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Bay Area briefs
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BART staff recommends Canadian firm for new cars

OAKLAND (AP) — Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency staff is recommending the agency award its $1.5 billion contract for 775 new train cars to Canadian-based Bombardier Inc.

BART said on Monday that Bombardier's bid came in 12 percent, or $184 million, below French manufacturer Alstom. Bombardier also earned the highest technical score and agreed to exceed the federal requirement that 60 percent of the parts for the cars be built in the United States.

A radio advertising campaign and some California politicians have called on BART to award the contract to an American firm. But no American firm expressed interest in building the cars.

2 dozen arrested at Wells Fargo protest

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities have arrested about two dozen people who demonstrated inside and outside Wells Fargo's annual shareholders meeting.

The bank protest drew several hundred protesters, many associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The demonstrators criticized the San Francisco-based company for pursuing home foreclosures, predatory lending, not paying enough taxes, and investing in private prison companies.

Oakland sends officers back to community beats

OAKLAND  (AP) — Oakland police are moving extra officers that were redeployed to the city's most violent neighborhoods back to their community policing beats.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the move comes after residents in the wealthier Oakland hills complained about a lack of officers in their neighborhoods, which have seen an uptick in burglaries.

Several of the 22 officers redeployed from their community policing beats to the high-crime areas were from the Oakland hills.

Police say the redeployments — made last year — were always meant to be temporary.

Serious crimes in the city, including homicides and burglaries, are up 21 percent from this time last year.

San Bruno to consider tearing out deadly gas pipe

SAN BRUNO . (AP) — Officials in San Bruno are considering ordering sections of the pipeline that caused a deadly explosion in 2010 to be ripped out of the neighborhood it set aflame.

Residents have been pushing for the gas transmission line to be removed since it ruptured on Sept. 9, 2010. The blast and ensuing inferno killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.

Until recently, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. had said the company planned to plug its pipeline with concrete. The pipeline has not been in service since the explosion.