer allegedly involved in golf-club theft

Published: May 20, 2008

A former Atherton police officer pleaded not guilty Monday to four felony charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a golf-club theft in the town he was sworn to serve.Daly City resident Clark Yee, 29, is charged with two counts of making false police reports, one count of second-degree burglary and one count of possession of stolen property. He faces a maximum of five......

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Meth addicts keeping county’s supply high

Published: May 19, 2008

Two years into a federal program to stop the bleed of methamphetamine onto U.S. streets, the stimulant’s supply continues to hemorrhage into San Mateo County and feed a steady population of Peninsula addicts, according to local authorities on the front lines of addiction.The federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, which was signed into law on March 9, 2006, aimed to regulate over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, which are found in many cold, cough and allergy medications and are necessary ingredients to make the powerful stimulant."We’ve definitely seen......

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Meth ‘cookers’ leave behind acrid aftermath, costly cleanup

Published: May 19, 2008

When the acrid stench of battery acid, ether and drain cleaner burns Neal Smither’s nostrils, he knows he’s arrived at work. Smither, president and owner of Orinda-based Crime Scene Cleaners, has mopped up after countless murders and suicides, but nothing compares to walking into a methamphetamine lab, he said. "The whole place just smells like rocket fuel," he said. Meth labs are commonly clandestine locations in houses, apartment buildings, motels, wooded areas, even......

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Calorie-counting measure on menu

Published: May 17, 2008

If San Mateo County supervisors have their way, residents will know just how many calories and fat grams are entering their bodies before the first bite of Quarter Pounder touches their lips.Following in the footsteps of San Francisco and Santa Clara, county lawmakersare drafting legislation requiring chain restaurants to post such nutritional information as calorie counts on their menus.Recommendations for an ordinance......

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Norton guilty of murdering wife

Published: May 16, 2008

Following six days of deliberation, a jury on Thursday found Quincy Norton guilty of first-degree murder in the 2006 stabbing of his wife in the couple’s Daly City bedroom.Norton, 33, leaned over to defense attorney Patricia Fox and asked, "What does this mean?" following the verdict, prosecutors said.The four men and eight women also convicted Norton of the special circumstance of using a knife in the July 22, 2006, crime.Charene Mack, the mother of victim Tamika Mack Norton, wept as two women led her outside. Other family members sobbed and......

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Accused arsonist to be free on bail

Published: May 16, 2008

A man accused of causing the deaths of his two toddlers will likely soon be free on bail. San Mateo Superior Court Judge Clifford Cretan on Thursday set bail for Charles Schuttloffel, 35, who has been denied bail since his arrest last year in the deaths of his two sons, ages 2 and 3. Cretan set Schuttloffel’s bail at $120,000 for two charges of involuntary manslaughter and a drug possession charge. "We’re under the impression that with his family money, he’ll......

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Day of sports a special event

Published: May 10, 2008

With a mighty heave, Patrick Wills launched his shot put through the air and soaked in the cheers from delighted spectators.As officials measured the distance of the throw, the 19-year-old special-education student from San Bruno paid close attention and noted his results as one of the best of the afternoon."Not that I’m competing," he quickly added with a sly smile. Wills was one of about 600 local special-needs athletes who showed their......

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Child traumatized, lawsuit says

Published: May 09, 2008

The parents of a fourth-grader are suing multiple county agencies, claiming that sheriff’s deputies interrogated and traumatized their son after school officials accused him of making violent threats days after the Virginia Tech massacre.In a lawsuit filed April 24, Karyn and Joseph Roark allege that their son, who is now in the fifth grade, was traumatized by deputies in April 2007 after El Granada Elementary School Principal Melinda Fore called authorities to report that the boy was making threats.In the first incident, on April 25, 2007, Karyn Roark claims in......

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Woman stands by man accused of killing her dog

Published: May 08, 2008

The case against a man accused of kicking his girlfriend’s dog to death has bite behind the bark, prosecutors say.Ariel Aspedilla, 26, of Manteca, was in court Wednesday to face felony animal abuse charges in a case that has triggered nearly 500 e-mails to the District Attorney’s Office.Aspedilla has pleaded not guilty to two counts of animal cruelty in the death of Chiquita, a 5-year-old, 10-pound Chihuahua-miniature pinscher mix.Prosecutors say Aspedilla was alone with Chiquita in his girlfriend’s Redwood City apartment when he kicked the dog four or five times......

