News

Better than anyone would have ever expected, San Francisco local government received a (very generous) C+ grade on its annual survey. The city polled around 2,700 residents between January and March, and its findings released today. While it would have been nice to see SF citizens score their leaders somewhere in the 'gifted' range, that's just not the case. Blame it on a chronically distant mayor who has trouble laughing at himself, a group of (alleged) progressives who anointed a mentally-unfit celebrity as their king, overly persnickety residents, or whatever. Fame-whoring masquerading as leadership aside, overall city services scored somewhere between the A to B range, public transit scored a B (!), and public safety scored a B. With regard to Muni, the reports goes on to say, "62 percent of residents gave Muni favorable ratings for convenience of routes, but only 42 percent for safety, 39 percent for driver courtesy, 33 percent for timeliness and reliability, and 30 percent for cleanliness." more ›

Our Gmail account efficiently filters out all undesirable emails, but we hear there's been an onslaught of swine flu "miracle cure" email scams seeking to victimize Grandma's AOL account. more ›

After failing to make a deal with creditors, automaker Chrysler will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today in New York. The White House had been pushing for controlled bankruptcy if the automaker wasn't able to restructure in time; according to CNBC, "The talks for a restructuring of Chrysler had had the full support of the company's key stakeholders, including the UAW and the largest creditors, but the rest of creditors did not agree." Bloomberg News reports, "The president’s staff plans to use the filing to pave the way for Fiat Spa to take a 20 percent stake in the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker." President Obama spoke about the bankruptcy filing just now, noting that it would be a "quick, official and controlled" process" that "will give Chrysler not only a chance to survive but to thrive in the global auto industry... I have every confidence that Chrysler will emerge from this process stronger and more competitive." more ›

Cabo San Lucas turns into a ghost town, more schools close in the East Bay, WHO raises pandemic threat level to 5, hand sanitizer flying off shelves -- Swine Flu Watch 2K9 is in full effect. As of Wednesday evening, there were "12 confirmed or probable cases" of the piggie flu in Contra Costa, Marin, and Santa Clara counties. However, according to public health officials, keeping track of flu case numbers will be "futile" since it's "spreading too fast to count accurately." (Gulp.) What's more, with so many people afraid that they might have caught the swine flu, hospitals are setting up special flu processing centers. That it to say, triage tents and makeshift screening center are being setup, such as the one in the parking lot of Sutter Delta in Antioch. more ›

San Francisco retailer Gap Inc. has issued a voluntary recall for some Baby Gap coats due to a choking hazard. The coats, according to KTVU, have little "toggle fasteners," one that could detach from the coat, go down your child's throat, suffocate, and kill them. Sizes infant sizes up to 24 months, Gap is asking for the return of the Rose Toggle Hoodie, Pink Duffle Coat, and Blue Plaid and Mojave Toggle Coat. You can take back your baby's coat for a full refund. (OK, Gap fashion geniuses, whose none-too-swift idea was it to put toggle fasteners on a baby's coat? Sheesh.) In related news, who at Gap, Inc. do we talk to about getting this year's regular and very redundant line recalled? Because there's only so many horizontal pastels one person can take. more ›

Late last night the body of deceased Shell refinery employee William Maddock, who had been with the company for 22 years, was found inside a water holding tank on plant property in Martinez. The discovery followed an extensive search of the grounds after Maddock failed to check in at the end of his graveyard shift Wednesday morning. He was last seen at around 2:30 Wednesday morning, and was finally found at 11PM. The cause of death is still unknown. Sounds like natural causes, but the paranoid should feel free to piece together a conspiracy theory involving terrorism and petroleum resources. more ›

In light of yesterday's astounding Zodiac Killer announcement, the SFPD said they will look into Deborah Perez's claims that her late father, Guy Ward Hendrickson, was the infamous Zodiac Killer. Sgt. Lyn Tomioka, according to KCBS, said yesterday that "homicide investigators will check into information from a woman who said she was a little girl when her father killed at least two of the known victims nearly 40 years ago" Among her claims at yesterday's press conference in front of the SF Chronicle building: Perez came along with he father as her performed the murders, she embroidered the mask he wore, the Zodiac Killer lived in Orange Country, and that she only remembered what happened after watching an episode of America's Most Wanted. (Depending of which psychology expert you talk to, most of them believe Repressed Memory Syndrome to be a myth.) more ›

Sign of the times: All three Berkeley j-school dean finalists drop out. (Wouldn't you?) [Romenesko]

Ryan Caskey, the University of San Francisco ROTC cadet accused of raping at least four other USF students on campus, was scheduled to appear in court this morning. Caskey plead 'not guilty' to four counts of rape and "four counts of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury." more ›

Power Exchange, the 13-year-old sex club formerly located at 72 Otis that shutdown last year due to financial difficulties, wanted to open again, this time at 44 Gough. All was going according to plan, until one perturbed citizen, Lisa Dunmeyer, a Brady Street resident, put the kibosh on the popular humping space. It seems that said sex club (allegedly) attracted an unsavory crowd, one that would embarrass her in front of her guests. "When she had friends over," reports Mission Local, "they couldn’t believe the action. Cars circled the block blasting music, and prostitutes walked up and down the street." more ›

Tyra Banks was and vulnerable when she testified in the NYC trial of a man accused of stalking her. A lawyer for Brady Green, 39, claims his client is just an "overzealous fan" and that he's just reaching out to her, the way Banks tells fans on her website. However, a staffer for the Tyra Banks Show didn't appreciate Green's way of reaching out: A producer claims that Green threatened to slit his throat because he refused to give him the address of the studios. Green, who has sent flowers and made numerous calls, managed to find the studios anyway and was arrested when he went into an unsanctioned area. Banks said, "I don't live that kind of sheltered, protected life. I like to walk around my neighborhood...[But now] I fear the safety of my staffers. I fear the safety of my family. I fear the safety of people in my vicinity." FWIW, the courtroom sketch of Banks is amazing—you can just tell she's smiling with her eyes. more ›

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short. more ›

The attorneys for former Bart police officer Johannes Mehserle, who killed Oscar Grant on New Years Day, are asking the Alameda County Superior Court judge to disqualify District Attorney Tom Orloff and his office from the case. The lawyers say that Orloff violated state and federal laws, State Bar ethics rules, and the Constitution when he sent two Oakland officers to question Mehserle in Nevada without his attorney present. Based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1964, these circumstances would ordinarily result in any evidence obtained in the illegal questioning being suppressed, but Mehserle had invoked his right to remain silent and refused to speak to the officers. Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola University in Los Angeles and a former federal prosecutor, told the Chronicle that removing an entire prosecutor's office from a case for a violation would be extreme. "I think most judges would have a stern talking-to with the prosecutor, but if there's no evidence to suppress, that would be the end of it." State Attorney General Jerry Brown would take over the prosecution if Orloff's office were to be removed. more ›

In a meeting with the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, CoCo DA Robert Kochly offered up a plan that would enable his office to prosecute misdemeanors. Kochly had previously said he wouldn't prosecute crimes like burglary, shoplifting, reckless driving, pot smoking, due to budget cuts—even telling police not to send cases to his office—a plan that naturally upset the Board of Supervisors. Now, through a combination of full-time prosecutors staying on and taking a 10% pay cut himself, Kochly can keep six contract attorneys for a little while. The board must now find a "long-term solution to present to the board in 120 days," according to WCBS 5. Others criticize the county for putting public safety at risk with the cuts but Kochly said, "I refuse to accept that there’s no more money anywhere. I’m hopeful that there can be funds identified.” For some interesting reading, check out Crazy in Suburbia's look at Kochly's earnings, which include his DA salary PLUS a six-figure pension from earlier work for the county. more ›

Senator Arlen Specter, reborn as a Democrat, appeared at the White House with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and said, "I think that I can be of assistance to you, Mr. President. ... There are a lot of big issues we're tackling now that I've been deeply involved in." Specter and Biden are good friends; the NY Times reports that Biden had been pressing Specter about switching parties lately: In the past 10 weeks, "Mr. Biden and Mr. Specter had spoken 14 times — six times in person and eight in telephone conversations. [Each time] Mr. Biden argued that the Republican Party had increasingly drifted away from Mr. Specter since the election and that ideologically, he was closer to the Democratic Party." Today, Obama said, "I don't expect Arlen to be a rubber stamp. In fact, I'd like to think that Arlen's decision reflects recognition that this administration is open to many different ideas and many different points of view... I'm eager to receive his counsel and his advice, especially when he disagrees." more ›

Two-time Academy Award winner and Marin resident Sean Penn filed for divorce from his wife, actress Robin Wright-Penn. Penn filed the papers on Friday. If you recall, Sean and Robin had planned on calling it quits back in December 2007, but reconciled. The thespianic couple, who have two children, starred in several movies together, including Hurlyburly (1998) and She’s So Lovely (1997). But the question remains, why are they breaking up? Who's to say. Maybe Penn and James Franco can finally be together? We can only hope. more ›

The San Francisco Police Department is going to crack down on underage drinking at AT&T Park this week, according to KTVU. Apparently other Giants fans have complained about junior alcohol enthusiasts so the SFPD will emphasize a "zero-tolerance policy for violations of underage alcohol possession and consumption and public drunkenness laws during baseball games." Wait a minute, public drunkenness also applies to the of-age beer guzzlers—does this mean fans will have to...behave? The increased police presence will start on Friday and the monitoring inside and outside the park will be in effect for the rest of the season. The SFPD adds that it's "working with our neighboring law enforcement agencies in the educational outreach program regarding underage drinking in the stadium and vicinity" and that "flyers regarding the laws about underage drinking and the consequences of violating those laws" will also be distributed around and on the way to the stadium. more ›

According to today's press conference, the Zodiac Killer was some guy named Guy Ward Hendrickson. Whatever. But here's where it gets good: Hendrickson allegedly took his daughter, Deborah Perez, along with him for the murders. more ›

A federal judge ordered the Library of Congress to pay $500,000 to former Army Special Forces Commander Diane Schroer (née David Schroer) on Tuesday. Why? Well, after landing a terrorism analyst gig while she was still a man, the job was rescinded after Schroer told a library official that she was having sexual reassignment surgery to switch gender. This, to which many SFist readers can attest, is a problem transgendered folk face on a regular basis. "If [transgendered people] are fortunate enough to get something, it's well below their capabilities. It's not just about money, it's about knowing you are a valuable person," Schroer said after the settlement. After ruling in her favor in September, U.S. District Judge James Robertson wrote, "She experienced the emotional pain and suffering of losing her dream job merely because she was a transsexual," going on to point out, "She was well qualified for the job." more ›

