Timeline San Francisco 1996-1997
Return to home
1996 Jan 3, A
group of teenagers aged 14-17, who called themselves the “Power
Rangers” and said to be a set the Army Street Mob, committed a home
invasion robbery and caused the death of 30-year-old Derick Douglass,
who fell seven stories while hiding on a window ledge. 6 of the 8
defendants were later convicted of first-degree murder.
(SFC, 6/15/96, p.A15)
1996 Jan 8, Willie Brown was sworn
in as the 41st mayor of the city.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Feb 11, Mayor Brown announced
the end of the Matrix program, initiated by Mayor Jordan, that used
police to deal with homeless people.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Feb 17, The deck of a Pacific
Heights apartment collapsed and one woman, Mary Slane (32), was killed
and 14 people were injured. Landlord Randall Nathan was ordered to pay
$12 million in damages in 1998.
(SFC, 4/9/98, p.A15)
1996 Feb 24, Sergio Crockett (15),
a Sunset District dope dealer, was allegedly shot and killed by Edward
S. Kennedy. Emmet Kennedy, the brother of Edward accused his brother of
the murder and a trial began in 1999.
(SFC, 5/28/99, p.D7)
1996 Feb, Ten youths allegedly
gang-raped a 12-year-old girl in a building at Steiner and Ellis
Streets.
(SFC, 7/10/96, p.A4)
1996 Mar 3, An anti-police
brutality march was held and 14 protestors were arrested. They were
awarded $800-1200 each for wrongful arrest in 1998.
(SFC, 4/16/98, p.A19)
1996 Mar 20, Mayor Brown
celebrated his 62nd birthday.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Mar 24, Juan Pifarre (54) was
slain by Navy airman Steven Nary (18). Nary testified in 1999 that he
acted in self defense after being threatened with rape. Nary was found
guilty of 2nd degree murder.
(SFC, 10/19/99, p.A20)(SFC, 10/29/99, p.A17)
1996 Mar, SF voters approved a
plan for a $300 million ballpark at Third and King streets in China
Basin.
(SFEC,12/797, Z1 p.5)
1996 Apr 1, Pacific Telesis was
bought by SBC Communications for $17 billion.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)
1996 Apr 5, Mark Garcia (41) was
arrested by police officers as he wandered half-naked along Cesar
Chavez Street. He was subdued with pepper spray and died the next day
of a heart attack. His death was attributed to cocaine overdose. The
officers were charged with a wrongful-death suit but the case was
dismissed in 1998.
(SFC, 12/5/98, p.A17)
1996 Apr 9, Herb Caen won a
special Pulitzer Prize for his continuing contribution as a voice and
conscience of the city.
(SFEC, 2/2/97, p.A12)
1996 Apr 16, Municipal Court Judge
Herbert Donaldson signed an order that dismissed 39,020 citations and
warrants that were issued under the Matrix program of former mayor
Frank Jordan.
(SFC, 4/17/96, p.A-13)
1996 Apr 17, A new brass plaque
was being forged for the Pioneer Monument that reads: With their
efforts over in 1934, the missionaries left behind about 56,000
converts- and 150,000 dead. Half the original native American
population had perished during this time from diseases, armed attacks
and mistreatment.
(SFC, 4/17/96, p.A-13)
1996 Apr 18, The new SF Main
Public Library was due to open.
(SFC, 4/14/96, EM, p.22)
1996 May 7, The plaque for the
Pioneer Monument was revised to read: “With their efforts over in 1934,
the missionaries left behind about 56,000 converts. As the result of
colonial occupation, half the original native American population had
perished during this time from diseases, armed attacks and
mistreatment.”
(SFC, 5/7/96, p.A-15)
1996 May 13, Chung Chiu (39)
picked up Christine Price (23), a tenderloin prostitute, and took her
to his apartment where he fatally shot her. Chiu’s mental competency
was in question at his 1998 trial. Chiu, a deformed polio victim, was
convicted in 2000 of 1st degree murder.
(SFC, 12/15/98, p.A21, 28)(SFC, 2/11/00, p.A21)
1996 May 15, Magnolia
Thunderpussy, SF personality and restauranteur, died. She was “the lost
beauty, the queen of the underground.”
(SFC, 5/16/96, p.A-11)
1996 May 25, Mayor Brown held his
first “Open Door Saturday” with citizens at City Hall.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 May 26, The SF Mexican Museum
under the direction of Marie Acosta- Colon secured a $2 million
building site at Yerba Buena Gardens for $1 and got approval for a bond
for $7.5 mil in matching funds for a construction.
(SFC, 5/26/96, DB p.27,49)
1996 May 28, The state legislature
passed a bill that would take $87 million from the treasury of SF.
Counties with lower per capita tax collection rates would benefit from
the revised allocation process.
(SFC, 5/29/96, A1)
1996 May 30, Mayor Brown said that
he would put the issue of a pay raise for the Board of Supervisors on
the November ballot. Their current salary is $23,924 and a new level of
$50,000 was proposed by Supv. Tom Ammiano
(SFC, 5/30/96, p.A18)
1996 May 31, Mayor Brown submitted
a 3.16 billion budget that included a $12 million surplus, no new taxes
and no major layoffs.
(SFC, 6/1/96, p.A15)(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 May, The Board of Supervisors
named the 3.2 mile waterfront promenade along the Embarcadero: Herb
Caen Way.
(SFEC, 2/2/97, p.A12)
1996 Jun 1, Dariusz Wiatr Jr. (35)
and Rod Ferrier (27) took over as managers of the coconut Grove
nightclub.
(SFC, 9/3/96, p.D1,4)
1996 Jun 3, Mayor Brown announced
that the city would invest $100,000 in the San Francisco Museum. The
museum will be moved from the 3rd level of the Cannery at Fisherman’s
Wharf to a location at Civic Center Plaza when the reconstruction of
City Hall is completed.
(SFC, 6/7/96, p.A19,23)
1996 Jun 5, The DA charged
Monsignor Patrick O’Shea, former pastor at St. Cecilia’s parish, with
embezzling more than $260,000. He was charged with 11 felony counts of
grand theft and tax evasion. He allegedly used the money to purchase
and furnish a home in Indian Well in Southern Ca.
(SFC, 6/6/96, p.A1)(SFC, 6/12/96, p.C2)
1996 Jun 6, San Francisco became
the first city in the nation to sue the tobacco industry.
(SFC, 6/7/96, p.A1)
1996 Jun 9, The basic rent has
climbed to $1300 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment. 70% of SF residents
rent and the vacancy rate is under 2%.
(SFC, 6/9/96, p.A-8)
1996 Jun 11, The median sales
price for a 3-bedroom home in SF was $313,000.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A20)
1996 Jun 11[12], A blaze destroyed
a 27-unit apartment building at 1011 Bush St. Delores DeLeon (76) was
killed when she jumped her burning 4th story apartment. 48 people were
left homeless. In 1999 Darryl Geyer (21) was tried for the murder and
arson.
(SFC, 6/13/96, p.A17) (SFC, 7/20/99, p.A17)
1996 Jun 12, Ted Alfaro of Redwood
city was hired as principal of Mission High School by Superintendent
Bill Rojas to replace Lupe Arabolos, Mama Lupe.
(SFC, 6/13/96, p.A17)
1996 Jun 13, SF scheduled to
celebrate Herb Caen Day.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A20)
1996 Jun 14, Herb Caen Day was
celebrated at the foot of Market St. and 75,000 people came out.
(SFEC, 2/2/97, p.A12)
1996 Jun 14, Money Magazine ranked
SF 13th of the best places to live among the nation’s 300 metropolitan
areas.
(SFC, 6/16/96, p.B10)
1996 Jun 15, Mary Ashley
(1931-1996), video and performance artist, died in San Francisco. She
helped found the ONCE Group in Ann Arbor, Mich., and had been involved
in the “correspondence art” movement and the Fluxus group of artists.
(SFC, 7/10/96, p.A4)
1996 Jun 15-16, The Milarepa Fund,
founded by Erin Potts and Adam Youch of the Beastie Boys, sponsored the
Tibetan Freedom Concert in Golden Gate Park. The festival attracted
100,000 people.
(SFC, 6/14/96, p. C1)(SFC, 6/15/96, p.D1)
1996 Jun 16, The 59th Sigmund
Stern Grove Festival was held and featured blues legend Johnny Otis.
Mayor Brown announced that the meadow would be named in honor of the
late Rhoda Haas Goldman, a 3rd generation Stern and former
administrator of the festivals.
(SFC, 6/15/96, p.D1)
1996 Jun 20, Highway signs that
read Candlestick Park were replaced with signs reading 3Com for the
company that bought stadium name rights to the year 2,000.
(SFC, 6/20/96, p.B1)
1996 Jun 21, Making Waves
celebrated its 5th annual summer solstice music festival on Market St.
with 180 bands.
(SFC, 6/16/96, BR p.43)
1996 Jun 21, Mulali, a baby albino
kangaroo at the SF Zoo, had sunscreen with a factor of 50 applied to
her vulnerable pink ears.
