San Francisco Bay Guardian Issue 47.47

2013·24.9 MB·English

by  San Francisco Bay Guardian

r a i s i n g h e l l s i n c e 1 9 6 6
the san Francisco bay guardian | sFbg.com | august 21 - 27, 2013 | Vol. 47, no. 47 | Free
Fizzling energy Flying circus corporate connection
Political stalemate blocks CleanPowerSF P12 Wet the Hippo brings its weird, wild show P36 Google to build SF’s municipal Wi-Fi P14
2 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds
opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds AUGUSt 21 - 27, 2013 / SFBG.COm 3
Brand: Leffe “Conversation” Closing: 7/5/13 Trim: 10.13x11
Item #: PLF201210340 QC: CS Bleed: none
Job # 252924 Pub: SF Bay Guardian Live: 9.63x10.5
INTELLIGENCE
pOLITICAL ALERTS
BUILDING
A BRIDGE WEDNESDAY 21
BreakinG neWs:
The Bay Bridge will be closed The fuTure of oPen neWs
for five days, Aug. 28-Sept. 2, and loCal sToryTellinG
while the new eastern span is Hub Media Lab, The San Francisco
Chronicle Building, 925 Mission, SF.
prepared for opening, slated
Hubmedialabsf.com. 6:30pm, $15.
for 5am, on Tue, Sept. 3. (That Local news outlets and mobile app
may snarl up some Burning Man founders will discuss the future of news
distribution in the Bay Area in the con-
return plans, but BART will run
text of maintaining an informed citizen-
’round the clock for those left ry. Panelists will include Lydia Chavez,
here.) Meanwhile, for a closer Founder of Mission Local; Laura
Ramos, Executive Producer of The Bold
look at who built the troubled
Italic; Michael Coren, Co-founder of
eastern span, and how, “The Publet and Burt Herman, Co-Founder
Bridge Builders,” a striking of Storify.
photography exhibit by Joe FRIDAY 23
DIGITAL DRAMA Blum, documents the worker
sweat and big machines at City eGyPT: a revoluTion in Crisis
2969 Mission, SF. www.answersf.org.
While Ashton Kutcher lingers in Hall through Sept. 27.
7pm, $5–$10. Since the Egyptian
the cinema as that Apple dude www.sfartscommission.org Revolution began in January 2011,
with the mock turtleneck in Jobs, hundreds have been killed and thou-
sands more wounded. The Egyptian
local theater group PlayGround
WAX NOSTALGIC military seized power on July 3, follow-
is preparing to dramatize another TRANSGENDER ing massive protests against the gov-
pioneer of customized bits and ernment of Mohammad Morsi. What do
bytes, starting Oct. 10. “first,” STUDENTS WIN The family-run Wax Museum at these developments mean for the future
of Egypt and the broader region? What
Fisherman’s Wharf closed last
written by Evelyn Jean Pine, takes is the role of the U.S.? Panelists include
a looks at 20-year-old Bill Gates, California Gov. Jerry Brown week, after 50 years in business. Omar Ali, and Egyptian-American activ-
It’s been campy staple of the water- ist with ANSWER, and Mazda Majidi,
launching his empire and ruffling signed legislation on co-author of Socialists & War.
front since 1963, with waxy rep-
nerd feathers at the first personal Aug. 12 to create a state
licas of artists like Salvador Dali, SATURDAY 24
computing conference in 1976 law protecting transgen-
presidential and historical figures,
— by demanding that people stop der students’ access to WoMen’s riGhTs day:
sharing his software. Can actor educational programs and movie stars, and those in the cham- a TriBuTe To iMMiGranT WoMen
Jeremy Kahn infuse Mr. Microsoft facilities. The background is ber of horrors like Elvira (pictured, New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk, SF. www.
with Elvira). Merlin Entertainment radicalwomen.org. 7:30-9:30pm, $3.
