Before Bob Baffert won the Kentucky Derby for the first time, he lost.

Oh brother did he lose. Cavonnier, 1996, remember?

Sure, he's won the world's great horse race three times. Only three other trainers have won more in 140 runnings. And, the Hall of Famer is pumped for a fourth with the two favorites for Saturday's Derby, unbeaten Dortmund and the sweet-striding American Pharoah.

Seize the moment is Baffert's mantra. Don't think about those glorious wins by Silver Charm in '97, Real Quiet in '98 and War Emblem in '02. And for sure, don't even mention the losses. Three of them with favorites, one by a nose, and another with the horse he calls the best he's ever trained. Of course, that tune could change by Saturday night.

Some of Baffert's coulda, woulda, shulda Derbys.

1. Cavonnier, 1996: Showing up at Churchill Downs with his first Derby starters (Semoran was the other), Baffert begins what has turned into an annual spring break at Barn 33. He's not the main attraction — that would be favorite Unbridled's Song and his trainer Jim Ryerson. But those who chat with the white-haired, former quarter-horse trainer from Arizona come away smiling from one-liners and with a good story. The race? Cavonnier has the lead, then D. Wayne Lukas' Grindstone pulls alongside and there's a duel to the finish. Too close to call. Photo. Baffert thinks he wins. Then he isn't sure. Then the official results: Grindstone takes it by a nose in the closest of calls. Even after three failed Triple Crown attempts in the Belmont Stakes, the trainer still calls this "the toughest beat of my career."

2. Point Given, 2001: Not only does Baffert now have two Derby wins, he's saddling the 9-5 favorite in a bid for No. 3. Point Given enters the race off a win in the Santa Anita Derby. Starting from the outside post on a hot, humid day, Point Given doesn't appear to like the hard racing surface, has to run hard to stay in contention early, gets as close as second but fades to fifth as Monarchos powers home to victory. Point Given goes on to win the Preakness, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational and Travers and is voted Horse of the Year. Baffert has said if there ever was a horse that should have won the Triple Crown that didn't, it's Point Given.

3. Bodemeister, 2012: Five weeks after a heart attack in Dubai, the trainer is at Churchill Downs to watch his 4-1 favorite Bodemeister. The horse takes the lead early, opens up by three lengths and looks like a winner before 15-1 long shot I'll Have Another blows past him in the final sixteenth-of-a-mile and wins by 1 1/2 lengths.

It's the third time in four years owner Ahmed Zayat finishes second in the Derby. He also owned '09 and '11 runners-up, Pioneerof the Nile and Nehro. The owner sends out American Pharoah, El Kabeir and Mr. Z on Saturday.

4. Pioneerof the Nile, 2009: Enters with a four-race win streak. The 6-1 third-choice leaves from post 15 and moves into second, a half-length behind pace-setter Join in the Dance with a quarter-mile to go. But that's as close as he gets because 50-1 shot Mine That Bird is completing a remarkable run from 12th to first, leaving Pioneerof the Nile 6 3/4 lengths back in second. Baffert, like just about everyone else, has no idea what horse was zooming into the lead.

5. Lookin At Lucky, 2010: The chance to win is lost three days before the race, when the colt draws the inside post. Expected favorite Eskendereya had been withdrawn earlier in the week, and Lookin At Lucky is the lukewarm 6-1 top choice. However, the 2-year-old champion is roughed up at the start, gets bumped into the rail early on and it's over. Super Saver wins, Lookin At Lucky runs sixth.

"I quit watching him after the first bump," Baffert says after the race. "He was done."

Hours before the NFL Draft, many Chargers fans took to Twitter to share what they thought the Bolts' game plan should be.

The opportunities abound for the Chargers. Should the team trade for Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota to ensure a young, new quarterback to lead them into the coming years? Philip Rivers has not indicated he will sign a contract extension after the 2015 season.

Or should the Bolts focus on the running back position?

Or another option: should it be the offensive line?

On Twitter on Thursday morning, the theories and choices were as varying as the Chargers' opportunities to strengthen its roster. Here's what some fans had to say.

Just as new scientific reports are reinforcing links between fracking and earthquakes, Texas legislators are moving to limit cities’ control over oil and gas drilling in their communities.

