Advice

A radical proposal: Squat Airbnb hosts’ homes to create affordable housing

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When I interviewed attorney Joseph Tobener for the story in our current issue on Airbnb being used to take affordable housing units off of the apartment market, he had a interestingly radical idea for get the attention of this scofflaw company and its political supporters, striking a blow for housing justice in the process.

What if hundreds of people, including many who are now homeless, rented out apartments in San Francisco for a night or two and then simply refused to leave?

Under tenant laws in San Francisco, renters have rights from the very beginning, and legally getting rid of someone who paid for just one night through Airbnb could require a long, difficult, and costly eviction process. Hundreds at once would overwhelm the courts and the deputies who carry out evictions for the Sheriff’s Department.

“That tenancy on day one law to me as a radical seems like a great way to address homelessness,” said Tobener, who got a call for advice from a doctor who sometimes hosts guests through Airbnb and faced that precise problem.

He isn’t the only one, as we at the Guardian learned and reported last summer, when San Francisco Rent Board spokesperson Robert Collins confirmed Tobener’s interpretation of the law and said the agency has already seen several such cases.

As I wrote in “Into Thin Air” on Aug. 6, “Tenants who rent out their apartments for a few days can even lose their rights to reclaim their homes. Collins cited multiple cases where subletters refused to leave and returning tenants had little legal recourse because ‘they would not have a just cause to evict the subtenant because, if they’ve rented the entire unit, they aren’t themselves a resident in the unit.’”

Even in cases where landlords rent out units they own, San Francisco’s 1979 rent control ordinance gives tenants rights to due process from the very beginning, making it difficult to get rid of Airbnb guests who decide to become squatters.

Sure, such a radical response to Airbnb’s impacts on the city may be breaking a few rules and hurting the credit records of those involved — but is that really any worse than the whole host of laws that Airbnb and its customers are violating in San Francisco everyday? It’s at least interesting food for thought. 

UPDATE 2/11: Just to clarify, Tobener isn’t actually advocating or organizing a campaign to squat in Airbnb apartments. This idea was, as I wrote, “food for thought,” something to ponder, a little thought experiment as we try to address Airbnb’s illegal business model and the city’s affordable housing crisis. 

Psychic Dream Astrology: February 5-11, 2014

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Mercury goes Retrograde on the 6th through the 28th of February. Prepare to feel unprepared my friends.
 
ARIES
March 21-April 19
Focus your thoughts on how far you’ve come, no matter how much farther you’ve got to go, Aries. Feel good about the changes you’ve made no matter how small they are. Transitions take time to assimilate, and if you feel good about the work you’ve done it’ll buoy you for the work ahead (which appears to be formidable).

TAURUS
April 20-May 20
You aren’t perfect and that shouldn’t get you down, Taurus. Us humans are messy beasts and we often learn best through trial and error. Let go of your dogged attachment to flawlessness! You will succeed this week by boldly acting, despite your fears. Making mistakes is an essential part of learning, pal.

GEMINI
May 21-June 21
Get caught up with your life, Twin Star. This week it would be unwise to start anything new, no matter how bad you want to. Sometimes the biggest risk you can take is to pause and let things develop on their own. It’s a courageous act that requires faith, patience, and a healthy helping of impulse control.

CANCER
June 22-July 22
The world may be going to hell in a hand basket but you are only responsible for yourself, Moonchild. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pursue acts of kindness, only that you needn’t take on others’ feelings or dramas, especially if you want to help them out. Self-care helps you and helps the people.

LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
You may not think you’re picking fights, but if you’re not in the right frame of mind to be around people and you do it anyways, you’re just asking for trouble. Pursue solo pleasures this week to better manage your moods and whims, Leo. Your relationships can wait, and they’ll be better off for it.

VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
How you cope with your feelings is of the utmost importance this week. Challenge yourself to find balance in the face of whatever chaotic situations you are confronted with so that you can handle them with grace and flexibility. Don’t repress your feelings; be intentional with how you express them, Virgo.

LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
There is no thing greater than love. Romantic love is wonderful of course, but it often takes up more air space than self-love, or the love of work, friendship and life in general. Don’t let your desire for passionate love obscure your need for all others expressions of ardor this week.

SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Be forthright, Scorpio. Your sign has a reputation for being sketchy because of your tendency to hold back the truth- the rest of the zodiac tends to interpret this as “lying”. This is the week to be honest and direct in your relationships, even when it’s uncomfortable. Let others show up (or not), as they will.

SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
It’s your turn, Sag! Mercury goes retrograde this week and many astrologers will tell you to leave the heart-to-hearts for another time, but not I, dear friend. This is the right time to clear up miscommunications or to at least take first steps to clear the air. The truth will set you free, so don’t hold back.

CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Major change is afoot and you do not need to fix a thing. This week the Universe wants you to stay grounded in your goals and to have faith in the stability and support you have cultivated in your life. Your self-esteem may be at risk, but not your integrity. Do what’s right even when you’re tempted otherwise.

AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Your vision is a good one, Aquarius, but the way you’re going about things is not making your life any easier. Instead of doing everything all at once, how’s about you slow down this week? You need a minute to figure out what you’re feeling and why before you can offer anything in a clean and clear way.

PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
Defeat and uncertainty threaten to scramble your thoughts and deaden your feelings this week. There’s a reason for everything and opportunity in each of your struggles; you only need to look for it. Don’t let negativity inhibit you, Pisces. Stay focused on your goals and have confidence in your path.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Film Listings: February 5 – 11, 2014

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Film listings are edited by Cheryl Eddy. Reviewers are Kimberly Chun, Dennis Harvey, Lynn Rapoport, Sam Stander, and Sara Maria Vizcarrondo. For rep house showtimes, see Rep Clock.

OPENING

Gloria The titular figure in Sebastian Lelio’s film is a Santiago divorcee and white collar worker (Paulina Garcia) pushing 60, living alone in a condo apartment — well, almost alone, since like Inside Llewyn Davis, this movie involves the frequent, unwanted company of somebody else’s cat. (That somebody is an upstairs neighbor whose solo wailings against cruel fate disturb her sleep.) Her two children are grown up and preoccupied with their adult lives. Not quite ready for the glue factory yet, Gloria often goes to a disco for the “older crowd,” dancing by herself if she has to, but still hoping for some romantic prospects. She gets them in the form of Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez), who’s more recently divorced but gratifyingly infatuated with her. Unfortunately, he’s also let his daughters and ex-wife remain ominously dependent on him, not just financially but in every emotional crisis that affects their apparently crisis-filled lives. The extent to which Gloria lets him into her life is not reciprocated, and she becomes increasingly aware how distant her second-place priority status is whenever Rodolfo’s other loved ones snap their fingers. There’s not a lot of plot but plenty of incident and insight to this character study, a portrait of a “spinster” that neither slathers on the sentimental uplift or piles on melodramatic victimizations. Instead, Gloria is memorably, satisfyingly just right. (1:50) Embarcadero, Smith Rafael, Sundance Kabuki. (Harvey)

The Lego Movie The toy becomes a movie. Fun fact: Nick Offerman gives voice to a character named “Metalbeard,” a revenge-seeking pirate. So it’s got that going for it, which is nice. (1:41) Balboa, Presidio.

Monuments Men George Clooney directs this World War II-set film about an unlikely platoon sent into Germany to rescue artworks being plundered by Nazi thieves. With Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, and John Goodman. (1:58) Balboa, Marina.

“Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Documentary” This year, the Oscar-nominated docs are presented in two separate feature-length programs. Program A contains The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, about a Holocaust survivor; Karama Has No Walls, about protestors in Yemen during the Arab Spring; and Facing Fear, about a gay man who encounters the neo-Nazi who terrorized him 25 years prior. Program B contains Cavedigger, about environmental sculptor Ra Paulette; and Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall, about a dying prisoner being cared for by other prisoners. Opera Plaza.

