Local Briefs

The Redwood City Council will hold a public meeting later this month to discuss a possible sewage rate increase to help fund needed improvements and maintenance projects at the city’s sewage facilities.

According to city officials, every two months Redwood City residents and businesses pay a fee to the South Bayside System Authority, which handles the sewage treatment for Redwood City, Belmont, San Carlos and parts of unincorporated San Mateo County.

The city is proposing that the minimum monthly residential Basic Service Charge be increased from $26.27 to $33. The extra money will go toward necessary replacement, upgrade and refurbishment projects at the South Bayside System Authority, officials reported.

If approved, the rate increase would begin on Aug. 25.

A public hearing regarding the rate increase proposal will take place 7 p.m. June 26 at the Redwood City Council Chambers, located at 1017 Middlefield Road.

More information regarding the proposal can be found on the Web site, http://www.redwoodcity.org/water.

Unattended pan of

grease sets off house fire

A fire that caused around $300,000 worth of damage to a South San Francisco home Thursday evening started with a pan of bacon grease left on a stove at low heat, the South San Francisco Fire Department reported today.

"It damaged pretty much the whole house,” a spokeswoman for the fire department said.

The extensive smoke and heat damage also displaced the home’s occupants, a family of three, who are receiving help from the American Red Cross in finding temporary housing elsewhere.

Firefighters were able to put out the blaze, in the 200 block of Sequoia Avenue, within 10 minutes of arriving at the home around 7:30 p.m., preventing the fire from spreading to a neighboring home.

But four cats perished in the fire, the department reported.

Stanford, county sued

over construction of a trail

An environmental group has sued Stanford University and Santa Clara County, hoping to force construction of a second county recreational trail.

The suit filed Friday in Superior Court by the Committee for Green Foothills stems from a deal the university made to build two trails in exchange for adding 5 million square feet of housing and academic buildings.

The group’s lawsuit challenges the county’s decision to build one of the two trails in San Mateo County, citing a lack of proper environmental review.

The Committee for Green Foothills has advocated placing both trails in Santa Clara County.

"Stanford promised to build two trails to make up for the impacts from a massive expansion in campus development,” said Brian Schmidt, an organization spokesman, said in a written statement.

The university promised a vigorous defense.

"We think the suit is completely without merit,” said Debra L. Zumwalt, Stanford’s general counsel.

Son of Oakland politician ordered to stand trial on rape charges

OAKLAND — The son of Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente was ordered to stand trial on charges that he raped and sexually assaulted three women and a teenage girl.

Redwood City resident Ignacio De La Fuente Jr., 33, could face life in prison if convicted on the five felony counts. He has pleaded not guilty.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge on Thursday denied bail and ordered him to remain jailed until a June 29 arraignment.

Defense lawyers have questioned the reliability of the alleged victims, who they claimed were prostitutes.

De La Fuente Jr. was arrested last year after one of the women reported his license plate number to police.

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