Opinion
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By: Kamala Kelkar
Workers compensation is eating more than $3 million out of the Recreation and Park Department’s cash-flow while it tries to mind a $12.4 million gap in its piggy bank. And while it sounds like an obvious solution, it probably won’t change any time soon. Soon after General Manager Phil Ginsburg took his post, he said he wanted to cut the reports of new injuries in half, knowing that about 1 in 5 people in Rec and Park reported an injury in 2008. But now there’s a sense of urgency since Rec and Park has to submit its proposed budget with cuts to Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office by February 19. However, commissioners talked about how it’s unrealistic to rely on minimizing workers compensation fees right away, because a lot of the money is being spent on people...By: Erin Sherbert
Mayor Gavin Newsom will attend an event to break ground on the Central Subway under Interstate 80 off Fourth Street between Harrison and Bryant Streets. The Tuesday event will be at 11 a.m....By: Examiner Staff
For the second time in four days, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Executive Director Nathaniel Ford will hear from local residents about budget problems currently plaguing the department. The SFMTA is facing a $16.9 million midyear deficit. The agency first proposed a series of fare increases and service reductions to make up the shortfall, but those plans might be scaled back if the agency realizes some cost-saving measures from labor negotiations with its operators union. The agency will update the public at a hearing from 6 to 8 p.m. today at its headquarters in The City, 1 South Van Ness Ave....By: Erin Sherbert
The Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District is inviting residents to a community meeting to discuss the recent shooting at a nearby nightclub over the weekend which killed one and injured four others. Lawon Hall, 19, of Richmond was shot and killed early Sunday morning after a gunman opened fire on a crowd standing outside Suede nightclub, located on the 300 block of Bay Street. According to police, there was a verbal altercation inside the club before the shooting occurred at about 1:40 a.m. The suspected gunman, who was described only as a black male in his 20s, was then shot and injured by a special patrol officer and later arrested. Police were looking for a possible second suspect in the shooting. The district is hosting the meeting with the police department to allow...By: Joshua Sabatini
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said Monday his legislation establishing tough restrictions on constructing new parking garages on residential buildings is warranted. Chiu said when he first came into office in 2009 he heard about "a number of garage projects that were under way in North Beach that involved the loss of affordable housing.” Not only that, but Chiu said research showed that “Ellis Act evictions were occurring tied to subsequent garage applications.” (The Ellis Act, which state legislators passed in 1986, granted landlords the legal right to evict tenants if they no longer wanted to rent out their housing but sell it on the market instead.) Chiu said during Monday’s Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee...By: Will Reisman
Low ridership, despite an extended Bay Bridge closure, was the main culprit for BART’s lower-than-expected financial return during the second quarter of this fiscal year. From October to December — which makes up the second quarter of the fiscal year — BART ran a $2.4 million shortfall, due in large part to ridership totals that were 1.2 percent below projections despite extended emergency closures for the Bay Bridge in both October and November, according to the agency’s latest financial report. December was particularly bad, with overall ridership down 9.3 percent when compared to 2008 totals. Last month, the agency’s Board of Directors voted to close a mid-year deficit of $25.2 million by diverting federal stimulus funds and issuing employee layoffs....By: Joshua Sabatini
The Board of Supervisors City Operations and Neigborhood Services Committee approved on Monday a $42,448 grant to pay for The City’s monitoring of the Light Brown Apple Moth. The state grant would pay for work already completed by The City, work that is required under state law. The monitoring includes inspection of community gardens, farmers’ markets and nurseries. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has offered The City a $42,448 grant to fund the Light Brown Apple Moth inspection and monitoring program for the current fiscal year....By: Kamala Kelkar
What’s better than an indoor water slide? Having two of them, said Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg while he waxed poetic about the grand opening of the Hamilton Recreation Center on March 6. The $18 million renovation at the corner of Geary and Steiner streets included reconstruction of the pool, the clubhouse, a new play area, retrofitting and upgrades to the landscape and sidewalk. The opening starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m....By: Examiner Staff
State Sen. Leland Yee, who represents San Francisco and San Mateo, will be honored with the Modern Day Abolitionist Award by the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking. Yee has authored legislation that would allow courts to seize any property, including homes and autos, used in the commission of human trafficking. The ceremony is at 5:30 p.m. today at the San Francisco Main Library’s Koret Auditorium, 30 Grove St....By: Erin Sherbert
Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign landmark renewable energy and energy efficiency legislation today at noon. The event will be at Project Open Hand, located at 730 Polk St. between Eddy and Ellis streets. The mayor’s schedule is subject to change....By: John Upton
The number of water customers phoning The City to complain about cloudy water increased this month. The cloudiness is the harmless result of tiny air bubbles that disappear shortly after water flows out of a tap and is allowed to settle. The bubbles are caused by drinking water gushing through narrow pipelines. The bubbles started to appear in early January, when The City and Peninsula began relying on local water supplies due to a major pipe shutdown between the Bay Area and Yosemite National Park water reservoirs. Such shutdowns have been scheduled during the past several winters. “When we take that water source offline, we have to increase production from our local sources,” San Francisco Public Utilities Commission water supply and treatment manager David Briggs told...By: Examiner Staff
Police Chief George Gascon will participate in a news conference today as part of the Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) program, which kicks off The City’s lunar new year celebration. The beginning of the Year of the Tiger festivities will be held at the entrance to Chinatown, Grant Avenue and Bush Street, at 1:30 p.m....By: Erin Sherbert
San Francisco State University’s president has formed a new group to help tackle the school’s financial crisis, university officials announced. President Robert A. Corrigan created the 17-member University Planning Advisory Council, which has the mission of re-envisioning the university in the face of fiscal constraints. The intention of the council, which is comprised of faculty, staff and students, is to evaluate proposals for budget savings as well as serve as an advisory group to confront the financial crisis. The council is seeking proposals that will generate revenue and cut costs at the university....By: Erin Sherbert
