Mike Aldax

Ranked-choice voting system under attack

A former candidate for the Board of Supervisors is legally challenging The City’s ranked-choice voting system, saying it discounts thousands of votes per election and once allowed a criminal to gain office. An attorney for Sunset District resident Ron Dudum, who narrowly lost to embattled former Supervisor Ed Jew during the 2006 election, filed a lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court to invalidate The City’s ranked-choice voting system, charging that the system is unconstitutional. The complaint alleges that under the system implemented in 2004 that thousands of voters during elections are denied the right to vote “once his or her three ranked candidates are...

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Newsom Tracker: Quake and Black History Month events

Mayor Gavin Newsom will be out and about today, attending events regarding earthquake research and Black History Month. At 10 a.m., the mayor will speak at the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s annual meeting at the downtown Park 55 Hotel, the Mayor’s Office said. Two hours later, the mayor will help “kick off Black History Month” in the City Hall Rotunda, it said....

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Avalos: Newsom’s biz tax ideas will have to wait

Mayor Gavin Newsom’s controversial tax break proposals for San Francisco businesses will not be heard next week. Supervisor John Avalos, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, said Thursday that the earliest the measures will be heard is Feb. 17. The supervisor said the delay is due to an unfinished analysis on one of the measures, a two-year break on the payroll tax for new hires. Avalos also said he will also respect a request Wednesday by fellow Supervisor Michaela Alioto-Pier to wait until she returns from a leg injury before calendaring a second proposal, the biotechnology tax credit, which she introduced Nov. 3....

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Newsom Tracker: Meetings at City Hall

Mayor Gavin Newsom will be conducting meetings at City Hall today, according to his daily schedule. As always, his schedule is subject to change....

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Supes accused of scare tactics on condo conversions

Mayor Gavin Newsom accused supervisors Wednesday of using scare-tactics to defeat his proposal to open the floodgates for condo conversions on a one-time basis in order to deal with The City’s budget woes. Opponents on the Board of Supervisors say allowing thousands of condo conversions beyond the current 200-unit-per-year limit would increase evictions and reduce the rental stock in The City. Newsom said that’s hogwash. “We can put in the protections so that people aren’t going to be evicted,” he said Wednesday. He added, “I’ve done this too long, I know the politics of this town. It’s an ideological war of people that don’t like...

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New funding aims to reduce energy costs

Approximately 2,000 midsize to small San Francisco businesses and 500 homes will receive a free audit and partial funding to make energy-efficient retrofits as part of a $19.2 million plan aimed at reducing utility bills. Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the new funding Wednesday at Davies Symphony Hall, where ongoing retrofits such as hyper- efficient light bulbs will save $3 million in taxpayer money that can be redirected to cash-strapped city services, officials said. But most of the new round of funding — around $11.5 million — will go toward boosting efficiency at private properties. The money will fund The City’s Energy Watch program, which offers homeowners and...

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Newsom: No advice for Brown

Mayor Gavin Newsom said he is not going to offer advice to Attorney General Jerry Brown anymore regarding the governor’s race. “Everyone’s very sensitive every time I talk about Jerry Brown,” Newsom said at an unrelated press conference Wednesday. “I have no advice for someone who’s been a two-term governor [and] is one of the most successful politicians in the history of this state. He’s more than capable of doing what he needs to do to get where he wants to go.” And right then Newsom, who competed against the attorney general in the gubernatorial race before dropping out last year, offered this tidbit for Brown, who has not yet...

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Newsom says talk shows are just for fun

Chatting on national talk programs will not be Mayor Gavin Newsom’s launching pad for higher office – at least according to him. The mayor responded Wednesday to speculation that he has appeared on several major programs recently – most notably Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox News - as a career-booster. That’s just not the case, he said. “I do those shows all the time…have been for years,” he said. “It’s funny how just because it’s the O’Reilly Factor that everyone pays more attention to it.” Also, Newsom said, “No, it’s not some Machiavellian strategy to appeal to moderates in the Central...

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Newsom: I won’t, but won’t rule out, run for Lt. Guv

Mayor Gavin Newsom said he is not – at least not at this very second – considering running for lieutenant governor, despite a new poll that has him as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary hunt. Reporters bombarded Newsom at an unrelated press conference with inquiries about what the poll might mean for Newsom, who abandoned the governor’s race last year after more than a year of rigorous campaigning. The mayor responded by saying he hadn’t even seen the poll yet and that he’s been enjoying spending more time with his wife and baby daughter and focusing on The City – which were the reasons he gave for dropping out of the governor’s...

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Artwork soon leaving Civic Center trees

Some of the sycamore trees in Civic Center Plaza will soon look more bare than usual. The Upper Crust – the cocoon-like work of art that was installed atop the sycamore trees on the south side of the plaza a year ago – will be removed on Feb. 23, the Arts Commission said. Artist Patrick Dougherty’s work, which he created with more than 4,500 pounds of willow saplings, has become a fixture of the plaza, the commission said. It has been “an important catalyst for changes … that have resulted in a more dynamic and enjoyable civic space,” said Luis Cancel, director of cultural affairs for the commission, in a statement. “Since its...

