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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Poor schmucks, Willie Brown and Nopa: What would Bing Crosby do?
I see my Chronicle colleague, Michael Bauer has entered the fray on Nopa and Willie Brown's "real lesson in celebrity," which I took umbrage at in my Tuesday column.
One of Michael's readers, responding to his blog post, recalled one time at Mustards Grill in Napa sitting next to Sidney Poitier, "who had to wait for a table just like anyone else. Needless to say, I was impressed with the restaurant's egalitarian policy."
Among the responses I received after my column (2d item) came out, was this e-mail from reader Terry Hogan in Palo Alto:
40 years ago or so I was in line behind Bing Crosby and his son at the Cow Palace for an unexpected Warriors playoff game. Bob Ferrick, the Warriors general manager, mysteriously appeared and offered Bing two tickets and a chance to leave the line.
Bing refused and said he was happy to wait his turn. Good for Bing.
However, I noticed Bing ended up in Row 4 and I was in Row 50. So one way or another the schmucks end up with hoi polloi all over our sorry faces."
Still, as an hoi polloi member in good standing, I find the examples noted above to be as real a lesson in celebrity as the one Brown says he took away from his treatment at Nopa.
A couple of other points:
Michael, in his defense of the treatment Nopa accorded the former San Francisco mayor, said "Brown has done lots for San Francisco and the restaurant business. He deserves respect for his years of public service."
Brown's contributions notwithstanding, I suspect there are many others -- maybe even some of those waiting in line at Nopa for an hour and 45 minutes -- whose public and culinary services have been equally laudable.
Michael adds, "if Brown hadn't written about the incident, the 'poor schmucks' who were waiting wouldn't even have known he moved to the front of the line, even without reservations."
Yup. For second-class citizens, as Nopa's owners no doubt bank on, ignorance is bliss.
| Jul 29 at 02:44 PM
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Fuels from the sun? LBL, Caltech, Stanford get $122 million for research
This from the Department of Energy:
As part of a broad effort to achieve breakthrough innovations in energy production, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman today announced an award of up to $122 million over five years to a multidisciplinary team of top scientists to establish an Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight.
The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), to be led by the California Institute of Technology in partnership with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will bring together leading researchers in an ambitious effort aimed at simulating nature's photosynthetic apparatus for practical energy production.
The goal of the Hub is to develop an integrated solar energy-to-chemical fuel conversion system and move this system from the bench-top discovery phase to a scale where it can be commercialized.
"The Energy Innovation Hubs have enormous potential to advance transformative breakthroughs," said Deputy Secretary Poneman. "Finding a cost-effective way to produce fuels as plants do -- combining sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide -- would be a game changer, reducing our dependence on oil and enhancing energy security."
DOE release here.
| Jul 22 at 10:33 AM
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wells beats the street
From the L.A. Times:
Reporting weaker demand for loans but improved credit quality, Wells Fargo & Co. said its second-quarter profit declined 3% -- a better-than-expected result that sent stock in the giant San Francisco bank higher.
Wells Fargo said it earned $3.06 billion, or 55 cents per share, during the second quarter, compared with $3.17 billion, 57 cents a share, in the same period of 2009.
Reporting early Wednesday, the bank said its revenue fell from $22.5 billion a year earlier to $21.4 billion, a 5% decline that Wells attributed to decreasing demand for loans and lower results from its hedging against its mortgage servicing operations.
Compared with the first quarter, however, revenue increased in businesses as diverse as commercial banking, investment banking, wealth management, asset-based lending, auto-dealer services, debit cards, and international money transfers, Wells said.
44-page Wells Fargo release, with all the details, here.
L.A. Times story here.
| Jul 21 at 09:37 AM
Friday, July 16, 2010
Latest exit from Gavin Newsom's press operation
And that makes 4.
Erin Garvey, Mayor Newsom's deputy press secretary, is leaving the fold to join Burson-Marsteller's San Francisco office.
Garvey joins former Newsom press staffers, Nathan Ballard and Brian Purchia who left for the giant PR agency earlier this year.
Former deputy press secretary, Joe Arellano, left to join the Bay Area Council in May.
Garvey,who previously worked on the advance staffs of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and was once deputy policy director for former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, joins Burson-Marsteller as a manager of its Issues and Crisis Group.
"Erin Garvey is a talented communicator with extensive experience in national campaigns, technology, and California politics and government," said Jano Cabrera, chair of the group. "Erin's expertise in new media, media relations, and crisis management will strengthen our growing presence on the West Coast."
| Jul 16 at 03:46 PM
Tesla-Toyota's first joint car
What had been previously reported, Tesla and Toyota made official this morning.
They're developing an all-electric version of Toyota's RAV4.
"With an aim to market the EV in the United States in 2012, prototypes will be made combining the Toyota RAV4 model with a Tesla electric powertrain," Tesla said in an announcement. "Tesla plans to produce and deliver a fleet of prototypes to Toyota for evaluation within this year. The first prototype has already been built and is now undergoing testing,"
Not especially exciting a choice as Tesla's Roadster or its forthcoming sedan -- but likely not nearly as expensive either. As the company noted in its announcement -- perhaps recognizing what the nascent EV market will bear -- "Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars for mainstream buyers."
| Jul 16 at 10:23 AM
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Bechtel betting big on nuclear (Update)
Bechtel confirms.
