Free Republic

The FBI's motto is "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity." But given the FBI sting against Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow -- a convicted felon who was freed from prison in 2003 because the feds got him to testify against a confederate -- I suspect that a more apt motto might be "Fuggedaboutit." On Thursday, San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phil Matier and Andy Ross identified San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee as another public figure who was drawn dangerously close to the FBI's "Shrimp Boy" trap. According to their report, FBI operatives donated $20,000 to Hizzoner's 2011 mayoral campaign. Likewise, agents reportedly tried to cozy...

A federal grand jury on Friday charged a California state senator with more felonies in addition to the eight counts he already faced in a sweeping organized crime and public corruption case centered in San Francisco’s Chinatown. […] Yee pleaded not guilty to the original eight charges. He will have to enter a plea Wednesday to the charges in the new indictment. The new accusations allege that San Francisco Democrat offered to help pass legislation making it harder for professional football players to obtain workers compensation in California, in exchange for campaign contributions from an unidentified NFL owner. The new...

San Francisco lawmakers narrowly agreed Tuesday to place a 2-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks on the November ballot, a move that promises to turn the election into an expensive fight between the beverage industry and public health advocates. The city’s Board of Supervisors voted 6-4 to ask voters to approve the tax on sodas, sports drinks and other beverages sweetened with sugar and sold in the city. It would have to be approved by two-thirds of the electorate to take effect. City officials have estimated the measure would raise somewhere between $31 million and $52 million a year. The proceeds...

If two of the most progressive U.S. cities don’t pass a tax on sugary drinks, will the idea finally fizzle out? Sugary drinks have been under fire for years, with many blaming them for rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases. Yet efforts to curb consumption by imposing taxes and other measures have failed, in part because the beverage industry has spent millions to defeat the efforts. Now, the question of whether a bottle of Dr. Pepper with 64 grams of sugar should be treated like a pack of cigarettes is being considered in San Francisco and Berkeley, with the...

Bill Ayers shouldn’t be interviewed; he should be jailed. Megyn Kelly’s interview of Ayers, made reference to the role of Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn in the bombing-murder of San Francisco policeman Brian V. McDonnell. Unfortunately, Ayers lied his way through the interview, which aired over two nights on her nightly Fox News Channel show, “The Kelly File.” But this is what happens when a professional liar like Ayers does a “shocking” TV interview. The exchange may achieve high ratings, but nothing good will come out of the interview unless Kelly now follows up with the “Justice for Victims of the...

(Must see video...Ugh) The limitless imagination of the American marketing mind came to the fore again this week, as a San Francisco Burger King franchise unveiled its “Proud Whopper” in honor of LGBT Week. It’s exactly the same as a regular flame-grilled Whopper, but inside its rainbow-colored wrapper read the words, “We are all the same inside.” Senior Vice President Fernando Machado told Fox News, “It showcases who we are as a brand. It shows how we, as a brand, believe in self-expression.” The fast food chain even produced a video to highlight the campaign, ending with a little girl...

When Target, Inc. attempted to spread good will in the San Francisco Bay area—a market it was entering—the department store chain encountered resentment of its efforts to refurbish a public school library—from the librarian. target remodel library “I want my son to come home from school telling me what he has learned about whales or poems or the water cycle, not about Target’s mascot Bullseye or where we should shop,” school librarian Rachel Cloues writes in the summer issue of the magazine Rethinking Schools. While many parents might sympathize with this sentiment, it should be noted that it comes only...

Just for the San Francisco Gay Pride 2014, Burger King introduced a new burger: the Proud Whopper.

When I think of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, I think of the decadeslong building of the new eastern span, the shameless political grandstanding for a project that ran $5 billion over budget -- and the construction headaches that live on. Brian Maroney, Caltrans' chief engineer for the bridge, sees something entirely different. He sees a visual stunner that delights drivers as they emerge from Treasure Island to gasp at a skyway with twinkling lights curling toward the East Bay hills. He thrills at the experience to the user, especially at night. Most importantly, he sees a bridge that is...

San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge moved a big step closer to getting an oft-debated suicide barrier after bridge officials on Friday approved a $76 million funding package for a net system that would prevent people from jumping to their deaths. The bridge district's board of directors voted unanimously in favor of the funding for a steel suicide net. The funding sources are $20 million in bridge toll revenue, $49 million in federal money and $7 million from the state. ... funding for the project remained a major obstacle. A significant hurdle was overcome two years ago when President Barack...

