A Board of Supervisors hearing on the $1.2 billion Parkmerced redevelopment project has been continued until May 24, when supervisors are set to meet in closed session with developers and the City Attorney’s Office over rent control measures.
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On the heels of a 34-percent decline in 2010, San Francisco’s cruise industry is floating on hope, its future hinging on everything from Disney cartoons to Mexican drug cartels.
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At a hearing Monday dominated by complaints from residents of single-room occupancy hotels, Supervisor Jane Kim took the Department of Public Health to task over inspections designed to abate San Francisco’s problem with human-blood-sucking bedbugs.The Board of Supervisors passed legislation in December that allows the department to fine landlords $1,000 a day for persistent nuisances such as trash, roaches or bedbugs. But since the ordinance took effect in January, no such fines have been levied, which prompted Kim to question the agency’s responsiveness.
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The Board of Supervisors will consider the future of Parkmerced on Tuesday when members review the Planning Commission’s February approval of a proposal to nearly triple the development’s housing density and run a Muni light-rail line there.
During a multidecade time frame, the developers propose adding 5,700 additional housing units. Their plan calls for the demolition of about 1,500 World War II-era townhouses whose displaced residents would then be offered the right to move into rent-controlled replacement homes, probably in multistory buildings.
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Organizers know the 34th America’s Cup will put the eyes of the yacht racing world on San Francisco, and because of the Bay Area’s topography, the public will have unprecedented views of the international event, which is typically raced farther out at sea. But what about the people in TV land who know little of the arcane sport? Well, it turns out San Francisco organizers are working on that.
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A San Francisco Superior Court judge Thursday began hearing the last remaining unresolved lawsuit against Lennar Urban over the Hunters Point shipyard redevelopment, where community groups want the housing developer to provide more details about the health impacts of buried toxic chemicals before moving forward with the massive 20-year project.
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It is said, in the parlance of celebrity culture, that America loves nothing more than a downfall — except, that is, a comeback.Britney Spears, by all accounts, has achieved the former, handily. Now the pop diva wants San Francisco and its gay community to be part of her resurgence, but not before The City’s drag-queen community has a little fun, well, making fun of her.
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Sunday’s free performance by Britney Spears will probably change venues from the middle of Castro Street to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, due to nasty weather.Although details remain to be confirmed, Supervisor Scott Wiener said producers with the ABC program “Good Morning America” contacted city permit employees and told them to pull the plug.
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Two things you might not have otherwise associated — the ongoing tragedy in Japan and the impending arrival of Britney Spears in the Castro this weekend — are now loosely connected.The public has until midnight tonight to enter an auction to win two VIP passes to the pop star’s outdoor performance being filmed this weekend outside the Castro Theatre for an upcoming segment on “Good Morning America.” The proceeds benefit the Salvation Army Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
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San Francisco’s tourism leaders hailed a 2010 increase in visitors and spending revealed in a survey released Tuesday, but concerns remain over hotel worker strikes hampering The City’s top moneymaking industry.
Leonard Hoops, the executive director of the San Francisco Travel Association, said the “labor cloud” that hangs over The City continues to threaten the tourism sector, which remains fragile.
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On Monday, representatives from community groups said government agencies colluded inappropriately with Lennar Corp. when investigating a cloud of asbestos kicked up in 2006 by contractors working on the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.In a tearful news conference, residents revealed what they believe are the most damning of about 2,000 emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said the allegations are under investigation, but otherwise declined to comment.
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San Francisco officials re-examining the proposed Treasure Island redevelopment project in the wake of the recent tsunami in Japan say the threat of inundation has already been addressed in design plans.The multibillion-dollar redevelopment project was questioned at last week’s Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee meeting by Supervisor Eric Mar, who wanted more information about a tsunami’s potential impact.
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Whether it’s due to anti-corporatism, parking fears or simply taste, big-box retailers are not welcomed with open arms in San Francisco. In fact, neighbors commonly band together to shout them down and drum them out.
And then there’s Target, which might have found just the right formula to blend in: a tighter, more urban-friendly store with clothes and basic groceries, but no lawn furniture.
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Fear not, struggling San Francisco restaurants, reality television is on the way.“Kitchen Nightmares,” a Fox show featuring chef Gordon Ramsay, is taking nominations from the public and restaurants owners to be featured on the next season. Each episode takes on one restaurant, and Ramsay’s advice on how it can overcome issues of poor food or service, a dwindling customer base or just competition in hard economic times.Producer Kristin Curtin said San Francisco has not been on the show’s radar until now.
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A 23-year-old murder suspect who claimed self-defense in the death of a 60-year-old man in the Upper Haight neighborhood on Christmas will face a jury trial, a San Francisco Superior court judge decided Wednesday.
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