San Francisco socialite found dead in Nevada, RNC’s new 23-year-old state director, pushback against Kaiser Permanente rate hikes, more.
Top of the news
San Francisco socialite Amber Marie Bently, 34, was found dead in an apartment in Gardnerville, Nevada, where she had been living while separated from her husband, businessman Christopher Bently. Chronicle
Stanford University warned faculty and students to change their passwords after a security breach of the university’s computer network. Tech Crunch
Politics and government
The Republican National Committee hired 23-year-old San Diego campaign operative Clinton Soffer as the party’s state director for California. Political Blotter
The high-stakes battle over raising the 38-year-old cap of $250,000 for pain and suffering awards in civil lawsuits in California may be headed to the ballot if the Legislature can’t come up with a compromise. LA Times
Other news and items of interest
Some of Kaiser Permanente’s biggest customers are complaining that the Oakland-based health care company is no longer a bargain and has become so entrenched in the workplace that it refuses to negotiate rates or fully explain why its premiums keep going up. LA Times
New City College of San Francisco special trustee Robert Agrella continues to flex his muscles as the person in whose hands the state has placed the fate of the ill-managed college, including booting three trustees from the search committee to find a permanent chancellor. Chronicle
BART plans to start construction Aug. 3 at its Fremont Station as part of the southward extension of the Fremont line to Warm Springs. SF Business Times
As part of the boomlet of contemporary art galleries moving to Potrero Hill, four galleries are hosting simultaneous inaugural shows on Sept. 7. SF Business Times
A man accused of stealing a Golden Gate Transit bus from a depot in Novato is a former driver for the agency, transit officials said. Marin IJ
A woman shot and killed as she drove through the city’s Fairfax neighborhood yesterday afternoon became Oakland’s 56th homicide victim of the year. Oakland Tribune
A woman killed inside her North San Jose apartment yesterday morning became San Jose’s 30th homicide victim of the year. Mercury News
Santa Rosa agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of a mentally ill man shot by police. Chronicle
San Mateo County parks planners are getting ready to unveil a conceptual plan for the much-anticipated Devil’s Slide Trail. San Mateo County Times
A PG&E work crew accidentally hit an underground gas line, causing an evacuation that lasted nearly four hours near Alamo’s main business district. Contra Costa Times