Stranger by the Lake Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) is an attractive young French guy spending his summer days hanging at the local gay beach, where he strikes up a platonic friendship with chunky older loner Henri (Patrick d’Assumcao). Still, the latter is obviously hurt when Franck practically gets whiplash neck swiveling at the sight of Michel (Christophe Paou), an old-school gay fantasy figure — think Sam Elliott in 1976’s Lifeguard, complete with Marlboro Man ‘stache and twinkling baby blues. No one else seems to be paying attention when Franck sees his lust object frolicking in the surf with an apparent boyfriend, one that doesn’t surface again after some playful “dunking” gets rather less playful. Eventually the police come around in the form of Inspector Damroder (Jerome Chappatte), but Franck stays mum — he isn’t sure what exactly he saw. Or maybe it’s that he’s quite sure he’s happy how things turned out, now that sex-on-wheels Michel is his sorta kinda boyfriend. You have to suspend considerable disbelief to accept that our protagonist would risk potentially serious danger for what seems pretty much a glorified fuck-buddy situation. But Alain Guiraudie’s meticulously schematic thriller- which limits all action to the terrain between parking lot and shore, keeping us almost wholly ignorant of the characters’ regular lives — repays that leap with an absorbing, ingenious structural rigor. Stranger is Hitchcockian, all right, even if the “Master of Suspense” might applaud its technique while blushing at its blunt homoeroticism. (1:37) Clay, Shattuck. (Harvey)

Top Secret! After the sleeper smash of 1980’s Airplane! (and the TV failure of 1982’s Police Squad! series, which nonetheless led directly to the later, successful Naked Gun movies), the Madison, Wisc.-spawned comedy trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker had one more exclamation point up their collective sleeves. That resulted in this hit 1984 parody of Cold War spy movies (and Elvis Presley musicals) starring Val Kilmer (in his perpetually open-mouthed film debut) as hip-swiveling American rock star Nick Rivers, who is dispatched to East Germany on a diplomatic entertainment mission. Instead, he gets yanked into major intrigue that includes kidnapped scientists, Omar Sharif, an elaborate Blue Lagoon (1980) spoof, and of course extremely realistic cow disguises. It also features this immortal exchange between Nazi-Commies, as they’re torturing captured Nick: “Do you vant me to bring out ze LeRoy Neiman paintings?” “No — ve cannot risk violating ze Geneva Convention!” Herrs Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker will reunite on the Castro stage to screen and discuss their incisive political classic as it enters its fourth decade of cultdom. The 30th anniversary afternoon program is co-presented by SF Sketchfest (www.sfsketchfest.com), Midnites for Maniacs, Noise Pop, and the Jewish Film Festival. Castro. (Harvey)

Vampire Academy Bloodsuckers go to high school in this adaptation of the YA series directed by Mark Waters (2004’s Mean Girls). (1:45)

ONGOING

American Hustle David O. Russell’s American Hustle is like a lot of things you’ve seen before — put in a blender, so the results are too smooth to feel blatantly derivative, though here and there you taste a little Boogie Nights (1997), Goodfellas (1990), or whatever. Loosely based on the Abscam FBI sting-scandal of the late 1970s and early ’80s (an opening title snarks “Some of this actually happened”), Hustle is a screwball crime caper almost entirely populated by petty schemers with big ideas almost certain to blow up in their faces. It’s love, or something, at first sight for Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), who meet at a Long Island party circa 1977 and instantly fall for each other — or rather for the idealized selves they’ve both strained to concoct. He’s a none-too-classy but savvy operator who’s built up a mini-empire of variably legal businesses; she’s a nobody from nowhere who crawled upward and gave herself a bombshell makeover. The hiccup in this slightly tacky yet perfect match is Irving’s neglected, crazy wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), who’s not about to let him go. She’s their main problem until they meet Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious FBI agent who entraps the two while posing as a client. Their only way out of a long prison haul, he says, is to cooperate in an elaborate Atlantic City redevelopment scheme he’s concocted to bring down a slew of Mafioso and presumably corrupt politicians, hustling a beloved Jersey mayor (Jeremy Renner) in the process. Russell’s filmmaking is at a peak of populist confidence it would have been hard to imagine before 2010’s The Fighter, and the casting here is perfect down to the smallest roles. But beyond all clever plotting, amusing period trappings, and general high energy, the film’s ace is its four leads, who ingeniously juggle the caricatured surfaces and pathetic depths of self-identified “winners” primarily driven by profound insecurity. (2:17) Four Star, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Presidio, Sundance Kabuki. (Harvey)

August: Osage County Considering the relative infrequency of theater-to-film translations today, it’s a bit of a surprise that Tracy Letts had two movies made from his plays before he even got to Broadway. Bug and Killer Joe proved a snug fit for director William Friedkin (in 2006 and 2011, respectively), but both plays were too outré for the kind of mainstream success accorded 2007’s August: Osage County, which won the Pulitzer, ran 18 months on Broadway, and toured the nation. As a result, August was destined — perhaps doomed — to be a big movie, the kind that shoehorns a distracting array of stars into an ensemble piece, playing jes’ plain folk. But what seemed bracingly rude as well as somewhat traditional under the proscenium lights just looks like a lot of reheated Country Gothic hash, and the possibility of profundity you might’ve been willing to consider before is now completely off the menu. If you haven’t seen August before (or even if you have), there may be sufficient fun watching stellar actors chew the scenery with varying degrees of panache — Meryl Streep (who else) as gorgon matriarch Violet Weston; Sam Shepard as her long-suffering spouse; Julia Roberts as pissed-off prodigal daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts), etc. You know the beats: Late-night confessions, drunken hijinks, disastrous dinners, secrets (infidelity, etc.) spilling out everywhere like loose change from moth-eaten trousers. The film’s success story, I suppose, is Roberts: She seems very comfortable with her character’s bitter anger, and the four-letter words tumble past those jumbo lips like familiar friends. On the downside, there’s Streep, who’s a wizard and a wonder as usual yet also in that mode supporting the naysayers’ view that such conspicuous technique prevents our getting lost in her characters. If Streep can do anything, then logic decrees that includes being miscast. (2:10) Metreon, Sundance Kabuki. (Harvey)

Dallas Buyers Club Dallas Buyers Club is the first all-US feature from Jean-Marc Vallée. He first made a splash in 2005 with C.R.A.Z.Y., which seemed an archetype of the flashy, coming-of-age themed debut feature. Vallée has evolved beyond flashiness, or maybe since C.R.A.Z.Y. he just hasn’t had a subject that seemed to call for it. Which is not to say Dallas is entirely sober — its characters partake from the gamut of altering substances, over-the-counter and otherwise. But this is a movie about AIDS, so the purely recreational good times must eventually crash to an end. Which they do pretty quickly. We first meet Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) in 1986, a Texas good ol’ boy endlessly chasing skirts and partying nonstop. Not feeling quite right, he visits a doctor, who informs him that he is HIV-positive. His response is “I ain’t no faggot, motherfucker” — and increased partying that he barely survives. Afterward, he pulls himself together enough to research his options, and bribes a hospital attendant into raiding its trial supply of AZT for him. But Ron also discovers the hard way what many first-generation AIDS patients did — that AZT is itself toxic. He ends up in a Mexican clinic run by a disgraced American physician (Griffin Dunne) who recommends a regime consisting mostly of vitamins and herbal treatments. Ron realizes a commercial opportunity, and finds a business partner in willowy cross-dresser Rayon (Jared Leto). When the authorities keep cracking down on their trade, savvy Ron takes a cue from gay activists in Manhattan and creates a law evading “buyers club” in which members pay monthly dues rather than paying directly for pharmaceutical goods. It’s a tale that the scenarists (Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack) and director steep in deep Texan atmospherics, and while it takes itself seriously when and where it ought, Dallas Buyers Club is a movie whose frequent, entertaining jauntiness is based in that most American value: get-rich-quick entrepreneurship. (1:58) Embarcadero, 1000 Van Ness, Presidio. (Harvey)

Devil’s Due (1:29) Metreon.

