A banker, a model, a former mayoral candidate, Miss Yvonne from the Pee-Wee Herman show, and a guy in a Lou Seal costume – what could these folks have in common? They all participated in last night’s 20th annual Celebrity Pool Toss, an only-in-San Francisco fundraising tradition started by the Tenderloin Housing Development Corporation with proceeds benefiting after school programs for low-income families.
Investigations, both internal and outside, have revealed that content outsourcer Journatic supplied fake bylines to its publishing customers which include the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, GateHouse Media and Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle.
Republicans led by presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney are accusing the Democrats of waging a class war, destroying the economy’s job-creating potential by strangling corporations and small business in burdensome regulation and taxes.
The Courts Case Management System (CCMS) is years overdue, 800 percent over budget and still not ready for primetime. Meanwhile, funding was diverted from court operations to pay for the massive cost overruns while the public experienced court closures and long delays in accessing justice.
Following an uplifting musical program by Larkin Street Glee, TNDC Executive Director Don Falk addressed about 100 guests in the verdant Tenderloin National Forest (a previous alleyway alongside the hotel transformed into a sustainable green/art space).
Gascón said he recognized that there are those who wanted him to “go for the jugular” and keep the trial going; others felt that the prosecution of Mirkarimi was a political vendetta. Gascón concluded that since “ideologues on both sides” may be disappointed in the plea agreement, “This gives me comfort and reassurance that I have not politicized the case and that I have done my absolute best to treat it like any another domestic violence allegation.”
Missing from his prepared statement was a recount of the events that occurred on December 31 that led him to this point. When pressed, he stated, “I understand that some of this continues and that I should be guarded.” He also did not respond to the question of whether he had the moral authority to continue running the Sheriff’s Department.
Steinunn Guðjónsdóttir was the event’s keynote speaker. Ms. Guðjónsdóttir is Project Manager of Shelter for Trafficked Women and Women Exiting Prostitution, in Iceland. She is in the US as part of an international visitor leadership program organized by the State Department, and researching domestic- and gender-based violence. She stated, “Violence against women is a symptom of gender inequality. We must address this.”
That was the takeaway question asked last night when as many as one hundred Golden Gate Bridge union workers picketed the Orchid Gala Benefit at Fort Mason, one of several celebratory events scheduled to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the world famous Golden Gate Bridge.
Gascón also stated that he will not seek the death penalty “in any case” when discussing a previously-cold 1983 murder case.
District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell stated that he was “honored to recognize a great district 2 resident who has been part of our lives for many years at ABC.” Farrell presented Tyler with a commendation signed by the Board.
The rotunda was festooned with pink balloons and red roses. Citizen guests excitedly took seats under the dome and gathered at all the balcony rails. Dignitaries were ushered to their reserved seating at the foot of the grand staircase.
Some residents at the meeting with John Stewart Company representatives felt that the representatives had been condescending and unwilling to take their concerns seriously. Some residents also began to fear that their benefits as affordable housing tenants were going to be diminished or taken away, ostensibly to make it easier for the developer to get rid of them and replace them with market-rate tenants.
Eileen Hanson, mistress of ceremonies, painted a sensitive and authentic picture of a “complicated person,” who could be “sweet,” but also “really bitchy.” According to Hanson, Michael loved gossip and the “blood sport that is San Francisco politics.”
Judge Breall refused to modify the order, stating that she found no change in circumstances in the week since the order was first imposed; that she saw no reason to depart from the usual domestic violence court procedures of separating alleged abusers from their alleged victims.
When asked how Mirkarimi’s family is doing, McElroy said, “Every night his son, Theo, asks for ‘Daddy.’ This is tearing the family apart, doing more damage than good. Isn’t it supposed to be the exact opposite of what family court is about?”
The ceremony was simple, but the celebrants were remarkable. No less than the Episcopal Bishop of California, Marc Andrus, and the Dean of Grace Cathedral, Jane Shaw, presided over the service. In attendance included Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Kamala Harris, State Senator Mark Leno, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, Supervisor Eric Mar, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and former Mayor Art Agnos.
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