While trolling over in Sacramento this past weekend at the Democratic convention, Mayor Gavin Newsom, according to Matier et Ross, threw a $100,000 block party. Would you expect anything less? Anyway, the possible future governor of California spared little expense, featuring 1,500 reusable aluminum water bottles, embossed with Gavin's name; plenty of nibbles and booze; and a performance by (the notoriously prickly) Wyclef Jean. Even Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson made an cameo to declare the"next governor of California." (Booze? block party? hip hop? How very urban of you, Gavin.) The bill, M&R go on to report, was collected from sponsors such as AT&T, PG&E., the California Teachers Association, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 6, and Greentech California. In related news, Siebel doesn't seem to be showing yet. more ›

Shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a charter bus carrying French tourists overturned on a Highway 101 overpass in Soledad, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, killing at least 5 and injuring over a dozen passengers. According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Wiest, the accident ejected four passengers from the vehicle, "sending one over the side of the road and onto railroad tracks 60 to 70 feet below. "It's a tragedy," Wiest said. "It's certainly one of worst I've seen in a long time." KTVU reports that a total of "36 people had been on board, including 34 French tourists, one Canadian tour guide and an American driver." The group was driving down to Southern California, heading to LAX to fly back to France. Three patients were whisked away to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, who are still in critical condition. One, a 52-year-old man, later died, according to hospital spokeswoman Adrienne Laurent. No word yet on what exactly caused the accident. more ›

In case you aren't tuned into City Planning and Architectural Preservation news, the SFBG has a new piece about the battle surrounding the possible demolition of 113 Steuart Street, which once housed the Longshoremen's union during a historic labor strike in 1934. It seems the developer hired preservationist architects Page & Turnbull to write up an assessment of the property which failed to mention anything about the historic strike or the events that took place there, and it was only after Supervisor Aaron Peskin and preservation activists researched the building themselves that Page & Turnbull amended their report. The Guardian asserts that this was a primary reason why the Board of Supes voted to reject Newsom's nomination of one of P&T's principals, Ruth Todd, to the city's Historic Preservation Commission. more ›

The Bay Area serial killer who murdered Bay Area residents in the late 1960s and 1970s, leaving behind bizarre letters, has been identified, or so says a private investigatory group. The team, formed by now deceased San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli, is comprised of "investigators and forensic experts." According to Edward Lozzi, the group's spokesman, the team will announce the killer's name, support their claim "with forensic evidence, including cryptology and handwriting analysis, along with new information from law enforcement investigations and murder accomplice evidence." What's most surprising about their alleged discovery is that the Zodiac Killer (or "Killers") targeted their victims. "The murders were not random. They were definitely people who were targeted ... This is an entirely new direction," said Lozzi. A noon news conference will be held today with the official announcement. more ›

After one confirmed case of swine flu and thee other possible cases, two Bay Area schools have closed. First, San Jose's Branham High School will be shut down for a week after a student tested positive. The school will reopen May 6. Then, in Pittsburg, Highlands Elementary School was closed down after three fourth-graders have "probable cases" of the rapidly spreading flu. Thirteen other students "either called in sick or were sent home Tuesday with flu-like symptoms" as well. In related news, the first confirmed death in the U.S. from swine flu was reported, a 23-month-old in Houston, Texas more ›

See the Old Mint turned into a 3D palate HD art experience. [SF Weekly] Figuring out why 200 koi have died at San Jose's Japanese Friendship Garden. [Mercury News] more ›

Before Miss California Carrie Prejean spoke her mind on same-sex marriage, which, if you recall, she isn't too keen on, she was hanging with noted NYC club scene transsexual superstar Amanda Lepore. While Lepore doesn't remember her night out with the future Miss California, she does have some words for her. Ahem: "It's really bad for a Miss USA contestant not to believe in gay marriage. As Miss USA, you have to get your hair and makeup done by gay people ... it's bad karma! ... It's stupid for her to be running for Miss USA to say that. It's a dumbbell remark. If you're Miss USA, you are supposed to be smart and that's not a smart idea." If you're Miss USA, you're supposed to be smart, eh? Well, they both share a fondness for stupid remarks, so we're sure they had a harmonious evening together at the very least. more ›

Peter Thiel -- noted gay Silicon Valley libertarian, PayPal co-founder, and the one of the first Facebook investors -- recently penned an essay in which he suggests that the last time one could be "genuinely optimistic" about U.S. politics was just before dames got the right to vote. In Cato Unbound, a site run by libertarian-ish Cato Institute, Thiel suggests the following. more ›

Area bankruptcy filings have gone up 50% in the first quarter of 2009, compared to last year, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Records at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Jose (which covers Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties) showed 2,399 filings in Q1 2009; for Q1 2008, there were just over 1,500 while in Q1 2006, there were just 500. One bankruptcy lawyer explained, "We're seeing cutbacks in electronics and at Sun, Yahoo — large numbers of people are having their income cut, and for many it's making their house unaffordable," while another points out many of those filings are from "people in their mid-50s, formerly with Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Intel and Applied Materials... They've been with these employers, in some cases, for decades. They are engineers, highly skilled people, and now they're being laid off. I didn't see that in the last downturn." more ›

What with the swine flu breaking out in Sacramento, Marin County, and "the possibility that a California man may have died from the disease" (which, actually, wasn't the case) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today. According to Sacto Bee, "Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to work together in their responses, allowed some departments to enter into contracts for services and materials and waived some certification requirements at public health labs to expand California's ability to test for the virus." ABC News goes on to report that the U.S. should expect more people in different states to be affected by the swine flu outbreak. more ›

A couple of weeks ago, SFist reported that all-ages clubs The Fillmore, Great American Music Hall, Slims, Bottom of the Hill, Cafe Du Nord, and DNA Lounge, were all under threat of being shut down by the Alcoholic Beverage Control due to minor permit discrepancies. Senator Mark Leno met with ABC officers and reportedly came to an agreement that they would work together to keep the clubs in business. more ›

The first two cases of swine flu were just discovered last night. Two Marin residents, an unidentified 60-year-old woman and her 20-month-old granddaughter, just tested positive for swine flu. Both of them, it seems, had just returned from a trip to Mexico. According to SFGate, "The woman and child were described as having had a 'moderate' flu illness after their return from Mexico; the child has already recovered and her grandmother is now experiencing only mild symptoms, according to the Marin County officials. Other family members were tested and were receiving medication as a precaution." To find out more information on swine flu hitting the Bay Area, visit www.marinflu.org. (Swine flu fun fact: In Israel, the government officially renamed it "Mexico flu" because pigs aren't kosher.) more ›

Last night, there was a notable fan watching last night's Giants-Dodgers game: Barry Bonds, who was greeted by cheers of "Barry! Barry! Barry!" The Giants' website reports that the infamous player "created a stir when he took a front-row seat during the first inning between Giants managing general partner Bill Neukom and team president Larry Baer. The all-time home run leader drew applause from the stunned fans who immediately recognized him, then prompted a noisy standing ovation from the crowd before the top of the second inning when he received a video tribute and was introduced over the public-address system." more ›

According to new reports, Philip Markoff, AKA the Craigslist Killer, accused of murdering 26-year-old masseuse Julissa Brisman, also went after biological men. An anonymous source in Boston told NBC News "I posted an ad on Craigslist under 'males for transsexuals' ... "That's where he found me." Though the two never met, Markoff replied to the tranny delight using the e-mail address sexaddict5385@yahoo.com, saying, "I am a 22 y/o grad student. 6'3", 205, good build, blond/blue eyes ... let me know what else you want to see or know about me." Markoff also send the source explicit photos of himself, which helped him identify Markoff to police. Markoff, a deeply in debt medical student with a Scott Peterson-like charm, is also suspected of robbing a woman in a Boston hotel prior to Brisman's murder. more ›

"If you are flipping through the channels. I will be on Rachel Maddow at 615 PST," read Mayor Gavin Newsom's prefered form of communication. And so he was, doing a decent job too. (Say what you will about Gavin, but he is as camera-ready as they come.) Newsom chatted with MSNBC's sharpest media darling about LGBT rights, same-sex marriage in Iowa, his run for governor, and more. more ›

Last year, Mayor Newsom and Supervisor Maxwell introduced legislation aimed at reforming the nightclub industry. Apparently, not much has been accomplished since then. more ›

Passive-aggressive temper tantrum risking citizen safety? Deft decision to save time and money not prosecuting lesser crimes? Open invitation for anarchistic bedlam? We'll see. After a $1.9 million pruning of his budget, Costa County District Attorney Robert Kochly announced this week that "he would no longer prosecute a host of misdemeanor crimes." Said crimes he will no longer prosecute include burglary, shoplifting, reckless driving, pot smoking, and other misdemeanors. Why? Because his office no longer has the money or staff to try so many low-level cases. As a result of budget-related layoffs, according to SFGate, "there will only be 72 prosecutors in an office with an authorized strength of 100." more ›

Named after the duffel bag in which he was abandoned, "Duffy" was discovered by residents in Burlingame near the Embassy Suites at SFO on April 5. Although he was left there for more than eight hours, the cat is reportedly fine and ready for a loving, caring home. Humane society spokesman Scott Delucchi said, "We're assuming that whoever dumped the cat didn't know animal abandonment is illegal. (Another thing the unidentified animal abuser didn't know: that they will burn for eternity in the lower circles of hell.) If you would like to adopt "Duffy" (and who wouldn't?!) or any other pet who needs a safe home, please contact the Peninsula Humane Society at 650-340-7022. But remember, pets are neither accessories nor home accents. Please use caution before deciding to adopt. UPDATE: Duffy has been adopted. Yay! But, remember, there still plenty more fuzzy faces out there that need homes. more ›

Senator Arlen Specter, the 29-year Senate veteran from Pennsylvania, announced today that he was changing his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. In a statement, he said, "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans." One motivating reason: Specter is lagging behind a challenger in the Republican primary. President Obama told Specter, "You have my full support. [We're] thrilled to have you," and now the Democrats have a near-filibuster-proof majority—they'll have it, if Al Franken is ever seated in Minnesota. The GOP, reportedly caught off-guard, is calling an emergency meeting. SFGate points out that Specter's "legacy as former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was seating [the] two conservative Supreme Court justices...Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito." more ›

In about a month, you can officially get your TransLink card for BART. According to SFGate, "testing of the regional TransLink fare card on BART appears to have had no major glitches, providing a shot of good news for a project that has been hampered by years of delay." Come May 8, riders will get to test out TransLink for BART. Which, of course, is fantastic news. "It will be a major milestone once TransLink is operational on BART," chirped Ann Flemer, deputy director of operations for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. more ›

Officers responded to a call at around 3:15 a.m. on Sunday morning on Susie Way in South San Francisco. Once they arrived, the officers found four victims of a brutal assault. According to CBS 5/BCN, "one of the victims had been struck in the back of the head with a beer bottle and had a serious head laceration." Apparently, this early a.m. brawl was over a parking space. That's right, a place to park a car. The suspects, who had initially ran from the scene of the crime, were arrested. Jose Gomez, 20, and Eric Vasquez, 18, taken into custody without incident, according to police. more ›

