It’s too bad that Mayor Gavin Newsom’s communications director Nathan Ballard doesn’t seem to understand due process. At least not from an immigrant’s perspective.

I don’t say this lightly.

Ballard’s biography states that he is a former deputy city attorney, with a law degree from the University of California, Hastings. Read more »

The California Media Workers Guild is reporting that more than 80 workers applied for voluntary termination at the San Francisco Chronicle. THe Guild is also warning that because if the large numbers of volunteers, 60-day notices of involuntary layoffs may not be triggered--meaning workers won't get an extra two months of pay.

The Democratic County Central Committee voted last night by an overwhelming majority (20 ayes, 5 abstains, I no) to support Debra Walker’s strong resolution, recommitting “support of the Constitution and our city’s Sanctuary Ordinance for all,” and rejecting Scott Wiener’s watered-down version (19 noes, 3 abstained, 5 ayes).

Walker, who plans to run for District 6 supervisor, when incumbent Chris Daly is termed out next year, says DCCC’s vote made her, “ feel good about the party.”

“It’s been wa Read more »

City Attorney Dennis Herrera has announced a stimulus spending taskforce, which he says will aim, " to coordinate legal compliance and guarantee maximum transparency, efficiency and accountability for city investments made possible by the federal government's recently enacted $787 billion economic stimulus package."

"Our paramount duty is to ensure that this unprecedented level of federal funding is invested honestly and in ways that deliver real value to our communities and our children -- we will not tolerate waste, fraud or abuse," Herrera said in a press release.

"When President Obama si Read more »

Carl Hall, the Chronicle’s California Media Workers Guild representative, just emailed me, regarding my article in today's newspaper about the future of journalism

Hall wrote to point out that I had inaccurately reported that the Guild has “voted to accept 150 layoffs and accept seniority considerations” at the Chronicle.

But as Hall notes, “Our contract like most guild contracts does not contain any prohibition against layoffs, and there's not been any requirement that the Read more »

It's not easy being mayor. Especially, when you are running for governor.

In the past few years, Mayor Gavin Newsom appeared to have mastered the way to silence his critics: he avoided debating them.

He refused to show up to Board meetings. Read more »

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U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) has introduced legislation that would allow newspapers to become non-profits.

Cardin says the Newspaper Revitalization Act is intended to help the faltering newspaper industry survive. Read more »

I got voice mail from Ron Vinson, chief administrative officer of the SanFrancisco Department of Technology, today, advising me that the City's website to track Obama's stimpack dollars is still under construction.

When I checked the link, which is where I downloaded the piechart (shown above) yesterday, as part of my quest to find out just Read more »

Do you sometimes forget to flip the manual light switch when you leave the office? If so, Board President David Chiu hopes that the prospect of fines will help you break this environmentally unfriendly habit.

Chiu has introduced an ordinance that prohibits commercial buildings from lighting unoccupied interior spaces after business hours. Read more »

During yesterday’s Board committee hearing, which Sup. Read more »