SF Bay Area 2000-2011
Return to home
2000 Jan 14,
The body of Ping Wang (38) was found in the Guadalupe River near
Coleman Road and the Almaden Freeway. She was last seen Dec 10 at a
business meeting in Cupertino.
(SFC, 1/18/00, p.A16)
2000 Jan 16, Robert Kent Morgan
and Kimberly J. Morgan fled San Jose under charges that they had
stolen over $10 million from 700 insurance customers of their ISU
Diligent Insurance Agency. They were arrested Aug 3 in Saint Lucia
and ordered to return to Santa Clara Ct. to face charges.
(SFC, 2/23/00, p.A18)(SFC, 8/12/00, p.A18)
2000 Jan 18, Steven Leung (52),
a SF Bay Area entrepreneur, was found unconscious in a Beijing
karaoke bar and transferred to a hospital where he was diagnosed
with irreversible brain damage. Leung was flown home and died at
Stanford Hosp. on Feb 3.
(SFEC, 1/30/00, p.D2)(SFC, 2/5/00, p.A16)
2000 Jan 23, In El Sobrante
Joga Singh Sandher (35) shot and killed Ajmer Singh Malhi (48),
founding member of the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple on Hillcrest Road,
after being told that he could not address the worshipers due to
time constraints. Sandher was convicted of 1st degree murder Sep 25,
20001. he was sentenced 50 years to life on Nov 9.
(SFC, 1/24/00, p.A1)(SFC, 9/26/01, p.A20)(SFC,
11/10/01, p.A19)
2000 Jan 28, Caltrans approved
a new $187.8 million western span of the Carquinez Bridge.
(SFC, 1/29/00, p.A19)
2000 Feb 9, Twin brothers
Abubakar Obadiah Taylor and Azikiwe Albade Taylor (22) were shot to
death while standing in a Fruitvale area parking lot.
(SFC, 2/10/00, p.A20)
2000 Feb 11, A man snatched a
small bichon frise dog from inside the car of Sara McBurnett and
tossed it into traffic in an incident of road rage near San Jose
Airport. In 2001 police arrested Andrew Douglas Burnett (27) for
killing the dog. Burnett was convicted Jun 19, 2001. On July 13
Burnett was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
(SFC, 4/13/01, p.A1)(SFC, 6/20/01, p.A1)(SFC,
7/14/01, p.A1)
2000 Feb 15, Alameda
supervisors voted themselves a 51% pay raise from $62,316 to $94,330
by a vote of 3-2.
(SFC, 2/16/00, p.A21)
2000 Feb 22, Heavy rains hit
the Bay Area and central California causing landslides and toppled
trees.
(SFC, 2/23/00, p.A15)
2000 Mar 2, Some 140 FBI agents
raided 16 locations in Chinatown and Daly City, some of which were
occupied by members of the Jackson Street Boys.
(SFC, 3/4/00, p.A15)
2000 Mar 3, Groundbreaking
ceremonies were held for the new Carquinez Bridge, which was
scheduled to open in 2002.
(SFC, 3/4/00, p.A17)
2000 Mar 9, An out of court
settlement created a 25-acre-preservation zone around the 4-acre
shell mound on san Bruno Mountain along with protection for the
callipe silverspot butterfly. San Bruno Mountain Watch under David
Schooley made the agreement with Meyers Development Co., the city of
South SF and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
(SFC, 3/10/00, p.A17)
2000 Mar 9, A mudslide in
Millbrae crushed 5 homes on Pinehurst Court.
(SFC, 3/10/00, p.A1)
2000 Mar 9, Bernadette Bunnag
(17) of Redwood City died in a Hayward car crash that injured 10
others. Joshua Michael Tenorio, the driver of a red mustang, was
found to have a .16 alcohol level. Tenorio (18) ran a red light into
the Chevy Suburban filled with Redwood High students.
(SFC, 3/15/00, p.A16)
2000 Mar 21, The San Mateo
County Board declared the housing complex at Midway Village in Daly
City in need of demolition.
(SFC, 3/22/00, p.A16)
2000 Mar, Neil Jones, a welder,
was seriously injured at the Tosco facility near Martinez. Jones was
awarded an $8 million settlement in 2001.
(SFC, 9/10/01, p.A11)
2000 Apr 3, John L. Hennessy
(47) was named as Stanford’s 10th president. He replaced Gerhard
Casper (61).
(SFC, 4/4/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 6, Police shot and
killed a transient bicyclist, Thomas Allen Freeman Jr., on the Bay
Bridge who refused a ride off the bridge and opened fire against the
police. Westbound traffic was snarled for hours. The man also
carried a sawed-off shotgun and had earlier shot Eugene Rutledge
(50) in Oakland after being told to stop rummaging in his trash.
(SFC, 4/7/00, p.A1)(SFC, 4/8/00, p.A17)(SFEC,
4/10/00, p.A21)
2000 Apr 10, Dancers of the
Ballet d’Afrique Noire from Senegal failed to show up to continue
their tour after a performance at UC in Berkeley. 17 members were
expected to seek asylum.
(SFC, 4/13/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 12, The new Swedish
Ikea 274,000 sq. foot furniture megastore opened in Emeryville. "The
parking lot, roughly the size of Delaware, filled to capacity after
dawn."
(SFC, 3/10/00, p.A1)(SFC, 4/13/00, p.A19)
2000 Apr 12, In Berkeley police
shot and killed Christopher Garcia (23), a robbery suspect, who had
just stolen $40,000 in jewelry from the Sona Jewelers on Univ. Ave.
(SFC, 4/14/00, p.A27)(SFC, 4/17/00, p.A24)
2000 Apr 12, In Vallejo police
officer Jeff Azuar (50) was shot and killed while serving a routine
arrest warrant on Joseph Robert Teitgen.
(SFC, 4/13/00, p.A21)
2000 Apr 16, Clark Donley (40)
was killed when his boat hit a swell in the annual SF Offshore Grand
Prix boat race.
(SFC, 4/17/00, p.A24)
2000 Apr 18, Jacquelyn Yvonne
Adams, a San Mateo County employee, attempted to cash checks for
phantom foster children that she created on her computer. A BofA
teller alerted authorities over the questionable checks. Further
investigation showed that she had probably embezzled over $1 million
over the last 4 years.
(SFC, 4/25/00, p.A16)
2000 Apr 21, Jerry Andrew Amaro
III (36) of Oakland, Ca., died of pneumonia due to fractured ribs.
He had been beaten kicked on March 23 in the chest by Capt. Ed
Poulson following his arrest by undercover cops for buying drugs. In
2009 the FBI opened in inquiry in the case. In 2011 Amaro’s family
brought legal action against Oakland.
(SFC, 1/24/09, p.B3)(SSFC, 5/10/09, p.A1)(SFC,
7/29/11, p.C1)
2000 Apr 29, The year’s 17th
Bay Area dead whale was found near Pier 50 in SF.
(SFEC, 4/30/00, p.C12)
2000 Apr, The Harry Ells High
School in Richmond was demolished to make room for a new middle
school.
(SFC, 4/19/00, p.A18)
2000 May 1, Susan Manheimer,
former SF police captain, was sworn in as San Mateo’s first female
police chief.
(SFC, 5/2/00, p.A17)
2000 May 5, In Palo Alto
Kristine Pederson Fitzhugh was found dead at home in what appeared
to be an accident. Her husband, Kenneth Carroll Fitzhugh Jr. (57),
was later arrested for her murder. Mr. Fitzhugh apparently killed
his wife because she planned to reveal that her eldest son was
fathered by another man, former family friend, Robert Brown.
Fitzhugh was found guilty of 2nd degree murder on Aug 3.
(SFC, 5/20/00, p.A1)(SFC, 6/19/01, p.A13)(SFC,
8/3/01, p.A1)
2000 May 17, Tertius P.
Chandler, historian, writer and political gadfly, died at age 85.
His work included "Chandler’s Half Encyclopedia" and an unpublished
autobiography on file with the Berkeley Historical Society.
(SFC, 5/26/00, p.D5)
2000 May, Groundbreaking took
place for the 20-story Oakland City Center building, developed by
Shorenstein Realty. It opened in 2001. In 2004 Ask Jeeves (b.1996)
signed an 8 ½ year lease to move to the 555 City Center
building.
(SFC, 7/14/04, p.B5)
2000 Jun 13, Temperatures in
Oakland hit 95 degrees and broke a 1983 record by 7 degrees.
(SFC, 6/14/00, p.A1)
2000 Jun 14, Some 100,000 SF
Bay Area residents experienced rolling blackouts.
(SFC, 6/15/04, p.A11)
2000 Jun 20, David Tolerton,
sculptor, died in Mill Valley at age 93.
(SFC, 6/29/00, p.C7)
2000 Jun 21, In San Leandro,
Ca., Stuart Alexander (39), owner of the Santo Linguisa sausage
factory, shot and killed 3 government meat inspectors, Jean Hillery
(56), Tom Quadros (52), and Bill Shaline (57). In 2004 Alexander was
convicted of 3 counts of 1st-degree murder. In 2005 Alexander was
sentenced to death. On Dec 27, 2005, Alexander was found dead in his
San Quentin jail cell.
(SFC, 6/22/00, p.A1)(SFC, 6/23/00, p.A6)(SFC,
10/20/04, p.B1)(SFC, 2/16/05, p.B5)(SFC, 12/28/05, p.B1)
2000 Jun 25, Barbara T.
Christian, UC Berkeley professor and author, died at age 56. Her
work included "Black Women Novelists: The Development of Tradition"
(1980).
(SFC, 6/29/00, p.C7)
2000 Jun 26, A manhole fire
near Tanforan Shopping Center knocked out telephone service to some
25,000 people for up to 2 weeks. The fire was believed to have been
started by a welder working on the BART extension to the airport.
(SFC, 6/28/00, p.A1)
2000 Jun, The $72.5 million
Chabot Space and Science Center was scheduled to open in the Oakland
Hills. [see Aug 19, 2000]
(SFC, 1/13/00, p.A17)
2000 Jun, Santiago Calatrava,
Spanish architect, won an int’l. competition to design a replacement
for Oakland’s St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, which was razed
following the Loma Prieta earthquake.
(SSFC, 2/18/01, Par. p.8)
2000 Jul 7, Wardell Winslow,
former Peninsula journalist, died at age 73. His several books
included "Palo Alto: A Centennial History" and "The Making of
Silicon Valley: A One Hundred year Renaissance."
(SFC, 7/14/00, p.D6)
2000 Jul 15, Victoria Sousa
(87) was killed at her apartment at the Bay Park Retirement
Residence on Appian Way in Pinole. John Anthony Duke (35), an
employee at a used appliance store, was arrested 2 days later on
another charge of attempted murder and then identified as a suspect
in the Sousa murder.
(SFC, 7/20/00, p.A19)
2000 Jul 25, Knight Ridder
began a new edition of the San Jose Mercury News with a focus of SF.
(SFC, 7/28/00, p.A19)
2000 Jul 26, The Coliseum
Gardens public-housing project in Oakland and the Easter Hill
project in Richmond were scheduled for demolition and replacement by
new mixed income homes.
(SFC, 7/27/00, p.A19)
2000 Jul 27, In Cuba Oakland’s
Mayor Jerry Brown signed an agreement with Mayor Nicolas Carbonell
Igarza of Santiago, Cuba, for people-to-people exchanges as sister
cities. The next day Brown met and lunched with Pres. Castro.
(SFC, 7/29/00, p.A17)
2000 Jul 29, Berkeley held its
16th annual Kite Festival. An estimated 15,000 filled Berkeley
Marina’s Cesar Chavez Park.
(SFEC, 7/30/00, p.C2)
2000 Aug 1, Glenn and Justin
Helzer murdered Anette and Ivan Stineman in Concord, Ca. In 2004
Justin Helzer was convicted for 5 murders. A jury gave Glen Helzer
received 5 death sentences on Dec 17, 2004. The brothers were
formally sentenced to death Mar 11, 2005.
(SFC, 5/28/04, p.B1)(SFC, 6/17/04, p.B1)(SFC,
12/18/04, p.B1)
2000 Aug 2, Glenn Taylor Helzer
murdered Selina Bishop (22) in Concord. [see Aug 1,3]
(SFC, 5/28/04, p.B1)
2000 Aug 3, In Woodacre, Marin
Ct., Ca., Jennifer Villarin (45) and James Gamble (54) were murdered
in the early morning. Villarin was the former wife of blues
guitarist Elvin Bishop. Bishop’s daughter, Selina (22), was missing
and police later arrested her boyfriend Glenn Taylor Helzer, along
with Helzer’s brother and roommate Dawn Godman (26) in Concord. Body
parts were discovered Aug 7 on the banks of the Mokelumne River and
linked to Helzer, as was the disappearance of an elderly couple, the
Stinemans from Concord. The body parts were soon identified as the
remains of Ivan and Annette Stineman and Selina Bishop. In 2004
Glenn Helzer (33) pleaded guilty to 18 counts. [see Aug 1,2]
(SFC, 8/4/00, p.A1)(SFC, 8/5/00, p.A15)(SFC,
8/9/00, p.A1)(SFC, 8/10/00, p.A1,6)(SFC, 12/4/01, p.A22)(SSFC,
2/07/04, p.A23)
2000 Aug 10, In Vallejo Midsi
Sanchez (8) disappeared while returning home from school.
(SFC, 8/11/00, p.A23)
2000 Aug 12, Midsi Sanchez
safely escaped from her kidnapper, Curtis Dean Anderson (39), in
Santa Clara. Police soon arrested Anderson in San Jose. In 2001
Anderson was sentenced to 251 years in prison.
(SFEC, 8/13/00, p.A1)(SFC, 7/13/01, p.A1)
2000 Aug 14, It was reported
that glass etching had become a major form of graffiti in the Bay
Area and was becoming very expensive to repair.
(SFC, 8/14/00, p.A17)
2000 Aug 19, The new $76.5
million Chabot Space and Science Center was scheduled to open in the
Oakland Hills.
(SFC, 8/14/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 27, In Richmond Blair
Moore (12) was killed by shotgun blasts under prodding by Roman
Sunday (55) to his 13-year-old son. Sunday, his son and a
15-year-old boy were later arrested for the murder. This marked
Richmond’s 17th homicide for the year.
(SFC, 9/9/00, p.A21)(SFC, 7/23/02, p.A14)
2000 Aug 31, A construction
crew accidentally severed 4 underground cables and knocked out phone
service to much of the SF Int’l. airport, San Bruno and Millbrae.
(SFEC, 9/3/00, p.C5)
2000 Sep 7, In Oakland a
13-year-old girl was wounded by a man who shot and killed Anthony
Jerome Rucker (34) on the 8400 block of Int’l. Blvd. This brought to
60 the number of homicides in Oakland this year.
(SFC, 9/9/00, p.A21)
2000 Sep 20, Marin, San
Francisco and San Mateo counties tied for the least affordable
places to live according to a report issued by the National
Low-Income Housing Coalition.
(SFC, 9/21/00, p.A22)
2000 Sep 21, A 4-day drug bust
operation ended and CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting)
officials reported that they had seized a record of 12,163 marijuana
plants near the Crystal Springs Reservoir.
(SFC, 9/23/00, p.A17)
2000 Sep 21, Robert Peterson,
poet, died at age 76. His 9 collections included "All the Time in
the World.’
(SFC, 10/7/00, p.A19)
2000 Oct 2, J.L Handy, the
superintendent of Emeryville schools, resigned amid allegations of
using a district credit card for personal items while vacationing in
Manhattan, Montana and New Orleans.
(SFC, 10/3/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 6, In San Anselmo Dr.
Martin George Blinder was stabbed by Dorothy Braco (61), his 2nd
ex-wife. Braco ‘s car was found the next day near Golden Gate Bridge
and her body was found a day later washed onto Esplanade Beach in
Pacifica. Blinder was the psychiatrist who provided the
heat-of-passion (twinky defense) in the 1979 Dan White case. Blinder
was the author of: "Choosing Lovers," and "Lovers, Killers, Husbands
and Wives." Blinder was also an acquaintance with Jim and Artie
Mitchell, had testified for Jim Mitchell, Blinder had also rented
out his home to the Mitchell brothers for porno films.
(SSFC, 5/20/01, p.A18)(SFC, 5/21/01, p.A5)(SFC,
5/22/01, p.A4)
2000 Oct 20, John Hennessy was
inaugurated as the 10th president of Stanford Univ.
(SFC, 10/21/00, p.A17)
2000 Oct 22, wind gusts of
almost 100 mph hit the Bay Area and fanned numerous brush fires.
(SFC, 10/23/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 22, In Richmond, Ca.,
Claire Joyce Tempongko was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend,
Tari Ramirez. Ramirez stabbed Claire to death in her home in front
of her two young children. In 2006 Ramirez was arrested near Cancun,
Mexico. In 2007 he was returned to the US to face trial.
(SFC, 11/10/07,
p.B3)(www.purpleberets.org/violence_tempongko.html)
2000 Oct 24, San Jose approved
a 688-acre, 20,000 worker complex for Cisco Systems in Coyote
Valley.
(SFC, 10/25/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 25, A number of young
boys raped a 12-year-old girl with learning disabilities at a
Willard Middle School in Berkeley. She was transferred to Martin
Luther King Middle School and was again raped. 7 suspects were later
charged.
(SFC, 11/22/00, p.A25)
2000 Oct 26, An explosion at
MBA Polymers, a plastics recycling plant in Richmond, killed one
worker.
(SFC, 10/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct, The Jack London
Aquatic Center was dedicated in Oakland. A management dispute
delayed its opening.
(SFC, 5/14/01, p.A13)
2000 Nov 2, The Alameda County
DA charged 4 Oakland, Ca., police officers, known as "The Riders,"
with 48 felonies that included charges of beating suspects and
planting evidence. In 2003 a court acquitted the officers of
misconduct charges. A retrial began in 2004. In 2005 a 2nd trial
ended in a mistrial.
(SFC, 11/2/00, p.A1)(SFC, 10/1/03, p.A1)(SFC,
11/2/04, p.B5)(SFC, 5/20/05, p.B1)
2000 Nov 10, The body of
Sharonda Letisha Parker (16), a student at Vallejo High School, was
found in a ditch alongside a road just south of Napa. She had set
out for a football game the night before.
(SFEC, 11/12/00, p.D1)
2000 Nov 28, In Berkeley
protesters forced the cancellation of a speech by former Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(SSFC, 12/10/00, p.A19)
2000 Nov, Dr. John Long Wilson
(d.2001 at 87), Stanford Prof. of Surgery, authored "Stanford Univ.
Medical School and Its Predecessor Schools: A Historical
Perspective."
(SFC, 4/10/01, p.A22)
2000 Dec 1, The US Navy
transferred control of Mare Island to civilian authorities, who
planned to contract out toxic cleanup operations paid by the Navy.
Development plans included housing and small to mid-size business
operations.
(SFC, 12/1/00, p.A28)
2000 Dec 23, The Clinton
administration announced over $40 million in federal grants to help
the homeless in the Bay Area.
(SSFC, 12/24/00, p.A20)
2000 The book "Tales from the
Elmwood" by Burl Willes covered the history of the Elmwood district
of Berkeley.
(SFC, 1/1/01, p.A15)
2000 San Jose, Ca., Mayor Ron
Gonzales cut a back room deal with Norcal Waste System that
eventually ensured an $11.25 million pay raise for the garbage
collectors without telling the City Council. Gonzales handed union
representation to the Teamsters and reimbursed increased payroll
costs with taxpayer money. In 2005 the City Council voted 10-0 to
censure Gonzales. In 2007 a judge dismissed corruption charges
against Gonzales.
(SFC, 12/9/05, p.B1)(SFC, 12/14/05, p.B1)(SFC,
6/24/06, p.A1)(SFC, 6/13/07, p.B1)
2000 Gurbaksh Chahal (18),
India-born entrepreneur in San Jose, Ca.,, sold his company Click
Agent for $40 million to competitor Value Click in an all stock
merger. In 2007 he sold his 2nd company, Blue Lithium, to Yahoo for
$300 million.
(SSFC, 10/26/08, p.F1)
2001 Jan 2, The body parts of
Anthony Frank Buccellato (57) were found strewn down Highway 4 near
Pittsburg. 4 suspects were arrested 2 days later that included
Christopher Graham (22), son of Larry Graham Sr., who was waiting
for trial in the 1983 murder of Angela Bugay (5).
(SFC, 1/4/01, p.A15)
2001 Jan 9, An XFL blimp, owned
by Airship USA of Las Vegas, crashed landed on the Oyster restaurant
south of Jack London Square.
(SFC, 1/10/01, p.A1)
2001 Jan 11, William Wilkins
(29), an undercover Oakland police officer, was killed by 2 rookie
officers. They failed to recognize him as he held a suspected car
thief. In 2006 Oakland faced a $3.5 million settlement with the
Wilkins family.
(SFC, 1/13/01, p.A1)(SFC, 5/19/06, p.B2)
2001 Jan 17, The launch party
for the new natural history magazine "Bay Nature," founded by David
Loeb, was held at the SF Main Library.
(SFC, 1/5/01, WBb p.2)
2001 Jan 19, The skull of Xiana
La-Shay (7) (Xiana Fairchild) was found in the Los Gatos hills.
Curtis Dean Anderson, the primary suspect, was arrested in 2004 for
Xiana’s murder while serving a 251-year sentence for another
kidnapping.
(SFEC, 12/12/99, p.C1)(SSFC, 2/4/01, p.A1)(SFC,
5/12/04, p.A6)
2001 Jan 29, Al DeGuzman (19)
was arrested in San Jose after a photo lab clerk reported pictures
of him in front of an arsenal of weapons. A 158-page diary was found
labeled "Plan X2" for a Jan 30 attack at De Anza College in
Cupertino. DeGuzman was found guilty in 2002 of 108 felony accounts.
He was sentenced to 7 years in prison.
(SFC, 4/27/02, p.A1)(SFC, 10/2/02, p.A17)
2001 Feb 5, Engineering
students from the Univ. of British Columbia dangled the body of an
old VW from a railing of the Golden Gate Bridge. It hung for 4 hours
before officials cut and let it fall into the water.
(SFC, 2/6/01, p.A1)
2001 Mar 2, Pehong Chen, CEO
and founder of BroadVision, donated $15 million to Stanford Univ. to
study the power source of the Big Bang and the role of dark matter
in the universe.
(SFC, 3/3/01, p.A16)
2001 Mar 11, The San Francisco
Bay’s tidal marshes were reported to have dwindled from 190,000
acres to 40,000 over the last 150 years.
(SSFC, 3/11/01, p.A12)
2001 Mar 14, Lyle Norbert,
while driving drunk, refused to pull over for CHP officers and
slammed into a car driver by Lyle Eric Norbert (44) at San Pablo and
Ashby. Norbert was killed. In 2004 Norbert was convicted of 2nd
degree murder.
(SFC, 5/21/04, p.B5)
2001 Mar 17, In Livermore
Anthony Gerard Tirri (37) shot his wife Colleen Marie Tirri (30) and
then shot and killed himself. He was reportedly depressed over a
pending divorce.
(SSFC, 3/18/01, p.A17)
2001 Mar 27, Larry Ellison
proceeded with work on his 23-acre Japanese-style villa in Woodside.
The cost has more than doubled from a $40 million estimate 5 years
ago. Jobs at Oracle Corp. were recently trimmed by 900.
(SFC, 3/27/01, p.A1)
2001 Mar 27, Johnson &
Johnson agreed to buy Alza Corp. for $10.billion in stock.
(SFC, 3/28/01, p.C1)
2001 Mar 29, The landmark
Berkeley, Ca., UC Theater, built in 1917, was set to close after its
last show. A fire had gutted the building in the 1940s, and it was
rebuilt in a spartan motif. In 2009 promoters obtained permits and
slated to reopen the building in the Fall of 2010 as a
nightclub.
(SFC, 3/27/01, p.A12)(SFC, 9/24/09, p.D1)
2001 Apr 11, Dwight Garland
(33) was shot numerous times in a robbery attempt in the 1200 block
of Haskell Street in Berkeley. Michael Ringo (20) and Cory Jenkins
(19) were later charged in the murder.
(SFC, 4/12/01, p.A20)
2001 Apr 21, Claude Clark
(b.1915), African American painter and printmaker, died in Oakland,
Ca., following a long illness. He was a nationally renowned artist
and teacher. Clark wrote the first curriculum for African and
African American art, shortly after he began a 13-year stint at
Merritt College in Oakland.
(SFC, 2/4/08,
p.D1)(www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79520788.html)
2001 Apr 24, The Oakland City
Council approved an ordnance that required bilingual Asian and
Hispanic workers in city departments that deal with the public.
(SFC, 4/25/01, p.A1)
2001 May 2, A tank truck hit a
power pole outside General Chemical on Castro St. in Richmond and
caused a cloud of sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide into the air.
Some 100 people went to local hospitals for treatment.
(SFC, 5/3/01, p.A13)
2001 May 3, In Oakland a fire
destroyed a 20-unit apartment building under construction at 850
West Grand Ave. and jumped to 11 other buildings.
(SFC, 5/4/01, p.A19)
2001 May 29, A BART police
officer shot and killed Bruce Edward Seward (42) during a struggle
outside the Hayward BART station.
(SFC, 5/30/01, p.A15)
2001 Jun 3, Jennifer Lynn Perry
(38) was found stabbed to death in a Vallejo hotel. Her daughter was
found stabbed to death Jun 12 along the Emeryville waterfront.
Perry’s boyfriend was suspected in the case and stood to gain
$900,000 in insurance.
(SFC, 9/28/01, p.A20)
2001 Jun 18, Shawn Jones (10)
was mauled by 3 pit bull terriers in Richmond. Benjamin Moore (27),
the owner of the dogs, fled the scene with the dogs, but turned
himself in the next day.
(SFC, 6/21/01, p.A1)
2001 Jun, Rebecca Lindquist
(50) was shot to death just days before the completion of
Knightsen’s Delta Road Bridge, a project which she pushed forward.
(SFC, 11/5/01, p.A15)
2001 Jul 13, A judge in San
Jose, Calif., sentenced Andrew Burnett, the man who had tossed a
fluffy little dog to its death in a bout of road rage, to the
maximum three years behind bars.
(AP, 7/13/02)
2001 Jul 13, Christina (Minna)
Sandmeyer (22) of Evanston, Ill., disappeared from the Stanford
area. Her body was found Aug 3 in Foothill Park. She apparently took
her own life.
(SFC, 8/4/01, p.A11)
2001 Jul 15, In Newark a "Coast
Starlight" train bound for LA hit a tow truck and killed the driver,
Vincent Trejo (35).
(SFC, 7/16/01, p.A13)
2001 Jul 19, The search for
Minna Sandmeyer turned up the body of an unidentified black woman. 4
months later the body was identified as Tammy D. Woodson (40), a SF
woman with a history of prostitution. A suspect in her murder was
already in jail.
(SFC, 11/7/01, p.A17)
2001 Jul 24, Brian Palmer
Gilbert (24) left his son (5-months) in a car to watch animated
moves with a relative in San Jose. The baby died as temperatures
reached 107 degrees over 3 hours. Gilbert was convicted of
involuntary manslaughter in 2002 and faced up to 4 years in prison.
(SFC, 7/20/02, p.A15)
2001 Jul 27, It was reported
that the Trust for Public Land would buy the 26-acre shell mound
site at the foot of San Bruno Mountain for $1.3 million.
(SFC, 7/27/01, p.A19)
2001 Jul 27, Jeanine Sanchez
Harms was last seen alive in Campbell, Ca. In 2004 San Jose
architect Maurice Xavier Nasmeh was arrested for her murder. In 2007
a judge dismissed murder charges against Nasmeh due to lack of
evidence. On Jan 15, 2011, Wayne Sanchez (52), the brother of Harms,
shot and killed Nasmeh at the El Paseo de Saratoga Shopping Center,
and then killed himself. In August, 2011, evidence linked Nasmeh to
the murder of Harms and the case was closed.
(SFC, 12/17/04, p.B1)(SFC, 6/28/07, p.B3)(SFC,
1/17/11, p.A1)(SFC, 8/25/11, p.C6)
2001 Aug 11, BART transbay
service was shut down for 6 hours due to electrical problems.