Cal State East Bay senior Jamonte Turner, 23, was gunned down at Third Street and Harrison at 2 a.m. shortly after leaving Boss Nightclub on April 18. Celebrating a night out with his colleagues, he and his friends were allegedly harassed by a group of guys once the club closed. A verbal dispute occurred outside the venue, leading to gunfire from the group of harassing men. As the friends scattered, Turner "was among those running on Third, [and] was shot from behind. He managed to make it across the street before he collapsed at Third and Folsom." He died at the scene. Police still have no leads as to who did this or the group of men involved. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact teh SFPD violent crime line at 415-575-4444. more ›

The manhunt is on for this gangsta, who allegedly robbed six Bay Area banks over the course of ten days this month. They say he's between 5' 7" and 5' 10", white, slim, with silver hoop earrings and tattoos on his neck (which, obvi, describes most of the Mission, minus the hoop earrings). He apparently doesn't wear a mask because there's a security camera photo, and he didn't have anything to do with this BofA situation a few weeks ago -- he prefers smaller heists, like a Bank of the West in Vacaville, and a Guaranty Bank in Burlingame. Any info or leads, call the SF FBI office at 415-553-7400. more ›

While the Feds want you to nix your travel plans to Mexico and Governor Schwarzenegger says California is (allegedly) prepared for Influenza Watch 2K9, Mayor Gavin Newsom's team says there's no need to panic, folks, even though the swine flu will make its way to SF. "Eventually, someone will come forward. No question, you're going to see a lot more cases. That's the nature of any kind of flu," said Newsom. Dr. Mitch Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, also asked for the public to remain calm, saying, "Were this to become a more serious epidemic, we could dispense [enough medication] rapidly." In the meantime, watch as the swine flu map grows rapidly. more ›

Some of you may recall the replica of a 17th Century Chinese war junk that toured through San Francisco last fall. It was called the Princess Taiping and its mission was to complete a round trip journey from Taiwan to prove that Chinese sailors may have reached North America before Columbus. Well, sadly (but also comically), in the waters just off Taiwan, the Princess Taiping was struck by a freighter and sunk just 30 miles from the end of its 14,000 mile journey. more ›

The insane worldwide panic preceding a potential (though unlikely?) worldwide pandemic of swine flu reached new heights today, with Australian flights from California being screened before deplaning and a woman in Hong Kong hospitalized after visiting (gasp!) San Francisco. more ›

Mountain Lion spotted in Pleasanton. [Mercury News]

Robert Cruz, 61, and Darwin Dias, 75, filed suit against San Francisco for being in gross violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. On May 26, 2007, according to reports, "Cruz and Dias, both in motorized wheelchairs, say they took an elevator down from street level to meet friends at Cable Car Coffee in Hallidie Plaza on May 26, 2007. It was a Saturday at about 2:45 p.m." When they returned to the elevator at 4 p.m., they found it shut off with a sign on it that said the elevator only operates until 3 p.m. on weekends. (!) So, they were stuck, "facing 20 stairs up to street level and six stairs down to the station." With little help from Cable Car Coffee staff or two SFPD officers (who suggested they urinate in a corner gutter if they needed relief), firefighters eventually carried them to the lower level. Tomorrow, the Board of Supervisors vote whether or not Cruz and Dias deserve $92,000 for this glaring oversight. What say you, do they deserve $92,000 for SF city employees' (chronic) lack of responsibility? more ›

In case you can't get enough swine flu information, be sure to follow the Centers for Disease Control's Twitter accounts. CNET has the scoop: "@CDCemergency... is posting new recommendations, bulletins on confirmed cases, and information on antiviral drugs and other ways to deal with or prevent the disease" and "@CDC-eHealth, is updated less often but has some good advice including this link to a CDC site where you can send family and friends a 'handwashing eCard.'" And, naturally, outside of the CDC, there's the all purpose #swineflu—example "My grandpa says he did his part to combat #swineflu by having a pork sandwich today." more ›

Maureen Dowd is kind of an idiot. And we mean that in the nicest way possible, because she seems so smart. But then she goes off and writes this. In her most recent op-ed piece for the New York Times, she attempts to show the world of online writing what's what. How so? Well, she attacks Twitter and other types of newfangled online internet world wide web sites, claims that journalists are "hot" in Hollywood right now ("Russell Crowe, playing a messy and morally ambiguous Washington investigative journalist, teaches the self-regarding blogger, Rachel McAdams, a thing or three, including why a pen is necessary" is just one example of print publishing's tenacity), and compares cumbersome newspapers to the ageless Norma Desmond. more ›

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had a press conference to reassure California residents that the state is ready to deal with the swine flu, "I can assure you that at this time there is no reason for alarm, but we want to go and do everything that we can to make sure that we prevent an outbreak here." (Outbreak? But he wasn't in movie.) With the confirmation that a student in Fair Oaks (just outside of Sacramento) has swine flu, there are now eight cases in California. You can watch his press conference here, but the press release also outlines the steps the state is taking ("Ordered increased surveillance statewide for patients with flu-like illness"), as well as some important advice: "Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it." and "Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective." more ›

Residents busted for shackling and torturing a teenager, a doctor arrested for allegedly sexually abusing patients, and a substitute teacher fingered for molesting "upward of 15 students" -- these are just a few of the bizarre crimes Tracy played host to before the rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. Why has this one-time safest city in California taken a turn for the macabre? Well, according to Joseph McNamara, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and San Jose's police chief from 1976 to 1991, says Tracy's rapid growth might be to blame. Tracy, it seems, doubled in size since the mid-1990s. "As the city grows, inevitably, the crime gets more complex, there will be more conflict ... and the police will get caught in the middle of that," said McNamara. Interesting. Central Valley readers, if you can put down the cattle prod and stick the gag back in her mouth for a second, is this true? Is Tracy really this horrific? more ›

After speaking in Berkeley on Saturday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Martin's Soup Kitchen, which primarily serves food to the homeless. Protected by heavy security and traveling in a long armored motorcade, the Dalai Lama served pasta and spoke to some of the less fortunate locals. more ›

Get your "We Are All Oscar Grant" t-shirt cleaned. Tim Redmond over at SFBG has word that BART is holding a public meeting. Why? Because "they want to hear concerns about civilian oversight of the BART police." After the New Year's Day killing of Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale station by a transit officer, BART has come under fire for, well, indiscriminate fire, so this is a decent effort to try smoothing things over via a public forum. Some want BART cops to work sans firearms. Others want to fling red paint in the face of BART general managers. Tom Ammiano wants the transit agency to create a San Francisco-ish oversight agency. But what say you? Let them know Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. at the John P. Bort Metro Center Auditorium (101 - 8th Street, Oakland). more ›

While hovering helicopters for TV shows alarm Bay Area residents, think about folks in downtown Manhattan who spotted a low-flying plane being tailed by fighter jets. Some buildings were evacuated while others told employees they were staying put—and then the FAA explained "the Defense Department is conducting a photo op that involves deploying two F-16s and escorting a Boeing 747 in the vicinity of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty... the maneuver was not an emergency and was coordinated in advance with the FAA and state and local officials." (The Boening 747 was one of the planes that the President uses, but President Obama was not on board.) Of course, the warning from NYC government came right at the same time as the maneuver, not in advance, because the feds apparently didn't want the flight to be disclosed. So, this is clearly a Department of Defense FAIL, right? Update: NYC Mayor Bloomberg is "furious" (apparently he didn't know about the flyover!) and now t he White House has apologized. more ›

While the 2009 NFL Draft's spotlight was stolen by the New York Jets' acquisition of USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, there was plenty of drama around the San Francisco 49ers' signing of wide receiver Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech. more ›

During this weekend's state Democratic convention in Sacramento, Gavin Newsom took aim at 71-year-old attorney general Jerry Brown. Newsom, who officially tossed his hat into the gubernatorial ring last week, told the crowd that the race for governor came down to a choice between a "sprint into the future" (i.e., Gav) or "a stroll down memory lane" (i..e, Brown, who earned the moniker "Governor Moonbeam" when he held the job way back in the 1970s). While not directly calling out Brown, who wants the job again in 2010, Newsom went on to say, "We're not a state of memories ... We're a state of dreams. We're Californians. We're not content to relive history. We're going to keep making it." In related news, an advisor for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, another contender in the Democratic primary for governor, slammed Newsom, saying Villaraigosa would not "Twitter while Rome burns" if he were elected. Ouch. more ›

According to the latest biannual census of the city's homeless by the SF Human Services Agency, there are 6,514 homeless living in the city, an overall increase of 2% since 2007. 78% surveyed said they were living in the city when they became homeless -- up from 62% two years ago, which homeless advocates point to as proving that it is not necessarily true that the city is a homeless magnet. more ›

Police are on the hunt for a man "wearing a do-rag" who snatched the purse of a woman early Sunday morning while she was strolling in the South SF. According to reports, the suspect walked up behind the victim and asked for her purse while brandishing a handgun. The incident occurred on Meath Drive near Carter Drive at around 2:50 a.m. The suspect is described as a "man in his late 20s was last seen wearing a black jacket with a hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes. He is about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds,." Call the South San Francisco Police Department at 650-877-8900 (ask for Officer Molyneux!) if you have any information. more ›

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map more ›

Now that swine flu hysteria is taking root, Sacramento County may have uncovered a case of swine flu, according to the Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet. This would make it Northern California's first case, with 40 cases already being reported throughout the U.S. "We do have a possible case of a student at St. Mel school in Fair Oaks," claimed Trochet. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have recommended that the school close until we can identify if this virus is indeed the swine flu virus," she said. In related news, the U.S. will begin monitoring the Mexico border, "asking people about fever and illness, looking for people who are ill." Also, the U.S. is asking residents not to travel to Mexico while the public health emergency is underway, even though Obama claims there is not a cause for alarm. (Note: You cannot catch swine flu by eating pork.) more ›

After Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal asked Craigslist to remove its 'erotic services' section, and "hire staff to screen images and ads that are in violation of the website's terms of service and take measures to fine users found in violation" due to heat stemming from the Craigslist Killer, Craig Newmark, Craigslist's CEO, said he has no plans to shutdown the pay-for-play section of the site. He also pointed out that CL already has flagging capabilities from the general public. "Sometimes a bad guy of some sort tries to pull a fast one on our site. We don't want it there, it's wrong, and that's why we have the help of the general community and the law enforcement," said Newmark. more ›

Flickr Photog David Lytle and interweb notable Jamison came across this Sunday afternoon scene at Market and Sanchez. An accident involving a motorcycle, the F-line, a silver Scion, and possibly a fourth vehicle came together in an unfortunate accident. more ›

"Much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes," reports AP, the U.S. government officially declared a public health emergency today due to the swine flu. So far, conformed outbreaks are as follows: four (4) people affected in Canada, sickened at least (20) in the U.S. (or 11, depending on which report you want to believe), and "killed dozens" in Mexico. more ›