The proposed law is worrying not only environmentalists but also some officials who say local control is the best way to protect people from earthquakes, polluted water and other possible effects of fracking.

A bill that passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives earlier this month and is now being considered by the Senate would permit only the state to regulate oil and gas operations. Republicans have a majority in both bodies.

Municipalities would be permitted a say over activity above ground, including fire protection and other emergency responses, noise, traffic and setbacks but only if restrictions are “commercially reasonable," a standard critics say is unclear.

A public hearing on the Senate bill is being held by the Senate Natural Resources Committee Thursday in Austin.

The new law was proposed after the passage of the state’s first fracking ban, approved in November in Denton when anti-fracking activists convinced a majority of the city’s voters to support it.

Legislators said they are spelling out the state’s authority so as to continue the efficient management of an industry that has brought prosperity to Texas. The Texas Railroad Commission, the regulatory agency over the oil and gas industry, would have the ability to preempt local rules.
 
The Texas Oil & Gas Association has argued that fracking bans represent a taking of property without compensation in violation of the Texas constitution.

“Inappropriate use of local ordinances to stop oil and gas production also threatens resources for public schools, universities, roads and essential services that are directly funded by production taxes paid by the oil and gas industry,” Todd Staples, the association’s president, said in a statement in March.

But others say local control is the only way to protect groundwater, public health and safety. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said that he was concerned about the legislators’ efforts to curtail local control in light of studies showing fracking and its associated waste disposal wells significantly increase the risk of earthquakes.

By requiring that all local ordinances meet a "commericially reasonable" standard, "The bill puts local fracking ordinances in the hands of the lawyers and judges for the near future," he said.

“This is further evidence that local leaders ought to be the ones deciding what is best for the health and safety of their citizens,” he said.

His counterpart in San Angelo, Mayor Dwain Morrison, said that the bill that was passed by the House went too far. He said he was not convinced by the studies linking franking and earthquakes and did not want to stop oil and gas production. But he thought cities needed more control over where fracking was done.

“We’re walking a fine line," he said. "We want to give these companies the authority to drill for oil because it’s good for our economy. But on the other hand we have a quality of life responsibility to our citizens as well.”

Melinda Taylor, the executive director of Kay Bailey Hutchison Center of Energy Law and Business at the University of Texas, said that among states with significant tracking, Texas was the only one without a law to protect property owners from damage from drilling, whether a Fort Worth homeowner or a West Texas rancher.

The only recourse they have had until now has been whatever local restrictions are in place, she said.

“Local land-use issues have traditionally been within the purview of local jurisdictions in Texas and around the country for that matter,” she said. “It just seems like it’s really both unusual and it’s unnecessary to take that authority away from these local jurisdictions. They’re closest to problems.”

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a process used to maximize the extraction of oil and natural gas. A mixture of water and chemicals is pumped into wells at high pressure to fracture the rock so that oil or natural gas can flow, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once the fracking is completed, the fluids may be injected into waste-disposal wells.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said in a statement at the beginning of the year that 1.1 million jobs had been created since the recession, partly as a result of the oil industry.

“This was partly attributable to the recent shale oil boom in Texas which helped counterbalance a sluggish national recovery and weakness in other sectors of the economy," he said.

Oil production and regulation taxes are projected to generate $5.7 billion, a 14.3 percent decrease over the current two-year period; natural gas production tax revenue is expected to be $3.2 billion, an 8 percent decrease, he said.

Adam Briggle, a vice president of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group, said that the House vote was disappointing but predictable. His group is continuing to lobby against the bill.

“I think that really this is a situation where folks are voting on the basis of powerful special interests rather than making common-sense public policy,” he said. "We've had local regulations working on oil and gas and the industry has been quite successful for the past several decades."

Luke Metzger, the director of Environment Texas, said that since the Denton vote the oil industry has been trying to wrest power from municipalities. City regulations have governed how close to homes and schools drilling can take place or kept waste injection wells outside city limits.

"Those kinds of protections really have been the one thing standing in the way from some of the worst impacts of dirty drilling," he said.

Other states have taken a different approach. New York's highest court for example ruled last year that municipalities have the authority to ban fracking.

The Texas lawmakers’ effort to tighten control comes amid new evidence that fracking is likely causing the swarms of earthquakes occurring in Texas and other states.

