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![Bayview Pastor Evicted and Arrested During Latest Standoff With Sheriff's Department [Updated]](http://media1.fdncms.com/sfweekly/imager/u/topstories/4408778/feature1-5-6b61cd7b02066639.jpg "Bayview Pastor Evicted and Arrested During Latest Standoff With Sheriff's Department [Updated]")
Friday, January 15, 2016
Environment / Weather / Signs of the Apocalypse Forget El Niño: California May Never Get Out of Drought, UC Berkeley Prof Says
Posted By Chris Roberts on Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 12:52 PM
It's an El Niño winter, and the news is full of rain, sleet, and snow. If only California was as well.
Precipitation so far in this wet winter that is supposed to save us from the worst drought of our lifetimes is only slightly above "normal" — and in some parts of California, including the southern Sierra, precipitation is still below normal.
Think about that. The long-awaited wet weather event has, so far, just barely pushed things to around what's supposed to be "normal."
This may be a hard fact to fathom this weekend, as you drive through more rain in order to reach the snowed-in approaches to Lake Tahoe — lucky you; drive safely — but other scientists agree. The four-year drought that's seen reservoirs and groundwater supplies dry up is not over — not unless several more El Niños follow on this one's heels.
In fact, according to one U.C. Berkeley researcher, the state may never recover from the drought.
In fact, according to one U.C. Berkeley researcher, the state may never recover from the drought.
BART / Transportation Starting Today, Some BART Trains Will Have Even Fewer Seats
Posted By Jeremy Lybarger on Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 11:38 AM
Transit planners call it a “crush load,” but commuters know it as a typical rush hour on BART. With ridership levels at record highs, the agency is getting creative (or desperate) with space management aboard packed trains. Starting today, BART will remove seats from 20 of its cars to accommodate more passengers.
Per Hoodline, seven double seats in each car will be replaced with single seats. Four of the newly roomy cars will launch on each of the agency's five lines.
Community / Housing / Local Drama Bayview Pastor Evicted and Arrested During Latest Standoff With Sheriff's Department [Updated]
Posted By Adam Brinklow on Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 10:56 AM
Pastor Yul Dorn, a Bayview resident who stubbornly resisted the foreclosure of his house for almost seven years, was finally and ultimately evicted yesterday morning. On top of that, Dorn was also arrested after he refused to vacate his home, along with three supporters who tried to hinder the eviction when sheriff’s deputies arrived at about 8:30 a.m.
Sheriff’s Department Chief of Staff Eileen Hurts says Dorn was charged with three misdemeanors, including failure to obey a court order and trespass. The activists were also charged with trespass and failure to disperse.
“They were sitting in the property and refusing to leave,” she explains. “It was very passive, and non-violent.”
Dorn was released after about eight hours. He and his family, including his adult daughter and her 8-month-old son, are holed up at a hotel right now. All of their possessions are still back at the house on Las Villas Court (“I didn’t even have time to grab a toothbrush,” Dorn says), but the locks have been changed.
The 58-year-old pastor (Dorn is actually the sheriff’s department chaplain) and social worker sounded like he was in a mild state of shock when reached by phone this morning. Although the house — Dorn’s home for 20 years — was sold on the open market six months ago, he’d remained confident that he would somehow find a way to stay.
“We were supposed to be negotiating to buy it back,” he says. “We knew this could happen any day, but it was still a surprise.”
Sheriff’s Department Chief of Staff Eileen Hurts says Dorn was charged with three misdemeanors, including failure to obey a court order and trespass. The activists were also charged with trespass and failure to disperse.
“They were sitting in the property and refusing to leave,” she explains. “It was very passive, and non-violent.”
Dorn was released after about eight hours. He and his family, including his adult daughter and her 8-month-old son, are holed up at a hotel right now. All of their possessions are still back at the house on Las Villas Court (“I didn’t even have time to grab a toothbrush,” Dorn says), but the locks have been changed.
The 58-year-old pastor (Dorn is actually the sheriff’s department chaplain) and social worker sounded like he was in a mild state of shock when reached by phone this morning. Although the house — Dorn’s home for 20 years — was sold on the open market six months ago, he’d remained confident that he would somehow find a way to stay.
“We were supposed to be negotiating to buy it back,” he says. “We knew this could happen any day, but it was still a surprise.”
Community / Government / Local News Hearing About Haight Gas Leaks Turns Into Game of Hot Potato: Who’s to Blame?
Posted By Adam Brinklow on Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 10:24 AM
A long train of stupid events pulled into its final station last night with an official postmortem on that infamous Haight Street public works project — the one whose five gas leaks stopped just short of destroying the historic corridor.
Board of Supervisors President London Breed and a few of her board colleagues called representatives from the various relevant parties to City Hall, partly to discuss how to avoid another Three Stooges routine in future infrastructure projects but also, seemingly, just to have everybody in one place for a good drubbing.
“I won‘t allow this to continue,” Breed said, reviewing the charges: five gas leaks and at least two sinkholes (Haight neighbors contend it was three), triggered by contractors who were supposed to replace aging water and sewer lines. The $13.7 million project kicked off last April and was planned to take a few weeks. It’s still unfinished.
Board of Supervisors President London Breed and a few of her board colleagues called representatives from the various relevant parties to City Hall, partly to discuss how to avoid another Three Stooges routine in future infrastructure projects but also, seemingly, just to have everybody in one place for a good drubbing.
