Timeline San Francisco 1998-1999
Return to home
1998 Jan 1,
The lease of the Mission Rock Resort transfers from Norma Wahl, who
held it for 22 years, to Jim Kelly, owner of Pat O’Shea’s on Guery
Blvd. The new name will be Kelly’s at Mission Rock.
(SFC,12/31/97, p.A13)
1998 Jan 3, James Weeks (75),
Bay Area artist, died in Boston. His work in the 1950s was described
as “the most violently coloristic and gestural” of the Bay Area
Figurative School.
(SFC, 2/9/98, p.A19)
1998 Jan 5, It was reported
that there were 71,500 homeless people in the Bay Area. 6-8,000 were
in SF County which had 1,399 shelter beds.
(SFC, 1/5/98, p.A8)
1998 Jan 7, Daniel E. Solorzano
(28), a carpenter’s apprentice, was hit by a bullet that passed
through the shoulder of an intended gang member at the corner of
24th and Capp. He died some 2 weeks later.
(SFEC, 3/1/98, p.D7)
1998 Jan 8, Supervisor Susan
Leal became the city treasurer. Her salary jumped from $23,929 to
$119,000 per year.
(SFC, 1/8/98, p.A20)
1998 Jan 8, Grazia Massimillo
was struck and killed by a Muni bus at Naples and Italy in the
Excelsior. In 1999 SF paid a $235,000 settlement to the son and
daughter of Massimillo.
(SFC, 5/20/99, p.A17)
1998 Jan 10, The Muni began its
E-Line from the Embarcadero to the Caltrain station at King and
Fourth streets.
(SFEC, 1/11/98, p.D1)
1998 Jan 13, In SF four to five
men robbed a jewelry salesman in Chinatown near 3 plainclothes
police officers for some $2 million in jewels and escaped.
(SFC, 1/14/98, p.A16)
1998 Jan 14, Fannie May Barnes
(52) became the first female cable car operator in the city.
(SFC, 1/14/98, p.A16)
1998 Jan 15, The SF Symphony
premiered the “Brick Symphony” by Michael Torke, that it had
commissioned.
(SFC, 1/16/98, p.D8)
1998 Jan 15, The trustees of
the de Young Museum voted against moving out of Golden Gate park and
planned a new bond measure to rebuild it with an underground garage.
(SFC, 1/16/98, p.A1)
1998 Jan 15, Art collectors
Kent and Vicki Logan made a gift of $1 million and 250
artworks to SFMOMA. Another $1.5 million was given to the California
College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC) to establish the Kent and Vicky
Logan Center for exhibitions and public programs on the South of
market campus.
(SFC, 1/16/98, p.D1)
1998 Jan 18, The SF Zagat
do-it-yourself survey of restaurants named Boulevard as #1 and
Postrio as #2. It was the 11th year of the SF edition of the New
York based survey.
(SFEM, 1/18/98, p.6)
1998 Jan 18, A major storm hit
California and a sinkhole measuring 40 feet in diameter and 10 feet
deep swallowed a car on John Muir Drive near Lake Merced.
(SFC, 1/19/98, p.A11)
1998 Jan 20, Mayor Brown
announced a $20 million deal to bring Bloomingdale’s to SF at the
old Emporium building on Market St.
(SFC, 1/20/98, p.A1)
1998 Jan 23 A kiosk was to open
at City Lights featuring “Shaping SF,” a new CD on SF history by
Chris Carlsson, Greg Williamson and Jim Swanson of Processed World.
Also with the book “Reclaiming SF: History, Politics, Culture.”
(SFC, 1/20/98, p.E1)
1998 Jan 23, Armed robbers
escaped with $100,000 from a Brink’s armored car at Bay and Powell.
(SFC, 1/24/98, p.A19)
1998 Jan 23, The Golden Gate
Bridge District Directors designated “The Bridge: Golden Gate,”
written by Noah Griffin and Bob Voss, as the official GGB ballad. A
1934 song “Golden Gate Bridge” by the late Irene Anderson was
designated the bridge’s official historic song.
(SFC, 1/24/98, p.A13)
1998 Jan 24, Zygmunt Arendt, a
Polish immigrant and railroad worker, died alone of pneumonia at
Davies Med. He left over $4 million in stocks, savings and real
estate, with 60% dedicated to the poor, and 40% to the
children, and disabled seniors of SF.
(SFC, 4/30/98, p.A17)
1998 Jan 25, The 1726 puppet
show “La Grandmere amoureuse” by Fuzelier and Dorneval was a spoof
on French opera based on Lully’s tragic 1676 opera “Atys.” It was
revived in 1998 by the SF Bay Area team of Magnificat and the Carter
Family Marionettes.
(SFEC, 1/18/98, DB p.33)(PN, 2/25/98)
1998 Jan 25, Four gang members
were arrested when they tried to collect a $2,000 extortion payment
from a Post St. bar in the Tenderloin. They were part of a
Vietnamese offshoot of Chinatown’s Jackson Street Boys.
(SFC, 2/6/98, p.A20)
1998 Jan 26, The SF Ballet
opened its 65th season with “Circus Polka” under director Helgi
Tomasson.
(SFC, 1/27/98, p.B1)
1998 Jan 27, The DeBartolo
Corp. put the new stadium at Candlestick Point on hold due to an
escalating price tag that reached $175 million.
(SFC, 1/28/98, p.A1)
1998 Jan 27, A new design for
Union Square was selected by city officials. Architects April
Philips and Michael Fotheringham won with an Italian piazza design.
(SFC, 1/28/98, p.A11)
1998 Jan 29, Former Mayor
Joseph Alioto died at age 81.
(SFC, 1/30/98, p.A10)
1998 Jan, Dr. Sandra Hernandez
was recently appointed head of the SF Foundation, a community trust
with assets exceeding $500 million.
(SFC, 1/28/98, p.A16)
1998 Jan, The 5,400-sq.-foot,
1908 home and garden of Mary Fay Berrigan (d.1988) at 2366
Leavenworth St. was offered to the city following the death of her
husband. The garden was designed by Thomas Church. If a Jul 2
deadline was not met the property was to offered to the SPCA.
(SFC, 5/1/98, p.A23,27)
1998 Feb 2, A morning robbery
occurred at the Bank Of America Mission Branch at 24th St. Three men
took over the bank and beat the security guard and attacked a
customer who stumbled in on the crime.
(SFC, 2/3/98, p.A18)
1998 Feb 2, Heavy rains
thrashed the Bay Area and Northern California.
(SFC, 2/3/98, p.A1)
1998 Feb 2, Melvin John Figoni,
owner and operator of the North Beach Figoni hardware Store, died at
age 89.
(SFC, 2/7/98, p.21)
1998 Feb 6, Mayor Brown left
for Manila and was expected to sign agreements with Mayor Alfredo
Lim for workshops on AIDS, student exchange programs, and other
deals. Mayor Brown was to continue on to Hanoi.
(SFC, 2/5/98, p.A18)
1998 Feb 6, Three masked men
robbed the Embarcadero Federal Credit Union in the Sunset District
and escaped with $4,500 in cash.
(SFC, 2/7/98, p.21)
1998 Feb 6, Prince Charles, the
16-year-old, white, Bengal tiger of the SF Zoo, died. He was born at
the Cincinnati Zoo in 1981.
(SFC, 2/7/98, p.A21)
1998 Feb 7, A street dispute
near Keith and Quesada on the Bayview-Hunters Point area led to the
death of Leon Dorsey (23). Three men were later picked up and held
on $1 million bale.
(SFC, 2/11/98, p.A19)
1998 Feb 7, Delodie Silva (46),
a youth programs worker from Sonoma, was shot and killed at Bayshore
and Arleta when an argument arose between passengers in her car and
rivals in another car.
(SFC, 2/10/98, p.A18)
1998 Feb 10, A young bank
executive, Michael Woo (28), was found shot to death in GG Park.
(SFC, 2/13/98, p.D8)
1998 Feb 13, A 4-alarm fire
broke out in the dome of City Hall.
(SFC, 2/14/98, p.A15)
1998 Feb 17, Ronnie Look (15)
was shot and killed at the North Beach Amusement Arcade at 447
Broadway. 4 youths were detained for questioning. Clarence Ma (17),
aka Qizhan Ma, the suspected killer, was still being sought. Ma was
associated with the Seven Stars offshoot of the Jackson Street Boys
and Look was a member of the rival Hop Sing Boys. Ma was caught in
1999 and inadvertently released.
(SFC, 2/18/98, p.A14)(SFC, 6/20/98, p.A11)(SFC,
6/17/99, p.A25)
1998 Feb 20, Mayor Brown
ordered the hiring of 65 more parking and traffic control officers
to direct traffic and clear vehicles blocking traffic.
(SFC, 2/21/98, p.A1)
1998 Feb 22, The Alhambra, city
historic landmark # 217, and the Royal Theaters were scheduled to
close. In 2000 the Gorilla Sports chain of exercise studios planned
to reopen it as a health club.
(SFC, 2/12/98, p.E1)(SFC, 2/18/00, p.C1)
1998 Feb 22, St. Francis
Cathedral in North Beach re-opened as a shrine.
(SFC, 2/23/98, p.A18)
1998 Feb 22, Emmy Lou Packard,
artist, died at age 84. She painted many murals and worked with
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
(SFC, 3/25/98, p.A22)
1998 Feb 25-29, The Noise Pop
Festival was scheduled with 35 bands. Performing groups were to be
at the Great American Music Hall, Bimbo’s, Bottom of the Hills, and
the Paradise Lounge.
(SFEC, 2/22/98, DB p.19)
1998 Feb 27, The documentary
film “Kurt and Courtney” by Nick Broomfield premiered in SF at the
Roxie.
(SFC, 2/27/98, p.C1)
1998 Feb 27, Jack Micheline
(born as Harvey Martin Silver in NY), Bohemian poet, died at 68 of a
heart attack on a BART train between SF and Orinda. His first book
of poetry was “River of Red Wine,” and his last was “Sixty Seven
Poems for Downtrodden Saints.”
(SFEC, 3/1/98, p.D8)
1998 Feb, The temporary Mission
Rock shelter for the homeless opened on land destined for parking
for the new Giants ballpark.
(SFC, 8/6/99, p.A20)
1998 Mar 2, Sharon Leuenberger
(59) of Hillsborough was reported missing. Her body was found the
next day in a stolen cleaning service van in the Mission district
with evidence of an attempt to burn the insides. Cirio Cuara
Valencia (21), the prime suspect of the murder, was believed to have
fled to Mexico. Valencia returned to SF and confessed to the kidnap
and slaying Mar 14, and implicated two other people in the crime.
(SFC, 3/6/98, p.A1)(SFC, 3/8/98, A1)(SFEC,
3/15/98, p.A1)
1998 Mar 5, The national Park
Service announced that a $10 million grant from the Haas family
would help transform Crissy Field to a new shoreline park by 2000.
(SFC, 3/5/98, p.A1)
1998 Mar 5-12, The 16th annual
SF Int’l. Asian American Film Festival was held.
