Look at this huge Christmas Tree taking up all the space at a bar on Lombard Street’s Motel Row.
It’s been covered over with Valentine’s day-related tchochkes, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, and lagniappes.
See? (Customers’ and employees’ faces darkened out of respect.)
Happy Valentines!
Via husband Tom Pier, comes news that Michela Alioto-Pier is dropping out the race to be your next California Insurance Commissioner:
“Michela suffered an injury to her leg which required surgery and will entail additional time in the hospital time to heal. The necessary recuperation, as well as the demands of her duties as a San Francisco Supervisor and as a mother of three young children, make a statewide run for Insurance Commissioner impractical at this time.”
Of course, she could always try for another term at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Stopping her from doing that would be a tough row to hoe, unless there’s some sort of miraculous Deus ex machina legal manuever out there that could be used to somehow* trump common sense and plain meaning.
All this isn’t good news for certain people from District 2, like wealthy, connected Janet Reilly and the beautiful, brainy lawyer Kat Anderson, to name two.
Get better soon, Michela.
*I don’t understand how it’s even remotely cromulent to say that MAP is ”termed out” and then just leave it at that, because it would be such a lead pipe cinch to defeat the City and County of San Francisco on this particular terms limits issue. It’s like that wrongful death lawsuit against the zoo or Crazy Rob Anderson’s efforts to get an environmental impact report for the bicycle plan – I couldn’t even begin to think of a viable argument that would have the City ending up with a clean victory on any of these recent cases. Oh well.
What do you think about the right hand of Golden Gate Yacht Club Commodore(?!) Marcus Young as he ponders The Future? (No, he’s not wearing a glove or nothing.)
Maybe he was coding at the time and then got taken to the E.R. right after this photo was shot?
As it appeared in the paper:
Click to expand
Can you hazard a guess as to why?
Here are all the deets:
THE BIG RUMBLE – SAN FRANCISCO
20th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Big Rumble commemorates this anniversary with a week-long series of special events designed to connect our communities with preparedness resources.
Join us in October for The Big Rumble, as we come together as a community to learn more about how we can be better prepared for all types of emergencies. Events will include entertainment, activities for kids, free giveaways, and valuable preparedness information.
Venues and Entertainment
Bayview| Joseph Lee Recreation Center | Oakdale Ave and 3rd St.
Sila: Kenyan Afro-Funk band led by Victor Sila
The Congress: Neo-jazz project led by producer/trumpeter Marcus Cohen
Breakdancing Performance by Acrosports All-City Team
Marina| West Side of the Marina Green| Between Scott ST. and Avilla
Gaucho: San Francisco based Gypsy Jazz Sextet.
Kally Price: Local Jazz and Blues vocalist
Devine’s Jug Band: San Francisco’s favorite Jug Band.
Sony Holland Duo: Bay Area Jazz vocalist
Mission| Parque Ninos Unidos| 23rd and Folsom.
My First Earthquake. San Francisco Electro-pop dance group
Locura Trio. San Francisco Based Flamenco rock group
Aceituno Arts Capoeria Exhibition. Capoeira Exhibition by student owned Martial Arts Studio
Family Style: Jazz and Funk Ensemble
Sunset | 20th Ave. and Irving St.
The Slayers Club: Local DJ collective
US Wing Chun: International Martial Arts Studio
West Sunset ReConnect Steel Pan Drummers and Dance Ensemble
Apparently, there’ll be some showdown this afternoon at the City Hall SFMTA meeting regarding the proposal to add trailers to some buses on Union Street. That plan, according to some Cow Hollow NIMBYs, turns buses into “monsters.” Perhaps not as monstrous as this 300-passenger job from China or the Knight Bus, but enough to “destroy” the entire neighborhood.
Let’s hear from C.H.N. Marcie Judelson, from her recent letter to the Chronicle. Some excerpts from “No monster buses“:
You get the idea.
Here’s something to ponder – if 60-foot buses going down the street destroys the surrounding area, that means that all the other hoods in town with 60-foot buses have already been destroyed, right? So all you godforsaken souls in the Mission and the Richmond, well you’re dead but you just don’t know it. How can you tolerate subsisting in your non-charming non-village?
That’s the NIMBY mentality.
But, maybe the buses will roll and Life in the Cow Hollow will go on as before?
Yes, in all probability, yes.
Let’s check in with the Cow Hollow area on Union Street, where lots and lots of business lots are for rent these days, per this recent bit from Sally Kuchar at CurbedSF. Well, here’s the news of the day: There’s a new proposal from MUNI to have bigger bus stops and longer buses on the 41 Union line.
The reaction? Crazy, Kramer-esque banners from millionaire homeowners. See? But don’t laugh, signs like these get results, sometimes. Like when the World’s Smallest Burger King over in the Inner Sunset went under after being subjected to one man’s incessant campaign. RangeLife has the story on that one.
But let’s hear from today’s Union Street NIMBYs themselves. Happy reading!
60 FEET-LONG MONSTER MUNI BUSES
THREATEN TO PUT SMALL UNION STREET INN OUT OF BUSINESS
A SF Muni proposal is currently in the works to establish a 291 feet long Bus Terminus at Union & Fillmore. This is to accommodate 60 feet long articulated buses which are planned for service on Union Street. This act of folly places the terminus at the very doorstep of the Union Street Inn, and could place the very existence of the jewel-like Inn in jeopardy.
Objections to the ill-conceived plan voiced by merchants of the Union Street Association at recent meetings were summarily dismissed, leaving the impression that the plan is a done deal. The proceedings were termed “farcical” by some merchants.
The impact on The Union Street Inn and other merchants in the area could be crippling. With the small inn already struggling to survive in a bruising economy it is inconceivable to think that Muni would even consider removing five revenue-earning meters directly outside the Inn in order to make way for a totally inappropriate, peace-disturbing terminus that would start operation at 5 am and continue throughout the day.
