Our friends over at CurbedSF brought to our attention that Hayes Valley will soon be getting a new makeover, via the redevelopment of 55 Laguna. The proposals for the "mixed-use" of the former UC Berkeley extension -- which was relocated four years ago -- has recently been approved by the San Francisco Planning Commission. So what can we look forward to at 55 Laguna? Plans for the property include a community center, retail space (specifically......

Hey, have you seen all those annoying "Let's meet at Starbucks" adverts? Quite irritating. Well, SBUX is indeed bringing folks together -- in a way they may not be too happy about. many businesses and residents in the Inner Richmond are protesting via petition an invasion of one of Starbuck's nigh ubiquitous stores....

Well that certainly was lively, wasn't it? Our post about the proposal to shoot SF with a Los-Angeles-gun by adding parking to the city (and subtracting everything else) attracted tons of comments, with some very well-put arguments on both sides of the issue. Time to channel that energy into Real Life, if you can bear to leave your wretched computer: SPUR is hosting a Transportation Committee meeting to discuss the initiative! It's happening Monday,......

Even when Tapioca Ed's out of the country, the news keeps popping up! Here's today's latest Bobagate news. --So you know what that $40,000 would've bought the Quicklys? A letter from Ed Jew to the Planning Commission to get a business permit, the Examiner says. The Quicklys' rival bubble tea shop Wonderful got a letter from Tapioca Ed and a permit shortly afterwards -- and adding insult to injury, Wonderful didn't have to pony up......

You didn't think the purchase of the armory by Kink.com would go through without a hitch would you? After all, the thing had stood vacant for thirty-six years and was the site of countless protests whenever somebody broached the idea of turning it into something. But after neighbors complained about not getting enough public input into the deal, from somewhere in Switzerland, Gavin asked the Planning Commission to hold some more public hearings on the matter. The hope, as Sam Ruiz, the executive director of Mission Neighborhood Centers, put it, is "to have a dialogue" about all of this and if we were playing that Project Drinking Connect drinking game, we'd be drinking right now. ...

-It looks like visitors to the Wharf will have to go somewhere else to buy their dope as the San Francisco Planning Commission voted 4-2 against it being allowed on the Wharf. Whatever you may think about the issue, you have to feel for the guy behind the dispensary, Kevin Reed, who is now 0-2 on pot clubs and has probably kissed plenty pretty, pretty pennies away. The argument that won the day came from neighbors of the club who feared what it would do to the neighborhood and business owners who feared it would scare off tourists. In what will probably be par for the course whenever these things get debated, the opposition was made up of people who live in the neighborhood and the supporters were made up of people who came from outside the neighborhood. The people who came in support of the pot club are apparently the only people in San Francisco who don't know how to score dope. Anyways, this whole medicinal marijuana thing is turning into one of those things where everybody supports it the thing, just not where they live. ...

-Conservatives throughout the country are frothingly furious about a ruling by San Francisco’s very own 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal for saying that parents don't have the right to be the sole provider of information about sex. That's what MTV is for. The suit was brought by parents who were outraged that a school in Palmdale California gave first, third, and fifth graders a survey about sex. The questions asked kids whether they found themselves doing things like touching their "private parts" too much or whether they didn't trust people because they thought they were looking for sex or whether they thought too much about sex and dear God, is that what first-graders are really thinking about these days? When were that young, the only thing we were obsessed with was "The Six Million Dollar Man." In response, Republicans have been talking about splitting up the 9th District which, of course, is being fought by Democrats. The 9th has always been a source of anger to conservatives for the kind of rulings that make people say "only in California." Like this ruling. Or the one about taking "God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance. ...

So last week the Gavster announced this big, huge plan to build more housing, even low-cost housing. The point being, of course, the more housing the better, especially more low-cost housing, because the more housing you have, the less expensive housing will be. Gavin's idea is that with just the waving of the magic wand of better bureaucracy, the Department of Building Inspectors and the Planning Commission will have easier times allowing for more housing......

you know what always catches our eye? That's right, a throwdown! So our attention was finally piqued when Adriel Hampton, the Examiner political correspondent, posted the following j'accuse on his blog: if you scroll past the tedious Don Perata interview, you'll see that Matier and Ross republished his scoop as their own! Without credit! Poor journalistic sportsmanship, M&R! ...