9 Stories You Should Know About Today

Swarms of chanting protesters swept through Oakland and San Francisco for the second straight night Thursday to castigate authorities for the killings of unarmed black men by police. A sign-waving throng marched through foggy Oakland and a large band of demonstrators blocked Market Street in San Francisco in an attempt to deliver their point: that the two police officers responsible for the deaths of Eric Garner, in New York, and Michael Brown, in Missouri, should have been prosecuted for murder. Full story

... the default setting for our criminal justice system—both explicitly and implicitly—is to believe that an on-duty officer who takes another citizen’s life was justified in doing so. Unless that baseline assumption changes, we should expect the same result the next time a cop takes someone else’s life in the line of duty. Even when the killing is caught on video. Even when the police officer uses a chokehold that’s been barred by his department. Full story

Today Uber chief Travis Kalanick issued a bold statement detailing exactly how he plans to turn Uber into “a smarter and more humble company.” Kidding. Of course he didn’t. Today the famously combative CEO announced a second $1.2 billion funding round, valuing the transportation company at a massive $40 billion. And buried within that announcement, Kalanick acknowledged his company’s recent avalanche of negative press with an indirect promise to turn things around. Full story

What's in store for the Bay Area if San Francisco's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics succeeds? Here's one vision: "Debt. Displacement. Militarization of public space. Gentrification on steroids." Full story

Last year, 65 percent of likely voters said they had a favorable opinion of Mayor Ed Lee according to the Chronicle. His approval rating has sunk before to 49 percent, but earlier this year was reported as high as 73 percent by the Chronicle. ... Now a SurveyUSA poll commissioned by KPIX 5 shows that Lee has slid to 47 percent approval, with the same percentage of respondents saying the quality of life in the city is getting worse. Full story

A fascinating display of how one might try to explain the intricacies of California water law to an outsider, in this case panel chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. Full story

Man accused of starting blaze that swept through part of Yosemite last year faces 11 years in prison and $500,000 in fines if convicted. Now he's recanted story about setting a small campfire and is challenging government evidence in the case. Full story

Today, I’m reckoning with my own carnivorousness. As much chicken meat as I have consumed in my life, I have rarely touched a live chicken, much less held one in my lap. Swaddled in a black apron and oriented on its back, the chicken settles into a surreal avian calm and blinks drowsily. My job is now to competently, painlessly transition this warm creature from life to death using the blade gripped loosely in my right hand. Full story

The Warriors have the best record in the NBA and acted like it against New Orleans. The Warriors easily defeated the Pelicans 112-85 on Thursday at Oracle Arena, with 16-2 Golden State winning its 11th game in a row to match a franchise high set in the 1971-72 season. Full story

Sunday’s Raiders-49ers game should be intense and nasty on the field. Let’s hope it’s not that way in the stands. The last time these two teams played each other, on Aug. 20, 2011 in a preseason game at Candlestick Park, two men were shot, another was beaten unconscious and there were dozens of fights. There were 90 calls for medical service and 70 ejections. It was a frightening free-for-all, and an example of all that can be wrong in sports. Full story