Traffic clogged on the Bay Area bridges and freeways. Events in the
Bay Area included an A’s game at the Oakland Coliseum, an Eric
Clapton concert next door, boat races at Jack London Square, a
Filipino festival in SF and the 9th annual Festival of India in
Fremont.
(SSFC, 8/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 14, The Oakland
Military Institute, a pet project of Mayor Jerry Brown, opened for
its 1st day of classes for almost 200 7th graders.
(SFC, 8/14/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 18, Jason Baker (24)
of Hayden Lake, Idaho, was killed in a shooting at a North Beach
hotel. His brother Brock (25) of Spokane was critically wounded. In
Sep. Oregon police arrested Scott Allen Miles (18) and Jason Robert
Scherrer (18) on suspicion of murder.
(SFC, 9/29/01, p.A14)
2001 Aug 26, It was reported
that MTBE was leaking from 251 underground gasoline tanks in the Bay
Area and reached 48 wells in public water systems.
(SSFC, 8/26/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 29, The San Lorenzo
Unified School District passed out 1,500 wireless laptops to
students for use until they graduate. A 5-year $20 million plan
called for a personal computer for all 8,000 students in grades
4-12.
(SSFC, 8/19/01, p.A17)
2001 Aug 29, Jewel thieves
stole some $500,000 worth of jewels from couriers at the Hong Kong
Flower Lounge in Millbrae. The car license was reported by an
off-duty firefighter. 6 days later FBI agents in LA arrested Esteban
Calderon, a NY jewelry store owner and suspected fence. 2 days later
Jorge Zamora-Suarez, an LA jeweler, was also arrested.
(SFC, 11/23/01, p.A27)
2001 Sep 4, Robert McAfee
Brown, former Stanford professor of religious studies, died in Mass.
at age 81. His work included 29 books.
(SFC, 9/10/01, p.B3)
2001 Sep 25, Anthony
Menolascino (47) was killed when a 2 ½ ton retrofit panel
fell from the lower deck south side of the Bay Bridge onto his
pickup.
(SFC, 9/26/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 29, It was reported
that crickets had infested the Delta town of Knightsen.
(SFC, 9/29/01, p.A13)
2001 Oct 8, Richard P.
Scowcroft, novelist and emeritus prof. of English at Stanford, died
at age 85. His 6 novels included "Back to Fire Mountain."
(SFC, 10/17/01, p.C3)
2001 Oct 16, The Berkeley City
Council voted 5-4 to call a halt to US bombing in Afghanistan "as
soon as possible."
(SFC, 10/19/01, p.A19)
2001 Oct 25, A BART strike was
averted in the final hours. The settlement included 22% pay raise
over 4 years.
(SFC, 10/25/01, p.A17)
2001 Oct 25, SF, Daly City and
3 golf courses agreed on a plan to restore the health and water
level of Lake Merced.
(SFC, 10/26/01, p.A24)
2001 Oct 28, In California
Jeffrey Fontana (24), a rookie police officer, was shot and killed
during an apparent traffic stop in San Jose’s Almaden Valley
neighborhood. DeShawn Lee Campbell (22) was suspected in the murder.
Campbell was caught Nov 7. In 2009 Campbell, a mentally disabled
man, was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to life in
prison.
(SFC, 10/29/01, p.A1)(SFC, 10/30/01, p.A13)(SFC,
11/8/01, p.A21)(SFC, 8/8/09, p.C2)
2001 Oct 30, An Atherton woman
reported that Marcus Anthony Zgraggen attempted a rape of her
12-year-old daughter. Zgraggen was later found dead in Humboldt
County by apparent suicide on Christmas day.
(SFC, 1/4/02, p.A24)
2001 Nov 12, Record rains hit
the Bay Area with 2.7 inches in Kentfield and 2.09 inches in SF.
(SFC, 11/13/01, p.A20)
2001 Nov 13, BART directors
approved an extension to the South Bay. The Santa Clara County
Transportation Authority would pay all the costs for the 16 ½
mile addition.
(SFC, 11/14/01, p.A21)
2001 Nov 13, Dr. Cassandra
Floyd was shot and killed by her ex-husband on Mount Hamilton Road
near San Jose. Ronald Johnson-Kennedy sped away and killed himself
nearby.
(SFC, 11/19/01, p.A18)
2001 Nov 24, A windstorm cut
power to 258,000 Bay Area customers.
(SSFC, 11/25/01, p.A25)
2001 Nov 25, Luci S. Houston
(43), a Mercury News photographer, was found murdered in Oakland.
She was last seen Nov 20. On Dec 3 police arrested her estranged
husband, Raymond F. Houston (39), for the murder.
(SFC, 11/26/01, p.A1)(SFC, 12/4/01, p.A15)(SFC,
4/20/02, p.A18)
2001 Dec 5, It was reported
that the California Nature Conservancy had purchased the 9,200-acre
Staten Island in the San Joaquin Delta for $35 million.
(SFC, 12/5/01, p.A19)
2001 Dec 12, Berkeley officials
introduced orange flags for use by pedestrians at busy
intersections. 2 days a later a pedestrian carrying a flag was hit
by a car at Claremont and Russell, the site of the introduction.
(SFC, 12/15/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 15, In Benicia Kathryn
Scarpaci (50) was found beaten and strangled in a car parked in her
garage. Her son Patrick Scarpaci (18) later admitted to the murder.
(SFC, 12/18/01, p.A19)
2001 Dec 22, Ron Nicolino (62)
towed his 1,300 pound "Big Giant Bra Ball" around Point Richmond.
His project "Bras Across the Grand Canyon" was rejected 10 years
earlier.
(SSFC, 12/23/01, p.A25)
2001 Dec 22, A major earth
slide at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County blocked Highway 1.
(SSFC, 12/23/01, p.A30)
2001 Dec 27, Thomas Berkley
(86), founder and publisher of the Post Newspaper Group, died in
Oakland.
(SFC, 12/29/01, p.A26)
2001 Dec, The 8-mile BART route
between Colma and the SF Airport was scheduled to be completed. It
was set to pass through 7 cemeteries in Colma.
(SFC, 1/27/98, p.A20)(SFC, 6/15/99, p.A1)
2001 The new $214 million
California Public Health Laboratory opened on a 28-acre site in
Richmond, Ca.
(SSFC, 7/31/05, p.A1)
2001 Stanford philosophy
professors John Perry and Ken Taylor made an hour long radio pilot
program, “Philosophy Talk,” on the question: “Would you want to live
forever?” San Francisco producers at KALW agreed to air the program.
(SFC, 2/10/10, p.E3)
2001 Colin Roche (34) and Bobby
Ronsse (34) launched Pacific Writing Instruments from San Mateo, Ca.
Roche conceived of his PenAgain ergonomic pen in 1987 while sitting
in high school detention. In 2006 Wal-Mart put it on trial sale.
(WSJ, 5/30/06, p.B1)
2001 Chris Anderson, Silicon
Valley publisher, sold his Business 2.0 magazine for a reported $68
million.
(SSFC, 2/26/06, p.A4)
2002 Jan 4, Daryl Clemons (33),
a painter from Oakland working on the Bay Bridge, was killed when
scaffolding collapsed.
(SFC, 1/5/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 8, Cecilia Garcia (24)
was found dead by her father in the shower of her home in Livermore.
In 2010 Bryan Vulgamore (34) of Modesto was charged with her murder.
(SFC, 1/21/10, p.C2)
2002 Jan 11, Four Mexican men
were found slain at the Evergreen Ridge apartments in San Bruno, Ca.
Guns and 13.5 kg of cocaine were found. Jaie de Alba (28) was
arrested the next day and released Feb 20. On Mar 3 Alfredo
Valanzuela (21) and Raul Campos (18) were arrested in Los Angeles
and 2 others were named as suspects: Jorge Hernandez (23) and Lazaro
Perez (24). In 2005 Campos was sentenced to life in prison.
(SSFC, 1/13/02, p.A21)(SFC, 2/21/02, p.A19)(SFC,
3/5/02, p.A13)
2002 Jan 15, Osvaldo Urzua (41)
ran through a pedestrian walkway in East Oakland and hit 6 people on
their way to school. Ana Cerna (5) died from her injuries. Urzua
sped from the scene but was arrested the next day.
(SFC, 1/18/02, p.A23)
2002 Jan 23, US Navy Sec.
Gordon England signed an agreement with mayor Willie Brown for the
1st parcel of land, 88 acres, for development at Hunters Point,
which included $50 million for cleanup.
(SFC, 1/24/02, p.A17)
2002 Jan 31, Darrel Russell
(25), tackle for the Oakland Raiders, along with Ali Hayes and Naeem
Perry, convicted felons, raped a Sunnyvale woman (27) and videotaped
the assault.
(SFC, 3/4/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 11, Winnfred Everett
Wright (45) and 4 women, who lived in Marinwood home, were arraigned
for the death of 19-month-old boy, who died of malnutrition in Nov
12 other children were removed from the home following the boy’s
death.
(SFC, 2/12/02, p.A1)(SSFC, 2/17/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 16, In Oakland Ukendra
Johnson (22) was killed by a speeder from a "sideshow" car
spectacle.
(SSFC, 2/17/02, p.A21)
2002 Feb 23, A grand opening
was set for the new African American Museum and Library at 659 14th
St., site of the former Oakland Charles Greene main library
following an $11.2 million restoration.
(SFC, 1/31/02, p.D9)(SSFC, 2/17/02, p.A21)
2002 Feb 24, Dr. Donna Anderson
of Minnesota arrived at the home of her former husband in Burlingame
and stabbed to death her son (13). Anderson attempted to plead
guilty and said she was the target of a ring of child pornographers.
A judge halted criminal proceedings and called for an evaluation of
mental competency. Anderson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 37
years in prison,
(SFC, 2/25/02, p.B1)(SFC, 3/2/02, p.A19)(SFC,
7/6/02, p.A15)
2002 Feb 27, In Mountain View
Guyang Matthew Huang (38) killed Tanya Holzmayer (46) during a pizza
delivery and then took his own life. Holzmayer had fired Huang from
PPD Discovery, a Menlo Park research company, last June.
(SFC, 3/1/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 6, Henry Guenther (62)
crashed in his Cessna 425 near the Cinnabar Hills Golf Course in San
Jose along with 2 passengers. None survived.
(SFC, 3/7/02, p.A17)
2002 Mar 19, In Union City 3
sophomores, Michael Aguilar (driver), Jun-Richard Lahip and Allan
Tongson, died in a fiery car crash linked to speeding.
(SFC, 3/21/02, p.A17)
2002 Mar 20, Pedro A. Calderon
(20) was killed by a Palo Alto police officer during a traffic stop
near Stanford. He was driving a stolen BMW.
(SFC, 3/22/02, p.A23)
2002 Mar 24, Santa Clara police
shot and killed a man who had taken a 6-year-old boy hostage after a
failed carjacking.
(SFC, 3/25/02, p.B5)
2002 Mar 26, In Danville Jeanne
O’Brian (43) killed her mother Claire (68) at 88 Marques Court.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A20)
2002 Mar 26, In Pleasant Hill
James Phillip Sheets (32), pharmacist, was found dead by his wife
Michelle. He faced punishment for tainted doses that caused 3 deaths
at the Walnut Creek Doc’s Pharmacy in 2001.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A17)
2002 Mar 27, Oakland police
shot and killed Joshua Russell (19) of Hayward during an attempted
robbery at gunpoint at 14th Ave. and E. 12th.
(SFC, 3/30/02, p.A15)
2002 Mar 28, BART directors
approved a $232 million link from the Oakland coliseum to the
Oakland Airport.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A17)
2002 Apr 4, A new Southern
Crossing bridge between I-238 in San Lorenzo and I-380 in San Bruno
was estimated at $8.2 billion. A 2nd transbay tube for BART was
estimated at $10.3 billion.
(SFC, 4/4/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 4, Tae Young Schiefer
(41) shot and killed her husband, Ulrich Schiefer, her 2 daughters,
one from a previous marriage, and then killed herself in their Santa
Clara home on Madrone Ave.
(SFC, 4/6/02, p.A13)
2002 Apr 5, A new US stamp that
featured the SF Bay Area was 1st displayed. It was part of the new
50-state "Greetings from America" series.
(SFC, 4/6/02, p.A14)
2002 Apr 8, Marisa Mariposa
Garcia (27) of Novato allegedly killed her 3-year-old daughter in a
Mill Valley hotel.
(SFC, 4/10/02, p.A22)
2002 Apr 9, Pro-Palestinian
demonstrators occupied Wheeler Hall in Berkeley and dozens were
arrested.
(SFC, 4/10/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 113, Larry Blackshere
(53), jazz percussionist, was found dead at his home in the 1200
block of San Jose St. in San Leandro.
(SFC, 4/17/02, p.A17)
2002 Apr 19, Gov. Davis
transferred 650 acres of Mare Island state lands over to Vallejo. A
10-15 year, $260 million redevelopment was planned for the former
Navy shipyard.
(SFC, 4/20/02, p.A18)
2002 Apr 17, The Colma Town
Council voted to spend $96k per year to hook up the whole town for
AT&T broadband cable TV.
(SSFC, 4/21/02, p.A23)
2002 Apr 23, The Berkeley City
council rejected a proposal to clear the city’s portfolio of
investments in Israeli and Palestinian businesses.
(SFC, 4/23/02, p.A10)(SFC, 4/24/02, p.A6)
2002 Apr 28, Two teenagers,
Adam Batchelor and Brandon Paschall, went missing in the delta near
the Antioch Bridge. Paschall’s body was found May 4. Batchelor’s
body was found May 8.
(SFC, 4/30/02, p.A19)(SSFC, 5/5/02, p.A22)(SFC,
5/8/02, p.A19)
2002 May 4, In Oakland 4
unrelated homicides occurred in a 14-hour period and brought the
year’s total to 35.
(SSFC, 5/5/02, p.A22)
2002 May 9, Ribbi Hussein (60)
was shot and killed at his store at Third St. and Newcomb Ave.
City-ordered surveillance cameras were recently installed and
retaliation over a seized video tape was suspected.
(SFC, 5/10/02, p.A27)
2002 May 13, A 5.2 earthquake
hit the Bay Area centered near Gilroy.
(SFC, 5/14/02, p.A1)
2002 May 25, An anti-war rally
snarled traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and over 30 people were
arrested. The All People’s Coalition to Stop US Terror and
Occupation had a permit to march across the eastern walkway of the
bridge.
(SSFC, 5/26/02, p.A1)
2002 May 28, Cargill Inc.
agreed to sell 16,500 acres of salt ponds around SF Bay. State,
federal and private foundations offered $100 million for the area,
with plans to return them to natural wetlands. [see Mar 2003]
(SFC, 5/29/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 4, BART reported a
$1.1 billion need for seismic retrofitting.
(SFC, 6/4/02, p.A13)
2002 Jun 7, The dismembered
body of Xiu Li Jiang (22) was found in a Shurgard storage locker in
Daly City, Ca. She had been reported missing in SF in Jan 1999. In
2006 Bobby Tran was sentenced 30 years in prison for her murder.
[See SF, Jan 10, 1999]
(SFC, 6/20/06, p.B1)(SFC, 6/21/06, p.B1)(SFC,
8/19/06, p.B2)
2002 Jun 9, Alexis-Fernando
Martinez (6) was found slain, sexually assaulted and bound in cloth
in the Summerwood Apartments in Hayward. Suspect David T. Genong
(28) fled the area. Genong was arrested June 10 in Lovelock, Nv. In
2003 Genong was sentenced for 25 to life in prison.
(SFC, 6/10/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/11/02, p.A17)(SFC,
8/16/03, p.A18)
2002 Jun 14, June Jordan (65),
black radical and UC Berkeley poet and professor, died of cancer.
Her work included 28 books of poems, political essays and children’s
fiction.
(SFC, 6/15/02, p.A19)
2002 Jun 27, BART directors
approved a 5% fare increase beginning Jan 1 and a $63-a-month
reserved parking at up to 25% of each station’s parking area. AC
Transit voted to increase Golden Gate Bridge toll to $5.
(SFC, 6/28/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/29/02, p.A15)
2002 Jul 1, The SF Board of
supervisors voted to ban public urination and defecation. Fines
could range $50-500.
(SFC, 7/2/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 13, Thousands of
people marched through the streets of Oakland demanding an end to
the spiraling homicide rate in their neighborhoods.
(SSFC, 7/14/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 28, Katherine Bagwell
(23) became Oakland’s 64th homicide victim this year.
(SFC, 7/30/02, p.A1)
2002 Aug 1, A Santa Clara
County grand jury indicted former Lt. Armand Tiano and 12 alleged
conspirators for bilking over $3 million in public donations for a
sham "Police and Sheriff’s Athletic League."
(SFC, 8/2/02, p.A23)
2002 Aug 6, Raymond Bennett
(19) was gunned down on Ninth St. in West Oakland as block parties
were held in 65 locations to promote safety and reclaim crime-ridden
streets.
(SFC, 8/8/02, p.A1)
2002 Sep 12, In Union City,
Ca., 3 people were found slain at a rented home in Compton Court.
Arrests in 2006 linked the triple slaying to a feud over ecstasy
trafficking.
(SFC, 8/14/06, p.B2)
2002 Sep 16, Alameda Mayor
Ralph J. Appezzato (67) was found dead of apparent suicide. He had
been recently diagnosed with cancer.
(SFC, 9/17/02, p.A15)
2002 Oct 4, In Newark, Ca,
Eddie Araujo (17) was beaten to death after he showed up at a party
dressed as a girl (Gwen Araujo). His body was dumped in a shallow
grave in the Sierra. Jose Merel, Michael Magidson and Jaron Nabors
were later charged in the slaying. In 2004 a judge declared a
mistrial after jurors deadlocked over the issue of premeditation. In
2005 a jury found Magidson and Merel guilty of 2nd-degree murder.
The jury deadlocked 9-3 in favor of a murder conviction for Nabors.
In 2006 Magidson and Merel were sentenced to 15 years to life. Jason
Cazares in a plea bargain received a 6-year sentence. Nabors was
expected to receive an 11-year sentence.
(SFC, 10/19/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/23/04, p.A1)(SFC,
9/13/05, p.A1)(SFC, 1/28/06, p.B1)
2002 Oct 11, In Burlingame,
Ca., 4 bank robbers killed Alice Martel (34), the Wells Fargo bank
manager, and fled with about $4,000. Seti Scanlon (24), Sikai Fano
Telea (26), Manny Liu (25) and Amu Wynn (26) were all soon arrested.
Scanlon was convicted of murder in 2004 and sentenced to life in
prison. In 2005 Telea was sentenced to life in prison. Wynn was
sentenced 40 years to life. Liu, the driver, was sentenced to 36
years and 4 months after a plea bargain.
(SFC, 10/12/02, p.A1)(SFC, 11/4/02, p.A17)(SFC,
11/11/02, p.A17)(SFC, 7/13/05, p.B4)
2002 Oct 13, Susan Polk (44)
stabbed her husband (70) to death at their home in Orinda. In 2006
she was convicted of second-degree murder.
(SSFC, 9/18/05, p.A22)(SFC, 6/17/06, p.A1)
2002 Oct 24, Joseph Mabrey was
found shot to death in his car in the 3200 block of Storer Ave. in
Oakland, Ca. A gang called the Nut Cases killed 4 more people over
the next 10 weeks. Gang members were arrested in January, 2003. In
2006 Demarcus Ralls (21) was convicted on 3 counts of 1st degree
murder plus other charges. He was sentenced to 4 consecutive life
terms in prison. 5 other gang members still awaited trial.
(SFC, 2/6/06, p.A11)(SFC, 3/23/06, p.B2)(SFC,
7/29/06, p.B3)
2002 Oct 26, William Monaghan
threw Lionel Voillat (30) off a Red and White Fleet ferry during a
Halloween cruise on SF Bay. Voillat drowned and Monaghan was tried
and acquitted of 1st and 2nd degree murder. Monaghan pleaded guilty
to involuntary manslaughter in 2004.
(SFC, 4/2/04, p.B4)
2002 Oct 29, Chang-lin Tien
(67), former UC Berkeley chancellor (1990-1997), died.
(WSJ, 10/31/02, p.A1)(SFC, 10/31/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 30, The US Army
formally transferred Fort Baker to the National Park Service.
(SFC, 10/31/02, p.A15)
2002 Oct 31/Nov 1, Inmates at
San Quentin performed the verse drama "John Brown’s Body" by Stephen
Vincent Benet under the direction of Joseph De Francesca.
(SFC, 11/19/02, p.D1)(EW)
2002 Nov 3, Kit Armstrong (10),
pianist and sophomore at a Utah college, performed before a sold out
audience at Stanford’s dinkelspiel Auditorium.
(SFC, 11/4/02, p.D1)
2002 Nov 11, Tamellia Cobbs
(15) was killed by gunshots from a passing car near her home in
Oakland. She was the 97th and youngest victim this year.
(SFC, 11/12/02, p.A1)
2002 Nov 21, Dena Monique
Daniels (30), Brinks guard and single-mother, was shot to death
during a robbery in Berkeley.
(SFC, 11/23/02, p.A1)
2002 Nov 22, The Berkeley Daily
Planet, an ad-supported free tabloid, folded after 3 ½ years.
(SFC, 11/23/02, p.A15)
2002 Nov, The Santana Row
shopping area replaced an old strip mall in San Jose, Ca.
(SSFC, 8/20/06, p.G8)
2002 Dec 8, The 48,000-student
Oakland school district reportedly faced a $100 million state
bailout.
(SSFC, 12/8/02, p.A1)
2002 Dec 18, Douglas Ware was
shot to death in the 1000 block of Kirkham St. in Oakland, Ca., by
gunmen in a car who sprayed the area with bullets. A gang called the
Nut Cases was found responsible and gang members faced trial in
2006.
(SFC, 2/6/06, p.A11)
2002 Dec 19, Snow fell in the
North Bay as storms continued to California.
(SFC, 12/20/02, p.A1)
2002 Dec 24, Laci Peterson (27)
disappeared from her Modesto, Ca., neighborhood. She was 8-months
pregnant. A reward for her return soon reached $500,000. On Jan 24
Amber Frey stepped forward and admitted to an affair with Scott
Peterson, the husband of Laci. Laci’s body was found April 14 near
the SF Bay Berkeley Marina, where Scott had gone fishing on Dec 24.
[see Apr 18, 2003]
(SSFC, 12/29/02, p.A23)(SFC, 1/25/03, p.A1)
2002 Dec 27, Keith
Mackie-Harris and Jerry Duckworth were shot to death at a party in
the 800 block of Campbell St. in Oakland, Ca. A gang called the Nut
Cases was found responsible and gang members faced trial in 2006. In
2007 Joe Ralls (31) was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the
killings.
(SFC, 2/6/06, p.A11)(SFC, 5/12/07, p.B2)
2002 Dec 28, A trained Labrador
retriever search dog followed the scent of Laci Peterson from a
parking lot to the end of a boat launch pier at the Berkeley Marina.
(SFC, 9/1/04, p.B1)
2002 Dec 31, Oakland closed the
year with 113 murders.
(SFC, 12/31/02, p.A11)
2002 A new $189 million bridge
next to the San Mateo Bridge was expected to be completed.
(SFC, 6/15/98, p.A1)
2003 Jan 6, Sunny Thach was
shot to death in front of his home in the 1900 block of Sixth Ave.
in Oakland, Ca. A gang called the Nut Cases was found responsible
and gang members faced trial in 2006.
(SFC, 2/6/06, p.A11)
2003 Jan 13, The body of Marisa
Zuras (31), a Lafayette-based dominatrix, was found stuffed into a
recycling bin on the 10000 block of Empire Rd. in Oakland, Ca. In
2005 Jimmy Blunt (23), her bodyguard, was sentenced 50 years to life
in prison for 1st degree murder.
(SFC, 8/25/05, p.B5)
2003 Jan 26, Tampa Bay won
their first NFL championship over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl
37. Rioting erupted on Oakland streets following the Raiders' Super
Bowl loss to the Tampa Bucs (48-21).
(SFC, 1/27/03, p.A1)(AP, 1/26/04)
2003 Feb 15, It was reported
that SF Bay Area refineries were belching 30% more pollutants than
previously known due to the frequent flaring of gases.
(SFC, 2/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 19, In San Francisco
Armando Arce (26) was gunned down as he walked at Willow and Polk
streets. In 2009 Joeven Bowen was charged with Arce’s murder. Bowen
was alleged to have accompanied members of Oakland’s Nut Case gang,
which was involved with 2 murders earlier in the day.
(SFC, 9/9/09, p.D1)
2003 Feb, Oakland police
arrested 6 members of a gang called "Nut Cases" responsible for 5
recent murders and a major 2002 crime spree.
(SFC, 2/10/03, p.B1)
2003 Mar 11, California
scientists reported that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a
family of flame retardants, were found in elevated amounts in the
breasts of Bay Area women.
(SFC, 3/12/03, p.A4)
2003 Mar 14, Amanda Davis (32),
writing professor at Mills College in Oakland, Ca., was killed in a
small plane crash near Ashville, NC, along with her parents. She was
on a book signing tour for her novel "Wonder When You’ll Miss Me."
(SFC, 3/19/03, p.D4)
2003 Mar, The Cargill ponds
were purchased with $100 million in state and federal funds along
with foundation money from the Hewletts, Packards, Goldmans and
Gordan Moore. [see may 28, 2002]
(SFC, 7/23/03, p.A12)
2003 Apr 7, Police fired tear
gas and dummy projectiles to break up war protesters at the Port of
Oakland. 31 of some 500 were arrested.
(SFC, 4/8/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 15, In Pittsburg
Inspector Ray Giacomelli (46) was shot to death at 2124 Abbott St.,
the house of Earl Foster, who fled the scene. Foster was killed in a
shootout with police in Modesto Apr 17.
(SFC, 4/16/03, p.A17)(SFC, 4/19/03, p.A13)
2003 Apr 18, Scott Peterson was
arrested in San Diego for the deaths of Laci Peterson and her baby.
Genetic testing proved that two bodies found Apr 13-14 near the SF
Bay Berkeley Marina were Laci Peterson and her baby. [see Dec 24,
2002]
(AP, 4/19/03)(SFC, 4/19/03, p.A1)
2003 May 1, A female homicide
victim, Jane Doe, was found near a garbage bin at a restaurant in
Castro Valley, Ca. She had been killed around Apr 22-23 and was
buried Sep 17 as "Unknown child of God. Female, 12-17..." In 2006
police using DNA identified the girl as Yesenia Nungaray (16) and
said she was from Yahualica, Mexico. In 2007 police sought Miguel
Angel Nunez-Castaneda (28) for her murder.
(SFC, 9/18/03, p.A1)(SFC, 12/9/06, p.B1)(SFC,
12/22/06, p.B3)(SFC, 11/7/07, p.B5)
2003 May 3, Cordelia held its
16th annual garage sale with some 750 homes participating.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A23)
2003 May 13, Kathleen
Aiello-Loreck (49), a mother of 3 from Antioch, Ca., was killed
during a lunchtime stroll along the Contra Costa Canal Regional
Trail in Concord. The next day John Kahler (32), who lived nearby,
threw himself off the Golden Gate Bridge. On Sep 22 police in
Indiana arrested Robert Ward Frazier (39) for the murder based on
DNA evidence. On June 21, 2006, a jury convicted Frazier of murder,
rape and sodomy. A judge sentenced Frazier to death on Dec 15, 2006.
(SFC, 5/21/03, p.A15)(SFC, 9/26/03, p.A1)(SFC,
6/22/06, p.B1)(SFC, 12/16/06, p.B3)
2003 May 15, The SF Bay Area
celebrated its 9th Bike to Work Day.
(SFC, 5/15/03, p.A17)
2003 May 16, South Korea Pres.
Roh Moo Hyun stopped in San Francisco following a visit with Pres.
Bush.
(SFC, 5/17/03, p.D1)
2003 May 27, Andrew F. Liersch
(67), former president and CEO of Goodwill Industries in Santa Clara
County, appeared in federal court to face charges of skimming some
$800,000 from the charity during his 17-year tenure (1979-1997).
(SFC, 5/28/03, p.A13)
2003 Jun 16, Erica Young (16)
and Uchenna Okeigwe (22) were murdered in Richmond, Ca. In 2007
Kimiko Kimio Wilson (22) was sentenced to life in prison for their
murder and the attempted murder of Sheianna Babcock.
(www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_6039474)
2003 Jun 18, Contra Costa
supervisors authorized the demolition of illegal structures on
Salisbury Island.
(SFC, 6/18/03, p.A19)
2003 Jun 22, A BART link with
San Francisco Int’l. Airport (SFO) opened.
(SSFC, 6/22/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 26, Record
temperatures hit the Bay Area with 97 in SF and 102 in San Jose.
(SFC, 6/27/03, p.A23)
2003 Jul 8, A controlled burn
on San Bruno Mountain escaped along the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and
burned some 70 acres to the northeast ridge.
(Buckeye, Winter 04/05)
2003 Jul 8, Francisco Xavier
Lopez (44) was shot and killed while watering his lawn in East
Oakland. The gunman than shot Lopez's wife Gloria Solano (27) as she
called 911. 4 children were left orphaned as the Oakland homicide
rate climbed to 59 for the year.
(SFC, 7/9/03, p.A1)
2003 Jul 13, In San Jose, Ca.,
police, responding to a call of domestic violence, shot and killed
Cau Bich Tran (25) as she held a 10-inch vegetable peeler. The
4-foot-9-inch Vietnamese immigrant left behind 2 young boys. In 2005
her family agreed to settle their suit against the city for $1.825
million.
(SFC, 12/1/05, p.B5)
2003 Aug 14, The California
Dept. of Fish and Game proposed an indefinite ban on herring fishing
in SF Bay due to a marked decline in the number of fish.
(SFC, 8/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 11, Nancy MacDuckston
(52) disappeared near Davenport.
(SFC, 8/19/03, p.A15)
2003 Aug 20, The Federated
Indians of Graton Rancheria completed and agreement to purchase 360
acres near Rohnert Park for a new gambling resort.
(SFC, 8/21/03, p.A17)
2003 Aug 23, The Fifield-Cahill
Ridge Trail overlooking the Crystal Springs Reservoir opened for
small groups on a limited basis.
(SFC, 8/21/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 28, Two small pipe
bombs exploded at Chiron Corp., Emeryville, Ca. Animal rights
activists were suspected.
(SFC, 8/29/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 29, The California
Dept. of Fish and Game compromised on herring fishing in SF Bay a
set a 2,200-ton quota for the upcoming season.
(SFC, 8/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep 3, US federal
authorities raided the Bay Area laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) for
suspected steroids. On Oct 16 Olympic drug-testing officials
announced that they believed the lab was a source for the steroid
tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).
(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep 12, Mario Gaidano
(89), architect, died. He designed over 700 buildings in the Bay
Area.
(SSFC, 12/28/03, p.E9)
2003 Sep 20, In Oakland, Ca.,
Cha Cha Hill (3) died of multiple injuries following numerous
beatings by his father, Chazarus Hill Sr. In 2007 the father (27)
was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison following a conviction
of assault causing death.
(SFC, 3/9/07, p.B4)
2003 Sep 30, In Oakland, Ca.,
Yusuf Bey, founder Your Black Muslim Bakery, died of colon cancer.
He was awaiting trial on charges of raping a minor. In 2002 he was
charged with 27 counts in the alleged rapes of 4 girls under the age
of 14. In 2007 three of his former wives testified that Bey had
directed many of the 100 women, whom he considered his wives, to
make fraudulent applications for government aid programs.
(SFC, 11/30/05, p.A16)(SSFC, 11/18/07, p.A1)
2003 Oct 5, Terrence Mearis was
shot and killed by 2 Oakland police officers, who entered his
bedroom as he slept. The action was part of a drug bust that
included 2 other men from the apartment.
(SFC, 10/6/03, p.A18)
2003 Oct 13, Chan Boonkeut (15)
was killed as bullets sprayed through the front door of her family's
home in Richmond. Rivalry between the Southeast Asian gangs Sons of
Death and Color of Blood was suspected. Two alleged members of the
Sons of Death (brothers aged 19 and 22) were arrested 2 days later.
(SFC, 10/15/03, p.A1)(SFC, 10/16/03, p.A17)(SSFC,
10/19/03, p.A31)
2003 Oct 19, The sturgeon count
in the SF Bay was reported to have fallen to 77,000 from 142,000
adult fish over the last 5 years.
(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 26, In Danville Troy
(10) and Alana Pack (7) were killed in a hit and run. Jimena Barreto
of Walnut Creek was arrested 2 days later in San Jose. In 2005
Barreto was convicted on 2 counts of 2nd degree murder. She was
sentenced 30 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 10/29/03, p.A17)(SFC, 5/5/05, p.A1)(SFC,
6/25/05, p.B1)
2003 Oct 29, Berkeley began
laying plaques in concrete for the new Berkeley Poetry Walk.
(SFC, 10/30/03, p.A19)
2003 Nov 1, Mailbox bombs
exploded in Suisun City.
(SSFC, 11/9/03, p.A23)
2003 Nov 8, The new $188
million Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo, Ca., was dedicated. Costs
reached $340 million with the approaches. Traffic began with massive
tie-ups on Nov 11. It was named the Al Zampa Bridge, in honor of
bridge worker Al Zampa (d.2000 at 95). A Nov 16th date was pushed
forward a week to allow Gov. Davis to officiate.
(SFC, 10/2/03, p.A15)(SFC, 10/17/03, p.A22)(SFC,
11/8/03, p.A19)(SFC, 11/12/03, p.A1)
2003 Nov 18, Gordon and Betty
Moore announced a $110 million donation over the next 10 years to
improve the quality and quantity of nursing in the Bay Area.
(SFC, 11/19/03, p.B1)
2003 Nov, Oakland Mayor Jerry
Brown appointed Randy Hayes as sustainability director. Hayes was
the 1985 founder of Rainforest Action Network.
(SSFC, 8/8/04, p.B1)
2003 Dec 1, Clark Kerr (92),
former UC president (1958-1967), died in El Cerrito, Ca.
(SFC, 12/2/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 3, In Napa a 100-foot
span of the new Imola Avenue Bridge, a replacement for the Maxwell
Bridge, collapsed and killed one worker.
(SFC, 12/5/03, p.A23)
2003 Dec 6, In Santa Clara a
couple, Todd and Nadine Nunez Vernon, and their 3 children were
found dead in an apparent murder-suicide at 1470 Benton St.
(SSFC, 12/7/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 8, Rev. Bill O'Donnell
(73), social activist, died in Berkeley.
(SSFC, 12/21/03, p.E3)
2003 Dec 17, Wally Hedrick
(75), Beat-era artist, died at his home in Sonoma County, Ca.
(SFC, 12/24/03, p.A16)
2003 Dec 18, Mark Anthony
Fregia, while driving with his girlfriend and 2 children, set their
car on fire near the I-80 freeway exit at Pinole, Ca. Erin Weaver
was severely burned and the 2 children burned to death in the car.
Fregia fled the scene in a stolen car but was caught the next day.
In 2007 Fregia was convicted of 2 counts of murder and attempted
voluntary manslaughter.
(SFC, 12/20/03, p.A17)(SFC, 12/4/07, p.B2)
2003 Dec 19, Federal officials
said the Bay Area would receive over $66 million in grants to help
the region's homeless.
(SFC, 12/20/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 22, It was reported
that invading fruit flies damaged large portions of the olive crop
in the North Bay area.
(SFC, 12/22/03, p.A17)
2003 Dec 30, James Jackson (18)
of Oakland was shot to death by a gunman in a passing car as he rode
his bicycle. The city's homicides for 2003 totaled 114, the highest
since 1997.
(SFC, 1/1/04, p.A19)
2003 Jane Wolff authored "Delta
Primer," an illustrated look at the SF Bay Delta and its history.
(SFC, 12/18/03, p.F1)
2003 Dec 30, Roderick Fernandez
(34) killed his wife Roselle (26) and their 2 children at their
Richmond home. A son (10) from a previous marriage survived.
(SSFC, 1/4/04, p.A17)
2003 In California an Alameda
Superior Court ruled that Visa and MasterCard must refund $800
million in hidden foreign-exchange fees. In 2005 a California Court
of Appeal reversed the decision because the lead plaintiff never had
a Visa or MasterCard.
(SFC, 9/29/05, p.C3)
2003 Bay Area private companies
received $5.5 billion in Defense Department contracts.
(SFC, 3/18/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 4, Lois Anderson (77),
Marin artist, died. She was known as Lotus Carnation and was
prominent in the countercultural art scene.
(SFC, 1/10/04, p.A18)
2004 Jan 16, Kepa Junkera,
button accordionist, performed his rendition of Basque Trikitixa
music at Stanford, Ca.
(SFC, 1/13/04, p.D1)
2004 Jan 31, Pat Cucaro (88),
Sausalito artist, died in a Rafael.
(SFC, 3/13/04, p.B7)
2004 Feb 13, The Florida-based
CNL Hospitality real estate investment trust agreed to buy the
Claremont Resort in Berkeley, Ca., as part of a $1.37 billion deal.
(SFC, 2/13/04, p.B1)
2004 Feb 17, Rodolfo Cardenas
(43), San Jose construction worker and father of 5, was shot and
killed by California state narcotics agents in a case of mistaken
identity. On July 28 Mike Walker, Narcotic Enforcement agent, was
indicted for the shooting. A jury acquitted Walker on Dec 13, 2005.
(SFC, 2/19/04, p.A17)(SFC, 7/29/04, p.B1)(SFC,
12/14/05, p.B1)
2004 Feb 23, Gunfire hit 8 cars
on I-580 between San Leandro and Dublin. Christopher Gafford (27) of
Stockton was later arrested as a suspect.
(SFC, 3/13/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 25, A major storm
caused floods and hurricane-force winds in the Bay Area.
(SFC, 2/26/04, p.A15)
2004 Feb, The George Mark
Children's House, a nonprofit hospice, planned to open in San
Leandro.
(SFC, 1/2/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 2, It was reported
that Vista Community College in Berkeley will soon build a new $65
million building at 2050 Center St.
(SFC, 3/02/04, p.A15)
2004 Mar 2, Voters approved
Measure 2. It called for an increase in Bay Area bridge tolls to $3
in order to finance regional transit projects. Measure N to expand
the Los Vaqueros Reservoir was also approved.
(SFC, 3/03/04, p.A1,22)
2004 Mar 3, Richmond reported
an unexpected $35 million deficit.
(SFC, 3/04/04, p.A17)
2004 Mar 8, The West Contra
Costa Unified School District eliminated all high school sports,
closed all libraries, and laid off all music teachers and counselors
for the fall to balance its $180 million budget.
(SFC, 3/11/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 13, Berkeley
inaugurated a new Muslim Film Festival.
(SFC, 3/13/04, p.E1)
2004 Mar 17, The Vallejo school
system reported a shortfall that could reach $20 million by the end
of the year and faced a state takeover.
(SFC, 3/17/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 19, Brian Maxwell
(51), co-founder of PowerBar (1986)--an energy supplement for
athletes, died in Ross. He and his wife sold the company in 2000 to
Nestle SA for $375 million.
(SFC, 3/20/04, p.B1)
2004 Mar 25, Lawrence May (48),
a Daly City methamphetamine user, stabbed his wife Sharen May (40)
over 100 times with scissors to death in San Mateo, Ca., following a
divorce mediation session. In 2006 May was sentenced to life in
prison.
(SFC, 1/24/06, p.B4)(SFC, 3/22/06, p.B4)
2004 Mar 25, In Solano County a
car plunged into a slough in the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area and
all 5 people inside were killed.
(SFC, 3/26/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 31, The Vallejo school
board voted to turn over the debt-ridden district to state control.
A $20 million shortfall faced the 20,000 student district. 57
districts across California recently filed reports warning they may
not be able to pay their bills during the next 2-3 years.
(SFC, 4/1/04, p.B1)(SSFC, 4/4/04, p.A1)
2004 Apr 2, A 13-hour Bay
Bridge standoff between police and a potential suicide ended in the
late evening with the man in custody. Area traffic was snarled all
day.
(SFC, 4/3/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 13, A small plane from
concord's Buchanon Field crash landed on a van on I-680 and its
propeller nearly severed the leg of Arianna Jimenez (11).
(SSFC, 4/18/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 26, Record heat hit
the Bay Area with 91 reported in SF. 93 degrees was reported in San
Jose.
(SFC, 4/27/04, p.A1)
2004 Apr 29, Cleanup crews
arrived at Suisun Marsh in the SF Bay area to tackle an estimated
60,000 gallon diesel fuel spill from a pipeline operated by Kinder
Morgan Energy Partners of Houston, Texas. The amount of spill was
later raised to 85,000 gallons.
(SFC, 4/30/04, p.A1)(SSFC, 5/30/04, p.B5)
2004 Apr, The body of Cedric
White (76), a jazz historian, was found in the basement of 645 Jean
St., near the Oakland Rose Garden. In 2006 Elnora Miles, who had
rented a room from White, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
(SFC, 6/30/06, p.B3)
2004 May 17, Police shot and
killed a 108-pound mountain lion in Palo Alto.
(SFC, 5/18/04, p.A1)
2004 May 17, Reginald Zelnik
(68), professor of history at UC Berkeley, was struck and killed by
a water delivery truck outside Moses Hall.
(SFC, 5/19/04, p.B5)
2004 Jun 19, Priscilla Ng and
her boyfriend Andrew Chang (48) were bludgeoned to death during a
robbery of her home in Hillsborough. In 2005 a $1 million reward was
offered in the unsolved case.
(SFC, 6/18/05, p.B2)
2004 Jun 22, Laura Medina (21)
repeatedly rammed her car into another vehicle in which her
boyfriend rode with a new girlfriend. A crash resulted in Castro
Valley that killed Michelle Dickerson (18) of Manteca. In 2007
Medina was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
(SFC, 2/27/07, p.B3)
2004 Jun 31, The annual
Carijama Festival, begun at Mosswood Park, Oakland, in 1979 as a
Caribbean music concert, was held downtown and ended in violence for
a 4th straight year.
(SFC, 6/1/04, B2)
2004 Jun 3, A 350-foot section
of a dirt levee split open on Bacon Island across Upper Jones Tract
about 10 miles west of Stockton. 20 houses and 50 barns were
submerged.
(SFC, 6/4/04, A1)
2004 Jul 1, Most Bay Area
bridge tolls went to $3.00.
(SFC, 7/2/04, p.B1)
2004 Jul 8, Michael Alexander
Allan (46) of Hayward was arrested for the July 4 theft of some 200
pounds of high explosives from a police storage depot near Crystal
Springs.
(SFC, 7/9/04, p.B1)
2004 Jul 20, San Mateo County
closed 4 parks 3 days a week to help cover a $700,000 budget cut.
These included San Bruno Mountain, Junipero Serra, San Pedro Valley
and Edgewood County Parks. The parks re-opened after Supervisors
voted to restore funding on Sep 28.
(SFC, 7/16/04, p.A1)(Buckeye, Winter 04/05)
2004 Jul 17, The median price
for Bay Area single family homes was reported to have hit $545,000,
a record high for the 5th consecutive month.
(SFC, 7/17/04, p.A1)
2004 Jul 19, Some 4,000 acres
of salt ponds in the south bay began receiving SF Bay water in a
project to return the area to natural wetlands.
(SSFC, 7/18/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 30, In the SF Bay Area
the National Labor Relations Board ruled that cab drivers for an
East Bay syndicate to taxi companies are employees, not independent
contractors, and therefore entitled to unionize. The companies
refused to negotiate.
(SFC, 7/28/04, p.B5)
2004 Jul 26, Viola Frey (70),
sculptor of monumental ceramic art, died in Oakland.
(SFC, 7/31/04, p.B6)
2004 Jul 28, A recall vote in
Isleton ousted Mayor Pam Pratt by 12 votes of 341 cast.
(SFC, 7/29/04, p.A1)
2004 Jul 29, Milk prices in the
Bay Area, $4.71 pre gallon, were reported to be 29% higher than the
$3.66 per gallon average reported by the USDA in a survey of 29
major US cities outside California.
(SFC, 7/29/04, p.A1)
2004 Aug 12, Terrance Kelly
(18), a De La Salle High School football star, was shot and killed
in Richmond, Ca., 2 days before flying to the Univ. of Oregon on a
football scholarship. Police arrested Larry Pratcher (18) Aug 14 on
suspicion of murder and searched for other suspects. Larry was
released on Aug 18 after his younger brother turned himself in. On
Aug 19 Darren Pratcher (15) was charged with murder. On Oct 11,
2006, Darren Pratcher was convicted of murder. In 2007 Pratcher was
sentenced 50 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 8/14/04, p.A1)(SFC, 8/20/04, p.B5)(SFC,
10/12/06, p.B1)(SFC, 1/20/07, p.B2)
2004 Aug 31, Michael R. Fields
(37), a Belmont stockbroker, was shot and killed while driving on
I-280 near Woodside.
(SFC, 9/2/04, p.B1)
2004 Aug, The Trust for Public
Land purchased 25 acres of undeveloped land at the base of San Bruno
Mountain for $1.3 million.
(SFC, 9/10/04, p.B4)
2004 Sep 13, Assault-weapon
fire between rival Latino gangs in Oakland left 3 people dead.
(SFC, 9/15/04, p.B1)
2004 Sep 17, The median price
of Bay Area housing rose to $520,000.
(SFC, 9/17/04, p.A1)
2004 Sep 18, The new Middle
Harbor Shoreline Park at Oakland’s 7th St. and Middle Harbor Rd.
held its grand opening.
(SFC, 9/18/04, p.B5)
2004 Sep 27, John Kamm (53),
the businessman-turned-rights lobbyist behind the release of scores
of dissidents from Chinese prisons, was one of 24 people awarded
500,000-dollar MacArthur Foundation grants. 7 of the winners,
including Kamm, were from the SF Bay Area.
(AP, 9/28/04)(SFC, 9/28/04, p.A1)
2004 Sep 30, Gov.
Schwarzenegger rejected the current Bay Bridge bid. New bids and a
redesign were expected.
(SFC, 10/1/04, p.A1)
2004 Oct 9, The 158-acre Dutra
Ranch, atop Franklin Ridge in Martinez, was dedicated as permanent
open space.
(SFC, 10/8/04, p.B5)
2004 Oct 9, Fleet Week began
with an aerial show by the Canadian Snowbirds.
(SSFC, 10/10/04, p.B1)
2004 Oct 11, In Sonoma County,
Ca., Jennifer Easterling (35) died after the WaveRunner, operated by
her husband, got stuck in tidal mud and capsized in San Pablo Bay.
Corbin Easterling was later charged with murder and spent nearly 2
years in jail pending trial. In 2006 prosecutors dropped charges due
to insufficient evidence.
(SFC, 6/23/06, p.B1)
2004 Oct 19, The 1st big storm
of the season hit the Bay Area and knocked out power to over 100,000
homes.
(SFC, 10/20/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 1, Andre Hicks, better
known as rapper Mac Dre of Vallejo, Ca., was shot and killed in a
freeway shooting in Kansas City, Mo.
(SFC, 11/2/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 9, Richmond’s City
Council agreed to sell 412 acres of Point Molate to a casino
developer for some $50 million.
(SFC, 11/10/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 9, In Walnut Creek a
backhoe broke a pipeline carrying aviation fuel from Concord to the
San Jose Int’l. Airport. The resulting explosion killed 4
construction workers. A 5th worker died the next day.
(SFC, 11/11/04, p.B1)(SFC, 11/12/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 10, In North Oakland,
Ca., postal employee Harjit Singh Surajbansi was robbed of his cell
phone, $3-12 and shot in the leg by 4 men. All 4 were later caught,
convicted and sentenced from 2-14 years in prison.
(SFC, 10/14/06, p.B3)
2004 Nov 12, A jury in Redwood
City, Ca., convicted Scott Peterson (32) of 1st degree murder of his
pregnant wife and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay in Dec 2002
in what prosecutors portrayed as a cold-blooded attempt to escape
marriage and fatherhood for the bachelor life. He was also convicted
of 2nd degree murder for the unborn child.
(AP, 11/12/04)(SFC, 11/13/04, p.A1)
2004 Nov 13, Daman Daniels (28)
was shot and killed during a home-invasion robbery in East Oakland.
In 2006 prosecutors charged Varron Armstrong Jr. (29), Gregory
Peters (28) and Dewayne Washington (28) with special circumstances
murder.
(SFC, 3/17/06, p.B2)
2004 Nov, Kevin Rose and Jay
Adelson founded Digg.com, a web-based news site using collaborative
editing to focus on news in technology.
(SFC, 6/23/06, p.D5)
2004 Dec 6, The new $68.7
million Crossing apartment complex opened in San Bruno on El Camino
at I-280.
(Ind, 12/11/04, p.A1)
2004 Dec 13, A jury in Redwood
City, Ca., recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson for
murdering his wife Laci and their unborn son. Sentencing was set for
Feb 25.
(AP, 12/14/04)(SFC, 12/14/04, p.A1)
2004 The 11-story Peninsula
Mandalay residential tower opened on the southeast corner of San
Bruno Mountain. It was designed by MBH Architects of Alameda under
developer Jack Myers. 2 more high-rises were planned. “If you build
it they will cringe.”
(SFC, 12/13/04, p.B1)
2004 In California William
Danser, a Santa Clara County judge, was convicted of fixing traffic
tickets for players and employees of the San Jose Sharks hockey team
and San Jose Earthquakes soccer team. The state bar suspended his
license. Los Gatos police Detective Randy Bishop was also convicted.
Their sentences included fines and 90 days of house arrest.
(SFC, 8/16/07, p.B4)
2004 Salt Lake City rare book
dealer Ken Sanders helped San Jose, Calif., police put rare-book
swindler John Charles Gilkey in San Quentin prison for three years.
They caught Gilkey using a stolen credit card number to have a
$6,000 edition of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" delivered
to a Palo Alto hotel. Sanders describes him as "a collector gone to
the dark side."
(www.scads.org/scams/tribune_article_04jun04.htm)
2005 Jan 15, Andre Combs (16)
stabbed his aunt, Kimberly Renee Johnson (37), to death at her home
in East Palo Alto, Ca. Her body, hidden under a mattress in the
backyard, was not found until Feb 3. In 2006 Combs pleaded
self-defense but was convicted of second-degree murder. He was
sentenced 15 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 6/24/06, p.B7)(SFC, 6/27/06, p.B3)(SFC,
11/29/06, p.B5)
2005 Jan 19, Sausalito and the
National Park Service agreed to a plan on developing a 335-acre site
at Fort Baker. The plan included a retreat hotel with 225 rooms.
(SFC, 1/20/05, p.B1)
2005 Jan 20, The median sale
for housing in the Bay Area for 2004 was reported to average
$532,000, a 17% increase over $455,000 in 2003.
(SFC, 1/20/05, p.C1)
2005 Jan 22, In San Rafael the
Salute Ristorante, at the corner of Third St. and Tamalpais, burned
as fired destroyed the 1911 Victorian building in which it was
housed.
(SSFC, 1/23/05, p.A15)
2005 Feb 15, Knight Ridder
announced the purchase of 5 daily Peninsula newspaper: The Palo alto
Daily News, San Mateo Daily News, Redwood city Daily News,
Burlingame Daily News, and Los Gatos Daily News.
(SFC, 2/16/05, p.B9)
2005 Feb 16, It was reported
that Bay Area home prices rose 20% over the past year. In Nov 2004
it was reported that since 2002 the dollar has lost about 20%
against a broad basket of currencies and over 40% against the euro.
(SSFC, 11/14/04, p.A1)(SFC, 2/16/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 20, Maria Catherine
King (49), a disabled homeless woman and university graduate, died
12 days after being beaten by 2 young men in Berkeley, Ca. In 2006
Jarell Maurice Johnson (19) and Derrell Lamont Morgan (19) were
convicted of 2nd degree murder and were sentenced 15 years to life
in prison.
(SSFC, 5/15/05, p.A1)(SFC, 11/18/06, p.B3)
2005 Feb 23, Jie Wang (24) was
fatally injured when Adam Jones, under the influence of alcohol and
methamphetamine, ran a red light while eluding police in Albany, Ca.
Jie was taken off life support on March 10. In 2006 Jones (31) was
sentenced to 13 years in prison.
(SFC, 12/9/06, p.B3)
2005 Mar 10, The US Dept. of
Transportation authorized $150.3 million for the construction of a
$270 million tunnel to bypass Devil’s Slide on Highway 1 between
Pacifica and Montara.
(SFC, 3/11/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 11, Golden Gate Bridge
directors voted to begin searching for outside money to pay for
studies of a suicide barrier.
(SFC, 3/12/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 15, Birk McCandless
(57), Silicon Valley restaurant owner and developer, was stabbed to
death. Nan Yang (27) was arrested as a suspect. On Sep 20 a jury
convicted Yang of second-degree murder. In 2006 Yang was sentenced
to 26 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 3/17/05, p.B4)(SFC, 9/21/06, p.B3)(SFC,
11/11/06, p.B3)
2005 Mar 20, A funnel cloud
described as a probable tornado went through South San Francisco
damaging at least 40 buildings.
(SFC, 3/21/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 2, It was reported
that the 2nd Benicia Bridge faced a $130 million cost overrun due to
special lightweight concrete and that the total cost was now
projected at $1.2 billion.
(SFC, 4/2/05, p.B1)
2005 Apr 5, It was reported
that just 48% of Oakland high school freshman go on to graduate.
(SFC, 4/5/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 13, An Alameda court
awarded $2 million in damages to bob and Tom Thatcher, who were
molested 2 decades earlier as altar boys in Antioch by Rev. Robert
Ponciroli, a known pedophile.
(SFC, 4/14/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 23, Larry Lasater
(35), Pittsburg, Ca., police officer, was shot while chasing 2
robbery suspects. Doctors declared him brain dead the next day. In
2007 Alexander Hamilton (20) and Andrew Moffett (20) were convicted
of murder and robbery and a jury said Hamilton should be executed.
Moffett was 17 at the time and not eligible for the death penalty.
In 2007 Hamilton was sentenced to death by lethal injection. In 2008
Moffet was sentenced to life in prison.
(SFC, 4/26/05, p.B1)(SFC, 8/14/07, p.B3)(SFC,
9/13/07, p.B3)(SFC, 7/25/08, p.B9)
2005 May 1, Salvador Lascon
(27) and younger brother Fernando were shot and killed while
watching an illegal race in far West Oakland.
(SFC, 7/12/05, p.A1)
2005 May 6, Caltrans broke
ground on a new $270 million tunnel to bypass Devil’s Slide
(SFC, 5/6/05, p.B1)
2005 May 21, In Oakland, Ca.,
groundbreaking took place for the new Cathedral of Christ the Light
at the northwest tip of Lake Merritt. It was built on the site of an
1893 neo-Gothic brick church damaged by the 1989 earthquake. The
$131 million Catholic project was designed by Craig Hartman.
Completion was expected in 2008. Dedication ceremonies for the $190
million cathedral were later set for Sep 25, 2008.
(SSFC, 5/22/05, p.A1)(SFC, 9/13/08, p.A7)(WSJ,
2/18/09, p.D7)
2005 May 25, San Mateo County
kicked off a $4.8 million project to peel away the cement annex of
its 1910 Temple of Justice and restore it to its original classical
design.
(SFC, 5/26/05, p.B4)
2005 May 26, BART directors
voted to increase fares to plug a $51 million budget gap.
(SFC, 5/27/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 6-19, Indian spiritual
leader Amma attracted thousands of followers in the Bay Area as part
of her summer tour.
(SFC, 6/15/05, p.A1)(www.amma.org)
2005 Jun 15, It was announced
that Oakland’s Kaiser Center, the 28-story moon-shaped, 1960
highrise on Lake Merritt, was sold to Swig Co. of SF for about $200
million.
(SFC, 6/16/05, p.D1)
2005 Jun 18, Oakland Mayor
Jerry Brown married lawyer Anne Gust.
(SSFC, 6/19/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 24, California Gov.
Schwarzenneger and state Senate Pres. Don Perata finalized plans to
build the original Bay suspension bridge at a total cost of $6.2
billion.
(SFC, 6/25/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 29, Ozzies Soda
Fountain closed in Berkeley, Ca., after 84 years of operation.
