San Francisco Chronicle

Alexander Hoffmann, a lawyer who aided a generation of leaders on the political left in California, including Cesar Chavez, the Black Panthers and Lenny Bruce, died at his Oakland home Oct. 29 after a long illness. He was 81. Mr. Hoffmann, who emigrated from... Full Story »

Paulina Ruiz (left) and her friends from Morgan Hill, above, are among hundreds who waited for hours Monday outside San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria for a chance to see Ashley Green and Kellan Lutz, right, stars of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." The new... Full Story »

Federal, state courts and offices ClosedCity and county offices ClosedBanks, savings institutions ClosedPost offices ClosedSchools ClosedStoresMostly openPublic transit-- BARTRegular weekday schedule-- MuniRegular, nonschool weekday schedule-- Golden Gate... Full Story »

A few years ago, the owners of 510 Skateboarding in Berkeley hired an acclaimed local artist to paint a 16-foot rainbow mural on the side of their Telegraph Avenue shop. "It was really flowing, very Berkeley," said 510 Skateboarding co-owner Dandelion Harris.... Full Story »

A spokesman for state Attorney General Jerry Brown secretly recorded six interviews with five journalists since April despite being told by department officials not to do so a year ago, according to documents obtained Monday by The Chronicle. Still, spokesman... Full Story »

They came. They squealed. They left with photos and autographs - maybe even a high five or a wink. Hundreds of fans of the ubiquitous "Twilight" books and movies descended on Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco on Monday night for a chance to get sort of up... Full Story »

As rumors swirled that he paid off the family of his alleged murder victim with millions of pesos, Giants minor-leaguer Angel Villalona bailed out of jail this past week in his native Dominican Republic and became a free man - for now. Villalona's lawyer,... Full Story »

Prosecutors declined to file charges Monday against a 23-year veteran San Francisco Municipal Railway employee accused of attacking a teenage girl during a fare dispute at the Embarcadero Station last week, authorities said. Kenneth Valentine, 59, already... Full Story »

Nancy Garrido is without an attorney after an El Dorado County judge removed the court-appointed lawyer who had represented her since her arrest in late August in the kidnapping and rape of Jaycee Dugard. Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister removed... Full Story »

A San Francisco woman has been arrested in what police described as the domestic-violence slaying of a 42-year-old man bludgeoned to death in a Sixth Street hotel, authorities said Monday. Cameron Miller was found in his room at the Henry Hotel at 106 Sixth... Full Story »

Berkeley's City Council will decide Tuesday whether to hire Seattle police Capt. Michael Meehan as the city's new police chief. Meehan, 48, was selected by a recruitment committee consisting of residents, city staff and police officers. A 23-year veteran of... Full Story »

Three more cars were torched in west Contra Costa County over the weekend, bringing to at least 14 the number of vehicles that have been set on fire since Wednesday, authorities said Monday. The most recent fire was reported at about 10:50 p.m. Saturday,... Full Story »

Caltrans will add more safety measures and warning signs on the Bay Bridge to try to get drivers to slow down before the new S-curve, where a speeding truck driver lost control early Monday and plunged in his big rig 200 feet to his death on Yerba Buena... Full Story »

High school students in their bright band uniforms, former prisoners of war, bikers and horse riders streamed through downtown San Francisco on Sunday morning during the city's annual Veterans Day parade. "It's a good cause because of their sacrifices and... Full Story »

For the second winter in a row, Bay Area residents who burn wood, fire logs and pellets on high-pollution days run the risk of earning citations and fines from local air regulators. Using the same rationale that prompts it to address ozone pollution on hot... Full Story »

Striking San Francisco hotel workers had good reason to join with the mayor in calling for a City Hall sit-down with hotel owners - the fact is, conditions are not in the union's favor. For starters, it's late. The hotels' prime convention season of September... Full Story »

Balsamic and other red wine vinegars often contain lead, a potent neurotoxin, and could pose a risk to children who consume it regularly, according to a new analysis by Environmental Health News. Eating just one tablespoon a day of some vinegars can raise a... Full Story »

The law says jurors must stick to the evidence presented in court. But in the real world, jurors view that evidence through a thick lens of experience. For this reason, attorneys and trial consultants say, Judge Morris Jacobson of Alameda County Superior... Full Story »

The San Francisco Medical Examiner hopes today to determine the precise cause of death for a 39-year-old San Mateo resident found badly beaten in his car in the city's Crocker-Amazon neighborhood. Police officers found Alfonso Rodriguez at 9:50 p.m. Friday in... Full Story »

A North Richmond man was killed and his son injured outside their home Saturday after the father came outside to see the source of gunshots, police said. Lathel Williams, 59, died from gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at his home. His 29-year-old son,... Full Story »

- Four thousand years ago, a government bureaucrat in Mesopotamia jotted down a tally of slave laborers on a clay tablet. The bureaucrat left behind the count in wedge-shaped symbols that proved hard to fully decipher with the naked eye. Until now.... Full Story »

Amid the master-planned polish of Mission Bay, the 20 "floating homes" along Mission Creek exude a carefree social defiance. They've been there since the 1950s, when freight trains were the only neighbors. No longer: The north side of Mission Creek is lined... Full Story »

Dmitri Belser is a busy man these days. As president of the Ed Roberts Campus, a headquarters for disability rights groups under construction in Berkeley, Belser spends his days on change orders, design tweaks and fundraising. He's also head of the Center for... Full Story »

It looks like Carole Migden is a poet of sorts. The former state senator, who hurt her re-election bid by going on an erratic 30-mile drive in Solano County, where she hit guardrails and scared the tar out of other drivers before rear-ending another car, e-... Full Story »

The annual Taurids meteor showers put on a show in the Bay Area on Saturday evening, with one especially spectacular fireball wowing residents from around the region. April Orcutt caught a glimpse of the slow-moving meteor in the western sky from her home in... Full Story »