Closure of the award-winning Inn would not only be a tragedy, wrought by bureaucracy run amok, but would also result in a loss of $40,000 a year paid by the inn through the City Hotel Tax.
An appeal for intervention by Supervisor Alioto-Pier has, as yet, only elicited a polite formal response from a Legislative Assistant.
CONTACTS: David Coyle, Innkeeper, Union Street Inn, 2229 Union Street; Lesley Leonhardt, Union Street Merchants Assn.
Well, let’s take local lawyer Rodel Rodis at his word when he recalls a conversation with then-Supervisor Gavin Newsom, excerpted below. And if you want, read Rodel’s whole woe-is-me tale of getting arrested by the SFPD for trying to pass a “counterfeit” $100 bill at a Walgreens. (Turned out that the lawyer’s money was little old school, but 100% genuine.)
Does this $100 bill necessarily look counterfeit to you? It shouldn’t. It’s just a little dated, that’s all – there’s no need to call the cops.
Anyway, as the litigation over this 2003 detention (non-arrest? arrest?) continues to infinity and beyond, here’s a new part of the story. When Mr. Rodis started going around saying how this bad treatment from Walgreens and the SFPD wouldn’t have been inflicted upon lesser-of -color notables such as Gavin Newsom or Tony Hall, he got a response:
“Newsom then related an incident that occurred when he was still in the private sector when he brought the daily earnings of his restaurant (Balboa Café) to the bank to deposit. He said the teller began counting the money and applied a counterfeit detector pen to a $100 bill which she found suspicious. The result confirmed that it was fake– unlike in my case where the pen applied by both the Walgreens cashier and manager showed that my $100 bill was genuine. ‘So what happened next?’ I asked Newsom. ‘Well, she returned the $100 bill to me and told me to be careful next time,’ he answered.”
Now I can pretty much guarantee you that if bank teller spots you trying to (innocently, of course) deposit a fake $100 bill, he or she won’t just hand it back to you! Typically, somebody’ll be on the horn, with a quickness, with the Secret Service - the bankers will immediately confiscate that funny money from you, and thereby ensure that you will be the one “eating the loss,” in industry parlance.
(I mean really, what are you supposed to do with a $100 bill you know is fake? Use it to buy a pack of gum, ending up with 99 real dollars? Deposit it in an ATM and pray that the people who count the money happen to be on the MDMA that night? That’s a dilly of a pickle to be in.)
Keep in mind this is Rodel’s version of the story, and of course he might look at the world a little differently than you. For example, this is behavior he describes as “refusing to sign a speeding ticket.” (Well, yes, that great-grandmother pointlessly refused to sign her 60 in a 45 speeding ticket, but that wasn’t exactly why she got (unnecessarily) Tasered, one might think.)
So There You Have It.
Boy, it was touch and go for a few years there, but news comes today that our beloved NIMBYs have managed to preserve the Great Northern Parking Lot of San Francisco.
See it? 700 spaces, free of charge. It’s historic, you know. When the U.S. Army wasn’t out there killing a million or so Filipinos it managed to create the GNPLoSF. Therefore, these parking spaces are sacrosanct:
Now that that pesky modern art has been gotten rid of, a question remains over what to do with the upper end of the Main Post. You know the Burger King corporation had an outlet that served as an Army Mess on the Presidio for so many years, it would be only fitting to give it the right of first refusal to get a chance to replace the famous itty bitty bowling alley that’s up there now.
An artist’s conception, avec just one installation of evil modern art thrown in to see if the NIMBYs can tolerate it.
You see, that old, historic Presidio BK was a place “where a simple guy serving his country could get an inexpensive meal with a stunning view.” Wouldn’t it be nice to honor those memories with the biggest Burger King in the world? Put it right where the museum was supposed to go.
Either that, or a Jollibee. Your choice.
Your Presidio Trust has just announced another two Open House sessions concerning the Main Post. Make note of the location at Building 105, that Brokedown Palace (but I can assure you that parts of it are excellent). It’s sandwiched between Lincoln (no, not THAT Lincoln), Taylor (no, not THAT Taylor) and Montgomery (no, not THAT Montgomery). Just pop open the Google Map here. See? It’s right near where the Google Maps car got busted (or not, if you believe a certain U.S. Park Police Sargeant, who, really, oughta know).
Just get to the Building 104 Mouse House and then go downhill a skosh. There’s probably not going to be a program or anything – just drop by and yickety yack a bit…
Main Post Open House with Presidio Trust Staff
Monday, May 18, 9 to 11 am
&
Wednesday, May 20, 6 to 8 pm
Main Post Information Center, 105 Montgomery Street
There’s always room for one more:
“Please join us for informal “open house” sessions at which Presidio Trust staff members will be available to respond to questions about proposed projects for the Main Post as well as questions about historic resources, transportation and parking, visitor use , and environmental sustainability. The public comment period for Main Post planning ends on June 1, 2009. Comments may be emailed to mainpost@presidiotrust.gov.”
You know what makes you better than all those melon farmers out there? It’s the fact that you hang your hat every night in the City and County of San Francisco. That makes you special. To celebrate you, the California Academy of Sciences is offering free admission for you (and your neighbors). Just match up your zip code with the handy chart below, gather up the necessary proof of where you reside, and head on over to Golden Gate Park.
And the nice thing about this free admission program is that it probably won’t be as crowded as it sometimes gets on the third Wednesday of the month, when everyone gets in sans tariff.
Celebrated Missionites getting a little camera time in front of the green screen before entering the Cal Academy yesterday. Bide your time, your free day is coming:
Read the fine print. Click to expand:
Thanks, Bank of America.
