Santa Maria Times from Santa Maria, California • A2

A2 Friday, March 20, 2015 Santa Maria Times I Police: No evidence links Durst to woman SANTA MARIA TIMES A Lee Enterprises Newspaper assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the 1997 disappearance of Kristen Modafferi," who went missing. "We are very interested in any information Mr. Durst may have in connection with the disappearance" of Karen Mitchell, said Eureka police Capt. Steve Watson, who did not identify Durst as either a suspect or person of interest in the 1997 case. Although Durst's life has seen a series of high-profile brushes with the law, suspicions about him exploded into a national sensation as they played out in a six-part HBO series, "The Jinx." Agents took Durst into custody the day before Sunday's finale, in which Durst uttered a against him stemming from a revolver and marijuana authorities found in his hotel room there.

Meanwhile, New York authorities remain interested in Durst as they continue to investigate what happened to his first wife, Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982. Kathleen Durst vanished after she expressed the desire for a divorce. To a friend, she had confided worries about what her husband might do. Following the disappearance, Berman acted as an "informal spokesman" for Durst. The pair had met at UCLA, where they went to school together.

Joseph Serna and Richard Winton LOS ANGELES TIMES (TNS) No evidence links accused killer Robert Durst to a woman's disappearance in Oakland, in 1997, but police are looking for connections between him and a Northern California teen who vanished the same year, authorities said. Oakland police said they looked at ties between Durst, 71, and the disappearance of 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi in 1997 and didn't find any. "The Oakland Police Department conducted an investigation with the possible confession after the filming stopped but his microphone continued recording. "Killed them all, of course," Durst muttered after stepping away from the set. Durst was arrested Saturday in New Orleans in connection with the 2000 fatal shooting of writer Susan Berman at her Benedict Canyon home.

He was charged Monday with murder, and the next day transferred to a mental health facility at a state -run prison in Louisiana. His extradition to California has been delayed as authorities in New Orleans deal with lesser allegations Napolitano sorry for comments Filipino workers sue bakery 11 employees accuse Calif, business of forced labor, meager pay, threats police said in a statement. "The investigation was open and active for several years. At this time we do not have any evidence that indicates Robert Durst was involved in her disappearance." Meanwhile, hundreds of miles north in Eureka, police are also looking into a possible connection between Durst and a girl to listen to this crap," when she leaned over to board Chairman Bruce Varner, who had just activated his microphone. The comment came after several dozen students in the University of California system stripped off their shirts at Wednesday's meeting, tossed fake money in the air and stood on chairs chanting, "Egregious.

Step off it. Put people over profits." Students were protesting tuition increases of up to 5 percent in each of the next five years, what Lawless, one of two firms representing the interim chief executive of Reddit, Ellen Pao, in her gender discrimination lawsuit against a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Hong worked at Facebook as a product manager and then as a technology specialist in finance for about three years before she was terminated in October 2013. The Taiwanese woman says she was replaced by Durst UC president had called student protest chants 'crap' Kristin J. Bender ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO University of California President Janet Napolitano apologized Thursday for calling chants by students protesting tuition hikes "crap," a remark picked up by an open microphone at a Board of Regents meeting.

Napolitano opened the second day of a regents meeting by expressing contrition, a day after the university's recording captured her saying, "Let's go. We don't have University of California Berkeley student Kristian Kim throws fake money while starting a protest during a UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 18. Associated Press they say is a lack of support for black students at UC Berkeley, and concern that a possible new campus in Richmond would displace low-income residents. Napolitano apologized Thursday "for using a word that she doesn't normally use, which was picked up by the mike, and suggested that many of us have been in similar situation where an inadvertent comment was overheard," Napolitano spokeswoman Dianne Klein said in an email. Klein said the time allotted for public comments had ended Wednesday when protesters interrupted.

a less -qualified, less-experienced man. Facebook disputes the claims. The lawsuit alleges company officials asked Hong "why she did not stay home and take care of her children," and regularly ignored or belittled her professional opinions at meetings where she was one of few women. In addition, Hong claims she was told "that she was not integrated into the team because she looks different and talks different than other team members," according to the lawsuit. Amy Toxin ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES -Filipino workers brought to this country by the husband -and -wife owners of a bakery have sued the business and the couple, claiming they were forced to do laundry and yard work, received meager wages and told they would have to pay off a hefty debt if they tried to leave.

The current and former workers filed the labor-trafficking lawsuit Wednesday against L'Amande French Bakery in Los Angeles Superior Court. They demanded more than $1 million in back and overtime pay and damages. The 11 workers, who were brought to the U.S. on visas between 2009 and 2014, were told they would have jobs in the bakery or as a nanny. But once they arrived in California, they had to clean and paint an apartment complex and do laundry and yard work for bakery owners Analiza and Goncalo Moitinho de Almeida, the lawsuit states.