(SFC, 2/12/98, p.E8)
1998 Mar 6, Mayor Brown removed
Bill Maher from his position as director of parking and traffic. The
$96,000 a year job was reported to be taken over by mayoral aide
Stuart Sunshine.
(SFC, 3/7/98, p.A1)
1998 Mar 9, It was to be
recommended to close the SF Carousel in GG Park for 3 months for
$50,000 in repairs.
(SFC, 1/29/98, p.A20)
1998 Mar 9, The bicycle
bandits, Edwin James Rowan III (39) and Raymond V. Lopez (46) were
arrested after robbing the California Federal Savings Bank on the
4000 block of Geary. They were suspected of robbing 12 North Bay
banks and using bikes as get-away vehicles.
(SFC, 3/11/98, p.C2)
1998 Mar 10, The new Hayes
Valley North housing development opened.
(SFC, 3/12/98, p.A17)
1998 Mar 12, Brian Wilmes (45),
was attacked by Edgard Mora (25) in an anti-gay hate crime near 11th
and Mission. Wilmes died 2 days later. A jury deadlocked in 1999 and
a mistrial was declared. In 2000 Mora was sentenced to 5 years in
jail for involuntary manslaughter.
(SFEC, 3/15/98, p.A1)(SFC, 9/8/99, p.A19)(SFC,
9/25/99, p.A17)(SFC, 4/25/00, p.A15)
1998 Mar 18, The SPCA offered
nighttime shelter for about a dozen homeless people at its Pet
Adoption Center.
(SFC, 3/19/98, p.A1)
1998 Mar 18, Jonathan Lim (18)
was shot to death in the Tenderloin while tagging graffiti outside
the 2nd story apartment of William Porter. Porter feared burglary
and claimed that Lim grabbed for the gun. Porter (51) was exonerated
in Dec.
(SFC, 12/14/98, p.A1,7)(SFC, 12/15/98, p.A21)
1998 Mar 19, A jewel merchant
was robbed of $300,000 in diamonds. It was described as “your
typical Columbian heist.”
(SFC, 3/21/98, p.A15)
1998 Mar 21, Six members of the
SF-based Peaceworkers group were arrested and sentenced to 10 days
in jail in Kosovo for not reporting their presence to police. 3 were
from the Bay Area.
(SFEC, 3/22/98, p.A1)(SFC, 3/23/98, p.A11)
1998 Mar, The new Barbary Coast
Trail was to begin with the emplacement of the first of 150
historical plaques between the old mint and Fisherman’s Wharf.
(SFC, 1/20/98, p.A1)
1998 Mar, Work on the 42-story
condo-hotel-retail tower on Market between 4th and 5th was scheduled
to begin.
(SFC, 7/2/97, p.C2)
1998 James Herman, SF Port
Commissioner and union leader, died at age 73.
(WSJ, 1/20/98, p.CA1)
1998 Spring, The new Starwood W
Hotel at 3rd and Howard was to be completed.
(SFEC, 8/16/98, p.B1)
1998 Apr 2, Admission to the
Zoo went from $7 to $9 for adults, $4.50 to $6 for youths, and $2.50
to $3 for children.
(SFC, 2/5/98, p.A26)
1998 Apr 3, The California
Pacific Medical Center agreed to acquire Davies Medical Center.
(SFC, 4/4/98, p.A17)
1998 Apr 5, Ray Piecuch, a
cowboy poet from New Hampshire, completed his yearlong 3,500 mile
ride across country on his horse, Bo, with a champagne celebration
at Baker Beach.
(SFC, 4/6/98, p.A26)
1998 Apr 13, Bank of America
announced a plan to merge with NationsBank Corp. of Charlotte, N.C.
The new entity will be called BankAmerica Corp. with headquarters in
Charlotte. The deal was valued at $43.1 billion.
(SFC, 4/13/98, p.A1)(SFC, 4/14/98, p.A1)(SFC,
2/19/99, p.A1)
1998 Apr 14, The remodeled
Orpheum Theatre opened. The 14-month remodel job cost $20 million
and was paid by the Shorenstein Hays Nederlander Organization.
(SFC, 3/18/98, p.E1)
1998 Apr 14, A city summit
devoted to women and their issues began with 5000 expected
attendance.
(SFC, 4/13/98, p.A15)
1998 Apr 15, A superior Court
judge ordered the immediate closure of the Cannabis Cultivator’s
Club, the nation’s largest dispenser of medicinal pot.
(SFC, 4/16/98, p.A1)
1998 Apr 15, Jesus Santos (26)
was killed by drug dealers in a case of mistaken identity. He was a
member of the “Increase the Peace Program,” and had just begun a job
as a volunteer parent monitor at Everett Middle School.
(SFC, 5/23/98, p.A17)
1998 Apr 16, Janice Racek was
run over by a Muni bus and lost both feet. She settled with the city
for $3.5 million.
(SFEC, 1/3/99, p.D1)
1998 Apr 17-19, the 2nd annual
Terrastock music festival was held in Hunter’s Point at the Custer
Avenue Stages. The first festival was held in Providence R.I.
(SFC, 4/20/98, p.D1)
1998 Apr 19, Krikor Krouzian,
founder of the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan School by Park Merced,
died at age 93. He owned and operated the Neon Pharmacy in the
marina for 50 years and helped found St. Gregory’s Armenian
Apostolic Church.
(SFC, 4/25/98, p.A19)
1998 Apr 20, The Cannabis
Cultivators Club of Dennis Peron was closed down. A successor was
planned to open the next day as The Cannabis healing Center under
the direction of Hazel Rogers (78).
(SFC, 4/21/98, p.A19)
1998 Apr 20, The bodies of 39
pigeons were found in three SF neighborhoods. Poison was suspected
and necropsies were scheduled.
(SFC, 4/21/98, p.A21)
1998 Apr 21, It was reported
that Microsoft planned its first retail store, an 8,500-sq. foot
site, in the Yerba Buena Gardens complex of SF with plans to open in
spring, 1999.
(SFC, 4/21/98, p.A1)
1998 Apr 23, The SF Film
Festival began with a 14-day schedule that included 103 films.
(SFEC, 4/12/98, DB p.33)
1998 Apr 24, The show
“Art.Rage.Us: The Art and Outrage of Breast Cancer” opened at the
Main Library.
(SFC, 4/24/98, p.D1)
1998 Apr 24, The American
Health for Women magazine reported that Seattle was the healthiest
city for women and that SF rated # 2 and Boston # 3.
(SFC, 4/25/98, p.A5)
1998 Apr 28, Supervisor Mabel
Tang announced that the Boy Scouts of America will be barred from
taking part in a city charity drive due to the groups stance against
admitting gays.
(SFC, 4/29/98, p.A15)
1998 Apr 28, Don Fisher,
founder of the Gap, pledged $25 million to bring the private Edison
Project company to run more than a dozen SF Bay Area schools. The
for-profit school project was 1st proposed in 1991 by businessman
Chris Whittle. In 2005 Whittle authored “Crash Course: Imagining a
Better Future for Public Education.”
(SFC, 4/29/98, p.A15)(WSJ, 9/7/05, p.D14)
1998 Apr 28, Public Radio Inc.
of SF received a NEA grant for $185,000 to create “Lost and Found
Sound: An American Record.” The project will produce a series of
radio programs for NPR to chronicle, reflect and celebrate the 20th
century.
(SFC, 4/29/98, p.E1)
1998 Apr 30, Steven Van Dyke
(49) a senior SFFD supervisor was charged with embezzling thousands
of dollars from developers that he billed for relocating fire
hydrants.
(SFC, 5/1/98, p.A26)
1998 Apr, A 14-screen American
Multi-Cinema (AMC 1000) was scheduled to open at 1000 Van Ness in
the former Cadillac building.
(SFC, 1/5/98, p.E1)
1998 May 2, It was reported
that the Exploratorium was undergo a $15-20 million renovation.
(SFC, 5/2/98, p.E1)
1998 May 3, the 32nd annual
Cinco de Mayo parade was held on Mission St.
(SFC, 5/2/98, p.A17)
1998 May 9, Mayor Brown
scheduled ‘The Great sweep II,” a city-wide cleanup campaign.
(SFC, 4/798, p.A17)
1998 May 9, The first Barbary
Coast Trail marker at Union Square was dedicated. The trail was the
founded by Daniel Bacon.
(SFEC, 5/10/98, p.A2)
1998 May 10, Hal Riney &
Partners was bought by Publicis of France in a deal estimated at
$100 million.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)
1998 May 11, Archbishop Levada
planned to start a free weekly newspaper for the 100,000 registered
Catholics of SF and San Mateo. He also announced plans to help fund
and distribute El Heraldo Catolico, a Spanish-language newspaper for
the Diocese of Sacramento and Oakland.
(SFC, 5/12/98, p.A17)
1998 May 11, The SF supervisors
approved legislation to allow landlords to temporarily raise rents
to recoup certain property taxes. The increases could range from 34
cents to $14 per month.
(SFC, 5/12/98, p.A17)
1998 May 11, Rain broke a
record set in 1861 with 44.54 inches since last July. The previous
record went back to the 1989-1990 season.
(SFC, 5/12/98, p.A18)
1998 May 12, The sale of the
Embarcadero Center to Boston Properties for $1.22 billion ($300 per
sq. foot) was announced. Included were the 4 towers and 2
neighboring buildings, 275 Battery St. and the Old Federal Reserve
Bldg at Sacramento and Battery.
(SFC, 5/13/98, p.A1)
1998 May 13, A $46 million
renovation of Valencia Gardens public housing project in the Mission
District.
(SFC, 5/13/98, p.A17)
1998 May 13, A drug bust went
awry and Sheila Detoy (17) was shot dead by police. Two men escaped
the scene. Raymondo Cox was caught the next day. Michael Negron (23)
surrendered in July. In 1999 Negron agreed to plead guilty to
manslaughter charges and accept a 7-year prison sentence. In 2002
charges were filed against police officers Gregory Breslin, James
Zerga, and Michael Moran.
(SFC, 5/15/98, p.A1)(SFC, 7/14/98, p.A13)(SFC,
3/30/99, p.A13)(SFC, 7/6/02, p.A15)(SFC, 7/9/02, p.A17)
1998 May 14, Raymondo Cox (21)
was captured 29 hours after a police-shooting that left a
17-year-old girl dead.
(SFC, 5/15/98, p.A1)
1998 May 14-Jul 31, The first
SF Queer Arts Festival was planned.
(SFC, 5/13/98, p.E3)
1998 May 16, The Geneva Towers
were imploded at 2:30 PM. A new 341-unit housing complex was planned
for the site.
(SFC, 5/16/98, p.A15)
1998 May 16, A home at 1450
19th Ave. exploded and soon caught fire. At least 17 people were
injured. The cause was not immediately known. It was later
discovered that Tony Seto (25) was using the premises to make M-80
fireworks.
(SFEC, 5/17/98, p.A1)(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A17)
1998 May 17, The 87th Bay to
Breakers run was held.
(SFC, 5/18/98, p.A15)
1998 May 19, City officials
failed to halt the planned addition of a 10-ton antennae to the
Sutro Tower structure.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.A18)
1998 May 20, The 2nd annual New
Asian Cinema festival opened.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.E3)
1998 May 21, Jack Lynd, San
Francisco cab driver, news writer, jazz aficionado, died of cancer
at age 71 in his native Denmark. He wrote the book “Leo’s Place.”
(CB, 5/31/98)
1998 May 24, The Hello Gorgeous
museum, dedicated to Barbra Streisand and owned by Ken Joachim, was
closed.
(USAT, 5/5/98, p.1D)
1998 May 24, The Carnival
Parade was held in the Mission District.
(SFC, 5/25/98, p.A1)
1998 May 25, SF sheriff’s
deputies chained closed the medical marijuana club, The Cannabis
Healing Center, of Dennis Peron on Market St.
(SFC, 5/26/98, p.A1)
1998 May 26, There was a fire
at the 15th floor Sutter St. condo of Rev. Thomas McCall. McCall was
later charged with arson and an attempt to destroy evidence that he
defrauded members of his congregation. The fraud charges were
dropped in 1999 and the arson charges were dropped in 2000.
(SFC, 2/26/00, p.A15)
1998 May 29, A 19-member
advisory panel chose a suspension bridge design to replace the
eastern half of the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 5/30/98, p.A1)
1998 May 29, Robertson Stephens
was bought by BankBoston in a deal valued at $800 million.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)
1998 May, The SF Community
Assessment and Referral Center opened as part of an effort to revamp
the city's juvenile justice system.
(SFC, 6/29/99, p.A1)
1998 Jun 1, All tobacco
advertising was scheduled to be taken down after the city reached an
agreement with outdoor advertisers on May 18, 1998.
(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A17)
1998 Jun 2, Measure L on the
ballot authorized that the 500-unit Wherry housing complex at the
Presidio not be demolished.
(SFC, 4/29/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 2, A vast
reconstruction of Golden Gate Park was put to the voters. Voters
approved Prop. J for a $40 million privately financed underground
garage, but not a bond measure for a new de Young Museum.
(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A17)(SFC, 6/4/98, p.A17)
1998 Jun 2, A gunman killed 1
man, D’Shannon Evans (24), and wounded 2 in the 500 block of Alemany
Blvd. near the Ellsworth housing project.
(SFC, 6/3/98, p.A28)
1998 Jun 3, The Salvation Army
announced that it would cut back 3 programs for seniors and the
homeless and no longer accept city money due to the domestic
partner’s law.
(SFC, 6/4/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 4, The SF MOMA
acquired $40 million worth of new art, mainly through a donation by
Phyllis Wattis. The 23 new pieces included works by Mondrian,
Duchamp, Giacometti, Motherwell, Barnett Newman and Rauschenberg.
(SFC, 6/5/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 5-6, The annual Haight
St. Fair and the Old Harbor Festival near Aquatic Park were held.
(SFC, 6/6/98, p.A23)
1998 Jun 5-9, Dockers Khakis
sponsored an Independent Film Festival at the Castro Theater.
(SFEC, 5/31/98, DB p.48)
1998 Jun 8, Wells Fargo and
Norwest Corp. reported a merger plan valued at $31.7 billion to form
the nation’s 6th-7th largest bank with headquarters in SF.
(SFC, 6/8/98, p.A1)(SFC, 6/9/98, p.A10)(SFC,
2/19/99, p.A1)
1998 Jun 9, The city had 981
cabs in its taxi fleet and the Mayor’s Taxi Task Force was
recommending and additional 300, under protest from cab drivers.
(SFC, 6/9/98, p.A23)
1998 Jun 12, The 20-year-old
Conservatory Foundation began a million-dollar fund-raising drive to
restore the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Repairs
were estimated at $31 million.
(SFC, 6/13/98, p.C1)
1998 Jun 12, Rev. Thomas
McCall, pastor of the Bayview Missionary Baptist Church was arrested
in Orange County for nine felony counts of grand theft. He took
money from the church and 7 elderly parishioners for his personal
use.
(SFEC, 6/14/98, p.B1)
1998 Jun 13-14, The annual Free
Folk Music festival was held at Roosevelt School and the 44th annual
North Beach Fair took place.
(SFC, 6/13/98, p.C1)
1998 Jun 16, Jim's Coffee Shop
at 4468 Mission was consumed by fire. It was run by Johnson Lim. His
mother, Juna, purchased it 1971.
(SFC, 3/5/99, p.A17)
1998 Jun 18, The 22nd annual
Gay Film Festival opened.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.E3)
1998 Jun 18, Smoking was banned
in SF public parks and recreation centers, but the larger city parks
were exempt.
(SFC, 6/19/98, p.A17)
1998 Jun 18, Six teenagers were
shot at the Chinese Playground on Sacramento St. It was blamed on a
clash between the Hop Sing Boys and the Seven Stars. A 16-year-old
was later arrested. A 17-year-old who did the shooting was still
being sought.
(SFC, 6/19/98, p.A1)(SFC, 6/20/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 19, Mayor Brown signed
the “sunshine law,” that forces nonprofit agencies that get city
contracts to hold open meetings and expose their inner workings to
the public. Archbishop William Levada had asked the mayor to veto
the ordnance.
(SFC, 6/20/98, p.A13)
1998 Jun 21, Two women and a
13-year-old boy died at Ocean Beach when they were swept out by a
riptide.
(SFC, 6/23/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 22, Louise M. Davies
(98), SF benefactor, died in Portola Valley. Her husband was Ralph
K. Davies (d.1971), an oil millionaire, for whom the medical center
is named.
(SFC, 6/23/98, p.A1)(SFC, 6/14/05, p.E8)
1998 Jun 24, A regional
transportation board approved a $1.346 billion, single-tower
suspension span to replace the eastern half of the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 6/25/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 28, Some 200,000
people turned out for the 28th annual gay pride parade on Market
Street.
(SFC, 6/29/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 30, The official end
of the rainy season showed 47.22 inches of rain, 2 inches shy of the
1861-1862 record of 49.27.
(SFC, 6/29/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 30, In Geneva AIDS
specialists from SF reported a patient infected with a strain of HIV
resistant to the new anti-viral drugs.
(SFC, 7/1/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun, The new $56 million
high-tech arts center at Yerba Buena Gardens was scheduled to open
under the name Zeum. The 34,000-square-foor structure at Howard and
Fourth streets will include a 200-seat theater.
(SFC, 1/10/98, p.E1)
1998 Jun, Carroll Soo-Hoo,
philanthropist and benefactor to the SF Zoo, died at age 84. His
animal donations included the gorilla Jackie, whose offspring
included the sign-language proficient Koko.
(SFC, 7/3/98, p.D6)
1998 Jul 1, The mayor’s salary
went to $148,471 as the 4.1% pay raise went into effect for elected
officials as proposed by the Civil Service Commission.
(SFC, 4/11/98, p.A15)
1998 Jul 2, It was announced
that SF would buy nine, 1920s Peter Witt street cars from Milan,
Italy, for $288,000 and use them on the F Line on Market St. from
the Transbay Terminal to 17th and Castro.
(SFC, 7/3/98, p.A21)
1998 Jul 3, Five gunmen robbed
guards of the Armored Transport Co. at the Costco store on 10th St.
in the middle of the day. A man in San Pablo was arrested on Jul
29th in connection with the robbery.
(SFC, 7/4/98, p.A1,14)(SFC, 7/30/98, p.B2)
1998 Jul 10, A civil grand jury
report said that efforts to develop Treasure Island were marred by
the mayor’s efforts to consolidate power and political squabbling.
(SFC, 7/11/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 13, PG&E agreed to
shut down its Hunters Point power plant.
(SFC, 7/14/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 14, The 100th
anniversary of the Ferry Building was celebrated.
(SFC, 7/11/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 18, The first annual
Sojourner Truth Third Street Fair was held.
(SFEC, 7/19/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 19, The 12th annual 10
km. AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park attracted a record 27,000 people
and raised $3.6 mil.
(SFEC, 7/20/98, p.A17)
1998 Jul 23, The Pacific Stock
Exchange announced an agreement to merge with the Chicago Board of
Options Exchange.
(SFC, 7/24/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 26, A 3-foot
crocodile, Ernie the Croc, was found in the backyard by a homeowner
on Cesar Chavez St. A home was later found for the reptile in
Boulder, Colo.
(SFC, 8/5/98, p.A13)
1998 Jul 26, The 50-foot wooden
Burning Man statue was erected on Grove St. and was to be lit in
neon for the “Black Rockin’ SF” street fair.
(SFC, 7/28/98, p.D1)
1998 Jul 29, The SF Police
Commission approved a plan to place 175 more taxis on city streets
within 2 months.
(SFC, 7/30/98, p.A1)
1998 Jul 31, Thousand of
bicyclists rode on the anniversary of last year’s protest.
(SFC, 8/1/98, p.A1)
1998 Aug 3, Local temperatures
hit 86, a new record.
(SFC, 8/4/98, p.A1)
1998 Aug 11, Lawrence
Ferlinghetti was named the first poet laureate of SF.
(SFC, 8/12/98, p.A1)
1998 Aug 16, An int’l. crew
broke the 1995 Steve Fossett record for sailing across the Pacific
Ocean. The Explorer twin-hulled catamaran set sail from Yokohama on
Aug 2 and arrived in SF after 14 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes.
(SFC, 8/17/98, p.A5)
1998 Aug 16, Joyce Ruger (70)
was found slain and her Victorian fourplex at 719 Webster St. was
set afire. She had been a tireless worker against violence and drug
dealing. In Oct Troy Hayles (30) was picked up for parole violation.
He had been sought for questioning in the case. Hayles was charged
with murder, arson, and robbery in 1999. Hayles was acquitted of
murder in 2000 due to lack of evidence, but was found guilty of
receiving stolen property.
(SFC, 8/18/98, p.A11)(SFC, 10/7/98, p.A18)(SFC,
10/5/99, p.A17)(SFC, 8/3/00, p.A17)
1998 Aug 18, The Yerba Buena
Ice Skating Center opened at 750 Folsom St. near Fourth. It had
limited hours for public skating (777-3727).
(SFC, 8/22/98, p.A18)
1998 Aug 25, Edison School
opened under the operation of the private Edison Project.
(SFC, 8/26/98, p.A13)
1998 Aug 27, It was reported
that the SF police Housing Task Force was to be disbanded and
replaced by substations. New substations would be placed in Hunters
View and Potrero Hill housing complexes with the expansion of
substations already at the Sunnydale and Aloce Griffiths projects.
(SFC, 8/27/98, p.A17)
1998 Aug 28, The Motor Vessel
Del Norte made a ceremonial ride on the Bay. The $7.8 million, 325
passenger ship was scheduled to begin operations Sep 8.
(SFC, 8/28/98, p.A16)
1998 Sep 3, A US postage stamp
featured the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time as part of a
sheet with 14 other stamps.
(SFC, 9/3/98, p.A19)
1998 Sep 5, The Treasure Island
Blues & Art on the Bay Festival drew 15,000 people on its 1st
day. Two-thirds of the crowd arrived by public transit.
