The agency's ruling comes in response to a suit brought by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. A federal judge in San Jose sided with the environmental organization in August and ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for the butterfly. The bay checkerspot is a colorful, medium-sized butterfly historically found in the San Francisco Bay area. The San Francisco Police Department, responding to escalating gang violence that has included retaliatory attacks on witnesses, has set up another special team to try to counter the bloodshed. The new unit will be focused on ending violence between two rinal black gangs, Big Block and Westmob, Police Chief Fred Lau said.
Investigators say the rivalry is over rap music and drug enterprises.
Police said the rivalry may have led to the ambush last Thursday of a leader of Big Block, who was shot three times. Inspectors said five members of Big Block have been targeted in recent shootings, perhaps as retaliation for previous shootings. A sailing trip in the Oakland Estuary ended in tragedy when a San Leandro man drowned trying to save his wife after she fell from their boat. The Coast Guard said Alexander Kosenko plunged into the chilly waters without a life jacket Sunday afternoon after his wife, Lizzie, fell from their sailboat. Lizzie Kosenko managed to swim to shore and call for help.