Neighbors gather to celebrate a victory in the stretch of land between West Portal and Forest Hill
Neighbors Celebrate Rehab at Triangle Park
After years of neglect from City Hall, someone listened?
An abandoned neighborhood park at Vasquez, Balceta and Laguna Honda Blvd. has been renovated thanks to the work of neighbors Carol Dimmick and Roberta Bechtel, Jenny and Graham Stanley,
MaryLou Corrigan, Eileen Kahaner, Katy Henrickson and Paul Dent
An eyesore for many years, Triangle Park was a plot of brown weeds. What used to be a stone water fountain lay deteriated and moldering, crowned by what was once a flag pole erected sometime during World War II, but now most of the rusty pole lay on the ground.
It's been over a year since Joel Engardio first wrote about the neighborhood spot. Neighbors had been doing weeding and other voluntaeer efforts to improve the park.
Now the park renovations are complete, and neighbors are enjoying their neighborhood park. The celebration of the new park took place on October 3rd at noon.”
Then former Supervisor Norman Yee encouraged neighbors of the park to apply for the "Participatory Budget," a program Yee sheparded into being. Neighbors won funding in 2018 through that program, but when funds fell short and delays and problems with the Department of Public Works endangered the project, Supervisor Yee came to the rescue to funded additional costs during his last year in office.
Now the park renovations are complete, and neighbors are enjoying their neighborhood park. The celebration of the new park took place on October 3rd at noon.
Roberta Bechtel stands at Triangle Park before and after the renovations
"The party was a great success — attended by about 100 people," Roberta Bechtel, Triangle Park Steward said. "There were donations from many merchants on West Portal: Bursa, Calibur, Peets, Submarine Center, BullsHead, Trattoria da Vittorio, Spiazzo and Noe Valley Bakery. The neighbors expressed their thanks for the renovation and we were so glad to have Supervisor Myrna Melgar, former Supervisor Norman Yee and head of DPW Carla Short in attendance. The Board of Supervisors recognized the park committee with certificates. We had a bluegrass band and the Committee paid to have free ice cream for the crowd when the Mr. Softee truck came. We hope to make it an annual event."
October 2021
More Trending Articles
Labor Union Sues City for Corruption and Retaliation
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?
… 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.
... 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.
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
Proposed Medical Cannabis Dispensary in the Sunset District
2505 Noriega Street Update
On July 13, 2017 the Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use authorization to allow a Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD), the Apothecarium, to open at 2505 Noriega Street at 32nd Avenue. Two appeals have been filed in objection to the approved project. The Board of Supervisors held a hearing regarding the two appeals on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. (As we go to press). In the meantime, send your comments to Katy.Tang@sfgov.org, who has promised to take all comments into consideration.
October 2017
Art Proposals for the Westside Pump Station Public Art Project
April 28, 2017 to May 12, 2017
Aileen Barr
Jovi Schnell
Jet Martinez
Proposal Viewing Location
Ortega Branch Library
3223 Ortega Street
The San Francisco Arts Commission is working with the Public Utilities Commission to commission a signature public artwork for the Westside Pump Station, located at the corner of Sloat Boulevard and the Great Highway. The newly commissioned artwork is intended to beautify and complement the architecture of the building, and will be part of the improvement project at the Westside Pump Station. Three artists were chosen as finalists by a Public Art Selection Panel to create site-specific proposals for this opportunity: Aileen Barr, Jet Martinez, and Jovi Schnell.
May 2017
Public Works crews work to stabilize the hillside along O'Shaughnessy Boulevard between Malta Drive and Del Vale Avenue.
Recent storms forced the closure of O'Shaughnessy to traffic, including the 44-O'Shaughnessy Muni bus line, that was temporarily detoured while Public Works crews stabilize a cliff that has been eroding in recent rain storm. There have been no reports of injury or property damage.
Fallen rock on O'Shaughnessy Boulevard
The rocky slope in danger of sliding is situated on the west side of O'Shaughnessy across from Glen Canyon Park. Geologists assessed the hillside for potential rockslides, and recommended that loose rocks near the top be knocked away Work crews began knocking loose rock off of the hillside beginning on January 19.
Geologists will conduct a thorough study of the area after the O'Shaughnessy area is stabilized, though more rains and winds could cause closures in the area again, until the department to develops a long term solution.
Feb 2017
After Sea Levels Rise
Projected view of SF Ballpark after sea level rise
Sea-level rise is coming. Even if we keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above historic norms—the benchmark for avoiding catastrophic climate warming—we may still see oceans creep four feet farther inland by 2100 and rise 20 feet by as soon as 2200. That's according to a new study published in the July issue of Science.
Feb 2017
Dog Management Rule on Hold at Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The National Park Service is putting on hold the signing of the Record of Decision and the publication of the Final Rule for Dog Management at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The decision comes in response to requests from members of Congress to extend the waiting period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement. This pause will also allow the National Park Service to conduct a review of certain records being released in response to an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to the park's Dog Management plan and rule.
