San Francisco, CA
Mayor Breed Orders Increased Scrutiny of San Francisco Contract Work, Grantees | KQED
The city is also still working to earn back voters’ trust after a spiraling corruption scandal within the Department of Public Works and the Department of Building Inspection, which has led to convictions for Mohammed Nuru, former head of the Director of Public Works, and former Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly.
“Those who undermine our contracting processes and exploit public resources are not welcome to do business with our City and will be held accountable,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “I am proud of our attorneys and investigators who have worked diligently to root out corruption and maintain the integrity of City government”
Meanwhile, those hoping to unseat Breed in the mayoral election are laying out their own plans to combat corruption in City Hall.
“You can’t solve the problem when you are the problem, and we can’t trust the same people who built this broken, corrupt bureaucracy to turn it around,” nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “I am the only candidate who will bring a new culture of accountability to City Hall on day one.”
Lurie wants to remove a campaign fundraising loophole where candidates are able to raise more than the $500 contribution limit through ballot measure initiatives. He also wants to raise candidate filing fees for those who have records of ethics misconduct, fully fund the Ethics Commission, require reporting for any meals costing over $500, and create an ethics enforcement dashboard to track campaign finance reports, lobbying disclosures, gifts, contracts and other areas for potential conflicts of interest.
The plan explicitly targets several of the ethics complaints that former interim mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell, who is also running for mayor, has faced in the current election cycle. He has come under scrutiny for his ties to the moderate political organizing group Together SF Action, which has raised millions of dollars through a ballot initiative to slash the number of city commissions.
Farrell faced similar accusations for campaign finance violations during his bid in 2010 for San Francisco Supervisor. The Ethics Commission fined Farrell $191,000 – the largest in the city’s history – and he later paid the city $25,000 to settle the case.
Still, Farrell has sought to portray his candidacy as a break from past City Hall scandals.
“I will bring new transparency and accountability from day one,” said Farrell, who has defended his record on the current campaign trail. “I will centralize all third party non profit contracts under the Office of the Mayor to reduce fraud and waste while bringing greater accountability.”
Supervisors running for mayor criticized Breed for the corruption that has come to light during her administration, pointing to their own efforts to weed out corruption in City Hall from within.
“Our current mayor’s administration is one of the most corrupt in San Francisco history,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. “More of her senior officials have been convicted of corruption than in any other administration in modern times.”
The Excelsior supervisor pointed to his efforts to maintain funding for the Ethics Commission when Breed attempted to reduce it and said mandating audits of nonprofits and other city contractors will be a priority if he is elected.
San Francisco, CA
1 dead, 1 injured in Bay Point shooting; suspect sought
A man was being sought as the suspect in a double shooting in Bay Point that left one person dead and another injured early Friday morning.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched at about 1:30 a.m. to an unknown problem on Olivia Lane, just east of Alves Lane and south of Delta de Anza Regional Trail, which later was reported to be “shots fired.”
While arriving at the scene, deputies were flagged down by several people who were injured at the location, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies found one person who was unresponsive and he was taken to a hospital. The victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital, the office said.
A second person was taken to the hospital; the victim’s condition was not disclosed. The victim who died has not yet been identified.
Sheriff’s detectives identified the suspect as 35-year-old Avery Alexander Gibbs, described by the Sheriff’s Office as a transient. Gibbs was still at large as of Friday afternoon
The Sheriff’s Office said Gibbs should not be approached, and anyone seeing him should call 9-1-1. People with information on the shooting were asked to contact Sheriff’s Office investigators at (925) 313-2600 dispatcher at (925) 646-2441.
San Francisco, CA
Marina braces for Golden Gate Bridge fireworks show, massive crowds
Golden Gate Bridge fireworks will be a rare patriotic event
This year on July 4th, for the third time in history, an organized fireworks display will be held at San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. This only happned in twice before in 1987 and 2012 for the bridge’s 50th and 75th annivesary. Expect crowds to be massive and public transportation, ride shares and simply walking is highly recommended.
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is preparing for its major July 4th fireworks display on Saturday night, an event expected to draw massive crowds as pyrotechnics are launched directly from the Golden Gate Bridge for only the third time in history.
Will crowds flood Marina?
What we don’t know:
To pull off the event, the Golden Gate Bridge, major roadways, and key parking lots at Marina Green and Crissy Field will be shut down.
Several neighborhood streets will also be blocked off, creating significant traffic hurdles. Officials are strongly advising spectators to utilize public transit due to severely limited parking.
Local residents in the Marina District have expressed concern over the impending chaos as crowds flood the neighborhood.
“I’m a little worried, yeah,” said nearby resident Michael Zoboski. “I think it’s gonna be definitely hectic. I don’t know where people are going to park, it seems like it’s taking up a large amount of the streets up here. I think it’s going to be a little crazy.”
To manage the influx, access to many surrounding neighborhoods will be strictly limited to local residents.
Checking IDs
What we know:
Law enforcement officers will be checking IDs and questioning drivers to verify residency. According to the district supervisor, there will be 10 police officers deployed per block in the Marina.
Road closures will stretch from Baker Street to Van Ness Avenue between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Portions of Fisherman’s Wharf are scheduled to shut down even earlier, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, with much of that neighborhood also restricted to local access. The Golden Gate Bridge itself will close to traffic starting at 9 p.m.
Additionally, roads will be closed in the Presidio and Richmond District. To encourage the use of public transportation, Muni is providing special shuttles to help transport spectators to the viewing areas.
The Source: Marina neighbors, Muni, San Francisco city website
San Francisco, CA
Crash on freeway in Millbrae leaves driver dead after reportedly overturning multiple times, CHP says
A driver died Thursday evening after reportedly overturning multiple times and being ejected from the vehicle in Millbrae, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 7 p.m. on southbound Highway 101 at Millbrae Avenue.
Officers said they received a report that a vehicle had overturned multiple times and that an occupant was possibly ejected.
At the scene, officers found a man, who was determined to be the driver of a white Toyota Camry, lying in the road with major injuries. He was taken to a hospital where he later died, officers said.
It was determined that a second vehicle was involved in the crash and no one was injured in the second vehicle.
The CHP said the driver of the Camry was not wearing a seatbelt.
Three lanes of southbound Highway 101 were closed for an extended period.
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