Examiner Connect

Opinion

California canards rise again in the media

By: Dan Walters 11/27/12 9:33 PM

It’s utterly amazing at times how brain-dead the East Coast political media, both partisan and independent, can be about California’s politics. The canards about California abound and become more entrenched with every election, such as the so-called Bradley effect. Some liberal East Coast pundits love to believe that Tom Bradley, then the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, was the victim of a secret anti-black bias when he lost the governorship to Republican George Deukmejian in 1982, because pre-election polls favored Bradley. Read More

Reform of building appeals must preserve right of community to respond to finished project

By: SF Examiner Editorial 11/27/12 9:30 PM

Building projects in San Francisco must withstand a painful approval process. In a recent article, The New York Times cited architects as calling The City’s approval process for new development “long and rigorous, perhaps the most onerous in the country.” Read More

Science and math education are key to our future

By: Joe Castro 11/26/12 10:56 PM

Throughout the election season, we heard a lot about ensuring that everyone in this country has economic opportunities and a shot at the “American Dream.” As we search for answers to high unemployment and wage stagnation, many worry that not enough jobs are being created, that too many people are competing for the same positions so there must not be enough positions. But, there’s another side to the story. Read More

Court should affirm same-sex marriage on the national level

By: SF Examiner Editorial 11/20/12 8:05 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide soon whether the justices will take up two key cases about same-sex marriage. If the court declines to hear the cases, lower court rulings will stand, and they are favorable to same-sex couples. But that is not enough. Read More

Ballot initiative needed to stop the SFMTA’s taxicab medallion sales

By: Peter A. Kirby 11/19/12 9:48 PM

The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency’s medallion sales programs should end. These programs do not benefit taxi drivers or taxi riders. Rather, these sales and leases benefit cab companies and the agency itself. These sales, and specifically leases to cab companies, will greatly reduce the quality of cab service in San Francisco. The American form of government, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution, was designed to protect individuals from corporations. But in this situation, we have government working for corporations and oppressing individuals. Read More

Disclosures regarding smoking in apartments would be a good next step

By: SF Examiner Editorial 11/16/12 7:10 PM

San Francisco has been aggressive in recent few years about ensuring that its residents and people who work here are free from secondhand smoke. But The City could do more, particularly in the area of creating smoke-free housing. Read More

Supervisors, here is a reader’s to-do list

By: Examiner readers 11/15/12 10:30 PM

The San Francisco Examiner made a fine start in enumerating issues the supervisors, new and returning, should take up (“Lee, board must pull together to solve big issues,” Editorial, Nov. 9). There are more. Maybe readers should propose some and winnow them down? I’ll toss my three into the ring, all involving the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which handles water, sewer and power issues: Read More

Congress cannot push schools off fiscal cliff

By: SF Examiner Editorial 11/15/12 10:27 PM

It is time for people who are concerned about education funding cuts to update their government-spending lexicon about the next threat to take money away from our schools. In the months leading up to Election Day, the public was told to worry about “trigger cuts.” Those were the cuts that Gov. Jerry Brown built into the state budget that would automatically go into effect if voters rejected Proposition 30, a tax measure. Read More

San Francisco is constructing a greener path

By: Mayor Ed Lee 11/13/12 9:24 PM

This week, thousands of building professionals from around the world will be in San Francisco for the Greenbuild conference to share ideas about sustainable design and construction practices. They picked the right spot. Nine years ago, The City adopted the Green Building Ordinance aimed at reducing water and energy use, diverting waste from the landfill and improving indoor air quality. Even before that, we began leading by example. Read More

Blaze ignites passion for Muni

By: SF Examiner Editorial 11/13/12 9:22 PM

For many San Franciscans, complaining about Muni is akin to talking about the weather — it is water cooler talk that leans toward the negative. But events following the World Series celebrations in The City show that riders and Read More