(SFEC, 9/6/98, p.A1)
1998 Sep 6, The Treasure Island
Blues & Art on the Bay Festival drew 20,000 people on its 2nd
day.
(SFC, 9/7/98, p.A1)
1998 Sep 9, The Ritz-Carlton
Hotel on Stockton St. was sold to the Host-Marriott Corp. for $161
million.
(SFC, 9/10/98, p.B1,4)
1998 Sep 10, Bicyclists pedaled
across the Bay Bridge from the East in morning traffic to protest
the lack of a bike lane on the new proposed bridge. 17 were arrested
for tying up traffic.
(SFC, 9/11/98, p.A17)
1998 Sep 11, A fire at the
Jerry Hotel at 3032 16th left 20 people homeless.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D1)
1998 Sep 15, Dan Chipparone
(23) had his leg severed when a crane collapsed and a steel
structure fell during construction at SFO.
(SFC, 9/16/98, p.A18)
1998 Sep 18, In SF Rev. John
Charles Wester was named as Catholic Bishop of SF and titular
prelate of Lamiggiga.
(SFC, 9/19/98, p.C1)
1998 Sep 24, Eddie DeBartolo,
co-owner of the SF 49ers, struck a deal with federal prosecutors to
keep out of jail. He will pay a fine and testify against former
Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.
(SFC, 9/25/98, p.A1)
1998 Sep 25, Hillary Clinton
spoke on behalf of Barbara Boxer at the SF Hilton. Pres. Clinton
also visited SF and the Bay Area seeking political donations.
(SFC, 9/26/98, p.A1)
1998 Sep 27, The annual Folsom
Street Fair expected 250,000 people.
(SFC, 9/26/98, p.A21)
1998 Sep 30, Alfred Addy, a
prominent labor figure since the 1930s, died at age 87 in Fairfax.
He was also known for his paintings of SF and Marin.
(SFC, 10/15/98, p.C6)
1998 Sep 30, Dr. Charles
Shumate, retired dermatologist and the dean of SF historians, died
at age 94. He won the 1994 Oscar Lewis award for his contributions
to Western history. He authored 11 books and 69 articles on
historical subjects.
(SFC, 10/2/98, p.B6)
1998 Sep, The SF Opera
performed the world premiere of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with
music by Andre Previn and libretto by Philip Littell.
(SFC, 2/2/99, p.A11)
1998 Sep, Del M. Anderson,
chancellor of City College, was scheduled to retire after serving 3
years at the nation’s largest multicampus community college. Her
salary was $173,000.
(SFC, 1/29/98, p.A19)
1998 Oct 3-4, The Chinese Moon
Festival was celebrated in Chinatown.
(SFEC, 10/4/98, p.B1)
1998 Oct 4, The Castro Street
Fair attracted thousands.
(SFEC, 10/5/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct 5, The federal
government agreed to pay SF $176.6 million for 59 Italian-made Breda
streetcars.
(SFC, 10/6/98, p.A15)
1998 Oct 6, Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
pleaded guilty in federal court in Louisiana for failing to report
that former governor Edwin Edwards extorted $400,000 from him for a
casino license. He agreed to pay $1 million in penalties, serve 2
years of probation and testify in future trials against Edwards.
(SFC, 10/6/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct 7, John M. Smart (46),
advertising executive, of Napa was shot to death by police at 6th
and Howard. He drove at 2 police officers with his Mercedes-Benz
after being confronted for fighting with a prostitute. Crack cocaine
was found in his pocket.
(SFC, 10/8/98, p.A17)(SFC, 10/9/98, p.A17)(SFC,
3/13/00, p.A15)
1998 Oct 12, The 103rd annual
Italian Heritage parade, previously known as the Columbus Day
parade, was held in North Beach. A portrait of Herb Caen on the wall
of the Big O Tires at 6th and Mission was completed.
(SFC, 10/12/98, p.A1)(SFC, 12/28/99, p.A13)
1998 Oct 17, The Yerba Buena
Center was scheduled to open.
(SFEC, 10/11/98, p.D1)
1998 On Columbus Day a 20-by-70
foot mural in honor of Herb Cain was pronounced complete at the side
of Big O Tires on Mission between 6th and 7th.
(SFC, 10/23/98, p.C20)
1998 Oct 22, A 48-year-old
woman was kidnapped from the Costco parking garage at 10th and
Harrison. She was stripped, choked and dumped near I-80 in Crocket.
(SFC, 11/19/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct 24, A shipment of
10,000 books bound for Tanzania and Zanzibar left SF. The shipment
was based on a donation by Berkeley Prof. Ed Ferguson with help from
the Int’l. Longshore and Warehouse Union.
(SFC, 10/23/98, p.A23)
1998 Oct 24-25, An open house
was scheduled at the Albion Castle under the new ownership of
sculptor Eric Higgs.
(SFC, 10/17/98, p.A19)
1998 Oct 26, A mayoral
proclamation declared this to be Jack’s Restaurant Day. Jack’s
closed down in 2000 after 136 years of operation.
(SFC, 12/15/00, p.A32)
1998 Oct 29, Gennady Penskoy
(46), a Ukrainian immigrant cab driver, was shot dead in Visitation
Valley in an apparent botched robbery.
(SFC, 10/30/98, p.A22)
1998 Oct 29, Sheila Dillahunty,
a homeless woman, was killed as she slept in a doorway on 18th St.
Her murder was later attributed to a throat-slasher stalking
homeless people. Two men had their throats slashed in a similar
manner 13 days earlier in Trenton Alley off Washington St., they but
survived. Joshua Rudiger (22) of Oakland, who claimed to be a 2,000
year-old vampire, was later arrested for the murder. Rudiger was
convicted of 2nd degree murder and was sentenced from 23 years to
life in prison.
(SFC, 11/7/98, p.A1)(SFC, 11/24/99, p.A19)(SFC,
11/30/99, p.A19)(SFC, 2/19/00, p.A18)
1998 Oct 30, The Grand National
Rodeo prepared for its 54th annual event with the drive of a herd of
75 longhorn cattle down Geneva to the Cow Palace.
(SFC, 10/31/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct 30, Some 90 SF police
and federal agents swarmed on the Martin Luther King Jr./Marcus
Garvey housing complex in the Western Addition to crack down on the
so-called Knock Out Posse gang. 11 arrests were made and one pit
bull was killed. Residents later reported that children had been
handcuffed and that numerous homes were trashed.
(SFC, 10/31/98, p.A17)(SFC, 11/4/98, p.C2)
1998 Oct 31, The 16th annual SF
Jazz Festival began. It was to be an 11-day, 26-show marathon.
(SFC, 11/2/98, p.E1)
1998 Oct 31, The Zeum Art
Center in Yerba Buena Center opened.
(SFEC, 10/11/98, DB p.33)
1998 Oct, Thomas Yuen Chen Lai,
a counselor at City College of SF, pleaded guilty to submitting 59
false claims to Letterman Army Hospital from 1991-1994. He was later
sentenced to 4 years in jail, fined $10,000, and ordered to pay back
the $2,875,000 that he stole.
(SFC, 4/17/99, p.A14)
1998 Nov 3, San Francisco
voters again endorsed the idea of district supervisors. Tom Ammiano
led the Supervisor votes followed by Gavin Newsom, Mabel Teng, Mark
Leno and Amos Brown. Voters approved Prop. E, which called for the
demolition of the Central Freeway east of Market St.
(SFC, 11/4/98, p.A19)(SFC, 11/6/98, p.A21)(SSFC,
2/28/10, p.E3)
1998 Nov 3, SF voters approved
a measure, backed by Supervisor Newsom, for the creation of a
Taxicab Commission.
(SFC, 6/29/06, p.B3)
1998 Nov 3, Police arrested
Michael Gold (60) for randomly puncturing hundreds of car tires in
the Haight Asbury neighborhood. He did it to “blow off steam.”
(SFC, 11/13/98, p.A21)
1998 Nov 7, Mayor Brown was hit
with 3 pastry pies by the Biotic Baking Brigade in protest for
“skyrocketing evictions” and his “collusion with big business to
perform an economic cleansing of SF.” In Feb 1999 Gerard Livernois,
Rahula Janowski and Justin Gross were sentenced to 6 months in
County Jail for battery after the 3 refused to accept 3 years
probation.
(SFEC, 11/8/98, p.A1,12)(SFC, 2/25/99, p.A1,13)
1998 Nov 10, The SF police
arrested Joshua Rudiger (21) of Oakland for the recent
throat-slashing attacks in the city. Rudiger claimed to be a
2,000-year-old vampire.
(SFC, 11/11/98, p.A17)
1998 Nov 12, The 23rd American
Indian Film Festival opened in SF.
(SFC, 11/11/98, p.E1)
1998 Nov 16, Alice Tennyson
(58) disappeared. Her ATM card was used to pull out $300 in Berkeley
the next day. She was found safe 3 days later in Laguna Beach after
being kidnapped.
(SFC, 11/19/98, p.A1)(SFC, 11/20/98, p.A1)
1998 Nov 18, The New Italian
Cinema Events Festival opened in SF.
(SFC, 11/11/98, p.E1)
1998 Nov 19, The SFMOMA paid
$6.5 million for the 1952 “Personal Values” painting by Rene
Magritte.
(SFC, 11/20/98, p.C1)
1998 Nov 20, It was reported
that Billy Getty, oil scion, sold his 2-bedroom penthouse at 1750
Taylor St. for $15 million.
(SFC, 11/20/98, p.A21)
1998 Nov 21, A 2-block section
of Duboce was dedicated to bicycles and the Duboce Bikeway Mural was
unveiled.
(SFEC, 11/22/98, p.D1)
1998 Nov 24, Anton Segal (28),
a doorman at the Roaring 20s strip club in North Beach, died from a
head injury inflicted Saturday night, Nov. 21, when he was hit with
a car anti-theft device. Daniel Alas (32), a contract plumber at
SFO, was arrested in Dec. for the assault and killing of Segal. Alas
was convicted of 2nd degree murder in 2000.
(SFC, 11/26/98, p.A25)(SFC, 12/5/98, p.A20)(SFEC,
7/23/00, p.B15)(SFC, 8/19/00, p.A17)
1998 Nov 25, In North Beach Shu
Mei Lee, bartender at the Vieni Lucky Spot bar at 1431 Stockton, was
shot and killed by a patron. Donald A. Lorman (63) turned himself in
a week later.
(SFC, 11/26/98, p.A25)(SFC, 12/5/98, p.C2)
1998 Nov 28, The Café
Babar at 22nd and Guerrero celebrated its final night.
(AR, 11/29/98)
1998 Nov, A $79.9 million bond
issue for the California Academy of Sciences scheduled for voter
approval.
(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A17)
1998 Nov, The Caribbean-themed
Cha Cha Cha opened in the renovated Original McCarthy’s bar near
19th and Mission.
(SFC, 12/2/98, p.A9)
1998 Dec 2, The abandoned mail
truck of driver Pablo Molina (47) was found on Jessie St. between
3rd and 4th. Molina was reported missing Dec 1. A sack of registered
mail containing about $58,000 in cash was also missing. Molina was
found at an Oakland restaurant after becoming ill on Dec 10, but the
cash was still missing. Molina was charged with mail theft. He was
alleged to have consumed large amounts of crack cocaine, heroine and
alcohol.
