A federal judge won't stop the crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in the Bay Area. Judge Saundra Armstrong ruled against three pot clubs seeking a temporary and immediate halt to the federal crackdown. U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag had ordered those clubs to close, because they were too close to schools on parks. Armstrong indicated the clubs did not make a strong legal case.  “The Court is sensitive to the desires of ......

Attorneys representing medical marijuana dispensaries sued the federal government Monday to stop its crackdown on pot clubs. Over the past two months, the Department of Justice has sent a slew of letters to California landlords and dispensaries ordering them to shut down or face criminal prosecution and possibly forfeit their property to the government. In the Bay Area, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag ordered dispensaries near schools and parks to close.  With ......

Two Bay Area state legislators called on federal prosecutors today to "cease your senseless assault" on medical marijuana dispensaries, but at the same time said they want to talk to U.S. officials to clarify the goals of the crackdown. State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma, and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, spoke at a news conference at the State Building in San Francisco. "I urge the federal ......

Marin County sheriff's deputies eradicated more than 7,000 marijuana plants on private property near Marshall on Tuesday. The value of the marijuana when processed is estimated at $9 million, the sheriff's office said. Narcotics deputies received a tip about the grow from deer hunters a few days ago, sheriff's Lt. Barry Heying said. They found the plants, many four or five feet tall, off Point Reyes-Petaluma Road in the Hicks Mountain ......

A manhunt by East Bay Regional Park District police and Alameda County sheriff's deputies is continuing today near the Upper San Leandro Reservoir after shots were fired at an officer on Monday night, police said. At least one person fired an assault rifle at a park police officer while he was on patrol at around 6:50 p.m. Police said the officer returned fire and took cover. He was not injured in the attack. The ......