The Rim Fire began in mid-August and wasn't completely contained until late October. It was the third-largest wildfire in California’s history, burning 400 square miles in and around Yosemite National Park and threatening the San Francisco-owned Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Estimates of total losses in the fire, including damage to the forest's carbon-storing function, range up to nearly $1 billion. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
On June 26 the Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that struck down Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage, clearing the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California. Two of the the people who sued to overturn Prop. 8, Sandra Stier, left, and Kris Perry, face each other and prepare to seal their marriage with a kiss at San Francisco City Hall on June 28. They were married by California Attorney General Kamala Harris. (Darlene Bouchard/KQED)
BART strikes in July and October sent hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for commute alternatives. Streets and freeways were jammed, ferry lines stretched out of sight, AC Transit provided extra buses and at least one intrepid commuter decided to kayak across the Bay. Here, ferry-borne commuters are reflected in a window as they disembark at San Francisco's Ferry Building on Oct. 18. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)
One final car crosses the old eastern section of the Bay Bridge on Aug. 28 as Caltrans shut down the span to put the finishing touches on the bridge's long-delayed $6.4 billion self-anchored suspension span. The new bridge opened late the night of Labor Day, Sept. 2. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)"
The new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is not just for vehicles. There's a bicycle and pedestrian path, too. People came out in droves when it first opened to check it out and get a different view of the bay. (Nancy Rubin / Berkeleyside)