Posts Tagged ‘fired’

Oh Wow: Tony Robles, Former Doorman at the Pricey Presidio Landmark Apartments, Unloads in the Pages of Poor Magazine

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Oh wow, man. Former Presidio Landmark Apartments doorman Tony Robles tells his tale in Poor Magazine (aka Prensa Pobre).

Alls I can say is that it’s an interesting mix of fact and opinion. One of the first grafs is below and the whole thing is in the link above.

Anyway, I guess a lot more people are living there these days – here’s what’s on Yelp about this building.

And here’s the place itself, way on the right, from the deck of one of those nearby multi-floor townhomes:

Click to expand

Here it is:

“The edifice I refer to is the Presidio Landmark Apartments, located in the city’s Presidio on Wedemeyer St. near 14th Ave.  I was working at this insular, hermetically sealed, self-aggrandizing, pseudo palace—home to CEO’s and hedge funders—in the capacity of door attendant.  My brown face was the first you’d see when walking through the French doors.  There I would sit, donning a somewhat comical habiliment of tan dockers, innocuous (save for the itching) cotton candy blue shirt, bottomed off with clunky Timberland shoes.  The Presidio Landmark—an ideal locale for one of those obnoxious Lexus Christmas commercials—home to some of the city’s highest rents–nearly $3000 a month for a “junior” one bedroom, $3200-3800 for a one-bedroom, upwards of $4000-5000 for a 2 bedroom, and $7000+ for a multi-floor townhome located in the periphery.  The building casts an ominous presence when approached.  It is situated on a grassy slope, adorned with foliage including succulents, native plants, African varieties—underneath canopy-like palm trees, impassive and pale, stripped of their natural skin.  One gets the impression when approaching this fortress-like structure that something is terribly wrong.  This home of the upwardly mobile, the hedge funders, gentrifiers of neighborhoods—this colonized place sits on the ancestral home of Native people.  It is the structure that was once known as the Merchant Marine and Public Health Service Hospitals.  It was a place that provided free care to native people, including native Hawaiians, people with leprosy, merchant marines and people who didn’t have access to decent healthcare.  It is part of the 42 acre Public Health Service District.  It is the place that was abandoned in the mid 80’s when it was decommissioned by the Reagan administration.  It is a place whose cries can be heard, a place where ancestral spirits cry out for justice against land grabbing developers like Forest City, who, with the Presidio Trust, took the sacred Ohlone land to satisfy its voracious corporate hunger.  The Presidio Landmark: home to the 1%.”

But what’s this, here’s an ad for just $2150, so maybe they’ve lowered their asking prices lately:

*Junior One Bedroom, One Bathroom available for move in 2/8/2012 
*Brand New Luxury Apartment Home 
*Presidio National Park address 
*Beautiful finishes including hardwood floors, granite countertops and stainless steel energy efficient appliances 
*Bosch full-size, in-suite washer and dryer 

Presidio Landmark Features:
LEED Gold Certification 
24-hour Door Attendant
Concierge Services
On-site Maintenance Team 
Massage Room and Spa Services
Private Dining Room with Wine Cellar 
Jacuzzi Hot Tub
Fitness Center/Yoga Room
Beautiful Interior Gardens with Fire Pit and breathtaking views
Parking available at $150/month

Live in luxury at the Presidio Landmark where there is plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the great outdoors; you will have immediate access to the Marina, Laurel Heights and Presidio Heights. Nowhere else in San Francisco will you find an historic building that has been sustainably renovated with modern comforts and conveniences built right in. Host a private dinner party in our Dining Room or catch the MUNI to the Financial District for a night out. 

And there you have it.

OMG, Popular Brenda’s French Soul Food is Now Open for Dinner on a Safe Block in the Otherwise Crime-Ridden Tenderloin

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Will popular, four-star rated Brenda’s French Soul Food be as popular for dinner as it’s been for breakfast, brunch, and lunch?

Only Time Will Tell.

As recently seen on Polk, near the western fringe of the crime-ridden Tenderloin. Criminals tend to not like crowds of potential witnesses, so dread nought.

