Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
SFPD unaccountable, uses ‘stop and frisk,’ D.A.’s panel says // SF Gate
“The San Francisco Police Department has outdated policies, engages in 'stop and frisk' tactics on the street that have drawn outrage around the country, and does a poor job tracking officers’ conduct so it can root out problems, according to a blue-ribbon panel of judges created by District Attorney George Gascón to investigate bias in the police force.
“Police officials said they hadn’t seen the panel’s preliminary findings, which were to be released publicly Monday evening at the African American Art and Culture Complex. Martin Halloran, the head of the police officers union, called the panel’s report an 'illegitimate work of fiction' driven by Gascón’s animosity toward police.”
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California water regulators propose major shift in drought conservation rules // Sacramento Bee
“In a major shift in California’s urban water policy, state regulators Monday issued proposed conservation rules that would lift the mandatory 25 percent statewide water cuts in place since last June.
“Instead, urban water agencies across the state would be required to conserve on a sliding scale tailored to their unique water supply conditions. A draft of the new targets released Monday by the State Water Resources Control Board would allow districts to 'self-certify' how much water they expect to have in their supply assuming three additional years of drought, and the level of conservation necessary to ensure they do not run out of water.”
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California primary election: Voter turnout may still be huge // The Mercury News
“Arguing that California voters will belie the predictions of political analysts that legions of them will stay away from the polls, some voting experts say to expect a robust launch of the June 7 primary election, which begins Monday with early voting and millions of ballots being mailed to households across the Golden State.
“'Any political consultant who's going around predicting lower voter turnout in this election is mistaken -- and should be fired,' said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. 'People are going to see the turnout in California as a test of all the major candidates' popularity. They want to be counted, on the record.'”
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BAOBOB: The East Bay's New Black Business Directory // East Bay Express
“In the battle for Black livelihood, YaVette Holts is leading the economic front. The massage therapist — and founder of Cowrie Village, a non-profit with programs that encourage alternatives to traditional monetary exchanges — wants to create the financial infrastructure that the movement can turn to if and when the system comes crumbling down.
“'The temperature has been turned up and things are really hot right now,' she said. 'And the concept of equity is at risk.'”
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Calscape website helps Californians bring back native plants// Berkeley News
“UC Berkeley’s Jepson Herbarium has teamed up with the California Native Plant Society to help homeowners across the state replace lawns and other water-thirsty plants with native California plant species.
“The new online tool, Calscape, helps Californians save water and bring back native flora, along with the birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators that evolved with them.”
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Vast new limits urged for proposed Oakland shipping terminal // SF Gate
"A planned shipping terminal in Oakland could face a new set of restrictions, even after officials decide, in June, whether to ban its developer from exporting millions of tons of coal from Oakland’s docks.
"At a public hearing Monday, environmentalists urged the City Council to prohibit not only coal but a whole array of fossil fuels from being shipped. They said the terminal — which is a key piece of developer Phil Tagami’s plan to resuscitate 366 acres at the long-defunct Oakland Army Base — could be the source of a major disaster."
