BEST OF THE NET
GrowSF/TogetherSF Left in the Dust
When the city’s district boundaries were redrawn, D7 lost its most conservative precincts to D4, and gained more progressive ones from D5.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
From Deficit to Surplus
We were led to believe City College was in dire financial straits—the fiscal reality was a substantial surplus.
Check it outDoes that mean San Franciscans needing skilled nursing carewill continue being dumped out-of-county?
Check it out...by any other name.
No doubt about the cost to ratepayers. SIP is not free, since the lowest bidder may not get the job. That costs ratepayers.
Read More ...Voter’s Rejection of Prop 33 Opens the Door
I am not suggesting an elimination of rent control over night... it is too late for many tenants to move and afford another unit. However...
Check it outFollowing SFPUC Over the Cliff?
Yearly, as much as 1.2 billion gallons of combined stormwater runoff and sewage containing feces, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and trash are dumped into the Bay.
Check it outFocus on Education
Our country’s political divisions are again raising basic questions about the separation of church and state.
Read MoreTogetherSF Action’s Project 2024–2028 scheme starts with a Mark Farrell victory. From there it seeks to eliminate district elections.
Check it outKamala, Trump, and public education
On the campaign trail education policy has taken a back seat to other really important national issues, such as eating dogs and the size of crowds.
Read MoreWest Portal Notebook
Candidates Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie both spoke at the neighborhood bookshop and attracted considerable audience attendance.
Check it outThe $390 million bond allocates just $66 million for our two hospitals. The rest—$324 million—is for other totally unrelated projects.
Check it outBad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.—George Jean Nathan’s warning.
Check it outSunshine Anyone?
The City’s sunshine laws are in need of updating, but most mayoral and supervisorial candidates are mum on how to increase city government transparency.
Read MorePresto Chango!
The Navy’s Parcel F Radiological Impaction map was excluded from the Record of Decision of September 2024. Raw data was also excluded from environmental testing for radionuclides.
Check it outAnother SFMTA Disgrace
With no limits on the number of ride-share cars on the street undercutting fares, taxi drivers cannot make a living.
Check it outIt’s a logical, environmentally sound plan for what is already happening to the Great Highway.
Read More ...We now are beginning to see the filth and degradation Breed’s gang has encouraged to infest West Portal.
Read More ...SFUSD’s Quandry
An under-enrolled school does not have enough students to offer educational opportunities we want for them in a fiscally responsible way.
Read MoreFollowing the money. Prop D is the billionaire’s attack on citizen oversight.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Candidates Melgar, Martin-Pinto & Boschetto all agree on one thing.
Check it outOver-Controlled Housing
Should we double down–on what has so far failed? Do we just need to spend more public money?
Read More ...West Portal Notebook
Over the next two months, each mayoral candidate will have an evening to greet attendees and answer questions in a laid-back “meet the candidate” event.
Check it outWhy is SFF’s Crime Rate Dropping?
Property crimes have plunged the most (42%), led by a steep decline in car break-ins, but violent crimes...
Check it outProp K is wrong for San Francisco
5 supervisors put Prop K on the Ballot, unannounced and at the last minute. No community input, no questions answered, no concerns addressed, no discussion by the Supervisors.
Check it outProp K: a new park for all
Why transform a section of the Great Highway into an oceanside park? It will help the environment, boost local merchants, and bring people joy.
Check it outEscalating power, water & sewer rates
At present, there is no citizen group concerned with rates paid for water, sewer and power. Few attend or comment to the SFPUC Commission.
Read More ...The West Portal debacle, Laguna Honda disaster & neghborhood density. She’s out of step.
Check it outShipyard toxics—activists join forces
They originally consisted of fifteen residents and UCSF workers, located within six blocks of the western fence line of the NRDL campus and industrial landfill”
Check it outto tackle antisemitism
District must provide training about the American Jewish experience and antisemitism to ensure that instruction is free of anti-Jewish hate
Read MoreEnvironmental Windfall
This new concrete removes many of the wasteful steps commonly used in producing concrete.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Reaction from the candidates for Supervisor in D7 ranged from pleased to dismayed.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
Ruling that “cruel and unusual punishment” does not apply to fining, ticketing, or even arresting homeless (even when there are no public shelters available),overturning the 9th Circuit Court.
Check it outIt’s a Good Idea.
After too many years of ignoring financial crisis, SFUSD is biting the bullet. It’s called resource realignment...
Read MoreOn the last day the Supervisors could put an initiative on ballot, Engardio and Melgar pounced and forwarded the legislation to the Department of Elections.
Check it outOnce just a border of California native plants around the garden’s perimeter, providing habitat and nourishment for local fauna it’s now a beautiful neighborhood gem.
Check it outHow I’m voting? I plead guilty in favor of a write-in candidate—me! Therefore, I proceed to the local ballot measures.
Check it outNo matter how much my esteemed colleague at the Westside Observer, Quentin Kopp, wants to quibble over Kamala Harris ...
Check it outClass Action Lawsuit Looms Over Laguna Honda
City hase long minimized the root cause of LHH’s dysfunction and decertification. Just look at the self-congratulatory Press Release announcing its re-opening.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
West Portal merchants, residents, and long-time frequenters have weighed in for months on the City’s plan to institute significant new traffic regulations and barriers primarily at the mouth of the MUNI station.
Check it outTime for the Governor to Do the Right Thing
The Precautionary Principle affirms SF’s leaders duty to prevent harm through anticipatory action. ‘There is a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm.”
Check it outOpen Roads
SFMTA claims 10,000 people visit the Great Highway on a weekend. Residents ask for an unbiased study.
Check it outSome good news!
California no longer lurks in the basement of national school funding.
Read MoreVisualizing Ms. Harris as president makes me fear for the future of our country. Coupled with convicted felon Donald Trump, we possess little choice.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Since the Mental Health Rehabilitation Facility closed, the City began relocating mentally troubled and drug addicted patients to LHH, mixing them with frail senior and disabled populations.
Check it outOur City Our Power Our Pocketbook
No doubt PG&E is quite imperfect. But is the City bureaucracy an improvement? Shall we expand an already oversized City department?
