Top of the morning’s news
- Tea Party Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is blocking pipeline safety regulation aimed at fixing some of the problems that led to the San Bruno disaster last year, using his prerogative as a senator because he is opposed in principle to adding regulations and expanding the federal government. Chronicle
- Angry parents and students railed against the Oakland school board last night after it pushed forward a proposal to close five elementary schools and eliminate eight others through consolidation. Chronicle
- Concord’s city council voted unanimously to ban public smoking in a 17-block area around Todos Santos Plaza, which, if enacted after a required final vote, will amount to a downtown smoking ban. Contra Costa Times
- Fox Sports sued the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, trying to halt the proposed TV rights sale that besieged owner Frank McCourt says is his key to emerging from bankruptcy as the team’s owner. LA Times
- Three candidates for district attorney demanded that interim DA George Gascon release an internal memo detailing missteps and shoddy procedures at SFPD’s beleaguered crime lab. The Bay Citizen
- Sausalito Councilman Mike Kelly issued an apology for slapping the hand of Councilwoman Carolyn Ford during a heated exchange two weeks ago. Marin IJ
“He died rapidly, so instantly he didn't even have time to close his eyes."-- Defense lawyer Michael Chernoff, referring to the late Michael Jackson, during opening day of the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray in Los Angeles.
Other news
- Police in Fort Bragg released a photo of suspected double-murderer Aaron Bassler, 35, apparently breaking into a cabin while clutching an assault rifle. Chronicle
- Air Quality officials have declared today another Spare the Air Day, saying air quality in the Bay Area is expected to be unhealthy.
- Times may be tough for the UC system budget, but alumni aren’t as willing to donate as university officials had hoped. The Bay Citizen
- A Bay Area mortgage broker was charged with conspiring to arrange more than $10 million in fraudulent home loans for clients who included two leaders of the Hell’s Angels. Chronicle
- A San Mateo family expressed outrage after police shot and killed their two dogs after they escaped and started barking at children in a park. Chronicle
- New Census Bureau numbers released Tuesday show 28,312 same-sex couples in California say they are married, more than in any other state. The Bay Citizen
- The National Park Service and the FAA are starting work on a public plan that could result in new limits on helicopter and airplane tours over the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including the Golden Gate Bridge. Mercury News
- Police are investigating the suspected rape of a female student at Saint Mary’s College over the weekend, the second sexual assault on the campus in two weeks. Contra Costa Times