with a little more stage presence? that a transgender student has signed a lease with the Wax This tribute to immigrant women will
www.firsttheplay.com from Arcadia won a federal feature a screening of the documen-
complaint after the school Museum to open both a Madame tary “Rape in the Fields,” unmasking
Tussauds San Francisco “wax the sexual violence against female
district failed to provide him attraction” and the San Francisco agricultural workers. Hear from guest
access to boys’ facilities speaker, former farm worker and Los
at his school. Authored by Dboutnhg oefo wnh aitc Fhi ashree rsmlaatend’s t Wo ohpaerfn, in AYonlgaenldeas ARlaadniicza, lc Wo-oamuethno mr oefm Vbivear La
Assemblymember Tom Raza: A History of Chicano Identity
Ammiano, Bill 1266 seeks to summer 2014. “It’s hard not to wax and Resistance. Arrive at 6:30pm
avoid similar lawsuits in the nostalgic about our half-century for dinner, which will be available for a
mark,” Rodney Fong, of the Fong donation of $8.50.
future. “The gender identity
family ownership, said in a press rally for Civil riGhTs
of these kids needs to be
release. “Now, the wax mold is Steps of San Francisco City Hall, SF.
respected,” Ammiano said. bayardrustincoalition.com. 3:30-
being passed to a new generation.”
“They shouldn’t have to sue 5:30pm, free. The Bayard Rustin LGBT
Coalition is organizing this civil rights
to make it happen.”
rally to commemorate the 50th anniver-
sary of the 1963 March on Washington
for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin
Luther King delivered his famed “I have
a dream” speech. The event will also
SF DEMS: NO ‘B’ BIKE THIEVES TWITTER-SHAMED honor the memory of Bayard Rustin, a
gay man who was a prominent strategist
of this historic event.
The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee voted at its Bike thieves are being shamed online by the SFPD’s new anti-bike
CHUY OUT Aug. 14 meeting to oppose Proposition B, a San Francisco ballot initiative theft Twitter account, @sfPdBiketheft, which also
seeking voter approval for 8 Washington. That waterfront condomini- tweets photos of recovered stolen bikes.
um complex, which would sell units in the $5 million apiece range, has The SFPD recovered over 850
Beloved KMEL radio morning host
Chuy Gomez, a longtime champion become a political flashpoint and spurred competing ballot measures. In bikes last year,
May, the DCCC also voted to oppose Prop. C, a referendum placed on the and
of local hip-hop and an enormous
ballot by project opponents who hope to see voters reject the plan despite could
personality to boot, parted ways
prior approval from the Board of Supervisors. only
suddenly with the Clear Channel
return 150
station last week, after 20 years.
to owners.
The cause was rumored at press
Officer Matt
time to be a budget issue. (Clear
Friedman,
Channel would NEVER do anything
who runs the
evil, of course.) Outraged fans took
new Twitter
to the Internet; Chuy was coy about
handle, said
his next move. Some found succor,
that really grind-
however, in the fact that Chuy’s
ed his gears.
supposed replacement, Sana G, is
pretty chill.
4 san franCisCo Bay Guardian oPinion neWs food + drink The seleCTor MusiC arTs + CulTure filM Classifieds
SAVE UP TO 30%
ON NEW FALL GEAR & CLOTHING AUGUST 23–SEPTEMBER 2
SHOP YOUR WAY | 100+ STORES | REI.COM | REI-OUTLET.COM | MOBILE
opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds August 21 - 27, 2013 / sFBg.com 5
Client: REI Trim: 10.13 x 5.42
Job Title: Fall Season Sale: Newsprint Bleed: None
Media Type: Newspaper Live Area: NA
Pub: San Francisco Bay Guardian Color: Four Color
Ad Code: FSS 3136
THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN | SFBG.COM
An independent, locally owned
and edited newspaper
“IT IS A NEWSPAPER’S DUTY TO PRINT
THE NEWS AND RAISE HELL.”
