San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area - Spoken Edition

While decorating a cable car, I discovered the magic of San Francisco — again Dec 21, 2018

If children obsessed with buses and trains and all manner of public transportation could envision their dream office, it would be San Francisco’s cable car barn. Many of the people who work there grew up in the city, loved riding the cable cars as kids, and can’t quite believe they make their living tending to a fleet that doubles as a national historic landmark.

Trashing Trump: Pelosi takes ownership of the president Dec 20, 2018

Nancy Pelosi did the impossible — she out-Trumped Trump on live TV. When it comes to media ambushes, our reality TV star president is the master. Just ask “Little Marco,” “Lying Ted,” “Low Energy Jeb” and the other Republicans he dispatched in 2016. So when President Trump decided to take on Pelosi and her fellow Democratic congressional leader Sen.

Volunteer ‘ministry of hospitality’ soothes seafarers with fellowship, supplies Dec 19, 2018

The steel gangway from the pier in Oakland up to the main deck of the container ship Bai Chay Bridge was long, steep and a bit slippery, and Jamieson Prevoznak was having a tough time. He was hauling a heavy black plastic sack over his shoulder. The sack was full of Christmas presents. “Sometimes,” he said, “I think Santa Claus has it easy.

Bay Area’s first Shake Shack burger shop shakes up crowd with euphoria Dec 18, 2018

Aparna Bhardwaj’s 15-year-old son, Nikash, and his best friend wanted to camp out all night in front of the new Shake Shack in Palo Alto before its opening. They wanted to be first in line. But it’s finals week, so the devoted mother made a deal with the boys. She would leave their house just 5 minutes away in Menlo Park at 6 a.m., she said, and save them a place at the front of the line — as long as they promised to study for their math final on Monday. Done, the boys said.

SantaCon in San Francisco: Ready or not, those ho-ho-hos are coming Dec 17, 2018

A warning to all Santas. Don’t get plastered. And yet, Santa will get plastered. Hundreds of Santas. That’s what happens at SantaCon, the annual ad hoc gathering in downtown San Francisco of wobbly men and women in Santa and Mrs. Claus suits. It’s unofficial, it’s an institution, it’s either charming or obnoxious. Ready or not, it’s on for Saturday. In San Francisco, SantaCon is acknowledged if not sanctioned.

A longshoremen legend in SF honored for a lifetime of standing strong Dec 14, 2018

Longshoreman Howard Keylor knew when to unload a ship and he knew when to refuse. A longshoreman for decades on San Francisco Bay, Keylor could unload the contents of a ship’s hold as fast as anyone on the waterfront. But he could also stand fast, lock arms, hold a megaphone and do nothing. That’s what he and his fellow longshoremen did for 11 days in 1984, when the South African cargo ship Nedlloyd Kemba came to the port of San Francisco, its hold full of fruit, wool and sugar.

San Francisco police keeping the heat on Tenderloin and SoMa drug dealers Dec 13, 2018

They have become as much a part of the city streetscape as the homeless — drug dealers who sell hundreds of $10 bindles of cocaine, Fentanyl and heroin on Tenderloin and South of Market street corners while rolling in and out of jail. On the night of Nov. 29, for example, a suspect known as “Cena” was arrested at the corner of Turk and Larkin streets with 237 bindles of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Trump names new attorney general, and clock starts ticking Dec 12, 2018

It doesn’t matter whom President Trump names as his new attorney general, or his ambassador to the United Nations, or as his chief of staff for that matter, because he is not likely to listen to any of them. Everything is about Trump. Period. And he doesn’t want anybody veering away from his one-man party line. And Trump is not alone. Politicians love to surround themselves with intelligent, talented people. But the real talent they are looking for is the ability to follow the leader.

Holiday bell-ringing: Salvation Army job is tough but rewarding Dec 11, 2018

The holiday season has come to life in Union Square in the heart of downtown San Francisco. There’s a big menorah to celebrate Hanukkah, a lighted Christmas tree, an ice rink — and the gentle ringing of small white bells next to red Salvation Army kettles. The bell ringers are there with their kettles in front of Macy’s on Union Square in all weather — driving rain, the pale December sunshine, the chill of late fall — raising money the old-fashioned way.

Going above ground in Oakland can really get a cannabis merchant down Dec 10, 2018

Selling weed on the black market is easy, Alphonso Blunt told me as he reclined in an office chair. Blunt (yes, that’s his last name), 38, started selling dime bags when he was 16, but he “retired” from street sales about four years ago because he wanted to sell cannabis legally. He’s learned that selling marijuana legally with a permit is hard. Permits don’t write business plans, acquire real estate or finance operations.