Why not get in line at 652 Polk betwixt Eddy and Turk, dine and then make a post to the Yelp, as thousands have before you?

Charlie Sheen is On Fire – Media Criticism from Mission Mission – “Burning, Fire, Burning, Fired, Burning”

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Ariel Dovas from the Mission Mission has a nice catch.

Enjoy.

Let’s get Fired Up!

Gloria Allred’s Second Press Conference About Meg Whitman’s Former Housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Here’s the response to this morning’s presser from Meg Whitman about former housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan.

Gloria says that there will be no statement from Nicky today because it was emotionally-challenging for her to speak out yesterday.

And off we go:

Statement from Gloria:

An April 22, 2003 letter from the Social Security Administrationshows that the SSN provided by Nicky was problematic. The letter tells recipients to ask the employee for the employee’s SSN, but Meg didn’t do that. Meg’s husband partially filled out the SSA form and then handed it to Nicky with a note saying, “Nicky, please check this.” The Whitmans wanted an undocumented worker because undocumented workers are easier to manage.

Meg Whitman lied to the press and the public when she said that, ”We never received that letter and  notification.”

Meg is exposed as a liar an a hypocrite. She should apologize to Nicky the press and the public. 

Nicky is a hero. She is the Rosa Parks of the movement to gain respect for Latinos and all those who work so hard in households today.

Exhibits:

Blowups showing the letter and quotes from Meg including handwriting from Meg’s husband: “Nicky, please check this. Thanks”

Q and A:

1. Let’s see if Meg will continue to deny knowledge of the letter.

2. Nicky says she only got the mail when the Whitmans were on vacation.

3. Nicky asserts that the handwriting is from Dr. Harsh. If the Whitmans would like to deny that, I’d like to know. Let’s see what they say. Nicky says she knows his handwriting.

4. I think this evidence speaks for itself. If Meg wants to take a lie detector test, that’s fine. I won’t tell Meg what to do.

5. My client doesn’t need to take a lie detector test. That’s irrelevant.

6. Many people hold onto documents for a long time. I’m glad Nicky did so.

7. Nicky knew she wanted to do something about what she suffered. Nicky was terminated in June 2009 because Nicky was gathering legal documents.

8. Nicky contacted a lawyer and that lawyer contacted me. That’s how I came to represent Nicky.

9. People who aren’t rich and powerful deserve to have representation.

10. I have had no contact with anybody in the Jerry Brown campaign.

11. I don’t know how Jerry Brown’s people knew two weeks ago about this issue. Maybe they knew something, I don’t know.

12. I don’t know why Meg would wait months after declaring her run for Governor to fire Nicky.

13. I think Meg saying “we” didn’t know is significant. Meg chose that word. I’m a former English teacher, I think words matter.

14. Let’s just see if Dr. Harsh will deny that this is his handwriting. If he denies it then we might offer more proof. I have no comment on any other evdience we  have.

15. I won’t say the name of the attorney who referred Nicky to me.

16. Nicky is not working at this time.

17. Nicky’s taking an enormous risk. She’s demonstrating more courage than anyone I’ve met during the decades I’ve been practising law. We shouldn’t underestimate how bright many housekeepers are.

18. We haven’t offered Nicky any money.

19. Nicky’s worked more than 15 hours per week and was told by the Whitmans that she wouldn’t get paid for anything more. Her back wages are probably not a significant sum.

20. I’m here to support Nicky and provide the truth about what happened to her.

Gloria might come back with another press conference soon if the Whitmans want to deny today’s allegations.

Now we’re off to the Spanish language part of the program.

To Be Continued…

Meg Whitman Doesn’t Do All That Well at Her Press Conference About Housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Here’s Meg Whitman’s presser about her housekeeper problem – it was just broadcast live at TMZ.com. [UPDATE: Here's coverage from CBS San Francisco, just posted.] 

(Frankly, I don’t see how Meg can win her race after seeing this. Say hello to Governor Jerry Brown, the Once and Future King. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria. You know, Meg would have been better off saying that she would donate $150,000,000 to the state treasury early nect year rather than just spending all that dough on consultants and ad buys. IMO)

Anyway, Meg showed up about 15 minutes late and began by saying how former housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan was an “extended member of our family.” Then she asked about Jerry Brown:

 ”What does he think I should have done instead?”

