The poor on-time performance of San Francisco’s public transit, which the city started reporting accurately over the summer, is officially a trend. Muni vehicles were on time 58 percent in September, up a little more than one percent from the previous month. But it was more than 10 percentage points lower than the numbers the […]
Yearly Archives: 2012
Posted inFrom the Newsroom, News
Fall membership drive — join now!
Did you hear that San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced at a press conference that he was investigating his department’s low rate of prosecutions for domestic violence? That was because of reporting in the fall 2012 edition of the Public Press, which found that San Francisco takes just 28 percent of cases to court […]
Posted inNews
Those Rooted at Water’s Edge Face Threat of Rising Sea Levels
Steve’s pickup truck bumps along a narrow dirt road running along the top of a levee. This is Tyler Island, in the San Francisco Delta, where Steve is a third-generation farmer; his son is being raised as the fourth. But Steve’s land lies 20 feet below sea level, and the levees protecting it from the […]
Posted inCity Hall, Education, Elections
Noncredit Classes in the Crosshairs for City College Board Candidates
Free “lifelong learning” classes for the community could be the first cuts as City College of San Francisco struggles to downsize and retain its accreditation, say several candidates for the college’s Board of Trustees. They spoke at a forum sponsored by New America Media. Four seats are up for election on the seven-member board.
Posted inNews
Clipper Cards Reveal Travelers’ Whereabouts to Cops, Lawyers, Apps
By Zusha Elinson, Bay Citizen San Francisco police arrested Marcel Largaespada on April 30 after a gunpoint robbery at a Lombard Street business, but they couldn’t catch his alleged accomplice, Alan McCahill. McCahill gave officers the slip, investigators believed, by hopping on a Muni bus. He was caught days later. To try to place McCahill […]
Posted inCity Hall, Domestic Violence, Law & Justice, Public Safety, Social Justice
City makes move to increase awareness of domestic violence
Supervisor Eric Mar Monday unveiled new efforts to raise awareness about domestic violence. Working with the Department on the Status of Women, Mar focused on working through the city’s workforce to educate the public and to help those city employees who are victims themselves.
Posted inNews
Ridesharing Is the Future, Says Former Cabbie
By Hannah Miller, Shareable Dean Clark loved being a cabdriver in San Francisco. The tall, laconic ex-Marine would drive night shifts after teaching full time as a special ed teacher, and even kept it up while running for city supervisor. But today, he swears by SideCar. Still active in the United Taxi Workers union and […]
Posted inCity Hall, Housing, Public Safety
S.F. to Appoint Earthquake Retrofit Czar to Push for Mandatory Program Next Year
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee next week plans to appoint an earthquake retrofit czar, whose job is to make sure seismic safety plans from last year don’t languish on the shelf until the next big temblor strikes. City officials hope the new manager will fast-track a proposal to require owners of thousands of buildings to retrofit, and he will be tasked with figuring out a way to assist owners who cannot pay for repairs.
Posted inNews
A New Oasis Developing in Southeast San Francisco
By Dhyana Levey, Bay Nature In a polluted industrial area in southeast San Francisco, city agencies and naturalists are carving out a series of oases along the San Francisco Bay meant to bring back wildlife and visitors. With recent sightings of rare birds — along with the reintroduction of a near-extinct plant — birders and […]
Posted inNews
Pesticides Harm Kids’ Health and Intelligence, Study Finds
By Viji Sundaram, New America Media Exposure to pesticides is one key reason why children today are more likely to have a wider range of diseases and disorders, such as cancer, autism, birth defects and asthma, than children of a generation ago, according a study released this week. “We have waited much, much too long […]