Tamara Barak Aparton

Police wary of copycats in Gucci window smashing

A thief who tried to drive a Jeep through the glass storefront of the Gucci store in Union Square has police looking out for possible copycat incidents. The brazen and unique nature of the crime, which took place at 4:15 a.m. Nov. 5, prompted a memo last week to all police captains to beware of possible imitators, said Tenderloin Capt. Gary Jimenez, one of the recipients of the memo before his station duties were changed. At least one suspect is still at large after the incident, San Francisco police Officer Samson Chan said. Witnesses told police the motorist rammed the Jeep into the window portion of the luxury-goods store, located in the 200 block of Stockton Street, Chan...

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Putting stimulus money to work

The idea of stimulus funds may conjure up images of construction workers and freeways being assembled, but the physical building is just half the story of creating jobs in the region. Roadside signs may tout work that’s using money from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but a significant amount of stimulus funds have flowed to health and human services, allowing local governments to salve wounds inflicted by state cuts. Stimulus funding has brought San Francisco $323 million to city coffers, with health and human services and transportation funds awarded $89.5 million and $115.2 million, respectively. The rest of the money is allocated to a hodgepodge of...

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Map spells out stimulus funding for SF

Wondering what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is doing for San Francisco? This map pinpoints it all -- from multi-million dollar infrastructure projects to $25,000 arts grants. The stimulus funds are intended to jumpstart the economy, save jobs, prompt spending and create tax cuts for workers. San Francisco has received nearly half a billion dollars in stimulus...

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Caltrans: Speed to blame for bridge fatality, not design

The accident-prone new S-curve on the Bay Bridge turned deadly Monday, but transit and public safety officials insist it’s speeding — not a design flaw — that’s causing accidents. The latest of the 44 accidents that have occurred since the new stretch of the eastern span was installed during Labor Day weekend happened when a 56-year-old truck driver from Hayward lost control of his vehicle at the beginning of the curve at 3:30 a.m. The truck jumped the guardrail, flipped over the side of the bridge’s upper deck and plummeted 200 feet to Yerba Buena Island, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross said. The driver, who has not been identified, sustained...

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Ingleside ramps up transit patrols

When it comes to reforms and pilot initiatives, Ingleside Station has been SFPD’s canary in the mine. In September, Ingleside Station, which has earned praise for its innovative programs, was the first to conduct undercover stings on Muni lines. A month later, the rest of SFPD followed suit. Now, Capt. David Lazar reports that every Ingleside officer is being trained how to conduct proof of payment inspections aboard Muni, as the station ramps up its anti-crime strategy on local busses. If history is any indication, the rest of the Police Department may follow Ingleside’s...

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Undercover cops to ride Muni systemwide

Undercover Muni stings will begin citywide Wednesday following a string of violence on city buses. Police Chief George Gascon is expected to announce details of the program, dubbed Operation Safe Muni, Wednesday afternoon at a press conference. The idea was launched by Ingleside Station in September following the stabbing of 11-year-old Hatim Mansori. The sixth grader survived his injuries. The man who stabbed him remains at large. Since then, Muni safety concerns have risen as an actor riding the bus was beaten and robbed by gang members and a man was found dead on the 5-Fulton hours after it had been parked in the Muni...

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Legal saga begins in 33-year-old killing

A man accused of binding, raping and killing a San Francisco sculptor 33 years ago appeared in court Tuesday as prosecutors described what could be a lengthy road to trial. James Mayfield, 63, is accused of stabbing 29-year-old sculptor Jenny Read 13 times after raping her and tying her up inside her Potrero Hill home during a burglary. A friend found Reid’s body in a pool of blood May 19, 1976 inside her home. A knife was still in her chest, Assistant District Attorney Brian Buckelew said. “It was a horrendous crime,” Buckelew said. Mayfield has pleaded not guilty. Mayfield, of San Francisco, is charged with premeditated murder with use of a deadly weapon. He also...

