A few days back on McAllister at Divisadero:
“MURAL IN PROGRESS – PLEASE RESPECT – EX-VANDALS”
Click to expand
And here’s the scene yesterday, with sidewalk cyclists giving the thumbs up already, or terrorist fist-jabs or something:
And here’s the crew putting the final touches on:
On It Goes in the Western Addition…
In perpetuity.
“A valid telephone number is required in order to process and verify opt-out requests. Incorrect or omitted information may prevent us from honoring your request.”
Why do they say they need your phone number? So they can ask you if you really, really think phonebooks are so useless these days that you don’t want them anymore.
And then, they’ll call you the next year and the next year and the next year. You know, to make sure. Again.
Forever.
So. which is worse? Would you rather get a useless phone book or a useless phone call?
Weeks after delivery, these books are still around:
Via Warzau Wynn – click to expand
YP Yellow Pages Local Search people, nobody in San Francisco wants what you’re selling.
Why don’t you go away?
“Discussion Points: This a long-term project (breaking ground in 2016, at the earliest), and BOMA members discussed near-term concerns for the various department staff to consider as they move forward in the information gathering phase of this effort:
The homeless population. How can you improve Market Street (adding parklets, nodes and general public gathering spaces) without considering the existing homeless population?
Impact of future design and construction on the ground-floor businesses that line and/or are immediately adjacent to Market Street.
Maintenance costs after build out – who pays?
All forms of conveyance should be considered when improving Market Street. I’m sure you’re doing this but East/West travel across Market should be carefully reviewed.
Continuous outreach to the business community and other stakeholder groups to be sure that the City understands the issues of concern before final design consideration and construction.”
Will this so-called Better Market Street effort yield a Market Street that looks anything like this?
No, it won’t.
Oh well.
Still the focus groups continue, still the Project Manager drives forward.
OK fine.
Will the Project Manager ever get around to asking the existing users of Market Street what they think?
No, never.
As per usual.
I’m at a loss.
But I’ll tell you, if I see one of these paper monsters with “AT&T” on the cover, I’m going to deliver it back to the nearest AT&T store.*
Here’s what San Francisco telephone books look like before they get rained on:
Via Warzau Wynn – click to expand
In closing, see you in Hell, telephone book industry!
*Unless you all “opt out” first! HAHAHAHA.
BMW, the company what has “32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car” dealerships in the U.S., came to town yesterday to promote … BMW.
Hurray!
Deets below. Here’s your boner preview:
“An estimated one-third of all downtown traffic on weekdays is due to vehicles searching for a parking spot.”
ABSURD. DUDE DRIVES UP FROM SAN MATEO TO PARK AT 2 EMBARCADERO. FOR INSTANCE. HE MIGHT SPEND A TON OF TIME GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE FINANCH, SURE, BUT ZERO PERCENT OF THAT TIME IS SPENT “SEARCHING” FOR A SPOT. DO BUS DRIVERS SEARCH FOR PARKING SPACES IN THEIR BUSES? DO BIKE RIDERS? DO UPS DRIVERS? SIMPLY ABSURD.
“San Francisco is the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’ and the car sharing and EV Capital of America,”
ABSURD. JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY SOMETHING OVER AND OVER, THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT TRUE.
“…enables users to pay for parking in advance…”
WHAT? I THINK THIS SERVICE IS FOR RICH, STUPID PEOPLE, THE GROUP THAT WAS TARGETED BY SFPARK.
So, why don’t you have an electric vehicle, Mayor Ed Lee?
Better yet, why not just ditch the car and ride a bike or take transit to get to your appointments?
Otherwise, you’re just all talk and no action.
And exactly how many rich stupids are out there to support a “premium car service” such as this? Maybe out-of-towners who don’t where to park would take “advantage” of this?
And gee, if you only want to go on a trip in a “premium” “sports” “motor car,” if that’s your deal-breaker, well, maybe you don’t really need to go on that trip.
Michael Cabanatuan explains it all for you here, if that’ll help.
