By Lisa Leff
Time Magazine

It doesn't seem like an ideal place to promote solar energy, but foggy San Francisco has come up with an ambitious plan to encourage businesses and homeowners to tap the sun's power for their energy needs. The program announced Tuesday would offer companies and residents government-funded loans and rebates to offset the costs of installing solar panels, city officials said. "There is a perception, a myth in our city, that because of our climate we are not ideally situated for solar," Mayor Gavin Newsom said. "The reality is the climate in the Bay Area, the climate in San Francisco specifically, is ideally situated for solar." Read more »

By Heather Knight
San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco's unique experiment in providing health care for all its residents took a significant step forward Monday - moving beyond its trial phase at two clinics in Chinatown and into 20 additional clinics around the city. The expansion comes as the national debate over how to solve the country's health care problem continues to rage. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday announced her national plan for universal health care should she be elected president, and California lawmakers are in a special session trying to hammer out a state plan for health care.

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By Elaine Carpenter and Laura Efurd

San Francisco has an important opportunity to harness the benefits of wireless technology to improve the lives of its residents and businesses. By approving the proposed Wi-Fi contract with Earthlink and Google, the Board of Supervisors can bring anytime, anywhere communications to all San Franciscans and transform our city into a one of a kind Digital Community. What makes the Wi-Fi project all the more exciting is that it can be accomplished at no cost to taxpayers and without sacrificing City governance and operational controls. The Wi-Fi network, in combination with creative digital inclusion programs, will help the city meet important community goals. Read more »

By Leslie Rule
Project Supervisor, KQED Digital Storytelling Initiative

The importance of the Internet in a 21st education is a given. It is barely possible to do research without the Internet. The Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, Black History, Latina History, pictures, videos, speeches – the main source of knowledge is no longer found in books, it’s found on the web. Without 24/7 connectivity as the norm, young people, especially students who dream of a college education, are at an overwhelming disadvantage. Material for high school exit exams and other standardized tests is in great abundance on the web, but try to locate offline help – it’s expensive, difficult to find and often outdated. Entrance requirements and applications to college? Found on the web. Help and support for health issues? Found on the web. Read more »

We need your help right now to save the Community Justice Center.  Supervisor Daly introduced legislation yesterday to stop the Community Justice Center and to cut funds for more police, funds to fix our roads and sidewalks, funds to upgrade the successful new 311 Call Center, funds for new trees, funds to help rebuild public housing, funds to help small businesses and many other vital services.  We need the Community Justice Center to keep making progress on the homeless crisis. The court is a proven way to direct those who commit quality-of-life crimes like aggressive panhandling into social services.  In a time of rising homicide rates, we need the new police officers Daly wants to cut to keep our streets safe.  We need the funds Daly wants to cut to repair our roads and infrastructure after decades of neglect. Read more »

By Ryan Kim
San Francisco Chronicle
Originally Published May, 12 2007

The San Francisco controller's office issued a favorable review Friday on a proposal by EarthLink and Google to provide the city with free wireless Internet access.  The report estimates residents could save $9 million to $18 million in Internet bills annually by having the option of choosing the EarthLink service, which will offer free access as well as a paid service that is cheaper than other broadband options like DSL and cable.  The report said the service will help the city bridge the digital divide, providing many residents with Internet service for the first time. It also noted it would be a boon to EarthLink, giving it a foothold in the San Francisco broadband market. Read more »

By Anni Chung
President & CEO, Self-Help for the Elderly

On March 20, 2007, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will either approve or reject the Google-Earthlink WiFi contract which, when implemented (target completion date is end of 2007), will provide universal Internet access to all San Franciscans. The Board of Supervisors’ action to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a feasibility study – and another $10-$20 million to build the network if the Supervisors should vote for the municipally-owned version in March – is not based on sound judgment and does not reflect the sentiments of the people who have spoken at the public hearings to date. Read more »