SAN FRANCISCO – Alan Varela and William Gilmartin III appeared in federal court today and each pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.  Gilmartin further agreed in his plea agreement to cooperate with federal investigators in the San Francisco City Hall corruption investigation. 

“Contractors with San Francisco like Alan Varela, William Gilmartin, and their ilk are not off the radar of our San Francisco City Hall corruption investigation just because they are not public officials,” said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds.  “If you bribe a public official and our investigation uncovers it, you will face justice.  Involved individuals who come to the FBI with what they know about bribes and kickbacks will be treated differently than those who don’t and get caught.”

“The investigation into San Francisco city government continues and we believe there are even more city employees and contractors who may have pertinent first-hand knowledge of the insidious corruption plaguing San Francisco,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. “Instead of waiting for the FBI to knock on your door, we encourage others who have knowledge of this corruption to reach out to us and cooperate with our investigation.”

Today’s developments follow the September 17, 2020, federal complaint charging Varela, 59, of Orinda, and Gilmartin, 60, of San Mateo, with bribery of a public official.  According to that complaint affidavit, Varela and Gilmartin, the president and vice-president of a Bay Area civil engineering and construction firm, respectively, provided gifts and benefits to Mohammed Nuru, then Director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works (DPW), in exchange for inside information about an upcoming lucrative San Francisco public contract.  Varela and Gilmartin were the seventh and eighth defendants charged in the federal San Francisco City Hall graft probe that has to this date charged a dozen defendants.

Varela’s plea agreement expounds on those complaint allegations.  Varela admitted in his plea agreement that from 2013 until January 28, 2020 (the day of Nuru’s arrest), he conspired with his co-defendant Gilmartin, Balmore Hernandez – a construction company CEO who earlier pled guilty and is cooperating with the FBI – and others to pay bribes and kickbacks to Nuru.  Nuru’s position as DPW Director provided him great influence over San Francisco public contracts, permits, and construction projects as well as other City departments and private companies requiring contracts from DPW.  The bribes and kickbacks to Nuru were intended to influence his conduct in official actions.  The items of value Varela and his co-conspirators provided to Nuru included cash, equipment for Nuru’s ranch, free meals and entertainment, and the prospect of portions of the proceeds from the expected awards of City contracts.

Varela further admitted that he and his co-conspirators focused on winning a DPW contract and a related Port of San Francisco lease to operate an asphalt recycling plant and a concrete plant on the Port of San Francisco’s land.  According to Varela’s plea agreement, Nuru agreed in exchange for cash and other valuables to use his official position to get Varela and his co-conspirators’ bid selected.  Nuru began sending early drafts of San Francisco’s Request for Proposals for the asphalt recycling plant project as well as other inside information to Varela and his co-conspirators to better position them to have their bid selected.  Nuru also regularly met with Gilmartin and Hernandez to discuss the plans over expensive restaurant dinners, always paid for by Gilmartin. 

According to Varela’s plea agreement, Gilmartin arranged to compensate Nuru by asking an unnamed company to award a $100,000 contract to Balmore Hernandez.  The proceeds of that contract were intended to pay Nuru, and Hernandez used the proceeds to benefit Nuru.  Once the co-conspirators’ bid was selected in September 2015, Nuru continued to meet with Varela and the co-conspirators and supply additional inside information, all over meals paid for by Gilmartin that ultimately totaled approximately $20,000.  At one point during discussions, Nuru requested a tractor for his ranch.  Varela admitted that in February 2019 he coordinated with Gilmartin and Hernandez to deliver the tractor to Nuru. 

In January 2020, while the asphalt recycling plant agreements with DPW and the Port of San Francisco were still being finalized, Nuru was arrested.

Gilmartin also pleaded guilty today to the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.  The terms of his plea agreement require Gilmartin to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and surrender assets acquired as a result of his illegal conduct.  The criminal conduct Gilmartin admits was submitted to the Court in a separate “Exhibit A” that is filed under seal and thus unavailable to the public at this time.  