To date, the National Park Service has released more than 260,000 pages of documents dating as far back as 1999 in response to the FOIA request. As part of its ongoing release of records under FOIA, in late-December 2016, the Park Service learned that a former park employee had used personal email for official communications related to the Dog Management Plan planning process. Upon learning this, the Park Service contacted the former employee and obtained his cooperation to conduct a search of his personal email accounts for agency records related to the Dog Management Plan planning process. As a result of that search, the Park Service recovered approximately 137 pages of emails that were responsive to the FOIA request. Those FOIA records will be released and posted today at https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/management/dog-management-records.htm, "Records Released January, 2017".
The Park Service will conduct an independent inquiry into whether personal email was used in a manner that is not consistent with applicable laws and policies, and if so, whether its use affected the planning and rulemaking processes. The Park Service will report the results of the internal review to the public. To help ensure an independent and impartial review, the inquiry will be conducted by National Park Service personnel who were not involved in the dog management planning process.
Further action under the National Environmental Policy Act and the rulemaking process for the Dog Management Plan will await the findings and conclusions of the independent review.
February 2017
SFPD Rolls Out October Speed Limit Enforcement Plan
Officer writes a ticket
Citywide Effort Part of New Campaign to Reduce Unsafe Speeds on High-Crash Streets
The San Francisco Safe Speeds Campaign will begin this October and will continue through the fall of 2017.
SFPD will be enforcing the speed limits on targeted areas that have high speeding and collision rates that were identified by the SFMTA, Department of Public Health, and SFPD.
The goal of the Safe Speeds Campaign is to protect pedestrians who walk or bike, as they account for over half of the traffic deaths in San Francisco. A citywide map of the areas being enforced will be shared with the public in hope of spreading awareness to change dangerous driving habits.
When the Safe Speeds SF campaign ends in fall 2017, city agencies will have new data and analysis about the role of enforcement in citywide speed deterrence. The map below portrays the corridors for High Visibility Enforcement for Safe Speed Campaign. Visit the Safe Speeds SF Campaign website for more information:
James Corrigan, Forest Hill Extension, snapped this picture of a Coyote at Vasquez and Laguna Honda Blvd. on July 4, 2015.
July-August 2015
Settlement Reached — Forest Knolls Gets New Neighbors
Illustration of proposed Forest Knolls Project
After a lengthy dispute with Mount Sutro Wood Owners Association which lead to a battle in Superior Court that kept the project from proceeding as approved, “Outlook Project” settlement has been reached. Approved for development in early 2013 with a total 34-units (24 duplexes and 10 townhomes), at the end of Crestmont Drive on the western slope of Mount Sutro.
The settlement,reduces the units from 34 to 29, with five (5) duplexes will be reduced in height by a story as single-family homes.
May 2015
Renewed Controls On Massage Parlors?
All massage establishments will have to have a Department of Public Health establishment permit and all new massage establishments will have to receive Conditional Use approval with certain exceptions if Supervisor Tang’s legislation returning land use and regulatory controls over massage establishments to the city’s jurisdiction. This will allow neighborhood notification and input of their opening.
If you would like to send letters or emails of support for the legislation, please send them to the members of the Land Use & Transportation Committee noting your support of Files 141302 and 141303.
SEIU USWW janitors and handymen went on the picket line on Tuesday April 14, at Parkmerced management brought in a new contractor who refused to allow them to continue their jobs. Thirty two workers were terminated — many have worked for over 20 years at the large housing project. Replacement workers are being brought into the complex to take their jobs. Many residents of Parkmerced have voiced their support for the workers.
May 2015
Likely Ballot Challenge to Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb) Filed
April 29th, Share Better San Francisco filed an initiative ordinance for the November 2015 ballot to tighten regulations on short-term residential rentals to tourists, such as those offered by HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb, and provide the tools City Planning staff say are needed to provide effective enforcement of the law.
· Imposes fines on hosting platforms that list illegal or unregistered short-term rental (STR) units
· Requires quarterly reports of rental nights from hosts and hosting platforms
· Caps the number of allowable rental nights at 75 per year, hosted or unhosted, to discourage conversion of units to full-time STR use
· Allows ‘regular folks’ who may be directly impacted by illegal short-term rentals access to an effective enforcement alternative only if the City elects not to act on valid complaints
· Provides notification to neighbors and HOAs when STR registration is issued
The City Attorney has two weeks to prepare an official summary of the initiative. “We expect to begin gathering signatures in mid-May and will submit more than the 9,700 valid signatures required by July 6th,” said Dale Carlson, from the public relations firm, Carlson Advisors.
May 2015
City’s Granny Dumping Spike
City Health Department’s Missing Report Concealed Shameless Patient Dumping
by Patrick Monette-Shaw
The hospitals shed their Skilled Nursing bed capacity in the City’s private sector hospitals en masse. It Was adversely affecting profits
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.
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
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.
A 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.
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.
While gasoline tax-paying automobile owners finance the streets of San Francisco San Francisco’s Budget finances the SF Bicycle Coalition, a private entity?
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.
Local school board elections used to be sleepy affairs. No more. Political activists now pay close attention to these local contests — for good reasons.
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.
The 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.
With 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.
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.
