UCSF's Neighbors File CEQA Challenge

by Doug Comstock

UC proposes a project that would add over 2 million square feet to the currently over-built campus — the equivalent of a Sales Force Tower and the TransAmerica Pyramid combined.

River Flows, Water Woes.

by Steve Lawrence

... basically the ‘burbs get the first water, the city the leftovers ... The system runs short, the burbs get first dibs, the City gets the dribbles.

SF Judge Questions DA's Leniency

Lou Barberini

Only in San Francisco do you get a judge who looked at the entire trajectory ... Two strong-arm robberies, followed by a burglary, then an auto burglary, a loaded firearm charge, a third armed robbery, and finally graduating to attempted murder.

Let’s Get a Few Facts Straight about Lowell High

by Carol Kocivar

With charges of elitism and racism, the school board  made a major blunder in voting to change Lowell High School’s merit based admission policies to a lottery ... not looking at all the facts.

Broken Agreements, Shilly-Shallying Vacillations

by Kathy Howard

Now Rec and Park has backpedaled on the one-year commitment and asked ... for four more years. If one year is not enough, will four years be enough ... or is this the beginning of a permanent midway in the midst of our premiere landscape park?

District 7 — A Total Transit Desert

In late January MUNI restored the T-Third light rail line, as well as the 27-Bryant, 33 Ashbury and the 15-Bayview. But no services have been restored on the west side of the City.

Notorious Crooks of San Francisco

The Utility Criminal

by Paul Drexler

When not engaged in larceny, Long worked as a salesman. His persuasive skills made him a top salesperson ... but the lure of the dishonest dollar proved too strong for him.

City Faces Multiple Racial Discrimination Lawsuits

Herrera's Curious Union-Busting Law Firm

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Recent lawsuits alleging discrimination against Black employees are startling in egalitarian San Francisco. Doubling the consternation is the City Attorney’s paying a Union-busting law firm to fight these claims.

Carmen Chu: Livin' High on the Bungalow

by Peter Fatooh

All of these reductions in value for her personal benefit were arranged while appeals for reductions before the Assessment Appeals Board from regular mom and pop homeowners were vehemently opposed by the Assessor’s Office.

Over 65—Get It Now!

Dr. Teresa Palmer

Others stand by, keep these links and don't get discouraged yet!. There are A LOT of vaccine appointments... If you get a text notification, try to get an appointment right away as they may be exhausted later in the day.

Beyond Frustration on Taraval

Broken Promises Pique Tempers

"Now a pedestrian or a car cannot cross Taraval for three blocks ... Chow said. "How are residents and merchants going to conduct business or even get in and out of their driveways?”

The Conundrum of Lowell High School

Board Decisions Only
Muddy the Water

by Ms. P Segal

"The city has a high school for the arts, and another for students interested in the trades. There is a bi-lingual Chinese-American high school. Why shouldn't there be a school for those interested in academics?

The Interminable Wheel That Doesn't Turn

by Kathy Howard

"The Wheel has been totally shut down, partially opened, and then totally shut down again ... the glaring, flashing lights are still turned on every day and into the night, and the noisy diesel generator that powers the Wheel runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Get the Vaccine! Checklist

Dr. Teresa Palmer

Note from Doc Palmer: appointments: Keep checking for updates and ability to self-schedule an appointment online if you are in an eligible group.

UCSF: Don't Take Fire Protections for Granted

by Nancy Wuerfel

"... Berkeley-UCSF Agreement that included UC paying money every year to Berkeley for fire and emergency services ... a precedent for the City to require UCSF to offset our currently unreimbursed City costs...

Gay Black Man Charges SFFD With Racism & Homophobia

... when he came into the room, his coworkers turned and left — only the other black workers remained. Baraka was called names such as “faggot” and “sissy” as well as “Sambo.”

Notorious Crooks of SF Returns to WSO!

Politics, Yellow Journalism & Murder

by Paul Drexler

the Examiner took a strong prosecutorial view in the trials. The San Francisco Chronicle took the defense’s part...

Boudin "Takes Action" — Now a 3rd Person is Murdered

Lou Barberini

Internet computer records show that Ali Hudson was booked at 1:46am that night into Sacramento County Jail for both murder charges and for a still outstanding warrant...

All Electric Building Ordinance

by Glenn Rogers

Hooray for SF Supes—It's a Good Start ... a Delaware-sized iceberg, ... is threatening the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean.