Varela and Gilmartin both entered their guilty pleas before United States District Judge William H. Orrick. Judge Orrick set Varela’s sentencing hearing for September 16, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.  Gilmartin’s next hearing date is a status conference set for December 2, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.

Varela and Gilmartin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343, 1346 and 1349.  The charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or not more than the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. 

The prosecution is being handled by the Corporate Fraud Strike Force in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California and is the result of an investigation by the FBI. 

The post Northern District of California | Two Metropolis Contractors Plead Responsible To Cost Of Seven Yr Conspiracy To Bribe San Francisco Metropolis Corridor Official appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

It’s a common, often overdone, refrain: golfers playing off their playing partner’s energy. But if there were poster children for that contention, it might just be Tarren and Salinda. There were only three holes where one failed to make birdie or better. The two played quick, hardly had to wait for the group in front of them and watched each other pour in putt after putt. Tarren drained four birdie putts over 20 feet in his opening five holes. He made the turn in 6-under 29, adding an eagle at the par-5 ninth. Salinda took it from there, with birdies on the first four holes of the back nine, all with putts less than 15 feet. The last time a twosome was 17 under or better was The Sentry in 2022. Collin Morikawa and Talor Gooch combined 17 under in the final round.

The post Monday qualifier Isaiah Salinda, Callum Tarren lead early Shifting Day cost appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — At this time a year ago, every snap Geno Smith took, every pass he made during the Seattle Seahawks training camp was being charted and analyzed and compared.

He was under a microscope because of his past performance and in the midst of a quarterback competition.

To hear Smith talk now about what happened over the past year, not much has changed. Despite being the NFL’s comeback player of the year, helping lead his team to an unexpected playoff berth and gaining the financial payday he long hoped to earn, his mindset seems the same as it was last summer when he had a job to win.

“I mean, there are advantages. Having more reps, being able to rep more with the starters and with the guys,” Smith said on Thursday. “But mentality-wise, nothing changes. Nothing changes and things can change quickly in NFL so I’m not really worried about that type of stuff.”

What Smith is worried about is adjusting to a new center, getting a rookie No. 3 wide receiver up to speed and making sure there’s no backsliding from the level he performed at last season.

But the atmosphere around Seattle’s quarterback situation is massively different than a year ago when Smith was in an open competition with Drew Lock for the starting role. In the time since Smith won the starting job, he threw for a franchise-record 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns in the regular season, helped Seattle win nine games and sneak into the postseason, was selected to his first Pro Bowl and rewrote the narrative about his career arc.

His reward came this offseason when he signed a three-year contract worth $75 million that provided the security and a pedestal that’s been absent for most of his career.

“There really is a quality coming back. His seriousness about taking advantage of all the steps along the way to get prepared and to be right,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “He knows how he needs to connect with his teammates and players that he’s going to go to.”

Smith’s offseason included flying around the country to work out and throw with some of his pass catchers, including rookie first-round pick Jaxson Smith-Njigba.

It also included dropping a few pounds to hopefully be more nimble in the pocket and working with a new quarterbacks coach after Greg Olson joined the Seahawks.

“It’s one of the better stories I think in the NFL to see someone that gets a second opportunity and does something with it,” said Olson, who has been a QB coach or offensive coordinator with seven different franchises prior to Seattle. “There’s some guys get that second opportunity, but they kind of look like the same guy that they were. He’s a guy that looks like a totally different player.”

Smith rattled off a list of areas where he feels as if the Seahawks need to be better this season, including third downs and converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Seattle was 20th in third down conversions and 28th in red zone touchdown percentage last season.

Olson brought up another task for Smith: taking the system of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and being able to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

“It’s the second year starting in Shane’s system and taking full control of what Shane is asking him to do at the line of scrimmage,” Olson said. “Not wasting plays is a big emphasis for him going into this year. If it’s a bad play that’s called let’s get us out of a bad play and get us into a good play.”

Smith said the way last season ended with Seattle losing five of its final eight games and then falling to San Francisco in the opening round of the playoffs lingered into the offseason as motivation. He will be leading an offense that seems to be filled with potential — a word he doesn’t like using.

