Hard hats and cement mixers may join Nordstrom’s and The Olive Garden at the Stonestown Galleria in the not to distant future.
In a presentation to the West Of Twin Peaks Central Council, on April 28th, several representatives for the mall’s owner, General Growth Properties, outlined a plan to remodel the San Francisco shopping complex.
Richard Forster, Senior General Manager of the Mall, outlined the proposal which includes the addition of approximately 70,000 square feet of additional retail space, an expansion of the parking garage with better traffic flow, and the possibility of building a new 6-8 screen cinema complex within the mall to replace the older two screen theatre that is located at the rear of the property.
The new retail space, which is planned to include several new restaurants, will take up space in the parking area currently between 19th Avenue and the front entrance to the mall. The “lost “ parking spaces in the front will be offset by an enlarged parking garage that is planned to not only replace those spaces in front, but will add an additional parking capacity of 10-12% over what exists today.
The garage expansion would be built on the rear of the mall, tying into the present underground parking structure and opening up the traffic corridor in a flow-through approach to allow entry and exiting from both the front and rear of the garage. It is envisioned that the cinema complex would be built on top of the new garage, similar to the concept that was completed recently in San Bruno at The Shops at Tanforan.
Forster explained that General Growth Properties, or GGP, is an owner that has a “long term hold” strategy for Stonestown. “Our vision for the center is one that is long term, to work with the neighborhood groups to help create a retail experience that is oriented to the neighborhood, rather than just a commuter-based regional center”.
To this end, the presentation team, consisting of Forster and design team members James Anderson and Anne Hempel went on to show various elements of their proposal while answering questions from the audience.
One of the features of the proposal is to redevelop the outer building sites adjacent to the mall. New low rise buildings would replace older buildings, with the buildings being relocated to provide better space between them and the neighboring churches and schools. In addition, an element of the project is focused on the creation of more “park like” green space towards the rear of the property.
Questions from the audience centered mainly on the traffic concerns that increasing the retail space could cause. Several ideas were discussed, such as improved access from 19th Avenue, and the creation of a “Stonestown” shuttle bus to ferry shoppers to and from the center to local pick up points.
The GGP team agreed that traffic control and flow will be a major factor in the design of the project and that they would be working with the neighborhoods and the city of San Francisco to create a plan that can help to alleviate the bottleneck that currently exists during the peak holiday shopping seasons.
Other questions were raised about the vacant space in the center. Forster informed the group that his team is negotiating with several prospective tenants that would move into some of the space vacated by the former Good Guys, and Tower Records locations. He also added that the mall has inked a deal with the Trader Joe’s specialty food group for a store that is expected to open later in the Fall of 2008.
The redevelopment project is expected to take the better part of the next 2-3 years, starting with the Environmental Impact Report over the next 12-15 months, followed by a year for design work. Forster and GGP expects the construction to start sometime in 2010. For those interested in the project, GGP will be developing a website over the next 1-2 months.
November 2019
Proposed Medical Cannabis Dispensary in the Sunset District
2505 Noriega Street Update
On July 13, 2017 the Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use authorization to allow a Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD), the Apothecarium, to open at 2505 Noriega Street at 32nd Avenue. Two appeals have been filed in objection to the approved project. The Board of Supervisors held a hearing regarding the two appeals on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. (As we go to press). In the meantime, send your comments to Katy.Tang@sfgov.org, who has promised to take all comments into consideration.
October 2017
Art Proposals for the Westside Pump Station Public Art Project
April 28, 2017 to May 12, 2017
Aileen Barr
Jovi Schnell
Jet Martinez
Proposal Viewing Location
Ortega Branch Library
3223 Ortega Street
The San Francisco Arts Commission is working with the Public Utilities Commission to commission a signature public artwork for the Westside Pump Station, located at the corner of Sloat Boulevard and the Great Highway. The newly commissioned artwork is intended to beautify and complement the architecture of the building, and will be part of the improvement project at the Westside Pump Station. Three artists were chosen as finalists by a Public Art Selection Panel to create site-specific proposals for this opportunity: Aileen Barr, Jet Martinez, and Jovi Schnell.
May 2017
Public Works crews work to stabilize the hillside along O'Shaughnessy Boulevard between Malta Drive and Del Vale Avenue.
Recent storms forced the closure of O'Shaughnessy to traffic, including the 44-O'Shaughnessy Muni bus line, that was temporarily detoured while Public Works crews stabilize a cliff that has been eroding in recent rain storm. There have been no reports of injury or property damage.
Fallen rock on O'Shaughnessy Boulevard
The rocky slope in danger of sliding is situated on the west side of O'Shaughnessy across from Glen Canyon Park. Geologists assessed the hillside for potential rockslides, and recommended that loose rocks near the top be knocked away Work crews began knocking loose rock off of the hillside beginning on January 19.