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Partygoers plead not guilty to attack

Published: May 08, 2008

An elderly hotel clerk nearly stomped to death in March has been discharged from the hospital as his two suspected attackers pleaded not guilty to the bloody assault Wednesday.Sacramento residents Vutoro Mualevu, 28, and Isei Tikoisuva, 21, are facing possible life in prison sentences in the attempted murder of the 65-year-old man, identified by co-workers as Raj Jain.Jain was working his night clerk job at the Regency Inn on March 29......

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Auto-body worker accused of fourth sexual assault

Published: May 07, 2008

An alleged serial rapist who prosecutors believe is responsible for a string of attacks in northern San Mateo County is now facing charges involving a fourth victim, prosecutors said Tuesday.Prosecutors now believe Raul Gutierrez Contreras, 30, an auto-body worker from South San Francisco, is responsible for the Sept. 17, 2006, attack on a woman in a bathroom stall in South......

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Revised bond terms given the green light

Published: May 07, 2008

An unusual plan to change the terms of a nearly $300 million school bond without voter approval was given the go-ahead by county supervisors Tuesday.District officials say a mistake in the language of Measure M, a 25-year bond passed by voters in 2006, has left the schools short of the $298 million in critical infrastructure repairs authorized by the voters.Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of authorizing the San Mateo Union High School District to issue and sell......

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Trial to begin for men accused of fatal bar shooting

Published: May 06, 2008

More than two years after half a dozen patrons were shot in a crowded Redwood City bar, the two alleged gunmen will face a jury trial.The special circumstances murder trial for 28-year-old Rolando Fernandez, of San Jose, and 20-year-old Domingo Naranjo, of Redwood City, will begin Wednesday, a judge ruled Monday. Prosecutors will not......

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Trial to start for man who allegedly brought gun to court

Published: May 06, 2008

A trial for a Pacifica father accused of bringing a gun to his teenage son’s court appearance will begin today in South City.Prosecutors say security guards at San Mateo Superior Court in Redwood City stopped 45-year-old Frank Turney on Sept. 19, 2007, after discovering a gun in his possession. On Monday, he elected......

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Schools seek control of bond-issue repair

Published: May 03, 2008

It seems relatively straightforward and is allowed under state law, even if it is a somewhat unusual move: changing the terms of a nearly $300 million school bond without voter approval.A plan to do just that, however, may meet resistance when the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors votes Tuesday on the proposal by the San Mateo Union High School District.In 2006, voters passed the 25-year bond......

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Norton tells of finding body, denies killing

Published: May 02, 2008

Wiping his eyes and with a voice choked with emotion, accused murderer Quincy Norton took the stand for the second day Thursday and described returning from his girlfriend’s house to find his wife dead in a pool of blood. "She had dried blood on her face and her eyes were looking to the side," he testified. "I kept staring at her and she wasn’t breathing." The 33-year-old Daly City man, who is......

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Norton says he did not abuse his wife

Published: May 01, 2008

Accused wife-killer Quincy Norton took the stand at his murder trial Wednesday, describing a tumultuous relationship with frequent separations and infidelities but flatly denying any violence.The 33-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in the July 22, 2006, stabbing death of Tamika Mack Norton, 31. Prosecutors have told jurors that Norton was a batterer who killed his wife after she filed for divorce.Norton, who will continue his testimony and face cross-examination today,......

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Alleged killer found fit to stand trial

Published: May 01, 2008

After four years in Napa State Hospital, Brandon Louis Gill — who allegedly stabbed a stranger to death in San Bruno — will face prosecution, a San Mateo County judge ruled Wednesday. Gill, 28, was deemed competent to stand trial by Judge Clifford Cretan after the judge read reports from several......

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Half Moon Bay bailout bill takes a step closer to reality

Published: May 01, 2008

Officials expressed cautious optimism Wednesday as a bill designed to rescue their city from financial strain squeaked through its first legislative hoop.Last month, a deal between Charles "Chop" Keenan and the city was struck that would allow Half Moon Bay to avert paying the developer a $41 million court judgement.The deal hinges on the passage of AB 1991, a special rescue bill proposed by Assemblymember Gene Mullin, D-South San Francisco.......

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Plea deal accepted in deadly DUI chase

Published: Apr 30, 2008

An alleged drunken driver who faced up to 18 years in prison in connection with a police chase that ended in a fatal crash will spend four years behind bars. Marco Espinosa, 28, a Redwood City gardener, pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular manslaughter Tuesday and was sentenced to four years in prison. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped charges of hit-and-run causing injury, DUI causing injury, fleeing from......

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Alleged wife-slayer’s ex-girlfriend to take the stand

Published: Apr 30, 2008

Against the advice of her attorney, the former mistress of accused wife-killer Quincy Norton will take the stand this morning as a witness for the defense.Anitra Johnson has emerged as one of the key pieces to the case after a routine DNA test at the eve of trial revealed her biological material on a knife blade inside the Nortons’ Daly City kitchen.Norton, 33,......