Frozen (1:48) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Gimme Shelter Pope Francis has been making up for lost time, but nevertheless, it’s tough to get a good dose of up-with-Catholicism promotional material these days. Like Francis, Gimme Shelter aims to highlight the church’s tangible and spiritual support to those in need — and here, in this movie based on a real story, would-be teen moms uninterested or unwilling to abort. Oh yes, and it’s down to shelter those battered by bad press about pedophile priests and provide a role with some meat to an ingenue itching to grow. Vanessa Hudgens is that actress, who seems to be making the right career moves following last year’s Spring Breakers by playing crust-punk teen runaway Apple. The girl is trying to break away from her abusive, cracked-out mom (Rosario Dawson) and is forced to reconnect with her privileged stranger of a dad (Brendan Fraser). The cherry — or lack thereof — on top of her troubles is the fact that she’s preggers, which inspires her father’s pinched spouse (Stephanie Szostak) to march her straight to the clinic to terminate. With the help of a hospital priest Frank (James Earl Jones), she finds, yes, shelter in a home for teen moms in need, though we never quite understand why Apple is so determined to have the child —especially when her own mother, brought scarily to life by an intense, unrecognizable Dawson, is such a monster. Still, it’s a measure of how believable Hudgens is, working with what little she has in the way of verbiage, that a viewer is touched by her trajectory. Meanwhile the avid film fan can’t help but wonder how this well-meaning movie — which incidentally has absolutely nothing to do with the Stones and doesn’t quite deserve this way-too-literal title — would have unfolded in the hands of a Lee Daniels or even a Olivier Assayas. (1:40) SF Center. (Chun)

The Girls in the Band Judy Chaikin’s upbeat documentary is in step with the recent, not-unwelcome trend of bringing overlooked musicians into the spotlight (think last year’s Twenty Feet from Stardom and A Band Called Death). The Girls in the Band takes a chronological look at women in the big-band and jazz scenes, taking the 1958’s “A Great Day in Harlem” as a visual jumping-off point, sharing the stories of two (out of just three) women who posed amid that sea of male musicians. One is British pianist Marian McPartland, who’s extensively featured in interviews shot before her death last year; the other is gifted composer and arranger Mary Lou Williams, who died in 1981 but left behind a rich legacy that still inspires. Others featured in this doc (which culminates in a re-creation of that famous Harlem photo shoot — with all-female subjects this time) include saxophone- and trumpet-playing members of the multi-racial, all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm, which toured the segregated south at great peril during the 1930s and was a favorite among African American servicemen during World War II. No matter her race, nearly every woman interviewed cites the raging sexism inherent in the music biz — but the film’s final third, which focuses on contemporary successes like Esperanza Spalding, suggests that stubborn roadblock is finally being chipped away. (1:26) Smith Rafael. (Eddy)

Gravity “Life in space is impossible,” begins Gravity, the latest from Alfonso Cuarón (2006’s Children of Men). Egghead Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is well aware of her precarious situation after a mangled satellite slams into her ship, then proceeds to demolition-derby everything (including the International Space Station) in its path. It’s not long before she’s utterly, terrifyingly alone, and forced to unearth near-superhuman reserves of physical and mental strength to survive. Bullock’s performance would be enough to recommend Gravity, but there’s more to praise, like the film’s tense pacing, spare-yet-layered script (Cuarón co-wrote with his son, Jonás), and spectacular 3D photography — not to mention George Clooney’s warm supporting turn as a career astronaut who loves country music almost as much as he loves telling stories about his misadventures. (1:31) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)

The Great Beauty The latest from Paolo Sorrentino (2008’s Il Divo) arrives as a high-profile contender for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, already annointed a masterpiece in some quarters, and duly announcing itself as such in nearly every grandiose, aesthetically engorged moment. Yes, it seems to say, you are in the presence of this auteur’s masterpiece. But it’s somebody else’s, too. The problem isn’t just that Fellini got there first, but that there’s room for doubt whether Sorrentino’s homage actually builds on or simply imitates its model. La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963) are themselves swaying, jerry-built monuments, exhileratingly messy and debatably profound. But nothing quite like them had been seen before, and they did define a time of cultural upheaval — when traditional ways of life were being plowed under by a loud, moneyed, heedless modernity that for a while chose Rome as its global capital. Sorrentino announces his intention to out-Fellini Fellini in an opening sequence so strenuously flamboyant it’s like a never-ending pirouette performed by a prima dancer with a hernia. There’s statuary, a women’s choral ensemble, an on-screen audience applauding the director’s baffled muse Toni Servillo, standing in for Marcello Mastroianni — all this and more in manic tracking shots and frantic intercutting, as if sheer speed alone could supply contemporary relevancy. Eventually The Great Beauty calms down a bit, but still its reason for being remains vague behind the heavy curtain of “style.” (2:22) Opera Plaza. (Harvey)

Her Morose and lonely after a failed marriage, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) drifts through an appealingly futuristic Los Angeles (more skyscrapers, less smog) to his job at a place so hipster-twee it probably will exist someday: beautifulhandwrittenletters.com, where he dictates flowery missives to a computer program that scrawls them onto paper for paying customers. Theodore’s scripting of dialogue between happy couples, as most of his clients seem to be, only enhances his sadness, though he’s got friends who care about him (in particular, Amy Adams as Amy, a frumpy college chum) and he appears to have zero money woes, since his letter-writing gig funds a fancy apartment equipped with a sweet video-game system. Anyway, women are what gives Theodore trouble — and maybe by extension, writer-director Spike Jonze? — so he seeks out the ultimate gal pal: Samantha, an operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson in the year’s best disembodied performance. Thus begins a most unusual relationship, but not so unusual; Theodore’s friends don’t take any issue with the fact that his new love is a machine. Hey, in Her‘s world, everyone’s deeply involved with their chatty, helpful, caring, always-available OS — why wouldn’t Theo take it to the next level? Inevitably, of course, complications arise. If Her‘s romantic arc feels rather predictable, the film acquits itself in other ways, including boundlessly clever production-design touches that imagine a world with technology that’s (mostly) believably evolved from what exists today. Also, the pants they wear in the future? Must be seen to be believed. (2:00) Four Star, 1000 Van Ness, Presidio, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Eddy)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Just when you’d managed to wipe 2012’s unwieldy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from your mind, here comes its sequel — and it’s actually good! Yes, it’s too long (Peter Jackson wouldn’t have it any other way); arachnophobes (and maybe small children) will have trouble with the creepy, giant-spider battle; and Orlando Bloom, reprising his Lord of the Rings role as Legolas the elf, has been CG’d to the point of looking like he’s carved out of plastic. But there’s much more to enjoy this time around, with a quicker pace (no long, drawn-out dinner parties); winning performances by Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellan (Gandalf); and Benedict Cumberbatch (as the petulent voice of Smaug the dragon); and more shape to the quest, as the crew of dwarves seeks to reclaim their homeland, and Gandalf pokes into a deeper evil that’s starting to overtake Middle-earth. (We all know how that ends.) In addition to Cumberbatch, the cast now includes Lost‘s Evangeline Lilly as elf Tauriel, who doesn’t appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original story, but whose lady-warrior presence is a welcome one; and Luke Evans as Bard, a human poised to play a key role in defeating Smaug in next year’s trilogy-ender, There and Back Again. (2:36) 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Before succumbing to the hot and heavy action inside the arena (intensely directed by Francis Lawrence) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire force-feeds you a world of heinous concept fashions that’d make Lady Gaga laugh. But that’s ok, because the second film about one girl’s epic struggle to change the world of Panem may be even more exciting than the first. Suzanne Collins’ YA novel The Hunger Games was an over-literal metaphor for junior high social survival and the glory of Catching Fire is that it depicts what comes after you reach the cool kids’ table. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) inspired so much hope among the 12 districts she now faces pressures from President Snow (a portentous Donald Sutherland) and the fanatical press of Capital City (Stanley Tucci with big teeth and Toby Jones with big hair). After she’s forced to fake a romance with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), the two watch with horror as they’re faced with a new Hunger Game: for returning victors, many of whom are too old to run. Amanda Plummer and Jeffrey Wright are fun as brainy wackjobs and Jena Malone is hilariously Amazonian as a serial axe grinder still screaming like an eighth grader. Inside the arena, alliances and rivalries shift but the winner’s circle could survive to see another revolution; to save this city, they may have to burn it down. (2:26) Metreon. (Vizcarrondo)

