In an official announcement today, San Francisco Bay Guardian Executive Editor Tim Redmond cleared up some of the the rumors swirling around the will-they/won't-they hookup situation between the Guardian and the San Francisco Examiner. The biggest take aways: longtime publishers Bruce Brugmann and Jean Dibble will be stepping down from their day-to-day operations as they cash in on the sale of the paper's Potrero Hill headquarters. more ›

Whoa. According to Rachel Swan at East Bay Express, the SF Examiner just bought alternative weekly SF Bay Guardian. "The owners of the San Francisco Examiner just bought the San Francisco Bay Guardian, according to two sources," reports Swan." "Known as the oldest alt-weekly in the Bay Area, the Bay Guardian was founded in 1966 and has been a vociferous defender of progressive politics for several decades." And the Examiner was founded by the Hearst family before being recently purchased by Canadian investors. more ›

The cover of this week's San Francisco Bay Guardian bears the headline "Is Oakland Cooler Than San Francisco?" Not that we haven't heard this before, like, from our Oakland friends, but lots of hip cats live over there! Artists and folks who enjoy cheap rent and true, gritty, urban experiences! The Guardian's main objective is to criticize San Francisco's "failed housing policy," because if we had more affordable housing, they say, we'd have more cool people staying here. But isn't there a difference between abundant and cheap housing and formalized "affordable housing," which is in the city's control to zone for and protect? more ›

It seems clear at this point that some irreparable damage has been done to Ross Mirkarimi and Eliana Lopez's marriage during this recent domestic violence scandal. But their marriage was likely headed for some difficulty, if not actual divorce, even before that fateful New Year's Day when Lopez went next door to show neighbor Ivory Madison her bruise. But now, via an editorial penned by a friend in the Guardian, Lopez is indirectly speaking out about how incredibly disempowered she's been through this whole process, and how she maintains firmly that the problems with her marriage, and Mirkarimi's temper, were hers to deal with, and should never have been made public. more ›

Hey, everyone! The San Francisco Bay Guardian really kinda likes and respects Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, and they hope that after this plea deal and everything, you'll all stop harshing on him and stuff. As Guardian editor Tim Redmond is quick to point out today in a lengthy editorial, the onetime capital-P Progressive golden boy of the Board of Supervisors was given no choice but to plead guilty if he wanted to continue bearing a firearm in his job, and this was pretty much just a take-down by Mirkarimi's less progressive enemies. Also, even if ex-girlfriend Christina Flores might have been similarly abused by Mirkarimi before he got with Ms. Lopez, she nevertheless penned a threatening poem after the breakup, which Redmond reprints for us now. more ›

We're doing away with our weekly roundups in which we read the weeklies for you because, well, reading is hard! No, but seriously, it's usually the cover pieces that are of worthy note in either the Weekly or the Guardian, and these cover pieces are going to be judged by the average Dick and Janet on Market Street by the quality of the cover art each of their respective art departments chose. Without further ado, our new feature in which we pit the rival papers against one another and judge them by their covers. more ›

We're doing away with our weekly roundups in which we read the weeklies for you because, well, reading is hard! No, but seriously, it's usually the cover pieces that are of worthy note in either the Weekly or the Guardian, and these cover pieces are going to be judged by the average Dick and Janet on Market Street by the quality of the cover art each of their respective art departments chose. So this week we launch a new feature in which we pit the rival papers against one another and judge them by their covers. more ›

It's Wednesday, and we thought we'd save you both the ink-dusky fingers and the trouble of scanning the print weeklies yourselves, and provide you with this tidy paperless summary (with appropriate and inappropriate commentary). Now you can go ahead and use the print editions for découpage. more ›

In SF Weekly's cover story this week, Peter Jamison takes a look at the bonuses that city workers can get just for doing their jobs. It starts off with a sentence about poop though. More specifically, it starts off with Andrew Clark, an engineer with the city's largest sewage treatment facility. Clark takes pride in his job even though it smells pretty bad, so he's fairly well compensated for it with a salary that's just a tick under 6-figures. But Clark also gets an additional 7.5 percent bonus for being certified for hazardous-materials management. more ›

Weekly newspapers aren't just free gift wrap, they also contain articles and sexy back page ads. Here's what you'll find on streetcorners around town this week: more ›