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Manhole boom reportedly not a blast

A boom followed by a flash and smoke from a Financial District manhole was not an explosion but a cable failure, according to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said officials are trying to determine the cause of the 6:30 a.m. incident at Battery and Pine streets. The failed cable will be sent to a forensics lab, he said. Fire Department Battalion Chief Denise Newman said three passers-by reported what sounded like an explosion, followed by flames. “Just a boom, a flash and then smoke,” she said. “Someone down the block said their lights flickered.” Molica said there was no fire. “Sometimes when a cable fails, it can produce a...

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BART wants to keep extra riders

BART was the knight in shining armor for many stranded commuters during the Bay Bridge emergency closure. Now officials hope to have a long term relationship with those passengers. On Monday, BART carried 393,000 passengers. On Tuesday, some of them returned to their cars. “Time will tell how many of the new riders will stick with BART,” BART Board President Thomas Blalock said. “The economy is one of the most important factors in ridership. Until the economy improves, we may see the ridership trend downward again now that people have the option to drive across the Bay...

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Boom downtown caused by cable failure

A boom followed by a flash and smoke from a Financial District manhole was not an explosion but a cable failure, according to PG&E. Joe Molica, PG&E spokesman, said officials are trying to determine the 6:30 a.m. incident at the intersection of Battery and Pine Street. The failed cable will be sent to a forensics lab, he said. San Francisco Fire Department Battalion Chief Denise Newman said three passersby reported what sounded like an explosion, followed by flames. “Just a boom, a flash, and then smoke,” Newman said. “Someone down the block said their lights flickered.” Molica said there was no fire. “Sometimes when a cable fails, it can produce...

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Caltrans: Bridge is safer this time

As crews prepared to open the Bay Bridge Monday, Caltrans assured motorists that the structure’s current fix is safer than its last. On Tuesday, several steel repair parts fell onto bridge during peak traffic time, as strong winds cause vibrations that shake pieces loose. The parts had been put into place to fix a dangerous crack discovered Labor Day weekend in a load-bearing eyebar. Caltrans blamed Tuesday’s break on wind, saying the vibrations wore the metal parts until they broke. On Monday, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney assured motorists the problem had been eliminated. “We’ve put in several enhancements to make sure the vibrations don’t cause fatigue...

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Swords to Plowshares helps homeless veterans

Michael Blecker, the executive director of Swords to Plowshares, helps the local nonprofit provide counseling, case management, employment, training, housing and legal assistance to more than 1,500 homeless and low-income veterans annually in the Bay Area and beyond. You’ve said a quarter of homeless adults have served in the military. What are the factors that contribute to chronic homelessness among veterans? Many veterans have unaddressed issues, especially those from the Vietnam era. A lot were affected by the downsizing in the economy, and now you have a situation where they’re older than their years, they have chronic illnesses and they have restrictions on their...

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Attorney general wants banks' ARM plan

Worried about a new wave of foreclosures, state Attorney General Jerry Brown on Thursday called on 10 major banks and loan servicers to spell out their plans to help homeowners facing drastic monthly payment hikes on adjustable-rate mortgages. In the third quarter of 2009, California accounted for more than a quarter of the nation’s foreclosure activity. The banks in Brown’s sights are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase & Co.; Litton Loan Servicing, ResCap, LLC; Ocwen Financial Corporation, OneWest Bank, American Home Mortgage Servicing, Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc.; and Select Portfolio Servicing. The banks are being asked to respond by Nov. 23....

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BART shatters historic ridership record

Approximately 437,200 commuters squeezed onto BART trains Wednesday, shattering the transit system’s historic ridership record. Judging by Thursday’s morning commute, that record will be beat again. The Bay Area's state run bridges experienced a net loss of $335,000 in toll revenue on Wednesday, according to John Goodwin of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. As uncertainty lingered Thursday morning over the opening of the Bay Bridge, BART saw a 60 percent increase in trans-bay commuters, up from 50 percent the previous day. About 88,000 commuters crossed the Bay Thursday morning. On a typical Thursday, that number is 55,000, BART spokesman Linton Johnson...

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Bridge closure causes bottlenecks throughout Bay Area

The second morning commute following the emergency closure of the Bay Bridge is causing bottlenecks around every alternative path to The City. At the height of the commute at 8:30 a.m., traffic was delayed an additional 33 minutes on Route 37 from Vallejo to Novato; an additional 8 minutes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; and an additional 33 minutes on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. On the southbound Golden Gate Bridge, traffic was flowing well and all toll booths were open. But once they reached The City, drivers were faced with heavy congestion and slow-downs of 17 miles per hour. By 10:30 a.m., heavy congestion remained only along Highway 101 through San Francisco, southbound 101...

