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San Francisco Tag

We recently took a look at the diseased streets of San Francisco, after local reporters revealed a dangerous mix of drug needles, garbage, and feces spread throughout the city's downtown area. Now, as the number of homeless camps across the state skyrocket, union officials for highway maintenance workers are demanding health and safety protections for state employees who are exposed to the biological detritus while cleaning up roadside encampments.
In an official grievance filed last week, the union representing California's maintenance workers accused the state of subjecting its members to hazardous conditions without proper training or equipment.

In the wake of San Diego County's formal support of the federal lawsuit against California's SB54, the "Sanctuary State" rules, another California city has voted to join the #CounterResistance.
The city council of Beaumont — a Riverside County city with a population of nearly 37,000 — voted 3-2 to approve a resolution that declares Senate Bill 54, the “California Values Act,” is incompatible with federal law and, therefore, illegitimate. The vote followed a lengthy debate and impassioned comments from the audience, which filled both chambers and an overflow room.

I had a wonderful time in Memphis, Tennessee, during my Presidents' Day weekend stay. The people were charming, the barbecue was outstanding, and the Memphis Pyramid was a joy to behold. There were a few things the streets of Memphis were lacking: Used needles and human excrement. For those treasures, you have to head over to my home state of California and the city of San Francisco.

The FBI arrested 26-year-old Everitt Aaron Jameson and charged him with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.  Jameson's planned terror attack included setting off an explosive device on San Francisco's Pier 39 on Christmas Day. Jameson, a tow truck driver born in Modesto, California, was discharged from the Marine Corps for fraudulent enlistment when it was discovered that he failed to disclose his latent asthma.  Prior to being discharged, Jameson earned a sharpshooter rifle qualification.

In a jaw-dropping case involving an illegal alien wanted for deportation, a police officer's weapon, and local law enforcement not only ignoring an ICE request to block his release but removing an ICE monitoring device, a young San Francisco man has been murdered during a robbery. The Sacramento Bee reports:
Federal immigration agents were tracking a teenager who was facing deportation when he fatally shot a popular community volunteer during a robbery in San Francisco, authorities said Friday. The slaying occurred on Aug. 15, four days after sheriff's investigators say 18-year-old Erick Garcia-Pineda stole the murder weapon from the personal car of a San Francisco police officer.

The State Department has told Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco, CA, by September 2. Yes, in only two days. The order also stated Russia must close a chancery in Washington, D.C., and a consular annex in New York City. This is a direct response for Russia demanding the US to reduce its diplomats in Russia to 455 by September 1.

This week's battle between President Donald Trump's administration and California has escalated, as the state has officially filed a lawsuit over the cut-off of federal funding due to sanctuary city policies:
Intensifying California’s standoff with the Trump administration over immigration policy, the California attorney general sued the Justice Department on Monday over the administration’s plans to cut off millions of dollars in federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities unless they begin cooperating with federal immigration agents.

The wealthy residents of San Francisco's exclusive, gated Presidio Terrace haven't paid a $14/year tax bill for three decades. This led the city to auction off the tony street that boasts among its former residents House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA).  The auction was an attempt to recoup its delinquent tax losses valued at less than a thousands dollars (including penalties, interest, etc.). Officials hit the jackpot when a young couple purchased the street at auction two years ago for $90,100. The new owners are reportedly toying with the idea of charging residents and even outsiders (gasp!) to pay to park on their shiny new street. Now the current residents of the street are outraged and have filed formal complaints and even a lawsuit in an attempt to rescind the sale.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is entangled in a new controversy only a week after the public lashed out at officials for refusing to release video footage of crimes over fears the videos would incite racism. Recent reports indicate that BART has seen double the amount of rapes in the first six months of 2017 than all of 2016.