(SFC, 6/22/96, p.A18)
1996 Jun 22, Carlos Hernandez (18)
and Sylvia Menendez (15) were gunned down at Precita Park. A retired
janitor, Margarito Franco, who had been a friend of the Menendez family
was later arrested for the murder.
(SFC, 6/27/96, p.A15)
1996 Jun 23, More than 15,000
people had died of AIDS in SF by this time.
(SFC, 6/23/96, p.A6)
1996 Jun 25, The school board
renamed the 105-year-old Douglass Elementary School for Harvey Milk.
(SFC, 6/26/96, p.A20)
1996 Jun 26, Mayor Brown asked his
chief of staff, Emilio Cruz, to take over the job of Municipal Railway
chief Phil Adams.
(SFC, 6/27/96, p.A1)
1996 Jun 27, SFO was undergoing a
$2.4 billion construction project.
(SFC, 6/27/96, p.A15)
1996 Jun, Wilfred Ussery resigned
from the BART board of directors after it was revealed that federal
agents were probing contract irregularities. He had represented SF on
the board for 18 years.
(SFC, 5/7/99, p.A19)
1996 Jun, Gay Pride week was 1st
marked by Patrick Carney and friends with a giant pink triangle set on
the side of Twin Peaks.
(SSFC, 6/17/01, DB p.48)
1996 Jul 1, Mayor Willie Brown
will secure his place as the 2nd highest paid mayor in the US earning
$141,342 per year, 11k more than Mayor Giuliani of New York. Referring
to his previous 139k income Brown said: “I can’t afford to pay my four
mortgages on that.”
(SFC, 6/21/96, p.A17)
1996 Jul, early, Beniamino
Bufano’s sculpture: "Peace: Mother of All Nations," was moved from SF
airport because of construction to Brotherhood Way.
(SFC, 7/16/96, p.A14)
1996 Jul 1, Effective on this day,
the president of the board of trustees of City college was Lawrence
Wong. The college has 75,000 students and a budget of $115 million.
(SFC, 6/22/96, p.A21)
1996 Jul 3, A federal agency
approved the Union Pacific $5.4 bil acquisition of San Francisco based
Southern Pacific Rail Corp. The merger will eliminate about 3,500 jobs.
(SFC, 7/4/96, p.A1)
1996 Jul 5, Juveniles aged 12 to
15 raped a 12-year-old girl in the Western Addition near the 700 block
of Fulton.
(SFC, 7/9/96, p.A14)
1996 Jul 9, The area around
Boeddeker Park, near the 200 block of Eddy St., was a veritable
clearinghouse for drugs of all kinds, including heroin, prescription
pills, LSD, methamphetamine and crack cocaine.
(SFC, 7/9/96, p.A13)
1996 Jul 9, Attorney Melvin M.
Belli, King of Torts, died in San Francisco. He authored the 5-volume
work “Modern Trials,” a classic on the demonstrative method of
presenting evidence.
(SFC, 7/10/96, p.A1)
1996 Jul 11, The Anderson
Collection of Graphic Arts was given to the Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco. A temporary display will be set up at the California Palace
of the Legion of Honor. A permanent gallery in the Anderson name will
be part of the rebuilt M.H. de Young Museum.
(SFC, 7/12/96, p.D1,9)
1996 Jul 13, Mayor Brown held his
2nd open-door session. Those wanting a private session queued up the
previous Thursday morning for tickets.
(SFC, 7/14/96, p.C4)
1996 Jul 14, Six people were
admitted to hospital suffering from overdoses of GHB, gamma hydroxy
butyric acid, an anesthetic that can produce initial giddiness and then
induce unconsciousness.
(SFC, 7/18/96, p.A18)
1996 Jul 15, Supervisors voted
unanimously to as ask residents to raise board salaries to $50,000 from
$23,925. They also passed Mayor Brown’s budget of $3.16 bil.
(SFC, 7/16/96, p.A1)
1996 Jul 17, Mayor Brown brought
back former supervisor Bill Maher as liaison to the Recreation and Park
Department at about $80k. Also there was presented a 30-year conversion
plan for land that included 375 units of transitional housing for
homeless families. Pacific Lumber Co. would donate 3,000 acres of
virgin redwood to the federal government in exchange for rights to
develop housing on Treasure Island.
(SFC, 7/17/96, p.C1) (SFC, 7/21/96, p.A13)
1996 Jul 18, The San Francisco
School of Abstract Expressionism show opened at the SF Museum of Modern
Art. The opening was accompanied by a publication of the same name by
Susan Landauer.
(SFC, 7/18/96, p.G1)
1996 Jul 21, As many as 6,000
immigrants were naturalized as US citizens every month in SF.
(SFC, 7/21/96, p.B1)
1996 Jul 24, An alligator was
spotted in Mountain Lake at the Presidio.
(SFC, 12/4/96, p.A13)
1996 Aug 4, The Cannabis Buyer’s
Club at 1444 Market St. was raided by agents of the California Bureau
of Narcotic Enforcement.
(SFC, 8/5/96, p.A1)
1996 Aug 5, Cameras were switched
on at selected intersections to thwart red light runners. Initial
citations were just warnings.
(SFC, 9/20/96, p.A20)
1996 Aug 7, Mayor Brown spoke with
49ers president Carmen Policy and got himself a new skybox for games at
Candlestick Park (3Com Park).
(SFC, 8/7/96, p.A11)
1996 Aug 12, There was a report of
a four-foot alligator in Mountain Lake near the presidio golf course.
[see Jul 24]
(SFC, 8/12/96, p.A17)
1996 Aug 12, Glenn Dorenbush
(1030-1996), publicist for North Beach cafes, died. His occupation was
described as “sitting on barstools,” and he said of the hippies in the
60s “If you think these kids are bad now, wait till they discover
martinis.”
(SFC, 8/13/96, p.A20)
1996 Aug 16, SF Juvenile Probation
Dept. employee Sebastian Rico was suspended for having forged a check
for $1,000. He then disappeared and was suspected of having fled to the
Philippines.
(SFC, 8/26/96, p.A11)
1996 Aug 17, Sebastian Rico caught
a plane with a one-way ticket for the Philippines.
(SFC, 8/30/96, p.A21)
1996 Aug 18, The Metropolitan
Community Church distributed 1/8 ounce packets of marijuana in its
sanctuary to needy recipients with documented medical verification.
(SFC, 8/19/96, p.A13)
1996 Aug 21, The US Court of
Appeals ruled that city ownership of the Mt. Davidson Cross violated
the state constitution.
(SFC, 8/21/96, p.A1)(SFC, 1/5/00, p.A18)
1996 Aug 26, The Central Freeway
upper level between Mission and Laguna began to be torn down. Massive
traffic jams were expected for 5 months.
(SFC, 7/8/96, p.A1)
1996 Aug 26, It was discovered
that Sebastian Rico, a worker at SF Juvenile Probation Dept., had
embezzled some $400,000 over a period of 4 years. He wrote checks
to himself from a petty cash fund and renewed the fund by forging
signatures.
(SFC, 8/26/96, p.A1)
1996 Aug 28, SF was awarded some
$500,000 to help stamp out drug related crime in public housing. The
money came from 4 federal drug elimination grants of the Dept. of
Housing and Urban Development.
(SFC, 8/28/96, p.A20)
1996 Aug 29, Bernard Temple,
alleged hit man in 2 murders in 1988 and 1991, was arrested at a Merced
park.
(SFC, 10/2/97, p.A21)
1996 Aug 29, Four men robbed the
Amsterdam Hotel at Bush and Taylor of $200. They beat a visitor and
pistol-whipped a clerk. 4 men were later arrested in a vehicle that
matched the getaway car. Evidence was later found inaccurate and the 4
men were ordered free in 1998.
(SFC, 8/14/98, p.A17)
1996 Aug 31, Ibrihim Habash was
killed by pellets from a gun during a robbery at his shop, Bob’s Liquor
Store at Harrison and 26th streets.
(SFC, 9/1/96, p.D2)
1966 Sep 2, The 4th Cycle
Messengers World Championships began at Justin Herman Plaza.
(SFC, 8/28/96, zz-1 p.4)(SFC, 9/1/96, p.D1)
1996 Sep 3, The California College
of Arts and Crafts will open a big campus at the old Greyhound center
at 8th and Irwin.
(SFC, 8/29/96, p.C3)
1996 Sep 4, The Chinese Historical
Society was chosen as the new owner for the Chinatown YWCA designed by
Julia Morgan. The society needed $800,000 to make the purchase. Another
$1 mil might be required for upgrades. The 1932 YWCA building at 1830
Sutter St. was built with money raised by Japanese immigrants. It was
designed by Julia Morgan. In 2002 the Nihonmachi Little Friends
community day care center gained title in a settlement with YWCA.
(SFC, 4/9/96, p.A14)(SFC, 2/27/02, p.A15)
1996 Sep 5, Chendra, the
one-horned rhinoceros, died at the SF Zoo.
(SFC, 9/6.96, p.B1)
1996 Sep 6, The SF Opera season
opened with Prince Igor by Borodin.