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Prognosis improves for assaulted clerk

Published: Apr 29, 2008

An elderly San Bruno hotel clerk nearly stomped to death in March is now expected to survive and is currently speaking to investigators about his attack.The 65-year-old, identified by co-workers at San Bruno’s Regency Inn as Raj Jain, remains in the San Francisco General Hospital’s intensive care unit, but appears to be improving, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said."The victim......

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Dramatic search closes Devil’s Slide

Published: Apr 29, 2008

An ill-advised hike to the beach prompted a multi-agency response that shut down Devil’s Slide for hours in both directions Monday and ended with a dramatic helicopter rescue. San Mateo County Sheriff’s Lt. Marc Alcantara said two bicyclists traveling down the coastline from Oregon had met up with another man and the trio decided to camp along the rugged cliffs south of Pacifica that line......

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San Mateo County needs a few good foster parents

Published: Apr 28, 2008

Maria Ortiz has found her greatest rewards in life nurturing the wounded, protecting the vulnerable and teaching the fallen to stand.In other words, Ortiz says, just being a good mom.In the last dozen years, more than 15 foster children, most of them abused or neglected, have found refuge in Ortiz’s South San Francisco home. She has formally adopted three of them, now 19, 16 and 15. When her husband Manuel passed......

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Hard time doled out for theft of nearly $1 million

Published: Apr 26, 2008

A man convicted of embezzling almost $1 million from the South San Francisco concrete company where he worked for 24 years was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison.San Mateo Superior Court Judge Craig Parsons also ordered 47-year-old Steven Steffani to pay $1.2 million in restitution to Central Concrete Supply Co., which covers the $833,000 prosecutors say he embezzled......

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Stream of DUI arrests still flowing

Published: Apr 24, 2008

For 63-year-old Peter Hoobyar, a man whom prosecutors call one of the most prolific drunken drivers in the Peninsula, 10 arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence dating back to 1982 was apparently not enough.Days before his felony DUI trial Tuesday, the Foster City resident was nabbed again during a routine traffic stop. Police arrested Hoobyar less than a mile from his Foster City home April 16, said his attorney, Continued...

 

Styrofoam products trashed for good at county-run facilities

Published: Apr 23, 2008

With Styrofoam food containers permanently scrapped, San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday turned their attention to their next environmental project: a "green collar" job training program for the county’s unemployed.Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to ban polystyrene foam and other nonrecyclable plastics on county property — including jails, the San Mateo Medical Center and its clinics, government buildings and the San......

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Alleged thief might have been choked

Published: Apr 23, 2008

An alleged shoplifter injured and reportedly choked into unconsciousness by two Safeway security guards in Redwood City was in court Tuesday for felony charges that could land him in jail for life.George Darron Pirtle, 38, faces a charge of burglary and a charge of petty theft with a prior. With prior convictions for residential burglary and robbery, Pirtle’s alleged theft of $42.90......

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Sheriff’s bust sparks call for committee

Published: Apr 23, 2008

After admitting to feeling hamstrung following Sheriff Greg Munks’ now-notorious visit to a Nevada brothel last year, San Mateo County Supervisor Adrienne Tissier on Tuesday called for the possible formation of an ethics committee that would have the power to fire elected officials.Tissier directed county counsel Michael Murphy to explore the possibility of forming an......

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3-Minute Interview: Takehito Etani

Published: Apr 23, 2008

The Oakland resident, 35, was raised in Japan and blends art, technology, science and fashion in pieces such as "The Masticator," headgear that gives audio-visual chewing feedback. It will be one of three of Etani’s pieces at "Second Skin: Imaginative Designs in Digital and Analog Clothing" at the Exploratorium on Thursday. Tell me about "The Masticator." There’s a piece made of pig rawhide and human jawbone attached to my face and there’s......

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Eldest son testifies against father in trial

Published: Apr 22, 2008

The last time Quincy Mack Norton saw his mother alive, she was sprawled out faceup, pinned down by his father on the couple’s bed, the 11-year-old testified Monday.The boy recalled running across the hall to his parents’ bedroom after hearing his mother scream his and his brother Dion’s names in a frightened voice on July 22, 2006, and seeing his father, Quincy Norton Sr., restraining Tamika Mack Norton."I was just screaming,"......

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Supervisors to vote on Styrofoam ban

Published: Apr 22, 2008

A ban on Styrofoam for county-run facilities will be voted on today by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. The ordinance would affect jails, the San Mateo Medical Center and its clinics, governmentbuildings and the San Mateo Event Center. The proposed ban may be a first step to nixing Styrofoam and other non-recyclable plastics in all of the county’s unincorporated......