During a bout of gunfire at the intersection of International Boulevard at 65th Street yesterday afternoon, a 1-year-old girl, a 4-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were shot and wounded in broad daylight. According to CBS 5, " a woman and the children were crossing the street after departing a corner grocery store when the gunfight began," which is when the kids came into the crossfire. All three kids are expected to survive. Also, no arrests have been made, so anyone who saw what happened yesterday afternoon, or knows of any further details, should call the Oakland Police Department's homicide team at 510-238-3821. more ›

While Gavin Newsom tours California to tout his successes as mayor of San Francisco -- not to mention spending the weekend at the insider-baseball-y Democratic Convention in Sacramento, along with practically every other SF progressive and wonk -- he hasn't solved San Francisco's ails as thoroughly as he might want you to think he has. more ›

Kink.com article prompts some cranky citizens to ban SF Weekly. [SFW]

On Saturday, the arrival of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with an Earth Day festival and "special farmer's market celebrating the elimination of plastic bags" (chortle), means that you'll want to stay as far away from Berkeley streets as possible. For his visit, the city will shutdown Allston Way between Milvia Street and Martin Luther King, Jr., Way from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At 2 p.m. he'll be at the Greek Theatre, and at 3:45 he'll chat at the Berkeley Community Theater. Also, according to SFGate, "expanded bike parking will be available at Civic Center Park, and the city's car-share fleet will be relocated to the south side of Center Street, east of Milvia, for easier access." What's more, the Earth Day Festival is scheduled to part hard from noon to 5 p.m. at Civic Center Park, 2151 Martin Luther King, Jr. Taking public transit is strongly encouraged. You've been warned. more ›

After allegedly being beaten, sexually assaulted, threatened by a Guatemalan congressman, and chronically harassed by Guatemalan police, gay Bay Area resident Saul Martinez fled to the United States in 1992. Now, after years of living in the U.S., the Feds are trying to send him back to his country of origin. According to the National Center for Lesbian Rights: more ›

A month after being on the market -- with an initial asking price of $3,200,000 -- Mayor Gavin Newsom's penthouse condo at 1101 Green Street #2001 has plummeted in price. According to SocketSite, the asking price for his 1,693 square foot one-bedroom bachelor pad has been reduced to a mere $2,995,000. more ›

Sixteen-year-old John Tagobo of South San Francisco died following a skateboarding accident in South San Francisco, according to reports. The accident occurred a little before 3 p.m. on Sunday while Tagobo was riding on Joseph and Ida in a residential neighborhood. It seems he "lost control of his skateboard, collided with a curb and was thrown about 15 feet into shrubbery." After managing to call his family, he was rushed to the hospital. He died of internal injuries the next day. Tagobo wasn't wearing any safety gear or helmet at the time of the crash, which is par for the course for skateboarders.
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...Also, it's a bad economy and cheaper notebook computers have impacted PC sales, and Apple's putting a slightly bigger dent in the market. Oh, and Vista SUCKS and never "took off like the company had hoped." As CNN/Money reports, sales were down 6% but overall profit for the 23-year-old company sank a whopping 32% for the quarter ending March 31. Sweet Jesus maybe something good will come out of this economic crisis. Oh, did we mention our bias against Windows? You can always vent your own frustrations at MicrosoftSucks.org. more ›

In their meeting yesterday, BART directors said they'd probably be raising fares by at least 6% on July 1, rather than wait until a scheduled increase next January. The increase will take the form of either a) an increase in the minimum fare, which is currently $1.50 b) a surcharge on all fares or c) a $4 surcharge on all fares to SFO bringing those trips up to the max fare of $9.35 -- this last proposal is favored by San Francisco director James Fang. None of these proposals has been brought to a vote, and a public hearing is likely to take place on or before May 28. We guess the airport thing would be our choice, because we don't go there much, and $1.60 minimum fare is just annoying. more ›

DOMA repeal unlikely in '09. [BAR]

Rape, murder, kidnapping, drugging, Ogilvie home perm disasters -- is there any crime Melissa Huckaby won't commit? Well, now we might be able to add 'arson' to her ever-growing list of felonies. The woman charged with killing and raping 8-year-old Sandra Cantu "has been questioned in connection with two arson fires in Orange County," according to CBS 5. While never convicted, Huckaby was a "person of interest" in two fires that broke out eight days from each other at a home where she rented a room in 2007. The damage to the charred house cost around $90,000. Huckaby remains in jail on murder and rape charges. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
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In response to the Craiglist Killer's murder spree -- a really unfair sobriquet; but nice try, MSM -- Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster told CNN that "the company feels 'terribly' that an accused killer in Boston allegedly used the online service to target his victims." The Craigslist killer, for those of you who don't know, used the 'erotic service' section of the popular ad site to lure his victims to their horrific deaths. In response to a series of e-mailed questions from the Globe, Buckmaster also went on to say "I would not describe any section of our site as 'sex related.'" Which? Is arguable, to say the least. All of this stems from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal more or less placing most of the blame on Craigslist for the killings, instead of one man's disturbed mind. more ›

Perhaps in an effort to veer public opinion away from his decision to legalize gay marriage, San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom defended homophobic Miss California winner and faux-Christian Carrie Prejean. more ›

The three-person Board of Supervisors Finance subcommittee approved yesterday (without recommendation) what would be the state's largest photovoltaic power project, which would put 25,000 solar panels on the rooftop of the Sunset Reservoir at Ortega and 24th Avenue. The proposal now goes before a full vote of the Board, and proponents claim it will mean 70 new green jobs for the city. more ›

Perturbed parents groups are demanding answers from Apple after it approved, then dumped, a new 'Baby Shaker' app for the iPhone. The game, which delightfully promoted infanticide for $.99 on Monday, was described by its maker, Sikalosoft, like this: "On a plane, on the bus, in a theater. Babies are everywhere you don't want them to be! They're always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it." more ›

Remember Chandra Levy? She was the intern who went missing in 2001 and was later found dead in Rock Creek Park in D.C. and the prime suspect, for a while, was California Congressman Gary Condit with whom she was having an affair? If you've thought about it at all since, you might have figured that September 11th came along and distracted everyone and that Condit fell under the radar and probably got away with murder. more ›

This dude Michael Gregory has done what we always strive to do: make the news a little less BORING for all you folks out there who have learned to demand a little wit and rhythm with your gay marriage and pirate news reports. Ah, the wonders of AutoTune -- even Katie Couric and Hillary Clinton can sound like Akon. (Thanks to The Sword - link semi-NSFW, and very gay.) more ›

Take a poll on SF Chronicle's new ($99/year!) E-edition. [SFA]

After last week's sentencing was postponed due to an ill judge, disgraced former SF Supervisor Ed Jew was sentenced in state court today to an additional year in the pookey "for lying on election documents about residing in San Francisco." Representing the Sunset District in 2006, Jew claimed to live in San Francisco, but later admitted to living in Burlingame (since 1997!) at the time of his tenure on the Board of Supervisors. "I deeply regret the decision I made," Jew told San Francisco Superior Court Judge Kay Tsenin today. "I never should have made that declaration." Jew is scheduled to start his sentence, which includes five-plus additional years after a federal ruling, on July 1. According to reports, "[W]ith credit for good behavior, Jew will serve about 85 percent of the federal prison time, and will likely then be assigned to a community service program and would only have to serve three to four months of the county jail sentence." more ›

Pro-life zealots on the Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night to pass a resolution supporting the city's position against the serving the deliciousness known as foie gras. The fattened liver dish, for those of you who don't know, is the plumped liver of a duck or goose that has been force-fed 20 percent of its healthy body weight. What it lacks in moral fiber, it more than makes up for in rich, full, savory flavor. After the vote, Berkeley Councilmember Jesse Arreguin whined to the Daily Cal, "The importance of this item is to raise awareness of the really inhumane practice of force-feeding geese and ducks to create foie gras." Restaurants serving the dish after the law goes into effect can be fined $1,000 per day. Tuesday's vote comes on the heels of San Francisco getting squeamish on the dish earlier this year. Also, for those of you curious about foie gras, you can taste it at one of these local restaurants that typically feature it on their menus. more ›

We're not too sure what to think of this lede: Some singers travel with their pets, a poodle or a dachshund, perhaps. Stephanie Blythe, one of the hottest properties in opera today, is luckier. She gets to travel with her husband, professional wrestler-turned-actor David Smith-Larsen... Huh? What are you implying, exactly? more ›

What kind of asshole buys a lottery ticket and six months later still hasn't checked to see if s/he's won? Oh, wait... that's totally something we would do. But not if there were $115,000 at stake! Someone who purchased a Fantasy 5 ticket from the CA Lottery on October 29th at San Francisco News & Gifts (California between Battery and Sansome) still hasn't claimed their jackpot and the ticket is about to expire! Let's get it together, people. Did anyone claim this one yet? We know this is a flaky town, but... anyway... we have to go pick up some dry cleaning from Christmas. more ›

Prepared to take l'internet by storm, SF Chronicle just unveiled their new "e-edition" (which is sophisticated, high-tech talk for "electronic edition"). What is the "e-edition," you ask? Well, according to the advertisement, it's a "new way to enjoy the San Francisco Chronicle." The "e-edition," the press material goes on to say, "includes the same page layout, headlines and photographs as the San Francisco Chronicle, with the advantage of interactive features that can be viewed from any Internet connection, anytime." Still confused? Let us explains: See, it offers the readers an "exact digital replica of the San Francisco Chronicle," "easy navigation," "keyword search for stories, topics and people" (genius!), and "access to a 30-day archive" (whoa!). more ›

There's a showcase today of a new interactive map thing, Urban EcoMap, co-sponsored by Cisco Systems and the City of San Francisco, that tracks the environmental footprint of a city by zip code. San Francisco will be the first city in the world to use the technology once it launches, which won't be for another 29 days. It's kind of giving us a case of environmentalist blue balls, being able to see a demo of the map (showing that the Marina is clearly going to lose in every category -- transportation, energy, waste, swimsuit) without being able to play with it yet. more ›

Ailing Sunnyvale-based Yahoo Inc. suffered yet another setback this week after "lackluster' first-quarter results were announced. As a result, anywhere from 600 to 700 jobs will be cut. This makes the company's third round of layoffs in over a year. Yahoo product managers, it seems, are most likely to get axed during this round of layoffs. At least so says Chief Executive Carol Bartz who blunted, "We sort of had one product management person for every three engineers, so we had a lot of people running around and telling people what to do, but nobody was doing anything," Yahoo cut more than 2,500 jobs in 2008. more ›

Britney is staying at the Clift Hotel tonight. This is imperative information for you to know. [SF Weekly]

Eliana Lopez and Ross Mirkarimi are the parents of a baby boy today -- the SF Supervisor's first bundle of fun. A reader (presumably Mirkarimi himself) tips us off, saying, "Eliana Lopez and Ross Mirkarimi are the proud parents of a baby boy. The baby weighed in at 8lbs, 14oz. Our son was born at home, natural childbirth. Eliana was in labor all night/day. She is a goddess! She and baby are resting, while Pappa tries to clean and cook." more ›

