Community Justice Center

Happy Birthday, Community Justice Center!

​The controversial Community Justice Center, a special court that addresses low-level crimes and can directly refer defendants to social services, recently completed its first year of operations. How was this milestone celebrated? Special promotion: Commit six quality-of-life crimes, the sevent ... More >>

Baylinks: Milestones, Cat Hammocks, & Typos

​The Community Justice Center turns one. Only 365 days until the terrible twos! [SFAppeal]This tiger's all tied up. (PICS) [SFist]How to make your cat a hammock and further elevate its quality of life over yours. [Pawsome]Mobile knife sharpener, "Saucy Joe",  is packing up and moving to Grass ... More >>

San Francisco's Annals of Incompetence

It's Your Friday Morning News Quiz!

Jive...​Love! Labor! LOST! It's time for a Thanksgiving Week Friday Morning News Quiz! 1. Who is Laassad Bokri? A. The pizzeria chef senselessly stabbed to death on TuesdayB. The Film Commission head forced out by Gavin NewsomC. The Bollywood star detained at SFOD. The Giants' minor leaguer robbed ... More >>

It's Your Friday Morning News Quiz!

Can you answer Question No. 1? It's Chris Daly's world and the rest of us are just paying rent (you think we can buy in San Francisco?) It was another fabulous week in the city -- or did you black out and miss it, Muni-style? Let's see if you were paying attention: 1. Supervisor Chris Daly, cha ... More >>

San Francisco Has a Budget -- and Chris Daly Has Left the Building

Once more, for old time's sake. Lost somewhere between the news of Sacramento's impending raid upon municipal revenue streams and President Obama's comfy jeans, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors yesterday passed the city's contentious, agonizing $6.6 billion budget. This wasn't done without Super ... More >>

City conditions that may have stalled the Renaissance Faire

Double Whammy: Not Only Did Supes Pull Money Away From Mayor's Pet Community Justice Center -- They Also Gave Some to Public Defender

Audrey FukumanThe supes came for Newsom's pet court -- will they defund his whale next?By now, ardent followers of San Francisco politics may know that the Board of Supervisors' Budget and Finance Committee yesterday moved to financially starve -- and thus kill -- Mayor Gavin Newsom's pet Community ... More >>

California's First Openly Gay Superior Court Judge Hopes To Avoid Being 'Cubbyholed'

San Francisco Superior CourtJudge Ronald AlbersWhen new superior court judges are appointed by the governor, it's usually a three-paragraph story in the back of the paper. In Judge Ronald Albers' case, that was how it went -- and yet it didn't. It wasn't just another appointment for Gov. Arnold Schw ... More >>

Mayor Slashes Public Defender's Budget -- Despite Adachi's Extremely Public Campaign To Avoid Cuts

Richard BuiPublic Defender Jeff Adachi sticks to his gunsSan Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi tested out the old maxim about the squeaky wheel, hoping a preemptive publicity campaign would save his office from the city-wide cuts in next fiscal year's budget. But there's ... More >>

Public Defender Still Showing Up Every Day at Community Justice Center, 'Keeping Streets Safe From Perfume'

Jeff Adachi claims he's doing the work of three menJeff Adachi is walking through the Polk Street doors of the city's new Community Justice Center every day. The folks he's supposed to represent? Not as often. For the last two weeks -- in what is, depending upon whom you believe, either a theatrical ... More >>

Public Defender Says Stint at Community Justice Center Is No Stunt -- Pledges to Return Every Day

Jeff Adachi says see you at the CJCIt would raise eyebrows around the city if the fire chief grabbed a hose and doused a burning building, the planning director checked in for work behind the permitting counter, or the head of the Department of Public Works hosed human effluvia off city streets. And ... More >>

Adachi Straps Brick to Accelerator in Game of Budget Chicken With Mayor

Jeff Adachi personally showed up for this photo, tooAfter last week grumbling to SF Weekly that Mayor Gavin Newsom had welshed on his promise to provide a "couple of attorneys" to staff the city's fledgling Community Justice Center, Public Defender Jeff Adachi has resorted to theatrically ridiculing ... More >>

Public Defender Unapologetic About Playing Budget Chicken with Mayor, Says It's Impossible to Cut His Costs

Public Defender Jeff Adachi has no qualms about refusing to adhere to Gavin Newsom's demands he cut his budgetIn recent weeks, SF Weekly (and others) have covered the increasingly nasty public exchanges between Public Defender Jeff Adachi and the Board of Supervisors and Mayor's Office. In a nutshel ... More >>

Their Daily Bread

A new generation of activists is fighting to clean up the Tenderloin. The neighborhood’s churches are standing in their way. Whose side are the angels on?

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 >>

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 >>

"I Actually Met a Guy, Literally, Who was Shot Eight Times in the Hospital." - Gavin Newsom on Violence Prevention in his 2008 State of the City Address

By Benjamin Wachs 00:00 - "Well 2008 was a big year in terms of investing in programs and solutions to reduce violence in San Francisco." Gavin, Gavin, Gavin - however big 2008 was for investing in solutions to stop violence, it was an even bigger year for violence. Why not play to our strengt ... 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 >>

Tales of the City's Incompetence: Why a $4 Million Program to Save Kids in Dangerous Neighborhoods Failed

Daly calls Nevius a Liar - UPDATED (Now with Explanation)

SF Gov InAction: Supes find New Ways to Threaten Newsom. Plus: Can You Feel the Ground Shaking? That's this Week's BIG Meeting!

Sandoval Ducks, Mirkarimi Covers, and the Community Justice Center goes Down Down Down...

SF Gov InAction: Supes to Help Ration Water by Making it Cost More, and Debate whether the Handicapped and Elderly Have Too Many Parking Spaces

SF Gov InAction: Same Old Shit Gets Bigger Tax Breaks; Jake McGoldrick's Charter Amendment Retirement Tour Heats Up, and Did Somebody Say "Peaker Plants?"

SF Gov't InAction: 2,400 Square Feet in SF Renting for only $200. WHAT?