http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress San Francisco Bay Area News, Arts, Culture and Politics Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:55:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en From the Office of City Attorney Dennis Herrera March 18, 2010 Constitutional amendment 'profoundly misled the citizens who were induced to sign the petition' and voters who are asked to adopt it. The City and County of San Francisco today joined with public entities from throughout California in a lawsuit to strike the ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/18/san-francisco-municipalities-sue-to-strike-prop-16-from-june-ballot/ Vice President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Photo: Flash 90 By Ralph E. Stone March 14, 2010 In President Obama’s June 2009 Cairo Islam speech, he called for a Palestinian state and a freeze on Israeli settlements. The Obama administration seemed to be announcing a neutral U.S. policy in all things ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/14/israels-snub-of-us-mid-east-peace-heard-around-the-world/ San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom attached a bronze plaque to the historic Ambassador Hotel, Wednesday, as part of a new initiative that creates an historic preservation district in the Tenderloin. Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas March 12, 2010 The lure and allure of San Francisco’s oft-neglected Tenderloin District got another boost Wednesday when Mayor ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/12/tenderloin-allure-on-the-rise-newsom-announces-historic-preservation-initiative/ William Chadwick By William Chadwick Editor's Note: William just returned to San Francisco after a few months back in his home country, England, and is looking to rent a room from a kind soul who would enjoy his company and his penchant for theater, screen and play writing. March 12, 2010 So I am ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/12/are-you-a-needer-or-a-haver/ Photo by Luke Thomas By Ralph E. Stone March 12, 2010 On March 17th, the Irish, the more than 70 million world-wide who claim Irish heritage, and the Irish-for-a-day, will be lifting a pint of Guinness, or something stronger, to toast Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. I bet corn beef ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/12/a-toast-to-saint-patrick/ Concerned citizens watch a February 26 meeting of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency which met to discuss Muni service cuts and fare increases to close a $12.1 million budget shortfall in the current fiscal year. Photos by Luke Thomas  By Sue Vaughan March 10, 2010 On Friday, February 26, facing yet another in an ongoing series ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/10/minding-muni-part-ii/ In celebration of International Women's Day, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown presented Farah Makras (left) and Michelle Lacourciere (right) of the Sirona Cares Foundation with an 'Unsung Heroine' award in recognition of their work with orphans and families in Haiti. Photos by Luke Thomas From Global Arts and Education March 9, 2010 In celebration of ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/10/six-san-francisco-women-honored-on-international-womens-day/ From Asian Law Caucus March 9, 2010 Groups Request to Examine Dragnet in Muslim American Communities SAN FRANCISCO - The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC), The Asian Law Caucus (ALC), and the San Francisco Bay Guardian filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today seeking records relating to federal government activity in ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/09/records-sought-in-fbi-surveillance-of-northern-california-mosques/ Swiss-born artiste Mona Caron was honored Saturday during an official unveiling of her mural entitled "Windows into the Tenderloin." Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas March 8, 2010 A recently completed mural in the Tenderloin by acclaimed artiste Mona Caron was officially unveiled Saturday with much fanfare, enthusiasm and celebration. Located on the corner of ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/08/caron-mural-a-symbol-of-tenderloin-transformation-and-renewal/ By Cindy Sheehan March 6, 2010 My request to interview President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela was finally granted March 2nd while we were down in Montevideo, Uruguay with President Chavez for the inauguration of the new left-ish president and freedom fighter, Jose Mujica. The reasons I went down to Venezuela with ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/06/chavez-to-sheehan-we-are-not-anti-american-we-are-anti-imperialism/ From the Office of Mayor Gavin Newsom Editor's Note:  We welcome and laud Mayor Newsom's renewed efforts to close an unprecedented $522 million budget shortfall while preserving jobs and services.  However, we believe more can be done to save all jobs and preserve all services whole.  Missing from his shared sacrifice ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/06/newsom-highlights-efforts-to-save-jobs-and-services/ Photos by Luke Thomas By Luke Thomas March 5, 2010 As many as ten thousand students, parents, school faculty and union members took to the streets of San Francisco yesterday as part of a coordinated day of action to protest cuts to education. Dubbed "The Strike and Day of Action to Defend Public Education," ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/05/thousands-amass-to-protest-education-budget-cuts/ By Ralph E. Stone March 5, 2010 Rent control was enacted in San Francisco in 1979. Enough time has passed to justify an independent empirical study of the effects of rent control, if any, on the quantity and quality of housing in San Francisco. All San Francisco properties with a first Certificate ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/05/time-for-a-study-of-the-effects-of-san-francisco-rent-control/ In a world threatened by Peak Oil, Transit Oriented Development is a development concept aimed at encouraging the development of housing and commercial centers around mass-transit systems. By Marc Salomon March 4, 2010 Over the past ten years, the San Francisco Department of City Planning has rezoned much of the east side of ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/04/what-is-transit-oriented-development-supposed-to-be/ Charles Washington's wife and his Australian-born 13-year-old stepson (not pictured) won a 60-day reprieve yesterday from deportation proceedings following a reexamination by federal immigration authorities of the family's legal status. Photos by Luke Thomas By Hope Johnson and Luke Thomas March 4, 2010 By now, most of us are aware of the plight of the ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/04/ice-grants-washington-family-60-day-reprieve/ Cartoon by Jose Luis Pavon By Luke Thomas March 2, 2010 In a letter addressed to Board President David Chiu, Supervisors David Campos, Ross Mirkarimi and John Avalos, District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly today urged continued support of a June ballot measure proposal that aims to provide tenants most impacted by the recession ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/02/daly-pens-letter-urging-support-of-tenant-financial-hardship-measure/ From the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club March 2, 2010 Tonight, Northern California public officials and clean energy advocates will hold the first public education forum on San Francisco's CleanPowerSF project, which is planned to bring the City 50% clean renewable electricity within the next decade, at the same or lower cost ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/02/harvey-milk-club-to-host-public-forum-on-cleanpowersf-project/ Ralph Nader Photo by Luke Thomas By Chris Hedges March 2, 2010 We owe Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney an apology. They were right about Barack Obama. They were right about the corporate state. They had the courage of their convictions and they stood fast despite wholesale defections and ridicule by liberals and progressives. Obama ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/02/ralph-nader-was-right-about-barack-obama/ A homeless man in the Tenderloin could be subject to a maximum 30 days imprisonment if a proposed sit-lie ordinance is passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Photos by Luke Thomas By Greg Kamin March 2, 2010 San Francisco Supervisors David Chiu, Ross Mirkarimi, and Bevan Dufty held a hearing yesterday on a ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/03/02/sit-lie-dog-and-pony-show/ By Sue Vaughan February 28, 2010 San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius jumped onto the "blame the drivers for Muni's woes" bandwagon, Thursday, writing, "Riders have already seen fare hikes and service cuts and they may face them again thanks to Muni operators who rejected a proposal for a package of concessions ... http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2010/02/28/minding-muni/