SF Bay litter would fill 100K trash bags
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Litter washing into San Francisco Bay each year would fill 100,000 kitchen trash bags.
A San Jose Mercury News analysis shows there's a tidal wave of fast food wrappers, plastic bottles, bags, cigarette butts and other debris making its way through storm drains and creeks into the bay.
The newspaper says it's the first comprehensive study of the volume of litter flowing into the bay.
San Jose and Oakland pollute the most, but the analysis shows Colma, Pittsburg, El Cerrito and Richmond are among the areas that add the most litter per capita.
The figures were provided by the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association.
State regulators ordered cities and counties to reduce the amount of trash going into the bay by 40 percent by 2014 or face fines.
Janitor arrested for allegedly stealing laptops
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO . (AP) — Authorities say a janitor is facing charges for allegedly stealing 41 laptop computers from biotech company Genentech.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that Dionisio Dauz was arrested on Feb. 7 for allegedly stealing the computers from the South San Francisco-based biotech firm.
San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti says surveillance video tied Dauz to the thefts, which allegedly took place between February of last year until his arrest.
Investigators say Dauz shipped the laptops to family members overseas.
The 33-year-old Dauz is free on bail after pleading not guilty to several theft-related charges.
2nd person charged in alleged SF drug lab blast
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A second person is facing charges in an alleged drug lab explosion at a San Francisco apartment that left a woman and her 12-year-old son injured.
Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Weed has been charged with six felony counts, including manufacturing a controlled substance and recklessly causing a fire that resulted in bodily injury. He was arrested on Tuesday.
Authorities say Weed and his girlfriend, 33-year-old Angelic Cisneros, were manufacturing hash oil at the apartment in the city's Ingleside neighborhood last week when the blast occurred.
It is believed to have been caused by butane.
Cisneros was injured. Her 12-year-old son suffered burns and required skin grafts on his face and body.
Cisneros was arrested the next day. She has pleaded not guilty to drug and fire charges.
2nd small quake rattles Vallejo area
VALLEJO (AP) — Another small earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area Thursday morning, startling residents for a second day in a row.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude-3.5 temblor struck at 9:13 a.m., about two miles south of Vallejo. USGS initially measured it at magnitude-3.7, but later revised it.
Vallejo Police Sgt. Jeff Bassett says he's seen no immediate reports of injury or damage. He described the quake as "quick and abrupt," only lasting about one second.
A magnitude-3.7 quake hit the area Wednesday evening and also caused no damage.
