Moments before Marlin Coats raced into the 52-degree waves at Ocean Beach to try and save two drowning children, he had endured good-hearted jibes about his timidity in entering the chilly waters.The 29-year-old died after getting caught in a strong current after he jumped into the water near Stairwell 28, by Lincoln Way, to help two drowning brothers, 11 and 14 years old, and another man around 6:25 p.m. Sunday.
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Devil's Slide, a narrow stretch of scenic Highway 1 connecting San Francisco to the San Mateo coast, will remain closed for another four months while undergoing repairs, officials announced Monday.The ongoing closure means coastside residents will continue to feel the economic pinch, cut off — to a large extent — from visitors and tourists from San Francisco. Many businesses have been seriously impacted, seeing sales drop 35 percent to 50 percent, area Chamber of Commerce President Charise McHugh said.
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The dangers threatening the long-term prosperity of the Bay Area’s revived economy are easy enough to identify. But overcoming them would require a forceful exercise of political willpower.By far the worst culprit is the runaway cost of local housing, which can eat up twice as much income percentage as in other expanding business centers such as Seattle or Charlotte, N.C. Other prosperity killers are painfully long commutes, increased immigration obstacles for highly educated foreigners and a lack of tax breaks to attract growing companies.
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This responds to my friend Randy Brasche’s letter in the Friday, May 12 Examiner.As a supervisor, I have worked to expand home ownership opportunities in San Francisco.Last year, I co-authored legislation with Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier to allow all 100 percent owner-occupied buildings to convert to condominiums. While the legislation was not passed, the debate on new home ownership shifted.First-time tenancy-in-common homeowners turned out in large numbers at City Hall. They were teachers, firefighters, artists, writers and yoga instructors.
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Today, the Pacific Gas & Electric Company officially turns off its controversial Hunters Point Power Plant for good. But the switch was actually flipped earlier this month, and local residents said they are already breathing easier.The Huntersview Mothers Committee and other neighbors of the plant had a celebratory outdoor dinner Friday night to rejoice in the plant’s closure, a goal they’d been working on for 10 years, committee member Marie Harrison said.
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If the majority of the faces exiting AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon bore looks of disappointment, one pair bore looks of torture.David Baum, 43, and his son, Jake Baum, 16, didn’t have the easy grimaces of fans who had merely endured the Giants losing the finale of their series with the Dodgers 6-3; they had careworn looks that come from enduring seven straight games of disappointment.San Francisco was able to scrape out a successful 4-3 record in those games, but Barry Bonds remained one home run short of Babe Ruth in the pantheon of baseball sluggers with 713.
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Peninsula residents may notice a reduction in aircraft noise this summer due to new technology being tested at San Francisco International Airport.The technology, software called En Route Descent Advisor, is designed to queue landing aircraft from as far away as 300 miles, guiding them in at low power on a gradual descent, rather than forcing pilots to level-off, or step down, at various altitudes as is done currently, officials said.
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BART on Sunday unveiled its newest marketing blitz designed to increase ridership to San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.The effort, which includes four "train wraps" — peel-off decals covering an entire train car — encourages riders to take BART to both of the Bay Area’s busiest airports. Officials hope the campaign will bring more riders to its Peninsula extension, which hasn’t been living up to ridership expectations.
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The San Francisco Transportation Authority is embarking on a study to see if a concept known as "congestion pricing" might work to reduce traffic congestion here in San Francisco.
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The complex, multiyear $5.7 billion settlement of the school financing dispute involving the governor and the state teachers’ lobby, announced Wednesday by the Schwarzenegger administration, drastically changes the playing field for California politics and education. The agreement brings wide-ranging immediate results. The California Teachers Association lawsuit, which charged Gov. Schwarzenegger with shortchanging the schools, is expected to be taken off the table, and CTA spokespersons were careful last week not to criticize the governor.
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Today kicks off Small Business Week, a weeklong salute of small businesses and the people who pioneer them. Each year the federal Small Business Administration salutes small business through awards, events and celebrations.
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Today kicks off Small Business Week, a weeklong salute of small businesses and the people who pioneer them. Each year the federal Small Business Administration salutes small business through awards, events and celebrations.
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This Clarendon Heights home is one of The City’s newer properties. Built in 1996, the home has a quintessential Mediterranean style to it with the extensive panoramic views of the Bay and the downtown area. Nestled among tall trees and rich foliage, the home has a very open floor plan. The main level has arched room entrances and hardwood floors. The living room has a fireplace, bay window, built-in bar and terrace.
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The chief executive of the California power grid went to Washington D.C. on Wednesday to tell the national industrial media that the state would have enough power to meet this summer’s peak demands. This is good news in itself, especially for those of us who survived the great California electrical shortages of 2001, when the state apparently could not access enough power to meet a steadily growing wattage demand.
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Mayor Gavin Newsom came under fire Friday after his office issued a set of emergency preparedness directives Wednesday that appeared to answer criticisms made in a yet-to-be released audit of The City’s Office of Emergency Services.The audit report has attracted buzz because early drafts of the report have been critical of the office’s director, Annemarie Conroy, and suggest that her position cease to exist when her tenure ends. It also concludes that the office has not produced an overall emergency plan for The City.
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