Wilbur Storey, statement of the aims
of the Chicago Times, 1861
sells more bikes than any
PUBLISHER marke bieschke
EDITOR steven t. jones
other S.F. Bike Dealer...
EDITORIAL
SENIOR EDITOR, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
cheryl eddy
there must be a reason! NEwS EDITOR rebecca bowe
MUSIc EDITOR emily savage
cOLUMNIST jessica lanyadoo
cOPy EDITOR stewart applin
SELECTION, PRICE, SERVICE! EDITOR AT LARGE bruce b. brugmann
cONTRIBUTING EDITORS kimberly chun,
susan gerhard, johnny ray huston,
lynn rapoport, paul reidinger, j.h. tompkins
cONTRIBUTING wRITERS chris albon,
robert avila, david bacon, garrett caples,
michelle devereaux, camper english,
rita Felciano, peter galvin, shawn gaynor,
nicole gluckstern, max goldberg,
gary hanauer, dennis harvey, justin juul,
martin a. lee, erick lyle, sean mccourt,
d. scot miller, virginia miller, erik morse,
patrick porgans, j.b. powell, mosi reeves,
ben richardson, amber schadewald,
marcy sheiner, norman solomon,
matt sussman, juliette tang, michelle tea,
andrew tolve, andre torrez
Hybrid/City INTERNS
erin dage, whitney kidd, alex montero,
ilan moskowitz, justin slaughter,
Bikes Kids Bikes hillary smith, parker yesko
ART
ART DIREcTOR brooke robertson
SEcTION ILLUSTRATOR lisa congdon
cONTRIBUTING ARTISTS matthew ginnard,
keeney + law photography, mike koozmin,
brittany m. powell, matthew reamer,
charles russo, luke thomas, tom tomorrow
PRODUCTION
cREATIvE SERvIcES bill evans
ASSISTANT PRODUcTION MANAGER
doran shelley
BUSINESS
cONTROLLER rachel liu
Road Bikes Mountain Bikes SALES AND MARKETING
ADvERTISING SALES MANAGER emily Forster
MARkETING DIREcTOR martina h. eckstut
MARkETING MANAGER jackie andrews
SENIOR AccOUNT EXEcUTIvE nick nappi
SALES cOORDINATOR hanah letran
THE SAN FRANCISCO NEWSPAPER CO.
225 bush st., 17th Floor
2013 CLOSEOUT san Francisco, ca 94104
PRESIDENT todd a. vogt
EXEcUTIvE v.P. AND cFO pat brown
SALE ON NOW! EXEcUTIvE v.P. david ceccarelli
EDITORIAL v.P. stephen buel
cIRcULATION DIREcTOR mike higgins
EDITORIAL, BUSINESS [phone]
cIRcULATION [phone]
FAX [phone]
DISPLAy/NATIONAL ADvERTISING [phone]
FAX [phone]
FOUNDERS AND cO-PUBLISHERS, 1966-2012
bruce b. brugmann and jean dibble
THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN (ISSN0036 4096) PUBLISHED
WEEKLY EVERY WEDNESDAY BY SAN FRANCISCO NEWSPAPER CO.,
VALENCIA CYCLERY 225 BUSH ST., 17TH FLOOR, SF, CA 94104. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY
SAN FRANCISCO NEWSPAPER CO. LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
REPRODUCTION OR USE WITHOUT PERMISSION IS STRICTLY
PROHIBITED. THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN WAS ADJUDICATED
NOV. 5, 1975, AS A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED
MANUSCRIPTS OR ART.
