Commentary by Cindy Sheehan

January 7, 2009

My eyes are red from crying as I write this.

The images of bloody babies and maimed children and mothers and fathers wailing in pain are too much for me to bear!

Today, the defense forces of Yahweh’s “Chosen People” bombed two UN refugee centers. The schools, which Israel knew were being used as refugee centers (the UN was idiotic enough to give the GPS coordinates?) were demolished, dozens of innocent Gazans killed and Israel makes the convenient claim that Hamas was using the playgrounds as rocket-launching pads, which has been denied by the UN.

Mr. “One President at a Time” famously said: “I am not against war, I am against dumb wars.” Even though he has resisted commenting on the horror being perpetrated in Gaza right now, we know what side he is going to weigh in on, as when he was in Jerusalem in July, 2008 and told Israeli president Shimon Peres: “For most of Israel’s 60 years, you have been deeply involved in this miracle that has blossomed,” and while in Sderot, in Southern Israel, which is, as most of Israel is, built on Palestinian land, he affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself from the very weak Hamas rockets.

Memo to Mr. “Only One President at a Time,” we know you love Israel and get that you long ago sold out to the American-Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the US/Israel imperial-military cabal, but no Palestinian baby has fired rockets from Gaza.

(more…)

By Chris Daly

January 4, 2009

John Avalos, Community Organizer

District 11 Supervisor-Elect John Avalos

I first met John Avalos back in 1999 at his old place in the Excelsior, across from Monroe Elementary School. By this time, John was already well known in community organizing circles for his work at Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. John and his partner, Karen Zapata, had opened up their home as the Excelsior mobilizing spot for Tom Ammiano’s campaign for Mayor. I can remember thinking how lucky we were to have such a great connection in the Excelsior, a neighborhood that had been notoriously difficult for progressives.

Between 2000 and 2004, John served as the Director of Organizing for Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth and as Political Director for Justice for Janitors, SEIU Local 1877. At Coleman, John led the citywide outreach effort to pass the reauthorization of the Children’s Fund. He also brought Coleman to the next level of advocacy around the City budget, organizing service providers and residents to directly engage on the defining questions facing City Hall decision-makers. At Justice for Janitors, John mobilized political support for 2 contract campaigns, ensuring that over 2000 workers received wage increases while preserving healthcare and retirement benefits.

City Hall Savvy

In early 2005, I invited John to work as a Legislative Assistant in my office. It was one of the best decisions I have made as a Supervisor. Over the last 4 years, I watched as John Avalos adroitly managed legislative and political affairs, always taking time to hear from everyone while watching out for our City’s most vulnerable.

Most notably, John was able to use his experience as an organizer to open City Hall’s doors to ensure that the voices of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities were clearly heard during budget deliberations. John was able to demystify the budget process for community stakeholders while coordinating sometimes-tedious budget discussions between Supervisor offices, the Budget Analyst, Controller, and Mayor’s Budget Office. John played much of this role at City Hall even in the years that I didn’t Chair the Budget Committee. Through John’s work, tens of millions of dollars worth of vital services for childcare, health and mental health programs, park restorations, and senior support were saved from the chopping block. And tens of millions more were added for affordable housing and other programs.

Let’s be honest here, there are several Legislative Assistants that are more involved in the day-to-day running of local government than many members of the Board. John was one of these “leg aides” and was known as the go-to-guy on budget matters. His even-handed work on the City budget drew strong praise across the political spectrum with accolades from Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Ross Mirkarimi!

(more…)

January 1, 2009

Democrats, it’s time to clean the House. Start at the top.

When the 111th Congress convenes in January, it is time for a change — a change of the Speaker of the House. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) in her two years as speaker has enabled a pro-Bush, pro-corporate agenda almost as facilely and frequently as Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

In November 2006, voters put Democrats in the majority in Congress to end the Iraq occupation and hold Bush responsible for the war. But among the first things she did when she became speaker was take impeachment off the table, giving Bush a blank check to wage the Iraq war for two more years.

Showing disdain for those opposed to the war, Pelosi snubbed peace demonstrators outside her San Francisco home, morphing into Bush who refused to meet Cindy Sheehan and peace protesters outside his Crawford, Texas, compound.

Under Pelosi’s leadership, Congress gave Bush a half-trillion dollars for the Iraq war Pelosi said she wanted to stop. More than 1,200 U.S. soldiers and thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children have died since Pelosi became speaker.

