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Blog Aggregator
| SFist |
| A Meme Is Born: Flagging CitiApartments' Craigslist Ads |
| 07/03/2009 12:00 AM |
 Adding to CitiApartments constant woes , SFAppeal has word that the troubled real estate company has been inundated with complaints from tenants, accusing them of refusing to refund security deposits. Habitually, it seems. Ted Gullicksen of the Tenants Union says that they have "been getting '3 or 4 complaints a … |
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| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 07/03/2009 12:00 AM |
 Fined by San Francisco for being too successful, Dog-Cat-Rat Man vows to leave town. [ SF Weekly ] Curse you and everything you stand for, Karen Kwok. Bah! [ Daily Clog ] DOMA repeal remains on Congress' back burner. Sigh. [ BAR ] Yet even more problems for real estate giant … |
| Read More |
| BOMA San Francisco |
| The News Links - July 2, 2009 |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Commercial Real Estate S.F. has recession's 1st distressed office sale . SF Examiner Editorial: Revive construction by changing building fees . REITs move off bottom, can commercial real estate be far behind ? San Francisco Sign of times: Mid-Market ads plan hits ballot . Board of Supervisors and Mayor Newsom compromise on budget cuts . Melissa Griffin's take on the Road Repair and Safety Improvements Bond debate in the Board of Supervisors … |
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| SFist |
| Scene from Today's Pro-Life Protest On Van Ness |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 credit: Jim Herd (SF Citizen) Why, here's a shot from this afternoon's PETA protest against McDonald's, over on the 600 block of Van Ness. Not nearly as erotic as we had anticipated, but effective. Yes? No?  [img … |
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| SF Metro Blogging |
| ‘Moneyball’ film cancelled by nervous studio |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| The film of the Michael Lewis book Moneyball , which is about the machinations of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, has been cancelled just days before shooting was to begin. The New York Times reported that the cancellation is a sign of a new level of nervousness in Hollywood; in this case even the casting of Brad Pitt to play the baseball brainiac, much less the fact that over $10 million had been spent on development, location … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Bicyclist, Young Son Injured in Hit-and-Run Crash on Valencia Street |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| A San Francisco bicyclist is asking for help locating witnesses who may have seen a hit-and-run crash Wednesday on Valencia Street -- one of the city's most popular bicycling corridors -- that left him with a broken back. Andrew Bennett wrote about the crash in an email he sent to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: Yesterday, at approximately 11:30 am, I was riding my bicycle northbound on Valencia with my 4-year-old-son behind me on his … |
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| SFist |
| Hit and Run: 18th & Valencia |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Yesterday morning, PT Cruiser allegedly plowed through a red light at 18th and Valencia streets, striking an "adult riding a grey steel frame bicycle which had a blue childrens add on tandem bike ridden by a four year old boy." Also, one cyclist's spine was … |
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| SFist |
| Evian's Roller Babies |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
It's spreading, in that virus-y way, and we figured you might as well catch it from us. Consider it your afternoon palate cleanser.There must be a few of you enjoy mineral water, the Sugarhill Gang and CGI-enhanced roller-dancing babies, right?  [img border='0' title='Email this Article' alt='Email this Article' … |
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| SFist |
| Photo du Jour 447 |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Owner Justin Morrisson (credit: keytaykat / Flickr ) Sightglass Coffee 's opening day was yesterday. Owners Jared and Justin are "super nice," according to Yelp . And their brew? Is billed as "artisan." And, from what we hear, pretty damn fantastic. Be sure to check out Sightglass Coffee at 270 - 7th Street … |
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| City Insider |
| Gavin Newsom applies for food stamps |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
Gina Lee, a case manager for the Human Services Agency, got quite a surprise this morning when she received an on-line application for food stamps from a black man of Latino descent who speaks Chinese, receives welfare checks and lives in her office. The man was waiting to discuss the...  [img border='0' title='Add to … |
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| SFist |
| Elementary School Teacher Accidentally Sends Sex Tape Home with Students |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Twenty-four Isabelle Jackson Elementary School students in Elk Grove, near Sacramento, went home on the last day of school last Friday with a DVD that was supposed to contain a year in review of the class. The DVD turned out to be full of inappropriate images involving the teacher , about six seconds of … |
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| City Insider |
| Dueling Newsom family press conferences! |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
While Mayor Gavin Newsom was pretending to apply for food stamps in a Chinatown basement, his wife was at a pre-school in the Mission to kick off the city's Soda Free Summer campaign. Come on, people, let's get these schedules coordinated. We were at the former event, but heard about the latter....  [img border='0' … |
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| CurbedSF |
| Thursday PM Linkage |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| ["Graffiti about King Tut Exhibit at De Young Museum" courtesy Flickr user AgentAkit] · Outlook Not Good For CitiApartments Tenants Complaining Of Illegally Withheld... |
| Read More |
| I Team Blog |
| Psychic Arrested After I-Team Investigation |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 We received this mugshot today of Bunny Ann John, also known as Madame Vivian. The psychic is sitting in Santa Clara County Jail on $250,000 bail, facing two counts of felony grand theft. John was the subject of an I-Team investigation in February , in … |
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| CurbedSF |
| CitiApartments is on Death Watch |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| More problems over at CitiApartments... a reader sent us an email detailing his attempts at receiving his deposit back from CitiApartments. It's quite the horror... |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Fisher Pulls Museum Out of the Presidio |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 by Chris Jones Ah, what a shame. Don Fisher, founder of Geranimals for adults clothing chain, The Gap, has decided to take his fancy looking modern art collection and go home. Readers may recall that plans to build a museum at the site of the Presidio's Main Post bowling alley in which to house the Fisher … |
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| SFist |
| Karl Malden, Dead at 97 |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Streets of San Francisco," "On the Waterfront" Karl Malden , star of stage, screen and TV commercials, died yesterday . He was 97. Born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 - July 1, 2009, this crusty-but-benign thespian could play second fiddle like no one could in such films as A … |
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| Sweet Melissa |
| San Francisco's own stimulus package |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 November’s
ballot continues to take shape, as the Board of Supervisors voted
Tuesday to lay the groundwork for a $368 million bond for road and
sidewalk improvements. The proposed measure would be repaid over 20
years with property … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Today’s Headlines |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Gap Founder Abandons Plans for Presidio Museum ( SF Gate , KCBS ) Ray Lahood's "Streetcar Pep Rally" in Portland, "the Transportation Capital" (Bike Portland ) Lahood to Announce Las Vegas to Socal High-Speed Rail Corridor ( Las Vegas Sun ) Advocates Propose Chicago to St. Louis HSR Line ( Progressive Railroading ) WaPo: "Metro Failed to Detect Hazard" Before Deadly Crash Novato Driver Charged with Hit-and-Run … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Another Step in Reducing Auto Dependence |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| If you're a person who is accustomed to getting around the place you
live without a car, you've probably spent at least some time trying to
sell your auto-dependent friends on the concept. Maybe you've even gone
so far as to map out a route for them so that they wouldn't get
frustrated. And sometimes you've succeeded in getting another person
onto a bike, bus, train or trolley to make a trip across town. It's a
good feeling, right? [img … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Bus Stop Consolidation: The Times Have Changed |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Flickr photo: erik kuo Does the 14-Mission really need to stop at every block on Mission Street? Does the 21-Hayes? Consolidating bus stops could speed transit vehicles and reduce dwell time, saving service hours that could be used to increase frequencies and add … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| CA Transit Operators Win in Court, But Face Challenge by Governor |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Photo: rhondawinter A state appellate court in Sacramento ruled two days ago that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can't continue taking money out of the Public Transportation Account (PTA) to help balance the budget, something the governor has done repeatedly while in office, … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| The Guardian Does Not Want You Driving, or Parking |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Photo by Albert Huynh on Flickr We admit that headline may be a little sensational... but Steven T. Jones, writing one of several inter-related pieces on the politics of parking in this week's SFBG, argues that the city is only now starting to put its money where its mouth is with regard to the "transit first" … |
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| SFist |
| SFBG Van Found! |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 credit: SFBG Praise Jesus, progressive politics and pure rage. The SF Bay Guardian 's van, which some bastard stole earlier this week, was found . The vehicle was discovered by the SFPD yesterday morning on the 100 block of 25th Ave in the Richmond. According to reports , a "teacher from Corta Madera named Kevin Mahoney … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Oakland Might Become First U.S. City to Tax Marijuana Sales |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Photo by Dey on Flickr. ABC 7 brings us this report about how Oakland may try to solve its budget crisis, in part, by becoming the first city in the nation to directly tax marijuana dispensaries. The city would impose a 1.8% levy, which would mean that the four official pot clubs would have to pay $18 for … |
| Read More |
| Sweet Melissa |
| Sadly, no food fight at breakfast |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 I had already agreed to attend the Alice B. Toklas Pride Day breakfast when I learned that gubernatorial hopefuls Attorney General Jerry Brown and Mistermayor would be there. Obviously I was giddy. I imagined Mayor Gavin Newsom … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Not so collegial |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
The late-night budget hearing Wednesday produced quite the fireworks show. After hours of negotiations between the mayor's office and Supervisors John Avalos and David Chiu, and as the board was poised to pass a budget compromise, Supervisor Chris Daly chimed in. Daly started by congratulating...  [img border='0' … |
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| CurbedSF |
| Video Tribute to Castro Lovliness |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Streetsblog posted a lovely video tribute to the lovely new plaza at Castro and 17th. Lovely! Highlights of the video include Bevan Dufty's lament... |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Obama Administration’s Transportation Goals: Read Them Here |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| When the Obama administration proposed an 18-month delay in drafting the next federal transportation bill, U.S. DOT chief Ray
LaHood called for Congress to include "critical reforms" alongside the
extension of the existing law . But details on those reforms have been kept under wraps -- until yesterday. [img width="300" height="199" align="right" class="image" alt="3484016419_52ea97c5f0.jpg" … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Streetfilms: D.C. DOT Director Talks “Transportation Freedom” |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Meet Gabe Klein , who was appointed to direct Washington D.C.'s Department of Transportation (DDOT) in December 2008. With a background including four years working for Zipcar , Klein was brought in to look at the city's mobility problems from a fresh perspective. As he says: Cars are a part of our daily life here in D.C., but what we want to do is try to equalize the playing field. Encourage people to walk, to bike, to bike share ; or … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Michael Jackson Funeral Set for Tuesday |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Sadly, for all concerned -- including the deceased -- Michael Jackson's public memorial is going to take place at the Staples Center , Tuesday, July 7th at 10 a.m. We're guessing Diana Ross is going to sing. In any event, we still encourage the die-hard fans and all … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| India Legalizes Gay Sex |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Congratulations, LGBTQ ilk of India, you are now free to engage in acts of same-sex sex at your leisure. You see, an Indian court just turned a 148-year-old, colonial-era law that "declared gay sex an 'unnatural offense' and made it punishable by up to 10 years in jail," the BBC reports. The court ruled that … |
| Read More |
| CuipSF Latest News |
| Salaries Drive SF's Budget Skyward - June 28th |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |

Salaries drive S.F.'s budget skyward
Heather Knight, Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writers
Sunday, June 28, 2009
San Francisco will spend $6.6 billion in the fiscal year starting Wednesday - the largest budget in its history - making the 47-square-mile city a bigger spender than seven states including Idaho and New Hampshire.
That's equal to spending more than $8,000 per city resident - and could build the Golden Gate Bridge five times over in today's dollars. And yet, it's not enough.
Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors are engaged in a heated battle over the coming year's budget and whether to make big cuts to public safety or social services, which both sides describe as a life-or-death decision.
They agree on one thing: asking voters to support a $368 million bond measure in November to repair streets, one of the most basic roles of city government.
And the problem isn't just created by the economic recession. Every year for the past 10 years, the city has had a budget deficit - despite a robust tax base including very strong property values. The city has asked voters to approve tax increases in eight of those years, according to the controller's office.
How is this possible with $6.6 billion at hand? City Hall officials and observers point to many reasons for the seemingly upside-down scenario. San Francisco is unique in California for being a city and county responsible for dual functions: the public works and public safety a city provides and the health and human services a county provides.
In part, the budget is so massive because it includes an international airport, a port and the Hetch Hetchy water system, all of which serve people far outside the city's borders - and all of which are paid for by the people who use them, not by taxpayer money.
About half the city's budget is taxpayer-funded, but much of that general fund is earmarked for specific purposes by voter-mandated set-asides for libraries, Muni, children's services, the Symphony, minimum staffing of police officers and more.
The controller's office released a report in March comparing San Francisco's spending with the spending levels in 10 cities and counties in California, including San Jose, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Alameda County.
The need to share the pain
It found that salaries and wages account for 54 percent of the growth in the budget over the past 10 years and now total $3.5 billion - or roughly $125,000 per city employee including benefits. The number of city employees - about 28,000 - hasn't changed much in that time.
Even laid-off city employees get some comparatively generous perks, including medical benefits for five years and remaining on a call-back list for five years.
Steve Falk, CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said that those working in the private sector earn an average pay of $75,960 including benefits. Falk said that, traditionally, public-sector jobs have come with better benefits packages because wages were so much lower.
"But over the years, they have not only caught up but surpassed the private sector and the benefits are still there," he said.
It's not just the business sector that sees this as a problem. Aaron Peskin, former president of the Board of Supervisors and an ally of labor, said that "whether they're cops or attorneys or on down the line," city employees are paid very generously and are driving the city's skyrocketing expenses.
"That's fine when times are fine and you can still afford to pave the streets and offer services and programs," he said. "When times are tough, everybody's got to share the pain. The No. 1 cost-driver needs to be adjusted."
Peskin said overseeing union contracts as a supervisor is a challenge because they're exclusively negotiated by the mayor's office and the board must vote yes or no to the entire package.
In 2007, Newsom gave police officers and firefighters a 23 percent pay raise over four years, which some critics say was an ill-timed ploy to get their support for his mayoral re-election that year and perhaps for his current run for governor. His proposed budget would grow both departments by several million dollars.
The controller's report found that San Francisco spends $458 per resident on the Police Department compared with $325 in other California cities and $239 per resident on the Fire Department compared with $111 elsewhere.
San Francisco 'values' costly
Health and social services, too, have seen tremendous growth over the past decade. The city's general fund contribution to the Department of Public Health has grown 28 percent to $1.3 billion and to the Human Services Agency by 16 percent to $619 million.
San Francisco spends more than twice the amount per capita on public health services other counties do, according to the controller's report. It spends $86.66 per capita on substance abuse services, compared with $15.13 in Los Angeles, $20.42 in Sacramento and $22.90 in San Mateo. It spends $300.63 per capita on mental health services, compared with $133.75 in Los Angeles, $117.57 in Sacramento and $124.59 in San Mateo.
"We need a great deal of services, and those are the values of San Francisco - humanistic and supportive of people who are very vulnerable," said Supervisor John Avalos. "It's part of our values, but now we have to figure out how to pay for it - that's the hard part."
Newsom said the notion that the safety net for the poor will be ruined by his cuts to social services is ridiculous.
"We're still doing an extraordinary amount even with these constraints," he said. "I know some of these cuts are tough but at the end of the day, we'll still be providing a diverse, extraordinary, culturally competent array of services that's become the envy of the nation."
Budget woes require reform
So how to make a $6.6 billion budget work? Gabe Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, said the discussion needs to get beyond either cutting services or raising taxes.
"There's a third, best option: reform government to make it more efficient," he said. "They should take a look at work rules, contracting reform and civil service - new ways to increase productivity."
Many city officials are behind the idea of a two-year budget process in which a new budget is signed only every other year, allowing for more planning time in between.
The controller's report suggested other reforms, too, including building up the city's reserve fund for emergencies and identifying revenue increases to fund union raises.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/28/BANN18DT58.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle |
| Read More |
| Jim Ross |
| Interesting voter registration numbers |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| The Oregon voter file has just been released. Of the 46,710 new registrants since the election, 17,449 have registered Democrat, 10,647 have registered Republican and the remaining 18,614 have registered non-affiliated. |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| See Semi-Nude "Chicks" Bathed In Blood On Van Ness at Noon Today |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Want to see slinky, kinda nude women bathing in a tank of blood-colored water on Van Ness at noon? Of course you do. According to SF Examiner , PETA campaigner Jena Hunt "organized a protest scheduled for noon today at 600 Van Ness Ave. , where two PETA 'chicks' in red bikinis … |
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| The San Francisco Citizen |
| Nimbies Save Presidio’s Great Northern Parking Lot – Will Burger King Now Come Back? |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Boy, it was touch and go for a few years there , but news comes today that our beloved NIMBYs have managed to preserve the Great Northern Parking Lot of San Francisco . See it? 700 spaces, free of charge. It’s historic, you know. When the U.S. Army wasn’t out there killing a million or so Filipinos it managed to create the GNPLoSF. Therefore, these parking spaces are sacrosanct: [img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-8942" … |
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| Mayor Newsom Blog |
| Mayor Newsom Launches New Online Resource for San Franciscans in Need of Medi-Cal and Food Stamps |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
| Today Mayor Gavin Newsom launched an innovative new online resource, www.BenefitsSF.org that allows San Francisco residents to use an online application,
electronic signature, and webcam to see if they’re eligible for
Medi-Cal and Food Stamps. The resource allows applicants to apply for
assistance from the comfort of their home, without having to setup an
office interview. Read more... Visit web site... |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Thursday's TV Picks |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
Look, either you're the kind of person who likes to watch terrifying "caught on tape" crashes, explosions, and armed robberies, or you're not. If you aren't, I recommend you skip the show "Moments of...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 Kelly Tunstall in front of her work at the 'Trace Elements' opening party, photo by Trippe / Fecal Face ART: It's the closing night party of Trace Elements , in which Bay Area artists were posed with questions such as "Does the urban environment hold secrets or codes that would provide a greater comprehension of its … |
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| SFist |
| Purdy Pitchurs |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 PM |
 For those unfortunates without plans to leave town for the holiday weekend, this month's First Thursday open gallery evening should offer a less frenetic chance to enjoy complementary, slightly desiccated cheese cubes and glasses of TJ's finest wine whilst ogling some nifty new art. A few photography shows we're particularly … |
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| The Snitch |
| Legoland Cancels Plans for Michael Jackson Lego Figure |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
| Legoland intended to honor the late King of Pop by putting his four-inch lego likeness on display at its Miniland U.S.A. park in Carlsbad, California. But today officials announced the plan had been abandoned due to "unresolved legal issues." "We... |
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| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
 Photo by Jeff Minton for the New York Times. "The Gavinator" graces the cover of this coming weekend's NY Times Magazine . ( NYT ) Former eBay Chair Meg Whitman raising more campaign funds than the Gavinator. ( LA Times ) The SFBG takes on the Bike Plan thing, "parking deficits" and … |
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| San Fransanity |
| A Coup D'Etat? Really??? |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
 A New Paradigm In Central America? So let's say you have a President (for the sake of argument, let's say it's this Obama guy)... In 2012, several months before … |
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| BeyondChron |
| Texas Cops Celebrate Pride by Bashing Gays |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
| News stories around the country are comparing it to the Stonewall Riots of 40 years ago that gave birth to the modern gay liberation movement. Ironically, it happened on the actual anniversary date and around the same time that the New York bar was raided. Only this time, it was in Fort Worth, Texas. On June 28 around 1:00 a.m., police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) agents entered the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth for what they … |
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| BeyondChron |
| ?Smash the Church, Smash the State? Documents Gays? Radical Past |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
| For the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, local activist and Beyond Chron writer Tommi Avicolli-Mecca has written Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation . In a collection of 48 essays by 35 writers, Avicolli-Mecca documents the LGBT movement?s radical past ? and how it changed in the 60?s from timid requests for basic tolerance, to demanding a full-scale revolution of American society. Although at times … |
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| BeyondChron |
| Thanks to Arnold, California?s Bankrupt |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
| Two months ago, Beyond Chron wrote that Arnold Schwarzenegger?s legacy as Governor will be driving the state to bankruptcy. At 12:00 a.m. on July 1st, this became a literal fact. Arnold has vetoed the latest budget measure, meaning the state now has no money ? and will start issuing I.O.U.?s rather than paying its bills. With a $24 billion deficit, Democrats in the state legislature passed a $7 billion stop-gap measure to keep the state … |
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| BeyondChron |
| Crucial Programs Saved; Mayor?s Pet Projects Remain |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
| Will Sacramento Blow Up City Budget? Will Newsom Target Add-Backs? After intense negotiations, the Board of Supervisors? Budget & Finance Committee began yesterday?s meeting 10 ? hours past schedule ? and approved a budget that Chair John Avalos and President David Chiu crafted with the Mayor?s Office. The package has an unprecedented level of ?add-backs? ? $43 million ? to save crucial services, and will stop all contracting of City workers. … |
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| Fog City Journal |
| Hampton Congratulates DeSauliner on Senate Re-Election Bid |
| 07/02/2009 12:00 AM |
 From the campaign to elect Adriel Hampton to Congress Editor’s Note: Senator Mark DeSaulnier appears to be using his Senate re-election campaign funds to promote himself in his bid to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher in the CA-10 special election. July 2, 2009 Anotioch, Ca. — As the Democratic candidates vying to fill … |
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| Bluoz |
| working people living in squalor |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
this article posted at Curbed about working people living in squalor  Tenderloin Housing Clinic is part of a group suing Citiapartments over some of these conditions. This is great, except that much of this, including Tenderloin Housing … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| Mike Jung new publisher in Santa Cruz |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Mike Jung, vp of advertisng and marketing for MediaNews Group's EB-BANG, has been named by MediaNews as the new publisher of the Santa Cruz Sentinal. He replaces former publisher Mario … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| Stations want to extend their digital signals |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 FCC filings show that KTVU 2, KPIX 5 and KBCW 44 have applied for translators to extend the reach of their digital signals. KTVU has asked the FCC for a license to broadcast on Channel 48 … |
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| SFist |
| Defecation Situation at Chez Newsom |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 A little something to go with your onion bagel and soy latte this morning: SFAppeal and Matier and Ross both have word that someone, well, took a massive crap at Gavin and Jennifer Newsom . Ahem. Oh dear. According to M&R, "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, … |
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| City Insider |
| Balboa principal takes a new post |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
Balboa High School Principal Patricia Gray wasn't sure she wanted a promotion up and out of the school she ran for a decade. Balboa, or "Bal" as she calls it, had been her baby. Over the last 10 years, the school went from one of the worst in the state to above average in California test scores....
 [img border='0' … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| High Speed Rail in the News |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| In case you didn’t pick up a copy of The Examiner while walking into work today, there’s an article about California’s High Speed Rail project and some concerns voiced by folks about property values, noise, traffic, and so on. Personally, I believe the High Speed Rail project is a poster child for why term limits are a bad idea. A multi-decade project like High Speed Rail needs champions who do not have to worry about … |
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| SFist |
| Bye Bye Swoops |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Let Ann-Margaret sooth your soul. Because after hearing this news , you're gonna need it. See, Swoops , the adorable and infamous blackbird who terrorized passersby from her perch outside City National Bank at Front and California streets, is gone. Or, so says a City National Bank employee who had a clear view of Swoops from his desk, who notices his absence this week. According to Deb Campbell, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of … |
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| SFist |
| Photo du Jour 446 |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Local photog Darwin Bell shows off his softer, sweeter side with " hello there! "  [img border='0' title='Email this Article' alt='Email this Article' … |
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| Fog City Journal |
| Newsom Budget Protests Continue for a Third Day |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Protestors performed a die-in outside San Francisco City Hall earlier today as part of an ongoing series of protests to draw attention to Mayor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts. Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas July 1, 2009 Protests against Mayor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts continued for a third day … |
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| Jim Ross |
| Stop |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| It has been nearly impossible not to watch and follow Governor Mark Sanford’s on-going sex scandal. The coverage led me to think about the difference between his scandal and the recent scandals faced by other politicians. While the differences in each individual case are different the one thing that stands out to me is Governor Sanford keeps talking. In most of the other recent cases the politicians did one press conference, took no questions … |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Wednesday's TV Picks |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
"Monsters Inside Me" may be the most horrifying show to hit television since...ever. If you have even a tiny bit of hypochondria, or sometimes feel like little teeny tiny things are crawling across...
 [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| A dabba doo time, we had a gay, old time! |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
One of the many perks of living in San Francisco is our annual Pride Parade , or as it was known this year, Gavin Newsom and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. But I'll get to that later. Pride...
 [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
| Read More |
| SF Metro Blogging |
| Calif. governor’s race in NYT magazine |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 The California governor’s race is the subject of an upcoming article in the NYT Magazine , listing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom as “among the colorful candidates.”  [img … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| When Old Parking Meter Poles Go, So Often Does Bike Parking |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Toronto's Post and Ring solution for bicycle parking on old parking meter poles. Photo: David Baker When Oakland installed its first pay-and-display parking kiosks in early 2007, parking managers ordered employees to remove the heads of the approximately 5,000 single-space meters they … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 LIT: Novella Carpenter , author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer , will be on hand to discuss her adventures with raising chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, a beehive, rabbits, and pigs in her Oakland garden (not all at the same time). 7 p.m. // The Green Arcade (1680 Market) // free FILM: Mustache … |
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| SFist |
| San Francisco Loses, Houston Wins in Trojan Sex Survey |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 As part of a promotion for a new condom, Trojan had survey firm StrategyOne conduct a survey of 1,000 adults (100 in each of 10 cities) to determine which U.S. city has the most sex, and which is the most sexually satisfied overall. The answer: Houston, on both counts. Now, whether or not the lies … |
| Read More |
| Mayor Newsom Blog |
| Mayor Newsom's Statement on EPA Approval of CA Auto Emissions Regulations |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| I congratulate President Obama and the Environmental Protection
Agency on a long-overdue action to grant California the right to set
toughest-in-the nation greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and
light trucks. California has always been a leader in driving policy on
clean vehicles, as demonstrated by President Obama's announcement in
May about making federal fuel economy rules similar to those for which
California has advocated … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Map: Roadtrip to Neverland Ranch for Jacko's Public Memorial |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| View Larger Map Sure to rival the public memorials of Evita , that woman who made Queen Elizabeth II's life a living hell, and Jesus H. Christ , Michael Jackson's viewing will be, if reports stand correct, splendiferous. To say least. According to The Daily Mail , "the singer's body will be transported to his funeral in a white carriage led by two horses, instead of the traditional black vehicle, it is understood." His corpse will then "be … |
| Read More |
| The Snitch |
| S.F. Signs of the Apocalypse: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Dice. |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Andy WrightA plethora of businesses, especially those that deal in selling alcohol late into the evening, find it necessary to remind their costumers that it's nice to wear clothes while shopping. This is a bilingual, illustrated take on the concept... |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| CitiApartments, Crappier Than Ever Before? |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 dramatic reenactment Did you really think the sinking economy would sharpen the tacks over at CitiAparements? No. No, it has not. Matt Baume over at Curbed tells the harrowing tale of supposed squalor at one SF-based CitiAparmtents building, a story you'll want to tell over a crackling fire … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| At least we still have foreign politics |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
At a time when the budget mess is dominating everything (yes, the board did approve those recreation fee increases Tuesday) City Hall watchers might be relieved to hear about something utterly unrelated: the coup in Honduras. Supervisor David Campos -- one of 11 on a body that's never shied...
 [img border='0' title='Add … |
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| Mayor Newsom Blog |
| Mayor Newsom Opens San Francisco's New Medical Respite and Sobering Center |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Mayor Gavin Newsom today opened San Francisco’s Medical Respite and
Sobering Center, the City’s newest facility providing temporary
post-hospitalization care and sobering services for many of the City’s
most vulnerable residents. The center also celebrated becoming the new
home of Community Awareness and Treatment Services (CATS), a private
non-profit agency that has served this primarily homeless population
for over 30 years. Read more... |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Bravo PR Caught Astroturfing SFist to Whore Out Horrid Teens |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Is Bravo's new show, NYC Prep , about a gaggle of vile, murder-worthy teens so poorly received that they have to resort to spamming a site like SFist? Seems so. See, yesterday on SFist, the following comment popped up on a week-old post about a missive the perturbed chancellor of Dwight School in … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| O Noes! Vicodin and Percocet to Be Banned? |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Jesus Christ. As if this week could get any worse: A federal advisory panel has recommended that the FDA issue a ban on Vicodin and Percocet due to their damaging effects on the liver. Both painkillers combine a narcotic with acetometophin (a.k.a. Tylenol) -- a combo that's been found to … |
| Read More |
| BOMA San Francisco |
| The News Links - July 1, 2009 |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Commercial Real Estate Hotel loan defaults double as recession cuts travel. Commercial real estate global spotlight - Hong Kong, China USGBC to monitor performance of LEED buildings. Commercial real estate: Recovery Signs ? U.S. REIT lag while global funds rally. US commercial real estate: Increased activity by buyers and sellers . San Francisco Not everyone's on board for Road Repair and Safety Improvements bond. Empty stores boost lease … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Google drops news commentary feature |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| The AP reports that Google has quietly dropped a feature that allowed people mentioned in news stories to comment on the articles. The Mountain View company said Wednesday that it ended the experiment in May when it redesigned the news section of its Web site. It apparently wasn't getting enough use to justify keeping it. As part of the service, Google spent time and money verifying the identities of the commentators, AP reported [img … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Cities See Population Gains — But What About Political Power? |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
The Census Bureau has just released new data showing a resurgence of the nation's cities, with New York leading the way and Chicago reversing five years of population decline.  The number of New Yorkers grew by an estimated 53,000 this year. Will they get more power in … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Meat Meet and Greet |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Do you like to eat meat? Are you one of those people who likes hearing about it, reading about it, learning about it, talking about it and ogling it? Then you might want to drop by the 18 Reasons Gallery on Thursday evening from 7-9 pm for a showing of Julio Duffoo's killer photo portraits in Meatpaper Magazine … |
| Read More |
| The Snitch |
| Cell Divisions: A Rough Week for S.F.-Based Stem Cell Agency |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Tempest in a petri dishIt's been a tough week in the news for California's San Francisco-based stem-cell research agency.Last week, it was revealed that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) -- created to fund stem-cell research through Proposition 71,... |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| An interesting appointment for Jerry Brown |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
At first blush, it looked like the Board of Supervisors had given Mayor Gavin Newsom an unexpected gift by appointing Jerry Brown to the Commission on Aging's advisory council . Newsom, 41, is squaring off against Brown, 71, in the Democratic race for governor and is trying to paint the...  [img border='0' title='Add to … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Today’s Headlines |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Sacramento Appeals Court Says Legislators Cannot Raid Public Transit Funds ( AP ) How to Talk Up Transit to a Conservative ( Infrastructurist ) SFBG: "Parking is Quietly Becoming the Year's Big Issue" Streetscape Measure Moves to Full Board of Supes Without Underground Utility Money ( KCBS ) Supes Approve Rec and Park Fee Increases ( BCN via CBS5 ) Bicyclist Killed by a Driver on Camino Tassajara in Contra Costa County ( Danville … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Mind the Gender Gap |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
| Yesterday's New York Times blog item about why New York women are underrepresented among the city's bike commuters didn't sit well with the authors of Streetsblog Network member Let's Go Ride a Bike .
Trisha, one of the blog's authors and a bike commuter herself in
Nashville, sees the piece as part of a trend (epitomized by a recent
Treehugger post called " 6 Reasons the World Needs More Girls on Bikes "). Too often, she says, … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Things Are Heating Up! |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 New Bike Plan! Let's Get Naked and Celebrate! Critical Mass San Francisco, June 2009. I was glad to see “We Are the World” on the ridiculously inadequate Climate Change bill that finally emerged from the corrupt U.S. Congress. Sadly, … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Live! Nude! Trees! |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 by Ted Weinstein Want to get nekkid for nature? Bay Area photographer Jack Gescheidt has been photographing naked people draped among some of the region's most gorgeous trees as part of a nature advocacy project he calls Treespirit . One part Spencer Tunick , another part Eliot … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Panel Recommends Discharge of Gay Pride Grand Marshall |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESSAP A military review panel recommended yesterday that Gay Pride Grand Marshall National Guard Lt. Dan Choi be discharged from the service. The recommendation must be approved by the First Army commander and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, which could take weeks or up to a year. Choi, who is an Arabic … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| A Ton of Fireworks Seized; KTVU Against All Things Sparkly and Fun |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 Seeing as they are our local FOX affiliate, KTVU already has a TV segment in the works about how fireworks aren't good for anything except misery and conjuring up early childhood trauma. ALSO, today they gleefully bring us this story about the seizure of nearly a ton of illegal … |
| Read More |
| Matier & Ross |
| S.F. mayor keeps security cost secret from supe |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
If the cost of protecting the president of the United States is public, then why not the cost of protecting San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom - both at home and on the campaign trail as he runs for governor? It's a question that Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and the California Tradeoffs |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 During his June 2009 Cairo Islam speech, President Obama pledged to “seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.” Photo by Stephen Crowley, NY Times By Ralph E. Stone July 1, 2009 What is the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so far and what are the California tradeoffs? As … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the CCSF Fall Catalog |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 PM |
 City College of San Francisco Chancellor Don Griffin. By Judy B. , guest editorial July 1, 2009 Got a spare $6,000? Chancellor Don Griffin at City College of San Francisco suggests using it to rescue an endangered community college class. Contribute and the class will be named for you. “If you want to pay for one class at City … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| EPA Okays Stronger Auto Emissions Standards Now in CA, 13 Other States |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
 (Photo: theweeklydriver.com ) The
Environmental Protection Agency today granted California's request for
a waiver allowing greater limits on auto tailpipe emissions, a move
that effectively speeds up the phasing-in of the Obama administration's
fuel-efficiency standards in as many as 13 other … |
| Read More |
| San Fransanity |
| HOORAY FOR HONDURAS! |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
 -DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE ABOUT HONDURAS! -WHAT HAPPENED THERE THIS WEEK WAS NOT A COUP D'ETAT! -IT WAS THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT MOBILIZING TO PREVENT THE … |
| Read More |
| Rincon Hill SF |
| KQED Hosts Discussion on Recently Passed Bike Plan |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| If you’re curious to learn more about the commendable efforts and aspirations for the San Francisco Bike Plan that successfully cleared the EIR hurdle on Thursday evening at the Planning Commission and got the thumbs up for 45 bike lane projects (including 3 or so in the Rincon Hill neighborhood), please tune in to KQED radio’s Forum program on FM 88.5 on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. I anticipate that I’ll be on the program … |
| Read More |
| The San Francisco Citizen |
| Tenderloin Tableau: Pedestrian vs. a Yuppie’s Poor Volvo |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| This yuppie got delayed up a bit during his evening drive through the “ Theatre District ” and the Flank on his way back to San Mateo County the other day. He looked a little peeved due to the pedestrian on the left smashing her fist onto the hood of his Volvo. It was quite the scene. Click to expand: [img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-8929" title="IMG_8737 copy" … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| "I Heard That": Reflections On an Icon; Making the Rounds ... |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| The KING OF POP MICHAEL JACKSON asked and answered the question in lyrics from his 1987 album entitled, BAD, ?Who?s Bad - I?m Bad!? Yes, he was BAAAAD! The phenomenal icon left us last Thursday afternoon, reportedly died from heart failure. HEARD the news over the radio while driving in my car, devastated, sad the rest of the evening. I too was a fan - fascinated by his choreographed dancing moves, glittering fashions. In past years seeing … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Builders Trade Luxury Condos for No-Frills Rentals |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| The following was first published in the SF Business Times on June 26th. San Francisco residential builders are getting back to basics. Gone are the lap pools, spas and 50th-floor penthouses. Gone are the walnut cabinets, marble bathrooms and built-in wine coolers. Instead, developers with the intestinal fortitude to build in this market are focused on rental housing. They are looking at units that are market-rate yet affordable by design. … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| AFL-CIO Condemns SEIU Raids on UNITE HERE |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| One day after 15 international union leaders vowed to provide ?material and moral? support to UNITE HERE?s defense against SEIU raids, the AFL-CIO sent a letter to the UNITE HERE convention condemning ?all raiding of organized workers by any union.? This letter represents a dramatic shift in position for the labor federation, which previously had been advised by its general counsel to stay out of the fight between SEIU and UNITE HERE. Adding … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Beyond Chron Writer Enters District 10 Race |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| Eric ?Doc? Smith, Beyond Chron?s Arts & Entertainment columnist for the past five years, filed to run yesterday for the Board of Supervisors in District 10 - in the race to succeed Sophie Maxwell. Originally from Washington D.C., Smith has made his mark in the District (which includes Potrero Hill, Bayview and Hunters Point) as an outspoken advocate for green jobs and environmental justice. In 2009, Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Smith to the … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
 San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum smiles as he sits in the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, June 29, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Playing against the Cardinals, Tim Lincecum pitches "a two-hitter … |
| Read More |
| SFHomeBlog |
| Going going Gone - $10k CA Tax Credit Used Up (with a caveat) |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| So for those of you who follow me on twitter you will have seen this last week. For those of you who were trying to get that tax credit under the wire, chances are you were watching it daily - like me. My client who bought at the Arterra got his tax credit request faxed in the day before the Franchise Tax Board reported they had reached their limit of $100 million in credits issued. On Monday the FTB web site issued this new statement: Tax … |
| Read More |
| The Snitch |
| Ammiano: Schwarzenegger's Legacy 'In the Toilet' |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| There are worse things than having your legacy land 'in the toilet.' In Conan's realm, they didn't even have toilets.Reached a couple of minutes ago on the floor of the Assembly, Tom Ammiano said that Californians who woke up this... |
| Read More |
| BOMA San Francisco |
| UPDATE: Gov. Schwarzenegger Vetoes Independent Contractor Tax Withholding |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
| As we reported previously , the state Budget Conference Committee had agreed to a budget gap proposal that included a provision forcing anyone that makes payments to independent contractors (including property managers and owners) to withhold 3% of those funds paid in excess of $600 per year, and send the money to the California Franchise Tax Board. UPDATE! The proposal was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last night. In his veto letter, … |
| Read More |
| Bluoz |
| the poop on the mayor |
| 07/01/2009 12:00 AM |
From Matier and Ross Movement: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, finally moved into their new home in the upper Haight over the weekend - only to have someone promptly defecate and urinate on their doorstep. Welcome to the neighborhood, Gav!  [img … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Birthday wishes |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
Happy Birthday, Animal Care and Control ! The city agency turns 20 Wednesday, and will celebrate with a ceremony at noon and will have specials all afternoon for those who want to adopt animals . If you decide to bring home a new family member, you will receive 20 percent off adoption fees...
