Protesters from the Occupy movement and beyond gathered in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Jan. 20, calling for the adoption of a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution aimed at refuting the idea that corporations should have the same rights as people, a legal doctrine know as corporate personhood.Read more »

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has hailed the success of its SFpark program — which uses high-tech meters and demand-variable pricing to manage on-street parking — noting that expired meter citations are down and meter revenue is way up. The resulting 11 percent net increase in revenue is all going to improve Muni. So transit improves, drivers get more spots and fewer tickets — everybody wins.Read more »

yael@sfbg.com

On Jan. 20, hundreds of activists converged on the Financial District in a day that showed a reinvigorated and energized Occupy movement.

The day of action was deemed "Occupy Wall Street West." Despite pouring rain, the numbers swelled to 1,200 by early evening.

Critics have said that the Occupy movement is disorganized and lacks a clear message. Some have decried its supposed lack of unity. Others have even declared it dead.Read more »

steve@sfbg.com

After weeks of attacks from critics of the high-speed rail system now being built in California — a campaign that even came home to San Francisco City Hall last week, when Sup. Sean Elsbernd challenged Mayor Ed Lee on the issue and called for a hearing — Gov. Jerry Brown and other supporters have stepped up efforts to keep the train from being derailed.Read more »

news@sfbg.com

The Occupy movement that spread across the country last fall has already changed the national discussion: It's brought attention to the serious, systemic problem of gross inequities of wealth and power and the mass hardships that have resulted from that imbalance.

Occupy put a new paradigm in the political debate — the 1 percent is exploiting the 99 percent — and it's tapping the energy and imagination of a new generation of activists.Read more »

The uneasy relationship between OccupyOakland and the Oakland Police Department has resulted in a troubling spate of controversial arrests recently.

At a press conference last month, Police Chief Howard Jordan stated, "The plaza area outside of City Hall is a public area. We do not have any legal right to remove you if you're standing there, at any time during the day, if you're exercising you're First Amendment rights. If you're not breaking the laws, we're not concerned about your presence."Read more »

news@sfbg.com

The latest America's Cup controversy arose with a complaint filed in state court in New York City on Dec. 12, alleging that the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), defender of the coveted sailing trophy and orchestrator of the prestigious international regatta in San Francisco, unfairly rejected an African American sailing team's bid to compete as a defender candidate.Read more »

steve@sfbg.com

In his inaugural address on Jan. 8, and then again the next day as he appointed progressive Christina Olague to the District 5 seat on the Board of Supervisors, Mayor Ed Lee signaled an intention to bring all sides together to solve vexing city problems, from job creation to the need for more affordable housing.

"At its best, San Francisco is a city for everyone," Lee said at his inauguration. "We are a city for the 100 percent."Read more »

tredmond@sfbg.com, steve@sfbg.com

The most important political change of 2012 may not be the appointment of a new District 5 supervisor or the inauguration of a new mayor and sheriff. A process moving slowly through a little-known city task force could wind up profoundly shifting the makeup, and balance of power, on the Board of Supervisors — and hardly anyone is paying attention, yet.Read more »

marke@sfbg.com

It was a huuuge year for LGBTMNOPs — what with the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Lady Gaga's suicide via family-friendly Thanksgiving Special, and, of course, the Honey Badger. And yet, like a troupe of half-naked acrobats raked by the pope's hungry eyes or Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars, members of our community managed to twist themselves into some mighty uncomfortable positions. Let me remove my Valentino couture and tell you about it.

 Read more »