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No overnight BART trains

BART will not run overnight trains tonight despite an expected closure of the Bay Bridge because Caltrans has not agreed to pay for the additional service, officials announced Wednesday afternoon. “Overnight service is typically a money loser, and Caltrans will generally reimburse us. We haven’t gotten that agreement yet with Caltrans,” BART spokesman Linton Johnson said. With commuters “packed into trains like sardines” following the emergency closure of the Bay Bridge, BART was expecting to break its historic ridership record, a spokesman for the transit system said. During the morning commute, BART experienced a 50 percent increase in trans-bay...

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Bridge closure snarls traffic; transit use increases

The closure of the Bay Bridge for repairs snarled traffic across the region Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning, drivers crowded onto the Golden Gate, Richmond and San Mateo bridges. By 7:15 a.m., there had been no major accidents. The California Highway Patrol is expecting double the number of cars on the road, said CHP Officer Shawn Chase. By 7 a.m., congestion was already heavy on Bay Area bridges. “It’s definitely a lot more work for the other bridges to take,” Chase said. “We have more officers working in the East Bay and Marin, and extra personnel to handle the extra traffic.” Bridge traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge increased by an average of 70...

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Nightlife enthusiasts to rally at 1pm

Nightlife fans, musicians and club owners who decry a “war on fun” in San Francisco will rally at City Hall before a Board of Supervisors hearing Monday at 1 p.m. Supervisors are currently mulling legislation that will allow the commission to discipline problem nightclubs and impose emergency permit suspensions. It would also allow commissioners to issue tickets for poor crowd control or noise disturbances. While the new law would strengthen the commission’s powers, some entertainment industry members strongly oppose an amendment to the legislation that would restrict new entertainment venues if the number of permits increases by 15 percent. The amendment, they argue,...

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City will likely settle 2006 police brutality claim

The City is poised to settle a lawsuit by a man who claims he was beaten by San Francisco police officers on Oct. 29, 2006, after questioning their use of force. The Police Commission will vote in closed session Wednesday to approve an undisclosed settlement to Marco Maestrini, who claims he was injured by Officer Jesse Serna after Maestrini questioned officers who were allegedly beating a man on a North Beach street. Serna’s alleged aggression has been the subject of several brutality claims against The City. Serna allegedly slammed Maestrini’s head against a police van and attacked him, ripping off his Halloween jailbird costume, then asked him why he was crying...

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Homeless youth trends rising

San Francisco’s homeless teenagers — a notoriously difficult group to track — appear to be growing in ranks. In the past year, Larkin Street Youth Services, which helps homeless people ages 12 to 24, has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of clients using its emergency services, which include drop-in centers, according to the organization’s executive director, Sheryn Adams. The demand for counseling has also shot up 27 percent from 2008 to 2009. "We’re seeing more youth and providing more intensive services to our youth," Adams said. "Almost all of the youth we serve come from families or communities where there was violence or chaos,...

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Census count to include same-sex households

For the first time, the Census Bureau plans to collect same-sex household data in its once-per-decade count. On Thursday, federal census officials, LGBT leaders, and supervisors Bevan Dufty and David Campos will hold a roundtable to discuss laying the groundwork for an accurate count. “The decennial census is a snapshot of our nation. The picture is not complete without accounting for millions of gay and lesbian households,” said Lynn Sorgenfrei, assistant regional census manager. The Census Bureau will mail the 10-question Census Form to all households in mid-March. April 1, 2010 is Census Day. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held on Thursday at 12:30...

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$1 million grant to fund mortgage and investment fraud unit

For the first time, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office will have its first stand-alone mortgage and investment fraud unit. The unit will be funded with a $1.06 million federal grant, which was announced by District Attorney Kamala Harris Tuesday as part of a regional effort to combat financial scams. The unit aims to protect desperate homeowners from mortgage and investment fraud, she said. Harris and top prosecutors from San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties, as well as San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, called for federal oversight Wednesday. The San Francisco district attorney’s office’s consumer protection unit has handled more than 450...

