SAN FRANCISCO – Cementing its reputation as a progressive haven and further irking business groups, San Francisco has become the first city in the country to mandate paid sick leave for all employees. The ballot measure, which passed with a resounding 61 percent, comes at a time when businesses are reeling from a city plan requiring employers to contribute to universal health care and a citywide minimum wage boost phased in over the past few years. The measure requires that employers provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked by any employee, full time, part time or temporary.
L.A. airport loses its runway lights
A construction accident blacked out lighting on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport for several hours, briefly delaying flights around the country, authorities said. Forty-nine flights to Los Angeles were delayed an average of 56 minutes Tuesday to prevent the airport from having a logjam, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. After the lights were restored “there were residual delays” of another hour or two until flights got back on schedule, he said Wednesday.
Firefighter wins $2.7 million award
A black firefighter who was served dog food in his spaghetti by fellow firefighters will be paid more than $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging racial harassment and discrimination within the Los Angeles Fire Department. The award, approved 11-1 Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council, is the latest in a recent string of settlements of lawsuits by firefighters claiming discrimination, harassment and retaliation against those who complain.
Hawaii: Transgender aspirant wins
A Hawaii woman won a seat on the state Board of Education and, according to national advocacy groups, a place in history as the nation’s highest-ranking transgender elected official. Kim Coco Iwamoto, a 38-year-old attorney, did not tout her gender status in the campaign but has advocated for transgender youth and related issues. She came in third Tuesday in the competition for three seats on the 14-member board, which governs the islands’ 285 public schools. Iwamoto was born on the island of Kauai and attended a Catholic boys school in Honolulu.
D.C.: Cindy Sheehan arrested
Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans. The Berkeley, Calif., woman, whose son was killed in Iraq more than two years ago, was arrested along with three other women on the sidewalk outside the White House gate, a U.S. Park Police spokesman said. They were charged with interfering with a government function, he said. The petitions opposed use of military force to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
Florida: Amtrak train hits truck
An Amtrak train carrying 89 people slammed into a tractor trailer Wednesday, killing the truck driver and leaving three passengers with minor injuries, authorities said. The Amtrak Silver Star was heading into the Tampa area when it collided with the truck at an industrial rail crossing around 1:45 p.m., a Fire Rescue spokesman said. The cause of the crash was under investigation. He said the crossing was not on a public road and had warning lights and a crossing gate, but authorities were investigating if they were working properly.
Kentucky: Nude soldiers punished
Female Kentucky National Guard soldiers who allegedly posed nude for pictures before being sent to Iraq will face administrative sanctions rather than courts-martial, the Army said. The women were not suspended and were “busy supporting the war effort,” the chief of public affairs for the 13th Sustainment Command, said Tuesday. The Louisville Courier-Journal said it had obtained a disc containing 232 photographs of at least a half-dozen nude and seminude women posing with military rifles and covering their breasts with American flag decals.
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