Read More ...It’s not only how schools are funded but how important topics are taught. At stake is what our children learn about democracy as well as about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Read MoreWest Portal MUNI Station Committee
West Portal accounts for 6% of the City’s accidents; after the implementation of Project Zero in 2014, accidents of every kind in the West Portal area have dropped from 20% - 48%.
Check it outWest Portal MUNI Station Committee
Right now, there’s no timeline or budget for this project. The SFMTA admitted it had not conducted a preliminary cost/benefit analysis despite the multi-million-dollar deficit they’re facing this year.
Check it outCity’s Granny Dumping Spike
The hospitals shed their Skilled Nursing bed capacity in the City’s private sector hospitals en masse. It Was adversely affecting profits
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
Police patrolling up and down the block, speaking to residents, shop owners significantly prevents possible crime.
Check it out...before artists were forced out by rising rents and landlord policies, artists made up about 7% of the City’s population, around 50,000 people.
Check it outCity’s Decline is SFMTA Designed
San Francisco is designed by SFMTA planners who have more design clout than any other agency in the City, except perhaps the State.
Check it outThe men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” Thus spoke H. L. Mencken
Check it outAn Open Letter to City Hall
There is a dire shortage of nursing home beds in SF—especially for those on Medi-Cal—which pays for chronic long-term care when a resident cannot afford $15,000 a month.
Read MoreD7 Supervisor Candidates
Mayor Breed has proposed an unprecedented rollback of San Francisco’s height and density limitations that would allow six story buildings in areas previously zoned for one and two-story construction
Check it outThe slow pace of climate action has never been about lack of science or even lack of solutions; it has always been about lack of political will.
Check it outNewly recertified
—same old problems
How long will the Health Commission delay the “LHH sustainability plan” that will shape its management in the future?
Check it outHope it's not your last.
Many of the basic rights we value are under attack. There are even those who think Jan. 6th should be celebrated instead of July 4.
Read MoreCity for Sale
The format made it difficult for candidates to evade tough questions—all four seasoned politicians are skilled in. Even non-politician Lurie was not exempt.
Check it outA confluence of major legal actions has moved forward to pretrial deposition testimony in BVHP Residents v Tetra Tech brought by SFPD and whistleblowers under the False Claims Act.
Check it outTrees in McClaren Park
Removal of the weedy species is necessary. All plants have natural predators in their native ranges, but landscape plants imported from, say, across the ocean, left their predators there.
Read More ...While gasoline tax-paying automobile owners finance the streets of San Francisco San Francisco’s Budget finances the SF Bicycle Coalition, a private entity?
Check it outNightmare Plan from Melgar, Breed, and Tumlin
SFMTA still has no quantifiable road safety data other than right turns are bad, left turns are bad, fast-moving cars are dangerous, slow-moving cars are dangerous, cars are bad, and bikes are good.
Read MoreLocal school board elections used to be sleepy affairs. No more. Political activists now pay close attention to these local contests — for good reasons.
Read MoreDesigning for Drought
Despite a surplus of water in our reservoirs sufficient to withstand a drought for four years, the SFPUC has imposed a drought surcharge on San Francisco ratepayers.
Check it outA perfect illustration of the magic that independent bookstores can create—It was a day filled with joy, connection, and a shared love of books!
Check it outThe previous City Administrator was a protégé of Willie Brown—resigned due to corruption. The current City administrator is a protégé of a protégé of Willie Brown.
Check it outWhat happened to The City that Knows how? What happened to the City that Everybody Loves?
Read MoreSo What’s the Damage?
Sadly, LHH has not been recertified, patient admissions have not restarted. So patients needing skilled nursing care are displaced out-of-county.
Check it outAddressing the West Portal Tragedy
The winning projects will be most closely align to the criteria and can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant.
Read More ...City’s Clear Cut
According to the SF RPD’s plan at least 809 trees were planned to be cut down in McLaren Park
Check it outWith housing and commercial vacancies like Park Merced and businesses still closing downtown, on Market Street, and in most neighborhoods, it’s dogging the Mayor’s election.
Check it outCalifornia’s PTA got started in San Francisco way back in 1897 with the California Home and School Child Study Association.
Read MoreBattling lethal drug combinations
The devastating effect of drug addiction is evident from the human wreckage ...Yes, it’s a nationwide plague. But SF overdose rates are twice the national average.
Check it outThumbs Down
“It is a significant reconfiguration of the street. A two-way bikeway would replace existing parking. Bus stops would relocate from the curb to new transit boarding islands in traffic lanes.
Check it outHomeless seek respite at Ocean Beach
If you do get into a shelter — they’ll take away your belongings, you can’t have a pet, you can’t have visitors and after a few days or a week, you’ll likely be turned out on the street again with nothing.
Check it outTwo surprises. Republican Steve Garvey, and Democrat Adam Schiff were the top two finishers. Schiff concentrated on making Garvey his opponent rather than Barbara Lee and Katie Porter.
Check it outRemoving density controls in western and central SF?
Demolitions, speculations, and displacement are in store if the city moves forward with Breed’s approach.
Check it outHerrera’s team has settled in. The disruptions from the FBI probe and COVID had abated. Employee satisfaction should have improved. It didn’t.
Check it out“As it is right now...there is no plan to manage and care for Twin Peaks
Check it outNo one wants to close schools. Not the communities. Not the school boards. Not administrators and school district personnel..
Read MoreWill Rec and Park be satisfied when every square foot of Golden Gate Park is concrete and artificial turf?
Check it outIs Hydrogen in our future?
Unfortunately,it also has many disadvantages. The gas is explosive. It needs to be compressed or converted into other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia...
Check it outAfrican-American Shakespeare’s stunning production at Taube Atrium Theater
Check it outEvery five years, the EPA determines the success of superfund cleanups
Take-home message: Cleanup efforts in 15 parcels and sites do not protect residents from hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants emanating from the dirty base
Check it outThe problem is Harris replacing him — she’s the D.A. who defeated incumbent Hallinan by lying under oath in that 2023 campaign
Check it outHow Safe is SF’s Aquifer Water?
Unlike Flint, we don’t use salt to deice roads. However, if we over-tax our ground aquifers, we could draw salt from the Pacific into our drinking water.
Check it outRe: David Romano’s recent commentary — is simply bad journalism.