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Federal help sought for fighting mortgage fraud

Bay Area prosecutors, including District Attorney Kamala Harris, are calling for federal oversight of financial providers in the hopes of fighting mortgage and investment fraud. Harris will join district attorneys from San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties, as well as San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and consumer advocates Tuesday morning at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice to outline the effort to combat financial scams....

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Body found on Muni bus hours after shift ended

A Muni cleaning crew made a grim discovery last weekend: A man’s body was aboard a 5-Fulton bus that had been parked for hours in a Muni yard at the end of a rush-hour shift. The deceased was identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as 37-year-old Christopher Feasel of San Francisco. Investigators have not determined the cause of death and police said the body showed no obvious signs of trauma. Workers discovered Feasel around midnight Friday at the bus yard at Presidio Avenue and Bush Street. The bus had been in the lot since 6:30 p.m., police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. The 5-Fulton coach had been assigned to the Friday rush-hour shift, Municipal Transportation Agency...

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Second Muni sting nabs fare evaders

Officers conducting their second Muni sting did brisk business nabbing fare evaders, but didn’t catch any violent offenders. During the Ingleside Police Station’s second Operation Safe Muni, undercover officers issued 15 citations within an hour and a half at 30th and Mission – mostly for fare evasion, Capt. David Lazar said of the Thursday operation. Officers conducted the first sting operation after 11-year-old Hatim Mansori was stabbed on the 49 in early September. In that sting, which lasted nearly six hours, 20 people were ticketed for minor...

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Police search for dump truck driver after fatal hit-and-run

A 58-year-old woman was killed Wednesday morning after trying to squeeze past a truck making a right turn in Redwood Shores. The cyclist, Mary Yonkers of San Mateo, died at the scene. Police are looking for the truck driver, who left the scene and likely entered the freeway. “It’s unknown at this point if he’s even aware he struck anyone,” said Redwood City police Sgt. Kathryn Anderson. Police received two 911 calls at 7:51 a.m. reporting the accident at the intersection of Shoreway Road and Holly Street. Witnesses said Yonkers was riding southbound on the right side of the road alongside the truck on Shoreway Road. As the vehicle, alternately described as a...

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5 pedestrians hit by cars, numerous wrecks on city streets

Emergency crews have responded to five pedestrians hit by cars and nine separate vehicle accidents Tuesday morning in The City. None of the incidents, reported between 5:30 and 8:15 a.m., was fatal, San Francisco Fire Lt. Mindy Talmage. Three pedestrians were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after being struck Tuesday morning in incidents at Silver and Charter Oak Avenues, Hyde and Clay streets, and 24th and Dolores streets. Two pedestrians struck at separate incidents at Oak and Fillmore streets and Polk and Broadway streets declined treatment. “The bottom line is you’ve got to be extra careful, especially if you’re a pedestrian,”...

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PG&E: Power outages reported

Nearly 3,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers in San Francisco and on the Peninsula are without power Tuesday morning due to storm-related outages. In San Francisco, 1,540 customers in the Hunter’s Point Shipyard area remain in the dark after a 7:30 a.m. outage that originally affected 2,600, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said. In the Bay Meadows area of San Mateo, 760 customers are without power, while 114 are experiencing an outage in the neighborhood between Poplar Street and Mariner Island Boulevard. In Pescadero, 172 are in the dark. In Pacifica, 20 customers are affected, and 39 are without power in Burlingame and Hillsborough, Molica said. “It’s an...

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Flooding, closures, accidents vex commuters

Tuesday morning’s downpour is wreaking havoc for morning commuters. “There’s a lot of standing water on the freeways and problems with flooding and wrecks everywhere in the Bay Area,” California Highway Patrol Officer John Short. The biggest mess for commuters remains in San Francisco, on both sides of the Highway 280 extension just south of Mariposa Street. CHP officials shut down the elevated stretch of freeway due to a flooding just before 6 a.m., along with the Sixth Street and King Street southbound onramps. As of 7:15 a.m., an injury accident was being cleared on northbound 280 just north of Cesar Chavez Street, as well as non-injury wrecks eastbound on...

