New Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory campus faces delay, Bay Area auto thefts surge, CNN’s phony exclusive, more.
Top of the news
As BART workers began voting Tuesday on whether to strike, both the union and management remained entrenched in their positions. Mercury News
Politics and government
Senator Dianne Feinstein named Jennifer Duck, 42, a Pfizer pharmaceutical lobbyist (and former Feinstein staffer) as her new chief of staff. Political Blotter
A former San Mateo probation department boss facing child porn charges had the images on his work computer as part of his job, his lawyer said Tuesday. San Mateo County Times
Gov. Jerry Brown appointed three new agency secretaries ahead of consolidation that will reduce the number of state agencies from 12 to 10 and combine dozens of departments. Political Blotter
Other news and items of interest
Californians are divided on a proposal to protect the Yosemite toad and other amphibians, something that could have a marked impact on future development along the Sierra Nevada. McClatchy
That new Richmond biosciences campus for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory could face a construction delay of a year or more due to federal sequestration cuts. Oakland Tribune
A reputed San Francisco gang member was charged with the April 23 murder of rapper Keith L. Head, 22, aka K. O. Da Bandit, in downtown Oakland. Oakland Tribune
Auto thefts are surging in California, and especially in the Bay Area. Mercury News
PG&E didn’t have an immediate explanation for an extended power outage that shut down San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park and Zoo Tuesday. Mercury News
Grocery Outlet is moving is headquarters from Berkeley to nearby Emeryville. SF Business Times
Visit San Francisco, the meetings and conventions promoter, is suing San Francisco Travel, the travel promotion organization of which it’s a member, claiming unauthorized use of its name. SF Business Times
Film writer Richard Matheson, 87, who wrote “Duel,” Steven Spielberg’s 1971 film, and 16 episodes of the “The Twilight Zone” for Rod Serling, died in Southern California after a long illness. Writers Guild of America
CNN’s new morning show, “New Day,” aired a story about an American factory boss held “hostage” in China that it billed as an “exclusive,” even though the same story ran on at least two other network morning shows. TV Newser
Work has begun on a new 23-story residential tower in downtown San Jose. NBC Bay Area
