Pacific Gas and Electric Co. declared 4 1/2 miles of at-risk natural-gas pipelines in the East Bay and San Jose safe without proof of having carried out the federally mandated inspections needed to ensure the lines were in good shape, company officials said Monday. PG&E officials told state and federal regulators that the large transmission pipelines that run under Martinez, Newark, Fremont and San Jose had been inspected as required, when in fact they "may not have undergone proper integrity management assessments," the company said in a statement.

Delivering her first earnings report since taking the top job at Yahoo, CEO Marissa Mayer on Monday announced modest gains in financial performance last quarter, while promising a major new focus on the mobile Internet in the future. "I came to Yahoo to grow and help redefine one of the Internet's most beloved companies," Mayer said during a conference call with investment analysts, adding that her top priority is developing "a focused, coherent mobile strategy."

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, smiled as she told the story of her first job as an attorney to a San Francisco audience Monday. It was just down the road in San Mateo, where she started her career finagling an unpaid position as a San Mateo County public attorney - a job she landed after 40 all-male Bay Area law firms rejected her despite her top-of-the-class Stanford University law degree.

With the election drawing near and several polls showing an unexpectedly tight vote, the Proposition 34 campaign over whether to abolish California's death penalty is heating up. And the two rival campaigns are unveiling ads this week relying on very different messages to appeal to voters being asked for the first time to abandon the death penalty since it was restored more than three decades ago. In short, the pro-Proposition 34 forces are asking voters to save California money and rid the state of the justice system's most costly and controversial law. And law enforcement foes of the measure are reminding the public of the notorious killers who wind up on death row, from Richard Allen Davis to mass murderer Charles Ng.

Phones were ringing off the hook at school district offices Monday as word spread about the high school's fantasy sex league involving boys in varsity sports and girls who participate in sexual activity, then rack up "points" similar to fantasy sports leagues. The media coverage exploded over the weekend with reports on television and online postings after Piedmont High principal Rich Kitchens issued an advisory to parents and news outlets that the league came to light following after a recent date rape assembly.

With only about two weeks to go until election day, the race for supervisor in San Francisco's District Five is anything but settled. Candidates, public officials and organizations continue to react to two game-changers in the previous two weeks: groping allegations against a leading candidate of the left, Julian Davis, and appointed incumbent Supervisor Christina Olague's surprising vote to oppose Mayor Ed Lee's charge of official misconduct against Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. "It's still sort of a mess," said political consultant David Latterman, who believes the most likely scenario is that Olague wins in a squeaker. "Davis was her biggest threat from the left, and they neutralized it to some extent."

Since the start of the 2010 school year, thirsty students at Turlock High School can visit a “hydration station,” a state-of-the-art drinking fountain that provides filtered and chilled water. The high-tech fountain, which has also filled nearly 9,000 water bottles at Turlock High, south of Modesto, is part of the district’s effort to comply with recently passed state and federal laws that require free, fresh water to be served at schools wherever meals are served or eaten.

Late last week, the San Francisco Planning Commission gave its final approval to the Transbay Tower--the 1,070-foot skyscraper slated to become not only the highest point on the San Francisco skyline, but the tallest building on the entire West Coast. The 61-story structure will be the focal point of a massive, 145-acre development project complete with residential housing, hotels, retail space and a transit center serving as the northern terminal of the state's controversial high speed rail project.

Cotati today is to break ground on a downtown train depot at East Cotati Avenue and Santero Way. Officials hope the transit center, with an adjoining plaza, will link Cotati to multiple forms of transit and will create a busy hub near the city's center. "It will be a significant benefit to our citizens," Mayor Susan Harvey said in a statement. The project is a partnership between the city, Sonoma County Transit agency and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit.