Thursday, August 13, 2009
A safe bet is no betting
You know that plan that would open two off-track horse racing wagering sites in bars in San Francisco? I wouldn't bet on it.
Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) complained at a press conference today that the proposal, which was for off-track betting sites at two San Francisco bars, violated the California Horse Racing Board's prohibition on parlors opening within a 20-mile radius of an existing facility. The bars, one in North Beach and one across from AT&T; Park, are within 20 miles of San Mateo's Jockey Club.
But what really set Hill off was the appearance of an attempt to pull a fast one.
''The plan was proposed under the guise of promoting horse racing in California, but they conveniently forgot to notify the San Mateo Event Center.'' Hill said.
The bottom line is that the San Mateo facility borrowed money from San Mateo County and the state to fund the Jockey Club. Off track betting sites in San Francisco might eat into their revenue and make it tough to pay off the loans.
As for the San Francisco locations, now that the word is out, I don't like their chances. North Beach is the neighborhood that killed the arrival of a yogurt store. Do we really think it is going to go for a betting parlor?
| Aug 13 at 02:35 PM
Monday, August 10, 2009
Star treatment for FC Barcelona
The football field at Kezar Stadium, once the site of alley-oop passes from 49ers legend Y.A. Tittle to R.C. Owens, was host to a different kind of football star early Friday morning.
Photo by C.W. Nevius
FC Barcelona, arguably the best soccer club in the world with international superstar Lionel Messi in uniform, showed up for an informal workout at Kezar. Barcelona will play Chivas de Guadalajara, the Mexican League champion, today at 8 p.m. at Candlestick Park.
Although the Kezar practice was largely unannounced, some 500 fans managed to find their way to the field.
''These are soccer people, and soccer people just know,'' said U.S. Olympic women's soccer star Brandi Chastain. ''You think politicians have secret methods. They are nothing like soccer people.''
On the other hand, it wasn't as if the team was sneaking around the city. Their big black bus arrived with two motorcycle escorts, sirens blaring and lights flashing. The Barcelona players, wearing eye-popping lime green jerseys, ran through a few basic drills, but still managed to dazzle with ball skills.
Among those in attendance were San Francisco's public defender Jeff Adachi, Richmond District supervisor Eric Mar, and Park and Recreation general manager Phil Ginsburg, who managed to come up with a Barcelona cap for the practice, although he probably is supposed to remain impartial for the game.
''Hey, I'm from Philly,'' he said. ''We jump on and off the bandwagon all the time.''
At the end of practice the players walked over to the front of the bleachers and applauded the crowd to thank them for showing up. The crowd, in turn, roared its approval.
''I've never seen so many people happy with Park and Rec,'' Ginsburg said.
| Aug 10 at 09:01 AM
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
More pot busts in the Sunset
You know, I am starting to think the Sunset District isn't such a great place to set up a marijuana-growing operation after all. Officers at the Taraval Station are on a pretty remarkable roll for pot busts.
Captain Paul Chignell checked in early Wednesday morning with the news that the officers had knocked over the 24th and 25th grow houses in the last six months. At the most recent site the officers found cocaine, methamphetamine, and a gun.
So much for the guys who were complaining to me about how they were busted even though they were harmless pot farmers only growing for personal use. Obviously, not everyone out there is so blissed out. But the way things are going, Chignell may have to start calling when he finds a house that isn't cultivating.
| Aug 05 at 01:01 PM
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Shoeshine man faces more red tape
Larry Moore, the formerly homeless shoeshine guy, can't seem to get a break. He's beat alcoholism, homelessness, and poverty, but there's no beating City Hall.
After shelling more than $400 for a permit for his shoe shine stand - with the help of some heartfelt support from generous San Franciscans - Moore was told last week that he had an outstanding warrant for trespassing and owed another $400. Moore said he was also lectured about the location of his stand -- it was 16 inches out of place -- and warned that he might have to move it.
The Chronicle
Larry Moore, the shoeshine guy, is facing more red tape.