He's done it again. For the second time in less than a year, Tim Lincecum has pitched a no-hitter against the weak-hitting San Diego Padres. Lincecum (6-5) allowed just one base runner: a second-inning walk of Chase Headley. He struck out six on 113 total pitches, using a big-breaking curve to set up his fastball. He also added two hits at the plate and scored two runs. The Giants won the game 4-0. Lincecum threw his other career no-hitter last July, also against the Padres. In last year's no-hitter, he walked four and struck out 13 on 148 pitches. The...

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco's city attorney issued a cease-and-desist demand Monday to a mobile app called Monkey Parking, which allows people to auction public parking spaces that they're using to other nearby drivers.

With all the crazy stories that have consumed the news cycle this week -- multiple murders, incredibly hot felons, and a pyromaniac drivers -- we decided to bring it down a notch just in time for the weekend. So meet this adorable Golden Retriever named Murphy who was reunited with her family this past weekend -- two years after getting lost in the wilderness in Tahoe. According to news reports, the pup was with her parents -- Nathan and Erin Braun -- in October 2012 when she vanished into the woods. The couple posted flyers and even created a Facebook...

Few onlookers would mistake a Maserati for a Muni -- and, for those experiencing difficulty making the distinction, here's a primer. When a hulking Muni bus parks itself over a mechanics' pit, much-needed maintenance ensues. When a minuscule Maserati attempts to do the same, it finds itself in need of maintenance of a different sort. SF Weekly obtained the above photo of the late May mishap. Bus operators on the scene at the Potrero Muni yard joke that the Maserati driver must have been hit with a sudden and overwhelming desire to work for Muni. That's one explanation for abruptly...

A man was held up by a robber with scissors for his slice of pizza in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood Friday night, police said. The 31-year-old victim was walking down the street near Jasper and Green streets around 9:40 p.m. Friday when a man believed to be in his mid 30s held him up with a pair of scissors, police said. The suspect demanded that the victim hand over his slice of pizza and he complied. The victim then went home uninjured and the suspect got away with the slice, according to police.

Photographer Jeff Chiu took this amazing photograph of a fan catching a home run with his left hand while holding a baby at Sunday's Giants-Rockies game at AT&T Park. Aaron Hernandez Due in Court to Seek Dismissal of Charge The catch came during the third inning. The fan later walked away calmly as people cheered him on, both baby and ball safe in his hands. Here's a close up of the moment. Best Father's Day catch ever? Video at site.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took the lead this week in a high-profile lobbying effort to pressure San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone not to attend the controversial March for Marriage event, which she characterized as "venom masquerading as virtue." Pelosi, who is one of the country's most powerful Catholic politicians, made a passionate appeal to the archbishop in a letter obtained by The Chronicle not to participate in the National Organization for Marriage's June 19 march on the Supreme Court in Washington. Cordileone, who is one of the featured speakers at the event, was a leader in the campaign for...

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama said denying climate change is like arguing the moon is made of cheese, as he issued a call to action on global warming to Saturday's graduates of the University of California, Irvine.

A former Northern California transit officer cried on the witness stand Friday while describing how he shot and killed an unarmed man on a train station platform more than five years ago. Johannes Mehserle testified in federal court in San Francisco that he meant to use his Taser rather than his gun to subdue Oscar Grant on New Year's Day in 2009. Mehserle was testifying in a civil rights lawsuit filed by Grant's father against Mehserle, the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency and other defendants.

If the U.S. Olympic Committee decides to enter a city in the selection process, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Washington are the host site contendersSan Francisco is one of four U.S. cities on a short list of possible host sites for the 2024 Summer Olympics, part of a lengthy and expensive process that will not result in a selection for about three more years An American bid would come from Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Washington, if the U.S. Olympic Committee decides to put a city in the running. A United States Olympic Committee process that began 16...

It's a long way from San Francisco to Brazil. But a 1955 Chevrolet 235 pickup truck named "Nellie" got a Dutch soccer fan there in one piece. Ben Oude Kamphuis drove Nellie nearly 13,000 miles to watch his team play in the 2014 World Cup. "Four years ago when we, Holland, lost again in the final I was crying one more time -- that's three times that I cried in the final,” Oude Kamphuis said. “So I was telling my friends and family back in San Francisco, you know what, I'm driving old Nellie to Brazil." His journey began on...