In a joint press announcement with Babcock & Wilcox, the two companies said they "have entered into a formal alliance to design, license and deploy the world's first commercially viable Generation III++ small modular nuclear power plant," and "making a substantial commitment in forming Generation mPower."
The announcement describes the technology as "a more practical clean energy option for power generation (which) has already gained wide recognition for its substantial electric utility involvement, cost competitiveness and innovative design."
"It has the potential to be a real game changer," said Jack Futcher, president of Bechtel's power business. "This alliance intends to advance the development and deployment of nuclear power in a way that makes nuclear power more accessible to utilities and more affordable to consumers."
Depending on regulatory approval and other factors, the first plant could be deployed as early as 2020," according to the announcement.
More information from Bechtel here.
-----
Earlier, from the Wall Street Journal:San Francisco's engineering and construction giant Bechtel Corp. is expected to announce today that it will partner with nuclear vendor Babcock & Wilcox Co. to bring a small, commercial reactors to market in the U.S..
Closely held Bechtel declined to reveal its investment in the venture other than to say it is "substantial" and affirms its optimism about prospects for new plant designs that could make nuclear power affordable to smaller utilities and get new plants into operation faster.
Under the partnership, Bechtel will help Babcock complete the design of a modular reactor, called mPower, and seek necessary approvals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin sales in the U.S.
Story here.
| Jul 14 at 12:03 PM
Monday, July 12, 2010
Meg Whitman -- movie financier, or a different kind of player?
How to explain her $1 million investment in an "entertainment/production" company called "Tools Down! Productions"?
The questions mount, as the New York Times explains, when it turns out a the "fledgling movie production firm" (was) started by none other than Mike Murphy, a very prominent and much-sought-after Republican strategist," who, purely coincidentally, of course, was being courted by Republican rival Steve Poizner.
Equally coincidentally, or not, Murphy turned down Poizner's entreaties, because he was "tired of politics," then, two days later, according to the Times, "Whitman signed a partnership agreement with Mr. Murphy, taking an ownership stake in his movie company, according to her campaign."
The coincidences pile up. By late 2009, Murphy, feeling a fresh burst of political energy, became a "senior adviser" to Whitman, "taking in fees of $665,000 for his first six months, according to her latest campaign finance report."
Times story here.
| Jul 12 at 10:43 AM
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Finally -- Target coming to San Francisco?
And, finally, new life for the sadly dilapidated shopping center at Geary and Masonic?
From SF Appeal:
"Everybody's favorite slightly-upscale big box retailer is eying a vacant property in the City Center Mall at Masonic and Geary (was once a Sears, most recently a Mervyn's), according to Supervisor Eric Mar's office."
Yes, it is a chain, so will need to run familiar San Francisco gauntlets -- neighbors, supervisors, anti-chain ideologues -- for it to happen.
Story here.
| Jul 07 at 10:23 AM
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Johnny Miller buys Silverado
Two months after we reported a syndicate fronted by the local gold legend had signed a letter of intent to buy the Silverado Resort, Johnny Miller has officially closed the deal.
To celebrate, the 1,200-acre golf resort, which has for some time needed improvements, "is offering a package plan that includes fireplace-suite accommodations and half-price golf rounds to reintroduce itself to longtime patrons and welcome first-time guests," according to a press release put out by Dolce Hotels and Resorts, which will manage the century-old resort.
Miller is part of the Silverado Resort Investment Group LLC, along with others, including Rug Doctor founder Roger Kent.
According to the Napa Register, Miller's plans include "lengthening the North Course (where Miller's family once owned a home), increasing it by at least 250 yards, widening some of the fairways on both courses, repositioning bunkers and building new tees.
"Miller also wants to extend the driving range, improving it with more hitting areas and adding a teaching area."
"It's pretty exciting to have a piece of the ownership and have a little say in what's going on there," Miller told the paper. "As I get older, it will be cool to have a place to hang my hat and say it's sort of mine."
| Jul 01 at 12:41 PM
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
S.F's cell phone law and Newsom's mystery letter
In today's column ('Wireless industry retaliates against S.F. law'), I referred to a Maureen Dowd column quoting Mayor Newsom reading to her from a letter several months ago "that Marriott sent him."
The letter purportedly stated in part, "CTIA -- The Wireless Association ... also have told us that they are in contact with Apple, Cisco, Oracle and others ... about not holding future events in your city."
When I asked John Walls, CTIA's vice president for public affairs, about the reference, he said he had no knowledge of it, but would check around with the organization.
In an e-mail today, he writes, regarding the letter,
"No one in our policy shop is aware of it, nor has had any discussions with Apple, Oracle, or Cisco (or any other company, for that matter) about anything regarding SF or the situation in which we are involved."I'm also checking with some other departments to see if anyone is aware of any discussions with those or any other companies, and will let you know if I find out anything."
Walls also referred me to a CTIA blog post responding to Dowd's column, which you can read here.
I had also asked the Mayor's office about the letter. One of his staffers says he thought he remembered the letter, and would try and find it. No luck, as of 5.40 p.m. Tuesday.
| Jun 29 at 05:47 PM
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