Acknowledging that his budget-balancing proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot to raise business taxes is getting "clobbered'' in pre-election polling, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is pursuing a legislative "Hail Mary." He wants the Board of Supervisors to adopt an ordinance that would exempt more businesses from the proposed tax with the hopes of blunting opposition to the ballot measure, Proposition K. The ballot proposal calls for imposing a new, 0.1 percent gross receipts tax on businesses that generate at least $500,000 in revenue a year prior to expenses. The proposed tax would be in addition to the city's payroll...