“We’ve got to put the work in. We got a lot of great guys. We’ve got a lot of great players. But we have to prove it,” Smith said.

NOTES: Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon remained absent as he has yet to sign his rookie contract. … Seattle signed LB Ben Burr-Kirven, bringing back a popular defensive reserve and special teams standout who missed the past two seasons after a major knee injury.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The post Geno Smith begins coaching camp because the QB in cost for Seahawks | Soccer appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Days after moving forward with the case against a San Francisco police officer charged with manslaughter in the 2017 shooting death of a man on his doorstep, the San Francisco Attorney’s Office announced it would drop the case.

A deputy prosecutor, Brooke Jenkins, last week announced plans to hold a preliminary hearing on September 6 in Officer Kenneth Cha’s case, the latest of three counts of violence filed by former district attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled by voters in the electorate last year. Jenkins’ office dismissed the other two cases.

The 2017 incident marked the first time a police shooting was filmed with an officer’s body camera in San Francisco.

Sean Moore can be seen on the steps of his home in bodycam video taken by the San Francisco Police Department before he was shot by Kenneth Cha. | Courtesy of SFPD

Cha shot and killed Sean Moore on January 6 of this year during an altercation at Moore’s home in the Ocean View neighborhood. Four months after the shooting of Moore, Cha fatally shot a knife-armed suspect at a Market Street Subway restaurant.

Moore, who suffered from mental health issues that may have played a role in his interaction with Cha, died in 2020 while serving time in San Quentin State Prison for an unrelated incident. Cha was charged with involuntary manslaughter by then-prosecutor Boudin in 2021. In July 2022, the case was taken over by a new assistant district attorney after Jenkins was appointed district attorney following Boudin’s recall. Several delays in the case followed.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins addresses the San Francisco Standard on May 31, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard

The firing was first reported by Mission Local on Sunday. In a statement, Jenkins said her office could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cha “did not act in reasonable self-defense.”

She pointed to an unreleased internal report by former District Attorney George Gascón’s office that cited insufficient evidence that Cha or two other responding officers broke the law in the incident.

“Mr. Moore’s subsequent death, tragic as it is, has not changed the analysis based on events at the time of the incident,” Jenkins said in the statement.

Rebecca Young, an attorney representing Moore’s family, called prosecutors’ sudden about-face in the case “doubtful” and “idiotic.”

Young said that Ken Blackmon, Moore’s brother, was so angry when Assistant District Attorney Darby Williams called the family on Friday about the decision not to press charges against Cha that he refused to speak to her and hung up.

On Monday, Cha’s attorney, Scott Burrell, hailed the firing as a “bold and correct move.” He called the officer’s trip “a cautionary tale that when a prosecutor’s office prioritizes politics over compliance, everyone is in danger.”

The post San Francisco DA Declines To Cost Cop in Manslaughter Case appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

“/>

Photo credit: cruise

Self-driving vehicle makers Waymo and Cruise are close to final approval to begin charging 24/7 fares for fully autonomous robotaxi rides throughout the city of San Francisco.

Amid the city’s growing opposition to the presence of AVs, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released two draft resolutions late last week that would give Cruise and Waymo the ability to extend the operating hours and service areas of their now-limited robotaxi services.

The drafts are dated for hearing on June 29 and there is still room for public comment due May 31. Based on the wording of the CPUC draft, many of the protests raised by the City of San Francisco have already been rejected.

City authorities have alerted a number of (mainly) cruise ships that have malfunctioned and stopped in the middle of intersections or even light rail lines, disrupting traffic flow and hampering both public transport and emergency services. The series of incidents, documented on social media and online forums, has led to an investigation into Cruise by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

In light of these examples, the city has urged the CPUC to tread carefully, set up workshops, collect more data, ban the use of robo-taxis in downtown and peak hours, and limit fleet size expansion.

Robotaxis have already caused both traffic flow and safety problems in the city, which will only get worse once unlimited numbers of AVs flood the city, the city argues. Neither Cruise nor Waymo would share exactly how many AVs they currently have in San Francisco. A Waymo spokesman said the company has “a couple hundred cars” in each of its fully autonomous “Waymo One” branded service areas.

