Newsom Tracker: Full day despite empty schedule

By: Mike Aldax
11/20/09 6:03 PM

As The Examiner reported early Friday, a glance at Mayor Gavin Newsom’s schedule can be a false forecast of his day.

The Mayor’s Office released a revised schedule Friday afternoon showing Newsom was out-and-about at various events.

The activity began at 9 this morning when Newsom visited Downtown High School in Potrero to meet with chronically truant students, spokesman Joe Arellano said.

Then later in the afternoon, Newsom attended a swearing-in ceremony for Jeffery Bleich, the new U.S. Ambassador to Australia. San Francisco Giants great Willie Mays also attended.

The mayor was then scheduled to attend the annual building lighting ceremony at the holiday ice rink at the Embarcadero, and then end his day at the launch of Arts in Storefronts in the Mission on lower 24th Street.

We suppose that the busy day gives new credence to the line that never fails to appear at the end of his daily schedule: Mayor’s schedule is subject to change.

Postal Service backs down on SF closures

By: Brent Begin
11/20/09 6:00 PM

It appears that a good old-fashioned community revolt has saved a couple U.S. Post Offices in San Francisco.

After residents in Bernal Heights and the Portola neighborhood expressed their concern about two post offices closing, the U.S. Postal Service decided to take them off a consolidation list. Now, a post office in the federal building is the only one slated for closure in The City.

“After looking at the financials, lease arrangements and listening to feedback from the community, we decided it did not make good business sense to consolidate the Bernal or McLaren stations,” San Francisco Postmaster Noemi Luna said.

Unlike most federal agencies, America’s national mail system receives no tax subsidy for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. The Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion at the end of its 2009 fiscal year in October, according to a press release sent out Friday.

Track replacement means buses for N-Judah riders

By: Brent Begin
11/20/09 4:34 PM

It’s another weekend of shuttle surfing for N-Judah riders.

The second of three weekend closures for the $2 million project is scheduled for this weekend.

Instead of streetcars, N-Judah riders will be taking buses starting at Church Street and Duboce starting at 8 p.m. Friday.

Work on the tracks in the Sunset District last week ran into a few snags, including faulty concrete. The project team has consulted with the contractor to replace the concrete mix for all subsequent work, according to the SFMTA. All concrete poured last weekend has been tested and certified as safe for light-rail operation.

In addition to replacing and repairing aging Muni tracks and components, the project will include long-overdue enhancements to the surrounding area such as street repaving and re-striping, sidewalk improvements and upgraded water lines.

The MTA is expected to close down the tracks again on the weekend of Dec. 4.

Muni crime to be discussed

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/20/09 4:11 PM

Supervisor Bevan Dufty is holding a hearing Monday to scrutinize efforts by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Police Department to ensure riders on Muni are safe.

The hearing comes following several high-profile events of violence on Muni buses, included an actor being attacked on a Muni bus in the Mission and other fights that have broken out and wound up videotaped and posted on the Internet.

The hearing takes place Monday at 11 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee.

Winter homeless shelter to open this weekend

By: Mike Aldax
11/20/09 2:11 PM

The homeless in San Francisco will have an additional shelter option during the cold days of winter, Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office announced Friday.

A winter shelter program for adult males begins Sunday and runs through Feb. 27, the Mayor’s Office said in a statement.

The so-called San Francisco Interfaith Winter Shelter Program will offer both housing and support services for guests, it said.

The St. Boniface Church at 133 Golden Gate Ave. will be the first program location offering shelter. Spaces are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those interested in a sleeping unit Sunday should come to St. Boniface no earlier than 5:30 p.m. to receive a ticket, the Mayor’s Office said.

The ticket will allow the guest a seven-day stay and two meals a day, it said.

“The Human Services Agency and Episcopal Community Services are collaborating with the San Francisco Interfaith Council to provide additional shelter services to ensure our homeless residents have refuge from the cold,” Newsom said in a statement.

For more information on shelter location schedules, visit http://www.sfhsa.org/82.htm.

'Trauma' revived for additional filming

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/20/09 1:36 PM

NBC's show "Trauma" has been revived.

The show, which is being filmed in The City, is not finished just yet, according to the head of the Film Office, Stefanie Coyote.

After earlier reports that the show was canceled by NBC and it would close down the series after the filming of 13 episodes, it now appears the order came for an additional three episodes.

“Yes, it is true. They have been asked to produce three additional episodes,” Coyote told The Examiner.

"Trauma" is the first major television show to be shot in The City since "Nash Bridges," which went of the air in 2001.

High-profile PR man steps into hotel fight

By: Mike Aldax
11/20/09 11:58 AM

Well-known public relations guru Sam Singer has been hired to represent the Hotel Council of San Francisco during the ongoing hotel labor dispute, the council announced Friday.

And not surprisingly, slams against the union have already begun.

Local 2 Unite Here! – which represents 9,000 hotel workers at 61 city hotels – has been staging separate, multiday strikes at various major downtown hotels during the last three weeks in order to obtain a desired contract. The contract between the union and hotels expired Aug. 14.

The union, which is in its third day of a strike at the Westin St. Francis, says the hotels are using the downward economy as an excuse to offer its low-income workers a contract that strips health benefits and pensions and imposes other draconian cutbacks. Union housekeepers make on average $30,000 per year, the union says.

Management says health care costs are skyrocketing and want workers to pay more for coverage. Managers currently pay the full cost of workers’ health care, but charge an additional $10 a month for all dependents.

Friday, the newly-hired Singer added fuel to the fight., issuing a statement that pointed out how much hotel workers in San Francisco make and how that pay compares to counterparts across the nation.

Local 2 President Mike Casey said he is disappointed the Hotel Council is becoming a partisan player in the labor dispute, ...

Newsom Tracker: Just meetings?

By: Mike Aldax
11/20/09 9:45 AM

Mayor Gavin Newsom is conducting meetings at City Hall on Friday and has no public appearances scheduled — at least that is what his official schedule says.

Then again, Newsom has been showing up to events that are not on his schedule. Take Thursday, for instance, when the mayor appeared at a Project Homeless Connect event in Golden Gate Park.

Time will tell where the mayor makes an appearance.

Cap on Transbay Tower kept at 1,000 feet

By: John Upton
11/20/09 4:00 AM

The Planning Department has reaffirmed its recommendation that a landmark downtown tower should not exceed 1,000 feet in height.

In October 2008, city planners said they proposed capping the proposed Transbay Tower next to a rebuilt Transbay Transit Center at 1,000 feet, with surrounding buildings allowed to reach varied heights of up to 800 feet. The Transamerica Pyramid near North Beach stands at 850 feet.

The recommendations were part of a sweeping rezoning plan designed to drag San Francisco’s main downtown area south of Market Street to surround the transit center.

More than a year later, those recommendations have been finessed and typed up in a formal draft that’s available for review at the Planning Department.

Formal public hearings about the draft are planned to be held late this year.

A Tricky Issue for Lady Justice

11/19/09 8:34 PM

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Public input sought on City Charter changes

By: Brent Begin
11/19/09 6:45 PM

Major changes could be coming to the police disciplinary process, and the Department wants you to join in the discussion.

A work group focused on putting together a charter amendment for the June ballot is scheduled to meet on Monday at 10:00 a.m. in room 505 at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant St. The public is invited to attend.

Police Chief George Gascon promised to reach out to the public when working on several reforms at the SFPD. Whether the public responds is yet to be seen.

Michelle Obama more popular than ever (or anyone, come to that)

By: Julie Mason
11/19/09 3:29 PM

The perils of popularity! (ap)

While President Obama's approval ratings are hovering at 50 percent, first lady Michelle Obama is enjoying a 62 percent favorability, according to Rasmussen Reports. Her numbers are up four points from last month and represent her highest favorables in several months.

Lesson: Playing it safe pays off. The first lady, once a controversial figure during the campaign, has successfully rebranded her image to be softer, more nurturing, approachable -- non-controversial. What is she best known for? Her clothes and figure, the White House kitchen garden, and her visits with schoolchildren.

It's a trick that former first lady Laura Bush pulled off just as well, and it's clear that Mrs. Obama has taken a page from her predecessor, whom Obama has said she admires. Mrs. Bush is formidable, sometimes icy, with an iron spine -- and yet she was generally misunderstood to be merely a gentle librarian (not unlike her mother-in-law, former first lady Barbara Bush, a tough matriarch popularly perceived as an avuncular grandma).

A popular first lady is a huge asset to any president, and the Obama administration is likely to deploy Michelle Obama in much the same way the Bush administration used Laura Bush during election years -- dispatching her to fundraisers and rallies in support of Democratic candidates.

It would be a newish role for the first lady, who h...

About Henry Paulson's new book...

11/19/09 3:15 PM

It seems that former Treasury secretary Henry Paulson has a new book coming out. It's supposed to be an inside account of the collapse of the global banking system. Though the book might run into some legal trouble, as I believe O.J. Simpson was the first to use the title "If I Did It."

Rep. Brown-Waite's complaint against Recovery.gov

By: David Freddoso
11/19/09 3:28 PM

Republican Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida agrees with our editorial last month on the heavily redacted contract for redesigning Recovery.gov. The irony we noted more than a month ago was that the creation of a transparency website could be so opaque, with several sections and pages completely blacked out. What does the government have to hide about the making of the super-expensive website that has proven to be, as one computer-savvy blogger put it, "a kludgy beast of a site?"

But Brown-Waite's gripe, which led her to file a formal complaint against Recovery.gov, is with the quality of the data, her spokesman told me.

"Her complaint is that they spent $18 million in taxpayer dollars for a website that doesn't work," said Cassie Smedile. "That leads to her real concern, which is where are the jobs?"

To be fair, Recovery.gov deserves only a small amount of blame for the fact that the data is garbage. It's mostly the fault of the people who entered the data, and also of the various agencies' bureaucrats who issued instructions for entering it. But it is Recovery.gov's fault that the input forms used by stimulus recipients are so idiot-prone. (Obvious example: they allow the stimulus recipients to enter Congressional Districts that don't exist.)

And aside from any issues of data quality, it is also their fault if they paid $18 million for a kludgy beast...

Lou Dobbs on The Kudlow Report tonight

By: Mark Tapscott
11/19/09 3:29 PM

Former CNN anchor and program host Lou Dobbs will be grilled tonight by Larry Kudlow on CNBC at 7:00 pm EST to discuss the economy, interest rates, immigration, TARP, health care reform, his recent departure from the original cable news channel and who knows what else. More details here.

Does Petraeus have political ambitions?

11/19/09 1:25 PM

Without question, the American Enterprise Institute is one of the most influential think tanks in D.C. The joke is that AEI's building in downtown Washington houses more conservative intellectuals than most European nations. Every year AEI hosts a black-tie annual dinner -- referred to colloquially as "the conservative prom" -- where they bestow an award on a leading conservative statesman or intellectual who delivers the evening's keynote address. Guess who's headlining the dinner in 2010:

General David H. Petraeus to Receive 2010 Irving Kristol Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2009

AEI President Arthur Brooks announced today that General David H. Petraeus will be presented with the 2010 Irving Kristol Award. General Petraeus, who commands the United States Central Command, will deliver the Kristol lecture on Thursday, May 6, 2010.

The yearly award is presented at the Institute's annual dinner to an individual, selected by the AEI Council of Academic Advisers, who has made exceptional intellectual or practical contributions to improved government policy, social welfare, or political understanding.

This could mean nothing, but it could also be a signal Petraeus does have political ambitions. If he does, I'm going to go ahead and guess he won't be running as a Democrat.

'Confused populists' and the Business-vs-Government myth

By: Timothy P. Carney
11/19/09 1:30 PM

Blogger and Crunchy-Con author Rod Dreher is reading Sarah Palin's going rogue, and he makes a good point:

She's a conflicted populist, and doesn't understand that. It's simply bizarre how she can write with passion about how badly Exxon screwed over the people of Alaska in the Exxon Valdez incident, and how the cozy relationship between Alaska's government and the oil industry worked against the interests of ordinary hardworking people ... and yet repeat shopworn GOP nostrums like this one:

In national politics, some feel that big Business is always opposed to the Little Guy. Some people seem to think a profit motive is inherently greedy and evil, and that what's good for business is bad for people. (That's what Karl Marx thought too.)

Somebody is not connecting the dots.

In linking to Dreher, columnist New York Times columnist Ross Douthat expands the diagnosis:

This isn’t a Palin-specific problem. From Glenn Beck to the Tea Parties, much of the energy in the post-Bush G.O.P. is with people who have grasped, albeit sometimes in inchoate ways, that big government and big business are increasingly on one team, and the champions of free markets and limited government are on the other. But they don’t know what to do about it, and what they do seem to know — cutting taxes, and letting the rest take care of itself — is often non-responsive, not only to the proble...

Citigroup still hasn't ruled out severing ties with ACORN

11/19/09 1:30 PM

Citigroup, which has given ACORN millions of dollars over the years via its charitable foundation, still isn't sure the organization is up to no good. This is despite multiple videos of employees enabling underage sex-slavery, the cover-up by top organizational officers of a multi-million dollar embezzlement, and the Louisiana Attorney General raiding their offices on charges of tax fraud. But Citigroup doesn't want to rush to judgment here:

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit isn’t ruling out reinvesting in scandal-plagued ACORN, the left-wing community group whose employees were caught on a hidden camera earlier this year allegedly giving advice on how to set up a prostitution ring without getting nabbed by the IRS.

Pandit, who yesterday was at a Wellesley College forum on the global economy, said in an interview afterward that Citi is awaiting an ACORN-sponsored audit of the Baltimore incident before making a decision on whether to resume its financial ties with the controversial liberal group.

“We, as a company, would like to see that report,” said Pandit.

Asked if he could see Citi severing its financial ties with ACORN, Pandit said it “completely depends” on the outcome of the report.

Color me dubious the "ACORN-sponsored audit" will finally hold them accountable.

Newsom announces return of Shop SF

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/19/09 12:23 PM

Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday the City will bring back Shop SF for the holiday season. Being called Shop SF, Get More, the program offers special discounts and promotions exclusively for residents of the nine Bay Area counties until January 2010. It’s mean to help stimulate the local economy.

“Shop SF, Get More was a great shot in the arm for our small businesseslast year,” Newsom said in a statement. “This year, we are bringing it back to showcase our world-class dining, museums, events, attractions and hotels. Whether it's shopping in Union Square or touring our diverse neighborhoods, there's something for everyone.”

Among the shopping incentives offered under the program, Muni transfers will be good all day on Sundays from Nov. 15 to Dec. 27. Usually transfers are valid for only 90 minutes. Hotels will offer discounts under the program, as well as restaurants and museums.

Discipline on Fire Commission’s plate

By: Brent Begin
11/19/09 12:18 PM

The Fire Commission is taking on two disciplinary hearings – in closed session – Thursday evening. One Fire Department employee is appealing the appeal of a two-day suspension on June 20 and 21. The suspension is a rather light one for “disobedience,” but the accused has come up with new factual information to appeal a previous commission decision. Another disciplinary case going before the commission looks a little more serious. It involves an emergency medical technician accused of unauthorized leaves of absence, disobedience, attendance, tardiness, failure to report, and expired EMT certificates and paramedic licenses. Discipline for Fire Department employees used to be a little more transparent, but in the wake of a landmark California Supreme Court case, known as the Copley decision, that made peace officers records confidential, The City decided to keep firefighter discipline confidential as well.

School board talks about possible mission bay school facility

By: Kamala Kelkar
11/19/09 12:04 PM

The school board discussed the necessity of a new school in the Mission Bay area Wednesday night because of 17,000 residential units coming to the neighborhood, but did not come to any conclusions.

The Redevelopment Agency reported to commissioners that about 330 children – the majority too young for school – already live in the area and that their parents are highly interested in public education.

The agency suggested a K-8 school, or K-5, to cater to the younger children.

However commissioners did not draw any conclusions, asking for more data and feedback from the parents.

Superintendent Carlos Garcia also said it would be premature to make any decisions about a new facility before the board decides on a new student assignment plan.

Commissioner Hydra Mendoza requested commissioners make a decision on whether they want a school in two or three years or in five years so they can use money set aside to research its feasibility.

Other commissioners said if they were to develop a school, they strongly uphold one with pre-k.

Public honored for ideas to improve parks

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/19/09 11:53 AM

At Thursday’s Recreation and Park Commission meeting, six residents will be honored for coming up with the top six best suggestions for improving city parks.

The suggestions were supposed to be “simple, low-cost solutions to improve city parks,” as part of collaborative effort with the San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council and the San Francisco Parks Trust.

Rec and Park general manager Phil Ginsburg said in a statement: “We solicited ideas from the public because they are the ones who use our parks on a daily basis and who have a vested interest in the welfare of our parks.”

There were more than 50 entries. The top six follow, along with who came up with the solution:

- Improved signage around park trash cans (Lia Smith) - Big Belly Solar Powered Trash Can at Mission Dolores Park (Gideon - Kramer) - New Flag at Mountain Lake Park (Kate Scanlon) - Simplification of class/program registration procedures (Christina - Goette) - New doggie relief stations in parks (Laura Cavaluzzo) - New trash cans at Louis Sutter Playground (Carol High)

Alioto-Pier makes small business recognition official

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/19/09 11:48 AM

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier has introduced legislation that would require The City to recognize local small businesses “that contribute to the vitality of San Francisco.”

The legislation would ensure that each year there is a Small Business Month and one public event, perhaps during a Board of Supervisors meeting, where certain small businesses are honored. Businesses would be selected for public recognition by the mayor, supervisors, members of the Small Business Commission and residents.

“This ordinance is very simple. It establishes in the administrative code an annual process for recognition of leading small businesses,” Alioto-Pier said Thursday during the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee. “This is similar to the ceremonies that we have had honoring women, and that Supervisor Bevan Dufty recently had honoring veterans.”

The committee approved the legislation and sent to the full board for approval.

City clearing out illegal advertising signs

By: John Upton
11/19/09 11:44 AM

The City is now cluttered with 141 fewer advertising signs than last year.

