Timeline San Francisco 2000-2012
Return to home
www.mistersf.com
2000
Jan 1, The Bahia Cabana restaurant at Market and
Page, founded in 1988, burned to a shell with damages estimated at
$100,000.
(SFEC, 1/2/00, p.D2)
2000 Jan 1, The SkyDeck on the
41st floor of the Embarcadero One office building shut down due to
lack of tourist interest.
(SFC, 1/5/00, p.A12)
2000 Jan 11, The Port
Commission endorsed a $270 plan for a cruise ship terminal at Pier
30-32 that would include a hotel, office and retail complex.
(SFC, 1/12/00, p.A15)
2000 Jan 11, Police officers
Kirk Brookbush (49) and James Dougherty (56) were killed when their
Bell OH-58A Kiowa helicopter crashed near Crows Landing following
routine maintenance in Porterville.
(SFC, 1/13/00, p.A1)
2000 Jan 14, Madeline Li Way
(78), secretary and former head of the New York based Li Foundation,
died at her home at 185 Belgrave St. in Clarendon Heights in a
3-alarm fire.
(SFC, 1/15/00, p.A15)
2000 Jan 30, It was reported
that SF school employees charged over $2 million in overtime in
1998-1999 for custodial services.
(SFEC, 1/30/00, p.A1,12)
2000 Jan, The SF Noe Valley
Ministry held its 1st SF Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival.
(SSFC, 6/10/01, p.D3)
2000 Feb 2, SF Chronicle
columnist Art Hoppe died at age 74.
(SFC, 2/3/00, p.A1)
2000 Feb 5, George Koltanowski,
52-year chess column writer for the SF Chronicle, died at age 96.
(SFC, 2/7/00, p.A21)
2000 Feb 6, Janice Mirikitani,
wife of Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial, was named the poet
laureate for San Francisco for 2000.
(SFC, 2/7/00, p.A17)
2000 Feb 17, Farrah the giraffe
(23) died at the SF Zoo while under sedation during a routine hoof
trimming.
(SFC, 2/18/00, p.D4)
2000 Feb 19, The Chinese New
Year Parade was held downtown to celebrate the Year of the Dragon
for lunar year 4698. An estimated 900k to 1 million people attended
the 148-year-old city festival.
(SFEC, 2/20/00, p.C5)
2000 Mar 2, Some 140 FBI agents
raided 16 locations in Chinatown and Daly City, some of which were
occupied by members of the Jackson Street Boys.
(SFC, 3/4/00, p.A15)
2000 Mar 4, The MUNI F-Line on
the Embarcadero made its debut with an estimated 15,000 riders.
(SFEC, 3/5/00, p.D1)
2000 Mar 10, Devin Gross (15)
was shot and killed on the 1000 block of McAllister St. Police later
arrested David Gilford (22) of Vallejo for the killing.
(SFEC, 3/12/00, p.D1)(SFEC, 3/19/00, p.C1)
2000 Mar 12, The 148th annual
St. Patrick's Day Parade was held.
(SFC, 3/13/00, p.A15)
2000 Mar 14, A new 2-year
contract was approved for Ronnie Davis, director of the SF Housing
Authority, at $188,000 a year plus bonuses for as much as $27,000.
(SFC, 3/15/00, p.A15)
2000 Mar 17, The SF Examiner
was sold to the SF Independent published by Ted Fang.
(SFC, 3/18/00, p.A1)
2000 Mar 17, Three students at
James Lick Middle School in Noe Valley put nail polish remover into
the drinking water of Matthew Podwoski (27), a language arts
teacher. Two girls and one boy were later arrested for felony
conspiracy.
(SFC, 3/24/00, p.A1)
2000 Mar 21, The North Beach
Washington Square Bar & Grill closed. A new owner planned to
reopen under the name "Cobalt."
(SFC, 3/18/00, p.A17)
2000 Mar 22, Robert B. Pasker
and his wife, Laurie Pitman, founders of WebLogic, an Internet
software company, donated $2.4 million to SF State Univ. for an
endowed chairmanship in the history dept.
(SFC, 3/23/00, p.D4)
2000 Mar 31, The $345 million
Pacific Bell Park at Third and King streets opened with an
exhibition game between the Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers. The
Giants won 8-3.
(SFC, 3/31/00, p.A1)(WSJ, 3/31/00, p.A1)(SFC,
4/1/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 1, Barry Bonds, SF
Giants left fielder, became the first player to hit a home run in
the new Pac Bell Park during an exhibition game against the NY
Yankees.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 9, A shootout erupted
at a dance party in a hall operated by the Armenian Apostolic Church
St. Gregory on Brotherhood Way. A dozen people were injured at the
dance which was promoted with a $250 door prize for the “sexiest
thong.” Rivalry between the Big Block and Westmob gangs of Hunters
Point were blamed for the violence.
(SFEC, 4/10/00, p.A21)(SFC, 4/11/00, p.A17)
2000 Apr 11, The SF Giants lost
their season opener to the LA Dodgers 6-5.
(SFC, 4/12/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 12, The North Beach
Playground and Pool was renamed the Joe DiMaggio North Beach
Playground and Pool. The Recreation and park Commission voted 20
years earlier to rename the park after DiMaggio.
(SFC, 4/13/00, p.A19)
2000 Apr 13, Former Msgr.
Patrick O’Shea was indicted on 224 counts of child molestation and
failed to turn himself in the next day.
(SFC, 4/15/00, p.A17)
2000 Apr 27, Five people were
indicted for fraud in a probe on SFO expansion contracts.
(SFC, 4/28/00, p.A1)
2000 Apr 28, A volunteer count
of the homeless in SF tallied some 4,800 people. Estimates had run
up to 14,000. The final count stood at 3,610 but city officials
estimated the real figure to be 10-15% higher. The homeless in
jails, hospitals and treatment centers were not included.
(SFC, 4/29/00, p.A1)(SFC, 5/4/00, p.A28)
2000 May 3, Vadim Mieseges (27)
admitted to the killing and chopping up of Ella Wong (47), who had
rented him a room in her Richmond District apartment.
(SFC, 5/4/00, p.A21)
2000 May 5, It was reported
that a feud between the Big Block and Westmob gangs of
Bayview-Hunters Point had recently escalated due to their disputes
over rap music supremacy. 3 people were killed in the last week.
(SFC, 5/5/00, p.A1)
2000 May 6, Some 250 people
gathered at the UN Peace Plaza for the Millennium Marijuana march.
(SFEC, 5/7/00, p.A1)
2000 May 10, The Westmob and
Big Block gangs in Hunters Point declared a truce brokered by
Christopher X of Black Muslim Mosque 26.
(SFC, 5/11/00, p.A25)
2000 May 15, Dong Kingman, San
Francisco watercolorist, died in Manhattan at age 89.
(SFC, 5/16/00, p.A20)
2000 May 18, Former Ukraine
prime minister Pavel Lazarenko was indicted by a San Francisco grand
jury for money laundering and transportation of stolen property. In
2003 he put up an $86 million bail and was confined to a SF
apartment. In 2004 a federal judge in SF dismissed nearly half the
charges against Lazarenko. On June 3, 2004, Lazarenko was convicted
on 29 felony charges. His money laundering was guessed to be in
excess of $40 million.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.A19)(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.A25)(SFC,
5/8/04, p.B3)(SFC, 6/4/04, A3)
2000 May 20, The 6th annual
Great Sweep took place as thousands of volunteers helped clean the
city’s sidewalks and parks.
(SFEC, 5/21/00, p.A1)
2000 May 21, Some 70,000
runners took part in the Bay to Breakers run.
(SFC, 5/22/00, p.A1)
2000 May 28, The 21st annual
Carnaval took place in the Mission. 200-300 thousand people gathered
and some 40 entries took part.
(SFC, 5/27/00, p.A19)(SFC, 5/29/00, p.A15)
2000 Jun 1, A fire at 2638 San
Jose left 2 children, Danielle (7) and Thomas Derner (6) dead.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.A1)
2000 Jun 6, Nieisha Jones (20)
and her brother Dominick Jones (13) were attacked by Big Block gang
member Montrell Vines (23), who was charged with attempted murder
and assault. Their stepfather, Alfonso Amir Anderson (48), urged
them to testify and was gunned down Nov 22.
(SFC, 11/22/00, p.A23)
2000 Jun 13, A lottery was held
for the 54 units of the new Bernal Gateway Apartments at the corner
of Mission and Caesar Chavez. The low-income units were scheduled to
open Dec 1.
(SFC, 6/14/00, p.A17)
2000 Jun 13, A $30.7 million
SF-themed Museum complex was approved for Pier 45.
(SFC, 6/14/00, p.A17)
2000 Jun 14, In San Francisco
temperatures hit 103 degrees, matching the record high set on July
17,1988. Eugene Kesselman (27) disappeared after he left his Sunset
home to buy a car. His body was found 9 days later in the trunk of
his car in the Excelsior district. In Sept. police arrested Shonte
Pratt (25) and Brandon Ry (20) for suspicion of murder and armed
robbery.
(SFC, 9/6/00, p.A23)(SFC, 12/25/08, p.A14)
2000 Jun 16, The 73,000 sq.
foot Harry Bridges Plaza on the Mid-Embarcadero roadway was
dedicated.
(SFC, 6/17/00, p.A1)
2000 Jun 22, It was reported
that Frank Hudson, head of the non-profit Catholic Charities for the
Archdiocese of SF, was paid a salary of $172,000. He recently
defended his $73,000 in expenses over the last 2 years and said:
“I’d much rather be at home eating a peanut butter sandwich.” Hudson
resigned Aug 10 after the board condemned his lavish spending.
(SFC, 6/22/00, p.A7)(SFC, 8/11/00, p.A1)
2000 Jun 22, Eugene Kesselman
(27) was found in the trunk of his car on La Grande Ave. The Sunset
District man disappeared June 14 on his way to buy a used car.
(SFC, 6/30/00, p.A25)
2000 Jun, In SF Brian Singer,
aka Someguy, launched his 1000 Journals Project from San Francisco.
He began sending out blank notebooks with instructions for users to
create entries, pass the journals on, and return them to him on
completion. In 2003 the 1st one returned. In 2003 Andrea Kreuzhage,
a German-born Los Angeles filmmaker, heard of the project and began
filming a documentary, which was completed in 2008. In 2007
Chronicle books of SF published “The 1000 Journals Project,” a
compendium of outstanding images from several journals.
(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.A1)(www.1000journals.com)(SFC,
7/29/08, p.E1)
2000 Jul 1, The 41-year-old SF
Mime Troup began their 38th year of free productions with a
performance of “Eating It” at Dolores Park.
(SFEC, 7/2/00, p.C5)
2000 Jul 1, The 15th annual
Fillmore Street Jazz Festival was held along the 13 blocks of
Fillmore between Jackson and Eddy.
(SFEC, 7/2/00, p.C2)
2000 Jul 1, The 6th annual
Warped Tour featured a cornucopia of punk and ska acts at Pier 30.
(SFEC, 7/2/00, p.C15)
2000 Jul 14, SF issued its
first anonymous medical marijuana ID cards.
(SFC, 7/15/00, p.A19)
2000 Jul 15, A fire at 225
Taylor St., a 24-unit, 3-story apartment building, killed one
resident and left 64 homeless.
(SFEC, 7/16/00, p.B1)
2000 Jul 20, The Board of
Supervisors approved RCN Telecom Services to provide competitive
high speed Internet service in SF.
(SFC, 7/21/00, p.A15)
2000 Jul 21, A Mission District
fight between youth gangs left Fernando Calvo hospitalized after he
was stabbed and stomped. Calvo died Jul 27.
(SFC, 7/29/00, p.A16)
2000 Jul 21, Robert Clark was
assaulted at 26th and Harrison. He was clubbed fro a can of beer and
died Aug 16. A $25,000 reward was offered in the case.
(SFC, 8/17/00, p.A20)
2000 Jul 27, A federal judge
approved the Hearst’s Corp. $660 million purchase of the SF
Chronicle.
(SFC, 7/28/00, p.A1)
2000 Jul 28, The Hearst Corp.
announced that it completed the transfer of the SF Examiner to the
Fang family. A 120-day transition period followed.
(SFC, 7/29/00, p.A12)
2000 Aug 1, Arlene Ackerman
(53), school chief from Washington DC, became the school chief of
SF.
(SFEC, 6/25/00, p.A1)(SFEC, 7/30/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 2, In SF a jury
awarded 17 bakery workers of Interstate Brands Corp. $120 million
for racial discrimination.
(SFC, 8/3/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 11, A skateboarder was
allegedly beaten to death by 2 fellow boarders on a pier behind the
Ferry Building.
(SFC, 8/12/00, p.A1)(SFEC, 8/13/00, p.B1)
2000 Aug 11, In the Mission
District the bodies of Gilma and Julio Martinez were found at their
studio apartment at 1476 Valencia St.
(SFC, 8/12/00, p.A17)
2000 Aug 12, Some 700 people
marched through the Mission District in a community celebration and
a protest against rising rents and gentrification.
(SFEC, 8/13/00, p.B1)
2000 Aug 12, Jerusha Briley
(20) disappeared from the Richmond District. Her boyfriend, Darien
Sable (23), was arrested the next day for possession of
methamphetamine. Briley’s body was found near Muir Beach on Aug 14,
and Sable committed suicide by jumping off the Bay Bridge after
being released form police custody on Aug 15.
(SFC, 8/15/00, p.A20)(SFC, 8/16/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 18, A fire began
smoldering at a toxic landfill at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.
After 3 weeks the navy issued a public alert.
(SFC, 9/11/00, p.A17)
2000 Aug 19, An estimated
65,000 people attended the ESPN X Games at Piers 30 and 32.
(SFEC, 8/20/00, p.B1)
2000 Aug 19, In Bernal Heights
over 140 homes participated in a garage sale on 46 streets.
(SFEC, 8/20/00, p.B1)
2000 Aug 21, The SF Board of
Supervisors passed a $9-an-hour minimum living wage bill for city
associated work.
(SFC, 8/22/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 21, Juanita Colla (69)
and her husband, Tommy (78), claimed their $88 million for winning
the SuperLotto Plus state lottery jackpot. They opted for a lump sum
payment of $29 million after taxes.
(SFC, 8/23/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 25, Fourteen people
pleaded guilty in a SF bribery probe against Patricia Williams (57),
the former head of the SF Housing Authority’s relocation office.
Bribes were used to secure public housing. In 2001 Williams was
sentenced to 5 years in prison.
(SFC, 8/26/00, p.A1)(SFC, 3/24/01, p.A1)
2000 Aug 26, Susan Cervantes
directed the completion of a 187-foot, historical community mural,
Soul Journey, on Carroll Street in Bayview-Hunters Point.
(SFEC, 8/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug 26, A street shooting
outside the Attitudes Bar on First Street left Peter Wing Hun (22)
and Lawrence Yang (21) dead.
(SFEC, 8/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Aug, The Jewish Family and
Children’s Services organization opened a new $50 million living
complex on Post St. behind Mt. Zion Medical.
(SFC, 12/30/00, p.A13)
2000 Aug, The Goodman Lumber
Co. on Bayshore was set to close due to a family dispute.
(SFC, 4/13/00, p.D1)
2000 Sep 1, Muni drivers
planned an overtime boycott for the Labor Day weekend due to
contract disputes.
(SFC, 9/2/00, p.A1)
2000 Sep 8, The 78th SF Opera
season opened. It marked the last opening by director Lotfi
Mansouri. The opening was greeted by members of AARGG, All Against
Ruthless Greedy Gentrification.
(SFC, 9/9/00, p.A1)
2000 Sep 14, George
Christopher, former SF Mayor (1956-1964), died at age 92. He was
born in Arcadia, Greece, as George Christopheles in 1907.
(SFC, 9/15/00, p.A1)
2000 Sep 15, The new San
Francisco Int’l. Terminal opened at a cost of $950 million. SFO
operations at Terminal 2 ceased in December as part of a $2.5
billion airport master plan.
(SFC, 9/16/00, p.A15)(SFC, 5/13/08, p.D4)
2000 Sep 15, Rev. Stephen
Privett took over as the 27th president of the Univ. of SF.
(SFC, 11/15/00, p.A17)
2000 Sep 18, The Navy said that
the smoldering fire at the Hunters Point shipyard was extinguished.
A cap of gravel and soil was planned to cover the 14-16 acre site
(SFC, 9/19/00, p.A15)
2000 Sep 22, Nine protestors at
the National Association of Broadcasters Convention were arrested.
They contended government monopolization of the airwaves. 3 lawyers
were also arrested when they tried to shove their way into the Hall
of Justice.
(SFC, 9/23/00, p.A15)
2000 Sep 27, Patricia Williams
(58), SF Housing Authority official, was convicted on 30 felony
accounts, 7 bribery counts, 1 conspiracy count and 22 false
statements counts.
(SFC, 9/28/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 7, The opera “Dead Man
Walking” premiered at the War Memorial. Sister Helen Prejean wrote
the book in 1993. It described her pen pal relationship with a man
on death row. In 1995 it was made into a movie.
(SFEC, 12/1/96, zone 1 p.3)(WSJ, 10/12/00, p.A24)
2000 Oct 13, The badly beaten
body of Franco Garcia (61) was found at his Excelsior home. In 2001
police arrested Gary Hallford (39) for the murder.
(SSFC, 6/10/01, p.A23)
2000 Oct 17, Police captured
Joshua Maxwell and Tessie McFarland of Indianapolis, wanted for
killings in two states following a gun-shooting chase. Maxwell and
McFarland were wanted for the recent murder of Sgt. Rudy Lopes in
San Antonio, Texas, and for the murder of Robby Bott in Brooklyn,
Indiana.
(SFC, 10/18/00, p.A1,5)
2000 Oct 20, SF MUNI drivers
approved a new 4-year contract.
(SFC, 10/21/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 22, In SF Claire
Tempongko (28) was repeatedly stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend
Tarin. Ramirez (27) in front of her 2 children (5 & 10) in her
basement apartment on 22nd Ave. A month before her death Tempongko
had lodged 2 police reports against Ramirez. In 2004 the city
settled a case for police inaction for $500,000. In 2006 Ramirez was
arrested near Cancun, Mexico. In 2007 he was returned to the US to
face trial. In 2008 Ramirez was convicted of 2nd-degree murder. In
2011 a state appeals court overturned the murder conviction
entitling Ramirez to a new trial.
(SFC, 10/24/00,
p.A1)(www.purpleberets.org/violence_tempongko.html)(SFCM, 8/24/03,
p.12)(SFC, 10/1/08, p.B5)(SFC, 3/31/11, p.C2)
2000 Oct 23, Groundbreaking for
the 1st residential block of Mission Bay took place. 6,000
apartments and condominiums, as well as office blocks and a college
campus were scheduled.
(SFC, 10/23/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 26, Volunteers
conducted a 2nd census of the homeless in SF. Their count showed
5,376 homeless.
(SFC, 10/27/00, p.A27)(SFC, 11/6/00, p.A19)
2000 Oct 26, St. Luke’s
Hospital agreed to become the 30th hospital in the Sutter Health
system chain.
(SFC, 10/27/00, p.B1)
2000 Oct 28, Some 32,000 people
attended the Catholic Jubilee 200 Mass at Pac Bell Park under rain.
(SFEC, 10/29/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 30, A gang of youths
stormed a MUNI bus at 18th and Mission attacked 3 passengers. One
man was slashed with a razor as the bus driver worked to reattach
the electric poles. 4 youths were later taken into custody.
(SFC, 11/1/00, p.A21)(SFC, 11/2/00, p.A17)
2000 Oct, The new oxygen bar 22
O2 opened on Valencia and dispensed 85% oxygen for $10. Herbal
elixirs of ginseng, deer antlers and crushed ants was also available
for $6.
(SFC, 10/9/00, p.A15)
2000 Oct, Emily Duffy, an
artist from El Cerrito, contacted the artist Nicolino and suggested
a bra ball as a collaborative art project. Nicolino was already
known for his proposal to bridge the Grand Canyon, “the world’s
greatest cleavage,” with a bra bridge. Duffy was the creator of the
“Mammolith,” a 9-foot high bra.
(USAT, 3/16/01, p.1D)
2000 Nov 7, District elections
returned to SF.
(SFC, 1/9/99, p.A15)
2000 Nov 7, Gavin Newsom and
Tom Ammiano won their Supervisor races for Districts 2 and 9. The
remaining 9 districts faced runoffs on Dec 12. A ballot measure to
tame growth, Prop L, was still undecided.
(SFC, 11/9/00, p.A25)
2000 Nov 9, Joseph S. Woods
(31) was shot to death by 3 gunmen who robbed his flat at
3311½ Mission St.
(SFC, 11/11/00, p.A20)
2000 Nov 17, Police arrested 3
suspects in a jewel-theft ring that included Carlos Patino (33),
wanted for a 1994 murder in the San Fernando Valley
(SFC, 11/18/00, p.A17)
2000 Nov 20, The 1915 Albert S.
Samuels clock at 856 Market St. was restored following a 10-year
respite. [see 1915, 1973]
(SFC, 11/18/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov 21, The last issue of
the Hearst SF Examiner was published.
(SFC, 11/22/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov 22, The 1st issue of
the SF Chronicle PM was published by the Hearst Corp.
(SFC, 11/22/00, p.A1)(SSFC, 6/7/09, p.W3)
2000 Nov 25, Bruno Mooshei
(80), owner of the Persian Aub Zam Zam bar on Haight St., died.
Moosehi was known for his martinis of Boord’s gin and Boissiere
vermouth.
(SSFC, 12/3/00, p.A23)
2000 Nov 26, The Sunday SF
Examiner and Chronicle became simply the SF Chronicle after 35 years
of publishing with separate editorial visions.
(SSFC, 11/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov 30, A new $500,000
skateboard park at Crocker Amazon Park approached completion.
Skateboarders were not impressed.
(SFC, 11/30/00, p.A23)
2000 Dec 4, John D. Goldman was
announced as the successor of Nancy H. Bechtle (62) as president of
the SF Symphony in Dec 2001.
(SFC, 12/4/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 6, The play “Las Horas
de Belen: A Book of Hours” opened at the new Brava Theater Center,
formerly the York Theater and before that the 1927 Roosevelt
Theater, on 24th St.
(SSFC, 12/3/00, p.39)
2000 Dec 6, Elijah Sanderson
(3) was found dead at his Ingleside home. Patrick Goodman went on
trial in 2002 for the death which followed a pummeling of some 54
blows. Goodman was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life.
(SFC, 4/19/02, p.A23)(SFC, 7/11/02, p.A19)
2000 Dec 11, The SF Airport
Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum
opened at the new SF Int’l. Airport terminal.
(SSFC, 12/10/00, DB p.40)
2000 Dec 12, Runoff elections
for district supervisors were held. Winners included Jake McGoldrick
(1), Aaron Perkin (3), Leland Yee (4), Mat Gonzalez (5), Chris Daly
(6), Tony Hall (7), Mark Leno (8), Sophie Maxwell (10), and Gerardo
Sandoval (11). Gavin Newsom (2) and Tom Ammiano (9) won outright in
the 1st round.
(SFC, 12/13/00, p.A15)
2000 Dec 15, A repaved
Commercial Street in Chinatown reopened following the removal of its
red bricks. The street was once home to 18 brothels.
(SFC, 12/16/00, p.A26)
2000 Dec 16, Jack’s Restaurant
at 615 Sacramento St. closed down after 136 years of operation.
(SFC, 12/15/00, p.A25)
2000 Dec 17, Jerry Rice played
his last football game for the SF 49ers as they defeated the Chicago
Bears 17-0.
(SFC, 12/18/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 22, Jim Burke, jazz
pianist, died at age 64. His single CD was a live recording called
“Hands On” (1999).
(SFC, 1/3/01, p.A16)
2000 Dec 27, SF zookeepers
discovered that 2 koalas were stolen overnight. The koalas were
stolen by 2 teenage boys for their girlfriends and recovered the
next day.
(SFC, 12/28/00, p.A1)(SFC, 12/29/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 27, Walter Keane,
North Beach artist, died at age 85. he was known for his portraits
of doe-eyed children, which were later attributed to his 2nd wife
Margaret Keane.
(SFC, 1/4/01, p.A18)
2000 Dec 28, Mayor Brown broke
ground for the $25 million, 18-month reconstruction of Union Square.
(SFC, 12/27/00, p.A19)
2000 Dec 30, Two men burst into
an apartment at 228 Hyde St. and set it on fire. One man was killed
and 4 injured.
(SFC, 1/3/01, p.A16)
2000 Dec 31, The SF de Young
Museum closed down. It was to be torn down and replaced by a new
structure by 2005.
(SFC, 12/30/00, p.A17)
2000 Dec 31, Curtis Layne (18)
and Brian Williams (26) were shot to death at Third St. and Kirkwood
in the Bayview District. In 2005 James Hill (24) and David George
(23) were indicted for the murders associated with cocaine
distribution.
(SFC, 5/19/05, p.B4)
2000 JT Leroy authored his 1st
book “Sarah. The narrator, a 12-year-old boy, has renamed himself
Sarah after his whorish mother because he has learned from her
example that "Most anything you want in this world is easier when
you're a pretty girl." In 2005 it was revealed that the author was a
fake identity created by SF residents Laura Albert, her husband
Geoffrey Knoop and Geoffrey’s sister Savannah. In 2006 Knoop
acknowledged that Laura Albert wrote “Sarah,“ and followed up in
2001 with “The heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.”
(http://tinyurl.com/cqvnn)(SFC, 1/10/06,
p.A8)(SFC, 2/7/06, p.A3)
2000 SF spent $30 million and
employed some 380 people to sweep streets and remove graffiti.
(SFC, 12/2/00, p.A18)
2000 A small center for the
homeless opened on Columbus Ave. under the direction of prominent
North Beach residents and director Francis Ford Coppola. The SF
Health Dept. ended its homeless death count. In 2005 the Board of
Supervisors passed measures to resume the tally.
(SSFC, 10/6/02, p.A23)(SFC, 1/27/05, p.B2)
2000 The 25-story highrise at
199 Fremont was completed.
(SFC, 9/27/00, p.C1)
2000 The 21-story highrise at
150 California was completed.
(SFC, 9/27/00, p.C1)
2000 SF committed $500,000
toward the restoration of the Murphy windmill.
(SFC, 6/26/02, p.A18)
2000 The 1-acre Coronet Theater
site on Geary in SF was sold for $8.5 million to the Institute on
Aging. A project of offices and housing were planned for the site.
(SFCM, 3/20/05, p.6)
2001 Jan 4, Brian Cotter (18)
of Burlingame, a senior at St. Ignatius High School, was killed by a
Muni street car on West Portal Ave while playing chicken.
(SFC, 1/4/01, p.A13)
2001 Jan 5, A new time capsule
was planned to be sealed in the cornerstone of City Hall. It was to
replace a 1913 capsule planted by Mayor Rolph in groundbreaking
ceremonies.
(SFC, 1/1/01, p.A15)
2001 Jan 8, Tom Ammiano was
re-elected as president of the Board of Supervisors.
(SFC, 1/9/01, p.A19)
2001 Jan 17, Gregory Corso
(70), Beat poet, died in Robbinsdale, Minn. His poetry collections
included “Gasoline” and “Mindfield” (1989).
(SFC, 1/19/01, p.D7)
2001 Jan 18, SF sued 13 energy
providers for collusion to fix prices and restrict the energy
supply.
(SFC, 1/19/01, p.A12)
2001 Jan 20, Some 15,000
protesters gathered in SF against the inauguration of Pres. Bush in
Washington DC.
(SSFC, 1/21/01, p.A4)
2001 Jan 20, A MUNI diesel bus
rolled down one block on Missouri Street in Potrero Hill and slammed
into a house after hitting 5 cars and a garage.
(SSFC, 1/21/01, p.A17)
2001 Jan 25, Alexander Lushtak
(35), a Russian immigrant, was sentenced to 71 months in prison for
money laundering.
(SFC, 1/26/01, p.A24)
2001 Jan 26, Diane Whipple
(33), Lacrosse coach, died after being mauled by 2 dogs in her San
Francisco Pacific Heights apartment. The dogs, under the control of
Marjorie Knoller, were later found to be owned by 2 Aryan
Brotherhood prison gang members and kept by attorneys Robert Noel
(59) and Marjorie Knoller (45). A few days later Noel and Knoller
adopted Paul Schneider (38) in SF family court. Bane, one of the
Presa Canario dogs, was destroyed following the attack on Whipple.
Hera, the 2nd dog, was impounded. Knoller and Noel were indicted for
murder and manslaughter on Mar 27. Hera was put to death Jan 30,
2001. Knoller was paroled Jan 1, 2004. In 2005 a state appeals court
reinstated a murder conviction against Marjorie Knoller. Knoller was
again jailed in 2008 after a judge reinstated her murder conviction.
On Sep 22 Knoller was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
(SSFC, 1/28/01, p.A1)(SFC, 1/30/01, p.A1)(SFC,
1/31/01, p.A1)(SFC, 2/1/01, p.A11)(SFC, 3/28/01, p.A1)(SFC, 1/31/02,
p.A13)(SFC, 1/1/04, p.A19)(SFC, 5/6/05, p.B1)(SFC, 8/23/08,
p.B1)(AP, 9/22/08)
2001 Jan, 55 low income
apartments opened at the new Bernal Gateway Apartments at Mission
and Chavez. 5,700 people had applied for the units.
(SFC, 2/2/01, p.A23)
2001 Jan, Dustin Thomas (20)
was shot and killed 6 days after he testified in a preliminary
hearing of a man charged with killing Devon Gross. Ramon Sapp was
the lead suspect. In 2002 Sapp was captured after being wounded by
SF police in Oakland.
(SFC, 3/1/02, p.A30)
2001 Feb 1, MisterSF.com was
born. The project started modestly as a labor of love and by Nov.,
2001 reached 75,000 hits per month. Created by San Francisco writer
Hank Donat, MisterSF.com was dedicating to promoting the character
and people of the City of San Francisco, and to supporting
independent neighborhood businesses.
(Mr. SF, 12/4/01)(SFC, 1/11/02, p.G1)
2001 Feb 1, Capone Thomas was
shot on I-280 by T.J. Hatfield. Hatfield’s older brother was shot
and killed Apr 13, 2002.
(SFC, 4/16/02, p.A14)
2001 Feb 3, The Chinese New
Year Parade celebrated the Year of the Snake.
(SSFC, 2/4/01, p.B1)
2001 Feb 4, The SF Demons beat
the Los Angeles Xtreme 15-13 at Pac Bell Park in the local XFL debut
before a crowd of 38,000.
(SFC, 2/5/01, p.A1)
2001 Feb 24, It was reported
that the city’s water system was old and neglected and would cost $1
billion to fix.
(SFC, 2/24/01, p.A15)
2001 Mar 11, A 3-day memorial
service began for the homeless, who died in SF since tracking began
in 1987. 1,767 people were listed on a plaque.
(SFC, 3/12/01, p.A21)
2001 Mar 17, SF police officers
fired some 30 shots to kill a pit bull in the Oceanview District.
The dog, named T.Y., had bitten a woman who tried to break its fight
with her Akita dog.
(SSFC, 3/18/01, p.A17)
2001 Mar 21, Ronnie Davis, SF
Housing Chief, was indicted in Ohio for stealing hundreds of
thousands of dollars during his tenure at the Cleveland housing
authority. Felony charges were dropped Oct 30 in exchange for a
guilty plea to a single misdemeanor.
(SFC, 3/22/01, p.A1)(SFC, 10/31/01, p.A13)
2001 Mar 22, Ronnie Davis
issued a written statement saying the he was “voluntarily taking
unpaid leave.”
(SFC, 3/23/01, p.A19)
2001 Mar 23, Families began to
move into the new Bernal Dwellings low income housing complex at
Folsom and 26th streets.
(SFC, 3/24/01, p.A15)
2001 Mar 27, Robert Lee Massie
was executed for the 1979 robbery and murder of a SF liquor store
owner.
(SFC, 3/27/01, p.A1)
2001 Mar 31, SF celebrated its
1st Cesar Chavez Day parade. Some 15,000 participated.
(SSFC, 4/1/01, p.A18)
2001 Mar, The 42-story Market
St. complex between 4th and 5th was scheduled to be completed.
(SFC, 7/2/97, p.C2)
2001 Mar, The $400 million
Bloomingdale development of the former Emporium was scheduled to
begin.
