Posts Tagged ‘associates’

San Francisco’s Sam Singer vs. the President of the AFL-CIO

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Boy oh boy, when you hire PR flack Sam Singer to represent you, as many others have done, he won’t just hide in some office, oh no. What he’ll do is go out in the field and meet your nemesis head on. As here, during yesterday’s big labor rally / march / sit-in in and around Union Square.

With hundreds of unionists assembling behind him on Market Street, Sam sang to the media, complete with Frank Chu watching on.

Sam Singer complaining to KTVU 2 about how Local 2’s Mike Casey left the negotiating table:

AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka on the right, with local labor leaders addressing a huge crowd at 750 Market:

Fire fighters union president John Hanley:

Handshakes are out, terrorist fist jabs are in:

About 800 marched (or 1400+ or 1500 if you’re a partisan with rose-colored glasses) up to the nearby Hilton Hotel, where 100+ got arrested.

On It Goes…

UPDATE: Dan Nguyen-Tan has video of the march right here.

San Francisco Democrats Boo Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at Gala – How Wude!

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Pity poor Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – tonight he crashed the annual San Francisco Democratic Party Fundraising Gala and Auction at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill and he was rewarded with a loud round of booing.

Poor guy. Did Assemblymember Tom Ammiano spontaneously yell, “You lie” at Arnold, ala Congressman Joe Wilson? Haha!

34729998-0ff2698af365203859914a8903a1177b_4acd5ac5-scaled copy

The evening captured via Francis Tsang’s BlackBerry

Per SF FYI Net:

San Francisco Democratic Party – Onward to Victory Gala 2009
When: October 7, 2009 – Wednesday
5:30 p.m. Cocktails and Auction
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program
Where: The Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street, San Francisco
What: San Francisco Democratic Party’s Annual Gala Fund Raiser. Many voices – one vision. Funds raised at the gala will directly support voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities to ensure that we elect a Democratic governor in 2010. $150.

San Francisco Theater Festival a Huge Success at Yerba Buena Gardens

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

This is what the Sixth Annual San Francisco Theater Festival looked like today down in the SoMA’s Yerba Buena Gardens:

Click to expand:

IMG_7312 copy

Here’s the sched and here are a bunch of photos. That should whet your appetite for next year.

Yes, it’s all free. See you next year!

“The San Francisco theater scene can become stronger and more vigorous, appealing to community members who do not currently benefit from the contribution theater arts make to one’s life through activities like the Theater Festival. Director Peter Sellars has noted that bringing people together for a shared theatrical experience does more than create good art; it creates and nurtures a sense of community and an interest in the common good.

The Festival creates access and expands the theater audience. Working together to put on the Festival, the theater community conducts a large-scale event that gains the attention of the broader community. The Festival induces cross-pollination of audiences as attendees interested in one performing group stay to see others. As the Festival grows, we will see theater audiences expanding, leading to more performances, more productions, and more theater jobs, as well as a richer cultural experience for all community members.

While there are festivals for film, dance, jazz, blue grass, beer, and wine, there is no comparable festival for theater. The San Francisco Theater Festival is unique. This is the only showcase for Bay Area live theater, presenting the full spectrum of theater groups. This is the only festival that takes place on one day or a single weekend, providing the audience with an opportunity to sample conveniently the many theaters available here. This is the only FREE festival, thereby providing open access to all.”

All the Players, after the jump.

(more…)

SFPD to Question Questionable Deborah Perez, Purported “Daughter” of Zodiac Killer

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Of course it doesn’t matter if not-ready-for-primetime Deborah Perez is “crazy” or not – if she has all this evidence proving the identity of the Zodiac Killer then it will be useful for her to turn it over to the San Francisco Police Department. So here’s the news, the SFPD is amenable to spending a little time hearing her story. Is that surprising? Not really, but read on to see the latest Press Release.

Artist’s conception of Lil Debby Perez at the scene of the Berryessa slaying:

zdskch-copy 

If I may so bold, enjoy my comments as well:

Daughter of the Zodiac Killer to Be Questioned by the SFPD

How about “purported daughter”?

Investigative Reporter/Journalist Larry Garrison Comes Forward to Support the Evidence that Guy Hendrickson is the Zodiac Killer

“Support the Evidence.” What?

For the first time in twenty-five years, the San Francisco Police Department will call in a key potential witness for questioning to identify the Zodiac Killer officially.

All right.

Deborah Perez has been called in by Lt. Michael Staskos (badge No. 724) of the SFPD Homicide Unit.