I, Frankenstein (1:33) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Inside Llewyn Davis In the Coen Brothers’ latest, Oscar Isaac as the titular character is well on his way to becoming persona non grata in 1961 NYC — particularly in the Greenwich Village folk music scene he’s an ornery part of. He’s broke, running out of couches to crash on, has recorded a couple records that have gone nowhere, and now finds out he’s impregnated the wife (Carey Mulligan) and musical partner of one among the few friends (Justin Timberlake) he has left. She’s furious with herself over this predicament, but even more furious at him. This ambling, anecdotal tale finds Llewyn running into one exasperating hurdle after another as he burns his last remaining bridges, not just in Manhattan but on a road trip to Chicago undertaken with an overbearing jazz musician (John Goodman) and his enigmatic driver (Garrett Hedlund) to see a club impresario (F. Murray Abraham). This small, muted, droll Coens exercise is perfectly handled in terms of performance and atmosphere, with pleasures aplenty in its small plot surprises, myriad humorous idiosyncrasies, and T. Bone Burnett’s sweetened folk arrangements. But whether it actually has anything to say about its milieu (a hugely important Petri dish for later ’60s political and musical developments), or adds up to anything more profound than an beautifully executed shaggy-dog story, will be a matter of personal taste — or perhaps of multiple viewings. (1:45) Sundance Kabuki. (Harvey)

The Invisible Woman Charles Dickens was a regular scold of the British class system and its repercussions, particularly the gentry’s general acceptance that poverty was something the bottom rung of society was suited for, perhaps even deserved. Given how many in positions of power would have preferred such issues go ignored, it was all the more important their highest-profile advocate be of unimpeachable “moral character” — which in the Victorian era meant a very high standard of conduct indeed. So it remains remarkable that in long married middle-age he heedlessly risked scandal and possible career-ruin by taking on a much younger mistress. Both she and he eventually burned all their mutual correspondence, so Claire Tomalin’s biography The Invisible Woman is partly a speculative work. But it and now Ralph Fiennes’ film of the same name are fascinating glimpses into the clash between public life and private passion in that most judgmentally prudish of epochs. Framed by scenes of its still-secretive heroine several years after the central events, the movie introduces us to a Dickens (Fiennes) who at mid-career is already the most famous man in the UK. In his lesser-remembered capacity as a playwright and director, at age 45 (in 1857) he hired 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones) for an ingénue role. He was instantly smitten; she was, at the least, awed by this great man’s attention. Their professional association permitted some further contact without generating much gossip. But eventually Dickens chafed at the restraints necessary to avoid scandal — no matter the consequences to himself, let alone his wife, his 10 (!) children, or Ternan herself. Fiennes, by all accounts an exceptional Shakespearean actor on stage, made a strong directorial debut in 2011 with that guy’s war play, Coriolanus — a movie that, like this one, wasn’t enough of a conventional prestige film or crowd-pleaser to surf the awards-season waves very long. But they’re both films of straightforward confidence, great intelligence, and unshowy good taste that extends to avoiding any vanity project whiff. (1:51) Opera Plaza. (Harvey)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Throwback Terror Thursday, anyone? If the early Bourne entries leapt ahead of then-current surveillance technology in their paranoia-inducing ability to Find-Replace-Eliminate international villains wherever they were in the world, then Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit flails in the opposite direction — toward a nonsensical, flag-waving mixture of Cold War and War on Terror phobias. So when covert mucky-muck Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) solemnly warns that if mild-mannered former Marine and secret CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles, the US is in danger of … another Great Depression, you just have to blink, Malcolm Gladwell-style. Um, didn’t we just do that? And is this movie that out of touch? It doesn’t help that director Kenneth Branagh casts himself as the sleek, camp, and illin’ Russian baddie Viktor Cherevin, who’s styled like a ’90s club tsar in formfitting black clothing with a sheen that screams “Can this dance-floor sadist buy you another cosmo?” He’s intended to pass for something resembling sex — and soul — in Shadow Recruit‘s odd, determinedly clueless universe. That leaves a colorless, blank Chris Pine with the thankless task of rescuing whiney physician love Cathy (Keira Knightley) from baddie clutches. Pine’s no Alec Baldwin, lacking the latter’s wit and anger management issues, or even Ben Affleck, who has also succumbed to blank, beefcake posturing on occasion. Let’s return this franchise to its box, firmly relegated to the shadows. (1:45) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)

Labor Day Sweet little home repairs, quickie car tune-ups, sensual pie-making, and sexed-up chili cookery — Labor Day seems to be taking its chick-flick cues from Porn For Women, Cambridge Women’s Pornography Cooperative’s puckish gift-booklet that strives to capture women’s real desires: namely, for vacuuming, folded laundry, and patient listening from their chosen hunks of beefcake. Let’s call it domestic close encounters of the most pragmatic, and maybe most realistic, kind. But that seems to sail over the heads of all concerned with Labor Day. Working with Joyce Maynard’s novel, director-screenwriter Jason Reitman largely dispenses with the wit that washes through Juno (2007) and Up in the Air (2009) and instead chooses to peer at his actors through the seriously overheated, poetically impressionistic prism of Terrence Malick … if Malick were tricked into making a Nicholas Sparks movie. Single mom Adele (Kate Winslet) is down in the dumps over multiple miscarriages and her husband’s (Clark Gregg) departure. Son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) becomes her caretaker of sorts — thus, when escaped convict Frank (Josh Brolin) forces the mother-and-son team to give him a ride and a hideout, it’s both a blessing and a curse, especially because the hardened tough guy turns out to be a compulsively domestic, hardworking ubermensch of a Marlboro Man, able to bake up a peach pie and teach Henry to throw a baseball, all within the course of a long Labor Day weekend. Hapless Adele is helpless to resist him, particularly after some light bondage and plenty of manly nurturing. Ultimately this masochistic fantasy about the ultimate, if forbidden, family man — and the delights of the Stockholm Syndrome — is much harder to swallow than a spoonful of homemade chili, despite its strong cast. (1:51) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)

The Legend of Hercules What better reason to wield the blunt force of 3D than to highlight the muscle-bound glory of a legendary hero — and, of course, foreground his impressive six-pack abs and impudently jutting nipples. Lead Kellan Lutz nails the eye candy aspect in this sword ‘n’ sandals effort by Renny Harlin (aka the man who capsized Geena Davis’s career), though it’s hard to take him seriously when he looks less like the hirsute, leonine hero depicted in ancient artwork than an archetypal, thick-necked, clean-shaven, all-American handsome-jock star (Lutz’s resemblance to Tom Brady is uncanny). Still, glistening beefcake is a fact of life at toga parties, and it’s clearly a large part of the appeal in this corny popcorner about Greek mythology’s proto-superhero. The Legend of Hercules is kitted out to conquer teen date nights around the world, with a lot of bloodless PG-13 violence for the boys and flower-petal-filled nuzzle-fests between Herc and Hebe (Gaia Weiss) for the girls, along with the added twist that Hercules’s peace-loving mother Alcmene conceived him with Zeus — with Hera’s permission — in order to halt her power-mad brute of a spouse King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins). In any case Harlin and company can’t leave well enough alone and piledrive each action scene with way too much super-slo-mo, as if mainlining the Matrix films in the editing booth to guarantee the attention of critical overseas markets and future installments. And the cheesy badness of certain scenes, like Hercules twirling the broken stone walls he destroys like a pair of giant fuzzy dice, can’t be denied. We all know how rich and riveting Greek mythology is, and by Hera, if the original, complicated Heracles is ever truly encapsulated on film, I hope it’s by Lars von Trier or another moviemaker capable of adequately harnessing a bisexual demi-god of enormous appetites and heroism. (1:38) SF Center. (Chun)