''Here's someone who is trying to get himself straightened out and they are giving him a hard time,'' said Loren Lopin, an attorney who has been helping him out. ''How many more barriers are we going to put in front of this guy?''
Lopin wanted to get to the bottom of this, and called and officer at the Southern Station permit department, who was utterly unsympathetic.
Although it is standard procedure that someone with an outstanding warrant must clear it to get a permit, anyone who has spent any time in the city knows that trespassing/loitering/sleeping on the sidewalk warrants are routinely dismissed. Many, if not most, of those are handled by a homeless advocate and the accused does not even have to appear.
It may work out for Moore. He's been getting lots of help from everyone from police officers, to Department of Public Works officials, to the Mayor's Homeless Coordinator, Dariush Kayhan.
''I am willing to help Larry if I can,'' Kayhan said. ''This should just be a bump in the road for him, not a barrier.''
| Aug 04 at 05:38 PM
Monday, August 03, 2009
More pot in the Sunset
The incarnation of the Sunset District as the wine country of pot continues. Capt. Paul Chignell of the Taraval Station says his officers continue to bust marijuana grow houses at record rate. Two weeks ago I wrote a column expressing astonishment that 16 indoor pot farms had been uncovered in six months. Since then, seven more have been closed down, raising the total to 23.
''It's a combination of reasons,'' said Chignell. ''There are a lot more houses because growing has become so lucrative. And there's also a much higher community awareness than ever before. People are now not reluctant to e-mail us with tips.''
In a related development, sales of Ho-Ho's and Cheese Doodles have also reportedly shot way up in the everyone's favorite foggy neighborhood.
| Aug 03 at 03:45 PM
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Jesse Jackson Lifts Obama by Sinking Himself
In 1984 I voted for Jesse Jackson for president. Now I can hardly believe that.
Today Jackson is reeling from a dumb, spiteful gaffe in an off-camera interview in which he not only tried to undermine Barak Obama in the African American community, but reportedly added he'd "like to cut his nuts off.''
American Rhetoric
Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic Convention in San Francisco.
Nice talk, Reverend.
The result is that Jackson looks like an out-of-touch old timer, a political has-been that has never moved beyond the old themes, and resents anyone who has. If anyone had any doubt about how this was playing in the new world of racial politics, they need only look at the immediate, stinging rebuke issued by by a national co-chair of Obama's presidential campaign.
"I'm deeply outrated and disappointed in Reverend Jackson's reckless statements about Senator Barack Obama,'' he said. "He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself.'' The man who made those statements is African-American, a congressman, and . . . oh yes . . . Jesse Jackson's son.
It is hard to believe that there was a time when Jackson seemed to represent a new direction in politics. The 1984 Democratic convention was in San Francisco and Jackson gave a barn-burner of a speech at Moscone Center that had the crowd roaring.
Read More »| Jul 10 at 06:17 AM
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Team Tween Gets Even Tweener
If there is anything that illustrates the shallowness of the talent pool in the NBA it is the Warriors' announcement that they've signed Cory Maggette for $50 million over five years.
With some serious cash to throw around after Baron Davis packed his documentary film crew and left for LA, there was an initial giddy feeling that the team would be able to make a splash with a roster-altering free agent signing. Reality quickly set in as the list of availables played out.
bballone.com
Cory Maggette. Shooting. You'll see a lot of this.
Gilbert Arenas? Already had him once and he wasn't interested in coming back. Kurt Thomas? He's 35 for God's sake. Kwame Brown? Still a first round bust. DeSagana Diop? No, seriously, DeSagana Diop?
Suddenly Elton Brand, coming off a tough achilles tendon injury looked like a world beater. And he not only rejected the Warriors, he reportedly took less money to go to Philadelphia.
Which leaves Maggette. You've probably already read the knocks on him. He's often injured, plays in spurts, wants to shoot first and pass later, and can need lots of attention. That's all a given. He also scored over 20 a game last year, which is not that easy to find.
But the real deal is this: He's been a complementary player so far. A nice added option with some scoring skills. Is it possible he will blossom under Don Nelson's system and take a major step forward?
