535 San Francisco Unified School District teachers will receive layoff notices this morning due to state cuts in education funding. Today's pink slip handouts stem from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget '09, which will see San Francisco schools losing around $40 million. According to CBS 5, Mayor Newsom is doing what he can, even if it's a Band-Aid solution to a longterm problem. Mayor Gavin Newsom has said he plans to ask the Board of......

State Senator Leland Yee introduced a bill in the State Legislature this morning that, if passed, would see traffic fines double for violations occurring along the deadly strip of San Francisco road known as 19th Avenue. (Shudder.) Over the past few years, 19th Avenue -- which connects San Mateo County with San Francisco and pierces commercial and residential sections of the city rife with foot traffic -- has played host to numerous traffic accidents......

California's First Lady makes yet another visit to S.F...

Making her move at juuust the right time, Jackie Speier is a shoo-in to fill Tom Lantos' seat by April 8 if she gathers a majority of votes in a special, pre-primary election. But first, according to the Merc: ...Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must issue a declaration today that would allow the 12th Congressional District race to appear on the June 3 ballot. If he waits until after today, San Mateo County would have to......

Nature lovers will be peeved. Under the budget proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today - dear God, just how did we get here? starting off a sentence like that? - nine local state parks would face a temporary shutdown until California learns how to balance its checkbook, pay its bills on time, stops disrespecting their mommas on Maury, or something like that. Statewide, the Gov is considering closing 48 state parks. Among those close......

Just because we haven't seen him around these parts of the Internets lately, here's an ancient shot of Gov. (oy) Arnold Schwarzenegger taking some time to curl a dumbbell he found wildfire remains in South Lake Tahoe. A truly amazing shot, Jeff. Image credit: Jeff Chiu of AFP/Getty Images......

Photo of our Governor's briefing on Treasure Island yeasterday...

Poring over Entertaining the other night, because our pulverized sleeping aid refused to kick in, we got so excited after reading "Bouillabaisse for Twelve to Sixteen". But now any plans of having said bouillabaisse party must be put on hold. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suspended all fishing and crab hunting until the first of December. You hear that? Dungeness crab season won't happen this month. There's nothing you can do about it expect curl up......

News of a new law expanding the requirements for bicycle lighting. ...

Photo of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom behind the wheel of a Tesla Motors Roadster protoype in Fisherpersons Wharf...

California Governor, Leo, mad fondler, and kindergarten cop Arnold Schwarzenegger turns a still-sexy 60-years-old today. The Grandpanator will spend the big day dealing with the state budget (giggle) and quite possibly getting some sweet Shriver love later this evening. But Carla Marinucci has the Gov’s five birthday wishes right here. Happy birthday, Conan.......

Gavin Newsom, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums tried to out-macho each other last night at the MacArthur Maze. ...

These sniper attacks never make us feel very secure, even if it is only paintball -- over the last month, 10 people (and a dog) have been hit by paintballs throughout the City of Berkeley. No one's been seriously hurt yet, but some people's clothes were damaged, some people almost got in car accidents, and one kid was hit in the cheek (the reports are silent as to the state of the dog.) It's like......

SFist Jon, on the East Coast this week, took a break from his family vacation to excitedly email us that our boy Gavin's featured in yet another national magazine photo spread. This time it's Vanity Fair! It's their Green Issue, featuring on the cover Julia Roberts dressed as a tree, and a very embarrassed-looking SF resident Al Gore at Julia's crotch level. Newsom's in a two-page photo spread of Mayors Who Support The Environment, one page after Ed Norton (who's a solar-power user) and 9 pages after Republican Governors Who Support The Environment, with girly-greeny man Arnold Schwarzenegger and a wan-looking George Pataki. He got the shout-out for promoting recycling. We'd show you the picture but it's not online -- so you'll have to look at it in the checkout line at Safeway. On the bright side, Gavin is the only mayor who doesn't have a potbelly. On the down side, he looks vaguely embarrassed about being in the picture at all. You can see him thinking, I'd much rather be lying on a carpet right now. Don't worry, Gavin, we here at SFist will make your dreams come true! So best! ...

We admit it, it's been a slow couple of weeks here at SchwartzenWatcher HQ. Nothing much has been going on as the Governator has been pretty quiet lately being all wonky and acting all Governor-like. But then, like manna from heaven, we get word that after a few days in D.C. schmoozing with other Governors and enjoying the fact that the Chinese control our ports and not a bunch of A-rabs, we discover that from there, Arnie is off to Columbus for the Arnold Fitness Expo and Arnold Classic. And kicking things off will be a pay-per-view Mixed Martial Arts Championship, the Gracie Fighting Championships actually, one that will be have as it's master of ceremonies our Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Our Governor is SO not like your Governor. ...

Our Governor has often said that he's torn about capital punishment. He has, in fact, said that the debate inside of him is a duel between his "Austrian brain and the American brain." Well, as we all know, the American brain recently won out. And while the Republicans and the Law-and-Order types are happy, the Austrians are not amused. So not amused they're trying to protest his decision by getting the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium changed. This after an attempt to get his Austrian citizenship revoked was shot down. ...

We know you're probably just dying to know what's been happening on all those fascinating news items we've been telling you about. Well, fret no more! Your prayers have been answered! Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval argued on behalf of himself yesterday that he shouldn't have to pay Don Fisher's political committee any more money. The judge seemed sympathetic to District 11's finest, calling Fisher's request "odd." Man, the New York Liquor Store in Oakland's having a bad week. Not only does it get targeted for vandalism by Your Black Muslim bakery, then set on fire, and then its owner gets kidnapped and left in a car truck, but now folks in the neighborhood are looting the charred, broken remains of the store. After agreeing to host a ping-pong tournament with Shanghai, Gavin Newsom travels to Beijing and checks out the Great Wall. Also -- dude, check him out playing basketball at Yao Ming's elementary school. What are those shoes? And Gavin, have you gotten us a panda yet? And Tookie Williams's request for a stay on his execution order was denied. Only Arnold Schwarzenegger can save him now. ...

