Open for Business

Are Progressives Making Homelessness Worse?

A book review of San Fran-sicko

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Poor people seldom end up on the street.But, addicted and mentally ill people become “disaffiliated” from supporters – a key determinant of street homelessness

Immediate Jeopardy Violation Further Risks Laguna Honda

DPH Reveals Troubling Laguna Honda Developments

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Unanswered questions: will they continue admitting behaviorally disturbed patients ... will forced discharges resume on February 2?

Could Parkmerced Transform to Affordable Housing?

by Glenn Rogers

30% 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...

California Deserves Better

"Time for Feinstein to Step Down

by David Romano

Feinstein has been an enthusiastic supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. How have those wars benefited the families of California?

Mayor's Clueless New Years Fumble Signels Trouble

by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

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.

Ask the right questions to fix SF High Schools

by Carol Kocivar

A 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

Redistricting's First Victim: Supervisor Gordon Mar

by Doug Comstock

Mayor Breed’s backroom manipulations brought the defeat of Mar and the election of Dorsey — more targets in 2024?

No Religious Discrimination for the Holidays

by Carol Kocivar

It's America! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah

Root Cause Analysis: Key Report Missing?

Costs to Rescue Laguna Honda Climb to $20 Million

Patrick Monette-Shaw

... it tells us that they are maintaining secrecy to cover up the loss of greatly needed skilled nursing services in SF

Banned Books for Christmas

by Carol Kocivar

Banning 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.

What Happened at Laguna Honda? Update

by Dr. Teresa Palmer

...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.

Renne's Gambit Goes Belly Up

LHH Patients' Class Action Lawsuit Tossed Out

Patrick Monette-Shaw

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.

Heeding the Clarion Call for Climate Reparations

by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

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!

Expectations

by Carol Kocivar

The expectation is that children attend school. The latest data from SFUSD severely challenges these expectations.

PROBLEM SOLVED

by Christopher Elliott

Her dishwasher stopped working — Lowes would not honor Extended Warranty. Does he deserve a refund?

Laguna Honda Settlement Agreement

Too many questions remain unanswered

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Has LHH been skirting its Admissions Policy — by accepting patients who endanger themselves and others by using and distributing drugs?

Willie's Pay-to Play Lives On!

by Tony Hall

Residents of single-family homes will be watching this variance ... if this could happen to my property, neighbors could easily be the next victim.

Nobody Home?

Prop M: SF Grapples with Vacant Apartments

by Thomas K. Pendergast

We’re not building at the price points where the demand actually is, so we’re overproducing what folks can’t afford.

Can the Supes Clean-up the Shipyard?

by Glenn Rogers

… the statistics remain grim. In 2018, DPH found that Bayview is significantly more at risk than other neighborhoods.

Props L &G

Vote for District 7's Interests

by Supervisor Myrna Melgar

Our most vulnerable west side community—from school kids to seniors—will continue to face unneeded challenges as we recover from this pandemic.

Vote Now!

by Carol Kocivar

In case you missed the memo, this election day Nov. 8 is a choice between two opposing visions for our nation.

City Attorney’s Legal Case Was Strong

But Then He Rolled Over

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Why did Chiu do an about-face and drop both his lawsuits merely to delay re-certification?

The Myths about School Money

by Carol Kocivar

School districts with the more low-income students, English learners, foster youth and homeless students get a lot more money.

Reassesing DA Boudin's Recall

"Failed City" fails to convince—Pt. 2

by David Romano

We are reaping what was sown in 2004. Newsom and Mark Buell, a real estate developer, had big plans for the City

Behind-the-scenes machinations explain our surging utility rates

by Brian Browne

His required learning curve and that of his associates is just the opposite of what theory teaches is a management requirement.

Losing 120 Laguna Honda Beds

Did our City Attorneys ask for evidence that decertifying LHH was well-founded before conceding to a Settlement?

Your Laguna Honda Reporting

The Board of Supervisors and the Health Commission need to be bold enough to speak out and stop this nonsense.

Wading through the local ballot measures

Fourteen Propositions for Voters

by Doug Comstock

Most voters have received their vote-by-mail ballots and face fourteen propositions that must be decided. Hope this helps.

Three votes for our kids

Voting for Kids

by Carol Kocivar

Quite frankly, San Francisco is lucky to have parents like these on our school board ... Their commitment to all our students is real.

