San Francisco

11/02/2009 -- SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking action against the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency following federal violations of the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

On behalf of the U.S. EPA, the Department of Justice has lodged a proposed consent decree with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the city and county of San Francisco for releasing at least 940 barrels of diesel fuel -- some of which entered into Islais Creek, a tributary of the San Francisco Bay.    » read more »

October 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, leadership from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will join the State of California along with numerous national and local emergency preparedness organizations at events across the impacted region in solemn acknowledgement of the 20th anniversary of the San Francisco Bay Area 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.    » read more »

June 2, 2008 -- San Francisco – On Sunday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the keynote address at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) rail conference in San Francisco. Below are her remarks as prepared:

“Thank you, Nat [Ford]. Nat does an excellent job leading the SFMTA in managing San Francisco’s ground transportation system, which includes our transit system, Muni, one of the oldest and greenest transit systems in the United States. Under his tenure, San Francisco has opened a new light rail line and established the largest municipal bio-diesel fleet in the nation, with bio-diesel fuel now utilized in all Muni’s diesel fleet vehicles.    » read more »

May 23, 2008 -- Chicago, IL — Senator Obama today released the following statement in support of striking Bay Area janitors.

"As thousands of Bay Area janitors continue their courageous fight to win a higher standard of living for themselves and their families, I offer my support."

Barack Obama in Puerto Rico: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)

"It's thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of these workers—and union men and women before them—that we've made progress in the fight to ensure that every American has rights on the job and the chance to improve their lives."    » read more »

04/11/2008 -- Celebrating a milestone for one of the busiest bridges in the nation, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today attended the opening for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge West Approach. Cost of the seismic retrofit project is $429 million and it has created thousands of jobs.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attends opening for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge West Approach: Photo courtesy California Governor's office    » read more »

Legislation would mandate that the Coast Guard intervene during adverse conditions; Require double hulls for all large cargo ships

April 10, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced legislation to prevent oil spills like the November 2007 Cosco Busan incident, when a 900-foot cargo ship crashed into Bay Bridge and spilled more than 53,000 tons of toxic bunker fuel into the San Francisco Bay.

A sea bird killed by the Cosco Busan oil spill: Photo by Dave Patten (CC)    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – This morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi participated in a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation hearing on the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General investigation into the Cosco Busan oil spill. Speaking on the importance of the Bay, Pelosi said: “For our community the San Francisco Bay is a value system as well as an ecosystem.” Pelosi submitted the following statement in the record:    » read more »

10 April 2008 -- Amid tight security, runners carried the Olympic torch through San Francisco Wednesday, as protesters called attention to the human rights record of this year's Olympic host, China. San Francisco officials changed the route of the torch run to avoid thousands of demonstrators.

Runners carrying the Olympic flame followed a truncated course that avoided protesters who criticized China's recent crackdown in Tibet, and others who decried China's support of the governments of Sudan and Burma, countries accused of human rights abuses. Yet other demonstrators, some of them members of San Francisco's large Chinese American community, waved Chinese flags in support of China. Many in both groups left without seeing the torch.    » read more »

New York Consumer Affairs Commissioner Mintz and San Francisco Treasurer Cisneros to Co-chair Coalition of Cities Dedicated to Financially Empowering Residents and Addressing Poverty

March 18, 2008 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of Cities of Financial Empowerment (CFE), a coalition of City governments seeking to address and expand the role of municipal government in improving the financial health and security of residents with low and moderate incomes.    » read more »

03/13/2008 -- Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney will be at AT&T Park for his only northern California stop on Sunday, June 8 for his 14-city Corona Extra Presents Kenny Chesney Poets & Pirates Stadium Tour. He will be joined by four-time Entertainers of the Year Brooks & Dunn, Grammy Award winner LeAnn Rimes, platinum progressive West Coast Country star Gary Allan and newcomer Luke Bryan.    » read more »

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - U. S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), and contracted response crews continue to cleanup tar balls and assess beaches from Pacifica to Carmel.

DFG and USCG are responding as a unified command and will continue to evaluate impacts to wildlife and the environment this evening and tomorrow. Cleanup operations will continue tomorrow with six shoreline cleanup and assessment teams (SCAT) and seven 12-person cleanup crews.    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement in response to today’s release of the Coast Guard’s Incident Specific Preparedness Review assessing their response to November’s oil spill in San Francisco Bay:    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) made the following statement on a report released today on the Coast Guard’s response to the November 7, 2007 Cosco Busan accident that resulted in more than 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel spilling into the San Francisco Bay.

Boxer said, “I welcome the report of the ISPR Team, because I believe it is critical that we learn from the mistakes made during the response to this spill and ensure that they are not repeated.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- Washington, DC –Last night, the U.S. Senate passed the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes more than $61 million requested by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for Bay Area projects ranging from programs for at-risk youth and gang prevention to wetlands restoration and dredging that will allow the Port of Oakland to receive newer, larger cargo ships.

Boxer sought funding for the following projects included in the omnibus spending bill:    » read more »

December 11, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the House passing H. Res. 853, a resolution honoring those who have volunteered to assist in the cleanup of the November 7 oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The Speaker sponsored the resolution, which passed the House earlier today by a voice vote:    » read more »