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City College failed to support its claims. It failed to use best practices for public meetings during the pandemic, and the Trustees admitted they were violating the law in handling public comments at their meetings, agreed to fix the problem in January but then, after only three months, went back to their old ways.
At a press conference, Higher Education Action Team (HEAT) and the CCSF Collective unveiled a Report Card on the role of the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees, giving the Trustees a failing grade for destroying classes, eliminating campuses and privatizing the Community College for "developers, consultants and lawyers who are making millions."
The Report Card cited the following areas of failure:
• Music and Arts
• Older Adults Program and Fort Mason
• Registration System
• Class Cuts & Downsizing
• Ethnic Studies and Destruction of Ethnic and Community Studies
• Privatization and the Balboa Reservoir [Project]
• Student Success Task Force Formula, Lumina and ALEC
• Transparency, Brown Act and payoff to Rocha
• 1400 Evans and Airport campus closure—to be combined?
• Using the board as stepping stone to higher office.
Anyone who wants to attend a meeting of the City College Board of Trustees during the pandemic and make public comments will see this notice:
“Institutions across the country have been working to ensure public meetings can be conducted effectively and respectfully in virtual formats. To that end, state and national best practices have been developed regarding public comment. In line with these best practices, CCSF is requiring all requests for public comment be submitted [in writing] to publiccomment@ccsf.edu [or by phone to 669.444.1266] 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time.”
On September 11, I submitted a public records request to learn what the College based "best practices" on. I had already written to the chancellor’s chief-of-staff to find out about their research. They told me that “Board President Williams worked with staff and surveyed other districts and public agencies to establish the protocols, noted above.”
State—national—public agencies—other districts. That sounded rather impressive and resourceful.
So who was responsible for formulating the above statement (“Institutions across the country…”) and having it inserted in the agenda? That question actually was answered — one of the few. When the selection of Dianna Gonzales as the new interim chancellor was revealed on April l, ’20, she soon announced a town hall for April 7. The afternoon of the event, Rachel Howard of BergDavis Public Affairs, a CCSF consultant, was tasked with creating a statement on how to access that evening’s virtual session; it was 98% identical to the version still in use today. As for the numerous questions I raised about the best practices—when the survey was done, by whom and with which districts and public agencies, etc., they were either protected by lawyer-client privilege, disregarded, or exempt from disclosure for a plethora of reasons. In other words, it took a month to discover that the district wouldn’t or couldn’t back up its claims. More important, the “best practices” only referred to the way of reserving a place in line to deliver public comment. It turns out that other local districts have more generous policies, some not requiring advance notice to make a comment (West Valley-Mission) or giving more time to speak (five minutes at Foothill-De Anza), or being able to make one or more comments during the meeting.
...in April, the new regime under Interim Chancellor Gonzalez abruptly, with a blatant lack of transparency and no justification, returned to the previous agenda structure, with very limited public comment and only near the beginning of the meeting — reservation is now required in advance as well.”
This leads to the more serious complaint about the District limiting the public’s opportunity to participate in Board meetings. The Board of Trustees held a retreat on January 9, before classes began this year. Guy Bryant, a lawyer from AALRR, gave a presentation on the Brown Act and open meeting procedures, as well as other legal issues.
That morning, Trustee Davila spoke of a time when “we had it all the way through”—meaning that public comment had been allowed at a number of places throughout their meetings. You can see this from Board agendas and minutes going back to the early months of 2017. She explained some reasons the Board decided to put all the public comment at the beginning of the meeting — greater convenience, minimizing late-night sessions, allowing greater diversity of speakers. Then she wanted to know if that had been a violation of Education Code? The lawyer was not shy in setting her straight.
Violation of Ed. Code, § 72121.5
“I would say that the best practice would be to change it to have it [public comment] as the items come up.” (He said it about three times in the next five minutes.)
Bryant: “I would say the best practice is, would be to, if you can—obviously, again it’s your meeting and you’re trying to make sure that you’re getting your business done and if there’s a whole lot of things—but the Ed. Code is pretty clear that it wants you to, if you can, allow for the public to speak when the item is taken up.”
He was even more emphatic when pointing out that this is a provision of the Education Code, which applies particularly to Community Colleges:
“[There’s a similar provision that was] general for other public entities, but Community Colleges section 72121.5* is specific to you guys. And so that’s why [it’s a] best practice that ‘Community College Districts and their subsidiary bodies must allow speakers to be heard as agenda items are taken up.’ ” (*Ed. Code, § 72121.5)
Towards the end of the retreat, Trustee Rizzo commented, “We heard today that we have a problem with the Brown Act by having all of the public comment for items on the agenda at once at the beginning. We heard today that the Brown Act says they need to come up as the items come up. So that’s a problem that we need to fix….”
And fix it they did. During the first three months of 2020, Board agendas showed that public comments were allowed on action items, reports, consent items and closed session agendas, as well as for items not on the agenda. Yes, there were time limits, but suddenly fuller participation was possible. And even after shelter-in-place regulations were in effect, the same agenda structure persisted in March. But in April, the new regime under Interim Chancellor Gonzalez abruptly, with a blatant lack of transparency and no justification, returned to the previous agenda structure, with very limited public comment and only near the beginning of the meeting — reservation is now required in advance as well. (For months, one could not even read one’s own comment.) The Zoom technology makes for a different experience, too. The Trustees, their thoughts inscrutable, are hidden from view during comments, replaced by a digital clock counting down. The Trustees also seem less accountable than when faculty and students were there in person to observe, and respond. Yet old battles and controversies are not forgotten.
The Trustees in January made it clear that they valued most participants other than those who regularly showed up and were the best informed — City College employees. It’s time to open up the meetings and let those who still observe these lengthy gatherings participate more fully. Follow the Ed. Code and the Brown Act. Be transparent; return to best practices at Board meetings.
According to the REPORT CARD: The Trustees restricted public comments at meetings and violated transparency regulations for public agencies.
To find upcoming Board of Trustees meetings or Board agendas
The next upcoming meeting is highlighted, and information about Zoom and telephone access to the meetings will be found there; to find information about previous meetings for 2019-2020, go first to the menu bar to select "Meetings" and then look to the upper left corner to find a list of meetings for either year.
Board of Trustees Streaming Media and Video Archive is another useful resource that goes further back with video and audio recordings of Board meetings. These are recordings for regular meetings, Special meetings, committee meetings and agendas, etc., going back to about 2009.
Harry Bernstein CCSF Faculty Member and AFT 2121 Member
More Information: Press Conference or email to: SFCityCollegeHEAT@gmail.com
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Previous Articles About City College
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| AFT 2121 members hang a banner over the Muni overpass on Ocean Avenue, encouraging drivers to support the faculty strike at Ocean Campus on April 27, 2016. (Photo by Natasha Dangond/Special to The Guardsman) |
The rain didn't let up on the morning of April 27, but neither did City College faculty, who multiplied in numbers as the rain fell harder on the street corners of Ocean campus at the start of the faculty union's school-wide strike.
You can either get depressed or angry, or you can connect with people, because morale among faculty has gotten really low,” said Kathe Burick, a dance teacher in her 37th year at City College. Burick was on the picket line at dawn, yelling out chants to save City College through her megaphone…”
Signs and umbrellas held high, demonstrators gathered at select locations on the perimeter of Ocean campus to protest unfair labor practices with the district.
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| captionAFT 2121 member Kathe Burick helps lead City College faculty sing and chant while picketing against unfair labor practices at Ocean Campus on April 27, 2016. (Photo by Natasha Dangond/Special to The Guardsman) |
"I'm sad that it's come to this point, but I'm hopeful to get what we need in the end, which is a fair contract for faculty and a wage that lets us live in this city," math instructor Mary Bravewoman said.
City College's faculty union, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 2121, have been in negotiations with the administration for over a year now. But the AFT claims the administration has been bargaining in bad faith, leaving faculty working without a settled contract.
"Negotiations started in January 2015. The administration has been dragging their feet ever since then," AFT Negotiating Team representative and engineering instructor Wendy Kaufmyn said.
The administration did not respond to requests for comment, but Lamb closed all 11 City College campuses in response to the strike, citing safety concerns. April 27's faculty-led strike marked the first ever in City College's 80 years of existence.”
City College Interim Chancellor Susan Lamb previously notified the union that the strike was illegal because it occurred during the fact-finding process, a step taken in an attempt to mediate on-going negotiations.
The AFT turned down the administration's latest offer, a 7.19 percent full-time salary increase over the next two years, which the union said would only raise their wages 1.7 percent over 2007 wages.
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| AFT 2121 President Tim Killikelly supporting City College faculty and students during the one-day strike to rally against the administration's allegedly unfair labor practices at Civic Center. Faculty and supporters picketed eight of City College's 11 campuses on April 27, 2016. (Photo by Rachel Quinio/Special to The Guardsman) |
The administration did not respond to requests for comment, but Lamb closed all 11 City College campuses in response to the strike, citing safety concerns. April 27's faculty-led strike marked the first ever in City College's 80 years of existence.
Multiple Campuses Active
A small, dedicated group of protesters gathered at City College's administrative offices at 33 Gough St. by 8 a.m. with picket signs, warm smiles and morning greetings for passersby as they began their day of action against unfair labor practices. The union had organized protesters to picket at Gough Street and seven other campus locations throughout the day.
"We're not really so focused on how many; we just want to make sure there is a presence at every campus and every building," English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor Diane Wallis said. "(We) just want to make sure the city sees that we're supporting public education and we're trying to support City College as a public institution."
AFT president Tim Killikelly arrived at Ocean campus midmorning, ecstatic from the support he had seen at John Adams campus. "The college decided to close the school down because they understand the support we have from the community and students and how united faculty is to get a fair contract," Killikelly said.
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| City College faculty gather around Ocean Campus. (Photo by Natasha Dangond/Special to The Guardsman) |
Civic Center Erupts
Protesters converged at noon among the hustle and bustle of Civic Center plaza to demonstrate in the long-awaited sunlight with a unified and spirited rally.
The rally proved that the faculty was not alone—representatives from Service Employees International Union, Associated Students, the Department Chair Council and Teamsters, among others, brought numbers to the crowd.
City College student Luis G.R held a sign with his friends that read, "Cuts to City College=Gentrification." G.R, among many other students and faculty, believe the pending cuts to class offerings are a step to purposely downsize the college.
"I had to change my major from zoology to biology because so many zoology classes have been cut, and now it's even harder for me to get classes for biology," said G.R, a student since 2011. "These cuts make people leave and go somewhere else."
End to a Historic Day
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| City College English instructor Mitra Sapienza, with her daughter Colette, during the strike (Photo by Natasha Dangond/Special to The Guardsman) |
"You can either get depressed or angry, or you can connect with people, because morale among faculty has gotten really low," said Kathe Burick, a dance teacher in her 37th year at City College. Burick was on the picket line at dawn, yelling out chants to save City College through her megaphone toward the Ocean Avenue morning commute.
