Benjamin Wachs

Gavin Newsom's TV Debut Imminent: Flee While You Can

A public safety notice on SFGate today warned the general public of potential exposure to former San Franciscan Gavin Newsom's imminent television debut. Per the warning, our erstwhile mayor and apparently bored silly lieutenant governor will on May 18 commence chatting with "stars" such as Lance Ar ... More >>

Theater Podcast: Berkeley Rep's Ghost Light Confounds Our Critics

​Some plays need to be hashed over with a friend. SF Weekly theater reviewers Lily Janiak and Benjamin Wachs recently caught Ghost Light, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre's ambitious exploration of the son of assassinated San Francisco mayor John Moscone finding himself haunted by his father's dea ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

SF Weekly Letters

SF Weekly Letters

Guardian Defends the Status Quo -- Again

​Whenever SF Weekly pens a cover story critiquing the inefficient, unaccountable nature of San Francisco's government, the Guardian can be counted on to spring forth with a spirited defense of the status quo. Apparently, defending the status quo is what makes you a real progressive in this city, c ... More >>

Alms Day: Hundreds Beg for Nonprofit Funding at City Hall

Matt SmithA festive Alms Day at City Hall​In this year's iteration of an annual ritual, hundreds of workers and beneficiaries of the public agencies and nonprofits that serve San Francisco's needy mobbed City Hall Friday. They all hoped for a chance to speak at a special Budget and Finance Committ ... More >>

Dear David Chiu: Come Pick Up Your Campaign Signs

Last callDear David Chiu:It has come to SF Weekly's attention that you are missing a bunch of "David Chiu for Mayor" signs.Don't worry. They are safe. Your campaign manager's boyfriend left them at Martuni's last night, but we were able to secure them before the bar backs disposed of your critical m ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

SF Weekly Letters

SF Weekly Letters

SF Weekly Letters

San Francisco's Only Gun Shop Could Lose Permit Today

High Bridge ArmsIs this an endangered sight in the Mission? ​High Bridge Arms, the only gun shop in all San Francisco, may find itself outgunned at a police hearing today to reinstate its permit to deal firearms -- proving there are small, family-owned businesses San Franciscans would rather not h ... More >>

Dead Tree Digest: Police Brutality, Porn from the Past, and SF's *Other* Teabaggers in This Week's Print Edition

The Obi-Wan Kenobi of police brutality. A Tea Party Republican in lefty San Francisco. Pot smokers who fought the law -- and won. They're all crowded into the latest edition of SF Weekly.​Ever wonder who teaches cops to manhandle street punks? In this week's cover story, Matt Smith profiles Don Ca ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

We're On the Air: Joe Eskenazi and Benjamin Wachs Debate the Guardian's Tim Redmond on KQED Tomorrow

​Perhaps you remember our recent cover story "The Worst Run Big City in the U.S." by Joe Eskenazi and Benjamin Wachs. The story ruffled some feathers, to be sure, garnering a lot of comments on the Web site and a response from Tim Redmond, editor of  the Guardian, which was (too say the least ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

So, How *Does* the City Determine 20 Cents Were Needed In Its $90,670.20 Settlement?

Why the city felt it necessary to toss 20 cents onto a settlement of more than $90,000 remains a mystery​The phrase "And not a penny more!" certainly harks to bargaining scenes in 1930s-era Republic Serial-type pictures. But rarely do you see it actually employed -- and in the 21st century, no les ... More >>

We Asked 'What the Hell Is a Harlequin Object?' You Answered.

According to you the readers, a 'harlequin object' would involve placing something on a motorcycle such as thisYou wouldn't think it'd be too difficult to urge the Board of Supervisors to adopt the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child -- producing children seems to be what San Franci ... More >>

So Who's Responsible for the Ear-Bleeding Hold Music on 311? We Called 311 to Find Out

Callers to our municipal 311 information line are almost always given solid information from folks headquartered right here in downtown San Francisco (The receptionists at the Comcast call center, incidentally, are in Guadalajara. When I asked one gent if he was in San Francisco, he replied, "I wish ... More >>

San Francisco Is the 5th Most Literate City in America (Is That a Compliment?)

