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Politics Blog

Reports of new director appointment at SF arts museums follow critical NYT piece

03.18.13 - 12:26 pm | Rebecca Bowe |
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A report in the New York Times this past weekend highlighted troubles at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which were also outlined in twin reports in the Guardian two weeks ago. Read more »

Should bars be open until 4 am?

03.15.13 - 4:56 pm | Tim Redmond |
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State Sen. Mark Leno is introducing a bill that would allow (not require, allow) cities to designate areas where bars could stay open and serve alcohol until 4 am. It's not going to lead to a rampage of all-night drinking -- the bill calls for a three-stage approval system that would allow public input at every step. But it might allow a handful of clubs in the city to stay open later -- something that works just fine in a lot of other places, including most of New York State.Read more »

CPMC deal gets warm welcome despite some shortcomings

03.15.13 - 2:49 pm | Steven T. Jones |
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Even though the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the term sheet for the California Pacific Medical Center's hospital deal this week, comments from the supervisors and the general public indicated there are still a few outstanding issues before the project returns to the board for final approval, probably in July.Read more »

MUNI switchbacks disproportionately affect low-income and outlying areas

03.15.13 - 2:40 pm | Rebecca Bowe |
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MUNI switchbacks may be on the decline overall, but when you zero in on who bears the brunt of these annoying service disruptions, it becomes clear that not all transit passengers are created equal. In fact, the vast majority of these annoying service disruptions were concentrated in just three locations this past January, according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) data.Read more »

The FBI and Occupy

03.14.13 - 4:28 pm | Tim Redmond |
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A federal judge will decide March 15 whether to dismiss a lawsuit by the ACLU and the Bay Guardian seeking access to FBI records showing the agency’s involvement with the Occupy movement.

As if often the case, the FBI’s legal motions tell an interesting story that sheds light on what some of the still-unreleased documents might show.
The filings make it clear that the FBI was not only spying on the Occupy movement but was sharing data with local law-enforcement agencies -- and at some point may have classified some part of the Occupy movement as international terrorists.Read more »

SEIU 1021 employees authorize strike as its clash with the city goes to arbitration

03.14.13 - 4:19 pm | Steven T. Jones |
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[UPDATE: The two sides reportedly reached a tenative agreement over the weekend]. Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents most city employees in San Francisco, continues to fight both internal and external challenges, with its own staff employees overwhelmingly authorizing a strike just as the union battles the city over pay equity issues.Read more »

Those infuriating private buses

03.14.13 - 2:02 pm | Tim Redmond |
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People in the Mission continue to get more and more angry with the private tech-company buses clogging streets and filling up Muni stops; here's a great photo of two of the behemoths forcing Muni passengers to walk out into the street to catch the bus that is supposed to be at the stop.Read more »

Tough questions asked on America's Cup fundraising shortfall

03.13.13 - 5:53 pm | Rebecca Bowe |
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At a March 13 subcommittee hearing called by Sup. John Avalos, representatives from the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), the America's Cup Organizing Committee (ACOC) and others were called upon to explain why coordinators of the prestigious yacht race have failed to reach projected fundraising targets to defray city costs. If the fundraising goals aren't reached, the city’s General Fund could weather a $13 million hit to cover costs for the sailing event.Read more »

Supervisors approve Western SoMa Plan, rejecting expanded office development

03.12.13 - 4:29 pm | Steven T. Jones |
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The Board of Supervisors today approved the Western South of Market Community Plan, the first step to ending a development moratorium that has been in place since the citizen-based planning process that developed the plan began in 2005, but not before some supervisors made a last-ditch effort to allow more office development and nightlife.Read more »

The 8 Washington shit show

03.12.13 - 2:31 pm | Tim Redmond |
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The latest problem with the 8 Washington condo project emerged March 12 when the Chron reported on a new study that shows construction of the most pricey condos in San Francisco history could threaten a major sewer line that serves a quarter of the city. Read more »