SF's Regulatory Morass

by Brian Browne

The Revenue Bond Oversight Committee issued another MOU with the Controller ...this illegal union is an important aspect of the swamp that City Hall has become.

Switch off Netflix. Watch SF Student Performances

by Carol Kocivar

Even though school is closed, students continue to produce and perform high quality work.

Vanished! SFPUC Audits

by Dr. Derek Kerr

(Analysts) obtained 10 years-worth of records related to the PUC’s Community Benefits Program, grants and contracts. Then…nothing. The PUC audit evaporated as City Hall, DPW and the PUC were rocked by corruption investigations

Board of Supes to UCSF: "Hold on there buckaroo..."

by Doug Comstock

"There's not even been one meeting on the underlying project. The plan itself has never been reviewed by any public body or by any group of advisors ..."

Here Comes Prop 19

Lou Barberini

Since Proposition 19 passed, estate-planning attorneys are scarcer than toilet paper during the pandemic. Thanks to Governor Newsom’s misleading Proposition 19, we are seeing panicked strategizing ...

Shipyard Toxins Are Killing Us

Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai

...the Atomic Energy Commission allowed NRDL researchers ... radioactive waste into laboratory drains at the shipyard, radiation contaminated materials into the industrial landfill on the shoreline and radioactive fuel ships hauled back following atomic explosions ...

Breed's Reckless COVID 19 Reporting

Patrick Monette-Shaw

DPH decided to present data only on the number of COVID cases among residents of the 19 Skilled Nursing Facilities in the City, eliminating reporting cumulative case reporting for healthcare workers (staff) at the 19 facilities.”

Local Author Henry Michalski's WWII Saga

When the war ended they were free to leave. But they had to find their own way back. To escape the harsh weather they made their way to Kazakhstan via river raft. To return to Poland was dangerous because as Michalski noted, “nobody wanted the Jews.

Interview: Supervisor Elect Myrna Melgar

D7 Neighborhood News Sources Westside Observer, Ingleside Light, and West Portal Monthly pose tough questions

City Controller's Secrecy Shields Corruption

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Openness applies to wrongdoing as well. When taxes pay for investigations ... taxpayers deserve to know which City agencies break rules ..."

Invisible Affordable Housing on Public Land

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Breed and her allies asserted that placing housing on public parcels would save massive amounts of time two years later—still no publicly revealed plans...

Bad News and Worse News.

by Steve Lawrence

General Manager, who has been charged with corruption. That’s the bad news. A new report about expected capital costs is out, and costs are up 42%. That’s even worse.

Gifts We Took for Granted in 2020

by Carol Kocivar

It has taken a pandemic to help all of us process just how critical schools are to our children and our communities.

Supervisors Attempt Blacklist of Marina Times

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Preston accused the Marina Times of being “an entity that has proven time and again that they are a mouthpiece for disinformation ... on par with the likes of Breitbart News and Tucker Carlson ..."

Dear Supervisors...

Patrick Monette-Shaw

...even if he and his wife did donate $75 million ... his net worth is $101.2 billion as of November 2020 ... that’s no reason for Zuckerberg’s name to despoil the good name of SF General Hospital."

Outdoor Pollution

by David Romano

"Seven acres of artificial turf that is so toxic nothing can live in it... Toxins from tire crumb can enter the body through inhalation of particulates, fibers, and volatile organic compounds."

Lessons Learned in 2020

by Carol Kocivar

While I was repeating over and over  “wear a mask...wash my hands... he was creating spaced learning for the alternative universe. Don’t wear a mask... And I am not even going to touch whether he washed his tiny hands

Give til it feels good—REALLY?

by John Barry

Since people tend to like money, to varying degrees, I was surprised by the lack of websites about “How much your neighbors or countrymen give to charity.“

Listen to Scientists

Lou Barberini

The Dept. of Public Health Lacks Transparency. Deaths surged 76% and the media went quiet. Why the lack of stories?.

Fish Gotta Swim...

Water, Fish, and You.

by Steve Lawrence

...In super dry years, no way there’s enough water. You will be forced to ration fifty percent, that is, you get half rations of water.

Dissolve the Revenue Bond Oversight Committee

by Brian Browne

"SFPUC Watchdog or Lickspittle? From the first meeting of the RBOC, SFPUC operatives and aligned city-family loyalists injected themselves into the business and governance of the RBOC."

