An SF woman was arrested at SFO and taken into custody by Tiburon police last week on suspicion of racking up $60,000 in fraudulent charges on her former boss’s credit card for extravagant purchases including international travel, luxury hotels, and spa services.

Naghmeh Novbakhtian, 35, of San Francisco, was arrested last Tuesday around 6:50 am in connection with a felony credit card fraud case upon her flight landing at San Francisco International Airport, according to the Tiburon Police Department.

Novbakhtian’s former boss told Tiburon police she had previously authorized Novbakhtian to use her credit card for childcare-related expenses when she was employed as the family’s nanny between July and December 2025.

The victim told police her credit card company recently alerted her to a dramatic uptick in unauthorized charges, amounting to around $60,000, in the months following Novbakhtian’s employment. Some of the charges included direct payments made to accounts associated with Novbakhtian, as well as international airline tickets under her name, luxury hotels, cosmetic and spa services, retail purchases, and ride services.

The police department says detectives are investigating whether Novbakhtian is connected to additional crimes, including a residential burglary that was previously reported.

The Marin County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case for felony grand theft and fraud charges. Tiburon police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the department.

Photo by Duke Cullinan

A coyote recently made its way to Alcatraz Island for the first time in documented history, most likely from SF’s Coit Tower area, after it perhaps got caught up in the Bay’s current, which was much stronger than usual due to recent storms.

Yes, the coyotes around here are pretty good swimmers.

As SFGate reports, Aidan Moore, who works for Alcatraz City Cruises, shared some videos on Facebook featuring a lone coyote furiously doggy-paddling its way to Alcatraz as nearby tourists watched in amazement. While coyotes are common on nearby Angel Island, where around 14 to 17 coyotes live by way of Tiburon, as SFist reported last fall, this is the first documented sighting of them on Alcatraz Island.

“I didn’t believe them to start with,” Moore told SFGate, until he saw the video footage, which was filmed by a guest. Per SFGate, the coyote came ashore along the southern edge of the island near the Agave Trail, reportedly “panting and shivering.”

The coyote appeared a lot like its cartoon counterpart, as it struggled to gain its bearings while navigating the rocky terrain, as can be seen in the videos and accompanying screenshots.

Then the coyote quickly disappeared after it hit land.

A spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Julian Espinoza, confirmed the sighting. “Coyotes can be commonly seen throughout our San Francisco and Marin parklands but never before on Alcatraz,” he told SFGate. “This was the first time our park biologists observed anything like this.”

SFGate spoke to a captain with Alcatraz City Cruises, who said the run-off from recent storms was entering the bay at eight or nine knots that day, or around eight miles an hour, making it impossible for the animal to outswim it.

“I suspect he fell into the water chasing something and was swept away,” Moore told SFGate.

Christine Wilkinson, a conservation scientist and carnivore ecologist who has researched coyotes for University of California Berkeley and the California Academy of Sciences, told SFGate the coyote, which she said appeared very weak, may have ventured from SF’s Coit Tower area in search of more green space to claim new territory — choosing the risky bay currents over the deadly Interstate 280 in the other direction.

Wilkinson told SFGate she wondered if the coyote will try to claim the territory and call over a mate, like the coyotes on Angel Island did. “But it is a much smaller island and I am not sure if I’ve heard of a coyote pack ever establishing such a tiny territory,” she said.

It’s unknown if the coyote is still on the island or whether it made its way back to where it came from. “We’ve been wandering around the island looking for him, but no one has been able to spot him,” Moore told SFGate. “It’s possible he might not be seen for a while.”  

Images: Screenshot from videos

Previously: Coyotes Are Now Swimming More Than a Mile Back and Forth From Tiburon to Angel Island

The latest crazy coyote behavior in the SF Bay Area is that coyotes are swimming the more than one mile between Tiburon and Angel Island, and apparently somewhere between 14 and 17 coyotes now call Angel Island home.

We’ve known for years that the probable reason that San Francisco has coyotes again is because they probably walked here from Marin County across the Golden Gate Bridge. Now Angel Island park officials have observed another very unexpected coyote behavior.

