This was the scene yesterday on Market Street near Gough:
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Is the National Labor Relations Board involved with something to do with McRoskey Mattress Company, that longtime manufacturer of absurdly expensive mattresses, as well as absurdly expensive pillows and, well, you get the idea? I think so.
Anyway, if you ever want to buy a cot for $2000+, or a twin bed for $3600 (plus tax of course), well, just push past the protesters and shop, shop, shop.
Well here’s the news of the day – it’s the launch of YesOnCNoOnD.com
And look who’s the headliner of this Fellowship, it’s “Civic Leader” Warren Hellman, who used to play for the other team, so to speak.
Anyway, all the deets, below.
That Warren sure loves his banjo:
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“PAULSON, FALK TO CO-CHAIR YES ON PROPOSITION C PENSION REFORM CAMPAIGN - Top Labor Leader, Top Business Leader Tapped To Lead Consensus Coalition
SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2011 – San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform today selected Tim Paulson and Steve Falk to serve as co-chairs of the campaign supporting Proposition C and opposing Proposition D on the November ballot.
Paulson is executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, comprised of 150 local unions and representing 100,000 workers, and Falk is president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a 1,500-member organization representing the business community.
“We are pleased that San Francisco’s top labor leader and top business leader are working together to lead this coalition’s campaign for pension and health reform,” said Thomas P. O’Connor, president of Fire Fighters Local 798. “Unions and the business community don’t agree on everything, but on Proposition C, San Francisco is united.”
Falk praised Proposition C, which was developed with input from the community, introduced by Mayor Ed Lee, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.
“Proposition C saves taxpayers at least $1.3 billion over the next decade,” said Falk. “This measure is fiscally responsible and it will help keep us solvent.”
Paulson emphasized the measure’s fairness.
“Proposition C provides a safety net for hardworking city employees who earn lower wages,” said Paulson. “It keeps pension contributions stable for those making less than $50,000 a year. Those who make more pay more.”
O’Connor drew a contrast between Proposition C and Proposition D, a rival pension measure.
“Proposition C has widespread support because it was conceived in the light of day, with a public process that encouraged input and ideas from everyone,” said O’Connor. “On the other hand, the backers of Proposition D bought their way onto the ballot with signature gatherers who were paid five dollars a signature and repeatedly got caught on tape lying about what the measure would do.”
Today, San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform also announced the other members of its campaign committee. In addition to Paulson, Falk, and O’Connor, the committee includes other business and labor leaders, along with the measure’s sponsor at the Board of Supervisors:
Warren Hellman, Civic Leader
Gary Delagnes, President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association
Sean Elsbernd, Member of the Board of Supervisors
Steve Fields, Co-Chair of the Human Services Network
Larry Mazzola, Business Manager and Financial Secretary Treasurer of UA Local 38
Rebecca Rhine, Executive Director of the Municipal Executives Association
Bob Muscat, Executive Director of IFTPE Local 21
Sean Connolly, President of the Municipal Attorneys Association
Please visit www.yesoncnoond.com for more information.”
Wow, this Longshoreman’s hook (or box hook, cargo hook, loading hook, or docker’s hook) just reaches out and says, “Don’t mess with Texas.”
Does it not?
Anyway, congrats, Local 10.
As seen on Market Street:
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(Who used a hook like this, you know, at the cinema? Was it Jason? I’m confused…)
The local Andronico’s supermarket chain, home to an insane collection of fruits and vegetables, is seeking bankruptcy protection, per the San Francisco Business Times.
Their website is down now, but the stores are open and they’ll continue to be open for the foreseeable future.
Taste the rainbow, in the Sunset District:
Via bmeabroad – click to expand.
Wow.
Good luck, Andronico’s workers.
OMG, it’s “Loin Stimulus,” finally.
These days, there are signs of life at the old Bakewell & Brown Federal Building at 50 Fulton. (Or “50 United Nations Plaza.” Why put the name of that failure all over the place? Yish. The address is 50 Fulton, IRL, right?)
See the workers up there?
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It’s what the Feds call “Recovery in Progress – Working for you. Working for San Francisco.” Gee, thanks, Feds!*
Groove on the architecture.
Looks nice from the inside:
Now, don’t get me started on Lawrence Halprin‘s failed United Nations Plaza, the Mistake by the Lake built atop Yerba Buena Cemetery:
“Halprin was the creative force behind the interactive, ‘playable’ civic fountains most common in the 1970s, an amenity which continues to greatly contribute to the pedestrian social experience in Portland Oregon, where “Ira’s Fountain” is loved and well-used, and which has been a chronic failure at the transient-ridden United Nations Plaza in San Francisco.”
And UN Plaza made the Hall of Shame. Oh well.
All the deets about 50 Fulton:
1927: Congress approves $2.5 million for new San Francisco Federal Building
1930: City of San Francisco donates site for building
1934-1936: Building constructed
1975: United Nations Plaza construction commences
1987: San Francisco Civic Center designated a National Historic Landmark
2007: Building vacated
[edit]Building facts
Location: 50 United Nations Plaza
Architect: Arthur Brown, Jr.
Construction Dates: 1934-1936
Architectural Style: Second Renaissance Revival
Landmark Status: Designated a National Historic Landmark as a Contributing Building to the San Francisco Civic Center
Primary Material: Granite
Prominent Features:
Classical Facade with Upper-story Colonnade
Ornate Entrance Vestibule, Lobby, and Elevator Lobby
Naval Commandant’s Office
*Thanks for finally doing something with your aging hulk of a brokedown palace after all these years.
Your State Senator Leland Yee marched down Van Ness with an army of supporters this afternoon.
They went all the way to City Hall to turn in the signatures required for his election as Mayor of San Francisco.
Like this:
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And here’s what the fuss was all about – thousands of signatures:
(Oh, and apparently, not necessarily all of the 30,000 signatures Run Ed Run has are real signatures. That would explain a lot as, man, valid signatures are hard to get, or at least they were when I tried getting them back in the day, back in the aughts.)
Rounding Polk to come up the steps of City Hall:
And down into the catacombs to hand off the boxes:
And then a chat with KTVU in front of Dumbledore’s Army.
The deadline for candidates is July 28th, so look forward to more activity in the basement of City Hall…
The latest from the Yee campaign:
Pancake Breakfast & Mobilization
When: TOMORROW, July 23rd; 10:00 AM
Where: Yee for Mayor HQ (710 Van Ness, 2nd Floor)
What: Come join Team Yee for some delicious hot cakes before hitting the streets to talk to our fellow voters
RSVP to this Event
Community Nights at Yee HQ
When: Chinese Night – Monday, July 25th; Latino Night – Wednesday, July 27th; Filipino Night – Thursday, July 28th; All Nights start at 5:00 PM
Where: Yee for Mayor HQ (710 Van Ness, 2nd Floor)
What: All are welcome at these Community Outreach nights at Yee HQ
RSVP to these Events
Lit Drop for Leland
When: Saturday, August 13th; 10:00 AM
Where: Yee for Mayor HQ (710 Van Ness, 2nd Floor)
What: Stay tuned for the details as we get closer to the big date
RSVP to this Event
Leland Yee First to 10,000 Valid Signatures
Yee’s grassroots strength evident in nomination petition drive
SAN FRANCISCO – Senator Leland Yee, accompanied by California Nurses, Sierra Club members and campaign volunteers, turned in enough signatures today at City Hall to become the first mayoral candidate to reach 10,000 valid signatures – the benchmark set by the Department of Elections for qualifying to be a candidate without paying a $5,000 filing fee.
“Today’s achievement is a clear indicator of the strength of our campaign,” said Yee. “We have collected more signatures in less time than any other campaign through a grassroots effort of hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. I am proud of our volunteers and our campaign team”
“I have always believed that the greatest test of strength for any candidate is their ability to reach out and speak directly to voters,” said Yee. “I want to personally thank all the San Francisco voters who took the time to speak with our volunteers and sign our nominating petitions. I am looking forward to the next stage of our campaign and continuing to talk with voters about improving our public schools, our environment, and our economy.”
With the submission of today’s batch of 4,200 signatures, the Yee campaign has turned in nearly 14,000 signatures. It is expected that the total valid amount will easily surpass 10,000. As of Friday morning, no other mayoral campaign had even reached the 5,000 signature level.
“This drive is far different than collecting on-line petitions or even standing in front of a supermarket collecting signatures from passersby,” said Yee campaign manager Jim Stearns. “The rules set by the Department of Elections constitute a tough test for declared candidates, and I’m proud that our team has passed that test with flying colors.”
The stringent validity rules set by the Department of Elections require each signature to be from a registered San Francisco voter, and for each circulator of a petition to also be a registered voter. In addition, no signer can also have signed for another mayoral candidate.
In addition to the key endorsements of the California Nurses Association and the Sierra Club, Yee has also gained the support the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, Laborers International Union, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, among others.
—
Yee immigrated to San Francisco at the age of 3. His father, a veteran, served in the US Army and the Merchant Marine, and his mother was a local seamstress. Yee graduated from the University of California – Berkeley, then earned a Ph.D. in Child Psychology, and later served in various mental health and school settings. He and his wife, Maxine, have raised four children who all attended San Francisco public schools. Yee has served in the State Legislature, Board of Supervisors and Board of Education.
Two-star(!) rated Dick Lee Pastry at 716 Jackson in Chinatown is getting spanked by City Attorney Dennis Herrera over wage theft issues today.
But first a word from our health department, which, you know, has employees who would like the City to require letter grades to be posted outside of every joint in town. You know, the way that San Diego, that Progressive bastion, does it. But our Golden Gate Restaurant Association said no so that’s that, no Department of Health letter grades posted at restaurants in the 415.
Check it:
I’ll tell you, small business owners who ignore one set of rules, tend to ignore other sets of rules, that’s been my experience.
Anyway, here’s the news, it goes on and on:
“Wage theft lawsuit seeks to recover $440K in back pay, interest for cheated workers
Dick Lee Pastry paid well below minimum wage, demanded long hours with no overtime, falsified payroll records, retaliated against workers
SAN FRANCISCO (July 12, 2011) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera today sued Dick Lee Pastry, Inc. and its owners and operators for violating state and local laws intended to ensure minimum wages, overtime compensation, and lawful competition by failing to pay more than $440,000 in wages plus interest to seven of their employees. The litigation comes as the result of an investigation by San Francisco’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement under the direction of Division Manager Donna Levitt. Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are Peter Yu and Ada M. Chiu, who own the restaurant at 716 Jackson Street.
Herrera’s lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court today, seeks to recover compensation for the cheated workers that would include all unlawfully withheld wages, plus ten-percent interest, plus penalties of $50 per day for the duration of their employer’s wage violations. Herrera is additionally seeking penalties of $50 per day per employee as compensation to OLSE under San Francisco’s Minimum Wage Ordinance; potentially severe civil penalties under California’s Unfair Competition Law; and attorneys’ fees and costs associated with the action.
“Robbing employees of wages to which they’re entitled doesn’t just hurt working families — it also hurts honest businesses and their employees by corrupting a competitive marketplace,” said Dennis Herrera. “Dick Lee Pastry stands out even among the most egregious perpetrators of wage theft in San Francisco. They paid wages well below the legal minimum, demanded long hours with no overtime, instructed workers to lie to labor investigators, and retaliated against those who sought to protect their rights. I hope today’s lawsuit sends a strong message to other would-be wage cheats about the seriousness of our resolve to protect working men and women in San Francisco. I applaud the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement for their investigation of this case, and I’m grateful to the Chinese Progressive Association for their community outreach efforts.”