For the past two years, The City has been enforcing a 2002 voter initiative that banned new advertising signs and a 2006 city law that banned all signs hoisted before 2002 without a permit.

The enforcement efforts have led to the removal of 318 illegal signs, including 141 that were removed over the past 12 months, according to a San Francisco Planning Department report.

The City has collected $119,461 in fines for illegal sign violations, the report says.

DPH seeks to protect firefighters in SOMA

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/19/09 11:29 AM

Director of Public Health Mitch Katz said the Public Health Department’s air quality experts are assisting the fire department in its plan for a new Fire Station 1 in the South of Market Neighborhood.

The problem, Katz said, is that “Many parts of SoMa have relatively high levels of air pollution from roadways, making them undesirable for residential uses and creating challenges for site selection. SFFD, whose firefighters may work multiple 24 hours shifts per week, are concerned about employee health.”

The experts helped figure out the air quality at potential fire station sites in the neighborhood.

“The process allowed them to identify sites that would limit poor air quality exposure. Regardless of which site is ultimately selected, DPH experts will remain involved in the planning process to ensure that the design and ventilation of living spaces will minimize indoor air pollution exposure for firefighters,” Katz said in a report Tuesday to the Public Health Commission.

Stimulate the economy: cut taxes!

By: Michael Barone
11/19/09 11:30 AM

Pollster Scott Rasmussen asked voters a straightforward question: what is the best way to stimulate the creation of more jobs, tax cuts or more government stimulus spending? The results are pretty unambiguous: 62% favor tax cuts while only 21% favor more stimulus spending.

This would seem to be a pretty hearty endorsement of, for example, Stanford economist Michael Boskin’s proposal for cutting the payroll tax (something I advocated in my Sunday Examiner column) over Princeton economist Alan Blinder’s proposal for a public sector jobs program. Blinder also semi-endorses a tax credit for employers who create new jobs, but admits that the possibilities of gaming the system would be daunting.

Barack Obama’s December “jobs summit” will probably be dominated by those favoring more government spending, and certainly union leaders will favor public sector jobs, since those employees can be required to join unions and send dues money their way. But Democratic members of Congress might want to take a look at Rasmussen’s numbers before voting for increased spending.

Feds help city with renewable energy aim

By: John Upton
11/19/09 4:00 AM

Federal stimulus funds will help The City install micro-hydroelectricity turbines and rooftop solar panels.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission secured low-interest loans for three renewable energy projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, power official Barbara Hale said during a recent commission hearing.

The projects include a $2.5 million hydroelectric plant built inside piping at the University Mound Reservoir, which provides drinking water to eastern districts of The City.

If the 200-kilowatt hydroelectric plant proves successful, similar plants could be built throughout The City’s water network, Hale said.

The 1.5 percent interest rate loans will also be used to pay for a $2.6 million solar panel array on Davies Symphony Hall and a $1.5 million array on City Hall. Each project might provide 10 percent of the building’s energy needs, Hale said.

The Stimulus Hoax

11/18/09 9:41 PM

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Newsom pushes JobsNow program

By: Joshua Sabatini
11/18/09 7:51 PM

Mayor Gavin Newsom met with local business leaders Wednesday at City Hall to convince them to start taking advantage of the federal JobsNow, which runs until September.

Apparently, most local businesses have simply ignored the program all together. But Newsom was hoping to change that.

Details about the program, administered by the Human Services Agency:

JobsNow is funded by federal stimulus dollars and is a subsidized employment program. The HSA reimburses the cost for any JobsNow participant employed through September. Employers are required to pay payroll taxes and typical fringe benefits, as well as the usual supervision of the employee.

“We hope that this opportunity will allow you to grow your business while also helping low-income families become employed and gain experience,” a statement on the HSA Web site says.

Gascon supporting Harris

By: Brent Begin
11/18/09 3:58 PM

They haven’t been working together too long, but police Chief George Gascon is backing District Attorney Kamala Harris for California attorney general.

In an extensive news release on Harris’ election Web site, Gascon calls Harris a “steadfast and effective partner” on the fight on crime in San Francisco.

“I believe that Kamala Harris’ ‘smart on crime’ approach, with its proven track record in San Francisco, is what California needs to get tough and smart on crime,” Gascon said in the release. Harris has also received a nod from Gascon’s former boss, former Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton.

Missing from the long list of endorsements is Mayor Gavin Newsom’s support.

Harris will also have a tough time getting an endorsement from rank-and-file officers as the powerful Police Officer’s Association has not held back in its criticism of Harris’ decision to not seek the death penalty in the murder of Officer Isaac Espinoza in 2004.