 [img border='0' title='Add … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| MUSIC: Bill Callahan , formerly known as Smog for the past 20 years, masterfully combines lo-fi folk/rock arrangements with his signature, smooth baritone. Callahan will play his lullabies for SF audiophiles at Bimbo's tonight. 7 p.m. // Bimbo's 365 Club (1025 Columbus Ave) // $16, 18+ FILM: In a global sci-fi charity event, Can't Stop the Serenity , the San Francisco Browncoats will be screening Serenity and Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog . … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Blame It On SF Weekly |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Ack! Who would do this? Let's back up for a second: the SF Bay Guardian van, famously featured on the cover of their 1999 Best of the Bay issue, was stolen last night. Which: mean! According to SFBG editor Tim Redmond , "Somebody broke into the Bay Guardian parking lot last night, rammed through the chain-link … |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Tuesday's TV Picks |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
"NOVA scienceNOW" is like "NOVA" for those with ADD. Instead of spending an hour on one subject, this show spends an hour on at least two, and usually more, subjects per episode. I guess you'll...   … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Cop Parked in Bike Lane During Meal Break is “Proper Conduct”? |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Photo by Andrew Turley. A San Francisco bicyclist who confronted a motorcycle cop over why he was parked in the bike lane on Market Street while on a meal break has received a dubious answer to his complaints from the Office of Citizen Complaints. Andrew Turley filed two complaints against the officer for … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Five Bay Area Pregnant Women Contract Swine Flu |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 CBS5 reports that at least five Bay Area pregnant women in their early third trimesters have been admitted to intensive care units due to complications with the H1N1 swine flu. Two of the women are no longer in ICU, and all of the fetuses appear to be fine. Some of the women were apparently in perfect … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| BREAKING: Al Franken Wins Senate Seat |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 The Minnesota Supreme Court has just declared , in a 32-page unanimous decision , that Al Franken won the state's seat in the U.S. Senate in the contested November election against Republican Norm Coleman. The governor, Tim Pawlenty, has already said that he was ready to certify the … |
| Read More |
| I Team Blog |
| I-Team Twitters Live: Boat Crash Headed to Trial |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| It's been more than three years since the number two official in the Lake Couny Sheriff's Office, Russell Perdock, drove his power boat a reported 40-50 mph at night into a sailboat, killing Lynn Thornton of Willows. Today, a judge ruled that the man who happened to be steering the sailboat at the time, Bismarck Dinius, should stand trial, and that the Lake County District Attorney should be allowed to try the case. The defense brought a … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Vote for SF Drag Queens in Rupaul's Drag Race Web Casting |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 There is less than a day (t-minus 19 hours as of this posting) to vote for a number of San Francisco-based drag queens in the first round of web casting for the second season of Rupaul's Drag Race on Logo. If you missed the first season this past winter or its subsequent … |
| Read More |
| Mayor Newsom Blog |
| Mayor Gavin Newsom's Statement on the California State Budget Crisis |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| Today I am calling on the Governor and the California State Senate
Republicans to stop playing budget politics with people's lives and
livelihood and to join the Assembly Republicans in supporting the
bipartisan urgency measures designed to stave off the issuance of IOU's
and the unprecedented shutdown of our state government. If they do not
act now, we will immediately see a significant impact as local
governments are forced to make … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Renters to mayor: Where's our bailout? |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
Dozens of renters and housing advocates marched up the grand staircase of City Hall today chanting "Where's our bailout?" (You should have seen the expression on the bride getting married under the rotunda at the same time. And the quizzical looks on a family visiting from Switzerland; the dad...
 [img border='0' … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Not everyone's on board for streets bond |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
It was supposed to be so easy -- the mayor and the board's liberal wing even agreed on something! But debate over a proposed $368 million bond to repair streets and sidewalks in San Francisco got a little heated Tuesday. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd --normally an ally of the mayor -- railed against the...  [img border='0' … |
| Read More |
| CurbedSF |
| Tuesday PM Linkage |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| ["20th st bw," courtesy Flickr user potential past] · Pez Sues Burlingame Museum [SF Business Times] · Critical Mass Bikers Get Naked and Set... |
| Read More |
| Sam Spade's San Francisco |
| Camp Courage, inspired by Camp Obama success |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Camp Courage: Sign up to participate in our Sacramento training on July 11-12 . Here's Camp Courage described in their own words: Inspired by the "Camp Obama" trainings that … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Mother, Daughter Killed by Riptide |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 While swimming in the water at Montara State Beach on Monday afternoon, a mother and daughter were yanked in by a riptide. Several people, in fact, got caught up in the rip current. Acccording to CBS 5 , "four adults were treated at the scene and two childen were taken bby helicopter to Stanford Hospital." An … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Dorks, "Freebird" Masters Gather at Air Guitar Championship |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Anna McCarthy at the Weekly 's All Shook Down blog has this fun review of Saturday's Air Guitar Championship at The Independent. The event was a two-day regional spectacular in which winners move on to become finalists in D.C. on August 7th. Friday night's champion was a guy named … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| Newsom Budget Protests Continue |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 A candlelight vigil was held yesterday outside City Hall to protest Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget which includes over $125 million in cuts to health and human services. Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas June 30, 2009 Protests against Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal continued Monday with a candlelight vigil … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| “A Lot of This is Just Theater” Says Source Close to BART Contract Flap |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Photo: PixelHoundSF With BART and its unions agreeing on a nine-day extension to
contract negotiations, the fear of a strike that would incapacitate the
Bay Area's transit networks and gridlock its roads has been temporarily
alleviated, though ten days from now the entire region could … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Historic Tenderloin YMCA Closes Today |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Thomas Hawk / Flickr Sad news. The Tenderloin Y will officially shut its doors today, just short of its 100-year anniversary. "The eight-story, 150,000-square-foot building at the corner of Leavenworth Street and Golden Gate Avenue," which "opened in 1910 to replace San Francisco’s original YMCA center, which … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| The Lights Coming In and Out at SFO |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 This glorious shot comes to you from noted photographer exxonvaldez . He captures "[r]unway 1 departures from San Francisco International Airport between 10:22pm and 11:38pm on June 27, 2009, as seen from Brisbane Marina." This well-crafted image also brings to mind that scene in Six Degrees of … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| San Francisco Chronicle Panders to Newsom Ketchup Lie |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 Mayor Gavin Newsom and First Lady Jennifer Siebel glad hand Pride celebrants Sunday following a die-in protest, sans Ketchup. Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas June 30, 2009 The San Francisco Chronicle is up to its usual tricks of inventing propaganda and pandering to the political establishment. According to an article posted … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Fighting for your rights ain't cheap |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| Fighting for your First Amendment rights is a nice concept, but paying for it is another matter. The Pacific Legal Foundation spent $1.49 million fighting for the First Amendment rights of student Andrew Smith, who in 2001 wrote an article in the Novato High School student paper that was censored illegally by school administrators. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now the California Court of Appeals in San Francisco has … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Who stole the Guardian's van? |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that somebody cut through the chain-link fence in its parking lot and drove away with the company's van. It happened Monday night or Tuesday … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Gay Pride Grand Marshal Lt. Dan Choi Faces Discharge |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 San Francisco Gay Pride Grand Marshal Lt. Dan Choi, the Army National Guard officer translator and West Point alum who came out as queer "to protest the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," could become the first New York National Guard member discharged for breaking the military's inane and bizarre policy on … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Why Do Peninsula Folk Fear the High Speed Rail? |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
 by Chris Jones The California High Speed Rail Authority released a scoping report [.pdf] yesterday for the San Jose to San Francisco section of the proposed state high speed rail system that will eventually whisk people from downtown San Francisco to downtown Los … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Today’s Headlines |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| 19-year-old Pittsburg Man Allegedly Rams Car Into Castro Valley Home; 5 Injured ( SF Gate ) KCBS Reports a 19-year-old Woman Jumped In the Path of the Car to Save a 2-year-old Conditions of Two Women Hit By a Driver in Park Merced Said to Be Improving ( BCN via CBS 5 ) "Aggravated Driving" With a Suspended License Becomes a Felony in Oregon ( Bike Portland ) California Drivers Flouting the State's Hands-Free Cell Phone Law ( Merc ) … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| We Are the World |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| Fallout continues in the wake of last Friday's narrow passage of the
Waxman-Markey climate bill, otherwise known as the American Clean
Energy and Security Act, in the House of Representatives. Paul Krugman can't believe 212 reps voted against it, while Matthew Yglesias points to a conservative faction that has branded eight Republicans who helped pass it as "traitors." [img width="240" height="202" align="right" class="image" … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Lawmakers Investigating the Resignation of Amtrak’s In-House Watchdog |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| The House oversight committee has launched an official inquiry into the resignation of Amtrak's veteran inspector general (IG) earlier
this month -- on the same day that an outside law firm reported on
alleged interference with his work by management at the rail
corporation. [img width="275" height="183" align="right" class="image" alt="NA_AY671_AMTRAK_G_20090629180041.jpg" … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Mad Cell Phone User Injures 5 In Castro Valley |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 PM |
| A man in a " dispute over a cellphone and a ring " got super angry in Castro Valley last night and ran his car into five people and a living room, and pinning a poor little Chihuahua under the car before fleeing on foot. No one, including the Chihuahua, was killed, but one person suffered a broken neck. Police caught up with the suspect at the BART station, and the 19-year-old suspect from Pittsburgh is now being held pending felony charges. … |
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| BOMA San Francisco |
| 2009 BOMA International Conference |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| Your BOMA Advocacy Team is in Philadelphia for the 2009 BOMA International Conference . Stay tuned over the next few days as we will be blogging the highlights from our meetings with members and staff from BOMA locals across the United States and the world! Here is a sample of some of the content you'll be reading about: A review of BOMA's advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., including new policy positions on the carbon cap and trade … |
| Read More |
| Daily Kos |
| Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 6/29/09 |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| A lot of love for the govs on this Monday evening, as fully half of the news in the wrap-up tonight deals with 2010 gubernatorial contests. NATIONAL: Now the Dem Governors Get Their Own 2012/2016 List On Friday , we looked at the list that Ken Rudin over at NPR created ranking the prospects for GOP governors, from 1-22. Today, Josh Goodman over at Ballot Box counters with his list for Democrats. This list, it can be guaranteed, brings plenty … |
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| SFist |
| THIS JUST IN: Muni Underground Out of Service Til Further Notice? |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
We're receiving word that the Muni metro just went AWOL (color us shocked), at least outbound from Embarcadero, with one of those, "No service til further notice" messages. Anyone with info is encouraged to email us .  [img border='0' title='Email this Article' alt='Email this Article' … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Sunday Streets to Great Streets - A Celebration! |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| Too bad this is scheduled at the same time as the Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association’s monthly meeting, but I thought I’d share it anyway … Enrique Penalosa & San Francisco Great Streets Project Launch Celebration Tuesday, July 7th 5:30-7:30 pm Koret Auditorium, Main Public Library in San Francisco (100 Larkin) FREE; Valet bicycle parking provided. Meet Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Colombia and … |
| Read More |
| Clint Reilly |
| Disrespecting our Elders |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| John F. Kennedy once said that the strength and durability of a society can be judged by how it treats its elderly. Proving his point more than four decades later, the careening state of California is considering cutting off vital in-home services to thousands of dependent seniors. Of course, with the Golden State staring down the barrel of a $24 billion deficit that swells with each passing nanosecond, we must expect our elected officials to … |
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| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
 credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File GM to end contract with Fremont vehicle plant, effectively ending auto manufacturing in California. [ LA Times ] "Once-prominent" child psychiatrist Dr. William Ayres, a pedophile? [ Mercury News ] Post Pride march pics -- NSFW site. [ The Sword ] More on last week's SF Bike Plan … |
| Read More |
| San Fransanity |