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SFGate had a report this weekend that Angel Island park staffers saw a coyote swimming from Angel Island toward Tiburon, a distance that is more than a mile. That report goes into more detail that the first coyote was observed on Angel Island in 2017, and that there are now an estimated 14 to 17 coyotes on the island, where there had never been any observed prior to eight years ago.

The Instagram video above has some commenters giving guff that the park personnel didn’t do more to help the coyote, but park staff dismiss that. “Coyotes are good swimmers,” park interpreter Casey Dexter-Lee told SFGate. “We try very hard not to interfere with natural behaviors of wildlife whenever possible, as long as it’s not in conflict with the visitors. We let the animals do their thing.”

KQED has better video of the coyote swimming, and spoke to California State Parks environmental scientist Bill Miller, who took the video. Ironically, Miller was boating out to Angel Island specifically to work on a coyote research project. “I’m going out there to look for coyotes on camera, and then here just to see one, swimming, it was pretty fun,” he told KQED.

The coyote in the video did not swim the whole way to Tiburon, and instead turned around about one-quarter of the way and headed back to Angel Island. Park staffers aren’t sure why.

But they do know that the first recorded coyote got there in 2017, and would howl at the coyotes over in Tiburon. Another eventually swam over, they had a litter of pups, and the population has now grown to an estimated 14 to 17 coyotes.

There are plausible theories on why the coyotes would make that swim to Angel Island, and even stay there permanently once they had. The island had a large population (some would say overpopulation) of raccoons and deer, for which coyotes are predators. Those populations have decreased since the coyotes’ arrival.

But that’s just one theory. "Maybe coyotes want to go somewhere else," California Department of Fish and Wildlife ecologist Bill Furnas told KGO. "Young coyotes want to set up new territories and they are dispersing."

Related: Video: Li’l Coyote Pup Rescued After Falling Into Bay at Fisherman’s Wharf [SFist]

Image: This coyote passed by these ducks without scaring them, absolutely beautiful to see. (Getty Images)

A once-forgotten 1970 queer film, The Meatrack, has returned to the screen after a partial print was rescued from the trash. The film was directed by Mike Thomas, who ran several local theaters at the time — including the Presidio Theater and North Beach Movie. Often described as a San Francisco take on Midnight Cowboy, the gritty feature follows a bisexual hustler navigating life and love in the city’s underground scene.

Restored by Vinegar Syndrome and distributed by Muscle Distribution, the film captures long-gone landmarks like the Tom Kat Theatre and features local drag legends such as Vicki Marlane. — SFGate

Amy Tan finds truth and solace in birdwatching and journaling

Bay Area native and acclaimed author Amy Tan began nature journaling in 2016 to cope with the stress brought on by escalating social and political tensions. Watching and drawing backyard birds, she discovered profound mysteries and connections in the natural world, inspiring both her art and writing.

Her observations and stories are collected in The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a new book blending nature, memory, and creativity. For Tan, observing the small, intricate behaviors of birds sharpened her understanding of character and morality in fiction, while journaling became a personal act of meaning and emotional truth. — Alta Journal

Bay Area artists paid to advocate for arts community

A new initiative from Vital Arts is paying seven Bay Area artists $1,000 a month for 18 months to collect data from the arts community, host events, and advocate for housing, health care, and fair wages. Formed after the Ghost Ship fire, the nonprofit aims to center artists in policymaking. Application deadline is July 23. — KQED

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Art, beer, and community bring new life to San Jose’s Creekside

San Jose’s Creekside area is finding new life with a vibrant art corridor and spacious beer garden from a local brewery — filling the void left by Google’s scaled-back plans for the neighborhood. The installations celebrate everything from native plants and birds to San Jose’s cultural landmarks and tech heritage.

With food vendors and creative spaces nearby, the neighborhood is reaching its goal of serving as a relaxed gathering spot that blends art, nature, and neighborhood pride. — Bay Area News Group

Steelhead and salmon set to return to Alameda Creek after decades

For the past several decades, steelhead trout and Chinook salmon were blocked from their spawning grounds in Sunol’s Alameda Creek. Now, with help from a small army of biologists and a big dig to reroute a PG&E gas line, the fish are getting their creek back.

