...The city's Police Commission has rejected two department proposals in the past three years to give officers stun guns, citing concerns about the medical risks to people hit with the devices. Now [San Francisco Police Chief Greg] Suhr is coming back to the panel with a proposal for a pilot program that would let police use stun guns on suspects with whom officers can't reason, such as those who are mentally unstable or intoxicated. Only officers certified in dealing with people with mental or drug issues would receive the weapons.

Almost every corner of the Bay Area is poised for robust home-price appreciation this year in a surge that will outpace projected national growth, according to a forecast from real-estate information site Zillow.com. Looking at 245 Bay Area ZIP codes, Zillow projects that 244 will see home values ratchet up by significant margins in 2013, with 27 ZIPs seeing double-digit appreciation. Only one of the ZIPs analyzed - 94515 in Calistoga - is forecast to see values recede, by a modest 1.4 percent.

Three of the highest-performing schools in the state are on the verge of being shut down by the Oakland school board, a decision that will pit passionate students and parents against district officials trying to safeguard taxpayer cash. The vote will be either the latest or the last chapter in the controversial story of American Indian charter schools.

The San Francisco Giants have snagged the first tenant for their $1.6 billion Mission Rock development project on the San Francisco waterfront. Anchor Brewing Co. will occupy what is now Pier 48 with production and distribution facilities, a restaurant, museum and other public attractions. The 212,000-square-foot space is an addition to Anchor Brewing's existing plant on Potrero Hill, and will quadruple the company's output from 120,000 to 600,000 barrels a year.

Despite the San Jose Repertory Theatre's aggressive efforts to cut costs, refinance debt and boost revenues, its financial auditors continue to question whether the troupe that has been one of the city's major investments in downtown revitalization can survive past August. The Rep's latest financial audit noted that "the Theatre has taken substantial measures to reduce its operating costs, defer or eliminate certain programs, and continue to streamline production costs" and that its board "continues to support special fundraising efforts designed to pay down debt and secure additional working capital."

...The City is in the final stages of hashing out a $19.5 million deal with Shell that promises local power customers the ability to purchase costlier but cleaner energy from that company instead of PG&E. Residential electricity bills are projected to be between $11.54 and $94.10 more expensive per month. The program has been fought tooth and nail by PG&E and its union, IBEW Local 1245, which has shown no sign of letting up despite the program’s approval.

An estimated 54 percent of adults 25 and older in Marin have a bachelor's degree and 22.5 percent have an advanced degree, more than in any other California county and among the highest rates nationwide, according to new survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

On a May day in 2009, Vaughn Walker was going through one of his weekly routines as a federal judge, reviewing a stack of new lawsuits assigned to his San Francisco chambers, when one case caught his eye: Perry v. Schwarzenegger. At the time, Walker had no inkling that history might rest in those pages, that one of the most important legal collisions in the nation over same-sex marriage might hang in the balance. In fact, at first, all Walker noticed was then-Gov. Schwarzenegger's name.