(SSFC, 7/3/05, p.A21)
2005 Jul 1, A force of 400
federal and local law officers raided 11 suspected brothels, 10 in
SF and one in Emeryville, and arrested 27 suspects in what was
described as a major Bay Area sex trafficking operation that preyed
on Korean women brought into the country illegally. A similar
operation took place in southern California.
(http://tinyurl.com/pxmc4)
2005 Jul 12, The Oakland City
Council approved a new law allowing police to arrest spectators at
illegal sideshow car rallies and street races.
(SFC, 7/13/05, p.B5)
2005 Jul 12, Francisco
Rodriguez (21) was shot and killed in Redwood City, Ca. Josue Raul
Orozco (14), a Sereno gang member, was later arrested for the murder
of the rival gang member. Orozco escaped from the Youth Service
Center in San Mateo in 2008 on Feb 14 and was arrested in San
Antonio, Texas, on Sep 17.
(SFC, 9/19/08,
p.B2)(http://sfist.com/2008/03/13/17yearold_josue.php)
2005 Jul 17, Meleia
Willis-Starbuck (19) was shot dead on College Ave. in Berkeley, Ca.,
by Christopher Hollis (21), a close friend. In 2008 a jury convicted
Hollis of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 24 years in
state prison.
(SFC, 7/18/05, p.A1)(SFC, 7/22/05, p.A1)(SFC,
4/30/08, p.B1)(SFC, 7/12/08, p.B3)
2005 Jul 18, California Gov.
Schwarzenegger signed legislation to allow construction to go
forward on the new eastern half of the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 7/19/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 18, A tractor-trailer
on I-80 rear-ended a minivan near Fairfield and 3 people were
killed.
(SFC, 7/19/05, p.B3)
2005 Jul 20, SF Bay Area air
quality officials impost the toughest regulations in the nation to
reduce flaring in the East Bay’s 5 oil refineries.
(SFC, 7/21/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 23, Some 100
bicyclists pedaled 208 miles around the SF Bay in the Bay Area’s 1st
official “double century,” a ride or race of 200 miles or more.
(SSFC, 7/24/05, p.A1)
2005 Jul 25, San Leandro, Ca.,
police officer Nels Niemi was shot and killed by a convicted
methamphetamine user. Police arrested Irving Alexander Ramirez the
next day in Daly City. In 2007 Ramirez was convicted of first-degree
murder. On Aug 3 he was sentenced to die by lethal injection.
(SFC, 7/27/05, p.A1)(SFC, 5/11/07, p.B1)(SFC,
8/4/07, p.B2)
2005 Jul 26, Spare the Air Day
in the SF Bay Area provided about $4.4 million in free transit to
some 1.5 million people.
(SFC, 7/27/05, p.B1)
2005 Aug 1- 2005 Sep 3, The
California Dept. of Fish and Game authorized this period for the
15th annual Tule elk hunt on Grizzly Island on the border of Suisun
Bay.
(SFC, 6/18/05, p.B3)
2005 Aug 4, Jorge Hernandez
(16) was shot and killed in East Palo Alto, Ca. Ron Davis, the
police chief of East Palo Alto, gave chase to 3 men in an SUV
fleeing the scene and with backup arrested David Toupou (18),
Simione Paletua (21) and Tuipulotu Nalesoni (18).
(SFC, 8/6/05, p.B2)
2005 Aug 5, A marijuana bust in
the Los Gatos hills turned into a gun battle that left a man
guarding the pot field dead. A Fish and Game warden was shot and one
suspect escaped. Agents found a crop of up to 50,000 plants on Mount
Umunhum.
(SFC, 8/6/05, p.A1)
2005 Aug 5, The Roman Catholic
Diocese of Oakland, Ca., announced that it would pay some $56
million to victims of sexual abuse in a global settlement to end 56
civil cases.
(SFC, 8/6/05, p.B1)
2005 Aug 11, It was reported
that an anonymous donor will give $25 million to UC Berkeley’s Haas
School of Business to construct a new building for its executive
education program.
(SFC, 8/11/05, p.C1)
2005 Aug 18, San Mateo, Ca.,
police found 4 bodies at 1617 Maxine Ave in what appeared to be a
triple homicide and suicide. Anthony Richards killed his wife and 2
teenage daughters and then himself due apparently to mounting debts.
(SFC, 8/19/05, p.B1)(SFC, 8/24/05, p.B7)
2005 Aug 19, In San Leandro,
Ca., 5 men robbed a medical marijuana club at 16360 Foothill Blvd.
The store owner pulled a gun and mortally wounded DeMarco Lowrey
(18) of Oakland.
(SSFC, 8/21/05, p.A22)
2005 Aug 23, In Richmond, Ca.,
Glenn Wilson (17) shot and killed Terence Lionel Martin, a
maintenance worker for the West Contra Costa School District, after
Martin tried to break up a fight between Wilson and his pregnant
girlfriend. In 2007 Wilson was convicted of 2nd degree murder and
faced up to 40 years in prison.
(SFC, 12/6/07,
p.B3)(http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_/ai_n15813134)
2005 Aug 27-2005 Aug 28, The
15th annual Cotati Accordion Festival was held in Cotati, Ca.
(SFC, 8/20/05, p.E1)
2005 Aug 31, A triple killing
in East Palo Alto, Ca., raised the murder count to 13 for the year.
(SFC, 9/2/05, p.B3)
2005 Aug 31, Yvonne Ramos (67),
a retired nurse and community activist, was shot and killed in front
of her home in Richmond, Ca.
(SFC, 9/1/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 9, A Nevada couple
pleaded guilty in San Jose, Calif., to all charges related to
planting a human fingertip in a bowl of Wendy's chili in a scheme to
extort money from the fast food restaurant chain.
(AP, 9/9/06)
2005 Sep 10, Remo Reggi (20)
was shot and killed while parked with a friend on Moeser Lane in El
Cerrito, Ca. As of 2007 no suspects were caught.
(SFC, 12/20/07, p.A1)
2005 Sep 11, An estimated
30,000 tax payments sent to a SF post office were scattered in the
SF Bay during a traffic accident on the San Mateo Bridge. Payments
between Sep 1 and Sep 11 from 13 states were affected.
(SFC, 9/24/05, p.B2)
2005 Sep 14, Drive-by shootings
in Richmond, Ca., left 2 men dead and raised the city’s death toll
for the year to 27.
(SFC, 9/15/05, p.B4)
2005 Sep 22, In California the
Alameda County supervisors adopted a plan to close the half the wind
turbines from Nov 1 to the end of February to protect migratory
birds. Some 4,700 birds were being killed each year by the Altamont
Pass wind farms.
(SFC, 9/23/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 28, Google confirmed
that it will build up to 1 million square feet of offices at the
NASA Ames Research Center and collaborate with the space agency on
research topics.
(SFC, 9/29/05, p.C1)
2005 Oct 1, Police in Petaluma,
Ca., killed James Anthony Decosta (72), a suspected child molester,
after Decosta allegedly brandished a gun following a short car
chase. An autopsy showed Decosta had 27 bullets in his body.
(SFC, 10/8/05, p.B3)
2005 Oct 5, The City Council of
Oakland, Ca., approved a 3 dog limit for city residents. Breeders,
kennels and rescue groups were exempted.
(SFC, 10/6/05, p.B5)
2005 Oct 7, The former Tanforan
Park Shopping Center in San Bruno, Ca., was scheduled to re-open as
“The Shops of Tanforan” following a 2-year renovation.
(SFC, 10/6/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 10, In Half Moon Bay,
Ca., Joel Holland, a retired Washington state firefighter, won the
annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, presenting a
gigantic pumpkin that weighed 1,229 pounds. This matched his winner
in 2004. The contest here began in 1974.
(AP, 10/10/05)(SFC, 10/10/06, p.B3)
2005 Oct 12, A fire at the
Wines Central warehouse in Vallejo, Ca., destroyed tens of million
of dollars worth of vintage wine. An estimated 6 million bottles
were in storage there. On Oct 18 investigators said the fire was
deliberately set. In 2007 Mark Anderson (58), a Sausalito
businessman, was charged with setting the fire. In 2009 Anderson
pleaded guilty to arson and 18 other counts.
(SFC, 10/13/05, p.A1)(SFC, 10/19/05, p.B1)(SFC,
3/20/07, p.A1)(SFC, 11/17/09, p.C2)
2005 Oct 15, Pamela Vitale
(52), the wife of prominent defense attorney and TV legal analyst
Daniel Horowitz, was found slain in the couple's home in Lafayette,
Ca. On Oct 20 police arrested Scott Dyleski (16), a neighbor
scheming to grow pot, as a suspect in the murder. Dyleski was
convicted of first-degree murder on Aug 28, 2006 and on Sep 26 was
sentenced to life in prison.
(AP, 10/16/05)(SFC, 10/21/05, p.A1)(SFC, 8/29/06,
p.A1)(SFC, 9/27/06, p.B3)
2005 Oct 17, It was reported
that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $15 million for
the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, the world's largest
institution dedicated to preserving Information Age artifacts.
(AP, 10/17/05)
2005 Oct 22, Scott McAlpin (24)
of El Sobrante murdered his SF girlfriend Anastasia Melnitchenko
(22). McAlpin was arrested the next day by US Park police at the
Marin Headlands north of San Francisco. The body of Melnitchenko,
was found in the trunk of his car. McAlpin had 8 previous felony
convictions for domestic violence. In 2008 McAlpin was convicted of
first degree murder.
(SFC, 10/26/05, p.B1)(SFC, 12/5/08, p.B2)
2005 Oct 25, Antar Bey (23),
son and designated heir of Black Muslim leader Yusuf Bey (d.2003),
was shot and killed in Oakland, Ca., in what appeared to be either a
car-jacking attempt or an assassination. On Nov. 8 police arrested
Alfonza Phillips (20) and charged him with murder in the failed
car-jacking. In 2007 Phillips was convicted of first degree murder
and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
(SFC, 10/27/05, p.B1)(SFC, 11/10/05, p.B4)(SFC,
11/20/07, p.D1)(SFC, 12/15/07, p.B3)
2005 Oct 27, In San Leandro,
Ca., Nayanci Gonzalez (14) was shot to death near her San Leandro
High School. Alejandro Fajardo (17), a spurned boyfriend, shot her 5
times and then killed himself.
(SFC, 10/29/05, p.B3)
2005 Nov 1, In Vallejo, Ca.,
psychologist Ira Eugene Polonsky was shot to death in his office
building at 1812 Capitol St.
(SFC, 11/3/05, p.B4)
2005 Nov 4, Authorities in
Oakland, Ca., said drug trafficking ring that sold $5 million worth
of heroin and cocaine a year was shut down as police arrested 5
leaders of the operation.
(SFC, 11/5/05, p.B3)
2005 Nov 4, An anonymous
investor bid $110.5 million for the 167-acre former Oak Knoll Naval
Hospital in Oakland, Ca. SunCal won the final bid.
(SFC, 11/5/05, p.B1)(SFC, 3/4/06, p.B2)
2005 Nov 7, Oakland, Ca.,
pediatrician Zehra Attari went missing. On Dec 20 she was found in
her car as it was pulled out of the Oakland estuary at the end of
Grand St.
(SFC, 12/22/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 8, In the SF Bay Area
developers won ballot initiatives for growth in Pittsburg and
Antioch, but lost in Brentwood and Livermore.
(SFC, 11/10/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 12, Martress Rogers
(23) was shot during an argument over double parking outside an
Ashland Gardens apartment in San Lorenzo, Ca. He soon died at Eden
Hospital. In 2006 Hussam and Mazzin Elhosseiny and Joseph Lee were
arrested for the slaying.
(SFC, 3/4/06, p.B6)
2005 Nov 15, Crab season opened
in California but Bay Area fisherman waited to settle on a price for
the catch. The 2004 catch of 23.7 million pounds fetched $1.70 per
pound. The record catch was 26.3 million pounds in 1976-1977.
(SFC, 11/15/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 18, Scott Winfield
Davis (40), was arrested in Palo Alto, Ca., for the 1996 Atlanta
shooting death of David Coffin Jr., heir to a Connecticut family
that founded the Dexter Corp. Initial charges against Davis were
dropped in 1998 due to insufficient evidence. David Coffin Jr. On
December 4, 2006, a jury in Fulton County, Georgia, found Davis
guilty on all counts of malice murder and felony murder.
(SFC, 11/19/05,
p.B3)(www.atlantada.org/featuredarticle/ScottDavis.htm)
2005 Nov 23, In California
several men, who appeared to be Black Muslims, vandalized 2 West
Oakland corner markets. Police later arrested Yusuf Bey IV (19) and
Donald Eugene Cunningham (73) and sought 4 others. Suspects Kahlil
Raheem (24) and Yasir Hakeem Azzem (19) were arrested Dec 7.
Suspects Dyamen Namer Williams (19) and Demetrius Lamar Harvey (20)
were arrested Jan 2. Elijah Allen (33) was arrested Feb 21, 2006. In
2008 all the suspects pleaded no contest.
(SFC, 11/30/05, p.A1)(SFC, 12/9/05, p.B3)(SFC,
1/4/06, p.B5)(SFC, 2/22/06, p.B10)(SFC, 7/31/08, p.B3)
2005 Nov 26, The SF Bay Area
crab fleet ended their pricing standoff after pacific Seafood agreed
to a $1.75 price per pound.
(SSFC, 11/27/05, p.A1)
2005 Dec 3, Kayla Reed (15)
went missing from her home in Livermore, Ca. Her body was found Jan
10 near a levee of the Delta-Mendota Canal near Vernalis.
(SSFC, 1/22/06, p.A1)
2005 Dec 10, Anna Elizabeth
Vuori (90) was found murdered and sexually assaulted at her home in
Lafayette, Ca. DNA samples led police to arrest Richard Craig McNew
(32), a traveling salesman from Missouri with a criminal record
dating back to 1993. In late 2008 McNew pleaded guilty charges of
rape, murder and robbery.
(SFC, 1/11/06, p.B3)(SFC, 1/1/09, p.B3)
2005 Dec 12, In Santa Clara,
Ca., Ryan Alain Watts (15) shot and killed his father and attempted
to burn the body inside his home at 673 Bucher Ave. Ryan feared his
father would find out that he was doing poorly in school.
(SFC, 12/17/05, p.B1)
2005 Dec 15, Oakland, Ca.,
police officer Ingo Mayer pulled over a Cadillac and strip-searched
two men in public. No lawful reason for the traffic stop was
provided. The 2 men were later awarded $105,000 and $100,000 in
compensatory damages. Mayer retired on disability as a result of the
trial. In 2011 a judge ordered the Mayer to pay $40,000 out of his
own pocket to the two men.
(SFC, 11/8/11, p.C3)
2005 Dec 31, Oakland, Ca.,
ended the year with some 93 murders, 5 more than in 2004.
(SSFC, 1/1/06, p.B1)
2005-2007 The Oakland, Ca., police department
tracked 884 carjackings during this period. For the same period SF,
with about twice Oakland’s population, reported 334 carjackings.
(SFC, 6/2/08, p.A1)
2006 Jan 1, Julius Hatofsky
(b.1922), abstract expressionist and long-time instructor at the SF
Art Institute, died.
(SSFC, 1/22/06, p.B8)
2006 Jan 6, Ronald Morris (55)
was killed during a robbery at his Fremont, Ca., pawn shop. Police
arrested 2 suspects in June.
(SFC, 6/29/06, p.B7)
2006 Jan 7, In East Palo Alto,
Ca., police officer Richard May (38) was gunned down after
responding to a report of a fight at a taqueria. Alberto Alvarez
(23) was arrested the next day. In 2009 a jury convicted him of
first-degree murder and recommended that he be executed. On Feb 8,
2010, a judge sentenced Alvarez to death.
(SFC, 1/9/06, p.A1)(SFC, 11/26/09, p.C2)(SFC,
12/23/09, p.C2)(SFC, 2/9/10, p.C2)
2006 Jan 10, Phil Elwood
(b.1926), SF Bay Area jazz and blues critic, died.
(SFC, 1/11/06, p.A2)
2006 Jan 20, Jean Siri (85),
former mayor of El Cerrito, Ca., (1982-1983 and 1988-1989) died. She
helped in the creation of Eastshore State Park.
(SFC, 1/21/06, p.B4)
2006 Jan 21, Ashok Malhotra
(43) was shot dead at 2380 Aberdeen Way in Richmond, Ca. 2 suspects,
Ishtiaq Hussain (38) and Jose Antonio Barajas (22) were arrested Jan
24 following a chase at the Canadian border, where Hussain was shot.
(SFC, 1/25/06, p.B4)
2006 Jan 31, In El Cerrito,
Ca., Edward Wycoff (37) stabbed and bludgeoned to death his sister
Julie Wycoff Rogers (47) and her husband Paul Rogers (48) at their
home 1467 Rifle Range Road. He had hoped to adopt his niece and
nephew after the killings. In 2009 Wycoff was convicted of murder
with special circumstances and was sentenced by a jury to die by
lethal injection.
(SFC, 2/1/06, p.B3)(SFC, 10/28/09, p.D2)(SFC,
11/6/09, p.C2)
2006 Feb 3, The Oakland Ballet
Co., founded in 1966 by Ronn Guidi, closed down. The City of
Oakland, Ca., planned to close the Calvin Simmons Auditorium, where
the company performed.
(SFC, 2/8/06, p.E1)
2006 Feb 15, Stephen Brian
Turner (51) of Hayward, Ca., who lost his medical license 8 years
earlier, was arrested for posing as a doctor and performing fake,
government-required, medical exams on Bay Area immigrants. On April
24 he was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison and ordered to
pay $138,510 in fines to the sate and restitution to his victims.
(SFC, 2/17/06, p.B1)(SFC, 4/26/06, p.B4)
2006 Feb 21, In California the
execution of Michael Morales at San Quentin was put on hold after 2
anesthesiologists backed out of assuring that he would be
unconscious while dying per a requirement by US District Judge
Jeremy Fogel.
(SFC, 2/23/06, p.A14)
2006 Feb 25, Brandon Jackson
(16) was shot to death in East Oakland, Ca., after tried to stop
thieves from breaking into a neighbor’s car. He was Oakland’s 18th
homicide this year.
(SSFC, 3/5/06, p.B1)
2006 Mar 24, In Antioch, Ca., a
man was killed and another wounded in a botched kidnapping attempt.
4 days later a woman (40) was found shot to death in East Oakland.
On August 4, 2006, 3 people from Antioch were arraigned for the
killings. Police said the woman was killed to prevent her from
talking.
(SFC, 8/5/06, p.B1)
2006 Mar 25, Aderian Gaines
(36) was shot and killed while hosting a party for teenagers in
Berkeley, Ca. On March 29 SWAT teams arrested James Freeman (29) in
Berkeley and Antonio Harris (18) in Oakland for the murder of
Gaines. On Nov 27 Harris was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
(SFC, 3/30/06, p.B3)(SFC, 10/26/06, p.B3)(SFC,
11/28/06, p.B3)
2006 Apr 1, The body of
Kimberly Millen (21) of San Bruno was found in Richmond, Ca. The
body of her friend Sophia Sciutto-Creps (27) of South San Francisco
was found April 5 in Golden Gate Park. Evidence in the case was
found at Lake Merced in SF on April 3. Both women had disappeared on
March 27. Police arrested Jasmilla Ford (26) on April 16 for the
murder of Millen. Police arrested Ford’s brother Troy Richardson
(24) on April 17 for the murder of Sciutto-Creps. Both women were
believed to have been killed in Ford’s Oakland home on March 27.
(SFC, 4/6/06, p.B1)(SFC, 4/18/06, p.B1)
2006 Apr 15, In Redwood City,
Ca., 3 men were shot and killed at the Headquarters Bar.
(SFC, 4/16/06, p.B1)
2006 Apr 22, The 2-day Maker
Faire began in San Mateo, Ca., as a gathering of tinkerers to
display their gadgets.
(Econ, 5/3/08,
p.87)(http://makezine.com/faire/2006/)
2006 May 5, Leonard Salle
(b.1936), founder of the Commonweal Institute, died. The progressive
think tank is based in Menlo Park, Ca.
(SSFC, 5/14/06,
p.B6)(www.commonwealinstitute.org/)
2006 May 7, Golden West
Financial Corp. of Oakland, Ca., agreed to sell itself to Wachovia
Corp. for $25.5 billion. Investors soon expressed skepticism calling
the transaction risky and too costly.
(AP, 5/8/06)(SFC, 5/8/06, p.A1)
2006 May 13, Stanford Univ.
held a Singularity Summit to discuss what will happen as technology
develops machines that can outsmart their human creators.
(SFC, 5/12/06, p.D1)
2006 May 18, Andrew Martinez,
the famed Naked Guy at UC Berkeley (1992), died of suicide in a
Santa Clara County Jail. In 2009 Santa Clara County agreed to pay $1
million to settle a wrongful death suit.
(SFC, 5/19/09,
p.B4)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Martinez)
2006 May 22, In Richmond, Ca.,
6 shootings left 3 people dead. Police arrested 3 people the next
with weapons they believed were linked to the shootings.
(SFC, 5/25/06, p.B3)
2006 May 22, Braxton Bilbrey
(7) of Arizona swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco in 47
minutes.
(AP, 5/22/07)
2006 May 23, In California the
Hercules City Council voted unanimously to use eminent domain to
prevent Wal-Mart from building a bog box store on a 17-acre lot near
the city’s waterfront on the SF Bay.
(SFC, 5/24/06, p.B1)
2006 May 24, It was reported
that John Arrilaga (69), a Peninsula-based developer, had recently
made a $100 million donation to Stanford Univ.
(SFC, 5/24/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 13, In Millbrae, Ca.,
former restaurateur Fernand Wagner (78) and his wife Suzanne (68)
were murdered at their home on the 600 block of Lomita Ave. The
couple’s black Cadillac was later found in Daly City. On June 19
police in Oxnard, Ca., arrested Joseph Cua (52), employed by the
Wagner’s as a property manager, in connection to the killings. Cua
was charged with murder on June 22. Cua was convicted on June 27,
2008. On Dec 18 Cua was sentenced to life in prison.
(SFC, 6/16/06, p.B1)(SFC, 6/20/06, p.B1)(SFC,
6/23/06, p.B9)(SFC, 6/28/08, p.B3)(SFC, 12/19/08, p.B12)
2006 Jun 16, In Oakland, Ca.,
an unofficial final tally showed former US Rep. Ron Dellums winning
the mayor’s race by 155 votes with 50.18% of the vote.
(SFC, 6/17/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 16, In California a
Contra Costa Ct. jury convicted Susan Polk of second-degree murder
of her psychotherapist husband on Oct 13, 2002.
(SFC, 6/17/06, p.A1)
2006 Jun 22, In San Jose, Ca.,
Mayor Ron Gonzales was arrested on charges in a garbage contract
scandal that included bribery, conspiracy and misappropriation of
funds. Joe Guerra, the mayor’s top aide, was also arrested on
similar charges. Both posted $50,000 bail.
(SFC, 6/23/06, p.A1)
2006 Jun 22, In SF, Ca., Edwin
Torres (47), former Moraga broker, was sentenced to 90 months in
prison for defrauding people of over $5 million in a Ponzi scheme.
He was released on bail with a promise to return on August 11.
Torres jumped bail.
(SFC, 9/1/06, p.B2)
2006 Jun 27, In California the
Berkeley City Council passed a resolution to let the public vote on
the November 7 ballot for the impeachment of President Bush.
(SFC, 6/29/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 27, The City Council
of Oakland, Ca., passed a measure to ban Styrofoam food packaging
for restaurant takeout food effective January, 2007.
(SFC, 6/29/06, p.B3)
2006 Jun 28, In California the
San Jose City Council passed a nonbinding resolution (8-3) asking
Mayor Gonzales to resign following his indictment on corruption
charges.
(SFC, 6/29/06, p.B1)
2006 Jul 5, Prince Tu'ipelehake
(56), a Tongan prince known for promoting political reform in his
South Pacific island nation, died in a car crash along with his
wife, Princess Kaimana (46) and driver Vinisia Hefa when a teenage
driver, Edith Delgado (18), slammed into them on Highway 101 in
Menlo Park, Ca. In 2007 Delgado was sentenced to 2 years in jail and
3 years probation.
(AP, 7/7/06)(SFC, 7/7/06, p.B3)(SFC, 11/6/08,
p.B2)
2006 Jul 10, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Cody’s flagship bookstore on Telegraph Ave. opened and closed for
the last time, one day after celebrating its 50th anniversary. Its
last store on Shattuck Ave. closed in 2008.
(SFC, 7/10/06, p.B1)(SFC, 6/23/08, p.A7)
2006 Jul 22, Tamika Mack Norton
(31), the wife of Quincy Norton Sr. (32), was stabbed to death at
her home in Daly City, Ca. Norton was arrested a month later and
charged with her murder. In 2008 he was convicted of murder after
his sons testified against him, but the conviction was overturned on
the grounds that his defense attorney was incompetent. In 2009 a new
trial date was set. In 2010 Norton was again convicted of 1st degree
murder and faced 26 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 4/22/08, p.B2)(SFC, 5/16/08, p.B5)(SFC,
9/23/09, p.D2)(SFC, 10/8/10, p.C5)
2006 Jul 27, In Richmond,
California, police and federal agents arrested Jose Santos Bonilla
(33), a suspected leader of the local MS-13 street gang. The gang
was in a street war with Richmond Sureno Trece (RST).
(SFC, 7/28/06, p.B5)
2006 Aug 1, Philip H. Knight,
founder of Nike Inc., pledged $105 million to the Stanford Graduate
School of Business. Most of it will be used for a new $275 million
facility to be called the Knight Management Center.
(SFC, 8/2/06, p.B1)
2006 Aug 3, Devil’s Slide on
Highway 1 in San Mateo, Ca., opened 6 weeks ahead of schedule. It
had closed on April 2 as sensors detected sliding. The stabilization
project cost $7 million.
(SFC, 8/4/06, p.B3)
2006 Aug 5, In Oakland, Ca.,
CHP Officer Brent Clearman (33) was critically wounded at the 66th
Ave. on-ramp in a hit-and-run incident. Clearman died the next day
of his severe injuries. Russell Rodrigues (47) surrendered on August
7, 2006, and pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run charges on
September 26, 2006. He faced up to 4 years in prison.
(SFC, 9/27/06,
p.B7)(www.porac.org/lineofduty6.html)
2006 Aug 7, In the SF Bay Area
Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies seized over 20,000 marijuana
plants on Mount Hamilton. Street value at maturity was estimated at
$80 million.
(SFC, 8/9/06, p.B5)
2006 Aug 10, Five SF Bay Area
residents were arrested as part of an ecstasy smuggling ring based
at a home in Hillsborough. Johnson Mai (43) and others brought in at
least 906 kilograms for distribution in California and Texas.
(SFC, 8/11/06, p.B4)
2006 Aug 16, Google launched a
free wireless network for its hometown of Mountainview, Ca.
(SFC, 8/16/06, p.C1)
2006 Aug 19, The new $108
million SF County Jail, designed for 768 prisoners, opened in San
Mateo County next to the existing jail built in 1934 and designed
for 550.
(SFC, 8/17/06, p.B8)
2006 Aug 22, Berkeley, Ca.,
christened the new $70 million Berkeley City College, formerly known
as Vista College. Vista had begun in 1974 as Peralta College for
Non-traditional Study (PCNS). The name was changed to vista in 1978.
Classes were spread across more than 200 locations.
(SFC, 8/23/06, p.B3)
2006 Aug 24, In Oakland, Ca.,
police moved to serve 65 arrest warrants and picked up 30 suspected
drug dealers. They planned to continue their sweep.
(AP, 8/25/06)
2006 Aug 27, The new $65
million San Mateo library opened.
(SSFC, 8/20/06, p.B1)
2006 Aug 29, Omeed Aziz Popal
(29), a native of Afghanistan, killed one pedestrian in Hayward,
Ca., and injured another 16 at 11 locations in SF in a driving
rampage. SF police finally rammed him down at California and Spruce
streets. In 2008 a SF judge ruled that Popal was legally insane.