| The Gun Debate (For Liberals) |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| Dear Liberal, It’s time we talk. The debate over gun control is not about guns, it’s about culture, and here is how it works: You point to school shootings and other violence and say that it’s my fault because I support the right to keep and bear arms. I point to violent video games and sociopathic teenagers, and I say the problem is your fault, thanks to inadequately internalized values and morals. But here’s the thing: Between guns and … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| The Devil Made Her Do It |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| It?s like a bad scene out of a grade B horror flick or a front-page story in one of those sleazy supermarket rags, only it?s not funny: the Rev. Patricia McKinney and other elders of the Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, Connecticut performing an exorcism or a ?casting out of spirits? on a gay teen in order to drive out what they claim are ?homosexual demons.? In the 20-minute YouTube video (which has been taken down, but can still be … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Afghanistan: No Exit Plan, No Exit, No End |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| Still Crazy After All These Years There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but our government can?t find one to quit Afghanistan. Nor propose a truce. Nor, after seven brutal years, disclose an exit strategy, despite recent legislation from fed-up House Democrats. What a troubling paradox: the charismatic anti-war candidate, riding enormous disgust against one ?dumb? Bush war into the White House, unilaterally expands bloodshed to a more … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Slow But Steady Progress on City Budget |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| Not much happened at yesterday?s Budget Committee, as Supervisor John Avalos heads into negotiations today with Mayor Gavin Newsom. Stay tuned for the real fireworks at tomorrow?s final Budget session ? which starts at 9:00 a.m. The Supervisors, however, took a small bite out of the Mayor?s budget yesterday ? by voting 4-1 against a proposed $971,000 wheelchair ramp to the (currently unused) Presidential podium in the Board Chambers. … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Labor Movement Backs UNITE HERE Against SEIU Raids |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| In a dramatic blow to SEIU?s efforts to raid UNITE HERE members and jurisdictions, 15 of the nation?s leading unions pledged Monday to provide the union with ?material and moral? support. Before a wildly cheering and upbeat crowd of 700, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee denounced SEIU for the ?poaching? of UNITE HERE, and for engaging in ?piracy on the high seas of organized labor.? Laborers President Terrence O?Sullivan described SEIU?s … |
| Read More |
| Bluoz |
| Non Profits - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| A San Francisco civil grand jury report was officially released yesterday. june 29, 2009 and you can read the entire PDF here Non Profits - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (PDF) This is $500 million of San Francisco money, 41% of the entire budget and is currently being debated at the Board of Supervisors. The Grand Jury report is definitely worth a read and is highly recommended for people to read the actual report, rather than any condensed … |
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| Bluoz |
| implied social contracts do not apply |
| 06/30/2009 12:00 AM |
| one single comment struck me from a recent SF Weekly article I don't think people realize just how many people are scamming the system. In 10 years of living in close proximity to the welfare state, I have seen one single workfare person, while seeing hundreds of 20 year olds on social security, exempt from all implied social contracts as described below. This is a huge part of the $500 million San Francisco spends every year on social … |
| Read More |
| The N Judah Chronicles |
| Links of Interest: FoundSF.org! |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| Recently, someone sent me a link at FoundSF.org, detailing plans for a 7th Avenue Freeway in the Inner Sunset, which would have been a dramatic change to the neighborhood, to put it mildly. But after checking out the map (complete... |
| Read More |
| The San Francisco Citizen |
| A Hipster Garage Sale in the NOPA and the Shrinking Western Addition |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| The Western Addition, contrary to what Wikipedia would have you believe , used to encompass all of San Francisco west of Larkin Street . You’ll find the term “WESTERN ADDITION” in the property records of all sorts of high rent San Francisco real estate. But smaller enclaves have been carved out over the years, most recently with the North of Panhandle Area . This process is now complete, so the shrinking Western A has shrunk … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Today’s Headlines |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| BART and Unions Agree to 9-Day Contract Extension ( SF Gate ) ( Examiner ) ( CoCo Times ) ( Oak Trib ) BART, Muni, AC Transit, GG Transit to Raise Fares Weds ( SF Gate ) Coverage of Bike Plan Passage ( Examiner ) ( SF Gate ) Third Spare-the-Air Day in a Row Called for Today ( CoCo Times ) Chronicle Calls SF Downtown Center Garage an "Efficient Beauty" Two Women Hit by Vehicle in Park Merced Expected to Survive ( SF Gate ) Roadshow … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Do Shiny New Roads “Only Make Idiots More Dangerous”? |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
We hear the arguments again and again from DOTs: they need to widen
highways and expand interchanges to improve safety on the nation's
roads. Streetsblog Network member The Political Environment , in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sees it differently:  Photo of the Marquette … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Bernie Madoff Sentenced to 50 Years for Ponzi Scheme |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Ponzi-schemer and former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange Bernard Madoff was handed a 150 year prison sentence by U.S. District Judge Denny Chin this morning. In the courtroom, Madoff explained to Judge Chin, prosecutors and his victims that he thought he could "work his … |
| Read More |
| The San Francisco Citizen |
| IraqMoratorium.org is Still Out There at Fell and Masonic |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
Once a month, like clockwork , you’ll see the folks from Iraq Moratorium at the corner of Fell and Masonic, doing their part to help you “THINK PEACE.” This hula hoop is new though:  Click to expand See them every third Friday … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Equal Play |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department is about to sign a contract to knock down and rebuild four playgrounds to make them " boundless playgrounds " accessible to children with disabilities. The changes will go above and beyond the Americans With Disabilities Act - ensuring that...  [img border='0' title='Add … |
| Read More |
| CurbedSF |
| Ditch Your Car; Save $12,131 |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| The average American saves $9,000 a year by getting rid of their car, according to a report by the American Public Transportation Association. Well,... |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| House Climate Bill on Green Transpo: It’s Better Than You Thought! |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| The climate change bill that squeaked through the House on Friday
night allows U.S. states to use a share of their carbon emissions
allowances to invest in green transportation, thanks to the combined
efforts of a group of senior Democrats. The deal was billed last week as a narrow one, letting transit and other sustainable transportation
receive 10 percent of the states' allowances (which actually comprise
10 percent of the bill's … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| World's Ugliest Dog Winner: Pabst |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 A staple of the Sonoma-Marin Fair for 21 years, the World's Ugliest Dog Contest happened over the weekend. The winner? Pabst, this boxer-mix beauty, at right, with an extreme overbite. While the Chinese Crested breed has won the contest for more than seven years (they represented more than 50% … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| SFist Blotter |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 FRIDAY / MARINA : Marking a rare guest appearance on SFist Blotter is the controversial Marina neighborhood. [ cue Ritual Roasters coffee spit take ] See, during a two-hour standoff inside a Marina hotel at 11 p.m., Waddell Williams, 33, allegedly shot at officers from inside his "touristy … |
| Read More |
| Matier & Ross |
| BART 'N-word' bombshell waiting to go off |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
Overlooked in the court hearing that ended in former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle being ordered tried for murder in the slaying of Oscar Grant was testimony about another officer's explosive outburst just 30 seconds before Grant was shot. One of the...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| New report slams city's shelter system |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
The Coalition on Homelessness released a report today called "The Runaround" that takes the city to task for its "confusing, complicated and constantly changing" system for homeless people to reserve shelter beds. The group says the computer system used to keep track of reservations is...
 [img border='0' title='Add to … |
| Read More |
| CurbedSF |
| Monday PM Linkage |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| ["Alberto's Printing," courtesy Flickr user Plug 1] · Rich People! They Still Exist [SF Gate] · Oakland is Complicated [A Better Oakland] · Silicon... |
| Read More |
| Rangelife SF |
| Filthy, filthy karaoke nite |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
And here are some of the joys of singing karaoke at a joint that has the good sense not to censor its lyrics. We're all grownups here, right?  [img alt="IMG_1167" border="0" class="at-xid-6a00d83451c8f569e20115718a2681970b image-full " … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Quote du Jour: Concierge Out / Key Card In |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 credit: SocketSite It seems real estate construction types are finally -- finally! -- realizing in 2009 that no one can afford their mindnumbingly thoughtless, albeit impressive and mildly erotic, InfinityBeaconOneRinconBLU luxury towers. San Francisco Business Times has more, but here's a frank, … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| Brown to Officially Announce Candidacy for Governor |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 California Attorney General Jerry Brown at the annual Alice B. Toklas Pride Breakfast yesterday. Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas June 29, 2009 Juicy news in the 2010 race for California governor; Attorney General Jerry Brown will officially declare his candidacy in “a few months,” Fog City Journal has learned. “Now that … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Metro Makeover |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
The deadlock between historic preservationists and developers who want to renovate the old Metro movie theater on Union Street loosened Monday when both sides agreed to compromise. The Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee supported landmark status for the exterior of...  [img border='0' … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Report: States Used $6.6B in Stimulus Cash on New Roads, Not Repair |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
Today is the deadline for state DOTs to allocate at least half of
the transportation money they received under the economic stimulus law,
and Smart Growth America marked the occasion with a study of what types of projects are getting that cash.  North
Carolina spent $5.7 million in … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| CALPIRG, Smart Growth America Slam State Stimulus Spending |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| With the passage of the stimulus bill last spring, states had a
120 day deadline to obligate at least half of the transportation funding allocated to them. To mark that federal deadline, CALPIRG and Smart
Growth America released a report today detailing how California is spending its stimulus money. The
news isn't good. Despite all the right rhetoric about weening the
state off its car-dependency, California is actually spending more … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| A Tribute to Thomas Berry 1914-2009: Prophet of the Ecozoic Era |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Thomas Berry, 1914-2009 By Steven Chapman June 29, 2009 Earlier this month, on June 1, the Earth became a little bit darker. Father Thomas Berry, cultural historian, visionary cosmologist, “geologian,” and mentor to many, passed away in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. Berry was one of the most … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| Bayview Hunters Point Action to Target Lennar’s Pollution |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| From Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice June 29, 2009 San Francisco - Fed up with ongoing air pollution violations by Lennar Corporation at the construction site at the toxic contaminated Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, community, religious and environmental justice organizations will take action to protest Lennar’s pollution and air quality violations on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 beginning at 2 p.m.. The community … |
| Read More |
| Rincon Hill SF |
| South Beach/Rincon/Mission Bay Neighborhood Association Meets July 13th |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| If you have not already RSVP’d to attend the Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association’s meeting on July 7th at The Infinity’s Club Lounge, please do so ASAP as there will likely be a lot of interest in the goings-on of the Transbay Transit Center and Temporary Terminal. The Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association meets on the first Tuesday of each (okay, most) months. The multi-neighborhood South Beach/Rincon/Mission Bay … |
| Read More |
| Rincon Hill SF |
| Fireworks this Weekend for Independence Day |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| Although likely paling by comparison to KFOG’s Kaboom earlier this year at Piers 30/32, there are a couple of relatively big fireworks displays coming up this weekend. Friday, July 3rd at China Basin (by AT&T Park) Fireworks will start at approximately 10:00 p.m. and last to about 10:15 p.m. (unless the Giants game goes into extra innings) Saturday, July 4th at Pier 39 Fireworks are scheduled for 9:30 p.m. until 9:50 p.m. The area … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Giants Win One Over Milwaukee |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Proving clouds contain these alleged silver linings, the San Francisco Giants manged to avoid a three-game sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. Whew. Right-hander Ryan Sadowski, 26, also pitched his first major league game. "He looked very comfortable out there," Giants manager Bruce … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 The Bar-Kays FILM: Incredibly Strange Picture Show presents Wattstax , a documentary about a one-day concert put on by Stax Records in the summer of 1972 commemorating the 7th anniversary of the Watts riots in Los Angeles, featuring amazing performances by Kim Weston , The Bar-Kays , Rufus Thomas , The Staple Singers , and … |
| Read More |
| ValleyWag |
| It's Spy vs. Spy as Microsoft Mounts Whisper Campaign Against Google |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 It's one thing for little nonprofit groups like Consumer Watchdog to hound Google for how it handles privacy and competitors. Much trickier for the company: A large corporation like Microsoft, can afford to whisper in reporters' ears, individually. It's easy to miss this aside in today's New York Times … |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Monday's TV Picks |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
If you've watched "The Biggest Loser" and thought, "This would be better with some dancing," or watched "Dancing With the Stars" and thought, "This would way more entertaining with fatter...
