The Nevius rumor mill

09.07.10 - 3:07 pm | Tim Redmond |
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After defending Pet Food Express, a chain that worries local independent pet stores, the Chron's C.W. Nevius has the latest rumor in the who-will-be-the-next-mayor game. Here's how it goes: Newsom becomes lieutenant gov, the supes pick Dennis Herrera as mayor, Herrera appoints David Chiu city attorney, and David Campos becomes board prez.Read more »

Matt Gonzalez, Tony Hall, and Ron Paul

09.07.10 - 2:52 pm | Tim Redmond |
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If Luke Thomas didn't have the pictures to prove it, I might never have believed this story, but there they are -- the former supervisor and progressive candidate for SF mayor, Matt Gonzalez, hanging out with his old (odd) BFF Tony Hall -- and libertarian Republican Ron Paul and John Dennis, a Republican running against Nancy Pelosi, at an "anti war and anti-incumbent" rally Sept. 4.Read more »

SFBG Radio: Why voters should think like junkies

09.07.10 - 2:41 pm | Tim Redmond |
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Today we talk about a different approach to politics: Why voters should think like junkies. Johnny's got a good argument here -- your typical junkie is a lot more cynical about people trying to sell him something than the typical voter who listens to Glenn Beck. Oh, and why is that preacher in Florida going to burn a stack of Korans? Any junkie could figure out that it's all about making a fast buck. You can hear the discussion after the jump. Read more »

No smart meters in SF

09.07.10 - 12:47 pm | Guardian Editorial |
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TURN is urging customers to boycott the meters

EDITORIAL Smart meters are a dumb idea. That's what The Utility Reform Network says, noting that the high tech devices are expensive (California utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric Co., will be charging consumers $5.4 billion to install the meters), don't save energy or money, and can lead to privacy risks. PG&E bills have soared unexpectedly in places where the meters have been installed in the past year, forcing an investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission, which concluded on Sept. 2 that the meters are okay, but PG&E's customer service isn't. Still, TURN and other experts say the report is inconclusive, and state Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter) wants legislative hearings before any more meters are installed.

San Francisco hasn't faced the smart meter problem yet since the utility hasn't been installing them here — but that will start soon enough, now that the CPUC (never known as a harsh critic of PG&E) has given the green light. TURN is urging customers to boycott the meters, so the San Francisco supervisors should tell PG&E that the city doesn't want this flawed technology.

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Desperately seeking 2011 bee calendars

09.07.10 - 11:52 am | Sarah Phelan |
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Since writing about this summer’s squash bee hunt, I’ve received a number of enquiries about how to view the 2011 North American bee calendar that was referenced in my article. The answer is fairly simple: visit the website for Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn's Great Sunflower Project or for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Read more »

Street Threads: Look of the Day

09.07.10 - 9:59 am | Ariel Soto |
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Today's Look: Liza, 22nd Street and Valencia

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Endorsement interview: Tony Kelly

09.03.10 - 6:07 pm | Tim Redmond |
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Tony Kelly's been involved in land-use and development battles in the district for more than a decade -- and it shows. He talks about zoning, redevelopment, and urban finance with the ease of an expert. He complains that funding affordable housing just by asking developers to include a little bit in their market-rate units is "a sucker's game." He talks about the need for public-sector investment to handle the major influx of population projected for the district over the next 20 years. He's also thought a lot about city finance, and suggests, among other things, that San Francisco demand that the University of California pay some sort of fee in lieu of the $60 million the giant institution doesn't pay in local property taxes. Read more »

Labor Day heroes

09.03.10 - 2:21 pm | Dick Meister |
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Dick Meister, former labor editor of the SF Chronicle and KQED-TV Newsroom, has covered labor and politics for a half-century. Contact him through his website, www.dickmeister.com, which includes more than 250 of his recent columns.

Let's pause for a moment this Labor Day to recognize some of our most important, yet most maligned workers.

They're teachers and librarians, police officers and firefighters.  They're bus drivers, doctors and nurses. Judges and lawyers, landscape gardeners and arborists. They're laborers and other maintenance and construction workers . . .

They are, of course, public employees. There are millions of them, who every day perform many thousands of the essential tasks that keep our country going.

It is they who keep our streets and highways, our parks and playgrounds safe and clean, who help educate our children, provide emergency health care, convey us to our jobs and back home, who sometimes risk their very lives to protect us from harm. Read more »

SFBG Radio: Johnny's had it with Obama

09.03.10 - 12:49 pm | Tim Redmond |
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The economy's not getting any better, we still have 50,000 troops in Iraq, and the Democrats are in serious trouble this fall -- because they refuse to act like Democrats. That's why Johnny's had it with Barack Obama (though Tim says the Dems are still better than the alternative ....) Listen to the ranting and raving after the jump.Read more »

Fatsouls houses the twilight with "In & Out"

09.03.10 - 9:07 am | Marke B. |
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I've long sung the praises of genius local deep and Afro house label Fatsouls, its creative leader DJ Said, and its fantastically soulful We & the Music party -- another monthly installment of which takes place tonight (Fri/3, 9pm, $5. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com) with residents Said and Le Charm. 

The new release on Fatsouls, "In & Out" by classic Detroit musicmaker Alton Miller, confirms that the label is gaining stature worldwide by continuing its steady stream of high-quality, thoughtfully mature, and devilishly groovy tunes.  

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