By the time evening had set on Ocean Campus, the picket line had dwindled, but Burick's voice rose prominently over the blustering winds and blaring horns of Ocean Avenue traffic. Her voice finally gave in and cracked through the amplifier.
She took a moment to step aside and take a breath, "The only way to keep it our college is to declare it our college."
Marco Siler-Gonzales is a Journalism student at City College, this special report is courtesy of The Guardsman. Patrick Fitzgerald contributed to his story.
May 2016
December 2015
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Rafael Mandelman introduces Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi to thank her for her efforts on behalf of the college’s accreditation. Photo: Khaled Sayed |
The last few years have been rough for City College of San Francisco, and I wish I could say that our wild ride was over. Unfortunately, I fear we may have a few more heart-stopping twists and turns still ahead before we finally can finally declare our troubles behind us. If San Francisco, and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, have learned anything from our mutually-destructive entanglement, however, it is this: City College is simply too important to be allowed to fail. City College is not closing, but big questions remain about what kind of institution the College will be going forward, and whether and how fully it can recover from the damage that has been done.
The Board has been meeting since January, and by July we will have reassumed responsibility for all aspects of the College’s governance, subject to the significant caveat that, for the indeterminate future, the Special Trustee will retain authority to overturn any decision of the Board that is contrary to accreditation, or would jeopardize the College’s finances.”
Accreditation
Following the Commission putting the College on “Show Cause” status, its most severe level of sanction short of termination, back in July 2012, the College moved quickly to initiate a far-reaching program of reforms to address the issues raised by the Commission, primarily in the areas of finance, administration and governance. The College’s system of “shared governance,” wherein the various College constituencies were engaged in institutional decision-making through a complicated system of committees, was essentially scrapped and replaced with a far more streamlined (some would say, far less democratic) “participatory governance” system. The College’s administrative structure was reorganized and a number of longtime administrators sent packing. And the Board approved an 8-year financial plan that committed funds from the 2012 parcel tax largely to Commission-favored priorities, including maintenance of the College’s aging and neglected facilities, technology investments, funding of long-term liability for retiree benefits, and building up reserves, which had been eroded during the Great Recession. Sadly, notwithstanding these and other efforts and only weeks after the Board had approved a balanced budget for 2013-14 that included a $2 million surplus, the Commission announced in July 2013 that it would be terminating the College’s accreditation effective July 2014.
Today, thanks to the efforts of State Chancellor Brice Harris and many others, not least among them San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera (who filed a lawsuit to stop the Commission from following through on its threat to close the College), City College remains open and accredited under a new accreditation status called “Restoration.” The Commission created this status in June 2014, just days before its prior order terminating City College’s accreditation was set to take effect and with the City Attorney’s lawsuit then still pending. Restoration status gives City College an additional two years to come into full compliance with all accreditation standards. Our dance with the Commission continues, however, as a Commission evaluating team will be back in November 2016 to determine whether City College has, in fact, come into full compliance with the Commission’s standards.
Restoration of the Board
One of the casualties of the accreditation crisis has been local control of our College. In July 2013, following the Commission’s announcement that it would be terminating City College’s accreditation, State Chancellor Harris suspended the local Board of Trustees and placed responsibility for the College’s governance solely in the hands of his appointed Special Trustee. However, with the disaccreditation threat apparently receding, Harris in November announced a plan for restoration of the local Board through a phased process by which the Board would gradually reassume control of the College. The Board has been meeting since January, and by July we will have reassumed responsibility for all aspects of the College’s governance, subject to the significant caveat that, for the indeterminate future, the Special Trustee will retain authority to overturn any decision of the Board that is contrary to accreditation, or would jeopardize the College’s finances.
Challenges Ahead
The challenges still facing the College are daunting. There is still significant work to do in addressing the Commission’s remaining issues, primarily now in the areas of student services (found to be uneven and inequitable across the College) and integrated planning (a Commission priority that the College has yet to fully demonstrate). But perhaps the greater challenge is the tragic decline in enrollment since the accreditation crisis began. During that time, the College has lost more than a quarter of its students. If not for legislation authored by State Senator Mark Leno, City College would be facing a consequent budget hit of $30-40 million dollars, which would be truly catastrophic. Leno’s legislation softens the blow by limiting the reduction in State funding to five percent a year over a three year period, thus buying City College that bit of extra time to try to reverse the decline before facing the full fiscal impact of the loss. At the same time, after approaching a decade without raises, our faculty salaries are now among the lowest among Bay Area community colleges. And then of course there are the facilities challenges that have occasionally made it into the papers. With dwindling local bond funds and little facilities funding available from the State, the College nonetheless must find ways to whittle away at the hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs, rebuild the Civic Center campus (recently shuttered for seismic safety reasons), and finally, build a much-needed Performing Arts Center at the Ocean Campus (promised to the voters during two separate bond campaigns and still not under construction).
Good News
There is some good news. City College continues to create educational and career opportunities for tens of thousands every year. Our faculty and staff, fatigued and frustrated by the College’s travails, still care intensely about our students and every day accomplish minor miracles on their behalf. The rating agencies recently raised City College’s bond-rating (which they had lowered based on fears about the College’s survival), allowing the College to refinance its outstanding bond debt, thereby saving the taxpayers nearly fifty million dollars. Having survived the existential challenges of the last couple of years, the College can and will address the challenges ahead. It may take time, and it will surely not always be pretty, but we will save our City College for generations to come.
Rafael Mandelman is a Deputy City Attorney in the Oakland City Attorney’s office and President of the City College Board of Trustees
May 2015
San Francisco is in danger of losing an irreplaceable asset, our 80 year-old college. Yet the problem is not the quality of its education; educational standards exceed the Accrediting Commission’s (ACCJC) requirements. Nor is the College in financial trouble, the duly elected Trustees—prior to their undemocratic replacement with a “Special Trustee”— left the college in the green, with a balanced budget.
Especially hurt by this rule are seniors who enjoy taking an exercise class or any of the wonderful art classes, or immigrants who need to repeat basic skills or master English as second language (ESL).”
So if it’s not the education or the finances, what is the problem?
The ACCJC’s beef with our community college is about data—they want a top-down administration that concentrates on graduation numbers. This is needed, they contend, to deal with fiscal problems generated by students who do not graduate or transfer. They contend the state can no longer subsidize students who want or need to repeat a class. But their solution, “no repeatability,” is causing irreparable fiscal harm.
Since California community colleges began enforcing the “repeatability” regulations last fall, enrollment has fallen 17% at SF City College. While much of it is caused by the ACCJC, much can be ascribed to the rule. Teachers are scrambling to keep enough students to qualify classes, and many classes have closed, excellent teachers have given up, moving on to other colleges or professions. Especially hurt by this rule are seniors who enjoy taking an exercise class or any of the wonderful art classes, or immigrants who need to repeat basic skills or master English as second language (ESL). Where else can newcomers become acculturated? It is not easy for everyone.
Our formerly balanced budget cannot survive this newly imposed agenda.
Last month we asked our readers (Don’t Kick Grandma Out of Pottery Class) to sign the petition to reverse the repeatability rule and we appreciate the response. If you haven’t signed the petition, please do it now:
October 2014
By Karina Morales
One of the biggest problems currently facing City College is declining student enrollment and its domino effect on funding. A big share of that problem comes, not from the City, but from Sacramento, led by one Barbara Bento, whose war on San Francisco’s City College is wreaking havoc that may be irreparable.
Using the rationale that “Budget cuts have forced us to ration education” the Board of Governors, who worry that “we are currently turning away hundreds of thousands of students from our campuses,” have issued a statewide blanket regulation, turning away thousands of students, causing classes to close, all while we are losing great teachers and endangering the financial health of the greatest community college in the state. “No repeatability of classes,” is the pinion regulation of the “Student Success Plan”.
The rule against repeatability is devastating to seniors for whom ongoing class participation can mean the difference between years of isolation or association with like-minded friends.”
The repeatability rule means professionals who took a class in Dreamweaver, version 3, now find they cannot return and take Dreamweaver in version 8; similarly InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel, Word and many continually changing tech programs are no longer repeatable. What an incredibly ill conceived ruling, considering San Francisco has become home to several of the world’s most innovative technology producers. It is critical to keep current with technical advances, yet the college can no longer offer this valuable service to interested learners.
Many seniors have formed friendships and communities with fellow students. The rule against repeatability is devastating to seniors for whom ongoing class participation can mean the difference between years of isolation or association with like-minded friends. Gerontologists tell us social engagement is a key to healthy aging. Throwing Grandma out of the pottery class she loves is not the solution to the high cost of education.
The Governors want to privatize these ‘unnecessary’ classes — “join a gym,” or “take a private pottery class” is their solution. Now exercise and visual arts classes can only be taken once—aerobics, dance, music, painting, drawing; all the arts that need continual practice. Why not offer repeatability, so City College is fulfilling its mission of access to everyone? Students and faculty traveled to Sacramento and testified against the change.
Now, students who wish to take one class, repeat classes, pursue a certification, or transfer to four-year colleges and students who are not aiming for a degree — like our seniors — have been pushed out of classes in music, dance, exercise, and art classes. They may only be taken once. Who thinks that’s a good idea?
Reversing the repeatability ruling could return a lot of students, perhaps enough to fill the 23% enrollment decline. It is very shortsighted of the Governors to take this hard line against life-long learning, long a mission of City College.
Take a step — sign up for a class — join Trustee Anita Grier’s petition to restore repeatability here.
September 2014
I love City College. City College changed my life and granted me my first degree, I've served on its Board of Trustees 15 years.
As an African-American woman, I know how much an outstanding community college that is affordable and accessible can help people. City College of San Francisco has the educational mission and moral responsibility to continue serving the people as it has for 78 years, and I'm convinced that we will.
Contrary to simplistic reports by education "leaders" who should know better, many reasonable, informed people at City College not only have recognized that we've had some problems, but that we've worked hard on many fronts to rectify them.
I want to acknowledge my profound respect for the integrity, intellect, courage and perseverance of Marty Hittelman, a community college math teacher… When many of us at CCSF cautiously regarded the ACCJC as a responsible and respected institution with the credibility and integrity of a blue-ribbon grand jury, Hittelman was leading a lonely struggle to expose the ACCJC as a "rogue organization" that was abusing its power and causing great harm to City College … and numerous other community colleges in California.”
