Posts Tagged ‘Phil Ginsburg’
Monday, May 13th, 2013
Comes now the passionate and brusque Jamie Whitaker of Rincon Hill to totally pwn Recreation and Park Department Director and UC Hastings grad and Gavin Newsom lackey Phil Ginsburg.
“One issue that I am hopeful someone will take up is the claim by the Recreation and Parks Department’s Director Phil Ginsburg that “We want as much open space as possible, but we also need to have a way to care for it.” That was his quote in reference to why the City’s Recreation and Parks Department is unwilling to accept the donation of the park built in front of the new Rincon Green Apartments at 333 Harrison Street. Read the article here (hopefully, the shared full article will appear: http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Creating-new-park-no-picnic-for-broke-city-4490422.php?t=27ec6d327d3f99889e
“This is a lie from Phil Ginsburg and it should infuriate everyone who lives in the Rincon neighborhood or nearby. Why do I say it is a lie?”
Read the rest of this over at “Rincon Hill, a san francisco neighborhood blog.”
Hey, speaking of Gavin Newsom lackey Phil Ginsburg, a few years back he had a total boner for this nearby project at Justin Herman and yet NOBODY HAS EVER USED IT EXCEPT FOR OCCUPY SF FOR A FEW MONTHS.
Gavin Newsom lackey Phil Ginsburg must be aware, I mean he’s not stupid, that this bocce thing was/is a big fat waste, but he’s afraid to acknowledge this because then he’d have to get a job in the real world.
Oh well…
Tags: 2013, 333 Harrison, ball, bay area, blog, blogger, bocce, california, CEO, children, childrens, court, department, dept., director, families, Family, gavin newsom, Gavin Newsom lackey Phil Ginsburg, jamie whitaker, justin herman plazqa, kids, lackey, market, Mayor, occupy, occupysf, park, parks, Phil Ginsburg, playground, recreation, Rincon Green Apartments, rincon hill, rpd, San Francisco, SF, soma, south, unused
Posted in parks | No Comments »
Sunday, October 28th, 2012
You’re invited to come to Civic Center tonight to see Game Four of the World Series on a makeshift “Jumbotron.”
See you at 5:07 PM (or earlier, to get a good spot if you want to be able to actually see the action unobstructed.)
It’ll look like this, but probably with more Matt Cain than Timothy Leroy Lincecum on the screen:
Via RubyxCube - click to expand
The SFPD requests (more or less) that you transfer your alcohol to unmarked containers, thusly:
And, oh yes, speaking of the Rec and Park, Remember to Vote No on Proposition B (November 2012), the so-called “Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond”
Why?
Well, because Prop. B is too costly for San Francisco
And also because Reform is Needed at San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department.
Also because area lawyer Philip Alan Ginsburg would consider passage of Prop B (November 2012) an endorsement of how he’s running the RPD.
That’s why.
Now, let’s hear from San Francisco Mayor Ron Conway,* after the jump. (Spoiler: He wants you to go to Chipotle’s and spend your money before you blow town.)
PS: The after party will be in the Mission District – spread the word, bring fireworks.
*Poor Sony. It appears that any television-like contraption bigger than 100 inches now gets the generic term “jumbotron.”
Oh well.
“Displays similar to the Jumbotron include:
(more…)
Tags: (BART), 2010, 2012, 5, Aaron Peskin, alcohol, allowed, attorney, bars, baseball, bay area, big, bond, booze, california, cart, CEO, City Hall, civic center, Dave Bing, detroit, Drinks, Dry, ed lee, edwin lee, families, Family, five, food, four, fox, free, fulton, game, games, gavin newson, giants, grove, jumbotron, larkin, lawyer, Mayor, Mayor Ron Conway, mcallister, off the grid, parcel, park, parks, party, Phil Ginsburg, Philip Alan Ginsburg, Philip Ginsburg, plaza, prop b, Proposition B', Quentin Kopp, rangers, rec, Ron Conway, rpd, San Francisco, San Francisco Mayor Ron Conway, screen, series, SFPD, Station, tax, taxes, television, tenderloin, texas, tigers, truck, TV, watch, world
Posted in sports | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
Check out this recent bit from Will Reisman over at the San Francisco Examiner.
Simply, Prop B of November 2012 is a way to give money to a mismanaged department without any requirement of reform, and without any promise of reform.
Oh well.
Let’s put this household down as a tentative NO on PROP B.
