Kibitzer Jon Golinger, who last month compiled Ethics Commission travel gift reports to show that the Chinese Chamber gave $19,506 in travel gifts to politicians, isn't dropping the subject.
It isn't often that you read about a police officer breaking the law -- and getting busted. But San Francisco police have arrested one of their own boys in blue.
Police announced on Wednesday evening that they have arrested Officer Gregory Hui, charging him with fraud and theft while in uniform.
Most people who live on the streets or in Portland, Ore., don't take showers -- and it's unsavory. But how can anyone expect a homeless person to find a job that pays them enough to live in an apartment if they don't lather up routinely?
San Franciscans certainly see the value in grooming, which is probably why our idea of charity is giving away old bottles of Chanel body creams.
During the month of December, we donated more than 500 pounds of soap, 300 pounds of shampoo, 600 toothbrushes, and 70 pounds of toothpaste as well as combs and deodorant -- all of which go to the city's homeless population.
On a near-daily basis, media outlets including SF Weekly receive a plethora of press releases from elected officials who are also gunning for higher office. The two who are most prolific with press releases are San Francisco's City Attorney Dennis Herrera and State Senator Leland Yee -- both very credible candidates for the 2012 mayoral race.
Since Monday, Yee has fired off a slew of press releases on subjects including the number of bills he has introduced in the last two weeks and his campaign finance records in his race for mayor. On Jan. 25, Herrera released a statement that urged the state to investigate pipeline safety-- a topic that is nowhere near his jurisdiction as city attorney.
Are these cases of elected officials using their current office to campaign for another position? The answer is absolutely, yes. And while Yee and Herrera are not doing anything illegal, candidates who are also incumbents need to make sure they are taking up issues that are germane to their office.
Political pundits point out that using your office to campaign goes with the territory. "It's kind of like the guy in high school -- when you think about him, you don't remember him doing anything, but when you look through your yearbook he is in every photo," said Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution.
It's been a tough year at the Nor-Cal Herbal Relief Patient's Cooperative on Ocean Avenue.
First, the place at 1545 Ocean Ave. caught on fire on Sunday. Then, while firefighters were responding, they found an illegal pot growing operation in the upstairs bedroom of the building where the cooperative is located.
Lastly, the Department of Public Health suspended its operating permit for 30 days.
Busted -- times three.
We've devoted a lot of ink over the past two months to problems with forensic science at the DNA division of the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab. In December, SF Weekly reported that records of a DNA sample mix-up had been destroyed and that a prosecutor's memo criticizing the DNA lab had been concealed, among other problems.
But DNA analysis is just one branch of forensic science, and for those interested in the broader field's additional problems, ProPublica and California Watch are must-reads this week. The two nonprofit investigative reporting sites have published stories in a major series, "Post Mortem," documenting errors in death investigations by coroners and medical examiners across the country.
Last month, San Francisco's score on keeping the city smoke-free was elevated from average to slightly above average, thanks to Supervisor Eric Mar and his passion for nanny government.
But here is an even better, less obtrusive way for the government to help make the community free of nicotine: Get people to stop smoking. State Senator Leland Yee is making a second attempt at forcing health insurance companies to cover tobacco cessation. His first attempt was vetoed last year by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It's hard to say whether Americans are more disgusted with insurance companies or financial institutions. Wells Fargo Bank is at the center of a class action lawsuit where the lead plaintiff claims the bank froze personal accounts, keeping her from accessing money to pay for rent and food for her family.
The lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco court on Jan. 31, claims that Brooke Yarbrough filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Jan. 14, 2011, on behalf of 100 people involved in the suit. When she filed for bankruptcy, she petitioned that her personal account at Wells Fargo -- which is based in San Francisco -- remain active so that she could use it for living expenses.
The bank, without giving Yarbrough any notice, wrongfully froze her accounts. She was unemployed with no access to credit cards or other loans, according to the lawsuit.
In this week's cover story, "Captain Outrageous," we explain how Chris Daly's tub-thumping bellicosity blew up a pricey America's Cup deal, saving San Francisco millions.
Daly isn't the easiest guy to talk to, but he's a ready quote. He says what's on his mind and, assuming you're not some sort of family publication hung up on R-rated language, you can actually print what he says. Interviewing Daly at his bar is a bit like watching him in action at the Board of Supervisors: He never sits down, he curses whenever he sees the need, he insults his political foes at regular intervals, and he's besieged by loudmouthed drunks. Now, however, the drunks aren't cut off after two minutes of public speaking. And they must pay.
See below for a video of Daly explaining his take on the America's Cup in what are, very much, his own words.
"We are both happy and relieved that they have been delivered from
what our overseas contacts described as an unstable situation," Yudof told the Appeal.