(SFC, 9/7/96, p.B1)
1996 Sep 6, Mayor Brown reached an
agreement with Muni drivers on a 4.7% raise but with a trimming on work
rules.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Sep 9, Financing was
announced for the $255 million ballpark at Third and King streets.
(SFC, 9/9/96, p.B1)
1996 Sep 11, The Jesuit Univ. of
SF learned that its 666 telephone prefix, known as the “mark of the
beast” in the Book of Revelation, would be changed to a 422 prefix.
(SFC, 9/11/96, p.A13)
1996 Sep 13, Sales of medical
marijuana resumed at the Metropolitan Community Church on Eureka St.
from staffers of the Healing Alternative Foundation.
(SFC, 9/14/96, p.A13)
1996 Sep 20, The SkyDeck on the
41st floor of One Embarcadero was scheduled to open. It closed down on
Jan 1, 2000, due to lack of interest.
(SFC, 9/11/96, p.E1)(SFC, 1/5/00, p.A12)
1996 Sep 20, The Scandinavian
Delicatessen on upper Market St. closed after 42 years of operation
under Ernst Meyer.
(SFC, 9/20/96, p.A20)
1996 Sep 20, MUNI drivers voted on
a new 4-year contract. It proposed an immediate 4.7% pay increase but
reduced unexcused absences to 2 days per 8 month period versus the old
8 per year.
(SFC, 9/21/96, p.A19)
1996 Sep 21, The new soccer field
at Dolores Park opened.
(SFC, 9/21/96, p.A13)
1996 Sep 25, The police dept. had
set aside $1.5 mil for legal expenses for the 1996 year. By September
it was expected to run twice that amount.
(SFC, 9/25/96, p.A16)
1996 Oct 3, Congress approved the
Presidio Trust legislation that allows 80% of the 1,480 acres of the
Presidio to be turned over to a non-profit government corporation
to lease and manage historic buildings.
(SFC, 10/4/96, p.A21)
1996 Oct 3, Mayor Brown announced
that the city would use 2.5 to 3 million dollars to restore a tidal
marsh a Crissy Field. The money would come from a bond issued for
expansion at SFO where marshland to be paved over would be traded for
unpaving at Crissy Field.
(SFC, 10/4/96, p.A22)
1996 Oct 5-6, The music festival
Reggae in the Park was held in Golden Gate Park.
(SFEC, 10/6/96, DB p.19)
1996 Oct 7, Two Nigerian citizens
were arrested for selling a quarter kg of China White heroin valued at
over $100,000. It was suspected that they were part of a much larger
organization centered on the East Coast.
(SFC, 10/11/96, p.A16)
1996 Oct 8, The little alligator
in Mountain Lake in the Presidio was captured by John Aikin and Woody
Peterson of the SF Zoo with raw fish worth $1.47.
(SFC, 10/10/96, p.A10)(SFC, 12/4/96, p.A13)
1996 Oct 10, New electronic
parking meters that would accept nickels and dimes were announced to
replace the quarters-only meters.
(SFC, 10/10/96, p.A24)
1996 Oct 10, The annual Fleet Week
began.
(SFC, 10/11/96, p.A1)
1996 Oct 17, The Federal
Courthouse at 7th and Mission was re-dedicated after years of seismic
retrofitting at a cost of $30 mil.
(SFC, 10/17/96, A15)
1996 Oct 23, In SF the body of
prostitute Maryanne Tolosa (35) was found in China Basin near Owens
Street. In 2003 DNA evidence later linked Luis Perez, already in prison
for rape and attempted murder, to Tolosa’s murder.
(SFC, 10/19/05, p.B5)
1996 Oct 28, The cargo ship, Cape
Mohican, leaked 8,400 gallons of oil into the Bay while in dry dock at
Pier 70. An opened valve released 96,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel
into a floating dry dock. The government and SF Drydock agreed in 1998
to an $8 million settlement for the spill.
(SFC, 10/29/96, p.A11)(SFC, 7/17/98, p.A1,19)
1996 Oct 29, In San Francisco the
first Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize was awarded. The $30,000 prize,
split between the author and publisher for promotion, went to Alan
Brown, author of “Audrey Hepburn’s Neck.” The prize was intended to
nurture understanding and cooperation among the countries and peoples
of the Pacific Rim.
(SFC, 10/31/96, p.E6)
1996 Nov 1, Mayor Willie Brown
proclaimed this day as “Stella Nicole Patri (d.2001 at 104) Day.” Patri
was the doyenne of SF bookbinders and manuscript restorers.
(SFC, 4/6/01, p.D4)
1996 Nov 4, The Board of
Supervisors passed legislation that required employers with city
contracts to provide benefits to domestic partners. The mayor signed it
Nov 8. It became effective Jun 1, 1997.
(SFC, 11/9/96, p.A15)(SFC, 5/28/99, p.A1)
1996 Nov 6, Victor Martinez won a
National Book Award in the category of Young People’s Literature for
his novel "Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida."
(SFC, 11/7/96, p.E4)(SFEC, 11/10/96, p.A1)
1996 Nov 10, Rudolf (b.1909) and
Ruth Schlesinger (b.1920) arrived in the US in 1938 after fleeing Nazi
persecution. Rudolph went on to pursue a law career and wrote the first
book on comparative law. He taught at Cornell (1948-1975) and then
Hastings in SF. Ruth worked as a curator of prints at both Cornell and
Hastings. They died together in SF on this day.
(SFC, 11/20/96, p.C8)
1996 Nov 11, Mayor Willie Brown
planned to begin his “goodwill and trade mission” to Paris.
(SFC, 11/2/96, p.A13)
1996 Nov 13, A key regent’s
committee voted to merge the hospitals of UCSF and Stanford.
(SFC, 11/14/96, p.A15)
1996 Nov 15, A Vietnamese gang
leader, Cuong Tran, and his lawyer, Dennis Natali, were shot to death
in separate incidents. Tran had been cooperating with federal
investigators. A 17-year-old was charged with the slaying. Police
contended that Man Leung Yu gave the orders for the killing to gain
control of extortion operations. In 1997 it was reported that Natali
collected money extorted from massage parlors.
(SFC, 11/16/96, p.A1)(SFC, 1/10/96, p.A23)(SFC,
8/28/97, p.A1)(SFC, 11/28/00, p.A21)
1996 Nov 15, The SF Symphony
performed in Paris and Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas was awarded
the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, France’s highest arts honor.
(SFC, 11/16/96, p.A15)
196 Nov 19, Nicolette Rivera (8)
was hit by a car at 19th Ave. and Irving. Her injuries required
round-the-clock care for the rest of her life. In 2001 she was awarded
$875,000.
(SFC, 2/28/01, p.A15)
1996 Nov 19, Marshall Wais, steel
magnate and arts patron, was kidnapped and ransomed for $500,000. His
abductors, Thomas William Taylor (64) and Michael Kevin Robison (35),
were caught after the transaction. Taylor was sentenced to 75 years in
prison.
(SFC, 11/20/96, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/98, p.A16)(SFC,
8/28/98, p.D7)
1996 Nov 20, SF began posting
signs along its waterfront to warn fisherman of health hazards from
fish caught in the Bay.
(SFC, 11/21/96, p.A22)
1996 Nov 21, Four men escaped with
an estimated $1 million in diamonds stolen from a gem dealer at Scott
and Chestnut.
(SFC, 11/22/96, p.A1)
1996 Nov 21, A 31-year-old police
informant was shot and paralyzed after giving authorities information
about the Asian gang slaying of Cuong Tran.
(SFC, 1/7/97, p.A1)
1996 Nov 23, Actor Woody Harrelson
and others clogged traffic for hours on the Golden Gate Bridge in a
protest on behalf of the Headwaters forest.
(SFC, 2/5/97, p.A20)
1996 Nov 25, The Board of
Supervisors upheld the mayor’s veto of a measure that would have placed
city restrictions on campaign consultants. The Board had previously
passed the measure 10-1.
(SFC, 11/26/96, p.A13)
1996 Nov 26, A 4-alarm blaze
burned a warehouse at Pier 48 that held hundreds of cars to be
auctioned by the Jewish Educational Center.
(SFC, 11/28/96, p.A23,27)
1996 Nov 27, Italian architect Gae
Aulenti was selected to transform the Old Main Library into a new Asian
Art Museum.
(SFC, 11/28/96, p.C1)
1996 Nov, Pres. Clinton signed
legislation to name six members to a nonpaid board that would oversee
the new national park in the Presidio. Mayor Brown followed up with a
letter to the president that he be named to the board. Three members
must be from Northern California.
(SFC, 1/3/97, p.A23)
1996 Nov, Mayor Brown launched the
opening of Neighborhood City Halls. They opened in 4 communities and in
early 1997 operated 6 hrs a week with little activity.
(SFC, 2/28/97, p.A21)
1996 Nov, Investors planned to
open the new $40 mil retail shopping area at the old Auto Center, once
the site of Seals Stadium. The 2-block lot is bordered by 16th, Bryant,
15th and Potrero Ave.