Click to expand
Leave us begin:
“Mark Buell, president of the Recreation and Park Commission, said opposition to the bond is based on personal slights, and not on the content of the measure.”
UH, NO. IT’S BASED ON THE CONTENT.
“The fact of the matter is that there are people who didn’t get what they wanted from the department and they’re coalescing around this measure,” said Buell.
UH, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE THE WAY RPD HAS BEEN HEADING LATELY.
He said that due to The City’s capital priorities and the upcoming election schedule, another parks bond measure wouldn’t be realistic until 2020.
PERHAPS THE ABOVE STATEMENT ISN’T AS EXTORTIONATE AS “DO EXACTLY WHAT I WANT OR EVERYBODY DIES!!!” BUT THE ABOVE STATEMENT IS A LITTLE EXTORTIONATE, DON”T YOU THINK?
Peskin said the parks bond was originally scheduled for 2014, and could easily be placed on a ballot before 2020.
YEP.
Supervisor Scott Wiener said any criticism against the bond measure would be short-sighted, particularly given the immense needs of the department.
NOPE. WE SHOULD STARVE OUT THIS DEPARTMENT WHILE WE’RE WAITING FOR A NEW DEPARTMENT.
“I think the opposition to this is incredibly cynical and irresponsible, because they are taking the position that, ‘We don’t like Phil Ginsburg, we don’t like some of these operational decisions,” Wiener said.
OH NO, IT’S LOVE THE SINNER, HATE THE SIN. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY HATES PHIL GINSBURG. IT’S JUST THAT PEOPLE DON’T LIKE MOST OF WHAT HE DOES. VOTING FOR PROP B WILL ONLY ENCOURAGE HIM. IN FACT, PROP B _IS_ PHIL GINSBURG, MORE OR LESS.
“‘So therefore kids should continue to play on broken-down playgrounds, people should continue to sit in puddles even when it is dry out because the irrigation systems in these parks are broken, we should continue to have substandard pools.’”
YES! YES YES YES. AND IT’LL BE PHIL GINSBURG’S FAULT.
Tags: 2012, Aaron Peskin, bay area, bond, california, commission, general manager, Mark Buell, parks, Phil Ginsburg, prop b, Proposition, rec and park, rpd, San Francisco
Posted in politics | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
I don’t know, PG&E. Sometimes I get the idea that you don’t know that you are the suckiest major utility in the United States…
Hey, I know, why not develop an app what tells you how to do your job without blowing people up?
(And then apply to the CPUC to get reimbursed for all your related expenses. Hooray.)
Via David Yu - click to expand
“PG&E Sponsors U.S. Department of Energy Green Button Apps Contest
Utility Offers $25,000 Toward National Prize for Top Energy Apps
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2012 — After seeing the potential for customers to save energy and money by downloading personal energy data through its Green Button service, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is supporting further industry innovation by sponsoring a nationwide search for the best Green Button energy apps.
The Apps for Energy contest is a partnership with the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and U.S. technology firms. The developer finalists who create the winning apps for phones and computers will take home part of a $100,000 cash prize from sponsors PG&E, Itron and the DOE, as well as national bragging rights.
“Green Button will arm millions of Americans with information they can use to lower their energy bills,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Innovative tools like these are good for our economy, good for the health of our communities, and an essential part of our approach toward a secure and clean energy future that works for Americans.”
PG&E launched the Green Button in December 2011, responding to a challenge from the White House to design a standard format for customers with SmartMeters(TM) to download their energy use data online. The Green Button aims to promote personal energy awareness and development of phone and computer apps to aid customers in making informed decisions about their energy use and help them save money on their monthly energy statement. To date, there have been about 220,000 Green Button downloads.
“There is incredible power and potential in providing our customers with new visibility into their energy use, with information that’s clear accurate, timely, and easy to use,” said Tony Earley, PG&E Corporation’s Chairman, CEO and President. “Today’s announcement shows PG&E’s commitment to stimulating growth and innovation in the developer community. When it comes to energy management, we are driven to help transform the way our customers manage energy in their home.”
The DOE has long supported energy innovation, driving a nationwide push for more renewable energy sources and encouraging every American to become more engaged with how they use energy.
“Providing consumers with easy access to data on their energy consumption can help give them the tools they need to make informed decisions about their energy use,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has said. “Developing applications and services to help consumers understand and control their energy use is a field ripe for American innovation.”