All right.

Date to appear is June 17, 2009.

All right.

She will be questioned about her father, Guy Ward Hendrickson.

All right.

The nation’s top forensic experts have endorsed her handwriting, psychological, and DNA evidence showing participation in the Zodiac Killings.

Oh no they didn’t!

Her evidence was recently turned over to Lt. Staskos SFPD.

All right.

Deborah Perez was seven years old at the time she became his innocent sidekick.

Oh no she wasn’t!

Deborah became aware of her father’s involvement in the Zodiac murders years later after viewing a segment of “America’s Most Wanted” composite that resembled her father.

But what if Guy Ward Hendrickson isn’t the Zodiac?

On April 29th, she came forward with a press conference at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Really? At the Chronicle? Ha ha ha ha ha! How about on the sidewalk near the Chronicle?

The glasses which she handed over to Lt. Michael Staskos on May 5th, currently held in evidence by SFPD, will be part of the DNA proof needed.

How do you know that?

Deborah Perez feels she “…owes it to the families of the victims to put this case to rest.”

All right.

Though others have come forward, no one has been able to substantiate a claim as Deborah has achieved with eye witness testimony, forensic and DNA evidence.

DNA evidence? Really? Deborah is so unique and special, a bunch of old white guys should make a movie about her, or something.

She is also the only witness ever endorsed by members of famed attorney Melvin M. Belli, who the Zodiac contacted.

“Members of famed attorney Melvin M. Belli” Really? “Endorsed.” What? Wasn’t Melvin Belli kind of a hack? I know an attorney – he used to work for/with Melvin Belli back in the 1990’s, had to sue to get paid the salary he was owed. Does this experience qualify him to divine the Zodiac?

The Belli group has requested the Zodiac Killer/Melvin Belli Files which SFPD has in possession for 40 years.

The “Belli Group”? Is that a law firm?

Larry Garrison, President of SilverCreek Entertainment, and Investigative Reporter/Journalist, has just come on board to support Deborah Perez.

Well, Katie bar the door! Mr. Garrison? Really?

After his own investigations, Garrison verified the evidence including handwriting analysis reports of Perez with professionals.

No he didn’t!

Garrison has been shown that “Deborah, in fact, wrote those Zodiac letters and her DNA will be on at least one of the envelopes.”

Nice passive voice there!

Attorneys from the Belli office have also confirmed that Deborah was in fact the child who accompanied her father, Guy Ward Hendrickson, to Mr. Melvin Belli’s office.

Attorneys? Former attorneys? Disbarred attorneys? Well, gee, if an attorney believes something, it MUST be true!

Larry Garrison states, “The proof will be in the forensic evidence and DNA once Deborah has her chance to have it analyzed.”

Oh, poor Little Debby! Was she too busy signing movie deals to actually turn over her “evidence” in 2007?

And On it Goes.

To Be Continued…

NorCal Waste Systems is Now Known as Recology. Open House at Gold LEED Building

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

NorCal Waste Systems, the people behind Sunset Scavenger and many other concerns, held an open house last night at the 487-foot tall 50 California Building to celebrate its recent name change to Recology. Per the Chronicle:

“‘Our industry is no longer about waste management, it is about waste zero,’ says CEO Mike Sangiacomo. ‘Our new name will help move us away from the mentality of disposal to a mandate to use less of what we have and get more from what we use.’ Sangiacomo also said the company will be launching new services and products, and seek to extend its reach beyond California.”

Legislative Regulatory Specialist Rachel Oster gaciously posed near the elevator entrance. That’s the new logo.

And here’s the view from Mr. Sangiacomo’s 24th floor office at Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-rated 50 Cal.

What do you think of the new name? A change was needed as NorCal Waste has been stretching out beyond northern California into Oregon and beyond. The word Recology sounds perfectly cromulent to me, anyway. 

LEED-certified M&Ms:

So far, the reaction is Two Thumbs Up. And whose idea was it? Per Adam Alberti:

“The team was assembled and managed by my agency, San Francisco based Singer Associates and includes Brainchild Creative (Jef Loeb) as the creative director and Sandstrom Partners(Steve Sandstrom) as the art director. We are all very excited for the assignment and the work is reflective of Recology’s mission.”

So there you have it. Oh yes, the way to get a green compost bin is to call (415) 330-1300, apparently. But you multi-unit renters might need to go through the landlord.