See you after the jump
Remember back in the day, back when construction workers spent 2008 pouring suspended slabs of steel-reinforced concrete to build the UC Hastings Garage just to the east of State Building in Civic Center (the one Arnold tried to sell to insiders last year, or something)? Things were looking grim.
But now things seem better, workwise. Here’s the lot just to the west of our State Building – it’s the new San Francisco PUC Building at 525 Golden Gate.
Big Blue, the Old Federal Building, will be harder to spot from Civic Center soon, that’s for sure…
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Busy as a beaver high above the Civic Center / Tenderloin / Little Saigon area…
Never really noticed the UC Hastings College of Law parking garage after it got finished, but it seems to be doing all right. It’s got a four star Yelp rating so that’s not bad for a such a battle-scarred structure.
If they could fill up the first floor retail spaces facing Larkin then we’d be all set, huh?
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But the Vanishing Construction Workers of San Francisco who put this garage up have vanished once again. Oh well.
[UPDATE: Writer Joe Eskenazi has the deets on the prospects for F. Warren for getting a $50K refund from the Prop B people. The chances don't look good at this point. And further explication comes from Heather Knight. That will have to do for now...]
The Question of the Day is this:
How do you get a strong-willed (and is there any other kind?) billionaire to change his or her mind?
No matter, San Francisco’s #1 banjo playerwants out of the pro-Proposition B campaign. Get all the deets, plus reaction from San Francisco Labor Council President Tim Paulson, below.
(This is seismic, baby.)
(This is unprecedented, baby.)
Click to expand. His head’s not really blue – it’s just the way the lighting was.
(Hello, MSM, are you there? It’s me, Margaret. Can we get a little follow-up, please? Show us what you can do with this one. Starting…now!)
Statement from F. Warren Hellman:
“I’m leaving the Yes on Proposition B campaign for the same reason I got involved in the campaign in the first place – we need a meaningful dialogue in San Francisco between business and labor to solve long-term problems threatening the city’s future without name-calling and fingerpointing.
“We must address the issue of spiraling public pension and health benefits costs. They’re like an iceberg floating beneath the surface that threatens to sink cities like ours. At the same time, I’m not willing scapegoat police officers, firefighters and other public workers to do it.
“We got into this situation together and we must work together to solve it in the interest of a city we all love.
“I was reminded of this spirit at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this past weekend. We pulled off a massive free concert in Golden Gate Park without one major injury, disruption or arrest, which is a testament to the professionalism of San Francisco’s public workers and our City’s spirit of cooperation.
“I believe that organized labor appreciates that it is in San Francisco’s interest – and the interest of its members — to head off a looming pension and benefits crisis before it cripples public services and leaves police officers, firefighters and other public workers without retirement security.
“And I also believe that San Francisco business must understand its responsibility to pay its fair share to fund quality public services. And that begins with workers who are properly trained, fairly paid and able to retire with dignity.
“We have a history of working together in this city and settling issues without expensive and divisive political fights at the ballot box. I’m going to focus my attention and resources on restarting those discussions.”
Statement from Tim Paulson, San Francisco Labor Council
“On behalf of the Labor community, we are very pleased that Warren Hellman has withdrawn his support from the Yes on B campaign. Many of us in organized labor have worked closely with Mr. Hellman in recent years to rebuild San Francisco’s schools and fund public education and we were disappointed to be at odds on this measure.
“We share Mr. Hellman’s legitimate concerns about rising pension and health care costs and commit to work with him and other likeminded leaders in the business community to address them. We want to find sustainable and affordable ways to attract and retain the best public employees, compensate them fairly and allow them to retire with dignity. In short, we acknowledge and respect Mr. Hellman’s goals, even if Prop B is not the vehicle to achieve them.”
Ever more deets, from the Anti-Prop B people, after the jump