It's Wednesday and thank god the weekly papers are out, because how else would you stay dry in this terrible downpour? (Seriously though - grab one of each, it's really raining out there.) Once you're somewhere dry and safe for newsprint, here's what you'll be reading assuming the ink is still legible: more ›

It's Wednesday, and the Weekly kicks things off for us this week with a grand cover article by Lauren Smiley about the ever growing band of gay nudists who have shown up on the streets of the Castro, in particular in the new plaza at 17th and Market. Lauren uses the obvious lede, "In Chinatown, it may be the Year of the Tiger, but in the Castro, it's almost always the Year of the Cock." And goes on to name names and generally discuss the trend, which is nothing new but has gained a bit more attention of late after citizens like Terry Bennett, whose family has owned Cliff's Variety Store in the Castro for 70 years, have complained. "The Castro's a place that's supposed to be for everybody, and if you're excluding the kids, that's not being accepting of everyone." Um, the Castro's never been for kids, lady, at least not since the 50s. And yes, this would be a situation where strollers and gay male libertines don't really mix. (See also our previous, slightly satirical take.) more ›

It's Wednesday, and we at SFist are going to revive a long-ago feature in which we tirelessly read, and summarize, the stories of note in this week's alt-weeklies. We like to be service-y like that, you see, because we love you, and we respect your distaste for ink-stained fingers. more ›

Looks like the folks at SF Bay Guardian can expect payment from SF Weekly -- at least so declares the state appeals court. According to KRON 4, "In a 3-0 ruling on Wednesday, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said there was convincing evidence that the Bay Guardian, an alternative weekly, had suffered damages because of SF Weekly's 'predatory pricing scheme.'" In 2008, if you recall, a San Francisco Superior Court jury awarded the alt-weekly a $21 million damage award. "Bruce Brugmann, editor and publisher of the Bay Guardian, says the two newspapers are in settlement talks." more ›

Despite being ordered by a court to hand over half of its revenue to SF Bay Guardian for illegally selling ads below cost, SF Weekly is not -- not! -- going out of business. OK?! more ›

On Tuesday, San Francisco court commissioner granted SF Bay Guardian "half of SF Weekly’s current and future advertising revenue "in a move that could seriously damage the Weekly’s ability to stay in business," reports former New Times Media alt-weekly East Bay Express. more ›

Here's a morsel of alt weekly-vs.-alt weekly news to fill your belly: last Tuesday local alt weekly SF Bay Guardian was "granted its motion to intercept the income of the SF Weekly." The Weekly, if you recall, were branded as a bunch of predatory pricing hooligans against the Guardian in 2008, with the latter publication receiving a $21 million settlement. more ›

There's a staff editorial in this week's SFBG discussing the decline of the Chronicle and a new KQED/Warren Hellman-led non-profit venture to create a new online news source for San Francisco. The Guardian takes a few moments to get in some digs at the Chron -- in particular at such conservative columnists as C.W. Nevius who we'd probably agree seems to "disdain everything about San Francisco and urban life in general" -- and they assert, "It's little wonder then that a significant percentage of San Franciscans (in particular, younger people) see no reason whatsoever to pick up the San Francisco Chronicle." more ›

The Guardian's Drug Issue is out, and it's laced (that's editor Steven T. Jones' word, not ours) with "good shit" ranging from a piece about women's meth use on the rise in SF; a roundup of trippy literature; the requisite piece about marijuana decriminalization; a meditation on the evolution of nightlife drugging by Marke B; and a handy guide to hallucinogen use at Burning Man--especially handy for those, like us, who weren't previously familiar with the terms "candy-flipping" (using LSD and ecstasy together) or "hippie-flipping" (shrooms and ecstasy). more ›

Not that we're pouting... certainly the good folks at Muni Diaries deserve some recognition, and we did take the Weekly's readers poll this year, so we're not sweating it either. But the SFBG Readers Poll actually has a number of respectable winners in the food category (no Pasta P for Best Overall here...) who we'd happily sit beside, like Delfina for Best Italian and Chez Panisse for Best Overall. more ›