At least I understand how Audi Avenue works over there in Union Square - Audi writes a seven-figure check and burnishes its image.
But BMW, what do you get out of this? Who’s going to download your stupid apps?
But I’ve digressed.
Have at it:
“BMW Group Announces Launch of ParkNow Mobile Parking Service and Details DriveNow Car-Sharing Service, Featuring 70 All-Electric BMW ActiveE Vehicles, in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2012 — At a press conference with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, BMW Group Member of the Board Dr. Ian Robertson today announced the upcoming launch of ParkNow, an innovative mobile parking solution that is a joint venture with Urban Mobility, and provided new details about DriveNow, a unique premium car-sharing service which features a fleet of BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicles. San Francisco serves as the initial U.S. market for each service.
San Francisco is at the forefront of cities working to develop and implement innovative approaches to urban challenges, including traffic congestion and the need for smarter, greener parking systems. There are an estimated 505,000 vehicles in San Francisco, yet only 448,000 parking spaces available at any given time. On weekdays, the total vehicle population increases by approximately 35,000. An estimated one-third of all downtown traffic on weekdays is due to vehicles searching for a parking spot.
“The BMW Group is more than a premium car company, it is also focused on developing and delivering new services to help meet the increasing need for flexible mobility solutions in our cities,” said Dr. Robertson. “The premium car-sharing service DriveNow and parking solution ParkNow will help meet that demand in San Francisco and, ultimately, in other cities. Our introduction of these services in San Francisco represents BMW’s commitment to encouraging the development of new mobility options that will reduce emissions and congestion and improve the quality of life for San Franciscans.”
“San Francisco is the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’ and the car sharing and EV Capital of America,” said Mayor Lee. ”I am pleased that BMW has chosen San Francisco as the first U.S. site for its innovative services and has launched their program entirely with electric vehicles.”
ParkNow, which will be available to drivers beginning in September, is an online mobile parking service that enables users to pay for parking in advance, with guaranteed access and clearly defined rates, based on their personal preferences. Customers can search for parking using ParkNow’s mobile app or website, reserve, pay and then be navigated directly to the parking facility, reducing time spent looking for parking, as well as emissions. There are currently 14 ParkNow locations in and around San Francisco piloting the system. Stations are located around the city, close to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Muni (San Francisco Municipal Railway)and bike-sharing stations, as well as at San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport and in Palo Alto. Four ParkNow partner operators, ProPark America, Towne Park, ABM Parking and California Parking, will launch over 100 additional ParkNow locations in the coming weeks.
DriveNow which launched in June in San Francisco is a flexible, premium car-sharing program offering the opportunity to drive BMW’s first all-electric vehicle, the BMW ActiveE with zero emission driving. The fleet of 70 ActiveE vehicles is located at eight DriveNow Stations around San Francisco, with two additional stations in Palo Alto and at the San Francisco International Airport coming soon. After registering online or in-person, customers can locate and book an available car using the DriveNow web site or mobile app. They can then return the car to the same – or any other – DriveNow Station, allowing for convenient one-way trips, if desired. Stations are located around the city, close to BART, MUNI and bike-sharing stations. Through a partnership with California-based Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint network, the largest network of independently-owned electric vehicle charging stations, drivers can easily locate a nearby charging station if they need to top-off during the course of their rental, which has no time limit. Parking and charging is free at DriveNow Stations.
All of these initiatives are part of BMW i, a BMW brand focused on developing sustainable premium mobility solutions. Richard Steinberg is the CEO of DriveNow. Gary Neff is the CEO of ParkNow.
BMW is a Launch Partner of the non-profit Green Parking Council. GPC works at the intersection of parking, green building, clean technology, renewable energy, smart grid infrastructure, urban planning and sustainable mobility. By challenging the parking industry to collaborate and create open-sourced, sustainable best practices, GPC encourages exceptional industry transformation through partnerships, creativity and ingenuity.
