Free Republic

Police find spiked baseball bats throughout San Francisco San Francisco Police are asking for help leading to those chaining up spiked baseball bats to poles throughout the city. San Francisco Police Sgt. Michael Andraychak says officers first received reports of wooden or metal baseball bats appearing on poles and parking meters in the city on Thanksgiving morning. Andraychak says 27 bats with spikes running through them have been found since then. The latest discovery was Friday in the Fishermen's Wharf area. Andraychak says the spikes on the objects allow them to be considered a prohibited or deadly weapon, which is...

Airport commission approves a private LAX lounge for the rich and famous A proposal to build a posh private lounge at Los Angeles International Airport for Southern California’s glitterati was approved Thursday in a move that officials hope will reduce disturbances by paparazzi, looky-loos and autograph-seekers in the busy central terminal area. The Board of Airport Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the exclusive facility, which would cater to wealthy Hollywood celebrities, sports figures, diplomats and anyone else seeking privacy while waiting for their flights or after arriving at LAX. Airport officials say the lounge will be located in a...

San Francisco (CNN)The gun used in the killing of a San Francisco woman in a case that gave new political prominence to the issue of illegal immigration was stolen from a vehicle belonging to a federal Bureau of Land Management agent, a source familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. Kate Steinle was shot to death on July 1 on one of San Francisco's busiest piers. The .40-caliber pistol was a personal weapon, not an official firearm, the source said. Investigators still are trying to determine how Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the man accused in Steinle's killing, allegedly obtained the weapon, according...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles County's homeless population has grown by 12 percent during the past two years amid a sluggish economic recovery that has left the poorest residents of the second-largest U.S. metropolitan area falling farther behind, a study released on Monday found. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's report cited stagnant or falling wages among the lowest-income earners, a local jobless rate that remains above state and national averages, and a worsening lack of affordable housing. "The economy has improved, but not for the persons at greatest risk of homelessness," said Peter Lynn, the authority's executive director.

Clowns Brawl With Protesters Under Circus Big Top in San Bernardino • Hundreds of spectators watched the fight break out when workers allegedly tried to stop the activists from forcing their way inside Clowns brawled with animal rights protesters under a circus big top in San Bernardino Friday night, witnesses say. Hundreds of spectators watched the fight break out when workers allegedly tried to stop the activists from forcing their way inside after the Ramos Bros. Circus show began. Two protestors were arrested following the melee, while two circus employees were injured when the fight broke out at 8:08 p.m.,...

Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, was an early supporter of the mayor's plan to raise the minimum wage to $15. Now she is having serious second thoughts.Hazel Roos, owner of Paint Away in Redmond, had planned to open a specialty toy store near her home in Seattle. Those plans are now on hold. Ethan and Angela Stowell own 10 neighborhood restaurants in Seattle. They have decided not to move forward on two new restaurants because of uncertainty over the minimum wage. As the Seattle City Council continues to debate a plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage, and...

Che Cafe at UCSD must close, judge rules SAN DIEGO — The student-run Che Cafe at UC San Diego will have to close its doors after a judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the university in its eviction lawsuit. UCSD filed suit after the student collective refused to vacate the 1940s- era building on campus. University officials said the building needs $700,000 in repairs to stay open. Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal ruled in favor of UCSD after a bench trial.

MURRIETA: Mayor, arrested in suspected DUI crash that injured four, apologizes Murrieta Mayor Alan Long was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Thursday after a crash left four Murrieta Valley High School cheerleaders with injuries ranging from moderate to major, authorities said. Long, 44, was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley and later released on $50,000 bail. He did not respond to requests for comment. About 8:15 p.m., Long was driving south on Jefferson Avenue when his full-size pickup truck crashed into the back of a car waiting to make a left turn at Lily Avenue, Murrieta...

Man, 79, Beaten After Accidentally Bumping Into Car In Grocery Store Parking Lot APPLE VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — A 79-year-old man was attacked when he accidentally bumped into a car in a grocery store parking lot in Apple Valley. The incident happened Sunday at a Stater Bros. on Bear Valley Road. According to sheriff’s officials, Alfred McOsker was unloading his groceries into his car when his leg touched a newer Hyundai parked next to him. The car’s owner accused McOsker of scratching his vehicle and then punched the older man repeatedly in the face. The victim’s daughter, Alison Rennie, said the...

Boys hurt by razor blades planted in park SAN DIEGO – More than a dozen razors were discovered planted in the grass at a children’s playground near Mission Bay after two brothers slashed their feet Wednesday, police said. San Diego police received a call from a parent around 7 p.m. stating that her sons, ages 7 and 15, were cut by razors at Bonita Cove in Mission Bay Drive. One boy suffered minor injures that required stitches. “Paramedics were able to pull the razor blade out [of the 7-year-old boy’s foot],” SDPD Lt. Paul Phillips said. Investigators using metal detectors...