(SFC, 5/29/96, p.D1)
1996 Dec 2, Janice Duff (54), aka
Janice Blue, a North Beach poet and resident of Humboldt County, shot
and killed William J. Dybble (59). They had argued over noise that Duff
was making while they were watching TV.
(SFC, 12/3/96, p.D2)
1996 Dec 5, Musicians of the SF
Symphony went on strike over medical benefits.
(SFC, 12/6/96, p.A1)
1996 Dec 10, The new $2 million
Italian streetcars were introduced with 4 going into service on the
J-Church line.
(SFC, 12/10/96, p.A17)
1996 Dec 10, The SF Public Library
system had a budget deficit of $2.9 million.
(SFC, 12/11/96, p.A15)
1996 Dec 11, Mayor Brown asked the
Delancey Street Foundation for a plan to remake the City’s juvenile
justice system.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Dec 16, The Giants and the
City agreed on preliminary lease terms for the new 42,000 seat $255
million ballpark at Third and King streets. The city would collect $1.2
million annually over an initial 25-year lease. Public costs for
improvements around the park could cost $26 mil.
(SFC, 12/17/96, p.A1)
1996 Dec 24, Police in Seattle
arrested Simon Shixiang for recruiting gang members for the SF based
Jackson Street Boys.
(SFC,11/24/97, p.A1)
1996 Dec 25, The home of the
parents of the 31-year-old police informant, who was shot and paralyzed
in November, was burned.
(SFC, 1/7/97, p.A10)
1996 Dec 27, It was announced that
the Basque restaurant of Jean-Emile Idiart at 15 Romolo Place off
Broadway was closed after more than 20 years of business.
(SFC, 12/27/96, p.A17)
1996 Dec 28, Mayor Brown created a
“poverty czar” to address welfare reform, homelessness and poverty. He
named Michael Wald to the post.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, p.A10)
1996 Dec 31, It was announced that
Jack’s restaurant on Sacramento St. was sold to John Konstin, owner of
John’s Grill on Eddie St. He said that he paid more than $1.3 mil and
would reopen in May after remodeling.
(SFC, 12/31/96, p.B1)
1996 Dec, Emily Jean Landsverk
(26) suffered massive injuries when a Muni bus ran over her on Cole St.
She received a $4 million payment from the city in 1998.
(SFEC, 1/3/99, p.D4)
1996 Ray Beldner, artist,
installed five, 15-foot-high, iconic figures across the street from
Safeway at 48th and Cabrillo, where Playland-at-the-Beach once stood.
(SSFC, 7/3/05, p.F6)
1996 The film "Follow Me Home" by
Peter Bratt (34) won the audience award at the SF Int’l. Film Festival.
It was his first film and made on a bare bones budget.
(SFC, 2/17/96, p.D1)
1996 Farley Neuman, a corporate
lawyer, founded the College Bound Foundation, a program to mentor
elementary school at-risk students and help them prepare for college.
(SFEC, 5/16/99, p.D5)
1996 The Under Water World
Aquarium opened at Pier 39. The operation filed for bankruptcy in 2000.
(SFEC, 2/13/00, p.B1)
1996 Voters approved Prop. G which
restored district elections in Nov. 2000.
(SFEC, 11/7/99, Z1 p.4)
1996 A time capsule from 1913 was
found at City Hall during renovations.
(SFEC, 1/2/00, p.D4)
1996 Fred Lau was appointed the
police chief of SF.
(SFC, 6/8/99, p.A16)
1996 The Transamerica Corp. made a
$100,000 donation to the Presidio Restoration Fund in an endowment
named after James R. Harvey, a former head of the corp.
(G, Winter, p.3)
1996 David Coulter was named CEO
of Bank of America. The bank closed 120 branches in the state and
eliminated 3,700 jobs.
(SFC, 4/14/98, p.B4)
1996 Victoria Lee was caught by
the door of a Muni bus and dragged some 100 feet. She was awarded a
settlement in 1999 for $850,000.
(SFC, 4/20/99, p.A13)
1996 Rhoda Haas Goldman, a 3rd
generation Stern and former administrator of the Stern Grove Festivals,
died.
(SFC, 6/15/96, p.D1)
1996 SF reported 85 killings for
the year.
(SFC,12/9/97, p.A18)
1996 Two prostitutes, who had
worked on Capp Street, were found murdered. Shellie Bouman (34) and
Dana West (31) were found dead in China Basin 3 days apart.
(SFC, 10/11/97, p.A13)
1996-2001 The TV show “Nash Bridges” was set in SF.
(SFC, 6/26/02, p.D8)
1997 Jan 1, Bottle-hurling youths
at Union Square left 18 police officers injured.
(SFC,12/31/97, p.A13)
1997 Jan 3, Storm waters forced
the city to shut off its water and power connection to the Hetch Hetchy
Reservoir for the 1st time since opening. Ash and debris from last
year’s wildfires were flowing into the reservoir and creating very
murky water.
(SFC, 1/4/97, p.A15)
1997 Jan 6, Mayor Brown announced
that he would like to have former supervisor Bill Maher replace John
Newlin as head of the Dept. of Parking and Traffic. The position is
filled by the Parking and Traffic Commission.
(SFC, 1/7/97, p.A1,15)
1997 Jan 8, Anne Galjour, writer
and performer, received the 13th annual Will Glickman Playwright Award
yesterday for the best new play produced in the Bay Area in 1996.
(SFC, 1/9/97, p.E2)
1997 Jan 8, Luke Whitehead, a
6-foot-5, 15-year-old basketball player from St. Ignatius was featured
on the front page.
(SFC, 1/8/97, p.A1)
1997 Jan 8, Mayor Brown vowed to
take control over the library if Chief Librarian Kenneth Dowlin could
not balance the budget without cuts in services or staff. The library
was under a $1.2 mil deficit. Barbara Kaufman took the oath as
president of the Board of Supervisors.
(SFC, 1/9/97, p.A1)
1997 Jan 8, Gap unveiled a new
design for its new office building at Folsom and Steuart (sic) streets.
Designed by Robert A.M. Stern, it will have a 275-foot tower and partly
leased to Montgomery Securities.
(SFC, 1/9/97, p.B2)
1997 Jan 10, John Petty and his
band the Heartbreakers began a 20-show run at the Fillmore.
(SFC, 1/9/97, p.E1)
1997 cJan 11, Heavy rains caused a
115-foot chunk of street on the private Edgehill Way to slide down the
hill and threatened 13 homes nearby.
(SFC, 1/18/97, p.A14)
1997 Jan 14, A Supervisor’s
committee sought to attach domestic partners wording to the United
Airline’s lease at the airport. A new city law that goes into effect in
June requires any company or non-profit agency that does business with
the city to provide the same spousal benefits to domestic partners as
the city provides to married couples.
(SFC, 2/1/97, p.A1,15)
1997 Jan 15, The Cannabis
Cultivators Club staged a gala reopening.
(SFC, 1/16/97, p.A17)
1997 Jan 15, Osprey Orielle Lake
was scheduled to unveil her 16-foot bronze sculpture, Mother of the
Spirit Fire, Cheemah, at the Rincon Center.
(SFEM, 1/12/97, p.4)
1997 Jan 15, George Seifert, head
coach of the SF 49ers football team since 1989, was replaced by UC
Berkeley coach Steve Mariucci. Seifert had established a won-list
record of 108-35, the best in NFL history.
(SFC, 1/16/97, p.A22)
1997 Jan 16, Ricko, a baby black
rhinoceros, was born at the SF Zoo.
(SFEC, 4/20/97, BR p.29)
1997 Jan 19, St. Peter’s Church at
24th and Alabama suffered extensive fire damage. A votive candle
sparked the fire on Jan 17. The church reopened in 2000.
(SFEC, 1/20/97, p.A17)(SFC, 6/30/00, p.A22)
1997 Jan 21, Kenneth Dowlin, head
of the Library System, resigned under pressure of a $1.2 million budget
deficit.
(SFC, 1/22/97, p.A1)
1997 Jan 28, Mayor Brown responded
to Archbishop William Levada on the issue of city contracts. He told
the archbishop that Catholic Charities contracts with the city as a
nonprofit, charitable organization and must comply with the city’s new
domestic partnership law.
(SFC, 1/29/97, p.A12)
1997 Jan, Inga Markov (24), a
prostitute who worked on Capp Street, was found dead in a Colma
cemetery.
(SFC, 10/11/97, p.A13)
1997 Feb 1, Herb Caen (b.1916),
newspaper columnist, died at age 80.
(SFEC, 2/2/97, p.A12)
1997 Feb 3, Gavin Newsom (29) was
appointed by Mayor Brown to the Board of Supervisors.
(SFC, 2/4/97, p.A13)
1997 Feb 3, The owner of the
Sahara Club at 444 De Haro St. agreed to close down on March 1 in
exchange for a cash settlement in the 6-figure range.
(SFC, 2/5/97, p.A20)
1997 Feb 7, Hear Caen was
eulogized and buried.
