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Wed
23 May The International Gem & Jewelry Show San Mateo The International Gem and Jewelry Show is an event that will aim to showcase diverse range of gems, minerals and jewelry item…

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Wed
16 May The International Gem & Jewelry Show San Mateo The International Gem and Jewelry Show is an event that will aim to showcase diverse range of gems, minerals and jewelry item…

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Fri
18 May The International Gem & Jewelry Show San Mateo The International Gem and Jewelry Show is an event that will aim to showcase diverse range of gems, minerals and jewelry item…

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Stanford Area News

San Pablo gas leak repairs nearly complete

PG&E crews have nearly completed repair work at a gas leak near Contra Costa College in San Pablo, a utility spokeswoman said.

A 3-inch natural gas pipeline was ruptured by a construction crew digging near Mission Bell Drive and Castro Road at about 10:10 a.m., PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said.

PG&E workers isolated the leak and stopped the flow of gas to the line at around 11:30 a.m., Sarkissian said.

Natural gas service was interrupted to about six buildings on the Contra Costa College campus as crews repaired the pipe, Sarkissian said.

As of around 4 p.m., gas service was restored to all but one of the buildings. Service will be restored to the remaining building once repairs are complete.

Repairs are expected to be complete by 7 p.m., Sarkissian said.

Sarkissian said students at the college were temporarily evacuated when the gas leak was detected but were allowed to return to the buildings once the gas line was capped.

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 17:10:58 -0700}

Pot ring bust yields 19 arrests, over $1 million in drugs

A year-long federal investigation into a large-scale pot ring based out of Contra Costa County culminated in law enforcement arresting 19 people and seizing massive quantities of marijuana, weapons and cash Wednesday morning.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Sacramento office raided 14 different locations Wednesday morning as part of “Operation Disco Dazed,” a multi-million dollar investigation that began in early 2011.

Several of the agency’s targets were inside The Lakes, a gated community in Discovery Bay. Local residents reported seeing authorities search as many as five houses in the area.

Yet even before the details of the operation were made public, some neighbors say they weren't surprised to see drug agents here.

“[There’s] a lot of people walking around late at night… people that shouldn't be here are in this park and they're not residents here,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.

According to a DEA press release, the raids resulted in the seizure of:

• 14 indoor marijuana grow operations
• 3,606 marijuana plants
• 96 pounds of processed marijuana
• 36 firearms to include multiple assault rifles and a 37mm grenade launcher
• A ballistic vest
• 8 vehicles
• 5 motorcycles
• 5 boats
• Approximately $400,000.

The estimated worth of the seized marijuana was believed to be more than $1 million, according to the release.

According to the DEA, the investigation began in early 2011 after agents learned of an alleged drug trafficking organization centered around Grower’s Choice Hydroponics, a hydroponic equipment retailer operating in Tracy and Hayward.

Those who were arrested appeared in a Sacramento Federal Court later Wednesday, some facing at least 10 years in prison, and maximum sentences of life in prison and a $4 million fine.

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 16:51:58 -0700}

Occupy protesters take on AC Transit fare transfers

Occupy Oakland, working with Alameda-Contra Costa Transit bus operators, launched a campaign Wednesday asking drivers to honor transfers in ways that will ease the financial pain felt by the system's riders.

Before the last round of service cuts, it was AC Transit policy to honor transfers for up to three hours. Currently, transfers are only valid for two hours.

At the campaign announcement outside the Fruitvale BART station this afternoon, Occupy's Cicily Cooper said that service cuts and fare hikes have made life harder on both riders and drivers, who often sympathize with their riders' financial hardship.

Cooper said the service cuts disproportionately affect communities of color, as the disappearance of routes has meant riders in poorer neighborhoods need to take additional buses to reach the same destinations.

"Riders increasingly have to pay more to get less," Cooper said. "It is the working people that suffer from these cuts."

Last year's fare hikes saw the basic adult fare increase by 10 cents and the youth, senior and disabled fare increase by 5 cents, raising the basic bus fare to $2.10 and the discounted fare for seniors, youths and the disabled to $1.05.

Another round of fare increases is scheduled to go into effect next year.

The transfer campaign aims to make transportation more accessible for low-income riders, who represent the majority of the system's users, and to reverse concessions transit workers made in their current contract, which expires in a little more than a year.

AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson declined to comment on the matter other than saying, "We have a bus fare policy in place, and we have no reason to expect that any of our bus operators won't adhere to it."    Cooper said the transfer approach is a small step "but will be one of any" as the campaign escalates.

Fellow occupier Mike King said that, before taking additional action, the group plans to assess the campaign's effectiveness in about a month.

"We saw the transfers as a logical first step," King said, because many passengers pay two fares in a single direction of travel when transfers expire while people are waiting for their connecting bus.

King said the campaign is asking drivers to do their job, which, according to operator Dave Lyons, is to simply state the fare -- not enforce collection.

Lyons said that fare disputes, including disagreements over transfers, are the number one cause of assaults on drivers.

"We're making life harder for them and for ourselves," Lyons said this afternoon.

Lyons said that bus drivers should use good judgment when weighing whether to allow passengers with expired transfers to board without conflict.

"You have to be reasonable," he said, and consider the safety and comfort of all passengers because escalating the situation, by demanding a passenger pay a second fare or by calling security, can impact service.

Lyons said the matter boils down to mutual respect, as drivers are capable of showing sympathy but ask that riders not abuse their understanding.

"I think all drivers get at least a little bit annoyed when riders don't respect drivers," Lyons said.

King said that increasing bus fares and declining working conditions have roiled passengers and drivers.

"This reality can only be rectified by riders and drivers standing together and building collective social power to create a just bus system for everyone," King said. "We've tried to create an agreed upon system of mutual respect and solidarity."

_{Wed, 16 May 2012 16:45:28 -0700}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories