Morning Splash: DREAM Act Debate, San Jose May Cut Adult Ed, Health Insurers Raising Rates

The House of Representatives voted to pass the Dream Act on Wednesday night, catapulting to the Senate a bill that would offer a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the country when they were children...The Dream Act would give conditional green cards to undocumented immigrants if they graduate from high school and pursue a college education or military service. After a 10-year waiting period, they could obtain permanent residency if they met all the requirements, and they could eventually apply for citizenship.

Gang members aren't just dangerous because they are violent, they're dangerous because they attract violence, proponents of Oakland gang injunctions argue... That theory was in play in an Oct. 15 shooting in the 5200 block of West Street, near Children's Hospital Oakland. Multiple shooters in passing vehicles fired on three men standing together...one of whom died of his wounds Monday, and killing an uninvolved woman who happened to be nearby, officials said. One of the targeted men was Eric Tullis, 20, who was among 15 men declared gang members in civil court in June, police said. Tullis had successfully evaded being served with his injunction, Oakland City Attorney John Russo said.

The public cost of hosting an America’s Cup along San Francisco’s waterfront is tumbling, with city leaders effectively rejecting an initial proposal Wednesday in favor of a cheaper alternative.

A federal judge has rejected the latest challenge to California's Proposition 209, which bans the use of affirmative-action preferences by public colleges and other state and local agencies. In dismissing the lawsuit on Wednesday, Judge Samuel Conti of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco said the plaintiffs in the case had failed to convince him that the legal landscape has changed enough in recent years to undermine a previous appeals-court decision upholding the state measure.

Faced with choices ranging from tough to terrible, San Jose Unified School District officials are considering making drastic changes in 2011-12, including slashing adult education...District officials, trying to ensure that all students at least meet state academic standards, are considering creating a middle school academy, reinstituting summer school for failing students and adding back five days of instruction taken away through furloughs this year.

Some health insurers are bumping up rates yet again to reflect changes mandated by the new federal health overhaul law as well as state reforms that will go into effect Jan. 1. Blue Shield of California, for example, has sent letters informing customers with individual policies that their premiums will go up in the low single digits because of the federal law.

n a sudden U-turn after years of complaints, the San Jose Police Department is expected as early as next week to stop impounding cars for a month when unlicensed drivers are nabbed for minor traffic violations. Instead, officers will look for alternatives to towing a car, such as letting someone else pick up the car on the spot, when the stops don't involve allegations of drunken driving or other dangerous driving crimes.

The latest hurdle thrown in the path of California's high-speed rail project arrived Wednesday when a statewide group of minority-owned companies and small businesses demanded the federal government pull $3 billion from the initiative. The complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday alleges that the California High-Speed Rail Authority "utterly failed" to attract a diverse group of businesses while handing out more than $500 million in contracts.

Novato has become the latest Marin municipality to place a temporary ban on the establishment of new medical marijuana dispensaries within its borders. The Novato City Council voted 5-0 Monday to approve the 45-day moratorium, arguing that the city needed time to develop appropriate regulations for any future dispensaries.

The number of mountain lion sightings reported in San Mateo County has more than doubled this year compared to 2009, a county sheriff's spokesman said.

A 5 p.m. ceremony for the Lights on Market Street installations launches The ARTery Project, a San Francisco Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts initiative aimed at revitalizing the area, which is plagued with vacant storefronts...The festivities start at 1119 Market St., where Jim Campbell's artworks - suspended curtains of 2,000 LED light pixels projecting moving images of pedestrians and traffic - will fill the vacant storefront windows.

Silicon Valley's workplace perks are legendary: corporate chefs, on-site massages, stock options. Now several prominent valley companies are adding a new one -- electric-vehicle charging stations for their employees.