Lone Survivor Peter Berg (2012’s Battleship, 2007’s The Kingdom) may officially be structuring his directing career around muscular tails of bad-assery. This true story follows a team of Navy SEALs on a mission to find a Taliban group leader in an Afghani mountain village. Before we meet the actors playing our real-life action heroes we see training footage of actual SEALs being put through their paces; it’s physical hardship structured to separate the tourists from the lifers. The only proven action star in the group is Mark Wahlberg — as Marcus Luttrell, who wrote the film’s source-material book. His funky bunch is made of heartthrobs and sensitive types: Taylor Kitsch (TV’s Friday Night Lights); Ben Foster, who last portrayed William S. Burroughs in 2013’s Kill Your Darlings but made his name as an officer breaking bad news gently to war widows in 2009’s The Messenger; and Emile Hirsch, who wandered into the wilderness in 2007’s Into the Wild. We know from the outset who the lone survivors won’t be, but the film still manages to convey tension and suspense, and its relentlessness is stunning. Foster throws himself off a cliff, bounces off rocks, and gets caught in a tree — then runs to his also-bloody brothers to report, “That sucked.” (Yesterday I got a paper cut and tweeted about it.) But the takeaway from this brutal battle between the Taliban and America’s Real Heroes is that the man who lived to tell the tale also offers an olive branch to the other side — this survivor had help from the non-Taliban locals, a last-act detail that makes Lone Survivor this Oscar season’s nugget of political kumbaya. (2:01) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Sundance Kabuki. (Vizcarrondo)

Nebraska Alexander Payne may be unique at this point in that he’s in a position of being able to make nothing but small, human, and humorous films with major-studio money on his own terms. It’s hazardous to make too much of a movie like Nebraska, because it is small — despite the wide Great Plains landscapes shot in a wide screen format — and shouldn’t be entered into with overinflated or otherwise wrong-headed expectations. Still, a certain gratitude is called for. Nebraska marks the first time Payne and his writing partner Jim Taylor weren’t involved in the script, and the first one since their 1996 Citizen Ruth that isn’t based on someone else’s novel. (Hitherto little-known Bob Nelson’s original screenplay apparently first came to Payne’s notice a decade ago, but getting put off in favor of other projects.) It could easily have been a novel, though, as the things it does very well (internal thought, sense of place, character nuance) and the things it doesn’t much bother with (plot, action, dialogue) are more in line with literary fiction than commercial cinema. Elderly Woody T. Grant (Bruce Dern) keeps being found grimly trudging through snow and whatnot on the outskirts of Billings, Mont., bound for Lincoln, Neb. Brain fuzzed by age and booze, he’s convinced he’s won a million dollars and needs to collect it him there, though eventually it’s clear that something bigger than reality — or senility, even — is compelling him to make this trek. Long-suffering younger son David (Will Forte) agrees to drive him in order to simply put the matter to rest. This fool’s mission acquires a whole extended family-full of other fools when father and son detour to the former’s podunk farming hometown. Nebraska has no moments so funny or dramatic they’d look outstanding in excerpt; low-key as they were, 2009’s Sideways and 2011’s The Descendants had bigger set pieces and narrative stakes. But like those movies, this one just ambles along until you realize you’re completely hooked, all positive emotional responses on full alert. (1:55) Embarcadero, 1000 Van Ness. (Harvey)

The Nut Job (1:26) Metreon.

“Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Animated” Five nominees — plus a trio of “highly commended” additional selections — fill this program. If you saw Frozen in the theater, you’ve seen Get a Horse!, starring old-timey Mickey Mouse and some very modern moviemaking techniques. There’s also Room on the Broom, based on a children’s book about a kindly witch who’s a little too generous when it comes to befriending outcast animals (much to the annoyance of her original companion, a persnickety cat). Simon Pegg narrates, and Gillian Anderson voices the red-headed witch; listen also for Mike Leigh regulars Sally Hawkins and Timothy Spall. Japanese Possessions is based on even older source material: a spooky legend that discarded household objects can gain the power to cause mischief. A good-natured fix-it man ducks into an abandoned house during a rainstorm, only to be confronted with playful parasols, cackling kimono fabric, and a dragon constructed out of kitchen junk. The most artistically striking nominee is Feral, a dialogue-free, impressionistic tale of a foundling who resists attempts to civilize him. But my top pick is another dialogue-free entry: Mr. Hublot, the steampunky tale of an inventor whose regimented life is thrown into disarray when he adopts a stray robot dog, which soon grows into a comically enormous companion. It’s cute without being cloying, and the universe it creates around its characters is cleverly detailed, right down to the pictures on Hublot’s walls. Embarcadero. (Eddy)

“Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Live Action” With the exception of one entry — wryly comedic The Voorman Problem, starring Sherlock‘s Martin Freeman as a prison doctor who has a most unsettling encounter with an inmate who believes he’s a god — children are a unifying theme among this year’s live-action nominees. Finnish Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?, the shortest in the bunch, follows a cheerfully sloppy family’s frantic morning as they scramble to get themselves to a wedding. Danish Helium skews a little sentimental in its tale of a hospital janitor who makes up stories about a fanciful afterlife (way more fun than heaven) for the benefit of a sickly young patient. Spanish That Wasn’t Me focuses on a different kind of youth entirely: a child soldier in an unnamed African nation, whose brutal encounter with a pair of European doctors leads him down an unexpected path. Though it feels more like a sequence lifted from a longer film rather than a self-contained short, French Just Before Losing Everything is the probably the strongest contender here. The tale of a woman (Léa Drucker) who decides to take her two children and leave her dangerously abusive husband, it unfolds with real-time suspense as she visits her supermarket job one last time to deal with mundane stuff (collecting her last paycheck, turning in her uniform) before the trio can flee to safety. If they gave out Oscars for short-film acting, Drucker would be tough to beat; her performance balances steely determination and extreme fear in equally hefty doses. Embarcadero. (Eddy)

The Past Splits in country, culture, and a harder-to-pinpoint sense of morality mark The Past, the latest film by Asghar Farhadi, the first Iranian moviemaker to win an Oscar (for 2011’s A Separation.) At the center of The Past‘s onion layers is a seemingly simple divorce of a binational couple, but that act becomes more complicated — and startlingly compelling — in Farhadi’s capable, caring hands. Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) has returned to Paris from Tehran, where he’s been living for the past four years, at the request of French wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo of 2011’s The Artist). She wants to legalize their estrangement so she can marry her current boyfriend, Samir (Tahar Rahim of 2009’s A Prophet), whose wife is in a coma. But she isn’t beyond giving out mixed messages by urging Ahmad to stay with her, and her daughters by various fathers, rather than at a hotel — and begging him to talk to teen Lucie (Pauline Burlet), who seems to despise Samir. The warm, nurturing Ahmad falls into his old routine in Marie’s far-from-picturesque neighborhood, visiting a café owned by fellow Iranian immigrants and easily taking over childcare duties for the overwhelmed Marie, as he tries to find out what’s happening with Lucie, who’s holding onto a secret that could threaten Marie’s efforts to move on. The players here are all wonderful, in particular the sad-faced, humane Mosaffa. We never really find out what severed his relationship with Marie, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. We care about, and end up fearing for, all of Farhadi’s everyday characters, who are observed with a tender and unsentimental understanding that US filmmakers could learn from. The effect, when he finally racks focus on the forgotten member of this triangle (or quadrilateral?), is heartbreaking. (2:10) Opera Plaza, Smith Rafael. (Chun)

Philomena Judi Dench gives this twist on a real-life scandal heart, soul, and a nuanced, everyday heft. Her ideal, ironic foil is Steve Coogan, playing an upper-crusty irreverent snob of an investigative journalist. Judging by her tidy exterior, Dench’s title character is a perfectly ordinary Irish working-class senior, but she’s haunted by the past, which comes tumbling out one day to her daughter: As an unwed teenager, she gave birth to a son at a convent. She was forced to work there, unpaid; as supposed penance, the baby was essentially sold to a rich American couple against her consent. Her yarn reaches disgraced reporter Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), who initially turns his nose up at the tale’s piddling “human interest” angle, but slowly gets drawn in by the unexpected twists and turns of the story — and likely the possibility of taking down some evil nuns — as well as seemingly naive Philomena herself, with her delight in trash culture, frank talk about sex, and simple desire to see her son and know that he thought, once in a while, of her. It turns out Philomena’s own sad narrative has as many improbable turnarounds as one of the cheesy romance novels she favors, and though this unexpected twosome’s quest for the truth is strenuously reworked to conform to the contours of buddy movie-road trip arc that we’re all too familiar with, director Stephen Frears’ warm, light-handed take on the gentle class struggles going on between the writer and his subject about who’s in control of the story makes up for Philomena‘s determined quest for mass appeal. (1:35) Embarcadero, Four Star, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)

