Who Benifits from Green “Benefit” Districts?

by John Hooper & Mark Sullivan

Once a “benefit” district is formed and the assessments pour in, private firms are hired ... The disgraced former head of DPW, Mohammed Nuru, was personally involved in promoting the GBD concept ...

Breed's COVID-19 Recovery Sputters

Patrick Monette-Shaw

... her decision on September 30 to allow restaurants to increase indoor dining capacity from 25% to 50% ... cases stood at 11,275 confirmed cases ... Another 3,048 COVID cases occurred between October 1 and November 21..."

The Irony of Progressivism

by Steve Lawrence

... public utilities were formed so that public officials would not steer the ship of modern electricity. Public officials were corrupt, or corruptible. ... An oversight board, here 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 highlighted his wife's connection to public education: “You’re going to have one of your own in the White House.”

Taraval Crime Beat

Compared to the same time last year, ... 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 Schemes

by Dr. Derek Kerr

...a patronage network that recycles retiring City employees - including former Willie Brown special assistants” - into post-career sinecures with, or as, City contractors. 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 are tanks half in the ground, half above, that digest solids in sewage — the heart of the operation. Since the contractor has begun, his 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, the $239 million parks portion will cost approximately $470 million in principal and interest, 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.