Yesterday, Mayor Newsom signed into action the Tommy Ammiano-introduced legislation that requires the city to handout ID cards to undocumented immigrants and other residents who either can't or just won't apply for driver's licenses. The good news is that these IDs will help (formerly) undocumented residents gain access to the wonderful world of banking, a sense of peace before calling the fuzz, as well as "health services at city-run clinics, public library privileges, and resident discounts at museums and other cultural institutions." (Entry fee discounts at the Exploratorium: the American dream realized.) ...

San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved municipal ID cards to SF inhabitants yesterday. These (hopefully adorable) new cards can be used by anyone here, it seems -- U.S. resident or not. Tommy Ammiano introduced the legislation, which, according to the Chronicle, "would require companies holding city contracts to accept the municipal card as a legitimate form of identification." (So does that mean they can be used to get into bars? Sweet.) Ammiano also claims......

With Ed Jew out of the picture for now, the SF Board of Supes wasted little time in unanimously approving a resolution tsk-tsking The Savage Nation host Michael Savage for his "[l]et them fast until they starve to death; then that solves the problem" (it sure helps us remain in control!) comment he made about students fasting in regard to an immigration reform bill last July. This kind of civic condemnation feeds the Savage......

Thank goodness the Department of Homeland Security's on top of all the threats to American freedom -- the New York Times today profiles Nalini Ghuman (at right), a British musicologist and assistant professor at Mills College who hasn't been able to get back to Oakland to teach her classes and work on her book about composer Edward Elgar, because Immigration and Customs refuses to let her back in the country. Ghuman is a British citizen......

Tom Ammiano announced a plan yesterday to give city IDs to those who don't have IDs, mainly immigrants-- legal or otherwise. The idea, pushed by immigrant advocates, will allow those without an ID to be given access to a whole range of city services they would not normally be open to, including health care, library privileges, and the ability to use municipal golf courses. Ammiano also said he's going to work with financial institutions to let people use the Ids to open accounts. ...

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take......

After Supervisor Sandoval introduced a resolution to brand hyperbolic grandpa Michael Savage as a hate speech-spewing loon, it wasn't voted on unanimously yesterday, care of SFsit's favorite coverboy, Ed Jew. (Ah, World Net Daily, where we go to get all of our fair and balanced news, drizzled with a infusion of organic Nazism.) On July 5, after Savage predictably asked that students undergoing a weeklong fast for immigration reform (and, bonus, to slim down......

Notice of a Citizen Workshop for green card holders tomorrow...

With all the recent hoopla regarding national immigration legistlation, now might be a great time to get a perspective on immigration here close to home. We're not sure how many SFist readers are the "stay at home on Friday nights" type, but if you are, you might consider checking out KQED Channel 9 at 8:30 p.m. on June 29...

Well, you could either go to Carnaval this weekend -- or you could go to the State Green Party Convention. Ross Mirkarimi (seen here going into the dunk tank) is giving the keynote address, and the delegates plan to debate issues like ranked-choice voting, lowering the voting age to 17, and immigration. They may also get to issues about global warming. The convention starts at 11:30 a.m., goes through the Memorial Day weekend and is......

J.D. Power and Associates, the well-regarded surveyor of customer satisfaction rankings and similar, has conducted its 2007 North American Airport Satisfaction Index Study. Guess which U.S. airport ranked the lowest in the large airport (those with 30 million passengers+/annum) category? Yeah, it's San Francisco International. ...

Last night we again settled ourselves into the comfy reclining chairs at the newly renovated Kabuki theater for the SFIFF, and adored the amorous, light-hearted “claymation” Spanish short Capelito - the travails of a spurned mushroom-shaped suitor, who can’t win to lose when it comes to wooing his mushroom-shaped princess. The film that followed Capelito, though, turned out to be one of the most disturbing, provocative films we’ve seen at this year’s festival thus far.......

Here's today's news...

Oh, what's become of our good old-fashioned hard-hearted conservative Republicans? Performance art?!?! What's next, long hair? Berets? Drapes and doilies? Irish cuisine? The Davis College Republicans are sponsoring some sort of symbolic art-game today (Tuesday) at 12:30 out on the quad, wherever the hell that is. They're calling it "Illegal Immigration Capture the Flag," and here's the ingenious twist that'll earn 'em an A in their semiotics seminar: "Illegal Immigrants team will vastly outnumber......

Here's todays news...