(SFC, 1/15/01, p.A21)
2001 Apr 5, An accounts
supervisor found that Edward McCann (49), a retired controller for
Golden Gate Univ., submitted a false invoice for 18,000.
Investigations showed that $3.5 million was embezzled between 1996
and 2001.
(SFC, 4/24/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 8, Mayor Brown’s
girlfriend, Carolyn Carpineti (38), gave birth to Sydney Minetta
Brown.
(SFC, 4/10/01, p.A15)
2001 Apr 11, A Muni streetcar
broadsided a drag racing car at 41st Ave and Judah. One passenger in
the car was killed.
(SFC, 4/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 16, The Board of
Supervisors approved nearly $80 million to end a lawsuit that
challenged the city’s business tax. The dual system, based on the
higher of either gross receipts or payroll tax, was alleged to be
unconstitutional.
(SFC, 4/17/01, p.A13)
2001 Apr 18, A Board of
Supervisors committee approved a plan to of sex change benefits to
city employees.
(SFC, 4/19/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 18, The SF Port
Commission voted 3-2 to support the Mills Corp. proposal for the
development of Piers 27-31.
(SSFC, 7/29/01, p.A16)
2001 Apr 24, Paul Orfalea (53),
founder of Kinko’s copy store chain, gave a $8.5 million donation to
City College to support child care.
(SFC, 4/25/01, p.A13)
2001 Apr 25, Clint Eastwood was
awarded the Akira Kurosawa prize for directing at the SF Film
Festival.
(SFC, 4/27/01, p.C1)
2001 Apr 26, Louise Renne, City
Attorney, announced that she would not run for re-election.
(SFC, 4/27/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 28, Laticia Ramirez
(33), mother of 4, was shot and killed in front of her home on York
St. 2 suspects, Maricio Sandoval (21) and Eliezer Salcedo (26) were
soon arrested.
(SSFC, 4/29/01, p.A22)
2001 Apr 29, The SF Chronicle
began a 5-day series on Mayor Willie Brown, his political
operatives, patronage, and business at City Hall.
(SSFC, 4/29/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 29, The 151-year-old
First Congregation Church on Union Square held its last service.
Members could no longer afford the 1915 structure.
(SFC, 4/23/01, p.A14)
2001 Apr 30, The SF Board of
Supervisors passed a measure 9-2 to allow city employees medical
benefits for a sex change.
(SFC, 5/1/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr, In SF the 36-story
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, designed by Handel Architects,
opened at 757 Market near Fourth St. It included 277-room hotel with
rooms starting at $299 per night, and 142 condominiums at over 2 mil
per unit. In 2005 the hotel was put up for sale.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, p.C1)(SFC, 2/23/02, p.A18)(SFC,
9/30/05, p.C1)
2001 Apr, The Bored Collective
was founded by Bay Guardian columnist Amanda Nowinski and Reflective
Records’ Billee Sharp and Holly Roberts. They met for monthly
meetings at 26 Mix, a Mission District club
(SFC, 2/26/02, p.D1)
2001 May 1, Alvin Mceldry (19),
the half-brother of Montrell Vines- jailed Big Block gang leader,
was shot and killed by the Westmob gang.
(SFC, 5/3/01, p.A13)
2001 May 6, SF held the grand
opening of the Presidio Crissy Field Park.
(SFC, 5/3/01, p.G1)
2001 May 17, It was reported
that CBS cancelled “Nash Bridges” after 6 seasons of production in
SF.
(SFC, 5/17/01, p.D1)
2001 May 18, The Dave Matthews
performed the 1st rock concert at Pac Bell Park before some 35,000
fans.
(SFC, 5/19/01, p.B1)
2001 May 18, It was reported
that the SF Unified School District had spent $60 million intended
for school construction on salaries and benefits since 1989.
(SFC, 5/18/01, p.A1)
2001 May 20, Some 50,000
participated in the Bay to Breakers race. James Koskei of Kenya won
in 34:19. Jane Ngotho of Kenya won in 40:35.
(SFC, 5/21/01, p.A1)
2001 May 27, The 22nd annual
Mission district Carnaval parade was expected to draw 200,000
people.
(SFC, 5/26/01, p.A14)
2001 May 31, Mayor Brown
proposed a $5.2 billion city budget.
(SFC, 6/1/01, p.A21)
2001 Jun 6, City officials
dedicated Ferry Park, the 2 Embarcadero blocks at Clay and
Washington, as permanent open space. A butterfly museum had been
planned for the site.
(SFC, 6/7/01, p.A18)
2001 Jun 13, SF police shot and
killed Idriss Stelley (23) at the Sony Metreon complex. Stelley was
suffering a mental breakdown and had cut an officer with a knife.
Officers fired over 20 shots and wounded one of their men.
(SFC, 6/20/01, p.A16)(SFC, 12/5/06, p.A1)
2001 Jun 19, The SF Health
Commission approved a law that required city contractors and
leaseholders to provide health benefits for employees.
(SFC, 6/20/01, p.A13)
2001 Jun 24, The 31st annual
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration
took place.
(SSFC, 6/24/01, p.C3)
2001 Jul 5, Darryl Lewis (38)
of Hunters Point was killed in a noon-time shooting in the 200-block
of Westpoint Rd. A week later police arrested Johnny Trammel for the
murder. Frank Hall, a police informant said 2 months later that
Trammel was innocent. Hall was shot to death Oct 18 on Cashmere St.
in the Bayview. Trammel was released in 2002.
(SFC, 9/5/02, p.A17)
2001 Jul 24, Victor Arimondi
(b.1942), professional model a fashion photographer, died of AIDS in
SF.
(SFC, 12/12/09, p.E4)(http://tinyurl.com/ybqcums)
2001 Jul 28, Gov. Davis and
Mayor Brown marked the 100th birthday of Harry Bridges with the
dedication of a new plaza in front of the Ferry Building.
(SFC, 7/27/01, p.A19)
2001 Jul 28, Krystal Sexty (16)
of Modesto was shot and killed in the Bayview District at Bayshore
and Oakdale.
(SFC, 7/31/01, p.A13)
2001 Jul, Michele Breault (38)
was stabbed and battered to death with a hammer in the Stanford
Hotel on Kearny Street in SF. In 2006 David Cooper was sentenced to
life without parole for the murder. His girlfriend, Debra Soler, was
also convicted of murder but faced a new trial. In their 2004 trial
each blamed the other for the murder.
(SFC, 10/24/06, p.B3)
2001 Aug 1, Mario Trevino (49),
former Las Vegas fire chief, was sworn in as the new fire chief of
SF.
(SFC, 8/2/01, p.A14)
2001 Aug 3, The city’s 1st
Critical Mutt rally was held at City Hall to protest leash laws.
(SFC, 8/4/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 4, A groundbreaking
celebration was scheduled for the new 105-unit Int’l. Hotel Senior
Housing highrise.
(SFC, 6/8/01, WBa p.1)
2001 Aug 7, Four SF city
commissioners received a reprimand from the federal HUD for failing
“to act in a responsible manner.”
(SFC, 8/8/01, p.A8)
2001 Aug 8, A Superior Court
judge ruled that Prop. H, approved last Fall, is unconstitutional.
The law barred landlords from imposing special rent increases on
their tenants for property improvements.
(SFC, 8/8/01, p.A13)
2001 Aug 11, BART transbay
service was shut down for 6 hours due to electrical problems.
Traffic clogged on the Bay Area bridges and freeways.
(SSFC, 8/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 13, Police arrested 9
squatters of the group Homes Not Jails for occupying a boarded
building at Fell and Franklin. The building was full of asbestos,
lead, rats and fleas.
(SFC, 8/14/01, p.A11)
2001 Aug 14, Lucasfilm signed
an agreement to build a 23-acre office and digital production campus
at the Letterman Army Hospital site in the Presidio. Demolition was
expected to cost $10 million and annual rent from Lucasfilm would be
about $5 million.
(SFC, 8/15/01, p.A11)
2001 Aug 17, It was reported
that Wins of California, a SF garment factory, had not paid its
almost 200 workers since late April. A license renewal was rejected
in March due to a $3,000 debt to the IRS. The operation shut down on
Aug 18.
(SFC, 8/17/01, p.A1)(SFC, 8/18/01, p.A1,13)
2001 Aug 26, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors proclaimed the City Lights Bookstore at 261
Columbus Ave. as Landmark No. 228.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_San_Francisco_Designated_Landmarks)(SSFC,
5/31/09, p.B2)
2001 Aug 27, Herbert Monterroza
(22) with some assistance killed his father and mother in order to
live in their 1545 Quesada home in Bayview with his new pregnant
wife. 3 other men were seen fleeing the home.
(SFC, 8/28/01, p.A11)(SFC, 8/29/01, p.A14)
2001 Aug 31, Police and FBI
agents swept Bayview-Hunter’s Point and issued 17 arrest warrants
for suspected members of the Big Block gang. 9 people were arrested.
(SFC, 9/1/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 1, Altaneze Taylor
(65) was found murdered in her Bayview home at 231 Thornton Ave. She
helped support the Bright Moments Music Lovers Club and had mentored
numerous children to learn jazz.
(SFC, 9/6/01, p.A13)
2001 Sep 4, BART reached a
tentative agreement with its 2 largest unions. A injunction against
a strike was ordered the next day against the AFSCME.
(SFC, 9/6/01, p.A13)
2001 Sep 5, A US Court of
Appeals approved the 1997 sale of the 43-foot cross on Mount
Davidson to the Council of Armenian American Organizations of
Northern California.
(SFC, 9/6/01, p.A16)
2001 Sep 5, Chevron announced
that it would move its headquarters at 575 Market to its San Ramon
campus.
(SFC, 9/6/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 6, In SF Barry Bonds
hit his 60th home run of the year and became the 5th player in
history to do so.
(SFC, 9/7/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 6, The SF Planning
Commission gave the green light to the design for Prada at Polk and
Grant on Union Square by architect Rem Koolhaas. The design included
a stainless steel wrapping with tiny portholes.
(SFC, 9/7/01, p.A21)
2001 Sep 6, Scott Stoll (38)
and Dennis Snader (36) set off from San Francisco on a bicycle
journey that aimed to cover 24,901.55 miles, equal to the
circumference of the Earth. After 3+ years Stoll completed 25,752
miles across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and
Africa. Stoll ended his adventure on the southern tip of South
Africa on October 24, 2004. The Milwaukee native returned to
Waukesha where he grew up and his parents still live.
(SSFC, 2/26/06, p.F3)(www.theargonauts.com)
2001 Sep 8, A ceremony at the
War Memorial Opera House marked the 50th anniversary of the Treaty
of Peace with Japan.
(SSFC, 9/9/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 9, SF hosted a 10.2
mile track Grand Priz bicycle race. George Hincapie, a teammate to
Lance Armstrong, won the 127-mile race. Armstrong bowed out after 80
miles.
(SFC, 9/5/01, p.A13)(SFC, 9/10/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 9, Police found the
Anthony (36) and Anna Shami (37) and their 2 daughters shot to death
at their Bernal Heights home on Justin Dr. Shami was a weekend
motorcycle rider with the Hell’s Angels.
(SFC, 9/10/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 22, Four children,
aged 1-12, died in the Bayview area from a fire at 87 Maddux Ave. in
the Silver Terrace area.
(SSFC, 9/23/01, p.A23)(SFC, 9/24/01, p.A11)
2001 Sep 26, The US Senate
approved $50.6 million for the Navy to continue cleaning Hunters
Point Shipyard, a toxic superfund site.
(SFC, 9/27/01, p.A15)
2001 Sep 26, Pat Martel, ass’t.
manager of Daly City, was named general manager of SF PUC, the 1st
Latina, lesbian or woman to head the agency.
(SFC, 12/30/01, p.D5)
2001 Sep 29, Some 7,000 people
marched for peace in Washington DC while an estimated 7-10 thousand
marched in San Francisco. They marched to mourn terrorist victims,
and to urge the nation to heal poverty and injustice that fuels
global violence instead of focusing on military revenge.
(SSFC, 9/30/01, p.A3)
2001 Sep 30, Many thousands
attended the 18th Folsom Street Fair billed as “the biggest leather
event in the world.”
(SFC, 10/1/01, p.A16)
2001 Oct 4, In Texas Barry
Bonds hit his 70th home run and tied the 3-year-old record of Mark
McGwire.
(SFC, 10/5/01, p.A1)
2001 Oct 5, Barry Bonds of the
SF Giants hit his 71st and 72nd record home runs at Pacific Bell
Park off of pitcher Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The
Dodgers won 11-10. This broke the record of 70 held by Mark McGwire.
(SFC, 10/6/01, p.F1)
2001 Oct 7, The Asian Arts
Museum in Golden Gate Park opened for its last day pending the move
to its new location in the Civic Center.
(SFC, 10/8/01, p.G1)
2001 Oct 7, In SF Barry Bonds
hit his 73rd home run in the final game of the season. Two men, Alex
Popov and Patrick Hayashi, fought over the ball and went to court.
In 2002 a judge ruled that the ball be sold and the cash split. In
2003 the ball was auctioned off for $450,000.
(SFC, 10/8/01, p.B1)(SFC, 12/19/02, p.A1)(SFC,
6/26/03, p.A1)
2001 Oct 7, Anti-war
demonstrations in SF drew some 1,000.
(SFC, 10/8/01, p.A11)
2001 Oct 18, The US Senate
approved a military spending bill that included $50 million for
cleanup at Hunter’s Point naval shipyard.
(SFC, 10/19/01, p.D6)
2001 Oct 21, Richard Hilkert,
Bookseller Ltd., closed his shop at 333 Hayes after 18 years.
(SFC, 10/13/01, p.F1)
2001 Oct 25, Ground was broken
for a new $27.5 million Mexican Museum building near Yerba Buena
Gardens. The 63,000-sq.-foot building sported a design by Ricardo
Legoretta. The museum was founded by Peter Rodriguez in a storefront
on Folsom St. in 1976.
(SFC, 5/26/96, DB p.27)(SFC, 10/27/01, p.F1)
2001 Oct 25, SF made its 3rd
annual count of the homeless. The census counted 7,305.
(SFC, 10/27/01, p.A11)(SFC, 11/17/01, p.A19)
2001 Oct 25, SF, Daly City and
3 golf courses agreed on a plan to restore the health and water
level of Lake Merced.
(SFC, 10/26/01, p.A24)
2001 Oct 25, Kuo Wai Chiang
(40) was caught and dragged by an M-Ocean View street car at the
Stonestown Galleria shopping center and died at SFG.
(SFC, 10/27/01, p.A12)
2001 Oct, Seismic work on San
Francisco’s Central Freeway was scheduled to end.
(SFC, 2/21/98, p.A13)
2001 Nov 1, The Cartoon Art
Museum took over the space at 655 Mission St. formerly held by the
Ansel Adams Center and The Friends of Photography.
(SFC, 10/18/01, p.B1)
2001 Nov 6, In local elections
Prop D passed and gave authority to voters over any project that
would fill 100 acres or more of SF Bay. Prop F, a public power
proposal, lost by 533 votes.
(SFC, 11/12/01, p.A15,17)
2001 Nov 11, The SF Chronicle
began a series on how school officials mismanaged bond and tax money
over the last 13 years.
(SSFC, 11/11/01, p.A1)
2001 Nov 12, Record rains hit
the Bay Area with 2.7 inches in Kentfield and 2.09 inches in SF.
(SFC, 11/13/01, p.A20)
2001 Nov 17, The Chinese
Historical Society opened its new museum at the old Chinatown YWCA
on Clay St.
(SSFC, 11/18/01, p.A29)
2001 Nov 17, In SF Hunter
McPherson (27) was shot and killed on Potrero Hill’s Mariposa St.
during a robbery as he returned home with a girlfriend. He was the
son of state Sen. Bruce McPherson. Clifton Terrell Jr. (18) and
Dwayne Curtis Reed (22) were later charged in the murder. In 2005
Terrell was convicted of 1st degree murder and robbery. Reed was
freed in 2005 following a plea bargain in which he agreed to testify
against Terrell. In Oct 2005 Reed killed a man in Belmont.
(SFC, 11/19/01, p.A18)(SFC, 3/3/05, p.B1)(SFC,
10/8/05, p.B3)
2001 Dec 5, Demolition of
Letterman Army Hospital at the Presidio continued in preparation for
the new George Lucas digital production studio.
(SFC, 12/5/01, p.A20)
2001 Dec 10, James Meadows,
director of the Presidio Trust, resigned amid allegations of
financial mismanagement.
(SFC, 12/11/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 11, Dennis Herrera
(39) won a runoff election for city attorney over Jim Lazarus (52)
52% to 47%.
(SFC, 12/12/01, p.A23)
2001 Dec 15, A fire at 275 Turk
St. left 150 tenants homeless.
(SFC, 12/17/01, p.A17)
2001 Dec 16, Police instituted
Operation Ceasefire to try to halt violence between rival groups in
the Bayview-Hunters Point area.
(SFC, 12/17/01, p.A1)
2001 Dave Eggers authored the
memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.” He used the
proceeds to establish a SF publishing house named “McSweeneys.”
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.75)
2001 Peter Booth Wiley authored
“National Trust Guide: San Francisco, America’s Guide for
Architecture and History Travelers.”
(SSFC, 2/4/01, BR p.2)
2001 The light rail system of
Airport Transit System was scheduled to be completed. The AirTrain
monorail was scheduled to replace rental car shuttles at the
airport.
(SFC,10/24/97, p.A22)(SFEC, 1/10/99, p.T3)
2001 The BART extension to the
airport was scheduled to open.
(SFEC, 7/19/98, p.A1)
2001 Speckmann’s, a long-time
German restaurant and bar on Church St., closed.
(SFCM, 6/6/04, 6)
2001 The Pacific Stock Exchange
merged with Archipelago, an electronic marketplace corporation. Its
trading floor was sold in 2002.
(SSFC, 7/3/05, p.F3)
2002 Jan 1, Alfred J. Nelder,
former police chief (1970-1971), Supervisor (1973-1980) and police
commission member, died at age 87.
(SFC, 1/4/02, p.A26)
2002 Jan 2, SF reached a
tentative deal with federal officials to take over the Old Mint.
(SFC, 1/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 4, Alfred Wilsey, SF
businessman and philanthropist, died at age 82.
(SFC, 1/7/02, p.A17)
2002 Jan 18, Perry Michael
Bradstreet (37) was killed at 1088 Palou Ave. in Bayview. Gerald A.
White, summoned by a Grand Jury on the murder, was killed July 28, 3
days after an appearance in which he did not testify.
(SFC, 7/31/02, p.A15)
2002 Feb 2, Steve Lee, off-duty
police officer, shot and killed Jerome Hooper in Chinatown after
being accosted.
(SFC, 2/4/02, p.B2)
2002 Feb 4, A gunman robbed a
Union Square jeweler of over $1 million in diamonds, emeralds and
gold outside his 10th-floor office at 210 Post St.
(SFC, 2/5/02, p.A17)
2002 Feb 11, Chinatown
celebrated the New Year of the Horse, year 4,700.
(SFC, 2/12/02, p.A21)
2002 Feb 11, SF sued PG&E
for a $5 billion refund to ratepayers.
(SFC, 2/12/02, p.B1)
2002 Feb 11, Rebecca
Etherington-Smith was attacked at a bus stop on Columbus and
Francisco by a man who slashed her face and throat and escaped. On
Mar 13 police arrested Hugh Howell (41), who admitted the slashing.
(SFC, 2/12/02, p.A21)(SFC, 3/13/02, p.A13)
2002 Feb 13, In SF Nicholas
Rendon (55) was strangled at his Kansas Street home. His body was
found the next day. In 2007 Mark Miller and Ruben Bill pleaded
guilty to manslaughter in the case and. They faced sentences of 16
years and 11 years respectively.
(SFC, 6/7/07, p.B3)
2002 Feb 16, Philip Elwood’s
final jazz column as a SFC staff writer appeared. He had joined the
morning Examiner in July, 1965.
(SFC, 2/16/02, p.D1)
2002 Feb 18, Louis Nichols (54)
was killed by Marc D’Hollander (31) her hiking French friend, who
admitted choking her to death.
(SFC, 2/19/02, p.A13)
2002 Feb 20, Larry Flynt’s
Hustler Club was scheduled to open at 1031 Kearny with a lineup of
exotic dancers.
(SFC, 2/7/02, p.D3)
2002 Feb 23, The Chinese New
Year Parade was held in SF.
(SSFC, 2/24/02, p.A21)
2002 Feb 26, The Nihonmachi
Little Friends community day care center gained title to the 1932
YWCA building at 1830 Sutter in a settlement with YWCA. [see 1932,
1996]
(SFC, 4/9/96, p.A14)(SFC, 2/27/02, p.A15)
2002 Mar 5, Voters approved
Prop A, which called for instant runoffs via voter ranking in local
primary elections.
(SFC, 3/7/02, p.A15)
2002 Mar 17, Over 50,000 people
gathered for the 150th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Market St.
(SFC, 3/18/02, p.B3)
2002 Mar 21, SF jurors
convicted Marjorie Knoller (46) of 2nd degree murder and Robert Noel
(60) of manslaughter in the dog attack on Diane Whipple.
(SFC, 3/22/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 13, Thomas Hatfield
(24) was shot and killed at Ocean and Lee near Beep’s hamburgers.
Tyson Williams (21) was sought in the murder.
(SFC, 4/16/02, p.A14)
2002 Apr 20, Some 20,000 people
marched in SF in opposition to US policy in the Middle East.
(SSFC, 4/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 26, Peter Chong (58)
was convicted on 10 or 13 accounts of racketeering and other federal
charges. He was accused of heading the Wen Hop To crime syndicate
and of trying to unify the areas Chinese crime gangs.
(SFC, 4/27/02, p.A17)
2002 Apr 28, It was reported
that the Bechtel Group, hired 2 years ago to revamp the Hetch Hetchy
water supply system, was being ousted.
(SSFC, 4/28/02, p.A1)
2002 May 1, Evelyn Hernandez
(24) disappeared with her 5-year-old son. She was pregnant with a
baby due May 7. Her boyfriend reported her missing May 7. A portion
of her torso was found July 24.
(SFC, 6/11/02, p.A17)(SFC, 9/4/02, p.A17)
2002 May 2, China’s VP Hu
Jintao met with Mayor Brown and set a visit to Intel prior to his
departure back to China.
(SFC, 5/3/02, p.A8)
2002 May 5, In SF Bruce Brooks
(51), a street blues musician, killed Juliette Williamson, his
girlfriend and bandmate, by repeatedly smashing her head with a
hammer. Her body was found on May 22, washed up on Yerba Buena
Island. In 2008 Brooks was convicted of 2nd-degree murder.
(SFC, 8/7/08, p.B3)
2002 May 12, Steve Sparks sold
his “The Mad Dog In Fog” English pub on Haight St. and moved
to Anderson Valley. The pub had begun in 1989.
(SFC, 1/21/05, p.F8)
2002 May 14, Justin Glazer 23
was shot to death in the 500 block of Alemany Blvd. A local feud
between the “Project Boys” and “Freeway Boys” was suspected.
(SFC, 5/18/02, p.A18)
2002 May 17, Keith Frazier (12)
was shot to death at 901 Ellsworth in Bernal Heights as his older
brother, Kevin Wortham, drove him home. Wortham belonged to the
Project Boys group.
(SFC, 5/18/02, p.A18)(SSFC, 5/19/02, p.A21)
2002 May 19, Some 50,000 ran in
the 91st annual rain-soaked Bay to Breakers race. James Koskei of
Kenya won for the men and Luminita Talpos of Romania won for the
women.
(SFC, 5/20/02, p.B1)
2002 Jun 5, The SF Roman
Catholic Archdiocese furnished Bay Area prosecutors the names of
some 40 current and former priests and lay employees who have been
targets of sexual abuse complaints.
(SFC, 6/6/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 5, Phyllis Wattis
(97), SF arts patron, died. Her contributions to Northern California
cultural institutions exceeded $150 million. Her husband, Paul L.
Wattis, headed the construction company that built Boulder Dam
(Hoover Dam).
(SFC, 6/6/02, p.A22)
2002 Jun 13-2002 Jun 30, The
annual SF Int’l. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival planned to show 80
features and 209 shorts.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.D1)
2002 Jun 13, SF Police Officer
Jon C. Cook (38) was killed at 17th and Dolores when his patrol car
hit another patrol car driven by Nick Ferrando (25). They were both
racing to the same emergency call.
(SFC, 6/14/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 17, SF Judge James
Warren reversed the 2nd degree murder conviction against Marjorie
Knoller saying she could have known that her dogs were capable of
killing someone. He let stand Knoller's conviction for
involuntary manslaughter. (However, the California Supreme Court has
left open the possibility the murder conviction could be
reinstated.) Robert Noel was sentenced to 4 years for involuntary
manslaughter.
(SFC, 6/18/02, p.A1)(AP, 6/17/07)
2002 Jun 26, The Ninth US
Circuit Court in SF ruled that the “under God” phrase in the Pledge
of Allegiance is an endorsement of religion and violates the
Constitution. It was unconstitutional because of the words "under
God" inserted by Congress in 1954. The US Supreme Court overturned
the decision in 2004 on a technicality.
(SFC, 6/27/02, p.A1)(AP, 6/26/07)
2002 Jun 26, Philip Whalen
(78), Zen Buddhist priest and SF Beat poet, died.
(SFC, 6/27/02, p.A19)
2002 Jun 30, The 32nd annual
Pride Parade was held in SF. Organizers estimated a million people
there, while police said 300,000.
(SFC, 7/1/02, p.B1)
2002 Jul 2, In Sunnydale 3
intruders entered a private apartment demanding money, tied up the
husband (35), confined 3 children, and raped the wife (26).
(SFC, 7/4/02, p.A17)
2002 Jul 3, Gustine Simms (85)
of Bayview was found bludgeoned to death. Clay Cael (47) was later
shot by police in Oakland and confessed to the killing.
(SFC, 7/4/02, p.A17)
2002 Jul 7, Three masked men
broke into a house on Peabody St. in Visitacion Valley. They raped a
mother and one daughter but were fought off be a 2nd daughter. They
stole jewelry, electronic equipment and fled.
(SFC, 7/11/02, p.A4)
2002 Jul 8, A woman’s body,
later identified as Nadine Reyes of Sacramento (18), was found in a
trash can at 17th Street and Treat Ave. She was last seen July 3 by
her father.
(SFC, 7/9/02, p.A16)(SFC, 7/13/02, p.A17)
2002 Jul 11, Mayor Brown named
Asst. Police Chief Earl Sanders (64) as the new chief, the 1st
African American to hold the post in its 153 years.
(SFC, 7/12/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 12, The SF Robertson
Stephens investment banking firm, a unit of Fleet Financial, shut
down. It had formed in 1969 as Robertson, Coleman and Siebel. It
split into Robertson Stephens and Montgomery Securities in 1978.
(SFC, 7/13/02, p.A12)
2002 Jul 15, Marjorie Knoller
was sentenced to 4 years in prison for the 2001 dog mauling of her
neighbor Diane Whipple.
(WSJ, 7/16/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 25, Union Square
re-opened following an 18-month, $25 million re-model.
(SFC, 7/26/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 27, The 4th and last
annual Street Luge Competition was held on Potrero Hill.
(SFC, 8/2/02, p.E1)
2002 Aug 4, Sukhpal Singh (52),
a Daly City cab driver, took a fatal gunshot and crashed his
cab into 2 parked cars and a utility pole in a fiery crash on 24th
St. in the Mission District.
(SFC, 8/5/02, p.B1)
2002 Aug 9, Barry Bonds of the
SF Giants hit his 600th homerun and joined the ranks of Henry Aaron
(660), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (755).
(SFC, 8/10/02, p.A1)
2002 Aug 9, Guadelupe J.
Marquez (47), former city fire inspector, was indicted for extortion
and false overtime.
(SFC, 8/10/02, p.A13)
2002 Aug 9, SF hit a record 86
degrees. The old record was 85 set in 1970.
(SFC, 8/10/02, p.A13)
2002 Aug 17, The new $ 1
billion Navy destroyer McCampbell, completed in July at the Bath
Iron Works in Maine, was commissioned in SF.
(SSFC, 8/18/02, p.A2)
2002 Aug 19, The Dolph Rempp
Sailing Ship Restaurant was razed. The 135-year-old vessel had spent
its last 27 years at South Beach near Pac Bell Park.
(SFC, 8/20/02, p.A17)
2002 Sep 2, A woman named Dina
Harb (20) of San Jose, the mother of an 8-month-old son, was shot to
death at 21st Street near Capp. Police suspected her death was gang
related.
(SFC, 9/3/02, p.A17)(SFC, 9/4/02, p.A18)
2002 Sep 7, Some 10,000 peace
activists gathered for the 4th annual 911 Power to the Peaceful
Festival at Golden Gate Park. The event began in 1999 as a means of
drumming up support for Mumia Abu Jamal, the former Philadelphia
journalist convicted of killing a police officer.
(SSFC, 9/8/02, p.A21)
2002 Sep 8, Pop Zhao, a SF
artist, organized volunteers to drape 3 miles of US flags along the
SF coastline in an artistic display of patriotism, remembrance and
strength.
(SFC, 9/9/02, p.A12)
2002 Sep 8, In San Francisco
Ray D. Jimmerson Jr. (25), a key witness in a case against the Big
Block gang, was shot to death on Buchanon St. In 2005 Dennis Cyrus
Jr., a leader of the Page Street Mob, was indicted for the slaying.
In May, 2009, Cyrus was convicted of murdering 3 men. In 2010 he was
sentenced to 3 life terms in prison without parole.
(SFC, 9/10/02, p.A1)(SFC, 5/27/05, p.B4)(SFC,
6/27/09, p.B1)(SFC, 11/20/10, p.C2)
2002 Sep 10, The Musee
Mecanique was set to close it doors for the last time in the wake of
a rebuilding project for the Cliff House. In March, 2002, under
public pressure the National Park Service and owner agreed on a
temporary home pending a new one above the new Cliff House.
(SFC, 2/27/02, p.A13)(SFC, 3/26/02, p.A13)
2002 Sep 12, Rich Sorro
Commons, a subsidized housing complex near Pacific Bell Park,
opened.
(SFC, 9/13/02, p.A1)
2002 Sep 14, Some 1,000 marched
down Market St. to denounce the Bush administration’s call for war
against Iraq.
(SFC, 9/15/02, p.A25)
2002 Sep 15, The SF Grand Priz
bike race was held along the NE waterfront.
(SFC, 9/15/02, p.A29)
2002 Sep 27, SF bicyclists
celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the critical Mass ride and the
city’s 1st official Car-Free Day. 3-5,000 riders took part.
(SFC, 9/28/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 2, SF launched a
computerized system to track the use of services for the homeless.
(SFC, 10/3/02, p.A17)
2002 Oct 13, In San Francisco a
water main burst in the Portola district.
(SFC, 10/14/02, p.A21)
2002 Oct 13, San Francisco held
its 134th annual Columbus Day Parade.
(SFC, 10/14/02, p.A22)
2002 Oct 14, The SF Giants won
the National League Championship with a 2-1 victory over the St.
Louis Cardinals.
(SFC, 10/15/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 16, Desmond McQuoid
(46), for SF school security director, was indicted for scamming the
SF Unified School District of some $200,000.
(SFC, 10/17/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 23, The San Francisco
Giants edged the Anaheim Angels, 4-3, to tie the World Series at two
games each.
(AP, 10/23/07)
2002 Oct 26, An estimated 40-80
thousand people marched down market Street to protest the Bush
policy threatening war on Iraq.
(SSFC, 10/27/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 27, The Anaheim Angels
beat the SF Giants in the 7th game of the baseball World Series 4-1.
(SFC, 10/28/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 29, The 3rd annual SF
homeless census counted about 7,300. The number sleeping in the
street or in vehicles totaled 4,535.
(SFC, 10/31/02, p.A15)(SFC, 1/27/05, p.B2)
2002 Oct 31, In SF the
Halloween party in the Castro district turned violent. 4 people were
stabbed and 30 were arrested as police were pelted with bottles.
(SFC, 10/28/06, p.B3)
2002 Nov 5, San Francisco
voters approved Measure F, legislation to create a civilian
entertainment commission to oversee entertainment permits. This was
previously handled by the police department. The Board of
Supervisors had adopted the ordinance, authored by Sup Mark Leno,
creating an Entertainment Commission. The 7-member Entertainment
Commission will begin work in July 2003. SF voters approved a $1.6
billion bond measure to rebuild the Hetch Hetchy water system. Prop
D, a city public power proposal, lost. Prop N, the Care Not Cash
homeless reform measure of Sup. Gavin Newsom, passed. Prop O, Sup.
