The San Francisco Citizen

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.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture called it quits today on the issue of spraying for the Light Brown Apple Moth. All of a sudden like.

The family that Stops the Spray together, stays together (or something like that).

This should be gratifying to Senator Carole Migden, who thinks, “Bay Area residents ought not to serve as guinea pigs and have their health jeopardized for an ill-conceived program and an unproven approach.” 

The same with San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who says he’s, “glad CDFA appears to have accepted the inevitable.”

So after all these months, that is that.

Here’s the deal, all those same sex marriages at San Francisco’s City Hall are scheduled to get started on a Monday evening ten days from now - June 16th. Normally, the largest old-school dome in the Western Hemisphere wouldn’t be open that late, but these are extraordinary times.

So, opposite sex couples have only a limited window of opportunity to get a license and get married at City Hall before June 16. Before, couples were avoiding ceremonies on June 13th (as it’s on a Friday), but no longer. Everybody will be accomodated eventually, of course, but you need to plan ahead for best results. Things will get a little hectic starting June 16, 2008.

First, go here to get a reservation to get a wedding license. Then go here to check out what times for ceremonies they have for you. Keep checking as cancellations come up. Things are in flux, so stay informed.

When things get back to normal after the big summer rush, you’ll be offered a space for your ceremony in the small chapel downstairs or up here, at the top of the steps under the rotunda. But expect to see ceremonies all over the building very soon.

Congratulations! 

Here’s what the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce had to say when they found out the annual luncheon with the Niners ain’t gonna happen this year:

“Our main reaction is disappointment,” said Carol Piasente, the chamber’s vice president of communications and events.

(At least they’re taking it better than Otto West would.) Maybe last year’s chant led by Senator Dianne Feinstein played a factor in the cancellation?

Irregardless, KNBR 49er Family Day is ON this Saturday, June 7th.

Gold Rushers Janelle and Jordan would love you to come to Family Day 2008. By Slick Rick via Flickr

It’s on! It’s free!

The day will feature contests, games and appearances by members of the 49ers football team, alumni, Gold Rush, Niners Noise Drumline and Sourdough Sam.  Fans are encouraged to arrive early to take in all of the day’s festivities.

See you there.

The bandwagon opposing aerial spraying for light brown apple moth eradication is gaining momentum.

Last night, San Francisco Supervisors Carmen Chu, Gerardo Sandoval, and Ross Mirkarimi, along with scientists, physicians and organic farmers, all addressed a standing-room-only crowd of hundreds at the Hall of Flowers in Strybing Arboretum.

Senator Carole Migden praises the efforts of the assembled experts.

In related news, the “twist-tie” approach is under new scrutiny in San Mateo County. 

On it goes. Per the Chronicle:

On Saturday, Stop the Spray Marin is holding a march and rally from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the southwest end of the Corte Madera Town Center. More information about the events is at www.sfspraytownhall.org and www.stopthespraymarin.org.

It’s hard to imagine light aircraft buzzing the city with spray canisters firing after seeing all this agitation, but who knows…

Gavin Newsom, America’s “most stylin’” mayor, has deservedly gotten lots of national attention for leading the charge against the bottled water industry. Take a look here at a scene from last month in San Francisco - he was somewhere inside this scrum of media and tap water fans. He’s got a tiger by the tail with this popular issue, much to the chagrin of industry giants Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle.

But what started this campaign? It was a conversation a while back the mayor had about his possession of some bottles of Fiji Water. Somebody pointed out a few things about the pros and cons (mostly the cons) of shipping drinking water from the South Pacific to San Francisco. The result is that he is an international leader on this issue.

Fair enough. But now it appears that Fiji Water is leading the campaign FOR bottle water. They’re attacking the anti-bottled water movement at an RSS 2.0-enabled website called FijiGreen. (They’ve just boosted the ad budget so you might be hearing more from them soon.)

First of all: FijiGreen!?! WTF? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Having dispensed with that, check out this blog entry written by ”Fiji Green Gal” where she attempts to debunk the “food miles” myth. As you can see, she’s got her hands full when she doggedly replies to commenters.

You’re on your own after that. It’s up to you to make your own decision about how some people in the Republic of the Fiji Islands might benefit from Fiji Water bottling, about how some chefs just seem to love the stuff, about how they have an SVP working on these issues, etc. You might end up with a nuanced view or you might get so interested you’ll take the TreeHugger Survey.

Add it all up and see how all this compares with turning on the faucet when you’re thirsty or bottling your own tap water for those times when you’re on the go.  

Mayor Gavin Newsom could be found listing heavily to port today due to having a little back trouble. How did it happen this time? He thinks it all began a couple weeks ago when he helped his fiance, Women’s Independent Cinema founder Jennifer Siebel move some stuff around.

He gradually managed to right himself over the period of a news conference and he remained chipper throughout. Perhaps he knows that 90% of all back problems take care of themselves over a few weeks or months.

Old ideas about needing bed rest have gone by the wayside - anti-inflammatories (plus lots of water to make things easier on your liver and kidneys) are usually all you need. Drs. Jimmy Connors and Jim Kelly wouldn’t steer you wrong.

Part of this crowd, a large crowd actually, at the San Francisco Ferry Building yesterday was there to get their very own free stainless steel vacuum flask to carry around tap water as an alternative to buying water in plastic bottles.

These were handed out for free:

Doesn’t everyone heart S.F.? How about the tap water you get in S.F. and some sourrounding areas? It comes from the Yosemite area, takes a rest around here, and then comes into your kitchen. It’s the best tap water in the world. So what’s wrong with drinking it instead of Dasani or Aquafina or whatever?

In 2007, Mayor Newsom famously worked on getting municipal workers off of the plastic water bottle. That move generated a little blowback but it also attracted some national interest.

In 2008, attention turns to restaurants routinely offering bottled water to patrons. It didn’t used to be this way, but nowadays it’s the first choice  you have to make at some joints and some diners might feel that they’re being a bit cheap if they don’t spring for the spring water. What the Mayor is doing is using a little moral suasion to affect public behavior for the greater good. It’s not really “greenwashing,” actually. What it is is a perfectly appropriate use of the bully pulpit, as it doesn’t force anybody to do anything and it doesn’t cost the taxpayers any substantial amount of money.

Of course the bottled water industry thinks yesterday’s effort smacks of  totalitarianism.

Stainless steel bottles are available while supplies last at SFPUC Customer Service at 1155 Market Street near Civic Center. Take a pledge to stop buying plastic bottles of water and you can get a nice metal bottle as well. Just drop on by. Who knows, you might get lucky.