Richard Gonzales : NPR

National

Dust Up in San Francisco over Wheelchair Ramp

March 31, 2008 • San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Michela Alioto-Pier is vowing to sue the city unless it builds a wheelchair ramp to enable her to reach the board chamber's main podium. The city says the cost, estimated to top $1 million, is prohibitive.

Dust Up in San Francisco over Wheelchair Ramp

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National

Activists Target San Francisco's Olympic Torch Visit

March 28, 2008 • San Francisco is bracing for big protests from pro-Tibet activists as the Olympic torch arrives in the city next month. San Francisco officials have been reluctant to share details about the torch route in hopes of minimizing the protesters' ability to plan. Now the ACLU is intervening on behalf of the protesters.

Activists Target San Francisco's Olympic Torch Visit

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Economy

Renters Face Rapid Eviction As Foreclosures Soar

March 14, 2008 • As foreclosures continue to rise across the country, the number of renters being affected by the housing crisis is also going up. Banks try to recoup their losses by selling homes, and renters are facing rapid evictions. In California, scores of renters are being kicked out of their homes, even when they haven't missed a single rent payment.

Renters Face Rapid Eviction As Foreclosures Soar

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National

School Offers Classes on Cooking with Pot

March 8, 2008 • In Oakland, Calif., a trade school is training students to work in the state's thriving medical marijuana business. Students are learning how to cook with pot and cultivate various species of marijuana plants that are best suited for treating particular ailments.

School Offers Classes on Cooking with Pot

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Economy

Slump, Costs, Put Vallejo on Brink of Bankruptcy

February 28, 2008 • A San Francisco suburb that has been hit hard by the sagging housing market is on the verge of going broke. Officials in Vallejo, Calif., will decide whether to declare bankruptcy this week, as they face big increases for police and fire protection — and sagging tax revenues.

Slump, Costs, Put Vallejo on Brink of Bankruptcy

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Law

Suit Accuses Homeland Security of Illegal Searches

February 15, 2008 • Two civil liberties groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security to force it to disclose its policy for searching U.S. citizens and their electronic devices when re-entering the United States.

Suit Accuses Homeland Security of Illegal Searches

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Education

Top San Diego School Accused of Grade-Fixing

February 1, 2008 • One of the highest ranked charter schools in the nation is trying to salvage its reputation. An audit found evidence of grade inflation, allegedly encouraged by the school's founding principal.

Top San Diego School Accused of Grade-Fixing

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National

Calif. Group Comes to the Aid of Vick's Pit Bulls

January 26, 2008 • The lives of all but 2 of the 49 dogs seized in the Michael Vick dog-fighting case are being spared, thanks to several rescue organizations. Roughly half of the 47 dogs are in foster care and could soon be available for adoption. Ten of the dogs are in Oakland, Calif., attending training sessions to socialize them.

Calif. Group Comes to the Aid of Vick's Pit Bulls

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National

Calif. Deals with $14B Budget Deficit

January 9, 2008 • California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to fix the state's $14 billion budget deficit — without raising taxes. He lays out some of his plans during a State of the State address. Schwarzenegger is a Republican who tends to work well with Democrats, but the good times may be coming to an end.

Calif. Deals with $14B Budget Deficit

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National

California Faces Drastic Steps to Fix Budget Deficit

January 8, 2008 • California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers his annual State of the State address Tuesday, in the middle of a worsening financial situation for the Golden State. The governor has said he will propose deep budget cuts Tuesday and declare a "fiscal emergency" within a month.

California Faces Drastic Steps to Fix Budget Deficit

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National

San Francisco Zoo Re-Opens after Tiger Attack

January 3, 2008 • The San Francisco Zoo re-opens Thursday, still embroiled in investigation, controversy and potential lawsuits over a tiger mauling that left one zoo visitor dead and two others injured on Christmas day. Zoo officials face accusations that they had reason to suspect that the big cat habitat was inadequate.

San Francisco Zoo Re-Opens after Tiger Attack

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Law

Murder May Be Tied to Online Sex Offender List

December 28, 2007 • A construction worker with a young son is accused of killing a 67-year-old convicted sex offender who had moved to the northern California town of Lakeport. Prosecutors preparing for a hearing in January are looking into whether the man was murdered because of his listing in the Megan's Law database.

Murder May Be Tied to Online Sex Offender List

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National

Father Enlists to Honor Fallen Son

December 9, 2007 • When First Lt. Nathan Krissoff was killed in Iraq a year ago, his father, Bill, an orthopedic surgeon, searched for a way to honor his son's sacrifice. With the help of President Bush and Karl Rove, the 61-year-old enlisted in the Navy Medical Corps and hopes to be assigned to Iraq.

Father Enlists to Honor Fallen Son

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Law

Iris Scanning Tracks Sex Offenders

December 3, 2007 • Law enforcement officials are tracking sex offenders with a futuristic biometric tool: iris scanning. Jurisdictions in seven states are experimenting with technology that takes a picture of an offender's iris and stores it in a national database where it can be used to identify them.

Iris Scanning Tracks Sex Offenders

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Education

Philanthropic Gardener Helps Kids Pay for College

November 19, 2007 • An immigrant gardener began saving for his children's education before the first one was born. Catalino Tapia later decided he wanted to help others in his San Francisco-area community attend college as well.

Philanthropic Gardener Helps Kids Pay for College

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