Ammiano’s measure to limit Prop N, lost.
(www.smartvoter.org/2002/11/05/ca/sf/meas/F/)(SFC, 11/7/02, p.A25)
2002 Nov 14, Nancy Pelosi
became the 1st woman to lead a party in the US Congress after
Democrats voted 177-29 in support of the liberal from SF.
(SFC, 11/15/02, p.A1)
2002 Nov 20, A street fight
(the “Fahitagate” case) involved 3 SF off-duty police officers. Alex
Fagan Jr. (the rookie son of Asst. Chief Alex Fagan Sr.), Matthew
Tonsing and David Lee confronted Adam Snyder and Jade Santoro at
Laguna and Union Streets. In 2005 a jury acquitted Alex Fagan Jr. of
the most serious charges against him.
(SFC, 4/5/03, p.A1)(SFC, 6/23/03, p.A1)(SFC,
3/30/05, p.A1)
2002 Nov 22, “Cupid’s Span,” a
sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen (d.2009
at 66), was set on the Embarcadero at the foot of the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 11/23/02, p.A1)(SFC, 1/20/09, p.B5)
2002 Nov 24, The new 31-story
tower at 560 Mission, designed by Cesar Pelli, was described as an
exercise in minimalism. JP Morgan Chase & Co. was the sole
tenant.
(SSFC, 11/24/02, p.A23)
2002 Dec 13, Monsignor Ignatius
Wang (68) of SF was named as an auxiliary bishop for the SF
Archdiocese, the 1st US bishop of Asian ancestry.
(SFC, 12/14/02, p.A1)
2002 In San Francisco Dave
Eggers opened 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center
for youth. The idea was later replicated in half a dozen cities
nationwide.
(SFC, 11/24/09, p.A12)
2002 San Francisco’s MUNI
planned to have completed a 150-room boutique hotel and shopping
complex across from the Ferry Building.
(SFC, 10/2/97, p.A17)
2002 San Francisco sent the
Murphy windmill cap in golden Gate park to the Netherlands for
restoration.
(SFC, 6/26/02, p.A18)
2002 In San Francisco St.
John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at 3134 22nd St. was sold for
$2.5 million the United Int’l. World Buddhism Assoc. The church
dated back to the 1900s.
(SFC, 12/31/04, p.B5)
2003 Jan 8, Matt Gonzalez (37),
a Green Party supervisor, was elected president of the SF Board of
Directors.
(SFC, 1/9/03, p.A1)
2003 Jan 15, The SF 49ers fired
football coach Steve Mariucci in year 6 of his 7-year contract.
(SFC, 1/16/03, p.A1)
2003 Jan 17, Margo Patterson
Doss (b.1920), former SF Chronicle columnist, died. In 1961 she
began writing her Sunday column “San Francisco at Your Feet” and
continued for 30 years. During the last decade of her life she
gardened in Bolinas and wrote for the Point Reyes Light.
(SFC, 1/22/09, p.B1)
2003 Jan 18, In the US tens of
thousands rallied in Washington DC in an emphatic dissent against
preparations for war in Iraq. As many as 500,000 rallied outside the
Capitol. In SF the rally drew at least 100,000 by my count. A small
band of anarchists vandalized the Financial District in “black bloc”
protests.
(AP, 1/19/03)(AR)(SSFC, 1/19/03, p.A1)(SFC,
1/27/03, p.B1)
2003 Jan 26, The US Super Bowl
XXXVII Football game scheduled in 1997 to be played in San
Francisco, was played in San Diego.
(SFC,10/16/97, p.A1)
2003 Jan 31, A federal jury in
SF found Ed Rosenthal (58), a marijuana advocate, guilty of felony
conspiracy and cultivation charges. Judge Charles Breyer did not
allow testimony citing 1996 California state voter approval of
medical marijuana. On Feb 4 jurors claimed they were duped and
called for a new trial.
(SFC, 2/1/03, p.A1)(SFC, 2/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 8, Kevin Coleman (35)
was shot and killed in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood. In
2006 Anthony Johnson (23) and Anthony Woods (25) were convicted of
1st degree murder.
(SFC, 1/21/06, p.B5)
2003 Feb 16, The SF
anti-war demonstration cost organizers some $85,000. An estimated
200,000 people participated. Some 1000 protesters clashed with
police at the end of the rally and 46 people were arrested. A later
aerial study numbered the crowd at 65,000.
(SFC, 2/17/03, p.A1)(SFC, 2/21/03, A1)
2003 Feb 16, Bart counted over
82,000 people exiting downtown stations for the anti-war rally. An
airplane count numbered some 65,000 at Civic Center Plaza.
(SFC, 3/12/03, p.A23)
2003 Feb 19, In San Francisco
Armando Arce (26) was gunned down as he walked at Willow and Polk
streets. In 2009 Joeven Bowen was charged with Arce’s murder. Bowen
was alleged to have accompanied members of Oakland’s Nut Case gang,
which was involved with 2 murders earlier in the day. On Feb 14,
2011, Bowen was convicted of first-degree murder.
(SFC, 9/9/09, p.D1)(SFC, 2/15/11, p.C2)
2003 Feb 22, Stars restaurant,
home to the city’s longest bar, was scheduled to close after 19
years.
(SFC, 2/7/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 27, SF police
officials were indicted on charges that they blocked an
investigation in a Nov 20, 2002, street fight (the “Fahitagate”
case) that involved 3 off-duty officers.
(SFC, 4/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 11, SF officials
fenced off the fountain at the UN Plaza due to human filth and
hypodermic needles found on a daily basis.
(SFC, 3/12/03, p.A19)
2003 Mar 14, Police arrested 80
anti-war protesters in the SF financial district. They included
Warren Langley, former head of the Pacific Exchange.
(SFC, 3/15/03, p.A13)
2003 Mar 15, Many thousands of
anti-war demonstrators marched in SF, Washington DC and around the
world against plans for a war with Iraq.
(SFC, 3/16/03, p.A1)(AP, 3/15/08)
2003 Mar 19, Protests began in
SF with the start of war in Iraq.
(SFC, 3/19/03, p.W3)
2003 Mar 20, The SF Asian
Museum opened in the renovated former SF main Library.
(SFC, 3/21/03, p.A3)
2003 Mar 20, Up to 1400
anti-war protesters were arrested in SF.
(SFC, 3/21/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 31, Crews began
demolishing the half-mile Fell Street off-ramp.
(SFC, 4/1/03, p.A15)
2003 Mar, The new $151 million
Asian Art Museum, the Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Arts and
culture, opened in San Francisco’s Old Main Library. Johnson Bogart
(1928-2008), a member of the Asian Art Commission since 1992, led
the successful move.
(SFC, 11/28/96, p.C1)(SFC, 8/14/08, p.B5)
2003 Apr 4, Judge Kay Tsenin
dismissed charges against 5 police officials in the “Fahitagate”
case.
(SFC, 4/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 7, The SF Chronicle
ran a $45,000 full-page ad that called for the impeachment of Pres.
Bush. Former US Attorney Gen’l. Ramsey Clark led the ad sponsors.
(SFC, 4/8/03, p.A12)
2003 Apr 7, The SF Giants beat
the San Diego Padres 7-4 on opening day. Navy jets buzzed the 40,800
crowd in opening ceremonies at PacBell Park.
(SFC, 4/8/03, p.A15)
2003 Apr 7, Jewelry valued at
$4.5 million was stolen from the Lang Estate and Jewelry store on
Union Square in SF. 2 men were later arrested. In 2006 Troy Smith
(44) was convicted in the robbery and faced 35 years to life in
prison. His brother Dino Smith (48) and George Turner (46) were
convicted in 2005. The robbers entered on a Sunday night and forced
employees to open the safes the next morning and escaped with 1,300
pieces of jewelry.
(SFC, 12/21/04, p.B3)(SFC, 11/1/06, p.B7)(SFC,
10/1/09, p.E3)
2003 Apr 8, Ed Harrington, SF
City Controller, said as many as 1,000 city jobs may be eliminated.
(SFC, 4/9/03, p.A25)
2003 Apr 21, In San Francisco
charges were filed against Marcus Armstrong, former information
systems manager for the Dept. of Building Inspection, for bribes of
close to $450,000. City attorney Dennis Herrera had filed fraud and
kickback charges against Government Computer Sales and
Armstrong in February. Cobra Solutions and TeleCon were added to the
suit in April. On Feb 15, 2012, a SF jury awarded the city $24,000
in damages against Cobra Solutions and TeleCon.
(SFC, 4/22/03)(SFC, 2/14/12, p.A7)(SFC, 2/16/12,
p.C6)
2003 Apr 22, Mark Padua and
Frederick Johnson were arrested following a bank robbery at the B of
A branch on Balboa St. They were believed to be responsible for 26
recent holdups.
(SSFC, 5/18/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr, The new magazine
"Believer" published its 1st issue from 826 Valencia, SF, part of
the Dave Eggers publishing family. The storefront featured a Pirate
Supply Store to conform with commercial zoning requirements.
The backend featured tutoring services for school kids.
(SSFM, 7/13/03, p.11)(SFC, 3/1/08, p.C2)
2003 May 2, In SF the Centre
for Sex and Culture held its second annual public
"Masturbate-a-Thon".
(Reuters, 5/3/02)
2003 May 3, Robert Hansen (85),
Golden Gate Park Band maestro, died. He had wielded the conductor's
baton for 53 years.
(SFC, 5/6/03, p.A17)
2003 May 8, Judge Ronald
Quidachay said only county officials and not voters can set welfare
standards for the downtrodden. This overturned the 2002
voter-approved Prop N, the "Care Not Cash" measure.
(SFC, 5/9/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 5, Kirby Doyle (70),
San Francisco Beat poet and writer, died.
(SFC, 5/14/03, p.A17)
2003 May 9, The film "Forbidden
Photographs: The Life and Work of Charles Gatewood" premiered at the
Roxie theater.
(SFC, 5/8/03, p.E3)
2003 May 18, The 92nd annual
Bay to Breakers race had some 70,000 participants. James Koskei
defended his title with a time of 35.11.
(SFC, 5/19/03, p.A1)
2003 May 20, The SF Civil
Service Commission, empowered by voters last November, voted 3:2 to
raise the pay scale for supervisors to $112,320 vs. the previous
$37,585, effective July 1.
(SFC, 5/21/03, p.A1)
2003 May 25, The 25th annual SF
Carnaval Parade was held in the Mission District.
(SSFC, 5/25/03, p.A21)
2003 Jun 2, PipeVine Inc., a
firm that handled over $100 million in donations, shut down and said
it did not have enough money to pay owed funds to nonprofit
organizations. The SF later acknowledged that is had spent some of
the money on its own salaries and other operating expenses.
Accounting problems dated back 2 years.
(SFC, 6/4/03, p.A1)(SFC, 6/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 22, The 8.7-mile Bart
extension to the airport was set to begin operations.
(SFC, 6/19/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 26, Record
temperatures hit the Bay Area with 97 in SF and 102 in San Jose.
(SFC, 6/27/03, p.A23)
2003 Jun 28, Virginia Ramos,
the Tamale Lady, celebrated her 50th b-day at the Zeitgeist, a
Mission district bar.
(SFC, 6/28/03, p.A15)
2003 Jun 28, John Bravard (53)
fatally shot 3 men at the Dalt Hotel on Turk St. and then killed
himself.
(SSFC, 6/28/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 29, SF held its 33rd
annual SF Gay Pride parade on Market St.
(SSFC, 6/28/03, p.A2)
2003 Jul 4, The SF Mime Troup
opened their season with a free performance of "Veronique of the
Mounties" in Dolores Park.
(SFC, 7/7/03, p.D2)
2003 Jul 12, In SF Robert
Ramirez (24) was killed when bullets sprayed a car he sat in with a
friend near City College. Philip Sands (24, a long-time friend, was
arrested for the murder on Oct 16. Sands was convicted of 1st degree
murder on Nov 4, 2005. Sands was also convicted for a Sep 14, 2001,
stabbing at Pacific Bell Park. Sands believed that Ramirez had
planned to testify against him in the stabbing case.
(SFC, 10/17/03, p.A21)(SFC, 11/5/05, p.B3)
2003 Jul 14, The SF Board of
Supervisors voted 6-5 to install $1-an-hour parking meters in Golden
Gate Park. The plan was dropped Jul 29 under widespread outrage.
(SFC, 7/16/03, p.A15)(SFC, 7/30/03, p.A17)
2003 Jul 14, A tow truck went
out of control on Alemany Blvd. and crashed on top of a SUV on
I-280. Walid Mansour, the truck driver, was killed along with 3
siblings in the SUV.
(SFC, 7/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 1, Alex Gong (32), a
Thai-style kickboxer, was shot to death at Fifth and Harrison by the
driver of a stolen vehicle who had crashed into Gong's car. Rodger
Wayne Chastain (23) shot himself to death Aug 4 following a 12-hour
standoff with police in South SF.
(SSFC, 8/3/03, p.A25)(SFC, 8/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 9, The 10th annual
Pistahan, a Philippine fiesta, began in Yerba Buena Gardens.
(SFC, 8/9/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 24, Lawrence Fixel
(86), SF poet, died. His 1st collection of poems, The Scale of
Silence," was published in 1970.
(SFC, 8/28/03, p.A27)
2003 Sep 13, Volunteers at
Ocean Beach unfurled a half mile banner honoring the victims of the
2001, 9/11 tragedy.
(SSFC, 9/14/03, p.A22)
2003 Sep 14, SF held a 108-
mile Men's bicycle race. The Women's pro race was 49.6 miles. Chris
Horner (31) of team Saturn won the men's race. Nicole Cooke (20) of
team Ausra Gruodis won the women's race.
(SSFC, 9/14/03, p.A22)
2003 Sep 20, The SF
Conservatory of flowers, battered by a storm 8 years earlier,
re-opened following a $25 million renovation.
(SFC, 9/16/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep, SF opened the Five
Keys Charter School for convicted drug dealers and violent
criminals, the nation's 1st charter school in jail.
(SFC, 1/2/04, p.A15)
2003 Oct 1, Jazz at Skip's, a
Bernal Heights tavern owned by Bill Courtright, ended due to legal
suits filed by ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors,
and Publishers. Music returned in 2004 after Courtright agreed to
pay royalties, but he still faced infringement suits.
(SFC, 12/3/03, p.D1)(SFC, 1/2/04, p.B1)
2003 Oct 14, SBC Communications
announced that it would rename Pacific Bell Park to SBC Park as of
Jan 1.
(SFC, 10/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 15, FCC officials
raided San Francisco Liberation Radio, a low-power FM station, and
confiscated its equipment.
(SFC, 10/21/03, p.D1)
2003 Oct 18, The 24th annual SF
Exotic Erotic Ball took place at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
(SFC, 10/20/03, p.D1)
2003 Oct 22, Supervisor Chris
Daly, serving as acting mayor, filled 2 vacancies in the Public
Utilities Commission. Mayor Brown was traveling in Tibet.
(SFC, 10/24/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 25, Some 5-15 thousand
people demonstrated in SF calling for US withdrawal from Iraq.
(AP, 10/26/03)
2003 Oct 28, In SF it was
announced that the Helen Diller Family Foundation would make a $35
million donation to the new cancer research center of UCSF at
Mission Bay. The new 5-story Diller Building, designed by
Uruguay-born architect, Rafael Vinoly, opened in 2009.
(SFC, 10/28/03, p.B1)(SFC, 6/2/09, p.E8)
2003 Oct 31, In SF Victor Bach
(71) was killed at his Mission District office, Western Plumbing and
Heating on Halloween. His wife was later charged with defrauding the
business and a trust account that he was overseeing. In 2008 Kathy
Bach (57) was convicted of 13-theft related charges for defrauding
her husband’s business and a private trust that he oversaw.
(SFC, 3/16/05, p.B4)(SFC, 11/18/08, p.B2)
2003 Nov 4, SF voters favored
Gavin Newsom (36) for mayor, but failed to win a majority and a
runoff against Matt Gonzalez (38) on Dec 19 was scheduled. Voters
passed Prop. H, a measure to reorganize the police commission.
(SFC, 11/5/03, p.A19)
2003 Nov 9, SF held its 84th
annual Veterans Day Parade.
(SFC, 11/10/03, p.A13)
2003 Nov 13, Mayor Brown
officially broke ground for the $410 million Westfield San Francisco
Center, scheduled to open in 2006. It will fuse Union Square with
the Yerba Buena Center into one urban district.
(SFC, 11/14/03, p.A1)
2003 Nov 13, Dana Stubblefield,
SF 49er defensive lineman, made false statements to an IRS agent
just days before drug tests showed he had taken steroids. In 2008 he
pleaded guilty to lying about his use of performance-enhancing
drugs. He was the first football player prosecuted in the BALCO
steroid scandal.
(SFC, 1/19/08, p.B1)
2003 Nov 14, A new Arabic mural
was unveiled at the corner of Market and Jones. 8 Bay Area artists
were commissioned for the $35,000 year-long work.
(SFC, 11/15/03, p.A23)
2003 Nov 15, Dmitriy Romasenko
(21), immigrant Russian Jew, was shot to death at the northern edge
of Golden Gate Park.
(SFCM, 6/27/04, p.8)
2003 Nov 18, Michael Burns, SF
Director of Transportation, was given a 28% pay increase by the
agency's board of directors in a 4-2 vote. Some Muni workers
recently agreed to a 7.5% pay cut to help balance the budget.
(SFC, 11/19/03, p.A27)
2003 Dec 4, Barry Bonds, SF
homerun star, told a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a
cream supplied by BALCO, but that he never thought they were
steroids. The SF Chronicle obtained a transcript of his testimony in
2004.
(SFC, 12/3/04, p.A1)
2003 Dec 9, Gavin Newsom (36)
was elected as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco. He beat Matt
Gonzalez by a 53-47% margin. Kamala Harris was elected District
Attorney. She beat Terence Hallinan 56-44%
(SFC, 12/10/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 13, Mayor-elect Gavin
Newsom announced his strategy to create a 10-year plan to end
homelessness in SF.
(SSFC, 12/14/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 15, Art Blum (80),
"king of public relations" in SF, died in Mill Valley.
(SFC, 12/17/03, p.A27)
2003 Dec 20, Daniel Price (28),
artist, was shot and killed as he protected his wife from a gunman
near Filbert and Gough in the early morning hours.
(SFC, 12/20/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 20, A third of SF lost
power for 2-3 hours in the early evening. A fire at a PG&E
Mission sub-station was overlooked for 99 minutes.
(SSFC, 12/21/03, p.A1)(SFC, 12/24/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 29, The Sears Fine
Food Restaurant on Powell St., in operation on Union Square since
1938, served its last meal due to legal and financial woes. In 2004
Man Kim singed a long-term lease to take over the restaurant and
planned to reopen it in the spring.
(SFC, 12/25/03, p.A1)(SFC, 1/23/04, p.B1)
2003 Dec 31, The SF California
Academy of Sciences closed at the end of the day and prepared to
move to a new temporary site at 875 Howard. A new $370 million
structure designed by Renzo Piano was scheduled to open in 2008.
(SFC, 12/31/03, p.A13)
2003 Dec, In San Francisco a
project known as Distillery 209 moved into Pier 50. The licensed gin
distillery hoped to capture a share of the gourmet spirits market.
(SFC, 4/6/04, p.C1)
2003 SF raised cable car prices
to $3.00.
(SFC, 3/2/05, p.B7)
2003 A 40-story, $182 million,
luxury hotel and condominium at 3rd and Mission was scheduled to be
completed.
(SFC, 5/26/99, p.A18)
2003 The $400 million, 1.58
million-sq.-foot Bloomingdale development of the former Emporium was
scheduled to be finished.
(SFC, 1/15/01, p.A21)
2003 A Third St. light-rail
surface line was scheduled to open. It would connect to a downtown
subway that would take another decade to fund and build.
(SFC, 6/12/97, p.A17)
2003 The ViroChip, invented by
Dr. Joseph DeRisi (33) of UC San Francisco, gained attention when it
spotted the virus that causes the epidemic form of pneumonia called
SARS.
(SFC, 9/10/08, p.B4)
2004 Jan 2, Burgess Collins
(b.1923), SF artist, died. He had been the lover of poet Robert
Duncan and helped found the King Ubu art gallery on Fillmore in
1953.
(SSFC, 1/25/04, p.E1)
2004 Jan 8, Gavin Newsom began
serving as SF's 42nd mayor. He planned a multi-million bond measure
to fund construction of housing and social services for the city's
homeless.
(SFC, 1/8/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 10, Mayor Newsom
appointed Joanne Hayes-White (39), Assistant Deputy Fire Chief, as
head of the fire department.
(SSFC, 1/11/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 12, It was reported
that Mary Ellen O'Brien, head of the SF parking ticket division, was
put on leave from her $102,000-a-year job under allegations of
chronic ticket fixing.
(SFC, 1/12/04, p.B1)
2004 Jan 15, It was reported
that a SF street cleaning crew were told to vote for Gavin Newsom
and work for his campaign on Dec 9, 2003, election day.
(SFC, 1/15/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 16, Mayor Newsom
gathered experts from around the country to discuss programs to help
the homeless. Marc Trotz, director of housing and urban health for
the SF Dept. of Public Health, pointed out that the Direct Access
housing program, begun 5 years earlier, had an 85% rate of
retention.
(SSFC, 5/9/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 17, Mayor Newsom asked
Police Chief Fagan to step aside and named heather Fong as the new
acting chief.
(SSFC, 1/18/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 19, Mayor Newsom
appointed Michela Alioto-Pier (35) to replace him as supervisor in
district 2.
(SFC, 1/23/04, p.A17)
2004 Jan 19, The SF Cafe Du
Nord on upper Market opened the touring Sex Workers' Art Show,
founded by Annie Oakley. The original show was conceived in Olympia,
Wa., in 1997.
(SSFC, 1/11/04, p.E3)
2004 Jan 22, The Pacific
Exchange seat owners voted to convert the entire exchange into a
for-profit stock corporation.
(SSFC, 1/25/04, p.I3)
2004 Jan 22, Federal agents
broke up a SF prostitution ring that worked out of at least 4 west
side residential homes. These included 1671 33rd Ave, 155 Buckingham
Way, 2054 19th Ave, and a apartment at 132A Carl St.
(SFC, 1/23/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 26, Mayor Newsom told
SF business leaders that a tax hike may be need to deal a city
deficit that could exceed $300 million.
(SFC, 1/27/04, p.A13)
2004 Jan 27, SF Supervisors
gave initial approval to developers who want to built 4 residential
high rises in the Rincon Hill area.
(SFC, 1/28/04, p.A15)
2004 Jan 29, Mayor Newsome cut
$25,000 from his salary and requested that city officials earning
over $125,000 accept 15% pay cuts.
(SFC, 1/31/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 2, Pres. Bush proposed
a $2.4 trillion federal budget with a projected deficit of $521
billion for this year. It included an increase in rent for San
Francisco's use of Hetch Hetchy reservoir in the Yosemite Valley
from $30,000 a year to $8 million.
(SFC, 2/3/04, p.A1)(SFC, 2/4/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 7, SF held its annual
Chinese New Year parade to cap 15 days of celebration for the Year
of the Monkey and 4702 on the lunar calendar.
(SSFC, 2/8/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 12, Some 90 gay and
lesbian couples wed in San Francisco. Over the next few days some
2,000 took their vows.
(SFC, 2/13/04, p.A1)(WSJ, 2/17/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 19, It was announced
that Philip Anschutz (64), Denver billionaire and founder of Qwest
Communications, purchased the Fang newspapers including the SF
Examiner for $20 million.
(SFC, 2/21/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 20, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger directed the California state attorney general to
take immediate legal steps to stop SF from granting marriage
licenses to gay couples.
(AP, 2/21/04)(SFC, 2/21/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 21, Bill Lockyer,
California state Attorney General, rebuffed Gov. Schwarzenegger's
demand to force an end to same-sex marriages in SF, calling the
directive political rhetoric.
(SSFC, 2/22/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 22, A giant wedding
reception was held at the SF Hyatt Regency honoring the thousands of
same-sex couples married over the previous 11 days.
(SFC, 8/13/04, p.A16)
2004 Feb 23, The wage minimum
in SF rose to $8.50 from $6.75, based on voter approval in 2003.
(SFC, 2/21/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 27, Bill Lockyer,
California state Attorney General, asked the California Supreme
Court to stop SF officials from issuing same-sex marriage licenses
and invalidate the 3,400 gay and lesbian weddings that have taken
place at City Hall since Feb 12.
(SFC, 8/13/04, p.A16)
2004 Mar 7, SF Zoo
veterinarians euthanized Calle, the 37-year-old female Asian
elephant due to her degenerative joint disease exacerbated by
tuberculosis.
(SFC, 3/08/04, p.A2)
2004 Mar 11, The California
Supreme Court halted gay weddings in San Francisco for at least a
few months while it decides whether they are legal.
(AP, 3/12/04)(SFC, 3/12/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 14, Some 100,000
people gathered for the 152nd SF St. Patrick's Day Parade.
(SFC, 3/15/04, p.B3)
2004 Mar 19, The SF budget was
projected to have a deficit of $352 million. This was in part due to
a payroll that grew 54% under Mayor Brown.
(SFC, 3/20/04, p.B4)(SSFC, 3/28/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 20, Thousands of
anti-war demonstrators marched from Dolores Park to the Civic
Center.
(SSFC, 3/21/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 23, SF city Controller
Ed Harrington found accounting problems with the SF County
Transportation Authority.
(SFC, 3/24/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 27, John Sack (74),
war correspondent, died in SF. His 10 books included "Lieutenant
Calley: His Own Story."
(SFC, 1/1/05, p.A14)
2004 Mar 29, The body of Eugen
Gorenman (26), immigrant Russian Jew, was found shot to death at
Fort Funston, SF, Ca. In 2009 3 women, teenagers at time, were
sentenced to prison terms of 8 to 21 years for the slaying.
(SFCM, 6/27/04, p.8)(SFC, 4/4/09, p.B3)
2004 Mar 31, SF reached
agreement with the US Navy for the 1st section of Hunters Point
shipyard to be turned over to the city.
(SFC, 4/1/04, p.B4)
2004 Apr 2, US Dept. of
Transportation auditors said SF overcharged SFO by some $12.5
million between 1998 and 2002 in violation of lease agreements.
(SFC, 4/3/04, p.B4)
2004 Apr 3, Techies organized a
flash mob to create a supercomputer at UCSF's Koret Gym. 669
computers were hooked together, but the fastest speed, 180
gigaflops, was achieved with just 256. The world's fastest computer
was Japan's $400 million Earth Simulator running at 35 teraflops, or
35,000 gigaflops.
(SSFC, 4/4/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 10, Several thousand
protesters gathered in SF and called for an end to US military
presence in Iraq.
(SSFC, 4/11/04, p.B3)
2004 Apr 10, San Francisco
Police officer Isaac A. Espinoza (29) was shot dead and his partner
wounded in the Bayview neighborhood. Suspect David Hill (21) was
arrested the next day. Hill used an illegal AK-47 against the
officers that had been given to him by Marvin Jeffrey Jr., a police
informant. In 2007 Hill was found guilty of 2nd degree murder.
(SFC, 4/12/04, p.A1)(SSFC, 8/13/06, p.A1)(SFC,
1/5/07, p.A1)
2004 Apr 13, Anne Outin (66)
was murdered at her Prague Street home in the Crocker-Amazon
district by her adopted son, Thomas Hanley (18).
(SFC, 4/17/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 20, Peter Rocha (65),
artist, died. He was known for creations of mosaics using jelly
beans from the Fairfield jelly bean factory, inspired by Pres.
Reagan's preference for the candy.
(SFC, 4/22/04, p.B9)
2004 Apr 22, Maybelle (43), an
African elephant, died at the SF Zoo.
(SFC, 4/23/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 25, The 14th annual
"California Mile" vintage 4-day car rally began in SF.
(SFC, 4/26/04, p.B1)
2004 Apr 25, Thom Gunn
(b.1929), British-born poet, died in SF at age 74. His 1st book,
titled "Fighting Terms" (1954), was recognized as part of the
British group called "The Movement." He moved from England to
America in 1954 to live with his male lover and explore the
California culture.
(SFC, 4/28/04, p.B7)(Econ, 5/8/04, p.83)
2004 Apr 26, Record heat hit
the Bay Area with 91 reported in SF. 93 degrees was reported in San
Jose.
(SFC, 4/27/04, p.A1)
2004 Apr 29, Allen Cohen (64),
founder of the SF Oracle underground newspaper (1966-1968), died.
His 1st issue came out in Sep 20, 1966. Cohen was also arrested in
1966 for publishing a collection of erotic poetry called "The Love
Book" by Lenore Kandel. Cohen was convicted and fined $50.
(SFC, 5/1/04,
p.B7)(www.sfheart.com/cohen_bio.html)
2004 Apr, SF based non-profit
Room to Read (R2R), founded by former Microsoft executive John Wood,
opened its 1000th library in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
(SFCM, 9/26/04, p.7)
2004 May 1, A California state
appeals court restored Mayor Newsom's Care Not Cash program for
homeless people in SF. Some 2,497 homeless people were receiving
monthly welfare checks for as much as $410. The checks were cut to
$59 with housing or emergency shelter provided. By Dec 2005 the
number of homeless receiving checks dropped to 391.
(SFC, 5/1/04, p.A1)(SFC, 12/21/05, p.B1)
2004 May 3, It was reported
Anthony Camilleri (54) and Tan Huynh (42) 2 Muni mechanics had
stolen at least $100,000 from fare boxes.
(SFC, 5/3/04, p.B1)
2004 May 5, SF police shot and
killed Cammerin Boyd (29), an African-American with prosthetic legs,
following a car chase during which Boyd allegedly shot at police.
Boyd was a suspect in an attempted kidnapping. In 2010 four SF
police officers involved in the case were cleared of all
disciplinary charges.
(SFC, 5/7/04, p.A1)(SFC, 4/27/10, p.C3)
2004 May 7, It was reported
that an aggressive species of African frog from Kenya had taken up
residence in Golden Gate Park’s Lily Pond.
(SFC, 5/7/04, p.A1)
2004 May 7, Raymon Bass (17), a
San Francisco Mission High senior and standout athlete, was shot to
death. Police later arrested Florentino Tobie (19) based on an
account by Cadero Currington, a gang insider, who said the killing
was due to feud with Bass’s cousins. In late 2007 the SF DA dropped
the murder charges against Tobie, because Currington bolted rather
than retake the witness stand.
(SFC, 1/1/08, p.B1)
2004 May 16, The 93rd Bay to
Breakers drew an estimated 45,000 registered runners and some 60,000
crashers and gawkers. Benjamin Maiyo of Kenya placed first.
(SFC, 5/17/04, p.A1)
2004 May 18, SF Supervisors
learned that the Civil Service Commission had cut their salaries to
$90,000 from $112,000 following a survey of other state
municipalities.
(SFC, 5/19/04, p.B4)
2004 May 18, Kubi, SF Zoo’s
29-year-old gorilla, died, 11 days following his May 7 surgery to
remove a diseased lung.
(SFC, 5/19/04, p.A1)
2004 May 18, In SF Chris
Johnson (26) was killed in the Safeway parking lot at Geary and
Fillmore just after attending a funeral for his nephew, Raymon Bass
(17), who had been killed as part of a gang feud in the Western
Addition. In 2008 Kevin Carradine Jr. (24) was convicted of
first-degree murder for Johnson’s murder and sentenced for 77 years
to life.
(SFC, 2/27/08, p.B4)(SFC, 5/30/08, p.B3)
2004 May 26, It was reported
that SF police officer Darryl Watts and institutional cop Kelly
Francisco were under investigation for moonlighting in porn video.
(SFC, 5/26/04, p.B1)
2004 May 30, The 26th annual SF
Carnaval took place in the Mission before an estimated 300k
spectators.
(SFC, 5/31/04, p.A1)
2004 May, Michael Franti, SF
musician, traveled to Iraq and shot video that led to his 2006 book
and film titled “I Know I’m Not Alone.”
(SFC, 9/7/06, p.E4)
2004 Jun 3, Eugene Ruggles
(b.1935), SF poet, died in Petaluma, Ca. His books included
“Lifeguard in the Snow” (1977).
