California

"New California Writing 2011": Interesting Times for the Golden State Make Good Reads

Play Really Makes You Drink

Gay Marriage: What Will Really Happen If Same-Sex Couples Tie the Knot

It's hard to believe that never-ending debate over gay marriage is still even a debate -- particularly in a gay mecca like California. But alas, here we are -- living in a state more socially conservative than corn-choked Iowa, where same-sex marriage is no sin.But we get it. There are enough insecu ... More >>

California Leads The Nation in Imprisoning Criminal Immigrants

10 percent of California's inmates are non-citizens.​It's not a winning spot to brag about, but the Golden State is No.1 when it comes to incarcerating criminal immigrants. In fact, California is the only state to break the 100,000 mark. What's worse -- the state is shouldering the majority of the ... More >>

A Timeline of Fishing in the San Francisco Bay

10 percent of California's inmates are non-citizens.​It's not a winning spot to brag about, but the Golden State is No.1 when it comes to incarcerating criminal immigrants. In fact, California is the only state to break the 100,000 mark. What's worse -- the state is shouldering the majority of the ... More >>

What Fish You Can Buy, and When, in San Francisco

10 percent of California's inmates are non-citizens.​It's not a winning spot to brag about, but the Golden State is No.1 when it comes to incarcerating criminal immigrants. In fact, California is the only state to break the 100,000 mark. What's worse -- the state is shouldering the majority of the ... More >>

Medical Marijuana: Is it Good for the Taxman or Is it Good for the Doctor?

Whereas California needs money from pot​Operating a medical pot farm is no small feat --  especially when we know there are plenty of police and prosecutors who aren't, ahem, kind to the industry.  But growing this cash crop could become even more costly and no safer under new legislatio ... More >>

Sushirrito and Tataki South Remake Japanese Cuisine for American Appetites

Whereas California needs money from pot​Operating a medical pot farm is no small feat --  especially when we know there are plenty of police and prosecutors who aren't, ahem, kind to the industry.  But growing this cash crop could become even more costly and no safer under new legislatio ... More >>

New Questions Raised About State's Imported Lethal Injection Drugs

​Newly released documents raise questions about the quality of drugs imported from abroad by state corrections officials to carry out lethal injections, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.The documents, obtained by the ACLU through Freedom of Information Act (FO ... More >>

Are Oysters Dying Out?

No more oysters? Zut alors!​Oysters can definitively be counted among Things San Franciscans Love. Whether opening our wallets for those tasty bivalves at the Ferry Building or taking a Zipcar up to Tomales Bay for a picnic of raw shellfish, we show our love for the oyster in countless ways.So it ... More >>

Dreaming of of California at the Pizza Place on Noriega

​Every week I take the N-Judah out to Ocean Beach for work, just another speck among specks, stopping at the very end of the line and walking several blocks to my client's house. If I have time, I always stop in at the Pizza Place on Noriega at the corner of 46th Avenue. It's just like its name -- ... More >>

Audit: State Should Have Fired Incompetent Prison Shrink, Paid Him $600,000 Instead

​California's prison system wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars -- while putting prisoners at risk -- by continuing to employ a psychiatrist for years after it first received misconduct allegations that eventually led to his firing, according to a California State Auditor's report issued today ... More >>

Arizona More Progressive Than California? When it Comes to Marijuana, Yes.

In Arizona, what he does on his own time is his business. Not so in the Golden State.​Arizona's taken quite the beating from Californians recently, what with the red state's anti-immigrant, anti-civilization stance creating both headlines and policy. But Arizona's not all bad -- in fact, it ca ... More >>

Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Overcrowded California Prisons Today

Hot, flat, and crowded: San Quentin State Prison​The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments today in Schwarzenegger v. Plata, the landmark prison-overcrowding lawsuit that could eventually result in tens of thousands of state inmates being released.California has faced a lot of pro ... More >>

Taste Local Cheese for the Holidays (and a Good Cause)

​For obvious, if college-humor, reasons, our favorite of the twelve days of Christmas has always been the eight maids a-milking. Egg nog and Santa's glass of milk always have a place in the holiday celebrations, but why can't we include dairy in its more awesome and solid forms? The

Village Voice Media Response to Ruling in California Below-Cost Pricing Suit

​For more than a century, the California Supreme Court has interpreted antitrust law as protecting consumers from high prices, not protecting the profits of entrenched market leaders who fear competition. The Supreme Court's refusal yesterday to follow Justice Joyce Kennard's wishes and hear ... More >>

Court Rules Undocumented Students Can Pay In-State Tuition. Great, But a Job?

Waiting tables, Ben. Waiting tables. Wave of the future. ​ The California Supreme Court upheld a law yesterday that allows illegal immigrants who've attended California high schools for at least three years to pay in-state tuition at the state's public universities. Well, that's great news for the ... More >>

We Win! L.A. Has More High Earthquake Risk Hospitals Than S.F.