After announcing his bid for candidacy for California Governor this morning, Mayor Gavin Newsom sent this message via Twitter, "We've raised $15,000 online today. Thank you for the support. Help us reach our goal of $20,000. Please ReTweet: http://tr.im/ji64 ." $15K?! Jesus. (You totally owe us an onion bagel with cream cheese, Gav, for SFist's major linkage to your contribution links. Seriously. And we want it lightly toasted too. We digress.) So, yeah, the internet is cool and stuff. Who knew? Anyway, read more about Newsom's online world wide web internet "blitz" with this deeply fellating article. more ›

Almost a year after the Santa Cruz Mountains were set ablaze, authorities arrested Channing Verden, a contractor hired to clear brush in the mountainous terrain, for arson. According to the Merc, "Verden has been charged with one felony count of unlawfully causing a fire, plus an enhancement of causing multiple structures to burn." If convicted, Verden faces a maximum of seven years in state prison. If you recall, the fire torched 4,270 acres and destroyed over 100 structures. more ›

The San Francisco Giants just announced that they're reducing ticket prices. Why? Who's to say, exactly. The economy, chronic plague of empty seats at AT&T Park, boredom with baseball; fans realizing that garlic fries just aren't as tasty as they sound -- one guess is as good as the other. (But! If they somehow installed an In-N-Out franchise, perhaps things might change. We'd be more than willing to pay full ticket price on a regular basis so that we don't have to go to Fisherman's Wharf, home to SF's only In-N-Out restaurant.) Anyway, for the Giants vs. Dodgers series at AT&T Park April 27-29, you can score tickets for pretty damn cheap. Lower box goes for $28 (normally $42); view reserve, $18 ($24); and bleacher seats, $15 ($25). Get 'em while they're hot. (Use the code 'RIVALS' to get this offer.) more ›

"It"s Official" more ›

The lone teenage Somali survivor of the pirate crew who hijacked the Maersk Alabama a couple weeks back was escorted, smiling, into New York City last night for his court date this morning. Abduhl Wali-i-Musi is either 16 or 18, depending on who you ask, but look how happy he seems! This is his chance at reality TV stardom, or maybe a record deal! Or perhaps it is just a cultural thing, and his are a frequently smiling people. Yes, that must be it. No one told him that one is supposed to look repentant and/or emotionless while being escorted into prison by federal officials. more ›

Fremont lunatic Omeed Aziz Popal, 32, has been indicted by a grand jury on murder charges for the hit-and-run death of 54-year-old old Stephen Jay Wilson in August 2006. Popal (pictured with the poor woman who married him) has been confined to a mental hospital in Napa since going on a rampage in his SUV that same August three years ago in which he also struck 16 pedestrians in San Francisco. Just goes to show that, sometimes, that "crazy" person you shake your fist at for cutting you off on Mission is actually CRAZY. more ›

Cantu killer (alleged killer, that is) may be tied to young girl's drugging. [CBS 5]

Western Addition and Laurel Village neighborhoods are currently without power. According to reports, "an underground cable between Geary and Baker that shorted out around 12:40, leaving 1,249 customers in the WE and Laurel Village areas sans power." Initial reports claim that a transformer blew and manholes popped out of their sockets. (Psst, we highly recommend following Emergency_in_SF for updates on SF crises and drama.) PG&E is working on it. No word yet on when power will be restored, so you'll want to steer clear from Geary in the Western Addition today, which is down to one lane as of 3:30 p.m. more ›

Due to today's arguably miserable weather -- 88 degrees in downtown SF as of 2 p.m.! 92 degrees at Mineta San Jose International Airport! SFist Editor's Caramello liquefied beyond recognition! -- today's Spare the Air Day has been extended until Tuesday. That is to say, you should take public transit in lieu of driving, turn up the air conditioner if you're harboring infants or the elderly in your home or office, "avoid using gas-powered lawn movers and leaf blowers," cook indoors and not on a barbecue (AKA "grilling" to you foodies); and keep the Aqua Net to a minimum. Public transit, we should point out, is no longer free on Spare the Air Day. Alas. more ›

Another day, another bit of Yelp drama for you to chew on. This most recent morsel comes to us care of Timothy Holt, owner of Weird Fish and The Corner, claims he's "done with Yelp." Why? Well, it seems that last year, Halt posted a review on Yelp, thanking customers for their kind words and patronage. (An aside: We strongly recommend both establishments. Then again, any place serving fried pickles gets an A+ in our book.) This weekend, after allegedly refusing to advertise on the review-based site, Yelp pulled Halt's post as well as five positive reviews. Zoinks. Eater's Paolo Lucchesi says, "[I]it's one thing to crack down on shilling, but removing year-old reviews after a refusal to advertise? That's poor form at best, extortion at worst." But what say you? more ›

A Glen Park home recently received an award for being so stunning, as well as its own article in the Wall Street Journal. The American Institute of Architects Housing Award, which is handed out annual to outstanding residential designs, bestowed local architect James Zack and Lisa de Vito with one of this year's big prize. The house, located on Laidley Street, was described by WSJ as such: "From the street, its four light-gray cubes, neon-green door and huge, perfectly square front window all look as if they could have been assembled from massive pieces of Lego. Inside, a three-story translucent staircase made of acrylic filters sun from the skylight up top to the basement below ground. Virtually every room of the 3,000-square-foot home has large windows displaying views of the city so vast they're sometimes harrowing." Gorgeous. more ›

Doing what IBM failed to do earlier this month, Oracle will purchase computer server and software maker Sun Microsystems for around $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of cash, 9.50 per share. Oracle megalord Larry Ellison boasted about the buy, saying in a statement, “Oracle will be the only company that can engineer an integrated system—applications to disk—where all the pieces fit and work together so customers do not have to do it themselves ... Our customers benefit as their systems integration costs go down while system performance, reliability and security go up.” This deal will also give Oracle control over Java programming language and Solaris. (Jason Brooks of eWEEK explains it all in finer detail, right here.)
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According to SF Weekly music scribe Gordie Young, an increasingly plump Morrissey canceled Saturday's show at the Paramount Theatre "due to illness." And his fans, who are already known for teetering on the brink, lost their collective shit all over Twitter. It seems this is the third Bay Area show he's canceled. (He also walked off stage at Coachella after smelling the savory scent of roasting meats. That, or the Moz spotted one of them there brown people and got scared.) Anyway, it turns out that in lieu of performing in Oakland, the former Smiths frontman wanted to hangout at a SOMA nightclub. (Could you blame him?) However, while kicking it at DNA Lounge, Young goes on to report, "at least one mildly perturbed fan arrived, took Morrissey's photo, and tried to 'express her displeasure to Moz about the canceled show.'" Soon after the mild confrontation between the two bruised souls, the icon left the club, presumably heading over to Chaps II where it was "Uniforms Night." (Could you blame him?) Bay Area Morrissey, however, fans will receive full refunds. more ›

SOMA/SATURDAY: Early Saturday morning at around 2 a.m., a 24-year-old man was shot and killed at Third and Folsom streets, just one block away from 715 Harrison. The incident happened a little after 2 a.m. The victim, James Jamonte Turner, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene. And although three men were seen running from the scene just after the shooting, no arrests have been made, more ›

It may be It's almost Earth Day, and today is also our national "high holiday," on which college students across the nation gather for smoke-outs, newscasters do hundreds of fluff pieces about stoners and marijuana legalization, and all those who wish they lived in San Francisco let out a little sigh before they take that first toke. The New York Times and the Huffington Post today give credit to the group of San Rafael High kids who began the tradition back in 1971 of smoking up every day at 4:20 p.m. by a wall just outside the campus. more ›

After one student was diagnosed with TB by University Health Services at UC Berkeley, 225 students and faculty had to be screened for the virus infection, which they say cannot be passed through brief or casual contact. This of course leads us to wonder: Who was this slut with the TB? more ›

Photo by ootsmchaggis on Flickr. more ›

New real estate data from MDA DataQuick is further spelling out the already obviously grim picture in the local housing market, which is not as obviously and horribly grim as elsewhere in the nation but still obviously sucks. Basically, the data, especially outside of San Francisco County, is based on a relatively small handful sales, because the market's frozen and everyone's sitting on their property if they can possibly help it. Renters out there, give thanks for having no toxic assets! After the jump, more data wonkiness. more ›

Santa Cruz County construction crews spotted a fossilized vertebrae sticking out of the ground at Mid-County beach last month, which paleontologists have since identified as the remains of a whale, likely dating back five millions years. There will soon be an excavation of the site, the location of which will not be revealed. The whale is thought to be between 15 and 20 feet long, and the rock that it's attached to comes from the end of the Miocene Epoch. Experts are hoping to find the skull, which will help them ascertain whether the animal was an ancient Baleen whale, along the lines of today's plankton-feeding Humpbacks, or a meat-eating toothed whale, more closely related to the modern Orca. more ›

Treehugger informed us of the breaking news that the EPA will be moving forward with plans to declare that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are harmful to our health and to the climate. This will enable the EPA to act on the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling that the Clean Air Act can be used to curb carbon pollution from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources. "Fortunately, [the plan] follows President Obama’s call for a low carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This pollution problem has a solution - one that will create millions of green jobs and end our country’s dependence on foreign oil.” more ›

Conceived in San Francisco 42 years ago, the publisher of Rolling Stone has decided to close its cozy SF office at 1700 Montgomery due to cutbacks. Founded by Jann Wenner way back when, this most recent snip to the ailing music mag (Rolling Stone is down 21.6 percent in ad pages for 2009) is slight but significant. According to Portfolio, "a Wenner spokesman confirms the shutdown but says only two employees were laid off as a result; a third staffer who worked in the office, an ad sales rep for Rolling Stone, is relocating to Los Angeles. Said spokesman goes on to say, "the business just is not in San Francisco now." Well then. more ›

Modesto police say that Lovelle Mixon, that charmer from Oakland who shot those cops and also probably raped that girl, was considered a suspect in a 2-man home invasion job back in February in which money, jewelry, and a firearm were stolen. The cops admit they "didn't have a whole lot of suspects," and we'll offer the benefit of the doubt that the guy they did arrest could be pointing the finger at a dead cop killer just to shift focus away from one of his buddies, but maybe we've just watched too much Law & Order. more ›

Have you seen this Peninsula teen? [CBS 5]

John Madden, the guy some of you know only from commercials or Frank Caliendo impressions, is actually a big-time sports announcer. Today, Madden callled it quits. The legendary Raiders coach-turned-football announcer explained his reason for quitting to NBC: "It’s time. I’m 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I’m home and, more importantly, when I’m not." See you on the golf course, John. more ›

