Top of the morning’s news
- Oakland police officers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract that calls for them to contribute 9 percent into their pensions in exchange for a promise of no layoffs until 2015. Oakland Tribune
- Janelle Wang is jumping from ABC7’s “View of the Bay” to co-anchor the 5 o’clock news at NBC Bay Area. Separately, NBC Bay Area announced that Jon Kelley, former host of the reality show “The Mole” on ABC will join Laura Garcia-Cannon as co-anchor of the weekday “Today in the Bay.” PR Newswire
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi signaled that House Democrats would not support cutting Social Security benefits as part of an Obama administration compromise with Republicans to raise the debt limit. Talking Points Memo
- Assemblyman Martin Garrick (R-Solano Beach) was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Sacramento. AP
- To improve its poor record for on-time arrivals and departures, planners want to redirect more Bay Area flights from SFO to Oakland and San Jose and let airplanes land at SFO closer together in cloudy weather. Examiner
- An Oakland man who called police to say that he couldn’t wake his girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of killing her. Chronicle
- A Marin judge will appoint a county official to investigate accused serial murderer Joseph Naso’s wealth and his ability to pay before considering Naso’s request for a public defender. Marin IJ
- Mark Lugo, the New Jersey man accused of stealing a Picasso drawing from a Union Square art gallery, was “enjoying an evening with friends” in Napa when arrested Wednesday night. Chronicle; The Bay Citizen
- Tiburon’s city council voted unanimously to ban smoking in all large apartment complexes. Marin IJ
- A small plane took a nose dive and crashed into a Watsonville hospital, killing two people on board, although there were no casualties on the ground. AP
- A man fell from the second deck to the field level 20 feet below at Rangers Stadium during the A’s game and later died. Chronicle
- Closing arguments began in the murder trial of porn impresario James Mitchell, accused of clubbing girlfriend Danielle Keller to death with a baseball bat in the presence of their infant daughter in 2009. Marin IJ
- Barry Zito gave up just one run in eight innings to help the Giants beat the Padres 2-1 and claim their 50th win before the All-Star break for the first time since 2003. Chronicle