(SFC, 8/30/06, p.A1)(SFC, 8/1/08, p.B1)
2006 Aug 29, In East Oakland,
Ca., Anthony Quintero (24), a Brink’s guard, was killed during a
robbery that involved his partner Clifton Wherry Jr. and Dwight
Campbell, who shot Quintero. In 2009 Campbell (26) and Wherry (31)
were convicted of 1st degree murder. Both were sentenced to life in
prison without parole.
(SFC, 10/9/09, p.D5)(SFC, 12/12/09, p.C2)
2006 Sep 3, Nina Reiser (31) of
Oakland, Ca., went missing. On Oct 10 police arrested Hans Reiser
(42), her estranged husband on suspicion of murder. In 2008 Reiser
confessed to strangling Nina in exchange for a reduced sentence and
was sentenced 15 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 10/11/06, p.B1)(SFC, 8/30/08, p.B1)
2006 Sep 4, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Nicholas Beaudreaux shot and killed Wayne Drummond in front of
Blake’s Restaurant. In 2009 Lamar Crowder (21) pleaded no contests
to voluntary manslaughter and testified against Beaudreaux (23), who
was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting.
(SFC, 7/9/09, p.D2)
2006 Sep 5, The Wireless
Silicon Valley Project picked Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a
collaboration of Azulstar Networks, Cisco systems, IBM and Seakay,
to build and operate a wireless network across 38 cities in the SF
Bay Area.
(SFC, 9/6/06, p.C1)
2006 Sep 6, Andy Ross, owner of
Cody’s bookstore in Berkeley, Ca., announced that the store had been
sold to Yohan Inc., a book company based in Tokyo.
(SFC, 9/7/06, p.C1)
2006 Sep 21, In Santa Cruz,
Ca., Kirby Scudder (50), former bike messenger, set up 500 giant
flashlights to shine skyward every 30 feet along West Cliff Drive
overlooking the Pacific Ocean in his tribute to International Peace
Day. The lights came on at 9PM.
(SFC, 9/21/06, p.B1)(SFC, 9/22/06, p.B7)
2006 Sep 24, Residents in
Richmond, Ca., set up a tent city to protest violence, homicides and
drug dealing in their Iron Triangle neighborhood.
(SFC, 10/11/06, p.A7)
2006 Sep 29, In Oakland, Ca.,
Anthony J. Quintero, a Brink’s security guard and former Marine, was
shot dead during a daylight robbery. Quintero’s partner, Clifton
Wherry Jr. (28), was soon arrested for the murder and admitted that
he had planned the robbery. On Oct 5 Dwight Omar Campbell (23) was
arrested in San Diego County for allegedly shooting Quintero.
(SFC, 9/30/06, p.B1)(SFC, 10/3/06, p.B3)(SFC,
10/7/06, p.B3)
2006 Oct 2, The US Fish and
Wildlife Service designated some 150,000 acres in the East Bay of
the SF Bay Area as essential habitat for the Alameda whipsnake. It
had been listed as a threatened species in Dec, 1997.
(SFC, 10/3/06, p.B1)
2006 Oct 3, Earl Stefanson (41)
was arrested in Hayward, Ca, following a police chase through
Oakland. He was wanted for the slaying of Leslie Lamb (36) who died
Aug 26 following a severe beating. Police had found a torture
chamber in Stefanson’s Oakland home with bloodstains from Lamb and 2
other apparent victims. In 2008 Stefanson was convicted of 1st
degree murder and other charges. He was sentenced to 2 life terms in
prison.
(SFC, 10/5/06, p.B3)(SFC, 4/8/08, p.B3)(SFC,
7/2/08, p.B5)
2006 Oct 4, In Berkeley, Ca.,
the new 2,002-acre Eastshore State Park was dedicated. The 8.5 mile
strip ran north along the East Bay from the Bay Bridge to Richmond.
(SFC, 10/5/06, p.B1)
2006 Oct 6, The homicide rate
in Oakland, Ca., hit 119 for the year, a 10-year high.
(SFC, 10/7/06, p.B5)
2006 Oct 19, In Fremont, Ca.,
Alia Ansari (37), a native of Afghanistan and mother of 6, was
gunned down in mid-afternoon as she walked to pick up her children
from school. Manuel Urango (28) was soon arrested on a parole
violation as a person of interest. In 2007 was charged with Ansari’s
murder. Urango was convicted of first-degree murder on March 11,
2008. On April 14 he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
(SFC, 10/20/06, p.A1)(SFC, 3/2/07, p.B1)(SFC,
3/10/08, p.B2)(SFC, 4/15/08, p.B3)
2006 Oct 25, In Richmond, Ca.,
federal and local officers arrested 15 people on drug charges.
(SFC, 10/26/06, p.B3)
2006 Oct 27, Raijon Daniels (8)
died in Richmond, Ca. His mother, Teresa Marie Moses (23), was
arrested on felony charges of torture and child endangerment after
the child’s body was found to be covered with chemical and rope
burns, sores and other injuries all over his body. In 2009 a judge
ruled that Moses was not guilty by reason of insanity.
(SFC, 11/2/06, p.B3)(SFC, 11/17/09, p.C2)
2006 Nov 6, In Danville, Ca.,
Dimitra Mantas (43) was bludgeoned to death by her son (16), a user
of methamphetamine. In 2008 a judge ruled that Andrew Mantas was
incompetent to stand trial. In 2011 Andrew was found not guilty by
reason of insanity.
(SFC, 11/7/06, p.B1)(SFC, 5/31/08, p.B3)(SFC,
9/14/11, p.C4)
2006 Nov 7, In Richmond, Ca.,
voters elected Green Party member Gayle McLaughlin as mayor. This
set Richmond to become the largest American city with a Green Party
mayor.
(SFC, 11/9/06, p.B1)
2006 Nov 17, In California
Nicola Bucci (37) killed 2 children in a Toyota as he passed a
vehicle in his SUV driving uphill on Hwy 12 in Solano County. In
2010 a state appeals court upheld a double murder conviction against
Bucci. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison. In July 1994, Bucci
had pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges of vehicular
manslaughter after a double-fatality crash Jan. 13, 1994, on
Interstate 80 in Nevada County, according to Nevada County Superior
Court records in Truckee.
(SFC, 6/24/10,
p.C5)(www.theunion.com/article/20061220/NEWS/112200133)
2006 Nov 23, In North Oakland,
Ca., 3 people were shot and killed during a Thanksgiving party. In
2008 brothers Asmeron and Tewodros Gebreselassie faced trial for
killing their brother’s widow and two relatives during the party. In
2011 the brothers were convicted of murder and faced life in prison.
(SFC, 7/10/08, p.B3)(SFC, 6/1/11, p.C1)
2006 Nov 24, In California
Richmond police officer Kaliah Ashante Harper was shot and killed by
her former boyfriend, Quartus Lee Hinton (28), during a funeral
ceremony in Fairfield. Hinton was arrested the next day. In 2008
Hinton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 38
years in prison.
(SSFC, 11/26/06, p.B1)(SFC, 7/16/08, p.B6)(SFC,
11/1/08, p.B3)
2006 Dec 1, In Berkeley, Ca.,
protesters began sitting in trees near Memorial Stadium which US
Berkeley officials planned to cut in order to build an athletic
training center. The last 4 protesters came down on December 9,
2008.
(SFC, 8/22/08, p.B1)(SFC, 9/10/08, p.A1)
2006 Dec 2, In Oakland
Mayor-elect Ron Dellums (71) said he would appoint a young person to
every board and commission in the city.
(SSFC, 12/3/06, p.B1)
2006 Dec 13, Richard Carlson
(45), a SF Bay Area psychotherapist and author, died on a flight
from SF to NY. His books included “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” and
30 other motivational books.
(SFC, 12/16/06, p.B1)
2006 Dec 27, A 2-day storm with
60 mph winds hit the SF Bay Area. In Marin County the main hall of
Manka’s Inverness Lodge, built in 1917, burned down when wind
knocked a tree into a water heater. A woman was killed when a tree
crashed through her cottage in Lagunitas.
(SFC, 12/28/06, p.A1, B1)
2006 Dec 31, It was reported
that UC Berkeley had formed an online marketplace to promote student
projects for social change. Students on the site,
www.bigideas.berkeley.edu, were required to update donors on
progress twice a year.
(SSFC, 12/31/06, p.B2)
2006 Dec, In California the
4-member Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors raised their
annual pay by 60% from $54,000 to $94,000.
(SFC, 1/2/07, p.B1)
2006 California’s EPA chief
asked the San Mateo Housing Dept. to help relocate concerned
residents of Daly City’s Midway Village.
(SFC, 3/2/09, p.B1)
2006 At least 34 people leaped
to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge this year.
(SFC, 1/18/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 3, Oakland, Ca.,
reported 148 killings for 2006, a 57% jump over 2005.
(SFC, 1/4/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 4, Victor Ramirez
(27), a day laborer from El Salvador, was gunned down by 2 black
teenagers in Richmond, Ca. Ramirez was taken off life support after
2 weeks and died Jan 19.
(SFC, 1/30/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 8, Ron Dellums was
sworn in as Oakland’s 48th mayor.
(SFC, 1/9/07, p.B1)
2007 Jan 9, Rex Farrance (59),
a longtime editor for PC World, was shot to death during a robbery
at his home in Pittsburg, Ca. Farrance had let his son grow medical
marijuana. In September Tremaine Amos (25), Darryl Hudson (23) and
Montrell Hall (23) were charged with murder in the commission of a
robbery. In 2009 Hudson was convicted of murder, robbery and
assault. Amos pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in
exchange for testifying against Hall and Hudson. A mistrial was
declared in Hall’s case. In a retrial Hall was convicted on Oct 9,
2009, of murder, assault, robbery and burglary.
(SFC, 1/23/07, p.A1)(SFC, 9/26/07, p.B1)(SSFC,
6/21/09, p.B2)(SFC, 10/12/09, p.C4)
2007 Jan 11, In California the
Alameda County Board of Supervisors agreed to develop a long-term
conservation plan in a deal to settle a lawsuit over bird deaths due
to wind turbines in the Altamont Pass. Some 4,88 windmills in the
area killed up to 4,700 birds every year.
(SFC, 1/12/07, p.B1)
2007 Jan 19, CNL Hotel &
Resorts agreed to sell a collection of 8 resorts, including the
Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley, Ca., to Morgan Stanley Real
Estate for $6.6 billion.
(SFC, 1/23/07, p.D4)
2007 Jan 22, It was reported
that federal officials had arrested 119 people in Contra Costa
County, Ca., in a weeklong immigration crackdown that was part of
“Operation Return to Sender.” Immigration officials arrested over
750 illegals in the Los Angeles area. The operation has arrested
13,000 nationwide people since June 2006.
(SFC, 1/23/07, p.B8)(WSJ, 1/24/07, p.A1)
2007 Feb 2, Ivan Santos (15)
was shot and killed in San Pablo, Ca. On Mar 22-23 Police arrested
Ramon Alejandre (30), Roberto Garcia (21) and a boy (17) for
shooting Santos, who was allegedly dressed like a rival gang member.
(SFC, 3/24/07, p.B3)
2007 Feb 13, In Richmond, Ca.,
Luz Maria Aguilar-Bucio (32), mother of 3, was killed with her fetus
at home by shots from a high-powered assault rifle. In December
Robert Valentino Hernandez III (19) and Robert Joe Leyva (22) were
charged with her murder.
(SFC, 12/19/07, p.B3)
2007 Feb 20, It was reported
that Jerry Yang (38), co-founder of Yahoo, will donate $75 million
to Stanford Univ. Yang and David Filo founded Yahoo in March, 1995.
(WSJ, 2/20/07, p.B5)
2007 Feb 28, Martin Metal (88),
a Berkeley sculptor, musician and poet, died.
(SFC, 3/17/07, p.B5)
2007 Mar 1, Deborah Palfrey
(1956-2008) of Vallejo, Ca., was indicted in Washington DC for
running a $2 million prostitution ring. She threatened to sell
detailed phone records of her clients to pay for her defense. At
least 132 women were employed by her firm in the Washington area
from 1993-2006. On April 15, 2008, Palfrey was convicted of
racketeering and other charges.
(SFC, 3/3/07, p.B1)(SFC, 4/16/08, p.A2)
2007 Mar 3, In San Jose, Ca.,
members of the De Anza College baseball team gang-raped a girl at a
house party. Members of the women’s soccer team rescued Jessica
Gonzalez (17). In 2011 prosecutors said no criminal charges would be
filed because the DA’s office could not prove that a crime occurred.
(SFC, 10/15/11, p.C1)
2007 Mar 5, In Hayward, Ca., 3
children, aged 3-4, were shot in a drive-by shooting at their home
on the 27700 block of Seminole Way. Two 4-year-old sisters were left
clinging to life. Datasha Wilson (4) died Mar 8.
(SFC, 3/6/07, p.D1)(SFC, 3/10/07, p.B1)(SFC,
11/17/09, p.C2)
2007 Mar 6, It was reported
that Myers Development Co. of SF planned to start construction next
month on its $428 million Mandalay Terrace project on the west side
of San Bruno Mountain in South San Francisco. It included 12 and
21-story office towers.
(SFC, 3/6/07, p.B6)
2007 Mar 18, An estimated 3,000
protesters marched in SF to mark the 4th anniversary of the US
invasion of Iraq and demanding an end to the war there.
(SFC, 3/19/07, p.A1)
2007 Mar 29, Johnny Castaneda
of Richmond, Ca., a rising rapper and protégé of Mac
Dre, died 6 hours after being found with gunshot wounds in a Vallejo
parking lot.
(SSFC, 4/1/07, p.D1)
2007 Mar 31, Berkeley Iceland
closed in Berkeley, Ca., after 66 years of operation.
(SSFC, 4/1/07, p.D1)
2007 Apr 5, A teacher’s strike
began in Hayward, Ca. It was their first strike since 1994, when a
judge ordered them back to class after 6 days.
(SFC, 4/6/07, p.B1)
2007 Apr 5, In San Mateo, Ca.,
Dr. William Ayres (75), a published child psychologist, was arrested
on 14 counts of child molestation, which dated back as far as 1969.
4 new charges were added on April 12.
(SFC, 4/7/07, p.A1)(SFC, 4/13/07, p.B1)
2007 Apr 23, David Halberstam
(73), Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and writer, died in a car
crash in San Mateo, Ca. His books included “The Best and the
Brightest” (1972) and “The Powers That Be” (1979). He had just
finished his 21st book “The Coldest Winter,” a history of the Korean
War.
(SFC, 4/24/07, p.A1)(Econ, 5/5/07, p.108)
2007 Apr 25, Negotiators
reached a tentative settlement in the 10-day school strike in
Hayward, Ca.
(SFC, 4/26/07, p.B3)
2007 Apr 26, Alfredo Figueroa
(40), owner of the Red Onion hamburger restaurant in El
Cerrito, was shot and killed during a robbery.
(SFC, 4/28/07, p.B2)
2007 Apr 28, Lou Papan (78),
long-time California state assemblyman for San Mateo County, died.
Papan had started his political career as a Daly City councilman.
(SFC, 5/1/07, p.B5)
2007 Apr 29, A stretch of
highway near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed after a
gasoline tanker crashed and burst into flames, leaving one of the
nation's busiest spans in a state of near paralysis. Officials said
traffic could be disrupted for months. Driver James Mosqueda (51)
managed to away with 2nd degree burns.
(AP, 4/29/07)(SFC, 5/1/07, p.A1)
2007 May 1, Thousands of
protesters marched in SF, Oakland, San Jose and across the Bay Area
to call for immigration reform and in opposition to recent federal
raids that have netted thousands of illegal immigrants.
(SFC, 5/2/07, p.A1)
2007 May 3, James H. Simons,
mathematician and philanthropist, announced a $10 million donation
to Berkeley’s Mathematical Sciences Research Institute from the
Simons Foundation. Simons is president of Renaissance Technologies
Corp., a private investment firm dedicated to the use of
mathematical methods.
{Math, Donation, SF Bay Area, USA}
(SSFC, 5/6/07, p.B7)
2007 May 3, Ignacio De La
Fuente Jr. (32), the son of Oakland, Ca., City Council President
Ignacio De La Fuente, pleaded guilty to 5 felony sex charges
committed between 2003 and 2005. Three of his 4 victims were
prostitutes.
(SFC, 5/4/07, p.B5)
2007 May 8, It was reported
that San Jose State Univ. planned to name its college of education
after Connie Lurrie, the wife of former SF Giants owner Robert
Lurrie, pledged to donate $10 million to the school.
(SFC, 5/8/07, p.B2)
2007 May 13, A mother humpback
whale and her calf were spotted in the Sacramento River. They
reached close to Sacramento before turning around back to SF Bay as
thousands watched media marked their wayward progress. On May 29 the
pair reached SF Bay and the next day were spotted outside the Golden
Gate.
(SFC, 5/31/07, p.B1)
2007 May 17, It was reported
that Chris Cohan, owner of the Golden State Warriors basketball
team, faced tax evasion charges by the IRS for potentially abusive
tax shelters used when he sold Sonic Communications in 1998 for $200
million.
(SFC, 5/17/07, p.A1)
2007 May 17, In Oakland, Ca., a
mother and daughter were kidnapped and tortured by men associated
with Your Black Muslim Bakery. Yusuf Bey IV, the group’s leader,
believed the women could reveal where a local drug dealer kept his
money. In October Richard Lewis (23), aka Rakeem Kahlil Bey, was
arrested for his role in the kidnap-torture. On April 7, 2010, Lewis
was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking and torture.
(SFC, 10/18/07, p.B1)(SFC, 4/8/10, p.C3)
2007 May 18, Roy De Forest
(77), prominent SF Bay Area painter, died.
(SFC, 5/23/07, p.B7)
2007 May 22, In Oakland, Ca., a
gunman shot and killed 15 young brush-clearing goats at their corral
in the King Estates Recreation Area. A reward of $13,500 was soon
offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
gunman.
(SFC, 5/26/07, p.B3)
2007 May 24, In Oakland, Ca.,
C.C. Myers led the completion of repair work on I-580, 26 days after
a portion of the MacArthur Maze collapsed following a gasoline
tanker crash and fire.
(SFC, 5/25/07, p.A1)
2007 Jun 12, In California the
Berkeley City Council passed a new Public Commons Initiative to deal
with myriad issues facing those living on the streets.
(SFC, 6/14/07, p.B1)
2007 Jun 14, In California the
Sonoma County Water Agency became the first water provider in the
state since the early 1990s to institute mandatory rationing.
(SFC, 6/15/07, p.A1)
2007 Jun 18, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Kevin Morrissey (51), overwhelmed by financial worries, shot and
killed his wife and 2 children in Tilden Park.
(SFC, 6/20/07, p.A1)
2007 Jun 27, It was reported
that Salvia divinorum, a leafy hallucinogenic green plant from
Mexico, was readily available in the SF Bay Area for $15-50 a hit.
The effect was said to be short-lived and not in wide-spread use.
(SFC, 6/27/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 8, In Oakland, Ca.,
Odell Roberson Jr., a transient drug addict, was found shot and
killed. Police later determined that his killer used an AK-47
assault rifle linked to Your Black Muslim Bakery. In 2009 an
indictment accused Yusuf Bey IV (23), the leader of the bakery, of
murder for allegedly ordering the killing.
(SFC, 10/15/07, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/09, p.A1)
2007 Jul 12, The city of
Oakland, Ca., sued garbage hauler Waste Management in an attempt to
force the company to pick up trash during its 11-day lockout of
truck drivers. Isaac Haqq, founder and principal of Oakland’s
University Preparatory Charter Academy (2001), resigned amidst a
cheating scandal. Several Uprep teachers blamed him for a culture of
cheating and intimidation.
(SFC, 7/13/07, p.B9)(SFC, 7/13/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 12, In Oakland, Ca.,
Michael John Wills, a sous chef, was shot and killed. Police later
determined that his killer used an AK-47 assault rifle linked to
Your Black Muslim Bakery. In 2009 an indictment accused Yusuf
Bey IV (23), the leader of the bakery, of murder for allegedly
ordering the killing.
(SFC, 10/15/07, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/09, p.A1)
2007 Jul 17, The California
State Water Resources Control board passed a 70-year mercury cleanup
plan for the SF Bay.
(SFC, 7/19/07, p.B1)
2007 Jul 18, NYC and New Jersey
claimed $170.2 million in anti-terrorism funds, LA and Long Beach,
Ca., claimed $72.6 million, DC claimed $61.7 million, Chicago got
$47.3 million, the SF Bay Area got $34.1 million and Houston got $25
million.
(SFC, 7/19/07, p.B3)
2007 Jul 20, A 4.2 earthquake
jolted San Francisco Bay area residents awake, breaking glass and
rattling nerves, although there were no immediate reports of
injuries.
(AP, 7/20/07)
2007 Jul 20, Pete Wilson
(b.1945), TV anchor for KGO-TV in SF, died one day after a heart
attack suffered during hip replacement surgery at Stanford Hospital.
(SSFC, 7/22/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 25, In northern
California the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan
was unveiled. It called for spending $350 million over the next 30
years to preserve 30,000 acres of open space around Mt. Diablo. It
also listed some 12,000 acres for new development.
(SFC, 7/26/07, p.B1)
2007 Jul 26, Oakland, Ca.,
Mayor Ron Dellums brokered negotiations between the locked-out
Teamsters’ Union and Waste Management following 25 days of
accumulated trash.
(SFC, 7/28/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 28, In California
garbage workers in Alameda County approved a new contract with Waste
Management ending a bitter 26-day lockout.
(SSFC, 7/29/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 30, Jinzhou Chang
(24), a Contra Costa college student, was shot and killed in El
Cerrito, Ca., while helping his immigrant father make repairs at an
apartment complex. Three 17-year-old boys were soon arrested and
faced robbery and murder charges.
(SFC, 8/10/07, p.B5)
2007 Jul 30, Bill Walsh (75),
former head coach of the SF 49ers football team, died at his
Woodside home following a long battle with leukemia.
(AP, 7/31/07)
2007 Jul 31, In northern
California the governing board of Oakland’s troubled Univ.
Preparatory Charter Academy closed the school leaving over 400
students in the lurch.
(SFC, 8/1/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 31, In California
Michael Schneider (44), a Hillsborough real estate broker, pleaded
no contest in Santa Clara County to 173 felony counts related to
bilking investors out of more than $43 million. He faced as much as
169 years in prison.
(SFC, 8/2/07, p.B3)
2007 Aug 2, FBI agents arrested
Rahmat Abdhir (43), aka Sean Kasem and Sean Kalimin, in San Jose,
Ca., for providing material support to his brother, Zulkifli Abdhir
(41), a US-trained engineer and terror suspect in the Philippines.
(SFC, 8/3/07, p.B5)
2007 Aug 2, In Oakland, Ca.,
Chauncey Bailey (57), editor of the Oakland Post and former reporter
for the Oakland Tribune, was shot and killed on his way to work by a
masked gunman. In 2009 an indictment accused Yusuf Bey IV (23), the
leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, of murder for allegedly telling
two of his followers to kill Bailey. In 2009 Devaughndre Broussard
(21) pleaded guilty to 2 counts of voluntary manslaughter as part of
a deal to secure testimony against Yusuf Bey IV and Antoine Mackey,
another bakery figure.
(SFC, 8/3/07, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/09, p.A1)(SFC,
5/8/09, p.B1)
2007 Aug 3, Oakland police
arrested 7 people, including Yusuf Bey IV, in a predawn raid on Your
Black Muslim Bakery and 3 homes in connection with 3 homicides
including the Aug 2 murder of Oakland Post journalist Chauncey
Bailey. The Post had been investigating the organization’s finances.
Alameda County health inspectors shut down the bakery after finding
health-code violations. A judge converted the bakery’s Chapter 11
bankruptcy case to Chapter 7 liquidation setting Aug 9 as its last
day of business.
(SFC, 8/4/07, p.A1,6)(SSFC, 8/5/07, p.A11)
2007 Aug 4, Oakland, Ca.,
police said they have identified Devaughndre Broussard (19), a
handyman at Your Black Muslim Bakery, as the person responsible for
the Aug 2, murder of journalist Chauncey Bailey. He was one of 7 men
arrested a day earlier. It was later learned that Broussard falsely
confessed to the killing at the urging of Yusuf Bey IV, head of the
bakery. In 2011 Broussard (23) was sentenced to 25 years behind
bars.
(SSFC, 8/5/07, p.A1)(SFC, 8/21/07, p.B1)(SFC,
8/13/11, p.C2)
2007 Aug 12, Ronald Bracewell
(86), retired Stanford professor, died. He co-wrote the first text
on radio astronomy and helped develop magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) technology. The Australian-born engineer also led the 1961
construction of the 32-dish radio telescope at Stanford and authored
a book on 350 species of trees on the Stanford campus.
(SFC, 8/16/07, p.B11)
2007 Sep 3, The SF Bay Bridge
reopened 11 hours earlier than scheduled following the replacement
of a section of the upper deck east of Treasure Island.
(SFC, 9/4/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 3, A fire began east
of Morgan Hill, Ca., that burned 47,760 acres in and around Henry W.
Coe State Park. Margaret Pavese was later charged with a misdemeanor
for accidentally starting the fire when burning trash enar her
cabin.
(SFC, 9/27/07, p.B2)
2007 Sep 6, Authorities in
Colorado arrested Norman Hsu (56), a fugitive political fundraiser.
Hsu had failed to appear in a Redwood City, Ca., courtroom on Sep 5,
following bail over a 1992 fraud conviction. It was later reported
that Hsu had recently received $40 million from Source Financing
Investors LLC, an investment fund run by Joel Rosenman, one of the
creators of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and that the money was
missing. On Sep 19 the fund filed suit against Hsu.
(SFC, 9/7/07, p.A1)(WSJ, 9/12/07, p.A1)(SFC,
9/20/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 9, Phil Frank (64),
longtime resident of Sausalito, Ca., and creator of the Farley and
Elderberries comic strips, announced his retirement. His Farley
strip had run in the SF Chronicle for decades.
(SSFC, 9/9/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 10, UC Berkeley
announced a $113 million gift from the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation of Menlo Park, Ca.
(SFC, 9/11/07, p.D1)
2007 Sep 12, Phil Frank
(b.1943), creator of the Farley and Elderberries comic strips, died
from a brain tumor in Bolinas, Ca. His Farley strip had run in the
SF Chronicle for decades.
(SFC, 9/14/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 18, In the SF Bay area
the East Bay Regional Park District approved a $6.63 million deal to
add the 1,476-acre Tyler Ranch to its holdings.
(SFC, 9/19/07, p.B1)
2007 Sep 20, In Oakland, Ca.,
police Sgt. Pat Gonzales shot and killed Gary King Jr. (20).
Officers found a loaded gun on King after the shooting. King was
shot in the back. In 2009 Oakland was expected to pay $1.5 million
to settle a federal civil rights suit filed by King’s family.
(SFC, 9/12/09, p.C2)
2007 Sep 21, Chris Kavanagh,
Berkeley rent board member, was arrested in Oakland, Ca., and
charged with fraud for allegedly claiming a false residence in
Berkeley to hold office there.
(SFC, 9/21/07, p.B1)
2007 Sep 24, Wolfgang K.H.
Panofsky (b.1919), German-born Stanford physicist, died. He led the
construction of the Stanford Linear Accelerator following approval
by Congress in 1961.
(SFC, 9/26/07, p.B7)
2007 Sep 25, Julian Revilleza
(26), the accused mastermind of a grade-changing scandal at Diablo
Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Ca., and Los Medanos College in
Pittsburg, pleaded guilty to 15 felonies. As many as 400 grades were
changed from 2000-2006. On Nov 26 Jeremy Tato (26) pleaded no
contest to 8 felonies. On Nov 29 15 more people were charged in the
scandal including Liberato Servo, identified as one of the scheme’s
ringleaders. On Dec 14 the final set of charges were filed against 4
current or former students at Los Medanos.
(SFC, 9/26/07, p.B2)(SFC, 11/27/07, p.B1)(SFC,
11/30/07, p.B2)(SFC, 12/15/07, p.B3)
2007 Sep 27, In Oakland, Ca., 4
people were charged with growing marijuana that since 2001 was used
in cookies and other packaged food made by Tainted Inc.