App developers will be able to participate by registering at challenge.gov and submitting a description, video, photos, and a link to their app. The website energy.gov/developer will be the main resource page for developers. Both sites will go live April 5. Until then, the public can submit ideas for energy apps at energy.gov. The winner is planned to be announced in May.
PG&E customers with an electric SmartMeter(TM) and a My Energy account can log on at pge.com/myenergy, click on the Green Button icon, and download up to 13 months of their hourly electric usage data. About half of the utility’s electric customers – or 2.3 million – are registered with My Energy.
Green Button is one of many energy- and cost-saving benefits available to PG&E customers with a SmartMeter(TM). Other benefits include:
– Hourly electric and daily gas usage data charts via a secure PG&E
website
— Energy Alerts to notify customers when they’re approaching a
higher-priced electric tier and to encourage a change in their energy
use
— Outage detection to help PG&E quickly restore service
— Remote service connection as a convenience for customers
— Special time-varying rate programs like SmartRate(TM)
— Enabling in-home energy management devices that display the energy usage
of appliances
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company”
Tags: 2011, 2012, Amy Crawford, anita lee, baseball, bay area, Bessie Carmichael, Brownie, california, Carlos Garcia, chief, city attorney, city family, company, cupertino, currents, dennis herrera, ed lee, election, Examiner, First Lady, get's it, great company, great company that gets it, Great Corporation, Great Local Corporation, Greg Suhr, Hydra Mendoza, Icky Renown Nit, john avalos, Kevin Radich, Major League Baseball, Mayor, mlb, newspaper, ntsb, pak, pg&e, pg&e currents, Phil Ginsburg, police, rose, San Francisco, San Francisco RBI, school, SFPD, soma, south of market, Supervisor, Tony Winnicker, Vern Glenn, wiffe, you're doing a heck of a job:
Posted in paranormal | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
This is just my WAG.*
Oh, Meet London Breed, courtesy of the Western Edition.
And Meet London Breed, through her own words, courtesy of the Twitter.
Now, let’s let Lee Hubbard of the Oakland Post Online take over:
“Among those reportedly interested in the District 5 seat are Julian Davis, president of the board of Booker T. Washington Community Service Center; Gabriel Haaland, political director of SEIU Local 1021; Phil Ginsburg, Recreation and Park Department Director; and Michael O’Connor, the co-owner of the Independent Music Hall. Breed, who directs the African American Cultural Center on Fulton Street, has expressed interest in the position. She has a large segment of the Black activist community behind her, pushing Mayor Lee to appoint her as supervisor. “London is a woman who is definitely qualified to sit in that seat,” said Bridgette LeBlanc, with Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). ’She is a native San Franciscan who was raised and works in the community. She is a leader who is electable, and she can build bridges.’”
OMG, it’s LB with the POTUS!
Here are the reasons:
1. She is the choice of Willie Brown.
2. She is the choice of Willie Brown. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but why should Chinatown power broker Rose Pak have any say in D5, which, historically, anyway, is/was, along with D10, an “African-American district?”
3. She is the choice of Willie Brown and she has waaaaaaaaay less baggage than recent mayoral appointee Mohammed Nuru. I mean, how could she have as many closet skeletons as he? So, he makes the cut and she doesn’t – would that make sense?
4. She is the choice of Willie Brown and as a matter of fact, about four years ago, Willie the Sorting Hat actually tried to place London into the Assembly(!), or into the Tri-Wizard Tournament or somewhere. That seemed a stretch at the time, but appointing LB as Supe doesn’t seem a stretch at all right here and right now.
5. She is a 2008 “graduate” of Emerge California, which encourages women to run for elective office. And when I say “encourages,” I mean pressures. (Signing up for Emerge** is kind of like saying that you plan on running for office (or higher office) sooner rather than later.) Anyway, the questions Mayor Ed Lee’s people would have for London concern her commitment for becoming and maintaining her position as Supervisor, right? So, London, if not now, when?
6. She is the Worst Case Scenario for San Francisco’s progressives, IMO. She would be a train wreck for them, actually. So as far as Ed Lee’s political faction is concerned, picking anybody else would be an unnecessary risk.
7. She is the choice of the Internet, más o menos.
Those are the reasons – the strongest are #1 and #6.
So, if I know my Ed Lee, London Breed will be the appointee.
Bank on it.
