LOS ANGELES: The San Francisco archdiocese announced a $395 million settlement on Monday with more than 500 people who say clergy in the California jurisdiction sexually abused them, in many cases as minors. Many of the cases go back decades and the statute of limitations had expired, but California passed a law giving complainants an extra three-year window from early 2020 to the end of 2022 to seek charges. The settlement must still be approved by an association of abuse victims and a judge. The archdiocese also agreed to devise a 14-point reform plan designed in part to protect children from sexual abuse by clergy. The settlement marked the latest case of the Catholic Church making amends around the world in recent decades for sexual abuse of minors by its clergy. Under the deal announced Monday, the archdiocese in the northern California city will be required to turn over internal church records to an independent consultant for a report on abuses that were committed. It will be published on the archdiocese website, said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for many of the plaintiffs. &quot;We believe this proposal provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime,&quot; Salvatore Cordileone, the archbishop of San Francisco, said in a statement. &quot;We accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed,&quot; he added. Margie O&#39;Driscoll, one of the complainants, said she was sexually abused in a Catholic high school more than 50 years ago. &quot;I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time,&quot; she said at a press conference. &quot;I think today shame is going to change sides,&quot; she added. Under other points of the agreement, a partial list of clergy who committed abuses will be published and a sexual abuse hotline will be created to flag future abuses.

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The San Francisco archdiocese announced a $395M settlement on Monday with more than 500 people who say clergy in the California jurisdiction sexually abused them, in many cases as minors.

San Francisco archdiocese announces $395M sexual abuse settlement

SAN FRANCISCO: A huge electricity outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, leaving 130,000 residents without power and prompting city authorities to ask residents to stay home, according to the utility provider and the mayor.&nbsp;Large parts of the West Coast tech hub, which has a population of more than 800,000 people, were plunged into darkness with disruptions to public transport and many traffic lights not working on a busy Christmas shopping weekend.&nbsp;&quot;We are working with first responders and city officials on an outage in San Francisco affecting approximately 130,000 customers,&quot; said Pacific Gas &amp; Electric Company, the city&#39;s main power provider, in a statement on X.&nbsp;A spokeswoman for the company said in a video posted on social media that crews were working to fix the problem.&nbsp;&quot;We do expect restorations later this evening,&quot; she said.&nbsp;Parts of the city were blanketed in fog and many businesses were forced to close for the day at the height of the holiday shopping period, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reported, leaving normally bustling commercial areas quiet.&nbsp;The city&#39;s mayor told residents to stay off roads if possible, adding some traffic signals were out and authorities had sent police and traffic officers to manage intersections.&nbsp;&quot;But we&#39;ve got rain coming, it&#39;s night time. If you don&#39;t need to go out, stay home and I&#39;ll keep you posted,&quot; Mayor Daniel Lurie said at the city&#39;s emergency operations center in a video posted on X.&nbsp;A fire at a substation had caused the blackout, Lurie added, saying it was not clear when power would be completely restored.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company says they are working with first responders and city officials on an outage in San Francisco affecting approximately 130,000 customers.

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San Francisco archdiocese announces $395M sexual abuse settlement

San Francisco hit by electricity outage, leaving 130,000 people without power

San Francisco archdiocese announces $395M sexual abuse settlement