Continue reading Take Nancy Pelosi Off the Table as Speaker of the House

January 1, 2009

Ellen Leopold does a masterful job of showing us how our government’s Cold War mentality played a sinister role regarding radiation therapies in the treatment of cancer. Her book, Under the Radar, often reads like ghoulish science fiction gone amok - except that it all really happened. She takes us through a labyrinth of government agencies, none of which sought to protect us from the deadly effects of radiation.

Leopold walks us through the decision-making process of how byproducts of the bombs we dropped on Japan were later used in peace time as training tools for the government to test how much radiation a human body can safely tolerate. This was in the guise of cancer treatment using cobalt radiotherapy, and without the knowledge or consent of the patient. These can only be called what they were - secret radiation experiments. Bone-chilling and Orwellian, she shows us how those treatments were more military than medical.

(more…)

By Chris Daly

December 31, 2008

As I close out my 8th year on the Board of Supervisors, it is with some sadness that the District 6 office says goodbye to a few individuals who have done significant work on behalf of the people of San Francisco.

Lena Gomes twice served as Legislative Assistant – in 2004 and 2008. In addition to managing complicated legislative efforts, including reform of the massage industry, protecting San Franciscans from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and saving the Heart of the City Farmers Market, Lena staffed the Rules Committee, managed the office and interns, and fielded constituent requests. Lena will stay on until February, at which time she heads back to San Francisco State for a Masters Degree in Literature.

Rachel Redondiez began working as a Legislative Assistant weeks after I first took office in 2001. Rachel came from HERE Local 2, San Francisco’s hotel and restaurant employees union, where, among many other organizing campaigns, Rachel ran the independent effort to elect me in 2000.

It would be impossible to do justice in this forum to Rachel’s 8 years in the office. Rachel has been at my side through thick and thin, offering sage advice and deep perspective – often being the one to steady the ship. The savviest political insiders figured out that if you needed help from the District 6 Supervisor, Rachel was a much better person to contact than me.

Rachel did much of the groundwork to get Bessie Carmichael rebuilt alongside the new Victoria Manalo Draves Park. Rachel was the main force behind the tenants of Trinity Plaza in their struggle to save their homes. Rachel was the inspiration for paid parental leave and has been point on most of our affordable housing, immigrant rights, worker rights, and community-initiated initiatives.

Outside of our office, Rachel helped found the Filipino Community Center in the Excelsior, served as Secretary-General of BAYAN USA in 2006, and co-founded the SF People’s Organization to promote unity and organization within San Francisco’s progressive politics. She also keeps busy with her ROCK STAR kids, Amihan, Kali, and Malaya.

Rachel Redondiez with ROCK STAR kid Malaya at last year’s Holiday Treat Throwdown.

While Rachel will leave the office at 12 noon on January 8^th, she won’t be going too far. She’ll be senior in the most experienced office at the Board of Supervisors with her home-district Supervisor and co-worker of 4 years, John Avalos.

Rachel Redondiez, Karen Zapata and Supervisor-Elect John Avalos on election night.

(more…)

By Nathan Frankel

December 30, 2008

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a second consecutive day in San Francisco yesterday to draw attention to what many are calling a human rights catastrophe in Gaza.

In downtown San Francisco, demonstrators snarled traffic outside the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in hopes of persuading the California senator to take a tougher stand against Israeli aggression.

The event was organized by several organizations including the Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace and Direct Action to Stop the War.

As many as 360 Palestinians have been killed and over 1400 have been wounded since Israel began its aerial bombardment of the occupied territory on Saturday. Reports indicate that many of the Palestinians killed were civilian police officers not connected to Hamas, and the United Nations says 62 of those Palestinians killed so far have been women and children. Five Israeli’s have been killed by Hamas missile strikes since the airstrikes began.

Israel Air Force fighter-bomber jets have dropped more than one hundred tons of explosives on Gaza since Saturday while Israeli defense forces and armored corps troops have been deployed to the border. The situation in Gaza is especially dire as the 1.5 million inhabitants have been deprived of food and medical supplies for the past 18 months. Hospitals are overwhelmed and many have not been allowed to restock their supplies for over a year.

Barbara Lubin, Executive Director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, has been working in Gaza for 20 years and will  return in two weeks with medical supplies. She said the supplies will have to be delivered by boat via Cypress because of an Israeli blockade.

When asked why it is appropriate to demonstrate in front of Feinstein’s office, Lubin said it is hypocritical of the senator, who is Jewish, to call for justice in Tibet and Darfur and be silent over the humanitarian issues that have existed in Gaza for many years.