Read More ...When the tower comes down what will replade it?.
Read More ...More Trouble for DPH
Just when Laguna Honda seemed to be turning the corner on its struggle toward reform, three law firms have teamed up to expand their Class Action lawsuit.
Check it outIt reminds me of when my kids did something that I thought was not well thought through. I tried to bring them back to reality.
Read More“Tamales are such a delicate process... things like the balance of masa to filling, or how long you steam them for, or how tightly they’re wrapped in their husks And time... timing is crucial to ensure they do not become dry and tough.
Check it outShe is out of step with the majority of San Franciscans who are calling for an immediate cease-fire and a halt to military aid to Israel
Check it outCould SF be the next Lahaina?
Hetch Hetchy water supply comes from 167 miles away, crosses 3 major faults, goes under the bay and then up the San Andreas Fault for 25 miles.
Check it outToday’s students alarming lack of knowledge
This is an education emergency made worse by a divided America where many believe it is ok to make up your own facts.
Read MoreConfronting taxpayers and other voters are six ballot measures, one state measure, and presidential, Congressional and legislative primaries.
Check it outThe complaints ranged from as many as ten squatters living rent-free, theft, casinos, dog kennels, brothels and drug laboratories at Parkmerced.
Check it outBig money ‘neighborhood’ groups step up their campaign of take-over tactics in 2024 elections.
Check it outRec and Park’s plan expands access for the privileged few bupkis for the rest of us.
Check it outFew were surprised when Supervisor Safai learned the library was not to be built in the Greenbelt — he feared the worst. No library at all.Since 2023, the Library Commission has been considering 466 Randolph Street, where the I.T. Bookman Community Center and the Pilgrim Community Church are located.
Check it outWhen the runways for the Alameda Naval Air Station were extended out into the bay—using dredged bay fill, the same way Treasure Island was created — they crossed over the city line. The federal government apparently didn't know or care.
Read More ...San Franciscans need nursing home care
The survey attests to a quality of care that is higher than in for-profit private nursing homes. But there are ongoing problems.
Read MoreYour ballot will be in the mailbox in a few weeks
The March 5 election is fast approaching. The San Francisco Department of Elections will start mailing all registered voters automatic vote-by-mail ballots in early February.
Check it outYour local self-appointed sage hopes Trump is barred from his presidential candidacy by high courts such as the Supremes. (And I don't mean the singing group!).
Check it outParking Control
A four-hour parking limit is going to make things even more difficult for RV residents.
Check it outDoes this look like wildlife habitat?
“GG Park provides not only habitat for wildlife but also a haven for San Franciscans who find refuge in nature in our parks.”
Check it outUCSF proposes settlement for Joseph Miranda and his radioactive truck
Two UCSF workers with respiratory disease, cancer and lung disease were not evacuated during shipyard landfill fire that erupted in “green, yellow, and orange” flames.
Check it outChris Duderstadt’s Mission
“A Bench helps promote a sense of community,it encourages neighbors and passersby to stop and visit and enjoy some sunshine.”
Check it outPeripheral Canal Redux?
Delta Conveyance Project is back on the drawing board, attempting to move clean water to the Los Angeles Southern Basin.
Check it outFortunately for Mendez, he appeared in ultra-liberal Judge Michael Begert’s court. Despite Mendez’s failure to comply with diversion, Begert nevertheless granted Mendez “mental health diversion’ (again).
Read More ...Remembering the Heroine We Lost in 2023
Newsom, Breed, and SF’s Supervisors may all have taken a hands-off waiting game approach I knew Nancy and her good government advocacy for years, sometimes crossing her path when we both attended meetings at City Hall.
Check it outThe unreliability of American and San Francisco media today is not new to our country. Neither is the people's right to discard biased, unsound judges.
Check it outSFMTA’s Grinch Strategy
To families parked along Winston Drive the dreaded December 19 date is less than a month away. Four-hour parking restrictions approved by SFMTA will certainly upend their lives and dampen their holiday spirits.
Check it outNeighbors apprehend a thief in the act, but will he be back on the street?
Aware that his escape was implausible, or perhaps it was the ear-splitting sound of approaching police cars, the thief turned and ran back into the Walgreens
Check it outSF’s Enlightened Pretrial Diversion Programs
The Judge denied a motion to detain an alleged drug dealer despite the defendant had over half a kilo of drugs, including 170.8 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill 85,400 people.
Check it outDelayed Inspections Mean Dumping More Seniors Out-of-County
Newsom, Breed, and SF’s Supervisors may all have taken a hands-off waiting game approach to LHH’s Medicare recertification inspection process that will take four months to complete.
Check it outFalling advertisements, digital transitions and major lay-offs plague journalists
Emilio Garcia-Ruiz worried about the New York Times becoming a “huge competitor” in the Bay Area by “undercutting the market on subscription costs to $1/week.
Check it outSFUSD needs to take responsibility
At last! SFUSD has identified why students aren’t learning. Ready? The real cause is White Supremacy. That’s right. White Supremacy Culture is preventing our students from learning.
Read MoreOur Transit-First Policy is Long Gone.
Today, ridership is entirely different — a problem. And the money Congress spent to save transit dries up next year.
Check it outThe unreliability of American and San Francisco media today is not new to our country. Neither is the people's right to discard biased, unsound judges.
Check it outBehind Peskin’s Dark Maneuver
It effectively punishes hundreds, if not thousands, who want to participate in our local government. Even worse, it will force those who have disabilities to disclose their special needs. Or face the burden of traveling to City Hall.
Check it outRec and Park’s plot to build a new boat harbor will close the Bay views and access from Marina Green.
Check it outIt cost Star of India nearly $5,000 to replace the glass doors and to put new bars up.
Check it outConstruction of new housing? I’ve concluded from present vacancies and dispirited new home construction the matter is extravagantly exaggerated by City Hall politicians and local media.
Check it outStreets, sidewalks and roofs of cities all absorb heat during the day
Unlike the temperature in the atmosphere — ground temperatures become increasingly warmer over time a recent study found
Check it outNeighbor Power
It is alleged that on the afternoon of September 27th, Janda was sitting on the bench in front of her ice cream shop.
Check it outThe city fought PG&E for 20 years over Marina harbor’s toxic waste. And when they finally secure a settlement of $190 million?