One study published last week concerned earthquakes around Azle from November 2013 to January 2014, that were monitored by scientists at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and the United States Geological Survey. They concluded that removing saltwater from the natural gas wells and injecting the waste water back underground represented the most likely cause of the 27 earthquakes, all magnitude 2 or above.

After its release, the Texas Railroad Commission's seismologist, Craig Pearson -- who in the past has resisted expanding studies into the causes of earthquakes -- questioned its methodology and conclusions.

Since then the Texas Railroad Commission has ordered the companies running two waste water disposal wells near Azle to show why they should remain open. The commission has had rules in place since last year allowing it to shut down a well if there is scientific data that it is likely to be or has been determined to be contributing to seismic activity.

Meanwhile in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Geological Survey acknowledged that most of earthquakes shaking the state were very likely caused by the underground disposal of waste water from oil and gas wells. It is a turnabout for Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican, who had been saying that more study was needed.

Someone in La Jolla drove off in a brand new Maserati Thursday afternoon, but it was not the owner.

The 2015 Maserati Ghibli was stolen at about 2:20 p.m. from Maserati of San Diego, located at 7477 Girard Avenue, San Diego police say.

The vehicle, which is white with a black interior, still has its white paper plates.

Witnesses report last seeing the car thief driving eastbound on Pearl Street.

The suspect is described as a black man in his early 30s, wearing a dark, Ralph Lauren hat, a white t-shirt with slim blue stripes and Ray Ban glasses with clear frames. He also has a neck tattoo in cursive script, according to the dealership's general manager.

Police have not been able to find him, but the car does have a GPS system in it.

President Barack Obama's library will be built in Chicago, NBC News' confirmed Thursday.

Both The University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago placed bids. The final selection is expected to be connected to the University of Chicago, but the final site has not been settled upon.

An official announcement is expected in early May.

Columbia University in New York, and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu also offered bids. The University of Chicago had long been seen as the front-runner, and the foundation signaled its interest in the school's South Side proposal last month by commissioning a poll of area residents.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the project a "unique opportunity" for Chicago and advocated aggressively for the selection. While on the campaign trail for his second term, he said 

"It can be on the South Side. It can be on the West Side, but it cannot be on the Upper West Side of Manhattan," Emanuel, Obama's former White House Chief of Staff, said while campaigning for a second term at City Hall.

The site selection was expected to have been done earlier in the year but Obama delayed his decision in an effort to avoid politicizing his legacy project. He didn't want to inject the library announcement into Emanuel's challenge with Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia or be seen as giving Emanuel an unfair advantage, the Associated Press, citing sources, reported in early March.

After Obama's foundation divulged concerns that the University of Chicago couldn't assure access to the park land where it wants to build, Emanuel orchestrated a plan to have the Chicago Parks District board transfer 20 acres to the city for the library's use.

Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul introduced a measure last week that would ensure the city has the legal authority to build on park land. His bill --  HB373 -- would clarify state law to expressly allow Chicago to construct museums on public park land or "formerly submerged lands."

The legislation follows a lawsuit filed by the organization Friends of the Park, which sought to bar construction of the Obama library and George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on public land. The leader of that group, Cassandra Francis, stepped down from her position but said she plans to stay connected to the cause of protecting Chicago's public parks and open spaces.

A jogger was hit and seriously injured by a BMW on Thursday afternoon in Carmel Valley, police said.

The woman in her late 30s or early 40s was jogging south and crossing the Del Mar Trails Road at a crosswalk when she was hit by the passing car.

The collision happened in the area of 4500 Del Mar Trails Road just before 2:30 p.m.

Police said she suffered a serious head injury and multiple fractures and was taken to a local hospital. Her condition on Thursday afternoon wasn’t immediately known.

Investigators say alcohol was not a factor, but did not have further details on the crash.

A Texas woman was burned over 90 percent of her body when her wheelchair caught fire Thursday morning, McKinney firefighters said.

The woman called 911 and told authorities her wheelchair was on fire in her home at the Saxon Woods Apartments.

Authorities said she was still on fire when they arrived.

Paramedics transported the woman by medical helicopter to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. She was responsive when she was transported, according to McKinney Fire Department spokeswoman Stacie Durham.

The woman, in her 60s, suffered burns to 90 percent of her body.