(SFC, 12/4/98, p.A22)(SFC, 12/11/98, p.A32)(SFC,
12/12/98, p.A21)
1998 Dec 4, Former state
Senator Milton Marks died in SF at age 78.
(SFC, 12/5/98, p.A1)
1998 Dec 8, It was reported
that the 11 streetcars designed by Peter Witts and purchased from
Milan, Italy, had arrived. 9 of the cars cost $30,000 each and the
other 2, planned for parts, cost $5,000. Shipping cost $38,000 per
car.
(SFC, 12/8/98, p.A22)
1998 Dec 8, In the SF Bay Area
an electrician’s error in San Mateo caused a power outage along the
northern peninsula that lasted some 6 hours.
(SFC, 12/9/98, p.A1)
1998 Dec 10, State and local
officials dedicated the new State Building at the Civic Center. It
was remodeled for $246 million. It consisted of the original 6-story
Earl Warren Building and a 14-story add-on.
(SFC, 12/11/98, p.A26)
1998 Dec 10, The SF Planning
Commission voted to remove the Piazzoni murals from the old Main
Library and to alter 2 large reading rooms to make way for the new
Asian Art Museum.
(SFC, 12/11/98, p.A25)
1998 Dec 13, A farmer’s market
and swap meet began on Treasure Island with a $5 parking fee. Some
75 exhibitors and a few thousand customers showed up.
(SFC, 12/2/98, p.A1)(SFC, 12/14/98, p.A17)
1998 Dec 15, Phyllis C. Wattis
donated $1.5 million to the SF Ballet.
(SFC, 12/15/98, p.E1)
1998 Dec 15, Emilio Cruz (34)
resigned as general manager of the SF Muni.
(SFC, 12/15/98, p.A1)
1998 Dec 17, Joseph Esherick,
Bay Area architect, died at age 83. His work included the SF
Cannery, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the first Sea Ranch houses
on the Sonoma County coast.
(SFC, 12/24/98, p.B2)
1998 Dec 20, Snow flakes fell
in SF and low temperature records were made around the Bay with 40
degrees in SF and 35 in Fremont.
(SFC, 12/21/98, p.A1)
1998 Dec 22, Two fires swept
through residential hotels at the Leland Hotel on 1315 Polk and a
73-unit apartment bldg. at 980 Bush St. 100 people at the Leland
were left homeless.
(SFC, 12/23/98, p.A15)(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D1)
1998 Dec 24, Esequiel Macias
(47) was stabbed to death at his home in the outer Mission by Evan
Dickinson (29), a mentally disturbed downstairs neighbor.
(SFC, 12/25/98, p.A21)
1998 Dec 25, Balloonists
Branson, Fossett and Lindstrand hoped to fly over SF on their
round-the-world trip. Their quest ended near Hawaii.
(SFC, 12/22/98, p.C6)(SFC, 12/26/98, p.A1)
1998 Dec 29, A fire at the Thor
Hotel at 2084 Mission left 50 people homeless.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D1)
1998 Dec 31, Paul Joseph
Madronich Jr. (44), an employee for PG&E, was arrested for
harboring explosives at 2 PG&E buildings in the Mission
District. They appeared to be part of a fireworks manufacturing
operation.
(SFEC, 1/3/99, p.D3)(SFC, 1/4/99, p.A16)
1998 Dec 31, Hundreds of young
people, denied access to Union square, rioted on Grant St. as the
New Year approached. 35 people were arrested and a number of cars
were trashed.
(SFC, 1/2/99, p.A1)
1998 Dec, Work on San
Francisco’s Central Freeway was scheduled to begin.
(SFC, 2/21/98, p.A13)
1998 Dec, Work on the City Hall
was expected to finish at a cost of $244 mil.
(SFC, 10/17/96, A21)
1998 Dec, Dora Donner Ide, SF
steel heiress, died. It was later reported that she donated her $111
million estate to a wide-ranging group of arts and charitable
organizations.
(SFC, 10/18/00, p.A22)
1998 Steve Bitker published
“The Original San Francisco Giants,” a history of the baseball team.
(SFC, 5/15/98, p.C4)
1998 The Industry Standard
began as a business weekly to cover technology. Its last issue was
in 2001. In 2003 James Ledbetter authored ”Starving to Death on $200
Million a Year: The Short, Absurd Life of the Industry Standard.”
(SSFC, 1/19/03, p.M1)
1998 Ave Montague (d.2009 at
64), arts impresario and publicist, founded the San Francisco Black
film Festival.
(SFC, 1/28/09, p.B10)
1998 The new $11.6 million
Tenderloin Elementary School and Community Center was due to be
completed.
(SFC, 11/5/96, p.A13)
1998 Faisal Alam founded the
Al-Fatiha Foundation, a support organization for gay Muslims. Islam
condemns homosexuality.
(SFC, 6/21/01, p.A3)
1998 The Gateway High charter
school opened to 104 SF 9th graders.
(SFEM, 10/18/98, p.8)
1998 The 5 Muni Metro lines
were thrown into chaos by a new computerized train-control
system.
(SFC, 10/6/99, p.A4)
1998 Samuel Lee Davis, a
welfare eligibility worker, was discovered to have embezzled over
$200,000 in city funds earmarked for the poor. In 2002 Davis was
sentenced to 10 years in prison.
(SFC, 7/17/02, p.A16)
1998 The former Pier 98, an
industrial-strength dumping ground was cleared of debris and
transformed to create Heron’s Head Park.
(SFC, 7/9/04, p.B1)
1999 Jan 1, Passes for BART
were to become available over the internet at the bart.gov site.
(SFC, 12/4/98, p.A22)
1999 Jan 5, It was reported
that the police have begun sweeping the Civic Center Plaza and that
the homeless, alcoholics and drug users have been moved over to the
United Nations Plaza.
(SFC, 1/5/99, p.A13)
1999 Jan 7, The City Planning
Commission finalized their decision to remove the Piazzoni murals
from the old Main Library, home of the new Asian Art Museum.
(WSJ, 1/19/98, p.A20)
1999 Jan 7, Yolanda Alexander
(36) died of stab wounds received at her apartment in Bernal Heights
on the 100 block of Highland Ave.
(SFC, 1/9/99, p.C1)
1999 Jan 8, Shopkeeper Arinze
Anoruo (51) was mortally wounded at Home Cash market, 1901
McAllister St. He died of a gunshot wound to the head during a
robbery.
(SFC, 1/9/99, p.C1)
1999 Jan 9, The SF 49ers lost
to the Atlanta Falcons 20 to 18.
(SFEC, 1/10/99, p.A1)
1999 Jan 10, The new $525-650
million 49er football stadium looked like a dead deal and a new plan
was reported to convert 3Com to a football-only facility for $350
million.
(SFC, 1/11/99, p.A1)
1999 Jan 10, In SF Xiu Li Jiang
(22) was murdered at her Turk Street apartment and was soon reported
missing. Her body was found in a Shurgard storage locker in Daly
City in 2002. In 2006 Bobby Tran (31), who had brokered a 1997 faked
marriage for her, pleaded no contest to charges that he had killed
and dismembered her. In 2006 Tran was sentenced to 30 years.
(SFC, 6/21/02, p.A18)(SFC, 8/19/06, p.B2)
1999 Jan 15, An attempted
robbery at the B of A on Market and New Montgomery left Buford White
(45) dead, 2 police officers wounded and Anthony Garcia critically
wounded. Garcia tackled White during the robbery. Antonio Castillo
(26) was named as the wounded man who was shot twice in the face
when he struggled with Buford White. Captain George Stasko II
commanded the police operations and was killed that night in an
accident while driving home to Santa Rosa. In 2002 a judge ruled
that Stasko died in the line of duty. His blood alcohol had measured
.36 after the accident.
(SFC, 1/16/99, p.A1)(SFC, 1/18/99, p.A1)(SFC,
4/29/02, p.B1)
1999 Jan 15, SF based AirTouch
was sold to Vodafone Group PLC of Britain in a deal valued at $55-56
billion.
(SFC, 1/16/99, p.A1)(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)
1999 Jan 22, Mayor Brown
approved a measure for the development of 200 units of affordable
housing near the Embarcadero, along with a new police station and a
400-room waterfront hotel.
(SFC, 1/23/99, p.A15)
1999 Jan 24, Mayor Brown swore
in Alicia Becerril (49) to the Board of Supervisors.
(SFC, 1/26/99, p.A22)
1999 Jan 26, A man in a
wheelchair armed with a gun held up a pedestrian in Chinatown. He
had robbed another victim of $17 a week earlier. Cuong Tran (27) was
arrested Feb 1.
(SFC, 1/30/99, p.A15)(SFC, 2/3/99, p.A15)
1999 Jan 28, Two diamond
robberies netted $100,000 each.
(SFC, 1/30/99, p.A16)
1999 Jan, The KRON "Bay Area
2000" documentary series included 3 films on San Francisco history
by Ken Swartz. They included: "SF, Birth of a City: 1850-1899," "SF,
Into the Fire (1900-1910," and "SF, Phoenix Rising 1910-1920."
(SFC, 2/9/99, p.E1)
1999 Jan, Roberto Ortega (19),
a member of the Surenos gang, was shot to death at 21st and Capp.
Salvador Rodriguez (18) and Juan Carlos Romero (19) members of the
Nortenos gang were arrested on Aug 19. The same day as the arrests
Raul Ortega, brother of Roberto, was shot in the head and killed.
(SFC, 8/21/99, p.A18)
1999 Feb 10, "Bro" gang
members, aka Sunset District Incorporated, severely beat up Richard
Bailey of San Bruno following a basketball game between St. Ignatius
and Sacred Heart. Police were investigating the incident as a
hate-crime. In March police arrested Robert Ramirez (20), Michael
Hurley (19) and a 16-year-old boy for the attack on Bailey. Kevin
Reilly (20) was still sought.
(SFC, 2/12/99, p.A21)(SFC, 3/11/99, p.A15)
1999 Feb 11, Deborah Dodson
shot and killed Floyd Hollis (59), her former husband, in the 1500
block of Hayes St. Hollis, a convicted felon, had stalked and
threatened Dodson for months in violation of a restraining order.
(SFC, 2/12/99, p.A1)
1999 Feb 12, A fire at the
Hartland Hotel at 909 Geary left 150 people homeless.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D1)
1999 Feb 16, Concern was raised
over the flock of some 50 wild parrots that lived on Telegraph Hill.
Their protector and chronicler, Mark Bittner, was scheduled to move
from his cottage and the city's Commission on Animal Control and
Welfare asked for ideas on their care.
(SFC, 2/16/99, p.A11)
1999 Feb 17, An agreement in
federal court put an end to ethnic quotas in SF public schools.