The college has always been recognized for having enlightened personnel policies and practices and high-quality instruction, even during the recent financial crisis and the destabilizing imposition of harsh, and in my view, unwarranted, sanctions by the Accreditation Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Respected educators have observed that CCSF has done the best job in the state of improving Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). Not only have the faculty and classified staff unions and the Department Chair Council made major concessions at the bargaining table that have saved millions of dollars, those groups also worked with other constituencies at CCSF, organized labor, various community and religious organizations, and traditional allies to pass the Prop A Parcel Tax and State Prop 30.
CCSF has improved in many areas, not just in terms of fiscal stability. Our extensive efforts to accommodate the recommendations and demands of the ACCJC fell short, however, of the ACCJC's shifting standards. It's puzzling and troubling that the ACCJC visiting team had a very different assessment of CCSF's performance than the Accreditation Commission that composed the final report.
California Community College Chancellor Brice Harris asserts: "City College must come into compliance with the same operational, governance, and educational standards that all 112 California community colleges are expected to meet." Special Trustee Robert Agrella also stated the obvious: "City College's job-and our only job-is to fully meet the standards that are being followed by the other 111 community colleges in California." [His emphasis.]
I feel deep institutional grief to see City College in its present state. The college is more polarized and destabilized than it's ever been. Even though enrollments are plummeting, the administration is making further cuts in classes for the spring semester; the Board of Trustees has been exiled from all of the decision-making responsibilities the people invested in us; and on a daily basis, people point out the sad irony that a great, democratic college that serves up to 100,000 students in a progressive city like San Francisco is being run by one individual, a special trustee with absolute power who is paid more than $1,000 a day.
Since our elected Board of Trustees has been dissolved, the responsibility of meeting our enrollment goals to avoid a massive loss of state funding rests with recently selected Chancellor Arthur Tyler and Special Trustee Robert Agrella. Now that City College has the financial resources to restore the cuts in classes and personnel as we promised the voters in our Prop A Parcel Tax campaign literature, will the two policymakers be able and willing to keep that promise, or will they continue cutting classes and part-time faculty?
As a member of the CCSF Board of Trustees before the takeover, I won't say that we are brilliant people; however, I believe we are competent policymakers, and we have learned from hard economic times and institutional missteps. We also know the college well and, most important of all, the people elected us to provide, as effectively as possible, the comprehensive educational services that our students need.
The harsh ACCJC sanctions have brought responses ranging from massive demonstrations to three lawsuits. On January 2, 2014, Superior Court Judge Stanley Karnow granted a preliminary injunction against the ACCJC, barring "the Commission from finalizing their dis-accreditation decision pending further order of the court or final adjudication of the merits in this case." Judge Karnow also wrote:
"There is no question, however, of the harm that will be suffered if the Commission follows through and terminates accreditation as of July 2014. Those consequences would be catastrophic. Without accreditation the College would almost certainly close and about 80,000 students would either lose their educational opportunities or hope to transfer elsewhere; and for many of them, the transfer option is not realistic. The impact on the teachers, faculty, and the City would be incalculable, in both senses of the term: The impact cannot be calculated, and it would be extreme."
On January 2, 2014, just before Judge Karnow granted the injunction, California Community College Chancellor Brice Harris wrote a letter to San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera regarding the City's lawsuit against ACCJC. Chancellor Harris wrote:
"While neither my office nor City College is a party to these actions, we have a continuing responsibility to the community and students of San Francisco to ensure that no additional harm is dealt to the College as a result of the court's decision. One of the greatest threats to the long-term health of the college is the dramatic decline in its enrollment."
Wouldn't it be more rational and productive for Chancellor Harris to motivate Special Trustee Agrella, who's had supreme policy-making power at CCSF since July 2012, to conceive and implement actions to stop the dramatic decline in enrollment?
As the trial goes forward, the court may find that the ACCJC was acting responsibly and within the scope of its authority. If the petitioners prevail, however, and the court nullifies or drastically modifies the ACCJC's punitive decisions, what will that say about the judgment of Chancellor Harris and the Board of Governors, the allies of, and apologists for, the ACCJC?
I want to acknowledge my profound respect for the integrity, intellect, courage and perseverance of Marty Hittelman, a community college math teacher, longtime union activist and former president of the California Federation of Teachers. When many of us at CCSF cautiously regarded the ACCJC as a responsible and respected institution with the credibility and integrity of a blue-ribbon grand jury, Hittelman was leading a lonely struggle to expose the ACCJC as a "rogue organization" that was abusing its power and causing great harm to City College of San Francisco, and numerous other community colleges in California. (See accreditationwatch.com.)
I'm convinced that City College is on a firm path to stability and will survive in spite of the institutional missteps, shortage of funding, and the destabilizing influences of the past 18 months. Now that we have a permanent chancellor, we hope he has the vision, intelligence, communication skills, long-term commitment, and humanity to ensure that CCSF will continue to serve the comprehensive human and educational needs of the people of San Francisco.
Dr. Anita Grier has served as an elected Trustee of the City College of San Francisco for 15 years.
March 2014
It surprised many, from students to the State Chancellor, when the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) announced that it would revoke City College's accreditation. True, the City College administration had not finished implementing the Board of Trustee's recovery plan. But it had made significant progress in all 14 categories of issues laid out by ACCJC.
The District is financially stable, with a budget surplus. We now have a healthy reserve fund that is larger than what the state requires. City College has enough money to spend on areas demanded by the Accrediting Commission, such as new technology for students, beefed-up building maintenance, and the pay-down of the retiree health benefit liability.
Although the College's budget is healthy this year, the accreditation decision has caused a 10% drop in enrollment. This could translate to a loss in state funding of over $15 million next year. The most direct, tangible thing people can do to help is to take a class. You'll help stave off further dramatic cuts and earn life enrichment from some of the finest instructors in the state."
The College has taken drastic action, including removing most administrators from their jobs, overhauling the management structure, and imposing salary cuts. At the time of the June decision, the College was two-thirds through several year-long planning cycles requested by ACCJC. According to ACCJC itself, academic excellence was not an issue. In fact, the student success rate at City College is above the state average.
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| Doors are open at the Chinatown's new Campus —but for how long? |
Perhaps because of this, the accrediting agency itself has recently come under fire from all levels of government. The Obama Administration said that ACCJC violated federal regulations in rendering its decision against City College. A bi-partisan committee of the state legislature ordered an audit of ACCJC. (The harshest critic was Republican Senator Jim Nielsen.) And San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit to block ACCJC action, and challenged the State of California's decision to delegate its authority to ACCJC.
So how does it affect the future of City College? The Department of Education could revoke ACCJC's authority – basically removing accreditation from the private entity, forcing it to close its doors. But the Department of Education has said that it doesn't have the authority to alter ACCJC's decision against City College. Neither does the State Legislature.
The federal, state, and local actions could dramatically alter the way the state's 112 community colleges are accredited. But only the City Attorney's action is aimed directly at the decision against City College. He is asking the courts to overturn the decision against City College. This could happen.
But City College can't afford to wait for a decision by a court, and is pursuing three tracks on its own. First, through an appeal process, City College is asking ACCJC to reverse its decision to end accreditation. City College will make the case for what has been accomplished over the 13 months, including the work done since ACCJC's June decision. Staff and faculty -- who have been working without a contract since December 2012 and are earning less than they did 6 years ago — have put in tens of thousand of person-hours on accreditation-related efforts, often on their own time, while continuing to teach or provide support services.
Second, the College is continuing to roll out the recovery plan adopted by the Board of Trustees last October, hoping to finish the bulk of it before the appeal decision, which may occur in January.
Finally, we are working to find a new chancellor for the college. New leadership is required to finish the job. The Board of Trustees enacted every item that the current chancellor asked of it, including some very tough and unpopular choices, such as slashing pay, laying off workers, and dismantling decades-old power structures. But the chancellor has not been able to finish the mandates of the Board.
Administration acted too slowly for ACCJC and has not completed what the Board has directed. The procedures that the Board had authorized to be written were not completed. The hiring of new managers took too long, with key slots still empty when ACCJC met in June. An overhaul of the payroll department isn't finished. And the financial software that the college runs on still hasn't been updated – something that I first brought attention to three years ago in a series of hearings.
I am working with College employees and the state-appointed Special Trustee on an aggressive search for a new chancellor; we hope to complete this effort by October. City College needs a top manager who can get the operating procedures written, fill the hiring vacancies, finish the newly created planning cycles, and complete the other tasks that are actually needed for accreditation.
We need someone who can resolve the lingering labor disputes and work with City College's 2500 employees to finish the job started last year. Collaboration with employees is required to make any College function, and more so in a stressful environment of rapid transformation.
Finally, there are the people of San Francisco. Although the College's budget is healthy this year, the accreditation decision has caused a 10% drop in enrollment. This could translate to a loss in state funding of over $15 million next year. The most direct, tangible thing people can do to help is to take a class. You'll help stave off further dramatic cuts and earn life enrichment from some of the finest instructors in the state.
Classes are now in session at City College, which is still fully accredited. Whether it remains so past next July 14 depends on a number of efforts of a number of people – including the people of San Francisco.
John Rizzo is President of the Board of Trustees at City College
Editor's note: It's not too late to register for City College go to: CCSF.edu—late start, short-term and non-credit classes start all semester long.
September 2013
Three Days Left!
Voting began on June 6th — you have until June 22nd to cast your vote if you live in District 7 and you are over 16 years old.
Check it out”Trump’s Deep Cuts Strike Bayview/Hunters Point
EPA verified falsification of radioactivity data submitted by Tetra Tech, and Parcel G was the site of extensive soil fraud. Only 3% of Parcel G samples were not falsified
Check it outSunshine anyone?
... people who risk their safety to fight crime deserve better than bureaucratic guesswork.
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Every entrance would require a toll collection gantry. These are not an insignificant cost, and SF would require many toll collection points.
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On May 22nd, citizens delivered 10,985 recall voter signatures to the Department of Elections. Volunteers secured 8,200
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SFPD’s Drone Program
Drones, license plate readers and security cameras are partially responsible for some 500 felony arrests using technology in Oakland.
Check it outChallenging Pelosi?
Chakrabarti is inspired by FDR’s 1933 New Deal, and the years of prosperity that followed.
Check it outIs Lurie’s Approach Working?
Lurie has consolidated the old billionaire-insider influence and continued all of Breed’s major policies.
Check it outJapan’s Leadership
4,000 buildings in SF were built with no rebar to resist side-to-side shaking before 1990. These buildings were usually built as office spaces or multi-family houses.
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The Board of Trustees, the City Attorney, and Director Harry Parker knew that without that approval, the lease would be null and void. Yet, they all stood by and said nothing
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Cronyism, often cleansed by the term networking, involves hiring managers favoring friends for loyalty instead of for their potential value to the organization.
Read More ...I bet Trump never worried about after-school programs for his kids
Hey Donny–most families don’t have nannies or private tutors or hired drivers to pick up the kids.