BMW i Ventures is the automaker’s venture capital company, created to fund budding technology companies working to solve mobility challenges in the world’s most densely populated cities. It has made strategic investments in several companies, including Coulomb Technologies. Coulomb’s ChargePoint is the largest online global charging network, connecting electric vehicle drivers to charging stations in more than 14 countries. The investment by BMW supports the development of infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles.
Other investments include ParkAtMyHouse, an innovative online marketplace designed to connect home and business owners interested in earning money by renting their space with drivers in need of a convenient, safe and cost-effective place to park. The service has 20,000 unique locations and over 150,000 registered drivers. An international rollout in cooperation with BMW i is currently live in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the U.S. The first i Ventures investment was in MyCityWay, a set of location-aware apps for urban navigation that provide users with information on public transportation, parking availability and local entertainment in San Francisco and 70 other cities across the U.S. and around the world.
The BMW i brand also notably encompasses two revolutionary new vehicles set to launch in 2013 and 2014 – the BMW i3 and BMW i8. The BMW i3 and BMW i8 will become the first two production vehicles to be purpose-built as electric and hybrid-electric using entirely new methods and materials such as lightweight, but ultra-strong carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which is being produced at a BMW factory powered by hydroelectricity in Moses Lake, Washington.
For more information, please visit http://www.bmw-i.com/
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 114 MINI passenger car dealers, and 32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.
Well it appears as if “A Survey of Automobile-Related Buildings along the Van Ness Avenue Corridor” will need a new chapter ’cause Nissan has just moved into the old Ellis Brook Chevrolet building.
Get your deets below on the big news for our old Auto Row.
Buh-bye, Ellis Brooks Chevrolet. Make way for Nissan:
Click to expand – via sbfisher
“Nissan & Infiniti Open New Dealerships In Downtown San Francisco - Unique Dealerships Owned and Operated by Penske Automotive Group
SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2012 – Expanding into a key sales market that is known for a strong interest in leading-edge technology and environmentally smart products, Nissan and Infiniti have appointed a new Nissan dealer and a new Infiniti dealer in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
The new dealerships are located on Van Ness Ave., one of the Bay Area’s most famous and well-traveled automotive retail corridors. Both dealerships are owned and operated by one of the largest automotive retailers in the world – Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG).
“Infiniti and Nissan products and brands directly align with San Francisco’s unique customer profile, making this effort a strategic element of our plan to grow sales volume in the U.S.,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice present of Sales and Marketing for Nissan North America, Inc. “The 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF has already surpassed 11,000 sales in the U.S. alone. Along with the forthcoming Infiniti LE all-electric luxury sedan, we will make a defining statement in a region known for innovation and technology leadership. We are excited to be represented in such a dramatic way by a leading retailer like Penske Automotive Group in this pivotal market.”
The opening of the new dealerships will help contribute further to Nissan and Infiniti’s sales and market share gains in the U.S. market. In 2011, the Nissan Division posted its best-ever U.S. sales year – up 17.3 percent over the previous year – and Infiniti continues to gain ground. Nissan North America, Inc reported its March 2012 sales of 136,317 units versus 121,141 units a year earlier, an increase of 12.5 percent, and a record for any month in the company’s history.
“I’m very pleased to offer the Nissan and Infiniti brands in world-class, state-of-the-art dealerships in San Francisco,” said Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske. “Our new facilities are unrivaled within the city offering an array of automotive services, including sales, service, parts, vehicle preparation and delivery areas all under one roof.”
Nissan of San Francisco and Infiniti of San Francisco are located in the Ellis Brooks Building – which opened for vehicle sales in 1935. The 8-story, 200,000-square-foot complex is unparalleled by any other dealership in the San Francisco marketplace and is one of the largest automobile retailing locations in the United States. The building was completely renovated to provide distinct representation for each brand, and features multiple levels of indoor new and pre-owned vehicle display, service, maintenance and retail parts area, separately branded showrooms, front entrances and signage.
Ever more deets after the jump.
