Posts Tagged ‘san francsico’
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Alex Tourk, a lobbyist and head of Ground Floors Public Affairs, is the official proponent of the proposed Saturday Voting Act. Alls he needs is about seven thousand signatures and he’ll qualify this baby for the November 2010 elections. And then, if all goes to plan, you’ll be able to vote on the Saturday before Election Day plus on Election Day as well, starting 2011.
Do I think that it’s some big deal that San Franciscans don’t vote all that much? No. Am I embarassed that our voting participation rate is “worse than Bulgaria’s?” No. Do I think that non-voters in America should be deined their paychecks for three months the way they do it down Bolivia Way? No.
OTOH, it wouldn’t be necessarily a bad thing to be able to vote on Saturdays as well as Tuesdays, assuming all the deets could get worked out. But As Always, You Make The Call.
The joint is called WhyTuesdaySF.org - check it out.
Tags: 2010, Act, alex tourk, connect, election, ground floor, public affairs, representative, san francsico, Saturday, saturday voting act, Steve Israel, tuesday, U.S., voting, weekend, why, why tuesday, whytuesdaysf, whytuesdaysf.org
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Thusly. Click to expand:
Empty tanker Polar Alaska heads out back up to I’ll-give-you-just-one-guess as full container ships arrive from East Asia.
Just another day in the busy 415.
Tags: alaska, asia, bar pilots, bay area, boats, busy, container, Golden Gate Bridge, polar alaska, san francsico, ships, tanker, vessels, waters
Posted in vessels | No Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Elements of our Bay Area News Project, that grand alliance of old money and young blood, recently headed across the Bay Bridge to meet up with the kids from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
This meet-and-greet happened a couple of weeks back but the BANP is crowing about it today, so head over and check it out, why don’t you?
Look, it’s brand-new BANP EIC Jonathan Weber and CEO Lisa Frazier at North Gate Hall sharing a few brewskis with the J students:
TwitPic via jrue, aka Jeremy Rue, multimedia training instructor for the Knight Digital Media Center and a lecturer for the Carnegie-Knight program News21
Do you fret over* these students becoming “slaves” or something? You may be richer and older than they, but they’re smarter than you - try to keep that in mind when pondering such matters. These 20-somethings will do fine - they’ll manage to get by, with or without the BANP.
Bon courage, BANP et etudiants.
*Absence of pay-wall duly noted. Isn’t it ironic, dont’cha think?
Tags: 2010, banp, Bay Area News Project, Berkeley, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, bill keller, CEO, chemical, company, dean, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, editor in chief, engineer, f warren hellman, graduate, Jeremy Rue, Jonathan Weber, journalism, kqed, Lisa Frazier, McKinsey, McKinsey & Company, media, Neil Henry, new york times, nyt, San Francisco, san francsico, school, TV, UC, university of california
Posted in media | 9 Comments »
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Personally, I’m thinking the SFPD could have done a better job with the photos they released of the two suspects in last week’s tragedy in the Sunset District. Anyway, find an effort at enhancing the photos below.
The very wide and usually quiet Moraga Street:
Here’s Polly’s versions of the SFPD-released captures:
Click to expand
That’s it, there aren’t any official updates for this case.
*Moraga Avenue isn’t in the Avenues, it’s in the Presidio, for some reason.
Tags: 2010, 2400, 2432, 27, 27th, 30th, 31st, ave, avenue, basement, ben, block, brothel, color, department, dept., district, gun, Home Invasion, homicide, january, killed, Luo, middle, moraga, murder, peach, photos, police, prostitution, robbery, san francsico, SFPD, shot, sign, street, sunset, suspects, Video, voice, Xiao, Xiao Xiong Luo, Xiao “Ben” Xiong Luo, Xiong
Posted in crime, police | No Comments »
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Remember back in the day, back when Bay Areans could espy the straight-outta-Redwood-City $200-million Sea Shadow stealth ship bobbing about in San Francisco Bay? Check this video from down Fun Diego way over at Telstar Logistics to see this baby in action.
Say it aloud: Super-Secret Sea Shadow Stealth Ship, Super-Secret Sea Shadow Stealth Ship, Super-Secret Sea Shadow Stealth Ship! This project was so secret that it didn’t make the Bay Area newspapers, excepting for 1999 when this boat was identified as an airplane three times by the San Francisco Examiner.*
This is what she looked like, coming out in the daytime when she was no longer so very supr sekrt:
Guess what, the U.S. Navy wants to give her away for free! The problem is that there are no takers as of yet, so the ex Sea Shadow just sits around in the mothballed Ghost Fleet of the East Bay. Check out these recent photos from Amy Heiden. Pretty boss, huh?