(SFC, 9/28/07, p.B3)
2007 Sep 30, In Burlingame,
Ca., a shooting on Highway 101 killed Londell Wilson (25). Police
used a stoplight photograph from a nearby exit to identify the car
and on Oct 24 arrested Doyal “Ali” Malcolm Webber of Hayward (18)
for the shooting. In 2009 Webber was sentenced to 40 years in
prison.
(SFC, 10/25/07, p.B1)(SFC, 11/24/09, p.C2)
2007 Oct 13, In San Leandro,
Ca., Greg Ballard Jr. (17), was shot to death on the 9200 block of
Sunnyside Street in East Oakland. Authorities identified suspect
Dwayne Stancill (19), a gang member and son of a police detective,
with the help of his picture on the gang’s MySpace page. In 2010
Stancill was convicted of 2nd degree murder.
(SFC, 10/25/07, p.B3)(SFC, 2/11/10, p.C2)
2007 Oct 16, The Oakland, Ca.,
the City Council adopted an ordnance banning smoking in ATM lines,
parks, bus stops and municipal golf courses.
(SFC, 10/17/07, p.B1)
2007 Oct 20,
In Berkeley, Ca., the new, 4-story, $46.4 million C.V. Starr
East Asian Library was unveiled.
(SSFC, 10/21/07, p.B1)
2007 Oct 22,
Rene Medina (62) of Atherton, owner of the Lucky Chances
Casino in Colma, Ca., pleaded guilty to evading $591,000 in income
taxes. In 2008 he was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for
evading $973,000 in income taxes.
(SFC, 10/23/07, p.D2)(SFC, 10/31/08, p.B3)
2007 Oct 24,
US federal and local law enforcement officials, targeting a
violent Mexican heroin drug ring, raided numerous locations in
Oakland and northern California arresting 30 people and confiscating
drugs, guns and cash.
(SFC, 10/25/07, p.A2)
2007 Oct 26,
In Oakland, Ca., Ignacio De La Fuente Jr. (34), son of the
Oakland City Council President, was sentenced to 14 years in prison
for sexually assaulting 4 women.
(SFC, 10/27/07, p.B3)
2007 Oct 30,
The San Francisco Bay area's largest earthquake in nearly two
decades rattled homes and nerves. The magnitude-5.6 temblor on the
Calaveras Fault caused no serious damage or injuries.
(AP, 10/31/07)(SFC, 10/31/07, p.A1)
2007 Oct 30, In Sunnyvale, Ca.,
Todd David Burpee kidnapped and raped a 17-year-old girl. He was
arrested 2 days later. In 2009 Burpee (22) was convicted of
kidnapping and sexual assault and was sentenced 43 years to life in
prison.
(SFC, 5/30/09, p.B2)(SFC, 9/12/09, p.C3)
2007 Oct 31, Physicists at UC
Berkeley said they had produced the world’s smallest radio out of a
single carbon nanotube, 10,000 times thinner than human hair. They
had it play “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos and said it could also
function as a transmitter.
(SFC, 11/1/07, p.C1)
2007 Oct 31, In Alameda, Ca.,
Ichinkhorloo Bayarsaikhan (15) was shot in the back and killed in a
robbery attempt by a group of teenage boys. She had been out with
some 10 friends on Halloween when they were accosted at Washington
Park. Quochuy Tran (16), the suspected shooter, was arrested Nov 7
and 5 others were picked up the next day. 3 boys arrested earlier in
the week were released. On Dec 14 three teenage boys were convicted
in juvenile court of first degree murder. Charges were still pending
against 3 others. On Jan 25 Tran was sentenced to 7 years. His
younger brother (15) and another boy (13) were sentenced to a
wilderness camp for 2 years. In 2010 Quochuy Tran was tried as an
adult and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for first degree
murder.
(SFC, 11/2/07, p.A1)(SFC, 11/14/07, p.B5)(SFC,
12/15/07, p.B1)(SFC, 1/26/08, p.B3)(SFC, 8/21/10, p.C2)
2007 Nov 6, In Vallejo, Ca.,
mayoral candidates Osby Davis (62) and Gary Cloutier (45) finished
in a dead heat. Cloutier was later sworn in as mayor after elections
officials said he won by 4 votes. On Dec 11 Osby was sworn in as
mayor following a recount that put him on top by 2 votes.
(SFC, 12/12/07, p.B3)
2007 Nov 7, The Cosco Busan, a
65,131 ton Greek-owned container ship leased by Hanjin Shipping of
South Korea, hit a protective shield at the base of a tower of the
Bay Bridge. The Bridge was not damaged, but the ship suffered a gash
and spilled 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil into the SF Bay. By
the end of the month estimated bird deaths due to the oil topped
20,000. The cleanup cost was later estimated at some $61 million. A
year later federal authorities still held 6 Chinese crew members for
their testimony. In July, 2009, Cosco Busan Capt. John Cota (61) was
sentenced to 10 months in prison, becoming the first ship’s pilot in
US history to be sent to prison for an accident. On August 13, 2009,
Fleet Management Ltd. of Hong Kong pleaded guilty to charges of
water pollution and falsifying documents and agreed to pay $10
million in fines. On Dec 4, 2011, a settlement was reached to pay
120 SF Bay Area commercial fishermen $3.6 million.
(SFC, 11/8/07, p.A1)(SFC, 11/27/07, p.A1)(SFC,
12/19/07, p.A1)(WSJ, 11/5/08, p.A2)(SFC, 7/18/09, p.C1)(SFC,
8/14/09, p.D1)(SFC, 1/5/11, p.C3)
2007 Nov 15, Berkeley poet
Robert Haas won the National Book Award for his recent collection
“time and materials.”
(SFC, 11/16/07, p.A2)
2007 Nov 16, In Oakland, Ca.,
Francis William Reimers (62), formerly from Danville, Ca., was
sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for mail fraud and money
laundering. Reimers had attempted suicide in Dec, 2005, following
allegations that he swindled million from former friends.
(SFC, 11/17/07, p.B3)
2007 Nov 18, Detroit pushed
past St. Louis to become the nation's most dangerous city, according
to a private research group's controversial analysis of annual FBI
crime statistics. Flint, Mich., ranked 3rd and Oakland, Ca., ranked
4th.
(AP, 11/19/07)(SFC, 11/19/07, p.A3)
2007 Nov 22, Carmelo Salas
(28), an illegal Mexican immigrant, killed 2 children in East
Oakland, Ca., in a hit and run crash after he ran a stop sign at
high speed. On Nov. 26 he was charged with murder.
(SFC, 11/27/07, p.B3)
2007 Nov 28, An Oakland, Ca.,
city auditor’s report said employees were allowed to cash out unused
vacation time and received millions of dollars in perks, much of it
not subject to scrutiny.
(SFC, 11/28/07, p.A1)
2007 Nov 29, Gov.
Schwarzenegger lifted the ban on crabbing and fishing in the
SF Bay Area after studies showed no ill effects from the fuel oil
spill 3 weeks earlier.
(SFC, 11/30/07, p.A1)
2007 Dec 3, In the SF Bay Area
the mayors of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond announced
an agreement to promote the East Bay as the nucleus of a “green
wave” of research and manufacturing.
(SFC, 12/4/07, p.B1)
2007 Dec 8, Ann Lisa Nguyen
(35), a program manager in San Jose, Ca., went missing. Her body was
found Dec 19 at the Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas. Anthony Dale
Evans (45), a convicted felon who worked at the same gym that Nguyen
frequented, was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
(SFC, 12/20/07, p.B2)
2007 Dec 12, Police in northern
California arrested Art Cheney, a winery tour guide dubbed “The
Highway 101 Bandit,” following his robbery of a bank in Fairfield.
He had robbed at least 17 banks, including at least 8 in the Bay
Area, most of which were on the Highway 101 corridor. In 2008 Cheney
(65) was sentenced to 90 months in prison and ordered to pay back
the $50,760 that he stole.
(SFC, 12/14/07, p.A1)(SFC, 10/21/08, p.B3)
2007 Dec 14, Maria Borrega, a
former ticket agent for the Contra Costa County public transit
system was extradited from Florida to California and charged with
embezzling at least $184,000 from 2002 until her retirement in 2005.
(SFC, 12/19/07, p.B2)
2007 Dec 27, In Richmond, Ca.,
2 gunmen shot and killed Ravinder (30) and Paramjit (42) Kalsi as
they closed their restaurant. In 2009 police named Rajesh Kumar of
Fiji, as a suspect in the case. Kumar was wanted for allegedly
defrauding a woman connected to the restaurant.
(SFC, 1/2/09, p.B2)
2007 Dec 29, In Oakland, Ca.,
carjackers stole a state-issued Dodge Charger from state Senate
pres. Don Perata. Jared Adams (25) and his girlfriend, Maeve
Clifford, were arrested on Jan 10 in another stolen vehicle. Their
prints were found on Perata’s car, which had been found abandoned in
Richmond. Ryan McGough (28), a 3rd suspect in the carjacking, was
arrested in May, 2008. In addition to the carjacking Adams was later
charged with a shooting, 12 days after the carjacking, that left
Christopher Rodrizuez (10) paralyzed. In 2011 Adams was sentenced to
70 years in prison.
(SFC, 8/12/08, p.B3)(SFC, 8/13/08, p.B4)(SFC,
8/17/11, p.C4)
2007 Dec 31, Oakland, Ca.,
police officers shot and killed Andrew Moppin-Buckskin (20) at 47th
and Int’l. Blvd. after he ran from his car following a traffic stop.
In 2010 a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit filed by the family of
Moppin-Buckskin.
(SSFC, 1/17/10, p.C2)
2007 A new $2.6 billion eastern
span of the Bay Bridge was scheduled for completion.
(SSFC, 8/18/02, p.A1)
2008 Jan 4, In Oakland, Ca.,
Jessica Birden (19) died from wounds suffered on Jan 1, when she was
found unconscious on a trail in the King Estates Recreation Area in
the Oakland Hills. On Jan 8 Kenneth Jovan Washington, a man
suspected in her assault and that of others in the Bay Area, was
charged with her murder and another attack on Dec 24.
(SFC, 1/8/08, p.B3)(SFC, 1/9/08, p.B3)
2008 Jan 6, Martha Arguello
(b.1917), the cartoonist known as Marty Links, died in San Rafael,
Ca. She was the creator of the Bobby Sox and Emmy Lou cartoon
strips, which ran in the SF Chronicle for over 35 years.
(SFC, 1/9/08, p.B9)
2008 Jan 7, The Stanford Center
for the Study of Poverty and Inequality (www.inequality.com)
announced the launch of its new quarterly publication, Pathways, an
online and hardcopy magazine dedicated to examining poverty and
inequality in the United States.
(SFC, 1/29/08, p.E1)
2008 Jan 9, Muir Woods in
northern California was listed on the national Registry of Historic
Places on its 100th anniversary as a national monument.
(SFC, 1/10/08, p.B1)
2008 Jan 20, The Nature
Conservancy said the Hewlett and Packard families had donated the
28,359-acre San Felipe Ranch, southeast of San Jose, as a
conservation easement to protect the property from development.
(SFC, 1/21/08, p.A6)
2008 Jan 23, Police in San Jose
and Santa Clara, Ca., picked up over 70 people, part of more than
140 sought in the culmination of Operation Meltdown, a year-long
undercover investigation into copper theft.
(SFC, 1/24/08, p.B2)
2008 Jan 28, Pegasus Wireless,
a Fremont, Ca., technology company, filed for bankruptcy. In 2011
financial officer Stephen Durland was sentenced to 33 months in jail
for fraudulent stock sales that netted him some $2.1 million. CEO
Jasper Knabb pleaded guilty to stock fraud that netted him some $29
million and awaited sentencing.
(SFC, 10/15/11, p.D1)
2008 Jan 31, The Sewerage
Agency of Southern Marin, Ca., let nearly 3 million gallons of
treated and raw sewage spill into the SF Bay. A week later it was
reported that a spill on Jan 25 had released 2.5 million gallons.
Over the next 2 weeks at least 65 birds were found dead on the
shores of Richardson Bay Audubon Center.
(SFC, 2/6/08, p.B7)(SFC, 2/9/08, p.B1)
2008 Feb 9, In San Mateo
County, Ca., police found John Alfred Dennis Jr. (59), an Oakland
historian and respected college teacher, slain in a vehicle at
Montara State Beach. Troy Tyrone Thomas (43), the driver of the
vehicle, was arrested. Dennis had mentored Thomas for some years. On
July 7 Thomas pleaded guilty and faced life in prison.
(SFC, 2/11/08, p.D1)(SFC, 2/12/08, p.B1)(SFC,
7/10/08, p.B2)
2008 Feb 11, Rep. Tom Lantos
(80) of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in
Congress, died.
(AP, 2/11/08)
2008 Mar 9, In Cupertino, Ca.,
2 racing cyclists, Kristy Gough (30) and Mat Peterson (29), were
killed during a training ride when a deputy sheriff veered into the
opposite lane of traffic on Stevens Canyon Road. Officer James
Council (27) said he had fallen asleep at the wheel. In 2009 Council
was sentenced to 4 months in jail and 800 hours of community
service.
(SFC, 3/10/08, p.A1)(SFC, 3/10/08, p.A1)(SFC,
3/12/08, p.C1)(SFC, 6/26/09, p.B1)
2008 Mar 11, The Pacific
Fishery Management Council said it would have to ban all salmon
fishing, due to depleted spawning, unless a request is made for an
emergency exception.
(SFC, 3/13/08, p.A1)
2008 Mar 14, In Pleasanton,
Ca., Ernest Scherer (60), a real estate investor, and his wife
Charlene Abendroth (57), an accounting lecturer, were found
bludgeoned to death inside their home. In 2009 their son, Ernest
Scherer III (30), was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with the
murders. On may 20, 2011, Ernest Scherer III was sentenced to life
in prison.
(SSFC, 3/23/08, p.B1)(SFC, 2/25/09, p.B4)(SFC,
5/21/11, p.C2)
2008 Mar 15, The 31-foot
sailboat Daisy sank a few miles outside the Golden Gate of San
Francisco Bay during a charity race. The 2-man crew drowned. Sunken
pieces were found on March 20.
(SFC, 3/21/08, p.B1)
2008 Mar 19, In Oakland, Ca.,
police shot and killed Jose Luis Buenrostro (15) who allegedly aimed
a sawed-off shotgun at them.
(SFC, 3/20/08, p.B2)
2008 Apr 1, A California state
Senate committee declined to act on a bill by Senator Leland Yee to
declare the Cow Palace in Daly City to be surplus property.
(SFC, 4/2/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 10, In Oakland, Ca.
Larae Brown, the former city controller, filed suit claiming she was
fired last year after informing her superiors and elected officials
of potentially disastrous flaws in the city’s bookkeeping.
(SFC, 4/11/08, p.B1)
2008 Apr 20, In Emeryville,
Ca., Chad Clarke (38), a suspected marijuana dealer, was shot a
killed. In 2011 Anthony Ramirez (25) was convicted of the murder and
sentenced to 25 years in prison. Co-defendant Ricco Orlando Earl
(31) had testified against Ramirez and faced 12-16 years in prison.
(SFC, 8/24/11, p.C3)
2008 Apr 22, In Richmond, Ca.,
Uriah Dach, a mentally ill man, died following a struggle with
police at a mental health center. Police used pepper spray, shock
weapons and batons to subdue him. In 2011 the city of Richmond
agreed to pay his family $1.5 million.
(SFC, 11/24/11, p.C6)
2008 Apr 23, It was reported
that home foreclosures in California and the SF Bay Area soared over
300% during the first 3 months of 2008.
(SFC, 4/23/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 24, UC Berkeley
officials defended an arrangement that allowed campus Police Chief
Victoria Harrison (54) to retire last year with a $2.1 million
package and then return to the same job for more money.
(SFC, 4/25/08, p.B1)
2008 Apr 27, In San Ramon, Ca.,
Kashmir Billon (42), a mortgage lender, was shot and killed. On May
1 Reginald Robinson (31) was charged with the murder. They were
involved in a deal to sell a home to a fictitious person and leave a
bank holding the bag.
(SFC, 5/2/08, p.B1)(SFC, 5/8/08, p.B1)
2008 Apr 27, Hal Stein, veteran
jazz saxophonist and teacher, died at his home in Oakland, Ca. His
career spanned the swing and bebop eras of jazz.
(SFC, 5/6/08, p.B5)
2008 Apr 28, In Oakland, Ca., a
jury convicted Hans Reiser, a computer programmer, of 1st degree
murder in the death his wife Nina Reiser, even though her body has
not been found.
(SFC, 4/29/08, p.A1)
2008 May 1, Deborah Palfrey
(b.1956), a woman from Vallejo, Ca., known as the “D.C. Madam,” was
found hanged at her mother’s home in Tarpon Springs, Fl. She had
been convicted on April 15 of racketeering and other charges related
to a prostitution ring, whose clients included high profile
government officials.
(SFC, 5/2/08, p.A13)
2008 May 3, In Berkeley, Ca.,
student Christopher Wooton (21) was stabbed to death during an off
campus scuffle. In 2010 former student Andrew Hoeft-Edenfield (22)
was convicted of 2nd degree murder and faced 16 years to life in
prison. In 2010 Andrew Hoeft-Edenfield was sentenced to 16 years to
life in prison.
(SFC, 5/14/10, p.C4)(SFC, 6/11/10, p.C5)
2008 May 5, In Richmond, Ca., a
toxic spill of toluene killed some 200-300 fish in an irrigation
canal. The spill was the result of the theft of valves on holding
tanks. Damages from the theft of the brass worth $10 totaled some
$250,000.
(SFC, 5/7/08, p.B1,3)
2008 May 6, In California the
Vallejo City Council voted to declare bankruptcy after talks with
public employee unions failed to address a $16 million shortfall.
(SFC, 5/7/08, p.B1)
2008 May 8, In Martinez, Ca.,
Contra Costa sex crimes prosecutor Michael Gresset (51) brought home
a fellow female prosecutor (30) for afternoon sex. She later accused
him of rape. That afternoon he convicted a man for molesting a
4-year-old relative. The case was not reported to police until Sep
26, 2008. A grand jury indictment against Gresset was issued in
October 2009. In 2011 A judge dismissed the rape case saying
prosecutors had failed to present exculpatory evidence to the grand
jury. The woman, at the time of the indictment, had been in the
process of securing a $450,000 civil claim settlement from the
county over the alleged attack.
(SFC, 7/27/09, p.A1)(SFC, 10/20/11, p.C6)
2008 May 23, Vallejo, Ca.,
officially declared Chapter 9 bankruptcy as it faced a $16 million
deficit with no money in reserve for fiscal year 2008-2009. Vallejo,
population 117,000, emerged from bankruptcy on Nov 1, 2011. Legal
fees cost the city $8 million.
(SFC, 5/24/08, p.B1)(SFC, 11/2/11, p.C5)
2008 May 24, Stuart Moldaw (81)
of Atherton, Ca., philanthropist and founder of Ross Stores (1981),
died. By 2007 Ross had become the country’s 2nd largest off-price
retailer with annual sales of $6 billion.
(SFC, 5/28/08, p.B9)
2008 Jun 1, Alton Kelley (67),
co-creator of psychedelic rock posters, died in Petaluma, Ca. He and
Stanley Mouse had formed Mouse Studios in SF and produced hundreds
of classic psychedelic rock posters. In 1965 he and 3 other people
formed Family Dog and staged the world’s first psychedelic dance
concert at the Longshoreman’s Hall in SF.
(SFC, 6/3/08, p.B5)
2008 Jun 4, Google said it had
signed a lease for 42 acres at Moffet Field, a former naval air
station near Mountain View, Ca. The deal called for an initial
annual rent of $3.7 million to the NASA Ames space agency.
(SFC, 6/5/08, p.C1)
2008 Jun 14, In northern
California the former Fort Baker was rededicated as a public park
and featured the new 142-room Cavallo Point lodge.
(SFC, 6/13/08, p.A1)
2008 Jun 17, In Oakland, Ca.,
police arrested Mark Chandler (33), leader of the Acorn gang, along
with over 30 of his accomplices. They were linked to several
homicides, carjackings, a series of restaurant robberies as well as
drug and weapons trafficking.
(SFC, 6/18/08, p.B1)
2008 Jun 20, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Cody’s Books, founded in 1956, closed its last store on Shattuck
Ave.
(SFC, 7/10/06, p.B1)(SFC, 6/23/08, p.A7)
2008 Jun 28, In Mountain View,
Ca., Omar Aquino (24) and his sister, Teresa Sanchez (27), were
killed in their home. Police later said they were the victims of a
conspiracy that included 7 youths and young adults communicating
with cellular text messages.
(SFC, 8/28/08, p.B4)
2008 Jul 21, Brocade
Communications said it will pay nearly $3 billion for Foundry
Networks, founded in 1996. Both Silicon Valley firms companies
competed with Cisco Systems.
(WSJ, 7/22/08, p.B8)
2008 Aug 7, In northern
California the Muir Heritage Land Trust said it will pay $1.8
million for 423 acres in Franklin Canyon, ending a long-standing
land fight.
(SFC, 8/8/08, p.B1)
2008 Aug 17, In San Mateo, Ca.,
the final race was held at Bay Meadows after nearly 74 years of
horse racing.
(SFC, 8/18/08, p.B1)
2008 Sep 1, In Fairfield, Ca.,
councilman Matt Garcia (21) was critically wounded outside a
friend’s house. He was declared brain dead the next day. There were
no suspects and police had no idea why he was shot. Garcia was taken
off life support on Sep 5. On Sep 13 police announced the arrest of
2 suspects. On Sep 16 murder charges were filed against Henry Don
Williams (32), who remained at large. On Sep 18 murder charges were
filed against Gene Allen Combs (45). Police released Nicole Stewart
(33), who was pregnant by Williams and remained a witness. Garcia
appeared to be the innocent victim of an attempt to collect drug
debts. On May 28, 2010, Williams was convicted of first degree
murder. On Aug 30 Williams was sentenced to 50 years to life in
prison.
(SFC, 9/3/08, p.A1)(SFC, 9/6/08, p.B3)(SSFC,
9/14/08, p.B1)(SFC, 9/19/08, p.B6)(SFC, 5/29/10, p.C2)(SFC, 8/31/10,
p.C2)
2008 Sep 2, In Oakland, Ca.,
police arrested 3 men involved in a spate of takeover robberies at
East Bay restaurants and small businesses.
(SFC, 9/4/08, p.A1)
2008 Sep 5, In Berkeley, Ca.,
arborists began removed trees in preparation for a $124 million UC
athletic training center. 4 protesters continued a 21-month-old
protest in a lone redwood.
(SFC, 9/7/08, p.B1)
2008 Sep 6, In Martinez, Ca.,
Jose Felix Sandoval, in search of his estranged wife, killed her
cousin and a police sergeant, before he was fatally shot by police
officers.
(SFC, 9/7/08, p.A1)
2008 Sep 8, In Berkeley, Ca.,
university officials cut off the food and water supply to 4
protesters who continued a 21-month-old protest in a lone redwood.
(SFC, 9/9/08, p.B1)
2008 Sep 8, In Oakland, Ca.,
authorities said 3 school district custodians had been arrested for
stealing electronic equipment from the district.
(SFC, 9/9/08, p.B3)
2008 Sep 9, In Berkeley, Ca.,
the last 4 protesters in a lone redwood voluntarily climbed down.
The struggle to protect 42 trees from being felled for a sports
training center had begun on December 1, 2006. UC later sought as
much as $10,000 from each of the tree sitters for attorney fees.
(SFC, 9/10/08, p.A1)(SFC, 9/22/08, p.B1)
2008 Sep 13, In San Francisco
Tong Van Le left his store in Bernal Heights and headed home to
Novato where 5 men, who had followed him, shot him dead with a
high-powered rifle. They had allegedly been told to get rid of Tong
Le by Larry Blay Jr. (19), who was in jail on charges of robbing the
Nasser Market on Crescent Ave. Sep 13. With no witness the case
against Blay was dismissed in October. In June, 2009, an indictment
accused Blay and 4 of the 5 defendants of murder and conspiracy.
(SFC, 6/17/09, p.B1)(SFC, 7/29/09, p.D3)
2008 Sep 18, In south Berkeley,
Ca., drug dealers Kevin Antoine Parker (42) and Kelvin Earl Davis
(26) were shot and killed. In 2011 Oakland gang member Desmen
Lankford was convicted of the shooting and faced life in prison.
(SFC, 9/15/11, p.C3)
2008 Sep 25, In Oakland, Ca.,
the dedication ceremony for the new Cathedral of Christ the Light
took place at the northwest tip of Lake Merritt.
(SFC, 9/26/08, p.B6)
2008 Oct 1, In Oakland, Ca.,
Mayor Dellums, officials from developer Shorenstein Co. and the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. broke ground on a new $240 million,
23-story office tower. 601 City Center was expected to open in 2
years.
(SFC, 10/2/08, p.B3)
2008 Oct 6, Mother’s Cookies,
an Oakland, Ca. institution for 92 years, filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy in Delaware. Owner Catterton Partners, a private equity
firm based in Connecticut, cited failed efforts to obtain credit
financing.
(SFC, 10/9/08, p.C1)
2008 Oct 13, In the SF Bay Area
fire crews extinguished a fire that had begun a day earlier on Angel
Island. All the historic buildings on the island were saved. The
fire burned 400 of the island’s 740 acres.
(SFC, 10/14/08, p.A1)
2008 Oct 17, Mervyn’s, a
Hayward, Ca., based retailer, said it plans to liquidate its
remaining 149 locations and shutter the business after the holiday
season.
(SFC, 10/18/08, p.C1)
2008 Oct 18, UC Berkeley
dedicated the new sculpture “Berkeley Big People” by Emeryville
artist Scott Donohue. It was erected just off I-80 at a cost of
$196,000.
(SFC, 10/17/08, p.A16)
2008 Oct 19, It was reported
that California’s San Mateo County suffered potential losses of some
$150 million due to the bankruptcy of Lehman Bros. The Lehman Bros.
portfolio accounted for 5.9% of the county’s investment fund. County
cities Daly City, Redwood City and San Bruno each racked up losses
exceeding $1 million.
(SSFC, 10/19/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 22, Federal
immigration officials arrested several members of the MS-13, Mara
Salvatrucha, street gang after conducting raids in SF, Richmond and
south San Francisco. 29 people were indicted on multiple charges
including murder, car theft and extortion.
(SFC, 10/23/08, p.B8)(SFC, 10/24/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 27, An FBI spokesman
said 642 arrests in 29 cities were made last week during a 3-day
sting operation, Operation Cross Country II, focusing on people who
forced teens into prostitution. 100 adults were arrested in the SF
Bay Area.
(SFC, 10/28/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 29, In South San
Francisco, Ca., Shivnesh Reddy (21), an AC Transit worker, was shot
to death and robbed of money he was carrying to buy marijuana. In
2011 Jimmy Nabong (19), a Norteno gang member, was convicted of 1st
degree murder. Neil Chand, an alleged friend of Reddy who pleaded no
contest and testified against Nabong, was sentenced to 25 years to
life in prison.
(SFC, 3/17/11, p.C2)
2008 Oct 31, Airship Ventures
began operating zeppelin flights from Moffett field in Mountain
View, Ca. Passenger tickets were set at $495 per person for one hour
and $950 for 2 hours.
(SFC, 10/28/08, p.A1)
2008 Oct, Solyndra, a
Fremont, Ca., company, launched a new type of solar panel using
lightweight glass tubes. It expected installation costs to be half
that of conventional panels.
(Econ, 10/11/08, p.110)
2008 Nov 4, Voters in Richmond,
Ca., approved a Measure T, which called for a tax assessment on
Chevron Corp. for the value of crude oil that is refined in the
city. On Dec 16, 2009, a Contra Costa County judge struck down the
tax.
(SFC, 12/25/09, p.D1)
2008 Nov 13, Police in
Richmond, Ca., arrested 18 people in conncetion with a crackdown on
the Deep Central (Deep C) gang. Officials served 43 arrest warrants
in Richmond as well as other Bay Area and Sacramento counties
wrapping up a yearlong investigation by California drug agents.
(SFC, 11/14/08, p.B5)
2008 Nov 14, In Santa Clara,
Ca., Jing Hua Wu (47), recently laid off, shot and killed 3 people
at SiPort Inc., including CEO Sid Agrawal (56), Brian Pugh (47), the
vice president of operations, and Marilyn Lewis (67), head of human
resources. Wu was arrested the next day.