Praise Jesus, progressive politics and pure rage. The 's van, which some bastard stole earlier this week, was found. The vehicle was discovered by the SFPD yesterday morning on the 100 block of 25th Ave in the Richmond. According to reports, a "teacher from Corta Madera named Kevin Mahoney phoned in the van's location." It was not, in fact, the mischievous twentysomethings at Digg, whose offices are located next to SFBG HQ, taking the thing out for a joyride. more ›

Photo by Albert Huynh on Flickr more ›

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Ack! Who would do this? more ›

Juliette Tang, writing for the SFBG's sex blog asks the all-important question this week, "Hand Jobs: Are We Having Them?" Now, while we at SFist fully support the concept of a sex blog for San Francisco, and believe that in our fair, slutty, liberally minded city there certainly should be plenty to write about, we have to note that this headline makes us wonder if this was just a truly slow sex news week over there! To wit: more ›

We just spotted this and thought we'd share, especially since many of you have been quite vocal in your annoyance with Weekly reporter Matt Smith's prudish stance on allowing Kink.com employees to take advantage of a state-funded training program. We're quite sure Tim Redmond has bought a dozen already, so if you're so inclined you'd better get yours before he realizes what great stocking stuffers these will make for SFBG staffers come holiday time. They even come in long-sleeved! And, in case you missed it, here's Stephen Elliott's write-up on the brouhaha on The Huffington Post. more ›

In case you aren't tuned into City Planning and Architectural Preservation news, the SFBG has a new piece about the battle surrounding the possible demolition of 113 Steuart Street, which once housed the Longshoremen's union during a historic labor strike in 1934. It seems the developer hired preservationist architects Page & Turnbull to write up an assessment of the property which failed to mention anything about the historic strike or the events that took place there, and it was only after Supervisor Aaron Peskin and preservation activists researched the building themselves that Page & Turnbull amended their report. The Guardian asserts that this was a primary reason why the Board of Supes voted to reject Newsom's nomination of one of P&T's principals, Ruth Todd, to the city's Historic Preservation Commission. more ›

Slamming SF Weekly/VVM as a "deadbeat dad," SFBG Executive Editor Tim Redmond responded to Mike Lacey's rant about questions regarding today's story about how VVM has avoided payment in last year's alt-weekly lawsuit showdown. (Whew.) Redmond, in between attacking Lacey as an "asshole" and poking fun at his use of Dire Straits, claims that "VVM owes us $20 million and doesn't want to pay." He also calls out SF Weekly as "the greatest deadbeat in the history of the alternative press" and questions Lacey's accusation of SFBG suffering from "class bitterness." (Oh, neither one of you know the searing pain of class bitterness until you've lived in a dilapidated Victorian on Third Street next to an overpass while the Ritz-Carlton sits a few blocks down the street, riddled with vacancies. Just look at this gorgeous shit. It is stunning. Can you imagine being holed up in a sun-drenched 1 BR at the Ritz, complete with a few tasteful accents from Limn, a medicine cabinet full of Valium, and a giant HD TV? Because we sure can.) In the end, though, it makes for an interesting read into what's become of the SF alt-weekly scene. If you're looking SFBG's side of the story, go here and here. more ›

Been waiting forever for some choice SFBG v. SF Weekly drama? Well, wait no more. A golden-brown batch of it just came out over at SF Weekly, complete with libel accusations, Sabine women, and a Dire Straits quote. See, it seems SFBG Editor Tim Redmond sent VVM Executive Editor Mike Lacey a series of questions in order to update the status of their lawsuit. Which is to say, an article is in the works, and SFBG simply asked a series of questions. And Lacey? He published said series questions, followed by his official response. more ›

This was mentioned in Day Around the Bay, but it's so Inside Edition-y hot right now, we felt compelled to capture some of its momentum and give it its own post. Anyway, the above headline comes courtesy of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. "That's the headline we'd be reading," says SFBG Editor Tim Redmond, "if one of the Navy stunt pilots had the same misfortune as the FA/18 pilot just did in San Diego." He goes on to point that this is something to think about come next year's Fleet Week air acrobatics. "If the supervisors decided not to invite the Navy precision flying team, they wouldn't come." Which: True. The tightness of those white Navy pants are exhilarating enough; however, others are livid that the crash is being used like this. But what say you? more ›