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Pot dispensary sues city
Vote set for SF historic site
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SF Opera 2018-19
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Honoring Michael Greer
The
www.ebar.com
Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community
Vol. 48 • No. 3 • January 18-24, 2018
Suspect ID’d in death of ‘Bubbles’ by Seth Hemmelgarn
S Judge Teresa M. Caffese
Lesbian judge joins SF bench by Matthew S. Bajko
A
former chief attorney at the public defender’s office in San Francisco recently joined the local superior court bench, maintaining the number of out LGBT judges serving on it at eight. Judge Teresa M. Caffese, 57, a lesbian whose 24-year career with the San Francisco Public Defender’s office ended in 2010 when she announced she was going into private practice, took her judicial oath of office December 18. The court’s presiding judge, Teri L. Jackson, administered the oath. “I have a passion for justice ... I think I always wanted to return to public service,” Caffese told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent interview about her joining the local bench. “I love public service and I love this city. It seemed like the right fit and the right time to do it.” Between 2011 and 2017 Caffese represented several high-profile clients, including gay exSan Francisco 49ers football player Kwame Harris, who was charged in 2015 with two counts of hit-and-run, as well as charges of battery on a police officer and driving under the influence of drugs, and San Francisco Police Officer Edmond Robles, who was convicted in 2014 of federal felony charges from the theft of money and property during searches in 2009. As a judge, Caffese said she would have no trouble maintaining her impartiality. “When you are a judge you don’t have a dog in the fight or a bone in the fight. Your passion is for justice,” said Caffese, whose wife, Laura Caspellano, is a lawyer. “That is the difference, you are not an advocate for one side or the other. You are an advocate for justice. That is certainly my goal and what I plan to do every day serving as a judge for the city and county of San Francisco.” As is typical for new judges, Caffese has been assigned to hear traffic cases at the Hall of Justice and will preside over various trials when needed. “Whatever the court wants me to do, I will do it,” she said when asked if she had a certain legal area she wished to focus on as a judge. Governor Jerry Brown announced November 2 that he had appointed Caffese, a See page 16 >>
an Francisco police have released the identity of the man suspected of fatally shooting Anthony “Bubbles” Torres in September in the Tenderloin district as they seek the public’s help in apprehending him. Police said Friday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Hieu Trung Nguyen, 30, of San Francisco, who “should be considered armed and dangerous.” Nguyen is 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds, and has dark hair and dark eyes, police stated. In response to emailed questions Friday, Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman, said she couldn’t disclose what information led to Nguyen being named a suspect. However, she said, “If someone sees him they should just call 911.” As of Tuesday afternoon, police hadn’t provided any updates on the case. Torres, 44, reportedly got into an altercation with someone from the New Century Theater strip club at 2:50 a.m. Saturday, September 9, and was shot several times. He was well known in the Tenderloin and other communities for his love of music, dancing, and handing out free snow cones and cotton candy near the area where he was killed, as well as for wearing big blond
Courtesy SFPD
Anthony “Bubbles” Torres
Hieu Trung Nguyen
wigs and skimpy women’s clothing. According to police scanner activity that was recorded just after the shooting, someone reported that the incident had “spilled out from the New Century,” which is at 816 Larkin Street. “The suspect then chased the victim across the street, where he fell to the ground. The suspect then stood over him, fired the three rounds, and took off southbound.” Torres died across the street from the
strip club, near the gay Gangway bar, which is at 841 Larkin Street. Both the New Century and the Gangway have numerous surveillance cameras, but police haven’t discussed whether there’s any video footage of the incident. A man who lives in a hotel near the scene said that, before the shooting, Torres had been in front of the smoke shop next to See page 16 >>
Record number of lesbians seeks California legislative seats by Matthew S. Bajko
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hile the 11 LGBT candidates known to be running for state legislative seats in California this year is six fewer than the high seen in 2012, a record number of lesbians will be on the June primary ballot seeking Assembly or Senate seats. So far at least eight lesbians are looking to be elected to the Statehouse, two more than had sought legislative seats in 2012. It marks the largest group of lesbian legislative candidates in the Golden State over the last decade. Coincidentally, the three out men, two gay and one bisexual, known to be running for legislative seats this year is the fewest number of male candidates from the LGBT community seeking to be elected to the state Legislature since 2008. The previous low mark for male candidates came four years ago when one gay Senate candidate and four gay Assembly candidates were on the June primary ballot. Currently, there are eight out members of the state Legislature, four each in the Assembly and Senate. The membership of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus is also split evenly between men and women at the moment.
Rick Gerharter
Beckles for Assembly campaign
Democrat Joy Silver is seeking to oust a GOP state senator in southern California.
East Bay Assembly candidate Jovanka Beckles is seeking an open seat.
Two members could depart at the end of the year if gay Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) wins his race for state insurance commissioner, marking the first time an LGBT person is elected to statewide office, and if lesbian state Senator Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) is elected to a seat on the state’s Board of Equalization.
Due to three of this year’s out legislative candidates running for the same Assembly seat in the East Bay, the most the LGBT caucus could grow this year is by five members depending on the outcome of the various races with out candidates.
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