Say what you will about San Francisco Gavin Newsom, the real star of the show is his press secretary Nathan Ballard. When Newsom ends his reign as mayor, Ballard is the one we're going to miss. Why? For starters, whimsical pot puns in response to Ross Mirkarimi's press-baiting legislative idea for SF to sell medical mary jane. more ›

The Obama Administration made an exciting announcement today regarding Obama's vision for a new era of high-speed rail for U.S. travelers. Obama's Strategic Plan will rebuild existing rail infrastructure and develop a comprehensive high-speed intercity passenger rail network through a long-term commitment at both the federal and state levels. This plan draws from successful highway and aviation development models with a 21st century solution that focuses on clean, energy-efficient rail transportation. more ›

All set to receive a sentence from the state of California, in addition to the 5-plus years former SF Supervisor Ed Jew was handed in federal court earlier this month, today's hearing was postponed "as the judge scheduled to deliver Ed Jew's state court sentence has fallen ill," according to reports. Today's sentencing was expected to land the disgraced supervisor anywhere between one to three more years in the clink. The hearing will be rescheduled. more ›

Unless you're Chardonnay from The Love of Ray J, who eschews the smooth, tangy taste of chèvre, you might be interested in renting a goat. But where can you find one of these nifty creatures? Especially in an urban area? Over at GoatFinder, of course. According to a message What I'm Seeing's Plug 1 sent, they have a listing right here in SF on Fell Street. Charlotte Lewis at Living Systems will rent you one. "Goats and grazing animals have been used for countless years as land management tools and are a popular alternative to the conventions of mowing, disking, and burning," states the Living Systems site. Also, they look cute at parties too! Sadly, however, Lewis will not ship the goat. more ›

Funny, this didn't seem to be a problem last year. more ›

Take note, California: the Governor of New York introducing legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. "There is clearly a problem in that those individuals who are gay or lesbian who would live in a civil union are still not entitled to somewhere between 1,250 and 1,300 civil protections" that are afforded to married couples, Paterson said yesterday. more ›

It's the story every local news station and newspaper-based website is covering breathlessly, so we apologize in advance: a statewide Amber Alert has been issued for 22-month-old Yosseline Meza who was apparently abducted at knifepoint by her father at 4 a.m. in San Leandro this morning. The deets, in case you're going to be on the road, via KRON4 after the jump. more ›

Windy much? This fishing trawler got blown into, and under the San Mateo Bridge on Tuesday night and, uh, it's still there. After this morning's commute they're planning to close a lane and finally yank the poor little thing out of there. Meanwhile, it may be leaking 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the bay. more ›

Boat got stuck under a bridge, which is almost as exciting as it sounds. [CBS 5]

SFist loves cameras. Public, private, wherever, whenever -- we want them up, we want them rolling. So, we were tickled exuberant after hearing that San Francisco transit officials plan to install continuously-running cameras on Muni buses. The cameras would "trigger an alert every time a driver hits the brakes hard, swerves or gets into a collision," according to reports, and be placed inside and outside buses. If all goes according to plan, they will capture electrifying footage like this. more ›

In a murder case that's getting increasingly odd, Melissa Huckaby, who was charged with the rape and murder of Sandra Cantu, reportedly tried to kill herself just days before her arrest by swallowing razor blades. According to CBS 5's Joe Vazquez: more ›

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proposed legislation yesterday to establish medical marijuana dispensaries that would be owned and operated by the City, thereby making our fair city the first in the nation to become a municipal pot dealer. As the Faded Floozy is reporting, Mirkarimi has wanted to do this for a while, essentially making use of state laws legalizing medical marijuana sales in order to set up a pot distribution system for medical marijuana patients of city clinics. more ›

Confused Cal students want to ban Panda Express from campus. [Daily Clog]

Sure is blustery today, isn't it? And to top it off, a wind advisory will be in place until 11 p.m. tonight. According to CBS 5 weather report: more ›

It's gross. And it comes on a day full of news about child rape and Twitter suicide. Anyway, CBS5 has the story, and the details are few, but it's likely the animals were already dead and washed up on the beach when they were beheaded. If anyone has any leads or knows any future serial killers who live in Monterey, a group called Defenders of Wildlife is offering a $2,000 reward. more ›

Melissa Huckaby, the woman accused of killing Sandra Cantu, was officially charged with murder and rape today. And good news, crazy death penalty zealots: After adding three special circumstances to the charges, Huckaby is now eligible for the needle. The San Joaquin County district attorney's office, according to SF Chronicle, alleges that "the killing was committed during a kidnapping, involved a lewd or lascivious act on a child, and involved rape with a foreign object." more ›

Paolo Dominici, owner of the Noe Valley restaurant Bacco Ristorante, went missing over the weekend while sailing in Hawaii. He never returned. Today, sadly, the search for him was called off today. Our heart goes out to the Dominici family. more ›

Slamming SF Weekly/VVM as a "deadbeat dad," SFBG Executive Editor Tim Redmond responded to Mike Lacey's rant about questions regarding today's story about how VVM has avoided payment in last year's alt-weekly lawsuit showdown. (Whew.) Redmond, in between attacking Lacey as an "asshole" and poking fun at his use of Dire Straits, claims that "VVM owes us $20 million and doesn't want to pay." He also calls out SF Weekly as "the greatest deadbeat in the history of the alternative press" and questions Lacey's accusation of SFBG suffering from "class bitterness." (Oh, neither one of you know the searing pain of class bitterness until you've lived in a dilapidated Victorian on Third Street next to an overpass while the Ritz-Carlton sits a few blocks down the street, riddled with vacancies. Just look at this gorgeous shit. It is stunning. Can you imagine being holed up in a sun-drenched 1 BR at the Ritz, complete with a few tasteful accents from Limn, a medicine cabinet full of Valium, and a giant HD TV? Because we sure can.) In the end, though, it makes for an interesting read into what's become of the SF alt-weekly scene. If you're looking SFBG's side of the story, go here and here. more ›

According to Flickr photog The Inadvertent Gardener: more ›

Citing a difficult divorce, which would explain the desire to follow online a Hollywood actress of-a-certain age, the woman who Twittered her attempted suicide to Demi Moore spoke to the press recently. If you recall, Sandie Guy sent a Twitter message to Moore, saying, "Getting a knife, a big one that is sharp. Going to cut my arm down the whole arm so it doesn't waste time." Moore then notified police, who found the victim somewhere in San Jose where she was taken in for "evaluation." Guy tells Inside Edition "I was on Twitter and I didn't realize everyone was going to see it." Guy goes on to say, "I was trying to deal with it in the most healthy way I could think of. I did have a knife next to me." Guy works as an advertising executive. Her Twitter account has since been deleted. more ›

It's about time some high school student figured out how to torture the Twitterati with an annoying internet worm, and Michael Mooney, 17-year-old founder of StalkDaily.com, just did. He unleashed a worm that caused pop-ups advertising his site to appear on affected Twitter accounts over the weekend and into early Monday. more ›

... and this morning in world news: With their middle fingers (and machine guns) raised high to the rest of the world, Somali pirates have hijacked 4 more ships and taken 60 more hostages since the big American rescue last week. 2 Egyptian fishing vessels, a Togo-flagged ship and a Greek freighter with a crew of 22 have all been forcibly taken. The Joint Chiefs Chairman, meanwhile, is talking big about what the U.S. will do to stop piracy. Good thing we have so much extra military to go around! more ›

Pretty light buttons on San Carlos Street. [Mission Mission]

The Chronicle came out with an article on Saturday, which was described by The Bay Bridged as a must-read, regarding the Alcoholic Beverage Control's (who are currently hiring, BTW) threat to shut down legendary, all-ages live music venues, such as The Fillmore, Great American Music Hall, Slims, Bottom of the Hill, Cafe Du Nord, and DNA Lounge. more ›

After a lengthy legal battle including a deadlocked-jury mistrial in 2007, famed record producer and hair model Phil Spector has been convicted of second-degree murder in the 2003 death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. After a long night of partying at Spector's Alhambra home known as "the Castle," Clarkson was found dead of a gunshot wound. more ›

According to LiveJournaler extraordinaire and soon-to-be SF expatriate Jameth, there's a medical emergency at the Powell Muni station, causing chaos. According to his Twitter message, "Medical emergency at Powell station outbound. Muni meltdown. Pls use surface routes kthx. [2:58 p.m.] " Please adjust your route home accordingly. . more ›

Following on the heels of gay porn star Jack Wrangler's death, (in)famous porn star Marilyn Chambers died Sunday. She was 56. According to reports, her 17-year-old daughter found her body at her northern Los Angeles County home. Chambers, who once modeled for Ivory, "was among the first porn superstars when the stag films of the 1940s through 1960s gave way to the more polished sex films of the 1970s." Some of her well-known titles include Behind the Green Door (1972), Insatiable (1980), and The Marilyn Diaries (1990). She also starred in David Cronenberg's low-budget Rabid, but was unable to make a successful transition to mainstream films. more ›

Been waiting forever for some choice SFBG v. SF Weekly drama? Well, wait no more. A golden-brown batch of it just came out over at SF Weekly, complete with libel accusations, Sabine women, and a Dire Straits quote. See, it seems SFBG Editor Tim Redmond sent VVM Executive Editor Mike Lacey a series of questions in order to update the status of their lawsuit. Which is to say, an article is in the works, and SFBG simply asked a series of questions. And Lacey? He published said series questions, followed by his official response. more ›

Holy 1993, folks! The Outside Lands Festival lineup was announced today! The main headliners at the annual three-day concert in Golden Gate Park are: more ›

The family of Tracy's own Melissa Huckaby -- who we mentioned earlier is the prime suspect in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu -- can't stop talking about how "churchgoing" and "good" she is. She's the granddaughter of a pastor, teaches Sunday school. "She must have had a double life, because she seemed sweet and the Bible study kids love her," waxes Carlos Martinez, who lives in the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park near where the alleged murderess lived. While everyone is calling this murder an anomaly, former Christ Lutheran Church Congregation Council President Dennis Rader (AKA the BTK Killer) might beg to differ. In related news, police have identified Clover Road Baptist Church as the spot where Cantu was killed. more ›

Over the weekend, much of the GLBT community sent itself into hysterics after Amazon seemingly removed sales rankings from a large amount of LGBT books for deemed "adult" in content. That is to say, books like James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain, The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, and feminist/general sexuality were considered too hot for Amazon viewers' eyes. more ›

The Sisters of Perpetual (over 200 of them!) are all over town this weekend. Thank God. On Friday, the nuns had a 30th birthday party at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. more ›

Sunday school teacher Melissa Huckaby, a neighbor of the Cantu family, was arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and murder of Sandra Cantu yesterday. The family had been under investigation during the past week, and Huckaby revealed enough information during questioning on Saturday that police had probable cause to book her. Huckaby had said earlier in the week that Cantu had stopped by her house to play with Huckaby's daughter but was turned away by Huckaby because her daughter still needed to "pick up her toys." Huckaby had reported that her suitcase had gone missing the same day Cantu disappeared and that she had later found a note with the words "suitcase" and "water." Surveillance footage showed Cantu turning toward Huckaby's house before her disappearance. According to the FBI, it's unusual for a woman to be involved in such a case. more ›

