» What We Know: The Palo Alto home was burglarized on July 17, though most major outlets did not report the news until this morning, and follows a drastic increase in Bay Area burglaries. Police have a suspect in custody, 35-year-old Kariem McFarlin, currently being held on $500,000 bail and scheduled to appear in court August 20 to enter a plea. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in prison. Authorities have not disclosed whether the stolen items belonged to Jobs or a relative, and all questions regarding the case are being referred to the district attorney’s office.
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» One of California’s top 10 emitters of toxic chemicals: The Richmond, Calif. Chevron plant where the massive fire took place is a bit of an environmental problem child even when it isn’t having massive fires that force people to stay inside their homes. The plant, which suffered that fire on Monday evening, is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the state, and the fire will singlehandedly make gas prices rise on the West Coast.
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“Go inside. Close all windows and doors,” a phone message to residents near the Chevron plant in Richmond, Calif. said. The oil refinery fire has as of the moment not caused any injuries (all workers have been accounted for), but people are being asked to stay inside and turn off air conditioning and fans, and to cover cracks around doors to prevent any hazardous material from getting inside their homes. Pretty scary. (more here; photo by CatsMan2 on Flickr)
Breaking: Huge fire at Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California. Residents told to close windows and stay indoors. This same refinery caught fire about 10 years ago.
Keeping an eye on this. @ProducerMatthew has been tweeting about this heavily in the past half-hor.
Well, that has to suck: Sure, it’s fun when it’s moving quickly, but what happens when a 150-foot-tall roller coaster gets stuck? Twelve unlucky riders at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. found out the hard way, when a Superman-themed ride just, uh, stopped on Sunday. Fortunately, it was more an annoyance than a dangerous situation, with the riders getting stuck for an hour and a half, but eventually getting down.
I watched as my son took his last breath. I watched as his heart stopped beating for the last time. Please, please, please stop the violence. It’s not going to bring my son back, and this is the worst thing any mother could go through.Genevieve Huizar, the mother of Anaheim shooting victim Manuel Diaz • Offering a pained plea for people in the city to stop the violence. Diaz’s shooting by police on Saturday has led to violent protests in the city, leading to shattered windows and numerous arrests. The violence is partly due to a changing demographic — Anaheim, once a mostly white city, is now more than 50 percent Hispanic, and the shooting has become a bit of a spark for those feeing disenfranchised. Diaz’s family has sued the city over the shooting, seeking $50 million in damages.
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the L.A. City Council voted to end the era of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Letters demanding an immediate end to all operations will be sent to all 762 registered dispensaries in Los Angeles; however, some older dispensaries may be allowed to re-open at a later date thanks to a “grandfather clause” proposal which also passed a vote. Many activists have pledged to fight the new measure — both in court and with ballot initiatives if necessary — including the California branch of Americans for Safe Access. So, do you think this was the right move? (Photo via Dank Depot) source
» And they have company, too: San Bernardino, population 202,000, is not a small city. Nor is Stockton, population 291,000, which announced its intention to declare bankruptcy last month. Both fell on hard times after a boom-and-bust period. The much-smaller Mammoth Lakes also filed for bankruptcy protection recently, but unlike the recession-related reasons for the other two cities, their reason was lawsuit-related. (That city owes $43 million in a breach-of-contract lawsuit to a developer, which is far more than their yearly operating budget.) Anyone want to take bets on which California city falls prey to bankruptcy protection next, if any? (Edit: Spelling)
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Yahoo wants to buy Hulu now too. They’re going on an “I...
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OMG. I got so...
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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The Associated Press is reporting that former Secretary of Commerce John Bryson will not face charges related to two hit-and-run accidents that took place in California last month.
Some Californians are shoving foie gras down their throats so fast they look like stuffed geese. As of Sunday, that food is outlawed.
Despite the prospect of a $1,000-per-day fine, a few of Lefebvre’s chef peers are rumored to be stashing away foie gras to quietly serve to favored customers, he said, and some have considered charging a fee to prepare foie gras brought in by patrons. Lefebvre won’t sell any of the product, but plans to “investigate” his options.
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Note the wording of the “shoving foie gras down their throats” line. This is basically how foie gras is made.
» “All that’s left is sadness.”: Stockton’s failure to keep its budget in line is a bit of a lingering effect from the mid-2000s housing boom and later recession. With economic growth built on credit and expensive projects (including a sports arena) built during the stronger times, the city’s fall during the recession — it has the second-highest rate of foreclosures in the country — hit particularly hard. The city has stopped making bond payments, and on Tuesday, the city council voted to file for bankruptcy protection.
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David Blankenhorn’s evolution on marriage equality is emblematic of the paradigm shift we are experiencing as a country on this issue. Loving gay and lesbian couples should not be denied the ability to make the same lifelong commitment as everyone else and Blankenhorn’s agreement with that proposition puts him in the mainstream of American opinion.Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin • Discussing David Blankenhorn, a once-star proponent for California’s controversial Proposition 8, and his shift towards supporting marriage equality, which he expressed in an op-ed in the New York Times, which you can read here. Blankehorne founded the Institute for American Values and testified in favor of Prop. 8 during the trial in California. source (via • follow)
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