  [img … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Photo du Jour 445 |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Humphry Slocombe shot by sirgious / Flickr (via Mission Mission ) Sheer cheekiness.  [img border='0' title='Email this Article' alt='Email this Article' … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Public Transit Changes Change Lives, July 1st |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Apparently, the world won't come to an end for BART riders on July 1. It seems the strike probably, most likely for all intents and purposes won't happen. (That is some shitty news, Bay Area bloggers and media outlets. A Bay Area-wide public transportation meltdown would've been traffic gold during the holiday … |
| Read More |
| SF Streets Blog |
| Streetfilms: SF Carves a Park from the Midst of Its Pavement |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| The entire family of San Francisco city agencies responsible for
maintaining its streets made an unconventional decision to close a
portion of a street to cars and convert the new space into a simple,
yet elegant, public plaza. The project combines all the important
elements of plaza creation that have been successful in New York City
and elsewhere: take space from cars, use simple treatments to convert
the space into a pedestrian … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Week Ahead: Bay Area Concerts |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 by Brian Wiedenmeier The week ahead in music is a quiet one, as if the Bay Area needed some time off to nurse it's collective post-Pride hangover . Quiet doesn't mean silent, however, and there are still plenty of offerings for those who want a little auditory … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Monday Munchies: Waterbar |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 'Monday Munchies' returns. Yay! Also, if you can't afford to eat / be seen at Waterbar, calm down and listen: We have a review of Jollibee's , ready for your reading pleasure later this week. Until then, enjoy this. by Tiffany Maleshefsk The very ritzy-ish Waterbar , normally way out of our wallet’s … |
| Read More |
| ValleyWag |
| Condé Nast's Grumpy East Coast-West Coast Feud |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Big Ideas Author Malcolm Gladwell , a Manhattanite of the New Yorker , has i ssued a smackdown review of Free , Big Ideas Author Chris Anderson , a Berkeleyan of San Francisco's Wired . If that's not provocative enough, Gladwell sounds downright grumpy. Gladwell begins with a recitation from the May U.S. Senate … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Details about the Chron's new presses |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| While the world awaits the first edition of the Chronicle from its new pressroom in Fremont, the trade publication Newspapers & Technology has a story that discusses the capabilities of the new, highly automated presses: The northern California site, scheduled to go into operation late last month, is built around three manroland Colorman triplewide presses. The coldset/heatset presses are equipped with software and other systems engineered to … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Tech writer Plotkin to work for Obama |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| Hal Plotkin, a tech writer and community college board member from Palo Alto, has landed a job in the Obama administration as a senior policy adviser in the Department of Education. Plotkin has written for SFGate, Inc.com, Metro and helped create public radio's "Marketplace" program. When Foothill-De Anza Community College Chancellor Martha Kantor was picked by Obama to be an undersecretary of administration, she tapped Plotkin -- who sits on … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Police seek sportswriter's next of kin |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
 Police in Milwaukee and San Jose are trying to find the next of kin of a journalist with roots in the Campbell area. According to the Lahontan Valley News in Fallon, Nev., sportswriter … |
| Read More |
| The N Judah Chronicles |
| Links of Interest: FoundSF.org! |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 PM |
| Recently, someone sent me a link at FoundSF.org, detailing plans for a 7th Avenue Freeway in the Inner Sunset, which would have been a dramatic change to the neighborhood, to put it mildly. But after checking out the map (complete... |
| Read More |
| The Snitch |
| Sf Gov InAction: Special Faux-Guest Edition! |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing every week? Me too. So this week I decided to imagine how SF Gov InAction would look if it were written by five of this city's most ... um... |
| Read More |
| League of Women Voters San Francisco Blog |
| More buzz about Prop 13 |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| As Californians waited and watched during the excruciating budget battle this year, more and more people are being to agree we have to look at Prop 13 again . The long-ago decision to cap property taxes and to demand a 2/3 vote to approve budget decisions has made California a failed state. Many citizens do not understand how the budget is arrived at and they continue to demand services without approving any move to raise money for them. We … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Supes to Decide Fate of Ellis Eviction Defense |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| The Budget Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will decide this week whether to add back funding for the city?s only program that provides free legal representation to tenants facing Ellis Act evictions. Run by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, publisher of Beyond Chron, the $125,000 program was slated for elimination by the Human Services Agency, and funding runs out tomorrow. HSA has indicated a willingness to continue funding, … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Los Angeles Needs a Full-Time Mayor |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| Ed. Note: With Gavin Newsom under growing criticism for neglecting San Francisco as he runs for Governor, this piece by a prominent Los Angeles activist about their Mayor's recent decision not to enter the race should interest Beyond Chron readers. It?s been a while since I?ve been on the same page at the same time with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. As one of the few black stakeholders who backed his losing bid in 2001, and returned … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| Retirement Package Drives Cost of Police, Firefighters |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| How would you like to make $100,000 a year, get generous annual raises and retire at 55 ? with a pension that pays up to 90% of your final salary? San Francisco firefighters and cops get this, while other City workers (who generally make less) only receive up to 75% in retirement pensions. Voters passed a Charter Amendment in 2002 that created this package for police and firefighters ? and now it?s costing us dearly. Gavin Newsom?s budget this … |
| Read More |
| BeyondChron |
| As Labor Faces Turning Point, UNITE HERE National Convention Opens |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
| UNITE HERE , best known for its Hotel Workers Rising campaign and successful organizing of the nation?s gaming industry, opens its national convention in Chicago today. When the event was scheduled, it seemed a perfect occasion for celebrating five years of increased union membership in its core jurisdictions, despite tough economic times. Instead, UNITE HERE?s celebration is joined by its now facing competition in its core jurisdictions from … |
| Read More |
| Fog City Journal |
| Is the Community Justice Court Meeting its Intended Purpose? |
| 06/29/2009 12:00 AM |
 Judi Iranyi By Judi Iranyi , guest editorial June 28, 2009 According to an “ Analysis of the Outcomes of the San Francisco Community Justice Court ” by Milissa Sills (June 17, 2009), a majority of the cases heard by San Francisco’s Community Justice Court (CJC) were discharged as were over 90 percent of the … |
| Read More |
| Matier & Ross |
| BART bets on strike going bust |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
BART workers couldn't be in a worse position to strike - and no one knows that better than BART management. Consider: - Timing: It's the middle of summer, the lightest of commuter seasons. Fewer drivers means less-than-epic traffic jams, which in turn...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Hard decisions now fall to board |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
The moment of truth has arrived. After months of bickering between the mayor's office and Board of Supervisors over budget priorities, the supes this week will make the hard decisions about what to save and what to cut. The board, which has been working on Mayor Gavin Newom's proposed...  [img border='0' title='Add to … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Billy Mays Found Dead |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Billy Mays , 50, famously loud and bearded informmercial spokesman, died this morning. (Egads! First Ed, Farrah , Jackson , now this. Too much to bear, folks.) According to reports , Mays finished wrapping up an Oxiclean commercial in Philadelphia the other day, and returned home to Florida. He … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Watch the SF Gay Pride Parade Live |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Too old, young, married with children, in the closet, cracked out, hungover or far away to watch this morning's Gay Pride Parade? Relax. You can watch it within the warm, glowing, comforting glow of your computer screen. Check out the parade live at 10 a.m. this morning over SFPrideLive.com , … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Week Around the Ists |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Image courtesy FOX 5 DCist was shocked when a Metro train car derailed , slamming into another waiting train, killing nine people and injuring dozens others. An investigation continues, but cracked rails have been found . Gothamist has now seen it all: An SUV driver, who allegedly assaulted a cyclist, … |
| Read More |
| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Sunday's TV Picks |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
"The BET Awards" air tonight, and in light of the death of Michael Jackson, you can bet there will be many tears shed, many career highlights aired, and, no doubt, many awkward moments. Jamie Foxx...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
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| Fog City Journal |
| LGBT Activists Protest Newsom’s Budget, Stage Pride Die-In |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Protestors attempt to draw attention to Newsom’s budget cuts which includes over $121 million in cuts to health and human services. Photos by Luke Thomas From Direct Action to Stop the Cuts, Coalition for Budget Justice, Coalition to Save Public Health June 28, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO – On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Paul Ellmore / The Sundance Association DANCE: Get your country-western dancing on at Sundance After-Pride Dance . Beginning lessons are from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, and open dancing is from 7:30 to close. 6 to 11 p.m. // Hotel Whitcomb (1231 Market St) // $5 THEATER: This month's Solo Sundays , a monthly series committed to presenting the … |
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| SFist |
| Pink Triangle Partially Burned Early This Morning |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
 Credit: Big Blue Ocean / Flickr The iconic Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks was set on fire by possible vandals at around 5 a.m. this morning, damaging a 25-by-30 foot area. The fire was extinguished thirty minutes later. Arson investigators are still trying to determine the cause. Mark Leno told CBS5 (video) that this isn't the … |
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| Matier & Ross |
| BART 'N-word' bombshell waiting to go off |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
Overlooked in the court hearing that ended in former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle being ordered tried for murder in the slaying of Oscar Grant was testimony about another officer's explosive outburst just 30 seconds before Grant was shot. One of the...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to … |
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| Daniel Weintraub |
| The Blog Watch |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 PM |
| Foreclosures: The poor pets are getting left behind Posted by Jim Wasserman www.sacbee.com/blogs The Bee has a done a couple of heartbreaking stories in past months on pets left behind in foreclosure situations. But the problem continues. Sacramento-based Coldwell Banker real estate agent Donald Stitt has been seeing plenty of it and recently wrote into Home Front with what he's encountered personally Some excerpts: "Out on Hazel Ave. … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Rincon Hill Celebrates Pride |
| 06/28/2009 12:00 AM |
Happy Pride Weekend! Here’s some Rincon Hill Pride from Saturday night when the One Rincon Hill building’s weather beacon sported a rainbow of colored stripes instead of the usual green, red, or blue solids.  Photo Credit: Jamie Whitaker The San Francisco Pride parade begins at Beale and Market Street at … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| AP Broadcast awards presented |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| Here are some of the Bay Area winners in 2009 Mark Twain Awards, presented Saturday night at Universal Studios by the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California and Nevada. • Dick Terry Videographer of the Year: Dean Smith, KGO, San Francisco. • Chris Harris Reporter of the Year: Hank Plante , KPIX • Best Serious Feature: "The Quiet Room," Anna Werner, Abigail Sterling, Gerard Watson, Greg Marasso , KPIX • Best Videography of … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| Michael Jackson replaces the news |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| SF Gate columnist Mark Morford notes that all of the important news, like the uprising in Iran or the health care overhaul, is forgotten when somebody like Michael Jackson dies. He write: There's meaningful, there's epic and there's revolutionary. What about all three? Do you want to even compare? Do you dare even try? Don't you already know the outcome? Of course you do. You already know which kind of event, which sort of dramatic happening, … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| Freelancers' checks about to get lighter |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| Two tips from the very useful CNPA Legislative Bulletin : 1. As if it wasn't hard enough to make a living as a freelancer, a series of tax proposals moving through the legislature would require employers to withhold and remit to the Franchise Tax Board 3 percent of all payments made to independent contractors. Worse, if there are problems verifying your taxpayer identification number, the employer is supposed to withhold another 7 percent, for … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| KCBS way ahead of KGO in 25-54 demo |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| AllAccess.com , in its analysis of the May personal people meter radio ratings, points out that KCBS tied for third place in the 25-54 demo with KNBR and KSAN. KGO-AM ranked 12th while sister KSFO dropped from 23rd to 27th. No. 1 in the 25-54 demo was KOIT followed by KFOG. "All news continued to be a solid format performer in the Bay Area, unlike the not-even-top-15 results for the CBS all-news outlets in the Los Angeles market," AllAccess … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Futbol Club Barcelona Playing at Candlestick? |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| For soccer fans, there is a real treat coming up on August 8th at Candlestick Park according to the Examiner . Futbol Club Barcelona (Barça), this year’s UEFA Champions League winning team, will play Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara as part of a double-header of soccer in San Francisco. The other game will feature San Jose Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew. Learn more at the San Jose Earthquakes web site . Sounds like a great opportunity … |
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| SFist |
| A Joyous Gay Pride Weekend to You |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
 Harvey Milk kite flying above Civic Center on June 26, 2009. (credit: 37 °C / Flickr ) We know that some of you plan to boycott this year's Pride because it's not angry enough, or whatever. We know that some of you will get blotto by noon today, not ready to come down until Tuesday . We know that some of you will … |
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| Fog City Journal |
| Pride Marchers Find Shame in Mayor’s Budget |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| From Coalition to Save Public Health June 27, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO – While celebrating at their floats this year, many of the marchers at Sunday’s Gay Pride Parade will also be protesting inequities in Mayor Newsom’s 2009-2010 budget, released earlier this month. LGBT organizations such as the Harvey Milk Democratic Club and Pride-at-Work will be joined by the Coalition to Save Public Health, the Budget Justice Coalition, and Direct Action to … |
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| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Saturday's TV Picks |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, two pop culture icons died on Thursday, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. I know! Isn't it crazy? The TV tributes continue, and tonight...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