Firefighters administered oxygen to the victim's small dog, which authorities said they expect to be OK.

The cause if the fire, which was contained to the victim's apartment on the 4400 block of West Eldorado Parkway, is still under investigation, but authorities said it was not electrical.

Durham said the woman was a smoker and had an oxygen tank.

A spokesperson for the victim's apartment complex released the following statement: 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family during this incredibly difficult time. We are working diligently with the authorities as they investigate today’s tragic accident. At this time, the Fire Department believes the fire started due to a combination of cigarettes and an oxygen tank. The fire was contained within the victim’s unit, and we are thankful that no other residents were injured. -- Stephen Ursery, The Wilbert Group 

NBC 5's Josh Ault contributed to this report.

A motorcyclist had to drop and roll to extinguish the flames after a fiery collision Wednesday along Interstate 5 in San Diego.

A mattress in the southbound lanes of I-5 near Clairemont Boulevard caused the motorcyclist to collide with another car just before 10 p.m.

California Highway Patrol officers said the motorcyclist caught fire in the crash and rolled around in the lanes to put out the flames.

Several lanes were closed in the area.

The motorcyclist was taken to UCSD medical center with burn injuries.
 

Former Boston FBI Assistant Special-Agent-In-Charge Bob Fitzpatrick had no comment as he left court Thursday after he was arraigned on federal perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

The 75-year-old from Charlestown, Rhode Island, turned himself in to U.S. Marshals at federal court in South Boston in the morning.

The indictment alleges Fitzpatrick lied under oath when he was testifying for the defense in the James "Whitey" Bulger trial back in July 2013.

Among the 12 counts of the indictment, the government alleges Fitzpatrick falsely claimed that Bulger told him personally that he wasn't an informant, and lied when he testified that he tried to close Bulger as an informant.

The government also alleges Fitzpatrick also perjured himself when he allegedly exaggerated his FBI career on the stand, claiming both that he personally arrested mob boss Gerry Angiulo and that he found the rifle used to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr.

After Fitzpatrick testified in 2013, he spoke to necn outside court about the harsh cross examination from the prosecution.

"I'm not testifying for the defense or prosecution," Fitzpatrick said. "I went in there and told the truth."

Hank Brennan, one of Bulger's defense attorneys who called Fitzpatrick to the stand, took exception to the government indicting Fitzpatrick two years later.

"Was it because somehow they didn't like his story, that somehow he was adverse to the government, that he stood up to the mountain of the federal government and defied them?" questioned Brennan.

Parts of San Diego County haven’t been this hot, on this day, for nearly 20 years.

NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh confirmed that both Ramona and Alpine reached 93 degrees Wednesday, breaking records of 92, set in 1996.

We may see record-breaking heat overlay the county for the second day in a row Thursday.

“Today and tomorrow, we remain 10-15 degrees above average,” Kodesh explained. “We certainly may see other records broken, predominantly in the inland areas and coastal foothills.”

Ramona’s current record for today is again, 93 degrees set in 1996. The forecast calls for temperatures very near to that.

At 9 am, the temperature at Lindbergh Field was already 70 degrees. While our coastal cities are way above average, it is unlikely records will fall. The airport is forecast to reach 80. The record is 91, set in 2014.

We will see a pretty drastic drop in temperatures this weekend, and into next week, when temperatures will hover in the low 70’s at the coast, and upper 70’s inland.
 

A South Florida woman is facing a child neglect charge after authorities say she smoked the street drug, flakka, and abandoned her 1-year-old daughter outside an office building.

Qushanna Doby, 20, was arrested early Thursday after her unattended baby was found crying and shivering just before 7 a.m., Boynton Beach Police said.

Doby was being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on $3,000 bond Thursday, records showed. It was unknown if she has an attorney.

According to an arrest report, the baby was found in the 500 block of Gulfstream Boulevard. She had a full diaper that appeared to not have been changed in a long time, the report said.

As officers were attending to the baby, Doby ran up crying and screaming "my baby," the report said.

Doby was unable to tell officers where she was but said she had smoked flakka the night before and wound up at a hotel, but left after a man wanted to have sex with her, the report said.

She walked to a nearby WalMart where she sat outside and fed the baby potato chips and put Sprite in her baby bottle, the report said.

