Contra Costa

Checkmate: Who's Letting Debt Collectors Terrorize Consumers

Authorities Say MLK Day Is the Perfect Time to Get Rid of Your Gun

If you missed San Francisco's gun buy back last month, here's another opportunity for you to quit your firearms. Marin is hosting its own gun buy-back event, extending the invitation to residents in San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Sonoma counties. So cancel your plans to hit the shooting range on ... More >>

Public Influence: The Immortalization of an Anonymous Death

If you missed San Francisco's gun buy back last month, here's another opportunity for you to quit your firearms. Marin is hosting its own gun buy-back event, extending the invitation to residents in San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Sonoma counties. So cancel your plans to hit the shooting range on ... More >>

Christopher Boone Lacy Accused of Shooting CHP Officer in Head

The California Highway Patrol officer who was shot yesterday morning in the head and in the spinal cord remains in critical condition on life support.Footage from a dashboard camera reveals that the suspect, Christopher Boone Lacy, 36, pulled a gun on CHP Officer Kenyon Youngstrom, 37, after he atte ... More >>

Cop Sues SFPD for Suspending Him Because He Likes Photographing Naked Women

[Woman sits alone at bar. Man approaches, offers to buy drink. Woman accepts. Man takes seat at empty stool beside woman. Small talk materializes. Occasional smiles, giggles, and hair twirling. Conversation advances.] Woman: So, like, what do you do for fun? Man: Well, I like photographing naked w ... More >>

Chevron Fire: Richmond Residents File Lawsuit Against Oil Company

"If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood...If it's somethin' weird an it won't look good; Who ya gonna call?" Ghotsbusters? No. When heaps of smoke, ash, and fumes from the nearby Chevron Refinery enveloped their neighborhood, Richmond residents naturally called Attorney John Burris to le ... More >>

Shell Refinery Smoke Forces Health Advisory in Contra Costa County

Contra Costa Health Services has lifted the health advisory it issued earlier this afternoon after some flaring at the Martinez Shell Refinery sparked concerns. At 1:31 p.m., the Contra Costa Health Services issued an Level 2 advisory, which is a warning to people with preexisting respiratory or o ... More >>

East Bay Reisdents Get Early Morning Call About False Emergency at Shell Refinery

(Update 8:23 a.m.): Apparently, refinery officials were testing the alarm system when they accidentally issued a real warning. Well, at least we know it works. (Original story 8:10 a.m.): Nobody is quite clear why, but Contra Costa County health officials sounded a false alarm early this morning, wa ... More >>

Chevron Fire: Massive Refinery Blaze Might Mean Higher Gas Prices for Us

The good news is the Chevron fire is out and the order for East Bay folks to remain indoors has been lifted. The bad news is, there's a good chance gasoline prices are probably going to make us gag today.Chevron's 240,000-barrel-a-day refinery has reportedly closed down production units after the fi ... More >>

East Bay Woman Might Have Used Bible to Kill Love Rival in Exorcism, Prosecutors Say

An East Bay woman is facing murder charges after she allegedly smothered and beat another woman -- using a pillow and possibly a Bible -- in what she claims to have been an attempted exorcism. Karla Kuhl, 35, of El Sobrante, has been charged with murdering 58-year-old Patricia Medeiros on June 5. T ... More >>

Those Neglected Horses Rescued From Contra Costa County Ranch Are Doing Great

Here's some good news to offset all the recent slew of shootings, rapes, and robberies. Those sad-looking horses that were rescued from a CoCo ranch where they were badly neglected have been nursed back to good health. According to KTVU, which is crediting itself for saving the four horses' lives, t ... More >>

Good Grainy Granola, Without the Grain

Here's another foodie find from San Francisco International Airport's Terminal Two: Giddy Up & Go's gluten-free vegan granola. Contra Costa County-based Thoughtful Food makes two types of Giddy Up & Go Granola; Notoriously Nutty and Seriously Seedy. Both are based on the principles of the Specific ... More >>

Muni: Our Transit Agency Has Neglected Maintenance for Years

Here's another foodie find from San Francisco International Airport's Terminal Two: Giddy Up & Go's gluten-free vegan granola. Contra Costa County-based Thoughtful Food makes two types of Giddy Up & Go Granola; Notoriously Nutty and Seriously Seedy. Both are based on the principles of the Specific ... More >>