Lubin said there will have to be major changes now if we’re going to stand collectively for human rights in the occupied territories.

Sami Kit of the Arab Resource and Organizing Council said it is important to pressure our elected officials and provide people with historical context.

“Israel made it clear they intended to starve Gaza over the past 18 months,” Kit said, “and that’s exactly what they’ve done. It’s important to get information out about the conflict, that the continuing violence is not simply the result of Israel defending itself.”

December 30, 2008

The Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California (SABA) have joined forces on a campaign launched by the ALC to save immigrant jobs and businesses at San Francisco International Airport.

The San Francisco Airport Commission is considering an administrative plan to terminate the existing 11 existing door-to-door service permits and to authorize issuance of requests for proposals (RFPs) for 4 on-demand shared-ride service agreements for service between San Francisco International Airport and the Five Bay Area Counties.

Existing door-to-door service permit holders transport thousands of travelers to and from SFO every day. The proposal before the Airport Commission is to have 2 companies serving all of San Francisco and 2 companies servicing the South and East Bay.

Approval of the proposal will result in the loss of over 300 mostly immigrant jobs.

Small, locally owned companies that do not fit within the requirements of the proposal will have to shut down. Their drivers, mechanics, and administrative staff, many of them South Asian, will be out of work.

“ALC is already concerned about harmful labor issues alleged against bigger businesses in this market,” said Veena Dubal, Asian Law Caucus staff attorney. “Eliminating the small, locally-owned companies, as the current proposal will surely do, will only serve to reward the bigger businesses for engaging in cut-throat business practices that demean their employees while maximizing their own profits.”

Veena Dubal

ALC and SABA are further concerned about the negative consequences to the thousands of customers who use shared-ride services everyday if the Airport Commission adopts the proposed administrative plan.

“The loss of these small, locally-owned companies will negatively affect customer service and result in less competitive pricing for customers traveling to and from SFO,” said Khurshid Khoja, President of the South Asian Bar Association. “Curtailing competition in this presently vibrant market will only serve to harm the interests of the consumer.”

The ALC has published a position paper related to the situation. It can be viewed online at: http://savesfoshuttles.wordpress.com

The ALC and SABA have come together to urge the community to send e-mails to Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Airport Commissioners urging the Airport Commissioners to vote against the proposed administrative plan to squeeze out many of the immigrant-owned and immigrant-employing shared-van services at SFO.

Details on how to join and help the campaign can be found at:
http://savesfoshuttles.wordpress.com/how-to-help/

Added Dubal, “Given that we are in the middle of a recession of historic proportion, this plan, if executed, will be devastating for these 300 workers and their families. We urge the Airport Commission to revise their current plan.”

ASIAN LAW CAUCUS (ALC) – The mission of the Asian Law Caucus is to promote, advance, and represent the legal and civil rights of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, the Asian Law Caucus is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society with a specific focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income and Asian and Pacific Islanders. Visit: asianlawcaucus.org.

SOUTH ASAIN BAR ASSOCIATION (SABA) – With over 500 members, the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California is the largest regional South Asian Bar Association in North America. As the voice of the Northern California South Asian legal community, SABA advocates for the South Asian community, supports those who value diversity in the legal profession and promotes programs that assist lawyers in their work. For more information about SABA visit: southasianbar.org.

By Patrick Goggin

December 26, 2008

From the rise of Barack Obama to marking 30 years since we lost Harvey Milk, 2008 saw the message of hope reverberate from shore to shore and around the world. Concurrently, we witnessed the resurgence of hate via the galvanization of white supremacist groups as Obama’s popularity grew through the year and in California’s vote to ban gay marriage. As we look back at the year hope battled hate, there is much to be hopeful for.

The year began with Obama’s resounding primary win in Iowa. A truly American story of a man of Kenyan and Kansan descent hailing from the state of Lincoln, Obama bucked the odds of political corruption historically running roughshod through Illinois and brought us a President-Elect whose leadership 70% of the country remains hopeful about despite our dire circumstances and the Blagojevich scandal.

(more…)

December 17, 2008

It may turn out to be one of the most lasting images of the Bush presidency. The leader of the free world ducks as an angry journalist throws a shoe at him. President Bush was in Iraq to sign an agreement that would require — by Iraqi and international law — that occupying US forces withdraw. Shoes were thrown, things went haywire, and we had the Iraq war in miniature — a nearly perfect metaphor for the whole thing. While Bush was talking about how wonderful things are in Iraq, Iraqis hate him for how awful things are in Iraq. Telling that lie here, where we’re protected from the truth by a play-along media, is one thing. Telling that lie there, where they live with the truth every day, is another thing entirely.

