Archive for July, 2010

The Examiner covers the Castro Community Benefit District and highlights its successful Business Attraction Program, which aims to keep the neighborhood’s vacancy rates at an all-time low.

The San Francisco Planning Commission approves the new home for SFJazz with one small financial caveat.

The Examiner reports on some folks living in Golden Gate Park who are taking a pass on help offered by the City.  Unofficial counts peg the total number at about fifty.

We get the latest on the enforcement of the Sit/Lie ordinance. Something tells me we might have gotten more than what voters asked for back in November 2010…

San Francisco firefighters seek tougher standards for solar panel installations in hopes of reducing rooftop injuries and fires.

Muni has been selling off pieces of the abandoned Kirkland bus yard near Fisherman’s Wharf to raise some much needed revenue for the agency, and talks have now turned into developing a housing complex on the site.  The City sees dollar signs, you see available housing.  This should be a win-win right?  If only things were that easy…

The City is bringing back the Downpayment Assistance Loan Program to help first-time home buyers rely on the City to loan them money for their downpayment instead of their in-laws.

The SF Weekly jumps ahead of the November election and discusses why they think rumored mayoral candidate and Public Defender Jeff Adachi would make a pretty gosh darn good mayor of San Francisco.  Will this encourage other rumored candidates to come out of the woodwork?  We shall see.

The Fire Commission considers a new permit for allowing the use of outdoor fire pits in private or public space.

…you’re bound to be watched with a critical eye.  That’s true of a City contractor who admittedly embezzled $3.9M from 23 California cities, including $1M from San Francisco and the Mayor’s Office of Housing.

The City’s “most dilapidated public housing site,” Alice Griffith, is slated for reconstruction.  But $46M of the $200M price tag will be covered by Lennar as part of their Hunters Point Shipyard deal.  With the potential for the Shipyard plans to take a beating at the Board of Supes, the fate of Alice Griffith may hang in the balance…

The Bay Citizen covers the impact, or lack of an impact, on the bottled water ban in City Hall.

In the Examiner, we learn about the damaged Islais Creek and its potential to bring in new jobs in the Bayview.

A plan to provide permanent funding for affordable housing is apparently scuttled by political calculations after a series of behind the scenes negotiations raised hopes.

Lest you think the most burning issue at City Hall is circumcision, we’ve now got pet fish to worry about. The Animal Control and Welfare Commission is considering banning the sale of all animals - yup, that includes guppies, goldfish, tetras, you name it - much to the chagrin of the Chronicle’s Editorial Board.

The Tale of the Orphan Block ends a chapter and moves on to the next as the intersection of Noe, Market, and 16th Street’s fate (and zoning) continue.  In Chapter II, we learn of the LGBT Center’s effort to entitle a patio bar.

The SFBG reports on the two summits that are being held this week to discuss the state of our city, where all the hot topics will be discussed from Muni, development, to workforce and more.  Stay tuned for the summit’s recommendations coming your way in August.

In Sunday’s print edition of the Chronicle (just up on the Internet today), two investigative reporters tell us the details of an alleged scam involving municipal workers and some local vendors.

Taxi drivers are hopeful that a 5% fee imposed on drivers for accepting credit cards may soon be eliminated.

The battle over new cellular antennas grows as more residents use smart phones.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order that bans calorically sweetened drinks from being sold on City property.

The Chronicle’s editorial writer Marshall Kilduff explores the Board of Supervisors’ recent efforts to gain some control over various commission appointees.

From all your friends at Usual Suspects, Happy Independence Day!  We hope your holiday weekend is filled with good eats, fireworks, a Sousa march or two, and some well-deserved R&R.  And special thanks to the men and women in uniform who are celebrating the holiday far away from their friends and families.  Thank you so much for your service!