All the deets, after the jump

(more…)

Zodiac Update – Proof that Deborah Perez was at Scene of Berryessa Slaying

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

What do you do when somebody comes to you with their version of the Zodiac Killer story. You say, “You’ve got the looks, I’ve got the brains, let’s make lots of money,” or something similar, of course! But isn’t that a little patronizing, though? To say, yes, I believe everything you have to say about your father, yes, I validate your beliefs, and hey, maybe let’s get a movie deal working?    

In the words of the late Dr. Marvin Monroe, “This is not the way to get healthy!”

Guy Ward Hendrickson with daughter Deborah Perez (known as “Little Debbie” at the time) at Lake Berryessa. Can you see her having snacks at the picnic table?

Do you think the above is valid evidence? Is it time to call Hollywood with this key to the puzzle?

Hey, how about a documentary about the making of the documentary? That would be far more interesting, non?

Circuslike “Zodiac Killer” News Conference Reveals No Real Evidence

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

[UPDATE: Here's the gritty nitty from Deborah herself. Uh oh, turns out the eyeglasses don't match, see below. Also, did she change her story from last year? Today's presser must rank as the biggest fail whale on the West Coast since 1970. Or was it just some performance art? Hard to say.]

This afternoon’s “completely unorganized and totally shadynews conference on the Streets of San Francisco turned out to be a bit of a fiasco. “Deborah Perez” claims to have been on the scene when her father, Guy Ward Hendrickson, committed some of the Zodiac killings. And her dad didn’t kill just a handful of people, he killed “at least 37.”

The problem is that Guy Ward Hendrickson died in 1983, but not before he conveniently passed along a deathbed confession. Oddly, daughter Deborah, a “mother and a professional,” said she didn’t realize her dad was the Zodiac until watching America’s Most Wanted in 2007.  

Was Guy Ward Hendrickson in the military, maybe based in the East Bay close to the scene of killing? Maybe, but nobody knows for sure. Was Guy Ward Hendrickson a peace officer? Maybe, but nobody knows for sure.

This was the headline from this morning’s ‘Xam. They’ve come back to Earth this afternoon.

William Clifton Degarmo is acting as Deborah’s attorney. He says he hasn’t made a cent so far, but he could cash in later on. Interestingly, Mr Degarmo settled a matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating something akin to insider trading back in the 1990’s. 

Interestingly, the San Francisco Chronicle identifies Kevin McLean as one of Deborah’s attorneys, but wasn’t he just disbarred by the State Bar of California earlier this month? (I didn’t read the whole article from SFGate / The Chronicle, but it seemed to do a much better job presenting la théorie du jour than those at the press conference.)

The crew today continues work on their documentary. They’d like help from the FBI and other police agencies. This news conference was a way to get more attention for the new theory. Apparently, some guy not too far from Sacramento, Denis Kaufman, is alleging things having to do with handwriting analysis and that causes consternation to the people organizing the news conference today. All this adds up to… ?

Attention Zodiac theorists! Don’t worry about what other people are doing. If you have physical evidence, turn it over to the authoritahs. It’s not really necessary to make a documentary, however therapeutic it may be, right? (Lot’s of luck to anyone from Edward Lozzi & Associates public relations trying to gather a crowd in the 415 anytime soon. You’ll need it.)

Was Guy Hendrickson the Zodiac? Maybe yes and maybe no. That was true yesterday and that’s still true today.

Now about those glasses. Here are the ones Deborah claims to be from taxi driver Paul Stine…

…and here are the ones from poor Paul Stine in 1969, shortly before he was killed. Maybe he had another pair? Maybe Deborah also has the original Killian documents as well? (Wouldn’t Dan Rather be pleased to hear that!)

All this fuss today to promote a movie?

Senator Leland Yee Helps to Re-Open Sava Pool in the Parkside

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Well it’s finally here: San Francisco’s fabulous brand-spanking-new Charlie Sava Pool at 2695 19th Avenue near Wawona in the Parkside / Sunset area. It’s from Mark Cavagnero Associates & Paulett Taggart Architects. Do you like it? Per KCBS:

“Lisa Seitz Gruwell with the Department of Recreation and Parks called the public facility state of the art. “The water system is designed to maximize re-use,” said Seitz Gruwell. “This is probably the most environmentally friendly pool in the city and probably in California.”

Now it’s not as long as the Olympic Club’s gorgeous Olympic-class pool, but Sava Pool is a standard 75-foot length now, so that’s a good thing.

