U.S. Politics

Ammiano Calls Pelosi and Fenstein "Moms"

Poll: Bay Area Women Think McCain would be a Sneaky Boyfriend

A turn on the GOP therapy couch

S.F. Republicans’ prescriptions for an ailing party By Peter Jamison I spent the momentous night of Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, in an unlikely place — among Republicans in San Francisco. To observe the city’s longtime political minority watching their party recede to a minority nationwide, I vent ... More >>

Let's Get Inaugurated! Enliven Barack Obama's Speech with the Inaugural Drinking Game

Those of us lucky enough to still have gainful employment as the George W. Bush years stumble to their ignominious thud will be clocking in tomorrow around the time President-elect Barack Obama knocks the "elect" off his title.A rollicking article in the current New Yorker notes that while president ... More >>

Anti-War Smackdown: Baez vs. Sheehan on Whether Obama Deserves His Own Camp Casey

She's closed Camp Casey outside George W. Bush's Crawford ranch and recently lost her bid to unseat Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Now Cindy Sheehan is taking on Barack Obama, claiming the U.S. president is the same sort of warmonger as her previous foes. But no less an anti-war authority ... More >>

If Gavin Newsom were born to Sarah Palin ...

She's closed Camp Casey outside George W. Bush's Crawford ranch and recently lost her bid to unseat Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Now Cindy Sheehan is taking on Barack Obama, claiming the U.S. president is the same sort of warmonger as her previous foes. But no less an anti-war authority ... More >>

I Wish I'd Written That

Deceased journalist Joe Dignan led coverage of California's movement toward gay equal rights

FEMA -- a Four-Letter Word?

The only quiz in the world that will tell you if you're an apologist for the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina response

Housing Democrats

Why Democratic mayors must build America's cities by establishing an urban real estate cartel

Bush vs. McCain

A shot of Texas Shrub with a Budweiser chaser

La Nueva Fuerza

With attacks on immigration and affirmative action, the GOP has fueled a new Latino political apparatus. But can the Democrats master the machinery?

No Justice

Despite Obama's promises of change, corporate crooks are still going unpunished for their roles in the financial collapse.

Letter to the Media: Stop Coddling Tea-Party Crazies

But not to stop tea-partiers' batshit lunacy​Those who pick up their news exclusively from such esteemed outlets as The Economist magazine, the Web site Politico, or ABC television could be forgiven these days for having a charitable view of the new American political force known as the Tea Party ... More >>

Distressed Properties

The state's quick budget fix of selling off public buildings is a horrible idea.

Obama 'Even Worse' Than Bush On Secret Wiretapping Case, Says S.F. Lawyer

Is 'Mr. Change' listening?​San Francisco attorney Jon Eisenberg thinks he's learned a thing or two about Barack Obama over the past 15 months. Eisenberg, who won a landmark decision against the government in Northern California's U.S. District Court Wednesday on a wiretapping case, says that when ... More >>

List: The best democracy money can buy

Is 'Mr. Change' listening?​San Francisco attorney Jon Eisenberg thinks he's learned a thing or two about Barack Obama over the past 15 months. Eisenberg, who won a landmark decision against the government in Northern California's U.S. District Court Wednesday on a wiretapping case, says that when ... More >>

Election 2010: Democrats Look Safe in Bay Area -- For Now

Rep. Jerry McNerney: First off the island?​With all the sturm und drang gripping the Democratic party as the fall election approaches -- some observers are forecasting a Republican take-back of the House of Representatives, prompted by widespread anger over the economy and some of President Barack ... More >>

Republicans Following Porn on Twitter (NSFW)

By following @_PrettyAlison, the California GOP studied the body politic...​If you're going to get hit with a sex scandal, you should at least make sure to enjoy the sex. Yet the California Republican Party has been monitoring the online offerings of dozens of porn purveyors in a situation that ga ... More >>

Republicans tastelessly milk cow-shooting controversy

By following @_PrettyAlison, the California GOP studied the body politic...​If you're going to get hit with a sex scandal, you should at least make sure to enjoy the sex. Yet the California Republican Party has been monitoring the online offerings of dozens of porn purveyors in a situation that ga ... More >>

Workers' comp covers retired cops who get cancer

By following @_PrettyAlison, the California GOP studied the body politic...​If you're going to get hit with a sex scandal, you should at least make sure to enjoy the sex. Yet the California Republican Party has been monitoring the online offerings of dozens of porn purveyors in a situation that ga ... More >>

Her House Divided

The most powerful female politician in the country now teeters between long-term victory and instant defeat.

