Articles Posted by FCJ Editor

  • Herrera Moves to Sue CPUC, Feds Over San Bruno Tragedy

    Herrera Moves to Sue CPUC, Feds Over San Bruno Tragedy

    “In the aftermath of the San Bruno tragedy, it has become increasingly obvious that blame must be shared by regulators who were either asleep at the switch or too cozy with the industry they’re supposed to regulate,” said Herrera. “The potential threat to human life and safety demands the strictest enforcement of federal pipeline standards. Yet while PG&E was flouting federal law, regulators did little to hold the company accountable. Congress enacted the Pipeline Safety Act to allow for legal actions like the one I am initiating to protect public safety, and I am confident a federal court order will help accomplish that. The potential risks to San Franciscans and others from further gas pipeline failures can no longer be ignored.”

  • Closing the Loophole in SF Health Care Ordinance

    Closing the Loophole in SF Health Care Ordinance

    The amendment, introduced by Supervisor David Campos, simply re-affirms the layman’s traditional understanding of a “health care expenditure” by allowing employees to carry over funds from health reimbursement accounts from year to year. At present, some employers are taking back unspent HRA balances at the end of the year, denying employees the use of those funds.

  • This is currently a hot topic

    Lies, Damn Lies, and “Safe” Nuclear Power

    Many problems AP found could trigger a nuclear disaster, including broken seals and nozzles, rusted pipes, aging facilities past their useful life, and numerous examples of shoddy maintenance and management laxity. Nonetheless, NRC officials rubber stamp license extensions, including 66 facilities over 25 years old re-licensed for another two decades, instead of responsibly shutting them down.

  • Sunday Streets Updates Bayview Route this Sunday

    Sunday Streets Updates Bayview Route this Sunday

    For the second year in a row, The Third Street Corridor Project, the Bayview Merchant Association and the Renaissance Entrepreneur Center will host the Bayview Music Festival in conjunction with Sunday Streets. This festival, which will feature live music, arts and local merchant exhibits and two cook-off contests, will take place on Galvez Avenue off 3rd Street near the Bayview Plaza.

  • Documentary of the Year: Lifting the Veil

    Documentary of the Year: Lifting the Veil

    Lifting the Veil is the long overdue film that powerfully, definitively, and finally exposes the deadly 21st century hypocrisy of U.S. internal and external policies, even as it imbues the viewer with a sense of urgency and an actualized hope to bring about real systemic change while there is yet time for humanity and this planet.

  • Mayor Lee, Elsbernd Introduce Consensus Pension Reform Measure

    Mayor Lee, Elsbernd Introduce
    Consensus Pension Reform Measure

    After months of working with labor leaders, business leaders, community-based organizations and the City family, the consensus reform measure would restructure San Francisco’s pension and health benefits. The proposed Charter amendment is co-sponsored by Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and Supervisors Carmen Chu, Malia Cohen, Mark Farrell and Scott Wiener.

  • Activists Rally for EIR: No Free Ride for AT&T Utility Boxes

    Activists Rally for EIR: No Free Ride for AT&T Utility Boxes

    Representatives from Walk SF, Sierra Club, and the Duboce Neighborhood Association spoke of the need for an EIR. At the center of the debate is a key decision related to how we use our public sidewalks—a topic several speakers emphasized. As background, voters approved a Sit/Lie measure in the November 2010 election that makes it illegal for individuals to sit or lie on public sidewalks in certain commercial corridors in San Francisco.