Ongoing Issues Threaten Re-Certification

Worrisome Proplems Plague Laguna Honda

Patrick Monette-Shaw

The first survey completed in July found Laguna Honda would not pass a CMS certification.

Reassesing DA Boudin's Recall

"Failed City" fails to convince

by David Romano

Within months, single-handedly, this incredibly powerful man was causing misery and making people feel unsafe throughout San Francisco.

Showdown: Dennis Herrera v. Sunshine Task Force

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Since 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.

School Board: Learn from Your Mistakes

by Carol Kocivar

The school board, ... voted to create these Muslim holidays. The threat of a costly lawsuit then forced the school board to reconsider.

Vote NO on L!

by George Wooding

Post-Pandemic Light rail and buses are running empty. SF’s mass transit was designed to take people to a deserted downtown ... a ghost town.

The City is In Shambles — Here's What to Do.

by John Farrell

Audit 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

Great Highway and JFK Drive

Vote Yes on I — No on J!

by Frank Noto

We don't trust the City to allow disabled access or fix the shuttle, after 50+ years of failure ... elders with walkers or canes — requires up to 2,500 feet of travel.

Whistleblower and the Disappearing Inventory at SFPUC

by Dr. Derek Kerr

A 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.

Face It!

But Don't Hold Your Breath

by Steve Lawrence

Housing and crime are driving residents out of the city, so too does the rising cost of utilities!

What Me Worry? Owning DPH’s Mistakes

Rising Costs to Rescue Laguna Honda Hospital

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Laguna Honda followed the wrong rulebook and failed to follow training guidelines

Solving California's Math Problem

by Carol Kocivar

Reducing access to advanced mathematics — elevating trendy but shallow courses could cause lasting damage

September is the best month for skywatching

Searching for the Night Sky

by David Romano

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!

Travel: Sergio is back!

Looking for Leonardo—Florence

by Sergio Nibbi

Florence, where the Renaissance blossomed and its endless treasures are still here for all of us to enjoy.

What Happened at Laguna Honda?

Step-by-step
& Where are we now?

by Dr. Teresa Palmer

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.

Outside Lands Outrage

More concrete replaces grass in Golden Gate Park

by David Romano

It's clear Outside Lands damaged Golden Gate Park but has not honored its agreement to repair any damage to the Park

DPH's Slipshod ”EPIC“ Datasystem Compounds Senior's Problems at Laguna Honda

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Laguna Honda Update EPIC software bungles safe transfer process - Will Failed ”Restorative Care“ program be a major cause of closure?

Digging Into the PG&E Buyout

Public Power

by Steve Lawrence

Is there any company easier to despise than PG&E? Explosions, fires, outages: PG&E is constantly in the “ain’t it awful” column.

State Budget Helps Schools Recover

by Carol Kocivar

At about $17,000 per student, California funding no longer lurks in the national basement.

Travel: Sergio is back!

My Orcha - Mallorca and Barcelona

by Sergio Nibbi

I would think that a small island like Mallorca would have a simple, antiquated airport, but that was quite the opposite.”

Laguna Honda: Denial, Complicity, Resistance

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Despite 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.

City Leaders Value Saving Money Over Saving Lives and Property

by Frank T. Blackburn and Nancy Wuerfel

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.

City's Pathetic Defense of Laguna Honda

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Supervisor Myrna Melgar rallied Supervisors, passing two urgent Resolutions — before the Board went out on summer recess. She achieved this victory!

Dead Trees of LaPlaya

The Mystery of the Trees

by David Romano

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.”

Act Now to Save the Youth Guidance Center

by Glenn Rogers

There 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.

Time to Shine a Brighter Light on SFUSD Chronic Absences

by Carol Kocivar

Children 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.

The City's Muffled Defense of Laguna Honda

by Dr. Derek Kerr

As 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.

Voting in the Redistricted D7

by Doug Comstock

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.

DPH Plan: Splitting Laguna Honda's Unsuitable Populations Won't Work

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Carving Up LHH Patient Towers into Two Uses, “Cohorting” Different Patient Populations in Each Tower? A Disaster for SF's Health Needs

Overreach at the Supreme Court

by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

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

How parents changed school start time in California

Carol Kocivar

It 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.

Karma or Persecution: Laguna Honda’s Ordeal

by Dr. Derek Kerr

LHH 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.

Will Laguna Honda Solve Its Problems By Abandoning 120 More Patient Beds?

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Both consultants provided “preliminary assessment reports” of their initial recommendations. Only HMA’s “preliminary assessment report” has been made public. 

