AltWeeklies Wire
San Francisco Park Rangers Want More Power, Gunsnew
Not long ago, San Francisco park rangers comprised a mere five part-time guards whose main tasks included giving directions to parkgoers, scolding dog owners, locking park bathrooms at night, and shifting the occasional homeless camper. That was before Marcus Santiago came along.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
02-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Nurses' Union Joins Antidevelopment Forces to Prevent a New Hospital from Being Builtnew
There's something to be said for exploiting the process of issuing building permits for squeezing public amenities like parks from companies. But in San Francisco, participants in these sorts of tactics sometimes lose sight of all that's at stake.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
02-04-2009 |
Housing & Development
Hope, Change, and Parking: Support for a Modest Condo Project in San Francisconew
San Francisco faces a life-or-death question: Are we willing to behave like a dynamic city and grow, or even flourish? The debate over the Valencia Street project serves as an indicator as to how the city might answer that question.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
01-21-2009 |
Housing & Development
California Regulators Admit 'Shredder Waste' from Junked Cars is Unsafenew

In September, regulators wrote to auto recyclers saying that the state's 1988 policy on shredder-waste handling would be rescinded. This policy shift largely went unnoticed by the public, but it was momentous.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
12-03-2008 |
Environment
Car Recycling is a Huge Generator of Hazardous Wastenew
Donating your old car to charity may make you feel good, but it doesn't necessarily create a net benefit for the environment.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
12-03-2008 |
Environment
Change Hasn't Come to San Francisconew
While the city's streets may have filled on the night of Nov. 4 to celebrate an electoral revolution against racial injustice, its famous left-wing politicians frequently ally themselves against African-American interests. And those politicians' most cherished dreams have no practical effect on improving city slums, stemming violence, or creating jobs.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
11-13-2008 |
Commentary
Public Transit Agencies May Pay Billions for Risky Deals with Bankersnew
San Francisco is suddenly at risk of paying $140 million to bankers who six years ago convinced the city to use its Muni trains in a $1 billion sham tax shelter. Cities such as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York are suddenly facing similar potential payouts.
The American Dream's $700 Billion Price Tagnew

The most important lesson of the country's recent financial turmoil has gone untaught: The United States might be better off financially, economically, and socially if it were more like San Francisco and were a nation of renters.
SEIU Boss Andy Stern Wouldn't Mind if McCain Gets Electednew
America's most powerful labor leader finds himself in an unusual and ironic position where his own political interests may run contrary to those of the labor movement itself. Stern could conceivably find himself harmed, rather than helped, by an Obama victory.
Facing Foreclosure? Con Man Paul Noe II Has a Deal for Younew
A few months ago, Dustanto Lopez got a phone call from someone offering him a tempting, if screwy, deal with a company called United First, Inc. that would supposedly help postpone foreclosure proceedings. What Lopez didn't know was that the president, secretary, treasurer, and director of that recently registered Nevada shell company was a con man.
Dubious Study Claims San Francisco Cops Extort Sexnew
When Proposition K supporters tell you -- without offering anything close to proof -- that the SFPD is populated with horny shakedown artists whose felonious habit is fed by antiprostitution laws, you should know this claim lacks substance.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
09-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Insiders at San Fran's Daily Paper Hate the Ex-Mayor's New Columnnew
People in and around the San Francisco Chronicle newsroom -- which still includes news scribes dedicated to the pursuit of truth -- are sickened by the new Willie Brown deal. "Real journalists in the room were appalled by it," said one insider familiar with the mood at the paper.
How Bike Riders and Car Drivers Can More Safely Coexistnew
Educating police, motorists, and cyclists about traffic safety might be an important part of the route toward U.S. economic security, environmental sustainability, and a possible end to oil wars.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
05-08-2008 |
Transportation
Public Health Advocates Want Gay Hookup Websites to Promote Safe Sexnew
For public health advocates, the internet is the new tobacco. Just as the "right to smoke" as an important civil liberty has been largely discredited, the "right" of sex website owners to profit unfettered from the spread of diseases such as syphilis and AIDS should also go by the wayside.
Let the Sun Shine, You Hypocritesnew
Journalism is under attack from lefties who promote public access to information.
Tags: media