Bay Area

"A severe fire broke out at Alice Waters' famed Berkeley icon Chez Panisse at around 3 a.m. this morning, the second major blaze in its 40 year history. According to firefighters on the scene, little fires were set around the building, damaging the facade before working their way inside. It is being treated as suspicious in nature, but investigators haven't ruled out other possibilities (like an electrical fire or an errant cigarette). By the looks of photos of the exterior of the restaurant, the damage was severe, but a sprinkler inside the building did help to stave off the flames. Berkeley Fire Department Battalion Chief Avery Webb told reporters that "damage didn't look too bad, there's not even that much smoke damage." An emotional Waters has been on the scene since 6 a.m., when she toured the space, and has been talking to media. She says that she could see reopening the upstairs of the restaurant "very soon" and "it's just a matter of us rebuilding the hallway to the upstairs."... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

I was just watching this on the news. Bless that woman's heart. <3 - Hookuh Tinypants

Weird that it happened on the same date as a previous fire. I'm surprised to read she wasn't going to buy business interruption insurance given how successful her business is. I know restaurants work on thin margins, but I assumed Chez Panisse was an exception to that. Glad her father bought her the insurance and glad the sprinklers saved the rest of the building. - Spidra Webster

"BIFF'S: Another then and now look at the sign, which has a Milk Farm vibe. After the business closed, Biff's was almost turned into a Chevron Station. It was saved from demolition in the 1990s, but remains abandoned. There's a Friends of Biff's blog that hasn't been updated in a while." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

Wasserman said Oakland had "more calls for service over 911 than any city in the United States on a population basis." "It's way off the map," he said. "Many of the things they call for are not things that a police officer can help (with) right now." Wasserman did not offer details on what that meant, but he said some 911 calls needed to be treated more like calls to the cable TV company, with scheduled follow-up appointments. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

The meeting was live tweeted. What Wasserman said was "people in poor neighborhoods" are calling 911 unnecessarily. Sure is easy to blame us when we have less of a voice to respond. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

I believe the only reason they're putting so much effort into this overhaul is because people in the "good" neighborhoods are being robbed, carjacked, their homes are being burglarized. People are getting their i phones snatched. When it was only happening in our neighborhoods nobody really cared. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

"The United States Postal Service is holding a public meeting tonight to discuss the proposal to relocate the downtown Berkeley Post Office and sell its existing building at 2000 Allston Way. The USPS says the sale is necessary to generate revenue after the organization has experienced a 26% drop in mail volume over the past three years. A group of local residents who opposes the sale is expected to hold rally outside the Berkeley City Council Chambers where the meeting is taking place, starting at 6:00 p.m.. Local monologist and actor Josh Kornbluth is participating in the rally and will be at the hearing. The Save the Berkeley Post Office group argues the the city cannot lose a historic, architecturally significant building which was built with public funds. “Sold post offices have frequently morphed into restaurants or offices, or even been abandoned,” the group wrote in a release. “At some, it is necessary to ask permission to see the public art. At others, nobody even knows where... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"These dudes (Dalmar James of Branded Strategies, LLC, and James Tudy) stole my bag with both my partner’s and my computers in it. We have a ton of evidence that it was them, including a video of them taking it.  Read the below for the whole story. Please share this story and contact them on their social media (at the bottom of this page) to put the pressure on.  ALL WE WANT IS OUR BAG, AND ITS CONTENTS, PLACED IN THE CARE OF THE BARTENDER AT THE BAR IT WAS STOLEN FROM IN OAKLAND. I am hesitant to post their information and photos, but we have given them multiple opportunities to return our things.  So, you know, public shame will hopefully make an impact." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"William Bennett, the San Francisco Symphony's principal oboist, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on Saturday night, midway through a performance of Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto. He collapsed on the stage of Davies Symphony Hall and lay unconscious for 20 minutes, according to witnesses, until paramedics arrived and took him out. Symphony spokesman Oliver Theil said Bennett was taken to a local hospital for treatment and described his condition as "guarded." One patron who was in attendance said Bennett began to sway unsteadily during his performance, then lost his balance and fell to the stage. As he fell, he held his oboe aloft long enough for one of the orchestra's violinists to take it from him. Bennett, 56, was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2004, and was on leave for nine months undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He got a clean bill of health and was performing with the Symphony again the next summer." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

There's a fire station less than half a mile away from Davies. Perhaps there was a delay in calling 911. :-/ - Anne Bouey

