The Bay Area’s budding medical pot industry is facing a big tax bill. The IRS has ruled Oakland’s largest dispensary can not deduct business expenses. In a letter last week, the IRS told Harborside Health Center that it can not deduct standard expenses like rent, payroll and health insurance … because it traffics drugs. Harborside’s executive director Steve DeAngelo said the dispensary now owes the federal government $2.5 million in back taxes and penalties.
Category: Government & Politics
Posted inBetter Budget, City Hall, Government & Politics, Public Safety, Transportation
Millions in savings unclaimed; after audits, Muni revealed $20 million excess overtime
UPDATE 8/19/11: Hear reporter Angela Hart discuss her story with KQED News, a Public Press reporting partner (fast-forward to second item)
San Francisco could have saved at least $33.5 million over the last two years’ budgets if departments, commissions and contractors had acted on advice from regular audits pointing out government waste and inefficiencies. The savings, much of it coming out of transit and police employee overtime, could have reduced the need to cut some vital services this summer as local government agencies faced $380 million in projected deficits over the next year.
Some of the audits produced by a unit of the controller’s office have been implemented swiftly. Yet as many as 40 audit reports out of 70 performed since 2009 linger officially unresolved. The problem is, there’s no recourse if departments choose to ignore auditors. And after two years, the office is not required to follow up on the reports, which could explain why 14 additional audits highlighting potential savings of $700,000 were not indicated on a list produced by the controller’s office.
Posted inArts & Culture, Climate Change, Environment, Government & Politics, Media
Global warming urban landscapes too real for U.S. officials
RADIO DOCUMENTARY / SLIDESHOW: Artist Anthony Holdsworth, who painted a series of urban landscapes that depicted a future San Francisco flooded by rising seas, was invited to show his work last year inside the new “green” San Francisco Federal Building at Seventh and Mission streets. But before the opening reception, the show was ordered taken down. He said the image in one of his paintings, of oil burning on a flooded sidewalk in front of the building was too similar to the news footage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for federal authorities to bear. Undeterred, Holdsworth is mounting a new art show at the cafe at SFMOMA.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Immigration, Public Safety
San Francisco poised to revive ‘sanctuary city’ after feds deport more than 100 non-criminals
UPDATE 5/2/11: Sherriff Michael Hennessey wrote an op-ed piece in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle explaining his position on Secure Communities.
More than two decades ago, San Francisco took a stand against what it saw as an attack on undocumented immigrants. It imposed a “sanctuary city” policy, shielding people without papers who had been arrested on minor crimes and without criminal histories from federal immigration officials. Last June, however, the federal government introduced a database that began to vacuum up identifications of everyone arrested, looking for immigration violations. But now city officials are planning to again shield some immigrants in the San Francisco jail from possible deportation by refusing to hand them over. Sheriff Michael Hennesey says he believes this is permissible under federal law.
Posted inArts & Culture, Climate Change, Environment, Government & Politics
Proposal to ban shark fins in California heats up
Assemblymen Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) have proposed legislation to ban all sales and distribution of shark fins in the state. Both assemblymen say the shark population has decreased dramatically due to the popular rise of a Chinese delicacy of shark fin soup served at many Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area.
Opponents of the legislation like State Sen. Leland Yee says this is an attack on the Chinese culture and heritage.
Posted inElections, Government & Politics, Health, News
Tracking of medical pot data, key aim of state program, varies greatly by county
San Francisco hands back applications to cannabis card users
San Francisco is among the most active cities in California in easing access to medical marijuana, having issued more than one-third of the 47,828 cannabis cards in the state. But unlike surrounding counties, San Francisco has a long-standing practice of handing back the paper applications for cards and not recording the names of patients or the doctors who give them the required recommendations.
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 inEconomy & Business, Food Systems, Government & Politics, Labor, Media, Social Justice
New ‘Distress Index’ shows San Francisco’s economic pain is getting worse
New tool finds that recession started earlier in Bay Area
Some economists and business groups say the Great Recession is over, but how do communities really know whether they’re moving out of the recession or falling behind?
A ground-breaking new tool that measures the real-world impact of the recession is providing answers. It shows that in San Francisco, at least, the worst downturn in 70 years isn’t just continuing — it may be getting worse.
The new San Francisco Distress Index, which assembles 11 types of monthly economic indicators such as foreclosure rates and food pantry visits, has risen 11 percent since June 2009 — the month when, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the U.S. recession supposedly bottomed out.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Iraq veteran’s new battle: defeating ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Back in war zone as contractor, decorated sergeant yearns for return to military life
Anthony Loverde joined the military at 22 because he needed money for school, and because he felt a deep love for country. But the real reason, he said, was to gain discipline — to “fight being gay.”
Starting as an Air Force radio technician, he climbed quickly to the rank of staff sergeant, and then served as a cargo loader flying missions in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. His close crew of six did everything together — ate, slept, fought a war.
While the team built camaraderie, Loverde had to lie about his personal life constantly. One summer day in 2008, a battle buddy asked what was wrong. Loverde had to let his secret out: he was gay. Military procedure required his friend to tell their commander. After seven years of service, Loverde was discharged under the military’s long-standing “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
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.