The city says it spends $3.5 million annually on unclogging sewers from fats, oils and grease from food service establishments. A new ordinance that received a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors this week requires all restaurants to have a grease capturing device. The devices will be inspected by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to make sure they are working properly and are well-maintained.
Category: City Hall
Posted inCity Hall
Supervisors choose City Administrator Edwin Lee for interim mayor
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 on Friday for City Administrator Edwin Lee to fulfill the remaining term for outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom. Lee will become the first Asian American mayor of San Francisco when the vote is ratified at next week’s board meeting on Tuesday. Sheriff Michael Hennesey, who was also considered for the position, was rejected by the board 9-2.
Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, News
Board struggles to choose an interim mayor
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors spent eight hours debating who to select as interim mayor to finish Gavin Newsom’s term and ended up delaying any decision until Friday.
Angry lame-duck Supervisor Chris Daly blamed Board President David Chiu for a potential deal to install City Administrator Ed Lee in the post, vowing to “politically haunt you for the biggest fumble in the history of San Francisco politics.”
He then added: “It’s on, like Donkey Kong.”
Posted inCity Hall, Environment, Utilities
Illegal dumping costing city millions of dollars
The Department of Public Works wants residents to stop dumping unwanted items such as furniture and mattresses on city streets through a campaign launched last month and by the threat of fines of up to $1,000.
The department says illegal dumping is costing the city millions of dollars to clean up the mess left behind by residents and contractors. The city is encouraging residents to take advantage of free services offered by Recology Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate.
The San Francisco Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office are also working to find those responsible for dumping construction materials in the Bayview-Hunter Point area.
Posted inCity Hall, Homelessness, News
Steering city’s homeless focus from sin to sickness
In her new book on homelessness in San Francisco, “Hobos, Hustlers and Backsliders,” Teresa Gowan describes how former Mayor Frank Jordan’s framing of the issue in terms of crime and sin evolved into Willie Brown’s conflicted policies, finally emerging as Gavin Newsom’s version of “authoritarian medicalization” policies, most controversially the policy idea that got him elected in 2003, Care Not Cash. This essay condenses some of the discussion of the book (University of Minnesota Press, 2010).
San Francisco, a historical stronghold of the labor movement, civil rights activism and other social movement activity, embodies the tension between valuable public space and progressive politics to a high degree, an important reason for the central position of the “homelessness problem” in the city’s electoral politics over the last 25 years.
Posted inCity Hall, News
Board delays picking new mayor until January
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors decided to put off nominating and picking an interim mayor until early January.
On a 8-3 vote on Tuesday, the board delayed any decision to nominate Mayor Gavin Newsom’s successor until at least Jan. 4, 2011, the day after Newsom is scheduled to be sworn in as the state’s lieutenant governor.
The Jan. 4 meeting would be the last meeting of the current board before four new members take office.
Posted inCity Hall, Transportation
Muni says it will improve practice that forces riders off trains early
In the past several months, Muni riders have been frustrated by Muni light-rail vehicles turning around mid-route without informing them of the switch until the very last minute.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, addressed those concerns in a new report and plans to change some of its policies when turning trains around including operator announcements and displaying the correct final stop on the train display.
Posted inCity Hall, News
Effort to choose new mayor includes social network
UPDATE: Assemblyman Tom Ammiano issued a statement saying he will not accept any nomination to be interim San Francisco mayor, according to SF Weekly.
As the San Francisco Board of Supervisors prepares to hear nominations to pick a new mayor, one member of the board is turning to the Web to push his candidate.
Chris Daly posted a petition on the Change.org social network site to draft Assemblyman Tom Ammiano into seeking the mayor’s office that Gavin Newsom’s election to lieutenant governor will leave vacant.
Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics
City assessor running for mayor next year
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting filed for papers Wednesday morning to start organizing his campaign to become the city’s next elected mayor. He will join other candidates state Sen. Leland Yee, City Attorney Herrera and Supervisor Bevan Dufty.
“Politics is too important to leave to politicians alone. We need to engage the whole population to identify problems, to help fix them and most of all to hold government officials accountable for results,” said Ting in a statement.
He also said the city needs a mayor who can solve the ongoing budget problems, which he believes has the credentials to do so. He said his office has generated $245 million in new revenue without raising taxes.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, News, Politics
Supervisors announce open house for mayor’s office
Supervisors approved the selection and nomination process for Mayor Gavin Newsom’s successor and decided to hold a series of public meetings to solicit input.