By Benjamin Wachs I'm not sure whether San Franciscans should be flattered or insulted that a study out of Central Connecticut State University ranked SF the 5th most literate American city. It seems kind of like it could go both ways, doesn't it?  On the one hand, SF cracked the top 10. On t ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: The Supes are Dead! Long Live the Supes! Plus: Why It Doesn't Matter Who the New Board President Is

By Benjamin Wachs I cannot imagine a board without Aaron Peskin, Jake McGoldrick and Gerardo Sandoval - let alone Tom Ammiano. As the old board reaches its end and transitions to the new this week, I find myself hoping that - like a bad sitcom - our departing cast members will come back as guest ... More >>

San Francisco: City of Ambiguity (Yeah, That's It, Ambiguity)

By Benjamin Wachs Yesterday a Chronicle headline proclaimed that our city has an "ambiguous attitude towards brothels" - because while it is the city's stated policy to close them, the city bureaucracy rarely does. That's because of "an ambiguous attitude"? You really want to go with that, Chronicl ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: Peskin Settles Score with Alioto-Pier

By Benjamin Wachs There is one meeting happening this week. On Tuesday, at 10 a.m., the Rules Committee (which, at this point, is Chris Daly and Bevan Dufty) will be getting together to discuss proposed appointments to the Historical Preservation Commission and the Small Business Commission. T ... More >>

Fong Retires with "Dignity"? Nope: Try "Perjury."

Every time I think the Mayor's office couldn't take 100 homicides any less seriously, he one-ups himself with a stunt like this. By Benjamin Wachs There's lies, damn lies, and then there's the stunt that Gavin Newsom and Heather Fong just pulled. Silent Fong's supporters are going on about how SF' ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: Who Wants to Play on Moscone Center's New Waterslide?

By Benjamin Wachs It could just be me, wading through the hell of Gavin Newsom's fevered imagination the way Peary crossed the arctic, but I kind of feel like all of San Francisco is governmented-out this week. The Mayor pummeled us with 7.5 hours worth of speeches last week, not a single minut ... More >>

"What We Ultimately Can Do Is Get It to a Whole 'Nuther Level by Automating All of Our Programs." - Gavin Newsom's Plan for Homeless Robots

By Benjamin Wachs This is part of our continuing effort to see if we can watch Gavin Newsom's entire State of the City address before it kills us. Click here for all the Newsom-isodes. Today Gavin is talking about the issue of homelessness, except when he's talking about panhandling. Homeles ... More >>

SF Gov. InAction: Quick, the Budget's in Trouble! Someone Cut the Community Justice Center or Something

By Benjamin Wachs Keeping with tradition, the Supervisors have taken a holiday weekend and turned it into an extended vacation. Their justification this time is that they all need the extra two days off to go see "Milk." Last year, it was to stand in line and buy iPhones, and the year before th ... More >>

SF Government InAction: We blame everybody. EVERYBODY!

By Benjamin Wachs San Francisco has managed to come out of the most hopeful election in US memory more divided than ever. It’s not because Prop 8 passed – everybody loses at some point in a Democracy. It’s because our search for someone to blame has now got us hating each other even more ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: Dirk Dirksen alley is back, non-profits pay surprisingly well, and hey - who wants to build a library?

SF Gov InAction: Overtime Report Catches City Departments Working! Democracy will Save the Eastern Neighborhoods!

Sorry Bloggers - The Internet is BAD for Kids' Brains

News & Booze Friday: Thou Shalt Build Condos!

News & Booze Saturday Edition - Can the City "Advise" the School District to Resegregate?

Podcast: News & Booze Friday - Dems Play with Themselves while MUNI Burns

SF Weekly Podcast: Saturday's News & Booze

SF Weekly Podcast: Friday's News & Booze

Bohemian Carnival, Laughing Squid, Heights Ultra-Lounge and R.E.M.: Your Monday Morning Hangover

Judge Orders ISP to Freeze WikiLeaks' Domain Name

Tiger attack claims life of public hearing

Uncle Sam says: “I Want You … tech workers!”

2007th Heaven: Recapping The Snitch’s Most Glorious Year On Record, Part V

SF's last chance to feel politically smug in 2007: Michigan chickens out on illegal immigrants driving

Counter-Intuitive Christmas Miracle Number 2: Religion Doesn't Cause Religious Violence!

Ethics Commission Rejects Increased Citizen Oversight, Because, Like, Computers Are Hard And Stuff

Armenian Genocide Resolution Blog Posting at SFWeekly.com Draws Armenian Ire

City of SF Sued, Settles, Armenians Definitely Genocided: It's! ...

Peace Out: The S.F. Weekly's Top-10 Suggestions of More Noble Nobels Than Our Pal Al

Butt Plugs, Butt Rape, and Bronstein as Butt of Hearst Joke: SF Weekly 8.15 -- Digested!

SF Schools: High-level talks result in ... progress!