San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2010/01/)
While the Bay Area Toll Authority met on Wednesday morning to vote on Bay Area bridge toll increases, dozens of bicycle activists demonstrated support for the building of a bicycle and pedestrian pathway addition to the Bay Bridge’s western span. They are pressing bridge officials to pave the way for a cross-bay bike lane. » Read more
The Ark House, a faith-based shelter for black gay, lesbian and bisexual teens, may shut its doors March 1 if the Department of Health’s proposed cuts are approved.
The program’s closure, which is expected to save the city more than $400,000 a year, is one of a handful the city hopes to enact in the middle of its fiscal year to balance the budget. » Read more
A Southern California political scientist had a rocky time during cross-examination Monday and Tuesday at federal court in the trial to overturn Proposition 8, the measure passed by voters in 2008 that limits marriage to a man and woman.
Defenders of the ban on gay marriage opened their segment of the trial Monday with testimony by Kenneth Miller, a professor at Claremont McKenna College. » Read more
As anticipated last week, the combination of heavy rainstorms and antiquated sewer systems have dumped millions of gallons of untreated, undertreated and diluted sewage into the bay and ocean. For at least part of last week, Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, China Beach, Baker Beach, Crissy Field and Candlestick Point were closed because of the unsanitary conditions, and some closures have continue into this week. The SF Appeal did not mince words about what exactly was dumping onto the beaches and into the water.
San Francisco is the only city in the Bay Area where water runoff from the streets flows directly into the sewer system, according to SF Baykeeper. While other cities in the region also have outdated systems, their overflows tend to come from leaking pipes and other antiquated equipment.
In 2008, an art collaboration between professional artists and youth from Literacy for Environmental Justice, headed by Wendy Testu, began in Bayview-Hunters Point. Using scavenged material, the group transformed refuse into art pieces — a mixed media collage, a visual listening pod, an “insert here” project, screenprint design and photomontage. » Read more
In an effort to educate visitors to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area about the 33 endangered species that inhabit it, Bay Area conservationists and local residents gathered Jan. 9 for the 2010 Endangered Species Big Year.
The event kicks off a 12-month program, which encourages people to be proactive when it comes to participating in conservation that will prevent species from going extinct. » Read more
News coverage of this week’s rainfall is almost as saturated as the weather itself, but one item being overlooked is the impact on San Francisco’s sewer system. Rainwater runoff from streets and sidewalks drains into the antiquated structure, where it joins the city’s untreated wastewater. During heavy bursts of rain, the system can become deluged and overflow into the bay or ocean. Last winter Richmond and Sausalito spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons into the bay. San Francisco runs the same risk with every significant rainfall.
If the California red-legged frog and its main predator — the San Francisco garter snake — survive, it will likely be due to one man: Brent Plater.
The 35-year-old environmental lawyer, rarely seen in public without a freshly pressed suit and a gold-plated belt buckle with his name on it, has single-handedly brought the fight to close the Sharp Park Golf Course to the attention of San Francisco city leaders, who are on the verge of making the city-owned course in Pacifica a high-profile example of local leadership to save endangered species on public lands. » Read more
This week McSweeney’s is doing a second print run on the San Francisco Panorama. This was a Sunday sized broadsheet paper of over 300 pages (I still haven’t finished my copy) complete with a front page investigation on the Oakland Bay Bridge. The Bay Bridge report was completed by our friends at the San Francisco Public press and funded by over 150 small contributors at Spot.Us. The full investigation into the Bay Bridge can be found here. With more copies in the door the SF Public Press is making one last offer to try and reach our fundraising goal for this pitch.
Transit agencies across the state are facing a move by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to take $1 billion in transit funds as he attempts to counter California’s budget deficit, the San Francisco Examiner has reported. The timing could not be worse in San Francisco, where Muni ridership has increased 1.1 percent in the first nine months of 2009, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The trend runs counter to national statistics that show a decline in public transit ridership.
The Chronicle cited American Public Transportation Association officials, who blamed the national decrease on service cuts, fare increases and high unemployment. That doesn’t bode well for San Francisco: In the first week of December, Muni cut six lines and reduced service to several others.