Click to expand:

The scene this morning with hundreds at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with Mike Farrah, Director of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Neighborhood Services, on hand:

Senator Leland Yee with Interim Director of the Recreation and Parks Department Jared Blumenfeld, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, and San Francisco Supervisor Sean Elsbernd:

Supervisor Carmen Chu with the aforementioned ribbon:

Let’s head inside to see the nice looking locker room:

People started using it immediately:

A relay race among local high schools:

Students from Lowell High School won all the relay races (apparently) during the grand opening:

Lots of windows – they’re great. You can see the Pacific. Can you spot the Farallones?

Yes, today you can. Here’s the view looking west from inside the building – Southeast Farallon on the left and Sugarloaf Island on the right:

Fashion update - Carmen’s red shoes caused a minor frisson (“oh my gosh, look at those!”):

Take a look at the destruction of the old and the construction of the new, if you’d like.

Hopefully, the NIMBYs won’t be too upset (they usually get over things after a few years.) And of course this nice pool is a much nicer thing for this neighborhood to be famous for compared with that other fitness center they had at nearby 1202 Vicente.

So there you have it. Would a visit here be worth your hard-earned $4? Signs point to YES.

Just grab your partner (“a kinda out-of-shape 30 yo guy working for some famous tech company doing cool work helping non-profits save the world”) and go.

See you there!

San Francisco’s Ham-Handed Attempt to Suppress Halloween

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Now the point of the government-sponsored Home for Halloween ad campaign is to suppress turnout for San Francisco’s world-famous Halloween in the Castro. At that, it might be successful, we’ll see. But the webpages for the ad campaign sure are an amateurish, ham-handed production. To wit, try to reconcile this:

There will be NO Halloween celebration in the Castro in 2008.”

With this: 

There very much WILL be Halloween in the Castro. As for “cancelling a celebration:” the fact is quite the opposite.”

Well that’s clear as mud.

Where will these Castro Queens go this year? Click to expand:

 

Where will Fake Frank Chu go this year?

Where will Batgirl and Robin go this year?

Let’s scan through a few more blanket statements from the H4H webpages:

“As in every other community in the City, there will be zero tolerance for behavior which doesn’t respect the celebrated diversity of our communities.”

What? Not sure if this is a government-sponsored policy goal or whatever. It certainly doesn’t reflect reality and, if we imagine local government taking steps to make the above statement become true, those steps would be unconstitutional. Moving on: 

“And again like last year, there will be zero tolerance for individuals and businesses that do not obey alcohol consumption and distribution regulations.”

In reality, San Francisco has a lot of tolerance for a lot of things. The above statement is not operational, it is incorrect. Let’s try another:  

“The Castro is not appropriate for a party with 100,000 people.”

So then, what about Pink Saturday? Is IT appropriate for the Castro? Perhaps the gov’mint could start up a Home for Pink Saturday campaign?

Akit’s Complaint Department really gets into the David Perry issue here. (It’s certainly possible Akit misunderstood Supervisor Bevan Dufty’s statements over the past year, but that’s a different matter.)

Enjoy your Halloween, San Francisco.

ProtectPlace.com = Chlopak Leonard Schechter = French Wine Industry

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

ProtectPlace.com is a little outfit being promoted by Washington D.C.-area PR firm Chlopak Leonard Schechter & Associates, which does work for the confusingly-named Office of Champagne, USA. This unholy alliance is once again trying to manipulate Bay Area consumers through online advertising.

They are now pushing the Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin, which promotes concepts thoroughly debunked here and here.

But, there’s more trouble: 

Trouble is, the Office of Champagne USA isn’t the federal government, which permits winemakers to use the word “Champagne” on wine labels as sort of a generic term, but only as long as they note where the wine was actually made. Hence “California Champagne,” or almost as famously, “California Chablis” and “California Burgundy.”

Let’s think back to happier times, before the French hired flacks to manipulate us:

 

You see? French Champagne is made in France and American Champagne is made in America. Some terms have become “semi-generic” in the Home of the Brave and the Land of the Freedom Fries. Should the French wine industry have the only say in how wines made and sold in California should be labelled?

You should certainly be wary of what our European corporate overlords have to say. Don’t listen to the apologists for the troubled French wine industry, which has so much oversupply sometimes they turn wine into industrial alcohol. And does the Champagne region still have a nuclear waste dump? Yes. How’s that for terroir?

So, when the experts tell you to stock up on $100+ bottles of French Champagne, as they did last year, sit back and watch prices fall. And when they tell you to worry:

“People are really worried about the next six months when they should worry about the next 10 to 15 years,” says Charles Curtis, product management development director with Moët Hennessy USA.

You shouldn’t worry.