Here’s the sad story from the dude what lost his stuff at the Subway Sandwiches on Polk and Sutter:
“(3/25/2012) I was in the Subway sandwiches place at 1199 Sutter at Polk and then walked outside to get a taxi for some people I was with. I had accidentally left my phone and wallet on the table. When I returned about 30 seconds later my stuff was gone. Here is the surveillance video of who took it. Please message me or email me at racejohnson@gmail.com if you recognize her.”
Now, I say girls, I mean, I can’t tell how old they are, something betwixt 14 and 24. They act like high school students AFAIAC.
See?
Click to expand
As seen on the Embarcadero, fka East Street:
But don’t laugh, they control the fish supply at your favorite sushi place, I’m srsly.
“In America, first you get the sugar,* then you get the power, then you get the women.”
*Or fish, maybe that works too.
San Francisco resident Jon Sieker has a beef with AT&T.
See?
“You accidentally gave me a White and Yellow pages this year after I signed up to not receive either of them”
Here’s the proof:
Click to expand – via Jon Sieker
And here’s the note he just sent to Ma Bell, cause you see, Jon has Internet access:
“Dear AT&T,
2 years ago I was so disappointed by the waste that the Yellow and White pages caused, caring about my community and environment, I searched online for what I could do to minimize the waste. I was very happy to find your web site that allowed me to opt out and not receive a White Pages and Yellow pages to save on the waste. Thank you for providing this option as I have The Internet and don’t need a physical phone directory. The Internet gives me all of the information I need including your yellow pages site. I felt great to find and fill out the form that allowed me to NOT RECEIVE both yellow and white pages. I felt I was doing something to save the environment. Imagine my surprise when I was accidentally given both the yellow pages and white pages today.
Please let me know what I should do with the unwanted publications. It would be best if you came and picked them up from me and passed them on to some unfortunate soul with no internet.
As a side not, it would be great if your delivery agents didn’t litter my street and community with these unwanted relics from the past. I have photos of the litter if you are interested or don’t believe me. I would be happy to pass these photos on to you or any of the other organizations copied on this email.
Thank you for your help. I look forward to the solution you provide.”
O.K. then.
Now, do you think that the National Opt Out Program would work any better?
I don’t.
Simply, nobody in San Francisco wants telephone books anymore.
So, telephone book industry, why not just tell your Santas to pass over the 415 when you send them out delivering across America this holiday season?
Just asking…
[UPDATE: Senator Leland Yee is on the case this AM - he's doing a presser involving this latest allegation. (I guess it's too late to call this an October Surprise, and frankly, it's not all that surprising neither. Let's call it a November Expectation. Brace yourself for more.) Oh, and Leland is onto some Chinatown voting sting operation as well.
And there's this: "Statement from Chiu Campaign on Money Laundering Allegations - SAN FRANCISCO (November 2, 2011): Addisu Demissie, spokesman for the David Chiu for Mayor campaign, released the following statement about a San Francisco Chronicle report of potential money laundering by supporters of Mayor Ed Lee:
"This is now the fourth allegation of illegal conduct by Mayor Lee's supporters, and it should be investigated fully by the District Attorney and appropriate authorities,” Demissie said. “With six days to go before Election Day, it will be up to the voters to decide whether this kind of bullying, pay-to-play politics is what they want to see at City Hall for the next 4 years. David is going to spend the last 6 days of this race talking about why he represents a new generation of leadership for San Francisco that will stand tough against the special interests and shake things up at City Hall."
Paid for by David Chiu for Mayor 2011, P.O. Box 641541, San Francisco, CA 94164, FPPC##1337108]
Well, it looks like early-rising City Attorney Dennis Jose Herrera is the first one out of the gates to follow up on today’s piece from San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writers John Coté and Heather Knight.
Testify, DJH:
“Too many of Ed Lee’s supporters act as though they’re above the law — on money laundering, on ballot tampering, and more – and Ed Lee isn’t strong enough to stop it.
Amen.
Earlier this year, Ed Lee was picked unanimously to be an Interim Mayor. He wasn’t picked to be a Reformer. He’ll never be a Reformer.
