Archive for January, 2010

The Board of Supervisors has asked the GGNRA to revisit their plan for on-leash and off-leash restrictions at Funston, Ocean, and Crissy (as well as other places) - and there’s nothing like a dog-related issue to get people barking.

The Grey Lady joins the discussion of why Mayor Gavin Newsom’s campaign for governor never quite got off the ground, and the Mayor himself chimes in with some reflections on what more the country (and its government) could be doing to better support LGBT issues.

Have you got the beat?  We all do, to a certain extent, given yesterday’s giant victory (GO GIANTS!); however, the Bay Guardian dedicates some internet and print space to make the case for Proposition M, our local ballot measure calling for “More Police Foot Patrols!” (Brrrrm.  Brrrrm.  Boom.  Bop.  M!)

The SF Weekly takes a look at potential cuts in the number of shelter beds available to the city’s homeless and how that does (or does not) jive with recent statements from City Hall.

Tuesday’s campaign kickoff against Mayor Gavin Newsom’s sit/lie measure has some tracking the money behind the proponents campaign.  The Bay Citizen finds that the bulk of Prop L’s funding comes not from those living in the Haight but from those in Pacific Heights.  Which is interesting, considering people living in Pac Heights typically don’t have extra cash to give away and always have trouble with people camping out on their gold plated driveways.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors approved a plan to allow 5 percent of buses and 10 percent of Metro cars to have advertisements placed on their windows.  But don’t get too excited, a few transit users, including a member of the Board of Supes, think this plan makes them sick.  Literally.

The folks who bring you Usual Suspects every day decided that we needed to spiff up our company’s website.  Kudos to our VP (and former Suspects Editor In Chief) Alexis Smith for putting together a fantastic new look for the Barbary Coast Consulting website - please take a peek!

For decades, he’d been on the political scene - agitating for change, haranguing a politician he felt wasn’t sufficiently steely enough on an issue of import, reading HUGE governmental reports to find the essential needle hidden somewhere in the haystack.  Norm made our government better by shining a spotlight on things he felt weren’t up to his standards.  Norman Rolfe was a remarkable civic presence, and he is no longer with us.  The San Francisco political family will miss his presence - and his personality - quite deeply.

Residential parking fees are up at the MTA again this week, making business owners and residents seriously consider the purchase of a Segway.

Recent storms slamming the Bay Area have made it apparent that the Great Highway is eroding at a rapid pace.

The folks who bring you Usual Suspects every day decided that we needed to spiff up our company’s website.  Kudos to our VP (and former Suspects Editor In Chief) Alexis Smith for putting together a fantastic new look for the Barbary Coast Consulting website - please take a peek!

Each Sunday, two of our favorite Chronicle columns deliver a political gossip fix that makes the approaching Monday slightly more bearable. The words of Matier & Ross and former Mayor Willie Brown are an essential part of our weekend routine but alas, we’ll no longer be able to share them with you until Tuesday each week. Starting today, these must-read columns for politicos are only available in the paper’s print edition. So skip your morning latte and use those three bucks to buy a paper people. Or just hold your breath for a few days and hope you haven’t missed anything too juicy!

We looked, this morning, just to check - and the earliest story on this thread is from January - January 2010. Holy cows, I say. Holy cows. Muni’s budgetary woes have been a regular story for a while, and the Examiner’s Will Reisman provides the latest waypoint in the saga. With politicians making critical noises, Muni’s budget remains under scrutiny. Are fireworks ahead?

Folks, he’s not giving up.  After the long Prop B battle last November, Public Defender Jeff Adachi is working hard at redrafting the measure - so hard that he might reintroduce it for this November’s election.

We know Suspects ain’t no meteorologist site.  However, we’re both excited for the much needed rain and concerned that our loyal readers will not dress appropriately in the coming week, so make note:  According to the Chron, El Niño is coming!

A new ruling will address the amount of pollution that new Bay Area facilities are allowed to spew into the air, hopefully reducing cancer and asthma rates throughout the city.  We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

In the face of a challenging economy, local media takes a look at the state of our city’s restaurant industry.  Some neighborhoods want more eateries, some are saturated, and folks at City Hall are eager to make things easier for the bread and butter of San Francisco’s economy.  (Yup, pun intended.)

In his penultimate State of the City address, Mayor Gavin Newsom takes on jobs, the homeless, jobs, the economy, jobs, education, health care, and jobs.  Notably absent was any discussion of the elephant in the room: the budget (or lack thereof).

Trader Joe’s has hit some bumps on its road to the Castro.  What now?  Everyone’s favorite topic in San Francisco: parking.  Some want it, others don’t, but it certainly means that the good ol’ supermarket chain has some ’splaining to do.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi recently introduced language for a June ballot measure to license the sale of marijuana for medicinal and recreational use. Don’t you love the word “recreational?”

Hot off President David Chiu’s desk, here are the assignments for 2010:

Budget & Finance
John Avalos, Chair
Ross Mirkarimi, Vice Chair
Sean Elsbernd, Member
Sophie Maxwell, Temporary Member
David Campos, Temporary Member

City Operations & Neighborhood Services
Carmen Chu, Chair
John Avalos, Vice Chair
Sean Elsbernd, Member

Government Audits & Oversight
Ross Mirkarimi, Chair
Eric Mar, Vice Chair
Sophie Maxwell, Member

Land Use & Economic Development
Sophie Maxwell, Chair
Eric Mar, Vice Chair
David Chiu, Member

Public Safety
David Chiu, Chair
Ross Mirkarimi, Vice Chair
Bevan Dufty, Member

Rules Committee
David Campos, Chair
Michela Alioto-Pier, Vice Chair
Eric Mar, Member

City & School District
Bevan Dufty, Chair
Michela Alioto-Pier, Vice Chair
Chris Daly, Member

A report says that the City’s voluntary plan to encourage seismic retrofits isn’t making enough of a dent in the current situation - which could mean Big Problems when the next Big One hits…