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Mayor/Supervisors: the issues I am raising are exactly what you claim to prioritize ... walk the walk. Prove my cynicism wrong.
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UC changed course and abolished its 75-year practice of requiring a sworn national loyalty oath of all faculty members.
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Birthright citizenship needs to be clarified in a modern context, and it is not wrong to revisit rulings, legislation, and policy and update it.
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We want our Supervisors to stand for and defend our neighborhoods, not hide behind 'state-mandated' reshaping of our city for expedience or donor pressure.
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SF Neighberhoods
On the verge of destroying the character of neighborhoods, they aim to make residential units smaller, denser, and affordable...
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What Killed Tom Waddell Clinic Urgent Care Clinic?
Mismanagement impairs employee morale and patient care. Conscientious employees will try to remedy the dysfunction. If ignored or repressed, they will burn out and leave.
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CMS refused the recent SFDPH request to re-license 120 nursing beds at LHH. These semi-private single rooms are still in jeopardy
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The focus on misdemeanors, funded by astroturf groups was driven substantially by the Chronicle’s unrelenting crime coverage.
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Building A will apply for tax credits this year. Construction may start in Winter 2026.
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Promised 375 Housing Units — Reality 124
No neighborhood-serving retail within an eight-block radius of the LHH’s campus The isolated site features steep hills all around.
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The mural honors visionaries and changemakers who inspire the world
Keep your eyes open as you drive past Laguna Honda. A new mural celebrates public school arts educators.
Read More”We Goin’ to Trial!!
Judge Donato: maximum recovery of $51.5 million for harm and damages to the people of BVHP.
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In 2021, Muni was projected to earn $219 million from transit riders. Now they are projecting 33% less — $140 million.
Read More ...Muddy Waters
In the last 50 years, the Amazon Rainforest has lost land equivalent to the size of Texas.
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The suit names Engardio and Melgar, Mandelman, Preston and Dorsey all Prop K proponents as Real Parties in Interest.
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Trash Talk
Single-family homeowners in San Francisco will see an anticipated 30% increase over the next three years
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Remaining hurdle: 120 LHH semi-private rooms are still in jeopardy. 2016 regulations limits bathroom sharing to 2 patient beds. The building opened in 2010—and the rooms are spacious and safe.
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I received calls representing they were claiming “We are PG&E”. They told me I was eligible for a 30% discount on my PG&E bill.
Check it outHow did shredding urban assistance work out?
In 1980, federal dollars accounted for 22% of big city budgets. By the end of Reagan it was only 6%.
Check it outScaling back scientific Federal employees
Today, the islands are considered off-limits to all but a few scientists; they are considered the Galapagos of California.
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Back in the '60s, you could spend a day visiting the park—all free! Rents were affordable, the neighborhood diverse...
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A San Francisco liberal accepts some MAGA arguments: What’s going on?
This issue is not hypothetical for me. My son has played on a girl’s team, and my daughter has played on a boy’s team
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It should have been Diane Wilsey’s last meeting as President but FAMSF Trustees voted to elect her to a sixth term.
Check it outPlease No Artificial Turf in Crocker Amazon
Microplastics are crossing the blood-brain barrier and accumulating in human brainsNature Medicine
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The Doctor from Madras is the epic story of one family’s collision between old ways and a changing world
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Mayor Dan Lurie, however, has acted twice in a questionable manner insofar as taxpayers are concerned.
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Under Mayor Ed Lee and Mayor London Breed employees grew to 42,584. Wages skyrocketed by 94.8%, from $2.5 billion to $4.9 billion.
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It is not prudent to rely on drinking water from the Sunset Reservoir —quake survivors will need potable water after a major earthquake.
Check it outTwo Sensible Oceanview Library Sites
It’s next door to the existing library and accessible public transportation with safe platforms is nearby.
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About a fifth of California students live in a family with insecure immigration status, many include a mix of authorized and unauthorized. ones.
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When the Bay Bridge opened in 1937, motorists were charged 25¢ per crossing and were assured tolls would end once the bonds sold to fund it.
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It was such blatant advocacy of cars as a solution to the city’s transportation problem.
Read More ...
Sunset residents may blame Supervisor Engardio but the Pacific Ocean is an invincible foe.
Read More ...Pedestrians enter crosswalks against the red signal as drivers are the midst of a turn.
Read More ...
Tumlin resigned from his $400,725 annual salary + benefits
SFMTA reports inflation and the end of emergency funding will leave a $260-million to $322-million deficit beginning in 2026...
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For decades, Strybing served as a gathering place for one and all, hosting people from all walks of life and every economic strata. What could possibly go wrong?
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With a sincere sense of regret, I declined the invitation to sit next to Melania at the presidential inauguration.
Read MoreDesigning for Fire & Wind Safety
The common belief is that homes are too close to woodlands, where fires catch on easily. However, one home in Pacific Palisades contradicts that notion..
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People unable to afford rent come to San Francisco and wait until a city-funded outreach worker offers them an unlimited stay in a tourist hotel with a private bathroom. Plus two meals a day.
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Laguna Honda: Finish the Job
—Open the Doors.
Why are ALL types of admissions so slow? As of the end of November, less than 430 of the 769 licensed nursing home beds at LHH were occupied.
Read More”A DUTY TO PROTECT“!
Its policy and directives need to be updated to incorporate climate change, sea level rise, extreme weather events, and chemical and radiological exposures
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The devastation in Maui was a tragic example of how important emergency notifications are, we must be ready when the time comes.
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We can either continue the downward spiral of government waste, unneeded bureaucracy, and patronage or start running City Hall as a business.
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Do white Christian nationalists, some advocates of liberated ethnic studies, and fascists have anything in common?
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Remember that a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
Check it outWest Portal Beat
A man drove through the front wall of the Miraloma Club on Portola Avenue, injuring two and essentially demolishing the bar’s façade.
Check it outWest Portal Beat
The driver accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake as she pulled into the parking spot.
Check it outBEST OF THE NET
A cadre of west side San Franciscans want to recall District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio for supporting Proposition K
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This is not the first or last time that SFDPH will keep periodically trying to eliminate long-term care at Laguna Honda.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
The Wave that Wasn't
Emergency Management sent a warning to stay away from Ocean Beach as many people ignored it as took it to heart
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Under Breed’s direction, Redistricting removed progressive Inner Sunset from Preston’s D5. At the same time, the Tenderloin was grafted onto District 5.
Check it outSF Jail Overcrowding
We haven't funded the support systems to divert offenders to other programs programs that make real public safety possible.
Check it outReader Response
Now More Than Ever
In 1979, facing an unprecedented housing crisis, Supervisors enacted rent control for hundreds of thousands of renters.
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Kids Books for Christmas
Truth, kindness, empathy, good choices, equality, and patriotism there's some confusion over what these words mean.
Read MoreBEST OF THE NET
GrowSF/TogetherSF Left in the Dust
When the city’s district boundaries were redrawn, D7 lost its most conservative precincts to D4, and gained more progressive ones from D5.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
From Deficit to Surplus
We were led to believe City College was in dire financial straits—the fiscal reality was a substantial surplus.
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Does that mean San Franciscans needing skilled nursing carewill continue being dumped out-of-county?
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...by any other name.
No doubt about the cost to ratepayers. SIP is not free, since the lowest bidder may not get the job. That costs ratepayers.
Read More ...
Voter’s Rejection of Prop 33 Opens the Door
I am not suggesting an elimination of rent control over night... it is too late for many tenants to move and afford another unit. However...
Check it outFollowing SFPUC Over the Cliff?
Yearly, as much as 1.2 billion gallons of combined stormwater runoff and sewage containing feces, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and trash are dumped into the Bay.
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Focus on Education
Our country’s political divisions are again raising basic questions about the separation of church and state.
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Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.—George Jean Nathan’s warning.
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TogetherSF Action’s Project 2024–2028 scheme starts with a Mark Farrell victory. From there it seeks to eliminate district elections.
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Kamala, Trump, and public education
On the campaign trail education policy has taken a back seat to other really important national issues, such as eating dogs and the size of crowds.
Read MoreWest Portal Notebook
Candidates Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie both spoke at the neighborhood bookshop and attracted considerable audience attendance.
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The $390 million bond allocates just $66 million for our two hospitals. The rest—$324 million—is for other totally unrelated projects.
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Sunshine Anyone?
The City’s sunshine laws are in need of updating, but most mayoral and supervisorial candidates are mum on how to increase city government transparency.
Read MorePresto Chango!
The Navy’s Parcel F Radiological Impaction map was excluded from the Record of Decision of September 2024. Raw data was also excluded from environmental testing for radionuclides.
Check it outAnother SFMTA Disgrace
With no limits on the number of ride-share cars on the street undercutting fares, taxi drivers cannot make a living.
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It’s a logical, environmentally sound plan for what is already happening to the Great Highway.
Read More ...We now are beginning to see the filth and degradation Breed’s gang has encouraged to infest West Portal.
Read More ...
SFUSD’s Quandry
An under-enrolled school does not have enough students to offer educational opportunities we want for them in a fiscally responsible way.
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Following the money. Prop D is the billionaire’s attack on citizen oversight.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Candidates Melgar, Martin-Pinto & Boschetto all agree on one thing.
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Over-Controlled Housing
Should we double down–on what has so far failed? Do we just need to spend more public money?
Read More ...West Portal Notebook
Over the next two months, each mayoral candidate will have an evening to greet attendees and answer questions in a laid-back “meet the candidate” event.
Check it outWhy is SFF’s Crime Rate Dropping?
Property crimes have plunged the most (42%), led by a steep decline in car break-ins, but violent crimes...
Check it outProp K is wrong for San Francisco
5 supervisors put Prop K on the Ballot, unannounced and at the last minute. No community input, no questions answered, no concerns addressed, no discussion by the Supervisors.
Check it outProp K: a new park for all
Why transform a section of the Great Highway into an oceanside park? It will help the environment, boost local merchants, and bring people joy.
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Escalating power, water & sewer rates
At present, there is no citizen group concerned with rates paid for water, sewer and power. Few attend or comment to the SFPUC Commission.
Read More ...
The West Portal debacle, Laguna Honda disaster & neghborhood density. She’s out of step.
Check it outShipyard toxics—activists join forces
They originally consisted of fifteen residents and UCSF workers, located within six blocks of the western fence line of the NRDL campus and industrial landfill”
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to tackle antisemitism
District must provide training about the American Jewish experience and antisemitism to ensure that instruction is free of anti-Jewish hate
Read MoreEnvironmental Windfall
This new concrete removes many of the wasteful steps commonly used in producing concrete.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Reaction from the candidates for Supervisor in D7 ranged from pleased to dismayed.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
Ruling that “cruel and unusual punishment” does not apply to fining, ticketing, or even arresting homeless (even when there are no public shelters available),overturning the 9th Circuit Court.