"This is the cover design (by Lorraine Rath) for a book I have underway with Heyday Press covering my photographs of the South San Francisco Bay landscape. The project has been both fun and arduous. The publication date is December 2013. ---------------- Saltscapes explores a unique and transitional landscape using a novel photographic technique. On approach to SFO, a glance out of the airline window finds the South Bay’s patchwork of vivid salt evaporation ponds. These ponds support a five-year-long process of solar evaporation that yields 500,000 tons of salt a year. As San Francisco Bay water makes the trip from 2% to 32% salinity it evolves through a succession of bright colors - evidence of halophilic algae, bacteria, and other organisms that thrive at specific elevated salinities. And these tiny creatures paint our day’s version of what has been a remarkably transitional landscape. The salt evaporation ponds cover what was once a vast marshland. In the mid-19th Century small... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Here are some more amazing images form the newly restored McDonald Mansion or Mableton, in Santa Rosa, California. Have a seat and savor this fantastic period interior! Main Entry Hall The project was spearheaded by Steve Rynerson of Rynseron & O'Brien Architecture. The interiors in particular feature the work of many Artistic License members, including Paul Duchscherer as interior designer/historic design consultant; huge amounts of wallpaper by Bradbury and Bradbury; leaded art glass by Reflections Studios and Theodore Ellison; and faux finishes by George Shadow. The Main Hall design sets the tone for the surrounding public spaces, with its bold structure of Eastlake-style mahogany woodwork, and a striking assemblage of Aesthetic Movement wallpaper patterns. The Library The Library has 16 foot ceiling and a suspended glass-floored, period-style cast iron and steel catwalk to access the upper bookcases. Detailed in the Eastlake taste, the mahogany mantel features fifteen vintage... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Berkeley Police detectives have arrested three West Sacramento residents in connection with an interrupted burglary in the Berkeley hills in December during which thieves ran over a local resident. Authorities announced the arrests Tuesday night at a special session before the City Council related to the Berkeley Police Department’s 2012 crime report. They provided additional detail Wednesday in a written statement. According to the statement, a man walking his dog on Dec. 11 returned home to the 300 block of Senior Avenue around 3:15 p.m. He “saw an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway of his house, occupied by a female sitting in the driver seat. At the same time, the resident heard noises coming from inside his house.” The man went to check on the noises, and saw two males coming outside. He then ran toward the car that was parked in the driveway to stop it from leaving, said police. He was “knocked to the ground,” and the driver then ran over the man’s leg, causing minor... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

Now burglars are commuting from West Sac to Berkeley?? - Spidra Webster

"After touring all 50 states, the British comedian likes San Francisco most, with its close proximity to Sequoia National Park and Big Sur" - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Friend of SFist Chad Fox just snapped this photo of a ca. 1968 sign for a hippie women's clothing boutique called Middle Earth at 1317 Grant Avenue in North Beach. Middle Earth, as far as we can tell, also had a branch in the Haight at 852 Stanyan, advertising "Far Out Fashions." You know, like turtleneck sweaters and peasant dresses. And, obviously, before J.R.R. Tolkiens novels were the things of 3D Omnimax insanity, they were super groovy reads whilst mildly stoned. The Grant Avenue storefront is now home to Win Beauty & Hair Salon, which as you can see below, has usually had an awning covering up the former sign. That awning's been removed as of this week for reasons we don't yet know. Also below, a flyer from Middle Earth that was part of an auction of 60s memorabilia." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

When did turtleneck sweaters become 'far out fashions'? <Quickly closes dresser drawer.> - Jkram|ɯɐɹʞſ

Each night he roams the Oakland streets with his terrier, installing 10 or more new gnomes per outing. So far, he's "gnomed" neighborhoods as far flung as Jack London Square and the area around Highland Hospital. He said there are more than 2,300 gnomes in Oakland. - SteVe C