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Sacramento mayor’s bag stolen as he helps elderly man in S.F.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson frequently traveled during the 12 years he spent playing professional basketball in the NBA and was never robbed on the road. San Francisco put an end to that streak. The rip-off happened Friday while the mayor was helping an elderly man near Union Square. Johnson, who was being honored by a youth arts organization at a San Francisco conference, took public transportation from Sacramento. He rode Amtrak to Richmond, then took BART to San Francisco. It was at the Richmond BART station that Johnson noticed a man in his 70s struggling with two bags and holding a book. When he overheard the man ask a BART employee for directions to Sutter Street in San...

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Huge crowds, little trouble at Presidents Cup

Organizers of the Presidents Cup estimate the event drew 26,000 fans to San Francisco’s Harding Park Golf Course on both Saturday and Sunday. The crowd numbered 25,000 on both Thursday and Friday, as the event sold out all tickets for its four days of game play, Presidents Cup Executive Director Tom Clark said Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday, which were practice days for the players, drew 12-15,000 spectators each day. “We could have sold more for those two days, but we’re happy with that,” Clark said. The event drew rave reviews from players, Clark said. “(Fred) Couples, the captain of the U.S. Team, said it the best tournament he’s ever been...

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Lukewarm support for rookie Crabtree

Bay Area football fans appear grudgingly pleased with the 49ers’ signing of Michael Crabtree, hailing the news as a boon to the team while grumbling about the top draft pick’s lengthy holdout in contract negotiations. The 49ers reached a deal with the wide receiver early Wednesday after a monthslong stalemate. In July, Crabtree turned down a $20 million, five-year deal. “Now that they’ve agreed, it’s good,” said Dave Mello, 40, who grew up going to 49ers games. “Michael Crabtree will help any team.” Signing Crabtree to a six-year contract will ultimately improve the team, he said, but that doesn’t mean the former Texas Tech player...

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Grant to fund domestic violence victim advocates

A nearly $700,000 federal grant received by The City will go toward helping domestic violence victims who speak limited English. District Attorney Kamala Harris said Wednesday that the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women will go toward prosecuting domestic violence cases where the victim is does not speak English. The City will receive $698,970 over two years to create a special sub-unit within the DA’s office. One bilingual, full-time prosecutor and two multi-lingual part-time victim/witness advocates will be added to the multi-lingual prosecution team already assigned to domestic violence cases. “In a city as diverse and connected as San...

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Attendance up at bluegrass fest

Sunny weather and free music brought out a sizable but tame crowd at the three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. A record crowd of approximately 800,000 people showed up to Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park for the free music, festival spokeswoman Tracey Buck said Monday. Last year, 750,000 attended. “We definitely went above and beyond this year,” she said. “I think it was the combination of the great lineup, the fact that it’s still free and the fact that fewer people may be working and had some time on their hands.” Billionaire financier Warren Hellman foots the bill for the annual event, which is in its ninth year. Police made no arrests,...

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Man killed in Bayview robbery was Baton Rouge resident

The killing of a Louisiana man early Sunday in a San Francisco public housing project followed an offer to drive a woman home, police said. The victim, identified as Michael Bailey of Baton Rouge, was fatally shot early Sunday morning in the unit block of Double Rock Street in the Alice Griffith projects, police said. Bailey’s age is unknown, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Bailey, who was visiting San Francisco, had met the woman during a night out in The City with friends, Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. The men agreed to give the woman a ride home, and she directed them to the Hunters Point housing complex. At 3:40 a.m., a gunman approached the car and ordered...

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Marijuana growers could spark disaster in Sunset

An entire block in the Sunset district could easily go up in flames due to the combination of wind, closely packed wood-frame houses and illegal marijuana growing operations, authorities say. Since March, police have uncovered sophisticated growing operations in 36 homes in the quiet, foggy neighborhood and arrested 44 people. In every case, the conditions in the indoor pot farms imposed a serious fire risk, Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Growers use ballasts, also known as battery packs, to power their operations. The ballasts — which power lamps, fans, air filters, water filtration systems and exhaust fans for hydroponic gardening — are often installed...