“San Francisco raises concerns about extending commercial service into the peak hours of the day, as cancellations and delays are likely to affect significantly more passengers both on affected transit lines and throughout the system,” San Francisco’s summary of objections read the CPUC Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), the SF County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) and the Mayor’s Office of Disability.

“Additionally, San Francisco describes unplanned stops and unsafe maneuvers by Cruise AVs that have impacted responders. This includes incidents where a Cruise AV interfered with a fire engine en route to an emergency, ran over a fire hose, or improperly entered an emergency location.”

The CPUC has countered that San Francisco’s arguments are not “within the grounds for a proper protest” because it “would require reconsideration of a prior commission order” and because a protest is not “just based on political objections”. could support. The commission also found that the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and not the CPUC, has authority over Cruise and Waymo’s approved operational design areas, which include service areas and hours of operation.

While city officials have made clear their objections to the CPUC’s approval, Cruise and Waymo have each received supportive responses from 38 stakeholders (mostly the same stakeholders), including elected officials, local groups, accessibility advocates, technology industry groups, and corporate and economic development organizations. Supporters include: The American Council of the Blind, Autonomous Vehicles Industry Association, Consumer Technology Association, Richmond Neighborhood Center, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

“We’re proud that the overwhelming majority of public comments — including advocates from the disability community, small businesses and local community groups — support expanding Cruise’s all-electric driverless service city-wide,” said Hannah Lindow, director of Policy Communications at Cruise, TechCrunch said.

In San Francisco, Cruise and Waymo had to obtain a series of permits from city officials to put robotic taxis on the streets. The DMV approves applications to test and deploy autonomous vehicles, and the CPUC grants permission to charge fares to passengers.

Cruise’s current permits allow it to offer paid passenger service in limited areas of San Francisco from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., as well as free passenger service citywide anytime of the day – both without the presence of a security driver. Cruise has only been open since the end of April fully autonomous city-wide service for employees.

Waymo’s paid service, available 24/7 throughout San Francisco, requires a human security driver to be present. The company’s fully autonomous (i.e. driving without a safety driver) robotaxi service, which operates throughout the city, will continue to be free. Waymo also offers complimentary safety driver service in parts of Los Angeles and in and around Mountain View.

If the CPUC allows the two competitors to charge passengers for driverless rides, Waymo and Cruise will have equal rights in the city. At least from a regulatory point of view.

Receipt of approval does not mean that Waymo and Cruise will immediately begin full-scale commercial operations in San Francisco.

A Waymo spokesperson said the company intends to “expand prudently, with safety as its top priority.”

Cruise did not comment on how the company plans to expand across San Francisco.

Update: This article has been updated with comment from Cruise and information on stakeholders supporting the CPUC’s granting of permits to Cruise and Waymo.

The post Cruise, Waymo close to approval to cost for twenty-four/7 robotaxis in San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO — A man and woman have been charged in federal court with robbing two San Francisco banks on the same day, court filings show.

Ashley Crowder, 40, and Anthony Fardella, 39, were indicted by a federal grand jury in February on conspiracy and bank robbery charges. The indictment was unsealed this week. According to court documents, both Crowder and Fardella have been released from federal custody while charges are pending.

The indictment alleges that on November 19, 2022, Crowder, Fardella and a third person, identified only as “Person 1,” robbed the Bank of America at 1640 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco by asking the teller a note that says ” :” This is no joke! Follow these instructions so no one gets hurt. Empty all the money in your two drawers. No ink bags, no marked bills. Put the money in the bag calmly Don’t tell anyone and don’t follow me or everyone is in danger (sic).”

The robbery netted them $1,100, authorities say. They then went to the East West Bank at 498 Clement Street and stole $1,500 in a similar bill, the indictment says.

The indictment alleges that Crowder and Fardella were arrested later that day after a police chase in the Tenderloin area. The indictment states that police forced her car to stop with spikes and then took her into custody.

Last November, the San Francisco Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Crowder and Fardella, alleging that they robbed both banks and escaped police.

