Top Stories
Federal Report Calls for Delay in Sales of Historical Post Offices, but the Rest Are Still Fair Game
Preservationists and city officials in Berkeley were aghast when first told that the 1914 Second Renaissance Revival-style post office was toast and a month-long protest outside the building in 2012 got the public's attention. It was one of three California post offices on a current list of 15 for sale, including a 1941 “Spanish Eclectic and Spanish Colonial Revival” building in Burlingame and a 1932 building in Palo Alto. read more
New Bay Bridge Has Leaks, Rust and Weld Defects but No Independent Review
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Saturday that the company that designed the bridge warned Caltrans in 2010 that welds holding the road deck together were at risk because the agency let the builder proceed with mismatched Chinese-manufactured steel sections. Just days before, the Sacramento Bee reported that a key cable—with 137 steel strands—and connecting rods were already rusting because chambers designed to be airtight and watertight were not. read more
State Decides on Chromium-6 Standard 500 Times Less Strict than CalEPA “Goal”
The decision affirms a proposal by the department last August to allow 10 parts per billion (ppb) of the chemical made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich in 2000, although CalEPA suggested a goal in 2011 of 0.02 ppb. “A 10-parts-per-billion standard is certainly better than nothing,” said Environmental Working Group Director Renee Sharp. “But when you know that the standard is not truly protecting the public from cancer and other health impacts, it doesn't feel like a victory.” read more
California Republican Voters Tack Far Right in Governor's Race
A new Field Poll (pdf) unsurprisingly has Governor Jerry Brown way ahead of his potential Republican opponents, garnering a 57% approval rate from all likely voters in the run-up to the November 4 election. Right-wing Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is way behind at 17%, but the biggest surprise was that the more mainstream conservative Republican candidate, Neel Kashkari, registered a miniscule 2%. read more
VA Pays Out $8 Million for Wrongful Deaths of 59 Veterans in California; Much More Nationally
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid out more than $200 million for wrongful deaths of vets in the decade after 9/11, $8 million of which went to families in California, according to The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). The center had to use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the VA data and pumped it into an interactive graphic that gives details on the 59 veterans in California, and 1,000 nationwide, who shouldn't have died when they did. read more
San Francisco Landlords Using Evictions to Punish Airbnb Hosts
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the city Planning Department is currently investigating 85 people for violating an ordinance that requires someone like Jeffrey Katz to acquire a conditional-use permit to house someone for less than 30 days. Katz, a special-ed teacher, found out the hard way that the law is being enforced.
He got an eviction notice for letting people camp out in his living room. read more
Already-Huge L.A. County Medical Data Breach Doubles
When 168,500 Los Angeles County healthcare patients began to be notified that their personal data had been stolen February 5, County Assistant Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell told the Los Angeles Times, “I'm not aware of another breach of this significance ever having occurred.”
Now, he is.
County officials doubled the number of victims on Thursday, adding 170,200 more to the list. read more
Lowe's Agrees to Pay $18.1 Million and Stop Illegally Disposing of Hazardous Waste
Investigators found more than 118 of Lowe's' stores were “routinely and systematically” tossing “pesticides, aerosols, paint and colorants, solvents, adhesives, batteries, mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs, electronic waste and other toxic, ignitable and corrosive materials” into landfills. The practice had been going on for six and a half years. At some stores, items like batteries and fluorescent bulbs that were turned in for recycling got tossed in the trash. read more
Feds File Criminal Charges against PG&E for Deadly San Bruno Pipeline Blast
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) on 12 counts involving safety violations that led to the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, which killed eight people and leveled a neighborhood in the Bay Area. No executives were initially named in the indictment. Although the penalties amount to only $6 million, a conviction could result in government oversight of prescribed remedies. read more
Unvaccinated Orange County Leads the Way in Scary State Measles Outbreak
The disease, nearly eradicated in North America, is surging throughout the state. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported last Friday that 49 confirmed cases have been recorded in the state this year compared to four last year. Twenty-one cases have been confirmed in OC, its worst outbreak in decades. Around 16,000 kids entered kindergarten in the state this year without being vaccinated because of their parents personal beliefs, 15% more than the year before. read more
State Senator Yee Arrested in FBI Corruption Sweep of S.F. Chinatown
State Senator Leland Yee, known for his promotion of gun control and government transparency, was among 26 people arrested Wednesday by the FBI in a corruption probe that focused on San Francisco’s Chinatown. The Bay Area Democrat was charged with conspiracy to traffic in firearms and trading government favors for bribes. read more
Navy Changes Course after 7 Years, OKs Testing for Radiation on Treasure Island
It wasn't until 2007 that the Navy acknowledged what others already knew: radioactive residue was scattered across the island from its work on ships and aircraft with materials using paint that glows in the dark.
Over the years, the Navy has alternated between denying and downplaying media allegations and evidence that radiation could be a health hazard to people living there. read more
Oakland to Pay Iraq War Vet $4.5 Million for Police Assault During Occupy Protest
Although Oakland police regulations discourage use of bean-bag guns for crowd control and forbid shooting people in the head with them, an officer fired from 20 feet away and hit Olsen. People rushed to his aid, prompting another officer to fire a tear-gas grenade at them. No officers came to Olsen's assistance. read more
Federal Appeals Court Lets State Collect DNA in Felony Arrests
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 11-0 that being accused of a felony, although not charged or convicted of any crime, was sufficient reason for law enforcement to force someone to surrender their bodily fluids and that California’s law gave them the power. Data is shared with local and federal authorities, including the FBI, which operates a database with more than 10 million names. read more
SoCal City Doesn’t Trust Occidental; Bans Oil and Gas Drilling over Fracking Fears
Despite assurances from Occidental Petroleum that it has no intention of using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on 200 wells it wants to develop, the Carson City Council in Los Angeles County voted unanimously to ban new oil and gas drilling for 45 days while it studies a longer moratorium. The Carson vote comes just two days after a 4.4-earthquake jolted Los Angeles and a report (pdf) came out linking quakes to fracking. read more
State Energy Commission Official Ignorant of Dangerous Bay Area Oil Deliveries
Last week, CBS San Francisco was tipped off to a 100-car train loaded with crude sitting in a Richmond rail yard and asked commission Senior Fuels Specialist Gordon Schremp about it. “At this point we don’t have any of those facilities operating in California,” he said, just moments before the reporter showed him footage of the train. Afterward, he said, “It’s certainly a recent change that you know, we haven’t been made aware of that.” read more