In Ed Lee’s world, the notorious Willie Brown Administration deserves an A+, Rose Pak is not a cancer on Chinatown, and corner-cutting PG&E (“KABOOM!“) is simply “a great local corporation” and a “great company that gets it.”
Oh well.
Is Ed Lee Breaking Bad? Has the City Family corrupted him? Or has he corrupted the City Family? A little of both?
Click to expand
All the deets:
“Herrera calls on FPPC to join D.A. in investigating new Ed Lee campaign money laundering charge - CitiApartments’ former eviction goon led reimbursement-for-donation scheme, suggesting political payback for City Attorney’s 2006 tenant-protection lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO (Nov. 2, 2011) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera this morning called on the state Fair Political Practices Commission to join District Attorney George Gascón in reviewing new allegations reported in today’s San Francisco Chronicle that Ed Lee’s mayoral campaign received donations that appear to have been illegally laundered to skirt San Francisco $500 per donor contribution maximum.[1] Andrew Hawkins, a property services manager whose harrowing tenant intimidation tactics were central to Herrera’s lawsuit five years ago against the Lembi Group landlords’ once high-rolling CitiApartments empire, promised reimbursements to at least sixteen employees in exchange for maximum contributions to Ed Lee’s mayoral campaign at an Oct. 18, 2011 fundraiser, according to the Chronicle.
It is the second major allegation of campaign money laundering to benefit Ed Lee’s campaign. The first, involving GO Lorrie’s airport shuttle, is the subject of separate investigations by Gascón’s office and the FPPC, the state commission responsible to investigate and impose penalties for violations of the California Political Reform Act. Such schemes have been prosecuted as felonies in California for conspiring to evade campaign contribution limits, and for making campaign contributions under false names.
“I think San Franciscans have now seen enough,” said City Attorney Dennis Herrera. “Too many of Ed Lee’s supporters act as though they’re above the law — on money laundering, on ballot tampering, and more — and Ed Lee isn’t strong enough to stop it. If this is how they behave before an election, just imagine how they’ll behave after the election, if Ed Lee wins. This scheme is clearly a bid for political payback by CitiApartments henchmen for my litigation to protect tenants five years ago. It is patently illegal, and I call on the FPPC to join the District Attorney in investigating.”
Hawkins is listed in Ed Lee’s campaign disclosures as the owner of Archway Property Services. As the one-time head of CitiApartments’ “tenant relocation program,” the gun-carrying Hawkins is reported to have coerced more than 2,500 tenants out of their rent-controlled units, and once boasted in civil court testimony, “I run people out of their apartments for a living. It’s what I do.“
Several recipients of Hawkins’ email invitation to an Oct. 18 event on Russian Hill made contributions to Ed Lee’s campaign on the same date. All contributed the maximum $500.
Herrera sued the CitiApartments residential rental property behemoth in Aug. 2006 for an array of unlawful business and tenant harassment practices, which sought to dispossess long-term residents of their rent-controlled apartments. The coerced vacancies freed the company to make often-unpermitted renovations to units, and then re-rent them to new tenants at dramatically increased market rates. The illegal business model enabled CitiApartments, Skyline Realty and other entities under the sway of real estate family patriarch Frank Lembi to aggressively outbid competitors for residential properties throughout San Francisco for several years — before lawsuits and a sharp economic downturn forced the aspiring empire into bankruptcies, foreclosures and receiverships.
A 2009 San Francisco Magazine feature story on the Lembi real estate empire[2] described Andrew Hawkins as “a burly former nightclub bouncer who headed up CitiApartments’ relocation program.” Hawkins reportedly led teams as large as 14 full-time employees, according to the report, and the company estimated that “Hawkins relocated more than 2,500 tenants.” An earlier exposé in 2006 by the San Francisco Bay Guardian[3] cited civil court testimony in which Hawkins boasted to one tenant’s family member, “I run people out of their apartments for a living. It’s what I do.”
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