Sharee M. Hall, East Bay Woman, Sentenced for Ripping Off Jet Li's Charity

A Contra Costa County woman messed with the wrong person when she decided to defraud movie star Jet Li and his disaster-relief charity, One Foundation. Today, Sharee M. Hall, a Rodeo resident, was sentenced to six-plus years in prison after she was convicted in October of wire fraud and money launde ... More >>

The Culture of Foreclosure Auctions

In this week's feature story, "The Dispossessed," several real estate investors who attended a foreclosure auction declined to give their names. Real estate investors who buy foreclosed property after all, don't have the best public reputation -- one homeowner interviewed for the story called them " ... More >>

How You Can Get Tested for STDs in the Comfort of Your Own Home

As we've noted before, San Francisco is a hotbed of sexually transmitted diseases, and it's not just because we aren't regularly using condoms. It's also because we aren't regularly getting tested for STDs.But Bay Area health departments are making it so that you really have no excuse to not get tes ... More >>

Coloring Books No Kid Could Ever Want, Including David Lynch's "Dune"

Your Crap Archivist brings you the finest in forgotten and bewildering crap culled from Golden State thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets. Dune Coloring Book Author: Michael Nicastre Date: 1984 Publisher: Grosset & Dunlop Discovered at: 57th Street Antique Mall, Sacramento The Cover ... More >>

Philthy Rich, Oakland Rapper, Arrested at S.F. Rap Concert

​San Francisco police arrested three men, including Oakland rapper Philip Beasley (aka Philthy Rich) during a Sunday morning rap concert at the Rock-It Room Club in the Richmond District. According to police, officers arrested Beasley, 29, of Hayward; his promoter, Samuel Burns III, 33, of Vallejo ... More >>

Have a Food Business? A Design Group Wants to Brand You For Free!

​If you win their contest, that is. The Rooster Design Group is pitting San Francisco against New York City and hoping the best city wins. If you win, you'll get help with identity, logo application, package design, a website holding page, plus retail opportunities at swanky digs like Bi-Rite, Who ... More >>

Superhero in Exile: The Ray Goes It Alone

​If you win their contest, that is. The Rooster Design Group is pitting San Francisco against New York City and hoping the best city wins. If you win, you'll get help with identity, logo application, package design, a website holding page, plus retail opportunities at swanky digs like Bi-Rite, Who ... More >>

School Officials Apologize Over Racist Comic in Newsletter

A Pleasant Hill school secretary reminded us today why it is so very important to proofread before hitting send. The substitute secretary accidentally sent out this racist cartoon below along with the school newsletter, somehow mistaking the offensive image for a harmless comic. Of course, it hasn't ... More >>

Mitchell Katz, Bay Area Winemaker, Sues Wife Over "Dirty DUI"

rachelmnop via Flickr Mitchell Katz's divorce is dirtier than a dirty martini ​East Bay winemaker Mitchell Katz, is suing his wife and Chris Butler, the notorious Contra Costa County private eye who has been at the center of a massive police scandal, claiming the two were in cahoots to trap him in ... More >>

Report: Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests Skyrocketing in California

Doubling Up​It's a fine time to be a criminal in California. Arrests in every category of crime are down -- way down: Arrests for rape, murder, and theft have all decreased by two-thirds since 1990, according to a study published last week by the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Every cri ... More >>

Contra Costa Cop and Private Investigator Indicted on Charges of Running Brothel

Well, that didn't really go the way they imagined ​SF Weekly readers might recall the crazy story of a former CoCo County cop and PI who were busted for stealing drugs and operating their own brothel --  it's just not that kind of story you forget. After three months of investigation, the two ... More >>

Ellen Burleigh: I-5 Strangler Victim's Remains Found 30 Years Later

Ellen Burleigh​Anyone who was in Northern California during the late 1970s remembers the paralyzing fear many had when the notorious I-5 strangler was on the loose. The serial killer was known for kidnapping, raping, and murdering women. One of his many victims was 21-year-old Ellen Burleigh, whos ... More >>