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Past problems lead to plans for quiet Halloween

The ghosts of violent Halloween pasts have prompted The City to cancel all large-scale events in San Francisco, including any in the Castro district or at AT&T Park. After years of violence-scarred Halloween events in the Castro — nine people were wounded by gunfire in 2006 alone — The City has axed events in the neighborhood. This year, despite Halloween falling on a Saturday, there will be no sanctioned event in the Castro and a city-sponsored gathering that was held last year near AT&T Park also has been canceled. “We’re very cognizant that [Halloween is on a] Saturday,” said David Perry, who’s promoting San Francisco’s Home for...

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S.F. hotel workers plan sit-in

About 100 workers planning a sit-in at Union Square hotels today say they’re anticipating arrests. The demonstration of civil disobedience will coincide with a larger Union Square rally at 4 p.m. in which about 1,000 union hotel workers plan to march. A 2004 strike and subsequent lockout by employers brought San Francisco’s tourism industry to its knees. Some 16.4 million tourists visited San Francisco in 2008, spending $8.52 billion. Union leaders say not much progress has been made in negotiations with The City’s major hotel chains — Hyatt, Hilton and Starwood. Both sides say they want to avoid a strike. Union workers say management is using the recession as...

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More charges may be forthcoming in Mission District killings

A 19-year-old arrested in the gang related killings of two men in the Mission District Sunday has been charged in only one of their deaths. Andres Siordia, who will be arraigned this morning in San Francisco Superior Court, faces a murder charge for the killing of San Francisco resident Francisco Pena, 41, and the attempted murder of another man. Both charges include enhancements for the use of a firearm during the commission of the crimes. Pena and Francisco Cornejo, 26, were killed and a third man was wounded Sunday after a fistfight turned into a triple shooting at a Papa Potrero’s Pizza at 24th Street and Potrero Avenue. Police arrested Siordia minutes later, along with a...

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Terror case spurs local action

A national terrorism warning has Bay Area transit systems, entertainment complexes and stadiums using extra vigilance. In two bulletins sent to police departments across the nation Monday and obtained by The Associated Press, officials said they know of no specific plots against public gathering places, but urged law enforcement and private companies to be alert. The bulletins followed on the heels of a similar warning Friday regarding the vulnerabilities of mass-transit systems. The warnings come amid an investigation centering on Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Denver airport shuttle driver. Authorities say he received al-Qaida explosives training in Pakistan and was found entering...

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Muni training coach hits building in Japantown

Muni reported its second minor accident of the day this afternoon after a Muni training coach struck a light pole and a building on Laguna between Post and Sutter. The accident, which happened at 1:26 p.m., affected overhead wires and stopped normal service on the 3 Jackson line but injured no one. Muni set up a motor coach service for 3 Jackson riders between Fillmore and Sutter and downtown, while regular bus service continued West of the accident. Earlier in the day, two people were slightly hurt 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...

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Undercover sting targets bus crime

As a boy who was stabbed on his first Muni ride earlier this month recovers from his injuries, undercover police officers are preparing to nab thugs and crooks on some of The City’s more troublesome bus lines. Officers at the Ingleside Police Station will conduct the sting, dubbed Operation Safe Muni, on a single day next week. Capt. David Lazar isn’t revealing which day, in order to keep an element of surprise, he said. Police posing as passengers will ride the 9- and 9X-San Bruno, 14-Mission and 49-Van Ness/Mission lines. The 9 runs from downtown to Visitacion Valley and the 9X from North Beach to San Bruno via Visitacion Valley. The 14 runs along Mission Street from The...

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Cops to coach basketball team of Sunnydale sixth-graders

Ingleside Police Station – which has become a hub of innovation since it became a testing ground for San Francisco Police Department reforms earlier this year – is reaching out to kids in one of The City’s roughest public housing projects. With the help of the San Francisco Police Activities League, Ingleside Capt. David Lazar and his officers are putting together a sixth-grade, co-ed basketball team. Four Ingleside officers have been named as coaches to lead the team, which is comprised of kids from the Sunnydale...