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Chinatown to get a major sprucing

It’s time to grab a mop and some friends for a major sprucing up of Chinatown as the neighborhood gears up for Chinese New Year. The Department of Public Works said it is launching “an extensive, public and private weeklong cleaning program” throughout next week. They’re calling the effort a “super eco blitz.” It is the second in a series of cleanup programs aimed at supporting merchant corridors during tough economic times, “keeping them clean and inviting for visitors and shoppers,” the agency said. The first cleanup event was held in Union Square before the Christmas shopping season. The department said it plans to sponsor programs in...

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Newsom Tracker: Energy efficiency

On tap for Mayor Gavin Newsom today are two of his favorite subjects: making San Francisco more energy efficient and the JobsNow program. The mayor plans to announce new energy efficiency projects coming our way, the jobs they will create, and how we plan to pay for them, the Mayor’s Office said. A media event will occur at noon at Davies Symphony Hall, it said....

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Condo conversion plan gains renewed interest

Property owners tired of waiting for years for the right to convert their multiunit buildings into condominiums will rally Wednesday at City Hall in support of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to reform San Francisco’s waitlist system. A 1982 law capped condo conversions at 200 units a year, a limit that forces thousands of applicants to vie for the right via a lottery system. The City’s next lottery draw is Wednesday. Newsom proposes ending the lottery system on a one-time basis, allowing 2,000-plus building owners to convert for a higher fee. The move, he said, could generate tens of millions of dollars for The City, which is facing a $500 million deficit next fiscal...

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Tax break proposals move closer to hearing

Lawmakers on Tuesday said they will likely hear Mayor Gavin Newsom’s controversial package of proposed tax breaks for businesses despite recent pledges to block the measures. Supervisor John Avalos, head of the Budget and Finance Committee, has called Newsom’s proposal for three payroll tax exemptions dead before arrival, saying it’s doubtful the incentives would have a positive impact on San Francisco businesses that are struggling due to the recession. The spat is one of ideological opposition: Avalos, a progressive liberal, and Newsom, a moderate liberal, have opposing views on how government can help reduce The City’s unemployment rate, which is hovering at...

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SF pushes food stamp use at farmers markets

We’ve told you how difficult it is for residents of low-income areas in San Francisco to find a nearby store to purchase fresh groceries. But at least one idea has brought some of those folks closer to healthy food: Allowing food stamp purchases at farmer’s markets. Last year, the use of food stamps at The City’s farmer’s markets increased 85 percent, according to a new report from Department of Health chief Mitch Katz. This summer, The City will be partnering with the Alemany Farmers Market and Fillmore Farmers Market “to increase market food stamp use by providing nutrition education, cooking classes and incentives,” Katz’s report...

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More kids eating school lunches due to pilot program

More students are passing up fast food for healthier, school-provided lunches at Balboa High School due to an ongoing pilot program, the San Francisco Department of Public Health reported Monday. And it’s not only because kids these days are wising up to the effects of junk food. Part of the problem with school lunch participation has been that meals offered by the government tended to require low-income students to wait in a designated line in order to receive them, according to the latest report from DPH director Mitch Katz. Cash-paying students could buy food from a different “a la carte” line, they said. “This separation resulted in stigma, lack of lunch...

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DA Harris gets new competitor in AG run

Well-known conservative John Eastman has quit his job in academia in order to pursue the Republican nomination for Attorney General of California, it was announced today. If he wins the nomination, he could end up competing for the post against Democratic San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. Harris announced she was running last November and had netted $2.3 million in contributions as of last week. Eastman, a former Reagan Administration official and clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has tapped former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese as his honorary campaign chair, according to a statement from his campaign. Eastman said today that he has stepped down from...

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Newsom lauds Obama’s request for JobsNow extension

The recent trips Mayor Gavin Newsom took to Washington D.C. to pitch for an extension of the JobsNow program may have worked their magic. President Barack Obama has included an extension of the program in his proposed budget, the Mayor’s Office said. JobsNow has put more than 1,600 San Franciscans back to work, Newsom said in a statement. “If cities and counties across the country start similar programs, they will immediately spur job growth in their own communities,” he said. The mayor also applauded the president’s inclusion of new tax incentives for small businesses in the proposed budget. “By emphasizing tax credits for businesses who hire new...

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Newsom to appear on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’

Mayor Gavin Newsom has been so adamant about his jobs initiatives recently that he doesn’t mind going into the lion’s den to pitch them. Newsom will appear on FOX News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” tonight at 5 p.m. for what will surely make for an interesting – if not sensationally combative – interview. The mayor will do his best to discuss several jobs-related subjects, including President Barack Obama’s incentives to encourage small businesses to hire new workers (the mayor has proposed a similar initiative for San Francisco) and his proposed extension of the federal JobsNow program, the Mayor’s Office said. But Newsom’s...

