This firetruck is older than you!
Still on the job after all these years…
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Archive for the ‘government’ Category
American Badass: Ford C-900 Attack Hose Tender No. 1, Still on the Job for the SFFD in the Western Addition
Thursday, March 15th, 2012Camping Out in Front of the Bill Graham Auditorium the Night Before Project Homeless Connect #43
Thursday, February 16th, 2012This is right when the symphony let out:
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It depends on which yardstick you use whether Project Homeless Connect has been a success, or an abject failure, or something in betwixt…
OMG, It’s “Civic Response 2011″ This Morning in Civic Center – A Fire Drill With a Cast of Thousands
Friday, September 30th, 2011[UPDATE: Famous photographer Steve Rhodes is on the scene right now:
Step 1: Kiss the bride under the largest classical dome in the western hemisphere;
Step 2: Evacuate
Via Steve Rhodes - click to expand]
All that hullabaloo in Civic Center this AM is just CIVIC RESPONSE 2011.
Deets below.
The calm before the storm:
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All the deets:
“Multi-Agency Joint Evacuation Exercise – Civic Center Area - ”Civic Response 2011″ – September 30th 2011, 10:30am
Exercise Overview
This will be a coordinated multi-organization joint evacuation drill involving the facilities management and security agencies, as well as the involved building tenants from within the San Francisco Civic Center area. This multi-agency drill will involve civilian and uniformed responders from the local and state government levels and is aimed at helping ensure public safety in the event of an actual emergency.
There will be approximately 1,500-1,800 building tenants evacuated and dozens of responders involved in this exercise. The participating agencies will activate their fire alarm plans and evacuate their tenants to pre-designated locations at Civic Center Plaza, UN Plaza, and the War Memorial area.
Participating Buildings – City Hall, Dept Public Health at 101 Grove Street, UC Hastings College of the Law, Veteran’s Building at 401 Van Ness.
The Command Post will be the SF PUC Mobile Command Vehicle (MCV) which will be parked on Grove Street between Polk and Larkin across from the Bill Graham Auditorium.
Mission: All participating buildings will execute their evacuation plans simultaneously and safely while keeping aware of the other facilities tenants.”
More deets, after the jump
Well, Those Oil Extraction Tax (aka “Oil Extraction Fee”) People are Trying to Get Half a Million Signatures
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011Here are the deets on an oil extraction tax / fee proposition that you’ll be able to vote for in 2012, if it qualifies with half a million signatures by next month’s deadline:
“Tax on California Oil Initiative (2012)
A Tax on California Oil Initiative (11-0004) has been approved for circulation in California as an initiated state statute. To earn a spot on the state’s 2012 ballot, sponsors of the initiative must collect 504,760 signatures by September 30, 2011. A letter requesting a title and summary for the proposed initiative was signed by Peter Mathews, Frank Dawoodjee, and Paul Garver, and was received by the Attorney General of California’s office on March 14, 2011.
Tax on California Oil. Initiative Statute. Official summary:
“Imposes 15 percent tax on value of each barrel of oil extracted in California. Allocates oil tax revenue to non-capital educational funding: 30 percent to K-12; 48 percent to community colleges; 11 percent each to California State University and University of California. Prohibits producers from passing tax on to refiners, gasoline stations, or consumers. Prohibits loan of oil tax revenues to General Fund. Prohibits reduction of regular education funding based on additional revenues from tax.”
Summary of estimated fiscal impact:
(This is a summary of the initiative’s estimated “fiscal impact on state and local government” prepared by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Director of Finance.)
“Increased state revenues from a new charge on oil extraction of around $2 billion to $3 billion per year, dedicated to education.”
Anyway, I didn’t know about this:
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But they’re out there, trying to finish up the huge job of getting all those sigs…
Will YOUR Post Office Be Shut Down? Bayview 94124, Visitacion Valley 94134, McLaren 94134, Civic Center 94102
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011Here’s the news of the day, via the San Francisco Business Times: 3700 post office branches are set to be shut down by the USPS.
Here’s what’s on the chopping block in San Francisco:
| BAYVIEW | SAN FRANCISCO | 94124 |
| CIVIC CNTR P O BOX UNIT | SAN FRANCISCO | 94102 |
| FEDERAL BUILDING SAN FRAN | SAN FRANCISCO | 94102 |
| MCLAREN STATION | SAN FRANCISCO | 94134 |
| VISITACION STATION | SAN FRANCISCO | 94134 |
Mmmm.