Memorial Day sale

Your email address is already registered. Please subscribe to the East Bay Times to continue.

$3 for 1 year unlimited digital access

Get this offer

Already a subscriber? Registration

See the East Bay Times for more information

The post Feds cost two with robbing two San Francisco banks throughout the identical day appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO — A man and woman have been charged in federal court with robbing two San Francisco banks on the same day, court filings show.

Ashley Crowder, 40, and Anthony Fardella, 39, were indicted by a federal grand jury in February on conspiracy and bank robbery charges. The indictment was unsealed this week. According to court documents, both Crowder and Fardella have been released from federal custody while charges are pending.

The indictment alleges that on November 19, 2022, Crowder, Fardella and a third person, identified only as “Person 1,” robbed the Bank of America at 1640 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco by asking the teller a note that says ” :” This is no joke! Follow these instructions so no one gets hurt. Empty all the money in your two drawers. No ink bags, no marked bills. Put the money in the bag calmly Don’t tell anyone and don’t follow me or everyone is in danger (sic).”

The robbery netted them $1,100, authorities say. They then went to the East West Bank at 498 Clement Street and stole $1,500 in a similar bill, the indictment says.

The indictment alleges that Crowder and Fardella were arrested later that day after a police chase in the Tenderloin area. The indictment states that police forced her car to stop with spikes and then took her into custody.

Last November, the San Francisco Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Crowder and Fardella, alleging that they robbed both banks and escaped police.

Memorial Day sale

Your email address is already registered. Please subscribe to The Mercury News to continue.

$3 for 1 year of unlimited digital access

Get this offer

Already a subscriber? Registration

For more information, see The Mercury News

The post Feds cost two with robbing two San Francisco banks throughout the identical day appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The San Francisco district attorney on Monday announced an attempted murder charge for the man accused of violently attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in the couple’s California home last week.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that David Wayne DePape, 42, will be charged with residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder and threats to a public official and their family, in addition to attempted murder.

He is scheduled to be arranged on Tuesday and is facing between 13 years and life in prison, according to Jenkins. She also said a motion to detain will be filed for DePape on Tuesday, citing the “obvious and severe public safety risk” he poses to San Francisco and the outer community.

The state charges were announced shortly after the Department of Justice charged DePape with federal assault and attempted kidnapping.

DePape is accused of breaking into the Pelosi’ San Francisco home in the middle of the night on Friday and striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, causing serious injuries, authorities said.

Paul Pelosi was transported to a hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.

In a statement Monday evening, Pelosi, who said her family had been “deluged” with messages of concern, prayers and well-wishes, indicated that her husband “is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”

During the news conference announcing the state charges, Jenkins disclosed new details that shed more light on the early-morning attack, and reiterated information that federal prosecutors included in their affidavit.

In line with previous information, Jenkins told reporters on Monday that DePape “specifically targeted the Pelosi home to confront Speaker Pelosi.” Last week, a source familiar with the investigation told The Hill that before the attack, DePape approached Paul Pelosi and shouted “where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?”

Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time of the incident.

The district attorney said DePape “forced his way into the home through a rear glass door by breaking the glass,” then traveled up the stairs in the house to the second floor, where he found Paul Pelosi “sleeping in his bed” in a loose -fitting pajama shirt and boxer shorts.

“He woke him up confronting him about the whereabouts of Speaker Pelosi,” Jenkins said, adding that there was no security present at the time at the home.

She said the attack appears to be politically motivated, based on statements and comments DePape made in the house during his encounter with Paul Pelosi.

At some point during the encounter between the two men, Jenkins said Paul Pelosi “attempted to access the elevator in the home, which has a phone” — a detail that was not disclosed in the Justice Department’s charging document.

“The defendant then blocked Mr. Pelosi’s access to that elevator,” Jenkins said.

Federal prosecutors revealed earlier on Monday that the two men were downstairs when officers arrived on the scene, but Jenkins’ account described how they made it from the second floor to the first floor.

“It was at some point after that Mr. Pelosi asked to go to the bathroom, which is where he was able to call 911 from his cellphone. The defendant, realizing that Mr. Pelosi had called 911, took Mr. Pelosi downstairs near the front door of the residence,” Jenkins said.

