9 Stories You Should Know About Today: Friday, Jan. 30

Manual surveys on Thursday confirmed concerns over the withering mountain snowpack — a critical source of water for millions of Californians. Statewide, water content in the Sierra’s accumulated snows is an anemic 25 percent of the average for this time of year. That’s despite a really soggy December in which some California cities got nearly three times their normal rainfall — and rainfall is the operative word. But those storms weren’t cold enough to deliver much snow to the middle elevations. 2014 went down as California’s warmest year on record. Full story

The scope of a probe into PG&E's cozy relationship with the state Public Utilities Commission before and after a fatal pipeline explosion in San Bruno has widened this week, as investigators scour evidence gathered from the homes of two top officials in a step that legal experts said indicates prosecutors are considering criminal charges in the case. The news of the searches comes as PG&E is scheduled to release an additional 65,000 emails between the utility and the PUC on Friday. It's unclear what might be in those emails, but previously released exchanges have illustrated attempts by PG&E to influence the handling of cases before the agency and efforts by former PUC President Michael Peevey to seek contributions to favored causes from the utility even as his agency was overseeing regulatory cases involving PG&E. Full story

Two cases of measles in two unvaccinated Marin children who are family members were confirmed by the county's health department, officials said Thursday night. The infection occurred outside the county, and though the two children were of school age, unvaccinated children will not be barred from attending school for 21 days, said Dr. Matthew Willis, Marin's public health officer. Full story

UC Davis Medical Center began treating a patient Thursday for a suspected case of the Ebola virus, according to representatives from the hospital and the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services. The patient arrived at Mercy General Hospital in East Sacramento on Thursday morning before being transferred to UCD Medical Center around 9 a.m., UC Davis representatives confirmed. UCDMC is one of eight sites designated by state and federal health officials to treat possible Ebola cases in California. Full story

A report on the future of California’s state parks recommends fundamental change to overcome chronic budget and management problems that threaten the long-term sustainability of these pantheons to nature. Key recommendations include upgrading technology and fee-collection systems at parks, diversifying park leadership and creating a dedicated source of public funding to support an integrated network of state, regional and local parks. Full story

BART riders' satisfaction with service has dropped to its lowest level in 16 years because of overcrowded, hot trains and dirty seats and carpets, according to a survey of train riders. The transit agency said the problems are side effects of record ridership as the recovering economy creates more jobs and more commuters -- many of whom can't find seats on trains or spaces in station parking lots. Full story

San Jose and San Francisco lead the nation in house flipping, according to a study released Thursday by online real estate site Trulia, but the best days for making a profit may be over as price gains slow. The market changes have created dangers for amateurs and slim pickings for professionals who buy, fix up and resell homes in a short time, hopefully at a profit. Full story

Public schools cannot require parents to volunteer as a condition of student enrollment, state education officials have advised local school officials. The California Department of Education issued a memo last week after civil rights group Public Advocates complained in November that public schools across the state, particularly charter schools, had imposed parent volunteer mandates. Last fall, a handful of campuses around the Sacramento region suggested on their websites that parents had to volunteer 30 or 40 hours a school year and could make up hours by contributing a particular dollar amount. Full story

A popular African-American comedian took to the Internet on Thursday to complain that an employee of the Elmwood Café on College Avenue told him to “scram,” or words to that effect, Monday while he was talking to his white wife and her friends at one of its outdoor tables. W. Kamau Bell, who performs regularly in Bay Area comedy clubs, said he was shocked when the employee tapped on the window from inside the café and indicated that he should leave the area. The employee apparently thought Bell might be trying to sell something. Bell said he was dressed in a dark Oaklandish-brand hoodie at the time. Full story