Results tagged “parks”

California State Parks director Ruth Coleman said that the agency faces a total of about $39 million in cuts after the new budget, which directly states a $14.2 million cut, was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today. Additionally, $2.4 million was siphoned from a cigarette tax fund because less people are smoking. Furloughs and salary cuts round out the large number (Note: a full budget fact sheet is embedded below).

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally signed California's budget today, making additional cuts to fill a $1.1 billion gap left by legislators in their approved package. An additional $6.2 million was cut from state parks after an $8 million cut was proposed last week. That makes a total of $14.2 million, a number the Schwarzenegger's office predicts "will result in the closure of probably more than 100 parks."

SFist posted last week about the lovely Huntington Park on Nob Hill, and commenter hthoms responded with an account of some pushy park rangers "abusing their power" by harassing park-goers with off-leash dogs, citing this SF Weekly article:

              

Nestled amongst the former mansions of the old railroad tycoons and silver kings on Nob Hill and directly across from the beautiful Grace Cathedral, Huntington Park is an urban oasis for retirees, freelancers, kids, canines, and the homeless alike.

San Francisco really does have a task force for everything. Even for public crappers.

We could get all up in Bill O'Reilly face, as well as the plum visage of "Factor" produce and liar Jesse Watter, for throwing shade at SF. They claim that San Francisco is, inarguably, one big "Grateful Dead concert;" that North Beach is our tenderloin district; and that we are rife with neighborhood-specific dark underbellies. But we won't. Because they're spot-on when they say that SF parks are terrifying at night. Just thinking about Dolores Park at dusk gives us the heebie-jeebies. Anyway, watch the pseudo-documentary O'Reilly produced. It's the feel-good movie of the day. But you'll have to go here to watch it. (Do not fear the embedded code, MSM. It is your friend.)

            

(By Travis Jensen)

Cris takes some time off the Bonds case to support her lady. No one pulled out a bitch's clump of hair. That's the big news. Oh, and some other stuff happened, ahem: The Club's membership voted tonight on the February 2008 ballot and the June 2008 State Senate primary, and the endorsements are... Prop 92 (Community College Funding) - Yes Props 94 - 97 (Gaming Compacts) - No Prop A (Neighborhood Parks Bond) -...

Remember, if you ask it, our readers can answer it. Why, even these guys are getting in on the quizzical fun, too! (Be sure to ask Eve how to fit your logo inside the ball; she created it. We're all thumbs when it comes to graphics.) But we received this urgent question from someone about a park we've neither seen nor frolicked in. Maybe you have an answer regarding this mystifying Scott and Waller...

-- Ross Mirkarimi, sole supe against Clear Channel. [SFBG]

Some of our readers and us came across Park(ing) Day parks. The ones we went to had some of the friendliest frolicking individuals we have ever met who were sober. And these are all sort of downtown-ishy, but if you have images of today's parks elsewhere in the city, tag your photos in flickr with sfist to share them, won' t you? Or visit Park(ing) Day's account here for loads of images.

Last year's Park(ing) Day at Ritual Coffee Roasters on Valencia Street.

-- Norman Nsu to return to Redwood City. [ABC7]

Today, the Oakland City Council voted to ban smoking in "ATM lines, parks and other public places," which is smurfy, health-conscious, makes the bitch behind you at the ATM line stops her self-righteous fake coughing, will result in animated birds singing on your shoulders, etcetera.

So many characteristics contribute to Pacific Heights’ identity: affluence on eager display, giant square parks, commanding views, boutique shopping, dogs! dogs! dogs! But, one element up here is continually overlooked. Of course, we’re talking about portable latrines on sidewalks. With home construction such a constant in this district, and with so many laborers needing to “tend to personal business” throughout the long workday, it’s no wonder Pacific Heights walkways are lined with blue or turquoise fiberglass toilets. Jackson St. between Pierce and Scott, where three of the nine buildings on the block are currently undergoing some sort of makeover, and where each construction site features its own port-o-let, demonstrates our point as well as any in the area.

Not since peanut butter and chocolate have two such conflicting tastes been bought together to (what will be) major acclaim: baseball and dance. Sure, Damn Yankees did it, and did it well. But there are no Faustian themes in this show, or worse, the Yankees; it's just about the all-American Pastime. (Hey, the name of the show!)

Earthquakes and Sabers and Sharks, Oh My!

A photo of the soon-to-be-terminiated Panhandle Bandshell

As part of a proposed $185 million dollar bond issued to help revitalize our parks, Park & Rec head cheese Yomi Agunbiade, announced that a major emphasis of the bond measure will be brining in new bathrooms. The reason for such a decision is the obvious third-worldyness of current park bathrooms. Twenty points for Gryffindor.

We were on the 7 a few days ago and four gutterpunk types were complaining about how the city had taken their stuff from camps in Golden Gate Park. One of them, a long-haired fellow with a small backpack and very large pants, went on and on about how he was going to get a grant to put GPS chips in all of his things so he could get them back. Who, exactly, would pay for this grant was unclear. The conversation then descended into an irony-free discussion about restaurants on 6th Street that accept food stamps.

In all the marches in of the cities in all the world, a march to City Hall is taking place today for one of the most noble causes in San Francisco to date. 100 or so golfers will be marching to the Board of Supervisors meeting to demand their voices be heard on the topic of shutting down public courses in the city.

The city provided a continental breakfast of "coffee, bagels, orange wedges, and blueberries" (delicious!) as well as temporary encampment tents for those that they evicted from Golden Gate Park at 4:30 a.m. this morning. (You can read Chron's article about it here, and SF Examiner's here.)

C.W. Nevius continues his Homeless Encampment 2007 Tour with a visit to Corona Heights. His verdict? Not so good. He found twenty possible separate campsites as well as broken bottles and needles. Neighbors let it be known that the ever-popular "human feces" could also be added to the list. To make matters worse, there's a school, the Rocky Mountain Participation Nursery School, at the bottom of the hill and, well, won't somebody think of the children?

Photo of dog aggression in San Francisco's Alta Plaza park.

Sorry we're late on this one! Not much to report, just that Board of Supes president Aaron Peskin has named himself the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee after firing Chris Daly from the position, and proclaimed his intent to make it a "no-drama" budget approval process this time around.

First of all, a big sloppy THANKS! to SFist MattyMatt for yesterday evening's Oh No Ed Jew news update! We were out.

We considered calling this post "And then they came for Jew, and we said nothing," but decided that was in poor taste.

Drove out to China Camp State Park with Sufjan Stevens on the stereo singing about Chicago. The air sat heavy with oil from the Eucalyptus trees and salt from the Bay.