The SoCal sickly are fare more likely to die in collapsing hospitals than San Franciscans​Red-staters may fantasize about San Franciscans perishing in The Big One. But a recent California Watch report identifying which hospital buildings have the highest known risk of collapse suggests we get to f ... More >>

Local Dungeness Crab Expected Monday or Tuesday

cygnoir/FlickrDungeness photographed through the window of Swan Oyster Depot.​With any luck, Central California Dungeness will make their first appearance of the season Monday, Nov. 15, the date traditionally pegged for commercial boats to lower their crab pots in California waters from Point ... More >>

Bad Doctors' Ranks Swelling in Northern California, Report Finds

​A study commissioned by the Medical Board of California has made a bit of a splash, suggesting that the disciplinary process for misbehaving doctors hasn't been handled well by the office of Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown.As California Watch reports, the AG's office is ... More >>

California Economy Among Nation's Worst, Study Claims

Our new state seal ... or piggy?​The bad news for California: A recently released study named the Golden State's "economic outlook" to be the fifth-worst in the nation. The good news: There's always Illinois, New Jersey, Vermont and New York. Sucks to be them! Taking stock of California and surmis ... More >>

Bay Area Capitalists Outspending Big Oil in Last Stretch of Prop. 23 Battle

No longer so menacing​So much for the titans of the petroleum industry using their profits to bend voters and politicians to their will. It turns out the out-of-state oil companies behind the campaign to pass Proposition 23 -- the ballot initiative that would suspend California's landmark 2006 law ... More >>

California Has a Budget -- Only 100 Days Late

The lady and the bear have been waiting a long time...​Following an all-night session of wheeling and dealing -- and a record 100-day impasse -- the state senate moments ago approved a budget for California. Details on the budget -- and the most recent impasse -- are forthcoming; it closes a $19 b ... More >>

Report Touting Prop. 23 'Simply Nonsense' -- Stanford Prof

Matt SmithHere's what we'll do, y'see: We'll put out crazy-assed think-tank reports, and see if people believe 'em.​The Pacific Research Institute bills itself as a think tank that champions freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy solutions. But judging fr ... More >>

'California Stops' to Remain Illegal in California

​The governor gave the red light to a law that would have taken the sting out of our ubiquitous "California stops." AB 909 would have roughly halved the fine for turning right on a red light without stopping from the current $450 to an estimated $220. But, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger skewered ... More >>

San Francisco Roads Among Nation's Crappiest, Study Finds

That's one hell of a pothole there...​Aggressive local motorists driving as if they "own the road" may want to rethink that investment. A study released today by the Washington, D.C.-based transportation research group TRIP identifies highways and major thoroughfares in San Francisco as some of th ... More >>

NorCal Brewers Score Big at the Great American Beer Festival

Brian YaegerSocial Kitchen brewmaster Rich Higgins, manning the SF Brewers Guild booth in Denver.​As the 51-week wait for next year's 30th Great American Beer Festival begins, let's look back at the last few days in Denver, where 462 breweries converged inside the Colorado Convention Center, a ... More >>

California Faces Interstate Lawsuit -- If Voters Don't Pass Prop. 23

Don't touch that greenhouse gas, warn out-of-state attorneys general...​If California voters don't pass Proposition 23 -- which would pull the rug out from under the state's 2006 law limiting greenhouse gas emissions -- a gang of out-of-state attorneys general have threatened to file suit against ... More >>

Workers' comp covers retired cops who get cancer

Don't touch that greenhouse gas, warn out-of-state attorneys general...​If California voters don't pass Proposition 23 -- which would pull the rug out from under the state's 2006 law limiting greenhouse gas emissions -- a gang of out-of-state attorneys general have threatened to file suit against ... More >>

Ajisen Ramen Opens Tomorrow at Westfield Mall

Luis ChongThe first Northern California outpost of the Japanese chain boasts a huge menu.​As SFoodie previously reported, Japanese fast-food chain Ajisen Ramen is opening its first Northern California branch in the Westfield Mall. Located on the Concourse Level, flanked by Panda Express and R ... More >>

Bookie Site Lays Odds on Same-Sex Marriage

​The folks who will allow you to bet on anything -- really, anything -- are at it again. YouWager.com is laying odds on how many same-sex marriages there will be in California next week: How many marriage licenses will be issued in California the first week starting August 18th 2010 **Wager is for ... More >>

Spurned Varietal Tells Wine Writer to Go to Hell

The man (right) who fell out of love with Pinot.​Our favorite morsels from the blogs. The blogosphere is a cruel place. That must've occurred to local wine writer W. Blake Gray earlier this week, after the response to his clever piss-off post about falling out of like with Pinot Noir. Gray, ... More >>

Latino Catholics Strongest Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage, Survey Finds

Stan WiestComing to a same-sex wedding near you? ​A survey released today polling religious Californians revealed that Latinos both support -- and heavily oppose -- same-sex marriage. Que pasa? The poll, undertaken by the Public Religion Research Institute, found that the subset of religiously aff ... More >>

Baylinks: Facebook, Camels, & International Burritos

​Have a cat with your cocktail [Mission Loc@l]When camels roamed Berkeley [The Daily Clog]California schools debate whether Race to the Top is a race worth winning [SFGate]

