Bay Area News Roundup

A roundup of Bay Area stories making news today.

Attorney General Eric Holder in SF

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in San Francisco today announced a change in federal prosecution policy that will reduce lengthy prison sentences for low-level drug offenders and free up more resources for the prosecution and punishment of violent criminals.

The policy change was one of a series of criminal justice system reforms Holder outlined in a speech before the American Bar Association this morning.

"It is time to take bold steps to reform and strengthen America's criminal justice system," Holder told the ABA's House of Delegates at a meeting at Moscone Center West.

"We cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation. Our system is in too many respects broken," Holder said.

Among other problems, Holder told the attorneys, "Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason."

Holder said mandatory lengthy prison sentences for certain crimes, such as low-level drug offenses, serve to exacerbate instead of alleviate cycles of poverty and criminality, and divert scarce resources from the punishment of more serious crimes.

He said he is directing the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys, who serve as regional federal prosecutors, to change the way they charge drug crimes.

In some cases, prosecutors will no longer specify amounts of drugs when they obtain indictments from federal grand jury. That change will mean that mandatory minimum sentences of five or 10 years will not automatically apply, and judges and prosecutors will have more flexibility to select appropriate sentences, Holder said.

The change would apply to drug defendants who haven't committed violent crimes and are not tied to gangs.

"By reserving the most severe penalties for serious, high-level, or violent drug traffickers, we can better promote public safety, deterrence, and rehabilitation, while making our expenditures smarter and more productive," Holder said.

The attorney general said that almost half of the nation's 219,000 federal prisoners are serving terms for drug-related offenses.

Holder said he has also ordered expansions in Department of Justice policy for the early release of elderly prisoners who did not commit violent crimes and inmates who can be given compassionate release for medical reasons.

The attorney general also called for more use of drug diversion programs and more federal aid to community policing services and local anti-violence programs.

He said he hopes states will adopt similar policies.

The United States has 5 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent of the planet's prisoners, Holder told the delegates.

"It's clear, at a basic level, that 20th century criminal justice solutions are not adequate to overcome our 21st century challenges," he said.

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Vacaville fire

A four-alarm fire destroyed a shop, a garage and a granny unit on a residential property just east of Vacaville this morning, a deputy fire chief said.

The blaze was reported at 5:03 a.m. in the 5100 block of Poplar Road, east of Leisure Town Road.

Two people who were living in the granny unit escaped the blaze, Vacaville Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Doug Rogers said.

The fire destroyed a pickup truck, a 16-foot boat and a car that were parked outside the two-car garage, Rogers said.

The three buildings that were destroyed were each between 400 and 600 square feet, and were within about 10 feet of each other, Rogers said.

The main house on the property, home to four adults and two teens, was not damaged, Rogers said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious, Rogers said.

Firefighters from Vacaville, Travis Air Force Base and the Suisun Fire Protection District responded to the blaze, which took about two hours to control, Rogers said.

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Fatal party bus crash

A man was killed when a party van crashed on northbound Interstate Highway 280 near Portola Valley on Sunday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A converted black Chevrolet Express 3500 traveling north on Highway 280 went off the roadway and struck a tree near Alpine Road around 10:50 p.m., CHP Officer Amelia Jack said.

The van overturned in the crash, and a man who was a passenger was killed, she said.

The driver was not found at the scene, Jack said. An injured man was later found near the scene, but it is not yet clear whether he was the driver.

He was taken to Stanford Hospital, she said.

The crash remains under investigation. Initial reports indicated that a second vehicle had been involved, but Jack said that was not the case.

Traffic was blocked on northbound Highway 280 for hours after the accident. The roadway was completely cleared shortly after 4:30 a.m. today.

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San Jose man located

Police have located an elderly man who went missing from a South San Jose home on Sunday morning.

Oscar Noriega, 91, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, was reported missing from a home in the 5600 block of Calmor Avenue around 8:40 p.m. Sunday after he had been missing since 10 a.m., police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.

Noriega was found in good health in the 5300 block of Almaden Expressway in San Jose at about 2:50 a.m. today, Dwyer said.

Dwyer said this was not the first time that Noriega had disappeared. On a previous occasion when he went missing, he was found disoriented in Milpitas.

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Lottery win in Sunnyvale

A South Bay woman and her two coworkers won nearly $300,000 after pooling their money to buy 30 Powerball lottery tickets in Sunnyvale, state lottery officials said.

The trio, including winner Priya Rangarjan, who works in finance, pooled together $60 to purchase the tickets at the Lakewood Shell station at 1101 N. Lawrence Expressway.

One of the tickets was a winner in Wednesday's drawing, and was worth $289,341. The three will divide the prize among themselves, lottery officials said.

Lotto officials said the colleagues plan to use the money to go on vacations and pay off mortgages, among other things. One plans to finish a home that is under construction.

The winning numbers on the group's ticket were 58, 5, 25, 59, and 30. They missed only Powerball number 32, which would have won them the $448 million jackpot.

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Banana thrown at player

The San Francisco Giants are investigating an incident in which a fan allegedly threw a banana at the opposing team's centerfielder during a game at AT&T Park on Sunday.

Baltimore Orioles player Adam Jones wrote on Twitter that someone threw the banana in his direction during the ninth inning.

"Way to show ur class u jackass," Jones wrote.

