We've always contended that while the whole composting/recycling thing is a noble and marvelous pursuit, we prefer our tiny apartment kitchens to be non-smelly and fruit-fly-free, and the whole composting thing (when we barely cook anyway and take trash out irregularly) becomes a minor source of torment. Furthermore, if and when the city decides to start issuing $100 - 1,000 fines to residents, building owners and businesses who fail to compost — and we remain skeptical that this is more than an idle threat, because are they really going to police our trash bags so closely? — we predict a major backlash, because the picking through our trash and pointing fingers at our failures starts to feel a little fascist, no? more ›

According to the Chron, Gavin may be well known around here for his bold moves on behalf of gay marriage, but among other mayors nationally he's recognized for major achievements in the area of housing the homeless. There have been about 6,700 people housed during his tenure as mayor, through Care Not Cash (which celebrated six years in May) and other programs, and 5,500 or so have been sent home to other cities on buses under the Homeward Bound program. So despite there still being plenty of people in the streets (and particularly the touristy areas) of San Francisco, the numbers point to success. Or do they? more ›

For the first time in 30 years, says Gavin, the chronically homeless population has decreased for the first time. Over 1,600 units of permanent housing for the chronically homeless have been created under his tenure, and we're now six years into a ten-year plan to create 3,000 units. This progress may not be very visible, though, and he admits as much. "Thousands in the Tenderloin are housed and still on the street panhandling," he said. "It's people with issues that need to be addressed consistently." Right, which is why we try to refer to the collapsed and sometimes panhandling in our 'Loin-adjacent 'hood as "crazy" or "drunk" rather than "homeless." more ›

Supervisor Daly's lengthy editorial today in the Fog City Journal shouldn't be too surprising to those familiar with his m.o. He wonders how, at this late date in our profane culture, his vowing to say "fuck" at every Board of Supervisors' meeting should have earned him so much mainstream press attention — not to mention 100 new Facebook friends — and he makes sure to get in a few hefty digs at his best frenemy, Gavin Newsom: more ›

Filling the ranks in the Mayor's Office are several young guys who Mayor Newsom calls "superstars" who were part of the inner circle of his gubernatorial campaign -- hires that are likely to cause some controversy during upcoming budget negotiations with the Board of Supervisors. Newsom defends the hires saying that all these campaign staffers are being paid less than their predecessors and are highly qualified, but they are nonetheless all pretty young with no experience in city government. more ›

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Thank God for garbage disposals. Seriously. On your knees. Because Mayor Gavin Newsom just signed a ruling calling on all San Franciscans to compost their eggshells, coffee grounds, apple peels, dead roses and other food rubbish and garden clippings. While city officials will give residents time to adjust to storing their waste in a green bin, they "could eventually start levying fines of $100 on rubbish recidivists." (Thankfully, many residents are now too cash-strapped to afford real, non-prepackaged food, so many of you don't have to worry. Yay, hunger!) If you recall, the Board of Supes OK'd the country's toughest composting law earlier this month. more ›

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday enacted the toughest law in the nation with regard to mandatory recycling and composting, and within two years business owners and landlords could have pay fines of up to $500 for failing to follow guidelines. more ›

Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposed budget for fiscal year 2009-10 which would take affect July 1st, and in it he proposes eliminating 1,600 city jobs (including 900 currently vacant positions and 685 layoffs, some of which have already occurred) and cutting funding to several social service programs, including $23M in services to the mentally ill, addicted and people with HIV/AIDS. more ›