BACK ISSUES: CHECK OUR SEARCH ENGINE FOR ARCHIVES OF
1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) (cid:127) SF ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN 1995 OR LATER. A COMPLETE FILE OF BACK
ISSUES CAN BE FOUND AT THE SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY,
MAIN BRANCH. BACK ISSUES ARE AVAILABLE BY MAIL FOR $5 PER
SALES 415-550-6600 (cid:127) REPAIRS 415-550-6601 ISSUE. ADD $2 FOR ISSUES PRIOR TO 1985. CURRENT COPIES OF THE
GUARDIAN ARE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE, LIMITED TO ONE COPY
PER READER. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE CURRENT ISSUE OF THE
Mon-Sat 10-6, Thurs ‘til 7PM, Sun 11-5 GUARDIAN ARE AVAILABLE FREE AT THE GUARDIAN OFFICE, OR FOR
$5 BY MAIL. NO PERSON MAY, WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE GUARD-
valenciacyclery.com IAN, TAKE MORE THAN ONE COPY OF EACH GUARDIAN WEEKLY ISSUE.
6 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds
LABOR DAY SALE FROM 8/24-9/2/13
style. comfort. lowest prices guaranteed.
48 MONTHS FFRREEEE FFRREEEE FREE LLOOWWEESSTT
FREE PRICES
DELIVERY** SETUP** RECYCLING**
FINANCING* GUARANTEED++
PLUS UP TO 60% OFF ON SELECTED ITEMS
Twin Mattress
start from $199
Full Mattress
start from $299
Queen Mattress
Lido $$555555999999999999 Chelsea $$666666999999999999
start from $399
Queen Bed $449 Dining Table $549
Icon $$333333444444999999 Zuma $$222222999999999999 KW378 $$1111111199999999 Belmont $$222222999999999999
TV Stand $199 Coffee Table $199 Sofa $899 Desk 47” $199
We Are (cid:127) Quality you deserve.

SAN FRANCISCO SAN MATEO SAN JOSE UNION CITY
570 TOWNSEND STREET 3011 S. EL CAMINO REAL 5353 ALMADEN EXPRESSWAY C25 32111 UNION LANDING BLVD
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 SAN MATEO, CA 94403 SAN JOSE, CA 95118 UNION CITY, CA 94587
TEL: [phone] TEL: [phone] TEL: [phone] TEL: [phone]
www.facebook.com/anafurniturefanpage www.twitter.com/anafurniture www.anafurniture.com

Photos for illustration purpose only. Sale prices are subject to change without notice. Sale prices do not apply to previous purchases. Advertised items at cash price plus tax. Limited stock. Not all item in each store. Purchases with Gift Offer have no additional discounts. Sale offer not in conjunction with any previous offers or sales, includes
clearance item, red tag, package deal and cash prices. All sales items subject to availability. *48 months free fi nancing only available for Icomfort mattresses purchase of $799 and up. Subject to credit approval. See store for detail. **Free delivery, setup and recycling only available for mattress purchases of $399 and up. Free delivery limits
to anywhere within our local delivery area. Does not apply to furniture, upholstery and accessories sales. ++Show us any local competitor’s advertisement on the same product within 30days of purchase and we will beat that price by 10%.
opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds August 21 - 27, 2013 / sFBg.com 7
opinion cyclisTs, pedesTRians, and moToRisTs musT safely coexisT on The sTReeTs of san fRancisco.
getty images file photo by Justin sullivan
Can we get an amen?
By Tony RoBles rider can live and ride one. Can I get
Senior and Disability Action an amen? Amen”
Really? The cyclist was travel-
OPINION Senior and Disability ling in excess of 35 miles an hour.
Action (www.sdaction.org) recent- Witnesses saw him go through
ly learned of the outcome of the three red lights. It was announced
case of the elder who was killed that Mr. Bucchere’s punishment
in a collision with a bicyclist in will be three years probation and
the city’s Castro District. The 1,000 hours of community service.