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Family files lawsuit against SamTrans in mom’s death

Published: Apr 19, 2008

The family of a woman fatally struck by a bus in a Daly City crosswalk last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the San Mateo County Transit District and the driver at the wheel.The family accuses SamTrans officials of negligence in the hiring of Juan Ignacio Perales — a man they claim had a poor driving record and a lack of familiarity with the bus and the route, according......

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Dad takes plea deal to reduce charges in death of two kids

Published: Apr 19, 2008

The murder case against a father accused of the burning deaths of his two sons fizzled Friday after he accepted a plea deal that ensures he will only be in prison until the middle of 2009.Charles Schuttloffel, 37, pleaded no contest to two counts of involuntary manslaughter Friday afternoon following a plea bargain finalized that morning. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two counts of special circumstances murder and a felony arson charge.He will be sentenced to no more than four years in......

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Embezzler avoids prison time

Published: Apr 19, 2008

A former bookkeeper convicted of embezzling $217,746 from a Burlingame mortgage company pleaded with a judge Friday to spare her a prison sentence, telling him she was the only means of support for her two young children and elderly parents.Vivian Fu, 36, wept as she told San Mateo County Superior Court Judge John Gransaert that she had learned her lesson."I’m sorry for all the......

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TV show homage leads to conviction

Published: Apr 18, 2008

Prosecutors say an accused online predator who accepted a plea deal Thursday was brought to justice thanks to a local teenager who conducted his own sting operation in 2006. The man’s defense attorney, however, claims his client became the victim of entrapment after trying to find a date with an adult woman over the Internet. The unusual case revolves around50-year-old construction project manager James John Koch, of Pacifica, who placed a personal......

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Son uncomfortably testifies against father in slaying of mother

Published: Apr 17, 2008

Staring at his feet and nervously playing with a rubber band, the 9-year-old son of Quincy Norton took the stand in his father’s murder trial Wednesday, testifying about how he heard his mother screaming as he watched cartoons the morning of her death.Norton, 33, of Daly City, faces life in prison if convicted of the 2006 stabbing of his wife, Tamika Mack-Norton.Answering mostly "yes"......

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Crash victim’s lawsuit casts wide net

Published: Apr 17, 2008

The family of a boy trapped under a sport utility vehicle last May after a driver ran into a crowd of students at Ralston Middle School in Belmont, leaving 13 injured, has filed a lawsuit against the city, the school district and the transit district. Ian Wikle, 15, was one of three students pinned under a Honda Pilot SUV after 70-year-old Continued...

 

Murder charges upheld for man accused of killing sons

Published: Apr 16, 2008

A man accused of killing his two young sons in 2004 failed to have murder charges against him dismissed Tuesday, as a judge ruled that a delay in the indictment did not deprive him of his right to a fair trial.Charles Schuttloffel’s defense attorney Dek Ketchum had argued that critical defense evidence — including the house in which Schuttloffel’s children burned to death — was destroyed during the 34 months it took......

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Norton trial opens with DNA evidence

Published: Apr 15, 2008

DNA evidence that appears to exonerate a Daly City man on trial for killing his wife is nothing more than "background noise" when compared with a mountain of evidence against him, jurors were told at the start of Quincy Norton’s jury trial Monday."In the context of this case, it doesn’t mean anything," Deputy District Attorney Al Giannini said during opening statements. Giannini told......

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Beleaguered hospital hit by scandal

Published: Apr 15, 2008

As a manager accused of bilking public funds from the San Mateo Medical Center appeared in court Monday, officials at the struggling county hospital said they were dismayed by the charges.Henry Ralph Lopez, 53, appeared in a Redwood City courtroom Monday to face eight counts of felony embezzlement that carry a maximum term of seven and a half years. The Los Banos......

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Threat brings one year in jail

Published: Apr 12, 2008

A Redwood City man convicted of brandishing a knife and threatening to kill a San Mateo County social worker was sentenced Friday to one year in jail by a judge who called him a dangerous man with a troubling history of violence. John Linehan Arbogast, 36, was also sentenced to three years’ probation by Superior Court Judge Clifford......

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Judge announces mistrial in case of 50-cent robbery

Published: Apr 12, 2008

Jurors deliberating the fate of a homeless man on trial for a 50-cent robbery announced they were hopelessly deadlocked Friday, prompting the judge in the case to declare a mistrial. The jurors were split 8-4 in favor of acquitting 42-year-old Stephen Paul Quiles, who claims he was simply panhandling when he asked a man for beer money in a South San Francisco laundromat Jan. 7. The victim, Continued...