Theatrical Releases April 27, 2007 We’ve already told you to catch The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and Vacancy and Hot Fuzz, and the rest of this “week in movies” will be all about local wisdom, but before we disband with the national releases, we need to tell you to see Domestic Import at the Balboa. Domestic is a comedy of errors about a Russian nanny in a well-to-do family. The indie tackles immigration issues with biting but not terribly painful satire. Definitely worth the time and the Balboa is always a great place to see a flick-- free admission on your Birthday! And, hey, we're also giving tickets away to the movie. Just enter below and we'll announce the winner tomorrow afternoon ...

-Cop killer gets life in prison. -Heather Fong says the SFPD will not help the Feds do their immigration raids in the city. -San Francisco substitute teacher threatens to commit suicide while teaching class. -Gavin wants a hybrid town car to chauffer him around the city. -Person who made threat against Hastings is a student at Boalt. -Another pedestrian was killed after being hit by a train yesterday. -Arnie's secret execution room is stopped.......

We heart tortillas. We heart art made in our 'hood. Naturally, we're all over the tortilla fest known as the Great Tortilla Conspiracy exhibition. It's free (!!!!) and a few steps away from our home BART stop, the beauty that is otherwise known as 24th Street. Artists use corn tortillas as a canvas, using silk-screening, digital printing and other means for thought--although maybe not hunger-- provoking art. We outright giggle when folks say they......

Here's todays wrap up of news stories...

-There was a protest in the Mission over the the latest bit of immigration raids. -Flaks o' Gavin on gay porn proclamation: we did what? Oopsie. ...

It's gonna hard to top Gavin being stalked, but we'll try... -California and other Western states join together to cut emissions. -Bono to come to Oakland to discuss AIDS prevention, annoy everyone. -Protests held against immigration raids. -Artist in Alameda makes cardboard cutout of the President with a knife in his forehead. The secret service are not amused. -Judge gives the non-stem cell produced thumbs up to stem-cell plan. -Tree hugger in Berkeley charged with......

A recent wave of immigration sweeps (or, as Indy Bay calls it "Gestapo Immigration Raiders") is creating a bit of a fuss not only in San Francisco but throughout the Peninsula and East Bay. There's talk of protests, organizing, sending out nasty press releases, and even the creation of new laws. In Redwood City, there's talk of creating an "Immigration Sanctuary" in San Mateo County and in San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors will debate a resolution tomorrow condemning the sweeps. That'll show them. Hell, even Gavin's jumped into the fray with his very own press release tut-tutting the raids. All of this has brought the Minutemen into the action as they held a rally in Castro Valley to call for closing the border. It wasn't until a few days ago when we realized the Minutemen were named after our Revolutionary soldiers and not their sexual dysfunctions, although one could probably explain the other. ...

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending......

-Coit Tower might be getting an Extreme Makeover. -There were dueling immigration rallies in Castro Valley. -Straight people are moving more and more into the Castro-- there goes the neighborhood. -When squirrels attack. -Is the phrase "that's so gay" when said by a 15-year old girl so wrong? And is she being targeted because she's Mormon? -Foreign exchange student hit by a hit-and-run driver when he pulls over to work in his car. -Woman who......

Kamala Harris addresses the Immigrant Resources Fair...

A little bit more of those tapes that the Angelides camp got their grubby little hands on months ago were released and if you dial a 1-800 number you could listen to them. No, wait, that's the new Arcade Fire song, not these tapes. Either way, the Governator's people aren't happy that they got put out there. But since the CHP deemed nothing illegal on what happened, there's nothing they can do about it....

-Could the 49ers and the Raiders be planning to move in with each other? -Soldier from Hayward was killed in Iraq. ...

Last week's winner, the East Bay Express: Well, this is interesting! Bottom Feeder Will Harper is leaving the EBX to become the executive editor of the SF Weekly. We're sorry to see Harper leave, but we're excited to see what he does at the sister SF publication! Plus, this collection of Bottom Feeder's greatest hits is pretty exciting. We may not be making as much money off stem cells as everyone says we will --......

-The Board of Supervisors really don't like Annemarie Conroy. -Members of Visitacion Valley gang plead guilty for gang-like behavior. Meanwhile former gang leader in Oakland shot dead. -Building inspector who bought property that was under review resigns. -Headline in the Onion: Nancy Pelosi Wants Congress to Want to Pass Bill: New Speaker Thought House Knew This Was Important to Her. -You know how several months ago everyone was talking about buying hybrids and the need......