Inmate Escapes SF's Hall of Justice While Taking Out TrashAn inmate escaped San Francisco's Hall of Justice while taking out the trash Saturday morning, according to the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. The inmate, identified as Timothy Midgett, 40, of San Francisco, was being escorted into the basement of the jail at 850 Bryant St. to take out the trash when he ran out a door. Midgett ran east and the deputy tried to keep up but lost him. The sheriff's department and other law enforcement agencies are looking for Midgett, described as a black man standing 6 feet 3 inches...

Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II, the subject of a nationwide manhunt after explosive materials were allegedly found in his San Francisco apartment, was taken into custody by the San Francisco Police Department and the FBI, an FBI spokesman said today. A law enforcement source briefed on the case told ABC News that Chamberlain was taken into custody "right under the Golden Gate Bridge," but he was not certain if he was in a car or on foot at the time. The capture came after a day of dramatic and cinematic cat-and-mouse with the hunted man. "We had been close to him...

Officials from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency are warning riders to expect major delays on Muni Monday morning after a contract dispute prompted a “sickout” by a large portion of Muni workers. […] Muni operators voted on Friday on a proposed labor agreement, but that does not mean that the contract will be ratified. […] Under the proposal, Muni operator’s pay would be raised to about $32 an hour on July 1—making them the second-highest paid transit workers in the country, according to the SFMTA. …

FBI, Hazmat Crew Outside SF Building FBI agents, San Francisco police and fire crews, and a hazardous materials team converged on an apartment building between Jackson and Polk streets Saturday morning. FBI agents, San Francisco police and fire crews, and a hazardous materials team converged on an apartment building between Jackson and Polk streets in the Russian Hill neighborhood Saturday morning, according to San Francisco police. The San Francisco FBI office told NBC Bay Area that the agency is executing a search warrant as part of a criminal investigation. The FBI said that the investigation poses "no threat to...

The FBI is looking for a man who lives in the San Francisco apartment where agents found a large stash of what appears to be the deadly poison ricin. On Saturday, FBI agents searched the apartment, which belongs to Ryan Chamberlain, according to KGO, an ABC affiliate. The FBI said Chamberlain could be armed and dangerous. The apartment search was expected to resume Sunday. Chamberlain owns a Nissan that reportedly could be rigged with explosives. The FBI did not evacuate apartments during the search, and FBI spokeswoman Alice Heller said there was “no threat to public safety.” She said agents...

San Francisco State University (SFSU) spent more than $7,000 to send two of its professors to the Middle East for a series of meetings with two convicted terrorists, according to funding documents obtained from a California Public Records Act. SFSU professors Rabab Abdulhadi and Joanne Barker were awarded the money by the university for a trip to Jordan and the West Bank where they met with two notorious terrorists tied to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), both of which are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S. State Department. Abdulhadi, an ethnic studies professors,...

The epic car chase from the classic 1968 film Bullitt is still hailed as one of the most dramatic, exciting and influential in movie history.Now – as a special homage to the Oscar-winning original, which starred Hollywood legend Steve McQueen driving a Ford Mustang GT fastback – a modern day recreation is all set to be a YouTube sensation. The awe-inspiring, high-speed pursuit featured in the original action thriller was filmed on the hilly streets of San Francisco. Today’s tribute, however, was shot in Britain at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit where the iconic Mustang will be celebrating its 50th...

Laney College students marched in protest and some heckled University of California President Janet Napolitano as she gave a commencement address at the community college's graduation ceremony Saturday. Booing and at one point turning their backs on her, dozens of students, faculty and supporters in the audience objected to remarks by the former chief of Homeland Security, who has been faulted for her stance on immigration issues during her time with the Obama administration. Many pumped their fists as a gesture of defiance. "No one could hear her as she was speaking, the whole time," said Yvette Felarca, one of...

Washington -- - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin looked out at the crowd of politicians, federal officials and gay activists who had been invited to the White House on what would have been Harvey Milk's 84th birthday.

Long lines have formed in front of a U.S. Post Office in San Francisco’s Castro District this morning as supporters of assassinated city Supervisor Harvey Milk rush to get a stamp dedicated to the gay rights leader, a postal service spokesman said. The stamp with Milk’s laughing face, name and a small strip of the rainbow flag, first became available this morning at post offices throughout San Francisco and nationwide. Gay civil rights activist Cleve Jones is at the Castro District post office, located at 4304 18th St., along with filmmaker Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the 2008 movie about...

