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3 Northern California officers charged with involuntary manslaughter of suspect pinned face-down on ground

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3 Northern California officers charged with involuntary manslaughter of suspect pinned face-down on ground

Three Northern California law enforcement officers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man who was pinned facedown during a 2021 incident that drew comparisons to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The charges against James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley were announced Thursday by Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.

The charges were filed just before the statute of limitations were to expire and marked a reversal of a decision by a previous district attorney who cleared the officers of wrongdoing.

HOMICIDE SUSPECT FATALLY SHOT BY POLICE OUTSIDE SAN FRANCISCO

Mario Gonzalez, 26, died in the city of Alameda on April 19, 2021. McKinley, Fisher and Leahy were all Alameda police officers at the time. McKinley and Leahy are still with that department but Fisher is now a Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy.

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The officers confronted Gonzalez after receiving 911 calls that said he appeared disoriented or drunk. According to police video, he resisted being handcuffed and they pinned him to the ground for several minutes before he became unconscious.

Three California police officers have been charged in the 2021 death of Mario Gonzalez. (Fox News)

The county coroner’s autopsy report listed the cause of death as “toxic effects of methamphetamine” with the contributing factors of “physiologic stress of altercation and restraint,” morbid obesity and alcoholism. Then-District Attorney Nancy O’Malley subsequently found that the officers’ actions were reasonable.

A second, independent autopsy done at the request of Gonzalez family lawyers found that he died of “restraint asphyxiation.” The district attorney’s office noted the second autopsy in announcing the involuntary manslaughter charges.

Defense attorneys denounced the charges as politically motivated, noting that an effort to oust Price has gathered enough signatures to force a recall election this year.

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Fisher’s attorney, Michael Rains, said the charges are a “desperate effort to shore up her chances of remaining in office,” Bay Area News Group reported.

The district attorney waited “until the 11th hour” before the statute of limitations was set to expire and just days after it was confirmed she would face a recall, attorney Alison Berry Wilkinson, who represented the three officers in previous investigations and now represents Leahy, said in an email to The Associated Press.

“There is no new evidence,” Berry Wilkinson wrote. “This is a blatantly political prosecution.”

Berry Wilkinson said the officers’ actions were reasonable, necessary and lawful, and the death was due to drug toxicity.

“We are confident a jury will see through this charade and exonerate the officers, just as the two prior independent investigations did,” the attorney said.

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An attorney for McKinley was not immediately available for comment Friday.

Price said she was “walled off” from the case review, which was conducted by her office’s Public Accountability Unit.

Last year, Alameda settled two lawsuits over Gonzalez’s death. The city agreed to pay $11 million to his young son and $350,000 to his mother.

“A wrong has been righted,” Adante Pointer, the attorney for Gonzalez’s mother, told the news group.

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San Francisco, CA

Oakland, California, airport can use ‘San Francisco’ in name after settlement

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Oakland, California, airport can use ‘San Francisco’ in name after settlement


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco has settled a two-year legal fight with its neighbor across the bay that will allow the city of Oakland to include “San Francisco” in its airport’s name if it doesn’t highlight the two words in any way.

The settlement announced Tuesday allows Oakland’s airport to be called “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport,” but it bars the city from spotlighting “San Francisco” or “San Francisco Bay” in fonts, highlights, different colors or any other way. It also requires Oakland to use the word “bay” right after “San Francisco” and bans it from using the word “International” in the airport’s name, even though it provides international flights.

The spat began in 2024 after Oakland, a diverse port city often seen as the underdog in the Bay Area compared to its richer neighbor to the west, changed its airport’s name to “San Francisco-Oakland Bay Airport,” prompting San Francisco officials to sue over what they said was a trademark violation.

The two airports are across from each other on the San Francisco Bay and about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) driving distance.

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Oakland officials said the name modification was necessary to help travelers unfamiliar with the region place the city in the Bay Area. They said visitors often fly into San Francisco’s airport even if their destination is closer to the Oakland airport. The airport’s three-letter code OAK did not change.

“We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay,” Mary Richardson, attorney for the Port of Oakland, which manages the airport, said in a statement.

San Francisco argued having “San Francisco” in Oakland’s airport name would confuse travelers, especially those flying in from abroad and those unfamiliar with the Bay Area. But on Tuesday, San Francisco officials had a friendlier tone.

“We are grateful to have reached a resolution in this matter,” San Francisco International Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet said. “This agreement provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”

Neither side admitted liability, and there was no monetary settlement.

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San Francisco International Airport, known as SFO, is owned by the city, though technically located south of it.