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It’s a Good Idea.
After too many years of ignoring financial crisis, SFUSD is biting the bullet. It’s called resource realignment...
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On the last day the Supervisors could put an initiative on ballot, Engardio and Melgar pounced and forwarded the legislation to the Department of Elections.
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Once just a border of California native plants around the garden’s perimeter, providing habitat and nourishment for local fauna it’s now a beautiful neighborhood gem.
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How I’m voting? I plead guilty in favor of a write-in candidate—me! Therefore, I proceed to the local ballot measures.
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No matter how much my esteemed colleague at the Westside Observer, Quentin Kopp, wants to quibble over Kamala Harris ...
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Class Action Lawsuit Looms Over Laguna Honda
City has long minimized the root cause of LHH’s dysfunction and decertification. Just look at the self-congratulatory Press Release announcing its re-opening.
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
West Portal merchants, residents, and long-time frequenters have weighed in for months on the City’s plan to institute significant new traffic regulations and barriers primarily at the mouth of the MUNI station.
Check it outTime for the Governor to Do the Right Thing
The Precautionary Principle affirms SF’s leaders duty to prevent harm through anticipatory action. ‘There is a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm.”
Check it outOpen Roads
SFMTA claims 10,000 people visit the Great Highway on a weekend. Residents ask for an unbiased study.
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Some good news!
California no longer lurks in the basement of national school funding.
Read More
Visualizing Ms. Harris as president makes me fear for the future of our country. Coupled with convicted felon Donald Trump, we possess little choice.
Check it outD7 Supervisor Candidates
Since the Mental Health Rehabilitation Facility closed, the City began relocating mentally troubled and drug addicted patients to LHH, mixing them with frail senior and disabled populations.
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Our City Our Power Our Pocketbook
No doubt PG&E is quite imperfect. But is the City bureaucracy an improvement? Shall we expand an already oversized City department?
Read More ...
It’s not only how schools are funded but how important topics are taught. At stake is what our children learn about democracy as well as about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Read MoreWest Portal MUNI Station Committee
West Portal accounts for 6% of the City’s accidents; after the implementation of Project Zero in 2014, accidents of every kind in the West Portal area have dropped from 20% - 48%.
Check it outWest Portal MUNI Station Committee
Right now, there’s no timeline or budget for this project. The SFMTA admitted it had not conducted a preliminary cost/benefit analysis despite the multi-million-dollar deficit they’re facing this year.
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City’s Granny Dumping Spike
The hospitals shed their Skilled Nursing bed capacity in the City’s private sector hospitals en masse. It Was adversely affecting profits
Check it outWest Portal Notebook
Police patrolling up and down the block, speaking to residents, shop owners significantly prevents possible crime.
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...before artists were forced out by rising rents and landlord policies, artists made up about 7% of the City’s population, around 50,000 people.
Check it outCity’s Decline is SFMTA Designed
San Francisco is designed by SFMTA planners who have more design clout than any other agency in the City, except perhaps the State.
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The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” Thus spoke H. L. Mencken
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An Open Letter to City Hall
There is a dire shortage of nursing home beds in SF—especially for those on Medi-Cal—which pays for chronic long-term care when a resident cannot afford $15,000 a month.
Read MoreD7 Supervisor Candidates
Mayor Breed has proposed an unprecedented rollback of San Francisco’s height and density limitations that would allow six story buildings in areas previously zoned for one and two-story construction
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The slow pace of climate action has never been about lack of science or even lack of solutions; it has always been about lack of political will.
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Newly recertified
—same old problems
How long will the Health Commission delay the “LHH sustainability plan” that will shape its management in the future?
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Hope it's not your last.
Many of the basic rights we value are under attack. There are even those who think Jan. 6th should be celebrated instead of July 4.
Read MoreCity for Sale
The format made it difficult for candidates to evade tough questions—all four seasoned politicians are skilled in. Even non-politician Lurie was not exempt.
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A confluence of major legal actions has moved forward to pretrial deposition testimony in BVHP Residents v Tetra Tech brought by SFPD and whistleblowers under the False Claims Act.
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Trees in McClaren Park
Removal of the weedy species is necessary. All plants have natural predators in their native ranges, but landscape plants imported from, say, across the ocean, left their predators there.
Read More ...
While gasoline tax-paying automobile owners finance the streets of San Francisco San Francisco’s Budget finances the SF Bicycle Coalition, a private entity?
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Nightmare Plan from Melgar, Breed, and Tumlin
SFMTA still has no quantifiable road safety data other than right turns are bad, left turns are bad, fast-moving cars are dangerous, slow-moving cars are dangerous, cars are bad, and bikes are good.
Read More
Local school board elections used to be sleepy affairs. No more. Political activists now pay close attention to these local contests — for good reasons.
Read MoreDesigning for Drought
Despite a surplus of water in our reservoirs sufficient to withstand a drought for four years, the SFPUC has imposed a drought surcharge on San Francisco ratepayers.
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A perfect illustration of the magic that independent bookstores can create—It was a day filled with joy, connection, and a shared love of books!
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The previous City Administrator was a protégé of Willie Brown—resigned due to corruption. The current City administrator is a protégé of a protégé of Willie Brown.
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What happened to The City that Knows how? What happened to the City that Everybody Loves?
Read More
So What’s the Damage?
Sadly, LHH has not been recertified, patient admissions have not restarted. So patients needing skilled nursing care are displaced out-of-county.
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Addressing the West Portal Tragedy
The winning projects will be most closely align to the criteria and can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant.
Read More ...
City’s Clear Cut
According to the SF RPD’s plan at least 809 trees were planned to be cut down in McLaren Park
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With housing and commercial vacancies like Park Merced and businesses still closing downtown, on Market Street, and in most neighborhoods, it’s dogging the Mayor’s election.
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California’s PTA got started in San Francisco way back in 1897 with the California Home and School Child Study Association.
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Battling lethal drug combinations
The devastating effect of drug addiction is evident from the human wreckage ...Yes, it’s a nationwide plague. But SF overdose rates are twice the national average.
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Thumbs Down
“It is a significant reconfiguration of the street. A two-way bikeway would replace existing parking. Bus stops would relocate from the curb to new transit boarding islands in traffic lanes.
Check it outHomeless seek respite at Ocean Beach
If you do get into a shelter — they’ll take away your belongings, you can’t have a pet, you can’t have visitors and after a few days or a week, you’ll likely be turned out on the street again with nothing.
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Two surprises. Republican Steve Garvey, and Democrat Adam Schiff were the top two finishers. Schiff concentrated on making Garvey his opponent rather than Barbara Lee and Katie Porter.
Check it outRemoving density controls in western and central SF?
Demolitions, speculations, and displacement are in store if the city moves forward with Breed’s approach.
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Herrera’s team has settled in. The disruptions from the FBI probe and COVID had abated. Employee satisfaction should have improved. It didn’t.
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“As it is right now...there is no plan to manage and care for Twin Peaks
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No one wants to close schools. Not the communities. Not the school boards. Not administrators and school district personnel..
Read More
Will Rec and Park be satisfied when every square foot of Golden Gate Park is concrete and artificial turf?
Check it outIs Hydrogen in our future?
Unfortunately,it also has many disadvantages. The gas is explosive. It needs to be compressed or converted into other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia...
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African-American Shakespeare’s stunning production at Taube Atrium Theater
Check it outEvery five years, the EPA determines the success of superfund cleanups
Take-home message: Cleanup efforts in 15 parcels and sites do not protect residents from hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants emanating from the dirty base
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The problem is Harris replacing him — she’s the D.A. who defeated incumbent Hallinan by lying under oath in that 2023 campaign
Check it outHow Safe is SF’s Aquifer Water?
Unlike Flint, we don’t use salt to deice roads. However, if we over-tax our ground aquifers, we could draw salt from the Pacific into our drinking water.
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Re: David Romano’s recent commentary — is simply bad journalism.
Read More ...When the tower comes down what will replade it?.
Read More ...
More Trouble for DPH
Just when Laguna Honda seemed to be turning the corner on its struggle toward reform, three law firms have teamed up to expand their Class Action lawsuit.
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It reminds me of when my kids did something that I thought was not well thought through. I tried to bring them back to reality.
Read More
“Tamales are such a delicate process... things like the balance of masa to filling, or how long you steam them for, or how tightly they’re wrapped in their husks And time... timing is crucial to ensure they do not become dry and tough.
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She is out of step with the majority of San Franciscans who are calling for an immediate cease-fire and a halt to military aid to Israel
Check it outCould SF be the next Lahaina?
Hetch Hetchy water supply comes from 167 miles away, crosses 3 major faults, goes under the bay and then up the San Andreas Fault for 25 miles.
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Today’s students alarming lack of knowledge
This is an education emergency made worse by a divided America where many believe it is ok to make up your own facts.
Read More
Confronting taxpayers and other voters are six ballot measures, one state measure, and presidential, Congressional and legislative primaries.
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The complaints ranged from as many as ten squatters living rent-free, theft, casinos, dog kennels, brothels and drug laboratories at Parkmerced.
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Big money ‘neighborhood’ groups step up their campaign of take-over tactics in 2024 elections.
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Rec and Park’s plan expands access for the privileged few bupkis for the rest of us.
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Few were surprised when Supervisor Safai learned the library was not to be built in the Greenbelt — he feared the worst. No library at all.Since 2023, the Library Commission has been considering 466 Randolph Street, where the I.T. Bookman Community Center and the Pilgrim Community Church are located.
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When the runways for the Alameda Naval Air Station were extended out into the bay—using dredged bay fill, the same way Treasure Island was created — they crossed over the city line. The federal government apparently didn't know or care.
Read More ...
San Franciscans need nursing home care
The survey attests to a quality of care that is higher than in for-profit private nursing homes. But there are ongoing problems.
Read More
Your ballot will be in the mailbox in a few weeks
The March 5 election is fast approaching. The San Francisco Department of Elections will start mailing all registered voters automatic vote-by-mail ballots in early February.
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Your local self-appointed sage hopes Trump is barred from his presidential candidacy by high courts such as the Supremes. (And I don't mean the singing group!).
Check it outParking Control
A four-hour parking limit is going to make things even more difficult for RV residents.
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Does this look like wildlife habitat?
“GG Park provides not only habitat for wildlife but also a haven for San Franciscans who find refuge in nature in our parks.”
Check it outUCSF proposes settlement for Joseph Miranda and his radioactive truck
Two UCSF workers with respiratory disease, cancer and lung disease were not evacuated during shipyard landfill fire that erupted in “green, yellow, and orange” flames.
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Chris Duderstadt’s Mission
“A Bench helps promote a sense of community,it encourages neighbors and passersby to stop and visit and enjoy some sunshine.”