The next thing Doby remembered was waking up in front of a Dunkin' Donuts without her daughter. She said she started running back to the WalMart and that's when she saw the police.

"Qushanna admitted to regularly smoking 'flakka,' which has caused hallucinations in the past," the report said.

The arrest is just one of several recent bizarre events with ties to flakka, an increasingly popular synthetic designer drug.

"This is the first time we've dealt with someone on Flakka, and like many law enforcement agencies in South Florida, we are working diligently to familiarize ourselves with it," Boynton Beach Police said in a statement.

The San Diego Unified School District and the San Diego Education Association have reached a tentative contract agreement after nearly a year of bargaining for a new contract.

The three-year deal includes decreased class sizes, more teacher preparation time and more counselors for special education support.

The teachers union members and the Board of Education must vote on the agreement before it becomes final. Votes are expected in late May.

Teachers will get a wage increase of 1 percent (retroactive to July 2014), as well as a 4 percent increase starting July 1, 2015. Another increase will be discussed the third year of the contract when the 2016-17 state budget is approved.

Their benefits will all be fully funded.

Under the agreement, class size ratios will change to 24 students to 1 teacher in kindergarten through third grade classes, though that ratio will be 22 to 1 in high-needs schools. Fourth through sixth grades will have classes of 35 to 1 by the 2016-17 school year.

High-needs schools will get more counselors and special education support. A full-time staff member will be available at each school with high percentages of English language learners, foster youth or students living in poverty.

Elementary teachers will get more prep time, and a retirement incentive will go into effect for educators who retire at the end of the year.

The tentative agreement also includes research, including a study of the special education program and a committee to look into evaluation models and professional growth.

“I want to express our gratitude to our educators for their dedication to our students and for the sacrifices they made in past years that allowed us to balance our budget while staying focused and committed to our educational mission during multiple years of severe budget cuts in California,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten in a statement.

Just last month, the SDEA and the district declared an impasse when they could not reach an agreement on class sizes, support staff, enrichment classes and more.

According to the district, entry level salaries for San Diego Unified teachers are about $42,200 a year; $64,130 is the midrange; and the maximum is $87,177.

Compared to other districts in the county the median base pay for San Diego Unified teachers is slightly lower, according to numbers provided by Transparent California, a website that collects salary information about public employees in California.

According to Transparent California, the median base pay for San Diego Unified teachers is $66,127 compared to $75,719 in median base pay at the nearby Sweetwater Union High School District, which does not serve K-6 students. At Vista Unified, the median base pay for teachers is $69,411 where at Grossmont Union High School district, it’s $75,167.

However, San Diego Unified has 22 percent of its teachers with a total compensation package that places them making above $100,000 annually, according to the data.

Steven Broyles leans over nearly 500 water meters every day.  He's a meter reader for the San Diego Water Department and it is his job to accurately read thousands of meters every year.

"We try to get the read as best we can, every single time," said Broyles.

It takes a water reader about 15 seconds to remove the metal or concrete lid, clean the display and punch  the numbers into a hand held device and then return the lid.  But it is those numbers that determine the customers bill every two months.

Kurt Kidman with the City of San Diego says the Water Department wants to make sure everyone is billed fairly, that a meter reader is a very important job.

"They are not just stopping and opening up the lid just for fun," said Kidman, "They are getting a read and over 99 percent of the time it is accurate."

But what if they are not able to get into the meter? The number on the bill could be an estimate.

"If it is an estimate it will say on the bill that it has been estimated," said Kidman. "So you'll know that for whatever reason we were unable to get a read."

In the future, San Diego may follow other water districts and install smart meters that are able to send back water usage numbers without the need for a reader.  That could also make it possible for customers to track their water usage every day. Right now San Diego Gas & Electric is lending out meters that allow customers to follow their electric usage and minute-by-minute electricity costs.

So how can customers check their meter? Kidman says customer bills are mailed within a few days of the meter reading. Customers can then take their bill to their meter and compare the numbers.

Common reasons for higher bills include the return of college age students and visits from relatives, summer gardens, refilling a swimming pool, warmer weather and leaks.

If you feel your bill is high with no explanation, you can call the water department for help. They offer audits but do not fix water leaks.

A fire killed one person and destroyed a home in Skyline Thursday evening.

The fire sparked in a home's garage in the 7100 Viewcrest Drive at about 5:45 p.m., where a man in his 20s lived with his mother, according to witnesses.