(SFC, 6/4/04, B6)
2004 Jun 4, Virgin USA chose
SFO as its home base.
(SFC, 6/5/04, A1)
2004 Jun 5, In SF some 8-10
thousand people marched on Market St. calling for an end to US
presence in Iraq.
(SSFC, 6/6/04, B1)
2004 Jun 8, In SF over 100
protesters were arrested following demonstrations against the
biotech convention at Moscone Center.
(SFC, 6/9/04, B1)
2004 Jun 19, SF held the 54th
annual Juneteenth parade. [see Texas, June 19, 1865]
(SFC, 6/18/04, p.B1)
2004 Jun 24, Carl Gill, a
former executive of the SF Free Clinic, was arrested for embezzling
$773,000.
(SFC, 3/6/06,
p.B5)(www.aegis.com/news/ap/2004/AP040661.html)
2004 Jun 24, Carl Rakosi (100),
American poet, died in SF.
(SFC, 7/2/04, p.A1)
2004 Jun 26, The 12th annual SF
Dyke March was held on market Street.
(SFC, 6/26/04, p.A1)
2004 Jun 27, The 34th annual SF
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade was held.
(SFC, 6/28/04, p.A1)
2004 Jun 29, Gustavus Rugley
(21) was killed by SF police at the Mission St. overpass of Alemany
Blvd. following a chase. Rugley had fired at police with a
.38-caliber semiautomatic and police returned fire hitting him 35
times. In 2006 6 officers faced charges of violating department
policy in the confrontation.
(SFC, 2/25/06, p.B3)
2004 Jul 1, SF police announced
an undercover drug sting and the arrest of 19 suspected drug dealers
in the Bayview-Hunters Point area.
(SFC, 7/2/04, p.B1)
2004 Jul 13, Christopher Hewitt
(58), disabled gay poet, died. He was among the many poets to have
read at the Café Babar.
(SFC, 7/21/04, p.B7)
2004 Jul 17, California’s Gov.
Schwarzenegger mocked his opponents in the California Legislature as
"girlie-men" and called upon voters to "terminate" them at the polls
in November if they don't pass his $103 billion budget.
(http://tinyurl.com/w4zyt)
2004 Jul 31, Hundreds of Hells
Angels arrived in SF to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 2nd
oldest chapter. The oldest was in Fontana in San Bernadino County.
(SSFC, 8/1/04, p.B1)
2004 Aug 1, Some 7,800 runners
participated in the annual SF Chronicle Marathon. John Weru, a
Kenyan living in Mountainview, won the race in 2 hrs. 33 min. and 41
sec. Susan Loke of Phoenix won for the women in 2 hrs. 50 min. and
21 sec.
(SFC, 8/2/04, p.B5)
2004 Aug 5, John Forney (42),
Enron energy trader, pleaded guilty in SF to charges of fraud and
plotting to manipulate the market during the 2000-2001 California
energy crises.
(SFC, 8/6/04, p.A1)
2004 Aug 6, Mayor Newsom swore
in Sean Elsbernd (28) to replace Tony Hall as supervisor for
District 7. Hall had accepted a position to head the Treasure Island
Development Authority.
(SFC, 8/6/04, p.B1)
2004 Aug 12, California’s
supreme court struck down San Francisco’s attempt to legalize
same-sex marriages, saying Mayor Newsome had illegally defied state
law.
(SFC, 8/13/04, p.A1)
2004 Aug 13, It was announced
that Stonestown Galleria was sold by Pacific Acquisition Corp. for
$312 million to General Growth Properties of Chicago.
(SFC, 8/17/04, p.C1)
2004 Aug 19, Sudden oak death,
Phytopthora ramorum, was confirmed in trees in Golden Gate Park,
making SF the 14th infected country in California.
(SFC, 8/20/04, p.B1)
2004 Aug 23, Thieves stole the
“Resting Hermes” statue from its pedestal on Nob Hill. The
University Club had purchased the statue, made by Chiurazzi of
Naples, from Italy in 1915 following the Panama Pacific Expo. It was
stolen once before in 1974. On Aug 27 an informant reported the
statue sitting at the Toot’s Bar in Crocket, from where it was
recovered.
(SFC, 8/24/04, p.A1)(SFC, 8/31/04, p.A1)
2004 Aug 31, Mayor Newsom
promised a 3-month intensive intervention to clean up the Mission
District.
(SFC, 9/1/04, p.B4)
2004 Sep 1, Ground was broken
in Glen Park for a $10 million project that included 15 new
apartments, a grocery market and a branch library.
(SFC, 9/1/04, p.B4)
2004 Sep 4, San Francisco’s De
La Salle High School lost its 1st football game since 1992 to the
Bellevue High Wolverines in Washington State, ending a winning
streak of 151 games.
(SFC, 9/6/04, p.B1)
2004 Sep 17, In SF Barry Bonds
became the first new member of baseball’s homerun 700 club in 31
years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Timothy Griffith (21), was
stabbed to death in a fight after the game. Rafael Antonio Cuevas
(22) was arrested Oct 1. On Oct 27 the homerun ball was auctioned
for $804,129. On Oct 10, 2008, Cuevas was sentenced 16 years to life
for 2nd degree murder and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.
(SFC, 9/18/04, p.A1)(SFC, 10/2/04, p.B4)(SFC,
10/28/04, p.B1)(SFC, 10/11/08, p.B2)
2004 Sep 23, Edward Galland
Zelinsky, co-founder with Gladys Hansen of the Museum of the City of
San Francisco and owner of Musee Mecanique, died.
(SFC, 1/1/05, p.A15)
2004 Sep 24, William Corpuz
turned himself in to SF police for killing his wife, Marisa (31). In
2007 Corpuz (34) was convicted of using a fishing knife to slash the
throat of his wife. He had recently attended his 39th weekly session
of a 52-week domestic abuse program.
(SFC, 5/12/07, p.B2)
2004 Sep 27, San Francisco
renamed its sports stadium "Monster Park", in a 4-year deal that
trades $6 million from an electronics cable company for the name to
Candlestick Park.
(AP, 9/28/04)(SFC, 9/28/04, p.B1)
2004 Sep 27, The body of Maxina
Danner (17), a student at Lincoln High, was found wrapped in a
blanket near Visitacion Ave. and Mansell. She had disappeared that
morning on her way to school. In 2005 Royce Miller (21), a youth
councilor at a group home, was arrested in connection with the
murder. In 2007 Miller was convicted of 2nd degree murder.
(SFC, 9/30/04, p.A1)(SFC, 2/12/05, p.B2)(SFC,
3/21/07, p.B2)
2004 Sep 29, Some 1,400 SF
hotel workers went on strike. A lockout by 10 hotels was expected
the next day. The last contract expired Aug 14.
(SFC, 9/30/04, p.A1)(SFC, 10/1/04, p.A1)
2004 Sep, San Francisco’s
Cannery block was renamed Del Monte Square.
(SSFC, 10/3/04, p.J1)
2004 Sep, SF Mayor Newsom
announced the launch of free wireless Internet service at Union
Square. He soon planned to extend free service to Civic Center
Plaza, Portsmouth Square and Ferry Plaza.
(SFC, 10/29/04, p.F1)
2004 Sep, A Trader Vic’s
restaurant and bar reopened in SF. A previous version had closed in
1994.
(SFCM, 1/16/05, p.31)
2004 Oct 2, The Loveparade,
which originated in Berlin in 1989, came to San Francisco for its
1st annual bash. Matthias Roeingh, founder, was on hand.
(SSFC, 10/3/04, p.B1)
2004 Oct 3, Vernon Alley (89),
jazz bassist, died in San Francisco.
(SFC, 10/5/04, p.A1)
2004 Oct 4, SF voters cast
their first ranked-choice ballots in early voting at City Hall.
(SFC, 10/5/04, p.B1)
2004 Oct 5, The first Web 2.0
Conference opened for a 3-day session at the Hotel Nikko in San
Francisco.
(Econ, 3/21/09,
p.71)(http://conferences.oreillynet.com/web2con/)
2004 Oct 10, It was officially
“Craigslist day” in SF. Craig Newmark started the classified ad
Internet service in 1995 and in 2004 it was in 57 cities and 5
countries.
(Econ, 10/16/04, p.59)
2004 Oct 15, The US National
Park Service announced that Golden Gate Park in SF would be added to
the National Register of Historic Places.
(SFC, 10/30/04, p.B4)
2004 Oct 18, A grand opening
was scheduled for North Beach Place, a 341-unit complex built on Bay
St. near Taylor using $23.2 million federal HOPE VI funds.
(SFC, 10/2/04, p.B1)
2004 Oct 20, Elizabeth
McClintock (92), botanist, died in Santa Rosa. She helped found the
Strybing Arboretum Society and helped create the county park on San
Bruno Mountain.
(SFC, 11/27/04, p.B5)
2004 Oct 21, SF Mayor Newsom in
his State of the City address pledged to create a giant hot zone
serving the whole city with Internet service.
(SFC, 8/17/05, p.C1)
2004 Oct 23, The 25th annual
Exotic Erotic Ball was held at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
(SFC, 10/27/04, p.E1)
2004 Oct 26, Mayor Newsom
joined the picket line to support the 4,000 locked-out workers in
the SF hotel strike.
(SFC, 10/27/04, p.A1)
2004 Oct 26, Some 35 houses in
the Sunset and Excelsior flooded from an overnight storm. Old storm
drains were blamed for the repetitive flooding.
(SFC, 10/27/04, p.B4)
2004 Oct 29, William Wolff
(81), renowned SF woodcut artist, died.
(SSFC, 11/7/04, p.A23)
2004 Nov 2, San Francisco Prop.
K, which called for a .1% gross-receipts tax on companies taking in
over 5ook in revenue, was defeated. City voters also rejected Prop
J, a sales tax, and an affordable housing bond sponsored by Mayor
Newsom.
(SFC, 11/4/04, p.B5)
2004 Nov 4, Mayor Newsom
proposed a list of recommended program cuts and the elimination of
some 200 jobs to close the city deficit.
(SFC, 11/5/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 4, Richard Hongisto
(67), former SF supervisor and sheriff, died of a heart attack.
(SFC, 11/5/04, p.A1)
2004 Nov 8, Heather Fong was
officially acknowledged as police chief of SF.
(SFC, 11/9/04, p.B4)
2004 Nov 9, Mayor Newsom said
the old air-raid sirens were being replaced by a state-of-the-art
emergency warning system.
(SFC, 11/10/04, p.B4)
2004 Nov 9, A gunman robbed 2
teachers at Visitacion Valley Middle School.
(SFC, 11/10/04, p.B4)
2004 Nov 12, The SF Board of
Education voted 4-3 to raise the pay of Superintendent Arlene
Ackerman to $250,000 and to increase her monthly housing allowance
from $1,200 to $2,000. Her contract was extended to June 30, 2008.
(SFC, 11/13/04, p.B1)
2004 Nov 20, Negotiators in SF
for the hotels and workers’ union agreed to a 60-day cooling off
period. Workers planned to return to their jobs Nov 23.
(SSFC, 11/21/04, p.A1)
2004 Dec 13, It was reported
that the SF Board of Supervisors had settled on Aaron Peskin as
board president.
(SFC, 12/13/04, p.A1)
2004 Dec 18, It was reported
that a 23-year-old gorilla named OJ had returned to SF after
spending 17 years in Buffalo, NY.
(SFC, 12/18/04, p.A1)
2004 Dec 26, Sacred Heart
Church (b.1897), a Lombardy Romanesque-style church at Fillmore and
Fell in SF, held its last service due to high retrofit costs and low
attendance.
(SFC, 12/27/04, p.B1)
2004 Dec 26, John Kimbro (75),
gothic novelist, died in SF. His more than 40 books included the
series “Saga of the Phenwick Women.”
(SFC, 1/4/05, p.B5)
2004 Kate Pocrass authored
“Mundane Journeys,” notes of the author’s 50 favorite walks around
San Francisco.
(SFCM, 3/27/05, p.3)
2004 The new $117 mil M.H. de
Young Museum in Golden Gate Park was scheduled to open.
(SFC, 7/18/96, p.A4)
2004 The Mission Place complex
opened in the SF Mission Bay district on King St. between 3rd and
4th St. it was later dubbed the Beacon and in 2005 selected as the
headquarters for the stem cell research.
(SSFC, 5/15/05, p.B1)
2004 The SF Board of
Supervisors passed legislation, introduced by Supervisor Aaron
Peskin, making it easier for neighborhoods to create Community
Benefits Districts.
(SFC, 8/12/05, p.F5)
2004 In SF a small group of
professional formed a group called Compact, after the eponymous
agreement among the Mayflower pilgrims. Members agreed to go an
entire year without buying anything new besides food, health and
safety items and underwear, in an effort to fight rampant
consumerism.
(SFC, 2/17/06, p.B8)
2004 An investor group led by
Mark Karasick purchased the Bank of America Center in San Francisco
for $879 million, or $489 a square foot.
(WSJ, 9/23/05, p.B3)
2005 Jan 3, McDonald’s Book
Shop on Turk St. reopened after a 2 ½ year closure for
repairs.
(SFC, 12/24/04, p.C1)
2005 Jan 5, Mayor Gavin Newsom
and his Court TV analyst wife Kimberley Guilfoyle Newsom, announced
the end of their 3-year marriage.
(SFC, 1/6/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 10, It was reported
that AIDS spending in SF dropped $4 million this year to $29
million.
(SFC, 1/10/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 17, SF and other US
cities held parades honoring Martin Luther King.
(SFC, 1/18/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 20, Firefighters found
2,642 marijuana plants at 2359 20th Ave. while responding to a fire.
The plants were valued at $2.2 million.
(SFC, 1/22/05, p.B4)
2005 Jan 22, On the 32nd
anniversary of Roe vs. Wade rival sides of the abortion issue staged
dueling marches on Market St. in SF. Some 6,000 antiabortion
activists were jeered by some 3,000 advocates for abortion rights.
(SSFC, 1/23/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 25, Legislators in San
Francisco, Ca., voted 8-3 to ban smoking in public parks, becoming
the first major American city to embrace such an expansive ban on
tobacco use.
(Reuters, 1/26/05)(SFC, 1/26/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 25, The SF Commission
on the Environment approved a proposal to charge grocery shoppers 17
cents for every paper or plastic bag they take home.
(SFC, 1/26/05, p.B4)
2005 Jan 25, SF and dozens of
other US cities undertook a tally of their homeless competing for
nearly $1.5 billion in federal funds to care for the homeless.
(WSJ, 2/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 26, The SF Board of
Supervisors passed measures to resume a tally of homeless deaths.
The SF Health Dept. ended its homeless death count in 2000.
(SSFC, 10/6/02, p.A23)(SFC, 1/27/05, p.B2)
2005 Jan 27, SF transit
officials estimated a $24 million budget deficit for the fiscal year
ending June 30 and planned to raise Muni fares.
(SFC, 1/28/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 1, In SF plans for a
$43 million, 60,000-sq.-foot Contemporary Jewish Museum, designed by
Daniel Libeskind, were unveiled for a site between Market and
Mission across from the Yerba Buena Gardens.
(SFC, 2/1/05, p.B1)
2005 Feb 8, Susan Leal, SF
general manager, reported that the projected cost for rebuilding the
Hetch Hetchy water system had risen to $4.3 billion.
(SFC, 2/8/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 10, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom declared war on dirty streets and said he will deputize some
400 city workers to write up litterbugs.
(SFC, 6/11/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 14, SF reported a 28%
drop in the homeless population since Fall of 2002. The Jan 26 count
reported 6,248 homeless.
(SFC, 2/15/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 19, SF held its annual
Chinese New Year parade for lunar year 4703, the Year of the
Rooster.
(SSFC, 2/20/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 28, The SF board
governing MUNI approved a 25-cent fare increase as part of a plan to
close a $57 million deficit.
(SFC, 3/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 5, It was reported
that Sima Therapeutics planned to move to China Basin Landing at 185
Berry St., the 2nd biotech firm to commit to the area following
Five-Prime Therapeutics.
(SFC, 3/5/05, p.C1)
2005 Mar 5, Evelyn Curro (97),
Americana artist known for her SF cable car drawings, died in
Portugal.
(SFC, 3/22/05, p.B5)
2005 Mar 7, Philip Lamantia
(77), SF Surrealist poet, died in North Beach. His 9 books included
“Erotic Poems” (1946).
(SFC, 3/11/05, p.B7)
2005 Mar 11, SF temperatures
hit a record 87 degrees.
(SFC, 3/12/05, p.B5)
2005 Mar 12, A 2-alarm fire at
a 28-unit apartment building at 951 Eddy St. left 35 people
homeless.
(SFC, 3/14/05, p.B1)
2005 Mar 13, SF held its 153rd
St. Patrick’s Day Parade before an estimated crowd of some 150,000
people.
(SFC, 3/14/05, p.B1)
2005 Mar 14, San Francisco
Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer declared California’s ban on
same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
(SFC, 3/15/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 16, Newly trained SF
city workers saturated the Tenderloin to issue citations to
litterbugs. Fines ranged from $90 to $1000 and 24 citations were
issued.
(SFC, 3/19/05, p.B2)
2005 Mar 19, SF held its 1st
Spring Cleaning Day.
(SFC, 3/19/05, p.B2)
2005 Mar 21, Justin Mendoza of
Daly City was shot and killed outside the Café Cocomo
nightclub in SF. In 2008 Gerry Phongboupha (25) was convicted of 1st
degree murder and other charges in connection to Mendoza’s murder.
(SFC, 4/16/08, p.B5)
2005 Mar 22, Riggers installed
the steel sculpture “Ballast” by Richard Serra at UCSF’s Mission Bay
Campus.
(SFC, 3/23/05, p.B2)
2005 Mar 23, SF Mayor Newsom
called for a “renaissance of housing construction” and reported
plans to create 11,000 new housing units.
(SFC, 3/24/05, p.C1)
2005 Mar 24, A SF jury awarded
Dennis Kavanaugh (47) $437,000 in a molest case against the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese and the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard.
(SFC, 3/25/05, p.B1)
2005 Mar 24, Tinkerbelle (39),
former SF Asian elephant, was euthanized at an animal sanctuary in
San Andreas, Ca.
(SFC, 3/26/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 25, The SF Civic
Center Plaza was filled with 1,525 pairs of military boots tagged
with the names of US service members killed in Iraq as part of an
exhibit titled “Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War,” sponsored by
the American Friends Service Committee.
(SFC, 3/26/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 25, The SF Health
Dept. proposed up to $25 million in cuts starting July 1.
(SFC, 3/26/05, p.B1)
2005 Mar 26, The 10th Annual
Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair was held at the SF County Fair Building.
(SSFC, 3/27/05, p.A18)
2005 Mar, The new 189-room
Hotel Vitale opened at Mission and Steuart.
(SFC, 12/25/04, p.D1)
2005 Apr 5, A few thousand
demonstrators protested Gov. Schwarzenegger’s fund raiser at the SF
Ritz-Carlton.
(SFC, 4/6/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 7, San Francisco’s
MUNI prepared to lay off 200 drivers to help close a $57 million
deficit.
(SFC, 4/8/05, p.B4)
2005 Apr 7, California state
prosecutors charged Julie Lee, a top volunteer fund-raiser for
former Sec. of State Kevin Shelley, with grand theft and other
felonies. In 2008 Lee (62) was found guilty on 5 of 7 charges
relating to Shelley’s 2002 campaign, All the charges related to a
$500,000 grant for a SF Sunset District community center that was
never built. In state court Lee pleaded guilty to 9 counts. On Oct
17 Lee was sentenced to 5 years probation following public support
for her community work.
(SFC, 4/8/05, p.A1)(SFC, 7/12/08, p.A1)(SFC,
7/17/08, p.B1)(SFC, 10/18/08, p.B3)
2005 Apr 10, The SF Russian
Jewish community dedicated a new 1,200 square foot Heritage Center
on Balboa St.
(SFC, 4/23/05, p.B5)
2005 Apr 14, Mabel Teng, SF
Assessor-Recorder, resigned amidst accusations that she hired
cronies and gave breaks to friends.
(SFC, 4/15/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 20, A SF jury awarded
$6 million to 3 men and a woman who were molested as children by
Rev. Joseph Pritchard at St. Martin of Tours church in San Jose.
(SFC, 4/21/05, p.B1)
2005 Apr 20, The 81-year-old
Federal Reserve building in SF was sold to Bentley Holdings for
$46.8 million.
(SFC, 4/21/05, p.C1)
2005 Apr 21, Mayor Newsom
proposed a number of regulations to regulate SF pot clubs.
(SFC, 4/22/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 23, Prof. Slavoj
Zizek, Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist of the Univ. of
Ljubljana, attended the world premier of the documentary film
“Zizek” in San Francisco, Ca. His books included “Welcome to the
Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates”
(2002).
(SSFC, 4/24/05, p.A1)
2005 Apr 27, Luis Cervantes, SF
muralist, died. He co-founded Precita Eyes Muralists in 1977 with
his wife Susan Kelk Cervantes.
(SFC, 5/2/05, p.B3)
2005 Apr 28, SF residents of
the Northeast Waterfront Historic District and Sidney Walton Square
voted to rename the are as the “Barbary Coast.”
(SFC, 4/29/05, p.F3)
2005 Apr 30, Connie and Merrill
Magowan of Hillsborough spent $32,500 in the winning bid to name 2
new bears at the SF Zoo. The pledged to choose names from the
entries in a contest that originally began on Nov 17.
(SSFC, 5/1/05, p.A15)
2005 May 2, Decision makers
selected San Francisco as California’s headquarters for the state’s
$3 billion stem cell program.
(SFC, 5/3/05, p.A1)
2005 May 9, Gregory Gray (54)
shot to death Bruce Franks (50), a caseworker at Conard Community
Service Center at Ninth and Howard. Gray had been fired in Sep 2004.
(SFC, 5/10/05, p.A1)
2005 May 9, Charles Baker (30),
a school volunteer, was killed by a stray bullet in the Bayview at
Kirkwood and Mendell.
(SFC, 5/13/05, p.A1)
2005 May 13, Pope Benedict XVI
appointed SF Archbishop William Levada (68) as the new prefect of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s top
arbiter of questions of faith and morals.
(SFC, 5/14/05, p.A1)
2005 May 14, Carlos Garvin (30)
was shot to death on the 100 block of Taylor after he refused to
hand $5 over to Douglas Teat (35) and Leonora Robinson (29). In 2006
Teat and Robinson were convicted of murder along with accomplice
Anissa Jordan (37), who was in a getaway car.
(SFC, 6/30/06, p.B7)
2005 May 15, Some 65,000
runners participated in the 94th annual Bay to Breakers. Gilbert
Okari of Kenya won in 34:49. Asmae Leghzauoi of Morocco was 1st at
38:22 for the women.
(SSFC, 5/15/05, p.A1)
2005 May 16, The SF radio
station KYCY-AM planned to dump syndicated talk shows and begin
broadcasting amateur podcasts from audio programs posted on the Web.
(SFC, 4/28/05, p.C1)
2005 May 19, The SF Recreation
and Park Commission voted to name a South of Market Park in honor of
1948 Olympic medal winner Victoria Manalo Draves.
(SFC, 6/3/05, p.F1)
2005 May 19, Dr. Robert J. Lull
(64) was found stabbed to death inside the doorway of his Diamond
Heights home. Concord police later arrested Ellison Millare (30),
the ex-convict son of the doctor’s personal assistant. SF police
arrested Millare on May 26 to prevent his release by state parole
officials.
(SFC, 5/20/05, p.B1)(SFC, 5/23/05, p.B1)
2005 May 20, Nonbelievers
gathered in San Francisco for their 1st “All Atheist Weekend.”
(SFC, 5/20/05, p.A1)
2005 May 22, SF held its 1st
Asian Heritage Street Celebration in Japantown. The pan-Asian
festival drew some 50,000 people.
(SFC, 5/23/05, p.B6)
2005 May 29, SF held its 27th
annual Carnaval parade on Mission St.
(SFC, 5/30/05, p.B1)
2005 May 31, Mayor Newsom
proposed a $5.3 billion SF municipal budget.
(SFC, 6/1/05, p.B1)
2005 Jun 1, A 5-day UN World
Environment Day conference opened in SF.
(SFC, 6/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 3, Nicholas Scott
Faibish (12) was mauled to death by 2 family pit bulls at 711
Lincoln Way, SF. In 2006 a jury deadlocked in a trial that charged
his mother, Maureen Faibish (40), with felony child endangerment.
(SFC, 6/4/05, p.A1)(SFC, 8/1/06, p.B1)
2005 Jun 4, Poets of the
Café Babar, which closed in 1998, reunited at the Bird and
Beckett bookstore in Glen Park to celebrate publication of “New
American Underground Poetry: Vol 1, The Babarians of San Francisco,
Poets From Hell.”
(AR, 6/4/05)
2005 Jun 5, In San Francisco
big city mayors from around the world signed a set of 21 urban
environmental accords, capping a 5-day UN World Environment
conference.
(AP, 6/6/05)(SFC, 6/6/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 10, The Archdiocese of
SF agreed to pay $21.2 million to people who were molested by 5
clergymen. Insurance covered $14.6 million.
(SFC, 6/11/05, p.B1)
2005 Jun 10, Jeannell Fung Chen
Penn (25), a resident of southeastern Washington, was shot and
killed in San Francisco’s Hunters Point from gunfire likely intended
for someone else.
(SFC, 6/16/05, p.B1)
2005 Jun 14, SF Supv. Chris
Daly said Angelo Sangiacomo (81) had agreed to put 360 of 1,700 new
rental apartments under rent control regulations. The new complex
will replace the current Trinity Plaza at Market and Eighth.
(SFC, 6/15/05, p.B4)
2005 Jun 14, Harold Hoogasian,
Armenian-born flower merchant, died in SF. He ran a flower stand at
250 Post in front of Gump’s for nearly 50 years.
(SFC, 6/15/05, p.B7)
2005 Jun 17, It was reported
that the SF Asian Art Museum has received 42 works by noted Hong
Kong artist Fang Zhaoling (97).
(SFC, 6/17/05, p.E5)
2005 Jun 17, SF enacted its
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing for Commodities Ordnance. It
became the 1st US city take public health and environmental
stewardship into consideration when purchasing products.
(SFC, 6/18/05, p.B2)
2005 Jun 17, William Rice
Kimball (86), philanthropist, died in SF. The Utah-born grandson of
E.O. Wattis founded Kimball Manufacturing, which in the 1950s
pioneered the use of fiberglass plastics and latex. He also helped
found Alpine Meadows ski resort.
(SFC, 6/23/05, p.B7)
2005 Jun 19, The 68th season
for music at Stern Grove was set to open following $15 million in
renovations.
(SFC, 4/13/05, p.E1)
2005 Jun 25, George Lucas and
some 2,000 friends celebrated the opening of the Letterman Digital
Arts Center in the Presidio.
(SSFC, 6/26/05, p.A17)
2005 Jun 25, Chet Helms
(b.1942), SF rock music producer, died from a stroke.
(SSFC, 6/26/05, p.A21)
2005 Jun 26, SF hosted its 35th
annual Pride Parade.
(SFC, 6/27/05, p.A1)
2005 Jun 27, SF Mayor Newsome
and Supervisor Tom Ammiano announced their support for a proposed
ordnance to bar city government from buying products made under
abusive labor conditions.
(SFC, 6/28/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 1, A force of 400
federal and local law officers raided 11 suspected brothels, 10 in
SF and one in Emeryville, and arrested 27 suspects in what was
described as a major Bay Area sex trafficking operation that preyed
on Korean women brought into the country illegally. A similar
operation took place in southern California.
(http://tinyurl.com/pxmc4)
2005 Jul 1, In SF Edwin Macon
Jr. (44), jailed for domestic violence, died in an isolation cell.
He suffered from heart problems. An autopsy said he died of cocaine
overdose. In 2006 his family filed suit for $10 million.
(SFC, 8/19/06, p.B3)
2005 Jul 5, Deanne Bradford
(42) was shot and killed by her estranged husband, Roger Johnson
(41), while dropping of 4 of her 6 children in Pacific Heights.
Johnson soon after shot himself dead near Ocean Beach in front of
relatives that he had summoned.
(SFC, 7/6/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 8, The Archdiocese of
SF agreed to pay $16 million to 12 people molested during the 1970s
by the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard.
(SSFC, 7/10/05, p.A1)
2005 Jul 8, SF police clashed
with anarchists in the Mission District, who were protesting the G-8
meeting in Scotland.
(SFC, 7/9/05, p.B2)
2005 Jul 8, In SF a 5-alarm
fire struck at 3330 16th St. near Mission Dolores and spread to
adjacent buildings. It left 66 people homeless with damages
estimated at $8.6 million.
(SFC, 7/9/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 15, In SF District
Court federal prosecutors in the BALCO case dropped 40 of 42
indictments against 3 men accused of providing performance-enhancing
drugs to elite athletes.
(SFC, 7/16/05, p.A1)
2005 Jul 17, Over 20,000 people
hiked through Golden Gate Park for the annual AIDS Walk, raising
over $3 million.
(SFC, 7/18/05, p.B2)
2005 Jul 19, The SF Board of
Supervisors approved a $5.3 billion spending and revenue plan, the
largest budget in city history.
(SFC, 7/20/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul 23, SF temperature
reached a record 82 degrees, beating the 78 high of 1917.
(SSFC, 7/24/05, p.A16)
2005 Jul 29, The SF Planning
Commission voted 4-2 to approve allow Home Depot to open its 1st SF
store at the former Goodman’s Lumber location at the eastern edge of
Bernal Heights.
(SFC, 7/30/05, p.B2)
2005 Jul 31, Nearly 15,000
runners participated in the SF Marathon. Tony Torres or Cedar Glen,
Ca., won the 26.2 mile event in 2 hours, 31 min. and 57 sec. Sarah
Hallas of Petaluma won the women’s race.
(SFC, 8/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Jul, Modern Luxury Media
purchased San Francisco Magazine. SF Magazine was founded nearly 40
years earlier by KQED as San Francisco Focus.
(SFC, 1/13/06, p.C1)
2005 Jul, Fred Furth (71) paid
$5 million to purchase Sacred Heart Church on Fillmore St., along
with its rectory, convent and play yard. He planned to keep it a
Catholic parochial school and rename it the Megan Furth Academy
after his daughter, who died in 2003 at age 31.
(SFC, 7/28/05, p.B1)
2005 Jul, Silver Terrace
Nurseries, the largest vendor at the SF Flower mart, shut its doors.
The Italian-American coop that owned the west end of the Flower Mart
was considering an $18 million sale to AvalonBay Communities, a
Virginia-based real-estate investment firm. The east side of the
Flower Mart is owned by descendants of Japanese American farmers.
(SFC, 8/26/05, p.C1)
2005 Aug 3, Fred Ayatch (35), A
SF, Ca., homeless shelter supervisor, was gunned down near his
mother’s home on Eddy St. near Divisadero. Dennis Anderson (23) was
arrested Aug 19 and charged with the murder on Aug 23.
(SFC, 8/4/05, p.B4)(SFC, 8/24/05, p.B4)
2005 Aug 4, Mayor Gavin Newsom
signed a $5.3 billion SF city budget.
(SFC, 8/5/05, p.B4)
2005 Aug 13, In SF Donato Rossi
(74), part-owner of Gino and Carlo, died. He and his partners
acquired the North Beach bar in 1950 and he spent 40 years working
there.
(SFC, 8/16/05, p.B5)
2005 Aug 15, Earl Zindars (77),
jazz and classical composer, died in SF.
(SFC, 8/19/05, p.B7)
2005 Aug 16, SF asked for help
in coming up with a plan to create a giant hot zone serving the
whole city with Internet service.
(SFC, 8/17/05, p.C1)
2005 Aug 19, Interstate
Bakeries shut down its SF Parisian (f.1856) sourdough bread factory.
(SFC, 8/20/05, p.B1)
2005 Aug 19, In SF a PG&E
electrical transformer blew up beneath Kearny St. at Post severely
injuring Lisa Nash (47) with burns to over 40% of her body.
(SFC, 9/27/05, p.B2)
2005 Aug 20, Thomas Herrion
(b.1981), San Francisco offensive lineman, collapsed in the locker
room and died in Denver, shortly after the 49ers played the Denver
Broncos in a preseason game. Herrion's was the NFL's first
football-related death since Vikings tackle Korey Stringer died of
heatstroke in 2001.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Herrion)(AP,
8/20/06)
2005 Aug 26, In SF the new
Int’l. Hotel, with 88 studio and 16 one-bedroom apartments,
re-opened at 848 Kearny Street. Over 50 tenants from the original
“I-Hotel” were evicted Aug 4, 1977. 12 people from the original
hotel were 1st in line as 7,500 applicants vied for apartments.