victim, 71-year-old Sutchi Hui, This was the second fatality involv-
was walking across the intersec- ing a cyclist in a year. The cyclist
tion of Castro and Market streets in the other fatality was sentenced
with his wife when he was struck to 500 hours of community service
by 34-year-old Chris Bucchere, a — at the Bicycle Coalition. Where
self-described “entrepreneur, soft- will Mr. Bucchere do his communi-
ware developer, founder and CEO ty service? Will he have to look an
of Social Collective Inc.” elder in the face, or come into con-
Our organization has been tact with a community of color, or
involved in the issue of pedestrian a community of elders? Or will he
safety, advocating for improve- use his race and class privilege to Protect local power and control
ments on the city streets, corridors sacrifice somehow to a community
and areas that pose safety risks for that has lost much in the way of
seniors, people with disabilities, housing and services — from com-
and the public in general. The munities that have subsidized the EDITORIAL Hidden agendas aimed We’ve highlighted how the as a trustee last year (who subse-
tragic incident that took Mr. Hui’s lives of folks such as himself? at subverting popular will in favor attack on CCSF is part of national quently got trounced in the election)
life emphasizes the need for better We all must adhere to the of entrenched corporate interests movement to focus schools on to his resistance to helping the col-
pedestrian safety and the need rules of the road; the rules apply are undermining projects and job training rather than broad- lege before the state takeover — but
to hold bicyclists accountable for to both motorists as well as institutions that are vital to San based education, and questioned we suspect it’s connected to Lee’s
their actions. cyclists. We recognize that there Francisco’s future. the haste with which CCSF’s local focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs” to the
Seniors have related stories of are cyclists who follow the rules Last week, a pair of important leadership was usurped. exclusion of other issues and values.
being run over or in near misses of the road. But this case was egre- developments illuminated the Critics mocked these concerns, But Lee only counts private
with bicycles speeding through gious, not only in the loss of life, shady way business gets done in as they did those of the California sector jobs, not those created to
crosswalks or sidewalks. One but in the arrogance of the cyclist, San Francisco. The first instance Federation of Teachers, which serve the public interest like the
member of SDA recalls an incident who was using an app that gauged concerned City College of San formally challenged the actions thousands of jobs that would be
at Critical Mass where a senior his speed and overall performance Francisco, which had its accredi- of the Accrediting Commission of created by CleanPowerSF, a pro-
was driving a car with two kids in on the road, offering a prize as tation rashly revoked last month, Community and Junior Colleges, gram that Lee opposes and that his
the backseat. The biker repeatedly an incentive. The metaphors are prompting Mayor Ed Lee to enthu- with Lee and others saying that appointees to the SF Public Utilities
kicked the elder’s car, verbally striking — plowing through an siastically support the disbanding we need to just accept the death Commission are actively subverting.
berating him and frightening the area as if one has the God-given of the locally elected Board of threats against CCSF and do what- As we report in this issue,
children. right and too bad if you happen Trustees and the takeover of City ever these outsiders are asking. CleanPowerSF was approved last
Senior and Disability Action to be in my way. Mr. Bucchere’s College by state-appointed outsiders So on Aug. 13, when the US year by a veto-proof majority on the
was dismayed by the breezy atti- actions in the aftermath is evinc- bent on shutting down communi- Department of Education sustained Board of Supervisors, but it’s being
tude of the cyclist, who, after the ive of the race and class privilege ty-based facilities and classes. the CFT appeal and found the ACCJC blocked by the SFPUC’s refusal to
collision that claimed Mr. Hui’s that has permeated the city, where While Lee and the San Francisco in violation of federal regulations approve the rates, with commission-
life, lamented the loss of his bike some lives are evidently worth Chronicle have been cheerleading and its own internal standards in its ers raising concerns that go well
helmet in a blog: more than others. this loss of local control and the cor- approach to City College, it validated beyond their purview at this point.
