“It’s apparently too much trouble for the Board President and his three paid assistants to inform citizens about the junket, why he went on it and what benefit it is to us that he took the trip. No report on Chiu’s BOS page and nothing on his Twitter feed or at his Facebook page.”
SF BOS Prez Chiu: Circumcision and Junket to Israel [Petrelis]
“The reports also raise troubling questions about the procurement process under Alvarez, but indicate they will ‘offer no conclusions’ on whether Alvarez was illegally manipulating contracts to bidders with ties to City Hall in an effort to keep his job.”
Henry Alvarez seen as harsh boss by staff [Chron]
“Chiu said his work on the proposal was to ‘ensure that this legislation will both address the plight of TIC owners in the current condo-conversion system and protect San Francisco renters.'”
Condo conversion legislation suffers setback at SF board [Ex]
“Slimming down the booklet would have required the approval of the Board of Supervisors. But, by a 7-4 tally, the supes spurned such an amendment in June of last year. Not only was Wiener was of those seven votes against truncating the text, he was the only one to speak against doing so.”
Scott Wiener Proposes Stripping Down City Voter Guide [Weekly]
“It still won’t count as “lobbying” when individuals or groups pour dollars into campaigns cajoling the general public to besiege elected officials with calls or e-mails”
Fat Cats and Big Fish: New Rules Won’t Starve Those at the Top of the Political Food Chain [Weekly]
“Monster may now be perceived as The Drink So Juiced They Tried to Make It Illegal, or The One The Man Tried to Take Away.”
Forbidden-Fruit Flavored: The City’s Efforts to Prevent Kids From Guzzling Monster Drinks May do the Opposite [Weekly]
“Check that out: Brown — who works for the Chronicle as a columnist — said he can’t talk to a Chronicle reporter because he’s at a luncheon. BTW, he’s used the exact same excuse with me a bunch of times, including once at 4pm. He has a lot of luncheons. And they seem to last most of the day.”
How SF politics (and journalism) really works [SFBG]
“Brown doesn’t disclose his legal clients, and so readers cannot know certainly if the former mayor—whose client list has over time included a plethora of prominent entities that do business with the city, state and national governments—does or doesn’t stand to profit from the people and the deals that he and other Chronicle scribes write about.”
Legendary political deal-maker Willie Brown writes a column in the San Francisco Chronicle, raising eyebrows higher than the Golden Gate Bridge [CJR]
“Swanky neighbors from the Ritz Carlton condos complained that the project will bring too many people and too much traffic, but the Planning Commission went ahead with the environmental certification anyway. “
Very Appealing: Swanky Ritz Carlton Neighbors Appeal Mexican Museum Condo Project Up Before Supes [Curbed]