S.F. Legislators Approve $400K Gift to Insurers. Will Governor?

It's unanimous: let's screw San Francisco​In a year when San Francisco faces a $787 million budget shortfall, how do our representatives in Sacramento propose to help out? By unanimously supporting a measure transferring $400,000 annually in health care expenses from insurers to local San Francis ... More >>

List: What will President Obama's new political group accomplish in S.F.?

It's unanimous: let's screw San Francisco​In a year when San Francisco faces a $787 million budget shortfall, how do our representatives in Sacramento propose to help out? By unanimously supporting a measure transferring $400,000 annually in health care expenses from insurers to local San Francis ... More >>

Grinding Justice: Operation Streamline Costs Millions, Tramples the Constitution, Treats Migrants Like Cattle, and Doesnít Work

It's unanimous: let's screw San Francisco​In a year when San Francisco faces a $787 million budget shortfall, how do our representatives in Sacramento propose to help out? By unanimously supporting a measure transferring $400,000 annually in health care expenses from insurers to local San Francis ... More >>

The Examiner's Hilarious Political Endorsements

​God help me, but it's true: I love America's Funniest Home Videos. Thanks to YouTube, you can find more than enough old episodes. You turn the sound off -- be gone, Bob Saget! -- and bliss. It's so predictable, yet so hilarious. Men working on roofs are gonna fall. Skateboarders will not land whe ... More >>

Election Results Show Tea Party Fails to Gain Traction in Western States

Is that Harry Reid in the middle?​Some of you might have found it particularly hard to greet the Red Dawn of Nov. 3. We admit that it's difficult to face the idea of Tea Party-propelled candidates marching off to Washington with plans to combat imagined New World Order conspiracies within the vaul ... More >>

Don't worry, America. San Francisco knows what's best for you

Is that Harry Reid in the middle?​Some of you might have found it particularly hard to greet the Red Dawn of Nov. 3. We admit that it's difficult to face the idea of Tea Party-propelled candidates marching off to Washington with plans to combat imagined New World Order conspiracies within the vaul ... More >>

FAIR-y Tales

Is that Harry Reid in the middle?​Some of you might have found it particularly hard to greet the Red Dawn of Nov. 3. We admit that it's difficult to face the idea of Tea Party-propelled candidates marching off to Washington with plans to combat imagined New World Order conspiracies within the vaul ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

Is that Harry Reid in the middle?​Some of you might have found it particularly hard to greet the Red Dawn of Nov. 3. We admit that it's difficult to face the idea of Tea Party-propelled candidates marching off to Washington with plans to combat imagined New World Order conspiracies within the vaul ... More >>

Tom Ammiano Makes It Official: He Won't Be Next Mayor

Count me out, says Tom Ammiano​Assemblyman Tom Ammiano told SF Weekly, in no uncertain terms, he doesn't want to be the next damn mayor. He told his former board colleagues the same. He hasn't yet hired out a pilot to do skywriting -- but his drift is unmissable. Supervisor Chris Daly remains unda ... More >>

Doyle Drive's Goofy Privatization Deal Stalled By Judge

Will Jerry Brown stop the fiscal insanity? ​A judge Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order halting Caltrans from signing a finance deal that would let a foreign consortium take over construction and maintenance of part of the Doyle Drive project in the Presidio.This marks the second time i ... More >>

Mayoral Selection: What the Hell Is Gonna Happen Today?

Should he stay or should he go?​To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, the ongoing showdown between the progressive supervisors and erstwhile Mayor Gavin Newsom regarding the naming of his successor will end with a bang or a whimper. Or lots of whimpering. Or lots of banging. The supes are slated today to vote ... More >>

Gavin Newsom Goes Back On His Word To Avoid Back Room Deals

​After winning the seat for lieutenant governor in November, Mayor Gavin Newsom told reporters, point blank, that there would be no back room deals or political bargaining when selecting an interim mayor to fill the remainder of his term.He's also vowed to steer a clean-cut transition as he assume ... More >>

Hey Rich Assholes: Are You Shorting Your Nanny? Tell It to the Judge

Don't even think about shorting her...​The cost of living for the Meg Whitmans of the world might become much more expensive. California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D- San Francisco) announced today that he is introducing legislation to improve the lives of domestic workers in the state.The bill, whi ... More >>

Examiner's Phil Anschutz Dumps Money into California Politics -- Except San Francisco

No money for you, chumps.​San Francisco Examiner owner Phil Anschutz, his companies, and his employees, donated $92,582 to 30 California politicians between 2003 and 2009, according to campaign finance filings compiled by Anschutz's competitor, Bay Area News Group.But the railroad, telecommunicati ... More >>

Gavin Newsom -- You Can Still Watch Him on Demand

Technologically active again​When former Mayor Gavin Newsom left City Hall, his staid YouTube addresses that people had grown accustomed to went right with him. But Newsom's hiatus from YouTube was short-lived. Just barely a month as the state Lieutenant Governor, Newsom sent out his first video a ... More >>

Anarchy in the U.S.