As that Omar Khalif guy recently said:
“Ed Lee is going to pull a G. Newsom n D5 appointment. Keep yo eye on my sister.”
*Which means I’ve figured this out on my own, unlike say, a year and a half ago when I got a phone call telling me the game plan about how Mark Farrell was going to win in District 2, which he did.
**And pay your money, but, srsly, it’s a pretty sweet deal, if you’re a woman planning on running for office soon, and if you’re not a Repub or a Green, and if you’re fortunate enough to get picked.
Tags: 1021, 2008, 2011, 2012, aaccc, activist, african, African American, African American Cultural Center, American, apoints, appointed, appointee, ashbury, asian, Barack Obama, bay area, black, Black Women Organized for Political Action, board, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, Bridgette LeBlanc, BWOPA, california, Christina Olague, college, community, Cultural Center, d5, delegate, Democrat, democratic, director, district, district five, dpw, ed lee, edwin, election, Emerge, emerge ca, Emerge California, female, fillmore, former, fulton, Gabriel Haaland, haight, hall, hayes valley, Independent, inner, julian davis, Karen Mauney-Brodek, Lee, Lee Hubbard, local, London Breed, lower, Malcolm Yeung, Mayor, Michael Breyer, Michael O’Connor, Mohammed Nuru, music, newspaper, Oakland Post, Oakland Post Online, Omar Khalif, online, party, Phil Ginsburg, photo, president, progressives, Recreation and Park Department, Rose Pak, ross mirkarimi, rpd, San Francisco, school, seiu, sheriff, street, sunset, Supervisor, supervisor breed, supervisor london breed, tweet, twitter, union, upper, western addition, willie brown, wOMAN, woman's, Women, women's
Posted in politics | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Per the brand-new District Five Blog, the contact person for those seeking to be appointed Supervisor of District Five is Joaquin Torres.
Speaking of which, there’s a new Sheriff in town. Here he is in the basement of City Hall just after declaring victory last month:
Click to expand
Tags: appointed, chinatown, Christina Olague, City Hall, club, Courtroom Connect;, d5, d5 blog, d5blog, democratic, Dianne Feinstein, director, district 5, District 5 Democratic Club, district five, District Five Blog, ed lee, elected, Gabriel Haaland, Independent, Joaquin Torres, julian davis, Library Commission, London Breed, Malcolm Young, Mayor, Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services, Michael Breyer, Michael O'Connor, moderate, MONS, Phil Ginsburg, planning commission, power broker, president, Progressive, Quentin Mecke, Recreation and Park Department, Rose Pak, ross mirkarimi, rpd, sheriff
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Get all the deets right here about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent visit to U.C. Hastings, the first law school of the American West.
And writer Bob Egelko was there so be sure to take a look.
RBG also paid a visit to Professor David Faigman‘s Constitutional Law class earlier in the day:
James Block
- Legally Speaking: Conversations with the Most Interesting Lawyers in the World
- Professor Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Hastings Foundation Chair, Founding Director of the Center for WorkLife Law
- Professor David L. Faigman, John F. Digardi Distinguished Professor of Law, Director, UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy
Tags: 2011, Bader, bay area, california, college, David Faigman, David L. Faigman, death penalty, equality, interview, interviewed, Joan C. Williams, Joan Williams, justice, law, Legally Speaking, Phil Ginsburg, professor, Ruth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ruth Ginsburg, San Francisco, school, speech, supreme court, u. s., U.S. Supreme Court, uc hastings, UC Hastings Law Schoo, visit
Posted in law | No Comments »
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
[UPDATE: And here's Dan Schreiber's take. And here's Ron Russell. And oh, check out below for PG&E Currents' take - appears as if a great deal of our "City Family" was on hand at this fiasco.]
[UPDATE II: And here comes Joe Eskenazi to rip the cover off of the ball:
"Lee presided over a heartwarming, press-friendly event featuring kiddies, baseball, and the company that blew up the adjacent town."
Mercy! Take the next three days off, Joe. You deserve it. Oh, and readers, don't miss this part:
"Mayor Lee's comments praised PG&E's support of a literacy program -- period," said Lee spokesman Tony Winnicker.
Uh no, maybe that's he meant to do, Icky Renown Nit (do the math, kids that's "Tony Winnicker" rearranged - it means, well, forget about what it means - "wonky" is in there too but I couldn't get the rest of the letters to cooperate), but, in fact, what he did was call PG&E "a great local corporation" and "a great company that get's it." Spinning too much, as you oftentimes do, Tony, well, that's called "lying."