(SFC, 8/27/05, p.B1)
2005 Aug 27, A celebration was
scheduled for the completion of the 16th Avenue Steps in the
Sunset’s Golden Gate Heights, featuring a new tile mosaic.
(SFC, 8/26/05, p.F1)
2005 Aug 27, John Dobson,
Connecticut-based telescope inventor, celebrated his 90th birthday
in SF at the Randall Museum.
(SFC, 8/26/05, p.B1)
2005 Aug 27-2005 Aug 28, San
Francisco’s 10th annual Dragon Boat Festival moved from Lake Merced
to Treasure Island.
(SFC, 8/26/05, p.F1)
2005 Aug, Augustine Falley, SF
Dept. of Building Inspection supervisor, was charged with accepting
bribes over a 12-year period.
(SFC, 8/22/05, p.A1)
2005 Aug, Mayor Newsom named
Yomi Agunbiade (36), a Nigeria-born son of a diplomat, as general
manager of the SF Recreation and Park Dept.
(SFC, 10/7/05, p.F1)
2005 Sep 1, A SF jury awarded
$27 million to the family of Elizabeth Dominguez (4), who was killed
on Feb 11, 2003, when she was hit by a Muni truck at Potrero Ave and
24th. SF appealed and settled the case in 2008 for $21 million.
(SFC, 9/2/05, p.B1)(SFC, 3/6/08, p.B2)
2005 Sep 2, It was reported
that the SF Roman Catholic Archdiocese has agreed to pay $4 million
to settle 4 lawsuits by victims of defrocked Monsignor Patrick
O’Shea.
(SFC, 9/2/05, p.B2)
2005 Sep 4, Cyclist Fabian
Wegmann of Germany won the $15,000 1st place prize in the 108.1 mile
5th San Francisco Grand Prix.
(SFC, 9/5/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 6, The SF Board of
Education voted to invoke a compatibility clause as schools
Superintendent Arlene Ackerman resigned. She said she would remain
until June 30, 2006.
(SFC, 9/7/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 9, In SF a
ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Octavia Blvd. and Market Street
to mark the opening of Octavia Blvd., and the culmination of a long
battle to rid Hayes Valley of the 1959 Central Freeway.
(SFC, 1/3/07, p.B1)
2005 Sep 9-2005 Sep 11,The
Sierra Club’s 1st National Environmental Convention & Expo was
held at the SF Moscone Center.
(SFC, 9/10/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 13, In SF unionized
workers at California Pacific Medical Center in protest over the
administration’s refusal to accept a federal mediator’s proposals
for a new contract.
(SFC, 9/14/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 15, A fire in SF at
395 Capp St. left 3 people dead.
(SFC, 9/16/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 19, In SF Arkelylius
Collins (20) was murdered at Third and Kirkwood in a hail of
gunfire. Terrel Rollins (22) was injured. In 2006 Daniel Dennard
(21) and Deonte Bennett (21), members of the Oakdale Mob, were
indicted on charges of murder. Rollins was killed on May 4, 2006,
and Dennard was released. On July 19, 2008, Dennard was shot and
killed on Bayshore Blvd. not far from where Rollins had been
murdered. In 2009 Bennett was arrested and charged in an alleged
murder for hire plot.
(SFC, 3/2/06, p.B2)(SFC, 7/21/08, p.A1)(SFC,
1/22/09, p.B8)
2005 Sep 22, SF approved a
promotional ski-jump at Fillmore and Vallejo to be staged by Icer on
Sep 28-29.
(SFC, 9/23/05, p.B1)
2005 Sep 22, A group of Hong
Kong investors purchased the Bank of America Center in San Francisco
for $1.05 billion. Donald Trump had in interest in the deal from a
previous sale by the investment group in NYC.
(WSJ, 9/23/05, p.B3)
2005 Sep 24, The anti-war march
in Washington DC drew tens of thousands. In SF an anti-war march
from Dolores park to Jefferson Square drew 20-50 thousand people.
(SSFC, 9/25/05, A1)
2005 Sep 24, The 2nd annual
Love Parade began at Market and Second streets in SF and was
followed by a celebration at the Civic Center Plaza. 24 floats
carried some 200 DJs.
(SSFC, 9/25/05, A21)
2005 Sep 25, The 22nd annual
Folsom Street Fair, a homage to leather fetishists, took place in SF
and drew an estimated 300,000 people.
(SFC, 9/26/05, p.B3)
2005 Sep 28, Dump trucks began
unloading snow on San Francisco’s Fillmore Street for Icer Air 2005,
a ski jump event sponsored Icer, a Nevada-based ski wax and apparel
seller, founded by Glen Griffin and Eric Gordon. Gordon was a
high-school friend of Mayor Newsom.
(SFC, 9/29/05, p.A1)
2005 Sep 29, In SF Icer Air
2005 drew thousands of spectators to snow-covered Fillmore Street.
One snowboarder skidded into the crowd and injured 2 people.
(SFC, 9/30/05, p.A1)
2005 Sep 30, Google submitted a
competitive bid to provide SF free wireless Internet access using
Wi-Fi technology.
(SFC, 10/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Oct 1, The SF Opera
premiered “Doctor Atomic” by composer John Adams. The libretto was
by Peter Sellars.
(SSFC, 10/2/05, p.A17)
2005 Oct 1, Paul Pena (b.1950),
a blind bluesman, died in SF. The 1999 film "Genghis Blues" won the
audience award at Sundance for best documentary. It was directed by
Roko and Adrian Belic and was about Paul Pena (1950-1955), a blind
bluesman, who journeyed to Tuva to compete in a throat-singing
competition.
(SFC, 10/4/05, p.B5)
2005 Oct 1-2005 Oct 2, In SF
financier Warren Hellman sponsored the 5th annual Hardly Strictly
Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park.
(SFC, 10/3/05, p.C1)
2005 Oct 4-2005 Oct 9, The
World Golf Championships took place at Harding Park Golf Course
along Lake Merced in SF, Ca.
(SFCM, 10/2/05, p.6)
2005 Oct 8, The new M.H. de
Young Memorial Museum, designed by Swiss architects Pierre Meuron
and Jacques Herzog, opened in Golden Gate park for a preview to
members. Official opening ceremonies were set for Oct 15.
(SFC, 10/7/05, p.A1)(SFC, 10/14/05, p.B4)
2005 Oct 9, Kevin Eugene
McGuinness (43), with blood alcohol at .19, crashed into a cab at
Broadway and Webster killing cab driver Zareh Soghikian (76) and
Tyler Brown (21), a SF resident and student at Duke Univ. 2 others
were injured.
(SFC, 10/12/05, p.B4)
2005 Oct 11, Yoshi’s jazz club
of Oakland broke ground a new 420-seat nightclub at the corner of
Fillmore and Eddy streets in SF.
(SFC, 10/12/05, p.B3)
2005 Oct 12, The Treasure
Island board of directors, serving under the direction of SF Mayor
Newsom, fired chief Tony Hall in a decision made behind closed
doors.
(SFC, 10/13/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 14, A trade delegation
of some 300 Chinese officials and business executives visited SF for
the 1st Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference USA.
(SFC, 10/15/05, p.C1)
2005 Oct 14, Dernae Wysinger
(22) and his 2-year-old son were shot to death in San Francisco’s
Potrero Hill district. Police soon issued an arrest warrant for
suspect Joseph Stevens (22). This marked the 64th and 65th homicides
in SF this year. In 2007 Stevens (23) was convicted for the murders,
which were apparently done in retaliation for another slaying.
(SSFC, 10/16/05, p.B1)(SFC, 3/21/07, p.B3)
2005 Oct 15, The new $202
million M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, designed by Swiss architects
Pierre Meuron and Jacques Herzog, officially opened in Golden Gate
park.
(SFC, 10/15/05, p.A1)(SSFC, 10/16/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 15, In SF a new $200
million, 32-story, 550-room, InterContinental Hotel was to begin
construction at 888 Howard St. Completion was scheduled for Nov.
2007.
(SFC, 10/15/05, p.C1)
2005 Oct 16, In SF Andre
Daniels (31) was robbed and his wife was raped at 73 Brookdale Ave,
in the Sunnyside housing project in Visitacion Valley. Daniels
identified Laron Lewis (26) as one of the assailants and a tip led
police to Damien Ramond (23). On May 20, 2007, Daniels was shot and
killed outside his unit at the Alice Griffith project in the Bayview
district. His death doomed the sexual assault case against Lewis and
Ramond.
(SSFC, 11/23/08, p.A14)
2005 Oct 19, In SF escrow
closed on the sale of St. Brigid Church to the Academy of Art Univ.
Next day the SF Planning Commission voted to designate the exterior
as a historic landmark.
(SFC, 10/21/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 19, Lashaun Harris
(23) threw her 3 children into San Francisco Bay near Fishermen's
Wharf. The body of a third sibling was recovered. Harris had been
staying with her children at a Salvation Army shelter in Oakland.
She told authorities that voices had told her to throw her children
into the water. In 2007 a judge ruled that Harris was not guilty by
reason of insanity. A jury had convicted her of assault and
second-degree murder.
(AP, 10/20/05)(SFC, 1/18/07, p.B4)
2005 Oct 22, Scott McAlpin (24)
of El Sobrante murdered his SF girlfriend Anastasia Melnitchenko
(22). McAlpin was arrested the next day by US Park police at the
Marin Headlands north of San Francisco. The body of Melnitchenko,
was found in the trunk of his car. McAlpin had 8 previous felony
convictions for domestic violence. In 2008 McAlpin was convicted of
first degree murder.
(SFC, 10/26/05, p.B1)(SFC, 12/5/08, p.B2)
2005 Oct 23, The 2nd Annual
Nike Women’s Marathon expected 15,000 runners to benefit the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
(SFC, 10/22/05, p.B3)
2005 Oct 27, In SF Hailu Abje
(44), an Ethiopian immigrant, shot to death dentist David Gong (56)
and then killed himself near the dentist’s Van Ness office. It
appeared that Abje held a grudge against Gong for his dental and gum
problems
(SFC, 10/28/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 27, In SF Grimes
Poznikov (59), the former “Human Jukebox” of Fisherman’s Wharf, died
from alcohol poisoning. He was found dead of alcohol poisoning on a
sidewalk near Highway 101.
(SFC, 11/1/05, p.B5)(SFC, 2/12/11, p.A8)
2005 Oct 30, In SF some 20,000
people gathered in Golden Gate Park for a memorial concert, the
Family Dog’s last Tribal Stomp, to celebrate Chet Helms, who died
June 25.
(SFC, 10/31/05, p.B1)
2005 Oct 30, In SF the 10th
running of the Illegal Soapbox Society’s Halloween derby was held in
Bernal Heights.
(SFC, 11/1/05, p.E1)
2005 Oct 31, In SF some 30,000
people gathered in the Castro district for the annual Halloween
party.
(SFC, 11/1/05, p.B2)
2005 Nov 1, In SF the $250
million, 40-story Hotel St. Regis, located at 3rd and Mission, was
expected to open. 2-bedroom condos were asking $1.8-2.5 million. It
was designed by architect Craig Hartman of Skidmore Owings Merrill.
(SFC, 10/27/05, p.C1)(SFC, 12/14/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 1, In SF Johnell Kirk
Jr. (39), a homeless drifter, died after being set on fire by Scott
Darden Kinney (43).
(SFC, 11/3/05, p.B4)
2005 Nov 2, SF officials struck
a deal with large supermarket chains to reduce by 10 million the
number of plastic grocery bags given to shoppers by the end of the
year.
(SFC, 11/3/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 2, In SF police
arrested 10 anti-Bush demonstrators as some 2,000 people rallied in
a march organized by “The World Can’t Wait,” a group focused on
removing Pres. Bush from office.
(SFC, 11/3/05, p.B4)
2005 Nov 6, In SF the annual
Veteran’s Day Parade was held on Market St.
(SFC, 11/7/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 6, The Intelligent
Transport Systems World Congress opened in SF for a 5-day meeting
and demonstration of new products.
(SFC, 11/7/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 6, Prince Charles
began a visit to SF and the Bay Area. Police services for the 4-day
tour, billed to taxpayers, ran to $105,000 in regular and overtime
pay.
(SSFC, 11/20/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 7, In SF developers of
Treasure Island unveiled plans that included 6 residential towers
with some 5,500 housing units, a new ferry terminal and saving 260
acres of the island’s 400 acres for open space.
(SFC, 11/8/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 7, In SF Maxuman
Chenier (23), an aspiring rap artist, was shot to death in the
Oceanview district. On Nov 10 Marcus McNeil (19), a suspect in the
murder, surrendered to police in Mansfield, Ohio. He was released
after local prosecutors determined their was not enough evidence for
his extradition.
(SFC, 11/15/05, p.B3)(SFC, 11/18/05, p.B3)
2005 Nov 8, SF voters rejected
Prop B, which would have allowed $208 million in general obligation
bonds for street and sidewalk improvements; Prop A passed for
capital improvements in the SF Community College District; Prop H
won making it illegal for city residents to possess handguns; Prop F
won ending rotating closure of firehouses. Phil Ting, incumbent
Assessor-Recorder, won his election bid. In 2008 an Appeals court
agreed with 2006 ruling that local governments have no authority
under California law to prevent people from owning pistols.
(SFC, 11/9/05, p.B3)(SFC, 1/10/08, p.B3)
2005 Nov 8, A federal judge
ordered a halt to 1983 court-ordered supervision over SF
desegregation policies. The ruling left school assignments in the
hands of the SF School Board.
(SFC, 11/9/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 9, SF reached an out
of court settlement in a fraud lawsuit against City Tow for $5.7
million. The Anaheim-based parent company, Pick Your Part, admitted
no wrongdoing and will split the payment between SF and the state of
California.
(SFC, 11/10/05, p.B2)
2005 Nov 10, In SF ground
breaking was scheduled for a $270 million, 55-story, 709-unit luxury
condominium at One Rincon Hill. The project included a 2nd 45-story
tower. Completion was set for December 2007.
(SFC, 11/11/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 11, SF service workers
ended a 2-month strike at Pacific Medical Center by ratifying a
labor contract that includes a 16% wage increase for 800 workers
over the life of the contract, retroactive from November 2004 to
June 2008.
(SFC, 11/12/05, p.C1)
2005 Nov 13, In SF the Rolling
Stones performed at SBC Park sparking a swarm of noise complaints to
City Hall.
(SFC, 11/15/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 15, SF city
supervisors passed new laws requiring spaying and neutering of pit
bulls, five months after the fatal mauling of a 12-year-old boy by
his family's pit bulls.
(AP, 11/16/05)
2005 Nov 17, SF City Engineer
Hanson Tom ordered that no construction permit be issued for 2
residential towers on Rincon Hill pending more seismic safety study.
(SFC, 12/8/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 18, The SF Fine Arts
Museums board named John E. Buchanon Jr., director of the Portland
Art Museum, to succeed Harry Parker as director effective Feb 1,
2006.
(SFC, 11/19/05, p.A1)
2005 Nov 23, In SF 2 killings
on Turk Street raised the city’s homicide toll this year to 90, 2
more than in all of 2004.
(SFC, 11/24/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov 25, Mayor Newsom
traveled to China to lead a delegation along with Sen. Diane
Feinstein to celebrate the 25th anniversary of San Francisco’s
sister-city relationship with Shanghai.
(SFC, 11/25/05, p.B1)
2005 Nov-2005 Dec, In San
Francisco between 39,488 and 53,988 gallons of diesel fuel leaked
over 4 weeks from an underground storage tank at the John Muir Motor
Coach yard at 1095 Indiana St. Muni workers had disabled an alarm
system that would have warned of the leak. In 2009 the US EPA sought
a $250,000 settlement for the leak which allowed fuel to enter a
storm drain leading the SF Bay.
(SFC, 11/3/09, p.C1)
2005 Dec 3, In SF the new
Museum of African Diaspora officially opened at 685 Mission St.
(SSFC, 11/27/05, p.B1)
2005 Dec 3, Peter Haas Sr.
(86), former CEO and president of Levi Strauss, died in SF.
(SFC, 12/5/05, p.B4)
2005 Dec 6, SF hired Nathaniel
Ford Sr. to run the Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) for a
5-year contract with a base salary of $298,000. Ford was enticed
away from the Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority where his base was
$205,000.
(SFC, 12/7/05, p.B4)
2005 Dec 6, In SF police
officer Andrew Cohen (39) was suspended for producing department
videos that mocked minorities. 24 other officers were soon suspended
for their involvement in the video productions. In 2006 18 officers
filed a $20 million lawsuit against SF for defamation and
discrimination.
(SFC, 12/8/05, p.A1,16)(SFC, 12/10/05,
p.A11)(SFC, 8/11/06, p.B7)
2005 Dec 14, SF officials
said the $600 million Third Street light rail line was a year late
and expected to come into service by the end of 2006. It was running
about $21 million over budget.
(SFC, 12/15/05, p.B3)
2005 Dec 15, SF officials said
all the SF police officers suspended for their roles in a
controversial video production have been reinstated.
(SFC, 12/16/05, p.A1)
2005 Dec 15, Utah Archbishop
George Niederauer was named Archbishop of San Francisco.
(SFC, 12/16/05, p.A1)
2005 Dec 23, Robin Hodes (79),
SF-based jazz trumpeter, died.
(SFC, 1/24/06, p.B5)
2005 Oct 25, Barry Nielson
(48), SF architect, died from injuries of an assault on Oct 21 at
Bryant and Mariposa.
(SFC, 12/28/05, p.A1)
2005 Dec 26, It was reported
that the Roxie Cinema will become part of San Francisco’s New
College due to a $200,000 donation. Owner Bill Banning will continue
as art director under salary to New College.
(SFC, 12/26/05, p.D1)
2005 Dec 26, Terrell Anderson
(23), father of a 2-year-old and basketball player for City
College, was shot and killed in the early hours outside the Velvet
Lounge in North Beach.
(SFC, 12/28/05, p.A1)
2005 Veronica Monet, former San
Francisco based escort, authored “Sex Secrets of Escorts: Tips From
a Pro.”
(SFC, 11/23/05, p.E1)
2006 Jan 9, In SF a suspected
was found bomb in the Starbucks restroom at 1401 Van Ness Ave. The
next day SF police arrested Ronald Schouten (44), who they believe
planted the bomb. Federal agents soon reported that no explosive
material was contained in the device and that Schouten would likely
not be charged.
(SFC, 1/11/06, p.A1)(SFC, 1/12/06, p.B1)
2006 Jan 12, The Beat Museum, a
tribute to the literary generation that helped inspire the 1960s
counterculture, opened in San Francisco. The museum, founded by
Jerry Cimino, was formerly housed in Monterey, California.
(Reuters, 1/15/06)
2006 Jan 18, SF Mayor Newsom
said he is convinced some cable car conductors were stealing fare
money.
(SFC, 1/19/06, p.A1)
2006 Jan 19, The SF Board of
Education voted to close, merge and relocate more than a dozen
schools to cut losses due to declining enrollment.
(SFC, 1/20/06, p.A1)
2006 Jan 21, Abortion foes
converged in SF for a 2nd Walk for life. Pro-choice demonstrators
staged a counter marched.
(SSFC, 1/22/06, p.B1)
2006 Jan 30, Fairmont Hotels
& Resorts announced that a group of investors including Saudi
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has agreed to buy the luxury hotel chain
for about $3.3 billion in cash and some $600 million in assumed
debt. A new Canadian company will take over outstanding shares from
the Toronto-based sellers.
(SFC, 1/31/06, p.E3)
2006 Feb 10, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom, in response to the SF Chronicle’s use-of force series, said
he will push the SF Police Dept. to create a computerized tracking
system for identifying problem officers.
(SSFC, 2/12/06, p.A1)
2006 Feb 23, The construction
firm Tutor-Saliba Corp. agreed to pay $19 million to settle claims
that it overcharged for building the int’l. terminal at San
Francisco’s airport and violated city minority contracting laws.
(SFC, 2/24/06, p.A1)
2006 Feb 25, It was reported
that researchers in SF had discovered a new virus, dubbed XMRV,
inside tumors of some men with prostate cancer.
(SFC, 2/25/06, p.A2)
2006 Feb 27, In SF Allen Leung
(56), a Chinatown businessman and community leader, was gunned down
in his export-import business at 603 Jackson St.
(SFC, 3/1/06, p.A1)
2006 Feb 28, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors passed a resolution (7-3) asking the city’s
Democratic congressional delegation to seek the impeachment of Pres.
Bush.
(SFC, 3/1/06, p.A1)
2006 Mar 1, The name of the SF
Giant’s ballpark changed from Pac Bell Park to AT&T Park.
(SFC, 2/4/06, p.C1)
2006 Mar 1, Father Harry Carlin
(89), Jesuit priest and former president of St. Ignatius in SF,
died. He led the 1965 $2 million purchase of 11 acres for a new
school campus.
(SFC, 3/7/06, p.B5)
2006 Mar 2, In SF Ashlyn Dyer
(27) was knocked unconscious during a morning run in the Presidio by
a hit and run driver. She died of her injuries on March 12.
(SFC, 3/14/06, p.A1)(SFC, 3/16/06, p.B3)
2006 Mar 12, SF held its 154th
annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
(SFC, 3/13/06, p.B1)
2006 Mar 23, Sundance Cinemas
said it had signed a purchase agreement for the AMC Kabuki multiplex
in San Francisco. Sundance hoped to develop a national chain.
(SFC, 3/24/06, p.B6)
2006 Mar 23, Karen Eklund (31)
of Antioch was shot 11-20 times and killed by police in SF following
a 40-mile pursuit that ended in Mission Terrace. She had been sought
on a federal warrant in an identity-theft case. In 2007 her daughter
(14) filed suit against the CHP saying the killing was unjustified.
On April 6, 2011, a federal appeals court overturned a jury’s
verdict of wrongdoing and $60,000 in damages against CHP Officer
Steven Margraf.
(SFC, 3/24/06, p.B3)(SFC, 11/3/07, p.B2)(SFC,
4/7/11, p.C2)
2006 Mar 23, Adolph Gasser
(b.1912), SF businessman and pioneer in the photographic industry,
died.
(SFC, 4/3/06, p.B8)
2006 Mar 25, In SF an
evangelical Christian concert, dubbed “Battle Cry for a Generation,”
drew some 25,000 teens to AT&T Park.
(SSFC, 3/26/06, p.B1)
2006 Mar 27, In SF several
thousand protesters marched down Market Street in a peaceful call
for legal status for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in
the US.
(SFC, 3/28/06, p.A1)
2006 Mar 29, In San Francisco
Linda Woo was found inside a car in her garage with her 2
unconscious children. Her daughter 3 died in the attempted suicide.
Her 4-year old son suffered brain injuries. In 2009 Woo was
sentenced 25 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 11/27/09, p.C2)
2006 Apr 1, The body of
Kimberly Millen (21) of San Bruno was found in Richmond, Ca. The
body of her friend Sophia Sciutto-Creps (27) of South San Francisco
was found April 5 in Golden Gate Park. Evidence in the case was
found at Lake Merced in SF on April 3. Both women had disappeared on
March 27. Police arrested Jasmilla Ford (26) on April 16 for the
murder of Millen. Police arrested Ford’s brother Troy Richardson
(24) on April 17 for the murder of Sciutto-Creps. Both women were
believed to have been killed in Ford’s Oakland home on March 27.
(SFC, 4/6/06, p.B1)(SFC, 4/18/06, p.B1)
2006 Apr 5, SF picked Google
and EarthLink to bring free Internet access to the city.
(SFC, 4/6/06, p.A1)
2006 Apr 18, In SF thousands
gathered for the 100 year anniversary of the 1906 earthquake.
(SFC, 4/19/06, p.A1)
2006 Apr 18, A $1.43 billion
joint contract was awarded to American Bridge and Fluor to build the
single-tower eastern suspension span of the Bay Bridge.
(SFC, 4/19/06, p.B4)
2006 Apr 20, In SF federal and
local agents raided a chapter of the Hells Angels in the Dogpatch
neighborhood of Potrero Hill. They found a pound of methamphetamine
in the garage of Michael Demetrescu (46). Agents targeted 16
locations including Livermore and San Mateo County recovering
weapons and a total of 6 pounds of methamphetamine. On April 25
Demetrescu was found dead of suspected suicide at Ocean Beach.
(SFC, 4/21/06, p.B1)(SFC, 4/26/06, p.B2)
2006 Apr 23, Some 10,000 people
marched in SF to denounce a bill in the US House of Representatives
that would make illegal immigration a felony. Latinos organized a
day of protests in over 100 cities. As many as 500,000 marched in
Los Angeles.
(SFC, 4/24/06, p.A1)(Econ, 5/8/10, p.14)
2006 Apr 24, The annual Goldman
Environmental Prizes were awarded in San Francisco. The winners
included Craig Williams (58) for helping to persuade Congress to
order the Defense Dept. to consider alternatives to incinerating
chemical weapons; Tarcisio Feitosa (35) of Brazil for his campaign
against rampant logging; Olya Melen (26) of Ukraine for her suits
forcing the government to scale back a large canal project impacting
wetlands; Yu Xiaogang (35) of China for his reports on damages
caused by new dams; Silas Siakor (36) of Liberia for his
documentation showing how logging was used to fund civil war; and
Anne Kajir of Papua New Guinea for her work to get reimbursements
from logging companies to peasants.
(WSJ, 4/24/06, p.B7)
2006 Apr 27, A fiery crash in
the San Francisco’s Castro District killed one person and left at
least 8 vehicle gutted.
(SFC, 4/28/06, p.B1)
2006 Apr 30, Some 100,000
rallied in Washington DC, SF and other US cities to urge the Bush
administration to take decisive action to stop the genocide in
Darfur.
(SFC, 5/1/06, p.A1)
2006 Apr 30, In San Francisco
Daniel Elizalde (17) shot and killed Karl Bartolome (19) as
Bartolome walked with his girlfriend and nephew at Lisbon and Persia
streets in the Excelsior district. Elizalde later pleaded guilty to
2nd degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.
(SFC, 12/25/09, p.D2)(http://tinyurl.com/ydhpjr4)
2006 May 1, In the SF Bay Area
KQED of SF and KTEH of San Jose announced their merger under the
name Northern California Public Broadcasting.
(SFC, 5/2/06, p.A1)
2006 May 4, In SF Terrell
Rollins (22), a witness in a murder case, was shot dead at 269
Bayshore Blvd. His testimony led to the indictment of 2 men on
murder charges in March.
(SFC, 5/5/06, p.A1)
2006 May 9, The SF Board of
Supervisors voted 7-4 to close a 1.5 miles stretch of JFK Drive in
Golden Gate Park to cars on Saturdays on a 6-month trial basis. On
May 15 Mayor Newsom vetoed the plan citing a need for further study.
(SFC, 5/10/06, p.B4)(SFC, 5/16/06, p.B1)
2006 May 10, UCSF announced
that Ray Dolby, founder of Dolby Laboratories, and his wife Dagmar
were donating $16 million of help pay for a new stem cell research
center in SF.
(SFC, 5/12/06, p.B9)
2006 May 11, In SF 2 officials
of the defunct Pacific Cement company, including founder Ricardo
Ramirez, were arraigned on felony and grand theft charges for using
inferior concrete on Bay Area projects from 2001-2005. In 2008
Ramirez pleaded guilty to a single environmental count. He was
expected to serve a year of home detention and pay $427,000 in fines
and restitution.
(SFC, 5/12/06, p.A1)(SSFC, 7/9/06, p.A10)(SSFC,
6/1/08, p.A1)
2006 May 15, In SF the 77-year
old PG&E plant in Hunters Point officially closed.
(SFC, 5/15/06, p.A1)
2006 May 18, SF Mayor Newsom
issued an executive directive for all city departments, that
currently use diesel fuel, to switch to biodiesel fuel by the end of
2007.
(SFC, 5/19/06, p.B3)
2006 May 21, In SF some 62,000
runners participated in the annual Bay to Breakers race. Gilbert
Okari (27) of Kenya won in 34 minutes and 20 seconds. Among the
women Ukrainian Tetyana Hladyr won in 39:09. Mayor Newsom finished
the 7.46 miles in 59:04.
(SFC, 5/22/06, p.A1)
2006 May 22, Braxton Bilbrey
(7) of Arizona swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco in 47
minutes.
(AP, 5/22/07)
2006 May 24, Pogo (48), one of
the oldest gorillas in the world, died at the SF Zoo.
(SFC, 5/25/06, p.B1)
2006 May 28, In SF Barry Bonds
hit his 715th home run passing the Babe Ruth record of 714 and
approaching Hank Aaron’s 755 record.
(SFC, 5/28/06, p.A1)
2006 May 28, In SF tens of
thousands jammed the Mission District for the 28th annual Carnaval.
81 official units participated in the “Land of Childhood Dreams”
parade.
(SFC, 5/28/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 12, In SF Superior
Court Judge James Warren struck down a voter approved ban on handgun
possession. Proposition H, pass last November, would have outlawed
possession of handguns by all city residents except law enforcement
officers and other who need guns for professional purposes.
(SFC, 6/12/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 20, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsome proposed a $200 million health plan, San Francisco Health
Access Program, to provide an estimated 82,000 uninsured residents
with health care.
(SFC, 6/22/06, p.B1)
2006 Jun 22, In SF, Ca., Edwin
Torres (47), former Moraga broker, was sentenced to 90 months in
prison for defrauding people of over $5 million in a Ponzi scheme.
He was released on bail with a promise to return on August 11.
Torres jumped bail.
(SFC, 9/1/06, p.B2)
2006 Jun 24, Denice Denton
(46), UC Santa Cruz Chancellor, jumped to her death from the roof of
the 42-story Paramount apartment building in SF. She had assumed
office on Feb 14, 2005, and soon called for some $600,000 in
upgrades to her university provided housing.
(SSFC, 6/25/06, p.A13)
2006 Jun 25, SF celebrated its
36th annual Pride Parade. Some 200 groups passed before hundreds of
thousands of spectators.
(SFC, 6/26/06, p.A1)
2006 Jun 27, SF Supervisor
Aaron Peskin introduced the Food Service Waste Reduction Act to the
Board of Supervisors. The act would require city restaurants to stop
using polystyrene as of Jan 1, 2007.
(SFC, 6/27/06, p.A1)
2006 Jul 5, The Canaan Lutheran
Church agreed to sell the 4 Star movie theater at 2200 Clement to
Frank and Lida Lee, the theater owners since 1992, for $1.45 million
following a mediation session. The Lees beat a 150 day deadline by
one week.
(SFC, 12/8/06, p.E1)
2006 Jul 8, SF opened its
Mission Bay Branch Library. The 27th branch, a $4 million,
7,500-sq.-foot space, opened in a mixed use building on Fourth St.
(SSFC, 7/9/06, p.B1)
2006 Jul 18, The Club Deluxe on
Haight Street in SF celebrated the 1st anniversary of its open mike
poetry and jazz. It was initiated by New York poets Jennifer Barone
and Ingrid Keir and jazz musician Dan Heffez.
(SFC, 7/22/06, p.E1)
2006 Jul 19, Construction began
in SF on the $46 million Jewish Museum set to open in 2008.
(SFC, 7/20/06, p.B1)
2006 Jul 24, SF City Attorney
Dennis Herrera announced that his office had obtained a civil
injunction and $20,000 in penalties against Carlos Romero for his
graffiti. This marked the 1st time SF has filed a civil suit against
a graffiti tagger.
(SFC, 7/25/06, p.A4)
2006 Jul 25, SF Supervisors
gave final approval to a plan to provide health care coverage to the
city’s estimated 82,000 uninsured residents.
(SFC, 7/26/06, p.B1)
2006 Jul 26, SF police officer
Nick-Tomasito Birco (39) was killed when a Dodge van carrying 4
robbery suspects broadsided his patrol car at Cambridge and Felton.
Steven Wayne Petrilli (19) was charged the next day with murder,
manslaughter, evading police and robbery. In 2010 Petrilli was
convicted of 1st degree murder. In 2011 Carl Lather (25) and
Nicholas smith (26) pleaded guilty to manslaughter and robbery
charges.