Yesterday in Sacramento, the State of California returned three paintings to the heirs of Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer, which were recently discovered to have been the subject of a “judenauktionen,” a coerced sale of Jewish assets by the Nazis, in 1935. more ›

A pedestrian was killed early this morning at around 4:30 a.m. after being struck while walking on a connector ramp between two highways. According to reports, the fatal incident happened on a connector ramp between northbound Interstate Highway 280 and southbound state Highway 1. The unidentified victim died at the scene. more ›

Jesus was murdered today. [ABC 7, Valleywag]

Not sure if this would be Maddow's bag, per se; but since Sacramento plans on having a teabagging party, San Francisco should have one on tax day too. Outside of the ones happening at Beck's Motor Lodge, that is. more ›

In what could be the most drama-inducing move to hit the internet in ages -- God willing -- Yelp has agreed to let businesses respond publicly to customers' critiques. Possibly in an effort to stave off continuing criticism of the alleged extorting business model, local enterprises can register for a free business owner's account. After an angry business owner posts a reply on the site, Yelp will alert the self-righteous reviewer by e-mail. And that? Is where the fun begins more ›

Eggs! Pretty eggs! more ›

Not exactly a newsflash, but did you know that our phone and internet infrastructure operates on "a wing and a prayer?" Yes, with a snip of a few wires, as some vandals/"terrorists" did yesterday, communications --including 911 calls -- to entire densely populated regions can be totally disabled! more ›

More recession creativity: The New York Times is reporting on non-profit groups like Take Back the Land who, as acts of civil disobedience, are brazenly, in daylight, moving homeless families into foreclosed homes. This is typically happening in poorer neighborhoods of Miami and Atlanta where neighbors don't tend to mind, but maybe Gavin might want to get in on some of this action. He likes a good civilly disobedient PR opportunity. more ›

Maybe this morning's helicopters weren't just for the next exciting episode of Trauma? According to San Francisco Business Times, the Bank of America at Market and New Montgomery was robbed. "As helicopters circled the city’s financial district," Biz Times says, "those trying to enter the BofA branch shortly after the robbery were greeted by locked doors and a sign that read, 'Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your continued patronage.'" No on was injured. No arrests have been made. more ›

Yelp to allow businesses to comment publicly on their reviews. [CBS 5]

One of the biggest gambles (or corrupt city investments, depending on how you see it) in Oakland Redevelopment history, the 665-unit mixed-use development known as the Uptown Project, remains only 37% occupied more than a year after opening, according to recent management reports obtained by the East Bay Express. Arguably 25 of that 37% are occupied by low-income tenants as part of the city-mandated group of units set aside as affordable units. more ›

Assuming no one mixed speed into our Earl Grey tea, there has been a helicopter hovering the downtown / SOMA / Lower Rincon Hill area all morning. It's low and it's slow. Anyone know why? Update: According to SFist Deborah N, the helicopters are for a filming of Monk. Curse you, USA network! Er, we meant Trauma. more ›

Sad news, nonconsensual bukkake aficionados. In one of the shortest debates to occur in the Oregon House, a specific type of gang initiation was called into question this week. A proposed new law would make it a second-degree sex abuse crime to fling "a dangerous substance at another person" in the state of Oregon. Said substance is semen or other bodily fluids tossed out of sexual desire or otherwise. (Think of that scene in Silence of the Lambs where that loony inmate hisses to Jodie Foster, "I can smell your [flower]," then tosses his juice at her.) more ›

An employee and a customer were wounded this morning after a shooting outside a North Beach strip club. The incident happened just after 1 a.m. outside Broadway Showgirls located at 412 Broadway, a venue described as "classy " by a few Yelpers.. The two victims were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Both are expected to survive. This drive-by shooting, speculates NBC 3's Cheryl Hurd (who, by the way, we just love and wish we we saw more of), may be the result of an ongoing feud with Showgirls and a club down the street. No arrests were made. more ›

Let's face it: The Daily Show blows now, and not in a good way. Comedy Central's fake news has turned into The Capitol Steps for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. It's the kind of programming progressives and over-educated ilk claim to find hilarious. That is to say, it's the kind of programming they all agreed en masse to find hilarious. And if you watch the show every night, you know that that's not a reactionary statement. more ›

Thousands of Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz county residents are currently without phone service this morning. They can't even call 911 in case of an emergency. Why? Because of an old, AT&T-owned fiber optic line (leased out to Verizon) that went bust. "Verizon is completely down; other carriers are intermittent at best," said Zachary DeVine, a Santa Clara County spokesman. If residents of Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin and Santa Cruz County cannot make a call to 911, officials "are urging people to go to their nearest fire or police department or local hospital or flag down an emergency vehicle." more ›

Three Hayward residents (of course) are sitting in jail facing attempted murder charges after kidnapping and beating a man they met online. The 22-year-old unidentified victim, a San Jose man, had "gone to a Hayward motel to meet a woman after responding to a social networking Web site." (Which site? Who knows. Since they don't flat out mention Craigslist, which MSM loves to do, we're going to call it out as onlinebootycall.com.) According to CBS 5, "When the man arrived at the motel, police say he was beaten by the three suspects. The three then allegedly used the victim's ATM card to get cash, drove him to the Bethany Reservoir and beat him some more. " He was fond the next morning by a fisherman. The three suspects are 28-year-old Rodolfo Aguilar, 32-year-old Salim Ahmed and 20-year-old Lydia Troche. See, this is why online sex hookups just don't work in the heterosexual community. Alas. Update: the online site in question, according to the SJ Merc, was mocospace.com. more ›

Killing JROTC. [SF Weekly]

SF Chronicle and Laughing Squid informed San Francisco's quirky event enthusiasts that unless the organizers obtain a permit, SFPD will be issuing tickets to anyone participating in Sunday's Bring Your Own Big Wheel race. Lots of people are upset about this. The race will still go on, but the BYOBW organizers are urging people not to bring alcohol to the event, to use the porta-potties, and to clean up their messes. Check out video footage from last year's event. UPDATE: The police will be barricading Vermont St. more ›

Well, this is some surprising news. Word has it that whenever you make a Muni-related call to SF service number 311, that call costs Muni around two dollars. No, seriously. During today's Dufty-driven Muni accounting meeting, according to reports," the D8 Supe confirmed with Tom Nolan (MTA board vice-chair) that each "Municentric" call to 311 costs $1.96. That is to say, the $1.96 per call has added up to a whopping bill to MTA of $6.2 million. The 311 operators you call to simply "check nextmuni for you" cost Muni several million dollars. Jesus. 311, for those of you who don't know, is Mayor Gavin Newsom's project that "connects residents, businesses, and visitors to Customer Service Representatives ready to help with general government information and services." more ›

Sure, it's preposterous. Amazing in its unbelievability. But the National Organization for Marriage (a truly vile organization) is something to take notice of, because people believe this shit -- powerful people; people you know; people you like; people you love; people who, let's face it, should be stopped. And the above ad, while riddled with inaccuracy, is the latest attack on civil rights and same-sex marriage. (In related news, you can find an updated map showing who donated to Prop 8, right here.) more ›

Back in March, SF Supervisor Bevan Dufty (who, if casual rumors come to fruition, might be your next candidate fr mayor) was up in arms, and rightfully so. Why? Because he demanded to see an account of how money was spent on Muni. See, SF cops are supposed to ride Muni buses at least once per shift. But: he hadn't seen an officer on a bus in ages. “I have not had a single Muni rider tell me that they have seen an officer on a vehicle,” Dufty says. “I just think it’s unacceptable.” more ›

The Bay Bridge will close down over the Labor Day weekend. Again. CalTrans announced today that they will shutdown the bridge across the bay in both directions on Friday night, Sept. 4, until Tuesday morning, Sept. 8. According to SFGate,"the closure will allow construction crews to cut a portion of the existing double-deck eastern span near Yerba Buena Island, and slide it out. In its place, they'll roll in a new double deck section that will re-route traffic onto a curving temporary bypass for three to four years." This work is all a part of the new eastern span, which is expected to open in 2013. more ›

Proving that there's life after print publishing, former San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington Bureau reporter Zachary Coile will join Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Washington office. Coile will be her new Communications Director, overseeing daily operations of the press office and advising Boxer on "long-term communications strategy." Coile covered "some of the biggest energy and environmental debates in Congress," as well as Pelosi’s grand ascension to Speaker of the House. He also covered California’s Gray Davis recall and the election of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Boxer’s former Communications Director, Natalie Ravitz, will take on the position of Senior Advisor. more ›

Chia Obama, the brainchild of original Chia Pet creator and San Francisco resident Joe Pedott, is being pulled from shelves at Walgreen's despite strong sales in test markets, as KTVU is reporting. The reason? Um, take a look at the fucking thing. If you collect Sambos and Uncle Tom figurines, you can still buy one here. "Hail to the Ch-Ch-Ch-Chief!" more ›

Yesterday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke at the Newspaper Association of America's annual death procession. During the Q&A session, according to Valleywag, Schmidt answered every blogger's favorite question of rumination: what did newspapers do wrong? Schmidt answers: more ›

Due to some sort of pepper recall, Chinese food appetizer the egg roll is now also being tainted pepper connected to a salmonella outbreak. According to reports, "California's Department of Public Health is advising consumers not to eat chicken or vegetable egg rolls from EDS Wrap and Roll Foods in Hayward. The item was also sold under the Tien Tien brand name in various sized containers." more ›

Chatting with Broke-Ass Stuart & Monica the Intern. [Debaser]

Yesterday, there was some sort of emergency Bay to Breakers Board of Supervisors meeting. The annual race of booze and public pissing -- which saw its rules get tighter this year after last year's race turned blotto, due largely in part to this innocent little SFist post -- was called into question. more ›

Civil rights have really taken center stage today, yes? First, Vermont legalized gay marriage after Governor Jim Douglas vetoed it on Monday. (An aside: will there be some sort of Ben & Jerry's party today in the Castro?) Then, just this afternoon, Washington D.C. says it will recognize same-sex marriage from other states. According to the Washington Post: more ›

Check your pockets, folks. Someone who bought a CA Lottery ticket in Newark on April 4 at a Lion Food Center hasn't stepped forth to claim his or her booty. And it's worth $35 million. (Do you even know how many lunches at the Rotunda that can buy you? Like, lots.) The again, according to Lottery spokeswoman Cathy Doyle Johnston, coming forward late with the winning scrap of paper isn't unusual. "It happens fairly frequently, but they usually come in within a couple of weeks," she said. Anyway, if you bought your ticket in Newark and your numbers are 8, 18, 21, 41, 46, and the Mega number is 24, you're in luck. more ›