(SFC, 11/15/08, p.A1)(SSFC, 11/16/08, p.B1)
2008 Nov 14, In the SF Bay
Area police arrested 17 more people as part of a federal drug
investigation targeting members of the Project Trojans street gang
in North Richmond, San Pablo, Antioch and El Sobrante.
(SFC, 11/15/08, p.B2)
2008 Dec 19, IRS agents
arrested Ausaf Umar Siddiqui (42), vice president of Frye’s
Electronics in San Jose, Ca., for gambling with millions in stolen
money. Since 2005 he had collected over $65 million in kickbacks
from five vendors. In 2011 Siddiqui pleaded guilty to wire fraud and
money laundering. 7 other felony counts were dropped in exchange.
(SFC, 12/24/08, p.A1)(SFC, 9/14/11, p.C3)
2008 Dec 13, A woman (28) in
the San Francisco Bay area was jumped by four men, taunted for being
a lesbian, repeatedly raped and left naked outside an abandoned
apartment building in Richmond. In early January police arrested 2
men and 2 teens on suspicion of the gang-rape.
(AP, 12/23/08)(AP, 1/2/09)
2008 Dec 2, Eric Von der Porten
(50), SF Bay Area hedge fund manager, committed suicide at his home
in San Carlos, Ca.
(SSFC, 1/4/09, p.A1)
2008 Dec 3, In California
Theodore Neff (66) was found strangled to death as his house on San
Pablo Bay burned. Within days police arrested Alejandro Hernandez
Rivera, a male prostitute, in a sting operation. Neff’s golden flute
was in Rivera’s car. In 2010 Rivera was convicted of 1st degree
murder.
(SFC, 9/21/10, p.A1)(SFC, 10/5/10, p.C1)
2009 Jan 6, Hal Ellis (b.1931),
co-founder of the Grubb & Ellis real estate company (1958), died
at his home in Oakland, Ca.
(SFC, 1/8/09, p.C1)
2009 Jan 1, In the SF Bay Area
a BART police officer shot Oscar Grant (22) on the platform of the
Fruitvale BART Station in the early morning in the midst of a brawl
between 2 young rival groups. Grant died later that morning at
Highland Hospital. Witnesses said Grant was lying face down with his
hands behind him when he was shot in the back by Officer Johannes
Mehserle (27). On Dec 6 an attorney for the family filed a $25
million claim against BART. On Jan 13 Mehserle was arrested in
Nevada and charged with homicide.
(SFC, 1/2/09, p.A1)(SSFC, 1/4/09, p.B1)(SFC,
1/7/09, p.A6)(SFC, 1/14/09, p.A1)
2009 Jan 7, In Oakland, Ca.,
demonstrations over the New year’s killing of Oscar Grant (22) by a
BART police officer turned violent. BART Officer Johannes Mehserle
quit his job avoiding an interview with police internal affairs
investigators.
(SFC, 1/8/09, p.A1)
2009 Jan 23, Geron Corp., a
Menlo Park, Ca., biotechnology company, announced that it had
received a FDA clearance to mount a study of its stem cell treatment
for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients.
(WSJ, 1/23/08, p.A12)
2009 Feb 11, BrightSource
Energy of Oakland, California, announced that it will sell southern
California Edison 1,300 megawatts of electricity from 7 large solar
plants planned for the California desert. This was believed to be
the world’s largest solar deal to date. In September BrightSource
said it had ceased plans for a solar plant at Broadwell Dry Lake in
the Mojave desert.
(SFC, 2/12/09, p.A1)(SSFC, 9/20/09, p.D4)
2009 Feb 17, In the SF Bay Area
a sewage spill began at the Fort Baker treatment plant of the
Sausalito-Marin County Sanitaru District. By the next day some
300,000 gallons of bacteria-laden sewage had entered the SF Bay.
(SFC, 2/18/09, p.B4)
2009 Feb 19, In Daly City, Ca.,
a car with 4 friends was sprayed by gun fire on John Daly Blvd.,
near the BART station. Moises Frias Jr. (21), a student at City
College, was killed. Two men in a sedan escaped. The 4 friends had
no known gang affiliations. Police later arrested Luis Herrera (18)
and Danilo Velasquez (28), members of the MS-13 gang, for their
participation in the murder. Jaime Balam (20), a 3rd gang member was
being sought. He was deported to Mexico 8 days after the shooting,
but before being identified as a suspect. In 2011 Herrera pleaded
guilty to racketeering and conspiracy after federal prosecutors
agreed to drop a murder charge.
(SFC, 2/25/09, p.B2)(SFC, 7/10/09, p.D1)(SFC,
11/11/11, p.C3)
2009 Mar 7, SF Bay Area police
completed a 2-day sweep arresting at least 42 people, all alleged
member of the so-called “Taliban” gang.
(SSFC, 3/8/09, p.A1)
2009 Mar 11, A California state
study said global warming is expected to cause a rise of nearly 5
feet along the coastline and severely threatening SF Bay by 2100.
The rising waters could cost the state $14 billion of more to
safeguard the coast.
(SFC, 3/12/09, p.A1)(WSJ, 3/12/09, p.A1)
2009 Mar 12, Swiss
pharmaceutical giant Roche agreed to pay $46.8 billion to buy the 44
percent of biotech pioneer Genentech that it doesn't already own,
ending a long corporate struggle with its US-based cancer drug
partner.
(AP, 3/12/09)
2009 Mar 20, Walter Kuhlman
(90), SF Bay Area artist and teacher, died. He was a noted figure in
the postwar Bay Area abstract expressionist movement.
(SFC, 3/30/09, p.B3)
2009 Mar 21, In Oakland, Ca.,
Lovelle Mixon (26), a parolee with an "extensive criminal history,"
opened fire at a routine traffic stop killing Sgt. Mark Dunakin (40)
and gravely wounding Officer John Hege (41). Hours later he gunned
down Sgt. Ervin Romans (43) and Sgt. Daniel Sakai (35), 2 members of
a SWAT team searching for him. SWAT team members returned fire,
killing Mixon. Officer Hege was pronounced dead the next day. It was
later reported that Mixon had robbed and raped 2 women a gunpoint
earlier the same day. In 2011 the city of Oakland paid Douglas
Laughlin, a former KGO-TV cameraman, $175,000 under a civil suit
filed against police who had attacked him and broken his camera as
he tried to film the arrival of the ambulance carrying one of the
wounded officers.
(AP, 3/22/09)(SFC, 3/23/09, p.A1)(SFC, 5/5/09,
p.A1)(SFC, 6/9/11, p.C2)
2009 Mar 23, The Vatican said
Pope Benedict XVI has named Monsignor Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, a
San Diego clergyman, to be bishop of Oakland, California.
(AP, 3/23/09)
2009 Mar 26, In Los Angeles US
automaker Tesla Motors unveiled its state-of-the-art five-seat
sedan, billed as the world's first mass-produced, highway-capable
electric car. The San Carlos company said it would likely be built
in Southern California rather than San Jose.
(AFP, 3/26/09)(SFC, 3/27/09, p.C1)
2009 Mar 29, In Santa Clara,
California, police found six people dead, 3 of them children, after
a shooting at a home in the Bay Area city. The shooting appeared to
be a "family on family, murder-suicide." Devan Kalathat (42), an
engineer with Yahoo Inc., killed 5 members of his family before
committing suicide.
(AP, 3/30/09)(SFC, 3/31/09, p.A9)(SFC, 4/1/09,
p.A1)
2009 Apr 20, Oracle Corp.
snapped up computer server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc.
for $7.4 billion. The opportunity opened up after rival IBM Corp.
abandoned an earlier bid to buy one of Silicon Valley's best known,
and most troubled companies.
(AP, 4/20/09)
2009 Apr 21, Daniel Andreas San
Diego (31), a computer specialist from Berkeley, Ca., was added to
the FBI's list of "Most Wanted" terror suspects. Authorities
described him as an animal rights activist who had turned to bomb
attacks. San Diego became the 24th person on the list, and the only
domestic terror suspect.
(AP, 4/21/09)
2009 Apr 21, In Alameda, Ca.,
bank manager Sokvoeun Sou (27) was arrested for stealing over
$650,000 from the retirement account of acclaimed opera star Kiri Te
Kanawa (65).
(SFC, 4/24/09, p.B2)
2009 May 11, In Oakland,
California, Ivarene Lett (97) was found beaten to death inside her
6th story Van Buren Tower apartment near lake Merritt.
(SFC, 5/13/09, p.A1)
2009 May 16, In North Oakland,
Ca., motorist Anthony Perea (27) and pedestrian Floyd Ross (41) were
killed when 4 suspects in a Berkeley homicide fled police and
crashed. Stephon Anthony and Anthony Price were arrested. 2 other
suspects, later identified as Rafael Campbell (27) and Samuel
Flowers (21), escaped. The suspected gang members had just killed
Charles Davis (25) in West Berkeley. Flowers was arrested on May 25
in Florida. Campbell was arrested in Sacramento on Nov 17.
(SSFC, 5/17/09, p.B1)(SFC, 5/20/09, p.B3)(SSFC,
5/24/09, p.B2)(SFC, 5/27/09, p.B5)(SFC, 11/17/09, p.C5)
2009 May 17, David Ireland
(b.1930), SF Bay Area sculptor and conceptual artist, died.
(SFC, 5/21/09, p.B6)
2009 May 19, Tesla, an electric
car maker in San Carlos, Ca., sold a 10% stake to German auto giant
Daimler.
(SFC, 5/20/09, p.C1)
2009 May 22, In Pinole, Ca.,
Anthony Ramirez (23) was interrupted in an attempted robbery of a
home and escaped leaving behind his cell phone. Ramirez was a
suspect in 3 recent East Bay slayings and was apprehended on May 27
following calls to himself to retrieve his cell phone.
(SFC, 6/3/09, p.B2)
2009 Jun 1, San Francisco Mayor
Newsom unveiled a $6.6 billion budget for 2009-2010. He also urged
Santa Clara voters to reject a $937 million stadium project for the
SF 49ers.
(SFC, 6/2/09, p.A1)
2009 Jun 2, In Alameda County,
Ca., a jury convicted Wonda Kidd (58), a former escrow officer, of
two counts of felony grand theft in an equity stripping fraud case
that took place from April 2005 to August 2006. Straw buyers were
used to buy property at inflated prices after which a default took
place forcing lenders to foreclose. In 2008 Karim Akil (42) pleaded
guilty to grand theft and was sentenced to 3 years. His
assistant was sentenced to one year in prison.
(SFC, 6/4/09, p.C1)
2009 Jun 7, In Martinez, Ca.,
hospital patient Paul Hammond (47) was shot and killed by police
after wielding a knife and cutting restraints while being treated
for alcohol withdrawal. In 2011 Contra Costa County agreed to pay
$1.4 million to his 4 children.
(SFC, 9/9/11, p.C2)
2009 Jun 9, The SEC filed suit
in San Francisco against Peter C. Son (37) of Danville for allegedly
defrauding 500 investors of $80 million in a Ponzi scheme. Jin K.
Ching (46) of Los Altos was also charged for bilking their Korean
American victims from 2003-2008 through SNC Asset Management Inc. of
Pleasanton and SNC Investments of New York. In 2010 Peter C. Son was
sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
(SFC, 6/10/09, p.C4)(SFC, 7/31/10, p.C1)
2009 Jun 11, In San Francisco
BART’s governing board approved a 6.1% fare hike effective July 1.
The minimum ride went up 25 cents to $1.75.
(SFC, 6/11/09, p.B1)
2009 Jul 6, In San Francisco
crews cleaning a homeless encampment in McLaren Park discovered a
body later identified as Ronnie Brown (32), who was last seen in San
Leandro on Oct 20, 2007. Brown, aka Allah, was on parole for a
weapons conviction and had been associated with people connected to
Oakland’s Your Black Muslim Bakery.
(SFC, 7/15/09, p.A13)
2009 Jul 19, Warren Titus (94),
founder of the Royal Viking and Seabourn cruise ship lines, died at
a hospice in Marin County, Ca. He helped father the modern cruise
concept as president of Peninsular and Oriental Navigation Co.,
which later morphed into Princess Cruises. He left P.&O. to
start the Royal Viking Line in 1972. After the SF-based Royal Viking
went out of business in 1987, he was called by Atle Brynestad, a
Norwegian millionaire, to start Seabourn Cruise Lines.
(SFC, 7/31/09, p.D5)
2009 Jul 21, Oakland, Ca.,
residents overwhelmingly voted to approve a first-of-its kind tax on
medical marijuana sold at the city's four cannabis dispensaries.
(AP, 7/22/09)
2009 Jul 23, The Columbus
Salame plant in South San Francisco, established in 1967, was
devastated by fire.
(SFC, 7/24/09, p.D2)
2009 Jul 24, In Oakland, Ca., a
city parking department memo ordered parking officers to avoid
enforcing neighborhood parking violations in some wealthier
neighborhoods, but to continue enforcing the same violations in the
rest of the city.
(SFC, 2/25/10, p.A1)
2009 Aug 10, In Oakland, Ca.,
Hassani Campbell (5) was reported missing by his foster parents
Louis Ross (38) and Jennifer Campbell (33). The couple were arrested
on Aug 28 on suspicion of killing the boy, who suffered from
cerebral palsy.
(SFC, 8/29/09, p.A1)
2009 Aug 11, In Richmond, Ca.,
distraught boyfriend Nathaniel Burris (46) shot and killed toll
collector Deborah Ross (51) in her booth at the Richmond-San Rafael
Bridge. He also shot and killed Golden Gate Transit bus driver Ersie
Charles Everette III (58) in the parking lot and then escaped.
Burris was arrested later in the day in Placer County.
(SFC, 8/12/09, p.A1)(SFC, 8/13/09, p.A12)
2009 Aug 21, In Oakland, Ca.,
Ricardo Cortes Jr. (14), was shot and killed by gang member Julio
Montano. Gang member Francisco Zamora accompanied Montano and drove
him from the scene. They thought they were avenging a friend who had
been slain by a rival gang. Cortes had nothing to do with gangs. In
2010 Montano (23) and Zamora (29) were convicted of 1st degree
murder. On Dec 9 Montano was sentenced to 40 years to life in
prison. Zamora was sentenced 27 years to life.
(SFC, 10/1/10, p.C4)(SFC, 12/11/10, p.C1)
2009 Aug 24, In the San
Francisco Bay Area Alexander Robert Youshock (17), a former
Hillsdale High School student in San Mateo, lit 2 of 10 pipe bombs
before he was tackled by teachers. Youshock also carried a chain saw
and a sword and planned to attack students as the ran from the
bombs.
(SFC, 8/25/09, p.A1)(SFC, 8/27/09, p.A1)
2009 Aug 27, Toyota confirmed
that it would stop making cars at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, Ca.,
idling some 4,700 workers.
(SFC, 8/28/09, p.A1)
2009 Sep 3, The San Francisco
Bay Bridge was completely shut down at 8pm to replace a 300-foot
section of the bridge as part of the project to replace the entire
eastern span by 2013. The bridge was expected to reopen on Sep 8.
The original estimated cost of $132 million was now projected at
$527.6 million.
(SSFC, 8/30/09, p.A14)(SFC, 9/3/09, p.A1)
2009 Sep 3, California state
wildlife regulators canceled the San Francisco Bay herring fishing
season for the first time as the population plunged to a dangerous
low.
(SFC, 9/4/09, p.A19)
2009 Sep 5, Crews working on a
seismic retrofit of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge found what
authorities called a "significant crack" in the eastern span that
could keep the California landmark closed beyond a planned holiday
weekend shutdown.
(AP, 9/6/09)
2009 Sep 8, The SF Bay Bridge
opened as work to fix a crack on the cantilever section of the
bridge was fixed ahead of schedule. Cars were allowed to start
crossing around 6:30 a.m.
(www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_13290522?source=rss)
2009 Sep 11, In Richmond, Ca.,
Kaneesha Mallard (19) of Hercules and her boyfriend, Alfred Thomas
(20) of Vallejo, were killed by a spray of bullets while parked at
the snack shop of a Union 76 gas station.
(SFC, 9/17/09, p.D2)
2009 Sep 20, Michele Dickerson
of Alameda County, Ca., won the $32 million state lottery. She
planned to take a $19.7 million lump sum before taxes.
(SFC, 9/23/09, p.A14)
2009 Sep 23, In San Mateo, Ca.,
a federal grand jury indicted Seth Sundberg (34), a branch manager
for a mortgage and financial business, with mail fraud and
falsifying a tax return. He had claimed a tax refund of just over $5
million after allegedly paying $5.7 million in taxes for receiving
interest income.
(SFC, 9/25/09, p.C4)
2009 Sep 23, In Oakland, Ca.,
Damon Wessel (48) and Michael Caldwell (44) were shot and killed at
4075 Canon Ave. On Nov 18 Damon Joseph Ferreira (34), wanted for a
parole violation and for connection to the slayings, shot and killed
himself in Stockton as he was confronted by police.
(SFC, 11/19/09, p.C2)
2009 Sep 28, In San Jose, Ca.,
Cristina Warthen (36), a Stanford law school graduate, was sentenced
to home detention for one year for tax evasion and ordered to pay
$243,000 in back taxes. She had run an escort service beginning in
2001 (touchofbrazil.net), and grossed $133,717 in 2003. In 2004 she
married David Warthen, co-founder of Ask Jeeves, later Ask.com. They
were later divorced.
(SFC, 9/29/09, p.C5)
2009 Oct 6, The city council of
Oakland, Ca., succumbed to public pressure and rolled back
parking meter enforcement from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. The rule had gone
into effect 3 months earlier.
(SFC, 10/7/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 7, The Oakland, Ca.,
City Council approved a BART plan to build a 3.2 mile extension to
the Oakland airport.
(SFC, 10/8/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 13, Record one-day
rain fell in the SF Bay area with 2.64 inches recorded in San
Francisco. It was the worst October storm since 1962 and knocked out
power for 193,000.
(SFC, 10/14/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 14, In San Francisco a
Safeway truck flopped across 4 lanes of the upper Bay Bridge at the
new s-curve, tying up traffic for hours. The CHP had already logged
20 accidents eastbound on the curve and 8 accidents westbound since
it opened on Sep 8.
(SFC, 10/14/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 15, In Palo Alto, Ca.,
the body of Jennifer Schipsi (29) was found in a rented cottage on
the 900 block of Addison Ave. Bulos “Paul” Zumot (36), her
on-and-off boyfriend was arrested on Oct 19 on charges of murder and
setting a fire to cover the slaying.
(SFC, 10/21/09, p.D4)
2009 Oct 17, In Oakland, Ca., 3
people died when their car flipped during a sideshow in the early
hours. The Nissan in the crash was said to have been in a hyphy
train, like a conga line on wheels with cars weaving and speeding in
unison.
(SSFC, 10/18/09, p.C3)
2009 Oct 22, California
authorities said a grand jury has indicted 18 people on charges of
marijuana growing and mortgage fraud. The San Francisco Bay Area
residents allegedly operated marijuana gardens in 50 homes in the
Central Valley in 2006 and 2007.
(SFC, 10/23/09, p.A14)
2009 Oct 22, Officials in
Benicia, Ca., announced that ships in the “ghost fleet” of Suisun
Bay would begin a process of cleanup and dismantling next month. The
first two ships scheduled for recycling were the Pan American
Victory and the Earlham Victory, both WWII cargo ships built in
1945.
(SFC, 10/23/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 23, In Richmond, Ca.,
a girl (16) left a homecoming dance at Richmond High gym and joined
a group of men drinking in a nearby alley. She became drunk and was
raped and robbed by as many as 10 young men. Police found her
semi-conscious near a lunch table and arrested one suspect fleeing
the scene. 2 more suspects, aged 15 and 21, were arrested on Oct 27.
On Oct 28 three juveniles were arrested in connection to the crime
and charged as adults. A 6th suspect was arrested on Oct 29. On Jan
19 John Crane Jr. (43) turned himself in for participating in the
rape. In 2010 Cody Smith, the youngest of 7 defendants was released,
because his Miranda rights had been violated. In 2011 the West
Contra Costa Unified School District settled a civil suit and agreed
to pay the victim $4 million.
(SFC, 10/27/09, p.C6)(SFC, 10/28/09, p.A10)(SFC,
10/29/09, p.A1)(SFC, 10/30/09, p.A1)(SFC, 1/22/10, p.C9)(SFC,
12/22/10, p.C2)(SSFC, 1/23/11, p.C3)
2009 Oct 27, Authorities
indefinitely closed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge after a rod
and a metal brace erected last month during an emergency repair job
fell onto the bridge's westbound lanes, startling a pair of drivers
who collided with the debris and leaving hundreds of others stranded
in their cars during the evening commute. Over 5,000 pounds of metal
crashed down onto traffic, totaling a couple of cars but leaving the
drivers largely unscathed. The bridge remained closed thru the
weekend.
(AP, 10/28/09)(SSFC, 11/1/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 30, In the San
Francisco Bay the tanker Dubai Star began leaking fuel oil after a
tank overflowed during refueling. Coast Guard officials later
estimated that some 400-800 gallons of toxic oil leaked into the SF
Bay killing at least 37 birds along the Alameda coastline.
(SFC, 10/31/09, p.A1)(SFC, 11/3/09, p.C3)(SFC,
11/17/09, p.C2)
2009 Nov 2, Traffic opened on
the SF Bay Bridge after 6 days of emergency structural repair.
Engineers expected that it would be closed again in few months for a
permanent fix.
(SFC, 11/3/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 14, The IRS filed a
lien with the Alameda County recorder’s office naming Oakland, Ca.,
Mayor Ron Dellums (73), who failed to pay taxes over a 3-year
period. A lien was also filed in Washington, DC, on Oct 22, where
Dellums and his wife owned a house in the Foxhall Crescent
neighborhood.
(SFC, 11/4/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 23, In Richmond, Ca.,
a girl (15) left a homecoming dance at Richmond High gym and joined
a group of men drinking in a nearby alley. She became drunk and was
raped and robbed by as many as 10 young men. Police found her
semi-conscious near a lunch table and arrested one suspect fleeing
the scene. The assailants had stolen the girl’s jewelry. 2 more
suspects, aged 15 and 21, were arrested on Oct 27. On Oct 28 three
juveniles were arrested in connection to the crime and charged as
adults. A 6th suspect was arrested on Oct 29. On Jan 19 John Crane
Jr. (43) turned himself in for participating in the rape. In 2010
Cody Smith, the youngest of 7 defendants was released, because his
Miranda rights had been violated.
(SFC, 10/27/09, p.C6)(SFC, 10/28/09, p.A10)(SFC,
10/29/09, p.A1)(SFC, 10/30/09, p.A1)(SFC, 1/22/10, p.C9)(SFC,
12/22/10, p.C2)
2009 Oct 25, Seymour Fromer
(87), founder of the Berkeley-based Judah Magnes Museum, died.
Fromer learned of Judah Magnes (1877-1948), the first ordained rabbi
in California, in an 1894 Oakland high school yearbook.
(SFC, 11/6/09,
p.C5)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judah_Leon_Magnes)
2009 Nov 9, Tahir Sheikh Fakhar
(56) of Hayward, Ca., was killed early this morning when the big rig
he was driving went off the SF Bay Bridge new S curve, plunging 200
feet onto Yerba Buena Island.
(SFC, 11/10/09, p.A1)(SFC, 11/11/09, p.A1)
2009 Nov 13, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Zoelina Williams (23) was found beaten and fatally shot at Aquatic
Park. Herson Jashon (17 months) was missing. Curtis Martin III (38),
a convicted killer, was arrested later the same day.
(SSFC, 11/15/09, p.A12)
2009 Nov 19, In Silicon Valley,
California, the Tech Awards, a humanitarian program recognizing
technological solutions aimed at worldwide challenges, honored 5
winners for their work in the environment, economic development,
education, equality and health.
(SFC, 11/20/09, p.D1)
2009 Nov 28, In Sonoma County,
Ca., John Maloney (45), his wife Susan (42), and 2 children Aiden
(8) and Gracie (5) were killed when Steven Culbertson (19) of
Lakeport broadsided their car on Highway 37. The family was on its
way home from a vacation in Hawaii. News of the tragedy prompted
Michael Vincent Gutierrez (26) of Redwood City and girlfriend Amber
Marie True (29) to break into the Maloney’s empty house. They
ransacked the home and drove off in the Maloney’s 2006 Nissan 350Z.
Gutierrez and True were arrested Dec 1 just hours after a neighbor
noticed the Maloney’s garage door open.
(SFC, 12/3/09, p.A1)
2009 Dec 7, Scientists at
Stanford University in California reported that they have
successfully turned paper coated with ink made of silver and carbon
nanomaterials into a "paper battery" that holds promise for new
types of lightweight, high-performance energy storage.
(Reuters, 12/10/09)
2009 Dec 10, In SF police
arrested 25 protesters a day after students barricaded themselves
inside the business school of San Francisco State Univ. to protest
fee hikes and budget cuts at the state’s public universities.
(SFC, 12/11/09, p.C2)
2009 Dec 10, In the SF Bay Area
BART directors approved a 3.2 mile people mover connection to the
Oakland Airport. $440 million in contracts were approved with a
target date as soon as 2013.
(SFC, 12/11/09, p.C1)
2009 Dec 12, In Berkeley, Ca.,
police arrested 8 people after a crowd of angry protesters broke
windows and threw burning torches at the campus residence of UC
chancellor Robert Birgeneau in protest over fee hikes and budget
cuts.
(SSFC, 12/13/09, p.C1)
2009 Dec 16, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom struck a deal with the US Navy to acquire Treasure Island for
a guaranteed payment of $55 million over several years. Additional
considerations could make the package worth over $105 million to the
federal government.
(SFC, 12/17/09, p.A1)
2010 Jan 7, Oaksterdam Univ., a
pioneering college dedicated to the cannabis industry, held its
grand opening in Oakland, Ca.
(SFC, 1/12/10,
p.E3)(www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/)
2010 Jan 13, In the SF Bay Area
aspiring bass player Dewey Tucker (24) of Vallejo, Ca., was shot a
killed on I-80 near Crockett. A year later 4 suspected gang members
from Santa Rosa were arrested for his murder. They included Raul
Vega (19), the suspected shooter, Christopher Mancinas (29), Hector
Barragan (28) and Javier Lopez (20).
(SFC, 1/13/11, p.C3)
2010 Jan 28, In Oakland, Ca.,
Dhar Mann (25) opened iGrow, a one-stop shop for medical marijuana
in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse near the Oakland Airport.
(SFC, 1/28/10, p.C1)
2010 Feb 2, In Hayward, Ca., 2
men were killed outside the Manheim San Francisco Bay auto auction
business. On Feb 4 police arrested Karl George Sanft (34) for the
slaying of security guard Angelito Erasquin (63) and truck driver
Jim Wightman (56).
(SFC, 2/5/10, p.C2)
2010 Feb 3, In Vallejo, Ca.,
Amarjit Kaur (39), a widow raising 3 children, was found shot in the
chest and slumped behind the wheel of a Tony’s Ice Cream truck. Two
days later a boy (14) was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
and robbery. On Feb 18 another boy, Peter Montenegro (15), was
charged as an adult in the shooting. Kaur was recovering from her
wound. In 2011 Montenegro was sentenced to 7 years to life for
attempted murder and 10 years for using a gun.
(SFC, 2/20/10, p.C2)(SFC, 11/24/11, p.C3)
2010 Feb 17, It was reported
that a mysterious illness was killing brown pelicans along the
northern California coast. Some 100 birds were in for treatment at
the Int’l. Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia. Some 300 others
found treatment at the center’s San Pedro branch.
(SFC, 2/17/10, p.A1)
2010 Feb 17, In Palo Alto, Ca.,
a Cessna 310 crashed into a neighborhood after takeoff from the
fogged-in Palo Alto Airport, killing all 3 people aboard. 4 houses
were damaged, but no one on the ground was injured. Pilot Doug Bourn
(56), Brian Finn (42) and Andrew Ingram (31) worked for Tesla Motors
Inc.