Supt. Matthews: Cheap Shots at Lowell Do Not Improve Student Performance

Carol Kocivar

A cheap shot at the academic-based school that highlights SFUSD failures does not solve the problem.

It's Climate Change — Stupid

by Glenn Rogers

in the near-term, methane is 80 times more potent than CO2 as a contributing factor to global warming.

Gray Panthers Pounce on Laguna Honda Crisis

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Younger, behaviorally-complex patients gained priority for admission resulting in the displacement of elders and women. Excluding unmanageable patients would open up beds for those who need skilled nursing care.

The Agony of Laguna Honda Hospital

by Dr. Derek Kerr

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?

Sea Level Rise and Toxic Groundwater

Civil Grand Jury Blasts Hunters Point “Clean-Up”

by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

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.

Saying Something Over and Over Doesn't Make It True

Carol Kocivar

People are frustrated and spurt out the word “segregated” That's because SFUSD has failed to prepare all ethnicities for a rigorous academic high school.

New Library at 100 Orizaba? No.

by Glenn Rogers

Why is the proposed library at 100 Orizaba Avenue desirable? The proposed site has so many failings and the traffic problems are so enormous. Is there a hidden agenda with this proposed site that’s not being discussed?

Picking Up the Pieces

by Doug Comstock

The 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.

Californians Asked to cut water by 5%

Statewide Emergency Drought

by Steve Lawrence

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.

Living with Municipal Corruption

by Dr. Derek Kerr

...competence erodes as conscientious employees get marginalized and lackeys are promoted. This consolidation promotes impunity. Betraying the public trust is normalized.

Violent Thug Attacks, Robs Asian Visitor—Goes Free

Boudin's famed "puppy killer" strikes again

by Lou Barberini

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?”

Have a Summer with Great Reading!

Carol Kocivar

One of the greatest discoveries when our family moved to West Portal was a library so close even our 3-year-old could walk to it! We would go to story hour and bring home bags of books.

Laguna Honda Losing Funding

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.

Turmoil and Crackdown at Laguna Honda

by Dr. Derek Kerr

State Health inspectors diagnosed “Substandard Quality of Care.” Records showed the disarray was more dire than LHH publicly disclosed.

SFPD Discloses Staffing Shortfall

by M. Sullivan

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.

Time for Clear Thinking Re: Lowell Admissions

by Carol Kocivar

If you don't take academic success into account, what would happen to those students who do not meet basic proficient levels

Biomonitoring Finds Toxins in Hunters Point Residents

by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

HP Biomonitoring was awarded a $50,000 grant from CalEPA to create a live and virtual “Community Window on Environmental Exposures””

Rethinking the Recall Process

by Doug Comstock

Over 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...

People are Leaving San Francisco

by Glenn Rogers

41% 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%.

Lowell Students Pull All-nighter—but not to study

Carol Kocivar

Drum roll please.  They have raised about $29,000!

UCSF Expansion Plans Under Submission as Judge Considers Arguments

by Doug Comstock

Knowing that either way he rules, an appeal is likely, Alameda Court Judge Frank Roesch weighs the evidence.

Restoring Confidence in SF Schools

Carol Kocivar

...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.

Chaos at the Redistricting Task Force

by Doug Comstock

Could 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?

Laguna Honda: Overdoses

by Dr. Derek Kerr

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.

San Franisco's Cancer Necklace

Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

Taylor 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

Hooray! New Way to Help Kids Read

Carol Kocivar

Each student is tutored three times a week primarily outside of school time via an online, collaborative learning platform that offers intervention through guided reading lessons, gamification, and assessments.

Mysterious Subversion of Oversight at SFPUC

by Brian Browne

A catastrophic rate disaster shows SFPUC's ingenious ability to evade culpability. They take full responsibility for lowering the water usage...

Redistricting Goes Off the Rails

by Doug Comstock

Chair 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.

Too Much Crime — Not Enough Cops?

by Dr. Derek Kerr

What had Taraval Station done about the unprecedented rise in burglaries in 2021? There were 620 — a 29% increase over the previous year.

Redistricting's Final Battlelines

by Doug Comstock

District 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.

A New Admission Process for Lowell High School

Jill Wynns & Carol Kocivar

Lowell 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.

Vote for Campos, Not Haney

The Assembly District 17 Run-Off

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Haney garnered 34,174 votes compared to Campos’ 33,448 votes — a difference of only 726 votes. The April 19 run-off election couldn’t be a tighter race.