Who Benifits from Green “Benefit” Districts?

by John Hooper & Mark Sullivan

Once a “benefit” district is formed ... private firms are hired ... The disgraced former head of DPW, Mohammed Nuru, was personally involved ...

Breed's COVID-19 Recovery Sputters

Patrick Monette-Shaw

... allow restaurants to increase indoor dining capacity from 25% to 50% ... cases stood at 11,275 confirmed cases ... Another 3,048 COVID cases occurred ..."

The Irony of Progressivism

by Steve Lawrence

... public utilities were formed so that public officials would not steer the ship of modern electricity. ... the state Public Utilities Commission, would review, and ensure fair treatment.

What Biden's Win Means for Education

by Carol Kocivar

His approach bears the fingerprints of first-lady-elect Dr. Jill Biden ... President-elect Biden ... “You’re going to have one of your own in the White House.”

Taraval Crime Beat

... we are down 37% in vehicle burglaries, 27% in assaults, and 36% in robberies. We are currently up 24% in vehicle thefts and 8% in home and commercial burglaries.

Persistent Sleaze in the “City Family’s” Contracting

by Dr. Derek Kerr

...a patronage network that recycles retiring City employees - including former Willie Brown special assistants” In return, these former City employees provide access to City department managers.”

Can Ed Harrington Save the SFPUC?

by Steve Lawrence

...the largest job, almost a billion dollars, has not gone well. The so-called biosolids digesters — the heart of the operation ... pre-construction services have increased in cost by a factor of 18 times.

Breed's Prop A Propaganda

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Since March 2000 voters passed three parks bonds totaling $800.5 million in principal and interest. If this new bond passes, pushing park bonds to approximately $1.3 billion

Will Restricting Public Scrutiny Fix City College?

Harry Bernstein

... the new regime under Interim Chancellor Gonzalez abruptly ... returned to the previous agenda structure, with very limited public comment — and only near the beginning of the meeting — reservation is now required in advance as well.

Déjà vu: Controlling Pay-to-Play Donations

by Dr. Derek Kerr

In October 2009, former Supervisor Chris Daly proposed an Ordinance that prohibited department heads and employees from steering donations to “Friends of…” non-profits that raised funds for their departments ...

More Pavement — Less Park

by David Romano

"Our beloved Golden Gate Park ... natural environment is being replaced by concrete and artificial turf. Two and half million dollars are being spent so dogs can run around?"

Don't Change Lowell's Admission Policy

by Name withheld due to anonymous threats

"There is an obvious power grab designed to attack Lowell’s long-term academic status, that provides a unique service to a unique student population, just as School of the Arts does.”

School Names and Political Correctness

by Carol Kocivar

I agree that we should not celebrate those who represent the worst in our society. But there is true historical value to recognizing leaders who have made our world better—and recognizing them warts and all.”

Inside City Hall’s Web of Corruption

by Dr. Derek Kerr

DPW’s subaccounts at the Parks Alliance amassed $990,000... donated by 8 contractors who received $572 million from DPW plus 7 companies that obtained 218 building permits from the Department of Building Inspection (DBI)

Laguna Honda: Inappropriate for Housing

Patrick Monette-Shaw

If LHH was too small for 160 units, how is it now suddenly big enough for up to 375 units?”

Trecherous Toxics at Treasure Island

by Glenn Rogers

" ... the cleanup reports need to be available to the public. Skipping these steps will result in future lawsuits and the city will be ultimately held accountable, making the taxpayers liable”

Prop. A's — $960 Million Oversite?

COP’s and Robberies

Patrick Monette-Shaw

Problem is, the Bond Oversight Committee has held only one meeting in 2020 ... Then COVID detonated. Unfortunately, CGOBOC never figured out holding remote meetings accessible to the public.”

San Francisco Sees Itself as a 'Green' City - But is It?

by Kathy Howard

The developer is proposing a six-unit condo development on the site of a former auto repair shop contaminated with benzene and other pollutants at levels 900 times above residential standards ...

Audit's Unanswered Questions:

Does the Ethics Commission Fight Corruption?

by Dr. Derek Kerr

The audit fails to mention that no retaliation claims have ever been sustained by the Ethics Commission. That startling fact has been hidden by reporting only that cases are “dismissed” or “closed.”