Dave Roberts, radio DJ who started KRQR the Rocker, dies at 70 Dec 07, 2018

On the air, Dave Roberts was a smooth if straight-ahead Bay Area radio disc jockey hosting the afternoon drive for KYA and K101. Off the air he was “Dr. Dave,” armed with a doctorate in communications research and a knack for launching and driving radio formats. Roberts died Saturday at his home in Rochester, Mich., from the complications of prostate cancer, said his wife, Marsha Kelliher. He was 70.

Single mom’s dream tripped up by volcano, Marin County housing costs Dec 06, 2018

After singing her way through Drake High School in San Anselmo and making it through several elimination rounds on “American Idol,” Kelli Peterson moved to Hawaii to record and perform her own style of soul-reggae under the stage name Kelli Love. She built a $15,000 studio behind her rented home in the town of Puna, on the Big Island of Hawaii, and was working on her third album when the volcano on the island erupted on May 3.

What Robert Mueller must be thinking: I signed up for this? Dec 05, 2018

What Robert Mueller must be thinking: I signed up for this? Special Counsel Robert Mueller has to be asking himself, “Why did I ever take this job?” He had a stellar career as a federal attorney and FBI director and a promising future in the private sector, only to be dragged into the biggest mess of an investigation we have seen in years. His job was to determine whether Donald Trump or people in his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

John’s Grill in the city’s heart for 110 years Dec 04, 2018

This is the season for old favorites: the holidays, friends, good cheer, the classics. So we went to John’s Grill on Ellis Street just off Powell toward the end of last week to help celebrate the restaurant’s 110th birthday. The place was crowded. A lot of political bigwigs were on hand: the mayor, the police chief, the fire chief, the public defender, a city supervisor or two, Willie Brown shaking hands. State Sen. Scott Wiener brought a framed proclamation.

Last engine of ‘Crookest Railroad in the World’ brought home to Bay Area Dec 03, 2018

Engine No. 9, the last remaining piece from the fabled “Crookedest Railroad in the World” that once climbed Mount Tamalpais, is back in the Bay Area and on its way to a new home in Marin County. The 98-year-old steam locomotive had been on display in the Humboldt County logging town of Scotia since 1953. A group of Marin residents purchased No. 9 at auction and earlier this week loaded it on a flatbed truck and moved it to a ranch in Sonoma County.

Oakland may remove homeless group from city-owned property, judge rules Nov 30, 2018

A federal judge in Oakland ruled Wednesday that the city can oust a group of 10 men and women, and three children, from a city-owned site where they’ve been camping for a month — as long as it offers them shelter beds and stores their belongings. The group began camping in October within the fenced-off site at Clara Street and Edes Avenue, a mile and a half southeast of the Coliseum.

Skating into a more wintery city plaza — SF Civic Center Plaza adds winter wonderland Nov 29, 2018

For decades, City Hall politicians have struggled to make the grand plaza just outside their front door a place to linger and enjoy rather than one people rush through, clutching their belongings tighter and quickening their pace. Finally, Civic Center Plaza has come to life, and people actually want to be there. The key? A surreal mix of attractions that, like San Francisco itself, screams weird, whimsical and just plain fun.

Future looks bleak for Petaluma’s once-thriving waterfront Nov 28, 2018

What could be the last pleasure boat to depart downtown Petaluma left very carefully the other afternoon. Exactly 5 feet of water was beneath the hull of the Sea Witch as it inched away from the dock for a 20-minute voyage nearly as treacherous as the rounding of Cape Horn. “There’s a big bump of mud over there,” said captain Bob Boynton, his hand firmly on the tiller. “And another big bump of mud over there.

Season of Sharing: Help after daughter’s illness renews sense of empathy Nov 27, 2018

Year after year, Patti Medina answered the phone at the Oakland unemployment office. She filled out forms for strangers laid off from work. Helping strangers was her job. She never figured she’d be the next person needing a stranger’s help. Until she was. In April, Medina’s 10-year-old daughter, A.F., came back from a school camping trip complaining of being tired. She was short of breath. She needed to lie down, and she wouldn’t get up. Something was wrong.

