NIMBYs inch closer toward literalism after Rocklin resident James Baker asked the City Council to ban outdoor smoking altogether, even for residents who wish to puff relaxing, cancer-causing cigarettes on their own property. How did Baker get such a carcinogenic bee in his bonnet? Baker told The Placer Herald that his neighbor smokes about 30 feet from his patio door. The secondhand smoke, he claims, is making his asthmatic sons, ages 11 and 16, sick. more ›

Chris Cosentino's Incanto in Noe Valley played host to something resembling a foie gras summit meeting on Tuesday. As EaterSF reports, a "who's who" of San Francisco chefs, representatives from local foie gras makers and general goose liver supporters met at Incanto to discuss the impending ban on foie gras in the state of California. Eater has a nice recap of yesterday's meeting, but here are some highlights from the front lines of the foie gras resistance: more ›

Oh, it's on, folks. Taking a stand against the pending 2012 ban on foie gras, Chef Russell Jackson will host a FU Foie Gras Dinner at Lafitte on Sunday, October 16. See, California will ban the sale and production of foie gras in July of 2012. Hawking the plumped up duck liver could result in a $1,000 fine. This dinner is Jackson's response. His menu will feature sustainable foie gras that has been "humanely sourced" and prepared in a variety of forms: cured, stewed, pureed, frozen, sweet and savory. Sample menus is as follows: more ›

When the state's foie gras ban goes into effect in July of 2012, California restaurants will have to pull the luxurious (yet allegedly cruel) item from their menus. Although producers claim it doesn't hurt the birds -- producers who make anywhere up to $15 million a year for the savory treat -- foie gras is made by force feeding ducks and geese to fatten their liver. When the ban goes into effect, the item will most likely turn into an underground treat for the artisan set. more ›

The Local Search Association, a trade group for the phone book industry, really wants to make sure they can continue shoving an unsolicited lump of wood pulp on your doorstep every year. As the Chronicle reports this morning, the group has taken San Francisco's ban on yellow pages (the one ban we actually like) to Federal court this week to ask for an "emergency halt" on the legislation that doesn't actually take effect for another nine months. Their argument against the ban? Well, it's a free speech issue, naturally. more ›

We had our fingers crossed that the Board would pass President Chiu's Yellow Pages ban last night and finally remove the soggy lumps of paper pulp from our doorsteps, but that legislation was tabled for another six weeks while city economists put together a formal study of its impact on jobs and local business. Although supervisors Campos and Avalos both mentioned they immediately send the yellow pages to the blue bin (in order to be green), they both spoke up in favor of postponing a decision because the opt-in program could have an impact on local jobs and businesses. more ›

So weary were we of last year's Happy Meal Ban that we almost missed this nugget from the Chronicle entirely: Worried that someone will take away their precious plastic toys, the freedom-happy states of Florida and Arizona have put forth legislation that would prevent local governments from banning "any kind of incentive offered by restaurants" - including the toys Eric Mar (D1, currently -1 in our Weekly Power Rankings) set out to ban in the first place. Arizona's prohibition on banning restaurant schwag sounds like it's the furthest along, having already passed through the House in that state, but we can't decide if this is a slap in the face to our so-called San Francisco Values or if we should just roll our eyes at Arizonans for legislating their way to freedom and childhood diabetes. more ›

Lloyd Schofield, Folsom Street Fair attendee and vocal advocate of child penile rights, told the Examiner that his proposed ballot measure to ban the practice of circumcision in San Francisco is "on track" to collect the 7,168 signatures it needs to make it on the November 2011 ballot. Caveat: Schofield wouldn't disclose the actual length of the current petition, so there's still a slight chance he's just making things seem bigger than they really are. more ›

San Francisco clothing retailer bebe has decided to drop real fuzzy-wuzzy fur from all of their designs come January, according to bebe CEO Gregory Scott. The company -- which made a name for itself with their beautiful yet momma's-little-whore designs -- only has about 3% fur-use ion their clothes now. Come next year, they will be proudly fur free. more ›