Examiner Opinion RSS

Make bored Newsom get back to his job

Examiner readers — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:34:48 +0000

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to shorten state employee workweeks should start with the Office of the lieutenant governor. Apparently, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom dislikes “boring” Sacramento so much, he only shows up to work there one day a week. Newsom dismisses his $160,000 government job as...

Golden Gate Bridge needs a suicide barrier to end dark legacy

Examiner Editorial — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:20:46 +0000

The Golden Gate Bridge is 75 years old, and The City has reason to celebrate this world-class landmark. But there is another figure San Francisco should be considerably less proud of — 1,558. That is the approximate number of people who have walked onto the iconic span and thrown themselves to...

Bringing back Bonds would be giant error

Examiner readers — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:53:52 +0000

I hope Barry Bonds does not rejoin the Giants (“Bonds a coach? It’s possible,” May 29). As Bonds stated, he is a felon. Then he went on to gloat that he was “never convicted of steroids,” but did not deny using them. Remember, Bonds testified before a grand jury that he used a clear substance and...

New voting rules alter campaigning

Dan Walters — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:18:54 +0000

This year’s California elections will test the theory that having independently drawn districts and a top-two primary ballot will result in a less polarized, more collegial and relevant political structure. That’s just theory, but it’s already evident that these changes are altering campaign...

$1.7M gift shows S.F. does have park funds

Examiner readers — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:14:51 +0000

Letter writer Ann Grogan forgets the original question behind the debate regarding whether or not the Recreation and Park Department should be allowed to abandon another park responsibility by throwing Coit Tower into private hands: Will privatizing public park facilities keep other parks free? The...

Jobless, indebted grads hit by 'diploma despair'

Examiner Staff — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:00:41 +0000

Jackie Speier Special to The S.F. Examiner You just graduated from college. You were taught at an early age to follow your dreams, reach for the stars and find work that makes you...

Fake turf, lights will hurt Golden Gate Park

Examiner readers — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:00:24 +0000

The San Francisco Examiner article on the 7-acre artificial turf fiasco planned for Golden Gate Park was breathtakingly one-sided (“Beach Chalet fields grass clash,” May 22). Photos of a child locked out of a field, and gopher holes? Really? Where are the photos of glorious raptor birds, of...

For-profit colleges need stronger regulations to protect job seekers

Examiner Editorial — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:00:21 +0000

As the economy in California remains in a slump, unemployed residents may be tempted to turn to vocational schools that teach a specified trade in order to land a new job. There are roughly 1,300 vocational schools in the state of California. Approximately 400,000 students attend them every year....

Garbage monopoly is costing San Francisco

Examiner Staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:55:46 +0000

Quentin L. Kopp Special to The S.F. Examiner Does it surprise readers that the Chamber of Commerce supports maintenance of a monopoly in San Francisco (“Ballot measures will hurt ...

Light sentence shows need for cyberbully laws

Examiner Editorial — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:52:34 +0000

In San Francisco, the refuge of so many gay men and women who fled the bullying and torment of their youth, the case of Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi has been particularly poignant. In September 2010, Ravi and Clementi were beginning their lives as Rutgers University students, sharing a dormitory...

Beach Chalet Soccer Fields need revamp to extend playing time

Examiner Editorial — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:00:21 +0000

A battle is brewing in the normally quiet neighborhoods around the western side of Golden Gate Park over a plan to replace 7 acres of grass soccer fields with artificial turf. The plan, which also would add lights to the area, pits sports enthusiasts and families against environmentalists and...

Welcoming the Golden State Warriors back to San Francisco

Examiner Staff — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:00:14 +0000

Ed Lee Special to The S.F. Examiner We are welcoming the Golden State Warriors back home to San Francisco! The Warriors have been the Bay Area’s basketball team for 50 years, and we...

California must clarify its murky medical marijuana laws

Examiner Editorial — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:07:04 +0000

The legal status of medical marijuana is an ongoing puzzle. In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, which legalized the cultivation of medical pot by people suffering from medical ailments or their caregivers. But marijuana, legal or otherwise, is still considered illegal under federal...

State Senate hopeful fights for clean future

Examiner readers — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:58:58 +0000

Without clean air and water and natural beauty, California wouldn’t be a desirable place to live or do business. But it’s not easy to take on the special interests who would despoil California. State Senate candidate and former Assemblywoman Sally Lieber showed uncommon courage in taking on tough...

Taxes needed to patch budget for the short term

Examiner Editorial — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:31:59 +0000

Gov. Jerry Brown’s May budget revision, which he announced last week, is worse than originally projected. What once was estimated to be a $9 billion deficit has ballooned to almost twice that amount. Thanks to the overreach of Proposition 13, California’s legislators have been powerless to raise...

Anti-sweatshop law makes statement for San Francisco

Examiner Editorial — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:00:50 +0000

In San Francisco, lawmakers often pass non-binding resolutions that stake out a position on national or international issues. The principled gesture of supporting or opposing a cause with just words can at times be noteworthy and admirable, but it is much more powerful when San Francisco takes a...

We must act on pension reform in California

Examiner Staff — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:00:10 +0000

Bill Emmerson Special to The S.F. Examiner It’s been more than six months since Gov. Jerry Brown revealed his 12-point pension plan, and Californians are still waiting on the...

An ode to Proposition B to help save Coit Tower

Examiner Staff — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:35:35 +0000

Jon Golinger Special to The S.F. Examiner Coit Tower is a symbol of San Francisco, occupying a special spot in our city’s heart and soul. Why, then, has it been neglected by The City...