West Oakland encampment residents brace for holiday eviction Nov 26, 2018

Alonzo Carter tinkered with the transmission of his getaway vehicle, a minivan that he also sleeps in. It’s drivable, but it only goes in reverse. Carter, who lives in an encampment of mobile homes in a privately owned lot on Wood Street in West Oakland, was getting ready for an expected eviction attempt by the property owner. I went there on Sunday afternoon to see what it’s like in the tension-filled hours before police show up to clear people out.

Holiday news — SF Chronicle getting its own cable car to dress up this year Nov 23, 2018

This is the week to give thanks, and of course I’m grateful for my family, my friends and my home in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. I’m also thankful for the legions of people who keep San Francisco — in all its weirdness and whimsy — rolling along for the rest of us. Like Val Lupiz, who in July will celebrate his 20th year as a cable car gripman.

SFPD adding cops to walk the beat in gritty Mid-Market Nov 22, 2018

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has directed the Police Department to ramp up foot patrols around the Mid-Market corridor — it’s the latest incremental step in the city’s effort to rejuvenate the area and rid it of the drug pushers that have long congregated there. On Wednesday, Breed is expected to announce that 10 additional officers, two sergeants and a lieutenant will be reassigned to the SFPD’s Tenderloin Station.

In Magalia, residents stayed to save homes, but now they’re stuck Nov 21, 2018

MAGALIA, Butte County — Matthew Schlegel hauled a singed bicycle up the front steps of the Paradise Pines RV park’s recreation building and leaned it against another one. “I got your bike,” he hollered to his wife, Tosha Sumrall, who was inside the center with her part Dachshund and pitbull dog, Toad. The bicycles were Schlegel’s and Sumrall’s only mode of transportation.

Muir Woods’ scarred trees reveal history of wildfires Nov 20, 2018

More than a million visitors a year come from all over the world to marvel at the magnificent redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument, an untouched old forest only a dozen miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. People wandering through Muir Woods cannot help but notice an ominous sight: dozens of trees bearing the blackened scars of old fires.

Thousands of Camp Fire evacuees in shelters, tents face long wait for normalcy Nov 19, 2018

CHICO, Butte County — Tents sprawled in a parking lot. Cots jammed side by side in a fairgrounds. Desperation on the faces of the parents and children with nothing but smoking ruins to go home to. The devastating Camp Fire that wiped out the town of Paradise and savaged neighborhoods for miles around in Butte County has shoved 52,000 people out of their homes.

David Pearson was the ‘craftiest of all’ NASCAR drivers Nov 16, 2018

David Pearson, who was hailed as NASCAR’s Silver Fox for his cunning behind the wheel that propelled him to three top-series championships and acclaim as perhaps the most brilliant driver in the history of stock-car racing, died Monday. Pearson, who had lived in Spartanburg, S.C., in his retirement years collecting classic cars, was 83. His death was announced by NASCAR, which did not provide details. It said that Pearson’s family announced in 2014 that he had suffered a stroke.

A party to end all parties: SF went wild when WWI ended Nov 15, 2018

At 1 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, San Francisco held one of the greatest celebrations in its history. Shouting and singing, an army of men and women flowed up and down Market Street, waving flags and banging on drums. Tens of thousands massed in public places to attend religious services and hear dignitaries give patriotic speeches. Exuberant drivers careened through the streets, honking their horns and dragging tin cans. The bash didn’t run out of steam until well into the next night.

Trump backs Pelosi for speaker. She’ll win anyway Nov 14, 2018

Rep. Nancy Pelosi nailed it when she predicted a week before the election that Democrats would win back the House. Even the doubters now have to admit: She knows her stuff. President Trump, of all people, acknowledged that her hard work had earned her the right to be the next speaker. I’m not sure how much weight a Trump endorsement is going to carry with Democratic lawmakers. But I’m going out on a limb and predicting that when the caucus votes Nov.

Love affair survived World War I to last a lifetime Nov 13, 2018

Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the war that was supposed to end all wars. A solemn day, often forgotten, mixed up with other observances and holidays. They called it the Great War back then. It changed the world, and for years people paused for a minute of silence to remember the moment the war ended — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. The United States sent a million soldiers to France.

Week a fitting time to celebrate East Indians’ success in SF Nov 12, 2018

Twenty years ago, when M.R. Rangaswami moved to San Francisco, there were only a few East Indians in the city. “There were hardly any of us here then. Maybe a thousand or so,” he said. Now, there are 10 times as many in the city, and thousands more in the Bay Area, said Rangaswami, a software engineer who founded a nonprofit leadership organization, Indiaspora, in 2012 to unite Indian Americans and showcase their success on the global stage.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area – Spoken Edition

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected