The San Francisco Citizen

Aging veteran Thomas Sakamoto was honored at the Presidio Saturday for his labors during World War II and beyond. This is how it looked at the ceremony on Mason Street in front of Building 640, originally built as a 10,000 square foot aircraft hangar.

Colonel Sakamoto listens to Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine, who represents Japan in San Francisco and Northern California. “This is a history all of us must know.”  Click to expand:

Presidio Trust Executive Director Craig Middleton spoke about the ongoing project to fix up the historic building. ”Let’s get this done.”

The mise-en-scene:

A sign from 1942:

Read on for more details of the day.

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State Controller John Chiang, California’s independent fiscal watchdog, is having a thing with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger these days over how much salary to pay state workers during the budget crisis. See Hank Plante’s interview with “heroic” John here.

Our Controller was welcomed like a rock star. Click to expand:

There were a few “Chiang for Governor” signs here and there, but if you ask him if he’s running, he’ll say he’s not: 

This crowd of mostly state workers was large and intense. “We can’t survive on $6.55 [an hour].” 

Columnist Dan Walters thinks he sees the “fuzzy outline” of a solution.

Let’s hope.

Here’s a test. Take a look at this spectacular hiking video that will make your heart race and then compare it with the structure from the East Bay shown below. Which is scarier? Now, hold on, just imagine living in such an apartment during the next Big One. The Northridge Earthquake back in 1994 showed us how people living in buildings with soft stories live and die in L.A. Mayor Newsom is using the bully pulpit to get out the word that some buildings in town need retrofitting now.

On the other hand, some don’t wish to “dive into” fixing things right now, perhaps preferring instead to wait until after an earthquake? Did “politics” hamper the push to get people to do what they ought to on their own, alleged by tenant advocate and artist Debra Walker in this concise report from Carolyn Tyler?

Click, ever so gently, to expand:

By seismophobic MaryMactavish, who can’t imagine it would take more than a 5.5 or 6 on the Hayward Fault to bring this building down, via Flickr

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Mr. Newsom reminding building owners of their abnegation. What’s that? You want the city to pay to fix your house? Of all the uses of a home equity loan, retro-fitment for the next shake would seem to be the best choice.  

Quake safety is an obligation, is it not? Read the spiel and then decide.

Construction of the California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park proceeds apace. What is expected to be the largest and most visited green building in the world will have new admission prices that are 150% higher than before, but this thing should be popular nevertheless.