She then walked through the moment DePape struck Paul Pelosi with a hammer.

“Two police officers arrived at the front door two minutes after that 911 call. When that door was opened, the defendant was holding his hammer, which Mr. Pelosi appeared to be attempting to control by holding a portion of that hammer. The defendant then pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently struck him in the top of his head. The police then immediately approved the defendant,” Jenkins said.

She noted that DePape brought a second hammer, zip ties, rope and a roll of tape to Pelosi’s home, which the DOJ had previously disclosed.

Jenkins on Monday said it was “very sad to see that we are once again at a point in history where people believe that it’s okay to express their political sentiments through violence.”

Bill Cosby hints at 2023 return to comedy Rep. Raskin announces cancer diagnosis

“And so I think it really demonstrates that we have to calm things down, we have to decide that we are going to be more respectful as an American society, that it’s okay to disagree. But it certainly is something that has unnerved us all,” she added.

Updated 8:43pm

The post San Francisco DA publicizes tried homicide cost for alleged Paul Pelosi attacker appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

OAKLAND (CBS SF/AP) — The family of Erik Salgado, a 23-year-old unarmed man fatally shot in 2020 by California Highway Patrol officers, on Tuesday denounced a report from the district attorney saying there was not enough evidence to prosecute the officers.

Salgado was shot and killed by three members of CHP’s auto-theft task force in June of 2020 on Cherry Street in Oakland. On Monday, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley publicly released the final report on the fatal shooting and said she agreed with its conclusion “that the evidence does not support criminal charges” against the officers.

READ MORE: Grieving Parents Make Tear-Filled Plea To End Gun Violence At San Francisco Rally

Salgado’s family and supporters gathered on the steps of the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Attorney John Burris, who is moving ahead with a civil rights lawsuit over Salgado’s death, said there was no legal basis for the CHP officers to shoot into Salgado’s car.

“I think that report is a sham,” Burris said at the Tuesday news conference, adding he was disappointed but not surprised. “The decision is bittersweet because although disappointed with the decision it does allows us to go forward,”

The Salgado family said the officers involved in the shooting used excessive force, especially because Salgado was not armed. he added.

Salgado’s mother Felina Ramirez said through an interpreter Tuesday morning, “All I want is justice. I want justice for my son.”
She spoke through tears as she described never being able to see her son again.

Salgado’s sister, Amanda Majail-Blanco, says they’ve been waiting two years for answers – answers they say this report does not provide.

“We have to remember that this is an investigative report on cops investigating their own, and this shouldn’t be trusted,” said Majail-Blanco.

Prosecutors identified the officers involved as CHP Sgt. Richard Henderson and Officers Donald Saputa and Eric Hulbert. The CHP said at the time the officers were conducting a traffic stop on the Dodge sedan driven by Salgado when he rammed it against their patrols and they opened fire.

Salgado was struck at least a dozen times. His pregnant girlfriend was in the passenger seat and was wounded.

READ MORE: South Bay Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For Selling ‘Killers In Disguise’ M30 Pills

Salgado was driving one of the Dodge Hellcats that was stolen a few nights earlier from a San Leandro car dealership during looting that happened around the George Floyd protests.

The report says when the officers pulled Salgado over and got out of their cars to talk to him, he tried to drive away, ramming their patrol vehicles twice. Thats’ when the officers opened fire, later saying they worried the Hellcat Salgado was driving could hit and kill one of the officers.

“The DA has said, ‘Well, I’m not really clear that that’s what happened, but right now I have nothing else to turn to.’ Why? Because there’s no video,” said LaDoris Cordell, a former judge and a former independent police auditor.

Cordell says video from body worn cameras would have taken away any doubt as to whether the shooting was justified. According to the DA, the cameras were not required by CHP policy.

“Had they had cameras on and activated, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, nor would the DA have any question about whether or not pressing charges, filing charges was the right thing to do,” says Cordell.

The 34 page report does leave the door open for criminal charges to be filed in the future “should more witnesses or evidence come forward.”

Katie Nielsen contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.

MORE NEWS: New COVID Cases Among States’ Highest As San Francisco Slowly Returns To Normal

The post Household of Erik Salgado Calls for Justice After Determination Not To Cost CHP Officers Who Fatally Shot Him – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) is considering implementation Congestion prices downtown to solve some of the city’s traffic problems. The main objectives of the project are “to get traffic moving and achieve road safety, clean air and equity goals”.

Congestion pricing is a broad term for a system that charges people based on the use of a lane. The specific type under consideration for San Francisco is “cordon pricing,” which charges people a flat rate every time they enter or leave a certain area of ​​the city.

Noisy San Francisco Chronicle, the SFCTA is currently considering two possible zones for cordon pricing: a small one around the Financial District, Chinatown, Tenderloin, and South of Market, and a larger one to the south that would include North Beach, Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Mission Bay.

According to the current proposal, the authorities would only calculate congestion prices during morning and evening rush hours. The plan would also include a full exemption for the lowest-income drivers and possible exemptions for people with disabilities and those living in the zone.

Anyone making $ 100,000 a year or more would pay $ 6.50 to enter or exit the city center.

SFCTA claims that most of the people subject to the new fees are higher-income drivers (at $ 100,000 a year or more) commuting to office buildings across the city.

Even so, not everyone is excited about the idea of ​​making it more expensive for people to work or patronize businesses in the heart of downtown San Francisco, especially during a pandemic. It would just add one more fee on top of a lot of taxes California residents already pay to live and work in the state.

“Overload prices in SF?” San Francisco-based political commentator Richie Greenberg said on Twitter: “Insane, ridiculous, anti-business, anti-tourist, anti-resident. What traffic jams? People in the wallet aren’t rational at all. “

Baruch Feigenbaum of the Reason Foundation said it was “complicated” whether San Francisco congestion prices would actually reduce traffic.

“There is a concept in transportation called ‘induced demand’. This means that if you take a vehicle off the road, another vehicle will use it, as driving is preferred to transit for most people, ”he says. If San Francisco already has some catching up to do in driving, even if some people stop driving because of the traffic jam prices, others will take their place when they see the traffic decrease.

Congestion Pricing is supported by some libertarians as an alternative, market-based solution to traffic problems caused by traffic jams. It is a way of preventing driving that is relatively non-invasive and still allows the individual driver to make their own decisions. And there is some evidence that it has worked quite well internationally.

“Congestion pricing for entire highway networks has been used successfully to relieve congestion in several cities around the world,” writes Randal O’Toole in a Cato Institute policy paper. “In 2004, Santiago de Chile introduced variable tolls on major highways in the city, and this proved to be significantly faster travel times and improved highway safety. Norway introduced congestion pricing on major highways in Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim, both of which helped have to finance these roads and relieved congestion. Several highways in France use congestion prices for all lanes, which has significantly reduced traffic delays. “

“Economists agree that pricing should be the way to solve traffic jams. But apart from this primary finding, there is a lot of disagreement,” noted Canadian economics professor Robin Lindsey in an overview of 100 years of business literature on the subject.

Feigenbaum emphasizes that the desirability of congestion prices “depends on the use of the income”.

He points to the cordon pricing system proposed by New York City, which uses a large part of the money on public transportation, which drivers avoid. Feigenbaum wrote about the plan with intern Joe Hillman for the Reason Foundation. They see this as a downside, as it means that a large portion of the benefits paid by NYC congestion prices go to wealthier people near major public transportation hubs, rather than the people who pay the congestion charges.

“In the long run,” they say, “the revenue from congestion prices is likely to benefit commuters, especially those who live near a subway station in the city or a train station on Long Island, Staten Island or Connecticut.”

The SFCTA study on the implementation of the program is currently underway is in progress. The agency says an overloaded pricing program would take at least five years to prepare. What happens by then could determine whether this is a good solution for traffic or another way for California to cause further inconvenience to its citizens and to waste their money.

The post San Francisco Desires To Cost Drivers To Enter or Exit Downtown – Cause.com appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.