(SFC, 2/8/97, p.A1,15)
1997 Feb 7, The city signed a
2-year lease with United Airlines with a 23-year option to allow time
for the company to comply with the domestic partners benefits rule. It
was similar to an agreement signed with Pacific Telesis.
(SFC, 2/8/97, p.A15)
1997 Feb 10, Supervisor Amos Brown
proposed to change the name of Fillmore St. to Carlton Goodlett Way.
Dr. Carlton Goodlett (d.1997) published the Sun Reporter. A stretch of
Polk St. in front of City Hall was named after Goodlett.
(SFC, 2/10/97, p.A1)(SFC, 1/31/02, p.D9)
1997 Feb 10, The SF Symphony
settled its strike.
(USAT, 2/11/97, p.D1)
1997 Feb 13, Supervisor Gavin
Newsom was sworn into office.
(SFEM, 6/8/97, p.8)
1997 Feb 24, The new $4.6 million
Bayview Police Station at 201 Williams Ave. was dedicated.
(SFC, 2/25/97, p.A17)
1997 Feb, Orrin Keepnews accepted
the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Governors Award for
Outstanding Achievement at the Bay Area GRAMMY Nominees Celebration.
(SFEM, 10/5/97, p.28)
1997 Mar 1, It was announced that
the dioramas of the African Hall Annex of the Academy of Sciences at
Golden Gate Park would be replaced by an exhibit on spiders.
(SFC, 3/1/97, p.A1)
1997 Mar 4, UC agreed in principle
to locate its new $800 million expansion at Mission Bay, south of the
Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 3/5/96, p.A9)
1997 Mar 5, Carmel Sanger, hair
stylist, was gunned down at her exotic South of Market salon, the Pink
Tarantula. Marcos Ranjel (31) and Raleigh Tyler (26) were arrested in
Seattle in Dec. for the murder. Sanger’s former husband Robert Neal
Sanger was suspected of hiring the couple for the murder. Ranjel (34),
a former Mexican police officer, was convicted in 2001 for 1st degree
murder.
(SFC,12/12/97, p.A25)(SFC, 4/12/01, p.A22)
1997 Mar 6, The first ever Webby
Awards ceremony was held at Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach with 600
guests. The event was organized by Tiffany Shlain and in 1998 moved to
the Palace of Fine Arts with 2,000 guests.
(SFC, 3/7/96, p.A1)(SFC, 7/30/98, p.D3)
1997 Mar 9, Gang shootings in the
Mission district outraged residents, who called for a tough public
response. Police reported having taken fully automatic weapons from
gang members. Latino gangs were divided into three groups: Nortenos,
Surenos and Unaffiliated.
(SFC, 4/18/97, p.A1,10)
1997 Mar 10, A series of small
earthquakes struck 6 miles west of Daly City. They were measured around
3.6.
(SFC, 3/11/97, p.A11)
1997 Mar 12, Edward DeBartolo Jr.
handed over $400,000 to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards at the SF
Airport in order to clinch a riverboat gambling license.
(SFC, 3/28/00, p.A3)(SFC, 4/12/00, p.A5)
1997 Mar 17, The US Supreme Court
declined to hear the City’s argument that the cross on Mt. Davidson is
a cultural landmark. The cross would now have to be torn down or sold
to a private owner.
(SFC, 3/18/97, p.A1)
1997 Mar 22, The police unit
CRUSH, Crime Response Unit to Stop Homicide, was “restructured.” The
CRUSH unit was dissolved in this year under community criticism.
(SFC, 3/24/97, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/01, p.A13)
1997 Mar 30, The Merchants
Exchange Building downstairs club was closed. The basement club was
leased to Pinnacle Fitness Center which promised to keep the old-1933
murals of Jose Moya del Pino.
(SFC, 4/7/97, p.E3)
1997 Mar 31, The SF Chronicle
began to run a new daily horoscope by Christopher Renstrom, who
replaced Jeane Dixon (d.1997).
(SFC, 3/31/97, p.E1)
1997 Mar 31, The SF French Bread
Co. was acquired by Interstate Bakeries Corp., the makers of Wonder
Bread and Hostess Twinkies.
(SFC, 4/1/97, p.A1)
1997 Mar, The California
Historical Society moved to new quarters in the SF Yerba Buena Gardens.
(SFEC, 8/31/97, DB p.9)
1997 Mar, Calle, a 30-year-old
elephant, was acquired from the LA Zoo to keep Tinkerbelle company. She
was soon found to have tuberculosis. Zoo people were unable to make her
take medicine until pharmacist John Garcia fashioned cocoa butter into
hollow tubes to hold the medicine and inserted as suppositories.
(SFC, 6/26/97, p.A21)(SFC, 8/209/97, p.A16)
1997 Apr 8, Elizabeth Charleston
(86), artist, died in San Rafael. She did oil paintings of flowers and
the French countryside where she once lived. she only began
painting at age 50 after a car accident left her in a temporary neck
brace.
(SFC, 4/11/97, p.E2)
1997 Apr 11, Gang members in the
Mission district beat and killed an opposition gang member.
(SFC, 4/18/97, p.A1,10)
1997 Apr 12, The Central Freeway
re-opened to alleviate traffic.
(SFEC, 4/13/97, p.C1)
1997 Apr 14, In SF the winners of
the 1997 Goldman Environmental Prize were announced: Alexander Nikitin
of Russia who helped to expose the danger of radioactive fuel from
Russian submarines stored in the Arctic waters; Terri Swearingen of the
US for fighting against a toxic waste incinerator on the Ohio River;
Samoan chieftain Fuiono Senio and ethnobotonist Paul Cox for
establishing forest preserves; Juan Pablo Orrego of Chile for his
battle to stop the damming of the Bio Bio River; Nick Carter of England
for helping to create Africa’s inter-governmental force to fight
illegal wildlife trade; and Loir Botor Dingit, Indonesian tribal chief,
for struggling to protect ancestral rain forest from logging.
(SFC, 4/14/97, p.A11)
1997 Apr 24, The SF garbage
collectors went on strike over wage, benefit and pension provisions.
(SFC, 4/24/97, p.A1)
1997 Apr 25, Mayor Brown helped to
settle the garbage strike.
(SFC, 4/26/97, p.A1)
1997 Apr 30, It was announced that
Mayor Brown submitted a Bay Area bid for the Summer Olympics in 2008.
(SFC, 4/30/97, p.A15)
1997 May 1, The city sued the Bank
of America for $12 million in damages for allegedly mishandling
hundreds of millions of dollars as the trustee of municipal bonds.
(SFC, 5/2/97, p.A1)
1997 May 3, The film Bernaltown
was directed and written by Gregory Gavin and premiered in Bernal
Heights. It featured local actors of the Bernal Heights neighborhood.
(SFC, 5/3/97, p.A15)
1997 May 3, Jack Davis, campaign
manager for the SF 49ers staged a 50th birthday party which featured a
blood and sodomy act.
(SFC, 5/7/97, p.A1)
1997 May 8, The US Navy base at
Treasure Island was officially closed.
(SFC, 5/7/97, p.A1)
1997 May 13, The first of three
free toll days on the Bay Bridge began.
(SFC, 5/14/97, p.A1)
1997 May 14, The Monet painting
“The Seine at Argenteuil” sold for $7.6 million at Christie’s auction
house in NYC. The money was to be used by SFMOMA for purchases of
postwar art.
(SFC, 5/15/97, p.E1)
1997 May 15, The Calif. Board of
Corrections approved the SF comprehensive plan for the Juvenile Justice
System and gave $5.5 million to implement it.
(SFC, 5/17/97, p.A17)
1997 May 16, Neighbors of Esprit
Park at lower Potrero Hill staged a rally to save the park. New owners
planned to sell the land.
(SFC, 5/17/97, p.A17)
1997 May 16, Record temperatures
hit 94.
(SFC, 5/17/97, p.A1)
1997 May 24, Thousands attended
the Mission district Carnaval.
(SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A11)
1997 Jun 1, The SF domestic
partners ordnance became law.
(SFC, 5/28/99, p.A1)
1997 Jun 3, Prop. A called for
$140 mil in bonds for school repairs. Prop. B was a $49 million bond
measure for new cultural centers. Prop. C called for a $48 million bond
to improve the zoo. Prop. D was to place a $100 million revenue bond
issue to finance a new 75,000 seat stadium and sports complex at
Candlestick Point. Prop. E was a charter amendment. Prop. F would
change zoning laws for the building of an entertainment-shopping
complex at Candlestick Point. Propositions A,C,D&F won. Prop.
B&E lost. Prop D was 85,753 vs. 84,743. Prop. F was 85,331 vs.
84,590.
(SFEC, 2/2/97, p.A14)(SFC, 5/21/97, p.A13)(SFC,
6/4/97, p.A15)(SFC, 6/5/97, p.A7)
1997 Jun 5, A new pattern of
“sacred” geometry from France was copied and used for a floor pattern
at California Pacific Medical Center. A similar pattern was put into
Grace Cathedral in 1995. The original stone labyrinth was laid in the
floor of the Chartres Cathedral by Benedictine monks c1197.