Then it was off to questions and answers, below.

1. Nicky came to work for us for 15 hours per week. Sometimes she worked ten, sometimes eight. Nicky never asked for mileage reimbursement for running errands around Menlo Park.

2. We didn’t receive a letter from the Social Securtiy Administration. We never saw any such letter.

3. We didn’t want to turn Nicky in to law enforcement due to our ten-year relationship with her.

4. I comported with the law. The law doesn’t require employers to turn employees in. I fired her as soon as I found out she was illegal. Every employer needs to make his or her own decision about how to handle such a situation.

5. It’s very possible that Nicky intercepted any possible letter that came from the Social Securtiy Administration. The Nicky I knew was not the Nicky I saw at Gloria Allred’s presser.

6. These days we have one housekeeper, plus a landscaping and pool service.

7. We play by the rules. We were explicit with the people at the employment. We told the agency that we wanted legal employees only.

8. I never asked Nicky directly about her immigration status. We got a copy of the I-9 from and Social Security card from the agency.

9. Nicky signed her I-9 form under penalty of perjury. Nicky lied.

10. I have not contaced the SSA to ask for any letter that they might have sent out.

11. Nicky was my employee directly. We left a check for her on the counter every Friday.

12. I haven’t talked with Nicky since she left the house on the Saturday afternoon when she confessed to us.

13. I was heartbroken. I had to tell Nicky that we couldn’t continue to employ her.

14. This is classic smear politics. This is how career politicians like Jerry Brown operate. This is Brown-motivated.

15. Until we can be assured that we can get our arms around securing our borders, I don’t think we should alter our immigration laws. A first step would be a temporary guest worker program.

16. I didn’t want to discuss Nicky in the press. I didn’t want to make an example of her. I feel badly for Nicky for her involvement with Gloria Allred.

17. If I was going to let Nicky go for political expediency, I would have done it in February 2009 when I announced my run for Governor, not in June 2009.

18. It’s absolutely false when people say I knew about Nicky’s illegal status before he confession. I didn’t.

19. Town and Country Resources of Menlo Park was the employment agency involved.

20. We don’t owe Nicky any money. We paid her less when she worked less than 15 hours a week. We even paid her during Christmas vacation.

21. My lawyer said that there was nothing that we could do for her after we found out about her status.

22. I didn’t talk about Nicky because I didn’t want to make an example of here. I don’t know who is paying Gloria Allred.

23. This issue has nothing to do with my character.  

24. I want this state to get back on track. There are 2.3 million Californians without jobs. This is a distraction from what Californians ought to be talking about.

25. I feel badly about the situation. But the law is the law. I don’t know what ICE will do.

26. It’s absolutely false the statement Nicky made about me saying to her, “I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

27. I would absolutely take a polygraph test about whether I knew about her immigration status. I was stunned when Nicky told us.

28. If it comes to that I will absolutely take a polygraph test.

29. We were misled. Our country needs an E-Verify system in place.

30. We were given copies of a CA-issued driver license, an SSN card and an I-9. We relied on all these documents.

31. My campaign is doing very well with Latinos. I will work very hard to earn the vote of Latinos.

32. This is totally predictable. Nicky is being used. This incident could backfire on the Jerry Brown campaign.

33. I had a very cordial relationship with Nicky.

34. It’s not right what Nicky did.  

35. It’s very hard to know if Nicky should be deported. Nicky can’t see what is about to happen here. She is being manipulated.

36. She did normal kind of housekeeping duties. She drove one of the boys to school sometimes. She was not responsible for the children.

37. I don’t know if Nicky had a legitimate driver license. I’ve heard that it was a real driver license.

38. We comported with the law. I’m new to politics. I’m just getting used to smear politics.

39. Nicky would get the mail from the mailbox and then put it on the kitchen island.

40. I didn’t know that Nicky was illegal until June 2009.

41. I think I behaved correctly under the circumstances. I wouldn’t behave differently if I had to do it all over again.

42. We only have one employee now. We hired her through the same agency. She is legal. My mailbox is locked know. I get my own mail now.