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Flu shots coming to SFO

Instead of flipping through magazines during layovers, travelers at San Francisco International Airport can do something more useful — get flu shots. Beginning Sunday, registered nurses and other licensed medical personnel will administer $35 flu shots for both children and adults at kiosks that will be located in both pre- and post-security check areas, said Martha Kausch of Harmony Pharmacy. The company, which is partnering with immunization services company FLU*Ease, Inc. to provide the vaccinations, has enough supplies to make it through the flu season, which could last until January, Kausch said. Another site that offers seasonal flu vaccinations is St. Mary’s airport...

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Driver struck by Caltrain identified

A motorist fatally struck by a train Tuesday afternoon in Redwood City was identified Wednesday morning as 64-year-old Chuck Isaacson. Isaacson was a Redwood City resident, according to the San Mateo County coroner’s office. Isaacson was traveling west on Whipple Road around 4:30 p.m., according to Caltrain spokesman Mark Simon. Simon said the light had turned green for traffic on Whipple Road to cross El Camino Real when an emergency vehicle was headed south through the intersection with its sirens on. He said all cars had stopped to allow the emergency team to pass through the intersection. At the same time, though, the arms for Caltrain at the street level crossing went down...

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Man who drove into Bay was Livermore resident

A motorist who died after plunging his pickup truck into the Bay Monday afternoon has been identified by the medical examiner’s office as a 43-year-old Livermore man. Paul Weller barreled down a Treasure Island street before launching his Toyota Tacoma over a seawall and into the water. He later died at San Francisco General Hospital. Police plan to examine the truck to determine whether the incident was due to mechanical failure. Witnesses saw the truck speeding down 13th Street near Avenue N at more than 50 mph. The truck plunged into the water at about 1:45 p.m. after hitting a dirt ramp and flying at least 30 feet. Weller appeared to ignore firefighters, who were yelling for...

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Police examine unusual death

Homicide detectives are investigating the suspicious death of a 39-year-old woman in the Outer Richmond district. A friend found Serena Arikan unresponsive Saturday morning in Arikan’s residence in the 500 block of 44th Avenue, San Francisco police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. Paramedics responded at 11:30 a.m. and determined Arikan was dead. Though there was no sign of trauma on her body, the medical examiner’s office determined Arikan’s death was suspicious, Williams said, who had no further details to provide. However, it is not unusual for police to investigate deaths which involve an otherwise young and healthy individual, he said. Arikan’s...

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Rec and Park payout up for final vote

Supervisors are poised put their final stamp on a payout to former Recreation and Park Department spokeswoman Rose Dennis. The settlement of $90,670 to the former public information officer will be voted on Thursday. Dennis’ complaint, which is not public because it is a personnel matter, reportedly included allegations of religious and sexual harassment. The April 2 complaint was introduced to supervisors last month. Dennis has since left the Department....

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Feds called in to investigate May blaze that hurt firefighter

Federal authorities are investigating a May 21 warehouse fire that seriously injured a San Francisco paramedic-firefighter. Investigators from the National Institute of Health and Safety launched the probe several weeks ago at the urging of firefighter union officials, said San Francisco Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations Pat Gardner. The three-alarm fire at 2265 Revere Ave. in the Bayview district caused a parapet wall, the decorative heading surrounding the building’s roof, to fall on Michael Estrada, 37, an eight-year SFFD veteran who was at the front of the hose line, Gardner said. Fire officials conducted an internal investigation, which confirmed that firefighters...

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Local woman immortalized in film after solving aunt’s killing

Jane Alexander was a fighter — an ordinary citizen from San Francisco who built a successful case against the man she accused of killing her aunt. Frustrated with a plodding, labyrinthine justice system, she joined forces in 1991 with fellow San Franciscan Jan Miller to found Citizens Against Homicide, a national organization that escorts families of murder victims through complex legal and public relations battles, parole hearings and even their own detective work. The organization also funds billboards asking for information in unsolved homicide cases. Miller, too, had been relentless in her quest, in this case to keep the unsolved murder of her daughter on detectives’...