Korean Americans Hate Gay Marriage Most, New Poll Reveals

FIFANot yet ready to root for same-sex marriage...​This morning the Field Poll published new results on California voters' support for same-sex marriage. On the whole, the poll was inconclusive. About 51 percent of those surveyed said they approved of gay marriage, with some 42 percent opposed. Th ... More >>

Meet California's Crappiest Employees

​The state auditor this week released yet another edition of what could be titled "California Employees Gone Wild" -- part of a recurring series exposing the folks you pay to work on your behalf cheating, robbing, and gouging the state. It's an entertaining read; a variety of dastardly deeds are r ... More >>

Is Allowing Low-Emissions Vehicles in Carpool Lanes A Good Idea?

Get ready for some company, lads...​If you're on the fence about whether your next car will be gas-guzzling Chevy Tahoe or gas-free Tesla Model S Sedan (only $49,900 -- such a bargain!)  this might help you make a decision.

Things Katy Perry Got Wrong About S.F. in 'California Gurls'

You're not speaking for our part of California, Katy and Snoop​Maybe it's because of Hollywood, the recording industry, the big, wide beaches, the weather, or the hilariously fucked-up crack at utopia that is Southern California, but the place's cultures, ideas and people seem to dominate musical ... More >>

Iran Away

You're not speaking for our part of California, Katy and Snoop​Maybe it's because of Hollywood, the recording industry, the big, wide beaches, the weather, or the hilariously fucked-up crack at utopia that is Southern California, but the place's cultures, ideas and people seem to dominate musical ... More >>

Forgot to Vote? Find Your Polling Place Here.

​According to a Field Poll only one in three Californians will be participating in today's primary election -- an all-time low. More than half of those voters have sent in absentee ballots -- meaning you probably won't be elbowing people out of the way at the polls today. You see? There's an upsid ... More >>

Federal Judge: California Cities Can Sue Wall Street

​A group of California cities and counties can proceed with a lawsuit alleging shenanigans by some of the world's largest financial institutions, a federal judge ruled today.In a decision delivered in federal court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Victor Marrero denied a motion to dism ... More >>

Dems Hop Bandwagon to Scuttle State Building Fire Sale

Your government in action...​Official fired for criticizing sale asked to air beefs in Sacramento next week; he says government is looking for "exit strategy." Top California Democratic Party players are piling on a movement to scuttle Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to sell 24 state buildings a ... More >>

Report: Plan to Sell off State Buildings Will Cost Taxpayers Billions

But there are many bad ideas to go 'round...​Investigation reveals plan to patch budget shortfall by selling California buildings includes hidden deal-sweeteners that gouge taxpayersIn March we reported that the state of California fired a San Francisco official who protested a plan to raise money ... More >>

City, County Officials Whisper 'Bankruptcy' to Solve Pension Woes

Wheeee!McClatchy Newspapers Pension Investigation: More Local Government Accounts Looking As Red As Bankrupt Vallejo's; California's 80 Largest City and County Governments Face $28 Billion Shortfall.SF Weekly Follow: Failure is no obstacle to the pension good life: CalPers records show $197,421 ... More >>

Big Rig Drivers Smoked in Quest to Loosen State Emission Standards

But don't Keep On Emittin' ... ​In a case involving a convoy of lawyers, federal judges ruled against a pair of truckers' organizations claiming the state of California's emissions standards were rigged.  Readers may be surprised to learn that the federal Clean Air Act gives California -- and ... More >>

List: Prop. 420

But don't Keep On Emittin' ... ​In a case involving a convoy of lawyers, federal judges ruled against a pair of truckers' organizations claiming the state of California's emissions standards were rigged.  Readers may be surprised to learn that the federal Clean Air Act gives California -- and ... More >>

The Morning Benders head east and pair with a Grizzly Bear

But don't Keep On Emittin' ... ​In a case involving a convoy of lawyers, federal judges ruled against a pair of truckers' organizations claiming the state of California's emissions standards were rigged.  Readers may be surprised to learn that the federal Clean Air Act gives California -- and ... More >>

Rolling From S.F. to L.A. on Seatless Bicycle Even Stupider Than it Looks

Stand up young man! California laws encourage seatless cycling, discourage seated kind.What could possibly be more inane than a publicity stunt in which an ultra-marathon runner rides from San Francisco to LA on a bicycle with no seat?How about California state legislation passed especially to enabl ... More >>

More Companies Join Class-Action Lawsuit against Yelp

There are nine new plaintiffs in the case against S.F.-based Yelp.​Nine companies have joined the proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp, the San Francisco-based Internet giant, attorneys in Miami and California announced this morning. The new plaintiffs are located everywhere from Tujung ... More >>

SFoodie's 92: Pizzetta 211 and the Garden-Fresh Pie

jen maiser/FlickrYou never know exactly what you'll find.​As a daily windup to the Weekly's Best of S.F. 2010 on May 19, we've teased out 92 of our favorite local dishes that taste like here. All the tasty details after the jump.