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Richard Gonzales
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Richard Gonzales

Friday

With Robberies Up, Oakland Residents Turn To Private Cops

Security officer Steven Long patrols the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood in Oakland, Calif. With city police struggling to control crime, several neighborhoods have hired private security to patrol local streets. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

National

With Robberies Up, Oakland Residents Turn To Private Cops

Nervous over a steep spike in armed robberies, several Oakland, Calif., neighborhoods have pooled funds to hire private security patrols. And while some residents feel safer, others worry that there is no one policing the private police force.

With Robberies Up, Oakland Residents Turn To Private Cops

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Wednesday

How A Free Bus Shuttle Helped Make A Small Town Take Off

There were 1.5 million boardings on the Emery Go Round last year. Zikhona Tetana, a visiting scientist from South Africa, is taking the Emery Go Round to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory facility in Emeryville. "It's convenient and always on time," she says. Cindy Carpien/NPR hide caption

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Cindy Carpien/NPR

U.S. Commutes: The Way We Get To Work

How A Free Bus Shuttle Helped Make A Small Town Take Off

Emery Go Round is a free shuttle, provided by businesses in Emeryville, Calif. Not only did the popular shuttle help solve one of the most annoying problems for transportation planners known as the last mile, it helped the city reinvent itself as a home to headquarters for Pixar, Jamba Juice and Peet's Coffee.

How A Free Bus Shuttle Helped Make A Small Town Take Off

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Wednesday

National

San Franciscans Nix Waterfront Development Plans

Voters in San Francisco have rejected a referendum that would have allowed a major new condominium development on the city's waterfront.

San Franciscans Nix Waterfront Development Plans

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Wednesday

Police, Community Relations Strained After Teen's Death

Hundreds of protesters march toward the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office in response to the death of Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa. Noah Berger/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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Noah Berger/Reuters/Landov

National

Police, Community Relations Strained After Teen's Death

In the Northern California town of Santa Rosa, a sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 13-year-old Latino boy holding a toy gun shaped like an assault rifle. Hundreds of protesters have marched to demand a transparent investigation into the case.

Police, Community Relations Strained After Teen's Death

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Tuesday

How A County Clerk Ignited The Gay Marriage Debate In N.M.

Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins talks with Thom Hinks and Richard Sunman (far right) after they obtained a marriage license at the Dona Ana County Clerk's Office in Las Cruces, N.M. In August, Ellins' office began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Juan Carlos Llorca/AP hide caption

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Juan Carlos Llorca/AP

Law

How A County Clerk Ignited The Gay Marriage Debate In N.M.

In August, Lynn Ellins, the clerk of Dona Ana County and a long-time supporter of same-sex marriage, decided to "put the ball in play" by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. More than 900 marriage licenses have been issued to gay couples across the state.

How A County Clerk Ignited The Gay Marriage Debate In N.M.

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Monday

Politics

California Won't Wait For Congress On Immigration Reform

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that limits cooperation with federal authorities that want immigration holds on undocumented people arrested for minor infractions. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has a more extensive proposal to ban virtually all cooperation with the feds. On immigration issues, California appears to be headed in the opposite direction of states like Arizona.

California Won't Wait For Congress On Immigration Reform

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Thursday

Sports

Oracle Team USA Defeats New Zealand To Win America's Cup

Oracle Team USA completed a remarkable comeback to win the America's Cup regatta, winning eight straight races. The American team, backed by Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, beat Emirates Team New Zealand. Just a few days ago, the American team trailed the Kiwis, and were on the brink of being eliminated from the competition.

Oracle Team USA Defeats New Zealand To Win America's Cup

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Wednesday

Sports

In Comeback, Oracle Team USA Wins America's Cup

With a 44-second victory, Oracle Team USA faced down Emirates Team New Zealand at the finals Wednesday to hold onto the America's Cup. Wednesday's race capped off an America's Cup competition that included capsizing and shattered masts, and an Oracle Team USA that seemed sure to lose.

In Comeback, Oracle Team USA Wins America's Cup

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Wednesday

Sports

U.S. Team Must Rally To Win America's Cup

The America's Cup is winding down and many in San Francisco say it has fallen short of expectation — on and off the water. The defending champions Oracle Team USA, the hometown favorites, are close to defeat by Emirates Team New Zealand. The regatta will likely be remembered for failing to live up to its hype.

U.S. Team Must Rally To Win America's Cup

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Thursday

Business

Calif. City Proposes Unique Plan To Avoid Foreclosures

A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday hears arguments over a radical plan to stem the foreclosure crisis. The City of Richmond is proposing to buy underwater mortgages in order to help keep local residents in their homes. If banks don't want to sell those mortgages, the city says it is prepared to invoke eminent domain to seize the mortgages.

Calif. City Proposes Unique Plan To Avoid Foreclosures

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Tuesday

National

Bay Bridge Reopens After Troubled Makeover

San Francisco's Bay Bridge is open again, after being closed over the weekend to allow the last phase of a retrofitting project to finish up. While commuters are celebrating the bridge's return, the project was a lesson in cost overruns and delays.

Bay Bridge Reopens After Troubled Makeover

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Tuesday

Business

SEC Bans Falcone From Trading For 5 Years

Hedge Fund manager Phillip Falcone has agreed to pay an $18 million fine. As part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Falcone also agreed to a five-year ban from the securities industry.

SEC Bans Falcone From Trading For 5 Years

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One By One, California Agents Track Down Illegally Owned Guns

Firearms seized during a sweep by the Los Angeles Police Department using the California's Armed Prohibited Persons System initiative. The program uses a database to identify gun owners who are no longer allowed to possess a firearm. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

National

One By One, California Agents Track Down Illegally Owned Guns

California is currently the only state with a program to confiscate guns from residents prohibited from owning firearms. To find them, agents comb through a database of people who legally owned a gun until mental illness or a brush with the law rendered them no longer eligible for gun ownership.

One By One, California Agents Track Down Illegally Owned Guns

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Monday

Law

Holder Proposes Reducing Minimum Sentences For Drug Offenses

Attorney General Eric Holder outlined federal steps to cut long prison sentences for some drug offenders. In a speech before the American Bar Association, Holder said the change is necessary to curb growing incarceration costs and to make the justice system more fair.

Holder Proposes Reducing Minimum Sentences For Drug Offenses

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Friday

Oakland Braces For Seeing Subway Shooting On The Big Screen

Cephus "Bobby" Johnson in 2011, when the former transit officer who shot Johnson's nephew, Oscar Grant, was released from jail. Johnson and other family members have seen Fruitvale Station, a new feature film depicting the shooting, multiple times. Jason Redmond/AP hide caption

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Jason Redmond/AP

Code Switch

Oakland Braces For Seeing Subway Shooting On The Big Screen

The feature film Fruitvale Station opens Friday in select markets, including the San Francisco Bay area. That's where the subject of the film, Oscar Grant, 22 and unarmed, was shot and killed by a transit police officer in 2009 — sparking violent street protests across Oakland.

Oakland Braces For Seeing Subway Shooting On The Big Screen

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