Now the first time the Navy tried to give away this historic boat, in 2006, they had all sorts of rules. Then they tried again in 2009 with more flexible rules. But the problem is that you can’t just take the Shadow, you also have to take the Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), a floating drydock boat that was developed as part of Project Jennifer. (That was the semi-successful, top-secret effort mounted by the Central Intelligence Agency to salvage the remains of the Soviet submarine K-129 from the ocean floor.)
Here’s a shot of them together, ignore the two conventional warships in the background:
But wait, there’s more. Here’s how the Sea Shadow is laid out on the inside:
The bridge of Grant Imahara’s future evil lair. (Boy, talk about a glass cockpit, huh?)
And here’s how she looks from the outside:
You want. Why don’t you start up a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and take these things off of the Navy’s hands? Otherwise an important piece of Bay Area military history (and film history what with it inspiring the bad guys’ floating lair in Tomorrow Never Dies) is a gonna get scrapped.
Here’s what came next, after the Shadow got mothballed – it’s the all-aluminum Sea Fighter, as seen back in 2006:
via Telstar Logistics
The point being is that the aging Sea Shadow is the ur-ship, the JetFire of the stealth boat world. Won’t you save her?
O.K., first things first. Check out the owner’s manuals and start writing your business plan. (And, oh yes, while you’re at it, scrape up some cash. Lots and lots and lots o’ cash.)
Happy sailing!
The Navy’s announcement, after the jump.
*From 1999: “The combined Navy-Marine exercise included overflights of the Bay Area by the Sea Shadow, the Navy equivalent of the stealth bomber.” No, this thing can’t fly, it just floats. Veteran SF Chronicle writer Henry K. Lee got that right but others did not. Nevertheless, SFGate.com, San Francisco’s online newspaper, remains an invaluable resource.
(more…)
Tags: (HMB-1, 007, adopt, Amy Heiden, Bay, bay area, Central Intelligence Agency, chronicle, Contra Costa, county, donate, east bay, ex, ex sea shadow, Examiner, fighter, fleet, fsf-1, g row, ghost, Golden Gate Bridge, Henry K. Lee, Hughes Mining Barge, ix-529, james bond, Lockheed, marines, mothball, National Defense Reserve Fleet, navy, newspaper, Project Jennifer, radar, redwood city, San Francisco, san francisoc's online newspaper, san francsico, Sea Fighter, sea shadow, secret, ship, stealth, suisun, susuin, Tomorrow Never Dies, u.s. navy, United States
Posted in bay area, vessels | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Our three-term City Attorney Dennis J. Herrera has just released the news about how San Francisco recently won a little compensation to pay for all the extra work it’s doing to bring poorly-rated CitiApartments / Skyline Realty* to justice. Keep in mind that these penalties are not to punish (’cause that part will come later). No, no, this $50K is just to pay us back for the extra expenses we recently incurred due to relentless foot-dragging from the infamous Lembi Family et alia.
Poor Judge Munter had to spend half of the hearing deciding how to divvy up the penalties among all the interrelated defendants. Oh well.
Read all about it here, or below.
San Francisco’s Happy Warrior: His middle name is Jose, his son speaks Mandarin Chinese and he’s been working on gay legal issues for donkey’s years, at least since the 1990’s - do you think all that might help him if he decides to run for Mayor in 2011?
Pwned:
Herrera wins Court sanctions against CitiApartments for “obfuscation, delay.” Landlords’ defiance in the face of City Attorney’s ‘Herculean efforts’ triggers order to cooperate with discovery, pay $50K sanction
SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 2, 2010) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera has won Court-ordered sanctions against a labyrinthine web of defendants involved in the operation of CitiApartments and Skyline Realty, the residential property management and investment behemoth Herrera first sued in 2006 for its stunning array of unlawful business practices. The order, which was signed by San Francisco Superior Court Judge John E. Munter last month and obtained this morning, compels each of the two-dozen corporate, trust and individual defendants currently named in the suit to respond to discovery requests in compliance with rules of civil procedure, and to pay sanctions to the City totaling $50,129.50, which reflects San Francisco’s fees and costs to pursue its motion to compel. Munter’s order requires all of the defendants to comply with the order by Feb. 19, 2010.