Check it outWhen so much wealth is concentrated in the hands of so few people without money and power lose out.
Check it outOwner Diana Zogaric has little time to bemoan setbacks. She notes that the original owner, Douglas Shaw, opened the business during the Great Depression in 1931.
Check it outPhony ‘neighborhood’ groups exploit a loophole in campaign laws — evading the $500 limit on campaign contributions.
Check it outSF’s Armenian Community
Tragedies in Azerbaijan were overshadowed at local Armenian Food Festival at St. Gregory’s.
Check it outSFMTA’s capital deficit is projected to grow at an average rate of $1.1 billion a year to create a total gap of $20 billion by FY2040.
Check it outLaguna Honda Wake Up Call
SF has lost 1,381 Skilled Nursing Facility beds. If LHH loses 120 more beds it will leave only 2,161 meanwhile 4,186 patients were discharged to other counties in 2022.
Check it outInstead of 100,000 votes to elect Supervisors, now with ranked-choice voting a paltry 8,237 votes, elected Supervisor Matt Dorsey.
Check it outDoes SF needs more housing? Downtown is 31% vacant and Parkmerced has a 25% vacancy.
Check it outSFUSD High School Task Force:
How familiar are the Task Force members with the research and how well are they equipped to make data driven recommendations?
Read MoreRE: David Romano’s recent commentary — the neighbors are supposed to smile and put up with these shows year after year...
Read More ...Over 100 crowded the room to address Westside disorder, homelessness and street crime.
Check it outStop Crime SF seeks to inform voters about our judges...
California law entrusts its citizens to retain or reject sitting judges. We need more light, not less.
Check it outScientists who analyzed Earth’s safety boundaries found humans are currently transgressing six.
Check it outAfter neighborhood protests at Rec & Parks residents got more, not less concerts.
Check it outHow familiar are the Task Force members with the research and how well are they equipped to make data driven recommendations?
Read MoreFive of the state”s dirtiest beaches are in the Bay Area
Want your taxes & utility fees to pay to pollute our beaches? SF taxpayers and ratepayers are footing the bill to fight for that privilege.
Check it outOh no! You don't want Nancy Wuerfel on your case! That woman does her homework, which means that you're going to have to do yours as well!.
Read MoreLHH’s bedrooms exceed the minimum square-foot restrictions. They have sliding doors between each bedroom — essentially making them all private, single-person rooms.
Check it outSFDPH enables contaminated development
The Health Department’s Article 31 needs to prevent housing on radioactive sites.
Check it outBudgets are built on predictions. Will Californians actually earn income and pay taxes at the levels predicted? No one knows for certain.
Read MoreOur critic of all things civil tackles the City, State and the rest of the world.
Check it outRecertification accomplished - so what’s this for?
On top of the $64.9 M already spent — including $30.5 M on consultant contracts, $22.3 M lost Medi-Cal reimbursement, and $12 M misc.
Check it outBeyond the tangle of red tape
Mired in Dull-as-Dishwater Details, It's an Amazing Accomplishment — But Will Oakland Beat Us To It?
Check it outSchools scramble to comply with Supreme Court’s admission decision AND still create diverse college communities
Read MoreShould all the ice in Greenland melt, we could expect the sea level rise an additional 23 feet.
Check it outBefore Prop 47 eliminated California Penal Code section 666, a police officer could charge a thief with a criminal history with “felony theft with-priors” and take him to county jail.
Read More ...... E.T. versus City
Pretend you're an alien (E.T.) come to earth in human form to live and learn and even to rationally guide humans who have lost their way. You land in San Francisco.
Read More ...Have any such housing units been built? Of course not! strong>Why? Probably because there’s no market for them. Why not? Because the population has declined
Check it outManagers disregarded the risks to patients
Known costs climbing to $65 Million but City Attorney conceals ($5 million?) in legal fees.
Check it outI’m reminded again and again that there are really great things the world of San Francisco.
Read MoreSF has 60,000 market-rate apartments standing empty. They’re unlikely to be filled any time soon since about 70,000 left in the last three years.
Check it out... & The Family Enterprise
Some say a little bit of corruption greases the wheels. Just don't kid yourself ... each of these words, Social Impact Partnering, are buzzwords. There's a reason for that.
Read More ...The neighborhood was much different then. Yellow and white margaritas were everywhere in wild areas on the south and north side of Alemany Blvd. There was no Highway 280.
Check it outCity Family’s coziness with contractors sustains a “Homeless-Industrial-Complex." Politically-connected entrepreneurs are awarded City contracts and return the favor.
Check it outMoss Adams’ contract increased by by $5.9 million to $9,987,293 — just $12,707 shy of requiring Board of Supervisors approval.
Check it outOne small problem. Although we called it a computer match, we did not have a computer. Yup, that long ago.
Read MoreGiving a complaint to the “Ethics” Commission is like giving a complaint to a black hole. Your complaint goes in and the chance that anything comes out is slim.
Read MoreNeighbors were not adequately notified — the few who showed up were ignored.
Check it outLong-time Westside activist commended
The Supervisors celebrated her preservation and conservation efforts and recognized her significant contributions.
Check it outBored? Libraries to the rescue
The good news: it's available to every child though our public libraries in every corner of San Francisco. And it's free!
Read MoreObservations and criticisms with a bit of the usual snark.
Check it outWe will lose Laguna Honda Hospital if immediate jeopardy citations continue.
Check it outBudget Problem? City Hall's Reliable Cash Cow to the Rescue! Stop the exploitation.
Check it outAfter 20 years without a licensed Nursing Home Administrator at the helm, that will change. At last someone knowledgeable about Federal nursing home regulations will be in charge.
Check it outThe Greatest Story Never Told
The Health Department burned down a village of Chinese fishermen dependent on the lucrative shrimping industry when the Navy purchased the 934-acre property using eminent domain for the Naval Shipyard.
Check it out“ You guys had a bunch of secret planning meetings ... no Brown Act notice ... now you want to permit an additional 60,000-person event ...”
Check it outRatepayers may need to rely on the courts
1985 to 2022, the nominal SFPUC rates have increased annually by an average of 10.1%.
Check it outInside the Sunshine Task Force’s “Compliance and Amendments Committee.”