Beginning in early 2011, state Sen. Leland Yee repeatedly solicited bribes to fund his San Francisco mayor and California secretary of state campaigns, according to the FBI agents who brought him down last month. But he appears to have devoted more time and energy to a far more lucrative pursuit: crafting or carrying legislation benefiting special interests who supply campaign contributions. It's a practice that's all too common in Sacramento, but Yee was a master. :snip: Yee introduced 20 bills from 2011 to 2014 that advanced a special interest over the public interest, according to this newspaper's review of his...

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A story that sounds like a movie script is slowly grinding its way to trial. All of the 29 defendants in the massive corruption case involving suspended State Senator Leland Yee and reputed gangster Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow appeared in federal court Thursday. With so many defendants, lawyers, and documents, the judge is trying to set up a system to manage what could be an unwieldy trial. What makes it even harder is that not everyone's on the same page. The frustration is beginning to show. There are 29 defendants, even more lawyers, a 137 page...

State senator accused of gun charges SAN FRANCISCO — A California state senator who authored gun control legislation asked for campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover FBI agent to an arms trafficker, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. The allegations against State Sen. Leland Yee were outlined in an FBI criminal complaint that names 25 other defendants, including Raymond Chow, a onetime gang leader with ties to San Francisco's Chinatown known as "Shrimp Boy," and Keith Jackson, Yee's campaign aide. The affidavit accuses Yee of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms. Yee...

Medical marijuana dispensary guard shoots self in foot SAN BERNARDINO - A medical marijuana dispensary guard shot himself in the foot for unknown reasons Friday night, according to police. Just after 9 p.m. officers went to the 3300 block of East Highland Avenue to investigate the shooting. “On our arrival, we found that the security guard for the business, for some reason, had his weapon out, discharged his firearm, striking himself in the foot one time,” said Lt. Travis Walker. The security guard was transported to a hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound, according to Walker. “We plan...

The following are photos taken on Friday, September 20, 2013 at the Ronald Reagan Sports Park in Temecula, California. The Reagan statue and monument was likely vandalized either the night before or in the early morning hours of Friday September 20. The cause of the damage appears to be vandalism by arson. Local police were called to the scene and an investigation is ongoing. - Photo of the Reagan Monument with missing damaged tiles. - The missing/vandalized tiles were removed by city staff ... notice the burn marks at the base of the structure. - Burned/damaged tiles on both side...

California Police Wish Gun Owners Would Just Comply with Robbers If a couple of thugs break into your place of business and point a gun in your face, then you would be perfectly justified in opening fire on them, right? Well, maybe not. San Jose police are giving one gun owner a stern tsk-tsk after she defended her property from a pair of armed thieves. According to ABC Local 7 News, a pair of thieves wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts burst into a San Jose jewelry store at 10:15 a.m. on Monday. At least one of the would-be thieves was...

Santa Monica Forced To CANCEL Christmas After Atheist Campaigner Launches Protest Against Town's Holiday Decorations 18 November 2012 A California town has been forced to axe its Christmas decorations after an atheist protester objected to a 14-piece religious display in the town centre and set up his own booths mocking Christianity and preventing church groups from celebrating the holidays. Officials in Santa Monica, California have snuffed the city's holiday tradition this year rather than intervening in the religious fight - prompting churches which have set up a 14-scene Christian diorama every year for decades to sue over freedom of speech...

The odds of having your car stolen are higher in these 10 metropolitan areas. But you can take steps to protect your ride, and they might even earn an insurance discount. The bad news for California drivers? Your state had the greatest number of hot spots in the country for auto thefts in 2011, according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau report released recently.

MURRIETA: Grandma’s pot cookies land toddler in hospital A 3-year-old Murrieta boy ended up in the hospital over the weekend after he got into his grandma’s special chocolate chip cookies while no one was looking. Little did he know, the cookies were not for kids. They were laced with medical marijuana concentrate, police said. The grandmother, who has been diagnosed with cancer, had a doctor’s recommendation for marijuana to treat her pain and to help her sleep, Sgt. Phil Gomez said. Days before, she had baked THC oil into a batch of cookies and tucked them away in a garage...

Monterey biologist accused of feeding whale SAN FRANCISCO ---- A marine biologist who runs popular whale-watching tours on California's Monterey Bay has been indicted for violating federal laws that protect marine mammals. Nancy Black, a marine scientist whose work has been featured on PBS, National Geographic and Animal Planet, was charged Wednesday with four violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Her attorneys countered the charges by arguing that her interactions with the creatures were legal scientific research. She was accused of feeding killer whales in 2005 during a research trip, and misleading investigators by editing video footage of her...