CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Firefighters Get Bias Settlement

Civic leaders have agreed to pay more than $500,000 to 13 black firefighters to settle claims that they suffered from racist attitudes and abuse during the 1980s. The 13 charged they were the target of physical and verbal harassment by some white firefighters who hassled their black peers with gorilla noises and by posting abusive materials in lockers. “What’s truly frightening is the failure of the fire administration at the time to intervene in these embarrassing incidents of racial harassment,” county Supervisor Harry Britt said. The settlements, involving actions that occurred between 1981 and 1988, ranged from $10,000 to $85,000.