Now the Federal Building PO is just a little thing, sort of a secret for those in the know – no waiting there. And the Civic Center PO Box Unit, well that’s not really a PO anymore anyway.
So.
We’re going to lose three full-fledged POs and they all just happen to be in the southeast corner?
Two in the 94134…
…and one in the 94124:
Uh….
Uh….
WTF, USPS?
What’s that? You spent all your money sponsoring that drugged-up cyclist? All right, but this one is not going to go down well…
See the entire “Expanded Access study list” for California after the jump.
Why Does the San Francisco Rent Board Need to Advertise Itself on the Back of SFMTA MUNI Buses?
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011I hope this ad was for free (because nobody else in the world wants to pay to advertise on this particular bus and the space would go to waste otherwise?).
Hey SFGOV, if you wanted to advertise something, how about the minimum wage in the 415? Lots of people don’t seem to know that one yet.
Anyway, it’s your San Francisco Rent Board. Hurray!
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San Francisco Rent Board 8 AM – 5 PM,
25 Van Ness Ave., Suite 320 Monday – Friday excluding holidays
San Francisco, CA 94102-6033 Phone: 415-252-4602
(Cross street is Market Street) Fax: 415-252-4699
Senior Staff:
Executive Director Delene Wolf
Deputy Director Robert Collins
Senior Administrative Law Judges Sandy Gartzman and Tim Lee
Rent Board Supervisor Jennifer Rakowski
Counseling: Drop-in
Due to limited staffing, we do not have the capacity to respond to inquiries by email. However, Rent Board counselors are available at the Rent Board’s office from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM each working day. Due to high demand and a limited number of staff, there can sometimes be delays in speaking with a counselor. Counseling sessions at the office are generally limited to 10 minutes.
Phone Counseling – 415-252-4602:
You can receive personal assistance by phone during phone counseling hours, which are 9:00 AM – Noon and 1:00 – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday, excluding holidays. Because of demand, calls may be limited to 5 minutes. It is helpful if you have your questions written down before you speak with a counselor.
Info-to-Go – 415-252-4600:
Call our 24-hour Info-to-Go phone system to hear automated information on over 80 topics of interest to tenants and landlords. All of the recordings are available in English, Spanish and Chinese. Use the Info-to-Go Table of Contents (pdf) to facilitate your call and access the most relevant information. Printed versions of the Info-to-Go topics are also available on our website and through our Fax Back system.
Fax Back – 415-252-4660:
To obtain copies of the Rent Ordinance, Rules and Regulations, Rent Board forms and other printed information, you can download them from our web site or call our 24-hour Fax Back system and have the documents automatically faxed to you within minutes. Use the Fax Back Table of Contents (pdf) to locate the documents you want to fax yourself. Many of our forms and documents are available through the Fax Back system in Spanish and Chinese.
Other Important Phone Numbers:
Administrative Offices Only 415-252-4601
TTY 415-554-9845
Rent Board Hearing Coordinator 415-252-4629
Rent Board Appeals Clerk 415-252-4644
Duplication Requests and File Review 415-252-4661
Multiple Language Assistance:
We have bilingual staff in the following languages: Spanish and Cantonese. We also have a telephonic language line interpretation service available in 20 languages for limited English speakers who visit our office. Our 24-hour automated telephone information line (Info-to-Go) is available in Spanish and Chinese. In addition, many of our forms and documents are available in Spanish and Chinese through our Website and Fax Back system.
The Rent Board staff does not provide translation services at hearings or mediations. However, if you are unable to afford the services of an interpreter, you can file a Hardship Application for interpreter services and the Rent Board will hire an interpreter for you. Hardship applications for interpreter services can be obtained at the Rent Board’s office and must be filed at least 72 hours before the hearing or mediation. American sign language interpreters are also available upon 72 hours request.