But, prove me wrong. Tell me, when, exactly, did Ed Lee ever "hold PG&E accountable" for its lies about the issues at hand, you know, the ones that have just recently come to light? Ever? Recently?]
ZOMG. In the words of Hannibal Lecter, what could be more inappropriate?
Per “Interim Mayor” Ed Lee and via writer Amy Crawford:
“Isn’t that a wonderful contribution from a great local corporation?” Lee said. “They’re a great company that gets it.”
WTF?
Now, truth be told, this “gets it” language comes straight from the Gavin Newsom administration – this was one of Gavin’s pet phrases for the City’s public-private Corporation of the Day. So it’s understandable how it could sneak into Ed Lee’s brain.
But, again, WTF?
Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job:
Via David Yu - click to expand
Anyway, here’s the pouncing. so far.
From City Attorney Dennis Herrera:
“Herrera criticizes Ed Lee’s lavish praise for PG&E on eve of one-year anniversary of San Bruno blast
Against the backdrop of devastating findings by NTSB earlier this week—a day after another gas line blast in Cupertino—Lee calls PG&E ‘a great company that gets it’
San Francisco – City Attorney Dennis Herrera today criticized interim Mayor Ed Lee for poor judgment and insensitivity to the families of San Bruno blast victims for participating in a PG&E public relations event yesterday, and praising the state’s largest utility for being “a great corporation” and a “great company that gets it.” Lee’s quote was reported in this morning’s edition of the San Francisco Examiner, which also questioned the timing of Lee’s participation with PG&E-sponsored corporate publicity just days after the National Transportation Safety Board issued devastating findings that blamed the utility for the deadly explosion of a gas transmission line in San Bruno, Calif. last, which resulted in the loss of eight lives and the total destruction of 38 homes.
The one-year anniversary of that tragedy is coming up next week, on Sept. 9.
“Ed Lee’s lavish praise for PG&E as ‘a great corporation’ on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the San Bruno tragedy, just days after federal regulators blamed the utility for a ‘litany of failures’ that claimed eight lives, is unconscionable,” said Herrera. “It shows insensitivity to victims’ families, and poor judgment for allowing his office to be used as a corporate PR tool. No less troubling, it ignores the serious work my office and others have done to protect San Franciscans from PG&E’s negligence, to prevent further explosions like those in San Bruno last year and in Cupertino on Wednesday. The interim Mayor should reassess his laudatory view of PG&E, and apologize to San Bruno victims’ families.”
PG&E, which according to its most recent annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission generated $13.8 billion in revenue in 2010, donated $250,000 to a local youth program at a corporate PR event yesterday.
PG&E runs three major gas transmission lines whose integrity and safety has come into question under nine high-population-density neighborhoods in San Francisco, where hundreds of thousands of people live and work. One of those includes the very same line that failed catastrophically in San Bruno last year, and another that dates back to the 1930s. Major facilities threatened by the failure of these inadequately inspected transmission lines include numerous schools and recreation centers, San Francisco City College, and San Francisco General Hospital, which typically contains more than 5,000 acute care patients and visitors, medical professionals and staff. Significant stretches of Highway 101 and Highway 280 additionally run over the antiquated lines.
On July 14, 2011, Herrera took the first step toward suing state and federal regulators for not reasonably enforcing gas pipeline safety standards against PG&E as required by the federal Pipeline Safety Act. Herrera’s notice of intent to sue is a legally required precursor to civil litigation by San Francisco, which will seek a federal court order to compel the CPUC and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to enforce federal pipeline safety standards in an effective manner against the utility giant.”
And from Supervisor John Avalos:
Statement from Supervisor John Avalos on Ed Lee Calling PG&E is “A Great Corporation”
I was frankly astonished to read Mayor Lee praising PG&E in the newspaper this morning, mere days after the National Transportation Safety Board found that the 2010 blast in San Bruno that killed 8 people and destroyed 38 homes was the result of PG&Es “multiple, recurring deficiencies” which were “evidence of a systemic problem.”
Ed Lee called PG&E a “great corporation” yesterday–a great corporation who spent $50 million last year trying to pass a ballot measure that would ensure their monopoly in places like San Francisco instead of repairing and inspecting pipes like the one that caused this terrible destruction. Now this “great” corporation want its customers to foot the bills for its negligence and bad practices? Ed Lee says that this corporation “gets it.” PG&E seem to “get” that a symbolic donation to a charity at the height of their unpopularity might help their rate-payers forget the catastrophic results of their negligence and bad practices.
The residents of that neighborhood in San Bruno will not forget. The families of those who lost their lives that day will not forget. And anyone who fought to defeat Proposition 16, in an effort to maintain a city’s right to produce their own power won’t forget the blatant cynicism of this corporation.
I’m deeply disappointed, and I would like Mayor Lee to tell San Franciscans what makes this corporation “great” and what it is besides insider politics and business as usual that PG&E “gets.”
##
ABOUT JOHN AVALOS:
John Avalos represents San Francisco’s District 11, including the neighborhoods of the Outer Mission, Excelsior, and OMI. He is a third generation Mexican-American, the son of an ILWU longshoreman and an office manager. He is one of seven children. John earned a master’s degree in social work from San Francisco State University. He and his wife, Karen Zapata, a fourth-grade teacher at San Francisco Community School, own a home in the Excelsior. Their young children Rene and Emiliano attend San Francisco Community School, a District 11 public school.”
Here’s the old title of this bit:
Dear Mayor Ed Lee: Just Because PG&E Supports Your Political Faction Doesn’t Make It a “Great Local Corporation”
But then I got these releases so I changed it.
Anyway, how much of a bubble is Ed Lee in? How long did that take, less than eight months? Doesn’t he know how the real world perceives Rose Pak? Doesn’t he know that PG&E just got busted by the Feds for it’s behavior before, during and after the San Bruno pipeline explosion?
“Holding court at the party for the opening of the new airport terminal, Rose was seated at the table with interim Mayor Ed Lee and his wife, Anita, and a host of other local officials.
“I want every one of you to call his office and tell him he should run for mayor,” Rose told the table. “And do it right away so that there’s no misunderstanding.”
Then she turned to the architect David Gensler.
“Didn’t you do this terminal?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“Didn’t you remodel this terminal before?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Then your firm should raise a million dollars for his election campaign.”
Poor Gensler, he didn’t know what hit him.”
And here’s PG&E’s view of the affair:
“San Francisco: With Support from PG&E, RBI Program Goes to Bat for Literacy at Bessie Carmichael School
An innovative program that helps improve the reading skills of students at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School in San Francisco got a boost from PG&E on Thursday, Sept. 1.
San Francisco RBI, in a partnership with Major League Baseball, was created in 2010 to help ensure that local at-risk youth in underserved areas of the city can learn essential life skills and the fundamentals of baseball and softball. San Francisco RBI provides year-round programs to the students at Bessie Carmichael School, with a focus on literacy, the arts, health, nutrition, and baseball and softball skills.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee reads to students at Bessie Carmichael School on Thursday.
On Thursday, PG&E contributed $250,000 to the program at an event at the school and the adjacent Victoria Manalo Draves Park baseball diamond in the city’s South of Market neighborhood.
Local leaders, including San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr, Recreation and Parks Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg and Board of Education President Hydra Mendoza, read to the students. San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia and sports media personalities Vern Glenn (KRON-TV) and Kevin Radich (KGO radio) also took part in the event.
“These are challenging economic times and it is important for us to unite as a community to support the children of San Francisco as they learn and grow in our schools and on the field to become the leaders of tomorrow,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. He thanked San Francisco RBI and PG&E for partnering with the city “to offer a unique investment in our youth as they prepare to compete in the 21st century workforce.”
After throwing out a first pitch to Jim Messemer, executive director of San Francisco RBI, Mayor Lee told about 200 kindergarten and first-grade students to follow the group’s credo: Reach. Believe. Inspire.
He also praised PG&E for its involvement in the project and the community.
“PG&E is a great local company who gets it,” Lee said. “A great corporation has given a grant to RBI to help local kids.”
The partnership with San Francisco RBI is a good example of PG&E’s efforts to support the communities where it provides power and where its 20,000 employees work and live.
“As a longtime member of the San Francisco community, we are proud to team up with San Francisco RBI and Bessie Carmichael School to give these students the resources they need to succeed,” said Chris Johns, PG&E’s president and a board member of the PG&E Corporation Foundation. “Expanding the reach of this exciting literacy program is critical to ensuring that we are developing the young minds that will help shape our future.”