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Safety measure invites danger

The lockboxes on buildings Art Swanson owns were supposed to help firefighters responding to emergencies. Instead, they’ve allowed trespassers to sleep in basements and burglars to break in to utility rooms. Lockboxes are steel vaults mounted on the exterior or interior of many city buildings that firefighters can open with a master key. Inside are keys to enter the building. Lockboxes are popular with property owners because they save thousands of dollars in damage when firefighters are forced to break windows and bust down doors when responding to emergencies. But for years, they have also been a target of thieves. “I just don’t [use lockboxes] anymore,” said...

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Commuters see heavy traffic on Bay Bridge alternatives

The commute on BART was snug and traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge was heavier Tuesday morning, despite early morning news that the Bay Bridge was opening at 7 a.m. The 8.4 mile bridge had been closed since Thursday evening for a major seismic upgrade project. On Monday evening officials said the span wouldn’t open as scheduled at 5 a.m. Tuesday but would instead reopen a whole day later. Emergency repairs to a portion of the eastern span -- unrelated to the seismic work -- were behind the delay, Caltrans said. The news caused last-minute scrambling by transit agencies to accommodate hundreds of thousands of commuters. Then, early Tuesday, officials surprised commuters by...

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Bay Bridge reopens, BART to continue expanded service

The Bay Bridge began opening at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning – a day ahead of schedule after workers discovered a crack in the eastern span Monday. “Through the night, the crews have worked nonstop for almost 70 hours and were able to complete the repair work on the damaged eyebar beam found over the weekend,” Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki said at a 6:10 a.m. press conference. The bridge began staging onramp openings at 6:30 a.m. and was completely open by 7 a.m. Officials warned Monday that the Bay Bridge opening, initially scheduled for 5 a.m. Tuesday, would be delayed 24 hours. The news caused last-minute scrambling by transit agencies to accommodate hundreds...

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Former Belmont Chamber president headed to trial

The former president of the Belmont Chamber of Commerce will face a jury trial next month on molestation charges. Prosecutors and a defense attorney for Michael Anthony Kazarian, 50, failed to reach a plea agreement during a Monday afternoon meeting, according to the San Mateo County district attorney’s office. Judge Susan Etezadi scheduled Kazarian’s trial for Oct. 13. Kazarian, who owns a carpet and flooring business, was arrested in June on suspicion of molesting his girlfriend’s daughter from 1999 to 2002. The victim, who was 8 years old when the alleged crimes began, remained silent due to Kazarian’s threats, prosecutors allege. The girl reported the...

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Accused killer to answer to charges

A San Francisco man charged with killing his former girlfriend and attacking her new boyfriend is expected to enter a plea later this morning. Manuel Castro, 31, has been behind bars since his Aug. 19 arrest in Maryland by the U.S. Marshall’s Service. His ex-girlfriend, 32-year-old San Francisco resident Ena Canales, was found stabbed to death inside her sport utility vehicle Aug. 5. The Pontiac Aztec was parked on a stretch of Terry A. Francois Boulevard near the University of California Mission Bay campus at 9:45 p.m., according to police. Castro faces one count of murder in Canales’ death, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon for attacking her new boyfriend,...

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Living large on The City’s dime?

Taxpayer money fraudulently obtained by former city workers went to furnishing their homes and installing expensive sound systems, according to prosecutors. The fraud allegations led to District Attorney Kamala Harris filing 41 felony and two misdemeanor charges Tuesday against former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission employees Donnie Alan Thomas, 45, and Miles Bonner, 60. It’s alleged that the two men conspired with employees from two San Francisco-based companies, Centennial Distributors Inc. and Cole Hardware, to falsely bill the commission for at least $200,000 in merchandise for their personal use and for a side business. A third commission employee, John Rauch, is...

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Music festival goes off with few hitches

A steady stream of laid-back music fans caused few problems during a three-day concert and arts event in Golden Gate Park that ended Sunday. Organizers were still tallying attendance figures Sunday, but the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival was expected to draw about 100,000 people, 30,000 less than the previous, and first, year. Police reported only six arrests. Security reported minor misbehavior by some fans who jumped fences or tried to pass counterfeit tickets. On Friday, one person was arrested on a warrant and another on suspicion of being drunk in public, Sgt. Wilfred Williams said. On Saturday, two people were arrested on suspicion of battery and public intoxication and a...

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