43. It’s important to get back to the issues Californians care about. The budget is 100 days overdue. We are about to go to IOUs to pay vendors to the state of California. I need to turn my attention back to my campaign.

 44. I believe that this is linked to the Brown campaign, 100%

45. I can’t criticise the agency. They had the proper documents.

46. We had a very good relationship with Nicky. Her boys played soccer in our backyard and played with our mini-schnauzer.

47. I don’t think we abused or took advantage of Nicky. We paid her $23 an hour. If she had a parent-teacher conference or some kind of appointment, we let her go early.

I have to run. Thank you for coming. Let’s move on to solve the problems facing California.

And that’s it. This presser ended at 11:32 AM.

The Thing About Nate Ballard, Former Director of Communications for Gavin Newsom

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Here’s the thing about Nathan Ballard – he was almost always in this damn-the-facts-Gavin-Newsom-is-always-right mode. That’s just the way the bulk of his profession does it these days.* Oh well, he won’t be in that mode much longer, see the news release below.

But what if the roles had been reversed? What if the smarter one were Mayor and the more charismatic one were Director of Communications?

Wouldn’t that arrangement have worked out better? For them, and for us? Just asking…

NB on the job, an impossible job, really, when you get down to it. Here he is documenting the goings-on around on Polk Street:

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Check Nate’s Earned Media website: ”Good Press. It isn’t free…” True that.

Anyway, here’s the news of the day:

Nathan Ballard to Leave Newsom Administration

Today Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that Nathan Ballard, his director of communications, will be leaving the Newsom administration.

Newsom praised Ballard’s skills.

“Nathan Ballard is unflappable, smart and a fierce advocate,” said Newsom. “He is a talented communicator and a consummate professional, and we will miss him.”

Ballard praised Newsom for his leadership.

“Mayor Newsom is a gifted leader who fearlessly tackles significant issues such as health care, the environment, education, and equal rights,” said Ballard. “It has been a privilege to serve this administration.”

Ballard took the helm of Newsom’s communications operation in February, 2007. He will be leaving the administration in February, 2010. He said he plans to spend more time with his family and to relaunch the business he founded in 2004, Earned Media, LLC.

Ballard, 40, has served as a spokesman for two presidential candidates, Senator John Kerry and General Wesley Clark. He has also been a communications director for the Democratic National Committee, the California Democratic Party, and California’s largest labor organization, the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.

Good luck Mr. Ballard. Bon courage.

*Speaking of charismatic leaders, even Mussolini would occasionally admit he lost a battle or made a mistake. Those by-gone days of frankness are long-gone, it would seem.

The Food Cart Craze – Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza Tonight in the Financial District

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

This is the scene tonight, Tuesday, September 29th, 2009, at the intersection of Sacramento and Front Streets in the Financial District – it’s a genuine pizza-making, wood-fired oven on wheels from Pizza Politana. Read all about tonight’s Hatcher Wine Tasting event at Wine Bar SF in 2 Embarcadero Center here. They’ll be there until 7:30 PM or so.

800 degrees - that’s what real pizza needs, right?

Click to expand:

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Here’s more 411 on Yelp. Be on the lookout for this rolling oven - you can’t miss it.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate: The Soul is For Hire, and They’ve Sold the Heart

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, R.I.P. But at least the Milton S. Hershey Company employees in Berkeley will get a “very competitive” severance package. (Isn’t the first thing you should ask at a job interview – how competitive is your severance package?)

Anyway, the free factory tour will always be remembered by yuppie foodies across the Bay Area. Take the virtual tour, while you can.

Fallen, fallen is Scharffen Berger the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality. Yea, it is broken, howl ye for it, take balm for her pain, if so be it may be healed. Click ye to expand:

This place is the bomb, a brick house built extra tough for the hazards of munitions manufacturing, its original purpose. See? A factory tour, head gear required:

If only they had had a marketing campaign with more fling and frivolity, like the way they do it over at Mars, Incorporated.

Also, Joseph Schmidt Confections, R.I.P.