“CitiApartments deserved to be sanctioned for its continued defiance in this case, and I’m gratified to Judge Munter for calling these tactics exactly what they are — ‘obfuscation, delay and meritless objections,’” said Herrera. “I hope this sanction sends a message to Frank Lembi, Walter Lembi and all of the defendants responsible for CitiApartments’ lawless conduct that there is a limit to judicial patience, and they’ve reached it. This has been a long, difficult case to address what is perhaps the most egregious corruption of San Francisco’s residential housing market in modern history. We remain committed to pursuing this case aggressively, and I hope these sanctions are a tipping point that hastens our progress toward a just outcome.”
All the gritty nitty, after the jump.
*Let me tell you something here, whenever you’re paying your monthly rent to “LSL Property Holdings II DE LLC” or something, don’t be surprised when you have trouble getting your deposit back. This case is a morass. Anywho, your defendants:
“Skyline Realty Inc., Citiapartments Inc., Citi Funding Group Inc., Citisuites LLC, Lembi Group Inc., Lembi Group Partners LLC, Urban Property Management, Inc., Citiwide Rentals, Inc., Frank Lembi, Walter Lembi, David Raynal, Taylor Lembi, Frank Lembi As Trustee Of The Frank E. Lembi Survivor’s Trust Dated February 17, 1984, As Restated On June 2, 1999, Frank Lembi, As Trustee Of The Olga Lembi Residual Trust Created Under The Provisions Of Part Three Of The Lembi Family Trust Dated February 17, 1984, Walter Lembi, As Trustee Of The Walter And Linda Lembi Family Trust Dated June 30, 2004, David Raynal, As Trustee Of The David M. Raynal Revocable Trust Dated May 9, 2002, 737 Pine DE LLC, 737 Pine B10 DE LLC, 737 Pine B10 Mezz DE LLC, 1155 LLC, Gaylord Hotel LLC, LSL Properties B14 DE LLC, LSL Property Holdings II DE LLC, LSL Property Holdings II Mezz LLC, Nob Hill Tower DE LLC, Nob Hill Tower Mezz DE LLC, Prime Apartment Properties LLC, Prime Apartment Properties B10 DE LLC, Prime Apartment Properties B10 Mezz DE LLC, Trophy Properties B10 DE LLC, Trophy Properties IV DE LLC, Trophy Properties IV B8A LLC, Trophy Properties IV Mezz DE LLC, Trophy Properties V LLC, Trophy Properties V DE LLC, Trophy Properties VI LLC, Trophy Properties IV B8A Manager LLC.”
(more…)
Tags: 2009, 2010, 737 Pine, attorney, B14, B8A, citi apartments, Citi Funding Group, citiapartment, CitiApartments, Citisuites, Citiwide, City, city attorney, complaint, county, david, David M. Raynal, David Raynal, de, dennis herrera, dennis j herrera, Family, frank, Frank E. Lembi, Gaylord, hotel, II, inc, judge. munter, landlord, law, lawsuit, lawyer, lembi, LLC, LSL, management, Manager, Mezz, milln, Nob Hill Tower, Olga, partners, Pine B10, Prime Apartment, properties, Raynal, realty, Rentals, Restated, san francsico, skyline, Survivors, taylor, Trophy, Trophy Properties, trust, Trustee, Urban Property, walter
Posted in law | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
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.
Tags: 2010, california, district 2, Drops Out, Insurance Commissioner, Janet Reilly, kat anderson, marina, Michela Alioto Pier, race, san francsico, Supervisor, term limits
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Yesterday’s news about the massive USNS Mercy Hospital Ship sitting at Pier 70 just off of Potrero Hill involved people around town wondering when and if the biggest hospital ship in the world was going to head out to Haiti tout de suite with a quickness to help her overworked sister ship USNS Comfort.
Today’s news, per Ms. Seal [srsly] of the Military Sealift Command’s Public Affairs Unit in Washington, D.C., is that the Navy is “weighing its options” on what to do next. Which means that the Mercy be staying in San Francisco getting fixed up for a little longer anyway.
As she looked yesterday at San Francisco’s Pier 70:
The original schedule had the Mercy’s routine maintenance work getting done by March 2, 2010, but what will actually happen is up in the air.
Look for this big white former oil tanker the next time you’re in the area – you can’t miss it.
Tags: 'Mercy, 2010, california, comfort, didaster, earth day, earthquake, haiti, haitian, hospital ship, navy, Operation Unified Response, san diego, San Francisco National Military Cemetary, san francsico, T-AH 19, T-AH 20, ushs, usns, usns mercy
Posted in vessels | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Get up to speed about the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship right here over at Telstar Logistics. Right now, this ship is sitting around in San Francisco as part of a $10,000,000 routine refit from BAE Sytems that got started a week ago.