That's awesome, Betsy! - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

"More than 1 million low-income Californians would become eligible for health care coverage through Medi-Cal under legislation proposed Monday by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. The measure is meant to lay groundwork for President Barack Obama's federal health-care reform, which requires all Americans to obtain insurance by next year or pay a penalty. Pérez's proposal, Assembly Bill 1X-1, would provide coverage to single adults whose income is less than $15,400 per year, representing roughly 133 percent of the federal poverty level. "California is the national leader on implementing health care reform, and I am pleased to be authoring this critical measure which will ensure more Californians have access to quality, affordable health care," Pérez said. If Pérez's bill is signed into law, the federal government would pay the tab for Medi-Cal's expansion for three years. State taxpayers would begin to bear a rising portion of the costs in 2017, reaching 10 percent by 2020 - but the... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"MENLO PARK -- A 2-year-old boy and his mother were shot in the legs and a bullet grazed the toddler's head Saturday night, police said. The shots were reported at 7:44 p.m. as a car drove by the intersection of Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway, directly across from Facebook's offices, said Menlo Park police commander Dave Bertini. The driver of the four-door Honda that was sprayed with bullets drove to a McDonald's parking lot near East Palo Alto City Hall and the victims called 911. Both the 24-year-old mother and her son were taken to Stanford University Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. Four other people in the car were not injured, police said. The 2-year-old was sitting in his mother's lap when someone in a passing green Honda stuck a handgun outside the window and fired as many as 10 or 11 rounds, Menlo Park police Sgt. Kevin Paugh said. The Honda headed east toward the Dumbarton Bridge,... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

Ah. I'm familiar with East Palo Alto's rep. I didn't know this was so close by. - Spidra Webster

"San Francisco: The Cartoon Art Museum has announced a centennial retrospective of the art of legendary animation director and creator Chuck Jones, on display from February 9 through May 5, 2013. The exhibition, comprising 100 works of art from the late 1930s through the late 1990s, is entitled Chuck Jones: Drawing on Imagination—100 Years of an Animated Artist. Artwork for the exhibit is provided by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity in Costa Mesa, CA. Original model sheet for the Chuck Jones-directed "Fast and Furry-ous" 1949. This cartoon marked the debut of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Chuck Jones, a graduate of the Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts in Valencia), drew $1.00 portraits on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles before he began his career in animation as a cel washer at Ubbe Iwerks Studio in 1932. He directed his first cartoon, “The Night Watchman,” for Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1938 and went to helm such classic Warner Brothers shorts as "What's... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"More than 50 San Francisco restaurant owners are being targeted by the city attorney's office for charging diners extra fees to cover the cost of city-mandated health care for workers and pocketing most of the money. Friday, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is expected to announce an amnesty program requiring restaurateurs and a handful of other business owners to pay back a portion of the money to their employees. More than $14 million was collected in worker health care surcharges in 2011, and roughly only a third of that money was actually used for medical coverage, according to a report by the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. "It was pocketed back to the restaurateur," said San Francisco Supervisor David Campos. "I can't say all of them, but for some of these restaurants it was a marketing ploy." Under Healthy San Francisco, a program for uninsured residents, the city requires businesses with 20 workers or more to set aside an extra $1.55 an hour for each... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"With a slate of bold and controversial budget proposals, Gov. Jerry Brown has placed a renewed focus on the state's struggling community colleges, the world's largest system of two-year schools that are often overshadowed by the University of California and Cal State systems. The governor's recommendations are aimed at keeping community colleges affordable, keeping classes accessible and moving students faster through the system to allow them to graduate or transfer to a four-year university at higher rates. Brown's spending plan must clear the Legislature, and some college officials have vowed to oppose — or at least try to modify — some portions. These proposals are among the most significant policy shifts in years and could reshape many campus operations. "It's a courageous plan," said Eloy Oakley, president of Long Beach City College. "The governor is focusing on policy issues we've been talking about for many years but dancing around the margins. A lot of this has been on the... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Last summer, someone stole three nice, sturdy tricycles and a wagon from the kindergarten yard at Valley Vista School in Petaluma. The cost to replace them: More than $1,200. In December, a parent asked kindergarten teacher Andrea Neufeld what she’d like for Christmas. She replied that if possible, it would nice to replace the wagon and some of the trikes. Parents pitched in $450. Neufeld added $225 and bought a wagon and a trike. The kids were ecstatic. A bit later, Neufeld was driving in Petaluma when her 10-year-old son and ex-student, Matthew, spotted in a front yard what he was sure were the stolen wagon and two of the trikes. Neufeld alerted Petaluma police. An officer investigated but couldn’t act because there was no way to prove the toys were the school’s. So, barely a week ago, Neufeld returned to that house. She was scared. A woman answered the door and Neufeld told her the story of the lost toys. The woman said she’d bought her trikes and wagon at a garage sale and... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet