Dennis Herrera

Fat Cats and Big Fish: New Rules Won't Starve Those at the Top of the Political Food Chain

Nevada Sends S.F. Trove of Public Records Related to "Patient Dumping"

To many Californians, perhaps the only thing more outrageous than the idea of Nevada dumping hundreds of mentally ill patients into the Golden State is the idea that Nevada's Governor would have the audacity to deny it. But last week, Gov. Brian Sandoval did just that, acknowledging no more than o ... More >>

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Denies Dumping More Than One Patient From Psych Hospital

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval says indeed his state did improperly discharge one mentally ill patient from a state-run hospital, but no more than that -- and it was accidental. According to Reuters, the republican governor defended his state, and denied accusations that Nevada had been busing hundred ... More >>

City Attorney Dennis Herrera Calls for Stricter Federal Regulations on Energy Drinks

There is less waiting these days. Cross the country in six hours. Exchange correspondence within seconds. Buy the new Jordan's with a click from the couch. The few stretches of waiting -- 20 seconds on the elevator, three minutes at the taco truck, an hour at the DMV -- turn into stretches, via sm ... More >>

Tower Car Wash Gets Busted Withholding $500K From Immigrant Workers; Keeps City Contract

Today, City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced that Tower Car Wash has agreed to pay workers $500,000 in back wages for unfair legal practices. Those practices were certainly insidious: For almost four years, employees at Tower arrived at work then waited in a windowless room until their bosses dec ... More >>

Labor Unions Protest City Fat Cats' Raises, Democracy

At a time when thieves are tearing apart the infrastructure of our city for a few dollars worth of copper, it warrants mentioning that the glistening dome of San Francisco's City Hall is, literally, slathered in gold. Perhaps those who'd like to even the score should aim a little higher. That's the ... More >>

Ed Lee Elected Mayor, Ross Mirkarimi and George Gascón Win Their Seats

Now let's see what we can make him do​Interim mayor Ed Lee became San Francisco's first Chinese American elected mayor. After 11 rounds of ranked-choice votes, Lee was declared the winner, garnering 61 percent of the vote. Supervisor John Avalos came in second with 39 percent of the vote, and City ... More >>

"San Francisco Deserves a Gay Mayor," Claims Bevan Dufty Mailer

Bow down before the one you serve, you're gonna get what you deserve...​There are plenty of reasons to like Bevan Dufty -- his sunny disposition, his obvious pride in being a urinal owner (we really do get it), and his willingness to speak with us after we ran this photoshopped image. Perhaps that ... More >>

Dennis Herrera's Spokesman Backs Boss' Opponent in Mayoral Race

Who's been knocking on whose door?​As the old adage warns ... don't bite the hand that feeds you. Matt Dorsey, loyal spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera who is running for mayor, has been fiercely defending his candidate and longtime boss in the final days of the race. And that's why we fou ... More >>

George Gascón and Dennis Herrera Share Consultants. Is That a Problem?

Trouble in motion...​We all know the query about who will watch the watchmen. But what about the watchmen's consultants? After Dennis Herrera's tubthumping that a full-blown investigation was required of alleged money-laundering after shuttle bus drivers claimed they were made to donate to Mayor E ... More >>

Attacks on Ed Lee Purportedly Coordinated -- But Will They Work?

thepartyanimal-blog.orgYou can take a whack at Ed Lee, but there's no guarantee it'll work out for you​By now, everyone who cares to know about such things has heard that Dennis Herrera accused Mayor Ed Lee of being bankrolled by Republicans, and Lee's people spoon-fed the media a rebuttal that He ... More >>

With Anti-Lee Attack Ad, Dennis Herrera Ditches Logic of Ranked Choice Voting

Is this the best type of ad to run in an RCV election?​According to the ranked choice voting playbook, candidates must offer themselves up as a perfect amalgam of milquetoast and pablum. They might not draw enough attention to be anyone's favorite, but perhaps they'll get enough second-choice vote ... More >>

Republicans Love Mayor Ed Lee

Ed Lee welcomes support ... from everyone ​In a liberal bastion like San Francisco, what Democratic candidate would want the support of the Republican Party? Turns out, plenty. Supervisors David Chiu and Ross Mirkarimi, and mayoral candidate Michela Alioto-Pier, to name a few. But as far as the ma ... More >>

Ed Lee's Praise of PG&E Draws Fire

Smi23leYou take the good, you take the bad...​Mayor Ed Lee's kind words for PG&E -- a company whose name conjures up horrific images of fire -- are drawing some fire of their own. Fellow mayoral candidates Dennis Herrera and John Avalos this morning issued press releases blasting Lee's "lavish ... More >>

Is Google Reponsible for Anti-Abortion Center Posing As Abortion Provider?

Be careful what you search for. ​By now, we've accepted the fact that Google relies on our online searches to target products for advertising. But City Attorney Dennis Herrera is not; the mayoral candidate is asking one San Francisco anti-abortion counseling center to stop web advertisements that ... More >>

Nat Ford, Muni Chief, Accused of Violating Ethics Laws

Did Nat Ford grant an inappropriate favor to his personal attorney?​Nat Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, violated ethics rules when he moved to scuttle a lucrative parking garage contract in 2009, according to a new lawsuit."Ford violated the ethics co ... More >>

Will Ed Lee Run for Mayor?

A Conversation Between Alex Tourk and Dennis Herrera Part 2 (Video)

Last week, SF Weekly featured an animated clip that gave us a satisfying sense of what the conversation was probably like between City Attorney Dennis Herrera and his troubled campaign consultant Alex Tourk after the news broke that Tourk was illegally lobbying his own clients. Although it provided ... More >>

A Conversation Between Alex Tourk and Dennis Herrera (Video)

Even those with only a passing interest in SF city politics have probably heard about the reported scandal involving City Attorney Dennis Herrera and his campaign consultant, Alex Tourk. And although the story of Herrera, a mayoral candidate, and Tourk is a very satisfying read, we thought we'd brin ... More >>

Labor-Backed Plan for "Smoothing" Pension Plans Deemed Illegal

List: What Isn't Working in San Francisco

Mayoral Candidates: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Chris Daly -- would have been "hot"​After Supervisor John Avalos jumped into the mayor's race yesterday afternoon, we started thinking: with so many candidates now in the race, how will voters decide?To date, there are more than 30 potential candidates who want to be the city's chief executive. Of ... More >>

Wannabe Mayors Descend on S.F. This Weekend

Seeking the Latino vote.​While everyone else is kicking back this weekend, the many, many aspiring mayors of San Francisco will spend their free time aggressively campaigning. On the exhausting list are a slew of events aimed to court voters of all types -- parents, mission hipsters, and dog lover ... More >>

Academie De Cuisine Responds To Fraud Charges -- Sort Of

Academie de Cuisine will prepare food ... and media statements ​City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed fraud charges in Superior Court today against a SOMA cooking school that promised its mostly-Chinese immigrant students food training, but instead used them for free labor to cater events.  We w ... More >>

Dennis Herrera, Leland Yee, Two PR Machines Running for Mayor

Has he ever said 'No comment?'​On a near-daily basis, media outlets including SF Weekly receive a plethora of press releases from elected officials who are also gunning for higher office. The two who are most prolific with press releases are San Francisco's City Attorney Dennis Herrera and State S ... More >>

Camels Chided For Using San Francisco in Tobacco Ads. Use These Sh*tholes Instead.

Phallic camels aren't welcome in this here town! ​Earlier this week, City Attorney Dennis Herrera and short-timer Department of Public Health Director Mitch Katz wrote a sternly worded letter to Joe Camel's corporate overlords. The two chided R.J. Reynolds for using the Haight -- as well as Brookl ... More >>

Leland Yee To Announce Mayoral Run

Jim HerdLeland Yee, seen here with a werewolf campaigning against Prop. B, aspires to Room 200​Folks at political consultant Jim Stearns' office are playing coy, but let's be realistic: Sen. Leland Yee isn't "making an announcement" at the Department of Elections today to lecture the media on the ... More >>

'Interim Mayor' Would Earn Three Times More Than 'Acting Mayor'

It's good to be the interim mayor​What's the difference between an "acting mayor" and an "interim" one? About 153,0000 dollars, to start with. We've gone over the scenarios confronting the Board of Supervisors in anointing Mayor Gavin Newsom's successor. Here's the rub: If the current board makes ... More >>

Supreme Court Kills Michela Alioto-Pier's Campaign to Run for Supe Again

Luke ThomasThe wheels of justice have not turned in Michela Alioto-Pier's favor​The California Supreme Court denied to hear a petition from Michela Alioto-Pier, killing her chances to run once more for District 2 supervisor. While Superior Court Judge Peter Busch ruled that Alioto-Pier was eligibl ... More >>

Dennis Herrera Is Running for Mayor: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Jim HerdGuess what? ​City Attorney Dennis Herrera, long rumored to be a mayoral candidate, did everyone the favor of taking the rumor away this morning, officially announcing he intends to move down the hall to City Hall Room 200. Herrera today fired off the following e-mail:

Michela Alioto-Pier to Petition Supreme Court Tomorrow

Can she run or not? Depends on when you ask...​Yesterday, we compared the ever-shifting legal status of whether Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier can or cannot run again to the indecision of Brett Favre. After further review, it's not a terrible analogy --  but here's a key difference: Favre's d ... More >>

Michela Alioto-Pier's $50,000 Legal Bill May Be Paid By City

Luke Thomas, Fog City Journal Michela Alioto-Pier: This won't be cheap, Mr. Herrera...​After beating the city in court yesterday to win the right to run again as District 2 supervisor, Michela Alioto-Pier treated her staff and supporters to a nice lunch. The city isn't on the hook&nbs ... More >>

Alioto-Pier: Not Progressive, Thus Termed Out?