Check it outPeripheral Canal Redux?
Delta Conveyance Project is back on the drawing board, attempting to move clean water to the Los Angeles Southern Basin.
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Fortunately for Mendez, he appeared in ultra-liberal Judge Michael Begert’s court. Despite Mendez’s failure to comply with diversion, Begert nevertheless granted Mendez “mental health diversion’ (again).
Read More ...
Remembering the Heroine We Lost in 2023
Newsom, Breed, and SF’s Supervisors may all have taken a hands-off waiting game approach I knew Nancy and her good government advocacy for years, sometimes crossing her path when we both attended meetings at City Hall.
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The unreliability of American and San Francisco media today is not new to our country. Neither is the people's right to discard biased, unsound judges.
Check it outSFMTA’s Grinch Strategy
To families parked along Winston Drive the dreaded December 19 date is less than a month away. Four-hour parking restrictions approved by SFMTA will certainly upend their lives and dampen their holiday spirits.
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Neighbors apprehend a thief in the act, but will he be back on the street?
Aware that his escape was implausible, or perhaps it was the ear-splitting sound of approaching police cars, the thief turned and ran back into the Walgreens
Check it outSF’s Enlightened Pretrial Diversion Programs
The Judge denied a motion to detain an alleged drug dealer despite the defendant had over half a kilo of drugs, including 170.8 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill 85,400 people.
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Delayed Inspections Mean Dumping More Seniors Out-of-County
Newsom, Breed, and SF’s Supervisors may all have taken a hands-off waiting game approach to LHH’s Medicare recertification inspection process that will take four months to complete.
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Falling advertisements, digital transitions and major lay-offs plague journalists
Emilio Garcia-Ruiz worried about the New York Times becoming a “huge competitor” in the Bay Area by “undercutting the market on subscription costs to $1/week.
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SFUSD needs to take responsibility
At last! SFUSD has identified why students aren’t learning. Ready? The real cause is White Supremacy. That’s right. White Supremacy Culture is preventing our students from learning.
Read MoreOur Transit-First Policy is Long Gone.
Today, ridership is entirely different — a problem. And the money Congress spent to save transit dries up next year.
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The unreliability of American and San Francisco media today is not new to our country. Neither is the people's right to discard biased, unsound judges.
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Behind Peskin’s Dark Maneuver
It effectively punishes hundreds, if not thousands, who want to participate in our local government. Even worse, it will force those who have disabilities to disclose their special needs. Or face the burden of traveling to City Hall.
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Rec and Park’s plot to build a new boat harbor will close the Bay views and access from Marina Green.
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It cost Star of India nearly $5,000 to replace the glass doors and to put new bars up.
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Construction of new housing? I’ve concluded from present vacancies and dispirited new home construction the matter is extravagantly exaggerated by City Hall politicians and local media.
Check it outStreets, sidewalks and roofs of cities all absorb heat during the day
Unlike the temperature in the atmosphere — ground temperatures become increasingly warmer over time a recent study found
Check it outNeighbor Power
It is alleged that on the afternoon of September 27th, Janda was sitting on the bench in front of her ice cream shop.
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The city fought PG&E for 20 years over Marina harbor’s toxic waste. And when they finally secure a settlement of $190 million?
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When so much wealth is concentrated in the hands of so few people without money and power lose out.
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Owner Diana Zogaric has little time to bemoan setbacks. She notes that the original owner, Douglas Shaw, opened the business during the Great Depression in 1931.
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Phony ‘neighborhood’ groups exploit a loophole in campaign laws — evading the $500 limit on campaign contributions.
Check it outSF’s Armenian Community
Tragedies in Azerbaijan were overshadowed at local Armenian Food Festival at St. Gregory’s.
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SFMTA’s capital deficit is projected to grow at an average rate of $1.1 billion a year to create a total gap of $20 billion by FY2040.
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Laguna Honda Wake Up Call
SF has lost 1,381 Skilled Nursing Facility beds. If LHH loses 120 more beds it will leave only 2,161 meanwhile 4,186 patients were discharged to other counties in 2022.
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Instead of 100,000 votes to elect Supervisors, now with ranked-choice voting a paltry 8,237 votes, elected Supervisor Matt Dorsey.
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Does SF needs more housing? Downtown is 31% vacant and Parkmerced has a 25% vacancy.
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SFUSD High School Task Force:
How familiar are the Task Force members with the research and how well are they equipped to make data driven recommendations?
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RE: David Romano’s recent commentary — the neighbors are supposed to smile and put up with these shows year after year...
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Over 100 crowded the room to address Westside disorder, homelessness and street crime.
Check it outStop Crime SF seeks to inform voters about our judges...
California law entrusts its citizens to retain or reject sitting judges. We need more light, not less.
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Scientists who analyzed Earth’s safety boundaries found humans are currently transgressing six.
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After neighborhood protests at Rec & Parks residents got more, not less concerts.
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How familiar are the Task Force members with the research and how well are they equipped to make data driven recommendations?
Read MoreFive of the state”s dirtiest beaches are in the Bay Area
Want your taxes & utility fees to pay to pollute our beaches? SF taxpayers and ratepayers are footing the bill to fight for that privilege.
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Oh no! You don't want Nancy Wuerfel on your case! That woman does her homework, which means that you're going to have to do yours as well!.
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LHH’s bedrooms exceed the minimum square-foot restrictions. They have sliding doors between each bedroom — essentially making them all private, single-person rooms.
Check it outSFDPH enables contaminated development
The Health Department’s Article 31 needs to prevent housing on radioactive sites.
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Budgets are built on predictions. Will Californians actually earn income and pay taxes at the levels predicted? No one knows for certain.
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Our critic of all things civil tackles the City, State and the rest of the world.
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Recertification accomplished - so what’s this for?
On top of the $64.9 M already spent — including $30.5 M on consultant contracts, $22.3 M lost Medi-Cal reimbursement, and $12 M misc.
Check it outBeyond the tangle of red tape
Mired in Dull-as-Dishwater Details, It's an Amazing Accomplishment — But Will Oakland Beat Us To It?
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Schools scramble to comply with Supreme Court’s admission decision AND still create diverse college communities
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Should all the ice in Greenland melt, we could expect the sea level rise an additional 23 feet.
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Before Prop 47 eliminated California Penal Code section 666, a police officer could charge a thief with a criminal history with “felony theft with-priors” and take him to county jail.
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... E.T. versus City
Pretend you're an alien (E.T.) come to earth in human form to live and learn and even to rationally guide humans who have lost their way. You land in San Francisco.
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Have any such housing units been built? Of course not! Why? Probably because there’s no market for them. Why not? Because the population has declined
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Managers disregarded the risks to patients
Known costs climbing to $65 Million but City Attorney conceals ($5 million?) in legal fees.
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I’m reminded again and again that there are really great things the world of San Francisco.
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SF has 60,000 market-rate apartments standing empty. They’re unlikely to be filled any time soon since about 70,000 left in the last three years.
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... & The Family Enterprise
Some say a little bit of corruption greases the wheels. Just don't kid yourself ... each of these words, Social Impact Partnering, are buzzwords. There's a reason for that.
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The neighborhood was much different then. Yellow and white margaritas were everywhere in wild areas on the south and north side of Alemany Blvd. There was no Highway 280.
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City Family’s coziness with contractors sustains a “Homeless-Industrial-Complex." Politically-connected entrepreneurs are awarded City contracts and return the favor.
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Moss Adams’ contract increased by by $5.9 million to $9,987,293 — just $12,707 shy of requiring Board of Supervisors approval.
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One small problem. Although we called it a computer match, we did not have a computer. Yup, that long ago.
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Giving a complaint to the “Ethics” Commission is like giving a complaint to a black hole. Your complaint goes in and the chance that anything comes out is slim.
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Neighbors were not adequately notified — the few who showed up were ignored.
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Long-time Westside activist commended
The Supervisors celebrated her preservation and conservation efforts and recognized her significant contributions.
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Bored? Libraries to the rescue
The good news: it's available to every child though our public libraries in every corner of San Francisco. And it's free!
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Observations and criticisms with a bit of the usual snark.
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We will lose Laguna Honda Hospital if immediate jeopardy citations continue.
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Budget Problem? City Hall's Reliable Cash Cow to the Rescue! Stop the exploitation.
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After 20 years without a licensed Nursing Home Administrator at the helm, that will change. At last someone knowledgeable about Federal nursing home regulations will be in charge.
Check it outThe Greatest Story Never Told
The Health Department burned down a village of Chinese fishermen dependent on the lucrative shrimping industry when the Navy purchased the 934-acre property using eminent domain for the Naval Shipyard.
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“ You guys had a bunch of secret planning meetings ... no Brown Act notice ... now you want to permit an additional 60,000-person event ...”
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Ratepayers may need to rely on the courts
1985 to 2022, the nominal SFPUC rates have increased annually by an average of 10.1%.
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Inside the Sunshine Task Force’s “Compliance and Amendments Committee.”
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The day before evictions of all residents — a final last-minute reprieve
CMS extended federal funding while the facility continues without resident evictions until September 19, 2023
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LHH “disregarded” the risk of transfer trauma to elderly dementia patients
3 families filed suit, alleging LHH culpability in the deaths of patients transferred to outside facilities last year.
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It's Game On!
The selected projects will be up for public voting beginning June 12.
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Julie Pitta’s most recent commentary misrepresents what I said in a TMZ interview — “to stoke fears about public safety.” This is false.
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SFUSD: Failing Math and Literacy for Kids
The evidence is in time for SFUSD to change.
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Newsy bits and quips Quentin’s monthly criticisms, and encouragements.
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District 7 residents grill officials
Grassroots anti-crime and pro-accountability organizing could imperil elected officials who can’t get a handle on the disorder.
Check it outThe Truth about SF's Crime Spree
San Francisco has experienced a spike in property crime, no surprise in a city of wealth disparity.
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While consultants released three follow-up reports ... details of the complete picture are still dripping out, like a leaky faucet.
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Anti-crime group to test its political strength
Judges can undermine the good work of the police and the DA ... Judges are elected, but the public doesn't know about their decisions
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It Could lead to more arrests of protestors, minorities, or anyone the State considers a threat if artificial intelligence is designed and executed improperly.
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It's Teacher Appreciation Week
Flowers and cards are great, but teachers deserve a fair wage for their valuable work.
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When I made a simple request for documents what I got left me confused — should I laugh or cry?
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The lawsuit cites seven Causes of Action
It took courage for the Public Guardian to file suit. Hopefully, the public will learn the full extent of the scandal. The timing couldn’t be worse for LHHs struggle to survive.
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April 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
LHH mostly serves low-income, medically indigent patients, likely to face discharges, exile, and displacement to out-of-county facilities, away from their families, and support networks.