Read MoreThe day before evictions of all residents — a final last-minute reprieve
CMS extended federal funding while the facility continues without resident evictions until September 19, 2023
Read MoreLHH “disregarded” the risk of transfer trauma to elderly dementia patients
3 families filed suit, alleging LHH culpability in the deaths of patients transferred to outside facilities last year.
Check it outIt's Game On!
The selected projects will be up for public voting beginning June 12.
Read More ...Julie Pitta’s most recent commentary misrepresents what I said in a TMZ interview — “to stoke fears about public safety.” This is false.
Read More ...SFUSD: Failing Math and Literacy for Kids
The evidence is in time for SFUSD to change.
Read MoreNewsy bits and quips Quentin’s monthly criticisms, and encouragements.
Check it outDistrict 7 residents grill officials
Grassroots anti-crime and pro-accountability organizing could imperil elected officials who can’t get a handle on the disorder.
Check it outThe Truth about SF's Crime Spree
San Francisco has experienced a spike in property crime, no surprise in a city of wealth disparity.
Check it outWhile consultants released three follow-up reports ... details of the complete picture are still dripping out, like a leaky faucet.
Check it outAnti-crime group to test its political strength
Judges can undermine the good work of the police and the DA ... Judges are elected, but the public doesn't know about their decisions
Check it outIt Could lead to more arrests of protestors, minorities, or anyone the State considers a threat if artificial intelligence is designed and executed improperly.
Check it outIt's Teacher Appreciation Week
Flowers and cards are great, but teachers deserve a fair wage for their valuable work.
Read MoreWhen I made a simple request for documents what I got left me confused — should I laugh or cry?
Read MoreThe lawsuit cites seven Causes of Action
It took courage for the Public Guardian to file suit. Hopefully, the public will learn the full extent of the scandal. The timing couldn’t be worse for LHHs struggle to survive.
Check it outApril 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
LHH mostly serves low-income, medically indigent patients, likely to face discharges, exile, and displacement to out-of-county facilities, away from their families, and support networks.
Check it outThe City's vacant downtown businesses and escalating housing rents are a San Francisco disaster. Roadkill: San Francisco's artist communities.
Check it outFentanyl overdoses have killed more San Franciscans than COVID. Yet, SF fails to prosecute dealers; no convictions for fentanyl sales in 2021. Most dealers are granted diversion.
Check it outI am plain worn out listening to all the things that have gone wrong in our City and our Country.
The arts are more than alive and well in San Francisco public schools. In many cases, they are spectacular. A little hyperbole? Nope.
Read MoreThe history of liberty is the history of the limitations on the power of government. And the provenance of government usually expands on federal, state and local levels
Check it outFentanyl has a new rival
Xylazine is infiltrating North American fentanyl and heroin supplies. It is causing more fatal overdoses, zombie-like intoxication— addictions that are harder to treat than simple fentanyl dependency.
Check it outApril 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
Inept managers from SF General and SF Health Network are principally responsible for the current mess at LHH, not LHH's caring and dedicated staff.
Check it outController's estimated $290 million deficit — $90.1 million more than projected in January. For the next two fiscal years, the shortfall is projected at $779.8 million.
Check it outLet the Bay Lights go dark
Our resources are precious, and we shouldn't be using them for displays of lighting that serve no practical purpose.
Check it outWhen the City Attorney and the Ethics Commission demur — the SOTF needs to police itself.
Read MoreThe project cost for the non-high speed rail portion in the Central Valley increased last month to $35.3 billion from $25.2 billion. It obtains money from a cap-and-trade program which adds 23 cents to every gasoline gallon besides the state’s 53.9 cents tax per gallon
Check it outFacing the under-reported facts
For decades, the City has allowed weaker standards for buildings shorter than 240 feet — no signs of seriously considering these structural deficiencies.
Read More ...... & Housing Dreams
Our Board of Supervisors is keen for the City to acquire the PG&E infrastructure.An offer of $2.5 billion has been rejected.
Read More ...This mural is currently on loan from City College to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) — The agreement includes the return of the mural to City College which has been its owner and guardian since 1940.
Read More ...In third grade...nearly 60% of students are not yet proficient in reading — students can't “read to learn” until they have successfully learned to read.
Read MoreWestside Neighbors to Protest Climate-Hostile Banks
West Portal's Chase Bank protest highlights banks’ dominant funding of fossil fuels.
Read More ...Dreams Come True
The winning projects will be most closely align to the criteria and can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant.
Read More ...Concerns that trouble Quentin but may only annoy most folks.
Check it outThe Oxalis Obsession
The herbicides don’t kill the bulbs. You can kill the top growth and other plants, but you won’t kill the oxalis.
Read More ...No wonder the City finds itself in scandals — when the Ethics Commission and the City Attorney doesn't enforce misconduct.
Read MorePTA's Honorary Service award recognizes people for outstanding service to children and youth — above and beyond what is asked of them.
Read MoreIs it true that none of Mayor Breed’s four nominees for the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Oversight Board seem to have any experience or credentials in dealing with the problems of homeless citizens?
Read More ...DPH kept the report secret for months
The report finally gives us a complete picture of LHH's problems and the path to recover.
Check it outOxalis is rampant in the Bay Area
Its a tragedy for all the foragers who depend on native plants: myriads of insects, the birds and others that feed on them ...
Read More ...Roadmap or Pipedream?
Well-resourced Neighborhoods are guilty of plenty, explains the new Element. Racism, greed, selfishness– ... it's time to reform
Read More ...Did 20 years of mismanagement prompt the Feds to intervene?
Kanaley had no experience running a skilled nursing facility whatsoever and certainly no experience or training to run a 1,200-bed nursing home with approximately 1,500 employees
Check it outWhat could possibly go wrong?
It had major consequences for SF's economy, and millions in lost tax revenue City taxpayers spent an additional $2 million for police patrols.
Check it outIgnoring document requests, misinforming Supes and Boards — are Feds feed up yet?
The showdown at LHH. Now the Feds are demanding SF hire qualified Nursing Home Administrators!
Check it outAn easier way to pass local taxes for schools
Can regulating taxation by local governments (two-thirds vote for a parcel tax) override a majority vote in a citizens initiative? Nope.