Website: www.sfgov.org/rentboard
Our comprehensive website offers users 24-hour access to printable versions of: agendas and minutes of the Rent Board Commission’s meetings; monthly and annual statistical reports; the San Francisco Rent Ordinance; the Rent Board’s Rules and Regulations; the Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy; over 80 topics of interest to landlords and tenants; 10 in-depth Fact Sheets on major landlord/tenant issues; Rent Board petitions and other forms; news and announcements; our customer survey, and more. Many of our forms and documents are available on our website in Spanish and Chinese.
Deciding What’s “Appropriate” for Japantown: Here’s What the First Better Neighborhood Project Meeting Looked Like
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011Community organizer Julian Davis was on hand at last night’s Better Neighborhood Project meeting put on by San Francisco’s Planning Department, you know, the one where it’s been preordained that There Shall Not Be Any More Highrises in Japantown. Anyway, he’s more optimistic than I am about the whole process.
Basically, San Francisco Government, the people who brought us Redevelopment, the people who tore down perfectly good houses (or “drafty old Victorians,” in their words, back in the day), the people who still haven’t apologized for that, the people who messed up Japantown big time with the whole concrete and clay and general decay motif, well, they’re back and they have a Plan.
Now, if you want to affect the plan, you need to be part of the leadership element of an area “community group.” It doesn’t matter all that much how many people are in your group, but you’re going to need a title and a group name to matter. If that’s not the case, then the best you can hope for is a chance to voice an out-of-the-box idea that’s slightly novel or crazy enough to work.
But I’ll tell you, the big decisions have already been made.
Here are the final ten minutes of last night’s meeting on Sutter, with three kind-0f focus group leaders offering feedback on what the audience members were saying. (Don’t mind the alarmingly loud iPhone buzzing at the end…)
Anything that the Planning Department has decided that’s not appropriate for this particular part of the Western Addition (like young people from South Korea, or China, or Taiwan opening up businesses on or near Post Street or a taller building (you know, one that could actually pay for itself and Other Things Too) that could block the view of that horrible Peace Pagoda*) is considered contagion. Oh well.
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On It Goes…
*I looked it up once and that Peace Plaza pagoda thing actually is Ur-Japanese, it actually is just like some stuff that was all over part of the southern part of Japan’s biggest island, but it seems more Pan-Asian or Chinese to most Japanese people that see it. They don’t recognize it as anything Japanese at all. This concrete thing is the Vaillancourt Fountain of the West Side.
Look Who’s Cleaning Up Mid-Market: It’s Benny From “Total Recall”
Monday, March 28th, 2011Whenever this guy drives past, I pretend to be Arnold Schwarzenegger and I say, “Hey Benny, screw you!”
And then we argue about how many kids he has.
Good times.
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More seriously, Mid-Market has never gotten more attention from the City and County as in 2011. Now, I know these little machines have been around for a while, but I’m talking about the whole Megillah, from the SFPD (OMG, they’re everywhere, out on patrol ‘n stuff – where were they hiding before?) on down. SFGov.org is bringing it to Market Street these days, taking it to the streets.
For whatever reason…
A Day in the Life of McAllister: #3, Entire Block of Ulmus Parvifolia Trees Outlive Their Death Notices, Posted Back in 2010
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011Remember last year, when these “13 or 14″ Ulmus parvifolia got death notices wrapped around their trunks?
Well, they’re still here in 2011, which is well past they date that they were supposed to be turned into woodchips. See?
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Now, I’m not a big fan of trees in the City personally, as they cause a lot of trouble and, occasionally, kill people. But Trees First, People Second is the Law of the Land, so once a tree goes in, it can never ever ever come out, regardless of the circumstances. Oh well.
Anyway, as far as the Chinese Elms of McAllister are concerned:
Ha ha!
It’s your move, City. Care to try again?
Uh, Actually 311 Operator, I’m NOT Your Customer – Fixing the Gaping Hole of Fell Street
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011Called 311 for the first time yesterday to see about getting DPW to find a metal grate that’s going to stay put atop this hole at Fell and Masonic.
Somehow, I’m 311′s “customer” instead of just a Samaritan trying to help San Francisco govmint to its job better.
This thing is more than a foot wide – a touch dangerous, I thought:
Who had the idea to start calling taxpayers customers?
Maybe this is part of the problem?
Anyway, they wanted my phone number.
How 311 having my digits would help DPW I know not…
(Hey is there some button to push so you can talk to the 311 operator right away instead of listening to their canned spiel? I know not. Oh well.)