Ride Along By sheer dint of his ability to push his verbosity and non-threatening physicality into that nerd zone between smart and clueless, intelligent and irritating, Kevin Hart may be poised to become Hollywood’s new comedy MVP. In the case of Ride Along, it helps that Ice Cube has comic talents, too — proven in the Friday movies as well as in 2012’s 21 Jump Street — as the straight man who can actually scowl and smile at the same time. Together, in Ride Along, they bring the featherweight pleasures of Rush Hour-style odd-couple chortles. Hart is Ben, a gamer geek and school security guard shooting to become the most wrinkly student at the police academy. He looks up to hardened, street-smart cop James (Cube), brother of his new fiancée, Angela (Tika Sumpter). Naturally, instead of simply blessing the nuptials, the tough guy decides to haze the shut-in, disabusing him of any illusions he might have of being his equal. More-than-equal talents like Laurence Fishburne and John Leguizamo are pretty much wasted here — apart from Fishburne’s ultra lite impression of Matrix man Morpheus — but if you don’t expect much more than the chuckles eked out of Ride Along‘s commercials, you won’t be too disappointed by this nontaxing journey. (1:40) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)

Saving Mr. Banks Having promised his daughters that he would make a movie of their beloved Mary Poppins books, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) has laid polite siege to author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) for over 20 years. Now, in the early 1960s, she has finally consented to discuss the matter in Los Angeles — albeit with great reluctance, and only because royalty payments have dried up to the point where she might have to sell her London home. Bristling at being called “Pam” and everything else in this sunny SoCal and relentlessly cheery Mouse House environ, the acidic English spinster regards her creation as sacred. The least proposed changes earn her horrified dismissal, and the very notion of having Mary and company “prancing and chirping” out songs amid cartoon elements is taken as blasphemy. This clash of titans could have made for a barbed comedy with satirical elements, but god forbid this actual Disney production should get so cheeky. Instead, we get the formulaically dramatized tale of a shrew duly tamed by all-American enterprise, with flashbacks to the inevitable past traumas (involving Colin Farrell as a beloved but alcoholic ne’er-do-well father) that require healing of Travers’ wounded inner child by the magic of the Magic Kingdom. If you thought 2004’s Finding Neverland was contrived feel-good stuff, you’ll really choke on the spoons full of sugar force-fed here. (2:06) SF Center. (Harvey)

That Awkward Moment When these bro-mancers call each other “idiots,” which they do repeatedly, it’s awkward all right, because that descriptor hits all too close to home. Jason (Zac Efron) and Daniel (Miles Teller) are douchey book-marketing boy geniuses, with all the ego and fratty attitude needed to dispense bad advice and push doctor friend Mikey (Michael B. Jordan), whose wife recently broke it off after an affair with her lawyer, into an agreement to play the field — no serious dating allowed. The pretext: Anything to avoid, yup, that awkward moment when the lady has the temerity to ask, “So — where is this going?” How fortuitous that Jason should run into the smartest, cutest author in NYC (Imogen Poots), all sharp-tongued charisma and sparkling Emma Stone-y cat eyes; that Daniel would get embroiled with his Charlotte Rampling-like wing woman (Mackenzie Davis); and Mikey would edge back into bed with his ex. That’s the worst — or best — these tepid lotharios can muster. The education of these numbskulls when it comes to love and lust aspires to the much-edgier self-criticism of Girls — but despite the presence of Fruitvale Station (2013) breakout Jordan and the likable Poots, first-time director Tom Gormican’s screenplay lets them down. (1:34) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)

12 Years a Slave Pop culture’s engagement with slavery has always been uneasy. Landmark 1977 miniseries Roots set ratings records, but the prestigious production capped off a decade that had seen some more questionable endeavors, including 1975 exploitation flick Mandingo — often cited by Quentin Tarantino as one of his favorite films; it was a clear influence on his 2012 revenge fantasy Django Unchained, which approached its subject matter in a manner that paid homage to the Westerns it riffed on: with guns blazing. By contrast, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is nuanced and steeped in realism. Though it does contain scenes of violence (deliberately captured in long takes by regular McQueen collaborator Sean Bobbitt, whose cinematography is one of the film’s many stylistic achievements), the film emphasizes the horrors of “the peculiar institution” by repeatedly showing how accepted and ingrained it was. Slave is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, an African American man who was sold into slavery in 1841 and survived to pen a wrenching account of his experiences. He’s portrayed here by the powerful Chiwetel Ejiofor. Other standout performances come courtesy of McQueen favorite Michael Fassbender (as Epps, a plantation owner who exacerbates what’s clearly an unwell mind with copious amounts of booze) and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, as a slave who attracts Epps’ cruel attentions. (2:14) Embarcadero. (Eddy)

The Wolf of Wall Street Three hours long and breathless from start to finish, Martin Scorsese’s tale of greed, stock-market fraud, and epic drug consumption has a lot going on — and the whole thing hinges on a bravado, breakneck performance by latter-day Scorsese muse Leonardo DiCaprio. As real-life sleaze Jordan Belfort (upon whose memoir the film is based), he distills all of his golden DiCaprio-ness into a loathsome yet maddeningly likable character who figures out early in his career that being rich is way better than being poor, and that being fucked-up is, likewise, much preferable to being sober. The film also boasts keen supporting turns from Jonah Hill (as Belfort’s crass, corrupt second-in-command), Matthew McConaughey (who has what amounts to a cameo — albeit a supremely memorable one — as Belfort’s coke-worshiping mentor), Jean Dujardin (as a slick Swiss banker), and newcomer Margot Robbie (as Belfort’s cunning trophy wife). But this is primarily the Leo and Marty Show, and is easily their most entertaining episode to date. Still, don’t look for an Oscar sweep: Scorsese just hauled huge for 2011’s Hugo, and DiCaprio’s flashy turn will likely be passed over by voters more keen on honoring subtler work in a shorter film. (2:59) Marina, 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki, Vogue. (Eddy) *

 

Residents vs. tourists

64

steve@sfbg.com

Evictions and displacement have become San Francisco’s top political issues, amplified by protests against tech companies that are helping gentrify the city. Yet Airbnb, which facilitates the conversion of hundreds of San Francisco apartments into de facto hotel rooms, has so far avoided that populist wrath.

Tenants use the online, short-term rentals to help make rent in this increasingly expensive city, a point that the company often emphasizes.

“For thousands of families, Airbnb makes San Francisco more affordable,” Airbnb spokesperson Nick Papas wrote to the Guardian by email, citing a company survey finding that “56 percent of hosts use their Airbnb income to help pay their mortgage or rent.”

But it’s also true that Airbnb allows hundreds of rent-controlled apartments to be removed from the permanent housing market — in violation of local tenant, zoning, tax, and other laws — something that has united tenant, landlord, hotel, and labor groups against it (see “Into thin air,” 8/6/13).

“The problem is Airbnb is so easy and attractive that you can take a unit out from under rent control forever,” San Francisco tenant attorney Joseph Tobener told the Guardian.

“We’re getting 15 calls a week on Airbnb,” he said, describing four categories of complaints: landlords evicting tenants to increase rents through Airbnb, tenants complaining about neighbors using Airbnb, tenants being evicted for getting caught illegally subletting through Airbnb, and Airbnb hosts who can’t get guests to leave (city law gives even short-term residents full tenant rights, except in hotels).

There isn’t good public data on how many units are being taken off the market, but Airbnb generally lists well over 1,000 housing units in San Francisco at any given time, with its smaller competitors (such as Roomorama and VRBO) adding hundreds more.

