Despite $1.6 Billion Fine, CPUC President Questions Ability to Police PG&E
The California Public Utilities Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to fine PG&E $1.6 billion for its role in the September 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people, injured 66 others...
View ArticleDatabase Shows Bay Area Clean-Tech Investment on the Wane
Investment in the clean-tech industry has seen major growth in the Bay Area over the last decade, jumping from less than half a billion in venture capital dollars to $3 billion, according to figures...
View ArticleFor the Schlep-Resistant, Site Lists Events Near BART Stations
Ever want to go somewhere, but not somewhere too far from a BART station? OK, let’s put it another way. Ever want to not subject yourself to the vicissitudes of an additional transit agency for those...
View ArticleCalifornia Man Beaten by Sheriff’s Deputies Released on Bail
Update Monday, April 13: Francis Pusok, seen on video last week being beaten by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies, was released on bail Sunday. (Booking info here.) Pusok, 30, was beaten after...
View ArticleWas ‘Batkid’ a Waste of Money?
KQED’s Forum got dozens of comments last week on its show with ethicist Peter Singer, who questions the wisdom of spending so much money on Batkid in 2013. You remember Batkid, right? Of course you do....
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Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Plans Show Several Changes
Camp, as proposed. The city will be seeking feedback during a series of community meetings over the next few months. Note: Sun City will be off-limits under the current understanding with the forest...
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Satellite Imagery, Photos Bring Home Magnitude of California Drought
Last November, to illustrate the severity of the drought, we published these photos of Lake Oroville over a 20-month period. (The lake was “sort of a drought poster child,” wrote Lisa Pickoff-White.)...
View ArticleCalifornians With Mental Health Issues Report Discrimination, Stigma
A new study by the RAND Corporation finds that nearly 9 in 10 Californians who reported having a mental health problem in the past 12 months said they had experienced discrimination because of it. Most...
View ArticleOne More Time: Lon Simmons Goes Nuts as Steve Young Scrambles For TD
It was a great run, and maybe even a better call. Lon Simmons passed away on Sunday (see his Associated Press obit below). He was a Bay Area institution and a Baseball Hall of Fame announcer who called...
View ArticleS.F. Cab Driver Weighs in on Competing With Uber, Lyft With New Documentary
Little did we know, when we were making our video comparing the experiences of a taxi driver and a Lyft driver, that the taxi representative was busy making his own hour-and-a-half documentary on the...
View ArticleSan Francisco Bay Area Memorial Day Parking and Transit
Here’s what you can and cannot get away with parking-wise today, in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. And don’t forget, the San Mateo Bridge is now open after a weekend closure. Parking enforcement...
View ArticleFour More Arrested in Oakland at Second Nighttime Protest
Police made arrests as demonstrators marched in downtown Oakland against the city’s new get-tough policy for monitoring street protests — the second such gathering in as many days. Officers watched...
View ArticleChicago Bears Drop Ex-49er Ray McDonald After Latest Arrest
Update 2 p.m. Monday: The Chicago Bears have released defensive end Ray McDonald about six hours after the ex-49er’s most recent domestic violence arrest. McDonald did not meet the expectations set out...
View ArticleTwitter Suspends Account of Conservative Internet Provocateur Chuck Johnson
An interesting development is in motion regarding the ongoing problem Twitter has had with trolling. You may be familiar with the inimitable Charles C. Johnson. He runs a site called GotNews, which has...
View ArticleRide-Service Roundup: What’s Happening With Uber and Lyft Around the U.S. and...
As we’ve covered the regulatory triumphs and travails of San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft in California over the last several years, we’ve also kept an eye on how the companies are faring around the...
View ArticleWarriors’ Klay Thompson Diagnosed With Concussion, Must Be Cleared to Play
Uh-oh. Statement from the Warriors, as reported by various media: Following extensive examinations over the last two days – including neurological tests earlier this (Friday) morning – Warriors guard...
View ArticleA Look at Farmers’ New Insurance For California Uber and Lyft Drivers
Never mind the state regulations, the sky-high valuations and the fact that a character on a recent “Veep” mentioned catching an Uber. Maybe an indication that any concept has entered the fabric of...
View ArticleBerkeley Poised to Adopt Tougher School Enrollment Policy
Berkeley school board officials are considering tougher enrollment requirements to curb illegal enrollment in the district, following the initial success of new registration requirements. Stricter...
View ArticleOakland Local to Suspend Publication as It Looks for New Management
The nonprofit news site Oakland Local, which was in the forefront of trying to fill gaps in community news coverage at a time of financial stress among newspapers, says it will at least temporarily...
View ArticleSupreme Court Tosses Out Man’s Conviction for Making Threats on Facebook
The Supreme Court has reversed the conviction of a Pennsylvania man who said violent messages he posted on Facebook were therapeutic, not true threats. Anthony Elonis was arrested by the FBI, which had...
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