 ART: Tyson Ayers , a Bay Area music composer, instrument builder, and multimedia installation and performance artist, presents the Sound Cave , a small room built out of piano parts. When someone crawls inside, the strings on the walls capture any sounds the person creates and echoes them back for long periods … |
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| The San Francisco Citizen |
| San Francisco’s 17th is the King of All Numbered Streets |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| San Francisco proper has 30 numbered streets, but only one has the gumption, the temerity, the will to make it across Market Street AND to keep on trucking up and over the nearest ridge, hilly geography be damned. That makes 17th the King of All Numbered Streets in San Francisco. Click to expand: [img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-8907" title="IMG_8635 copy" … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Brannan Street Wharf Update - Public Meeting |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| If you want a chance to hear the latest on the proposed park along The Embarcadero between Bryant and Townsend Streets, you should attend this San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission public meeting on July 6th at 6:30pm at 50 California Street, 26th floor (Suite 2600). Looks like they’re also going to talk about the relocation of the Exploratorium to Piers 15/17 north of the Ferry Building too … also interesting! … |
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| SF Crime |
| Triple Shooting Kills One In The Tenderloin |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
| 1 killed, 2 injured in Tenderloin shooting Bay City News Saturday, June 27, 2009 A 30-year-old San Francisco man was the victim of a fatal shooting in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood this morning, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office. Harris Fullbright was shot near the intersection of Ellis and Jones streets around 3 a.m., police said. Officers responded and found Fullbright with gunshot wounds, and two other victims. … |
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| Matier & Ross |
| BART bets on strike going bust |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 PM |
BART workers couldn't be in a worse position to strike - and no one knows that better than BART management. Consider: - Timing: It's the middle of summer, the lightest of commuter seasons. Fewer drivers means less-than-epic traffic jams, which in turn...  [img border='0' title='Add to del.icio.us' alt='Add to del.icio.us' … |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| Chronicle close to switching pressrooms |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
 In the next week or so, the presses in this $200 million, 350,000-square-foot printing plant in Fremont will produce their first edition of the San Franicsco Chronicle. The … |
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| League of Women Voters San Francisco Blog |
| Good idea for nonprofits |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| With both city and state facing budget deficits, you'd think San Francisco could get its act together and make more responsible decisions about funding the city's nonprofit social agencies. But as columnist C.W. Nevius points out in the S.F. Chronicle , funding really depends on how effectively the nonprofits reps can beg from the supervisors and how much political clout they have. Is this any way to run a city? The political atmosphere of … |
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| SF Crime |
| Bernal Heights Beating Victim Dies |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| Man beaten in S.F. drinking dispute dies Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, June 26, 2009 (06-26) 15:29 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A man beaten last October in a Bernal Heights park for drinking someone else's alcohol has died, and San Francisco police are seeking help in solving the slaying. Pierre Oliver, 43, who was attacked at 12:55 a.m. Oct. 5, died of his injuries June 8, police Lt. Mike Stasko said Friday. Oliver was assaulted … |
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| SF Crime |
| Woman Has Ankle Broken During Haight District Robbery |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| Victim hospitalized after being struck by baseball bat during robbery By: Will Reisman 06/25/09 10:10 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A person was hospitalized with a broken ankle after being struck by a baseball bat during a robbery in the Haight-Ashbury district last night. The victim, whose identity has not been released, was walking near the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets at 8 p.m. when the victim was hostilely approached by three black … |
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| SF Crime |
| Man Shoots At Police During Marina District Standoff |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| Man arrested for allegedly shooting at officers 06/26/09 1:59 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A man shot at officers from inside his touristy hotel room in San Francisco's Marina District early this morning during a two-hour standoff, according a police sergeant. Waddell Williams, 33, was arrested around 1 a.m. on suspicion of attempted murder for shooting at the officers, assault with a deadly weapon and illegally possessing a firearm, Sgt. Lyn … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Demolition of Pier 36 EIR Notice Issued |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| Waterfront neighbors should be pleased to see The Port of San Francisco is taking the necessary steps to demolish Pier 36 in preparation for a new open space along the Brannan Street Wharf. This is great news, in my humble opinion. For your information, below is the text from the Planning Department’s EIR notification …. let’s hope this is approved and the eyesore Pier 36 demolished as soon as money permits. Notification of … |
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| San Fransanity |
| Just Seeing If You're Awake |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
I do not necessarily endorse this person's conclusions. In fact, the very idea that the Zapruder film may have been altered never occurred to me. I still think LBJ was behind it.  |
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| Peninsula Press Club |
| KGO firings not due to cost cutting |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| Ben Fong-Torres reports in his Chronicle column that that weatherman Leo Ciolino, news director Paul Hosley and executive producer Trish Robbins weren't fired because of budget cutting. "We completed a well-planned restructure which (is) strategic in an effort to improve our product," KGO-AM/KSFO president and Mickey Luckoff said. "Ken Berry returns to a post (news director) ... which in the past he held and which contributed to our … |
| Read More |
| Peninsula Press Club |
| Longtime radioman Dave McQueen retires |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
 Dave McQueen, one of the most versatile talents in Bay Area radio, has retired. After his last shift as overnight anchor at KCBS, Mike Sugerman did this story ( link ). McQueen has … |
| Read More |
| CurbedSF |
| Friday PM Linkage |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
| ["40 Automobiles On Parking Level 6," courtesy Flickr user Plug 1] · We were hired by Audi to transform the streets of San Francisco... |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Mayor Newsom, City Agencies and Advocates Celebrate Bike Plan |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
 Mayor Newsom said bike lanes were part of a sustainable, 21st Century city. Photo: Matthew Roth At a press conference this afternoon characterized by relief and jubilation, Mayor Gavin Newsom, representatives from the city agencies responsible for San Francisco's streets, and … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Mayor Newsom a “Yes and No” On More Bicycle Riding |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
 Flickr photo from 2005: snikolhaus Considering all the new bicycle infrastructure that'll hopefully be going in at the end of the summer, or early fall, I asked Mayor Newsom outside City Hall today after a press conference celebrating the passage of the Bike Plan if … |
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| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 06/27/2009 12:00 AM |
 Hip shirt featuring bike riding taco erupts into firestorm of controversy. [ Mission Mission ] Are you over Ivy League porn? [ SFBG ] Stanford's new football slogan is simply too droll. [ Daily Clog ] Oh boy: App killer and NextBus Information Systems COO confuses, delivers semantic lesson. [ Appeal ] How to … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| House Debating Climate and Energy Legislation Right Now |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| Kate Sheppard from Grist is Tweeting the heck out of the climate bill debate on the floor of the House of Representatives today ( 218 votes and counting ). Barbara Boxer, who is working on the Senate version of this bill, yesterday reminded sustainable transport advocates that this is probably going to be their only chance in the next 18 months to get something done in Congress. And Al Gore and the folks at Repower America say call your U.S. … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Does NextBus Own Real-Time Muni Arrival Times? |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Courtesy: SF Appeal Last week I tried to download the real-time transit data application Routesy from the Apple Store, only to find that the Store didn't carry it. Some friends had recommended the application as an improvement over iBART and iMuni, which only provide the static schedules … |
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| SFist |
| Severe Weather Alert: Icky Heat |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 The National Weather Service is warning of a "heat advisory " this weekend. Ugh. All North Bay valleys and East Bay valleys should be on alert for oppressively hot weather continuing until Sunday. "High temperatures are expected to reach the 90s and as high as 101," reports the NWS. Also, an "excessive heat … |
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| SFist |
| Roundup of Michael Jackson Coverage |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 A UPS man cries . A Chron staff writer goes to Rasputin, interviews folks . Toxicology results, predictably, not coming for weeks . MJ's individual Walk of Fame star at Graumann's Chinese is inaccessible today because of Bruno premiere. Last night's Alamo Square R.I.Party Photos from … |
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| SFist |
| Thanks to This Week's Advertisers |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on SFist. GroupOn , using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day. American Apparel , with 3 stores in San Francisco, you can look your best after dark. If you're interested in advertising on SFist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit . [img border='0' title='Add to digg' alt='Add to digg' … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Drinks: A Cocktail Blog Roundup |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 The current wave of cocktail nerd-dom has reached such great heights that there's a whole cottage industry of cocktail bloggers out there and a whole annual conference (Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans each July) devoted to the mixologists' blogosphere. If you're a beer-and-shot kind of person, you'll … |
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| City Insider |
| Mayor talks renters' legislation, security detail, interim budget and more! |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
Mayor Gavin Newsom was in chatty mood with reporters today, pontificating on a number of hot-button city issues. For starters, he's going to veto sometime next week the package of legislation on renters' rights the Board of Supervisors passed Tuesday. Authored by Supervisor Chris Daly, the...
 [img border='0' title='Add … |
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| SFist |
| Wear Your Muni Pride On Your Chest |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 While these t-shirts have already been ballyhooed about over the last week on other sites, we feel the need to bring them to your attention. For those of you who take Muni, which is most of you, why not show some love for your favorite lines via one of these nifty t-shirts? Yes. We know. Muni can suck. But there … |
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| SFist |
| "I Can't Sleep" Tales Of Mere Existence |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| Just a few of Lev's many sleeping problems. "Tales Of Mere Existence" By Levni Yilmaz R.O.T. http://www.talesofmereexistence.com Buy the new book "SUNNY SIDE DOWN" set from Lev! http://www.ingredientx.com/buy/main.htm For more comics, animations and correspondence, kindly visit http://www.talesofmereexistence.com If you gravitate towards isolated, obsessive nerd habits like I do, also consider a visit to: … |
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| SF Gate Culture Blog |
| Hey, Watch It! - Friday's TV Picks |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
"Virtuality" was supposed to be the new series from "Battlestar Galactica" creator Ronald D. Moore. Instead, it's ended up a one-off TV movie shoved into a dead-zone time slot. The story follows...   … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| MTA Hearing on Bike Plan Packed, Mayor to Hold Presser at 3 pm |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Bicyclists waiting to testify outside MTAB meeting. The MTA Board is just hours away from finally approving the Bike Plan, and is currently hearing testimony from 200 supporters -- a cross section of cyclists including business and home owners, mothers with children, … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Help Oakland Name Its Own “Summer Streets” |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 A night scene from Oakland's Uptown Unveiled. Photo: Living in the O We were excited to welcome two dynamic Oakland, CA, groups to the Livable Streets Community this week: Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) and TransForm . Inspired by the success of San Francisco's Sunday … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| The Wall Street Tax Shelter That Crashed Your Local Transit Agency |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 The scene of Monday's Metro crash in D.C., where the local transit agency still has 15 outstanding "SILO" tax deals. (Photo: AP ) The D.C. Metro accident that killed nine riders this week has renewed calls for rail safety upgrades and reminders that car travel remains far riskier than … |
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| SFist |
| SFist Tonight |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| FILM: Gary Hustwit, the director of the hip documentary Helvetica presents his second hip documentary, Objectified , which is about "our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability." Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most … |
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| SFist |
| Photo du Jour 444 |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 " Cylinders of colors " by Darwin Bell .  [img border='0' title='Email this Article' alt='Email this Article' … |
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| SFist |
| St. Francis Wood is a Mess |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Our elite friends in St. Francis Wood - OK, we have none - need to learn how to pick up their toys. The neighborhood is an absolute mess. Home renovations, street demolition and construction projects, and traffic studies are making the posh hood an eyesore. Driving through the main thoroughfare yesterday to get from West … |
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| The Front Steps |
| If You’re Gonna Relocate To San Francisco, Now You Know A “Best” Blog To Help You |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| Much to our surprise, we popped up on Relocation.com as one of the “Best Real Estate Blogs In San Francisco” . We love a good review and you know we’re sharing it with you, so tell your friends: The Front Steps from Alex Clark [that's me!] is a great guide to San Francisco real estate, including market observations, interesting tidbits on the city itself, nice photography and a snarky style that makes for interesting … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| Today’s Headlines |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| State Mediators to Join BART Negotiations ( Examiner ) ( SF gate ) ( CoCo Times ) SF Bike Plan Certified by Planning Commission ( SF Gate ) ( Examiner ) Does a Private Company Own Muni Arrival Times? It Seems to Think So ( SF Appeal ) Walnut Creek Residents Seek Ballot Initiative to Control Growth, Add Parking ( CoCo Times ) AC Transit Service Cuts a Week Before Fare Increase and Despite Stim $ ( SF Gate ) ( CoCo Times ) Bay Area Air Quality … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| If New Yorkers Don’t Value Transit, Who Will? |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| It's
the largest transit system in the United States, moving millions of
people daily throughout New York City and beyond and serving as the
lifeblood of one of the largest economies in the world. Unfortunately,
writes Streetsblog Network member Benjamin Kabak on Second Avenue Sagas ,
those who depend on the MTA -- and those whom the MTA depends upon --
are often ignorant of its plight and seemingly indifferent to its fate.