Technologically active again​When former Mayor Gavin Newsom left City Hall, his staid YouTube addresses that people had grown accustomed to went right with him. But Newsom's hiatus from YouTube was short-lived. Just barely a month as the state Lieutenant Governor, Newsom sent out his first video a ... More >>

Tea Partier Portrays Obama as Ape in E-Mail to Friends

Courtesy OC WeeklyTea Partier Marilyn Davenport sent this photo to fellow conservatives​Time for some link love to one of the southern garrisons of the Village Voice Media empire. We've written before about the paranoiac, semiliterate reasoning that supports the related belief systems of the Tea P ... More >>

Antismoking Bill May Mean the End of Hookah Houses

Courtesy OC WeeklyTea Partier Marilyn Davenport sent this photo to fellow conservatives​Time for some link love to one of the southern garrisons of the Village Voice Media empire. We've written before about the paranoiac, semiliterate reasoning that supports the related belief systems of the Tea P ... More >>

Assemblymember Paul Fong Talks About the Shark's Fin Ban

Assemblymember Paul Fong​On Monday, the California State Assembly voted to pass AB-376, a proposed ban on the sale and import of shark's fin. The ban, which has been publicly condemned by state senator Leland Yee and SF mayor Ed Lee, is intended to prevent the practice of shark finning, which is d ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Wealth Just Keeps Growing

What the hell does she know about being broke?​While the rest of us have been languishing in what seems like a never-ending recession, one of top San Francisco lawmakers just keeps getting richer. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's (D-San Francisco) personal wealth grew by 62 percent over the last year, ... More >>

Labor Union May Be Able to Set City Manager Paychecks

What the hell does she know about being broke?​While the rest of us have been languishing in what seems like a never-ending recession, one of top San Francisco lawmakers just keeps getting richer. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's (D-San Francisco) personal wealth grew by 62 percent over the last year, ... More >>

Gavin Newsom's House Sells

It's official: Newsom's out​Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom can no longer play coy about whether he is or is not a resident of San Francisco. According to news reports, the former San Francisco mayor's house has officially sold, which means he is officially no longer a denizen of our fair city. S ... 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 >>

Miracle Faker: Rick Perry's Texas Teaches America the Wrong Lessons

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 >>

Governor Jerry Brown Signs Slew of Illegal Immigrant-Friendly Bills

​While the federal government stagnates on any immigration reform, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bevy of illegal immigrant-friendly bills that will make their under-the-radar way of life less of a headache starting January 1, 2012. Opponents have already started filing in. Perhaps th ... More >>

Progressively Worse: The Tumultuous Rise and Acrimonious Fall of the City's Left

​While the federal government stagnates on any immigration reform, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bevy of illegal immigrant-friendly bills that will make their under-the-radar way of life less of a headache starting January 1, 2012. Opponents have already started filing in. Perhaps th ... More >>

Ron Paul Says He Didn't Create Offensive "China Jon" YouTube Video

GOP presidential hopeful has done some crazy shit in his past, as we've noted here before, but his campaign claims he never released this offensive YouTube video about ex-Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman, showing him dressed as the Communist leader Mao Zedong. Paul's campaign filed a lawsuit in San Francisco ... More >>

Mitt Romney Will Win Republicans Over By Teaming Up With Nancy Pelosi

Mitt Romney, looking away at something more interesting than his book.​Mitt Romney is all set to be the Republican nominee for president except for one stubborn hitch: Republican primary voters -- like most people -- don't like him, perhaps because he's actually an actor playing a presidential ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi Investment Allegations Spur Congress to Address Insider Trading

Nancy Pelosi​Members of Congress are taking up legislation this week aimed at dealing with allegations that a form of "insider trading" is taking place among lawmakers whose knowledge of pending bills could give them a leg up in the stock market.The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) ... More >>