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America’s Cup deal coming to a head

By: Dan Schreiber 02/16/12 5:00 AM
America's Cup
Battle lines solidified Wednesday over the vast development deal between The City and event planners trying to bring the America’s Cup yacht race to San Francisco over the next two years.As currently structured, the pact would require race officials to finance repairs to some of San Francisco’s long-crumbling piers in exchange for prime property to build condominiums, plus lucrative 66-year waterfront development and lease rights to publicly owned land. Read More

Dam opponents eager to collect signatures for ballot measure

By: Will Reisman 02/15/12 6:58 PM
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
The long quest of some environmentalists to drain the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and restore the underlying valley could begin this November at San Francisco ballot boxes.Opponents of San Francisco’s controversial water source say they will file paperwork next week with the City Attorney’s Office to clear the path for a signature-gathering effort to put a measure before voters later this year. Read More

Talks between PG&E and San Bruno appear to stall

By: Amy Crawford 02/15/12 6:51 PM
San Bruno blast
San Bruno city officials accused PG&E Wednesday of walking out of negotiations over compensation for the 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed a neighborhood in the Peninsula city.“You can call it an impasse, you can call it what you want,” San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane said at a news conference Wednesday morning. Read More

New report says foreclosure irregularities widespread

By: Ari Burack 02/15/12 6:41 PM
Foreclosures
A recent survey of 382 San Francisco foreclosures found irregular documents or other “suspicious activities” in 99 percent of the cases and “at least one clear violation” of state law 84 percent of the time, San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting said Wednesday. Read More

SF sues feds over lax pipeline oversight

By: Ari Burack 02/15/12 5:00 AM
San Bruno blast
In a blistering criticism of federal oversight of natural gas pipelines — including the San Bruno line that ruptured in 2010, killing eight people and leveling an entire neighborhood — San Francisco Tuesday sued the nation’s top regulator.City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s federal lawsuit alleges that the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration failed to enforce federal pipeline standards both before and after the San Bruno disaster, even in the face of large-scale state and federal investigations. Read More

Startup wants to help strengthen neighborhoods

By: Michele Ellson 02/09/12 5:00 AM
Lisa Trail and her daughters
Lisa Trail’s twin daughters set up a lemonade stand with a friend last summer to raise money for Japanese earthquake victims. And because their street gets very little traffic, Trail promoted the stand on the neighborhood’s private Nextdoor web site. Over a few hours, it caught the attention of so many neighbors that her daughters earned $175.“A lot of neighbors came out,” remembers Trail, who lives in Menlo Park’s Stanford Hills neighborhood. “They came specifically because they had read about it.” Read More

Prop. 8 opponents hail ruling, await word on marriage

By: Ari Burack 02/08/12 5:00 AM
Prop. 8 rally
Although supporters of same-sex marriage were jubilant after Tuesday’s federal appeals court decision declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional, what most really wanted to know was when can marriages begin again in California.A stay on new same-sex marriages remains in effect pending an appeal of Tuesday’s ruling, which could take months or years. Read More

Controller: America’s Cup needs more fundraising to cover city costs

By: Dan Schreiber 02/08/12 5:00 AM
America's Cup
The group charged with ensuring that San Francisco taxpayers aren’t hung out to dry on costs for the America’s Cup needs to do “significant additional fundraising,” according to a memo released Monday by the Controller’s Office. Read More

PG&E says its urban pipelines are now safe

By: Amy Crawford 02/07/12 7:51 PM
San Bruno blast
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has finished verifying the safe operating pressure of more than 2,000 miles of gas pipeline in densely populated areas of Northern and Central California, the company said in a report filed Tuesday with the California Public Utilities Commission.The utility had promised the commission that it would complete the verifications by January 31. Read More

Neighbors look toward ballot to protect Coit Tower

By: Dan Schreiber 02/07/12 5:00 AM
Coit Tower
A treasured piece of San Francisco history faces daily threats to its well-being, according to a group of neighbors who want voters to approve a new upkeep policy at Coit Tower.The Protect Coit Tower Committee submitted more than 16,000 signatures Monday seeking a ballot measure to encourage The City to “prioritize” money raised at the landmark for maintenance of the building, its murals and the surrounding Pioneer Park. Read More
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