“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.
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.
Two 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.
Unfortunately,it also has many disadvantages. The gas is explosive. It needs to be compressed or converted into other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia...
A 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.
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.
While gasoline tax-paying automobile owners finance the streets of San Francisco San Francisco’s Budget finances the SF Bicycle Coalition, a private entity?
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.
Local school board elections used to be sleepy affairs. No more. Political activists now pay close attention to these local contests — for good reasons.
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.
The 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.
With 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.
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.
“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.
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.
Two 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.
Unfortunately,it also has many disadvantages. The gas is explosive. It needs to be compressed or converted into other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia...
Every five years, the EPA determines the success of superfund cleanups
New Shipyard Report Confirms: Unsafe for Habitation
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
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
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.
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.
“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.
New proposed location for Ocean View Library is ideal
by Glenn Rogers
Few 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.
When 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.
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.
Your 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!).
UCSF proposes settlement for Joseph Miranda and his radioactive truck
ONE BIG MAN — ONE HOT TRUCK!
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
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.
Assessing Judge Bergert’s use of mental health diversions
by Lou Barberini
Fortunately 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).
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.
The 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.
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.
Neighbors apprehend a thief in the act, but will he be back on the street?
A Man Walks Into a Walgreens ...
by Michael Antonini
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
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.
Delayed Inspections Mean Dumping More Seniors Out-of-County
Laguna Honda Hospital’s Endless Waiting Game
by Patrick Monette-Shaw
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.
Falling advertisements, digital transitions and major lay-offs plague journalists
by Dr. Derek Kerr
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.
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.
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.
District Elections, London Breed & the Housing Exageration
by Quentin Kopp
Construction 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.
Owner 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.
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.
Laguna Honda’s battle to keep 120 skilled nursing beds is unnecessary.
Patrick Monette-Shaw
LHH’s bedrooms exceed the minimum square-foot restrictions. They have sliding doors between each bedroom — essentially making them all private, single-person rooms.
It’s time to assess Prop 47’s havoc on the safety of San Franciscans
by Lou Barberini
Before 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.
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.
It’s time to assess Prop 47’s havoc on the safety of San Franciscans
by Lou Barberini
Before 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.
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.
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.
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.
City Family’s coziness with contractors sustains a “Homeless-Industrial-Complex." Politically-connected entrepreneurs are awarded City contracts and return the favor.
Giving 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.
Laguna Honda Finally Hires a Nursing Home Administrator
Patrick Monette-Shaw
After 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.
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.
It Could lead to more arrests of protestors, minorities, or anyone the State considers a threat if artificial intelligence is designed and executed improperly.
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.
April 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
Just Released—Laguna Honda Hospital's Revised Closure Plan
Patrick Monette-Shaw
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.
Fentanyl 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.
The 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
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.
Controller'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.
Billions and Billions Later, California's High-speed Rail Future Is Still Illusive
by Quentin Kopp
The 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
For decades, the City has allowed weaker standards for buildings shorter than 240 feet — no signs of seriously considering these structural deficiencies.
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.
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.
Did 20 years of mismanagement prompt the Feds to intervene?
The Bungled Management of Laguna Honda
Patrick Monette-Shaw
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
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
Poor people seldom end up on the street.But, addicted and mentally ill people become “disaffiliated” from supporters – a key determinant of street homelessness
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...
Madam Mayor parties down as City is deluged in “atmospheric river”
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.
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
...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.
Willie 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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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
Farmers Market and St. Ignatious in Tug-of-war over parking spaces
by Jonathan Farrell
...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...
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.
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?
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.
“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.
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.
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%.
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.
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.
...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?”
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.
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...
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%.
...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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Labor Union Sues City for Corruption and Retaliation
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?
… 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.
... 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.
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
... 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.
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.
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
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 ...
Persistent Corruption, Incompetence & Some Good News
by Quentin Kopp
Despite City Hall corruption, Supervisors ignore Recology’s garbage monopoly...a year has passed with a minor refund of rate overcharges thanks to Controller Ben Rosenfield...
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 ...?
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.
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.
We have one coastline; we should prioritize this safe place to recreate and be with neighbors—not a redundant roadway separating the neighborhood from the coast to save drivers a couple minutes.
Moving physically - or mentally-challenged patients is clearly detrimental to their health...leaving fragile patients stranded, miles away from their families and friends
..income disclosures serve to identify and deter potential conflicts of interest, pay-to-play deals and bribes ... But something was omitted – the lavish cost of the banquet at the Old Skool Café.
Their plan—use the earthquake bond money to upgrade antiquated and fragile drinking water mains, is the reason expansion of the high-pressure hydrants cannot be completed before mid-century.
Does 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.
Homelessness is so grueling that getting high brings welcome relief. When the high wears off, a dysphoric “crash” ensues along with a craving for more meth.
With less water in the rivers, the temperature increases, killing salmon and allowing the green scum called algae bloom that can make water toxic to humans and fish.
You already know what you want to do. And you have already been told, loudly, that riders want — and need — all their old routes back in operation. Soon. Not months from now. Therefore, the phoney survey.