Read MoreAccording to TogetherSF, District elections is the problem
The proposed fix is to return to at-large board seats to get more done for the whole City.
Check it outProblems looming at the Shipyard
Newsom violated ethics laws by signing into law Shipyard redevelopment measures he sponsored before the Board of Supervisors and accepted the transfer of Parcel A at the cost of one dollar
Check it outOversight for Patients’ Rights
A group of friends formed to rescind her hospice disposition and return her home to live or die among her treasured surroundings...
Check it outCulpability extends to the feds as well as LHH
So far, twelve patients are dead. 11 patients were severely disabled and had profound cognitive impairment.
Check it outWeeks After Forced Discharge, Patients Began Dying
LHH wants to avoid culpability when patients die, but actions have consequences, sometimes grave
Check it outand even stranger things
A look at the City's lawsuit against PG&E, at at SFPUC's mismanagement of flooding, AI's artificial idiocy, and aging in SF!
Read More ...The issue is heating up AGAIN. the SFUSD high school task force will present recommendations on admission policies
Read MoreSay No to Bay Lights; Stop polluting the night sky
Our resources are precious, and we shouldn't be using them in displays of lighting that serve no practical purpose.
Check it outCity Hall and its environs are fair game for Quentin’s inquiries.
Check it outA book review of San Fran-sicko
Poor people seldom end up on the street. But, addicted and mentally ill people become “disaffiliated” from supporters – a key determinant of street homelessness
Check it outImmediate Jeopardy Violation Further Risks Laguna Honda
Unanswered questions: will they continue admitting behaviorally disturbed patients ... will forced discharges resume on February 2?
Check it out30% of Parkmerced's 3,221 units are vacant. If the Prop M Vacant Unit Tax does not encourage lower rents, the City might purchase them at a bargain, making thousands of new units available...
Check it outCalifornia Deserves Better
Feinstein has been an enthusiastic supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. How have those wars benefited the families of California?
Check it outMadam Mayor parties down as City is deluged in “atmospheric river”
Adorned in a feather boa and accompanied by City Attorney David Chiu, Breed's City Officials were oblivious to the massive flooding NASA satellite images predicted December 16, 2022.
Check it outA huge number of students who enter high school are not proficient in English and math — almost 45 percent of SFUSD 8th graders are not proficient in English. More than half are not proficient in math
Read MoreMoses was a great lawgiver. He was satisfied to keep the Ten Commandments short and to the point . . . he was not an ordinary lawyer..
Check it outMayor Breed’s backroom manipulations brought the defeat of Mar and the election of Dorsey — more targets in 2024?
Check it outIt's America! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah
Read MoreRoot Cause Analysis: Key Report Missing?
... it tells us that they are maintaining secrecy to cover up the loss of greatly needed skilled nursing services in SF
Check it outBanning children’s books from schools and libraries is a threat not only to freedom of speech but also to our commitment to teach our children well.
Read More...the mission of a nursing home is to promote resident autonomy. This is not compatible with the treatment of persons with unstable behavioral issues, which requires structure and agreement to "house rules." If LHH continues admitting persons with active substance use or unstable mental illness, we will lose Laguna Honda.
Check it outWillie Brown predicted the Central Subway would reduce (can you imagine?) Muni’s operating costs by $23.9 million annually. Muni’s operating costs will now increase by more than $25 million per year.
Check it outRenne's Gambit Goes Belly Up
Renne sought to take credit for the Tobacco Settlement Revenue lawsuit. It was used, in part, to pay for the LHH rebuild project. Renne had done no such thing.
Check it outUNs’ COP27 / Healing Starts at Hunters Point
Climate reparations dominated Egypt's UN Climate Change Summit this month — overburdened communities demand help cutting emissions, adapting to climate change…and compensation for damages!
Check it outThe expectation is that children attend school. The latest data from SFUSD severely challenges these expectations.
Read MoreToo many questions remain unanswered
Has LHH been skirting its Admissions Policy — by accepting patients who endanger themselves and others by using and distributing drugs?
Check it outResidents of single-family homes will be watching this variance ... if this could happen to my property, neighbors could easily be the next victim.
Read MoreNobody Home?
We’re not building at the price points where the demand actually is, so we’re overproducing what folks can’t afford.
Check it outWhat could possibly go wrong?
3 meetings held so far —will Westside feedback be considered?
Check it out… the statistics remain grim. In 2018, DPH found that Bayview is significantly more at risk than other neighborhoods.
Check it outCity Attorney’s Legal Case Was Strong
Why did Chiu do an about-face and drop both his lawsuits merely to delay re-certification?
Check it outSchool districts with the more low-income students, English learners, foster youth and homeless students get a lot more money.
Read MoreReassesing DA Boudin's Recall
We are reaping what was sown in 2004. Newsom and Mark Buell, a real estate developer, had big plans for the City
Check it outHis required learning curve and that of his associates is just the opposite of what theory teaches is a management requirement.
Check it outOn the eve of an election, a candidate asked a reporter: “Did you hear my last speech?” The reporter replied: “I certainly hope so.
Check it outOngoing Issues Threaten Re-Certification
The first survey completed in July found Laguna Honda would not pass a CMS certification.
Check it outReassesing DA Boudin's Recall
Within months, single-handedly, this incredibly powerful man was causing misery and making people feel unsafe throughout San Francisco.
Check it outSince its inception, the SOTF has been a thorn in City Hall’s backside. Why? ... Engaged citizens and journalists seek more information than officialdom likes to share.
Check it outThe school board, ... voted to create these Muslim holidays. The threat of a costly lawsuit then forced the school board to reconsider.
Read MorePost-Pandemic Light rail and buses are running empty. SF’s mass transit was designed to take people to a deserted downtown ... a ghost town.
Read MoreAudit non-profit agencies and City contracts to ensure that services are provided ... especially those providing homeless services. ...revenue-generating departments need to ensure all revenue sources are addressed
Check it outA 21,000-gallon diesel fuel deficit ...despite spending $230,000 on a fuel monitoring system...and the struggle to track $4.7 million tool inventory.
Check it outBut Don't Hold Your Breath
Housing and crime are driving residents out of the city, so too does the rising cost of utilities!