 

Slaying suspect's motion to fire attorney denied

Published: Apr 11, 2008

In a surprise move, accused wife killer Quincy Norton on Thursday attempted to fire his lawyer and remove the judge from his case just before opening statements.Both motions, which were denied, are the latest in a case already fraught with twists and turns. Prosecutors say Norton’s move was a delay tactic that is part of a larger strategy hatched by a handful of accused killers."I believe this to be manipulative and an attempt to disrupt the system," protested Deputy District......

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From homelessness to hope

Published: Apr 11, 2008

When Enola Kirk remembers being homeless, she fights back tears."I don’t ever want to be homeless again. Never, ever. It’s terrible. You never know what’s going to happen when you go to sleep and what you’re going to find when you wake up," the 66-year-old said. "You’re watching everyone going to work and you’re sitting on the park bench and asking, ‘Why?’"For the last year, Kirk has never had to ask why.At an age when her peers are retiring, 66-year-old......

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Trial nears end for homeless man accused of laundromat robbery

Published: Apr 11, 2008

A homeless man, who claims he was simply panhandling at a South San Francisco laundromat in January, is staring down at five years in state prison for an alleged armed robbery of 50 cents to buy a bottle of beer.After a full-blown felony trial in a Redwood City courtroom, jurors are deliberating the fate of 42-year-old Stephen Quiles, whose......

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Teen accepts deal in aiding escape

Published: Apr 10, 2008

One of two juvenile hall inmates accused of aiding the escape of an alleged murderer accepted a plea deal Wednesday that ensures he will not spend more than two years behind bars for his role in the crime. Vanher Cho, 18, of Burlingame, pleaded no contest to aiding a prisoner’s escape in exchange for prosecutors dropping gang charges against him. He will be sentenced May 7. Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve......

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Delay granted in suppression hearing

Published: Apr 09, 2008

A hearing over a motion to suppress evidence in the case of former child psychiatrist and accused serial molester William Ayres was pushed back Tuesday because of Deputy District Attorney Melissa McKowan’s scheduling conflict.In the delayed hearing, defense attorneys will argue to throw out evidence coming from the police seizure of more than 600 patient files. Defense attorney Doron Weinberg......

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Ex-officer offered deal in alleged scam case

Published: Apr 08, 2008

Prosecutors have offered a plea deal to a former San Francisco police officer and two accomplices accused of bilking a Colma Home Depot out of $62,718 over six months. San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe confirmed that a deal was on the table for former police officer Continued...

 

Youths rewarded for ‘changing lives’

Published: Apr 08, 2008

As a freshman at Aragon High School, Wilson Chan hoped to shed his lifelong shyness by working for a cause bigger than himself. A few miles away, San Mateo High student Eddie Hu was searching for another way to shake things up and change the world. Three......

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Ex-baseball player sues coach, school

Published: Apr 07, 2008

A former varsity athlete who claims he was disfigured after being hit in the face with a baseball has filed a lawsuit against Half Moon Bay High School, Cabrillo Unified School District and his former coach, claiming he was made to perform a risky, improperly supervised drill. Karl Moberg, who graduated last year, claims in......

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Robbery note spells destiny for suspect, prosecutors say

Published: Apr 05, 2008

Prosecutors say a bank robber’s dreams of big-time heists were foiled by two critical mistakes — forgetting his misspelled note at one crime scene and wearing his company uniform at another. Eric Munoz, whose recent court appearance was continued due to attorneys’ scheduling conflicts, will have one last chance to make a deal Tuesday before facing a jury trial April 18. Munoz, a 41-year-old South San Francisco resident with a prior robbery conviction, is facing three counts of felony bank robbery in connection with two holdups in San Mateo and......

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Judge gives rapist maximum term

Published: Apr 05, 2008

A man convicted of the brutal 1996 rape of a Daly City woman sobbed at his sentencing Friday, claiming he was on the path to redemption when he was arrested a decade after the crime and begging the judge for mercy. Jermaine Hollie, 36, told the judge he has not been perfect,and blamed his bad choices on childhood abuse and the lack of a father. He said a long prison term would take him away from his children, including a microcephalic son who needs lifelong care. Hollie, who was volunteering......

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Giants make the cut for waterfront project

Published: Apr 05, 2008

The San Francisco Giants are trailing by a few points in a contest to decide who will create a billion-dollar development project on the port land behind the baseball team’s stadium.The Port wants to develop the lot south of AT&T Park, called Seawall Lot 337, to generate revenue for the cash-strapped agency. Four development teams submitted proposals for the 16-acre parcel in February. On Tuesday, the recom