AltWeeklies Wire
Earth Day Turns 40new

The largest secular holiday in the world was born in 1970 — and its chief organizer has lessons for the movement 40 years later.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Tim Redmond |
04-14-2010 |
Environment
Tags: Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day
Alice Waters Protested for Supporting Human Waste as Compostnew
The proprietor of Berkeley’s fabled Chez Panisse has emerged as a staunch and unlikely defender of fertilizing your garden with sewage sludge compost, which SF officials have recently discontinued giving away because of environmental concerns.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Brady Welch |
04-01-2010 |
Environment
How Artsy Renegades Reignited a Movement to Reclaim the Urban Environmentnew
Increasingly, the tactics and spirit of outlaw urbanists, designers, and artists are being adopted inside San Francisco City Hall, and the result is starting to look like a real urban design revolution -- one that harks back to a movement that was interrupted back in the 1970s.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Molly Freedenberg and Steven T. Jones |
11-18-2009 |
Housing & Development
Rolling Strikes are Fresh Tactic in the Labor Struggle Against Hotel Chainsnew
Two consecutive three-day strikes by San Francisco hotel workers signaled a change in strategy for local labor, which is struggling to hold on to past gains in an increasingly bitter contract dispute during this economic downturn.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Dan Abbott |
11-18-2009 |
Business & Labor
California Dopes Out Marijuana Bill as Legalization Petition Gets Passed Aroundnew

Two serious bids to legalize marijuana in California are moving forward simultaneously. And while decisions won't be made for months, both efforts have generated interest from around the world.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe |
11-04-2009 |
Drugs
San Fran's Mayor Forces a Legal Stalemate While Hundreds of Kids Face Deportationnew
City Hall echoed with delighted whoops of Si se puede! last week, as a veto-proof majority of the Board of Supervisors voted to give juvenile immigrants their day in court before referring them to federal immigration authorities. But the battle over the civil rights of immigrant kids is far from over.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Sarah Phelan |
10-28-2009 |
Immigration
Censored! The Top 10 Stories Not Brought to You by Mainstream Medianew

Every year since 1976, Project Censored has spotlighted the 25 most significant news stories that were largely ignored or misrepresented by the mainstream press. Here's what you might not have read this year.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe |
09-30-2009 |
Media
Tags: media, Project Censored
Bedbugs Attack: Bloodsuckers Have Become Public Health Problem in San Francisconew

Bedbugs are back and they're eating San Francisco alive, sticking their blood-hungry proboscises in transient gutter punks, international travelers, homeless people, doctors, lawyers, and yes ... maybe even you.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
John Eastland |
09-16-2009 |
Science
The Harshest Cut: Brutal Devastation of Clear-Cutting in the Sierra Continuesnew
A decade ago, logging and forestry practices in the Sierra were big news. Media reports, protests, and legislative action focused on Sierra Pacific Industries' practice of slicing through entire large tracts of land, hacking down every tree, bush, and seedling and leaving nothing but devastation behind. But most of the news media have long since moved on to other issues -- and the clear-cutting continues.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Cecile Lepage |
09-10-2009 |
Environment
The Water Wars: San Francisco Bay and the Delta Are Dying and It Might Get Worsenew
Years of massive water diversions are putting the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary at risk. Massive projects that take freshwater from the delta appear linked to declines in bay and delta fisheries, threatening not just endangered species but California's salmon fishing industry, which lost more than $250 million last year as a result of declining salmon runs.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe |
09-02-2009 |
Environment
Are Party Girls Starting to Catch Up With the Boys When it Comes to Meth Use?new
In the early 2000s, crystal meth abuse became so rampant in San Francisco that city officials formed the Crystal Methamphetamine Task Force in 2005, which focused on the gay men's party circuit. But while the boys got the attention, the drug appears to now be taking an increased toll on women. Has focusing on men meant that women users aren't getting enough information on reducing harm?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
C. Nellie Nelson |
08-19-2009 |
Drugs
Marijuana Decriminalization Moves Forward on Several Fronts in Californianew

Reform advocates are making an intriguing argument: if state or local governments legalize and tax even a fraction of marijuana sales, the state could see billions of dollars in new annual revenue and reduced enforcement costs.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Sarah Phelan |
08-19-2009 |
Drugs
The Algae Solutionnew
The San Francisco Bay may soon host a dramatic new environmental project that backers say could solve three problems at once: clean wastewater, remove carbon from the atmosphere, and produce biodiesel fuel.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Gabrielle Poccia |
08-05-2009 |
Environment
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s Reliability Costs Businesses Millionsnew

A Guardian review of available data shows that customers of PG&E lose power much more frequently than customers of municipally owned and operated utilities.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Megan Rawlins |
08-05-2009 |
Economy
Health Care Reformers Fear the Cure May be Worse Than the Diseasenew

With President Barack Obama and congressional leaders in a strong position to finally overhaul the health care system, this should be a momentous time for the reform movement. So why are so many advocacy groups unhappy?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe and Steven T. Jones |
07-22-2009 |
Science