Oakland cops rapped for inaction in two nights of downtown vandalism, Yusuf Bey IV attorney Lorna Brown faces the music, woman survives house fire but her nearly 100 cats don’t, more.
Top of the news
On the third night of unrest after the George Zimmerman acquittal in Florida, protesters briefly blocked Interstate 880 in downtown Oakland Monday night and attempted to get onto a second freeway. Chronicle
Oakland Police draw strong criticism for their lack of response to vandalism during the first two nights of protests following the Zimmerman verdict. Mercury News
Politics and government
Rep. Mike Thompson, a Napa Democrat, announced he has cofounded the new Congressional Invasive Species Caucus to raise awareness about invasive flora and fauna. Political Blotter
Other news and items of interest
A state Bar Court judge recommended four years suspension from practicing law for Lorna Brown, the former attorney for convicted murderer Yusuf Bey IV, for allegedly smuggling a hit list of witnesses out of jail after a visit with her client. Mercury News
News from the social media distortion front: the picture that made the rounds to purportedly show hundreds of thousands of people protesting the Zimmerman trial verdict at the Golden Gate Bridge is from Bridge Walk, 1987. Chronicle
The trial of a former San Jose elementary school teacher accused of child molestation got underway Monday. Mercury News
Firefighters in San Jose rescued a woman from her burning home, but nearly 100 cats living inside the house perished. Mercury News
Gay marriage opponents lost an appeal to the state Supreme Court to block county clerks from issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Mercury News
East Bay Regional Park District is considering 16 potential new park sites as it eyes expansion in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Contra Costa Times
Yahoo, which fought an unsuccessful battle against the federal government’s data requests in 2008, won a victory Monday in persuading a secret federal court to open files of the case, although what’s released will still be subject to federal review. Mercury News
Jen Upshaw Swartz, 39, was named city editor at the Marin Independent Journal. Marin IJ
Police were searching for a man in a silver Honda that they said shot at a pedestrian near the Hayward BART station during the noon hour Monday. Mercury News
The A’s Yoenis Cespedes won the Home Run Derby that’s part of the all-star game festivities. Chronicle