School principal Jeff Burgos spoke to the students in three languages – English, Spanish and Tagalog – while Police Chief Suhr told them, “The better you read, the safer you can be.”
Tags: 2011, Amy Crawford, anita lee, baseball, bay area, Bessie Carmichael, Brownie, california, Carlos Garcia, chief, city attorney, city family, company, cupertino, currents, dennis herrera, ed lee, election, Examiner, First Lady, get's it, great company, great company that gets it, Great Corporation, Great Local Corporation, Greg Suhr, Hydra Mendoza, Icky Renown Nit, john avalos, Kevin Radich, Major League Baseball, Mayor, mlb, newspaper, ntsb, pak, pg&e, pg&e currents, Phil Ginsburg, police, rose, San Francisco, San Francisco RBI, school, SFPD, soma, south of market, Supervisor, Tony Winnicker, Vern Glenn, wiffe, you're doing a heck of a job:
Posted in environment, health, politics | No Comments »
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
You know what makes your Mercedes (and ergo, you) the best? Do you know what makes your MB better than competing products that are screwed together somewhat better (BMW, Audi, Porsche) or much better (Lexus, Infiniti)?
It’s heritage, baby. You can buy a street, sort of, but you can’t buy heritage.
Here’s a new photo of 1950′s bling bling and a press release to remind you of that fact:
Click to expand
And guess what, your Department of Rec and Park is hawking cars now.
Check it:
Gull Wing Group and Mercedes-Benz USA Recreate Historical San Francisco Image for 50 Year Milestone
Anniversary Event Marked by 125 Scholarship Donations for Children to Attend SF Rec and Park’s Summer Camp
MONTVALE, N.J., June 16, 2011 — The Gull Wing Group reaches its golden anniversary and is marking the 50 year milestone with Mercedes-Benz USA by recreating one of the group’s most famous photos taken in 1961 at Fort Point Park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
In honor of the Gull Wing Group’s milestone, Mercedes-Benz USA is donating 125 scholarships to provide children with the opportunity to participate in the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department‘s unique summer educational programs designed to accentuate personal responsibility and initiative, and encourage children to pursue preservation in the future of America’s national parks.
“The Gull Wing vehicle represents Mercedes-Benz leadership in style, design and performance, and this anniversary allows us a moment to celebrate the history of that legacy created over fifty years ago,” said Steve Cannon, Vice President of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz USA. “As we look back, we also have to look to the future and that was our intention with the donation to provide San Francisco kids with the opportunity to attend summer camp through the Recreation and Parks Department program.”
Founded in San Francisco, California on June 16, 1961 The Gull Wing Group, led by Ernie Spitzer, was comprised of eighteen 300 SL Coupe owners. Currently over 600 driving enthusiasts dedicated to sharing their knowledge and enjoyment of the 300 SL belong to the Group. On June 10, 2011 – almost 50 years after an original photo was taken to mark the beginning of the Gull Wing Group’s existence – close to 100 members comprised of 24 Gull Wings and 14 Roadsters, are recreating the image by revisiting the very same spot in Fort Point Park, a National Historic Site run by the U.S. National Park Service.
It goes on, look after the jump for what Phil Ginsburg has to say…
(more…)
Tags: 1950s, 2011, 300 sl, 300sl, Audi Ave, bay area, benz, california, cars, coupe, Department of Rec and Park, Fort Point, general manager, Golden Gate Bridge, gull wing, mb, Mercedes, Phil Ginsburg, rpd, San Francisco, scholarships
Posted in advertising, cars | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
This is how the Holiday Tree in front of San Francisco City Hall was lit at night two years ago:
Via Steve Rhodes, who, like Visa, is Everywhere You Want To Be.
And here’s how it looks this year, with all the color drained out:
See the difference?
Apparently, it costed five-figures to remove the color from the lights on the Great Christmas Tree of Civic Center.
O.K. fine…
Tags: 13, 2008, 2009, 500, Blue, christmas tree, chronicle, City Hall, city insider, civic center, colored, department, dept., general manager, green, haze, holiday, led, lights, newspaper, park, parks, Phil Ginsburg, plaza, purple, rachel gordon, rec, recreation, Recreation and Park Department, red, rpd, San Francisco, sfgate, strand, tree christmas, trees, wasp, waspy, white, white anglo saxon protestant, white house
Posted in art, holidays, politics | 2 Comments »
