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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Could Discovery of 'Extinct' Plant Toss Monkey Wrench Into Doyle Drive Rebuild?

Posted By on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 8:30 AM

The Franciscan Manzanita - © CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
  • © California Academy of Sciences
  • The Franciscan Manzanita
The other day we reported on the apparent discovery of a Franciscan Manzanita in the Presidio -- the first wild specimen of the native San Franciscan plant spotted since 1947. But, in a development that appears to be ironic -- without any mention of diabetics being flattened by insulin trucks -- the manzanita is smackdab in the middle of the planned route for the billion-dollar Doyle Drive redesign. 

According to Al Donner, an assistant regional supervisor with the federal Fish and Wildlife Service, a consortium has been cobbled together to decide what comes next. Representatives from the Presidio Trust, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fish and Wildlife, and expert botanists have a couple of weeks to bang out a conservation plan. Is it within the group's power to tell Caltrans to make costly and time-draining changes to the revamp of the state's most dangerous highway to save a single bush? Donner isn't sure -- but a member of the group told us it can. And yet, that group member also told SF Weekly that moving the roadway doesn't appear to be the route being taken with regards to saving the Franciscan Manzanita.

"The current location of the plant is a place where, even if you left it there, it's not really likely to become a functional population over time," said the group member, who insisted on speaking anonymously. "The goal should be the long-term persistence of the plant. Ideally, the recovery of the plant will involve essentially making it part of a population."

In short, many cuttings need to be taken of the bush and planted elsewhere, and an attempt needs to be made to replant the Franciscan Manzanita (this will be a risky maneuver). This is also the route favored by Professor Tom Parker of San Francisco State, one of the state's foremost experts on manzanitas. "I would rather see it moved to a place where it's protected better and plant more individuals next to it and basically start a population of them," he says. "There are a couple of different individuals in cultivation in botanic gardens. So it makes a lot more sense to me to restore a population into the wild rather than save a single individual in a place you can't really do that."

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Two More S.F. Cars Burned; Third In Two Days

Posted By on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 7:59 AM

www.lcpstc.org
  • www.lcpstc.org
San Francisco Police spokesman Sergeant Wilfred Williams has told SF Weekly that details are sketchy regarding the pair of vehicles charred at Sixth and Jessie at around 5:15 this morning. It is unclear at this time if this fire is related to any other car-immolating sprees around the city and Bay Area -- so many to choose from -- or if this is the start of a new one.

More than 20 cars have been burned this month in the East Bay, and, closer to home, more than a dozen were lit ablaze over the summer here in San Francisco. Meanwhile, only a day before this morning's fires, a car went up in flames in the Sunset/Parkside neighborhood.

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Media Advisory: Mayor Gavin Newsom's Schedule of Public Events For Nov. 19, 2009

Posted By on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 7:30 AM

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***MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM'S SCHEDULE OF PUBLIC EVENTS FOR Thursday, NOVEMBER 19, 2009***

The mayor has no public events scheduled. He will be hiking the Appalachian trail.  
                                  
              Note: Mayor's schedule and whereabouts are subject to change.

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San Francisco-Libs

Posted By on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 6:30 AM

JIM HERD
  • Jim Herd
PRINT IT OUT AND PLAY ALONG!

Chapter One: A Quick Spin Around Our City!

Welcome to San Francisco, the most (adjective) __________ city in the world. If you've got money and you're willing to (action verb) ________ it, and (same verb) _______ with abandon, come here. We need you to. Please. We don't know how to do anything else but take your money.

Most newcomers to our city (verb)  _______ at San Francisco Airport. Others may (verb)  _______ at the Greyhound terminal or take a break from searching for (something you don't want your mom to see) _______ on the Internet -- I mean, really nasty stuff, like (person in the room)  _______ and (San Francisco celebrity)  _______ with power tools and corn dogs, and caulking tape -- to find a ride on Craigslist. Welcome to you all!

Getting around San Francisco is easy -- you just need an incredibly high pain tolerance, absolutely no hard deadlines on your arrival times, and no sense of smell. Or, you could drive -- but this is getting harder and harder as some _________ (derogatory name) keeps ________ (verb followed by -ing) _______ all the cars. So, we'll introduce you to San Francisco's citywide pastime -- complaining about Muni. Getting (verb, past tense)  _______ by a bus is something of a cottage industry here. But it may be preferable to sitting on a seat with (fluid) _______ left behind to ferment. Please don't chat up the man with his pants on backwards yodeling off-key R. Kelly songs. If he loses concentration, he'll (violent verb)  _______ the bus.
 

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Amid His Other Troubles, Newsom's Fantasy Football Team Tanks

Posted By on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 5:30 AM

gavinmontana.jpg
You may remember a cute little story from the summer in which local mayors Gavin Newsom and Ron Dellums participated in a Yahoo fantasy football league -- with the winning mayor to receive a healthy little donation to the charity of his or her choosing.

Newsom -- and his right-hand men -- won our praise for thinking of the best name in the league (The Barbary Coast Bombers) and coming up with cool, city-related imagery for the team's Web page. But style is easier to master than substance.

Career-wise, this has worked out to be the winter of Newsom's discontent. In addition to his setbacks on the local, state, and national political stage, the city teetering on a financial abyss, and Chris Daly leaving that flaming bag of shit on the Newsoms' front porch -- The Barbary Coast Bombers have dropped three straight games.

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