Attorney General Jerry Brown is none-too-happy about news reports saying he frowned upon the role of mayors and questioned whether they are fit to be governors during a speech in The City on Wednesday.
Brown told The Examiner on Thursday that his speech was grossly misquoted and that what he had really told attendees at a Geary Boulevard merchants event was the exact opposite of what newspapers had reported.
Read More
Mayor Gavin Newsom’s schedule appears quiet today, with no public appearances or even meetings at City Hall.
We’ll let you know whether that will last, as the mayor has been out-and-about in recent days at events that did not show on the public schedule. One thing is for certain: He must be staying close to home, as his wife is due with their first child in six days.
Read More
Buying a soda or other sugary drink in San Francisco will cost you more if Mayor Gavin Newsom has his way.
As a nationwide debate rages about taxing soft drinks and a new health study says sodas are linked to obesity, Newsom said Thursday that he is prepared to push legislation that would impose a fee on sugary drinks sold in The City by large retailers.
The mayor first pitched the fee idea in 2007, but it fizzled due to legal restrictions. Under state law, new taxes require voter approval.
Read More
Mayor Gavin Newsom says Attorney General Jerry Brown insulted mayors across the U.S. after comments Brown made in The City Thursday about how mayors aren’t fit to be governors.
Brown told a packed crowd at a Geary Street merchants banquet that mayors “spend most of the time raising money, talking to the press and doing photos ops,” and that the job is “not about people.”
Read More
What better way to remember a massive and destructive earthquake than to pretend we are experiencing an even bigger one.
More than 7 million state residents, including San Franciscans, are already signed up for what should be the largest earthquake preparedness event ever in the U.S., said California Emergency Management Agency Secretary Matt Bettenhausen, who talked up the drill at City Hall this morning.
Folks in schools, at work, at home and everywhere where else will be encouraged to “drop, duck and hold on” in unison.
Read More
The tepid tourism economy in San Francisco will receive a shot in the arm during the Indian summer, as large events and conventions bring visitors — and their money — to The City.
Keeping an influx of guests is important, since tourism dollars are one of the largest fillers of city coffers.
San Francisco had about 131,000 visitors a day last year, spending more than $22 million per day and helping to generate more than
$527 million in tax revenue, according to the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Read More
Mayor Gavin Newsom will spend part of this morning at City Hall to let city folk in on upcoming plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
The 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook the greater San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas on Oct. 17.
He has no campaign events scheduled, although Friday his staff will host a campaign briefing online at www.ustream.tv.
Stay tuned today for possible unscheduled appearances by Newsom.
Read More
Attorney General Jerry Brown could moonlight as a comic.
During a speech in San Francisco Wednesday at the Geary Boulevard Merchant Association's annual awards luncheon, Brown opened by saying, "I don't know why the hell you invited me here, I'm from Oakland."
He then tried to give The City a compliment.
"If you're from Oakland, it's a hell-of-a-lot better than if you're from San Francisco, because we get to look at you and you have to look at us."
Read More
Chef Mayor Gavin Newsom this morning revealed the recipe that has lured more than 50 bio-tech and medical device companies to San Francisco in recent years, including 17 in the Mission Bay area.
Not long ago, The City only had one, Newsom said during a brief speech at the BioPharm America Conference at the San Francisco Marriott, where he played salesman for The City to industry leaders.
Read More
Mayor Gavin Newsom will spend part of this morning speaking briefly at the BioPharm America Conference at the San Francisco Marriott.
The press release for the three-day event says it all: The conference “will bring together decision makers from all sectors of the international bio-pharmaceutical industry for three days of high level networking and dealmaking.”
Don’t ever say nothing happens in San Francisco.
Newsom was also getting “mic’ed up” this morning for an MSNBC interview, according to his Twitter post.
Read More
Even though a big name — former President Bill Clinton — has stepped up to help Mayor Gavin Newsom in his gubernatorial bid, political insiders say the early endorsement shows Newsom’s campaign is struggling.
News broke early Tuesday that Clinton — who also endorsed Newsom in his first mayoral run — will attend two of the mayor’s campaign events in Los Angeles on Oct. 5. One of the joint appearances will be a fundraiser for the Democratic primary.
Read More
Job-loving San Franciscans are holding their breath as they prepare for what Mayor Gavin Newsom has to say Tuesday afternoon.
Newsom will reveal the “major international alternative-energy company” that plans to relocate its headquarters to The City, aides said.
The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. in City Hall.
Read More
During a televised discussion on national health care reform this morning, Mayor Gavin Newsom told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and conservative pundit Pat Buchanan that he does not support raising taxes to realize reform that includes a public option, saying The City didn’t have to raise them when implementing its own public health care option.
Read More
A prepaid card that lets BART customers bypass ticketing machines at stations is already booming with popularity — but are riders willing to pay an extra $5 to get one?
Launched in October 2006, an estimated 30,000 passengers are participating in a pilot project with the EZ Rider cards, which allows users to prepay for rides with a debit or credit card, BART spokesman Linton Johnson said. All riders have to do is slide the card on a plastic disk mounted atop BART fare gates and the fare is automatically deducted upon exiting the station, officials said.
Read More
BART trains will be more crowded and riders could be forced to shell out more for their commute after the state budget signed Tuesday axed the funding for several local transit agencies.
BART had planned to replace and expand its “aging” fleet of 669 rail cars as a way to mitigate overcrowding during peak commute hours. On Tuesday, however, the agency said it lost $37 million in state funding, which will make improving the rail system increasingly difficult, according to spokesman Linton Johnson.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/user/178/178?page=180&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bfield_author_value=&quicktabs_1=0&quicktabs_6=1