(SFC, 2/18/10, p.A1)(SFC, 2/19/10, p.A9)
2010 Feb 19, In San Mateo, Ca.,
Mahran Baranriz (47) and his wife Bita Imani (35) pleaded no contest
to 10 counts of insurance fraud. They ran the Group Specialists car
repair shop in Redwood City and had bilked customers by putting rats
in their cars and claiming the vehicles needed costly work to fix
rodent damage. Baranriz was sentenced to 4 years in prison, and his
wife to 6 months in jail. A day earlier they ware ordered to pay
$875,000 in restitution to 25 insurance companies.
(SFC, 2/20/10, p.C2)
2010 Feb 20, Loni Ding (78),
filmmaker, educator and activist, died in Oakland, Ca. Her work
included “Ancestors in the Americas,” a 1996 PBS documentary. Over 3
decades she turned out more than 250 programs for broadcast, many of
which explored the experiences of Asians in the New World.
(SFC, 3/12/10, p.C6)
2010 Feb 24, In San Jose, Ca.,
stealth start-up Bloom Energy publicly unveiled an innovative fuel
cell that promises to deliver affordable, clean energy to even
remote corners of the world.
(AFP, 2/25/10)
2010 Mar 8, Gerald Flamm (93),
former newspaper reporter, died at Stanford, Ca. His books included
“Good Life in Hard Times” (1977), a look at the Bay Area during the
Great Depression, and “Hometown San Francisco” (1994).
(SFC, 3/12/10, p.C6)
2010 Mar 20, The Plastiki, a
boat with hull built of 12,500 plastic bottles, departed from
Sausalito, Ca. to Australia.
(SFC, 3/20/10, p.C2)
2010 Mar 31, The US federal
government and environmental groups reached an agreement that will
end the ghost fleet of retired ships in Suisun Bay, Ca.
(SFC, 4/1/10, p.A1)
2010 Apr 1, In Fremont, Ca.,
the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant (NUMMI) produced its
last Toyota Corolla after 25 years of operations building cars the
Toyota Way.
(SFC, 4/2/10, p.A1)
2010 Apr 7, An Emeryville, Ca.,
drug analysis laboratory was raided as part of 3-year DEA
investigation dubbed “Operation Lude Behavior.” 3 men at the lab
were among 22 charged in a nationwide Quaalude trafficking ring.
(SFC, 4/9/10, p.C5)
2010 Apr 15, In the San
Francisco Bay Area BART officials stripped officers of Tasers days
after a sergeant fired his stun gun at a boy (13) on his bicycle
fleeing from an altercation with police in Richmond. Bay Area Rapid
Transit police had begun using Tasers in December, 2008.
(SFC, 4/16/10, p.A1)
2010 Apr 16, In Oakland, Ca.,
Tian Sheng Yu (59) was beaten to death on the 1800 block of
Telegraph Ave., after he confronted 2 teenagers for punching his son
(27). Suspect Lavonte Drummer (18) turned himself in on April 19 and
suspect Dominic Davis (18) was arrested the same afternoon. Yu died
from his injuries on April 20.
(SFC, 4/21/10, p.A1)
2010 Apr 25, Phuong Le (24) of
Suisun city, Ca., was last seen at a bookstore in Fairfield, Ca. Her
body was found on May 7 in rural Napa County.
(SFC, 5/8/10, p.C3)
2010 Apr 29, In Oakland, Ca.,
Parking director Noel Pinto issued a memo curtailing nighttime
parking enforcement, effecting as of May 13. The recently begun
practice had enraged local residents.
(SFC, 5/11/10, p.C3)
2010 May 3, Some 20 students at
UC Berkeley began a hunger strike demanding that the school denounce
Arizona’s new immigration law, drop charges against protesters from
anti-fee hike occupation, rehire laid-off janitors and declare
Berkeley a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.
(SFC, 5/7/10, p.C2)
2010 May 11, In Richmond, Ca.,
city officials signed an agreement with Chevron Corp., which
operates the Richmond refinery, to provide the city $114 million
over the next 15 years.
(SFC, 5/14/10, p.C1)
2010 May 13, In Richmond, Ca.,
3 men were killed in a drive-by shooting.
(SFC, 5/15/10, p.C1)
2010 May 20, In Oakland, Ca.,
police arrested at least 26 people as part of a crackdown targeting
members of the Ghost Town street gang. The arrests capped a 5-month
operation dubbed Ghostbusters.
(SFC, 5/21/10, p.C5)
2010 May 20, Tesla Motors
announced that it will use a $50 million investment from Toyota
Corp. to help it buy the recently closed Nummi auto plant in
Fremont, Ca.
(SFC, 5/21/10, p.A1)
2010 Jun 7, US Sec. of Labor
Hilda Solis visited Fremont, Ca., and announced a $19 million
federal grant to help thousands of workers who lost their jobs when
the NUMMI car plant closed in April.
(SFC, 6/8/10, p.D1)
2010 Jun 22, Russia’s Pres.
Medvedev arrived in California, where he planned to have dinner in
San Francisco with Gov. Schwarzenegger. A tour of Silicon Valley was
scheduled for the next day along with a speech at Stanford Univ.
(SFC, 6/22/10, p.D1)
2010 Jun 23, Russia’s Pres.
Medvedev visited Silicon Valley and met with executives at Apple,
Cisco and Twitter as he sought to advance Russia as a global leader
in technology.
(SFC, 6/24/10, p.D1)
2010 Jun 24, The Oakland, Ca.,
City Council voted to lay off 80 of the city’s 776 police officers
as it slashed at a $30.5 million budget deficit.
(SFC, 6/25/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 1, In the SF Bay Area
most bridge tolls rose by $1 dollar with variable rates on the Bay
Bridge depending on travel time.
(SFC, 7/1/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 8, In California a Los
Angeles jury found BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle guilty of
involuntary manslaughter for the Jan 1, 2009, shooting of Oscar
Grant (22). The verdict sparked a riot in downtown Oakland, Ca.,
with at least 50-100 people arrested for smashing windows and
looting. 75% of the 78 people arrested came from outside the city.
(SFC, 7/9/10, p.A1)(SFC, 7/10/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 8, In California
Robert de Heer (b.1923), real estate broker, died in San Rafael. He
created the Realty Bluebook, which became a standard for real estate
people nationwide. He also devised a standard purchase order, which
started with one page and grew to 7 to reflect changes in real
estate law.
(SFC, 7/10/10, p.C3)
2010 Jul 13, Oakland, Ca., laid
off 80 police officers after negotiations between city officials and
union leaders failed to agree on job security.
(SFC, 7/14/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 15, Joe Jacob (54),
venture capitalist, and Peter Gruber (68), chairman of Mandalay
Entertainment, led a record $450 million investor group purchase of
the Golden Gate Warriors basketball team based in Oakland, Ca.
(SFC, 7/16/10, p.A13)
2010 Jul 18, In Oakland, Ca.,
Jinghong Kang (45) of Virginia was robbed of $17 and killed. George
Huggins Jr. (24) and his girlfriend Althea Housley (33) were soon
arrested for the robbery and murder. Huggins was charged with
special-circumstances murder.
(SFC, 7/29/10, p.C2)
2010 Jul 20, The Oakland, Ca.,
City Council adopted regulations permitting industrial-scale
marijuana farms.
(SFC, 7/21/10, p.C1)
2010 Jul 21, Don Backer (66),
UC astronomer and pioneer in the use of the radio telescope, died in
Berkeley, Ca. In 1982 Don Backer led a group which discovered PSR
B1937+21, a pulsar with a rotation period of just 1.6 milliseconds.
(SFC, 7/31/10,
p.C4)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar)
2010 Jul 30, In Oakland, Ca., a
US District judge sentence Peter C. Son (38) of Danville to 15 years
in federal prison for defrauding some 500 investors of $62 million
in a Ponzi scheme from 2003-2008. His partner, Jin K. Chung (46) of
Los Altos, was yet to be charged in criminal court.
(SFC, 7/31/10, p.C1)
2010 Jul 30, Patrick Joseph
McCabe (74), a former Catholic priest, surrendered to US authorities
in Alameda, Ca.. They sought to extradite him to Ireland to face
sexual assault charges dating back from 1973-1981. On June 5, 2011,
McCabe was handed over to Ireland’s national police service.
(SFC, 8/11/10, p.A1)(SFC, 6/8/11, p.C4)
2010 Aug 9, In California a
federal grand jury charged Samuel “Maoli” Cohen of Belvedere, Marin
County, with 32 counts of wire fraud and money laundering related to
defrauding over 55 victims of some $30 million.
(SFC, 8/9/10, p.D1)
2010 Aug 31, Police in
Richmond, Ca., shot and killed Efren Valdemoro (38) following a high
speed chase across the East Bay. At least 4 people were killed since
Aug 25 in a tangle of violence centering on Valdemoro. A 5th person,
Frederick Sales (35), was missing. On Sep 9 police found Frederick’s
body at 1066 Crepe Myrtle Drive in Hercules, the site where Ricardo
Sales (73), the father of Frederick Sales, was found on Aug 28.
(SFC, 9/2/10, p.A1)(SFC, 9/4/10, p.C3)(SSFC,
9/12/10, p.A16)
2010 Sep 2, In California
Robert Borrmann (91), founder of the R.E. Borrmann Steel Co., was
killed along with his pilot and the pilot’s girlfriend when their
small plane crashed in a lagoon in Redwood City shortly after
takeoff from the San Carlos Airport.
(SFC, 9/3/10, p.A1)
2010 Sep 9, A massive
explosion, apparently triggered by a broken gas line, sent flames
roaring through San Bruno, a neighborhood near San Francisco, Ca.,
destroying 37 homes and badly damaged 8 others. At least 7 people
were killed and over 50 injured. On Sep 27 the death toll rose to 8
as another victim died of injuries from the blast.
(AP, 9/10/10)(SFC, 9/10/10, p.A1)(SFC, 9/11/10,
p.A1)(SSFC, 9/12/10, p.A1)(SFC, 9/23/10, p.C5)(SFC, 9/29/10, p.C4)
2010 Sep 12, In Berkeley, Ca.,
Adolfo Celedon Bravo (35), a native of Chile, defended his fiancee
Amber Nelson (27) during a robbery attempt near the Ashby BART
station. Two assailants punched him in the face and shot him
numerous times before fleeing. Celedon died later in the day at
Oakland’s Highland Hospital. It was his 35th birthday.
(SFC, 9/18/10, p.C1)
2010 Sep 13, In California
PG&E said it will spend as much as $100 million to help rebuild
the San Bruno neighborhood recently devastated by the Sep 9 rupture
of a gas line. The relief fund would be independent of legal claims
and the cost of replacing homes damaged by fire.
(SFC, 9/14/10, p.A1)
2010 Sep 28, Amyris
Biotechnologies (AMRS), an Emeryville, Ca., startup, went public on
NASDAQ with 5.3 million shares. The IPO opened and closed at $16.50
per share. The company used genetically engineered organisms to turn
plant sugars into a precursor of diesel.
(SFC, 9/29/10,
p.D1)(http://tinyurl.com/24uklyv)(Econ, 3/12/11, TQ p.22)
2010 Oct 27, Elon Musk
officially unveiled a new Tesla sign for the former Nummi plant in
Fremont, Ca., where the new electric Tesla cars will be
manufactured.
(SFC, 10/28/10, p.A11)
2010 Oct 27, BrightSource
Energy of Oakland, Ca., broke ground on its Ivanpah Solar Electric
Generating System in the Mohave Desert. Plant operator NRG Energy
Inc. agreed to invest $300 million into the $2 billion project.
(SFC, 10/28/10, p.D1)
2010 Nov 5, In Los Angeles
ex-BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle (28) was sentenced to a
minimum term of 2 years for fatally shooting unarmed train rider
Oscar Grant (22) at the Oakland Fruitvale BART station on Jan, 2009.
Protesters marched in downtown Oakland and mobs smashed about a
dozen cars. 152 people were arrested.
(SFC, 11/6/10, p.A1)(SSFC, 11/7/10, p.C10)
2010 Nov 10, Oakland, Ca., city
Councilwoman Jean Quan was declared the winner of the mayoral
election because she had more second and third place votes than
front runner Don Perata.
(SFC, 11/11/10, p.A1)
2010 Nov 21, A national US
study by CQ Press found St. Louis as the nation's most dangerous
city in 2009, overtaking Camden, NJ. Detroit, Flint, Mich., and
Oakland, Calif., rounded out the top five. For the second straight
year, the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie,
NY.
(AP, 11/22/10)
2010 Dec 4, Mill Valley, Ca.,
resident John Nuzzo (65) died of an apparent heart attack. He was
better know to legions of fans as John Leslie, an adult film actor
who appeared in over 300 movies before becoming a prolific director.
(SFC, 12/9/10, p.C5)
2011 Jan 21, Northern
California school officials said a second-grade teacher in Oakland
was placed on leave while a school and police investigate accounts
by students that classmates engaged in oral sex and stripped off
some of their clothes during class.
(AP, 1/22/11)
2011 Feb 16, In California
Norman Wielsch (49), commander of the Central contra Costa Narcotics
Enforcement Team, was arrested along with Christopher Butler (49),
owner of a Concord private investigation firm, for allegedly
stealing and selling drugs. Stephen Tanabe (47), a Contra Costa
deputy sheriff, was arrested on March 4 on drug and weapons charges
related to the case against Wielsch and Butler. Tanabe resigned on
March 10 after being accused of making “dirty DUI” arrests. Butler
later said he helped Wielsch set up a house of prostitution at 670
Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill in 2009. Butler also said Wielsch
robbed prostitutes whose operations competed with his own. Butler
and Wielsch were indicted on Aug 15 on drug and corruption charges.
(SFC, 2/18/11, p.C2)(SFC, 3/11/11, p.C3)(SFC,
5/13/11, p.A1)(SFC, 5/14/11, p.A1)(SFC, 8/16/11, p.C1)
2011 Feb 19, In northern
California the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) opened its new West
Dublin/Pleasanton station, its 44th station.
(SFC, 2/18/11, p.C3)
2011 Feb 23, Allen Willis
(b.1916), African American filmmaker, died in Oakland, Ca. His work
included “Have You Sold Your Dozen Roses” (1955), produced with San
Francisco poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and “Stagger Lee” (1970), a
documentary interview with incarcerated Black Panther leader Bobby
Seale.
(SFC, 3/7/11, p.C3)
2011 Feb 27, In Fremont, Ca.,
about 15 robbers with guns and rifles accosted 6 employees at Unigen
and escaped with $37 million in computer components. In April 5
suspects were arrested and charged with the robbery.
(SFC, 4/14/11, p.C6)
2011 Apr 2, In California the
Half Moon Bay City Council voted to shut down its police department
and turn its duties over to the San Mateo County Sheriff.
(SSFC, 4/3/11, p.A12)
2011 Apr 8, The Oakland, Ca.,
Naval Hospital, formerly called Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, imploded
as some 800 pounds of dynamite blasted the 11-story building into a
pile of rubble.
(SFC, 4/9/11, p.C2)
2011 Apr 8, In Oakland, Ca.,
Jesus Campos, owner of the popular Otaez Mexicatessen restaurant at
3872 Int’l. Blvd., was shot and killed as he arrived to work.
(SFC, 4/9/11, p.A1)
2011 Apr 25, In Oakland, Ca., a
shooting at Sweet Jimmie’s restaurant killed Bill Jenkins (27) and
Adam Williams. 4 others were wounded. On June 15 Clem Thompkins (22)
was arrested in connections with the killings.
(SFC, 6/17/11, p.C3)
2011 May 4, A San Ramon, Ca.,
police officer, Louis Lombardi (38), was arrested after he was
linked to an ongoing probe into the theft of confiscated drugs.
(SFC, 5/5/11, p.C1)
2011 May 10, In San Jose, Ca.,
3 people were killed in a burst of gunfire at parking garage at San
Jose State Univ.
(SFC, 5/12/11, p.C2)
2011 May 20, In California San
Leandro police detective Jason Fredriksson (38) was charged with
giving over a pound of marijuana to a confidential informant, with
whom he had an extra-marital affair, so that she could sell it.
(SFC, 5/21/11, p.A1)
2011 May 20, In Oakland, Ca.,
Antonio Torres (42) was robbed and killed while working on the front
yard of his home on 34th Ave. In September David Lee Hall (19) and
three other youths (15,16,17) were charged with his murder.
(SFC, 9/14/11, p.C4)
2011 May 27, In Hayward, Ca.,
Michelle Le (26) was last seen after she went on break from a
clinical lesson at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. In September
police arrested Giselle Esteban (27) after finding DNA evidence
linking her Le’s murder. Le’s body was found on September 17 in
Sunol Canyon, Alameda Ct.
(SFC, 9/9/11, p.C3)(SFC, 9/21/11, p.C1)
2011 Jun 3, California’s
Alameda County officials broke ground for the start of a $668
million construction project to replace the 9-story, earthquake
damaged Highland Hospital.
(SFC, 6/7/11, p.C1)
2011 Jun 6, In
California the Golden State Warriors hired Mark Jackson to be their
new head coach. Jackson, a former NBA star and a current television
sports commentator, has never coached a professional basketball
team.
(SFC, 6/6/11)
2011 Jun 8, In East Palo Alto,
CA, Fabian Zaragoza (17) was charged as an adult in the murder of a
3-month old baby and the wounding of the baby’s mother. Zaragoza
shot at a car in which he believed he saw two gang members, who had
beaten him up a few days earlier. But in a case of mistaken
identity, the car belonged to a family leaving a baby shower.
(SFC, 6/8/11)
2011 Jun 8, By a wide margin,
voters in Hercules, Ca., recalled the mayor, Joanne Ward, and a city
councilman, Donald Kuehne, in a special election. Both had earned
the ire of local voters for arranging unethical business deals that
benefited friends and contributed to the city’s financial crisis;
the two also fired a city manager who was investigating their
conduct.
(SFC, 6/8/11, p. C3)(Martinez CA News-Gazette, 6/9/11)
2011 Jun 8, In Redwood City,
Ca., 5 boys aged 12-14 were taken into custody for an alleged rape
attempt on two girls during a school field trip in March.
(SFC, 6/15/11, p.C2)
2011 Jun 9, Yusuf Bey (25),
former head of Your Black Muslim Bakery, was found guilty of 3
counts of murder for ordering the killing of Oakland Post editor
Chauncey Bailey and two other men in 2007. Bey had wanted Bailey
dead to stop the publication of an unflattering investigative
report. Bailey had been looking into the bakery’s finances and the
business practices of its ownership. Antoine Mackay (25) was
convicted of 2 counts of first-degree murder for the killings of
Bailey and Michael Wills (36). The jury split on the murder of Odell
Robertson (31).
(SFC, 6/9/11)
2011 Jun 11, It was reported
that Harold Camping (89), the doomsday preacher who had recently
predicted that the world would end on May 21, suffered a stroke. The
radio evangelist was expected to recover, but the stroke might end
his Family Radio ministry, since he was suffering from slurred
speech.
(Oakland, CA Tribune, 6/11/11)(Econ, 5/28/11, p.36)
2011
Jun 12, In Oakland, CA, about 300 protesters staged a peaceful
demonstration near city hall to express their outrage that a white
former officer with the San Francisco Bay Area transit police was
about to be released from prison. Johannes Mehserle, was convicted
of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death in 2009 of Oscar
Grant, an unarmed black passenger. Mehserle only served eleven
months of a two-year sentence. Mehserle was released from a Los
Angeles jail early the next day.
(AP, 6/12/11)(SFC, 6/13/11, p.C1)
2011 Jun 14, A collection of
121 works of art, including Jackson Pollack’s “Lucky,” considered a
masterpiece, was donated to Stanford University by philanthropists
Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson and their daughter Mary Patricia
Anderson Pence. The art will be housed in a new facility, to be
called the Anderson Gallery.
(San Jose, CA Mercury-News, 6/14/11)
2011 Aug 8, In Oakland, Ca.,
Carlos Nava (30 was killed by accident during a driveby shooting at
64th Ave. and Int’l. Boulevard. On Aug 11 Lawrence Curtis Denard
(26) was charged with the boy’s murder.
(SFC, 8/12/11, p.C1)
2011 Aug 19, SoloPower of San
Jose, Ca., won final approval for a $197 million federal loan
guarantee to expand its headquarters and open 2 new manufacturing
facilities in Portland, Ore.
(SFC, 8/20/11, p.D1)
2011 Aug 31, In Fremont, Ca.,
solar-cell maker Solyndra announced that it will close its remaining
plant, layoff 1,100 employees and file for bankruptcy. Solyndra
received $535 million in 2009 to build its 2nd factory in Fremont.
(SFC, 9/1/11, p.A1)
2011 Sep 1, The World Economic
Forum pronounced Reputation.com, founded in 2006 as
ReputationDefender, as one of 31 “technology pioneer” companies. In
October the Redwood City, Ca., company posted an advertisement on
KCSM TV, a public TV channel in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a
focus on gathering users interested in the validity of their
identities.
(PBS,
10/10/11)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation.com)
2011 Sep 3, Oakland, Ca.,
hosted its first Int’l. Cannabis & Hemp Expo and offered an area
for those with a valid cannabis card to ingest, smoke or vaporize
their pot.
(SFC, 9/2/11, p.C2)
2011 Sep 7, The US federal
government tapped SolarCity of San Mateo, Ca., for a $1 billion
effort to install solar panels at 124 US military bases over the
next 5 years.
(SFC, 9/8/11, p.D1)
2011 Sep 14, In Oakland, Ca,
SAP AG’s former TomorrowNow software maintenance unit pleaded guilty
to charges related to unauthorized downloading of Oracle Corp.
software and agreed to pay a $20 million penalty.
(SFC, 9/15/11, p.A9)
2011 Sep 18, In South San
Francisco Joseph Maharaj (14) was shot to death in a driveby
shooting on the 600 block of First Lane. Four men fired 15-20 shots
at Maharaj and two friends, non of whom were gang members.
(SFC, 10/4/11, p.A1)
2011 Sep 19, California and
federal officials said shipping companies responsible for the Nov 7,
2007, Cosco Busan oil spill in the SF Bay have agreed to pay $44.4
million to restore bay habitat and reimburse agencies that responded
to the disaster.
(SFC, 9/20/11, p.A1)
2011 Sep 19, The Great America
amusement park in Santa Clara, Ca., was reportedly purchased by JMA
Ventures, a local real estate company, from Ohio’s Cedar Fair
Entertainment for $70 million.
(SFC, 9/20/11, p.C2)
2011 Sep 21, Norielyn Bautista
of Daly City, Ca., a former Burlingame credit union employee, was
sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison for embezzling over
$428,000 from the Pacific Advantage Federal Credit Union between
2006-2010.
(SSFC, 9/25/11, p.D2)
2011 Sep 23, In Nevada one
person has been killed and two others wounded in a shooting at a
hotel-casino in Sparks that witnesses said involved members of rival
motorcycle gangs. Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the San Jose
chapter of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club, was shot and killed by
Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez (53), an alleged member of the rival Vagos
motorcycle gang, at John Ascuaga’s Nugget casino. Gonzalez was
arrested 6 days later in San Francisco. On Oct 15 Steve Tausan was
shot and killed in San Jose, Ca., at the funeral of Pettigrew.
Police Steve Ruiz (38) for the killing of Tausan.
(AP, 9/24/11)(SSFC, 10/16/11, p.A15)(SSFC,
10/23/11, p.A11)
2011 Sep 25, An Oakland, Ca.,
police officer fatally shot an armed suspect. The shooting was
captured on a camcorder worn by the officer, raising questions about
letting the officer view the video in an ongoing investigation.
(SFC, 10/3/11, p.A1)
2011 Sep 29, The US Navy said
it will turn over the former Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda,
Ca. to the city of Alameda, for free.
(SFC, 9/30/11, p.C1)
2011 Oct 2, In San Leandro,
Ca., gunmen opened fire on a group of people leaving an unlicensed
warehouse party killing 3 young people and wounding 3 others.
(SFC, 10/3/11, p.C1)
2011 Oct 5, In Cupertino, Ca.,
Shareff Allman (49), an employee of a quarry, opened fire during a
company safety meeting, killing 3 people and wounding six before
escaping. Allman shot himself in the head the next day as Santa
Clara deputies confronted him in Sunnyvale.
(AP, 10/6/11)(SFC, 10/7/11, p.A1)(SFC, 10/12/11,
p.C1)
2011 Oct 8, Al Davis (82), the
trailblazing owner of the Oakland Raiders and Hall of Famer in his
own right, died in Oakland, Ca.
(SSFC, 10/9/11, p.A1)
2011 Oct 10, In Oakland, Ca.,
anti-Wall Street protesters began their Occupy Oakland encampment in
front of city hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza.
(SFC, 11/14/11, p.A9)
2011 Oct 20, Two small
earthquakes hit the San Francisco area, jolting residents on the
same day many Californians took part in an annual earthquake
preparedness drill. A 3.8 evening quake came nearly six hours after
a magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit in the same area.
(AP, 10/20/11)
2011 Oct 25, In Oakland, Ca.,
police fired tear gas into a crowd of over 100 Occupy Oakland
protesters who had marched to City Hall to reclaim the camp they’d
been evicted from early in the day. 97 people were arrested in the
early morning raid. Scott Olsen (24), an Iraq war veteran, suffered
a skull fracture from a police projectile.
(ABC, 10/26/11)(SFC, 11/14/11,
p.A9)(http://tinyurl.com/3l4pvay)
2011 Oct 26, In Oakland, Ca.,
anti-Wall Street protesters held a late-night march through the
streets, a day after one demonstrator, an Iraq War veteran, was left
in critical condition with a fractured skull following a clash with
police.
(AP, 10/27/11)
2011 Oct 27, In Oakland, Ca.,
Occupy Oakland protesters moved to reclaim the Frank Ogawa Plaza
outside City Hall following the police raid on Oct 25.
(SFC, 10/28/11, p.A15)
2011 Nov 2, Police used tear
gas and “flash bang” grenades on a large crowd of demonstrators that
lit a massive bonfire in the streets of downtown Oakland,
Calif., in a conflict following a day of action that saw the
city’s port closed after demonstrators blocked it.
(AP, 11/3/11)
2011 Nov 9, In Berkeley, Ca., 7
people were arrested as police broke up student efforts to build an
Occupy encampment on campus.
(SFC, 11/10/11, p.C1)
2011 Nov 10, In Oakland, Ca.,
Kayode Ola Foster (25) was slain during a fight just outside the
main camp of the Occupy Oakland encampment.
(SFC, 11/14/11, p.A9)
2011 Nov 14, In Oakland, Ca.,
some 1,000 Occupy Oakland protesters returned to Frank Ogawa Plaza
hours after being evicted by police. They were allowed to gather
with no camping. An estimated $500,000 was spent for outside
officers to assist Oakland police.
(SFC, 11/15/11, p.A1)
2011 Nov 15, In Berkeley, Ca.,
as many as 10,000 students and Occupy activists overflowed the UC
Berkeley Sproul Plaza following a daylong classroom walkout.
They established a small camp in defiance of the university’s edict
that no tents be erected.
(SFC, 11/16/11, p.A1)
2011 Nov 17, In California
police cleared the Occupy Cal encampment in UC Berkeley’s Sproul
Plaza, arresting 2 protesters and removing about 20 tents.
(SFC, 11/18/11, p.A13)
2011 Nov 17, In the San
Francisco Bay area Vallejo police officer James Capoot (45) was shot
and killed while attempting to apprehend a suspect wanted in a
robbery that had just occurred at the Bank of America at
Springstowne Center.
(SFC, 11/18/11, p.A1)
2011 Nov 19, I. Michael Heyman
(81), former chancellor of UC Berkeley (1980-1990) and former head
of the Smithsonian Institute (1994-1999), died in Berkeley.
(SFC, 11/22/11, p.Cr)
2011 Nov 20, San Francisco and
Oakland authorities moved to take control of the Occupy protests,
raiding an offshoot of the SF encampment and clearing a new camp in
a vacant lot in Oakland. SF protesters in response shutdown Market
street for several hours.
(SFC, 11/21/11, p.A1)
2011 Jack Foley (71), Oakland,
Ca., poet, authored “Visions and Affiliations: A California Literary
Time Line Part One,” a 1,300 page chrono-encyclopedia of Bay Area
poets and poetry.
(SFC, 8/20/11, p.E1)
Go to
http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = SF Bay Area
End of file