San Francisco Not Losing Kids, Despite What Chronicle Story Says

Who said you couldn't raise six kids in San Francisco?​As of Monday afternoon a weekend front page story titled:  "S.F. losing kids as parents seek schools, homes" was still the most read story on the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site. More than 400 commenters debated whether it was bad scho ... More >>

S.F. Firefighters Vincent Perez and Anthony Valerio's Funeral Draws Thousands

This morning at St. Mary's Cathedral, thousands of people gathered for the funeral of San Francisco firefighters Vincent Perez and Anthony Valerio -- marking the fourth time in the past 20 years that the life of a San Francisco firefighter was honored at that location. Democratic leader Nancy Pelos ... More >>

Therapist Accused of Hypnotizing Patient, Then Having Sex with Her

Matthew Lindgren​A Bay Area therapist who specializes in sexual assault and rape cases allegedly had sex with his own patient while she was hypnotized. SF Weekly contacted lawyers for Angelina Rosiles, the plaintiff in the case, but they have not yet returned our phone calls. However, in a lawsuit ... More >>

CoCo Private Investigator Admits He Helped Run a Brothel

Everyone breaks the law, but someone has to enforce it ... even with cops​The crazy story of two former Contra Costa County cops who are at the center of a major drug scandal just got crazier.A private investigator admitted to the Chronicle that he and a drug task force commander were responsible ... More >>

East Bay Gang Bust: Cops Seize 135 Pounds of Meth

​Cops busted a gang in Contra Costa County, arresting 35 people and seizing 135 pounds of crystal meth, the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris announced today.So-called Operation Red Reach, which concluded today, was a coordinated effort by state and local law-enforcement authorities. Police ... More >>

Few Deportable Inmates Are from San Francisco

Mexicans top the list, but the Soviets aren't so far behind. ​Yesterday, we told you about California being a national leader when it comes to the number of criminal aliens incarcerated in our state prisons. It turns out that very few of those criminal aliens hail from San Francisco. Criminal alie ... More >>

No. 27: Fava Greens from Tairwa'-Knoll Farms

CUESAFava greens at the Saturday Ferry Plaza market, $6 per pound.​SFoodie's countdown of our 92 favorite things to eat and drink in San Francisco, 2011 edition. ​As the winter rains fade and the sun finally shines on the city's farmers' markets, perhaps the last thing you want to fill your sac ... More >>

Roundup: The Best New Barbecue in the Bay

CUESAFava greens at the Saturday Ferry Plaza market, $6 per pound.​SFoodie's countdown of our 92 favorite things to eat and drink in San Francisco, 2011 edition. ​As the winter rains fade and the sun finally shines on the city's farmers' markets, perhaps the last thing you want to fill your sac ... More >>

High-tech Thieves Jury Rigged Gas Pumps to Steal Customers' Identities

​A pair of MacGyver-esque identity thieves has pleaded guilty to implanting devices in gas pumps that stole customers' checking-account information, a scheme that state officials say brought in $90,000.The California Attorney General's office announced today that the men -- David Karapetyan and Zh ... More >>

San Francisco Is Still Smoking

​County-by-county smoking data released Monday by the state Department of Public Health reveal ashtray-makers are still doing pretty good business here in San Francisco. According to the California Adult Smoking Prevalence 2008 survey, 13.5 percent of San Franciscans are lighting up. To put that n ... More >>

Elections Overtime: The Races That Haven't Finished

...And we're counting​Funny thing about Instant-Runoff Voting: The results often aren't so instant. A number of elections around the state are still undetermined. What does the future hold? Gnashing of teeth, threats of litigation, and, of course, counting, counting, and recounting. In an Instant- ... More >>

Jonathan Kauffman: Remapping the city, one memorable dish at a time

...And we're counting​Funny thing about Instant-Runoff Voting: The results often aren't so instant. A number of elections around the state are still undetermined. What does the future hold? Gnashing of teeth, threats of litigation, and, of course, counting, counting, and recounting. In an Instant- ... More >>

Misdeeds

An investor finds that he has been swindled, and that the schemer was aided by a mortgage industry lacking oversight.

Fallout

How nuclear researchers handled -- and grossly mishandled -- the Cold War's most dangerous radioactive substances at a top-secret lab inside the Hunters Point Shipyard. The same shipyard the city wants to remake as San Francisco's newest neighborhood.

Side Dish

A Bad Mix