Can't Stop, Won't Stop​Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier just doesn't understand. Tom Ammiano served fourteen years on the Board of Supervisors, Chris Daly ten. So why, then, is City Attorney Dennis Herrera insisting that Alioto-Pier -- who's been on the Board since 2004, when she was appointed to fi ... More >>

Michela Alioto-Pier Will Take City to Court, if Necessary, to Run for Supe Again

Michela Alioto-Pier is running until the judge says she can't​Yesterday, we reported on how Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier took out papers with the Department of Elections to run again, even though a 2008 opinion from City Attorney Dennis Herrera claimed she was ineligible to do so. John Arntz, th ... More >>

Michela Alioto-Pier Files to Run for Supe Again. Will Suit Against City Be Next?

Are Michela Alioto-Pier and the city on a collision course?​City's Department of Elections does not consider District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier eligible to defend her seatTwo years after City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed an opinion stating Michela Alioto-Pier was ineligible to run for re-e ... More >>

City Attorney Defends Potential Challenge To Arizona Immigration Law

​ San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera committed this morning to suss out and terminate city contracts with Arizona companies in protest of the state's harsh new immigration law.  Herrera also said he would offer his staff's assistance in any legal challenges to the law. While no progre ... More >>

Sparks Outlawed? Now You Can Make It at Home

Back in December 2008, MillerCoors voluntarily removed caffeine, taurine, guarana, and ginseng from energy drink Sparks, due in part to pressure from San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera. Hipsters everywhere lost their collective shit. The overly sweet malt liquor/energy drink hybrid saturated ... More >>

Cocoa Krispies' Bowl of Legal Troubles Runneth Over

A lawsuit in every box...​Last week we reported how the Kellogg's company was not immune to legal pressure. A sharply worded letter from San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera essentially saying "prove it" induced Kellogg's to cease advertising that their sugar-laden Cocoa Krispies cereal boos ... More >>

So, Top City Elected Officials Lost 2.45 Percent of Their Salaries? Here's What They Could Have Bought.

Apparently, even this guy has been forced to give up $4.90 every time he passes "Go"​The official reason that 18 of the city's highest paid elected officials will take a minuscule pay cut was a recent city charter. But you could trace this one back to the Code of Hammurabi. Way down at the end, it ... More >>

SF City Attorney Upends U.S. Credit Card Industry; Minnesota Attorney General Swoops In for the Credit

Dennis Herrera: He wuz robbed!​Minneapolis barrister Martin Carlson recalls feeling a sense of déjà vu Tuesday upon seeing news reports that his old boss, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, had run a Washington D.C. victory lap in which she took credit for attacking a loophole co ... More >>

Pride Rides: Leno, Mirkarimi Give Shout-Out to City Car Share, Daly Gives Us The Finger

There's no legal argument Dennis Herrera can make to convince us this car ain't a beaut...Yesterday we began answering the eternal question: If a tree fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it -- what kind of cars would your elected representatives ride in Sunday's Pride Parade? Our persona ... More >>

Special Delivery: City Attorney Says He'll Sue U.S. Postal Service for Stiffing SRO Tenants

Oh, you're getting sued!You don't have to be an FBI profiler to figure out that dumping piles of mail on the floor in the city's SRO hotels -- where many people are receiving assistance checks via the mail -- is nearly tantamount to the postman shouting "Hey, steal this!" as he leaves the building. ... More >>

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier says she's not termed out

Terms of Endearment: Alioto-Pier Says She May File Suit if City Doesn't Reverse Stance That She's Termed Out in 2010

Is that Alioto-Pier's 'happy' smile or her 'I'm gonna sue you' smile?Earlier this month, Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier sat down for a cup of coffee with City Attorney Dennis Herrera. She was hoping to get him to reconsider a ruling from his office stating Alioto-Pier will be termed out of office ne ... More >>

A Big Win for LGBTQ Rights!

Tiger Beat: City Tells Mauled Brothers to Go Sue Someone Else

SF Supervisor Aaron Peskin's Message to Newsom: Quit Attacking Me!

What? The city's health care plan is illegal? How does that work?

The War On Gangs

With murders on the rise, City Attorney Dennis Herrera is cracking down on gangs using a legal tool critics say smacks of McCarthyism

Bridge Out

A look at the comically delayed Fourth Street drawbridge project, and how the city's Byzantine contracting system costs millions