The fire soon moved to the rest of the house, scorching everything in his path.

Firefighters have not yet identified the person killed, but neighbors say the man was trapped inside the garage by smoke, flames, clutter and two cars, even though the door was open.

"It almost looked like the house was melting, just stuff was just coming down," said neighbor Temo Vazquez.

He stopped to help the victim's mother and a young girl coming out the front door. The woman told him her son was inside, on fire.

"We tried to help, but the flames just got hotter and hotter and worse and worse," Vazquez said. "I couldn't go in the garage." 

Family members soon flocked to the scene, so distraught that they needed each other's support to stand.

Without a water line or backup, firefighters braved the burning home. They managed to find the victim and pull him out, but he could not be saved.

According to neighbors, the family had rented the home for the last two years.

Fire investigators have not identified the cause, but they say the damage is about $250,000.

In 2014, the Chargers had the 3rd-worst rushing offense in the NFL. Had they had even a plausible threat of a running game, they likely would have made the playoffs.

So, the oft-injured Ryan Mathews is out (allowed to sign with the Eagles), and Melvin Gordon is in.

The Bolts traded with the 49ers to move up two picks, from 17th overall to 15th overall, to grab the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Wisconsin. Gordon immediately adds diversity to the San Diego offense and, more importantly, gives opposing defenses something to worry about other than Philip Rivers.

And why did the Bolts feel they had to move up, surrendering their first round pick (17th overall) and fourth round pick this year plus a fifth round selection next year, to get Melvin Gordon?

“It’s Melvin Gordon," said Chargers general manager Tom Telesco. "This is a player we had targeted really all the way through. He’s such an electric player. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He’s had a great career at Wisconsin. We think he fits our offense perfectly. We couldn’t be happier to get him here.”

Gordon ran for 2,587 yards in 2014, the second-highest total in a single season in major college football history behind Barry Sanders and his 2,628 back in 1988 (of course, Sanders had two fewer games to play).

Gordon averaged 184.8 yards per game on the ground, the most since LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 196.2 yards a game in 2000. Gordon also has seven career 200-yard games and at 6'1", 215 pounds (with a 4.48 time in the 40-yard dash) he's the kind of big back the Bolts need, especially with the emergence of Branden Oliver and the return of Danny Woodhead, to add diversity to an offense that could return to the NFL's elite.

“He brings that big play capability," said Telesco. "We want to get faster, more explosive and he will bring all of that to us. He’s a big time playmaker. Like I said, he’s a threat every time he touches the ball, but he’s also great in pass protection and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Usually when you talk about a red zone threat, it’s a receiver or a tight end, but he’s a red zone threat as a running back. He’s got a nose for the end zone, a great burst for the end zone, a short area burst. We like people who score touchdowns. He’s going to fit in just fine.”

Gordon scored 32 touchdowns last year (29 rushing, three receiving), tied for most in the NCAA. It's always nice to have a point of reference for college players. So, is there anyone in particular Melvin Gordon reminds the Chargers of?

“There is, but I don’t want to typecast him and put too much pressure on him," said Telesco. "He will have his own style here. He’s big, sturdy, strong, fast and very athletic. He has a great feel for the game. And he’s still going to improve. We’re extremely excited.”

His running style and explosiveness are reminiscent of a slightly taller Jamaal Charles, if not quite as fast. His size and ability to score touchdowns make him look a lot like Marcus Allen. If he's anything close to either of those guys, the Chargers have themselves a heck of a football player.

The California Public Utilities Commission is enduring a growing barrage of criticism from electricity customers and lawmakers.

Critics in both camps claim it's become beholden to private interests.

A glaring case in point? Ratepayers have disproportionately wound up on the hook for the failure of the San Onofre nuclear plant on San Diego County’s northern coastline.

The debate over whether Southern Californians got a fair shake in the decommissioning bailout just won't die down.

Under investigation by federal prosecutors and other agencies are CPUC proceedings and negotiations that led to shareholders dodging 70 percent of the $4.7 billion in shutdown costs.

Utility executives are holding against providing key documents behind how the costs were divvied up.