Taraval Crime Report

Multiple Arrests: Illegal Firearms and Narcotics

Police officers from the Tactical Unit, Specialist Team, and Taraval Neighborhood Team (TNT) served a search warrant on the 1500 block of 48th Ave.”

I Love the Library!

by Carol Kocivar

Any time someone mentions a good book, I literally just go to my phone and reserve it on the App. That says a lot...”

A Subpoena for SFPUC Skullduggery

by Dr. Derek Kerr

The federal subpoena demanded the resumes, job descriptions, and performance evaluations for “any PUC employee who earned at least $100,000” since 2010 ... Evidently, the feds are probing cronyism as well as self-dealing

D7 Supervisor Candidates Answer the Tough Questions

Six contenders respond to the questions that will guide the next 4 years in the district.

Stand Up for Arts in Schools

by Carol Kocivar

The arts touch our emotional core, whether it is song or dance or drama or drawing. The arts can connect the mind and the spirit and help guide children from crisis to confidence.

Balboa: Supervisers Get It All Wrong

by Glenn Rogers

"The giveaway, linked to corrupt leadership, sacrifices precious public land for private profit ... leaves City College more vulnerable and is a significant reversal in our goal of income equality"

City Managers Reject Breed’s Budget Plea

Patrick Monette-Shaw

That’s not a balanced budget; it’s a gaping hole she plans to solve by kicking pay-raises bargained for in good faith down the road.”

Teachers to Vote on COVID 19 Plan

by K. Rolph Morales, 3rd Grade Teacher

"Assuming teachers agree to these and additional detailed conditions, school begins August 17th."

Free Government Money.

by Steve Lawrence

While the FBI is investigating city bigwigs, SFPUC personnel included ... Everyone in power is complicit in forcing the rate payer to “donate”

Walking West Portal

A photographer goes in search of life on the Avenue ... dining and browsing are available on sidewalks, parking spaces and in some stores inside within strict limitations.

Bay Area Plan to Mitigate Climate Change

by Glenn Rogers

"The authors of the San Francisco Plan Bay Area 2050 are asking for public feedback on their 9-county plan to provide solutions ... "

How to Stop the San Francisco Exodus

John Farrell

Our city is in big trouble. And it is not just because of Covid-19  It is because of a continued string of bad policies and decisions by City Hall over the past 10 years.

Teaching Civics Never Mattered More

by Carol Kocivar

Whether it’s protests about police violence and racism or defiance of government orders to wear a mask, the most fundamental issues of our democracy are being played out every day in front of millions of people.

City Attorney's Retaliation Fiasco Blows $12.2 Million

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Dennis Herrera's retaliatory sewer-gate debacle, alongside the FBI's recent arrest ... jab at the City's anti-graft capabilities.

Irreparable Damage to City College — Legal Violations at Balboa Reservoir Project Cited

City College Stakeholders File CEQA Appeal"This is NOT the time for any Project to go forward that will all but destroy the access for 70,000 college students, most of them from working class, immigrant, black or brown communities."

Defund and other public debacles

by Quentin Kopp

"... the heralded notion of "defunding" police ... risks a return to the high-crime era of the 1960s and 1970s that damaged so many American cities. That applies to San Francisco, which suffers supervisors who berate police and ostracize them politically."

Why Black Lives Matter

by Glenn Rogers

"... the issue of Black Lives Matter is on everyone’s lips. Unfortunately, many Americans do not acknowledge institutional racism. But consider the numerous steps that led to the problem and two alternative policing solutions."

Teachers Wait for Direction

by K. Rolph Morales, 3rd Grade Teacher

"Teachers, who are already using their own money to buy school supplies are now also purchasing masks and materials in order to be prepared ..."

Students Want Schools Open

by an 8th Grade Student

"If schools do not open this fall, it is likely to induce students to interact with one another outside of school. At school ... it is easier to enforce facemask and social distancing ..."

Creeping Toxic Tire Crumbs Seep into SF Groundwater

by David Romano

"SFPUC Failed to Protect Clean Water The Beach Chalet Soccer Fields (BCSF) in Golden Gate Park used to have a permeable surface; it's called grass."

Loading Our Utility Costs on Our Children's Backs

by Brian Browne

"... your water, wastewater, and garbage rates are special taxes ... Your great-grandchildren should not be paying for a service provided in 2020."