The San Francisco Rent Board listed 326 no-fault evictions (Ellis Act, owner move-in, capital improvement) in its 2012-13 annual report. That number is almost certain to rise in the 2013-14 report due out in March, and it is compounded by an unknown number of buyouts that pressure tenants to voluntarily leave, all of it creating a displacement crisis that has galvanized the city.

“Isn’t it far more likely that more units are being lost [from the rental market] through Airbnb?” San Francisco Magazine recently quoted a UC Berkeley professor as saying in an article questioning whether Ellis Act evictions are really a “crisis.”

So Airbnb is clearly having a big impact on the city’s affordable housing crisis. Yet Airbnb is largely flying under the political radar in its hometown and ducking questions about its impacts.

“Airbnb has all the statistics we need to assess its impacts on the city’s housing market,” Tobener said. The company refuses to disclose such data. Airbnb’s customers need to consider their impacts to the city’s affordable housing crisis, Tobener added, because “there are social consequences to the decisions we make.”

 

STALLED IN LIMBO

Last year I discovered Airbnb was flouting a ruling that it should be paying the city’s 15 percent transient occupancy tax (“Airbnb isn’t sharing,” 3/19/13), a nearly $2 million per year tax dodge.

Yet Airbnb, which has quickly grown from a small start-up into a company worth nearly $3 billion, has some powerful friends in Mayor Ed Lee and venture capitalist Ron Conway, who invests in both Airbnb and Mayor Lee’s political campaigns and committees.

So the company has stonewalled Guardian inquiries for the last year as it has worked with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu on legislation that tries to bring the company’s business model into compliance with local laws. That hasn’t been easy, as Chiu told us.

“It has been difficult to corral the different stakeholders to get on the same page,” Chiu said. “Airbnb has been like unraveling an onion. The more progress we make, the more issues come up.”

Janan New, executive director of the San Francisco Apartment Association, says it shouldn’t be so hard. “They need to enforce the law. They need to collect the hotel tax. They don’t need new laws,” she told us.

While the city is unlikely to simply follow New’s advice, the displacement issue adds another layer to Airbnb’s onion, one that sources say has become an issue of growing concern within the company, which has finally begun to respond to Guardian inquiries.

Those concerns have also been compounded as Airbnb is now being sued by one of Tobener’s clients, Chris Butler, who says he was evicted from his rent-controlled Russian Hill apartment so the landlord could make more money through Airbnb (see “Airbnb profits prompted SF eviction, ex-tenant says,” SF Chronicle, 1/22/14).

“We strongly support rules that keep people in their homes, and the vast majority of Airbnb hosts are regular people just trying to make ends meet,” Airbnb told the Guardian. “Whatever happened in this case, we certainly do not support unscrupulous landlords who evict long term tenants solely to turn their apartments into short-term rentals, but it is important to note that experts have found such cases to be extremely rare.”

Airbnb didn’t respond to our follow-up questions, but those “expert” findings appear to be a reference to a study the company commissioned late last year from Berkeley-based Rosen Consulting Group entitled “Short-Term Rentals and Impact on Apartment Market.”

But that study of Airbnb’s impact to rental housing in San Francisco doesn’t really draw the conclusions that company seems to think and hope it does.

 

MISLEADING NUMBERS

One number that the study and Airbnb have repeatedly sought to highlight is the claim that “90 percent of Airbnb hosts in San Francisco use Airbnb to occasionally rent out only the home in which they live,” as the company put it to us.

“Airbnb users generally do not identify themselves as utilizing short-term rentals as a business. In fact, 90 percent of Airbnb hosts [in San Francisco] indicated that they live in the home listed on Airbnb,” was how the study put it.

“It’s trash. They pick and choose the data they want to share,” Tobener said of the study and the 90 percent figure, which he says was derived from a 2011 user survey before the local housing market exploded. Rosner Consulting told us it stands by the study but won’t discuss it.

The figure also lumped in those with multiple rooms in their homes that have traditionally been rented by local residents and covered by rent-control laws. It also discloses that 10 percent of Airbnb hosts are renting out outside units simply as a business, a figure that has likely risen over the last three years.

The study does disclose that there were 1,576 properties booked through the company in August 2012, which the study notes was just 0.4 percent of the 378,000 homes in San Francisco, which Airbnb uses to dismiss its impacts on the market.

But the study includes only macroeconomic data, rather than looking at the company’s impact on certain socioeconomic groups — such as those making 120 percent or less of median area income, the people being evicted from and priced out of the city — or the supply of rent-controlled housing.

“The average gross income per Airbnb property in the previous 12 months was $6,722, or an average of $564 per month,” the study discloses, choosing to use average rather than median figures even though they’re considered less accurate gauges of income and housing data.

Customers who only use Airbnb once or twice will skew those averages way down. Yet the study then compares that number to the “average market-rate apartment rent in San Francisco, which was $2,498 per month in mid-2013. The average income generated is insufficient to cover monthly rental expenses in full.”

Which tells us nothing about how Airbnb is impacting either rent-controlled housing or the median income San Franciscans who rely on it. According to the US Census Bureau, the median rent in San Francisco was $1,463 in 2012 and 64 percent of San Franciscans rent their homes.

“The study is bullshit,” Tobener said. “They could pull data and tell us how many people are renting full units on Airbnb, but they don’t.”

Yet the company claims that it is concerned about these issues and working with the city.

“We believe our community of hosts should pay applicable taxes and we are eager to discuss how this might be made possible. We’ve reached out to officials in San Francisco and we continue to have productive discussions with city leaders,” Airbnb told the Guardian. “These issues aren’t always easy, but if we work together, we can craft fair, responsible, clear rules that ensure San Francisco continues to benefit from home-sharing.”

Yet neither Airbnb nor its political supporters seem to want to have this public discussion. The company has stopped responding to our inquiries, again, and when we asked the Mayor’s Office about Airbnb’s impacts to the affordable housing market, we got this response and a refusal to directly answer either the original or follow-up questions: “The Mayor has prioritized preserving, stabilizing and growing the City’s housing stock. His policy priorities include protecting residents from eviction and displacement, including Ellis Act reform and stabilizing and protecting at-risk rent-controlled units, through rehabilitation loans and a new program to permanently stabilize rent conditions in at-risk units.”

Yet Airbnb continues to have an impact on those “at-risk rent-controlled units” that few people seem to want to discuss.

Psychic Dream: Jan. 29-Feb. 4

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

If you could trust that your survival is secure and that what you are striving towards is abundance and not necessity, how do you think that would change your approach? The more ownership you take of what you’ve got, the more you’ll find you actually have. Have faith this week, Aries.

 

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

It’s not a waste of time to have a relationship run its course and end, Taurus. All of our connections offer opportunities to act in accordance with our values, to become a better person, or to learn our limits. Don’t minimize its significance when you find yourself at the end of something meaningful.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

This week is an excellent one to fortify your plans, follow up on leads, and finish what you’ve started. Be the boss of your own life and a balanced and effective leader of Twin Star Teams. There’s no time like the present to stay focused and get ‘er done, so leave all distractions and excuses for another day.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

Your sign is hecka emo, so it’s no surprise that you’re full of feeling this week, but that doesn’t make it easy on you. Sadness may be trailing you, and you shouldn’t hide from it. You’ll be able to get the most out of your circumstances by being open to your feelings, even if they suck, Moonchild.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

Trust is one of the most important parts of any relationship, but how can you trust others when you are not being trustworthy yourself? This week you need to be careful that you don’t overextend your self beyond what you can emotionally cope with. Set up realistic expectations that others can rely on.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

You are not Queen of the World (though you should be, doll) and you do not get to control the ebb and flow of things. The Universe needs you to relax your grip and let it do its job; trust that others will reveal themselves to you, situations will progress, and you will get where you need to be with time.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Your instincts and intellect need to get together and sign a peace treaty so they can work together for the benefit of all. Things are really opening up for you, and all you need to do is be flexible and willing to get the most out of it. Change doesn’t have to suck, so be on the lookout for new perspectives this week.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

You took on too much and now are paying the price, but the worst thing you can do is drop into a Scorpion hole and alienate yourself from others. Challenge your self to behave differently while in the throws of some old patterns. Reach out to the people that you can be yourself with this week.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

It would be all too easy to get distracted this week and convince yourself that other peoples dramas are your own, or that you should pile more stuff on top of your already long to-do list. Make sure that you finish what’s on your plate before you order anything else, and that you mind your own business, pal.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Your relationships should be top priority this week, Cap. It doesn’t matter what else you’ve got going on, the people who hold you up and have your back need your attention! Make sure you are giving the trifecta of intimacy up to the people who deserve it. Make time, communicate freely and love openly.