"San Francisco, open your Golden Gate. You'll let nobody wait outside your door." Those are the lyrics of the city's signature song, but now somebody should call "rewrite." On Tuesday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency voted to bar nonresidents' cars from the crooked part of Lombard Street on Saturday and Sunday afternoons between June 21 and July 13. Last year, the agency banned tour buses from driving by the iconic Painted Ladies on Alamo Square. Thanks to well-heeled city residents who can afford to live in these world-famous properties, San Francisco is hoisting a Golden Drawbridge. Kelly Edwards,...

California's San Francisco Bay Area grew into a metropolis during the eerily quiet earthquake gap following its devastating 1906 temblor. Scientists predict a 63 percent chance of another big quake before 2032, but when the shaking starts, it may not be a single "Big One" as in 1906, according to a new study. Instead, the Bay Area could face a cluster of deadly earthquakes that deliver a series of rapid punches, researchers report today (May 19) in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. .... Between 1690 and 1776, the Bay Area's most dangerous faults unleashed a series of...

Leaping, naked, into the Golden Gate Park bison paddock will, on most days, get you arrested. That was certainly the case during yesterday's Bay to Breakers. Official police tallies also include 24 public intoxication arrests and three public urination citations (these three folks must have done something remarkable to stand out among a 50,000-strong army of public urinators). Not showing up on police stat-sheets disseminated to the media, however: Two adolescents' lemonade stands busted up at Fell and Cole. The 11-year-old proprietor of one of those stands, SF Weekly is told, was informed that simply giving away the fudge brownies...

Hillary Clinton knows better than you do how to spend your paycheck. Really she does. Just ask her. Few media have trumpeted that Sen. Clinton exposed her socialist agenda during a speech Monday in San Francisco (which the Associated Press dubbed the "leftiest big city on the Left Coast"). But don't take our word for it. We'll go straight to the horse's mouth. "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give...

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 Hillary: We'll take your money for 'common good'Senator speaks to wealthy taxpayers at San Francisco fund-raiser Posted: June 29, 20045:00 p.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Addressing a Democratic fund-raiser yesterday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told wealthy supporters the government will need to take money away from them for the "common good." Clinton headlined an appearance with other women Democratic senators in San Francisco, where donors gave as much as $10,000 to California Sen. Barbara Boxer's campaign. "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you," Clinton...

The leftiest big city on the Left Coast was Clinton country on Monday, with former President Clinton continuing his blockbuster book tour and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton headlining a Democratic fund-raiser where she vowed to defeat the Republicans' "extraordinarily ruthless machine." Headlining an appearance with other Democratic women senators on behalf of Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is up for re-election this year, Hillary Clinton told several hundred supporters -- some of whom had ponied up as much as $10,000 to attend -- to expect to lose some of the tax cuts passed by President Bush if Democrats win the White...

..."Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you," Sen. Clinton said. "We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-Cuba), speaking at a Democratic party fundraiser in San Francisco yesterday, was remarkably frank about the Democrats' intentions to use socialist redistribution policies if the party gains power after the November elections.As reported by the Associated Press, Sen. Clinton said, "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."With her blunt statement,...

SAN FRANCISCO — The heavily Democratic San Francisco Bay area welcomed two of its political darlings Monday, with former President Clinton continuing his blockbuster book tour and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton headlining a campaign fund-raiser. Joining other Democratic women senators at an event for Sen. Barbara Boxer, who's seeking re-election, Hillary Clinton told hundreds of party faithful to expect to lose some of the tax cuts passed under President Bush if Democrats take control in Washington next year. "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you," Sen. Clinton said. "We're saying...

L is for Lobster, that's good enough for me. It's also good enough for Cookie Monster, who is in San Francisco this week. Everyone's favorite fuzzy blue monster (sorry, Grover) stopped by Lobsta Truck at Off The Grid yesterday, where he ordered lobster and crab rolls. (C is for crab roll, too!) He also visited The Chairman food truck, where he got one of everything (but no cookies), and Frozen Kuhsterd, where he got his namesake dessert, "The Cookie Monster." Earlier this week, Cookie Monster also attended a Giants game, revealing in an interview with MLB.com that he too plays...

