Here’s what’s happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
California voter registration soaring as June 7 primary approaches// East Bay Times
"Californians are registering to vote in breathtaking numbers not seen since the Reagan Revolution, as the no-holds-barred presidential primary season and tech-based outreach efforts have rousted more than 1 million people from their political slumber."
"More than twice as many Californians registered this year than in the same four-month period in 2012, according to Political Data Inc., a Los Angeles County firm that tracks state voter trends. The new voters are trending young and Democratic -- two groups more inspired by Bernie Sanders than Donald Trump."
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Activist lawyers sue California on voter rules, possibly boosting Bernie Sanders support // Sacramento Bee
"As Bernie Sanders supporters fear their candidate will miss out on crucial votes from independent and crossover voters in California’s June primary, civil rights lawyers filed suit Friday seeking more time for those voters to request a Democratic presidential ballot."
"In the suit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Alameda County and San Francisco election officials, the plaintiffs contend that nonpartisan voters have received inconsistent and confusing instructions on how to vote in the June 7 presidential primary. They say thousands of voters will be disenfranchised."
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SF may keep officers from investigating each other in shootings// San Francisco Chronicle
"When a San Francisco police officer shoots someone, the investigation is headed up by the officer’s colleagues — a widespread law enforcement practice that has stoked mistrust both here and around the country."
"But as controversy grows over recent shootings — including the killing of 29-year-old Jessica Williams on Thursday at the edge of the Bayview neighborhood, which prompted Police Chief Greg Suhr to step down — San Francisco may be on the brink of a historic shift."
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Higher-Paying jobs than SF teacher? City baker, brick layer// San Francisco Chronicle
"In a special report last week, The Chronicle revealed that when it comes to average teacher pay, San Francisco’s public schools rank No. 528 out of 821 California school districts. Even far less-expensive cities — including Modesto, Antioch and Newark — pay their teachers more."
"But there is one way San Francisco schoolteachers could get a quick raise — quit and work instead for the city and county of San Francisco in just about any position. Cut hair, bake pastries, lay bricks or wash windows — and they’d start at a higher salary and earn bigger raises far more quickly."
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Governor Jerry Brown has financial link to Oakland Coal // Oakland Magazine
"Public records show that Brown has financial ties to a company that could profit greatly from shipping coal through Oakland."
"That company is California Capital and Investment Group, Inc., better known locally as CCIG, and it’s owned by Brown’s close friend and business partner, Phil Tagami."
Life After a Life Sentence// East Bay Express
"The Return, a compelling documentary by Berkeley filmmakers Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, answers one question with poignant vividness: What happens when a person formerly sentenced to life in prison is suddenly liberated?"