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The City's vacant downtown businesses and escalating housing rents are a San Francisco disaster. Roadkill: San Francisco's artist communities.
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Fentanyl overdoses have killed more San Franciscans than COVID. Yet, SF fails to prosecute dealers; no convictions for fentanyl sales in 2021. Most dealers are granted diversion.
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I am plain worn out listening to all the things that have gone wrong in our City and our Country.
The arts are more than alive and well in San Francisco public schools. In many cases, they are spectacular. A little hyperbole? Nope.
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The history of liberty is the history of the limitations on the power of government. And the provenance of government usually expands on federal, state and local levels
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Fentanyl has a new rival
Xylazine is infiltrating North American fentanyl and heroin supplies. It is causing more fatal overdoses, zombie-like intoxication— addictions that are harder to treat than simple fentanyl dependency.
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April 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
Inept managers from SF General and SF Health Network are principally responsible for the current mess at LHH, not LHH's caring and dedicated staff.
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Controller's estimated $290 million deficit — $90.1 million more than projected in January. For the next two fiscal years, the shortfall is projected at $779.8 million.
Check it outLet the Bay Lights go dark
Our resources are precious, and we shouldn't be using them for displays of lighting that serve no practical purpose.
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When the City Attorney and the Ethics Commission demur — the SOTF needs to police itself.
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The project cost for the non-high speed rail portion in the Central Valley increased last month to $35.3 billion from $25.2 billion. It obtains money from a cap-and-trade program which adds 23 cents to every gasoline gallon besides the state’s 53.9 cents tax per gallon
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Facing the under-reported facts
For decades, the City has allowed weaker standards for buildings shorter than 240 feet — no signs of seriously considering these structural deficiencies.
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... & Housing Dreams
Our Board of Supervisors is keen for the City to acquire the PG&E infrastructure.An offer of $2.5 billion has been rejected.
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This mural is currently on loan from City College to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) — The agreement includes the return of the mural to City College which has been its owner and guardian since 1940.
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In third grade...nearly 60% of students are not yet proficient in reading — students can't “read to learn” until they have successfully learned to read.
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Westside Neighbors to Protest Climate-Hostile Banks
West Portal's Chase Bank protest highlights banks’ dominant funding of fossil fuels.
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Dreams Come True
The winning projects will be most closely align to the criteria and can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant.
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Concerns that trouble Quentin but may only annoy most folks.
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The Oxalis Obsession
The herbicides don’t kill the bulbs. You can kill the top growth and other plants, but you won’t kill the oxalis.
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No wonder the City finds itself in scandals — when the Ethics Commission and the City Attorney doesn't enforce misconduct.
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PTA's Honorary Service award recognizes people for outstanding service to children and youth — above and beyond what is asked of them.
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Is it true that none of Mayor Breed’s four nominees for the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Oversight Board seem to have any experience or credentials in dealing with the problems of homeless citizens?
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DPH kept the report secret for months
The report finally gives us a complete picture of LHH's problems and the path to recover.
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Oxalis is rampant in the Bay Area
Its a tragedy for all the foragers who depend on native plants: myriads of insects, the birds and others that feed on them ...
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Roadmap or Pipedream?
Well-resourced Neighborhoods are guilty of plenty, explains the new Element. Racism, greed, selfishness– ... it's time to reform
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Did 20 years of mismanagement prompt the Feds to intervene?
Kanaley had no experience running a skilled nursing facility whatsoever and certainly no experience or training to run a 1,200-bed nursing home with approximately 1,500 employees
Check it outWhat could possibly go wrong?
It had major consequences for SF's economy, and millions in lost tax revenue City taxpayers spent an additional $2 million for police patrols.
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Ignoring document requests, misinforming Supes and Boards — are Feds feed up yet?
The showdown at LHH. Now the Feds are demanding SF hire qualified Nursing Home Administrators!
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An easier way to pass local taxes for schools
Can regulating taxation by local governments (two-thirds vote for a parcel tax) override a majority vote in a citizens initiative? Nope.
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According to TogetherSF, District elections is the problem
The proposed fix is to return to at-large board seats to get more done for the whole City.
Check it outProblems looming at the Shipyard
Newsom violated ethics laws by signing into law Shipyard redevelopment measures he sponsored before the Board of Supervisors and accepted the transfer of Parcel A at the cost of one dollar
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Oversight for Patients’ Rights
A group of friends formed to rescind her hospice disposition and return her home to live or die among her treasured surroundings...
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Culpability extends to the feds as well as LHH
So far, twelve patients are dead. 11 patients were severely disabled and had profound cognitive impairment.
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Weeks After Forced Discharge, Patients Began Dying
LHH wants to avoid culpability when patients die, but actions have consequences, sometimes grave
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and even stranger things
A look at the City's lawsuit against PG&E, at at SFPUC's mismanagement of flooding, AI's artificial idiocy, and aging in SF!
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The issue is heating up AGAIN. the SFUSD high school task force will present recommendations on admission policies
Read MoreSay No to Bay Lights; Stop polluting the night sky
Our resources are precious, and we shouldn't be using them in displays of lighting that serve no practical purpose.
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City Hall and its environs are fair game for Quentin’s inquiries.
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A book review of San Fran-sicko
Poor people seldom end up on the street. But, addicted and mentally ill people become “disaffiliated” from supporters – a key determinant of street homelessness
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Immediate Jeopardy Violation Further Risks Laguna Honda
Unanswered questions: will they continue admitting behaviorally disturbed patients ... will forced discharges resume on February 2?
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30% of Parkmerced's 3,221 units are vacant. If the Prop M Vacant Unit Tax does not encourage lower rents, the City might purchase them at a bargain, making thousands of new units available...
Check it outCalifornia Deserves Better
Feinstein has been an enthusiastic supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. How have those wars benefited the families of California?
Check it outMadam Mayor parties down as City is deluged in “atmospheric river”
Adorned in a feather boa and accompanied by City Attorney David Chiu, Breed's City Officials were oblivious to the massive flooding NASA satellite images predicted December 16, 2022.
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A huge number of students who enter high school are not proficient in English and math — almost 45 percent of SFUSD 8th graders are not proficient in English. More than half are not proficient in math
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Moses was a great lawgiver. He was satisfied to keep the Ten Commandments short and to the point . . . he was not an ordinary lawyer..
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Mayor Breed’s backroom manipulations brought the defeat of Mar and the election of Dorsey — more targets in 2024?
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It's America! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah
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Root Cause Analysis: Key Report Missing?
... it tells us that they are maintaining secrecy to cover up the loss of greatly needed skilled nursing services in SF
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Banning children’s books from schools and libraries is a threat not only to freedom of speech but also to our commitment to teach our children well.
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...the mission of a nursing home is to promote resident autonomy. This is not compatible with the treatment of persons with unstable behavioral issues, which requires structure and agreement to "house rules." If LHH continues admitting persons with active substance use or unstable mental illness, we will lose Laguna Honda.
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Willie Brown predicted the Central Subway would reduce (can you imagine?) Muni’s operating costs by $23.9 million annually. Muni’s operating costs will now increase by more than $25 million per year.
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Renne's Gambit Goes Belly Up
Renne sought to take credit for the Tobacco Settlement Revenue lawsuit. It was used, in part, to pay for the LHH rebuild project. Renne had done no such thing.
Check it outUNs’ COP27 / Healing Starts at Hunters Point
Climate reparations dominated Egypt's UN Climate Change Summit this month — overburdened communities demand help cutting emissions, adapting to climate change…and compensation for damages!
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The expectation is that children attend school. The latest data from SFUSD severely challenges these expectations.
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Too many questions remain unanswered
Has LHH been skirting its Admissions Policy — by accepting patients who endanger themselves and others by using and distributing drugs?
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Residents of single-family homes will be watching this variance ... if this could happen to my property, neighbors could easily be the next victim.
Read MoreNobody Home?
We’re not building at the price points where the demand actually is, so we’re overproducing what folks can’t afford.
Check it outWhat could possibly go wrong?
3 meetings held so far —will Westside feedback be considered?
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… the statistics remain grim. In 2018, DPH found that Bayview is significantly more at risk than other neighborhoods.
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City Attorney’s Legal Case Was Strong
Why did Chiu do an about-face and drop both his lawsuits merely to delay re-certification?
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School districts with the more low-income students, English learners, foster youth and homeless students get a lot more money.
Read MoreReassesing DA Boudin's Recall
We are reaping what was sown in 2004. Newsom and Mark Buell, a real estate developer, had big plans for the City
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His required learning curve and that of his associates is just the opposite of what theory teaches is a management requirement.
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On the eve of an election, a candidate asked a reporter: “Did you hear my last speech?” The reporter replied: “I certainly hope so.
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Ongoing Issues Threaten Re-Certification
The first survey completed in July found Laguna Honda would not pass a CMS certification.
Check it outReassesing DA Boudin's Recall
Within months, single-handedly, this incredibly powerful man was causing misery and making people feel unsafe throughout San Francisco.
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Since its inception, the SOTF has been a thorn in City Hall’s backside. Why? ... Engaged citizens and journalists seek more information than officialdom likes to share.
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The school board, ... voted to create these Muslim holidays. The threat of a costly lawsuit then forced the school board to reconsider.
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Post-Pandemic Light rail and buses are running empty. SF’s mass transit was designed to take people to a deserted downtown ... a ghost town.
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Audit non-profit agencies and City contracts to ensure that services are provided ... especially those providing homeless services. ...revenue-generating departments need to ensure all revenue sources are addressed
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A 21,000-gallon diesel fuel deficit ...despite spending $230,000 on a fuel monitoring system...and the struggle to track $4.7 million tool inventory.
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But Don't Hold Your Breath
Housing and crime are driving residents out of the city, so too does the rising cost of utilities!
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What Me Worry? Owning DPH’s Mistakes
Laguna Honda followed the wrong rulebook and failed to follow training guidelines
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Reducing access to advanced mathematics — elevating trendy but shallow courses could cause lasting damage
Read MoreSeptember is the best month for skywatching
You won't see from downtown what you can see from Mt. Tam. Out here at Ocean Beach the nighttime fog makes viewing an occasional event. Happy skywatching!
Check it outTravel: Sergio is back!
Florence, where the Renaissance blossomed and its endless treasures are still here for all of us to enjoy.
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Step-by-step
& Where are we now?
LHH has always been a nursing home facility, has no locked beds and no licensing to take care of behavioral, substance abuse or mental illness.
Check it outOutside Lands Outrage
It's clear Outside Lands damaged Golden Gate Park but has not honored its agreement to repair any damage to the Park
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Laguna Honda Update EPIC software bungles safe transfer process - Will Failed ”Restorative Care“ program be a major cause of closure?