Jones, who is black, followed up by noting that many people on Twitter were defending whoever threw the banana.

"Good chance this means I get off social media soon," he wrote.

Bananas have been thrown at other black athletes during sporting events over the decades, and the incidents are generally considered acts of racism.

Jones had just hit a three-run homer in the top half of the ninth inning of the game, which the Orioles won 10-2.

The Giants issued a statement this morning apologizing to Jones and the Orioles for the incident.

"The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark," the team said. "While we have been investigating the matter since we learned of the situation, unfortunately we have been unable to identify the person responsible.

"We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Adam and the entire Orioles organization for this unfortunate incident," the team said.

"The inappropriate actions of this individual in no way reflect the values of our organization and our fans."

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Artemis Racing eliminated from America's Cup

A Sweden-based sailing team that was hit with a tragic loss earlier this year was eliminated over the weekend in the challenger series for the America's Cup.

Artemis Racing lost its fourth straight race to the Italian team Luna Rossa Challenge on Saturday in the best-of-seven semifinal of the Louis Vuitton Cup in San Francisco.

The team had struggled to prepare for the competition after Artemis sailor Andrew "Bart" Simpson was killed when one of the team's AC72 catamarans capsized during a practice run on the Bay on May 9.

The accident broke apart the catamaran, forcing the crew to hastily prepare its second boat in time for racing. Artemis finally launched the second vessel less than two weeks before the start of the semifinals.

"I'm hugely proud of our team, it's been a terrible period," Artemis skipper Iain Percy said in a post-race news conference.

"My thoughts go to my teammates and to 'Bart' and his family," Percy said. "He would've been so proud of us, considering this is something that none of us thought we'd be able to do two months ago when we lost him.

We've enjoyed every second because we knew what an achievement it was just to be out here."

Luna Rossa Challenge will now face Emirates Team New Zealand to determine who will take on Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup Finals in September.

The New Zealand team easily beat the Swedish team in the round-robin portion of the Louis Vuitton Cup last month.

Chris Draper, helmsman for Luna Rossa Challenge, said, "The team has taken a good few steps forward the past couple of weeks. For sure we've improved a lot, but we've all seen the Kiwis are very, very solid. We're going to have to sail incredibly well."

Racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup final will begin next Saturday. More information about the races can be found online at www.americascup.com.

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Two men found fatally shot in Royal Oaks

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is investigating the deaths of two males who were found fatally shot near a car on the side of a road off of U.S. Highway 101 on Sunday night.

Deputies responded to Dunbarton Road in Royal Oaks, southeast of Watsonville, at 10:12 p.m. after a passing motorist spotted the bodies, according to the sheriff's office.

The deputies arrived to find the bodies behind a car parked on the road's shoulder, sheriff's officials said.

The victims' names have not yet been released.

Anyone with information on the deaths is asked to call Sgt. Terry Kaiser or the sheriff's tip line at (888) 833-4847.

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Fatal accident in Pittsburg

A man was killed by a car as he was crossing a street in Pittsburg on Sunday night, a police lieutenant said.

Officers responded to a report of a collision at Railroad Avenue near East 17th Street at 8:50 p.m., Lt. Ron Raman said.

The victim, a 40-year-old Pittsburg man, was deceased in the roadway when officers arrived, he said.

Police said the victim was in a crosswalk heading east across East 17th Street when he was hit by a car traveling south on Railroad Avenue.

The driver of the car was a 20-year-old Pittsburg man who said he didn't see the pedestrian until he was right in front of his vehicle, Raman said.

The driver is cooperating with police and was not arrested, Raman said.

It does not appear drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision, he said.

Witnesses told police that another vehicle had almost struck the pedestrian just before the collision occurred.

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BART delays

BART was reporting 15-minute delays on the Richmond line this morning because of a problem on the tracks, a BART employee said.

The problem involved loose cover boards near the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, and trains are having to single-track around that area, the employee said.

A repair crew was responding at about 8:30 a.m.

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Weather

Tonight will be mostly clear, with patches of low clouds and fog near the coast. Low temperatures will be mainly in the mid 50s. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and mild to warm. Highs will range from mid 60s at the coast to around 90 inland.

Concord 88
Oakland 74
Redwood City 78
San Francisco 68
San Jose 81
Santa Rosa 83

Coast
Tonight: Patchy Low Clouds & Fog
Lows: Mid 50s
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy & Mild
Highs: Low to Mid 60s

East Bay
Tonight: Mostly Clear
Lows: Mid 50s
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny/Mild to Warm
Highs: Low to Upper 70s

East Bay Valleys
Tonight: Mostly Clear
Lows: Mid to Upper 50s
Tomorrow: Sunny & Warm
Highs: Upper 80s to Around 90

North Bay Valleys
Tonight: Mostly Clear
Lows: Low to Mid 50s
Tomorrow: Sunny & Warm
Highs: Mid 80s

Peninsula
Tonight: Mostly Clear
Lows: Mid 50s
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny/Mild to Warm
Highs: Mid to Upper 70s

South Bay
Tonight: Mostly Clear
Lows: Mid to Upper 50s
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny & Warm
Highs: Upper 70s to Mid 80s

Wednesday:
Sunny & Warmer
Highs: 64 Coast to 92 Inland

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