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Newsom Tracker: Meetings at City Hall

Mayor Gavin Newsom’s daily schedule says he will be conducting meetings at City Hall today. His schedule, as always, is subject to change....

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Larry Tobin is a habit changer

Larry Tobin, the co-founder of the San Francisco-based Web site www.habitchanger.com, offers his customers a 42-day plan to help them kick hundreds of habits. The system is designed to nix things like nail-biting and overspending by helping folks experience a new way of living. How did you come up with the idea? I have always believed the world is driven by habits, both good and bad. Our bad habits diminish the quality of our lives. How do you go about changing habits? The best way to change bad habits is to become aware of them first. Participants do just this by creating challenges over 42 days, coupled with reminders sent by e-mail and text messages. The challenges help participants...

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Brown, Newsom still squabbling

Oh, the good old days. Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Jerry Brown recently traded verbal spankings as if the two were still competing for governor. Newsom dropped out of the race last year. The latest squabble occurred over the radio airwaves. On one KGO Newstalk interview, Newsom said he wondered if Brown had enough “fire in his belly” to lead California from its ruins. “I don’t get a sense there’s fire in his belly,” Newsom said. In a subsequent KGO interview, Brown had this response for Newsom: “He’s been giving a lot of advice to the president and now me and I’m sure there’ll be others. Because when you...

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Newsom Tracker: First school, than Hall of Justice

Mayor Gavin Newsom plans on chatting about education and police strategies today. At 12:30 p.m., Newsom will give remarks at the “Bridging the Bay” afterschool conference at Balboa High School Auditorium at 1000 Cayuga Avenue, his daily schedule said. Then at 2:30 p.m., Newsom plans to attend a press conference concerning the San Francisco Police Department’s 2010 goals at the Hall of Justice....

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Newsom praises possible end to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Mayor Gavin Newsom has praised President Barack Obama’s pledge to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in his State of the Union speech. As expected, the mayor said the next step for the nation is to forward gay marriage rights. But movement on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is a start, Newsom said on MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan Show this afternoon. Newsom told Ratigan that he’s heard U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates might present something on the topic early next week. In recent weeks, Newsom has become a frequent contributor to MSNBC....

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Newsom Tracker: City Hall meetings

Mayor Gavin Newsom will conduct meetings in City Hall today, according to his daily schedule. As always, stay tuned. His schedule is subject to change....

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SF secures funds for dry cleaners

We can’t forget that dozens of San Francisco’s dry cleaning stores may end up hiking prices or facing closure as the July 1 deadline looms for them to comply with new environmental policies. City officials say they’re doing all they can to encourage the shops to purchase the less toxic-spewing wet-cleaning machines, saying the technology is the best solution to achieving compliance. The problem? The cash-strapped city doesn’t have enough dough to help the dry cleaners purchase the expensive machines. There was a bit of good news on that front this week. The City struck a partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that will allow it to...

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BART can still score stimulus funds for airport connector

A planned BART connector from the Oakland Coliseum station to Oakland International Airport stayed on track Wednesday, pending an effort by BART to ease civil rights concerns posed by the Federal Transit Administration. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which administers regional transit funds, approved allocating $70 million in federal stimulus funds toward construction of the link. However, the commission scheduled a special meeting Feb. 17 in case it decides to divert the funds to other transit projects in the Bay Area. Earlier this month, the FTA said BART did not perform a minority equity study on the project’s proposed fare and resulting service changes. Failure...

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Newsom Tracker: A bit of evening TV

Mayor Gavin Newsom will have a late night at the office tonight – but at least he’ll be watching television. Newsom and staffers will assemble in the mayor’s City Hall office to watch tonight’s State of the Union address, his press secretary Tony Winnicker said....

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Bridge toll hikes approved

Get ready to pay more, Bay Area drivers. The tolls for all major regional bridges with the exception of the Golden Gate Bridge are set to increase July 1. The Bay Area Toll Authority unanimously gave final approval to the hikes Wednesday morning. The plan includes a $1 hike to six local spans, and a $2 increase to the Bay Bridge for motorists traveling during peak travel times. Crossing the Bay Bridge would cost $6 during the morning and evening commutes, $5 during the weekend, and $4 during off-peak weekday travel. The money would raise more than $160 million for infrastructure projects. The Toll Authority is also proposing that low-emission vehicles, such as electric cars, pay the...

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Mayor, supervisor disagree on breaks to stimulate hiring

The long-running ideological battle between Mayor Gavin Newsom and city lawmakers ignited into verbal blows Tuesday about the mayor’s proposal to offer tax breaks for San Francisco businesses. Newsom said he’s fuming because progressive members of the Board of Supervisors have blocked three business tax break proposals that he says will maintain and create jobs. He unleashed his outrage during a news conference at SoMa technology company Obscura Digital, whose CEO said Newsom’s tax measures would help keep his company’s headquarters in The City. Progressive members of the board generally frown on providing tax breaks for businesses and often advocate for...

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