Turmoil at Taraval Station

Dr. Derek Kerr

Morale was sagging. Capt. Rainsford ... apparently referenced how the police had handled previous protests.

COVID-19's Cruel Visit to LHH

Patrick Monette-Shaw

...whether the discrepancy is due to President Trump wanting CMS to “slow down” the testing and positive test results...

Stadiums and other Boondoggles

Quentin Kopp

...the attitude of professional sports team-owning billionaires that local taxpayers must provide stadiums for their professional sport businesses ...

City's Budget Shortfall — Taxpayers Beware

John Farrell

a $1.7 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years which could reach over $2.5 billion per Controller Ben Rosenfield...

Boudin Bolsters SFPD's Statistics

Lou Barberini

SFPD officers spend 99% of their day responding to where 9–1–1 customers direct them. It is 9–1–1 callers themselves who determine the location and quantity of encounters.

New Normal: Decline in Urbanization

Glenn Rogers

Development is in trouble. If Parkmerced, which is the largest multifamily property in San Francisco is an example of the future of development in San Francisco, it is in very real trouble.

Homeless Encampments in GG Park?

by Kathy Howard

Board of Supervisors seek solutions ... raising concerns among the public about the possibility of long-term use of parkland to address social and economic problems ...

Big Balboa Giveaway Bad Break for City College

by Jean Barish

The SF PUC will sell over 17 acres, for approximately $11.2 million — about $640,000 per acre for prime SF real estate to a privateer for more than 90% below market rate ...

Enigma of Covid-19 Immunity

Dr. Derek Kerr

Hopes were that recovering from COVID-19 would generate antibodies, thus conferring immunity and peace of mind. Plus, survivors could help treat newly-infected COVID-19 patients by donating their convalescent plasma. It's not that simple.

Our Inefficient Water, Sewer and Power Provider

by Steve Lawrence

While water and sewer bills are not taxes, they are worse. They hit ordinary people harder ... and rates are determined by cost. When costs rise, so do rates.

Westside Businesses Reopening

Life returns slowly to West Portal People are beginning to return to West Portal — and other Westside businesses are ready to make sales...

Nursing Home "Invisibles"

Dr. Teresa Palmer

My Mom is Not Disposable...universal testing in all group care facilities, where asymptomatic staff can begin a deadly outbreak, is now being publicly recognized. But it is slow to happen.

Prelude to a Police Shooting

Lou Barberini

Tommy refused to social distance...... Upon arrival, the two officers immediately observed Tommy was bleeding from his mouth ...

Pandemic Clobbers School Budgets

Carol Kocivar

Double Whammy... Schools throughout California are facing severe budget cuts for the next few years...

An Emphatic Letter to City Hall

John Farrell

We've been here before...after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the incomprehensible murders in Guyana...AIDS and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake...

City Hall's End Run Around Environmental Review

Kathy Howard

Planning to 'streamline' CEQA? ... projects that formerly might have needed extensive review under CEQA would be approved unilaterally by Planning staff if the projects met specific requirements ...

SF's Covid Response

Dr. Teresa Palmer

Where Are Our Priorities? Nursing homes are like cruise ships, and the outbreak at Central Gardens is illustrative...

Nuru, Breed and Willie Brown

George Wooding

Nuru was not the FBI’s main target of the investigation—he was the bait to lure someone bigger.

Earthday & Coyotes

Environmentalk: Kathy Howard

...a coyote attack raises the question... How do we coexist with wildlife?

Breed's Secrecy

Patrick Monette-Shaw

...suspending access to public records — even temporarily, is clearly dangerous to open government.

Distance Learning at SFUSD

K. Rolph Morales

—A New Challenge for Teachers 

Court Upholds $5 Million Whistleblower Judgment against City Attorney Herrera

by Dr. Derek Kerr

Taxpayer costs will exceed $5 million since the City has been paying the Keker & Van Nest law firm $850/hour to defend Herrera. They already billed the City $2,267,75, in September 2016...

See Her OpEd ...

Hold up on "insurance" for your water and sewer lines

by Steve Lawrence

Don’t be fooled: you’re being sold insurance. Do you have a choice? Yes you do…

Is City Hall Getting Nervous?

London Breed is Falling Down

by George Wooding

… City Officials are worried that Nuru is about to negotiate a plea bargain deal naming names as he is facing twenty years in prison.