“In closing, I want to dedicate Can we get an amen? 2 poratist agenda behind it — CCSF our concerns and called into ques- It’s time for Mayor Lee to start
this story to my late helmet. She was criticized for resisting the nar- tion Lee’s hair-trigger abandonment serving the people of San Francisco
died in heroic fashion today as my Editor’s Note: On Aug. 15, Bucchere rowing of its mission to focus on job of City College’s local leaders. instead of the corporate titans and
head slammed into the tarmac...may was formally sentenced to 1,000 training and college prep — we at Frankly, we’re puzzled by Lee’s political benefactors who elevated
she die knowing that because she hours of community service and three the Guardian have questioned this approach — from his appointment of this loyal career bureaucrat into
committed the ultimate sacrifice, her years probation. process and the motives driving it. right-wing ideologue Rodrigo Santos the big chair in Room 200. 2
8 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN OPINION NEwS FOOD + DRINk ThE SELECTOR mUSIC ARTS + CULTURE FILm CLASSIFIEDS
opinion news food + drink the selector music arts + culture film classifieds August 21 - 27, 2013 / sFBg.com 9
neWS
“We call on the accJc to reScind itS deciSion
to deny accreditation to ccSf.”
Sh!t
s
f
ex Pechthalt, wrote in a press release.
a
m But ACCJC Vice President of Policy and
in
er Research Krista Johns told us that DOE’s con-
ph cerns were narrow and shouldn’t affect its
o
to actions against City College:”The overall result
h@#pened by m of the US Department [of Education]’s analysis
ik and study of the documents presented by the
e
k CFT about the ACCJC really affirmed that we are
o
oz in compliance to a very large degree with all of
m
8.14-8.20.2013 in the many regulations that touch on accreditors.”
But it’s still an open question whether the
DOE’s findings will affect the decision to revoke
City College’s accreditation and turn control
over the institution to a state-appointed special
Spotlight Shone
trustee.
“We’re still analyzing the letter. There’s a lot
on gentrification
in there,” Paul Feist, spokesperson for the State
Community College Chancellor’s Office, told us.
in WeSt oakland
“I don’t know if it could say there is any reprieve
[for City College]. Regardless, there are a number
and Sf
of problems with City College that need fixing.”
But even a cursory analysis of the letter
city college’S JudgeS get Judged
Two stories on the theme of gentri- reveals something that raises suspicions about
fication and displacement — a topic the integrity of the entire process: the DOE let-
we at the Bay Guardian have expend- City College of San Francisco had its accredita- correct its own shortcomings. “The process in ter raises concerns about why the ACCJC chose
ed plenty of ink on — ran in major tion revoked by the Accrediting Commission this case is that ACCJC will have an opportunity to go beyond its own policies to sock it to City
news outlets recently, showing how of Junior and Community Colleges in July, and to provide information about the steps it has College.
intense the Bay Area housing market now the ACCJC is getting a taste of its own taken to come into compliance with the cited The college’s appeal ultimately is in the
pressure has become as it continues medicine — its own existence has been threat- criteria in its response to the draft staff analysis hands of the new Super Trustee of City College,
to be fueled by a rapid growth in ened over its treatment of City College. of the agency’s petition for renewal of its recog- Bob Agrella, who acts with all of the powers of
high-salaried jobs in big tech. In an Aug. 13 letter to ACCJC President nition, which is currently under review,” DOE the college’s now defunct board. But Agrella
Zeroing in on San Francisco, the Barbara Beno, the Department of Education spokesperson Jane Glickman told the Guardian, has, in past interviews, agreed with the way the
Los Angeles Times turned an eye found it out of compliance with the Education noting that there will be a hearing in mid-De- ACCJC is run.
toward Mission District gentrifica- Secretary’s regulations governing accrediting cember, with possible actions ranging from lim- “I think the way the commission operates
tion (“San Francisco split by Silicon agencies, as well as the ACCJC’s own internal iting the agency’s authority to giving it another is okay,” he told City College’s newspaper, The
Valley’s wealth,” Aug. 14) illustrating rules. year to come into compliance. Guardsman. “I’ve dealt with their policies and
the growing divide with a succinct “Therefore, we have determined that in But she said the DOE can’t directly help operating procedures at other institutions where
comment overheard on a Muni bus: “I order to avoid initiation of an action to limit, City College: “The Department does not have I worked that were dealing with addressing
don’t know why old people ride Muni. suspend or terminate ACCJC’s recognition, the authority to require an agency to change accreditation problems—not to the same degree
If I were old, I’d just take Uber.” ACCJC must take immediate steps to correct the any accreditation decision it has made. The as here at City College—and the process worked
And a Wall Street Journal article areas of non-compliance in this letter,” the letter agency (ACCJC) needs to amend its policies and there.”
