Morning Digest: 9 Stories You Should Know About Today

... Though he offered detailed plans that could prevent the deportation of up to 5 million immigrants, Obama merely mentioned he would “make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business leaders have proposed.” That was not the kind of guarantee the tech sector was seeking. “There were no specifics,” said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a trade association that represents 390 of Silicon Valley’s top companies. “I don’t know whether to applaud or boo. Whenever a politician doesn’t offer any specifics I get worried.” Full story

Turning from the podium to see a young man in a gray blazer shouting at him, President Barack Obama chided Ju Hong for disrupting his San Francisco immigration speech just three days before Thanksgiving last year. "Mr. President, please use your executive order to halt deportation for all 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in this country right now." Obama sternly dismissed the idea, but now, one year later, he has announced a sweeping executive action that comes close to what Hong demanded, though not close enough to help the family members the 25-year-old cares about the most. Full story

It was only the opening of a months-long budget negotiation when the University of California’s governing board voted Thursday to raise tuition if the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown don’t give the university system more money. Brinksmanship is common in budget talks. So, oftentimes, is reconciliation. Yet the animosity with which Brown and the Board of Regents fought this week in San Francisco laid bare how far apart the governor and one of the state’s most powerful institutions have become – and how difficult it will be for Brown to exert influence over UC in his fourth term. Full story

... [T]he most remarkable part of Kalanick’s Goldman Sachs keynote has so far gone unreported. According to multiple sources, while talking about Uber’s ongoing fight with taxi authorities in Las Vegas, Kalanick likened his company’s woes to those of the residents of Ferguson, Missouri. Full story

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick suggested Wednesday that the company’s fast growth is responsible for a series of mistakes that have left it reeling in a PR crisis. Kalanick gave the keynote speech at a private technology conference in Las Vegas thrown by Goldman Sachs. In a conversation with Goldman’s chair of telecom, media, and technology, he pointed out that in a year, Uber has grown from 400 employees to 1,900 as well as expanded from about 50 cities to 230 around the world. Full story

An endangered young gorilla might not have been crushed to death under an electric door at the San Francisco Zoo if top managers had listened to workers who raised safety concerns about the gorilla enclosure, five animal keepers told The Chronicle. ... [T]he five zookeepers, who work with primates, said in interviews that safety in the 30-year-old gorilla enclosure was compromised by a flawed layout, problems with the doors and inadequate staffing. “It was a freak accident,” said Corey Hallman, one of the animal keepers. “But with a workplace that takes safety and keeper input more seriously, it could have been prevented.” Full story

Sad news: Marian Brown, the 87-year-old society dame who was famous for roaming the streets of San Francisco in orthopedic sandals and leopard print coats alongside her twin sister, Vivian, has died. The Brown twins were known for wearing stylish identical outfits and saucy bobbed haircuts, and for dining together at Uncle Vito's pizzeria in Nob Hill. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, they were valedictorians at Mattawan High School, where they played clarinet in the school band. Both went on to study business education at Western Michigan University and then work as secretaries at the Upjohn Company, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette. Full story

Filling your gas tank in Berkeley will soon come with a little guilt: a message that your driving hurts the planet. On Tuesday, the City Council approved an ordinance, in concept, that would mandate labels on fuel-dispensing facilities, including biodiesel and electric fueling stations, linking driving, carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. Full story

On a cold and rainy Thursday night, the sun finally came out for the Raiders. The wet stage was set perfectly, as Oakland blew a 17-3 lead over Kansas City only to come back and win its first game of the season, 24-20. The crowd at O.co Coliseum and the national television audience had to be impressed with the heart of a heretofore 0-10 team. “We knew that after this game, people were going to laugh at us or respect us,” safety Charles Woodson said. Full story