After the bakery opened, some of the employees said they were forced to work at least 13 hours a day for several months for a fraction of the pay they State briefs SACRAMENTO BP double-billed government, others for cleanup, state says California officials say oil giant BP double-billed the government and insurance companies for cleanup of old gas-storage sites. The California Water Resources Control Board said Thursday it has permanently disqualified 90 of BP's underground storage sites from receiving government clean-up funds as a result. The state water board says BP also will pay $7.9 million as 3200 Skyway Drive P.O. Box 400, Santa Maria, CA 93456-0400 Main Switchboard: (805) 925-2691 Home delivery (805) 739-2200 or 739-2207 Delivery by 6:30 a.m. Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.

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333 (ISSN 0745-6166, USPS 48-760) Published daily by Santa Maria Times Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Santa Maria, Calif. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Santa Maria Times, P.O. Box 400, Santa Maria, CA 93456-0400. All contents are copyrighted by the Santa Maria Times.

Any reproduction or other use is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. Corrections The Times corrects errors of fact appearing in its news columns. If you have a correction, please call (805) 739-2228. Lotteries Daily 3 Midday: 6-7-1 Evening: 8-4-2 Daily 4 8-9-2-2 Daily Derby 1st 6WhirlWin 2nd: 3 Hot Shot 3rd: 1 Gold Rush Race Time: 1:43.00 Estimated jackpot: $70,000 Fantasy 5 06-15-23-33-36 Estimated jackpot: $111,000 Mega Millions 11-27-44-45-58, Mega Ball: 3 Estimated jackpot: $51 million Powerball 14-25-30-33-47 Powerball: 8 Power Play: 2 Estimated jackpot: $50 million SuperLotto Plus 01-03-12-15-26, Mega Ball: 19 Estimated jackpot: $18 million Calif, woman sues Facebook Ex-employee claims harassment on job at social media giant were promised. When they complained, the lawsuit says, they were told they owed the owners $11,000 for the cost of their trip.

California labor investigators began looking into conditions at the bakery in 2013, but workers were threatened with lawsuits if they spoke out, according to a copy of the complaint. Five of the workers who did complain later were fired, it says. A message left for the owners at the bakery's Torrance location was not immediately returned. A manager at the bakery's Beverly Hills location declined to comment. Former L'Amande employee Louise Luis said she left her 6-year-old son with family in the Philippines on the promise of earning $2,000 a month as a bakery store manager in the U.S.

Soon after arriving, she said she was put to work washing cars and gardening and paid less than $400 a month until the store finally opened some eight months later. There, she said she worked long hours and eventually started getting paid her proper wage. When the state began investigating the bakery, Luis said her boss told her to lie about her working conditions. part of a settlement for the alleged double -billing. BP spokesman Jason Ryan said the funds were reimbursement for environmental clean-up at ARCO gas stations.

Ryan said BP denies any liability in the matter. BP says it will continue working with California to clean up sites of old gas stations. The agreement bars BP from $135 million in future reimbursement for storage tank clean-up. SACRAMENTO Democrats Glazer, Bonilla face runoff in Senate election Two Democrats are headed to a May runoff election for an open state Senate seat in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's likely to be a replay of the pricey primary fight between organized labor and business interests.

In unofficial results updated Thursday, Orinda Mayor Steve Glazer led with 33.3 percent of the vote in Senate District 7. Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla placed second with 25.1 percent. They advance under a top -two primary. Former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan came in third and conceded the race. Independent expenditure groups spent more than $2.1 million, including unions hoping to defeat Glazer.

In Orange County, John Moorlach came first in the 37th state Senate District, but it's unclear if he will pass the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff with fellow Republican Don Wagner. ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO A former Facebook employee is suing the company on allegations that she was discriminated against, harassed and belittled during her brief employment there. Chia Hong filed the lawsuit this week in a San Francisco Bay Area superior court, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. She is being represented by Lawless mm liii Veteran's BBQ Saturday, March 21, 2015 -Ceremonies Commence at 11:00 am- Location: Veterans Memorial Building 501 Pine Santa Maria, Ca. 93458 Serving Time: 12:00 PM to 3:00 pm (Donation of $1 0 per plate) Bar-B-Que Includes: Tri-Tip BBQ, Beans, Salad, Bread, Soft Drink or Water Sponsored by: American Veterans United, Inc.

P.O Box 648, Santa Maria, Ca. 93456-0648 "A California Non-Prof it Corporation" All Proceeds will benefit the AVU Corporation For more information regarding this fundraiser, please contact AVU Director Fred Siordia at (805)925-8320 CENTER.