We have the latest and hottest political news today, coming to you from the best place to get the hottest California political news, the gossip pages. Which raises this interesting question: for those of us who read celebrity news to get away from politics, where do we go when politics become part of the gossip pages? And will all of this mean that we should start watching "Extra!" to get the lastest news on the Plame indictments? Anyways, in Monday's edition of the Examiner’s "The Scoop," there is a blurb about Entertainment Weekly saying that Warren Beatty "has been telling anyone who will listen that he plans to unseat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger." And Cindy Adams writes in her Page Six column in the New York Post that the Governator is so pissed about the President poaching off his Republican money men, which he did last week and which the Governor was once again a very conspicuous no show, that he basically told the White House off and is threatening to become a Democrat over the whole thing. ...

Realtor-slash-blogger Matt Lanning points up a new information site, San Francisco Bay Window, for that rare beast known as a San Francisco homeowner. Hey, it's free to dream, right? Cheesecake Factory employees dreamed of being able to take breaks, and now their dream has come true. The video game industry is none too happy about Arnold Schwarzenegger signing Leland Yee's bill restricting minors from purchasing 'mature' titles -- the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association is......

Was it the Best Week Ever? Not so much. But that doesn't mean there wasn't enough good stuff to go around. First, more problems for the Orange and Black, a franchise in the midst of a drunken-late-night-pizza-slice of a nightmare type season. -KNBR broadcaster and occasional Examiner columnist Larry Krueger got himself into heap loads of trouble last week for comments he made concerning the men in Orange and Black. In the middle of a......

So whatever happened to those 135 people who ran for governor in the 2003 recall election? Well, a bunch are in the Bay Area news today! Cue up the end-of-the-movie montage movie music and let's go. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the guy who won, snuck back into San Francisco yesterday to give a speech to the newspaper publishers' convention. Never fear, the nurses, firefighters, and other state employees against the recall found out about it in time to send 100 protestors out to the Fairmont. You can tell he was upset about it because he made that same lame joke about seeing protests when he proposed to Maria Shriver. Tiii-red. Also, he's spending all day today apologizing for frightening his handlers by saying we should "close the borders" to Mexico. Oops! And how about that Scott Davis, the recall candidate from Palo Alto, running as an independent to promote organ donation? Yeah, we didn't remember him either -- until it was revealed today that he might be close to being arrested for a 1996 murder in Atlanta, of a guy who was dating Scott's ex-wife. In other, non Bay Area candidate updates: Mary Carey the porn star was arrested in a raid last week at a strip club in Washington State. (She came in 10th in the election). Gary Coleman's been attending the Michael Jackson trial. No word on what the ferret guy's been up to, though. ...

Once again, we're on the scene, at one of the biggest protests against Arnold Schwarzenegger's policies since his administration began after the recall. Everyone who's anyone is out in force to protest his crackdowns on unions and his liberal, and self-serving, definition of "self-interests." We're trying to liveblog the event, as we'd like to show that a million-dollar news van is no longer a match for a punk with a PowerBook and iStumbler. The......

A British reporter's claims that Arnold Schwarzenegger first sexually assaulted her, then libeled her in the press when she told the LA Times about the incident, survived a first round of review by the London High Court, which determined that Schwarzenegger could indeed be sued in Jolly Old England. Schwarzenegger, who's been trying to shout down repeated claims of his history of getting handsy with a dozen or so women over the last ten years by claiming he was just being "playful" with them, claims that the woman had encouraged him to grope her during their interview, which forms the basis of her libel claim. Just like those saucy teachers wanting their pensions cut, or those randy nurses just begging him to compromise patient safety, right? All in good clean fun! We're not a barrister or anything, but it's our understanding that the libel laws in England are significantly stricter than they are here (that pesky First Amendment!), so Schwarzenegger can't be too happy about the prospect of this suit looming over him as he fundraises up a storm from those special interest groups he claimed to hate so much back in 2003. Picture from Code Pink's Santa Monica protests...

These are the words of 3martini when analyzing the results of a recent Field Poll survey on the 2006 Gubenatorial race. Who did the respondents pick to win their respective primaries? Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rob Reiner. You read that correctly. While "Run, Rob Reiner, Run" has a nice alliterative zing to it, the prospect of our wonderous and magical two party system leaving us no choice but to elect a Hollywood actor as Governor......

Stuart Alexander convicted in multiple murder....

Well, it's about time! Assuaging his secret worries that he's not really a governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger finally got his personalized booby-trapped letter....

roundup of the free weeklies...

"The New Kennedys?" I hope this means Da Mayor won't be gunned down or implicated in a rape or murder. Or marry Arnold Schwarzenegger (although, if Gavin had his way, they could). Still, it doesn't really help what few 'man of the people' credentials one may have as a politician to be splayed out on a rug in the Getty mansion in a scene reminiscent of a soft-porn flick. Guess you gotta pay for all that hair product somehow....

SFist is a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, at least a few of them. We're not necessarily so pleased with his latest project. In fact, not a single Bay Area county voted to give him a starring role as The Governator. We're a little leary of those slick Hollywood types ever since former Governor Ronald Reagan shut the doors on California's state-run mental health facilities, leaving the patients to fend for themselves in our communities....