San Francisco, CA
San Francisco court clerks go on one-day strike over understaffing
Over 200 San Francisco court clerks on strike
More than two hundred courtroom clerks from the San Francisco Superior Court system are on strike.
SAN FRANCISCO – More than two hundred courtroom clerks from the San Francisco Superior Court system are on strike.
The union representing San Francisco Superior Court clerks accuses the court management system of not negotiating in good faith. The union also says the court system is severely understaffed.
Clerks picketed outside the Hall of Justice early Thursday morning. The strike began at 6 a.m., with workers trying to keep noise levels down at first to avoid disturbing residents living in apartments across the street. But by mid-morning, the scene had grown louder with noisemakers, whistles, and signs as more people joined the picket line.
Courtroom clerks handle a range of responsibilities, from managing paperwork and overseeing jury selection to recording evidence and maintaining the court calendar. About 200 clerks are participating in the strike.
The union says its contract with the county expired two weeks ago, and negotiations on a new contract stalled. Clerks are demanding better staffing, improved training, and overall reforms to how their roles are managed.
Rob Borders, a courtroom clerk in the criminal division, said the lack of staffing can lead to clerical errors that affect the entire justice system.
“Somebody could get an inaccurate sentence, be released from jail early when they’re not supposed to, or stay in jail longer when they’re supposed to be released. Pretrial hearings can be postponed,” he said. “Our work affects people in our community, whether it’s a defendant or a victim of a crime, people going through a divorce, or an adoption. There are a lot of things the court does.”
Clerks are also asking for wage increases as part of the contract negotiations, but say their primary demands are better staffing, standardized training across all departments in case clerks are called to fill-in in a different type of court room than they’re used to, and a reference manual for their work.
KTVU reached out to the managers at the San Francisco Superior Court to get their response to the union’s allegations and to gauge the potential impact on cases. The court has not responded as of early Thursday morning.
The murder trial for Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee, is underway in San Francisco this week. Court is scheduled to be in session for a half-day on Thursday. It’s unclear if the schedule was affected because of the strike. Clerks on the picket line today told KTVU they expect non-union managers to cover that case, but disruptions are likely in other criminal, civil, and juvenile cases.
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San Francisco, CA
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco police release video of shootout that critically wounded officer
Police in San Francisco released body camera footage and additional details following a shootout with a robbery suspect that critically wounded an officer.
On Tuesday, the department held a virtual town hall meeting on the incident, which occurred on the night of May 31.
“In the San Francisco Police Department, we recognize that our sworn duty as law enforcement officers is to honor and respect the sanctity of human life. We also know that as police officers, we are sometimes required to use force, including deadly force, in the performance of our duties,” Police Chief Derrick Lew said.
Acting Commander Thomas Harvey delivered a multimedia presentation of the incident. Shortly before 10:30 p.m. that night, a license plate reader alerted officers about a vehicle associated with an armed robbery entering San Francisco on the Bay Bridge.
Officers found the vehicle, a gray Toyota Camry sedan, traveling northbound on Fifth Street from Folsom Street. Drones and other resources were requested as part of a plan to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle.
Around 10:40 p.m. officers attempted to stop the vehicle at Mission and First streets in the city’s South of Market.
In bodycam footage, officers are heard ordering the driver to turn the vehicle off. One of the officers is heard saying, “He’s gonna take off. I think he’s gonna take off.”
The driver led officers on a pursuit, which ended with the driver striking a concrete median on Bayshore Boulevard near Jerrold Avenue.
Harvey said as officers told the suspects inside the vehicle to come out with their hands up, the driver emerged from the vehicle and fired at police, striking an officer. One of the officers, identified as Brittany Taylor, was struck by gunfire.
Several officers returned fire, striking a passenger in the vehicle.
Harvey identified the officers who discharged their weapons as Officer Rachel Carranza, Officer Jeremmy Catiller and Officer Angela Maniego.
Taylor is receiving medical treatment for her injuries at a local hospital.
“I also want to send our best wishes to our officer in her continued success in recovery and also want to thank the public for the overwhelming support that we’ve received,” Lew said at the briefing.
The passenger, later identified as Ariunsanaaa Dolgorsuren, was arrested and is currently receiving medical treatment for his injuries, police said.
The driver of the vehicle left the scene on foot across Bayshore Boulevard, through a Chevron station parking lot and eastbound Jerrold Avenue. Shortly after 12:15 a.m. on June 1, police received a call that the suspect was inside the gate of the Bayshore Navigation Center.
Officers arrested the suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Norris Reed III of Oakland. Video from police showed officers seizing two firearms from Reed, which were determined to be a .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun and a 9mm privately manufactured handgun with no serial number.
Reed faces multiple charges, including four counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm upon a police officer, resisting an executive officer with force or violence, reckless evading, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy.
Jail records show Reed is being held without bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for June 11.
Dolgorsuren is also facing four counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm upon a police officer, resisting an executive officer with force or violence, conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle
The shooting remains under investigation by multiple entities, including the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the police department’s Investigative Services Division and Internal Affairs Division, along with the Department of Police Accountability.
San Francisco, CA
Bay Area artists celebrate Wong Kim Ark’s legacy in San Francisco’s Chinatown
A new mural in San Francisco is getting lots of attention as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the fight over birthright citizenship this summer.
Wong Kim Ark, born in San Francisco’s Chinatown, cemented birthright citizenship in the U.S. more than 120 years ago.
“I am an American” is written in both English and Chinese with Wong Kim Ark’s portrait at the corner of Sacramento Street and Grant Avenue. The mural is located near the corner where Wong Kim Ark was born in the 1870s to Chinese immigration parents.
Norman Chuck, known as “Vogue,” along with Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong of Twin Walls Mural Company, have been working on the project for the past month.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Wong Kim Ark,” Chu said.
“It tells us that we belong here and we matter just as much as the next person,” Vogue said.
“Both my parents were immigrants from China,” Vogue went on to say. “I am a first-born American, so it directly relates to me.”
The mural and a bronze plaque are on display at the Chinatown corner for people to stop and learn.
Wong Kim Ark was refused entry back into the U.S. after a trip to China under the Chinese Exclusion Act. Wong Kim Ark challenged the Supreme Court on his right to be called an American citizen and won his case in 1898.
“We want this mural to not also educate but also be a part of the community where people can see themselves reflected in these spaces, in Wong Kim Ark,” Chu said.
“A lot of our aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents came through Angel Island, and that shouldn’t be something that’s looked at as a negative,” Perez-Wong said. “We’re what makes this community vibrant.”
California and other states are suing President Donald Trump over his executive order to end birthright citizenship. For San Francisco, it means the story of “Wong Kim Ark” is more relevant than ever. Gia Vang reports.
The artists collaborated with the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum (CHSA), community and family members on the project. Each image on the wall has a story to tell, reflecting Wong Kim Ark’s life like his village and passport photos. There are also images that reflect the Chinatown community, like a vendor or family.
“The story of immigrants, the story of people who were born here who shouldn’t be considered foreign because they were born here, it’s birthright citizenship,” Perez-Wong.
The artists hope when people walk by, they will see the layers of history that spark curiosity and celebration.
“This is a legacy mural for me,” Vogue said.
“I had a little kid walk by and he read, ‘I am an American,’ and I just remember he boldly and proudly said, ‘I’m a Chinese American,’ when he walked by with his mom,” Chu said.
San Francisco leaders on Friday commemorated nearly 130 years since the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed birthright citizenship to everyone born in the country, including the children of all immigrants. Sergio Quintana reports.
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