Archive for April, 2011

Our sister across the Bay shows us that budget challenges are not relegated to San Francisco.

The BAR provides a history lesson on the ARC/AIDS Vigil and the scoop on an effort currently underway to commemorate the event, which took place in San Francisco over 15 years ago.

We learn about the violent nighttime acts that take place in Golden Gate Park and why crafting legislation to address the issue might be problematic.

The Bay Guardian has investigated a link between the SFPD and the FBI - and they don’t like what they’ve found.

A group of San Francisco community organizations put their money where their mouth is and file suit against the City over its approval of the soon-to-be-installed sidewalk utility boxes for AT&T.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has proposed a set of rules that will ease burdens on small venues that desire to offer live music - differentiating between small clubs and big venues.  I can’t wait for Kid Rock to play a live set at La Cumbre!

Youngsters and partiers rejoice as BART moves forward with a plan to extend service on Friday nights to 1:30am.  But of course, there’s always a price to pay.  The extra party hour means that BART will open later on Sunday mornings, which surely not everyone will be happy about.  In the meantime, bottoms up!

Today, we get a little more love for newly minted Police Chief Greg Suhr and how he fits into Mayor Ed Lee’s goals to balance the budget and figure out that complex pension system.

Oops. A San Francisco ADA finds himself in hot water after a recent training session was perceived to be offensive to Middle Eastern cultures. Discipline was taken, but methinks this might not be the end of this story…

Controversy is brewing over the iconic rainbow flag in the Castro: when to fly it at half-staff, when to fly other flags instead, and (most importantly, of course) who controls the whole shebang. Drama, drama, drama.

Barbary Coast Consulting is hiring - and there’s little time left before we stop accepting resumes! We’re on the hunt for a new Project Manager to join our dynamic, fast-paced team of misfits that (among other things) brings you Usual Suspects on a daily basis. If you’re interested, please click here to learn more about the position. The deadline is TODAY - Friday, May 6 - so send us your spell-checked and thoroughly edited materials before then. And please feel free to spread the word!

After more than a month of deliberation (and deferral), both sides of the AT&T upgraded internet box issue do not appear to be any closer together.

Blue seats and soft seats and squishy seats and stools.  Booth seats and plastic ones and three-ways - along with riding rules.  With money appropriated for seat upgrades and other BART improvements, riders have the opportunity to weigh in on the type of cush to rest their tush.

Alas, today’s column by former Mayor Willie Brown is once again reserved for those of us willing to shell out $1.50 for the Chronicle’s Sunday edition. What you’ll get for your pennies today includes an insider’s look at the recent SF fundraisers held by el Presidente.

Following the 105th anniversary of the Big One, the Chronicle takes a look at the cities that many members of the SFPD and SFFD call home.

Muni is threatening to get rid of the early bird discount at downtown garages.  What’s next?  Happy hour specials?

Okay.  This story is not po-litical but it is pee-litical and too entertaining to pass up.  Gotta pee on Pink Saturday?  Well, it may cost you one clam - if you want to use a glamorous portable toilet, that is.  I don’t even want to think about the cost associated with No. 2… (Yes, I went there.)

Our friends at the Bay Area Reporter have a plethora of political posts today; however, due to kinks and black holes in cyber space, we cannot (re)post at this time (WWW travel can be so unreliable at times).  Stay tuned for more news once the kinks are cleared.

Look away for one second and what happens? The Board approves an agreement with the police and firefighters’ unions, that’s what happens! Despite a recent war of words, the agreement flew through the Board with nary a peep.

… now in an urban farm near you!  Mayor Edwin Lee signed legislation into law yesterday, allowing San Franciscans to grow, pickle, produce, and sell their own fruit and veggie goods.  Bring on the fiber!

…and NBC TV has the details on how much our elected officials are poised to earn after said raises kick in…

Chris Roberts of the Weekly explained the finances of our fabulous, spiffy new football stadium.  (Oh - that’s right - we don’t have one.  Sorry.)  Today, the Ex reports on the millions and millions of dollars lost should the NFL strike and/or pick up their toys and play somewhere else.

Seems that there’s a new writer over at the Guardian - one Quentin Kopp.  For those of you not in the know, he’s a retired judge, and has served San Francisco as a supervisor and in the California State Senate, and was a leading candidate for mayor a while back.  In any event, he’s going to contribute to the Guardian every once in a while, which is good news, because he’s a hell of a writer.  And possibly bad news, if you’re the target of his coverage, because he’s not, um, what’s the word I’m looking for, *SHY.*  In his crosshairs for today’s column: our incumbent DA and the November race for that seat.

SF Weekly’s Matt Smith puts his big brain to work solving the knotty problem of reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths in San Francisco.  Thanks, Matt!