Middle east expert Juan Cole tells us that the shoe-thrower, Muntazir al-Zaidi, was reacting to the things he had witnessed in his country, calling out, “Killer of Iraqis, killer of children!” as the guards took him down.

[Zaidi] had covered the US bombing of Sadr City last spring, in support of PM Nuri al-Maliki’s incursion into this stronghold of the Sadr Movement and its Mahdi Army, and is said to have been emotionally affected by the sight of that destruction

The frequent US bombing of civilian Iraqi cities that are already under US military occupation has been one of the most under-reported stories of the Iraq War.

Raining death from above tends to make people angry, I guess. As an American, I wouldn’t know — that’s just something that happens in other places. Places we invade. It’s the sort of thing that we do to other countries, so I wouldn’t have any idea what it feels like, what it looks like, what it smells like, or how it the memories wake you up in a cold sweat. Never having been on the receiving end of aerial bombings, I’m not in a position to know these sort of things. Living within the empire has its privileges.

(more…)

December 17, 2008

George W. Bush. US president: January 20, 2001 - January 19, 2009. Born of privilege. Unimpressive by every measure. A history of underachievement. Chosen by big money. Arranged through electoral fraud. Installed by the Supreme Court. Empowered by a dubious “terrorist” act, and ending with a record unmatched by the worst of his predecessors. Assessing the Bush legacy - from its illegitimate birth; through its lawless, belligerent years; to the world potentially on the brink at its end. Exploring it fully as a change of command approaches, and an unenviable task awaits the new incumbent.

As Texas Governor

Looking to Election 2000, big monied interests knew what they wanted and got it in George W. Bush. In his 2000 book, “The Dirty Truth,” Rick Abraham (a former Texas environmental law enforcement officer) documented his record as Texas governor from 1995 - 2000 when “he championed the agenda of the state’s biggest and worst corporate polluters,” according to commentator, author, and former Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower. In return for huge political contributions and jump-starting his presidential bid, he:

– lobbied for a national radioactive waste dump in Texas;

– told the public it was mostly for x-rays and other hospital waste;

– solicited nuclear power waste from other states;

– corrupted the state’s environmental standards to accommodate polluters;

– failed to provide protection from industrial pollution, air toxins, and hazardous wastes;

– did it all secretly;

– stripped municipalities of local control over land use and environmental protections;

– let state parks languish in decay and disrepair, and this was only his environmental record.

He was staunchly pro-business, anti-civil liberties, unresponsive to public needs, and presided over more state executions than any other governor in the nation since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. His own aides at the time called him a man who enjoys killing, and not one to trust with the presidency as it turned out.

(more…)

December 16, 2008

I guess the big news this week is that some guy in Iraq winged a pair of shoes at President Bush’s head. All the news reports are telling us that this is a “sign of contempt” in Iraq, but it’s hard to think of a place in the world where it would be a sign of anything else. It may not be universal, but it’d still be a pretty clear signal of disrespect anywhere you go — “And now, in our traditional welcome, we shall batter you with shoes…” Still, shoes must be dirt cheap in Iraq, because you know that guy’s probably not getting them back. I’m sticking with flipping the bird. Especially in this economy.

The shoe story has been so big that it’s knocked other stories off the front page. Blagejovich has become “Blag-who-evich?” If the Governor of Illinois had known that was all it took to take the media heat off him for a moment or two, he might’ve hired someone to throw a pair of size 10s himself. That’s one way to get a little breathing room.

But the shoe-chucker also knocked a developing story off the media radar. And that story’s bigger than Blago. It’s a developing story with international implications. Where the neocons in the Bush administration thought they could rebuild the world by knocking stuff down and blowing people up, others want to rebuild the world by rebuilding the world.

(more…)

December 16, 2008

“I’m not insulted. I don’t hold it against the government. The guy wanted to get on TV and he did.
I don’t know what his beef is, but whatever it is, I’m sure someone will hear it.”
- George Bush to ABC News after Iraqi Journalist, Muntazar al-Zaidi threw two shoes at him.

I have vacillated over the past 8 years on whether George Bush is the stupidest man in the world, or the the most evil. I think that the above statement may prove he is both. He seriously does not know what al-Zaidi’s “beef” is? Does George really believe that his cause was “noble” and that Iraqis should be grateful to that “dog” for destroying their country and killing over a million people?

Since the US is currently being governed in the highest office of the land, if not the world (for now), by the stupidest/evilest man on the planet, what does that say about Americans? We elected him, not once, but twice! “But, Cindy” you may protest, “he stole both elections.” Yes, that is true and well-documented, but what did you do after Bush stole the elections? Did you storm the White House demanding his resignation? Did you work for election reform? Did you even go to a protest to demonstrate your dissatisfaction? I shamefully did not the first time he (with Al Gore’s help) stole an election in 2000, but you can bet I have protested my heart out since 2004.

If we lived in almost every other country in the world, the protests against such theft of democracy and lies would have been militantly protested. In 2006, Calderon stole the election from Obrador leading to Obrador’s supporters shutting down Mexico City for five months! Many Mexicans today claim fealty to the “legitimate” government of Obrador. Here in America, we are lucky to shut down an intersection in DC for two hours!

It is also being reported that al-Zaidi detests “America and Americans.” If true, he does not make the distinction between Americans and our government, and he should not. Our government is supposed to be a reflection of us. That means that we are a nation of greedy, self-serving, corrupt and callous people. For years, the majority of Americans have been theoretically against the occupation of Iraq and today it hovers up towards three-quarters of us. We see less than a fraction of a percent of the 225,000,000 US citizens who oppose the wars out protesting them and we saw a popular mandate for a President-elect who NEVER promised to end the occupation and, in fact, promises to increase the forgotten occupation of Afghanistan which will soon vault to the forefront.

(more…)

By Luke Thomas

December 14, 2008

Jingle Bells! Oh what fun it is to participate in the annual SantaCon drunkathon when hundreds, if not thousands, of yuletide revelers from all over the Bay Area don inexpensive Santa suits and go on a massive pub-crawl in San Francisco.

And did I mention everyone gets drunk off his or her tits? Well, not everyone gets completely plastered, but everyone is having the time of their lives - just what the doctor ordered to shake off those holiday season blues.

And so it was, Saturday, when the streets of San Francisco became artfully decorated with an army of yo-ho-ho-ing bearded Santas, peacefully and joyfully marching from one watering hole to the next, spreading seasons greetings, love, generosity, and the real spirit of Christmas.

The first SantaCon got its start in 1994 after Suicide Club founder Gary Warne read an article in Mother Jones about a Danish political group that mobbed a department store in Copenhagen. The article inspired Warne to organize a non-political version of the same event in San Francisco.

Since then, SantaCon has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with many different interpretations of the event.

“I wouldn’t call SantaCon a protest against commercialism, but it may as well be,” said one Santa, who joked she was from the North Pole. “More accurately, it’s an event about culture jamming, a mild form of anarchic expression all rolled into one massive have-a-great-time holiday cheer pissup.”

(more pics after the jump)

(more…)

By Dee Kennedy

December 12, 2008

On Thanksgiving night past, a rare gem with diamond sparkling eyes said his final goodbyes to his beautiful family and close friends and embraced death with no fear and with a smile and an open heart.

He knew he was ready. Clearly he heard the call for the next chapter of his soul’s adventure, and like the warrior he was in life, he exercised his nobility, integrity and beauty in his final moments.

We all mourned his passing while celebrating the life of one of Ireland’s most exquisite exports - Anthony “Tony” Guilfoyle.

I had the pleasure of being a close friend of Tony’s since 2001, a year after I emigrated to San Francisco from Ireland, at the age of 20. Tony would come into the little diner I worked in, Herbs, in Noe Valley, almost every morning.

As all Irish do when we recognize the old accent, there is an immediate connection.

‘Ah, you’re Irish!’ he said.

“I am indeed,” says I.

‘Where are ya from?’

“Kilkenny, and you?”

‘Ennis, County Clare,’ says he.

“Great. How long have you been over here?” says I.

‘Oh God girl, I’ve been here a long time, came here when I was 20.’

“Same as meself.”

(more…)

December 11, 2008

Have you heard? George W. Bush is the Bestest President Ever — hands down, no contest. He’s the smartest and the most successful and the handsomest and we were damned lucky to have him for the last eight years. Otherwise, we’d all have been killed by al Qaeda or Democrats or bears or something. Anything good that happened to you during the Bush years? Bush’s work. Anything bad? Democrats fault. That is, if it really happened at all and wasn’t just media hype.