(SFC, 2/17/99, p.A1)
1999 Feb 18, Transamerica was
bought by Aegon NV of the Netherlands in a deal valued at $9.7
billion. The assessed value of the Transamerica Pyramid in SF was
set at $190 million.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A1)(SFC, 5/29/04, p.C2)
1999 Feb 22, Levi Strauss
announced that it would close 11 of 22 US plants and lay off 5,900
factory workers.
(SFC, 2/23/99, p.A1)
1999 Feb 28, An early morning
shooting at 1843 Eddy in the Western Addition left Keionta Dean (19)
dead and 5 wounded. Roland “Tang” White was indicted in 2001 and
arrested in Oakland in 2002.
(SFC, 3/1/99, p.A22)(SFC, 4/24/02, p.A14)
1999 Mar 2, A fire at the Park
Hotel at 325 Sutter left 180 people homeless.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D1)
1999 Mar 3, Dirt hauling from
the new Pac Bell Park was halted due to high levels of lead in the
soil. The lead was from homes and industrial sites filled with
lead-based paint prior to the 1906 earthquake.
(SFC, 3/4/99, p.A1)
1999 Mar 3, Potsan Lo (74) was
found dead of a head injury inside her Santos St. home in the
Excelsior.
(SFC, 3/11/99, p.A16)
1999 Mar 6, The SF Urban
Iditarod race was held to coincide with the 27th annual race in
Alaska.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D3)
1999 Mar 6, Tony Zachary (32)
tortured his common-law wife with a curling iron for over an hour
and fled with their 2 children.
(SFC, 3/18/99, p.A20)
1999 Mar 8, Velma Studendorf
(86) was raped and killed in her home at 46 Norton St. in the
Mission Terrace. David Silva (b.1953)), a homeless man, was later
arrested in connection with the crime. Silva was convicted in 2002.
In 2003 he claimed responsibility for 4 other killings.
(SFC, 3/11/99, p.A16)(SSFC, 3/30/03, p.A1)
1999 Mar 13, The California
Music Awards known as the Bammies was held at the Bill Graham Civic
Auditorium.
(SFEC, 3/14/99, p.D1)
1999 Mar 14, The SF 147th St.
Patrick's Day Parade was held.
(SFC, 3/15/99, p.A13)
1999 Mar 15, Mayor Brown picked
Michael Burns (43), the 2nd ranking boss of the Philadelphia transit
system, as the general manager for Muni.
(SFC, 3/16/99, p.A1)
1999 Mar 15, The SF Supervisors
approved a ban on new liquor stores in the 28-block Tenderloin area
bounded by Post, Polk, Golden Gate, and Taylor Streets.
(SFC, 3/16/99, p.A13)
1999 Mar 17, Buster Simpson
presented a new rendering of his foot sculpture for the Embarcadero
called "Embark" to an art commission panel. An initial design was
rejected in 1997.
(SFC, 3/17/99, p.A1)
1999 Mar 22, The SF Int'l. Film
Festival opened with David Mamet's "The Winslow Boy" at the Castro.
The rest of the 2-week show was scheduled for the Kabuki multiplex
at 1881 Post St.
(SFC, 3/10/99, p.C11)
1999 Mar 28, In SF the 15-story
Verducci Hall of California State Univ. on Lake Merced Drive was
blown up. It was to be replaced by a new apartment complex. The
building, which opened in 1969, was named after Joe Verducci, a
former CSU athletic director, and had been vacant since 1991.
(SFC, 3/17/99, p.A12)(SFC, 3/29/99, p.A1,5)
1999 Apr 3, In Visitacion
Valley Whai Sook Kim (51), the new co-owner of the KC Market at
Wilde Ave. and Rutland St. was shot and killed.
(SFEC, 4/4/99, p.B1)
1999 Apr 10, Mary Jane Rathbun
(77), aka Brownie Mary, died. She and Dennis Peron had earlier
published "Brownie Mary's Marijuana Cookbook and Dennis Peron's
Recipe for Social Change."
(SFC, 4/13/99, p.A19)
1999 Apr 13, Mayor Brown
premiered "The Willie Brown Show," a monthly episode, on cable
Channel 27.
(SFC, 4/12/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 14, Sam Provenzano,
artist, died at age 75. He coined the term SoMa for the South of
Market area and sketched scenes of the North Beach and SoMa
neighborhoods.
(SFEC, 4/18/99, p.D1)
1999 Apr 15, A fire broke out
at 1749 Ninth Ave. near Noriega and over a dozen firefighters were
injured when the flames jumped to the 3-story apartment next door.
(SFC, 4/16/99, p.A21)
1999 Apr 15, Jane O'Connell
(72) was struck by a MUNI bus at Mission and 21st as she crossed
against a red light. She died the next day. The bus was later found
to have a faulty brake.
(SFC, 4/17/99, p.A14)(SFC, 5/24/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 16, The California
College of Arts and Crafts planned a public exhibition of its new
renovated facility, the 12,000-square-foor Kent and Vicki Logan
Center at 8th and Irwin.
(SFC, 4/14/99, p.E1)
1999 Apr 19, Michael Burns of
Philadelphia began work as the new Muni chief.
(SFC, 4/19/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 19, The SF Board of
Supervisors rejected the 18-foot "foot sculpture" by Buster Simpson
in a 6-4 vote.
(SFC, 4/20/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 22, The Dallas Board
of Education named SF Superintendent Bill Rojas as its choice to run
the Dallas school district. The SF Board of Supervisors were not
pleased.
(SFC, 4/23/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 23, Bill Rojas
announced that he would move to Dallas and head their school
district for $275,000.
(SFEC, 4/25/99, p.C1)
1999 Apr 24, Some 15,000 people
marched in SF on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal (on his 45th birthday), a
man convicted in the killing of a Philadelphia police officer in
1982.
(SFEC, 4/25/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 24, Some 20,000
thousands of Sikhs gathered to march in SF on the 300th anniversary
of their religion. The Sikhs were founded by a series of 10 prophets
or gurus and believe in one God but many paths to heaven. [see Nanak
c1500, 1519]
(SFEC, 4/25/99, p.C1)
1999 Apr 27, Advocates for the
SF homeless began distributing personal shopping carts to counter
the get tough policies of Mayor Brown and Supervisor Amos Brown. 5
carts were given out by the Coalition on Homelessness and POOR
Magazine.
(SFC, 4/27/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr, P.J. Johnston (29)
took over as the director of the SF Film Commission.
(SFC, 5/10/99, p.E1)
1999 Apr, Madeleine Haas
Russell, philanthropist and civic leader, died at 84.
(SFC, 11/6/99, p.B1)
1999 May 1, The Puente al Sur
exhibit at the SF Zoo opened featuring the exotic creatures of
Central and South America.
(SFC, 4/29/99, p.C1)
1999 May 1, The Norway Day
Festival was held at Fort Mason.
(SFEC, 5/2/99, p.C7)
1999 May 1, The 2nd annual
Reclaim May Day, Reclaim San Francisco festival was held in Dolores
Park.
(SFEC, 5/2/99, p.C7)
1999 May 2, SF Superior Court
Judge James McBride (47) was arrested on a felony account of spousal
abuse.
(SFC, 5/5/99, p.A17)
1999 May 4, The SF Board of
Education chose Linda Davis as the interim superintendent.
(SFC, 5/5/99, p.A15)
1999 May 5, SF Superior Court
Judge Robert Dondero ruled that a key DNA test, Short Tandem
Repeats, was unproven and inadmissible in 5 cases before him.
(SFC, 5/7/99, p.A1)
1999 May 6, The closing night
film for the SF Int'l. Film Festival at the Castro was the concert
documentary "Buena Vista Social Club" by Wim Wenders."
(SFC, 3/10/99, p.C3)
1999 May 6, Wilfred Ussery, a
former member of the BART board of directors, was indicted by a
federal grand jury on charges of bribery, extortion and lying to the
FBI.
(SFC, 5/7/99, p.A19)
1999 May 7, The new 30-story W
San Francisco hotel was scheduled to open at Howard and Third. It
was operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, the
world's largest hotel group.
(SFEC, 4/25/99, p.B1)
1999 May 11, Mayor Brown hired
Elizabeth Goldstein at a $90,000 salary as physical plant and
operations manager for his "park renaissance crusade."
(SFC, 5/12/99, p.A11)
1999 May 14, San Francisco and
Oakland vied in the Great Green Sweep, an effort to sweep the cities
clean.
(SFEC, 5/16/99, p.D1)
1999 May 14, In San Francisco
Julie Christine Day (24) of Walnut Creek was last seen leaving the
Bubble Lounge on Montgomery St. Her body was found a week later in a
shallow grave in China Basin. In 2009 Jehad Baqleh, a former taxi
driver convicted of her murder, was determined to be legally insane.
(SFC, 5/21/99, p.A15)
1999 May 14, San Francisco
police arrested Kevin Keating (38), head of the "Yuppie Eradication
Project," on suspicion of property destruction in the Mission.
Keating held the pre-WW I Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno as
his idol.
(SFC, 6/7/99, p.A13)
1999 May 16, The 88th Bay to
Breakers run was one by Lazarus Nyakeraka of Kenya with a time of 34
minutes and 11 seconds.
(SFC, 5/17/99, p.A1)
1999 May 17, SF poet and film
maker James Broughton died. He was born in Modesto and moved to Port
Townsend, Washington, in 1989. His poetry books included "Graffiti
for the Johns of Heaven."
(SFC, 6/24/99, p.E3)
1999 May 20, In San Francisco
the body of Julie Christine Day (24) was found partially buried at a
construction site in China Basin. Jehad Baqleh (31), a taxi driver,
was arrested for the murder and admitted that he robbed and had sex
with the victim.
(SFC, 5/21/99, p.A1)
1999 May 24, Mayor Brown
proclaimed this day as Rashad Williams Day in honor of Rashad's
having raised $18,000 for the family of Lance Kirklin (16), who was
shot 5 times at Columbine High School, Colo., on Apr 20.
(SFEC, 6/20/99, p.C1)
1999 May 26, Shayne Worcester
(29) of Portland, Maine, was robbed and mortally shot in a Russian
Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. He was a Rhodes Scholar and
independent filmmaker visiting the city for a friend's birthday. In
2001 Tremain Collier (30) of Richmond and Santese Edwards (23) of SF
were indicted and arrested for the murder. Daniel Mooring (21) was
also indicted and sought by police. In 2004 Mooring was found guilty
of 1st degree murder.
(SFC, 5/27/99, p.A1)(SFC, 4/26/01, p.A1)(SFC,
1/16/04, p.A21)
1999 May 30, The Carnaval music
and dance festival was held in the Mission District.
(SFC, 5/31/99, p.A13)
1999 May, The new 423-room W
San Francisco Hotel at Third and Howard was scheduled to open.
(SFC, 1/4/99, p.E3)
1999 Jun 4, Ken Kelton, the
Pedestrian Man, was profiled for his late night artistry painting
the outlines of pedestrians killed by traffic on SF streets.
www.pedsafe.org (SFC, 6/4/99, p.A2)
1999 Jun 6, Bay Area Buddhists
celebrated the first national "Change Your Mind Day" at Golden Gate
Park. The event began in NYC under the sponsorship of "Tricycle," a
Buddhist magazine.
