A new nature preserve and wildlife habitat is being created out of a decades-old dumping ground in Marin County. Aramburu Island, which was created in the 1950s from human debris, will be renamed the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. The project is being bankrolled by a number of entities, including the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin...
Over on San Francisco’s shoreline, environmentalists and surfers are leading a fight against the erection of sea walls at Ocean Beach. The longtime practice of dumping used concrete and other debris to stop erosion has accelerated along with the pace of erosion all along California’s coastline, but opponents claim the short-term property protection is not worth the long-term environmental impacts, which include altering wave patterns, and possibly stripping the beaches of sand...
A new law that took effect Sunday will allow California landlords to ban smoking in multifamily housing. According to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Alex Padilla, multifamily residences account for 30% of the state’s housing stock. While many apartment buildings already have smoking bans in place, this new law adds more legal standing to their regulations...
Over the New Year weekend, a convoy of buses, some filled with Bay Area teens on a ski trip, was stopped in Elko, Nevada, where police seized an impressive amount of illegal drugs and paraphernalia. Despite finding “pounds of marijuana” Elko authorities did not arrest or hold any of the teens. The company organizing the trip eventually sent 17 kids home, while the rest of the 1800 teenagers continued onward to Utah...
The California Supreme Court’s ruling last week that allows the state to seize local redevelopment agencies could have a major effect on Oakland. Redevelopment money makes up a large part of city program funds and salaries for city workers, including the mayor. The elimination of Oakland’s redevelopment agency could result in the loss of 171 full-time city staffers, including 17 police officers...
A new mural featuring the 49ers will be officially unveiled today at the Walgreens store at Mission and Cesar Chavez streets in San Francisco. The mural was conceived as a backdrop for a 49ers music video by the director who made the popular YouTube hit “Feeling Like a Giant”, which celebrated the Giants’ World Series win in 2010.
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