(SFC, 7/27/06, p.A1)(SFC, 7/28/06, p.B1)(SFC,
9/24/10, p.C3)(SFC, 2/5/11, p.C2)
2006 Jul 28, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom signed a record $5.7 billion 2006-2007 budget.
(SFC, 7/29/06, p.B3)
2006 Jul 30, Andrew Cook (25)
of Texas won the SF Marathon in 2 hours and 26 minutes. Julia Stamps
(27) of Santa Rosa won for the women in 2 hours and 54 minutes.
William Goggins (43) of SF collapsed and died after completing 24
miles.
(SFC, 7/31/06, p.A1)
2006 Aug 1, SF Mayor Newsom
launched SF Connect, a nonprofit corporation to manage volunteers
and donations for numerous social issues.
(SFC, 8/1/06, p.A1)
2006 Aug 7, Sue Bierman (82),
former SF supervisor (1992-2000) died in a car crash in Cole Valley.
A park created in the wake of the demolition ramps leading to and
away from the Embarcadero Freeway (1959-1992) was soon renamed Sue
Bierman Park, after the former supervisor (d. 2006 at 82) who
battled city freeways.
(www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3563)(SSFC, 7/26/09,
p.A16)
2006 Aug 11, In SF Ed Jew,
operator of a Chinatown flower shop, filed to run as supervisor for
District 4. He won a surprise victory in November. In 2007 he faced
residency questions and an FBI investigation regarding money
accepted from a businessmen facing permit problems. On January 10,
2008 he resigned from the Board of Supervisors. Jew had been accused
of violating the city charter by not living in the district he
represented. On November 6, 2007, federal prosecutors obtained a
grand jury indictment of Jew on five felony bribery, fraud and
extortion charges, accusing him of running a scheme to shake down
Sunset District businesses for $84,000 in bribes. His trial on
federal charges was slated to being in July 2008.
(SFC, 5/22/07,
p.A1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Jew#Resignation)
2006 Aug 12, Thousands of
people gathered across from the White House, even though President
Bush was out of town, to condemn US and Israeli policies in the
Middle East. In SF thousands of protesters decried US Mideast policy
and Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and Palestine. A smaller
group demonstrated on behalf of Israel.
(SSFC, 8/13/06, p.B1)(AP, 8/12/07)
2006 Aug 14, In San Francisco
Aubrey Abrakasa (17) was shot and killed in the Panhandle of Golden
Gate Park, while on his way to work. Police knew some of the
individuals involved but, as of 2009, due to lack of witnesses the
case remained unsolved.
(SFC, 4/4/09, p.B1)
2006 Aug 19, The new $108
million SF County Jail, designed for 768 prisoners, opened in San
Mateo County next to the existing jail built in 1934 and designed
for 550.
(SFC, 8/17/06, p.B8)
2006 Aug 21, Will Smith (59)
opened fire at Fort Funston, a popular hang-gliding area, injuring 2
people before killing himself. Hang gliding pilot Dan Murray (48)
died from his wounds on Aug 26.
(SFC, 8/22/06, p.B1)(SFC, 8/23/06, p.B4)(SSFC,
8/27/06, p.B2)
2006 Aug 29, Omeed Aziz Popal
(29), a native of Afghanistan, killed one pedestrian in Hayward,
Ca., and injured another 16 at 11 locations in SF in a driving
rampage. SF police finally rammed him down at California and Spruce
streets. In 2008 a SF judge ruled that Popal was legally insane.
(SFC, 8/30/06, p.A1)(SFC, 8/1/08, p.B1)
2006 Sep 5, The lower deck of
the SF Bay Bridge reopened after being shut down for the 3-day Labor
Day weekend due to demolition work.
(SFC, 9/5/06, p.B1)
2006 Sep 8, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom said 50 new security cameras will be installed in public
housing projects around San Francisco over the next 18 months.
(SFC, 9/9/06, p.B1)
2006 Sep 11, In SF measures to
turn back a surge in violence included police enforcement of a
long-ignored curfew for young teenagers as well as more police in
high crime neighborhoods.
(SFC, 9/12/06, p.A1)
2006 Sep 16, In SF Zachary
Roche-Balsam (19) was killed when he tried to stop a robbery of 2
women after a party in the Ingleside Heights neighborhood. In 2007
police arrested and charged Vernon Anderson Jr. (21) with the
murder.
(SFC, 4/11/07, p.B2)
2006 Sep 22, SF hotel workers
ratified a new 5-year contract to end a 2-year dispute with their
employers.
(SFC, 9/23/06, p.B2)
2006 Sep 23, The SF Blues
Festival continued for the 2nd of 3 days at Fort Mason. The Love
Festival parade ended at the Civic Plaza.
(SSFC, 9/24/06, p.B1)
2006 Sep 24, The 23rd annual
Folsom Street Fair took place in SF.
(SSFC, 9/24/06, p.B1)
2006 Sep 28, The new $440
million Westfield San Francisco Centre, a retail, office and
entertainment complex, opened and Fifth and Market at the site of
the former Emporium. The complex included Bloomingdale’s, the
retailer’s 2nd largest US store.
(SSFC, 8/6/06, p.F1)(SFC, 8/11/06, p.D1)(SFC,
9/28/06, p.A1)
2006 Sep 30, SF city crews
began a cleanup and sweep of Golden Gate park to oust an estimated
100-200 people living there. Crews planned to continue the task for
the next 90 days.
(SSFC, 10/1/06, p.B3)
2006 Sep, The Bank of San
Francisco began operating as a program to provide banking services
to low income residents not qualifying for regular bank accounts.
The program was formed under the auspices of SF, the Federal Reserve
and 15 banks and credit unions.
(SFC, 12/4/07, p.A1)
2006 Oct 3, Jeannik Mequet
Littlefield donated $35 million to the SF Opera. She had married
Edmund Littlefield in 1945 and he went on to head the Utah
Construction Co., a family firm that had built the Hoover Dam.
(SFC, 10/4/06, p.A1)
2006 Oct 4, Richard Goldman, SF
philanthropist, announced a $10 million grant to the SF Symphony.
(SFC, 10/5/06, p.E1)
2006 Oct 7, Fleet Week in SF
featured a waterfront parade of US and Canadian ships as well as an
air show. The 2-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival opened in
Golden Gate Park.
(SFC, 10/7/06, p.B1)
2006 Oct 8, The 138th annual
Italian Heritage Parade took place in SF.
(SSFC, 10/8/06, p.B1)
2006 Oct 17, Miriam Engelberg,
cartoonist and writer, died in SF. She had recently authored “Cancer
Made Me a Shallower Person.”
(SFC, 10/20/06, p.B9)
2006 Oct 21, In SF Joseph James
Melcher (25), a traveling wine salesman, opened fire on 3 people in
Japantown and 2 died. He was arrested the same evening. On Nov 21
Melcher was also charged with killing Robert Stanford (21) on Aug
27. On May 13, 2009, Melcher was convicted on 3 counts of murder. On
June 11 Melcher was sentenced to 200 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 10/24/06, p.B1)(SFC, 11/23/06, p.B1)(SFC,
5/14/09, p.B2)(SFC, 6/12/09, p.B3)
2006 Oct 22, The Oracle
OpenWorld convention opened in SF. Some 42,000 attendees were
expected to pump $60 million into the city’s economy by the close on
Oct 27.
(SFC, 10/23/06, p.E1)
2006 Oct 26, In SF the first
Amateur Erotic Film Competition opened at the Castro Theater.
(SFC, 10/26/06, p.B1)
2006 Oct 31, In SF gunfire
broke out between two groups at a massive Halloween street party in
the city's Castro district, wounding at least 10 people, including
innocent bystanders.
(AP, 11/1/06)
2006 Oct 31, Enrico’s Sidewalk
Café in SF’s North Beach district closed after negotiations
for a new lease collapsed. Enrico Banducci had opened it in 1958.
(SFC, 11/1/06, p.B5)
2006 Nov 8, Democratic gains in
Congress were seen around the world as a rejection of the US war in
Iraq that led some observers to expect a reassessment of the
American course there. The victory would make Nancy Pelosi,
Representative of SF, the 1st woman and the 1st Californian to serve
as speaker of the House. Pelosi promised a 6-pronged action plan: A
new direction for America, to be enacted within 100 hours of
becoming speaker.
(AP, 11/8/06)(SFC, 11/8/06, p.A1)(Econ, 11/11/06,
p.38)
2006 Nov 14, The SF Board of
Education voted 4-2 to phase out the JROTC from schools over the
next two years because of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell"
policy regarding gay service members. The SF Board of Supervisors
mandated foot patrols by city police, in a 9-2 vote overriding a
veto by Mayor Newsom. The board also voted to ban the use of plastic
foam to-go containers by city restaurants and to effectively
decriminalize the use, sale and cultivation of marijuana by adults.
(AP, 11/15/06)(SFC, 11/15/06, p.B1)
2006 Nov 16, Nancy Pelosi was
unanimously named speaker-elect by US House Democrats, the first
woman set to take the post that is second in line of succession to
the presidency.
(AP, 11/16/06)
2006 Nov 16, In SF federal
agents arrested 24 people on drug charges following a 4-month
undercover investigation targeting gangs in the Western Addition.
(SFC, 11/17/06, p.B3)
2006 Nov 28, In SF Genevieve
Paez (53) was shot execution style outside her home in Visitacion
Valley. She worked as a customer service supervisor for the US
Postal Service. The next day Julius Kevin Tartt (39), a South San
Francisco letter carrier, was found dead in Livermore from a
self-inflicted gun shot. It was suspected that Tartt killed Paez.
(SFC, 11/29/06, p.B1)(SFC, 12/2/06, p.B1)
2006 Dec 4, In Oregon rescuers
found SF residents Kati Kim and her 2 daughters near Grants Pass.
They had been missing for 9 days while on a road trip. James Kim,
who went to seek help on Dec 2, was still missing.
(SFC, 12/5/06, p.A1)
2006 Dec 6, James Kim, a San
Francisco man who struck out alone to find help for his family after
their car got stuck on a snowy, remote road in Oregon was found
dead, bringing an end to what authorities called an extraordinary
effort to stay alive.
(AP, 12/7/06)
2006 Dec 22, SF police officer
Bryan Tuvera (28) was shot in the head in a gunbattle that left
Marlon Ruff (33), a 2-year fugitive, dead in the Sunset District.
Tuvera died hours later.
(SFC, 12/23/06, p.A1)(SSFC, 12/24/06, p.A1)
2006 Dec 27, It was reported
that the SF Dept. of Parking and Traffic had begun a 90-day test run
using cameras to scan license plates in search of cars with unpaid
citations. Metal boots were immediately attached to cars with at
least 5 outstanding tickets.
(SFC, 12/27/06, p.B1)
2006 Dec 29, In San Francisco
gunmen opened fire on 4 people in a car at Innes Avenue and Mendell
Street in the Bayview district. 3 people were killed and the 4th
hospitalized.
(SSFC, 12/31/06, p.B1)
2006 Dec 31, In San Francisco
members of the Baker’s Dozen, a choral group from Yale, were
assaulted on 15th Ave. near Lake Street. Police went under criticism
for not making any arrests.
(SFC, 1/13/07, p.A8)
2006 A new federal government
complex at Seventh and Mission was expected to be completed. It was
designed by Thom Mayne, winner of the 2004 Pritzker Prize.
(SFC, 3/21/05, p.C1)
2006 A 211 hot line for social
services, modeled after the 911 hot line, was introduced in San
Francisco by United Way. In 2008 the service was extended other Bay
Area counties.
(SFC, 2/9/08, p.B2)
2006 Goldman Sachs acquired the
Art Institute of California-San Francisco.
(SFC, 1/4/07, p.B10)
2006 SFO was expected to serve
51 million passengers by this time.
(SFC, 6/27/96, p.A185)
2006 Family and friends of San
Francisco-based Stefan Lyon (11) traveled to Kakamega, Kenya, to
supervise the conversion of a cowshed into classroom. The project
was begun by Stefan Lyon with funds raised by selling cookies and
selling “My Adventures with Stitch,” a book about his pet rat.
(www.stefanlyon.com)(SSFC, 12/7/08, p.B1)
2006 At least 34 people leaped
to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge this year.
(SFC, 1/18/07, p.A1)
2006 In SF the number of
homicides for the year totaled 85, with 28 of them in the Bayview
neighborhood.
(SFC, 1/15/08, p.B1)
2007 Jan 1, In SF the minimum
wage rose 3.6% to $9.14 per hour following a mandatory 2003
requirement for annual cost of living adjustments. SF police
reported a decline in homicides to 85 in 2006, down from 96 in 2005.
(SFC, 1/2/07, p.E1)
2007 Jan 1, Tillie Olsen (94),
writer and SF labor activist, died. In 1961 she won the O. Henry
Award for best short story for her “Tell me Riddle.” In 2008 Ann
Hershey completed her documentary “Tillie Olsen: A Heart in Action.”
(SFC, 1/10/08, p.E1)
2007 Jan 5, SF signed a
contract with EarthLink and Google to install and operate a free
wireless Internet service across the city.
(SFC, 1/6/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 8, The San Francisco
Hyatt Regency, opened in 1973, was sold by Strategic Hotel Capital
LLC to Dune Capital Management and DiNapoli Capital Partners,
privately held investment funds in a deal pegged at over $200
million.
(SFC, 1/9/07, p.E3)
2007 Jan 9, Steve Jobs
introduced the iPhone at the annual Macworld Expo in SF. The 4GB
version would be sold for $499 starting in June. A television set
add-on called Apple TV was planned to hit stores in February for
$299. Apple dropped the word “Computer” from its name.
(SFC, 1/10/07, p.C1)(WSJ, 1/11/06, p.C1)(Econ,
1/13/07, p.57)
2007 Jan 9, The National Park
Service announced that it signed a 60-year lease with San Francisco
developer to restore Fort Baker and build a hotel called “Cavallo
Point, the Lodge at the Golden Gate.”
(SFC, 1/10/07, p.B1)
2007 Jan 12, In San Francisco a
gunman killed a couple parked in a car in the Mission Terrace
district leaving two children, aged 5 and 13 months, in the back
seat. The boy sought help knocking on neighbor’s doors.
(SFC, 1/16/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 13, In SF the Muni
Metro T-Third line began operations. Cost overruns totaled at least
$154 million since work began in 2002.
(SFC, 1/13/07, p.B1)(SFC, 1/15/07, p.B2)
2007 Jan 13, It was reported
that Kink, a Web-based pornography distributor, had purchased the
1912 old armory building on Mission St. in San Francisco for $14.5
million.
(SFC, 1/13/07, p.B1)
2007 Jan 17, The SF Police
Commission approved Mayor Newsom’s request to add surveillance
cameras at 8 additional high-crime locations.
(SFC, 1/18/07, p.B3)
2007 Jan 27, In Washington DC
tens of thousands converged on the National Mall to oppose Pres.
Bush’s plan for a troop increase in Iraq. Thousands marched in San
Francisco.
(SSFC, 1/28/07, p.A15)
2007 Jan 28, Jim Gray (63), an
acclaimed computer scientist, was last heard from shortly after he
set out from San Francisco for the shark-infested waters of the
Farallon Islands, about 25 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
(AP, 2/1/07)
2006 Jan 31, Jennifer Merritt
(31) was shot in the arm and head while riding a bicycle in the San
Francisco Ingleside Heights neighborhood. She died from her wounds
on Feb 11. Police had no explanation.
(SFC, 2/12/07, p.E6)
2007 Feb 1, In SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom admitted to having an affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, his
campaign manager’s wife.
(SFC, 2/2/07, p.A1)
2007 Feb 1, John Bryan,
underground press writer and editor, died in SF. He had started the
Open City Press, San Francisco’s 1st alternative paper, in 1964.
(SSFC, 2/11/07, p.B7)
2007 Feb 7, In SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom met with Lithuania’s Pres. Valdas Adamkus at the Fairmont
Hotel following an address at the World Affairs Council. Pres.
Adamkus, accompanied by a Lithuanian business delegation, was here
for a one week visit seeking US trade opportunities and potential
investors.
(www.president.lt/en/news.full/7476)
2007 Feb 12, In SF John
Konstin, owner of John’s Grill on Ellis St., reported the weekend
theft of his Maltese Falcon, a copy of the statuette used in the
1941 eponymous film.
(SFC, 2/13/07, p.A1)
2007 Jan 12, In SF Mia Sagote
(30) and Leslie Siliga (29) reportedly doused Leslie May (49), a
homeless woman from the Tenderloin, with gasoline and burned her
alive at Candlestick Point in retaliation for May’s report to police
implicating them in a personal robbery.
(SFC, 2/15/07, p.A1)
2007 Feb 13, Heather
MacAllister (37), creator of the Fat Bottom Revue burlesque act in
SF, died in Portland, Ore., through assisted suicide after a battle
with ovarian cancer.
(SFC, 2/26/07, p.B1)
2007 Feb 21, Mayor Newsom and
Philip Mangano, the government’s head of homelessness, announced
that SF had received $19.7 million in federal funds to help fight
homelessness.
(SFC, 2/22/07, p.B1)
2007 Feb 21, The SF Police
Commission approved a computerized system to track problematic
behavior by police officers.
(SFC, 2/22/07, p.A1)
2007 Feb 27, In SF a 75-foot
wide chunk of Telegraph Hill slid down a granite and sandstone slope
above Broadway following recent rains. 120 residents were forced to
leave their homes pending repair of the hillside, which could take
months.
(SFC, 2/28/07, p.A1)
2007 Feb, In SF Workers began
moving into the new federal building at Seventh and Mission. The
$144 million structure was designed by Thom Mayne.
(SSFC, 2/25/07, p.A1)
2007 Mar 3, SF held its annual
Chinese New Year parade, ushering in the Year of the Pig.
(SSFC, 3/4/07, p.B1)
2007 Mar 16, SF Mayor Newsom
said he plans to open a new courthouse to crack down on nuisance
crimes such as public urination, panhandling, graffiti and
prostitution. Antwanisha Morgan (17) was shot and killed outside the
Bayview community youth center. On March 29 a boy (14) was charged
in the drive-by murder. Another suspect (17) was arrested April 2,
and 2 more (aged 15 & 16) on April 5. In 2009 a juvenile court
judge ruled that all 4 suspects participated in the slaying of
Morgan.
(SFC, 3/17/07, p.A1)(SFC, 3/21/07, p.B1)(SFC,
3/30/07, p.B4)(SFC, 4/7/07, p.B2)(SFC, 1/17/09, p.B1)
2007 Mar 16, In San Francisco
Ruby Ordenana (27), a transgender prostitute, was brutally killed.
Her naked body was found in the Potrero Hill area near I-280. In
2009 DNA evidence tied her murder to Donzell Francis. In the interim
Francis raped and brutalized at least 3 other transgender
prostitutes. In 2010 SF prosecutors filed murder charges against
Francis (41), who was already serving a 17-year prison sentence for
another sexual assault.
(SFC, 11/21/09, p.A1)(SFC, 4/28/10, p.C2)
2007 Mar 19, In SF the Haight
Asbury Free Clinic opened a new drop-in center for the homeless.
Services at the 13th and Mission location included phones, showers,
drug detox and case management.
(SFC, 3/20/07, p.B1)
2007 Mar 27, SF city leaders
approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on
both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. San
Francisco would be the first US city to adopt such a rule if Mayor
Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected.
(AP, 3/28/07)(SFC, 3/28/07, p.A1)
2007 Mar 27, United Commercial
Bank of San Francisco said it had concluded negotiations to
become the sole owner of the Business Development Bank of Shanghai.
In 1992 the Business Development Bank of Shanghai was established as
China’s first foreign-owned bank.
(Econ, 4/7/07, p.73)
2007 Apr 6, In San Francisco
Umar Hudson stabbed his girlfriend, Jernell Scott, to death in front
of her home on Ellsworth Street after she reported his sexual abuse
of her two daughters, aged 9 & 13. In 2012 Hudson (35) was
sentenced to 205 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 1/26/12, p.C6)
2007 Apr 11, The Evelyn and
Walter Haas Jr. Fund announced a $15 million donation for
renovations at the Presidio. Plans included 24 new trails.
(SFC, 4/11/07, p.A1)
2007 Apr 13, In SF Mayor Newsom
brokered an agreement to ban cars from Golden Gate Park’s main road
for 6 months of the year and to make permanent a Sunday ban for a
smaller area. The deal still required approval from the board of
Supervisors.
(SFC, 4/14/07, p.B1)
2007 May 1, Thousands of
protesters marched in SF, Oakland, San Jose and across the Bay Area
to call for immigration reform and in opposition to recent federal
raids that have netted thousands of illegal immigrants.
(SFC, 5/2/07, p.A1)
2007 May 19, In San Francisco
Scott Chris Thomas attacked Loren Schaller (15) with a knife at a
Twin Peaks bakery. In 2010 a jury convicted Schaller (29) of
attempted murder and mayhem. On Aug 5 Thomas was sentenced to at
least 26 years in prison.
(SFC, 3/3/10, p.C2)(SFC, 8/6/10, p.C2)
2007 May 20, San Francisco’s
96th annual Bay to Breakers race drew some 60,000 runners. Joe
Spinale (53) died of a heart attack after crossing the finish line.
(SFC, 5/21/07, p.B1)(SFC, 5/22/07, p.B2)
2007 May 31, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom proposed a $6.06 billion budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal
year, a 5.4% increase over the previous year.
(SFC, 6/1/07, p.B12)
2007 Jun 2, In San Francisco,
Ca., Hugues de la Plaza (36), a French national, was found dead in
his Linden Street apartment in Hayes Valley. Police labeled his
stabbing death as a possible homicide or suicide. In 2009 a French
probe called his death a homicide. The French probe concluded that
de la Plaza was stabbed in a surprise attack outside his apartment.
In 2009 an independent review ruled out suicide.
(SFC, 1/27/09, p.B1)(SFC, 2/27/09, p.B1)(SFC,
11/13/09, p.C1)
2007 Jun 12, In SF Supervisor
Ed Jew surrendered under charges that he lied about where he lived
in order to run for office. Jew posted bail and was released. The SF
school board approved a 3-year contract for Carlos Garcia offering
the ex-superintendent of Nevada’s Clark County (Las Vegas) a salary
of $255,000.
(SFC, 6/13/07, p.A1)(SFC, 6/13/07, p.B4)
2007 Jun 21, In SF Mayor
Newsome described a plan to reduce the number of trash cans in SF as
part of a larger pledge to reduce litter by 50% over the next 5
years. Some 305 of 5,000 cans have been removed since January due to
alleged inappropriate use by neighbors.
(SFC, 6/27/07, p.B12)
2007 Jun 24, SF held its 37th
annual Pride Parade.
(SFC, 6/25/07, p.A1)
2007 Jun 24, Tod Pellman, a
marine and energy engineer in SF, was reported to be developing a
wind turbine for residential use.
(SSFC, 6/24/07, p.C1)
2007 Jun 26, The SF school
Board passed the district’s annual budget, including a 2% cut to
each school.
(SFC, 6/28/07, p.B1)
2007 Jul 4, In SF some 300
skateboarders rolled down the Embarcadero in a 3-mile,
police-escorted rally promoted by Emerica, an Orange County shoe and
skateboard apparel company.
(SFC, 7/5/07, p.B1)
2007 Jul 5, It was reported
that SF faced a $4.9 billion unfunded liability for health care for
retiring city workers. Other local governments and school districts
in California also faced unfunded costs.
(SFC, 7/5/07, p.A1)
2007 Jul 11, In San Francisco
Joseph Konopka, a neighborhood activist, died at his home on Ashbury
St. in the midst of erotic asphyxiation. Terry Frazier was soon
arrested and charged with murder, robbery and burglary. In 2010
Frazier pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.
(SSFC, 3/21/10, p.C2)
2007 Jul 10, In Baseball’s
All-Star game the American League beat the National League 5-4
at AT&T Park in SF.
(www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,2028,00.html)
2007 Jul 12, Jim Mitchell,
co-founder of the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theater in SF, died of
an apparent heart attack in Sonoma County, Ca. He and his brother
Artie had opened the adult theater in 1969 and went on to pioneer
pornographic films. In 1991 Jim shot Artie to death in Corte Madera
and served just under 3 years at San Quentin Prison for voluntary
manslaughter.
(SFC, 7/14/07, p.A7)
2007 Jul 23, In San Francisco
Seu Kuka (28) was gunned down in the Sunnydale Hosuing projects of
Visitacion Valley. In 2010 Jamal Trulove was conticted of 1st degree
murder and sentenced 50 years to live in prison. Trulove had
appeared on a VH1 reality show, “I Love New York 2,” just 3 months
after the slaying.
(SSFC, 10/17/10, p.C2)
2007 Jul 25, In SF faulty
PG&E breakers caused a power outage that knocked out a number of
Web sites.
(SFC, 7/26/07, p.C1)
2007 Jul 27, SF Mayor Newsom
signed a $6.06 billion spending package, the largest budget in SF
history.
(SFC, 7/28/07, p.B3)
2007 Jul 30, Bill Walsh (75),
former head coach of the SF 49ers football team, died at his
Woodside home following a long battle with leukemia.
(AP, 7/31/07)
2007 Aug 2, Armen Baliantz
(b.1921), SF restaurateur born in China to Armenian parents, died.
Her Bali’s Restaurant at Pacific and Battery, had closed in Feb,
1985.
(SFC, 8/4/07, p.A1)
2007 Aug 3, In SF “The Hotel
Casablanca,” an opera composed by Thomas Pasatieri, premiered at the
Cowell Theater. It was based on a1907 opera, “A Flea in Her Ear,” by
Georges Feydeau, and set in Texas in 1948.
(SFC, 8/6/07,
p.E1)(www.sfopera.com/p/?mID=53&eID=3)
2007 Aug 4, The SF Dept. of
Public Works cleaned up the Warm Water Cove Park near Third and 24th
streets as volunteers pitched in to paint over graffiti on a long
stretch of wall despite protests by pro-graffiti artists.
(SSFC, 8/5/07, p.B3)
2007 Aug 4, Barry Bonds of the
SF Giants hit his 755th home run tying a record set by Hank Aaron.
The Giants lost to the San Diego Padres 3-2 in 12 innings.
(SSFC, 8/5/07, p.A1)
2007 Aug 7, In SF Barry Bonds
his record breaking 756th homerun. He had just tied Hank Aaron’s
record on August 4. The Giants lost to the Washington Nationals 8-6.
(AP, 8/8/07)
2007 Aug 8, In SF Donald Fisher
(78) and his wife Doris, founders of Gap (a chain of clothing
stores), announced plans to build the Contemporary Art Museum of the
Presidio.
(SFC, 8/8/07, p.A3)
2007 Aug 25, SF held its 2nd
annual Jug Band Festival at the Golden Gate Park band shell. The
annual Renaissance Fair also took place in GG park for a 4th year.
(eyewitness)(www.sffaire.com/)
2007 Aug 28, EarthLink, the
Atlanta-based Internet provider, announced that it no longer
believed that providing citywide Wi-Fi for San Francisco was viable
for the company. Chicago abandoned plans for a city-wide Wi-Fi
network to access the Internet as EarthLink underwent restructuring.
(SFC, 8/30/07,
p.A1)(www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/08/30/too-windy-for-wi-fi.aspx)
2007 Aug 28, Burning Man became
Burnt Man four days early, and a San Francisco performance artist
was arrested on suspicion of igniting the signature figure of the
counterculture festival in the remote Nevada desert.
(AP, 8/28/07)
2007 Sep 2, In SF a free
concert in Golden Gate Park celebrated the 40th anniversary of the
Summer of Love featuring dozens of veterans of the era. Boots
Hughston bankrolled the $120,000 budget for the party.
(SFC, 8/30/07, p.E1)(SFC, 9/3/07, p.A9)
2007 Sep 3, The SF Bay Bridge
reopened 11 hours earlier than scheduled following the replacement
of a section of the upper deck east of Treasure Island.
(SFC, 9/4/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 8, In SF “The
Singularity Summit: AI and the Future of Humanity” opened at the
Palace of Fine Arts. The singularity term was used to describe the
day when machines become smart enough to reprogram themselves. Peter
Thiel, founder of PayPal, was the principal backer.
(SFC, 9/7/07, p.A16)
2007 Sep 9, Phil Frank (64),
longtime resident of Sausalito, Ca., and creator of the Farley and
Elderberries comic strips, announced his retirement. His Farley
strip had run in the SF Chronicle for decades.
(SSFC, 9/9/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 12, Phil Frank
(b.1943), creator of the Farley and Elderberries comic strips, died
from a brain tumor. His Farley strip had run in the SF Chronicle for
decades.
(SFC, 9/14/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 20, The SF Giants told
Barry Bonds, a 15-year baseball star with the Giants, that his
career with the Giants would end with the conclusion of the 2007
season. The decision was made public the next day.
(SFC, 9/21/07, p.A8)(SSFC, 9/23/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 24, In SF
union-represented security officers at 14 buildings in the Financial
District went on strike protesting contract negotiations that have
been fruitless for 3 months. Workers returned to their jobs on Sep
27 following some progress in negotiations.
(SFC, 9/25/07, p.C1)(SFC, 9/28/07, p.C1)
2007 Sep 25, In SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom suspended Ed Jew from his seat on the Board of Supervisors
and swore in Carmen Chu (29), a deputy director in his office of
policy and finance, as interim supervisor.
(SFC, 9/26/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 26, Barry Bonds went 0
for 3 in his last baseball game with the SF Giants.
(SFC, 9/27/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 27, The Cleveland
adult toy firm GVA-TWN said they would acquire Good Vibrations, a SF
sex toy retailer.
(SFC, 9/28/07, p.C1)
2007 Sep 29, SF held its 35th
Blues Festival. The 4th SF Lovefest paraded on Market Street.
(SSFC, 9/30/07, p.B1)
2007 Sep 30, In SF the 24th
annual Folsom Street Fair celebrated leather culture and sexual
fetishism.
(SFC, 10/1/07, p.B1)
2007 Sep 23, Jack Davis
(b.1940), director of San Francisco’s SomArts Cultural Center, died
following a traffic accident near Ventura, Ca.
(SFC, 10/3/07, p.B7)
2007 Oct 5, The San Francisco
Opera premiered “Appomattox,” by composer Philip Glass and
librettist Christopher Hampton.
(SFC, 10/8/07, p.E2)
2007 Oct 7, In SF the annual
weekend Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, sponsored by Warren
Hellman, ended in Golden Gate Park.
(SFC, 10/8/07, p.E2)
2007 Oct 9, Enrico Banducci
(85), the impresario of San Francisco’s North Beach, died.
(SFC, 10/10/07, p.A1)
2007 Oct 27,
In San Francisco thousands of people called for a swift end to
the war in Iraq as they marched through downtown, chanting and
carrying signs that read: "Wall Street Gets Rich, Iraqis and GIs
Die" or "Drop Tuition Not Bombs."
(AP, 10/28/07)
2007 Oct 28, Robert LaRue
Miller (b.1935), self described “painter with light,” died. He had
worked with Frank Oppenheimer to create the SF Exploratorium in
1969.
(SSFC, 11/18/07, p.B6)
2007 Nov 6, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom declared victory. The vote tally was expected to take as long
as 2 weeks due to a state-mandated hand count.
(SFC, 11/7/07, p.A1)
2007 Nov 15, Barry Bonds,
former SF Giant, was indicted on 4 counts of perjury and one count
of obstruction of justice related to a December, 2003, grand jury
investigation on the BALCO steroid ring. A revamped indictment was
unsealed last May.
(SFC, 11/16/07, p.A1)(AP, 11/15/08)
2007 Nov 19, California Sec. of
State Debra Bowen sued Election Systems and Software, a Nebraska
voting machine company, for allegedly selling nearly 1,000
uncertified machines to San Francisco and 4 other counties. Bowen
sought reimbursements of nearly $15 million.
(SFC, 11/20/07, p.D1)
2007 Nov 20, In SF large
grocery stores stopped using plastic bags as a new city ordnance
banning the bags took effect.
(SFC, 11/20/07, p.D1)
2007 Nov 28, Joseph Hokai Tang
(28), musician and violin dealer, was arrested for fraud following a
performance in Eugene, Oregon. In 2008 he pleaded guilty to 10 fraud
counts and admitted to bilking at least 120 people out of $400,000
worth of instruments. In 2008 he was sentenced in SF District Court
to 37 months in prison.
(SFC, 5/12/08, p.A1)(SFC, 10/21/08, p.B1)
2007 Nov 29, The jazz club
Yoshi’s in San Francisco held its grand opening at 1330 Fillmore.
(SFC, 11/30/07, p.E1)
2007 Dec 7, Barry Bonds pleaded
not guilty in San Francisco to charges he'd lied to federal
investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs.
(AP, 12/7/08)
2007 Dec 13, In SF Dr. David
Kessler, onetime commissioner of the FDA, was fired as dean of the
UCSF School of Medicine by Chancellor Michael Bishop. Kessler said
he had been labeled as a “whistle blower” after he attempted to
uncover financial irregularities that predated his 2003 appointment.
(SFC, 12/15/07, p.A1)
2007 Dec 22, In SF Leonard Milo
Hoskins (49), a computer software developer, was last seen alive in
the city’s Mission Terrace neighborhood. His body was found Feb 1 in
a van owned by housemates Richard Carelli (38) and Michelle
Pinkerton (38), who left town after their van was towed from the
area during a police investigation. Murder warrants were later
issued for the couple. On April 7 Carelli and Pinkerton were
arrested in El Rosario on the Baha peninsula after they were tracked
down by James Spring (39) of San Diego. In 2011 Carelli pleaded
guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was expected to serve 6 years
in prison.
(SFC, 2/14/08, p.A1)(SFC, 2/15/08, p.B6)(SFC,
4/9/08, p.A1)(SFC, 2/25/11, p.C5)
2007 Dec 25, A Siberian tiger
named Tatiana (4) escaped its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo,
killing Carlos Sousa (17) of San Jose and mauling two others. The
same animal had chewed a keeper’s arm during an attack last
December. Police later reported that one of the three victims of the
tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at
the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure.
(AP, 12/26/07)(SFC, 12/26/07, p.A1)(SFC,
12/27/07, p.A1)(AP, 1/18/08)
2007 Dec 31, In San Francisco
Albert Collins (30) shielded his daughter (9) from gunfire in the
Sunnydale public housing project and was killed becoming the city’s
98th homicide victim.
(SSFC, 1/6/08, p.B1)
2007 Michael Krasny, SF talk
radio host, authored “Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary
Life.”
(SSFC, 11/4/07, p.M1)
2007 SF awarded a sewage
contract to Norcal, even though a lower bid was given by S&S
Trucking. In 2008 a state court of appeal said the SF Board of
Supervisors illegally overruled city staffers in handing the
contract to Norcal.
(SFC, 10/1/08, p.B1)
2007 The SF 49er lease at
Candlestick (3Com) Park expired this year.
(SFC, 9/15/96, p.A11)
2007 In SF the number of
homicides for the year totaled 98, with 24 of them in the Bayview
neighborhood.
(SFC, 1/15/08, p.B1)
2007 China Minsheng Bank bought
a 10% stake in UCBH Holdings, a San Francisco based bank that served
Chinese Americans. UCBH failed in 2009 and Minsheng wrote off its
investment.
(Econ, 5/15/10, SR p.18)
2008 Jan 10, Ed Jew resigned
from his seat on the SF Board of Supervisors effective as of noon on
Jan 11. Carmen Chu (29), Jew’s temporary replacement, agreed to
finish his term.
(SFC, 1/11/08, p.A1)(SFC, 1/12/08, p.B1)
2008 Jan 28, In SF one worker
was killed and 2 others badly injured when a 5-story tower of a
decommissioned power plant collapsed during demolition in the
Hunters Point neighborhood.
(SFC, 1/29/08, p.D2)
2008 Feb 9, In San Mateo
County, Ca., police found John Alfred Dennis Jr. (59), an Oakland
historian and respected college teacher, slain in a vehicle at
Montara State Beach. The driver of the vehicle was arrested.
(SFC, 2/11/08, p.D1)
2008 Feb 19, The SF-based
Sharper Image retailer filed for bankruptcy protection. The
184-store chain planned to close 96 stores nationwide. The Sharper
Image brand name was later sold to Hilco Organization and Gordon
Brothers Group LLC for $33 million in partnership with Windsong
Brands LLC and Bluestar Alliance.
(SFC, 3/8/08, p.C1)(SSFC, 6/29/08, p.C5)
2008 Feb 22, California state
Senator Leland Yee introduced a bill to let Daly City purchase the
68-acre Cow Palace property, owned by the state, and tear it down
for redevelopment.
(SFC, 2/28/08, p.A1)
2008 Feb 26, In SF the New
College of California received official word that the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) had revoked
accreditation. The school was forced to close later this year.
Kaushal Niroula, an exchange student from Nepal, contributed
significantly to the school’s closure following a binge of graft and
murder.
(SFC, 2/28/08, p.B1)(SSFC, 5/23/10, p.A1)
2008 Feb 28, In SF the new
InterContinental Hotel opened at Fifth and Howard streets just in
time for the 75th annual meeting of the American Academy of
Orthopedic Surgeons.
(SSFC, 2/24/08, p.C1)
2008 Mar 11, The SF Board of
Supervisors passed a law requiring chain restaurants to post
nutrition information on their menus.
(SFC, 3/12/08, p.C1)
2008 Mar 21, The California
Academy of Science named David Mindell (55), a human evolutionary
researcher at the Univ. of Michigan as the institution’s new science
chief. The new academy building in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park
was due to open in 6 months.
(SFC, 3/22/08, p.B1)
2008 Mar 22, Michael Kassel
(54), San Francisco blues musician (the Hellhounds) poet known as
Vampyre Mike, died after a long illness. His books included
“Graveyard Golf” and “Going for the Low Blow.”
(SSFC, 4/20/08, p.B6)
2008 Mar 29, In SF Philip Ng
(24) and Ernad Joldic (21) were shot and killed in a car at
Excelsior and Athens Street. In 2009 Erick Lopez, an alleged member
of MS-13 street gang, was indicted for the killings.
(SFC, 10/23/09, p.A12)
2008 Apr 9, The California
Supreme Court rejected San Francisco’s appeal of a lower court
ruling that limited its ability regulate handguns as approved by
voters in 2005.
(SFC, 4/10/08, p.B1)
2008 Apr 9, In SF officials
rerouted the rout of the Beijing Olympic torch at the last minute
avoiding most protestors and spectators.
(SFC, 4/10/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 10, In San Francisco
Luis Solari (38) was shot and killed in an apparent incident of road
rage. His 2 young sons survived as his car spun out of control
before stopping on I-280.
(SFC, 4/11/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 21,
It was reported that the 4th generation Oqo Model 02 personal
computer, which weighed one pound and clipped onto a belt, was
available for a starting price of $1,300. It had been developed over
the last 8 years in SF in a venture begun by former Apple and IBM
engineers.
(SFC, 4/21/08, p.D1)
2008 Apr 24, James Day (89),
co-founder of San Francisco’s KQED TV station (1954), died in NYC.
In 1995 he published “The Vanishing Vision: The Inside Story of
Public Television.”
(SFC, 4/30/08, p.B9)
2009 Apr 25, In San Francisco
Anthony’s Cookies held its grand opening at 1417 Valencia Street.
(http://tinyurl.com/yae5jzv)(SFC, 12/7/09, p.E1)
2008 May 18, In SF the 97th
running of the Bay to Breakers drew some 60,000 participants, of
which 33,000 had officially registered.
(SFC, 5/19/08, p.A1)
2008 May 23, George Frederick
Jewett Jr. (81), former director of Potlatch Corp.,, philanthropist
and sailing buff, died in SF. He had chaired 5 America’s Cup
syndicates.
(SFC, 5/26/08, p.B3)
2008 May 25, SF held its 30th
annual Carnaval parade on Mission Street.
(SFC, 5/26/08, p.B2)
2008 May 29, A judge in SF
sentenced Mark Allen Davis of Tiburon, Ca., to 81 months in prison
and to pay over $328,000 in restitution for mail and wire fraud and
identity theft charges. He had falsely promised customers
information on government foreclosures using ads in over 100
newspapers across the US from 2004-2007.
(SFC, 5/31/08, p.B3)
2008 May, In San Francisco Juan
Rodriguez was shot and killed on the 800 block of Huron Street. In
2009 Jonathan Cruz-Ramirez, an alleged member of the MS-13 street
gang, was charged with the murder.
(SFC, 10/23/09, p.A12)
2008 Jun 3, SF voters (61%)
approved Proposition G endorsing plans for a major housing and
commercial development at the Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick
Point. Voters also passed Proposition A, a $198 annual school parcel
tax, which would expire in 2028.
(SFC, 6/4/08, p.A1, B1)(SFC, 6/5/08, p.B1)
2008 Jun 8, The new $47.5
million SF Contemporary Jewish Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind,
opened on Jessie Square next to St. Patrick’s Church on Mission St.
It was created in the former 1907 PG&E power station designed by
Willis Polk.
(SSFC, 6/8/08, p.A1)
2008 Jun 10, SF supervisors
gave final approval to a program to create a $3 million fund to
provide rebates for residents and businesses that install solar
power systems.
(SFC, 6/11/08, p.B3)
2008 Jun 13, In SF it was
reported that Ingersoll-Rand of Montvale, NJ, had agreed to hand
over 12.3 acres, that included the former Schlage Lock Co. factory
in Visitacion Valley, to Universal Paragon Corp. after the developer
agreed to drop a $100 million lawsuit alleging polluted groundwater
at an adjacent parcel. New development at the site will include
1,250 residential units, 3 parks and several stores.
(SFC, 6/13/08, p.D1)
2008 Jun 21, In SF a father and
2 sons were shot and killed in the Excelsior district during a minor
traffic encounter. On Jun 25 Edwin Ramos (21), an alleged member of
MS-13, was arrested in El Sobrante on murder charges.
(SFC, 6/26/08, p.A1)
2010 Jun 30, The San Francisco
fiscal year ended. Parking meter revenue generated $38 million for
the fiscal year. Revenue from expired meter fines added almost $29
million. Meter rates have been raised in 1992, 2003, 2005 and 2009.
(SFC, 10/7/10, p.A10)
2008 Jul 7, Bruce Conner
(b.1933), SF-based artist, died. His collages and prints looked back
to classics of surrealism. His work was later said to look like a
bridge between the Beat generation and postmodernism.
(http://daily.greencine.com/archives/006353.html)(SFC, 7/8/08,
p.B5)(SFC, 5/4/09, p.E3)
2008 Jul 11, In San Francisco
Armando Estrada (30) of Rodeo, Ca., was shot and killed at 20th and
Mission streets. In 2009 Jonathan Cruz-Ramirez and Guillermo
Herrera, alleged members of the MS-13 street gang, were charged with
the murder.
(SFC, 10/23/09,
p.A12)(www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=91505)
2008 Jul 13, Terry Childs (43),
a San Francisco computer engineer, was arrested on felony charges
for allegedly plotting to hijack the city’s computer system. Childs,
who continue to draw his $127,735 annual salary, refused to provide
passwords to the network system and was held in lieu of a $5 million
bail. Mayor Newsom met with Childs on July 21, who provided system
code. Cisco engineers had the system back under control by July 22.
On April 27, 2010, Childs was convicted of felony computer
tampering. On April 27, 2010, a Superior Court jury concluded that
his crime cost the city over $200,000, making him eligible for a
maximum state sentence of 5 years. On Aug 6, 2010, Childs was
sentenced to 4 years in prison.
(SFC, 7/16/08, p.B1)(SFC, 7/23/08, p.B1)(SFC,
4/28/10, p.C1)(SFC, 8/7/10, p.C2)
2008 Jul 29, The SF Board of
Directors voted 8-3 to ban the sale of tobacco products at most
pharmacies in the city.
(SFC, 7/30/08, p.B1)
2008 Jul 30, In SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom signed into law a $6.5 billion city budget.
(SFC, 7/31/08, p.B1)
2008 Jul 31, Ivan Miranda (14)
was killed in the SF Excelsior district in a gang motivated attack.
Rony Aguilera (17), an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was charged
in the sword attack. Aguilera had veen arrested in 2007 in an
assault case, but was not referred to federal authorities under a
recently discarded city sanctuary ordnance. In 2009 Walter
Chinchilla-Linar (23) and Cesar Alvarado (19), alleged members of
MS-13 street gang, were charged with the stabbing death of Miranda.
(SFC, 11/14/08, p.A1)(SFC, 10/23/09, p.A12)
2008 Aug 3, Some 19,000 runners
participated in the 31st annual SF Marathon. Chad Worthen (34) of
Sacramento won with a time of 2:31:52. Lauren Gustafson of Millbrae
won among the women with a time of 2:52:33.
(SFC, 8/4/08, p.B1)
2008 Aug 4, In SF Mayor Newsom
signed into law stringent green building codes for new construction
and renovations of existing structures in the city.
(SFC, 8/5/08, p.B1)
2008 Aug 9, In SF the 10th
annual Gumball 3000 Rally, an 8-day, 3,000 mile trip across the West
Coast, North Korea and China, began with a parade that included some
100 participants who had apparently paid the $120,000 entrance fee.
(SSFC, 8/10/08, p.B3)
2008 Aug 29, In SF the 4-day
Slow Food Nation opened at the Civic Center Plaza and continued at
Fort Mason, where tickets to the Taste Pavilion sold for $65. The
Slow Food movement had begun in Italy in 1986.
(SSFC, 8/31/08, p.A1)(Econ, 9/13/08, p.38)
2008 Aug 31, SF closed vehicle
traffic to 4.5 miles of its waterfront streets for the city’s first
Sunday Streets day encouraging thousands to come out for the 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. event.
(SFC, 9/1/08, p.A1)
2008 Aug, The Friends School
opened in SF in the former Levi Strauss clothing factory on Valencia
St. The building was re-designed by Pfau Long Architecture.
(SFC, 9/15/09, p.E2)
2008 Sep 2, In SF, Ca., Mark
Guardado (45), president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells
Angels Motorcycle Club, was shot and killed during a fight in the
Mission District. Christopher Ablett (37) of Modesto, a member of
the Mongols Motorcycle Club, was later identified as a suspect in
the killing. Ablett surrendered to police in Oklahoma on Oct. 4.
(SFC, 9/4/08, p.B1)(SFC, 9/12/08, p.B1)(SFC,
10/7/08, p.B3)
2008 Sep 5, In SF Western
artist Thom Ross displayed 100 wooden Indians on horseback on the
same stretch of Ocean Beach that was used in a 1902 photo of Buffalo
Bill Cody and his Wild West Show featuring live Indians on
horseback.
(SFC, 9/6/08, p.A1)
2008 Sep 13, In San Francisco
Tong Van Le left his store in Bernal Heights and headed home to
Novato where 5 men, who had followed him, shot him dead with a
high-powered rifle. They had allegedly been told to get rid of Tong
Le by Larry Blay Jr. (19), who was in jail on charges of robbing the
Nasser Market on Crescent Ave. Sep 13. With no witness the case
against Blay was dismissed in October. In June, 2009, an indictment
accused Blay and 4 of the 5 defendants of murder and conspiracy.
(SFC, 6/17/09, p.B1)(SFC, 7/29/09, p.D3)
2008 Sep 12, The SF Opera said
it had received a commitment from board chairman John A. Gunn (64)
and wife Cynthia Fry Gunn for a gift of $40 million. John Gunn
served as chairman and CEO of Dodge and Cox Investment Managers.
(SFC, 9/13/08, p.A2)
2008 Aug 31, BJ Papa (72),
influential SF jazz musician, died in North Beach. He was born as
William Jackson in Alabama and got the jazz bug while stationed at
Letterman Hospital in SF.
(SFC, 9/17/08, p.B5)
2008 Sep 21, Oracle’s 5-day
OpenWorld customer conference opened in SF with some 43,000 people
attending.
(SFC, 9/22/08, p.D1)
2008 Sep 27, Kirsten Brydum
(25), a community activist from San Francisco, was robbed and
murdered while bicycling in New Orleans. She had helped organize the
“Really, Really Free Market” held monthly in San Francisco’s Dolores
Park.
(SFC, 10/3/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 4, In SF the 8th
annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, backed by financier
Warren Hellman, continued or its 2nd day in Goldengate Park with an
audience of some 40,000. The next day the festival drew some 100,000
fans. SF also celebrated its annual LoveFest, begun in 2004, with a
downtown parade that drew tens of thousands of spectators.
(SSFC, 10/5/08, p.B1,B3)(SFC, 10/6/08, p.E1)
2008 Oct 6, It was reported
that Atherton, Ca., philanthropist Lorry Lokey (81) had pledged $75
million to the Stanford Univ. School of Medicine for a major stem
cell research center. In 2007 he had pledged at least $33 million.
(SFC, 10/6/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 9, Wells Fargo
& Co. proceeded with plans to acquire Wachovia as Citigroup said
it would not pursue additional legal actions to halt the takeover.
The Federal Reserve approved the acquisition on Oct 12.
(SFC, 10/10/08, p.A1)(SFC, 10/13/08, p.A15)
2008 Oct 10, Ed Jew, former San
Francisco supervisor, pleaded guilty to one count each of mail
fraud, bribery and extortion as part of a scheme to shakedown
Chinese immigrant owners of tapioca drink shops in the sunset
District for $84,000 in bribes. In 2009 he was sentenced to 64
months in federal prison.
(SFC, 10/11/08, p.B1)(SFC, 4/4/09, p.A1)
2008 Oct 19, In San Francisco
over 20,000 runners took part in the 5th annual Nike’s Women’s
Marathon. They raised over $18 million for leukemia and lymphoma
research. Arien O’Connell (24) of NYC ran the fastest time, but did
not win because she did not register as an “elite” runner. On Oct 22
Nike recognized O’Connell as “a winner” in the race.
(SFC, 10/20/08, p.B1)(SFC, 10/21/08, p.B1)(SFC,
10/23/08, p.A1)
2008 Oct 22, Federal
immigration officials arrested several members of the MS-13, Mara
Salvatrucha, street gang after conducting raids in SF, Richmond and
south San Francisco. 29 people were indicted on multiple charges
including murder, car theft and extortion.
(SFC, 10/23/08, p.B8)(SFC, 10/24/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 24, Merl Saunders
(b.1934), jazz pianist, died in SF. He was best known as co-captain
of guitarist Jerry Garcia’s solo excursions outside the Grateful
Dead.
(SFC, 10/25/08, p.B1)
2008 Oct 30, In California
Randall Cover (46), a former city of Sonoma Water Department
supervisor, was indicted by a federal grand jury in SF for receiving
$102,795 in kickbacks from Underground Express. In November a suit
was filed against 2 former employees of San Francisco’s Public
Utilities Commission for taking thousands of dollars in kickbacks
from Sheldon Morris and his Novato plumbing company, Underground
Express.
(SFC, 11/1/08, p.B2)(SFC, 11/25/08, p.B1)
2008 Nov 5, In San Francisco,
Ca., Charles Heard shot and killed Richard Barrett (29) outside the
Fuse Bar in North Beach. Barrett had refused to give up his
Flintstones’ Bamm-Bamm pendant. In 2010 Heard (25) was convicted of
first degree murder under the felony murder rule.
(SFC, 7/2/10, p.C2)
2008 Nov 11, Tim Lincecum,
pitcher for the SF Giants, was named winner of the Cy Young Award.
(SFC, 11/12/08, p.A1)
2008 Nov 23, In San Francisco’s
North Beach Brian Goggin unveiled his art installation, “Language of
the Birds,” a $120,000 effort that involved hundreds of people.
(SFC, 11/24/08, p.A1)
2008 Dec 1, A federal jury in
SF cleared Chevron Corp. of responsibility for any human rights
abuses during a violent protest on a company oil platform in Nigeria
a decade ago.
(AP, 12/2/08)
2008 Dec 9, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom announced $71 million in cuts that included the loss of jobs
for nearly 400 city employees.
(SFC, 12/10/08, p.A1)
2008 Dec 20, San Francisco
Police Chief Heather Wong (52) announced her retirement. She became
the city’s first female police chief nearly 5 years ago.
(SSFC, 12/21/08, p.A1)
2008 Dec 31, SF ended the year
with 98 homicides. In Milwaukee, Wisc., the total number of
homicides dropped 32%, from 105 in 2007 to 71 in 2008, the lowest
number since 1985. Detroit had 344 slayings, a 13% drop from the 396
in 2007; Philadelphia's 332 killings were a 15% drop from the 392 in
2007; and the 234 homicides in Baltimore were 17% less than the 392
the year before. Cleveland recorded 102 homicides in 2008, down from
a 13-year high of 134 in 2007. Homicides in New York rose 5.2%, to
522 from 496 the year before. Slayings in Los Angeles were down to
376 in 2008 compared to 400 the prior year. Preliminary data in
Chicago showed 508 homicides were reported in 2008, the first time
the city had more than 500 murders since 2003 and about 15% more
than the 442 homicides reported in 2007. Washington, D.C., ended
2008 with 186 homicides, up from 181 in 2007.
(SFC, 1/2/09, p.1)(AP, 1/3/09)
2008 Willie Brown, former mayor
of SF (1996-2004) and speaker of the California State Assembly
(1981-1995), authored his autobiography “Basic Brown: My Life and
Our Times.”
(WSJ, 2/7/08, p.D9)
2008 In San Francisco the
16-story Arterra residential tower, designed by Kwan Henmi, was
built at 300 Berry St.
(SSFC, 2/6/11, p.C2)
2009 Jan 2, In SF the AsianWeek
newspaper, founded in 1979, published its final print edition. It
planned to continue a presence online at www.asianweek.com.
(SFC, 1/1/09, p.C1)
2009 Jan 5, Alexander James
Trabulse (61) was arrested at San Francisco Airport, after arriving
from France. He had been charged 3 days earlier with mail fraud.
Authorities said he had sent account statements to investors in his
Fahey Fund that inflated the hedge fund’s returns by as much as 200
percent.
(SFC, 1/9/09, p.C1)
2009 Jan 8, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors elected David Chiu (38) as its first Chinese
American president.
(SFC, 1/9/09, p.A1)
2009 Jan 20, In SF Edgar Diaz
(23), a member of the Down Below Gang, was sentenced to 40 years in
federal prison after admitting that he took part in 3 murders:
Beverly Robinson in April 2004, and Kenya Taylor and Antoine Morgan
in June 2004.
(SFC, 1/21/09, p.B2)
2009 Jan 27, In SF the new $29
million SPCA pet hospital held its official grand opening.
(SFC, 1/27/09, p.B1)
2009 Feb 7, San Francisco
ushered in the Year of the Ox with its annual Chinese New Year
parade.
(SSFC, 2/8/09, p.B1)
2009 Feb 11, San Francisco city
leaders banned floats, beer and nudity for the upcoming 98th annual
Bay to Breakers run. On Feb 27 city officials agreed to allow nudity
and registered floats free of alcohol.
(SFC, 2/12/09, p.A1)(SFC, 2/28/09, p.B1)
2009 Feb 23, In SF Leticia
Hunter (33) was shot and killed in the Tenderloin district. On March
17 three men were charged with murder, assault and cocaine
trafficking conspiracy.
(SFC, 3/18/09, p.B3)
2009 Feb 23, California’s
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco introduced a bill to
legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
(SFC, 2/24/09, p.B1)
2009 Feb 27, San Francisco
handed out pink slips to 262 city employees, with most cuts coming
from the Recreation and park Dept., the Human Services Agency, and
the Dept. of Public Works.
(SFC, 2/28/09, p.B1)
2009 Apr 10, In SF a purse
snatcher knocked down Helen Canafax (63) near 680 Folsom street and
grabbed her handbag. Canafax broke her hip and was undergoing
recovery when she was found dead due to a blood clot on May 3.
(SFC, 5/13/09, p.B1)
2009 Apr 14, San Francisco
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proposed legislation for the city to sell
and distribute medical marijuana.
(SFC, 4/15/09, p.A1)
2009 Apr 21, San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom formally declared his 2010 campaign for
California governor.
(SFC, 4/22/09, p.A1)
2009 Apr 30, The San Francisco
Municipal Railway announced plans to raise adult bus and streetcar
fares, effective July 1, by 50 cents to $2.00, the largest one-time
raise in nearly a century. Sweeping service cuts were also approved.
(SFC, 5/1/09, p.A1)
2009 May 17, In San Francisco’s
98th Bay to Breakers race Sammy Kitwara (22) of Kenya won with a
time of 33 minutes, 31 seconds. Teyba Erkesso (26) of Ethiopia was
the fastest woman at 38:29. An estimated 62,000 ran as revelers
swilled beer despite rules banning alcohol in the 7.5-mile. Street
cleaners gathered up some 13 tons of garbage.
(SFC, 5/18/09, p.A1)(SFC, 5/19/09, p.B1)
2009 May 28, The San Francisco
Zoo agreed to pay $900,000 to brothers Amritpal and Kulbir Dhaliwal,
who survived a fatal attack by an escaped tiger on Dec 25, 2007.
(SFC, 5/29/09, p.B1)
2009 May, In San Francisco
scientists identified an exotic seaweed growing at the SF Yacht
Harbor at near Pier 40. The kelp known as Undaria pinnatifida,
globally recognized as one of the top 100 invasive species, has
plagued southern California harbors since 2000.
(SFC, 7/8/09, p.D2)
2009 Jun 1, San Francisco Mayor
Newsom unveiled a $6.6 billion budget for 2009-2010. He also urged
Santa Clara voters to reject a $937 million stadium project for the
SF 49ers.
(SFC, 6/2/09, p.A1)
2009 Jun 5, In San Francisco
Clyde Forsman (b.1915), singer and accordion enthusiast, died. He
was an initial member of San Francisco-based “Those Darn Accordions”
and gained notoriety for his full body tattoos.
(SFC, 6/12/09, p.B6)
2009 Jun 8, Harold Norse
(b.1916 as Harold Rosen), SF-based Beat poet, died. His books
included “Beat Hotel” (1960), an experimental cut-up novel, and
“Hotel Nirvana: Selected Poems: 1953-1973)” (1974).
(SSFC, 6/14/09,
p.B6)(www.beatmuseum.org/norse/haroldnorse.html)
2009 Jun 9, The SF School Board
voted 4:3 to allow the JROTC program to satisfy physical education
requirements, restoring the program to nearly its original condition
before a 2006 effort to kill it.
(SFC, 6/10/09, p.B1)
2009 Jun 11, In San Francisco
BART’s governing board approved a 6.1% fare hike effective July 1.
The minimum ride went up 25 cents to $1.75.
(SFC, 6/11/09, p.B1)
2009 Jun 16, San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom selected George Gascon, the police chief of Mesa,
Arizona, to replace outgoing Chief heather Fong.
(SFC, 6/17/09, p.A1)
2009 Jun 20, The SF Chronicle
displayed a picture of a 9x7x2 foot, miniature, toothpick construct
of San Francisco, created over the last 34 years by Scott Weaver of
Rohnert Park, Ca. Weaver spent some 3,000 hours creating the work.
(SFC, 6/20/09, p.B1)
2009 Jun 29, San Francisco held
its annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade.
(SFC, 6/29/09, p.A1)
2009 Jul 6, In San Francisco
crews cleaning a homeless encampment in McLaren Park discovered a
body later identified as Ronnie Brown (32), who was last seen in San
Leandro on Oct 20, 2007. Brown, aka Allah, was on parole for a
weapons conviction and had been associated with people connected to
Oakland’s Your Black Muslim Bakery.
(SFC, 7/15/09, p.A13)
2009 Jul 8, In SF Philip Day
(63), former head of SF City College, was charged with 8 felonies
for using public funds for political donations and other banned
expenditures.
(SFC, 7/9/09, p.A1)
2009 Jul 14, In San Francisco
Rev. Floyd Lotito (74), founder of St. Anthony’s Dining Room (1981)
died after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. The St. Anthony
free-meal program currently served nearly 2,600 meals per day.
(SFC, 7/20/09, p.C5)
2009 Aug 1, In San Francisco
David Wehrer (26) shot and killed himself when police caught up with
him 4 days after his partner, Robert Christopher (56), was found
dead in their Castro Street apartment.
(SFC, 8/17/09, p.C1)
2009 Aug 9, In San Francisco
Bruce Sherman (66), accordionist and singer of sea chanteys,
committed suicide.
(SSFC, 9/6/09, p.A2)
2009 Aug 16, In San Francisco
BART management and union leaders reached a tentative contract
agreement less that 6 hours before a planned strike to shut down the
regional rail system.
(SFC, 8/17/09, p.A1)
2009 Sep 1, In San Francisco
charges were filed against 5 workers of the Public Utilities
Commission and 2 workers at city approved vendors in a scam that
bilked the city of over $200,000 in goods from 2003-2007. Donnie
Alan Thomas and Miles Bonner, line workers making over $95,000 a
year, masterminded the scam. In 2011 thomas pleaded guilty to 4
felony charges. Hatim Mansori (11) was stabbed on his first MUNI
ride by himself. No footage of his assailant was captured. Mansori
suffered life-threatening wounds, but was recovering.
(SFC, 9/2/09, p.D2)(SSFC, 11/15/09, p.A13)(SFC,
9/20/11, p.C2)
2009 Sep 3, The San Francisco
Bay Bridge was completely shut down at 8pm to replace a 300-foot
section of the bridge as part of the project to replace the entire
eastern span by 2013. The bridge was expected to reopen on Sep 8.
The original estimated cost of $132 million was now projected at
$527.6 million.
(SSFC, 8/30/09, p.A14)(SFC, 9/3/09, p.A1)
2009 Sep 27, Donald Fisher,
co-founder of the Gap Inc. (1969), died in SF. He and his wife began
collecting art as they founded their blue jeans outlet and by 2009
the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection had become one of the world’s
largest private holdings of late 20th and early 21st century art.
(SFC, 9/28/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 1, A new Walt Disney
Family Museum opened to the public in the Presidio of San Francisco.
(SFC, 10/2/09, p.E2)
2009 Oct 2, In San Francisco
the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 9 free music festival, financed by
investment banker Warren Hellman. The 3 day event drew some 750,000
people.
(SSFC, 10/4/09, p.C2)(SFC, 10/6/09, p.C2)
2009 Oct 4, In San Francisco
Michael Bailey (26) of Baton Rouge, La., was shot and killed after
being lured with friends at the City Nights club by a woman, who set
them up for a robbery at the Alice Griffith public housing project.
On Dec 23 prosecutors charged 5 people in the killing of Bailey. 2
of the 5 suspects were still at large.
(SFC, 10/6/09, p.C1)(SFC, 12/24/09, p.C4)
2009 Oct 12, In SF Eric
Buschman (49) was stabbed to death on the 300 block of Athens Street
in the Excelsior District. On Oct 22 police arrested Charlie
Fonilloa Sekona (20), man who had been put into a mental health
program for assaulting a Costco worker, as a suspect. Police
believed the stabbing was random.
(SFC, 10/24/09, p.C1)
2009 Oct 13, Record one-day
rain fell in the SF Bay area with 2.64 inches recorded in San
Francisco. It was the worst October storm since 1962 and knocked out
power for 193,000.
(SFC, 10/14/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 15, Pres. Obama
visited San Francisco for a Democratic Party fundraiser.
(SFC, 10/16/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 19, It was reported
that almost 10% of SF Muni riders cheat on their fares.
(SSFC, 10/18/09, p.C1)
2009 Oct 22, SF city officials
broke ground on a project to rebuild San Francisco General Hospital.
City voters in 2008 had authorized an $887 million bond measure for
the project.
(SFC, 10/23/09, p.D1)
2009 Oct 27, Authorities
indefinitely closed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge after a rod
and a metal brace erected last month during an emergency repair job
fell onto the bridge's westbound lanes, startling a pair of drivers
who collided with the debris and leaving hundreds of others stranded
in their cars during the evening commute. Over 5,000 pounds of metal
crashed down onto traffic, totaling a couple of cars but leaving the
drivers largely unscathed. The bridge remained closed thru the
weekend.
(AP, 10/28/09)(SSFC, 11/1/09, p.A1)
2009 Oct 27, Prof. August
Coppola, creator of the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Tactile Dome,
died in Los Angeles. Coppola, a former trustee of the California
State Univ. system, cofounded CSU’s Summer Arts Program in 1985, and
was instrumental in pushing the SF Board of Education in 1992 for a
High School of the Arts.
(SFC, 11/4/09, p.C7)
2009 Oct 28, A San Francisco
judge ordered the closure of Pink Diamonds, a Tenderloin strip club,
a directed its operator, Damone H. smith, to pay at least $688,500
in fines after he violated a court order to bring the club into
compliance with local and state laws.
(SFC, 10/29/09, p.D1)
2009 Oct 30, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom announced that he was dropping out of the race for governor
of California.
(SFC, 10/31/09, p.A1)
2009 Nov 2, Traffic opened on
the SF Bay Bridge after 6 days of emergency structural repair.
Engineers expected that it would be closed again in few months for a
permanent fix.
(SFC, 11/3/09, p.A1)
2009 Nov 6, US banking
regulators shut down United Commercial Bank of San Francisco. The
government had invested $300 million from the Treasury’s Troubled
Asset Relief Program (TARP) in the parent UCBH Holdings. The assets,
loans and 63 branches of UCBH were sold to East West Bank of
Pasadena. China Minsheng Bank soon wrote off its 10% stake in UCBH.
In 2011 federal authorities filed criminal fraud charges against
former executives at the bank.
(SSFC, 11/29/09, p.D1)(Econ, 5/15/10, SR
p.18)(SFC, 10/12/11, p.D1)
2009 Nov 13, British
adventurers Mick Dawson and Chris Martin completed a 189-day record
voyage, begun on May 8, rowing their 23-foot, Kevlar boat across the
Pacific from Choshi, Japan, to San Francisco.
(SFC, 11/14/09, p.A1)
2009 Nov 18, A San Francisco
federal judge reduced the 9-year sentence of Pavel Lazarenko (56), a
former prime minister of Ukraine (1996-1997), by 11 months. The
judge also imposed a $9 million fine and nearly $26 million in
forfeitures to the US government, including the value of his sold
Novato mansion. Lazarenko was sentenced in 2006 for money laundering
and other charges. He was said to have amassed a $250 million
fortune in extortions following Ukraine’s independence in 1992.
(SFC, 11/17/09, p.C2)
2009 Nov 29, San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom led a 50-person Bay Area delegation to Bangalore,
India, on a 3-day trip to sign business deals as part of the San
Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative.
(SSFC, 11/29/09, p.D1)
2009 Dec 7, Rick Hendricks
(54), SF-based composer and steel guitar player, passed away of
brain cancer as a huge gathering of the musical cohorts and many
friends assembled at the Amnesia club, San Francisco's home of
bluegrass and roots music, on Valencia Street.
(www.cbaontheweb.org/read.asp?messageid=39821&search)
2009 Dec 10, In SF police
arrested 25 protesters a day after students barricaded themselves
inside the business school of San Francisco State Univ. to protest
fee hikes and budget cuts at the state’s public universities.
(SFC, 12/11/09, p.C2)
2009 Dec 11, SF Mayor Newsom
called on owners of commercial buildings to conduct an energy audit
within 5 years to secure their business license renewal. The results
would be provided to the city which would make the information
available in a public database.
(SFC, 12/12/09, p.A1)
2009 Dec 16, SF Mayor Gavin
Newsom struck a deal with the US Navy to acquire Treasure Island for
a guaranteed payment of $55 million over several years. Additional
considerations could make the package worth over $105 million to the
federal government.
(SFC, 12/17/09, p.A1)
2009 Dec 18, SF Controller Ben
Rosenfield released an audit that said Office Deport had overcharged
the city of at least $5.75 million worth of office supplies over
4½ years. Office Depot was beset by overcharging allegations
across the country.
(SFC, 12/19/09, p.C1)
2009 In San Francisco the
645-foot Millennium Tower, designed by Handel Partners was completed
at 450 Mission St.
(SSFC, 6/20/10, p.C2)
2010 Jan 5, The Ninth US
Circuit Court of Appeals in SF overturned Washington state’s ban on
voting by convicted felons. The ruling could extend ballots to
prisoners in other states.
(SFC, 1/6/10, p.C3)
2010 Jan 3, John Irwin (80),
former criminal turned writer and criminologist, died at his SF
home. Irwin was released from Soledad Prison in 1957 after serving 5
years for armed robbery. In 1967 He began teaching at SF Univ. and
founded Project Rebound, a program to help those coming out of
prison to go to college. His 6 books included “The Felon” (1970).
(SFC, 1/7/10, p.C3)
2010 Feb 3, In San Francisco
Timothy Syed Anderson (66), billed as a dermatologist, was charged
with 51 counts including practicing medicine without a license and
grand theft through deception. He had been implicated in fraud in
Sweden, before he left the country in 1996.
(SFC, 2/4/10, p.A1)
2010 Feb 3, Evelyn Haas (92),
philanthropist and patron of the arts, died in San Francisco.
(SFC, 2/4/10, p.C1)
2010 Feb 17, San Francisco
police along with state and federal agents arrested 28 suspected
gang members in a daylong operation to clear the “worst of the
worst” off the streets.
(SFC, 2/20/10, p.C4)
2010 Mar 5, In San Francisco,
Ca., some 15,000 city workers received pink slips as Mayor Gavin
Newsom reiterated his plan to rehire most of them within 2 weeks
under a shortened workweek of 37.5 hours instead of their current
40.
(SFC, 3/6/10, p.C1)
2010 Mar 5, Edgar Wayburn
(103), former 5-term president of the Sierra Club, died in SF. In
1999 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his years
of efforts in preserving wilderness.
(SFC, 3/8/10, p.A1)
2010 Mar 9, San Francisco
officials ordered the shutdown of all drug testing at the police
crime lab amid allegations that Deborah J. Madden (60), a former
technician, stole and used some of the cocaine she was supposed to
analyze. Madden had officially retired this month.
(SFC, 3/10/10, p.A1)
2010 Mar 12, San Francisco
mayor Gavin Newsom formally announced that he is in the race for the
office of California lieutenant governor.
(SFC, 3/13/10, p.A1)
2010 Mar 30, San Francisco City
Attorney Dennis Herrera sued the escrow firm Rehab Financial Corp.
after learning the company had abruptly shuttered its Huntington
Beach office and drained accounts holding city funds. The suit
accused the company of misappropriating several million dollars from
SF and at least a dozen other California cities.
(SFC, 4/1/10, p.C2)
2010 Apr 2, A federal grand
jury in San Francisco indicted Michael Anthony Nelson (38) of
Orlando, Florida, on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, computer
fraud and aggravated identity theft for allegedly hijacking a New
York attorney’s good name. In 1999 Nelson had stolen over $700,000
in loans by creating a fake bank and served 5 years in prison.
(SFC, 4/3/10, p.A1)
2010 Apr 22, In San Francisco
Alicia Parlette (28), former copy editor, died at UCSF of cancer.
Her diagnosis of incurable cancer at age 23 led to “Alicia’s Story,”
a 17-part series in the SF Chronicle.
(SFC, 4/23/10, p.C5)
2010 Apr 27, It was reported
that Fritz Maytag, owner of the SF-based Anchor Brewing Co., has
sold the company to the Griffon Group, run by Keith Greggor and Tony
Foglio.
(SFC, 4/27/10, p.A1)
2010 May 1, NYC police found an
"amateurish" but potentially powerful bomb that apparently began to
detonate but did not explode in a smoking sport utility vehicle in
Times Square.
(AP, 5/2/10)
2010 May 6, SFJazz unveiled
plans for the new 3-story, $60 million SF Jazz Center to rise at the
corner of Fell and Franklin streets.
(SFC, 5/6/10, p.A1)
2010 May 12, In San Francisco
Mayor Newsom presided over the official dedication of a 3-story,
15-ton Buddha sculpture, “Three heads Six Arms” by artist Zhang
Huan, to mark the city’s 30th anniversary sister city relationship
with Shanghai. The one year lease expired and the work was
dismantled on Feb 15, 2011, for return to Zhang Huan.
(SFC, 5/13/10, p.C1)(SFC, 2/14/11, p.C1)
2010 May 16, In San Francisco
some 60,000 people participated in the 99th Bay to Breakers run.
Lineth Chepkurui (22) of Kenya broke her record in the 12-km run
with a time of 38 min. and 7 sec. Sammy Kitwara was the winner for
the men.
(SFC, 5/17/10, p.A1)
2010 May 21, In San Francisco
the city planning commission approved a plan to open a medical
marijuana facility in the Sunset District, despite objections by
area residents.
(SFC, 5/22/10, p.C1)
2010 Jun 2, In San Francisco a
driver sent 4 bicyclists to hospital following a 6-minute rampage
over 3 neighborhoods in the Mission and Potrero Hill districts. The
car was found but the driver had escaped. On June 5 police
identified the suspect as David Mark Clark (39) of Albany, Ca. Clark
was charged on June 7 with trying to run down and kill bicyclists.
(SFC, 6/4/10, p.A1)(SSFC, 6/6/10, p.A14)(SFC,
6/8/10, p.C2)
2010 Jun 22, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors' 10-1 vote in favor of an ordinance requiring
cell phone retailers to disclose the phones' specific absorption
rate, or SAR, to customers.
(AP, 6/22/10)
2010 Jun 24, The California
Budget Project issued a report titled “Making Ends Meet.” It
estimated that a single adult must earn nearly $32,000 to live in
San Francisco and that 2 working parents with 2 children must take
in a little more than $84,000 to get by in the city.
(SFC, 6/25/10, p.D1)
2010 Jun 24, In San Francisco
Walter Shorenstein (95), a pre-eminent real estate developer, die at
his home. He controlled 130 buildings nationwide.
(SFC, 6/25/10, p.A1)
2010 Jun 27, San Francisco held
its 40th annual Gay Pride Parade undeterred by a fatal shooting the
previous evening in the Castro neighborhood.
(SFC, 6/28/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 2, Stanley Williams,
co-founder of San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theater (1981),
died at his home in SF. Quentin Easter, his partner and co-founder
of the theater, had died 9 weeks earlier.
(SFC, 7/5/10, p.C5)
2010 Jul 4, It was reported
that 5 electricians working for the city of San Francisco spent
years allegedly stealing from taxpayers, moonlighting on city time
and fraudulently billing to pay for suburban life styles. 5 members
of the Hetch Hetchy Power Crew were arrested in 2009. The spree had
gone of for about 4 years ending in 2007.
(SSFC, 7/4/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 19, San Francisco
welcomed Barcelona, Spain, as its newest sister city.
(SFC, 7/20/10, p.D1)
2010 Jul 27, SF supervisors
voted 10-1 to transform the abandoned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard
into a new waterfront community.
(SFC, 7/28/10, p.A1)
2010 Jul 28, SF arrested 2 Bay
Area women and charged them with embezzlement for allegedly writing
$2.6 million in bonus checks to themselves from Autonomy Inc.
(SFC, 7/29/10, p.C3)
2010 Aug 3, In San Francisco
federal authorities announced the seizure of over 200,000
counterfeit retail items at Fisherman’s Wharf valued at $100
million. 11 people were charged with conspiracy and smuggling. The
targeted network was accused of importing goods from China that
imitated 70 national and int’l. brands. Estimates of sham goods were
reported to account for as much as 7-8% of the world’s retail
economy.
(SFC, 8/4/10, p.A9)
2010 Aug 7, San Francisco began
charging a $7 fee for visitors to the arboretum in Golden Gate Park.
(SFC, 9/18/10, p.A1)
2010 Aug 7, The last bus
departed the San Francisco Transbay Terminal allowing demolition to
soon begin of the 71-year-old terminal.
(SFC, 12/2/10, p.C2)
2010 Aug 8, In San Francisco
German tourist Mechthild Schroer was killed by a stray bullet
outside a comedy club at 414 Mason. On May 4, 2011, police arrested
7 of 8 young men accused of taking part in a gang gunbattle that
left her dead.
(SFC, 5/5/11, p.A1)(SFC, 10/1/11, p.C2)
2010 Aug 10, A San Francisco
judge ordered Wells Fargo to pay its customers $203 million for
manipulating debit transactions to maximize overdraft fees.
(SFC, 8/12/10, p.A1)
2010 Aug 13, Geral Rosen (71),
American novelist, died in SF. His 7 books included “Blues for a
Dying Nation” (1972) and his autobiography “Cold Eye, Warm Heart”
(2009).
(SFC, 8/25/10, p.C8)
2010 Aug 15, In San Francisco
the 2-day Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival drew close to 80,000
people to 4 concert stages in Golden Gate Park.
(SFC, 8/16/10, p.C1)
2010 Aug 19, In San Francisco
the city’s Recreation and park Commission voted 6-1 to oust Stow
Lake Corp., the 67-year vendor at the Stow Lake snack bar and boat
rental, and replace it with an out-of-state vendor. 3 more public
hearings were scheduled prior to a vote by the Board of Supervisors.
(SFC, 8/20/10, p.C1)
2010 Aug 24, Attorneys general
in 17 US states demanded in a joint letter that SF-based Craigslist
remove its adult services section because the website cannot
adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and
child trafficking.
(SFC, 8/25/10, p.D1)
2010 Sep 3, SF-based Craigslist
yielded to pressure and removed its controversial adult services
section. On Sep 15 Craigslist said the shutdown was permanent.
(SSFC, 9/5/10, p.A1)(AFP, 9/16/10)
2010 Sep 10, A US federal
appeals court in San Francisco upheld a jury verdict clearing the
Chevron Corp. of alleged human rights abuses during a violent 1998
protest on a company oil platform in Nigeria.
(AP, 9/11/10)
2010 Sep 22, San Francisco’s
Recurrent Energy said it has agreed to be purchased by Sharp Corp.,
Japan’s biggest solar panel manufacturer for as much as $305
million.
(SFC, 9/23/10, p.D1)
2010 Sep 26, San Francisco held
its 27th annual Folsom Street Fair, a celebration of fetishes and
aggressive sexuality.
(SFC, 9/27/10, p.C1)
2010 Sep 30, San Francisco
officials secured a 4th in a series of injunctions against street
gangs. a judge approved an order singling out 2 gangs whose bitter
rivalry has left 10 people dead over the last 3 years in the
Visitacion Valley area.
(SFC, 10/1/10, p.A1)
2010 Sep 30, Vandals in San
Francisco severely damaged 3 golf course holes in Golden Gate Park.
The struck again on Oct 4. Damages were estimated at $75k-$100
thousand.
(SFC, 10/7/10, p.A1)
2010 Oct 3, San Francisco’s
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, sponsored by financier Warren
Hellman, drew some 350,000 listeners to Golden Gate Park. The 10th
annual weekend festival drew some 600,000 all together.
(SFC, 10/4/10, p.C2)
2010 Oct 3, The SF Giants
baseball team clinched a division title with a 3-0 win over the San
Diego Padres.
(SFC, 10/4/10, p.A1)
2010 Oct 6, San Francisco
unveiled new equipment allowing luxury liners to plug into the
city’s power grid, part of an effort to cut diesel suit along the
waterfront.
(SFC, 10/7/10, p.C2)
2010 Oct 11, The San Francisco
Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 at Turner Field to clinch the
National League Championship Series.
(SFC, 10/12/10, p.A1)
2010 Oct 23, The SF Giants won
a trip to the World Series. In Pennsylvania Juan Uribe hit a
tiebreaking homer off Ryan Madson with two outs in the eighth inning
and the Giants held off the Phillies 3-2 in Game 6 of the NL
championship series. This finished off the Phillies' bid to become
the first NL team in 66 years to win three straight pennants.
(AP, 10/24/10)(SSFC, 10/24/10, p.1)
2010 Oct 27, The SF Giants
battered the Texas Rangers 11-7 in Game 1 of the World Series.
(AP, 10/28/10)
2010 Oct 28, The SF Giants at
home won game 2 of the world series, 9-0, over the Texas Rangers.
(SFC, 10/29/10, p.A1)
2010 Oct 29, In San Francisco
Kathleen Horan (46) was beaten to death by Gary Scott Holland. She
had opened her door at 900 Chestnut to Holland who was posing as a
utility worker. On Nov 8, 2011, Holland (44) pleaded guilty to
murder and faced 25-50 years in prison. On Dec 12 Holland was
sentenced 50 years to life in prison.
(SFC, 11/9/11, p.C2)(SFC, 12/13/11, p.C2)
2010 Oct 30, In Texas the SF
Giants lost game 3 of the World Series 4-2 to the Texas Rangers
leaving SF up 2 games to 1.
(SFC, 11/1/10, p.A1)
2010 Oct 31, In Texas the SF
Giants won game 4 of the World Series 4-0 against the Texas Rangers
putting them up 3 games to 1.
(SFC, 11/1/10, p.A1)
2010 Nov 1, The SF Giants won
the Baseball World Series beating the Texas Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 in
San Francisco. Edgar Renteria blasted his second home run of the
2010 Fall Classic, a three-run shot, to win the championship.
Renteria had the game-winning hit in the 11th inning of Game 7 in
the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins.
(AP, 11/2/10)(http://tinyurl.com/29joxc3)
2010 Nov 1, Salesforce.com
announced the purchase of 14 acres in the Mission Bay area of San
Francisco and planned a new corporate campus to be built over the
next 10 years.
(SFC, 11/2/10, p.D1)
2010 Nov 2, San Francisco’s
Mayor Gavin Newsom was elected as state lieutenant governor.
(AP, 11/4/10)
2010 Nov 2, San Francisco’s
Board of Supervisors passed a law that cracks down on the popular
practice of giving away free toys with unhealthy restaurant meals
for children. The law, which would take effect on December 1, would
allow toys to be given away with kids' meals that have less than 600
calories, contain fruits and vegetables, and include beverages
without excessive fat or sugar. Mayor Newsom vetoed the measure on
Nov 13.
(Reuters, 11/3/10)(http://tinyurl.com/25458to)
2010 Nov 3, In San Francisco
tens of thousands of baseball fans flocked downtown to toast the SF
Giants' World Series championship and see their hometown heroes take
a victory lap in a ticker-tape parade.
(AP, 11/4/10)
2010 Nov 17, In San Francisco
some 300 students and UC employees protested at UCSF’s Mission Bay
campus as regents met on day 2 of a 3-day meeting. Expectations of a
6th tuition increase in 4 years triggered the protests. On Nov 18
tuition was raised 8%.
(SFC, 11/18/10, p.A1)(SFC, 11/19/10, p.A1)
2010 Nov 25, San Francisco
based Del Monte said it has agreed to be acquired by a group led by
KKR & Co. in a $4 billion deal. KKR, Vestar Capital Partners and
Centerview Partners agreed to pay $19 a share in cash and would
assume $1.3 billion in net debt.
(SFC, 11/26/10, p.C1)
2010 Nov 29, Richard Goldman
(b.1920), San Francisco philanthropist and founder of the Goldman
Environmental Prize (1989), died.
(SFC, 11/30/10, p.A1)
2010 Dec 31, San Francisco was
chosen to host the next America’s Cup in 2013.
(SFC, 1/1/11, p.A1)
2011 Jan 6, It was reported
that San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury Clinic, operating since 1967,
and Walden House, a substance abuse center started in 1969, had
agreed to merge.
(SFC, 1/6/11, p.C1)
2011 Jan 7, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 for City Administrator Ed Lee to
serve as interim mayor replacing Gavin Newsom, who was elected as
California’s Lt. Gov.
(SFC, 1/8/11, p.A1)
2011 Jan 8, The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors picked Supervisor David Chiu to serve a 2nd
term as board president.
(SSFC, 1/9/11, p.A1)
2011 Feb 18, SF-based novelist
Victor Martinez (56), died of cancer. His book “Parrot in the Over:
Mi Vida” was awarded the 1996 National Book Award for Young People’s
Literature.
(SFC, 3/4/11, p.C5)
2011 Feb 19, San Francisco
celebrated its annual Chinese Lunar New Year Parade, welcoming in
the Year of the Hare.
(SSFC, 2/20/11, p.A1)
2011 Feb 26, In San Francisco
snow fell briefly overnight on the city's Twin Peaks neighborhood
and some other areas with higher elevations.
(AP, 2/26/11)
2011 Mar 11, San Francisco
police began issuing warnings to homeless people enforcing an
ordinance that bans sitting or lying on sidewalks during daytime
hours.
(Reuters, 3/19/11)
2011 Mar 31, SF Giants fan
Bryan Stow was beaten and left in a coma following a game outside
Dodger Stadium. LA police on May 22 arrested suspect Giovanni
Ramirez (31). On June 20 Ramirez was given a 10-month prison
sentence for alleged gun possession.
(SFC, 5/23/11, p.A1)(SFC, 6/21/11, p.C2)
2011 Apr 6, Virgin America
Flight VX2001 became the first to land at San Francisco’s newly
remodeled Terminal 2. The 1954 structure had just undergone a $383
million upgrade.
(SFC, 4/7/11, p.A1)
2011 Apr 11, In San Francisco
the annual Goldman Environmental prize was awarded 6 people from
around the world. The winners included Hilton Kelly for his efforts
to cut pollution in Port Arthur, Texas; Francisco Pineda for
resisting mining in El Salvador; Ursula Sladek of Germany for
creating for reducing her community’s reliance on nuclear power;
Prigi Arisandi for her efforts to protect Indonesia’s Surabaya
River; Dmitry Lisitsyn for his efforts to protect the Russia’s
Sakhalin island; and Raoul du Toit for defending wildlife in
Zimbabwe.
(SFC, 4/11/11, p.A12)
2011 Apr 14, San Francisco
supervisors heard that the city’s overtime bill for this fiscal year
was on pace to hit nearly $40 million, $12 million more than last
year.
(SFC, 4/15/11, p.C4)
2011 Apr 18, Kevin J. Mullen,
former SF police officer and crime author, died at his home in
Novato, Ca. His 5 books included “The Toughest Gang in Town: Police
Stories from Old San Francisco” (2005).
(SSFC, 5/1/11, p.D9)
2011 Apr 21, San
Francisco-based PG&E CEO Peter Darby (58) said he would retire
at the end of the month in a bid to give his embattled business a
fresh start.
(SFC, 4/22/11, p.A1)
2011 Apr 26, SF Mayor Ed Lee
named Capt. Greg Suhr (30), a local 30-year veteran, as the new
police chief.
(SFC, 4/27/11, p.A1)
2011 May 11, Samuel Kioskli
(64), a former San Francisco ATM serviceman, was arrested during a
routine traffic stop in Phoenix, Arizona. On July 4, 2010, he stole
about 200,000 from six bank branches in SF and one in Daly City,
Ca., by replacing cash with counterfeit $20 bills.
(SFC, 5/27/11, p.C3)
2011 May 15, San Francisco
celebrated the 100th anniversary of its 7.46 mile Bay to Breakers
race. Organizer’s hired guards to confiscate alcohol and banned
iconic floats.
(SFC, 5/16/11, p.A1)
2011 May 19, San Francisco
Mayor Ed Lee signed legislation banning the unsolicited distribution
of Yellow Pages in the city.
(SFC, 5/26/11, p.C1)
2011 May 24, San Francisco
supervisors vote 6-5 to approve a $1.2 billion plan to transform the
Parkmerced area. 1,500 rent-controlled town homes will be replaced
with 7,200 units over the next 20-30 years.
(SFC, 5/25/11, p.A1)
2011 May 25, In San Francisco
the 5-day Int’l. Pow Wow travel convention, designed to sell
American vacation packages to tourists abroad, closed at the Moscone
Center. SF last hosted the convention in 1992 for the first time.
(SFC, 5/25/11, p.D1)
2011 Jun 1, San Francisco Mayor
Lee rolled out his first budget, a $6.8 billion spending plan for
the fiscal year beginning July 1.
(SFC, 6/2/11, p.A1)
2011 Jun 2, In San Francisco
firefighter Lt. Vincent Perez (48) was killed after being caught in
a flashover at a 4-story home at 133 Berkeley Way in Diamond
Heights.
(SFC, 6/3/11, p.A1)(SFC, 6/4/11, p.A1)
2011 Jun 4, San Francisco
firefighter Anthony Valerio (53) died of his injuries from the June
2 fire in Diamond Heights. He was the 2nd firefighter to die from
the flashover.
(SFC, 6/5/11, p.A1)
2011 Jun 6, David Henderson
(21), a former SF prep football star, was taken off life support
following a May 26 shooting that left him paralyzed from the neck
down.
(SFC, 6/8/11, p.C1)
2011 Jun 7, SF police killed
Joshua Camden Smith (25), a robber who had become known as the “Gen
X bandit,” due to his distinctive attire while holding up two banks
in Orange County.
(SFC, 6/9/11, p.C3)
2011 Jun 13, In San Francisco
an independent arbitrator ruled that municipal transport operators
must work under a contract they overwhelmingly rejected last week.
(SFC, 6/14/11, p.A1)
2011 Jun 14, Mongolia opened
its first official US consulate in San Francisco.
(SFC, 6/15/11, p.D1)
2011 Jun 26, SF held its 41st
gay pride parade. NYC held its 42nd.
(SFC, 6/27/11, p.A1,7)
2011 Jul 1, San Francisco cable
car prices rose a dollar to $6 following a recent $19 million
upgrade of the California Street cable car line.
(SFC, 6/28/11, p.C1)
2011 Jul 3, A San Francisco
BART officer shot and killed Charles Blair Hill (45), an apparent
transient, at the Civic Center Station. Hill had used a bottle as a
weapon and drew a knife on an officer.
(SFC, 7/5/11, p.C1)(SFC, 7/8/11, p.C2)
2011 Jul 6, SF Giants
management dismissed payroll manager Robin O’Connor (41) after she
admitted to diverting over $608 thousand to her personal bank
account. Further reviews found that she had diverted over $1.5
million to her own accounts since June, 2010.
(SFC, 8/31/11, p.A1)
2011 Jul 16, In San Francisco
Kenneth Wade Harding (19) was killed in a confrontation with police
in the Bayview district. Harding was wanted in Washington state in
connection with a July 13 killing. On July 21 police said Harding
died from a bullet allegedly fired from his own gun.
(SFC, 7/22/11, p.A1)
2011 Jul 26, San Francisco’s
Board of Supervisors approved a controversial $112 million contract
to send city refuse to a landfill just outside Wheatland, Yuba
County.
(SFC, 7/25/11, p.C1)
2011 Jul 28, Peter Berg,
co-founder of the Diggers and founder of the Planet Drum Foundation,
died in San Francisco. The Diggers were a radical community-action
group of activists and Improv actors (1966-68), based in the
Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
(SSFC, 8/14/11,
p.C9)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diggers_%28theater%29)
2011 Aug 8, San Francisco’s
Mayor Ed Lee (59) said he will run for a full 4-year term.
(SFC, 8/8/11, p.A1)
2011 Aug 14, The hacker group
known as Anonymous struck a Bay Area Rapid Transit website and
released customer information in retaliation for BART’s decision to
cut cellular phone service to prevent an antipolice protest in San
Francisco. Hackers carried out a 2nd attack on Aug 17 breaching the
website of the agency’s rank-and-file police.
(SFC, 8/15/11, p.A1)(SFC, 8/18/11, p.A1)
2011 Aug 22, San Francisco
police and BART authorities arrested 45 people in connection with
protests and demonstrations at Civic Center over the July 3 killing
of knife-wielding man and a wireless blackout on August 11. The
Civic Center and Powell stations were closed 4 times during the
afternoon commute hours.
(SFC, 8/23/11, p.A1)
2011 Aug 30, In San Francisco a
jury convicted 6 men of racketeering and conspiracy as members of
the MS-13 crime organization in the Mission district, which was
responsible for at least 3 murders in 2008.
(SFC, 8/31/11, p.C1)
2011 Sep 6, George Kuchar (69),
SF-based filmmaker, died. His over 500 low-budget films included
“Hold Me While I’m Naked” (1966) and “”The Devil’s Cleavage” (1975).
(SFC, 9/8/11, p.C4)
2011 Sep 8, SF police arrested
20-30 protesters at the Powell Street BART station. The station was
closed for 2 hours after officers determined that demonstrators were
creating unsafe conditions there. Protesters hoped to force BART to
disband its police force. 8-10 men in black hoodies smashed fare
gates, card readers and ticket vending machines at the Glen Park
Station.
(SFC, 9/9/11, p.C1)(SFC, 9/10/11, p.C2)
2011 Sep 17, The Occupy SF
movement began on Sep 17 with 6 people gathering outside the former
Bank of America center on California Street in solidarity with
protesters in NYC, who had set up camp in Zucotti Park near Wall
Street the same day.
(AP, 10/6/11)
2011 Sep 24, In San Francisco
40 or so naked men and one woman staged a nude-in at Castro and 17th
streets to support their right to wander in the buff.
(SSFC, 9/25/11, p.D3)
2011 Oct 5, In San Francisco
some 800 people marched downtown joining a growing movement whose
followers believe that the nation’s financial system is broken and
its distribution of wealth unfair.
(SFC, 10/6/11, p.A10)
2011 Oct 22, In San Leandro,
Ca., motorcyclist George Lopez (51) was run over and killed by the
driver of a paratransit van. Police believed driver Eddie Hall (31)
intentionally hit Lopez, who was riding with a group of Hells
Angels.
(SFC, 10/25/11, p.C3)
2011 Oct 25, In San Francisco
Democratic Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (45) of Castro Valley was
stopped by a security detail at Nieman Marcus after she left the
store with unpaid items worth $2450.
(SFC, 10/29/11, p.A1)
2011 Oct 28, In San Francisco
Rachael Marie Smith was sentenced to 2 years behind bars for
swindling 18 potential apartment renters out of $110,000. Smith was
also ordered to repay the stolen money.
(SFC, 10/29/11, p.C2)
2011 Nov 8, San Francisco’s
Interim Mayor Ed Lee was elected mayor under the city’s new ranked
choice voting system, becoming the first Chinese-American to be
elected as SF mayor.
(SFC, 11/10/11, p.A1)
2011 Nov 20, San Francisco and
Oakland authorities moved to take control of the Occupy protests,
raiding an offshoot of the SF encampment and clearing a new camp in
a vacant lot in Oakland. SF protesters in response shutdown Market
street for several hours.
(SFC, 11/21/11, p.A1)
2011 Nov 28, San Francisco City
College officials detected an infestation of computer viruses with
origins in criminal networks in Russia, China and other countries.
By mid January officials traced at least 723 Internet protocol
addresses to the Russian Business Network, a gang in the business of
stealing and selling personal information. The network disbanded
around 2008, but criminals were reportedly still collecting data.
(SFC, 1/13/12, p.A1)
2011 Dec 1, In San Francisco 5
members of the MS-13 gang were sentenced to life in prison for a
campaign of violence that included three murders in 2008.
(SFC, 12/2/11, p.C4)
2011 Dec 7, In San Francisco
police cleared the Occupy SF encampment in an early morning raid.
Demonstrators returned in the evening and clashed with police. A
half dozen people were arrested, but police pulled back as
demonstrators refused to leave Justin Herman Plaza.
(SFC, 12/8/11, p.C1)
2011 Dec 11, San Francisco
police cleared the city’s last remaining Occupy protest camp
arrested 55 people in front of the Federal Reserve Bank at 101
Market St.
(SFC, 12/12/11, p.C2)
2011 Dec 5, In San Francisco
Clifton Sanders (41), a former city health inspector, was arrested
taking bribes of 100-200 from local restaurants in 2007-2008. Ajamu
Stewart (54), another SF health inspector, was arrested for similar
charges Dec 8.
(SFC, 12/15/11, p.C2)
2011 Dec 15, In San Francisco a
caller told police that there was a body in a second-floor room of
the Broadway Hotel at 2048 Polk St. near Broadway. The medical
examiner concluded the man was the victim of a homicide. Friends at
the Broadway Hotel identified the man as Robert Slivoski (68).
(SFC, 12/17/11, p.C5)(http://tinyurl.com/brjrprw)
2011 Dec 18, Warren Hellman
(b.1934), San Francisco financier and sponsor of the annual Hardly
Strictly Bluegrass festival, died from complications of leukemia.
(SFC, 12/18/11, p.A1)
2012 Jan 1, The minimum wage in
San Francisco rose 32 cents to $10.24 an hour.
(SSFC, 1/1/12, p.A1)
2012 Jan 6, Salesforce.com
signed an 18-year, 400,000-square-foot lease at 50 Fremont St. in
San Francisco for nearly $340 million. The software company was
founded by Marc Benioff in a Telegraph Hill apartment in 1999.
(SFC, 1/7/12, p.A1)
2012 Feb 2, The US national
Football League announced it would give the SF 49ers $200 million
loans and straight payments for its new $1 billion stadium in Santa
Clara, Ca.
(SFC, 2/3/12, p.C1)
2012 Feb 17, The westbound top
deck of the SF Bay Bridge was closed until Feb 21 as work progressed
on the new eastern span set to open Labor Day 2013.
(SFC, 2/18/12, p.A1)
Go to
http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = SF
End of file