Check it outDigging Into the PG&E Buyout
Is there any company easier to despise than PG&E? Explosions, fires, outages: PG&E is constantly in the “ain’t it awful” column.
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At about $17,000 per student, California funding no longer lurks in the national basement.
Check it outTravel: Sergio is back!
I would think that a small island like Mallorca would have a simple, antiquated airport, but that was quite the opposite.”
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Despite these commitments to ensure safe and minimally-stressful transfers ... it did not fully grasp the number and complexity of LHH patients. So, LHH was “pigeon-holed into rules applying to standard nursing homes.
Check it outWestside Fire Response
Mayor Breed remains blissfully silent on the need to extend adequate fire protection to approximately half the City, even though she has knowledge of Fire Department needs having been a fire commissioner in 2010.
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Supervisor Myrna Melgar rallied Supervisors, passing two urgent Resolutions — before the Board went out on summer recess. She achieved this victory!
Check it outDead Trees of LaPlaya
D5 gets $50,000 for tree planting. D8, $246,000 for sidewalk gardens and street trees. And that's it for the entire City. If there is a climate emergency you wouldn't know it from San Francisco.”
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There is a need for a routine and consistent review of this facility. Programs that exist here are rarely audited, and when they are, the list of improvements required is long and important.
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“A successful man or woman is one who thinks up ways of making money faster than the government can take it away from him or her.”
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Children living in poverty are two to three times more likely to be chronically absent—and face the most harm because their community lacks the resources to make up for the lost learning in school.
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As of July 11, just 623 patients remain at LHH, compared to 681 in May. Most have been transferred to San Mateo nursing homes. Three went to homeless shelters.
Check it outWill District 7 Join the Progressives?
Banished D7's western precincts voted 76% in favor of the recall. Acquired Inner Sunset voted 61% against the recall, the future is in flux.
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Carving Up LHH Patient Towers into Two Uses, “Cohorting” Different Patient Populations in Each Tower? A Disaster for SF's Health Needs
Check it outWest Virginia v EPA
Power plant emissions formed black soot on windows and doorways in their homes and triggered asthma attacks, headaches and nosebleeds in their children. Residents led the successful fight that ultimately closed the PG&E Hunters Point power plant in 2006
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It began in 2016 with an op-ed by a parent and writer, Lisa Lewis. School started at 7:30 — her son strugged each morning. He came home exhausted.
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LHH was given 6 months to correct its deficiencies. A follow-up inspection found persistent - and seemingly worse - drug and contraband use, despite LHH’s Plan of Correction.
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Both consultants provided “preliminary assessment reports” of their initial recommendations. Only HMA’s “preliminary assessment report” has been made public.
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in the near-term, methane is 80 times more potent than CO2 as a contributing factor to global warming.
Check it outCulture of Silence" and Cover-up Plagues LHH Management
Crises like COVID-19 and the one at LHH have “unmasked a society that does not value the aged and disabled.” Dr. Palmer noted
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MTA management ignored two reports in 2011 that would’ve saved hundreds of millions on an essentially useless transportation project.
Check it outDPH's “Flow Project” Comes Home to Roost
Everybody involved knew that adding “unstable” adults brought disarray and danger to Laguna Honda's seniors. Most folks just went along. Now they’re surprised?
Check it outSea Level Rise and Toxic Groundwater
The report concludes groundwater “may” become contaminated as sea level rises. In fact, Shipyard groundwater was documented as“contaminated” where thousands of homes are being constructed.
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“It seems preposterous to put a library on a congested thoroughfare when there are better places that are safer for pedestrians to use,” one community member said.
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People are frustrated and spurt out the word “segregated” That's because SFUSD has failed to prepare all ethnicities for a rigorous academic high school.
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41% of companies allow employees to relocate permanently to any state freely, while companies that do not allow the employees to relocate elsewhere represent only 5%.
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The moderates only need to flip one district from the progressive side of the aisle to preclude the veto power of the Board of Supervisors, since the mayor appointed moderate Supervisor Matt Dorsey ... the Redistricting Task Force handed moderates a perfect set up to do just that.
Check it outCalifornians Asked to cut water by 5%
If a mandatory reduction is ordered, there will be a “floor” or minimum allocation per person so that those who have conserved, and now conserve, will not be penalized.
Read More ...Graft, deception, double-dealing, fraud
...competence erodes as conscientious employees get marginalized and lackeys are promoted. This consolidation promotes impunity. Betraying the public trust is normalized.
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Boudin's famed "puppy killer" strikes again
Boudin and the judge circumvented diversion rules because violent criminals are “not eligible” for diversion programs. Why did Boudin send someone to drug diversion if they weren’t arrested for drugs?”
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Despite the fact that discharge is not legally required (yet) at Laguna Honda, all patients and their families are being interviewed for discharge and this is causing a lot of stress.
Too bad no one saw this coming......oh, a group of doctors from Laguna Honda did.
Read More ...Addicts Housed among Frail Elderly—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
State Health inspectors diagnosed “Substandard Quality of Care.” Records showed the disarray was more dire than LHH publicly disclosed.
Check it outBreed's Policing Numbers Don't Add Up
You can flood the Tenderloin with officers, but if you do not have the officers to sustain the effort, you will not see sustained results.
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HP Biomonitoring was awarded a $50,000 grant from CalEPA to create a live and virtual “Community Window on Environmental Exposures””
Check it outGUEST OP-ED
They would have us believe he’s responsible for the statistical rise in crime that’s occurred since the pandemic. Research, however, suggests otherwise...
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Over time, those special interests have proven adept at using the same “peoples protections” to further their own interests. Recalls are expensive, and a few of San Francisco’s bitterest billionaires buy low-turnout elections when they disagree with the voters...
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41% of companies allow employees to relocate permanently to any state freely, while companies that do not allow the employees to relocate elsewhere represent only 5%.
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Knowing that either way he rules, an appeal is likely, Alameda Court Judge Frank Roesch weighs the evidence.
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...there are issues that can unite us.. We all want to support our educators who have been doing the hard work every day despite a pandemic and political feud.
Check it outInternational Dark Skies Week
In Pittsburgh a new ordinance makes it the first major American city to adopt lighting standards addressing light pollution.
Check it outA great beginning that ran into WWI
36 Garden Residence neighborhoods were planned only St. Francis Wood was actually built.
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Could the motivation behind all of this be to create such a god-awful divisive plan and create so much anger that the voters would just throw up their hands and get rid of it altogether?
Check it outMedicaid & Medicare threaten payments...
Medicaid or MediCal covers 96.5% of LHH patients, the City’s General Fund – aka tax-payers – would then foot the bill. The deadline is April 14th.
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Taylor minced no words … the results of her 1995 investigation displeased health officials and influenced her decision not to publish significant findings, “I was convinced there was something there
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A catastrophic rate disaster shows SFPUC's ingenious ability to evade culpability. They take full responsibility for lowering the water usage...
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Chair Townsend's Solution to African-American Population Decline Will Likely Result in a Lawsuit Redistricting's latest map has everyone on edge, scrambling to find out who their new Supervisor will be.
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Three new Board of Education commissioners were appointed last month by Mayor London Breed who promises implicitly that SFUSD will somehow conquer a budget deficit of over $125,000,000.
Check it outWestside Public Safety Forum
What had Taraval Station done about the unprecedented rise in burglaries in 2021? There were 620 — a 29% increase over the previous year.
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District 7 reclaims Forest Knolls, Twin Peaks, Midtown Terrace, the Woods and Miraloma Park from District 8 as well as all of Lakeshore and Merced Manor from District 4, but loses ground entirely in the Inner Sunset.
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Lowell high school's merit-based admission policy is perfectly legal. We’ve looked at the language of the law, the history of the law and the intent of the law. We've done our homework.
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As additional funding for supportive housing services through programs like Project Home Key become available, radical reform of board and care programming and funding will be necessary to maintain and expand this crucial resource.
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Coastal Commission Takes a Wrong Turn
The Port will spend billions to protect Bayside property but not a dime to protect Ocean Beach.
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SF has had some surprising changes since the current lines were drawn in 2011 — they could change which Supervisor represents us.
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Civil rights laws have been enacted to protect people who are being denied equal access and opportunity. The closure is a violation of the ADA and California disability rights laws.
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Donald Trump, disregards 42,000,000 Ukrainians by lauding Putin’s “genius” in invading Ukraine. I urge readers to divest themselves of any reverence or respect for Trump, a draft-dodger, who could demolish the Republican Party.
Check it outLabor Union Sues City for Corruption and Retaliation
Why does the FBI manage to unearth City Hall corruption, while our watchdog agencies; the Controller’s Whistleblower Program, Ethics Commission and City Attorney’s Office cry “What happened?
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When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground Old African Proverb.
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… instead of looking seriously into what could be done to solve the coupling problem … henceforth the trains operating in the subway would be only one and two cars long.
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Limit plastic used in wrapping done by on-line shopping? Since the pandemic, online shopping has created 29% more waste in landfills which can end up in our oceans
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Hint: the software is not the problem
The Health Dept. continues to flout the open records laws. Our seniors deserve better.
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Newly unearthed public records show that the developers paid more than $1.3 million during 2020 to Brown and two partners
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In 2020 SF was paying $59.70 per garbage bin to Recology while San Mateo ratepayers (under competitive bidding) $24.93 per month...
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If they want to override the current cost criteria ... jack up the rates ... they must seek voter approval. The SFPUC has not done that ...
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Most contractors lagged in delivering community benefits and submitting required progress reports. And, once a contract ended, undelivered benefits were not recoverable. SFPUC had no policies to monitor compliance.
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Ideally, police can stop “sideshows” before they happen with intel from undercover officers and by monitoring social media accounts that announce where sideshows will be. That was not evident in West Portal & 30th/Lawton incidents
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Ginsburg, working with the SF Bicycle Coalition and Walk SF, have banned cars on JFK Drive and the Upper Great Highway during the pandemic. Plans are being made make the bans permanent ...
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Drivers ... good news for you: the vast majority of streets are dominated by cars! You can drive on all the roads, which is why a radical change is necessary.
Check it outSF Parks Alliance Records Subpeonaed
The vendor was selected on a sole source basis for a one-year term ... due to the limited time to accomodate a community event date in April 2020 ...
Check it out“Housing Galore—if you're a millionaire...
Two years after the 2019 Affordable Housing Bond passed—No progress status reports, or annual or quarterly reports to MOHCD or the Supervisors?
Check it out“Granny Dumping”
Moving physically - or mentally-challenged patients is clearly detrimental to their health...leaving fragile patients stranded, miles away from their families and friends
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Does the City care what your rates are? The Commission recently passed a resolution to guide Herrera. It lacks anything about keeping rates as low as possible.
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