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Denver, CO

Re/Max to be sold, headquarters to leave Denver

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Re/Max to be sold, headquarters to leave Denver


Re/Max Holdings, the residential real estate firm that has been based in Denver since its 1973 founding, has agreed to be sold.

The Real Brokerage, a publicly traded firm based in Miami, Florida, has agreed to pay $13.80 per share for Re/Max, whose headquarters is at 5075 S. Syracuse St. in the Denver Tech Center.

“The acquisition brings together two complementary business models, uniting Real’s AI-powered, high-growth brokerage platform, proprietary software and vibrant agent community with REMAX’s iconic real estate brand and expansive global franchise network with a presence in more than 120 countries and territories and more than 145,000 agents,” the companies said.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of the year.

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The combined company will have 180,000 agents, the companies said. It will be headquartered in Miami, although a joint news release says “significant operations” will remain in Denver.

Shareholders of Re/Max, a real estate brokerage franchisor, will have the option of being paid in cash or receiving 5.15 shares of the combined public company, which will be known as Real ReMax group.

With 20.1 million outstanding shares of Re/Max stock, the $13.80 figure values the company at about $278 million.

In the joint news release, the firms said the deal values Re/Max at $880 million, a figure that includes debt. When the deal closes, the companies said, Real shareholders are expected to own about 59% of the combined company, with Re/Max shareholders owning the remainder.

Tamir Poleg, who leads Real, will serve as CEO of the combined company.

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Shares of Re/Max stock closed Friday at $7.99, up 8% year to date but down about 90% from a peak of $67.20 in October 2017.

On Monday, Re/Max shares spiked 24% but only reached $9.94 — well below the $13.80 figure. That suggests some doubt among investors that the deal will come to fruition.

Real Brokerage investors didn’t cheer the announcement. Its shares fell 24% Monday.

Re/Max was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger. The company has been led since 2023 by CEO Erik Carlson. At the end of 2025, it had 519 employees, about half of them in the Denver area.

The company had revenue of $291.6 million last year, down from $307 million in 2024, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle’s drug diversion plan falters as open-air use persists in neighborhood hotspots

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Seattle’s drug diversion plan falters as open-air use persists in neighborhood hotspots


In neighborhoods like Little Saigon, near 12th and Jackson, the drug crisis is hard to miss.

Crowds gather on sidewalks, some openly using drugs while others sell stolen goods. The area has become one of Seattle’s most visible hotspots for crime, disorder, and overdose response.

RELATED | Seattle rolls out diversion program for misdemeanor drug cases

Seattle’s drug ordinance was meant to address scenes like this. It requires police to focus on diversion, not jail, for people caught using or possessing drugs.

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On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee received a presentation on the effectiveness of the drug law and the diversion programs officers can make referrals to instead of jail.

Under department policy, officers are encouraged to refer people to treatment or services whenever possible. Arrest is supposed to be a last resort. And programs like LEAD, or Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, are available 24/7 to divert people before they ever reach jail.

Research presented during the public safety presentation shows diversion can work. Independent studies found LEAD reduced repeat offenses by nearly 60%, cut felony charges, and significantly increased housing and employment outcomes.

However, the reality on the ground looks significantly different.

SEE ALSO | Belltown residents report rampant drug activity despite new SODA law

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Open drug use remains a common sight in some of Seattle’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, even as the city’s drug law was designed to prioritize treatment over jail.

From 2024 to 2025, pre-arrest diversion dropped by 41%, and LEAD diversions overall fell by 30%. At the same time, arrests increased by 47%.

Funding cuts to LEAD in recent years had an impact on reducing its capacity, though that funding has since been stabilized.

During the meeting, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said diversion is still a key part of the solution, but not the only one. Barnes said officers need clearer standards for when to act, especially as the public grows frustrated seeing illegal drug use happening openly, sometimes right in front of police.

Current policy includes a broad checklist of factors before making an arrest, from a person’s behavior to their location near schools, parks, or transit. That complexity can lead to inaction.

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SEE ALSO | Evaluating Seattle’s efforts against open-air drug use presents progress and challenges

Barnes also pointed to operational realities, including staffing challenges and limited diversion capacity, as factors affecting how the law is being enforced.

Meanwhile, illegal street sales continue to fuel the crisis, creating environments where drug use, theft, and violence intersect.

During public testimony at the start of the meeting, some community members said what’s needed is a more balanced approach, one that enforces clear public behavior standards while expanding access to treatment and outreach.

Without that, the system risks leaving neighborhoods unsafe while also not providing the help needed by people living with addiction.

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