A political battle that is shaping up in San Francisco has implications for other communities across the country. The issue that will be on the June ballot is whether voter approval shall be required to change the height restrictions on buildings along the San Francisco waterfront. Like so many other political issues, this one is being debated in runaway rhetoric bearing no resemblance to reality. Former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne, for example, says that "the people" own the waterfront and therefore should be "consulted." Really? Can one of "the people," who supposedly own the waterfront, decide that he...

Although Malia Cohen has the power of incumbency, and Tony Kelly beat Cohen in the first round of ranked choice voting in the 2010 election, a number of other candidates are vying for the District 10 supervisorial seat on this November’s ballot. In addition to the two Potrero Hill residents, four Bayview and one Visitacion Valley inhabitants have indicated that they’re running: Shawn Richard, DeBray Carpenter, Diane Wesley Smith, Marlene Tran, and Ed Donaldson. Tran’s entry into the race late last month creates a new dynamic in the City’s only seriously contested supervisorial race this year. Tran, the sole Asian-American...

Reboot in San Francisco this summer with young Republicans.Startup employees Aaron Ginn, 26 -- a former Mitt Romney campaign worker -- and Garrett Johnson, 29, are looking to do what Democrats have done for almost a decade: connect conservative and libertarian "technologists" with old-school political campaigns with like minds. There just isn't enough opportunity in Silicon Valley. For a dyed-in-the-wool, true-red conservative. So, a pair of Silicon Valley denizens with right-wing politics are planning their answer to Netroots Nation, according to the Huffington Post. Startup employees Aaron Ginn, 26 -- a former Mitt Romney campaign worker -- and Garrett Johnson,...

When it comes to the San Francisco Fed, it is best known throughout the financial community as the group of crack economists who spend millions of taxpayer funds to investigate such probing, for kindergarteners at least, topics as: is water wet, do trees make a sound when they fall in the forest, is it still worth going to college, and are hedge funds important in a crisis. Little did we know that, at least some of them, are homicidal psychopaths with suicidal tendencies. Because this is precisely what was revealed moments ago when Bloomberg reported that the chief operating officer...

A group of wealthy liberal donors who helped bankroll the Center for American Progress and other major advocacy groups on the left is developing a new big-money strategy that could boost state-level Democratic candidates and mobilize core party voters. The plan, being crafted in private by a group of about 100 donors that includes billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros and San Francisco venture capitalist Rob McKay, seeks to give Democrats a stronger hand in the redrawing of district lines for state legislatures and the U.S. House.

Two longtime members of The City's little-known Patrol Special Police resigned in recent weeks after administrative charges were filed against them with the Police Commission, but then apparently rescinded their resignations, opting instead for a leave of absence. The resignations or leaves of absence of brothers Todd and Scott Hart brings the already dwindling number of Patrol Specials down even further. Once numbering in the hundreds, they now stand at fewer than 10. "They were brought up on administrative charges, not criminal charges," said Alan Byard, president of the Patrol Special Police Offcers Association. "They have resigned so everything is...

In a historic day for the nation's 10th-largest city, San Jose on Wednesday officially topped 1 million residents -- likely for good this time. The state of California estimated in its annual population report that San Jose had 1,000,536 residents at the start of 2014 -- up 1.7 percent from last year as tech-fueled Santa Clara County continued its run as the fastest-growing region in the state. The seven-figure milestone is a significant one for a city that has long struggled with its identity, especially as hecklers in more urban areas dismiss San Jose as a run-of-the-mill giant suburb that...

<p>The Hook-Up Truck, a commercial box truck retrofitted for sex on the street, departs on its maiden voyage this weekend around the Bay Area.</p> <p>The truck, described on the project’s website as “either participatory performance art, a safe and convenient place to get down while out on the town, or the end of civilization as we know it” will be cruising around Oakland Friday night before heading over to San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood at 10 p.m.</p>

Israel-bashing figures prominently in 'teach-ins' where San Franciscans seek a flavor of the Vietnam era Let's admit it - San Francisco is gorgeous, and deserves its name as the capital of resistance to what the US is trying to do in the Middle East. After all, while other places from coast to coast had rallies and marches before and during Operation Iraqi Freedom, only there were thousands "hauled off by the pigs" for blocking the financial district, and only there was there a rally and march almost every Saturday for weeks and weeks until Saturday, April 19. But were all...