Police in the Richmond District are warning residents of an uptick in auto thefts, particularly among older model imported cars. Auto thefts increased significantly from 11 in December to 28 recorded in January, including eight Hondas and 10 Toyotas, according to police. Most of the cars stolen were older model vehicles, with 19 of them having been manufactured between 1991 and 2001. Police are advising residents with older model, imported vehicles to garage them if possible. They are also telling residents not to park in front of vacant buildings or playgrounds, and to look for street parking where there are lights and foot traffic....By: Brent Begin
Union heads representing Muni drivers have reached a tentative deal with The City that could save millions of dollars for the Municipal Transportation Agency and help stave off service cuts and increased costs for senior and disabled Fast Passes. The agreement will be unveiled this week to the members of Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, who will have to vote on the proposal before it can be approved. “All I can say is that TWU leaders, the Mayor and MTA agreed to the framework of a proposal to take to the membership,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker in an email. “TWU deserves great credit for stepping up and being an active part of helping to solve MTA's record budget shortfalls and reduce impacts to transit riders.” A spokesman for the...By: Brent Begin
Mayor Gavin Newsom opened his “what it’s worth file” this week and said there are 441,541 parking spaces in The City including on-street, off-street, paid and free spaces. There are 808,976 residents in San Francisco, according to the latest census count. The City is conducting a survey of parking spots citywide through SFPark in connection to a congestion-priced parking fee. Newsom hopes that charging more for parking during peak times in certain areas will bring in some much-needed dough for the Municipal Transportation Agency. “It’s the first time in our city’s history we’ve done an inventory of parking in our city,” Newsom said in his weekly Internet address....By: Joshua Sabatini
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has offered The City a $42,448 grant to fund the Light Brown Apple Moth inspection and monitoring program for the current fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee meets at 10:30 a.m. Monday at City Hall Room 250 to vote on whether to accept and spend the money. The money pays for the Light Brown Apple moth inspections at nurseries, nursery holding facilities including retail nurseries and producers of cut flowers, wholesale florists, garlands, wreaths or greenery and cut Christmas trees, with the aim of limiting the moth populations and preventing the pest from spreading to other areas of the state, according to the grant application. The moth has sparked controversy in the...By: Joshua Sabatini
Mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed on Friday legislation that would require mayors and other elected officials to reimburse The City for dignitary security provided during campaign-related travel outside of California. “I am submitting this veto at the recommendation of our Chief of Police, George Gascon,” Newsom said in his veto letter. “Dignitary security is the responsibility of the Police Department, at the direction of the Chief of Police. I do not support political legislation that challenges a Chief’s authority to execute his or her responsibilities under charter.” Newsom said that the legislation would “needlessly endanger public officials and threaten the atmosphere of open dialogue.” The legislation, introduced by Supervisor Ross Mirkairmi,...By: Brent Begin
With the cost of monthly passes for Muni/BART going through the roof, wouldn’t it be nice to win a free FastPass? The Municipal Transportation Agency is calling all budget wonks to estimate how much state money has been cut from the MTA budget in the last three years. Those cuts, after all, are the reason the agency is in such dire financial straits. Send the answers to the MTA’s new Twitter page. And if you need a hint, this could help....By: Joshua Sabatini
On Monday, the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee is expected to approve and send to the full board for a vote Tuesday legislation establishing tough restrictions for construction of new car garages for residential buildings in District 3, which includes the North Beach and Telegraph Hill neighborhoods. The legislation, introduced by board president David Chiu, would that would require a special permit or, under certain circumstances, prohibit the building of a parking garage for residential buildings, such as if there was a no-fault eviction of a tenant during the past 10 years....By: Mike Aldax
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....By: Erin Sherbert
In this hard economic time, everyone is looking for creative ways to deal with budget cuts. San Francisco school officials figure that one way to help plug the districts looming $113 million budget deficit is possibly to rent out playing fields and parking lots during nonschool hours. School board members met with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in a joint hearing on Thursday to discuss expanding a pilot program that has allowed The City to utilize school athletic fields on weekends. Rec and Park officials said the program has helped The City accommodate the growing demand for fields. As officials look to evolve the program, school board members said they would like to find ways to generate a little extra cash for the district. “We have more real estate than...By: Mike Aldax
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....By: Erin Sherbert
Fewer people were buying businesses in San Francisco last month compared to January 2009, according to BizBen.com, which tracks business sales in California. In January 2010, a total of 34 businesses closed escrow, a 15 percent drop from the 40 deals completed in January 2009. BizBen analyzes business data collected from county records. “This pattern runs counter to what went on in much of California last month,” said Peter Siegel, founder of BizBen.com. “Statewide, we saw an increase in the rate of buying businesses.” Siegel says there was a 24 percent growth in the rate of businesses bought throughout California last month. Siegel noted that the “pent-up” demand that accounted for the increase activity in the small business marketplace in much of...By: Joshua Sabatini
Mayor Gavin Newsom’s spokesman Tony Winnicker praised Board of Supervisors President David Chiu for withdrawing his June ballot measure that threatened development, as we have been telling you, but also blasted the supervisor for proposing it in the first place. “We appreciate that he withdrew the measure. But he should never have gambled with The City’s future and thousands of jobs by putting it on the ballot in the first place,” Winnicker said. Chiu, however, said his measure sparked a discussion that was not happening, and that The City is now addressing the impact that shadow will have on development in a more comprehensive way. Whatever the case may be, the measure will not go before voters this June. But come November, another measure addressing the...
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