Like soviet propagandists, Team Bush is looking to edit certain events and airbrush certain people out of the history books. It’s called the “legacy project” and, under the direction of master propagandist Karl Rove, the goal is to rewrite history in Bush’s favor.

Weekly Standard columnist and leading neocon Stephen Hayes spilled the beans on CNN earlier this month, telling a talking-head panel, “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of this and there’s an ongoing Bush legacy project that’s been meeting in the White House, really, with senior advisers, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes has been involved, current senior Bush administration advisers and they are looking at how to sort of roll out the President’s legacy.”

It’s typical of Bush and the neocon mindset. All problems are problems of perception — if a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there, it doesn’t make a sound. If you can’t be happy and informed, then the obvious solution is to be happy and ignorant. Failing that, the next best thing is to be happy and misinformed. If no one knows there’s a problem, there is no problem. If everyone says there’s a problem, then that’s just the media over-hyping a bump in the road to “bash Bush.” In the Bush White House, problems aren’t solved by action, they’re solved with public relations campaigns, propaganda, photo ops, and denial.

(more…)

By John Hoctor

December 9, 2008

No it’s not the name of an indie rock ‘n’ roll band but the Mike Malloy Show interacting with his faithful fans at Broadway Studios in North Beach made for edgy entertainment together last Friday in North Beach. Local Green 960 AM and Broadway Studios paired to bring the 20-year on-air radio talk veteran and “night screamer” Malloy to a standing room only crowd in the Bay Area studio.

The former popular Air America talk host, who was fired in 2006 from that progressive network for his polemics including being anti-Israel, looked like a demure, graying, wiry, Lenny Bruce or George Carlin morphed with ’60s standup comedian Professor Erwin Corey—or a revivalist eager to deliver to his choir two hours of unrepentant, uninterrupted irreverence.

(more…)

By Elaine Santore

December 9, 2008

Fog City Journal attended the 10,000-members strong San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s 2008 Winterfest Sunday night at SOMArts and walked right into Rob Anderson’s ninth circle of hell. Even though Anderson’s been invited by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi to Winterfest three years in a row, Anderson refuses to show up.

 
A fedora-wearing Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi disappears into the night,
disappointed after being stood up by Rob Anderson. Again.

Of course, yours truly felt like a bit of an impostor in a sea of over 1,000 bicyclists because I haven’t ridden a bike since I was twelve. (I’m pretty sure that bike is still in my parents’ garage in Daly City.)

The SF Bicycle Coalition is the largest bicycle advocacy organization in the US.

The packed crowd at SOMArts.

I made the mistake of admitting this recently in front of a group of SFBC members, including Executive Director Leah Shahum, while they were giving Walk & Bike for Life Executive Director Gil Peñalosa a bike tour of San Francisco in November. FCJ ran into their crew while filming Supervisor Chris Daly’s video about that old dude nobody’s heard of.

Here’s how it went down:

(more…)

By Luke Thomas

December 8, 2008

After a four-year investigation costing taxpayers over $1 million, the San Francisco Ethics Commission today found former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall guilty on two of six counts of alleged campaign finance violations.

Hall was levied a staff-recommended $6,000 fine for failing to keep adequate auto-expenditure records and using a campaign credit card to purchase personal items during his 2004 supervisoral re-election bid.

The most serious allegation, that Hall used campaign funds to repay a $12,000 personal loan to District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd aide Olivia Scanlon, did not meet the burden of proof, the commission said. That count alone carried a maximum $240,000 fine.

Charges related to the use of campaign funds for meal expenditures following Hall’s withdrawal from the 2004 race for supervisor were also dropped.

(more…)

By Marc Salomon

December 8, 2008

It has become clear that the cause of economic collapse has been the hyper-commodification of housing in service of the finance, insurance and real estate economy (FIRE) – a classic economic bubble. As the monetarists at the Federal Reserve kept interest rates artificially low over the past 15 years, in order to keep the economy out of recession, a side effect of that was to flood the housing markets with cheap money.

That flood of cheap money artificially increased demand for housing which drove the price skyward. Whether that linkage was intentional or not, it is clear that it would have been well worth the pain of deeper recession at some point over the past ten years to deflate the housing bubble before its deleveraging consumed the economy in a paroxysm. This was the latest and largest of several bubbles, running back from the S&L scandal of the 1980s, to the Dot.com boom and bust of a decade ago, and has been a characteristic mode of operations of American capitalism since Ronald Reagan and Paul Volcker.

(more…)