(SFC, 6/6/97, p.A19)
1997 Jun 5, The cruise ship
Rhapsody of the Seas sailed into the Bay. It measured 78,491 gross
tons, compared to the 46,326 of the Titanic. One registered ton equals
100 cubic feet of enclosed space on a vessel.
(SFC, 6/6/97, p.C3)
1997 Jun 7, Mayor Brown met with
some 200 cab drivers at Herbst Theater to air issues on industry reform.
(SFEC, 6/8/97, p.D1)
1997 Jun 8, A report on the
Wednesday night “Bondage a Go-Go” at the Trocadero Transfer nightclub
was featured.
(SFEC, 6/8/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 9, BankAmerica Corp.
announced that it would acquire the investment banking firm Robertson
Stephens & Co. for $540 million in cash.
(SFC, 6/9/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 9, Tenzin Gyatso, the
14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, spoke at the Bill Graham Civic
Auditorium.
(SFC, 6/10/97, p.A19)
1997 Jun 9, In SF a triple murder
was committed by Issa Abujabar in Visitacion Valley. He killed his
blind mother Linda Fabbiani (46), his ex-girlfriend Julia Garcia (22),
and her 4-month-old daughter Evangeline. Abujabar was arrested the next
day. He was later diagnosed as a chronic schizophrenic and placed into
a Murphy Conservatorship.
(SFC, 6/11/97, p.C17)(SSFC, 12/4/05, p.E6)
1997 Jun 12, The trustees of the
Fine Arts Museums voted to move the De Young Museum out of Golden Gate
park to a site on the Embarcadero. The plan was later reversed under
heavy opposition. A bond measure to rebuild in Golden Gate Park failed.
Trustees then decided to finance everything privately.
(SFC, 6/13/97, p.A1)(SFC, 10/21/04, p.A15)
1997 Jun 14, The Exotic Erotic
Saturday show began at the Broadway Studios.
(SFC, 6/16/97, p.D1)
1997 Jun 18, Two decorators were
arrested at their mansion at 632 El Camino del Mar at Sea Cliff for
laundering money for Jose Santacruz Londono, a Cali cartel leader
killed in Columbia last year.
(SFC, 6/19/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 20-24, The US Mayors
annual conference was scheduled to meet in SF at a cost of $2 million.
(SFC, 6/12/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 23, The SF Food Bank, the
largest distributor of food for the needy in the city, opened a new
storage facility on Potrero Hill with cold storage capability.
(SFC, 6/23/97, p.A13)
1997 Jun 23, Kristen Modafferi
(18) was last seen in SF. She had just moved to the Bay Area from
Charlotte, N.C., lived in Oakland and worked in SF.
(SFEC, 1/31/99, p.D1,3)
1997 Jun 22, The 60th anniversary
of free concerts at Stern Grove was held.
(SFEC, 6/8/97, DB p.11)
1997 Jun 23, The Treasure Island
Museum collection was transferred to the SF Int’l. Airport and will be
administered by the Airport’s Bureau of Exhibitions, Museums and
Cultural Exchange.
(SFEC, 6/29/97, AS p.13)
1997 Jun 23, Three brand new
Municipal Railway cars crashed at 18th and Church. Three MUNI employees
were injured.
(SFC, 6/24/97, p.A15)
1997 Jun 27, John’s Grill on Ellis
St. was declared a national literary landmark by Friends of the
Libraries USA for its role in Dashiell Hammett’s life and classic work
“The Maltese Falcon.” It was the 28th landmark site.
(SFC, 6/28/97, p.A15)
1997 Jun 27, The Nestle Beverage
Co., owner of the city’s historic Hills Bros. coffee closed shop.
(SFC, 6/28/97, p.D1)
1997 Jun 29, The 27th annual
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride parade was held on Market St.
(SFC, 6/28/97, p.A15)
1997 Jun 30, Montgomery Securities
was bought by NationsBank for $1.2 billion.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)
1997 Jun 30, The end of the fiscal
year. A new budget was set at $3.4 billion, a 5.7% increase.
(SFC, 6/2/97, p.D5)(SFC, 6/3/97, p.A13)
1997 Jun, Myrtle the Swan of
Mountain Lake in the Richmond was hospitalized at the SF Zoo due to a
respiratory infection and lead poisoning from the polluted lake. It was
discovered that Myrtle was a male. The swan recovered and was sent to E
and T Waterfowl Ranch in Sebastopol for R&R.
(SFC,11/17/97, p.A21)
1997 Jul 1, A full-funding federal
grant agreement for $750 million over 8 years was granted to BART for
an extension from Colma to the SF Airport. Total cost was estimated at
$1.2 billion.
(SFC, 7/2/97, p.A1)
1997 Jul 1, The SF Parking and
Traffic Commission awarded the management contract for St. Mary's
Square Garage on Kearny to DAJA/Parking concepts, a consulting business
closely associated to Mayor Brown.
(SFEC, 11/21/99, p.A16)
1997 Jul 1, Herbert DeRockere,
artist and teacher and North Beach Liar’s Dice champion, died. He was a
pioneer in multimedia and his work incorporated painting, photography
and conceptual art.
(SFC, 7/5/97, p.C3)
1997 Jul 8, SF police officer
Leslie Adams shot and killed Johnie Williams (20) after Williams tried
to run him down following a high speed chase in the Mission District.
(SFC, 12/4/06, p.A1)
1997 Jul 9, The first board
meeting of the Presidio’s Board of Directors was held and the 7 members
were sworn in.
(G, Winter, p.4)
1997 Jul 11, It was announced that
the 89-year-old building at 475 Brannan in Multimedia Gulch was to be
converted to premier office properties. A $50 million retrofit would
add 2 stories and include earthquake protection.
(SFC, 7/11/97, p.E2)
1997 Jul 16, It was reported that
the SF water system faced a repair bill of $2.36 billion over the next
decade. It would be spread in higher rates over 2.3 million Bay Area
customers.
(SFC, 7/17/97, p.A1)
1997 Jul 22, The .38 acres of the
Mt. Davidson cross was auctioned off for $26,000 to a group of Armenian
organizations who proposed to dedicate it as a memorial to Armenians
massacred during WW I. The sale was approved in a US Court of Appeals
in 2001.
(SFC, 7/22/97, p.A1)(SFC, 1/5/00, p.A18)(SFC,
9/6/01, p.A1)
1997 Jul 23, The first part of the
new Cypress Freeway opened in Oakland to connect the Nimitz Freeway and
the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 8/11/97, p.A11)
1997 Jul 24, Hashiem Zayed (59), a
cook at the Pinecrest Diner at Geary and Mason, shot and killed Helen
Menicou (47), a waitress, a day after being scolded for making a custom
poached eggs order when it was not on the menu. The two had worked
together for more than 2 decades. Zayed was found guilty of 1st degree
murder in 1999 and was sentenced 35 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 7/25/97, p.A15)(SFC, 4/21/99, p.A19)(SFC,
8/28/99, p.A23)
1997 Jul 25, Bikers defied the
city-approved route for the Critical Mass bike ride and struck out on
their own. Some 250 were arrested for traffic violations. Numerous
incidents of confrontations between bikers, police and commuters were
reported.
(SFC, 7/26/97, p.A1)
1997 Jul 28, SF police declared
that the monthly bike rides by Critical Mass were now illegal unless a
special permit is issued.
(SFC, 7/29/97, p.A1)
1997 Jul 31, The Northpoint
Theater was scheduled to close.
(SFC, 7/11/97, p.D4)
1997 Aug 5, Charles Griffin Farr,
realist painter, died. He taught at the California School of Fine Arts
from 1959-1967.
(SFC, 8/8/97, p.A20)
1997 Aug 10, William Reynolds, a
bouncer at Blondie's Bar and No Grill at 540 Valencia, was wounded with
a sickle and died 4 days later. In 1999 David Masette was sentenced 16
years to life for 2nd degree murder.
(SFC, 3/24/99, p.C3)
1997 Aug 11, A fire at the Delta
Hotel at 6th and Mission left one person dead. In 1999 a new 140 room
residential hotel was planned.
(SFC, 8/15/97, p.A19)(SFC, 1/27/99, p.A13)
1997 Aug 13, It was reported that
Deja Vu Inc., the nation’s largest x-rated entertainment business run
by Harry V. Mohney of Durand, Mich., has taken control of the city’s
best known sex clubs.
(SFC, 8/13/97, p.A1)
1997 Aug 14, Art broker Nancy
Chaffin was arrested and charged with 44 criminal counts alleging the
swindle of 2 acquaintances out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in
phony art and business deals.
(SFC, 8/15/97, p.A19)
1997 Aug 14, A fire struck at 320
Clementina St., a 13-story part of the twin structures that comprise
the 25-year old Clementina Towers development under the SF Housing
Authority. One man died.
(SFC, 8/15/97, p.A19)
1997 Aug 15, It was reported that
the $500,000 sculpture of a foot by Seattle Sculptor, Buster Simpson,
was being skeptically considered by the board of Supervisors and the
Port Commission for placement at the foot of Market St. It was rejected
and proposed again in 1999.
