It looks like an ongoing protest
The Sunset gets Twitterloined
You know it's getting bad when a discussion on Sunset architectural gems turns into a discussion on the Tenderloin only because Randy Shaw opened his mouth
mid market police sub station window dressing
The sign has arrived on 6th street for the upcoming police sub station
It looks like an official notice
Bay Guardian does another Beyondchron critique
This isn't the first time as the Bay Guardian has criticized Randy Shaw. They did so during the debate for the Mid Market twitter tax break and questioned whether Randy Shaw has a conflict of interest
Kezar Gardens celebration – July 15, 2012
updated > Kezar gardens now has a pile of photos of people all chained up!
Some scenes from the Kezar Gardens celebration on Sunday, July 15, 2012 (previous post some history links)
this video is most of the awards ceremony and speeches by two upcoming district 5 candidates for 2012, John Rizzo and Thea Selby, both of whom support community gardens and the recycling center
The awards for community gardeners were from State assembly speaker Tom Ammiano's office
Continue reading »
Haight Ashbury Recycling Center – La-La-La
Updated > SF Citizen has another post on this. There is also now a rebuttal to Nevius posted in the same Chronicle today (one columnist goes after another in the same paper). some more history about the Haight Ashbury Improvement associations involvement with this is on uppercasing blog. This is also covered in the My Garbage Film blog
Chuck Nevious is at it again
It's been five years since the city formally decided that an industrial recycling center was a poor use for Golden Gate Park. Supporters, like site Director Ed Dunn, have debated, cajoled, protested - and in a last-ditch attempt - created a native plants garden.
I can confirm that the Haight Ashbury native plant nursery was not started as a 'last ditch attempt to save the recycling center". I worked there for an entire year in the late 80's and Greg Gaar was trying to get it started even back then. It finally got started in the around 2000. It actually took that long just to get space set aside for it from the Parks Department
CW Nevius didn't mention the video that was recorded while he was at the recycling center this week, via the recycling center's own blog
Turning Mid Market workers into crackheads
This is an example of how some of the non profits are actually turning neighboring businesses in Mid Market into crackheads. These are residents and clients of Tenderloin Housing Clinic - Seneca hotel SRO non profit supportive housing under the 'Housing First' and 'harm reduction' models literally getting new people addicted to drugs and selling it
Meet Italo Gomez. he used to make picture frames for paintings and ran his own picture framing shop at 1019 Market. He was married and had a nice car and successful business in Mid Market, San Francisco
Board of Supervisors, Non Profit funding and workers rights
On April 18, 2012, workers from non profits went before the board of supervisors to ask for pay raises. On May 1st, 2012, we remind people of the non profits who have trampled over workers rights
the whole story and the main page for this is here
How the THC’s BeyondChron gets around the Prohibition on Political Activities in San Francisco
by Rita O'Flynn
The Tenderloin Housing Clinic is a tax-exempt non-for-profit which is prohibited by the IRS from engaging in political activities. San Francisco gets around this by stating in its contracts that "No funds appropriated by the City and County of San Francisco FOR THIS AGREEMENT may be expended..." on political activities.
The Controller's Office recently did a financial analysis of the THC in response to the embezzlement conviction of its former employee. The Controller's Office has somehow determined that no funds appropriated by the City and County of San Francisco are used to support BeyondChron, which is an LLC of the THC, published by the THC, and is edited by two full-time employees of the THC. Basically, Shaw's salary does not contain any provisions for his work on BeyondChron and Paul Hogarth's salary only contains a small provision to work on BeyondChron. The THC claims it used profits from its legal division and the Galvin Apartments to fund BeyondChron and the portion of Hogarth's salary for his BeyondChron activities.
The problem with this is that the legal services division is primarily funded by CCSF and there are contractual provisions regarding the use of profits from CCSF-funded programs (AKA: Program Income). These provisions are restrictive in terms of how program income can be used. Specifically, the contracts state, "...provisions of this agreement shall apply to expenditures of program income". The grants from MOH and the HSA for legal services have no provisions for the use of any profits to fund BeyondChron and the most recent version of the THC's audited financial report (FY 2010) the THC indicates that rental revenue, including that from the Galvin Apartments are used to pay for management and operating the property" without ever mentioning allocations for BeyondChron.
If you read Beyondchron today, you will see that Shaw spent a bit of time at the Planning Commission yesterday. It was his intention to speak in favor of CPMC's proposed facility on Van Ness but apparently he had to leave before he could do so because the meeting ran from 10 AM to 8 PM. While the contracts with the City require the THC to keep appropriate records to document compliance with the political activities restrictions, these don't seem to be disclosable under the public records act and the City Attorney assigned to SOTF has fought such disclosure on behalf of the Controller's Office in front of the SOTF. The public is forced to rely on the findings of the Controller's Office without knowing what these findings are actually based on. There is no clear, non-influenced, independent way of knowing how Shaw's activities yesterday (or at any other time) were actually funded.
The City's current contracts with non-for-profits leave the door wide open for conflict of interest and raise serious ethical issues regarding the elected Board of Supervisor approval of grants and budgets, including line item restoration, for non-for-profits that engage in political activities. Quite simply, the City should not provide any funding to any non-for-profit that engages in political activities regardless of the non-for-profit's source of funding for its political activities.
The prohibition on political activities by non profits is documented in the THC grant agreement here. The IRS in 2007 issued this reminder to non profits not to engage in political activity and further IRS clarification on political activity for non profits (PDF). Numerous examples are cited on what is OK and what is not for a non profit, including running websites. The IRS also points out that even personal opinions are subject to the rules if they are published under the umbrella of the tax exempt organization. The IRS also doesn't make a distinction of a subsidiary like Beyondchron that the city of San Francisco has apparently been doing and considers it to be one and the same. It is the IRS that grants the non profit status in the first place, not the city
The Tenderloin Housing Clinic 2010 federal 990 tax form lists Beyondchron as a disregarded entity
A disregarded entity is a business entity that is separate from its owner but which chooses to be disregarded as separate from the business owner for federal tax purposes. The IRS says,
"If a “disregarded entity” is owned by an individual, it is treated as a sole proprietor. If the “disregarded entity” is owned any any other entity, it is treated as a branch or division of its owner."
A sole proprietorship is not a disregarded entity, because the business is not separate from the owner.
Liability Issues for a Disregarded Entity
A disregarded entity is considered the same entity as the owner for tax purposes, but not for liability purposes. For more information on this subject, read this article in which attorney Robert Warwick discusses disregarded entity tax and liability issues
mayor Ed Lee at Dotties on 6th Street
Mayor Ed lee showed up today for a press conference at the new Dottie's True Blue Cafe on 6th street to announce "new public safety" for the mid market area of San Francisco
update > http://sfappeal.com/news/2012/02/mayor-promises-money-for-sixth-street-sfpd-substation.php
Nevius at the bottom in the middle with glasses