Geologists will conduct a thorough study of the area after the O'Shaughnessy area is stabilized, though more rains and winds could cause closures in the area again, until the department to develops a long term solution.
Feb 2017
After Sea Levels Rise
Projected view of SF Ballpark after sea level rise
Sea-level rise is coming. Even if we keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above historic norms—the benchmark for avoiding catastrophic climate warming—we may still see oceans creep four feet farther inland by 2100 and rise 20 feet by as soon as 2200. That's according to a new study published in the July issue of Science.
Feb 2017
Dog Management Rule on Hold at Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The National Park Service is putting on hold the signing of the Record of Decision and the publication of the Final Rule for Dog Management at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The decision comes in response to requests from members of Congress to extend the waiting period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement. This pause will also allow the National Park Service to conduct a review of certain records being released in response to an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to the park's Dog Management plan and rule.
To date, the National Park Service has released more than 260,000 pages of documents dating as far back as 1999 in response to the FOIA request. As part of its ongoing release of records under FOIA, in late-December 2016, the Park Service learned that a former park employee had used personal email for official communications related to the Dog Management Plan planning process. Upon learning this, the Park Service contacted the former employee and obtained his cooperation to conduct a search of his personal email accounts for agency records related to the Dog Management Plan planning process. As a result of that search, the Park Service recovered approximately 137 pages of emails that were responsive to the FOIA request. Those FOIA records will be released and posted today at https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/management/dog-management-records.htm, "Records Released January, 2017".
The Park Service will conduct an independent inquiry into whether personal email was used in a manner that is not consistent with applicable laws and policies, and if so, whether its use affected the planning and rulemaking processes. The Park Service will report the results of the internal review to the public. To help ensure an independent and impartial review, the inquiry will be conducted by National Park Service personnel who were not involved in the dog management planning process.
Further action under the National Environmental Policy Act and the rulemaking process for the Dog Management Plan will await the findings and conclusions of the independent review.
February 2017
SFPD Rolls Out October Speed Limit Enforcement Plan
Officer writes a ticket
Citywide Effort Part of New Campaign to Reduce Unsafe Speeds on High-Crash Streets
The San Francisco Safe Speeds Campaign will begin this October and will continue through the fall of 2017.
SFPD will be enforcing the speed limits on targeted areas that have high speeding and collision rates that were identified by the SFMTA, Department of Public Health, and SFPD.
The goal of the Safe Speeds Campaign is to protect pedestrians who walk or bike, as they account for over half of the traffic deaths in San Francisco. A citywide map of the areas being enforced will be shared with the public in hope of spreading awareness to change dangerous driving habits.
When the Safe Speeds SF campaign ends in fall 2017, city agencies will have new data and analysis about the role of enforcement in citywide speed deterrence. The map below portrays the corridors for High Visibility Enforcement for Safe Speed Campaign. Visit the Safe Speeds SF Campaign website for more information:
James Corrigan, Forest Hill Extension, snapped this picture of a Coyote at Vasquez and Laguna Honda Blvd. on July 4, 2015.
July-August 2015
Settlement Reached — Forest Knolls Gets New Neighbors
Illustration of proposed Forest Knolls Project
After a lengthy dispute with Mount Sutro Wood Owners Association which lead to a battle in Superior Court that kept the project from proceeding as approved, “Outlook Project” settlement has been reached. Approved for development in early 2013 with a total 34-units (24 duplexes and 10 townhomes), at the end of Crestmont Drive on the western slope of Mount Sutro.
The settlement,reduces the units from 34 to 29, with five (5) duplexes will be reduced in height by a story as single-family homes.
May 2015
Renewed Controls On Massage Parlors?
All massage establishments will have to have a Department of Public Health establishment permit and all new massage establishments will have to receive Conditional Use approval with certain exceptions if Supervisor Tang’s legislation returning land use and regulatory controls over massage establishments to the city’s jurisdiction. This will allow neighborhood notification and input of their opening.
If you would like to send letters or emails of support for the legislation, please send them to the members of the Land Use & Transportation Committee noting your support of Files 141302 and 141303.
SEIU USWW janitors and handymen went on the picket line on Tuesday April 14, at Parkmerced management brought in a new contractor who refused to allow them to continue their jobs. Thirty two workers were terminated — many have worked for over 20 years at the large housing project. Replacement workers are being brought into the complex to take their jobs. Many residents of Parkmerced have voiced their support for the workers.
May 2015
Likely Ballot Challenge to Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb) Filed
April 29th, Share Better San Francisco filed an initiative ordinance for the November 2015 ballot to tighten regulations on short-term residential rentals to tourists, such as those offered by HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb, and provide the tools City Planning staff say are needed to provide effective enforcement of the law.
