San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2009/07/)
City leaders settled their differences with a bake-off. Photo by Patricia Decker/The Public Press.
Life in City Hall — excruciatingly bitter for months — just got a little bit sweeter.
Weeks of debate and political wrangling to pass the $6.7 billion budget, one that brought the worst deficit the city has seen since the Great Depression, left relationships between two of the supervisors strained. » Read more
A new tenant for the Japanese Tea Garden concessions could move in as early as September – thanks to the support of the full board at Tuesday’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting.
Photo by moonlightbulb
Carol Murata, owner and operator of Murata’s Cafe Hana, was unanimously recommended July 22 by the parks commission to become the new occupant. » Read more
Residents, merchants and those anxious over the transformation of one of San Francisco’s most traveled corridors will have a chance to voice their concerns at tonight’s discussion of the Geary Bus Rapid Transit system.
Co-hosted by Supervisor Eric Mar and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the meeting will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. » Read more
By Jessica Wertheim
The Public Press
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, "there is a 70 percent probability that one or more damaging earthquakes of magnitude 6.7 or larger will strike the San Francisco Bay area during the next 30 years."
And San Francisco is taking no chances. The city’s newest project, headed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, is the construction of a five-mile long tunnel located under the San Francisco Bay.
The tunnel, which will lie 103 feet beneath the floor of the Bay, would provide protection to the Bay Area’s water supplies if a major earthquake were to compromise other sources. "By building extra tunnels and strengthening our pipelines, it means we have much greater assurance that we’ll have water after the next earthquake," said Ed Harrington, general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
The tunnel also will be replacing "two large steel pipes built in 1925 and 1936 that sit on the floor of the bay." According to a recent article in the Oakland Tribune, these pipes could easily break in a major quake, which would effectively cut off water for weeks to many major cities.
By burying the tunnel deep into the earth, in "stronger, tighter materials, there is much smaller vulnerability to being pulled apart from shaking and liquefaction," said David Schwartz, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. "From an engineering point of view, it’s much stronger."
In addition to the construction of the tunnel, pipelines, water treatment plants and the Calaveras Dam also will be rebuilt over the projected timeline of five years. The retrofitting will result in the stabilization of the structures so each could "withstand a quake of up to magnitude 7.9 on the San Andreas fault and 6.9 on the Hayward fault."
The tunnel’s undertaking is scheduled to begin next spring with the projected completion date of 2015.
By Patricia Decker
The Public Press
Residents, merchants and those anxious over the transformation of one of San Francisco’s most traveled corridors will have a chance to voice their concerns at tonight’s discussion of the Geary Bus Rapid Transit system. Co-hosted by Supervisor Eric Mar and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the meeting will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Ave. The forum also will address pedestrian and street improvements included in the project. As the longest uninterrupted east-west artery in the city, Geary Boulevard transforms as it traverses from the ocean to the Financial District — from a six-lane, two-way roadway cutting through the Richmond and the Western Addition to a three-lane, westbound-only street downtown. By introducing a dedicated transit lane along the boulevard’s widest portion —between 33rd and Van Ness avenues — the transportation authority said it anticipates congestion will be relieved along the entire length of the corridor, which is also the city’s second most widely traveled street, carrying an estimated 55,000 daily transit riders.
By Lizzy Tomei
The Public Press
Part of the community-funded City Budget Watchdog series
Joanie Marguardt (left) and Meshá Mongé-Irizarry (center) protest the impending closure of Southeast Mission Geriatric Services. The Department of Public Health plans to relocate the center’s program to a facility on Ocean Avenue. Photo by Monica Jensen/The Public Press. The impending closure of a 25-year-old Mission Street mental health clinic will force its clients to travel two and a half miles to seek essential services. The change has frustrated advocates for the elderly and health care workers, who say the city’s decision to consolidate services with another center on the western side of the city doesn’t do much to help balance the city’s budget but is a major disruption for hundreds of physically and mentally vulnerable adults.
By Samantha McGirr
The Public Press
The passenger-injury rate on light-rail trains in San Francisco has steadily increased since 2003, according to data provided by the Federal Transit Administration. In 2003, accidents involving SF Municipal Railway trains injured 21 people, a number that grew to 70 passengers by 2008. A weekend crash that injured 48 people brings the 2009 total to 68 passengers. The accident occurred when a westbound train smashed into another train parked at West Portal Station Saturday. It is believed that the operator of the train blacked out before the crash after shifting his train from automatic to manual control.
A film about the death of American activist Rachel Corrie is causing a stir at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which began Thursday. Photo courtesy the Rachel Corrie Foundation.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival opened its 29th season Thursday night amid controversy surrounding one of its 71 films, which has the Jewish community up in arms. » Read more
By Samantha McGirr
The Public Press
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a controversial method for alleviating California’s soaring deficits: reducing the population of state prisons by 27,000, CBS 5 reported Wednesday.
This reduction would be accomplished by moving some inmates to county jails and by releasing others, including aging and ailing inmates, to home confinement. His administration said the plan would save California $1.2 billion, putting a dent in the state’s $26.3 billion deficit.
Strong opposition from the Republican Party has removed the prison proposal from the budget-balancing agreement they will consider Thursday, and leaders from both parties said they would revisit the issue in August. Republican lawmakers are not the only ones opposing the governor’s plan.
A new, national study on HIV infection will look at San Francisco’s gay black male community’s level of participation in HIV intervention measures – including testing, counseling and other health and social services.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health HIV Research Section AIDS Office will be conducting the San Francisco part of the UNITY study. » Read more