(SFC, 6/4/99, p.A19)
1999 Jun 9, Michael Downing
(27) set himself on fire in front of the Lakeshore Elementary School
at 220 Middlefield Drive. He was hospitalized with burns on 98% of
his body and died the next day.
(SFC, 6/10/99, p.C4)(SFC, 6/11/99, p.A18)
1999 Jun 11, Wallace Brunfield
(28) died of gunshot wounds sustained near Webster and Grove.
(SFC, 6/14/99, p.A24)
1999 Jun 12, Mayor Brown
announced his official candidacy for re-election.
(SFEC, 6/13/99, p.D1)
1999 Jun 12, Todd Peterson (50)
was found stabbed to death in a Hyde St. apartment. A 2nd man was
taken to SFG with a knife in his chest.
(SFC, 6/14/99, p.A24)
1999 Jun 13, The 22nd Haight
Street Fair was closed by pianist Merl Saunders and His Funky
Friends.
(SFC, 6/12/99, p.A19)
1999 Jun 14, Development rights
to the former Letterman Hosp. in the Presidio was won by the George
Lucas group. Their proposed $250 million moviemaking and technology
campus prevailed over a proposal by the Shorenstein/Interland Corp.
(SFC, 6/15/99, p.A1)
1999 Jun 16, The $85 million,
350,000 sq.-ft Metreon shopping and amusement center created by Sony
opened at Fourth and Mission. It will have 15 movie screens and an
IMAX theater with restaurants and stores. The center included the
first Sony PlayStation, a showcase store for home and video games by
any game developer.
(SFC, 1/5/99, p.E1)(SFC, 3/3/99, p.E2)(SFC,
4/22/99, p.B1)(SFC, 6/17/99, p.E1)
1999 Jun 16, The board of the
Chronicle Publ. Co. voted to solicit bids for all or parts of the
company. In pieces it was valued at $2 billion.
(SFC, 6/17/99, p.A1)
1999 Jun 16, The California
High Speed Railway Authority recommended that San Francisco and San
Jose be part of a $23.3 billion bullet train stretching from San
Diego to Sacramento. A link to Oakland was put on study.
(SFC, 6/17/99, p.A22)
1999 Jun 22, R.D. Layman,
former Chronicle copy editor and authority on early naval aviation,
died at age 71. He authored 4 books on early naval aviation.
(SFC, 6/25/99, p.D6)
1999 Jun 23, The 300-sq.-ft.
Telegraph Hill cottage where Bill Bailey lived from 1955-1992 was
lifted from its foundation and put to storage on a MUNI repair yard.
(SFC, 6/24/99, p.A19)
1999 Jun 25, The 5th annual
extreme sports competition opened at Pier 30 under the sponsorship
of ESPN. The X Games ran over 10 days to Jul 3.
(SFC, 6/24/99, p.A1)
1999 Jun 25, Russell Scott
(50), a recovering addict and drug rehabilitation pioneer, was found
slain in his Sunset home.
(SFC, 6/29/99, p.A14)
1999 Jun 26, The X Games drew
an overflow crowd of 25,000 people inside and another 15,000 people
outside. The Gay Pride crowd at the Civic Center was estimated at
30,000.
(SFEC, 6/27/99, p.A1)
1999 Jun 28, The Board of
Supervisors considered a proposal for a 3.5 mile downtown Gold Rush
Trail from Yerba Buena Gardens to Washington Square.
(SFC, 6/30/99, p.A13)
1999 Jun, The 226-unit,
20-story Bay Towers on Beale St. was scheduled to accept residential
tenants.
(SFEC, 1/24/99, p.B9)
1999 Jun, Ground breaking was
to begin for the new 43-acre UCSF campus at 16th and 3rd. The city
will have donated 13 acres and Catellus Development Corp. the other
30 acres.
(SFC, 3/5/98, p.A17)
1999 Jun, A 35-acre section of
Treasure Island was scheduled to become a Job Corps training center.
It was scheduled to have 780 beds for poor and disadvantaged
students from 16-24 years of age.
(SFC, 12/22/98, p.C8)
1999 Jul 3, The 2-day Fillmore
Street Fair opened.
(SFEC, 7/4/99, p.B8)
1999 Jul 7, The SF Landmark
Preservation Board voted to bestow landmark status to the Doggie
Diner restaurant across from the city zoo. Sloat Garden Center, the
owner of the property, order the diner operator to close shop in 60
days.
(SFC, 7/8/99, p.A13)
1999 Jul 9, In SF Mark Barton
was ambushed and shot to death as he left for work from his Potrero
Ave. home. His girlfriend (21) was raped, thrown in a closet and
shot. In 2003 police arrested Ivory Morton based on DNA evidence.
Morton was convicted Aug 18, 2006.
(SFC, 3/28/03, p.A6)(SFC, 8/19/06, p.B3)
1999 Jul 11, In the first SF
Chronicle Marathon Brad Hawthorne won the race.
(SFC, 7/12/99, p.A1,5)
1999 Jul 14, Robert Clayton
(43) was shot to death while in his car near 700 Grove St. The
murder was suspected to be drug-related.
(SFEC, 7/18/99, p.D8)
1999 Jul 15, Tammy Duperroir
(26) was stabbed to death on Harrison St. while going to a store.
(SFC, 7/16/99, p.D6)
1999 Jul 19, Mayor Brown pushed
through a $4.2 billion city budget.
(SFC, 7/20/99, p.A15)
1999 Jul 22, The Board of
Supervisors approved a 25% pay raise over 2 years for city
firefighters. Base pay would hit $71,000 by July 1, 2000.
(SFC, 7/22/99, p.A19)
1999 Jul 30, United Airlines
agreed to offer domestic-partner benefits to employees and retirees
worldwide following a 2-year legal struggle against the SF
domestic-partners law.
(SFC, 7/31/99, p.A1)
1999 Jul 30, Waste Management
began hauling lead-contaminated dirt from the Altamont Landfill to
the Kettleman Hills hazardous waste site. The dirt was from the SF
Pacific Bell Park baseball site.
(SFC, 7/31/99, p.A11)
1999 Jul 31, The FBI probed the
SF affirmative action agency over the award of a contested train
contract at the SF Int'l. Airport.
(SFEC, 8/1/99, p.A1)
1999 Jul, The Park Merced
apartment complex was sold by the Leona Helmsley group to Carmel
Companies, a Denver real estate conglomerate, and money partner JP
Morgan Strategic Property Fund, for $350 million.
(SFC, 5/27/00,
p.A17)(www.cityfeet.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?PartnerPath=&Id=14379)
1999 Aug 2, The FBI probe in SF
was extended to the Housing Authority and the possibility of illegal
sale of vouchers for Section 8 subsidized rental housing.
(SFC, 8/3/99, p.A1)
1999 Aug 6, The SF Chronicle
and SF Gate was sold to the Hearst Corp. for an estimated $660
million.
(SFC, 8/7/99, p.A1)(SFC, 8/7/99, p.A8)(WSJ,
8/9/99, p.B9)
1999 Aug 12, A grand opening
Macy's Union Square was scheduled.
(SFEM, 8/8/99, p.42)
1999 Aug 12, Rick Curry (36)
was shot and killed at 751 Webster St., outside King's Super Market.
(SFC, 8/14/99, p.A1)
1999 Aug 12, Dung Quan (19) of
Daly City was shot and killed at Webster and Geary in a driveby
shooting.
(SFC, 8/14/99, p.A13)
1999 Aug 12, Martin Wong,
artist, died of AIDS at age 53. His paintings of tenement life in
NYC are part of the permanent collection of the NYC MOMA.
(SFEC, 8/22/99, p.D5)
1999 Aug 15, Foreign Cinema at
2548 Mission was founded by Jon Varnedoe and Michael Hecht.
(SFC, 8/21/99, p.B1)
1999 Aug 15, Hien Nguyen (60),
former South Vietnamese army soldier, was beaten to death in
Visitacion Valley. Jose Nunez Ortiz Jr. was arrested for the murder.
(SFC, 9/19/00, p.A1)
1999 Aug 17, Two Salvadoran men
were found killed in their Ocean View residence.
(SFC, 8/20/99, p.D6)
1999 Aug 19, Raul Ortega (22)
was shot and killed at 19th and San Carlos streets 3 hours after
police officers had arrested 2 Nortenos gang members for the Jan.
murder of his brother Roberto.
(SFC, 8/21/99, p.A18)(SFC, 8/24/99, p.A17)
1999 Aug 26, Nancy Honig (56),
wife of former state school chief Bill Honig, was found dead in SF.
Vodka and pills were found in her room along with a copy of "Final
Exit," a book on how to commit suicide by Derek Humphrey.
(SFC, 8/31/99, p.A22)
1999 Aug 26, Robert Sadler (35)
was shot and killed at the Sirocco Club on Judah St. He was a
bystander in a confrontation following a pool dispute.
(SFC, 8/27/99, p.D7)
1999 Aug, A 64-foot-long and
8-foot-tall mural by Barry McGee at 1035 Howard St. was stolen. The
theft was not reported to police until mid Sept. and not made
public until mid Nov.
(SFEC, 11/14/99, p.C1)
1999 Sep 2, David Dunn (22) and
a teenager were shot from a moving car at the corner of Eddy and
Scott streets, an area known as the Alamo Square neighborhood. Dunn
died the next day.
(SFC, 9/4/99, p.A17)
1999 Sep 6, Some 1,000 members
of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union demonstrated
in front of the St. Francis Hotel and 147 members of Local 2 were
arrested.
(SFC, 9/7/99, p.A17)
1999 Sep 7, Mayor Brown
announced a property tax cut with a new rate of $1.129 per $100 of
assessed value.
(SFC, 9/8/99, p.A21)
1999 Sep 8, A heavy
thunderstorm hit the Bay Area.
(SFC, 9/9/99, p.A20)
1999 Sep 9, The 8th annual
Fringe Festival opened for an 11-day run.
(SFC, 9/8/99, p.C1)
1999 Sep 10, The Lotta Crabtree
fountain at Kearny and Market was rededicated.
(SFC, 9/10/99, p.A1)
1999 Sep 10, Officials seized
59 Labrador dogs from Thomas Hammer (50) at his home on Santa Rita
Ave, declared his house a nuisance and cited him for cruelty.
(SFC, 9/18/99, p.A24)
1999 Sep 11, The SF Opera
season opened with Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera."
(SFEC, 9/12/99, p.A1)
1999 Sep 11, Michael Franti, SF
musician, organized a concert in Golden Gate Park on behalf of death
row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal. It became an annual event with a shift
of focus following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
(SFC, 9/7/06, p.E4)
1999 Sep 14, UCSF filed a suit
against head cashier Marie Taliaferro of Moraga, her husband Paul
and daughter Christina, for embezzling a suspected $4.5 million over
several years. Taliaferro was arrested in Dec. and charged with
embezzling $4.7 million, much of which was funneled into Solimar
Inc., a Lafayette company run by her daughter (33), dedicated to the
proposition that "angels are spiritual messengers dedicated to our
growth and good fortune."