The $80 million effort — part infrastructure project, part ecological repair — is racing to finish before migration season. If all goes to plan, salmon could swim freely here for the first time since the 1970s. — Bay Area News Group

Devil’s Slide reimagined as a scenic coastal trail

Just south of SF between Pacifica and Montera, Devil’s Slide is a cliffside trail with stunning ocean views and a dramatic backstory. Once a railroad, then a stretch of Highway 1 notorious for landslides, it was finally converted into a pedestrian and bike path in 2013. The 1.3-mile trail now offers views of whales, dolphins, seals, and nesting seabirds, plus WWII-era bunkers perched above the sea.

Note: As fate would have it, this blurb was written prior to reading about the two recent incidents that occurred in the Devil’s Slide area on Thursday. Enter at your own risk — it is called Devil’s Slide after all. — Secret San Francisco

Pop star Miist finds her voice in Marin

Early in the pandemic, Tiburon resident Miist decided to give songwriting a try when she picked up learning the piano to accompany her soprano singing voice — after persistent nudging from her husband who saw her innate talent. Before she knew it, she was collaborating with Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden, landing Billboard-charting singles, and starring in music videos with millions of views.

Now, with her husband as her full-time manager, she’s using her platform to launch a global kindness movement through music, a podcast, and a new nonprofit dedicated to empathy and connection. — Marin Independent Journal

A taste of Senegal at Embarcadero

Nafy Flatley’s Teranga brings the warmth of Senegalese hospitality to San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center, offering hearty dishes and vibrant drinks inspired by her heritage. What began as a college project blossomed into a thriving restaurant, overcoming early hurdles and pandemic challenges.

With support from SF’s Vacant to Vibrant program, Teranga secured a prime downtown location and continues to grow its loyal customer base. Despite rising import costs and fluctuating foot traffic, Flatley remains optimistic and inspires others to chase their dreams with courage and passion. — The Frisc

Top image: Frameline Film Festival

Previously: Field Notes: Pupusas in the Tenderloin, Trans Quilts, a Band of Librarians, and Award-Winning Beans

An off-duty Oakland police officer or two appeared to have taken an Oakland Police Department boat out for personal use on Saturday, along with their significant others and at least a couple of children, for a trip up to Tiburon.

The boat was spotted at Sam's Anchor Cafe in Tiburon by a KTVU viewer, who sent in photos showing two or three women with drinks in their hands on the boat. This was around 4 pm on Saturday, and the person who took the photo was a sailor who was looking for a spot on a dock to moor his sailboat.

"It doesn't give you the right to use public property for personal use," the sailor said to KTVU. "Even the fuel being used is taxpayer dollars. How often are they doing this? I mean, is this OK? Generally, people would say ‘No, this is not OK.’"

The anonymous sailor also noted that no one on the boat was wearing life vests, including the children.

KTVU sought comment from the Oakland Police Department, which responded simply that it is "looking into these allegations."

And this isn't the first time that an OPD boat has been spotted in this same place! The sailing blog Latitude 38 published photos of two different Oakland police boats visiting Sam's Anchor Cafe last summer around this same time, in August.

Sam's is, of course, a popular destination on warm-weather weekend days throughout the year, both for people on boats and day-trippers wanting to have a drink or a meal by the water in a particularly windless spot.

But it definitely looks to be an infraction on the part of some OPD officer or officers, at a time when the department hardly needs another one, to be pleasure-cruising in an official department boat.

We'll see if the department comments further.

Related: Oakland Approves $365,100 Salary For New Chief of Police Floyd Mitchell, Who Starts Next Week

Photo: Moose Boats

On Thursday, a collision between two boats in the San Francisco Bay — about a mile southwest of Angel Island — left one ship spinning out of control and a man dead. The man has been identified as 65-year-old Contra Costa County resident Michael Wells.

As reported by NBC Bay Area, the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the identity of the man killed in Thursday's boating accident involving multiple people. The collision between a sailboat and a 25-foot center console pleasure craft motor boat was first reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at 2:09 p.m. Thursday; the initial impact from the collision caused the motorboat to spin out of control when Wells, who was operating the vessel, was thrown into the water; the boat only stopped spinning after authorities could commandeer the vessel and turn off the engine.

Others involved in the boating accident managed to pull Wells from the water, but he, however, later succumbed to his injuries.

It's not clear at this time what led up to the collision, and an investigation is still underway by local police. No arrests have been made in relation to the boating accident, thus far.