· Imposes fines on hosting platforms that list illegal or unregistered short-term rental (STR) units
· Requires quarterly reports of rental nights from hosts and hosting platforms
· Caps the number of allowable rental nights at 75 per year, hosted or unhosted, to discourage conversion of units to full-time STR use
· Allows ‘regular folks’ who may be directly impacted by illegal short-term rentals access to an effective enforcement alternative only if the City elects not to act on valid complaints
· Provides notification to neighbors and HOAs when STR registration is issued
The City Attorney has two weeks to prepare an official summary of the initiative. “We expect to begin gathering signatures in mid-May and will submit more than the 9,700 valid signatures required by July 6th,” said Dale Carlson, from the public relations firm, Carlson Advisors.
May 2015
Easier Parking Coming Soon to a Meter Near You?
The SF Municipal Transportation Agency is introcucing the PaybyPhone parking meter payment service, initially starting in the Castro. Drivers will have the option of using their phones to pay for parking, receive text message reminders before their parking meters expire, add time remotely (subject to time limit restrictions), and receive receipts by email. The service charges a 45-cent convenience fee per transaction, and MTA hopes to reduce that charge as the program expands.
The MTA will also expand its credit card meters to more neighborhoods. Currently, Noe Valley has those meters, and they have been working well. The SFMTA now provides real-time parking availability and rate information for SFpark pilot areas via Androids, iPhones, SFpark.org, and a garage-only text message service. SFpark, a federally funded pilot project run by the SFMTA, uses new smart parking management technologies and pricing policies to make it easier and faster to park in San Francisco. Better management of parking will open streets and result in cleaner air, improved safety and faster Muni times.
“When customers can see where parking is available and how much it costs, they make better decisions about where and when to drive,” said Edward D. Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “Steering drivers to blocks with open parking spaces reduces time spent looking for parking.”
The SFMTA, also announced the release of its SFpark Android application, it can be downloaded at SFpark.org/Android. The iPhone app is available at SFpark.org/iPhone.
SFpark.org provides the ability to see parking availability and cost. The mapping tool on the home page shows location, high, low or medium availability and rate information for garages and on-street parking spaces within the pilot areas. Currently 13 of the 15 SFpark garages have data in the real-time feed.
The SFpark pilot covers 7,000 of San Francisco’s 28,800 metered spaces and 12,250 spaces in 15 of 20 SFMTA-managed parking garages. These garages and spaces are located in Civic Center, Hayes Valley, the Financial District, SoMa, the Mission, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Fillmore and the Marina. The SFpark pilot is 80 percent funded by the United States Department of Transportation’s Urban Partnership Program and will run until summer 2012.
“Conservatives,” their Hawkers and Shills Who Target SF Progressives
by Julie Pitta
Signing up for trash pick-up required handing over an email address that became the property of TogetherSF and their multi-year campaign to move San Francisco rightward.
Does PG&E do a splendid job? There’s room aplenty for improvement. But not via SFPUC takeover of our old, complex electrical system. Down that path lies trouble.
San Francisco has, at last official count, 61,000 unaffordable empty rental units, and the City’s iconic skyline suffers from too many of these monstrosities.
Last year the National Weather Service issued unprecedented red flag warnings for San Francisco... yet vegetation management is minimal across city-owned lands.
To promote the closure of the Great Highway via Prop K last November SF’s Transportation Authority and Rec & Park inflated the count of pedestrians and bicyclists on the weekends
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
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.
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
How Managers of SF’s Public Pension Left $5 Billion on the Table
by Lou Barberini
Cronyism, often cleansed by the term networking, involves hiring managers favoring friends for loyalty instead of for their potential value to the organization.
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.
What Killed Tom Waddell Clinic Urgent Care Clinic?
by Dr. Derek Kerr
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.
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.
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?
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..
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.
DPH’s Preparedness Plan Ingores climate change and sea-level rise
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
Its policy and directives need to be updated to incorporate climate change, sea level rise, extreme weather events, and chemical and radiological exposures
Under Breed’s direction, Redistricting removed progressive Inner Sunset from Preston’s D5. At the same time, the Tenderloin was grafted onto District 5.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”
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.
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.
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.
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.
SFMTA’s Plan for West Portal Station Pushes Buttons
by Maura Corkery
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.
Newsom—Declare a Public Health Emergency at Hunters Point
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
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.”
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.
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.
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%.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
While gasoline tax-paying automobile owners finance the streets of San Francisco San Francisco’s Budget finances the SF Bicycle Coalition, a private entity?
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.