(SFC, 9/15/99, p.A19)(SFC, 12/14/99, p.A17)
1999 Sep 17, Gianfranco Fulvio
Giotta, owner of the Café Trieste in North Beach, died at age
55.
(SFEC, 9/19/99, p.C1)
1999 Sep 18, The 27th annual SF
Blues Festival opened.
(SFEC, 9/19/99, p.C1)
1999 Sep 18, The Autumn Moon
Festival was held in Chinatown.
(SFEC, 9/19/99, p.C3)
1999 Sep 20, Fernando Lozoya
(14) of Everett Middle School was stabbed at 17th and Arkansas and
soon died from his wound inflicted by suspected gang members.
(SFC, 9/21/99, p.A15)
1999 Sep 20, The body Mohammad
Mustafa Elian (37), a Cleveland businessman involved in running the
closed Kings Super Market on Webster St., was found bundled off a
cliff near Devil's Slide.
(SFC, 9/23/99, p.A18)
1999 Sep 21, Federal officials
indicted 24 people in connection with alleged bribery at the SF
Housing Authority.
(SFC, 9/22/99, p.A1)
1999 Sep 22, It was reported
the SF Airport had earned accreditation by the American Association
of Museums, the only airport so honored.
(SFC, 9/22/99, p.E3)
1999 Sep 23, The UCSF Stanford
Health Care board of directors voted to close the emergency room at
Mt. Zion Hospital and convert it to a daytime medical clinic.
(SFC, 9/24/99, p.A1)
1999 Sep 28, The SF investment
banking firm of Hambrecht & Quist Group agreed to sell out to
Chase Manhattan for about $1.35 billion.
(SFC, 9/29/99, p.A1)
1999 Sep 30, The SF Giants
played their last game at Candlestick/3Com Park before a crowd of
61,389 fans. The Los Angeles Dodgers won, 9-to-4.
(SFC, 10/1/99, p.A1)(AP, 9/30/00)
1999 Sep, Archbishop Levada
announced that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops had
approved his request to designate St. Francis Church as the National
Shrine of St. Francis.
(SFC, 10/4/99, p.A21)
1999 Oct 3, The body of Thorin
Butler (19) was found in Mountain Lake. He had disappeared over a
week earlier.
(SFC, 10/4/99, p.A19)
1999 Oct 3, The King's Hotel at
663 Valencia was torched and one resident, Rexanne Battershell (46),
was killed and as many as 75 left homeless. Sandra Taylor, a former
tenant angry at being forced to move, was later arrested on
suspicion of arson and murder. Taylor was found guilty Feb 14, 2002.
(SFC, 10/4/99, p.A1)(SFC, 2/15/02, p.A24)
1999 Oct 9, The annual Fleet
Week celebration began and 20 warships were scheduled to pass under
the Golden Gate Bridge.
(SFC, 10/6/99, p.A19)
1999 Oct 10, Lorenzo "Sol"
Silva (63), an airport security guard, shot and killed 3 of his
upstairs neighbors and then killed himself at 33 de Montfort St. in
the Ingleside district. Noel Ridual and his wife Josephine, both 28,
and their friend Maria "Ola" Marquicias (32) were killed. The
Ridual's 2-year-old daughter was wounded.
(SFC, 10/11/99, p.A1)(SFC, 10/12/99, p.A1)
1999 Oct 16, The 10th annual SF
Book Fair opened at Fort Mason. In Chinatown the 1st Saturday
Chinatown Night Market Fair was held at Portsmouth Square and plans
were to continue through Nov. 20.
(SFEC, 10/17/99, p.D1)
1999 Oct 20, Matteo Ciuffreda,
jeweler, died, 2 days after the Matteucci clock in front of his
store was knocked over by a truck.
(SFC, 10/21/99, p.A19,24)
1999 Oct 20-Nov 6, The 17th
annual SF Jazz Festival was held.
(SFEM, 10/3/99, p.19)
1999 Oct 25, A groundbreaking
ceremony was held at 16th and Owen streets for the new UC biological
research laboratory, part of a new 43-acre UCSF campus, itself part
of the Mission Bay development.
(SFC, 10/25/99, p.A1)
1999 Oct 29-Nov 7, The
55th Grand National Rodeo was scheduled for the Cow Palace.
(SFEM, 10/24/99, p.4)
1999 Oct 31, A Halloween Party
at the Civic Center was expected to attract 20,000 people with
50,000 expected in the Castro area.
(SFC, 10/30/99, p.A25)
1999 Oct, A SF Municipal
"Litter Court" began hearing cases on litter and illegal dumping of
trash.
(SFC, 11/26/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 2, In San Francisco
elections Willie Brown led with 38.7% of the vote and Supervisor Tom
Ammiano came in 2nd with 25.4%. Terence Hallinan led over Bill
Fazio. A Dec 14 runoff was scheduled for both mayor and district
attorney. SF voters backed Proposition F, a ban on ATM surcharges,
and the banks quickly sued to keep the fees. The $299 million bond
measure to rebuild Laguna Honda passed and seismic retrofit for the
Central Freeway (Prop J) was undetermined as was the plan to tear
down the Central Freeway (Prop I). Voters approved an ordnance
making it harder for property owners to evict tenants (Prop G). In
2003 a judge weakened the Prop G ordnance. Voters passed a
proposition to keep the Transbay Terminal where it is and make sure
that Caltrain is extended into the terminal’s basement.
(SFC, 11/3/99, p.A1)(SFC, 11/4/99, p.A1,21)(SFC,
11/5/99, p.A1,18)(SFC, 5/3/03, p.A17)(SFC, 8/7/07, p.A6)
1999 Nov 4, It was reported
that the North Beach Finocchio's nightclub, famous for its female
impersonators, was due to close on Nov 27 after 63 years of
operation.
(SFC, 11/4/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 4, Shorenstein Co.
announced that 25 tenants would be evicted from the Temple Hotel at
469 Pine St. under the Ellis Act.
(SFC, 11/5/99, p.A21)
1999 Nov 10, Three of 4
paintings stolen from the De Young Museum in 1978 turned up in NYC.
(SFC, 11/11/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 15, A federal judge
blocked the San Francisco voter approved ATM initiative to prohibit
banks from charging fees to noncustomers.
(SFC, 11/16/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 15, Young Broadcasting
of New York purchased KRON, Channel 24, for $823 million from the SF
Chronicle.
(SFC, 11/16/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 15, John Langley
Howard, artist and son of architect John Galen Howard, died at age
97. His work included the Industry mural in Coit Tower and the 1951
triptych "The Rape of the Earth."
(SFC, 11/26/99, p.B9)
1999 Nov 16, Genentech agreed
to settle a 10-year patent infringement dispute with the University
of California for $200 million. $150 million was to be in cash and
$50 million for the construction of a research campus in SF.
(SFC, 11/16/99, p.C1)
1999 Nov 18, The SF Board of
Supervisors passed a resolution that urged Coca Cola to use more
recycled plastic in the estimated 10 billion plastic bottles that it
produced annually in the US.
(SFC, 11/19/99, p.A26)
1999 Nov 23, The Emergency Room
at Mount Zion was closed.
(SFC, 11/24/99, p.A19)
1999 Nov 26, A fire at the
residential Hotel Western on 335 Leavenworth left over 40 people
homeless.
(SFEC, 11/28/99, p.A1)
1999 Nov 28, Finnochio's drag
club on Broadway closed after a 63-year run.
(SFC, 11/29/99, p.D1)
1999 Nov 30, The SF 1998-1999
fiscal year showed a $126 million surplus.
(SFC, 12/1/99, p.A23)
1999 The sculpture “Pax
Jerusalem” by Mark de Suvero was erected In the parking area of the
California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
(SFEC, 7/16/00, DB p.33)
1999 Dec 7, Exotic dancers
filed a class-action suit against the Broadway clubs: Casbah, Garden
of Eden and Roaring '20s. The dancers demanded rights as employees
and not independent contractors.
(SFC, 12/8/99, p.A21)
1999 Dec 12, Barbara Amundson
(43) was killed during a burglary at Major Lines of California
kitchen showroom in the Bayview. Police arrested Clifford Hayter
(42) 2 days later on suspicion of burglary and murder. Police had
inspected the area following a burglar alarm, which Amundson came to
turn off.
(SFC, 12/17/99, p.A1)
1999 Dec 13, Margiree Warren
(48) was shot to death in the 1400 block of Baker St. Ex-husband
Leonard Jones (49) was arrested for the shotgun slaying.
(SFC, 12/14/99, p.A17)
1999 Dec 14, Mayor Willie Brown
won his bid for re-election over Tom Ammiano by a margin of about
60-40. After a week of counting votes Terence Hallinan was declared
victor over Bill Fazio.
(SFC, 12/15/99, p.A1)(SFC, 12/23/99, p.A1)
1999 Dec 19, Ramon Calderon
(21) of Vallejo was attacked and hit by Hollis Bee Owens, a homeless
man free on probation, in Portsmouth Square following an short chat.
Calderon died 3 days later.
(SFC, 12/24/99, p.A1)
1999 Dec 19, Joe Jackson (22)
was shot by Alton Singleton during an ongoing a family feud on
Potrero Hill. Jackson died Sep 19, 2000.
(SFC, 9/21/00, p.A18)
1999 The “Pax Jerusalem”
sculpture by Mark di Suvero was acquired by SF and set outside the
California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
(SFC, 12/23/02, p.D1)
1999 Alan Kaufman, SF poet,
published his anthology of poetry: "The Outlaw Bible of American
Poetry."
(SFC, 2/22/00, p.C1)
c1999 David Johnson (46), aka
the “bushman,” began scaring tourists for fun and money at
Fisherman’s Wharf. In 2002 there was a push to end his act following
numerous complaints.
(SSFC, 9/8/02, p.A21)
1999 Jim Berk, owner of a
residential complex, founded Safe on Sixth (SOS), a volunteer
street-sweeping program.
(SFC, 10/22/01, p.A14)
1999 A $51,000 federal grant
was used by a non-profit under Charlie Walker to buy a Hunters Point
property that was sold to a Nation of Islam affiliate. In 2000 HUD
ordered a pay back at market value, $400,000.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A1)
1999 The SF school district
engaged Strategic Resources Solutions Corp. of North Carolina, in a
$300 million energy retrofitting contract. Tim Tronson and
independent consultant under school Superintendent Bill Rojas, began
diverting funds. In 2005 Tronson (48) pleaded guilty to fraud and
tax evasion.
(SFC, 6/21/05, p.B2)
1999 The Schlage Lock and Key
company, established in 1925 near the rail tracks in San Francisco’s
Visitacion Valley closed. In 2000 Home Depot planned a store at the
contaminated site. In 2006 new plans envisioned 800 housing units
for the 12-acre site.
(SFC, 8/26/00, p.A13)(SFC, 8/28/06, p.B1)
1999 New infections from AIDS
in SF doubled to 900.
(SFC, 6/30/00, p.A1)
1999-2000 The ESPN cable network planned to hold
the X Games, an Olympic-style event of outrageous and alternative
sports, in SF.
(SFC, 9/10/98, p.A1)
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