Homelessness and the Mental Health Housing Crisis

by Roger Rogers

As 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.

Retreat from Sea Level Rise is Avoidable

Coastal Commission Takes a Wrong Turn — City Defers

by Dennis Holl

The Port will spend billions to protect Bayside property but not a dime to protect Ocean Beach.

Redistricting: Drawing the Battle Lines in District 7

by Doug Comstock

SF has had some surprising changes since the current lines were drawn in 2011 — they could change which Supervisor represents us.

Banning Cars from JFK is Exclusionary

by Howard Chabner

Civil 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.

Happy Birthday PTA!

Carol Kocivar

The PTA can be traced right to San Francisco and the founding of the Mother’s Clubs in 1897. It has become the largest child advocacy organization in the nation.

Union Lawsuit Reveals "City Family" Backroom Maneuvers

by Dr. Derek Kerr

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?

Bob Planthold,
Father, Advocate, Humbug

by Rick Knee

When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground Old African Proverb.

SFMTA's Continuing MUNI Problems

by Gerald Cauthen & Angelo Figone

… 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.

Rate Payers Get a Time-Out

A short respite or calm before the storm?

by Steve Lawrence

... SFPUC says 50% rationing could be required. Environmental groups contest that judgment. But if anything like that threatens imminently, you can bet costs will rise and fast. Rates follow.

SF: Be a Role Model for Children

Carol Kocivar

One of the most important parenting roles is to model the behavior you want your children to follow. If you bully, your children will think its ok.

The Growing Pacific Plastic Patch

by Glenn Rogers

Limit 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

Open JFK Drive

Hey DPH—Where Did You Dump Our Seniors?

Hint: the software is not the problem

Patrick Monette-Shaw

The Health Dept. continues to flout the open records laws. Our seniors deserve better.

Cancer Alley … At Hunters Point Shipyard

Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

... infant mortality rates in BVHP (were) twice as high as the rest of San Francisco and one of the highest in the state, a cluster of infant deaths were detected in the shipyard region.

School Board Recall and Beyond

Carol Kocivar

The failure to properly prepare all students, particularly Black/African American students, is the main culprit. While the lottery may increase diversity, it also increases the number of students at Lowell who are struggling.

PROBLEM SOLVED

by Christopher Elliott

His Dell laptop stopped working after a BIOS update. Does he deserve a refund?

School Board Member Moliga

Rec & Parks' Bikes Only Events?

SFPUC's Self-serving Bureaucrats

School Board: Moliga is a Keeper

by Gaynorann Siataga

...an ever-growing disparity between our community and others — 73% of our Pacific Islanders live in low-income housing, the unemployment rate is nearly 22%.

The First Step: Admit There's a Problem

by John Farrell

... the efforts to clean up the Tenderloin are pushing homeless, especially the mentally ill and drug addicted, into other neighborhoods and making the problem worse all over the City

Can SF Keep Hetch Hetchy?

by Brian Browne

If they want to override the current cost criteria ... jack up the rates ... they must seek voter approval. The SFPUC has not done that ...

Highway Robbery

Tenderloin Clean-Up

SFPUC: Controllers Audit Reveals Compromised Bid Process

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Most 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.

Things that Go Screech in the Night

by Doug Comstock

Ideally, 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

State Assembly: A Leader Needed

Why I'm supporting David Campos ...

Patrick Monette-Shaw

San Franciscans can avoid spending more millions on a run-off election in March. Cast your vote for Campos. (Don’t let Ron Conway’s “dark money” buy himself another election!”)

Park Road Closures

Paul Kozakiewicz

Ginsburg, 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 ...

The Sunset is Fired Up!

by Paul Kozak

There are procedures for closing a major highway, and that includes an Environmental Impact Report — how much more pollution would be caused by rerouting up to 20,000 vehicles a day through stop and go traffic ...?

Transform the Great Highway

by John Elliott

Drivers ... 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.

Senior Housing on Laguna Honda's Toxic Sites

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Developers found ways to bypass environmental review of Cortese List sites granting “common sense” exemptions — evading Public Resources Code §21084.

CEQA Protects Us From Special Interests’ “Big Lie”

by Roger Lin and Douglas Carstens

A sustained campaign, led by polluting industries, real estate developers, etc, has repeatedly and falsely claimed California’s environmental law is fueling the housing crisis.