Results tagged “recession”

Sad news. Due to the state's continuing economic woes, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for the first time in its 141 year history, will close on Mondays. According to DogBlog, "the SPCA has suffered from reduced contributions and staff layoffs (16 employees were let go earlier this month) and its Maddie’s Adoption Center will no longer be open on Mondays in an effort to eliminate a $3.5 million deficit.

Want to see MGMT's sold-out show at the Independent tonight? Well, this Craigslist ad, which came to us via SFist's contribute page, might help:

While some have declared the recession over, more or less, California's job rate might disagree. In August, we witnessed the jobless figure "climb to 12.2 percent last month, the highest on records dating back to the 1970's,"n according to CBS5/AP. But California wasn't the only state to see crowds converge at unemployment offices. "Forty-two states lost jobs last month, up from 29 in July, with the biggest payroll cuts coming in Texas, Michigan, Georgia and Ohio." Sigh.

In an effort to become "more of a true Web publication," the AP English class of the interwebs, Salon.com, laid off six editorial staff members. CEO Richard Gingras confirmed to Gawker that the online publication chipped away three editors, one writer, one photo editor, and one producer. The only name identified of the fallen six is culture editor Joy Press. Heather Havrilesky, we can only pray to God, will still remain with Salon after its facelift. Forever. She is, after all, a national treasure, one of the few literate folks who can write about TV without making you want to rip off your eyelids. She's that good. (And, of course, there's this.) Anyway, good luck out there, ex-Saloners.

Kaiser Permanente plans to eliminate about 1,200 Northern California jobs due to the tanking economy. The primary areas affected by this most recent slash include "housekeeping, pharmacy techs/clerks, unit assistants, transcription/medical secretaries, health information management clerks and local business offices." The job cuts will effectively remove about 2% of its workforce. The company says it will try to shift cut employees into other positions at Kaiser, but, really, that doesn't seem likely. Kaiser also said "the cuts will not impact the level of service for their patients," or what little left of it there is. Sigh.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the Board of Supervisors, and other top-level officials will take a 2.45 percent pay cut this fiscal year. Which is more "symbolic" than anything, because they are and forever will be richer than most of you, creating the Green League of Justice out in Hunter's Point, having inane cake sales during workdays to get face time on the webs, mistaking themselves as wildly interesting in that special way that people who can buy property and have no credit card debt can. But we're not bitter. Anyway. According to goes on to report, Newsom made $252,885, which is "the most of any elected official". When asked if Gavin would lose his shit over the cut, San Francisco spokesman Nathan Ballard said it was all good. "What's fair is fair," Ballard said, probably going on to say, "In fact, he wipes his bottom with pre-moistened $100 bills that are in a convenient resealable pack next to his toilet."

What with venues like Flour + Water and food trucks serving tweaked for-the-masses fare for mid to upper echelons, it's next to impossible to find a decent, reasonable meal in San Francisco these days. And, no, oily taquerias don't cut it. The problem now borders on offensive. Sickening too. Alice Waters' idea of a tasty, healthy, "artisan" meal for everyone has hit the ceiling. Period. (And, let's face it, that is how she, and many others, would like it to stay.) What are we bemoaning about? Well, as Sex Pigeon so eloquently put it, "Please, someone. Open a cheap thing. Open a place that sells four-dollar sandwiches. Or three-dollar anything. Fancy is a lovely thing but we’re utterly glutted with it. Just be tasty, alright?, that’ll do." This will never happen. Food, one of very few basic human needs, is now kicking it in the VIP room. But if any reader has a suggestion that involves neither a bendy burrito nor a Starbuck's egg salad sandwich, Sex Pigeon would love to know. [via Eater]

It seems real estate construction types are finally -- finally! -- realizing in 2009 that no one can afford their mindnumbingly thoughtless, albeit impressive and mildly erotic, InfinityBeaconOneRinconBLŪ luxury towers. San Francisco Business Times has more, but here's a frank, death-of-fun quote from one of those coalition, do-gooder types. AHem:

Sadly, the answer could be no. SFAppeal has a phenomenal video that highlights the declining bison population of San Francisco. Although only five of them remain in the city today, "the bison recently returned to a new, $1.2 million dollar improved paddock in Golden Gate Park." Which is good news, right? But with the city budget getting slashed to bits, their maintenance could prove hazardous to their survival. Be sure to check out this heart-warming and unique look at the city that many of you, and a few furry fellas, call home.

by Ted Weinstein

In some not-so-cheery Friday news, California's unemployment rate skyrocketed to 11.5 percent in May, making it "the highest in modern record-keeping," according to the U.S. Department of Labor. NBC Bay Area reports that "[a]lthough the federal agency reported that 48 states and the District of Columbia saw their unemployment rates rise in May, California's rate was substantially higher than the national rate of 9.4 percent for the month." Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.are the only states with higher unemployment rates. (Again, this isn't fun for anyone.)

San Francisco is throwing around the idea of selling the naming rights of the cable cars to aid SFMTA. Naturally, people do not like the money-making scheme of re-naming the iconic cars -- cars that, over the last ten years, operate more for tourists' whimsy than any need to get to anywhere -- because it degrades the cable cars' lore. Or whatever. According to SF Examiner, Muni Director Malcolm A. Heinicke "envisions that groups could raise funds to name one of the 40 cable cars or the nearly 90 streetcars after a similarly iconic San Franciscan or local institution. The revenue from selling the naming rights could be used to fix and restore those vehicles." However, chances are that this idea will fail because whenever you try explaining to most San Franciscans that they do not, in fact, live in the merry ol' land of Oz, their heads explode.

Ha, it looks like we've been had, kind of -- it is a true story though. According to Snopes, this story happened down in LA in February, and the dogs did indeed find a home together. Awww! Thanks to drybones for clearing it up for us. A friend of SFist sent this sad story to us earlier, and SFist commenter Rahir added it to SFist's contribute page.

Dozens of students and staff at the University of California at Santa Cruz have gone on a hunger strike "in order to bring attention to $13 million in state funding being cut at the campus." This anti-digesting protest, it seems, was sparked by school wide cuts, which have affected the Latino Studies Department and the very-UCSC Community Studies program. Protest organizer Yvette Tran told KCBS, "“The hunger strikers will continue to not eat possibly for the week or until our demands are met." Said demands? Money. Anyway, those starving students are in for an even bigger shock. UCSC spokesman Jim Burns tells Mercury News, "We appreciate and share the frustration of students and others over continued reductions in state funding to UC. And in the wake of last week's election, we're bracing for even further cuts. In that environment, protecting every program is neither realistic nor possible." UC Santa Cruz, we should point out, is known for having a lily white vibe on campus, which only heightens the tension.

Think twice, is right. How very bad you must feel right about now.

Sad news, California state employees. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked his administration to "send 5,000 layoff notices to state workers Friday," according to an unnamed source close to Arnold's budget plan. The workers, according to (which is one publication we will truly be sad to see go if things are going the way they are in the print world), "will be among the 20,000 state workers who received layoff warnings earlier this year." Said 5,000 employees will have to have their desks cleaned out by the end of June. Also, for even more depressing news, be sure to check out live coverage of today's California budget crisis. (Pst, better get on the "California, the Weed Dealer State" thing right-quick, governor.)

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."

Nascent San Francisco bookstore Babylon Falling is closing its doors, according to SF Weekly. "After two short years in business," says BF's site, "Babylon Falling will be closing its doors for good at the end of June 2009." Alas. But as Weekly reporter Joe Eskenazi expertly points out, "this, by the way, is just the sort of cool place that Bay Area folks love the idea of and love having in their neighborhoods -- but don't go to enough to keep afloat (See: Parkway Theater)."

Alas, it has arrived. Today is the deadline for the Chronicle buyout. If the ailing publication can't get rid of 150 jobs by 5 p.m., the paper will start layoffs next month. A slew of noted journalists (surprisingly?) opted for the buyout. SFist's favorite book sniffer and City Bright, Frances Dinkelspiel, has the official word on just who on the editorial staff took management's buyout offer of up to one year's pay, plus health insurance.