Photo: Getty Images/Jack N. Mohr

A Tiburon restaurant that's been four years in the making, The Bungalow Kitchen, debuts Wednesday night, with a swanky house-party vibe and several of chef Michael Mina's greatest hits on the menu.

Mina says that he's had people begging him to open a place in Marin County for years, and it was four years ago that he and business partner Brent Bolthouse toured the former Guaymas Restaurant in Tiburon — a few doors down from the popular weekend destination Sam's Anchor Cafe. The original plan had been to split the 12,000-square-foot space into a restaurant and a bar, with Bolthouse running the bar, but the pair later decided to team up as they did over a decade on the former XIV restaurant in Los Angeles.

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Bolthouse, who owns two Los Angeles area bars called The Bungalow — one in Santa Monica and one in Huntington Beach — tells the Chronicle this week that he was aiming for a comfy, residential vibe with Bungalow Kitchen. And the restaurant's 300 seats are spread across multiple rooms, as well as an expansive deck overlooking Belvedere Cove and Angel Island.

"What I told my friends out here is, ‘You’re going to thank me because you’re never going to have to throw a party in your house again.’” says Mina, speaking to the Chronicle.

The Bungalow Kitchen has been in the works for four years in Tiburon, having been delayed by the pandemic, but Mina and Bolthouse ended up opening a second planned location in Long Beach first, earlier this year.

The menu at this Bungalow Kitchen features an array of comfort foods, cocktail snacks, and Mina classics — like his lobster pot pie, tuna tartare, and caviar parfaits.

There are also oakwood-grilled meats and fish — including a 44-oz porterhouse steak for 4 ($249) — handmade pastas, and a $24 Wagyu beef burger topped with white cheddar, pickles, and onion jam. Mina also mentions some thin-crust pizzas in the Chronicle, but those don't yet appear on the opening menu.

There's also a $49 two-course brunch prix fixe on the weekends (the lobster pot pie comes with a $20 supplement there) and there's a late-night menu that will be served until 2 a.m. on weekends — basically a first for sleepy Tiburon.

Mina is now one of the country's biggest restaurateurs, with over 40 restaurants in his group's current portfolio. Back in September, Mina opened a new Greek restaurant in downtown SF, Estiatorio Ornos, in the California Street space previously occupied by his eponymous Michael Mina restaurant. He also runs International Smoke in the Millennium Tower building with Ayesha Curry, PABU downtown, and Indie Superette in the Marina.

The only remaining restaurant called Michael Mina is at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

The Bungalow Kitchen is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Find reservations here, or take your chances with seats at the bar.

Related: Michael Mina to Replace His Eponymous Downtown Restaurant With New Greek Seafood Spot

Top image via AVABLU

An 11-year-old Tiburon boy died Sunday after being ejected from his father's boat near Angel Island.

The boy and his older brother were both tossed from the boat, which was being driven by their father, and were then struck by the boat when he attempted to get them out of the water, as the Chronicle reports. The older brother, 27, suffered lacerations to his leg, suggesting he might have been hit by the boat engine's propeller.

As KPIX reports, 57-year-old Javier Burillo was arrested by Tiburon police on Sunday not long after bringing the boy and his brother back to shore at Tiburon's Corinthian Yacht Club, where the boy was pronounced dead. Burillo was taken into custody on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with a vessel, willful harm or injury to a child, and operating a boat while under the influence.

The vessel Burillo was piloting on Sunday was a 33-foot Targa Protector, per the Associated Press.

Burillo is currently being held in Marin County Jail on $1 million bail.

A joint investigation into the incident is now underway by Tiburon police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

The boy's name has not been publicly released, due to his age.

Photo: ProtectorBoats/Facebook

Just in time for our latest taste of balmy spring weather, Sam's Anchor Cafe is reopening Thursday following an extensive six-week remodel that attempts to activate and brighten up the restaurant's under-used indoor spaces.

The Tiburon landmark, which dates back a century to around 1920, had seen some wear and tear in recent decades and was in sore need of a facelift, as Eater reports. Enter San Francisco-based ROY Design, who also designed interiors for A Mano in Hayes Valley and Barvale on Divisadero.

The bright and clean facelift includes plenty of wood, leather, and white subway tile, and the popular deck space out back has been updated with a new railing, decking, tables, chairs, umbrellas, and an 80-foot heated bench for chillier weather. And the dining room now opens onto the deck with a big glass slider.

As always, there is still free popcorn, and Mai Tais.

The new all-day menu features the standards like calamari, oysters, fish and chips, and a lobster roll — with the addition of shareable cocktails in bowls like an Aperol spritz served with the prosecco bottle neck down in the bowl, and a pink lemonade with Tito's vodka. The brunch menu features the addition of chilaquiles, smoked salmon Benedict, and brioche French toast topped with bananas Foster.

Sam's reopens Thursday, April 18, and hours, as before, will be 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

A Tiburon man stands accused of animal cruelty in the deaths of a deer and her fawn whom he allegedly shot with a pellet gun for eating his expensive landscaping. Homeowner Mark Dickinson, 54, was arrested by the Tiburon Police Department after neighbors reported hearing him shoot the doe and fawn around 5 a.m. Saturday, as the Marin Independent Journal reports. He was booked into Marin County Jail and released on bail pending further review by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.

"We were pretty shocked and disturbed," said Marin Humane Society rep Lisa Bloch to CBS 5. "To kill two innocent animals like this and make them suffer is really egregious and we’re pretty concerned." The Humane Society initially responded to the call about the deer shooting on on Mar East Drive, which faces San Francisco Bay.

According to police the weapon was a high-powered Gamo pellet-gun with scope, laser and flashlight attachments. As the Marin IJ notes, the gun is marketed for pest control, and for hunting small game such as raccoons, rabbits, and the like.

Dickinson's attorney issued a statement picked up by CBS 5 saying, "My client did not intend to harm the animals. The public outrage to these allegations is driven by the inflammatory claims of the Tiburon Police Department which haven’t been proven in court."

Neighbors tell ABC 7 that they had seen the doe and her offspring in the neighborhood for weeks, and they were shocked at the news. Linda and Klaus Meinberg had taken cellphone photos of the animals that they shared with ABC 7 and can be seen in the coverage below.

Food critics, love them or loathe them, generally avoid doling out negative reviews. When you have nothing nice to say, as the say, don't go back to the restaurant.

And yet, from time to time — bless them for it — a critic does go all in on a good pan. Such was the case, you may recall, when Pete Wells skewered Guy Fieri's horrorshow Times Square restaurant back in 2012, or more recently this January, raked Thomas Keller's Per Se over the coals in a lacerating two-star review.

In that vein, consider this scathing review of Tiburon's 1986-founded Mexican restaurant Guaymas from the Chronicle's chief food eater Michael Bauer. While billed as "authentic," Bauer found the place to taste "like the American version of the 1960s." And though it sounds as if Bauer had the opposite of this experience at Guaymas, he does give us something delicious to chew on. The burns might be a bit spicy, and they are very salty, but lo, they are good.

"Complimentary tortilla chips are the best part of the meal, but still pale in comparison to what you’ll find at other places."

"I’ve had better chicken enchiladas ($16.95) from the frozen-food case of Trader Joe’s."

"From start to finish we suffered through what tasted like a collection of cheap ingredients, poorly prepared."

"I was flabbergasted when I saw an article from 2014 where Thrillist named Guaymas one of the 21 best Mexican restaurants in America. Were we in the same restaurant? From what I had, it was one of the worst in the Bay Area." (Thrillist here)

"The one thing Guaymas has going for it is the ambience — an impressive outdoor deck overlooking the marina and San Francisco. Yet passable chips and a great view aren’t enough to keep me coming back."

Bauer also criticized service at Guaymas, noting that a waiter didn't bother bringing his bill. With one star, the critic appears to have flipped the script, serving them instead.

Related: Someone Launches 'Impeach Michael Bauer' Campaign, Offers $2K For New Chronicle Critic
Michael Bauer Rediscovers The LA Dining Scene, Checks In On Some Former SF Chefs

The fight we first heard about last month between Robin Williams' wife Susan Schneider (who appears to have recently adopted the last name Williams which she had not used previously) and his three children will be going before a judge today. As KRON 4 reports, children Zachary, Zelda, and Cody reportedly took some items out of Williams' Tiburon home that their stepmother wanted for herself, and she's now seeking "guidance" from a probate judge over what her late husband intended in the wording of a trust.

At issue in this petty battle, as we learned in February, are things like figurines, graphic novels, Williams' Oscar for Good Will Hunting, and other entertainment industry memorabilia that is in storage, as well as in the Tiburon home. The trust gave the home to Schneider/Williams, but gave various "jewelry" and "memorabilia" to the children, who now argue that they have a right to take any and all of it regardless of where it was kept. Their stepmother, however, is trying to exclude some expensive watches from the definition of "jewelry," and is trying to suggest that the kids should only get the memorabilia that was kept in a second home in Napa.

There appears to be no love lost between the three kids and Schneider/Williams, and they said in an earlier statement that she was "adding insult to a terrible injury" by taking them to court over this, and that they "are heartbroken that Petitioner, Mr. Williams’ wife of less than three years, has acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate."

Perhaps this will be resolved today, but perhaps not.

In related news, a plan to rename the Waldo Tunnel in Marin after Williams passed the Assembly in a unanimous vote last week, as the Chron reported.

Previously: Robin Williams' Wife And Children Now Battling Over His Oscar, Other Personal Effects

Robin Williams, the Oscar-winning actor and stand-up comedian who's lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, was found dead in his Tiburon, California home on Monday, as the Marin Sheriff's Department is reporting.

The Sheriff's Department issued a release Monday, August 11, saying that they are currently investigating Williams' death, but that the county coroner "suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia." Williams was reportedly last seen by his wife around 10 p.m. on Sunday, and could not be found in the home this morning. He was then found and reported unconscious and not breathing at 11:55 a.m.

The Marin Independent Journal notes that Williams, a recovering alcoholic and cocaine addict, had recently gone back for treatment in a rehab facility. As of July 1, he was checked into the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center near Lindstrom, Minnesota, and it was at a nearby Dairy Queen that an employee posted the photo below to Facebook. It may be one of the last known photos of the actor. It's not clear how long Williams had been back home in Tiburon.

Williams' death comes six months after the drug-related passing of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who had also fallen off the wagon in his struggle with heroin addiction. People on social media have been quick to post the video clip below, from 1998's Patch Adams, of a scene with Hoffman and Williams.

For more background on how Williams got his start, watch this PBS video, dedicated to the pioneers of television.

Many obituaries likely to follow. Also below, a routine Williams did in 2008 about the end of George W. Bush's "reign of error."

Williams, it was announced in April, was set to star in Mrs. Doubtfire 2, due out in 2015. He also recently reprised his role as Teddy Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum franchise, with the third installment due out this Christmas.

Update: The entire New York Times obit is up, which includes Williams' publicist Mara Buxbaum confirming that the actor had been "battling severe depression." [NYT]

Read how Bay Area locals, including Ben Fong-Torres and Mayor Ed Lee, have responded to the news. The national response includes this touching statement from President Barack Obama, in which he calls Williams "one of a kind."

Williams' wife Susan Schneider issued a statement as well, saying: "This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions." [Hollywood Reporter]

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

Area kook Elisabeth Thieriot, who describes herself in a press release as "a San Francisco-based business woman, co-founder of PhoneCharge, Inc., [?] philanthropist and author of Be Fabulous at Any Age" just threw a party in celebration of a documentary she appears to have funded called Decoding B’aqtun, which "does not yet have a debut date." The film sounds like part documentary, part self-help, having to do with using Mayan prophecies to improve your quality of life. And while Thieriot does not seem to think the world will end this December (she's hoping, instead, that her film will come out by then), she did invite a "Mayan spiritual leader" for a Marin-style cocktail fete at her home.

Apolinario Chile Pixtun is the Head Elder of the Mayan Council and an alleged spiritual guide. Because he "carries the wisdom of his Mayan ancestors and passes it on to generations," he has apparently parlayed that into a lucrative career of traveling the world to speak about the Mayan calendar, and attend cocktail parties.

Thieriot's home in Tiburon is called Lions Gate, kind of like the former film studio, so perhaps she has long fancied herself a movie producer. In any event, Pixtun sounds like a con artist, and we wish poor Thieriot would just give to charity or something like a normal rich person.

[SF Citizen]