The Mercy’s sister ship USNS Comfort is in Haitian waters currently with a crew of 1200(!) performing operations, delivering babies, the works.
So, will the Mercy head on out soon?
A massive former oil tanker:
As she looks this dreary afternoon at San Francisco’s Pier 70:
Some are calling for the Mercy to ship out to Haiti right now:
“Yes, I know about the tyranny of distance from San Diego to Port-au-Prince. According to distances.com, it would be a 5,281 mile voyage taking some 11 days.
Yes, I know the MERCY is presently at a shipyard in San Francisco through the beginning of March.
Yes, I know that it is manpower intensive. Call-up reservists and guardsmen. You know how to reach me. (I would make a great blogger/social media guru aboard MERCY).
Have Project Hope recruit more volunteers! Recruit personnel from across the inter-agency. Get our coalition partners involved. Hire contractors.
Yes, I know it would require a backfill in the Pacific.
Yes, I know it is expensive. Hold another tele-a-thon.
Yes, it would require lots of supplies.”
People around town are looking into this, so we’ll find out soon enough.
Leaving you with a scene from the Comfort from last week:
100119-N-4995K-187 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 19, 2010) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Adam Buzzeo prepares medical equipment during the assessment of a six-year-old Haitian boy brought aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). The boy, who was Comfort’s first patient as part of Operation Unified Response, suffered an injury to his bladder and a hip fracture during an earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan 12. The boy is in the intensive care unit aboard Comfort in stable condition. Comfort is supporting Operation Unified Response, a joint operation providing humanitarian assistance to Haiti. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chelsea Kennedy/Released)
Tags: 'Mercy, 2010, california, comfort, didaster, earth day, earthquake, haiti, haitian, hospital ship, navy, Operation Unified Response, san diego, San Francisco National Military Cemetary, san francsico, T-AH 19, T-AH 20, ushs, usns, usns mercy
Posted in military, vessels | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Our neighbors in the Great Sand Waste* of the Outside Lands are having a little trouble with the partial collapse of the Great Highway near Sloat, so there’ll be a meeting tonight at 7:00 PM:
“A community meeting is being held on Monday, January 25th at 7:00 PM at the Park Chalet (located behind the Beach Chalet at 1000 Great Highway just south of Fulton in San Francisco) to discuss the proposed actions at Sloat Boulevard. The DPW Project Manager, Frank Filice will be there to discuss the emergency declaration, the short-term strategy, and a process for a long-term solution. Everyone who has an interest in the preservation and the future of Ocean Beach is encouraged to attend. The emergency declaration will go before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for ratification the following day, Tuesday, January 26th.”
Will San Francisco “armor the beach“ or something? Stay tuned…
by k. riccitiello
If that doesn’t float your boat, there’s always, this:
“The Park Chalet will be offering $2 pints and extending their $5 happy hour menu of appetizers all night for the event.”
See you there.
*Look at this – snark from 160 years ago: The True Story of How San Francisco Received Its Name:
“San Francisco – this is a derivative word from sand and Francisco. In the early settlement of this country it was the custom of an old monk of the interior, by the name of Jeremiah Francisco, to perform a pilgrimage to this place every month, to visit the tomb of a brother of the order whose remains he had here interred. The wind “blew like mad” here, and upon his return he was usually so covered with the dust and sand, that his neighbors were unable to recognize him; hence they soon began to call him sand Francisco.
On one of his pilgrimages he happened, by mistake, to die here, and the place ever after was called by his name. From the difficulty of enunciating the d, it was usually called SAN FRANCISCO, and has so continued to this day. The present popular notion that the place was named after the St. Francis Hotel is an error!
California Weekly Courier
August 1, 1850″
Tags: beach, beer, board of supervisors, california, California Weekly Courier, chalet, coalition, collapse, declaration, department of public works, district, dpw, emergency, Erosion, fog, Frank Filice, great highway, Great Sand Waste, Great Sand Waste of the Outside Lands, media, meeting, newspaper, ocean, ocean beach, Ocean Beach Task Force, outer, outside lands, park chalet, parkside, Project Manager, rain, restaurant, richmond, san francsico, sand, sand Francisco, save the waves, Sloat, snark, surf, surfers, surfing, susnet, town hall, waves, Weekly Courier, zoo
Posted in parks | No Comments »