Read More ...What Me Worry? Owning DPH’s Mistakes
Laguna Honda followed the wrong rulebook and failed to follow training guidelines
Check it outReducing access to advanced mathematics — elevating trendy but shallow courses could cause lasting damage
Read MoreSeptember is the best month for skywatching
You won't see from downtown what you can see from Mt. Tam. Out here at Ocean Beach the nighttime fog makes viewing an occasional event. Happy skywatching!
Check it outTravel: Sergio is back!
Florence, where the Renaissance blossomed and its endless treasures are still here for all of us to enjoy.
Check it outStep-by-step
& Where are we now?
LHH has always been a nursing home facility, has no locked beds and no licensing to take care of behavioral, substance abuse or mental illness.
Check it outOutside Lands Outrage
It's clear Outside Lands damaged Golden Gate Park but has not honored its agreement to repair any damage to the Park
Check it outLaguna Honda Update EPIC software bungles safe transfer process - Will Failed ”Restorative Care“ program be a major cause of closure?
Check it outDigging Into the PG&E Buyout
Is there any company easier to despise than PG&E? Explosions, fires, outages: PG&E is constantly in the “ain’t it awful” column.
Read More ...At about $17,000 per student, California funding no longer lurks in the national basement.
Check it outTravel: Sergio is back!
I would think that a small island like Mallorca would have a simple, antiquated airport, but that was quite the opposite.”
Check it outDespite these commitments to ensure safe and minimally-stressful transfers ... it did not fully grasp the number and complexity of LHH patients. So, LHH was “pigeon-holed into rules applying to standard nursing homes.
Check it outWestside Fire Response
Mayor Breed remains blissfully silent on the need to extend adequate fire protection to approximately half the City, even though she has knowledge of Fire Department needs having been a fire commissioner in 2010.
Check it outSupervisor Myrna Melgar rallied Supervisors, passing two urgent Resolutions — before the Board went out on summer recess. She achieved this victory!
Check it outDead Trees of LaPlaya
D5 gets $50,000 for tree planting. D8, $246,000 for sidewalk gardens and street trees. And that's it for the entire City. If there is a climate emergency you wouldn't know it from San Francisco.”
Check it outThere is a need for a routine and consistent review of this facility. Programs that exist here are rarely audited, and when they are, the list of improvements required is long and important.
Check it out“A successful man or woman is one who thinks up ways of making money faster than the government can take it away from him or her.”
Check it outChildren living in poverty are two to three times more likely to be chronically absent—and face the most harm because their community lacks the resources to make up for the lost learning in school.
Check it outAs of July 11, just 623 patients remain at LHH, compared to 681 in May. Most have been transferred to San Mateo nursing homes. Three went to homeless shelters.
Check it outWill District 7 Join the Progressives?
Banished D7's western precincts voted 76% in favor of the recall. Acquired Inner Sunset voted 61% against the recall, the future is in flux.
Check it outCarving Up LHH Patient Towers into Two Uses, “Cohorting” Different Patient Populations in Each Tower? A Disaster for SF's Health Needs
Check it outWest Virginia v EPA
Power plant emissions formed black soot on windows and doorways in their homes and triggered asthma attacks, headaches and nosebleeds in their children. Residents led the successful fight that ultimately closed the PG&E Hunters Point power plant in 2006
Check it outTrouble in Outer Sunset
...the farmers market gets: 2000-6000 visitors per weekend. Whereas if the area were ceded back for Saint Ignatius’s parking needs they would serve about 60 cars...
Check it outIt began in 2016 with an op-ed by a parent and writer, Lisa Lewis. School started at 7:30 — her son strugged each morning. He came home exhausted.
Check it outLHH was given 6 months to correct its deficiencies. A follow-up inspection found persistent - and seemingly worse - drug and contraband use, despite LHH’s Plan of Correction.
Check it outBoth consultants provided “preliminary assessment reports” of their initial recommendations. Only HMA’s “preliminary assessment report” has been made public.
Check it outin the near-term, methane is 80 times more potent than CO2 as a contributing factor to global warming.
Check it outCulture of Silence" and Cover-up Plagues LHH Management
Crises like COVID-19 and the one at LHH have “unmasked a society that does not value the aged and disabled.” Dr. Palmer noted
Check it outMTA management ignored two reports in 2011 that would’ve saved hundreds of millions on an essentially useless transportation project.
Check it outDPH's “Flow Project” Comes Home to Roost
Everybody involved knew that adding “unstable” adults brought disarray and danger to Laguna Honda's seniors. Most folks just went along. Now they’re surprised?
Check it outSea Level Rise and Toxic Groundwater
The report concludes groundwater “may” become contaminated as sea level rises. In fact, Shipyard groundwater was documented as“contaminated” where thousands of homes are being constructed.
Check it out“It seems preposterous to put a library on a congested thoroughfare when there are better places that are safer for pedestrians to use,” one community member said.
Check it outPeople are frustrated and spurt out the word “segregated” That's because SFUSD has failed to prepare all ethnicities for a rigorous academic high school.
Check it out41% of companies allow employees to relocate permanently to any state freely, while companies that do not allow the employees to relocate elsewhere represent only 5%.
Check it outThe moderates only need to flip one district from the progressive side of the aisle to preclude the veto power of the Board of Supervisors, since the mayor appointed moderate Supervisor Matt Dorsey ... the Redistricting Task Force handed moderates a perfect set up to do just that.
Check it outCalifornians Asked to cut water by 5%
If a mandatory reduction is ordered, there will be a “floor” or minimum allocation per person so that those who have conserved, and now conserve, will not be penalized.
Read More ...Graft, deception, double-dealing, fraud
...competence erodes as conscientious employees get marginalized and lackeys are promoted. This consolidation promotes impunity. Betraying the public trust is normalized.
Check it outBoudin's famed "puppy killer" strikes again
Boudin and the judge circumvented diversion rules because violent criminals are “not eligible” for diversion programs. Why did Boudin send someone to drug diversion if they weren’t arrested for drugs?”
Read More ...Despite the fact that discharge is not legally required (yet) at Laguna Honda, all patients and their families are being interviewed for discharge and this is causing a lot of stress.
Too bad no one saw this coming......oh, a group of doctors from Laguna Honda did.