According to a recent report, "[t]he vacancy rate for U.S. apartments hit a three-year high in the first quarter and asking rents dropped the most in at least 10 years." And no where is that more felt than in San Francisco. This quarter, San Francisco/Bay Area saw, where the "biggest effective rent drop in the country," plummeting from 2.8 percent to $1,775. What's more, according to Curbed, rent rates have not yet seen bottom. (An aside: any choice studio availabilities for under $1,000 on Sutter Street, or in Hayes Valley or Glen Park should be sent here.) Also, is anyone calling Blu, Cubix, or one of those huge boxes in Mission Bay home? Seems like a good time to snatch those up. more ›

The missing child case that captured the nation's imagination officially turned into a murder investigation today after the body of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu was found yesterday. The Tracy girl's body was discovered "stuffed in a suitcase that had been dumped in an irrigation pond a few miles from her home." Also, according to AP (who, by the way, can currently be heard making an astoundingly pathetic death rattle these days), she was found wearing a pink "Hello Kitty" T-shirt and black leggings. Because her outfit is vital for you to know. No arrests have been made. And on that note: have at it, Nancy Grace. more ›

The Vermont legislature overrode the Governor's veto of same sex marriage today, making the state that produces Chubby Hubby the fourth state to legalize gay marriage. Just days after Iowa (unlike California) surprised the country by legalizing same-sex marriage, the first state in the U.S. to adopt civil unions is now the very first to legalize marriage for queer couples via legislative action. more ›

Today's Giants opener against the Milwaukee Brewers is being threatened by today's (much-needed!) bout of rain. Although the first pitch is expected to kick things off at around 1:05 p.m., a chance of thunderstorms and hail are as well. But according to Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter (who might have the single best name in the city), "We won't make a determination until closer to first pitch ... [p]eople should still plan on coming out." And since rain has always been considered good luck in our book, we're going to say that today's dreary weather is a good omen. more ›

In case you missed this fascinating tale of con man Kaushal Niroula in the current issue of SF Weekly, grab it before it's swapped out or read it online here. Niroula is a Nepalese-born immigrant who, along with four local co-conspirators including a former bartender at Jet bar in the Castro, allegedly made a 74-year-old Palm Springs man disappear and proceeded to start emptying his house and trying to sell it for half of what it's worth. more ›

Gilroy's second-favorite export is returning to the Bay Area. more ›

"You a dick in you?" [Oopsie Daisy]

A 6.3 earthquake killed more than 150 people in central Italy, making it the deadliest quake to hit the country in nearly three decades. According to reports, 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed and about 100,000 people have been left homeless in the medieval city of L'Aquila. more ›

Although some reports have claimed otherwise, gays in Iraq are being "executed in batches," convicted for the crime of homosexuality. According to Reuters, "Two gay men were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City slum...and police said they had found the bodies of four more after clerics urged a crackdown on a perceived spread of homosexuality." These killings reportedly happened last Thursday. Before the executions -- wherein hundreds of Iraqi gays are currently eligible, if you will, for execution -- sermons "condemning homosexuality were read at the last two Friday prayer gatherings in Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum of some 2 million people." A Sadr City Shi'ite cleric official noted, "this (homosexuality) has spread because of the absence of the Mehdi Army, the spread of sexual films and satellite television and a lack of government surveillance." more ›

After possibly a long night of carousing, a Muni passenger stepped off the 91-Owl bus at 4 a.m. Sunday morning at the corner of Francisco and Richardson and became somehow trapped (caught in an infamous back door?) and dragged under the bus for a block or so. The man's condition is not known, however he apparently suffered burns to his body but no broken bones or major head injuries. The Muni driver was taken off duty and tested for alcohol and drugs, "in accordance with standard protocol." more ›

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 26-foot sailing vessel captained 39-year-old Sean Haggerty, who is reportedly lost at sea. His boat, christened the "Sea Hag," was supposed took off from the San Francisco area, traveling along the coast, "stopping at various ports and coastal islands before arriving in San Diego." On Wednesday, he called his friends to tell them that neither his engine nor GPS were working. He has not been heard from since. Anyone with info about the Sea Hag's whereabouts should call the nearest Coast Guard station or the Eleventh District Command Center at 510-437-3701. UPDATE: Haggerty was found Sunday evening 46 miles southwest of San Diego. He is in good condition. more ›

Sepia-toned wonder wants you. [Curbed]

Sorry for the late notice, but we just got word: \head over to the Castro between 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. to celebrate Iowa's ruling in favor of equal rights. The official Celebration Rally in SF for Iowa Same-Sex Marriage Ruling say it'll be a seriously fun celebration honoring the Midwest. Rumor has it popcorn will be served -- which, we assume, is all they eat in Iowa -- so this could be the one day of the year many of you will get to digest carbohydrates. (Ack!) more ›

San Francisco really does have a task force for everything. Even for public crappers. more ›

"Former San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew sentenced to five and a half years in prison for fraud & extortion," says CBS 5. more ›

A man in Binghamton, NY, shot and killed at least 13 people at the American Civic Association. The ACA site says it "Assists immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification, interpreters, and translators. Fosters cross cultural understanding for the entire community." ABC News describes the gunman as "an Asian." Check out Gothamist for more. more ›

Iowa became the third state in the U.S. (and the first in the heartland!) to legalize gay marriage today.The Iowa State Supreme Court "upheld a lower court's ruling that found a state law restricting marriage to between a man and woman only violated Iowa's constitution." According to Richard Socarides, former adviser on gay rights during the Clinton administration, "It's a big win because, coming from Iowa, it represents the mainstreaming of gay marriage. And it shows that despite attempts stop gay marriage through right-wing ballot initiatives, like in California, the courts will continue to support the case for equal rights for gays." LGBT community will have to wait a few weeks before they can obtain marriage licenses. Way to go, Iowa. Hopefully, California will follow your lead (did we really just say that?) when the State Supreme Court makes its final ruling on Prop. 8. more ›

Actress Demi Moore (AKA mrskutcher) helped save the life of a woman this morning with the help of Twitter. According to MSNBC, a woman (sandieguy) sent Moore messages saying, “@mrskutcher I'm just wondering if anyone cares that I'm gonna kill myself now,” "getting a knife,a big one that is sharp. Going to cut my arm down the whole arm so it doesn't waste time," and "gbye...gonna kill myself now." more ›

San Francisco most "tax procrastinating" city in the U.S. [KNTV]

Evil, culturally unrich, dastardly home improvement chain Lowe's is planning to open a store on Bayshore Boulevard. According to the SF Chronicle, it's in the negotiation stages. If you recall, a Home Depot planned on setting up shop in the same area, but backed out at the eleventh hour. more ›

Not that we have anything against kids -- they're great, for realz, we just don't have/want one -- but in a city with possibly the lowest percentage of families with children of any major city in the country (15% last time we checked), we sometimes wonder if the pro-kid populace isn't getting too much of a say about how we adults get to play in this town. Take, for example, Dolores Park: our friends at Mission Mission first alerted us to an apparent crackdown on "adult behavior" in the Park last year (including semi- and full nudity and drinking) and now there's plans to expand the damn playground up into previously grown-up dominated territory? more ›

Bob Murray & Associates needs your help, folks. They need to fill a nifty position -- one that could land you a cool $287,000/year, the scorn of overeducated white liberals, all the drunk Valencia Street/Marina whores you can take on, semi-absolute power, and a sexy new uniform. They need to find us a new Police Chief. more ›

At around 10:40 a.m. this morning, a Parking and Traffic Department worker crashed and overturned her vehicle, effectively closing down the eastbound Broadway Tunnel, according to reports. The unidentified driver has been whisked away to SF General; she is in serious condition. If you plan on going through the Broadway Tunnel, re-route accordingly. more ›

Well, this is some good news. more ›

Good news, San Francisco. You can take longer showers. Why? According to this somewhat questionable survey by LeastWastefulCities.com, we are the lest wasteful people in the U.S., one of the most wasteful countries on the planet. more ›

It's been over two weeks since Current TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested at the North Korean border. The two journalist sit in jail, waiting to be tried for "hostile acts" against the Communist country. They could each receive up to 10 years in jail of hard labor, or worse. more ›

Warren Hellman to rescue SF Chronicle? [WSJ]

So. Disgraced former San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew is about to be sentenced for numerous illegal activities. Naturally, he wants a light sentence. What does his lawyer, Stuart Hanlon, do? He accuses Jew of being mentally retarded. (Well, that would explain being on the SF Board of Supervisors thing, but seriously folks...) more ›

Just after Ross Mirkarimi's pro-life hummus breath suggested a citywide ban on foie gras - you know, in addition to the other one set to go in 2012 -- Gavin Newsom also kowtowed to PETA by temporarily banning the hotly debated dish at all Plumjack restaurants. (Pft.) We say "temporarily" since they want to replace the right way too make the deliciously plumped duck/goose liver with some sort of "humane" way. (You're lucky you boast a superb happy hour, Jack Falstaff; otherwise, we'd be picketing outside your doors wearing this.) more ›

Further proof that engineers and Peninsula tech folk are scary Asperger Syndrome types from which you should stay far, far away, Santa Clara police claim that the shooter who murdered his family in a murder-suicide over the week was an engineer at Yahoo. KCBS reports that police identified the gunman as 42-year-old Devan Kalathat (nee Raghavan Devarajan). While Kalathat's wife managed to escape, he successfully took the lives of his 11-year-old son, Akhil Dev; 4-year-old daughter, Negha Dev; his brother-in-law, 35-year-old Ashok Appu Poothemkandi; his sister-in-law, 25-year-old Suchitra Sivaraman; and the couple's daughter, 11-month-old Ahana Ashok. more ›

This (allegedly) happened yesterday morning around 10 a..m at 16th Street and Potrero. Anyone know more to the story? more ›

It's rather English (or just dorky) of them to walk us through all these jokes, no? We're actually not sure that the whole Twitter-based reporting idea isn't a good one for the old Faded Floozy herself, the Chronicle. more ›

Some man allegedly assaulted a 48-year-old San Rafael woman last Friday in a Safeway parking lot, according to CBS 5. It seems "the woman had been loading groceries in the back seat of her car when a man who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s approached her from behind, placed his hands around her waist and began thrusting his pelvis against her buttocks." Ew. Then, after the woman screamed, he took off. The creep is described as a "white male standing at 5 feet and 10 inches, between 170 and 180 pounds with brown medium-length hair and a thin beard along his jaw line." So, be on the look out for dude with a douchestrap. more ›

With a series of cover headlines that don't exactly (in our book) qualify as lawls, the SFBG is greeting this April Fool's Day with healthy scoopful of irony and a headline about Gavin that calls him a "sassy, sexy superstar." Also, there's a Tim Redmond editorial titled "All Hail Our Corporate Overlords" -- which is less funny than it is angry-sounding -- taking the piss out of the Weekly and Village Voice Media. more ›