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.

The hearing was yesterday afternoon — it went more than three hours. Many friends and neighbors showed up to testify on our behalf. (Individuals, San Francisco Beautiful, Coalition for SF Neighbors, and neighborhood organizations from Pacific Heights and Telegraph Hill to Potrero, Buena Vista and the Western Addition) When it was clear that the Board was leaning towards a motion to return the issue to SF planning for environmental review (a likely result even when there was a motion to continue for a month — since their was agreement that it was very unlikely that ATT could make any changes in that short period), Supervisor Peskin persisted in asking if AT&T would therefore like to withdraw their application.

After asking for the 3rd time, the lawyer testifying on behalf of AT&T asked to confer with her client. Obviously one of the AT&T people was senior enough to make such a decision and agreed that the company would withdraw it’s application !!!

This means that all ATT/DPW activity is stopped — no excavation permits for previously approved locations, no DPW review of requested locations, no accepting new ATT requests. ATT will have to submit a new application and will undergo a focused environmental review (for example, the EIR probably does not have to discuss impact on water quality !!!)

ATT has said they want to make this work — although they could threaten to put San Francisco at the bottom of the list for the technology upgrades. We have won the battle, but have not won the war. We will to stay in touch with you as AT&T develops its next stage plan.

Nice that AT&T wants this to work for their SF customers… Friggin monopoly tactics.

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.

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]

And MSNBC “Breaking the story”:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=kMPC9uamsvk[/youtube]

[poll=15]

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 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]

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.

Considering that a quarter buys you five minutes in downtown SF this should create *at least* the 13MM boon the city is expected from the fine hike. For perspective NYC fines $65 for expired meters. The difference between NY and SF is manyfold of course. Better public transit and more cabs.

Golden Gate Bridge Toll = $7 (sfgate story)

Tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge could rise as high as $7 during the morning and evening commutes and on weekend and holiday afternoons, under a pair of proposals released today and to be considered by bridge district directors Friday

The fun isn’t just for the lucky motorists in this town though, there is much talk of an increase in muni fares which should compound problems like the lack of cabs and parking in this town.

Muni Fast Pass = $60 (sfgate story)

Charging $60 for a FastPass – a $15 increase – would generate an estimated $17.7 million more a year; raising the adult cash fare to $2 would bring in between $13 million and $14.8 million more a year, according to Sonali Bose, chief financial officer for the Municipal Transportation Agency.

Imho this is the formula for bloated city payrolls and bureaucrats. I’m not a mathematician but the formula looks a little like this:

Gas + Fines/Parking + Tolls/Congestion Pricing + Muni rate hikes
- bike lanes/parking – safe pedestrian routes – education funding
= FUCK YOU SF

Kind of makes you wonder who is cashing in on the misery?

[poll=13]

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

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