(SFC, 8/15/97, p.A1)(SFC, 3/17/99, p.A1)
1997 Aug 16, Charlotte Smith
Mailliard Swig, the city’s chief of protocol, married former Sec. of
State George Shultz at Grace Cathedral.
(SFC, 8/16/97, p.A1)
1997 Aug 28, In SF some 4,000
people marched with Jesse Jackson across the Golden Gate Bridge to
protest Prop. 209, in what was dubbed the “March to Save the Dream.”
(SFC, 8/29/97, p.A1)
1997 Aug 29, The Critical Mass
ride of 1,500 cyclists rode in small groups, pedaled with traffic and
followed traffic laws.
(SFC, 8/30/97, p.A1)
1997 Sep 5, The War Memorial Opera
House reopened after 20 months of seismic upgrading and general
renovation for $86.5 million.
(SFEC, 8/10/97, p.A1)(SFC, 9/6/97, p.A1)
1997 Sep 6, Police found Peter
Bear (96), head librarian of the SF Russian Center, beaten to death in
his Richmond District home.
(SFC,11/20/97, p.A17)
1997 Sep 7, Some 2,500 BART
workers went on strike.
(SFEC, 9/7/97, p.A1)
1997 Sep 8, Betty J. Evans
witnessed officer Joseph McCloskey kicking a handcuffed man and lodged
a complaint of police brutality. McCloskey filed a $25,000 defamation
suit against Evans. In 1999 McCloskey was stuck with some $40,000 in
lawyers fees as his case evaporated.
(SFC, 7/15/99, p.A24)
1997 Sep 12, Vitaly Poliakov (29)
of San Francisco was found with his skull crushed in an Atascadero
Creek. Joshua Puckett (18) later admitted to committing the murder in
Orinda.
(SFC, 6/23/98, p.A15)
1997 Sep 15, BART trains began to
roll after a weekend agreement with the two largest unions. A lump sum
payment of $3000 this year, and 4% raises over the next 3 years was
part of the settlement.
(SFC, 9/15/97, p.A10)
1997 Sep 17, The show “America
Songbook” by Stephen Pelton had its premier at Theater Artaud.
(SFC, 9/19/97, p.C5)
1997 Sep 18, Final permission was
granted for the new $262 million, 42,000-seat ballpark for the SF
Giants. The approval was granted with an agreement by the Giants to
build a shoreline park near the stadium at China Basin.
(SFC, 9/19/97, p.A19)
1997 Sep 20, It was reported that
the SF Police Academy will move from the former elementary school on
Amber Drive in diamond Heights to a larger facility on Treasure Island.
(SFC, 9/20/97, p.A17)
1997 Sep 20, The 25th annual SF
Blues Festival began at Fort Mason’s Grace Meadow.
(SFEC, 9/21/97, p.A1)
1997 Sep 20, Nicholas Traina (19),
the son of novelist Danielle Steel, died in SF of a drug overdose.
(SFEC, 9/21/97, p.A1)
1997 Sep 23, The temperature
reached a record 97 degrees and broke a record from 1939.
(SFC, 9/24/97, p.A10)
1997 Sep 26-28, An art car show
was scheduled for the Somar Gallery at 934 Brannan.
(WSJ, 9/23/97, p.A20)
1997 Sep 30, Treasure Island and
Yerba Buena Island were scheduled to come under the jurisdiction of San
Francisco. The Navy property was to be leased to the Treasure Island
Development Authority was 15 years.
(SFC, 5/7/97, p.A15)(SFC, 3/6/99, p.A15)
1997 Sep, A group called the
American Atheists sued against the sale of the Mt. Davidson land and
cross to an Armenian American organization. In 2000 a federal judge
ruled that the sale did not violate the separation of church and state.
(SFC, 1/5/00, p.A18)
1997 Oct 1, SF took over the
operation of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island under a lease
agreement. The US Navy was to pay SF $4 million to run the islands.
(SFC, 10/2/97, p.A21)
1997 Oct 2, The John Lee Hooker
Boom Boom Room opened at the former Jacks on the corner of Fillmore and
Geary.
(SFC, 10/4/97, p.E1)
1997 Oct 3, Glide Memorial United
Methodist Church announced that it would break ground on a new 9-story,
$12 million, 52-unit housing project for needy people at Taylor and
Ellis streets and that it would be named after Rev. Cecil Williams
(against his wishes).
(SFC, 10/4/97, p.A20)
1997 Oct 4, A prostitute, who
worked on Capp Street, was attacked and dumped after feigning death
into the bay at Pier 9. She identified Jack Bokin (54), a self-employed
plumbing contractor, as the perpetrator. Bokin was pronounced guilty on
25 felony accounts in 1999 and faced 27 consecutive life sentences.
Bokin was sentenced to 231 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 10/11/97, p.A1,13)(SFC, 10/9/99, p.A17)(SFC,
1/20/00, p.A17)
1997 Oct 6, The Board of
Supervisors will double the phone tax to cover 911 costs for upgrade.
The charges will be effective Dec. 1 and last about 9 years.
(SFC, 10/7/97, p.A19)
1997 Oct 8, Jim Gabbert (61) sold
his stake in KOFY, channel 20, to Granite Broadcasting for $174
million. He and partner John Lincoln had bought the station in 1980 for
$9.85 mil. Gabbert’s share was 85%.
(SFC, 10/9/97, p.E1)
1997 Oct 11, A 4-alarm fire at
2211 and 2217 Mission St. at the Starlight Furniture Co. left 33 people
homeless.
(SFC, 10/12/97, p.1)
1997 Oct 12, A rock concert was
organized by Chet Helms (1942-2005) in Golden Gate Park to commemorate
the 30-year anniversary of the “Be-In.” [see 1/14/67] An estimated
10,000 people gathered for the concert.
(SFC, 8/23/97, p.A20)(SFC, 10/13/97, p.E1)
1997 Oct 15, Donald Bickerstaff
(38), an investment counselor in Marin, was arraigned on fraud charges.
He was believed to have stolen some $15 million since 1989 from mostly
elderly clients. He later agreed to plead guilty on 40 felony counts.
(SFC,10/16/97, p.A17)(SFC,12/16/97, p.A17)
1997 Oct 17, Two SF parking meter
collectors were arrested for grand theft.
(SFC,10/27/97, p.A15)
1997 Oct 20, It was reported that
the $244 million retrofit of City Hall could grow in cost by $30-80
million, due in part to changes imposed by Mayor Brown.
(SFC,10/20/97, p.A1)
1997 Oct 23, Mayor Brown announced
from the Univ. of Seoul in South Korea, where he received an honorary
doctorate in literature, that he planned to establish an annual poet
laureate of the city.
(SFC,10/24/97, p.A1)
1997 Oct 23, A PG&E power
outage knocked out power to half the city for 4 hours. Sabotage was
suspected.
(SFC,10/24/97, p.A1)(WSJ, 12/9/98, p.A4)
1997 Oct 24, The 53rd Grand
National Rodeo opened at the Cow Palace.
(SFC,10/24/97, p.A17)
1997 Oct 29, Anton LaVey (67),
founder of the Church of Satan, died. His daughter, Karla LaVey, and
companion, Blanche Barton, promised to carry on his work. A major suit
developed over the disposition of his property at 6114 California St.
(SFC,11/8/97, p.A22)(SFC, 1/25/99, p.A1)
1997 Nov 3, The BART extension to
SFO was officially begun.
(SFC,11/3/97, p.A1)
1997 Nov 3, Plaza East housing
project at 1250 Eddy St. was wrecked. The highrise will be replaced by
193 Victorian-style townhouses.
(SFC,11/4/97, p.A17)
1997 Nov 4, Prop. H called for
rebuilding the freeway ramps at Oak and Fells streets an a study of how
to move through-town traffic that once relied on the Franklin and Gough
street spurs. The proposition passed with 53% in favor.
(SFEC,10/26/97, p.D1)(SFC,11/5/97, p.A1)
1997 Nov 4, Phyllis Wattis
contributed $10 million to the California Academy of Sciences. Wattis,
the 92-year-old great-granddaughter of Brigham Young, also presented
$20 million to the SF Fine Arts Museums, $10 million for the new de
Young building fund and $10 million for acquisitions. The Exploratorium
and the SF Arts Institute were each granted $5 million. Paul Wattis,
her husband, was an executive with Utah Construction and Mining, a
family business that built the Boulder Dam.
(SFC,11/5/97, p.A18)(SFEC,11/30/97, p.C13)
1997 Nov 5, The 13th annual
Festival of Independent Cinema opened.
(SFEC,11/2/97, DB p.11)
1997 Nov 6, The 22nd annual
American Indian Film Festival opened.
(SFEC,11/2/97, DB p.11)
1997 Nov 6, Ground was broken for
the reconstruction of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 245
Valencia with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, head of the Greek
Orthodox faith, present.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.A23)
1997 Nov 8, Mayor Brown scheduled
the day for a city-wide cleanup. Some ten thousand city residents
helped sweep the city.