Sure, that could happen. But that's not what you're looking for from your major free agent acquistion. You'd like to see someone who's been there and done it before.
Instead the Warriors get another promising, athletic, mid-sized NBA body with a potential upside. Golden State is making a franchise out of those guys. Major teams make big moves to transform themselves (see Boston Celtics). Until proven otherwise, Maggette is another example of Team Tween running in place.
| Jul 09 at 06:33 AM
Monday, July 07, 2008
Found: The Only Person in the World Who Didn't Like WALL-E
Like everyone else in the world, I'm a big fan of Pixar and its films. Not only was ''Finding Nemo,'' a genius project that will stand the test of time, the Pixar culture over in Emeryville is a kind of new model for the workplace. It's not just a cool building, it feels like an incredibly supportive place to work.
electricityandlustfiles
WALL-E shown here expressing joy. No wait, that's sadness. No wait . . .
So, when the three-day Fourth of July weekend began to drag a bit, I began to nudge my unenthusiastic family to see the new Pixar effort, ''WALL-E.''
The reviews have been great, I said. Besides, it's Pixar, and written and directed by ''Nemo's'' Andrew Stanton. The visuals will be sensational and the writing will be hilarious. Besides, when was the last time they had a clunker?
Two long hours later we walked out of the theater. A polite silence was maintained for a while to spare Dad's feelings, so eventually I had to break the spell.
''That wasn't very good was it?'' I said. Read More »
| Jul 07 at 06:55 AM
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Roger Clemens Doesn't Have a Clue
Poor Roger Clemens. As we learned in Wednesday's Congressional hearing, that he has no idea what is going on in his life.
He didn't know, for example, that his buddy, training pal, and teammate, Andy Pettitte was using Human Growth Hormone. Nor did he know that good old Andy had such lousy hearing. Pettitte told investigators, under oath, that Clemens told him almost ten years ago that he was using HGH. Clemens had no idea Andy thought that, he said.
Gosh, if only, Clemens had known
cbsnews.com
What's in the cup? Dude, I have no idea. But it isn't what Pettitte said, I know that.
But nope. He never saw the letters, never knew the investigators were trying to reach him. Even after Mitchell report attorney Charles Scheeler produced a letter from the Players Association saying the following players "declined'' to participate, with Clemens' name at the top.
Dadgum it. If only they'd showed that letter to Clemens. But they didn't, unfortunately. Roger was a little confused about who stopped the process -- was it his agents, his attorneys (as he said during a "60 Minutes'' interview), or the union. But unfortunately, it was just another case where Clemens didn't know what was going on.
Just like his wife, Debbie. A great gal who just made a mistake. She admitted that McNamee was telling the truth when he said he injected her with HGH so she'd look better in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot.
Roger had no idea, of course. He was out . . . somewhere when this sleazy drug dealer was injecting his wife. Evidently, they don't have the kind of relationship that Pettitte and his wife have. Pettitte says he tells his wife everything, and she agreed, saying that her husband told her that Clemens said he was using HGH.
Oh brother, if only Clemens had known that McNamee was injecting his wife with drugs, he'd have gone nuclear. Unfortunately, just another case when old Roger -- "I'm a trusting guy,'' he said Wednesday -- was kept in the dark. If only someone had told him. Read More »
| Feb 14 at 07:07 AM
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Are You Suffering from "Absentee Ballot Remorse?;;
For years we've been encouraging voters to use absentee ballots. The idea was to increase participation. And it has.
But this year, with the California primary important, some people wish they hadn't done it.
With the late swings in the primary election, some who voted early got stuck. In some cases, like those who voted for John Edwards, their candidate wasn't even in the election any more. In others, like Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, a late surge in momentum made voters wish they'd jumped on those bandwagons.
Are you suffering from absentee remorse? Contact me at cwnevius@sfchronicle.com if you'd be willing to talk about it. Be sure to include a phone number.
| Feb 06 at 10:59 AM
