A trio of San Francisco deputies have been formally charged with organizing a brutal inmate fight club at the county jail for entertainment and gambling purposes.
AP'S Paul Elias writes: "Two Northern California sheriff's deputies and a former colleague were charged Tuesday with involvement in setting up jail inmates fights to gamble on them."
"Former San Francisco Sheriff's eputy Scott Neu was charged with eight felonies and nine misdemeanors, including assault by an officer and criminal threats. Deputy Eugene Jones was charged with two felony counts of assault by an officer and three related misdemeanor counts."
"Deputy Clifford Chiba faces three misdemeanor counts of cruel and unusual punishment of an inmate and failing to report the alleged fights."
Unfortunately, inmates aren't the only ones getting beat up. Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of Southern California's air quality board for 30+ years, fights for his job after developer-friendly Republicans recently became the majority on the board's panel.
LAT's Tony Barboza reports: "Southern California's air quality board is moving to replace its top executive a month after Republicans gained a majority on the panel with new appointees who have vowed to make pollution regulations less burdensome for businesses."
"The South Coast Air Quality Management District gave notice in an agenda item posted Tuesday that its governing board will hold a closed-door session to evaluate the performance of longtime Executive Officer Barry Wallerstein and consider his resignation, dismissal or other personnel actions."
"The appointment of an acting director to replace Wallerstein might also be considered at the session, which will take place at the air board's monthly meeting Friday in Diamond Bar."
Meanwhile, California's Secretary of State is urging the state and counties to work together to update public voting equipment in an effort to prevent a ballot issue, such as the 2000 presidential election hassle in Florida, from happening in California.
Katie Orr reports in KQED: "Going into a presidential election year, Secretary of State Alex Padilla says voting equipment in all of California’s counties is nearing the end of its life expectancy. He says the situation is becoming urgent, and could turn disastrous as it did in 2000."
“Most of us remember Florida that year, butterfly ballots, hanging chads,” he says. “And many experts point to the aging voting systems of Florida as responsible for the crisis that triggered the U.S. court’s intervention in the determination of who won the presidential election.”
"Padilla is pushing for about $450 million to replace the current equipment. He says the best path forward would be for the state and counties to work together on coming up with the money."
Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, District Attorney George Gascon is facing backlash after allegedly making racially disparaging remarks in 2010 in regards to police department diversity.
From the Chronicle's Matier & Ross: "As police chief, San Francisco’s crusading District Attorney George Gascón was plenty close with the police union he now criticizes as obstructionist and was largely unconcerned about Police Department diversity — and even made a few racially disparaging remarks during a booze-fueled night out with union leaders."
"Those are some of the assertions in a sworn declaration submitted by Gary Delagnes, the former president of the Police Officers Association, to a blue-ribbon task force that Gascón set up to look into allegations of racism and homophobia in the department."
"Delagnes submitted his declaration on Tuesday, eight days after Gascón’s Feb. 22 appearance before the panel, where he testified that the police union “influences the ability for a chief of police or frankly even a Police Commission to effectuate reform” — and not for the better."
The state has successfully launched another CIRM-funded research firm that aims to ultimately find cures for different types of cancers.
David Jensen in Capitol Weekly writes: "A new stem cell company that targets cancer by unleashing an “eat me” trigger has emerged from a $30 million investment by the state of California."
"Creation of the Palo Alto firm, which is called Forty Seven, Inc., was announced Feb. 24 by its backers and its key researcher, Irv Weissman, director of Stanford University’s stem cell program."
"Venture capitalists, including Google, are supporting the enterprise with $75 million. The effort has two phase one clinical trials underway, the first step in a years-long process of testing potential therapies before the federal government approves their widespread use."
By the way, a note to newsies: Veteran legal eagle Terry Francke, who has fought for a free press and the public's right to know for 35 years, is being honored March 10 by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He'll get the Norwin S. Yoffie Award for Career Achievement in ceremonies at the City Club in San Francisco. Be there or be square ...
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And finally, from our "Driving Miss Norma" file: A mile a day keeps the doctors away, as a 90 year old woman substitutes her cancer treatment with a family road trip in the face of grim news.
"A 90-year-old woman from Michigan decided to turn her cancer diagnosis into an excuse to travel across the United States."
"The woman named Norma is accompanied by her son Tim, daughter-in-law Ramie and their poodle Ringo, who document her adventures via the Facebook page "Driving Miss Norma."
"Norma learned of her cancer within two weeks of her husband's death and told her son prior to the diagnosis that she had no interest in treatment."
