The New York Times today began a Road To November series of mood-testing with voters across the country, beginning their survey in San Francisco, where “It’s frustrating to live in a city where everyone assumes that because you share airspace you also share political views,” according to the quantifiably named Joel Muchmore.

Among the slightly arresting details of life in the city discovered by the Times’ reporter are the “Ferry Terminal Market” — she means the Ferry Building Marketplace — and “last Sunday’s ‘leather/fetish’ street fair,” that is, the Folsom Street Fair. She cites the city’s universal health care initiative and the ban on plastic bags, though she fails to point out the ban applies only to markets and pharmacies.

But one bit of controversial public policy she missed completely is the ban on sales of tobacco products at pharmacies, which went into effect today. I just visited a Walgreens, and the cigarette display case was as bare as a Trick-or-Treater’s bag on Election Day.

AT&T has backed down on their plan to install 850 large utility vaults throughout the city. As reported back on July 15th, there was a supervisors meeting on July 29th, and several neighborhoods organized a significant opposition and showed during this Supes meeting. The following report from one of my neighbors who was there:
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Juvenile Raven(s), Inner Sunset.

A couple of weeks back we posted about a court battle that is raging in sf between a tenant and his alleged slumlords. The alleged were brought up on criminal charges and were jailed at the time with an amazingly high bail for their crimes. The judge has decided to lower bail and the fur is still flying as the husband paid bail and the wife sat in jail. And I guess the Chron published a picture of one of the accused today, although I missed that, maybe in the paper today?

Prosecutor Max Peltz urged that bail remain the same, saying Morrow was hardly a vexatious litigant. He also stressed that Morrow was just one of four tenants who allegedly had been victimized by the Macys.
Peltz said that over nine years, Morrow has filed four legal actions: a still-pending lawsuit against the Macys, one against the building’s prior owners in which he won a settlement, and the failed request for restraining orders against both Macys. Labeling Morrow a vexatious litigant was a baseless effort to “malign the victim,” Peltz said.

Bail cut for S.F. landlords in tenant terror case.

Thank you to the mayor and thank you to all the great people who lobbied and supported the right for all people to be married in the eyes of the law. Proud to be a californian today.

Great MLK quote from Dennis Herrera, “The arc of history is long, and it bends toward justice”.

Go Connecticut Go!

Here’s some video footage of the Gav at city hall yesterday.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=d4Ke8gEc4Hs[/youtube]

More video and poll after the jump

The California Supreme court released their statement today, ruling on the decision to legalize same-sex marriage. You can read the news release here.

San Francisco — The California Supreme Court today held that the California legislative and initiative measures limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violate the state constitutional rights of same-sex couples and may not be used to preclude same-sex couples from marrying. (In re Marriage Cases, S147999.)

The court concluded that permitting opposite-sex couples to marry while affording same-sex couples access only to the novel and less-recognized status of domestic partnership improperly infringes a same-sex couple’s constitutional rights to marry and to the equal protection of the laws as guaranteed by the California Constitution.

The decision directs state officials who supervise the enforcement of the state’s marriage laws to ensure that local officials comply with the court’s ruling and permit same-sex couples to marry. The decision becomes final in 30 days unless that period is extended by court order.

The Green Roof Industry Association has awarded the new Cal Academy of Sciences with an award of excellence for their green roof installation. The new Academy opens on September 27, 2008. The living roof is a key part of the platinum LEED certification the museum has accomplished. From the southeast view the building truly blends in to the landscape. From the west, see picture below, still a sight to behold.

The roof also retains 2 million gallons of rainwater, preventing 70% of the rainwater that falls on the roof from becoming runoff. The water that does run off the roof is collected in basement-level cisterns and reused for roof irrigation. No potable water will be used to irrigate the living roof.

The roof covers an ambitious 197,000 sq. ft. to a depth of 6-7 inches and cost $17 per sq. ft. In conjunction with the building’s other innovative sustainable features, the living roof contributes to many of the anticipated LEED® points, which, when achieved, will make the Academy the world’s largest LEED® Platinum -certified public space

Photo Credit: Peter Kaminski. H/t to Inhabitat.

[poll=14]

Here is the current state of affairs in SF.

Gas = $4.41 / gallon

Parking ticket = $50 (minimum fine, sfgate story)

“Raising parking fines will lead to more abuse on the streets,” said Luis Estrella, a San Francisco parking-control officer for the past eight years who said he was punched last year by a firefighter who got a $50 ticket.

Downtown meter violations, for example, will be fined up to $60, and parking in a street-cleaning zone will set drivers back $50. The city now makes about $90 million a year from parking fines. The increase would bring in an estimated $13 million more in the new fiscal year.

COLA Formula revealed!

According to CNN.com a SF resident was killed in Mexico late yesterday by a GrayTiger Shark Attack. Somewhere in the vicinity of Acapulco/Ixtapa region. The attack itself was another bite and release it seems and the man bled to death from the wounds. Sincere condolences to the family.

h/t to Surfpulse.

UPDATE: The name of the victim was released this morning, Adrian Ruiz. A well liked bartender with stints at Holy Cow, The Blue Light and Nova. More details as they come. Sad day for his family and surfers in SF.

Related:

• Tiger-shark attack in Mexico kills surf-loving bartender from S.F.
• CNN: U.S. surfer dies in shark attack in Mexico
• The Landlord, aka Great White – POLL
• Pacific Coast Shark News 2008

Fellow Metblogger Jason and I attended this event at City Hall last year where the Mayor addressed the SBA members and other small business interests during National Small Business week. If I recall the food was pretty good and abundant, entirely supplied by SF’s most numerous small business population, restauranteurs. Beginning May 12th through the 17th, there will be events around town including the following:

Highlights will include our annual Flavors of San Francisco celebration at City Hall the evening of May 12; Start Your Own Business workshops on May 13; a Green business forum and party May 16; technology summits by both Microsoft and Cisco Systems; and the State of Small Business in San Francisco discussion on May 14.

We hope you’ll join us to network, learn and celebrate. Registration is available at www.acteva.com/go/sfsbw

For more information, please contact Gary Marshall at 415 744 6771.

Related:

• Small Business Week Hits the City
• SF has 2d most bookstores per capita