Another leap in Bay Area home prices, Muni’s free ride program for low income youths starts tomorrow, Mark Leno’s bill could make simple drug possession a misdemeanor, more.
- Three juveniles were arrested for using the Internet to harass two underage boys who had sex with jailed sex offender Christine Shreeve Hubbs, 44, aka the Hummer Mom. Chronicle
- An appeals court rejected the petition by a coalition of school districts and education groups to force the state to redirect more than $2 billion in funding to public schools and community colleges. AP
- State Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco introduced a bill aimed at making simple drug possession a so-called “wobbler,” meaning district attorneys would have flexibility to charge a defendant with a misdemeanor or a felony. Capitol Alert
- Bay Area home prices increased 14.4 percent in December over a year earlier, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index. Chronicle
- The Chronicle looks at the ongoing hand-wringing in Berkeley over what to do about reviving Telegraph Avenue.
- Muni’s new free ride program for low income kids ages 5 to 17 begins tomorrow. Chronicle
- Oakland’s First Friday street festival is scheduled to return tomorrow, four weeks after the event was marred by the shooting death of a teenager. Oakland Tribune
- Fifty-four percent of those surveyed in a new Field Poll favor allowing marijuana to be sold and taxed in California like alcohol. AP
- Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will be this year’s UC Berkeley commencement speaker. Oakland Tribune
- About a dozen protesters shut down a Wells Fargo bank branch in Richmond during the noon hour yesterday. Contra Costa Times
- A 29-year-old Walnut Creek man was arrested after he allegedly sent lewd texts and Facebook messages to young girls propositioning them for sex. Contra Costa Times