Local school board elections used to be sleepy affairs. No more. Political activists now pay close attention to these local contests — for good reasons.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
Unfortunately,it also has many disadvantages. The gas is explosive. It needs to be compressed or converted into other chemicals, such as liquid ammonia...
Every five years, the EPA determines the success of superfund cleanups
New Shipyard Report Confirms: Unsafe for Habitation
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
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
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.
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.
“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.
New proposed location for Ocean View Library is ideal
by Glenn Rogers
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.
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.
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.
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!).
UCSF proposes settlement for Joseph Miranda and his radioactive truck
ONE BIG MAN — ONE HOT TRUCK!
by Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai
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.
Assessing Judge Bergert’s use of mental health diversions
by Lou Barberini
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).
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.
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.
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.
Neighbors apprehend a thief in the act, but will he be back on the street?
A Man Walks Into a Walgreens ...
by Michael Antonini
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
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.
Delayed Inspections Mean Dumping More Seniors Out-of-County
Laguna Honda Hospital’s Endless Waiting Game
by Patrick Monette-Shaw
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.
Falling advertisements, digital transitions and major lay-offs plague journalists
by Dr. Derek Kerr
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.
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.
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.
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.
District Elections, London Breed & the Housing Exageration
by Quentin Kopp
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.
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.
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.
Laguna Honda’s battle to keep 120 skilled nursing beds is unnecessary.
Patrick Monette-Shaw
LHH’s bedrooms exceed the minimum square-foot restrictions. They have sliding doors between each bedroom — essentially making them all private, single-person rooms.
It’s time to assess Prop 47’s havoc on the safety of San Franciscans
by Lou Barberini
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.
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.
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.
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.
City Family’s coziness with contractors sustains a “Homeless-Industrial-Complex." Politically-connected entrepreneurs are awarded City contracts and return the favor.
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.
Laguna Honda Finally Hires a Nursing Home Administrator
Patrick Monette-Shaw
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.
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.
It Could lead to more arrests of protestors, minorities, or anyone the State considers a threat if artificial intelligence is designed and executed improperly.
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.
April 14th is the anniversary of Laguna Honda's decertification
Just Released—Laguna Honda Hospital's Revised Closure Plan
Patrick Monette-Shaw
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Billions and Billions Later, California's High-speed Rail Future Is Still Illusive
by Quentin Kopp
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
For decades, the City has allowed weaker standards for buildings shorter than 240 feet — no signs of seriously considering these structural deficiencies.
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.
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.
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?
Did 20 years of mismanagement prompt the Feds to intervene?
The Bungled Management of Laguna Honda
Patrick Monette-Shaw
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
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
Poor people seldom end up on the street. But, addicted and mentally ill people become “disaffiliated” from supporters – a key determinant of street homelessness
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...
Madam Mayor parties down as City is deluged in “atmospheric river”
Mayor's Clueless New Years Fumble Signels Trouble
by Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai
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.
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
...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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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.
City Leaders Value Saving Money Over Saving Lives and Property
by Frank T. Blackburn and Nancy Wuerfel
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.
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.”
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.
Time to Shine a Brighter Light on SFUSD Chronic Absences
by Carol Kocivar
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.
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.
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
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.
Will Laguna Honda Solve Its Problems By Abandoning 120 More Patient Beds?
Patrick Monette-Shaw
Both consultants provided “preliminary assessment reports” of their initial recommendations. Only HMA’s “preliminary assessment report” has been made public.
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?
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.
“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.
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.
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%.
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.
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.
...competence erodes as conscientious employees get marginalized and lackeys are promoted. This consolidation promotes impunity. Betraying the public trust is normalized.
Violent Thug Attacks, Robs Asian Visitor—Goes Free
Boudin's famed "puppy killer" strikes again
by Lou Barberini
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?”
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.
They would have us believe he’s responsible for the statistical rise in crime that’s occurred since the pandemic. Research, however, suggests otherwise...
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...
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%.
...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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Labor Union Sues City for Corruption and Retaliation
Union Lawsuit Reveals "City Family" Backroom Maneuvers
by Dr. Derek Kerr
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?
… 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.
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
SFPUC: Controllers Audit Reveals Compromised Bid Process
by Dr. Derek Kerr
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.
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
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 ...
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.
Moving physically - or mentally-challenged patients is clearly detrimental to their health...leaving fragile patients stranded, miles away from their families and friends
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.
The SF Municipal Transportation Agency is introcucing the PaybyPhone parking meter payment service, initially starting in the Castro. Drivers will have the option of using their phones to pay for parking, receive text message reminders before their parking meters expire, add time remotely (subject to time limit restrictions), and receive receipts by email. The service charges a 45-cent convenience fee per transaction, and MTA hopes to reduce that charge as the program expands.