(“Companies spruce up neighbor- reads. procedures and provide documentation that it But Karen Saginor, the ex-City College aca-
hoods, putting gentrification in The DOE found the ACCJC noncompliant follows its amended policies and procedures to demic senate president, said the DOE criticism of
overdrive,” Aug. 13) provides an in four areas: A conflict of interest because demonstrate that it is in compliance with the the process should be taken into account in the
eye-opening account of how REO Beno’s husband served on the visiting team that cited criteria.” appeal of the accreditation revocation decision.
Homes LLC is seeking to accelerate evaluated City College, no clear policies on who The California Federation of Teachers, which “It’s pretty exciting, that letter,” Saginor
the gentrification by “beautifying” should serve on those teams (with the letter not- filed the appeal with the DOE, wants the ACCJC told the Guardian. “It’s recognition from an
West Oakland, a historically African ing the teams were stacked with administrators to reconsider its sanction of City College in light important authority that there are irregularities
American neighborhood that is rather than educators), no defined distinction of these validated concerns over its process. in the process that put us on show cause. We’ve
home to predominantly low-income between “deficiencies” and “recommendations” “We are gratified that the U.S. Dept. of been saying ‘it wasn’t fair.’ And we’ve been told
and working-class residents. or indication of their severity levels, and failure Education agreed with us that the process was ‘its a totally fair process, you’re just not happy
Minutes from downtown San to give CCSF two years to correct those deficien- deeply flawed, and we call on the ACCJC to because you don’t like the result.’ Now we have
Francisco via BART, West Oakland is cies, as ACCJC policies call for. rescind its unprecedented decision to deny an important authority verifying what we’ve
dotted with Victorians and was hit Ironically, the ACCJC has plenty of time to accreditation to CCSF,” CFT President Joshua been saying.” (Joe Fitzgerald)
with a wave of foreclosure during
the economic crash, destabilizing
the lives of many families who lost top dollar to spruce up not just its Since 2008, the height of the an affordable, nearby alternative one-bedroom in The City.
their homes. holdings, but residences nearby its real-estate market crash, REO has to astronomically expensive San All of which will likely result
REO is an investment firm West Oakland properties. In a rarely acquired more than 200 homes in Francisco. Now that many people in further displacement of Oakland
helped along by San Francisco bil- seen form of hyper-gentrification, Oakland, Whelan reports, mostly who weren’t able to keep up with residents who are barely holding
lionaire Tom Steyer, a well-connected the company has been planting in West Oakland. “Most houses cost mortgage payments have been on as it is. As Oakland City Council
venture capitalist (he even hosted trees, sprucing up homes (for free) of around $200,000,” he writes, “and forced out by foreclosure, things member Desley Brooks told the
a Democratic Party fundraiser with neighbors who aren’t in the market [founder Neill Sullivan] said he invests are changing swiftly, as if by magic. Journal: “I’m not interested in find-
President Barack Obama at his Pacific to sell or rent, mending fences, and as much $100,000 to fix each one up.” Armed with cash, bankers are chas- ing housing for San Franciscans who
Heights mansion earlier this year). making other improvements — all Real-estate agents have been ing away the blight and rolling out can no longer afford San Francisco.
As the Journal’s Robbie Whelan in an effort to lure higher-income marketing the sometimes-rough the welcome mat for up-and-com- I’m interested in helping people here
reports, REO has been shelling out residents to the neighborhood. neighborhood to house-hunters as ers who can’t swing that $3,000 in Oakland.” (Rebecca Bowe)
10 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN OpINION NewS FOOD + DRINk the SeleCtOR mUSIC ARtS + CUltURe FIlm ClASSIFIeDS