The digital and paper trails stretch from San Onofre to CPUC headquarters in San Francisco and a resort hotel Warsaw, Poland -- binding CPUC commissioners with utility executives in a web of wheeling and dealing whose bottom line could cost a few million Southern Californians an average of $1,400.

Longtime former CPUC president Michael Peevey retired last December, shouldering a tainted legacy of leadership that's cast the CPUC's image into the shadows of doubt.

The late stages of his tenure trended downward in the wake of faulty steam generator snafus that took the life of the San Onofre facility, built in 1965 and expanded in 1982.

Peevey presided over a murky decommissioning and closure costs process that shoved most of the financial burden onto ratepayers of Southern California Edison, the plant’s majority owner, and San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

SoCal Edison executives deny any wrongdoing in the drawn-out procedures involving them and the commission.

Local ratepayers interviewed by NBC 7 on Thursday offered responses ranging from straightforward, to cynical and comical.

"There's a lot of shady things that happen behind closed doors that we don't know about," said Poway resident Scott Swan.

“Not a fair deal -- if it’s owned privately, it should be paid for ” declared East Village resident Rhonda Mona. “In my private company if things go wrong, we have to pay for anything that happens … it’s the cost of doing business.”

Said Imperial Beach resident Rick Amos, facetiously: "Thank you for sharing this information with me. Because maybe I'll buy some stock in that company (laughter)."

On the serious side, while SoCal Edison coughed up some 300 documents demanded by the PUC, it withheld dozens more, citing attorney-client privilege.

Among them was what was listed as an "action plan" by crisis public relations specialist Mark Fabiani, a state-licensed attorney and longtime special counsel to the San Diego Chargers on stadium and relocation issues.

"What you have is a culture at the PUC where they serve the utilities, and not the ratepayers,” said Mia Severson, representing the Citizens Oversight Coalition. "Why doesn't the governor go and call for action to remove these people? There should be absolute intolerance of this type of behavior by these appointees.”

Evan Westrup, Gov. Brown’s press secretary ,responded Thursday with an email pointing to the governor’s recent appointment of the PUC's new president, Michael Picker, and commissioner.

"Both have deep experience and we’re confident the commission and the state will be well served,” Westrup said.

Meantime, without directly addressing Severson’s criticism of the CPUC, agency spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said the commission needed outside counsel because the state attorney general turned down a request for representation on grounds of "conflict of interest." 

Prosper said SoCal Edison’s limited release of documents will be reviewed for “compliance” with a CPUC order by an administrative law judge.

An motion is pending to declare the firm submission in violation, which could trigger undetermined sanctions.

A Marine temporarily assigned to Camp Pendleton was found dead in the barracks, military officials confirmed Thursday.

The man, who is stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, came to San Diego for an advanced career course this week. First Lt. Luke Kuper says the Marine checked into Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy on Monday.

He was found unresponsive in his room at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Medical responders pronounced him dead a short time later. Officials have not released any details about what caused his death, saying it is under investigation.

The man's name is being withheld until his family can be notified.

"Marine Corps Base Hawaii is saddened by the loss of one of its Marines, and condolences go out to family and loved ones," said Kuper in a release.

The ACLU has launched a mobile app designed to help people record police incidents and prevent the video from being deleted or destroyed.

The app release comes as protesters flood Baltimore in a stand against the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. He suffered a fatal spine injury while in police custody.

Footage taken on the Mobile Justice app goes directly to ACLU lawyers for review, who keep it in case law enforcement wants to seize the original copy.

“Mobile Justice is more than recording on your cellphone,” said Margaret Dooley-Sammuli with the ACLU San Diego. “It’s like carrying an ACLU attorney in your pocket."

Users can also write and send reports about a police encounter, as well as receive alerts when another user is recording an incident nearby.

Bystanders’ cellphone videos have helped launch the deaths of Eric Garner and Freddie Gray into the national spotlight, prompting concerns over excessive use of force.

San Diego Police Department Lt. Scott Wahl released the following statement about the app’s release:

“The concept is great. The filming of police officers out in public is not against the law. We only ask the public to not interfere or obstruct the police in doing their job.”
The ACLU recommends that users announce they are pulling out their phones to record something safely. A section of the app titled “Know your rights” explains more about where and when to record.

The San Diego Police Department is the largest agency in the country equipped body cameras. Dooley-Sammuli said it’s the public turn to control the camera lense.