(SFC, 8/22/97, p.A24)(SFEC,11/9/97, p.D2)
1997 Nov 10, The Board of
Supervisors approved an operating and licensing agreement with the SF
Convention and Visitors Bureau to establish a SF credit card.
(SFC,11/11/97, p.A17)
1997 Nov 11, Demolition began on
St. Paul’s elementary school in Noe Valley. A new structure was planned
to replace the 80-year-old structure.
(SFC,11/12/97, p.A17)
1997 cNov 11, The city’s domestic
partner legislation was amended to give department heads the poser to
waive requirements in certain cases with the approval of the Human
Rights Commission.
(SFC,11/12/97, p.A15)
1997 Nov 13, The SFMOMA purchased
the sculpture “Untitled, Unfinished or Not Yet” (1966) by
postminimalist Eva Hesse (1936-1970) for $2.2 million.
(SFC,11/21/97, p.C4)
1997 Nov 15, Amoeba Music, a vinyl
record and CD store, opened at 1855 Haight in the former Park Bowl
building.
(SFC,11/17/97, p.D1)
1997 Nov 16, Gina Barnett (25) was
shot and killed in her Folsom condominium. James Nivette, her
boyfriend, left their 18-month-old son on a San Bruno street and fled
to France. Nivette was extradited in 2001.
(SFC, 7/20/01, p.A3)
1997 Nov 17, It was reported that
plans were afoot for a $400 million development for Piers 30-32 by the
Disney Co. and the Simon-DeBartolo Group.
(SFC,11/17/97, p.A1)
1997 Nov 19, The SFMOMA purchased
a Mark Rothko painting, “No. 14, 1960,” for $5.9 million.
(SFC,11/21/97, p.C1)
1997 Nov 20, It was reported that
a new 23-story highrise was planned for 199 Fremont St. for an
estimated $100 million.
(SFC,11/20/97, p.E1)
1997 Nov 24, A proposal was
reported to split the de Young Museum into two parts, a city history
museum for Golden Gate Park and an art museum on the waterfront.
(SFC,11/24/97, p.A1)
1997 Nov 30, Kathy Acker, SF
erotic fiction writer, died in Mexico at age 53. Her books included
“Blood and Guts in High School” (1984), “My Mother: Demonology,”
“Empire of the Senseless,” “Politics,” and “Pussy, King of the Pirates.”
(SFC, 12/2/97, p.A22)
1997 Dec 1, Latrell Sprewell,
guard for the Golden State Warriors, choked and threatened coach P.J.
Carlesimo. The Warriors quickly terminated Sprewell’s multi-million
contract and the NBA then banned him from basketball for one year.
(SFC,12/5/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 2, The cable car
turntable at the end of the Hyde St. line was formally dedicated to
Friedel Klussmann, who helped save the system in 1947.
(SFC, 12/2/97, p.A16)
1997 Dec 2, Judge Marilyn Hall
Patel lifted the 10-year-old consent decree she imposed to control
discrimination in the Fire Department.
(SFC,12/9/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 3, It was reported that
former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards, Edward J. DeBartolo, owner of the
SF 49ers, and three others were about to be indicted for alleged fraud.
(SFC, 12/3/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 4, Mayor Brown fired
Sharon Bretz as Parking and Traffic Commissioner. Bretz followed by
accusing Brown of handing a multi-million contract to his close friend,
lobbyist Billy Rutland Jr.
(SFC,12/5/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 4, A Superior Court
ordered the SF Sheriff’s Dept. to evict the Dovre Club from the Women’s
Building.
(SFC,12/5/97, p.A21)
1997 Dec 8, State Senator Quentin
Kopp began an initiative to ban city spending on a protocol office for
Mayor Brown.
(SFC,12/9/97, p.A17)
1997 Dec 8, The Dovre Club held an
Irish wake, a hooley, in honor of its last night of service.
(SFC,12/9/97, p.A17)
1997 Dec 11, Groundbreaking for
the new Pacific Bell Park for the SF Giants was held.
(SFEC,12/797, Z1 p.5)
1997 Dec 12, SFX Entertainment
negotiated the purchase of Bill Graham Presents for $65 million.
(SFC,12/13/97, p.A15)
1997 Dec 13, In SF a fire in a
Bayview-Hunters Point housing project killed 6 people including 5
children. Henry Lee Redmond (60), a live-in boyfriend of Delores Evans
(42), one of the victims, apparently started the fire with a cigarette
while drinking. Redmond escaped and claimed that he tried to douse the
fire and yelled to the people upstairs. The SF Housing Authority was
found negligent for not installing a smoke detector or fixing a faulty
heater in 2008 still owed $13.5 million to relatives of the victims.
The SF Housing Authority finished paying off the judgment in 2009.
(SFEC,12/14/97, p.A1)(SFC,12/16/97, p.A17)(SFC,
4/24/08, p.B3)(SFC, 4/10/09, p.B3)
1997 Dec 15, The SF 49ers retired
#16, the number on Joe Montana’s jersey.
(SFC,12/16/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 15, It was reported that
the City Hall project was $47.6 million over budget. Mayor Brown
proposed parties to cover the expenses. It was also reported that tax
revenues were up and the city budget surplus was around $80 million,
the largest since 1985.
(SFC,12/15/97, p.A1)(SFC,12/16/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 15, SF supervisors
approved eviction protection for seniors, the disabled and the
terminally ill under certain conditions with an 18 month moratorium.
(SFC,12/16/97, p.A18)
1997 Dec 15, The Board of
Supervisors approved a Port Commission vote to award the lease on the
Mission Rock Resort to Jim Kelly, who pledged to put in $530,000 in
improvements.
(SFC,12/31/97, p.A13)
1997 Dec 21, Gauri Govil, a
2-year-old girl, fell through a narrow gap on the northern end of the
Golden Gate Bridge and plunged 167 feet to her death on ground below.
(SFC,12/22/97, p.A1)(SFC,12/23/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 26, Firefighters doused 8
arson fires in the Mission and SOMA areas.
(SFC,12/27/97, p.A1)
1997 Dec 31, David Rosenbaum (82),
jazz historian, died in Manteca. He owned the Melrose Record Shop on
Fillmore and Rhythm Records on Sutter Street. Poet Maya Angelou worked
in his store when she was a Mission High schoolgirl then named
Marguerite Johnson.
(SFC, 1/6/98, p.A17)
1997 The 1982 George Rickey
sculpture “Double L Eccentric Gyratory” was placed outside the new SF
Main Library.
(SFEC, 6/29/97, DB p.37)
1997 Robert Voss wrote the ballad
“The Bridge: Golden Gate.” It was later adopted as the official bridge
song.
(SFC, 7/8/02, p.B3)
1997 In San Francisco the 2nd
Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize was awarded to Patrick Smith and his
book “Japan: A Reinterpretation.”
(SFEC, 10/18/98, BR p.2)
1997 Ariella Ben-Dov began the
MadCat Woman’s International Film Festival.
(SFC, 9/4/02, p.D1)
1997 In SF the 1860 St. Francis of
Assisi church in North Beach, closed in 1993, was reborn as a national
shrine to St. Francis, the only sanctioned shrine outside his Italian
hometown.
(SSFC, 11/20/05, p.B3)
1997 SF adopted a Waterfront
Master Plan.
(SFC, 3/25/99, p.A27)
1997 The contents of a police
promotion exam were leaked and Inspector Henry Kirk was charged for
violating a federal secrecy oath. The charges against Kirk were dropped
in 1999. Sgt. Dan Gardner revealed the leak with an anonymous call and
was charged with misconduct for improper notification.
(SFC, 7/1/99, p.A17)(SFC, 7/3/99, p.A16)
1997 Bruce Tomb acquired the
former Mission Police Station at 23rd and Valencia in a winning bid
against developers who wanted to tear down the 8,000-square-foot
precinct headquarters. It had been vacated in 1994 for a new structure
at 17th and Valencia.
(SSFC, 7/3/05, p.F1,3)
1997 The new charter school,
Leadership High, was scheduled to open for 100 9th graders.
(SFC, 2/7/97, p.A21)
1997 The transitional high school
at 1950 Mission, corner of 16th St., was renamed Phoenix High.
(SFC, 3/2/02, p.A19)
1997 The Pacific Stock Exchange
was renamed the Pacific Exchange.
(SSFC, 1/25/04, p.I3)
1997 Bank of America acquired the
investment banking group Robertson Stephens.
(SFC, 4/14/98, p.B4)
1997 Global Strategies Group, a SF
brokerage firm under financial pressure to keep afloat, allegedly
established a loan deal with the Gambino family mob for $500,000. The
firm shut down completely in 1998 amidst an FBI investigation.
(SFEC, 2/1/98, p.A14)
1997 Levi Strauss & Co.
abandoned the Saddleman building in downtown SF after 7 employees
developed breast cancer. The reason for the move was not revealed until
1999 when a study was completed that showed no link between the
building and employee cancers.
(SFC, 1/29/99, p.A17)
1997 Chuy Campusano, muralist,
died at age 52. His work was nonrepresentational and an example was at
the Bank of America at 23rd and Mission.
(SFC, 8/5/98, p.A13)
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