RandySF
RandySF's JournalTwo attorneys predict explosion of litigation on same-sex marriage in wake of Supreme Court rulings
Two same-sex marriage experts told lawyers at an American Bar Association meeting in San Francisco today that they expect an "explosion of litigation" around the country in the wake of two U.S. Supreme Court rulings on gay nuptials.
But Chief Deputy San Francisco City Attorney Therese Stewart and National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter said they think litigation in California may be close to an end.
"It's hard to predict whether they'll continue to fight," said Stewart, referring to gay marriage opponents, "but we're not terribly anxious about it."
Elsewhere, however, Minter said, "there are cases all over the country" challenging state bans on same-sex marriage.
http://www.mercurynews.com/samesexmarriage/ci_23835415/two-attorneys-predict-explosion-litigation-same-sex-marriage
Brown to intervene to prevent another BART strike
Commuters will be spared from another BART strike Monday if the transit agency and its unions cannot reach a contract by Sunday.
Gov. Jerry Brown urged the two sides to "think of the public and resolve this matter without delay," but said if no agreement was reached, he did not want a walkout to happen, and requested a hearing for Sunday at 9 a.m. in San Francisco Superior Court to order a 60-day cooling-off period.
The governor's decision to seek a cooling-off period came after a three-member panel he appointed earlier in the week delivered its fact-finding report about the negotiations.
The report said that while the parties have had numerous bargaining sessions, they all "claim a failure on the part of their counterparts" for lack of a resolution. The two sides have made little progress on the issues of pay, pension and health care benefits.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Brown-will-intervene-to-prevent-another-BART-4721755.php
Maine Gov. LePage Jokes About Blowing Up Newspaper Building
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) on Friday joked about blowing up the building that houses the Portland Press Herald, a newspaper he took issue with for a previous investigative report, according to the Bangor Daily News.
“I want to find the Press Herald building and blow it up," Page said as he climbed into an F-35 Lightning II simulator machine at a Pratt & Whitney event in North Berwick.
Page apparently included the Bangor Daily News itself, according to Steve Mistler, the State House Bureau Chief for the Press Herald.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/maine-gov-lepage-jokes-about-blowing-up-newspaper
BART strike: Last-ditch talks continue to avoid transit shutdown
A new round of negotiations was continuing Sunday as officials tried to prevent a planned midnight transit strike by BART workers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A marathon session Saturday failed to produce an agreement, with some of those involved saying the two sides were far apart on some issues.
According to KCBS radio, neither side has provided any media updates Sunday, with just hours to go before the planned walkout.
The unions insist they don't want to strike.
"Our team is giving it our best shot. We really do not want to disrupt service Monday," president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 told the Associated Press. "We want a deal. We will do whatever it takes."
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bart-strike-lastditch-talks-continue-to-avoid-transit-shutdown-20130804,0,1927923.story
BART strike traffic would jump 10 percent over last shutdown, with same transit service
With the second BART shutdown of the summer looming next week and daily negotiations apparently continuing to prove fruitless, regional transportation officials warned Tuesday that the overall number of drivers and transit passengers is projected to jump 10 percent compared with the first strike. And they've decided not to launch additional trains and buses beyond what was offered last time -- a decision that has sparked some criticism.
During the Fourth of July holiday week while BART was shut down, more than 90,000 displaced one-way BART riders -- or one-fifth of the agency's daily ridership total -- packed onto standing-room-only buses, trains and ferries. Tens of thousands of others clogged jammed freeways and bridges, extending drive times by 25 minutes or more on the Bay Bridge and freeways that parallel BART.
But it could have been worse: Many others stayed home or went on vacation.
This time, the region's transportation planners are expecting fewer people to be on vacation -- and even a small increase in the amount of cars on the freeway can extend drive times dramatically.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bart/ci_23763296/bart-strike-traffic-would-jump-10-over-last
Hillsdale College President Refers To Minorities As ‘Dark Ones’
Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn referred to minorities as "dark ones" on Wednesday, prompting criticism from several state lawmakers, MLive reported.
Debating whether Michigan should adopt the Common Core State Standards at the state legislature, Arnn recalled receiving a Department of Education letter that voiced concerns about racial diversity at Hillsdale College.
"They said we violated the standards for diversity because we didn't have enough dark ones, I guess is what they meant," Arnn said in his opening remarks.
After receiving criticism for the "offensive" language from several state Democrats, Arnn doubled down.
“The State of Michigan sent a group of people down to my campus, with clipboards ... to look at the colors of people’s faces and write down what they saw," Arnn later said, according to M Live. "We don’t keep records of that information. What were they looking for besides dark ones?"
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/college-president-on-student-body-diversity-criticisms-we
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