The East Bay's only dedicated gluten-free artisan bakery, Mariposa Baking Company, is expanding. Today is opening day at its new kiosk in the Ferry Building Marketplace. The San Francisco location's offerings will include fresh gluten-free breads, bagels, muffins, and cookies, as well as frozen pizzas, ravioli, and more. Special items for Thanksgiving include gluten-free cornbread, bread cubes for stuffing, rosemary rolls, and — by special order — pies.
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Republican candidate Meg Whitman has moved into a tie with state Attorney General Jerry Brown, according to a new Rasmussen poll. Whitman and Brown are deadlocked at 41 percent, although the poll shows Brown leading the other GOP hopefuls, Tom Campbell and Steve Poizner by at least nine percentage points. While Rasmussen polls tend to lean Republican, the new results can't be good for the former Oakland mayor.
California is facing a new financial crisis, as the projected budget deficit for next year has now ballooned to $20.7 billion, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. The news comes just four months after the governor and legislative leaders slashed $24 billion from this year's budget. And according to the Chron, Governor Schwarzenegger is against raising tax increases to help solve the new crisis, which is being caused primarily by declining revenues because of the recession.
The California Energy Commission has ordered the television industry to drastically reduce the amount of electricity that new TVs consume, the Chron reports. The new rules require that flat-panel TVs, which suck up huge amounts of electricity, become one-third more energy efficient by 2011, and 50 percent more efficient by 2013. Television manufacturers claim the new rules could result in higher TV prices and job losses.
Despite loud complaints from residents of the bucolic Berkeley hills, the city council unanimously agreed to relax noise limits for downtown nightclubs, the Chron reports. The council is determined to help the city's burgeoning downtown scene come to life, especially with the planned opening of a major new venue at the old UC Theatre. The council also thankfully ignored the many complaints by the Panoramic Hills Association, who claimed that all the noise from the downtown clubs would interfere with their sleep.
The Oakland Raiders have agreed to remain at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum through the 2013 season, according to the Bay Area News Group. The team's lease had been set to expire at the end of next season. Under the extension, the Raiders would pay Oakland and Alameda County $5 million, along with their annual $525,000 rent. The extension also includes an opt-out clause that would allow the team to leave Alameda County before 2013 - as long it pays the $5 million.
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums admitted last night that he failed to report a trip to South Africa as a gift on his statement of economic interests, even though it was paid for by the South African government. The mayor told the Trib that when he originally filled out his disclosure forms, he mistakenly thought he didn't have to report the travel as a gift because it was paid by another government.