In today's installment of "No One Cares About This Story, So Shut Up and Do Your Job, Journalists," artisan newspaper publication The New York Times -- which is having its own economic problems -- talks about SF Chronicle's demise. Among other things, it informs the public that the Hearst publication is not a serious newspaper, one that "more closely mirrored the city’s irreverent, politically liberal outlook."

Today, the California State Senate "passed legislation that will extend benefits to the unemployed by 20 weeks, sending Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger the first bill involving money from the federal economic stimulus package," according to reports. The bill passed in a 38-0 vote. "The most important thing we can do right now to help our economy and the day-to-day lives of Californians is to make sure those who are unemployed have the cash to pay their bills and feed their families," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. This most recent alteration in California unemployment laws comes just as Google plans to cut part of its workforce.

With coverage on Oprah, followed by countless other media stories on the Third World-ish homeless camp, Sacramento's 'Tent Camp' will officially close over the next few weeks. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who's clearly freaked out by this kind of attention, plans to shut it down and move its residents to nearby shelters. The Oakland Tribune says, "With foreclosure rates in the Sacramento region among the highest in the nation, the ragtag camp has been depicted as a symbol of the economic meltdown — people who'd lost their homes and were suddenly pitching tents along a riverbed."

Now for some truly sad news,.Catherine and Kyle Fischer's Parkway Speakeasy Theater in Oakland is closing its door for good after 12 years. Here's the missive sent out today to fans of the eclectic East Bay theater.

An anonymous reader writes SFist with the following urgent request.

Insiders at SF Chronicle, according to SFBG, say that "it wants to cut 150 union workers, most of them in the newsroom." Egads. That is to say, half of the newsroom would be cut. Hearst Corporation also wants to end seniority at the paper. (No more overinflated masthead titles? Noooooooo!) This could mean a somewhat serious reduction in Bay Area coverage. This news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that Hearst Corporation might shutdown the paper for good.

After the Metreon proved to be an inarguable disaster (e.g., shops, feel, maneuverability, clientele, warm fuzzies), the awkward steelish complex at Fourth and Mission is attempting a comeback. According to the Examiner, "popular New York restaurant Tavern on the Green will occupy the top floor; a food terrace will face Yerba Buena Gardens; and lights will colorfully illuminate the Fourth Street facade." Darling! Hopefully, the new restaurants will be more affordable than the ones in the Ferry Building. And while the cinema will be one of few things remaining from the old Metreon, the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center will lease space in the complex, "where it will set up its events and administrative headquarters."

The Virgin Megastoe at the corner of Stockton and Market will be closing its doors in late April, according to KCBS. This comes on the heels of Virgin announcing the closure of two new York stores, including their US flagship store in Times Square. The store is shuttering for obvious reasons: skyrocketing rent prices, iTunes, what's a CD?, the recession, the evil interwebs. While we can handle SF Chronicle stopping operations -- which even Chris Daly predicted back in 2007 -- we'll miss the Virgin Megastore. Pray to God another trite museum doesn't go in its place.

This just in: the SF Chronicle is (practically) up for sale. Word is that "if they don't sell it, they'll shut it down." No deadline communicated yet.

Although the event has been running every year since 1973, the founder of the San Francisco Blues Festival has canceled the event for 2009 and the foreseeable future. San Francisco Blues Festival founder Tom Mazzolini cites production costs and "an almost impossible time getting corporate and business sponsorships." The festival is typically held in late September at Fort Mason’s Great Meadow. They celebrated its 36th anniversary last year, featuring Allen Toussaint, Charlie Musselwhite and Tommy Castro. But in recent years, the festival has had trouble drawing crowds and big names.

"In the face of a $42 billion budget shortfall, and still no budget, measures are needed to preserve the State’s cash." And with that begins the official layoff letter sent out to 200,000 state workers on Tuesday, notifying them that they "face layoff, demotion in lieu of layoff, or transfer." Arnold made good on his promise to send word out of impending terminations if a budget agreement wasn't reached on Tuesday. It wasn't; he did.