Read More ...Addicts Housed among Frail Elderly—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
State Health inspectors diagnosed “Substandard Quality of Care.” Records showed the disarray was more dire than LHH publicly disclosed.
Check it outBreed's Policing Numbers Don't Add Up
You can flood the Tenderloin with officers, but if you do not have the officers to sustain the effort, you will not see sustained results.
Check it outHP Biomonitoring was awarded a $50,000 grant from CalEPA to create a live and virtual “Community Window on Environmental Exposures””
Check it outGUEST OP-ED
They would have us believe he’s responsible for the statistical rise in crime that’s occurred since the pandemic. Research, however, suggests otherwise...
Check it outOver time, those special interests have proven adept at using the same “peoples protections” to further their own interests. Recalls are expensive, and a few of San Francisco’s bitterest billionaires buy low-turnout elections when they disagree with the voters...
Check it out41% of companies allow employees to relocate permanently to any state freely, while companies that do not allow the employees to relocate elsewhere represent only 5%.
Check it outKnowing that either way he rules, an appeal is likely, Alameda Court Judge Frank Roesch weighs the evidence.
Check it out...there are issues that can unite us.. We all want to support our educators who have been doing the hard work every day despite a pandemic and political feud.
Check it outInternational Dark Skies Week
In Pittsburgh a new ordinance makes it the first major American city to adopt lighting standards addressing light pollution.
Check it outA great beginning that ran into WWI
36 Garden Residence neighborhoods were planned only St. Francis Wood was actually built.
Check it outCould the motivation behind all of this be to create such a god-awful divisive plan and create so much anger that the voters would just throw up their hands and get rid of it altogether?
Check it outMedicaid & Medicare threaten payments...
Medicaid or MediCal covers 96.5% of LHH patients, the City’s General Fund – aka tax-payers – would then foot the bill. The deadline is April 14th.
Check it outTaylor minced no words … the results of her 1995 investigation displeased health officials and influenced her decision not to publish significant findings, “I was convinced there was something there
Check it outA catastrophic rate disaster shows SFPUC's ingenious ability to evade culpability. They take full responsibility for lowering the water usage...
Check it outChair Townsend's Solution to African-American Population Decline Will Likely Result in a Lawsuit Redistricting's latest map has everyone on edge, scrambling to find out who their new Supervisor will be.
Check it outThree new Board of Education commissioners were appointed last month by Mayor London Breed who promises implicitly that SFUSD will somehow conquer a budget deficit of over $125,000,000.
Check it outWestside Public Safety Forum
What had Taraval Station done about the unprecedented rise in burglaries in 2021? There were 620 — a 29% increase over the previous year.
Check it outDistrict 7 reclaims Forest Knolls, Twin Peaks, Midtown Terrace, the Woods and Miraloma Park from District 8 as well as all of Lakeshore and Merced Manor from District 4, but loses ground entirely in the Inner Sunset.
Check it outLowell high school's merit-based admission policy is perfectly legal. We’ve looked at the language of the law, the history of the law and the intent of the law. We've done our homework.
Check it outAs additional funding for supportive housing services through programs like Project Home Key become available, radical reform of board and care programming and funding will be necessary to maintain and expand this crucial resource.
Check it outCoastal Commission Takes a Wrong Turn
The Port will spend billions to protect Bayside property but not a dime to protect Ocean Beach.
Check it outSF has had some surprising changes since the current lines were drawn in 2011 — they could change which Supervisor represents us.
Check it outCivil rights laws have been enacted to protect people who are being denied equal access and opportunity. The closure is a violation of the ADA and California disability rights laws.
Check it outDonald Trump, disregards 42,000,000 Ukrainians by lauding Putin’s “genius” in invading Ukraine. I urge readers to divest themselves of any reverence or respect for Trump, a draft-dodger, who could demolish the Republican Party.
Check it outLabor Union Sues City for Corruption and Retaliation
Why does the FBI manage to unearth City Hall corruption, while our watchdog agencies; the Controller’s Whistleblower Program, Ethics Commission and City Attorney’s Office cry “What happened?
Check it outWhen an elder dies, a library burns to the ground Old African Proverb.
Check it out… instead of looking seriously into what could be done to solve the coupling problem … henceforth the trains operating in the subway would be only one and two cars long.
Check it outLimit plastic used in wrapping done by on-line shopping? Since the pandemic, online shopping has created 29% more waste in landfills which can end up in our oceans
Check it outHint: the software is not the problem
The Health Dept. continues to flout the open records laws. Our seniors deserve better.
Check it outNewly unearthed public records show that the developers paid more than $1.3 million during 2020 to Brown and two partners
Check it outIn 2020 SF was paying $59.70 per garbage bin to Recology while San Mateo ratepayers (under competitive bidding) $24.93 per month...
Check it outIf they want to override the current cost criteria ... jack up the rates ... they must seek voter approval. The SFPUC has not done that ...
Check it outMost contractors lagged in delivering community benefits and submitting required progress reports. And, once a contract ended, undelivered benefits were not recoverable. SFPUC had no policies to monitor compliance.
Check it outIdeally, police can stop “sideshows” before they happen with intel from undercover officers and by monitoring social media accounts that announce where sideshows will be. That was not evident in West Portal & 30th/Lawton incidents
Check it outGinsburg, working with the SF Bicycle Coalition and Walk SF, have banned cars on JFK Drive and the Upper Great Highway during the pandemic. Plans are being made make the bans permanent ...
Check it outDrivers ... good news for you: the vast majority of streets are dominated by cars! You can drive on all the roads, which is why a radical change is necessary.
Check it outSF Parks Alliance Records Subpeonaed
The vendor was selected on a sole source basis for a one-year term ... due to the limited time to accomodate a community event date in April 2020 ...
Check it out“Housing Galore—if you're a millionaire...
Two years after the 2019 Affordable Housing Bond passed—No progress status reports, or annual or quarterly reports to MOHCD or the Supervisors?
Check it out“Granny Dumping”
Moving physically - or mentally-challenged patients is clearly detrimental to their health...leaving fragile patients stranded, miles away from their families and friends
Check it outDoes the City care what your rates are? The Commission recently passed a resolution to guide Herrera. It lacks anything about keeping rates as low as possible.
Read More ...