State legislators backed a bill this week that would require government agencies to obtain a court order before shutting down cellphone service.
Senate Bill 1160, introduced by Democratic state Sen. Alex Padilla of Los Angeles, was a reaction to last summer’s decision by BART officials to shut down mobile service in downtown San Francisco stations to thwart a demonstration targeting a July 2011 BART officer-involved fatal shooting. That decision sparked weeks of protests organized by the online hacker group Anonymous that claimed the decision violated free speech rights.
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The Pacific Rod and Gun Club is nearing a new lease to remain at Lake Merced, but language regarding soil contamination is delaying the agreement.
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David Gizzarelli said that since he was arrested last week after his dog chased down and bit a police horse, he has been extra careful when taking his four-legged friend for walks.
“I’m scared to let him off the leash now,” the 44-year-old Gizzarelli said of Charlie, his 18-month-old American Staffordshire terrier. “It’s definitely been life-changing.”
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A man hit by a BART train Saturday after at the Glen Park station has died, BART officials said.The man – who has not yet been identified – was reportedly on the tracks for trains headed toward the East Bay when he was struck by a train around 2:30 p.m.BART spokesman Jim Allison said the train operator did not see the man and there were no other witnesses to the incident. The reason he was on the tracks is unknown.“The operator was aware he may have hit something,” Allison said. “Which is why he stopped the train.”
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Former longtime employees of Eddie Rickenbacker’s are set to receive proceeds from an auction this month of the vintage motorcycles that once hung from the San Francisco bar’s ceiling.
Norman Hobday, who died in February 2011, opened the bar located at Second and Minna streets in 1986. He had always been fond of motorcycles, his brother Jack Hobday said in a phone interview.
The family was given two years to settle Norman Hobday’s estate, Jack Hobday said, and he wanted workers to benefit from his collection.
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Not everything that comes free can be sustained.
One of San Francisco’s most well-known free concerts in Golden Gate Park will not return — for the second year in a row — because of rising fees.
Power to the Peaceful, which began in 2001, announced last week that the fall show will not go on.
“Due to rising city fees which have ballooned our operating costs over the past years, we regrettably announce that The Power to the Peaceful Festival will not be staged in September of 2012,” said the announcement on the concert’s website, powertothepeaceful.org.
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U.S. Sailing this week made recommendations in a report to increase safety for sailors during offshore races to prevent future racing deaths.
The report stems from an April 14 incident in which the Low Speed Chase crashed into the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco, killing five of its crew members during the Full Crew Farallones Race. As a result, an independent review committee recommended increased education and training for ocean races and better lines of communication to prevent future disasters.
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California community college leaders visited City College of San Francisco on Monday to voice their support and offer consultation as the school tries to meet numerous requirements to avoid closure.
Jack Scott, California Community Colleges chancellor, said CCSF has the spirit and collaboration to overcome the difficulties in the next few months, but stressed how important it is for the school to come out on top.
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Just days after The City’s top cop revived calls for nonlethal weapons for police, a man in his 20s was shot by an officer Saturday in Potrero Hill.The man was reportedly involved in some kind of dispute at a residence before the run-in with cops. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and is expected to survive.The incident marked the second officer-involved shooting in less than a month. Last week, police Chief Greg Suhr asked the Police Commission to approve a pilot program to train 74 officers on how to use nonlethal weapons, such as Tasers.
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In less than three weeks, the first events of the America’s Cup will be coming to the San Francisco Bay, and organizers are working to make the World Series regatta event inviting to all.
Tom Ehman, vice commodore for the Golden Gate Yacht Club, said the boats will sail so close to shore, it will appear as if spectators can reach out and touch them.
“It will be something the sailing world has not seen before,” Ehman said.
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Students and residents around San Francisco State University will have more recreational space once a newly purchased property is converted to grassland before ultimately becoming classrooms for the clinical sciences.
The 2.5-acre site at Font Boulevard and Tapia Drive, which once housed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, will be demolished and turned into a field for recreational purposes, said Nancy Hayes, SFSU vice president and chief financial officer for administration and finance.
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The City’s top cop asked the Police Commission on Wednesday to consider a pilot program to arm 74 officers who have completed crisis intervention training with nonlethal devices such as Tasers.
Commissioners were at odds over how to proceed or whether officers should have them at all, but all agreed to at least continue to explore the proposal.
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Legislation to prevent the conversion of San Francisco housing to strictly student usage was approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
The ordinance encourages universities to create new student housing instead of purchasing existing buildings or blocks of units to offer just to students.
“We have a huge need to house many students,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, the legislation’s sponsor. “We need to do it in a way that does not undermine other housing needs, but encourage new student housing through incentives.”
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One year after a UC San Francisco research team tested for and administered treatment to nearly 200 adults infected with HIV in Uganda, many showed few signs of having the disease.According to the research — known as SEARCH, or Sustainable East African Research in Community Health — if testing for the deadly disease became routine and treatment became more immediate, the threat of HIV and AIDS could essentially end.
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Jeff Kod is a member of the Olympic Club, but three or four times a week he goes to Golden Gate Park to play golf on the course there with his son.
The 63-year-old San Francisco resident, however, fears that the new managers of the nine-hole par 3 course will change in a way that will prevent him from spending quality time with his 9-year-old, Elliot.
“I think if they’re going to come in and operate this facility they should add something to San Francisco rather than cannibalizing it,” Kod said during a community meeting this week with more than 60 golfers.
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