“It simply means the community is watching. I want to make sure we have the kind of policing we want,” she said.
 

San Diegans are accustomed to great Mexican food and a mobile food ordering company knows exactly which burritos and tacos locals crave the most.

GrubHub, an online and mobile company that allows diners to order directly from takeout restaurants across the nation, has released two new lists highlighting the 10 most ordered burritos and the 10 most ordered tacos in San Diego.

For burritos, here is where locals are frequently ordering from using GrubHub:

1. California Burrito ($6.25) - Ray's Mexican Restaurant (El Cajon Blvd.)
2. Burrito ($6.95) - El Rey Taco Shop (Moraga Ave.)
3. Carne Asada Burrito ($5.99) - Ray's Mexican Restaurant (El Cajon Blvd.)
4. Bacon Burrito ($4.95) - El Rey Taco Shop (Moraga Ave.)
5. Steak Burrito ($6.99) - Ortega's (Midway Dr.)
6. Carne Asada Burrito ($5.99) - Lupita Mexican Food & Fruteria (Estes St.)
7. Breakfast Burrito ($5.75) - Ryan's Cafe (Linda Vista Rd.)
8. California Burrito with Meat ($7.99) - Taco Surf (Mission Blvd.)
9. Bean & Cheese Burrito ($3.25) - Taco Surf (Mission Blvd.)
10. Build Your Own Burrito ($7.50) - Lalo's Tacos (University Ave.)

As far as tacos are concerned, here are the top pick-up picks:

1. Rolled Tacos ($5.50) - Ray's Mexican Restaurant (El Cajon Blvd.)
2. Soft Tacos ($2.95) - El Rey Taco Shop (Moraga Ave.)
3. Fish Taco ($5.99) - Ray's Mexican Restaurant (El Cajon Blvd.)
4. Rolled Taco ($4.35) - Lupita Mexican Food & Fruteria (Estes St.)
5. Camaron Taco ($3.50) - City Tacos (University Ave.)
6. Borrego Tacos ($3.50) - City Tacos (University Ave.)
7. Crunchy Tacos ($4.95) - El Rey Taco Shop (Moraga Ave.)
8. Rolled Tacos ($5.50) - Lalo's Tacos (University Ave.)
9. Rolled Tacos ($5.99) - Taco Surf (Mission Blvd.)
10. Mini Duck Tacos ($12.10) - Sammy's Woodfired Pizza (Pearl St.)

According to GrubHub, Mexican food is 55 percent more popular on Cinco de Mayo, which happens to be right around the corner. Latin American cuisine also goes up in popularity by 45 percent on Cinco de Mayo when compared to the rest of the year.

Do you plan on feasting on Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo? Where is your favorite place in San Diego to snag a burrito, taco or other mouthwatering Mexican masterpieces? Let us know in the comments section below.
 

A man reported to have threatened a porn shop clerk with a knife Thursday "continued to advance" on a San Diego police officer moments before the officer shot and killed him, according to police officials.

Several evidence markers were placed in the alley outside a strip clup and adult bookstore on Hancock Street at Camino Del Rio in the Midway District.

San Diego Police homicide detectives searched the alley and even looked through a dumpster as they collected evidence in the deadly officer-involved shooting that took place a few minutes after midnight.

One investigator visited the company next door that has a surveillance recording system that covers the area.

According to police, someone reported seeing a man with a knife threatening the clerk from an adult bookstore.

The arriving officer saw a man in the alley matching the suspect description and gave the man some verbal commands, officials said.

When the unidentified man, described by officials as 42 years old, did not comply, he was shot, officials said.

Paramedics were seen giving CPR to the suspect. He was brought to UCSD Medical Center where he was declared dead.

Detectives did not reveal what was said or why the officer, a 27-year veteran, decided to open fire.

There were two to three small markers on the ground that investigators usually use to mark bullet shell casings.

We don't know much about the suspect but police say they will reveal more as the investigation continues.

A clerk was taking a smoke break in the alley when he saw what looked like transient wielding a knife saying he was going to kill people, according to a co-worker.

Store employee Chris Rapata told NBC 7 that interaction is what prompted the clerk to call 911.

The bookstore is located next to the World Famous Body Shop strip club, west of Interstate 5 and north of the Rosecrans Street and Sports Arena Boulevard intersection.