[img width="250" … |
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| SFist |
| BART Strike Talks Move to Mediation |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 The largest union representing BART workers voted overwhelmingly last night to authorize a strike, which btw people, would take place next Wednesday if a deal isn't reached by then. The unions have called in a mediator who arrives in town today, and it was a mediator who helped hammer out … |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| Get ready to support local artists |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
If you're looking to buy handmade art and jewelery, you won't have to look far: the city may add or make permanent a number of street artist spaces around San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a proposal by the city's Art Commission to make nine spaces on Market Street...
 [img border='0' … |
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| SFist |
| City's Bicycle Plan EIR Almost a Reality |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 credit: kate at yr own risk / Flickr by Chris Jones Unsuspecting pedestrians and MUNI patrons should be warned that tonight's Critical Mass ride may be a little more celebratory than usual. Last night the San Francisco Planning Commission voted unanimously to certify the EIR for the City's Bicycle Plan . You may … |
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| City Insider |
| Weigh in on park bathrooms now |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
We're sure our readers have been on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what ever happened with that restroom task force for the Recreation and Parks Department. Ok, maybe not. But task force members and city staffers have been meeting dutifully. And this week, they released a draft...
 [img border='0' title='Add to … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Hooray! Bike Lanes Approved - 2nd Street Tabled for Community Input |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| I’m happy as hell to share that the Bike Plan was approved - and the MTA has decided, based upon neighbors showing up and speaking up at today’s meeting, to meet with us and to work out a design that adds the bike lanes AND hopefully minimizes traffic congestion and associated issues with traffic congestion. Thank you so much to Dan, Jeff, Katy, Katherine, Adam, Les, Phil, Robyn, and others - especially our last neighbor who … |
| Read More |
| SFist |
| Quantum Physics Attack Ends In Jury Acquittal |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Jason Everett Keller, 40, the San Mateo man who attacked another sans maison gentleman with a skateboard during a presumably heated quantum physics discussion , was acquitted of all charges on Thursday. During said conversation, Keller, according to authorities, went berserk and thrashed Stephan Fava in the … |
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| SFist |
| Vaginal Name Christens New Sweet Treat |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Our pal Paolo at Eater has word that one of our favorite chefs in the city, the notably Sapphic Elizabeth Faulkner (Citizen Cake, Orson, Top Chef Masters ), has a sweet new treat for her fans. They're called MuffWiches. ( Chortle .) According to her most recent Twitter message , "These are the best MuffWiches … |
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| SFist |
| SF Bike Plan Approved |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| The plan will go ahead. It seems that just 10 minutes ago, SFMTA Board of Directors "unanimously voted to adopt The SF Bike Plan." And while not every one of the 60 or so projects will get done -- there are at least 15 still "on the back burner/needing further study and community input," yada yada -- all systems are a go. However, they removed the 2nd Street idea because "it would remove left turn lanes and received huge neighborhood and … |
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| Sweet Melissa |
| Friday Videos will Gladly Give You the Sports Section of the Paper |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| Constant Readers, Everyone is dying. Go get a check-up. Let's start with a few unconventional tributes, shall we? My stage name is Ed McMuffin (long story) so Ed McMahon's will go first... Here's a seriously whacked-out Farah tribute. People be crazy. I'm sure that, of all the gestures of love and support that are making Michael Jackson smile in heaven right now, none is more wonderful to him than this - a New Kids On The … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| MTA Board Votes to Approve EIR and Bike Plan |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| In a decision advocates hailed as a victory for bicyclists in San Francisco, the MTA Board of Directors voted uaninmously this afternoon to approve the EIR and adopt the Bike Plan, legislating 45 of the 56 priority projects, which will add about 34 miles of new bike lanes in the city. A crowd of bicyclists at the meeting erupted into cheers after the final vote was taken. It followed nearly four hours of testimony from a diverse group of 200 … |
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| SFist |
| Wordwide Vegan Bake Sale This Weekend |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Speaking of baked goods, the Wordwide Vegan Bake Sale dishes out sweet love all weekend long . Can vegan cookies, cakes, brownies, whoopie pies and other assorted baked treats be just as tasty sans butter or milk? Yes. (See: olive oil cakes) Without eggs? Of course. Take, for example, those donuts … |
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| The Snitch |
| Chronic City: San Diego Says 'No Bongs For You!' |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| Photo: smorgBusted: Freak Factory smoke shopApparently nostalgic for the bad old days of pot paraphernalia raids, our law enforcement friends down in San Diego have taken time off from pursuing what seem to be less pressing matters -- like, you... |
| Read More |
| The Snitch |
| Something to Ride About: 45 of 46 New Bike Projects Approved |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| After a long morning of listening to Bike Plan supporters gush about their bicycles, the Municipal Transportation Authority Board unanimously approved the five-year plan and 45 of its 46 proposed projects early this afternoon. Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions... |
| Read More |
| City Insider |
| City College's latest ideas turns trash to treasure |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
What will those zany SF City College people think of next? Last week Chancellor Don Griffin came up the with the idea to let people get a canceled class named for them if they pony up $6,000 to revive it for a semester. That plan may still see the light of day after the trustees hash it...  [img border='0' title='Add to … |
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| Fog City Journal |
| Michael Jackson Was Bigger Than Jesus |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| By Luke Thomas June 26, 2009 As a friend and I were having lunch yesterday, we heard the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s passing. A patron stood to announce that the legendary King of Pop had died. At just 50 years of age, Jackson reportedly died from cardiac arrest following several years of Class-A pain medication abuse, medications his lawyer said was used to treat physical maladies sustained during various sold out performances. … |
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| SFist |
| Pink Triangle Ceremony Tomorrow, Volunteers Still Needed |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
 Tomorrow morning is the annual Pink Triangle Ceremony on Twin Peaks . The Pink Triangle, which can be seen from miles away, commemorates the gay victims of the Holocaust and is a reminder of the on-going inhumanity to repressed minorities going on now around the world. Special guests Cloris Leachman will be … |
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| Daily Kos |
| Cheers and Jeers: Rum and Coke FRIDAY! |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE... Then and Now Their new militancy makes other citizens edgy, and it can be shrill. Hurling rocks and bottles and wielding a parking meter that had been wrenched out of the sidewalk, homosexuals rioted [June 28th] in New York's Greenwich Village after police closed one of the city's 50 all-gay bars and clubs on an alleged liquor-law violation. Pressure from militant self-styled "homophiles" has forced political … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| How Much Operating Aid is Your Local Transit Agency Getting? |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| President Obama has signed into law a $106 billion war funding bill that includes a provision allowing local transit agencies to spend 10 percent of their stimulus money on operating costs. That sounds good ... but how much money are we actually talking about? According to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA): St. Louis' Metro system can spend up to $4.6 million in stimulus cash on operating. When added to the $7.5 million in FTA aid … |
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| SF Streets Blog |
| The Opposite of Ad Nauseam: Farrah Fawcett on a Bike |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 PM |
| It's been a tumultuous week in more ways than one . We're going to leave it behind with a flashback, via Cycelicious , to the late 1970s, when Farrah Fawcett pedaled to promote her own line of shampoo. What helmet could contain that hair? We couldn't find video of Ed McMahon or Michael Jackson on a bike -- though Michael did " Ease on Down the Road ," of course, and Jonathan Maus busted out the moonwalk at yesterday's Portland … |
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| Rincon Hill SF |
| Our Time to Put Up or Shut Up on 2nd Street Design is Friday morning |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| As many of us anticipated, the Planning Commission hearing to finalize the EIR for the San Francisco Bicycle Plan was a formality. The real opportunity to plead our case for a utility lane to be added to the current proposed design for 2nd Street as it relates to the Bicycle Plan is this morning (Friday) at 9am in Room 400 at the SFMTA Board of Directors meeting . Unfortunately, I will not personally be able to attend this meeting because I … |
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| The San Francisco Citizen |
| Congratulations to N Judah Chronicles on Its Fourth Anniversary! |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| Who turned out to mark the fourth birthday of the famous N Judah Chronicles in the prideful Inner Sunset district last night? Well, how about Matt Baume of Curbed SF and Sweet Melissa Griffin and Beth Spotswood and the Heinekin Girls and even chief MUNI flack Judson True (hey, let’s all hope lying about CultureBus pays more than telling the truth about CultureBus, ’cause telling the truth about the CB don’t pay a whit) … |
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| The San Francisco Citizen |
| City Hall Maternity Ward – It’s a Bouncing Baby Bike Plan! |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| How many officers and members of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition were on hand last night at Room 400 in City Hall to make sure the Planning Commission properly midwifed the birth of the San Francisco Bicycle Plan ? Well here’s two, anyway - it’s SFBC Program Director Andy Thornley and Executive … |
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| The San Francisco Citizen |
| Tut at the de Young – Know Your Boy King #1: Diadem with Vulture and Cobra |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| It’s Tut! It’s dazzling ! As you know by now, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is opening tomorrow at the de Young Museum . This is King Tut’s royal headband. His mummified head wore it for over 3000 years, but now it’s available for you to view in Golden Gate Park. Click to expand - go ahead, they won’t bite: [img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-8895" title="IMG_8532 copy" … |
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| BeyondChron |
| Jack Goes Boating ? ?Superb!?; Sally Kellerman / Leslie Jordan at Rrazz; Opera Grand Tier ? La Traviata |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| DEVILISH ACTING IN A HELLUVA PLAY FINDING A FUNNIER FOURSOME ON STAGE WOULD SEEM TO BE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK -- BUT NOT FOR THE AURORA THEATRE, THAT HAS FOUND FOUR VETERAN ACTORS WHO ARE JUST BRILLIANT! In ?Jack Goes Boating,? four souls find and lose themselves, as they agree to disagree in this romantic comedy. There is Jack, who hasn?t had a date in years, maybe because he has his hair in newly acquired dreadlocks. It doesn?t look like a … |
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| BeyondChron |
| Frameline 33: ?City of Borders,? ?Mississippi Damned,? and ?Rivers Wash? |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| Yun Suh?s documentary ?City Of Borders? offers a far different view of LGBT life in Israel than that offered by the advertisements. The titular city happens to be modern-day Jerusalem, where such barriers as Jews vs. Muslims and orthodox vs. secular divide its inhabitants. Ironically, homophobia in its various shades acts as the unifying force for the more conservative Israelis and Palestinians. |
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| BeyondChron |
| The Wharton School of Business vs. SF Hotel Workers |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| At first blush, the Wharton School, based at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, does not seem likely to be a factor in San Francisco politics. But Wharton, founded in 1881, billing itself as the "world's first collegiate business school," also has an outpost in our City by the Bay. Located "near the heart of San Francisco's business district" in the historic Folger Building at 101 Howard, Wharton San Francisco "extends the reach of the … |
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| The Snitch |
| Go Cougars! S.F. Study Probes Into What Older Women Want. |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| A recent study regarding mature women's turn-ons is, somewhat ironically, published in a journal whose title is an instant turnoff: The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. In any event, a U.C. San Francisco survey published this week plumbed the... |
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| The Snitch |
| Bicyclists Pack City Hall -- No Spandex in Sight |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
| Anna McCarthyValet?Bike parking was scarce at a City Hall hearing this morning as bike advocates arrived downtown in droves donning helmets and fluorescent pink identification stickers reading, "Double the number of bike lanes." Although helmets, U-locks, and other bicycling accessories... |
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| SFist |
| Day Around the Bay |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
 credit: The Palm Broker Palms, palms and more palms! [ Curbed ] More on Michael Jackson's death. [ LAist ] Why does Rainbow have such a meager selection of condoms? [ Sex Pigeon , Mission Mission ] Napa loss on Top Chef Masters . [ Eater ] Miss California's Pride guide. [ SFGate ] Wired 's pressing plagiarizing … |
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| SFist |
| Michael Jackson Memorial Ride Tonight |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
 According to Twitter reports , "Mourn MJ SF-style tonight: Michael Jackson trike ride and flash dance. Starts @ 7 at Dolores Park. Winds down @ Ferry Plaza at 8:30." Have at it, grieving Jackson fans. [img border='0' title='Add to digg' alt='Add to digg' … |
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| SFist |
| Your Big Gay Guide to the Biggest Gay Pride in the Land |
| 06/26/2009 12:00 AM |
 Yes, everyone: The LGBT Pride Fest and Parade in San Francisco is the largest and best attended thing of its kind in the U.S. (and for those who've seen the fests in NY and LA this shouldn't be a surprise). This year, in the wake of Prop 8 and the Don't Ask Don't Tell bullshit, the parade on Sunday … |
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