“I won‘t allow this to continue,” Breed said, reviewing the charges: five gas leaks and at least two sinkholes (Haight neighbors contend it was three), triggered by contractors who were supposed to replace aging water and sewer lines. The $13.7 million project kicked off last April and was planned to take a few weeks. It’s still unfinished.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
WTF? Bones From Two People, Not One, Found in Planter Box
Posted By Chris Roberts on Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 3:22 PM
Just before Thanksgiving, a resident of McAllister Street made a grisly discovery while gardening in a planter box outside a building: human bones, of the size to belong to a dead child.
Police were called, who then called in a cadaver dog and experts, who then made a doubly grisly discovery — more human bones, from another person, this one an adult.
As for who the unidentified juvenile, aged no more than 14 years old, and the adult found in the planter box are? Nobody has any idea, police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan told the Chronicle.
The city's Medical Examiner is currently testing the remains to determine key facts like race, gender, and how long they were buried in somebody's garden, but in the meantime, the SFPD's Homicide Unit is investigating.
But this isn't considered a homicide. Yet.
Police were called, who then called in a cadaver dog and experts, who then made a doubly grisly discovery — more human bones, from another person, this one an adult.
As for who the unidentified juvenile, aged no more than 14 years old, and the adult found in the planter box are? Nobody has any idea, police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan told the Chronicle.
The city's Medical Examiner is currently testing the remains to determine key facts like race, gender, and how long they were buried in somebody's garden, but in the meantime, the SFPD's Homicide Unit is investigating.
But this isn't considered a homicide. Yet.
California Public Utilities Commission Fines Uber $7.6 Million For Failure to Turn Over Data
Posted By Jeremy Lybarger on Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 12:32 PM
The California Public Utilities Commission ruled today that Uber, the San Francisco-based ride-hail company (and new prison-to-work pipeline), will be fined $7.6 million for failing to meet the state’s data reporting requirements. Uber has vowed to appeal the ruling, but, as the Los Angeles Times reports, has agreed to pay the fine to avoid
a 30-day license suspension.
Crime / History / Yesterday's Crimes Yesterday's Crimes: Bodies in Barrels and the Killer Cop
Posted By Bob Calhoun on Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 10:58 AM
The 55-gallon metal drums looked out of place. They were left in Golden Gate Park near a narrow jogging path about a mile from the ocean. Answering reports from concerned residents, mounted patrolman Bruno Pezzulich was the first to inspect the drums on May 3, 1983. He noticed that one of them was marked "Toxic Chemicals," and called the fire department.
When one of the firefighters moved one of the concrete-sealed barrels, blood began to ooze out.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Community / Housing For the Second Time in Two Weeks, Bayview Rallies to Block Eviction of Beloved Pastor
Posted By Adam Brinklow on Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 5:02 PM
Yul Dorn, a pastor, social worker, and lifelong Bayview resident, was supposed to be evicted this morning. About 50 activists, union members, and church members gathered to blockade his home on Las Villas Court and prevent sheriff’s deputies — bodily, though not violently — from removing Dorn and his family.
“They usually just leave if there are a lot of us here,” said Grace Martinez, an organizer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, described as “a union for neighborhoods.” ACCE fancies Dorn a cause célèbre in a “one house at a time” fight against eviction in the Bayview, where black families make up 21 percent of the population but 40 percent of evictions.
“They usually just leave if there are a lot of us here,” said Grace Martinez, an organizer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, described as “a union for neighborhoods.” ACCE fancies Dorn a cause célèbre in a “one house at a time” fight against eviction in the Bayview, where black families make up 21 percent of the population but 40 percent of evictions.
Fire Lawsuit: PG&E Brass Ordered Documents Destroyed After San Bruno
Posted By Chris Roberts on Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 1:17 PM
Officials with Pacific Gas and Electric Company — whose gas main blew up in San Bruno in September 2010, killing eight people and destroying a neighborhood — ordered documents destroyed after the explosion, according to a claim made in a lawsuit.
As the Chronicle reports, former PG&E official Leslie Banach McNiece was hired after the fatal blast to help PG&E sift through its records.
She claims to have discovered key documents — including a "telltale preblast analysis of the pipe" — in a garbage bin, she told federal prosecutors.
As the Chronicle reports, former PG&E official Leslie Banach McNiece was hired after the fatal blast to help PG&E sift through its records.
She claims to have discovered key documents — including a "telltale preblast analysis of the pipe" — in a garbage bin, she told federal prosecutors.
Community / Government / Local News City Fires Company Responsible For Repeated Gas Leaks in the Haight
Posted By Jeremy Lybarger on Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 10:19 AM
Over the past nine months, residents in the Haight have complained about repeated gas line breaks — five in all — that disrupted the neighborhood, opened sinkholes, and delayed a major infrastructure project.
As KQED reports, the city has finally fired Synergy Project Management, the subcontractor responsible for the mishaps, alleging both incompetence and public safety breaches. This follows Synergy's appeal of the city's decision halt the $13.7 million project
The city rarely fires companies involved in public works projects, according to Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon, but in this case it’s easy to see why Synergy raised concerns.
As KQED reports, the city has finally fired Synergy Project Management, the subcontractor responsible for the mishaps, alleging both incompetence and public safety breaches. This follows Synergy's appeal of the city's decision halt the $13.7 million project
The city rarely fires companies involved in public works projects, according to Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon, but in this case it’s easy to see why Synergy raised concerns.
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