People
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lawrence Livermore National Labratory's Wrongful-Termination Lawsuit Moves Closer to Court
People / Science & Technology / Law Enforcement & Crime John Geluardi — Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Five former employees who are suing Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for wrongful termination held a press conference on Thursday to tell their personal stories as their case moves closer to trial set for late next month.
The five former employees talked about the humiliation, shame, and frustration they experienced when they were part of a massive layoff of 440 lab employees, most of whom were over the age of forty, in 2008, shortly after Congress turned over management of the lab to a partnership led by San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday Must Read: Brown’s Tax Plan Comes Up Short; Community Colleges Approve Overhaul
Politics / People / Education Robert Gammon — Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 7:01 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Jerry Brown’s tax proposal for the November ballot will bring in about $2 billion less a year than the governor projects, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the LA Times reports. Brown says that his tax measure, if approved by voters, would generate about $6.9 billion annually, but the LAO says it likely will bring in only $4.8 billion each year. If the LAO is correct, then the governor’s plan could force even deeper cuts to state services than he has proposed — even if his ballot measure passes.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Trial of Gay Police Chief Accused of Discrimination Begins
Politics / People / Law Enforcement & Crime John Geluardi — Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 9:23 AM
Is Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus a racist? He’s white, but he’s also openly gay and is perhaps one of the most progressive police chiefs in the Bay Area. He also has a strong record of promoting people of color within the police department, and enjoys the full backing of the Richmond City Council, which is currently controlled by a progressive majority and led by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, one of the few Green Party mayors in the country. Nonetheless, starting today, Magnus will be the main defendant in what is expected to be a twelve-week trial in which seven high-ranking black officers have sued the city for discrimination, claiming that Magnus denied them promotions in order to weaken black leadership within the department.
- Joseph Schell
- Magnus
Friday, January 6, 2012
BREAKING NEWS: Assemblywoman Blames Brain Tumor for Shoplifting; Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge
Breaking News / Politics / People Steven Tavares — Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 2:54 PM
The lawyer for Mary Hayashi on Friday said a benign tumor in the East Bay Assemblywoman’s brain was at least partially to blame for her shoplifting spree at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco in October. Attorney Douglas Rappaport made the comment after Hayashi made an unexpected appearance in court and pled to a lower charge of misdemeanor grand theft stemming from the allegations she stole $2,450 in clothing from Neiman Marcus.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday Must Read: Warren Hellman Dies; Middle-Class Taxes May Increase
Politics / People / Business Robert Gammon — Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 7:45 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Warren Hellman, the wealthy San Francisco financier who launched the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and the Bay Citizen news website, died of complications from leukemia. He was 77. The Bay Citizen, meanwhile, stated that its finances remain strong, despite Hellman’s death. Hellman founded the news website and donated $6.2 million to it. Hellman’s family also said the free annual bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park will continue.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday Must Read: Occupy UC Protests Today in SF and Davis; Tax on One Percent Pushed By One Percent
People / Law Enforcement & Crime / Occupy Robert Gammon — Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Student activists in the Occupy movement are planning protests today in San Francisco and Davis as UC regents meet via video-conference in those cities and two others, the Mercury News reports. The regents recently canceled a meeting in San Francisco because they said they feared violence, and so are now conducting their meeting through video-conferencing to lessen the possibility of a major protest. The Occupy demonstrators, nonetheless, are going ahead with plans for several demonstrations, protesting repeated tuition hikes and what they say is mismanagement of UC by the regents.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Video: Massive Fire Devastates Telegraph Avenue Apartment Building, Destroying Intermezzo and Raleigh's
People Ellen Cushing — Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 11:06 AM
As you may have heard over the weekend, a massive fire broke out in Berkeley Friday night, seriously damaging the building on the southwest corner of Haste and Telegraph, which houses Intermezzo, Raleigh's Bar and Grill, and Thai Noodle II, in addition to 39 apartment units. The fire, which is reportedly the biggest in the East Bay since the 1991 hills fire, burned for seventeen hours, rendering the apartment units inside the building uninhabitable, the street-level businesses destroyed, and the building itself structurally unstable. According to SFist, there were no apparent injuries, and the cause of the fire was still unknown as of this morning. Here is an absolutely bananas video of the melee, from YouTuber dbrekke:
Sunday, October 30, 2011
An Open Letter to Jean Quan, Progressives, and Occupy Oakland
Media / Politics / People / Occupy Robert Gammon — Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Dear Jean Quan,
Please ignore those who continue to push you to crack down on Occupy Oakland. Their position is irresponsible, dangerous, and completely out of touch. You already tried a crackdown, and it was a disaster.
As you know, you’ve been vilified by liberals and progressives throughout the world for green-lighting the October 25 raid on the encampment in front of City Hall and the over-the-top police action later that night. Another crackdown will not break up the Occupy Movement. The protesters will just keep coming back.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Jean Quan Still Doesn’t Get It
Politics / People / Occupy Robert Gammon — Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 5:31 PM
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan made the right move this week when she allowed Occupy Oakland protesters to return to the plaza in front of City Hall. She also deserves credit for apologizing for people getting hurt in the police action on Tuesday night and for apologizing to Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen, whose skull was fractured after apparently being hit by a nonlethal projectile fired by police.
But we still think Quan is wrong when she keeps requesting that occupiers not camp in front of City Hall. As we’ve written previously, camping is what the Occupy Movement is all about. It’s about occupying a public space, 24 hours a day, for as long as people can do it or until our system of favoring Wall Street and the wealthy over middle- and low-income citizens changes.
But today at a City Hall press conference, Quan repeated her stance, declaring: “We don’t want them to camp downtown.”
Friday Must Read: Quan Tries to Apologize, Gets Booed; Occupy Oakland Reestablishes Tent City
Media / Politics / People / Occupy Robert Gammon — Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan tried to apologize to the Occupy Oakland general assembly last night, but was booed off the stage, the Chron and Trib report. The mayor, who has been under intense fire since Oakland police raided the Occupy encampment on Tuesday, then posted a statement and video of her apology. Quan also took responsibility for Tuesday’s actions by police and vowed to oversee an investigation into allegations of police brutality. During a visit to Highland Hospital earlier in the day, Quan also apologized to Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen, who suffered a fractured skull apparently after being shot with a less-than-lethal weapon by police during the melee on Tuesday night.
2. Quan also asked that Occupy Oakland demonstrators not camp overnight in front of City Hall, but the protesters ignored that request and began to reestablish the encampment, the Chron and Trib report. Liberal icon Michael Moore is scheduled to visit Occupy Oakland in a show of solidarity tonight.
3. The intense focus this week on the violence in Oakland also apparently has solidified and strengthened Occupy San Francisco. The Chron reports that after city officials decided not to raid Occupy SF, following the outrage about the raid in Oakland, the encampment in San Francisco is drawing more people and is expanding.
