Top of the morning’s news
- Oakland officials aren’t waiting around for Anthony Batts’ resignation as police chief to take effect. Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan was sworn in Thursday as interim chief to replace him, effective immediately. Chronicle
- Politico reporter Kendra Marr resigned after being accused of plagiarizing a story in the New York Times.
- In the midst of a deteriorating ad climate, the New York Times plans to eliminate up to 20 more newsroom positions through voluntary buyouts. Media Decoder
- The Bay Citizen looks at why the turnout at Occupy SF has been so low.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee today holds another hearing on Solyndra, the failed Fremont solar company—its third since the firm filed for bankruptcy. Mercury News
- Gov. Jerry Brown gave a rambling presentation about the health of the state’s economy at an economic conference in Beverly Hills Thursday, but provided few clues as to how he plans to help fix it. AP
- State Attorney General Kamala Harris is considering a major shift to focus on white collar crime after deep budget cuts to units that focus on gang and drug enforcement, according to a draft strategy document obtained by AP.
- Citing a lagging economy and the polarized political environment, California’s three-decades-old Center for Governmental Studies says it will close Oct. 20, the Chronicle Politics blog reported.
- After a rift between Republican candidates and Univision derailed the leading Spanish-language network’s presidential debate plans, rival Telemundo announced it will host a debate among GOP candidates. Media Decoder
“It’s outrageous. This isn’t a movie, this is real life: Women are treated as objects in Chechnya, gays are executed, human rights defenders are routinely killed. Meanwhile, Hollywood royalty shows up, collects cash, and then says ‘sorry.’ ”-- Human rights advocate Sarah Wasserman, after actress Hilary Swank took cash to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, and after her appearance in Grozny became publicized, apologized for going.
Other news
- The family of a suicidal man who drowned off the Alameda shoreline while police and fire personnel stood and watched, filed claims against the city, citing negligence. Oakland Tribune
- USC rolled past Cal 30-9 at AT&T Park to beat the Golden Bears for the eighth year in a row. Oakland Tribune
- Cecelia Dodge, the head of SFUSD’s special education department, announced plans to resign for personal reasons. The Bay Citizen
- PG&E’s plans to replace all 1,231 miles of the same type of notoriously faulty pipeline that sparked a fire at a Cupertino condominium complex will take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Mercury News
- The state is offering motorists with outstanding traffic tickets for more than three years an amnesty of sorts—50 percent off, if they pay up within the first six months of 2012. Chronicle
- About 20 parents rallied outside Paul Revere K-8 school in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood to demand the removal of the principal, whom they accused of mistreating students. Examimer
