A.M. Splash: Cities Battle to Regulate Pot; Habitat Expanded for Snowy Plover; Barbieri Sues KNBR

City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s office asked the California Supreme Court Monday to overturn a lower court’s ruling last year that could potentially threaten the permitting of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday designated 38 square miles along the West Coast as critical habitat for a federally listed beach- and mud-loving bird called the Pacific Coast western snowy plover... It means proposed developments on federal land could come under more scrutiny... The rule adds 168 acres of salt evaporation ponds in the Warm Springs area of South San Francisco, 89 acres at Ravenswood salt ponds east of Palo Alto, 39 acres of critical habitat at Dillon Beach and 32 acres at Limantour Beach, on the north end of Drakes Bay.

Longtime sports radio talk-show host Ralph Barbieri filed suit against KNBR on Monday, saying the station fired him because of his age and disabilities.

Taxis and shuttles at the Oakland International Airport operated near each other in different shelters for years. That changed about a year ago, and on Monday cab drivers at the airport called a two-day strike over what they say is unfair competition because shuttles are now allowed to stage in the same shelter... The strike did not appear to affect passengers arriving at Oakland airport, at least late Monday morning. The airport allowed taxis without permits to pick up fares because of the strike.

The state Supreme Court has refused to bar specially trained nurses from giving anesthetics to hospital patients in California without a doctor's supervision.

Oakland parents and teachers protesting the closure of their children's school have been told to leave by school police. The parents camped out overnight at Lakeview Elementary School on Grand Avenue where they were going to hold a news conference Monday morning, but police showed up, handed out flyers, and told parents they need to leave. The school has been the site of protests for a lot of parents for the last four days, but Monday morning brought a whole new twist as school district police officers issued the new warning.

Police have been investigating an alarming Facebook message that someone claiming to be 15-year-old Sierra LaMar posted just before midnight on Monday. The Facebook update, which police have confirmed is a hoax, had an Instagram photo of the missing teen with the following message: "please call police he's coming back." It also listed a Saratoga address.

The San Francisco Ethics Commission on Tuesday opens its multi-day inquiry into whether the city's sheriff is fit to remain in office. The commission has already begun sifting through numerous filings, including several witness accounts related to Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.

R.C. Owens, the high-flying 49ers receiver credited with creating the "Alley Oop" play in the 1950s, was so associated with his signature catch that even Jerry Rice called him "Oop." In a play that at times was as unstoppable as it was simple, Owens would simply jump over defenders to grab high-arcing passes from Y.A. Tittle.