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

You have so much going for you and you’re pointing your life in the right direction. The only trouble is this pesky thing called time; it crawls when you’d rather it run. Let things develop at their own pace this week, not only because you have no choice, but so that you can better figure out your next steps.

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

Invest in your future Pisces. There are things in your life that are not where you want them to be, and that’s a bummer. This is not the time to let the crap in your life slow you down, though. Let your troubles inspire you to get off your keester and get to work, and to appreciate the support you have to get it done.

 

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone.  

The worst music beats the best bomb: A conversation with legendary composer Van Dyke Parks

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“Yours falsely!” Van Dyke Parks chimes, as he picks up the phone at home in Pasadena, where the weather is “room temperature.” He adds, “all we have is the attorneys. Get rid of them, and we can have another perfect day.”

Right away, the veteran composer’s way with words resembles his musical sensibility: whimsical, scattered with detail, and liable to make left turns at a moment’s notice. From his lyrics for Brian Wilson’s legendary SMiLE project, to his orchestral arrangements that have served generations of artists (Ry Cooder, Harry Nilsson, Little Feat, Medicine, Joanna Newsom, and Skrillex, to name a few), to his quietly revolutionary solo records that balance Americana and cosmopolitanism, with panoramic scope and whiplash dynamics, Parks’ nonlinear, all-embracing approach to sound has extended pop and rock’s self-imposed limitations as facelessly, yet unmistakably, as that of any American musician alive.

With the release of last year’s wonderful Songs Cycled (his first LP of new material since 1989’s Tokyo Rose) Parks is as focused and driven as ever before, even at age 71. This Sunday, Parks will add to his ever-growing list of collaborators, with a one-off performance at Oakland’s Malonga Casquelord Center featuring LA musician-composer Matt Montgomery, and the Bay Area’s joyfully independent Awesöme Orchestra.

Montgomery, a young musician, whose first exposure to Parks’ arrangements came in the form of Silverchair’s Diorama (2002), has also taken a multifaceted approach to his career, supplying vocals and guitar for the pop punk-tinged three-piece Versus Them, arranging and composing scores for television and film, and developing software (most recently Rocksmith 2014 by Ubisoft) centered around guitar instruction. This weekend’s show will celebrate the release of Montgomery’s debut EP, Petty Troubles: a set of McCartney-esque pop songs recorded in a single day with 30 Bay Area musicians, and accompanied by a documentary film chronicling the zippy creative process.

“I’m really excited to have a package to hand someone, and say, ‘this is me,’” Montgomery tells the Bay Guardian from his parents’ home in San Rafael, where he’s staying during a week of rehearsals leading up to Sunday’s concert, describing the rapidly produced EP as “homemade, but slick at the same time.”

Similarly homemade/slick, casually organized, yet seriously proficient, the Awesöme Orchestra’s approach fits intuitively with those of Montgomery and Parks. A volunteer ensemble with monthly rehearsals, and a repertoire ranging from Mozart, to Terry Riley, to Daft Punk, the group has crossed genre boundaries consistently since its formation last spring, challenging orchestral music’s inherent elitism at every juncture. Sunday’s show will begin with a set from Parks, with Montgomery on guitar, followed by a performance of Montgomery’s Petty Troubles in its entirety. The Awesöme Orchestra will back both musicians, in a lineup that can be expected to deliver maximalist results. “Big is back!” Parks declares. “This is not going to be a ‘think small’ concert. It’s gonna be ‘think big.’”

How did Parks, a living legend among composers, come to join forces with a relatively low-key figure like Montgomery, and a joyfully unorthodox ensemble like the Awesöme Orchestra? I spoke at length with Parks earlier this week about this project’s inception, his return to solo work on Songs Cycled, 50 years of arrangements for pop’s finest, and why he doesn’t like to hear guitar solos while traveling in Czechoslovakia.

SFBG What’s your role in this upcoming performance?

VDP I’m trying to blow some wind in the sails of a youth symphony. That’s a euphemism I use. I’m 71, so anything is youthful. [Laughs.] I will be the oldest thing in the room, I promise you. But, the idea is to bring attention to [the Awesöme Orchestra]. I love the way they spelled… you know the way they spell their name?

SFBG Yeah! With the umlaut over the “ö”, there.

VDP Yeah! The conductor is Dave Möschler. I’m not sure there will be a mosh pit, but at any rate, I’m very impressed with their umlaut.

SFBG What’s your experience with the Awesöme Orchestra, as well as [Montgomery], and how did this collaboration get off the ground?

VDP Well, I’ll tell you something. I met Matt Montgomery at my daughter’s wedding reception in Berkeley. This is maybe five years ago. I know his dad, who’s a celebrated Bay Area musician. So, I was already sold on him. But, I was impressed with the fact that he… reaches out to this acoustic world of instruments that I like to celebrate, in the rock arena, or with pop music. He referred me to [Möschler], and pointed out that its a hard-scrabble thing for musicians. These people, they get together once a month, to just celebrate the fact that they can all play their asses off. Everything from Beethoven, to John Williams… I know they do the overture to Candide, which is one of my favorite pieces.

So he said, “Hey man, let’s get together. What do you need?” I said, I don’t know. I could use a stand-up bassist, five french horns, four trombones. And then he says, “no, how many musicians would you like?” I say, “what do you want? I’ve got the music.” And so, we’re going for, “big”. Big is back. [Laughs.] This is not going to be a “think small” concert. It’s gonna be “think big.” And yeah, I’m delighted. I’m excited. I get to bring a lot of music out of my trunk, bring it up there, and they can blow their brains out. Man, this’ll be great. I don’t know what this set will be… 40 minutes or so, I guess. I have all the music in the world. I have some charts I’ve done for orchestras in Europe, and most recently Australia for a much larger group. But, the point is, I have the charts. Most of them come from the charts that I have in my musical library. Most of it comes from the opportunities I’ve had in film scoring, or in doing albums. And that’s when there was such a thing called “patronage.” There is no patronage now. But, a lot of it, I have simply done for performances, and reconfiguring things that I have recorded, or want to. It’ll be ear candy. It’ll be a fine show.

SFBG Have you had much experience in the past, working with ensembles that are a bit more loosely organized, or less traditional in their approach, like the Awesöme Orchestra? How do you feel ensembles like that facilitate your compositions differently?

VDP That’s an incisive question, because it’s true: most orchestras, let’s call them “legit” orchestras, when they do stuff with pop, or popular musicians, usually it’s wallpaper. Orchestral wallpaper. It’s very ho-hum. But there are some groups that I’ve worked with (the Metropole Orkest in Holland, the Britten Sinfonia in London, I just worked with the Adelaide Symphony) that have a much more inquiring, loose-knit approach, and I like that a lot. I like the idea that they’re trying to bring real interest, and with no fear of what we think of as lowbrow. I think that’s an important ingredient.

I just worked in a Beck concert. I had heightened expectations, and I don’t know for sure that I was any happier about it than the L.A. Philharmonic, who was playing the work. It’s a hit-or-miss thing, but I sense with this group, because of what they’ve tackled, they have a real appetite for real music that matters, and there’s no elitism about it. It’s not elite. And so, to me, they’re like quality folk, and I want to go that way. Matt told me, it’s pro-bono, and I thought, you know, maybe I’ll get a chance to meet Cher, even if her husband isn’t there. [Laughs.] I was making a joke, but it turns out Sonny will not be there, but it is pro-bono. Anyway, I’m very happy about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOcjHuHWdA

SFBG What about [Montgomery’s] approach to music, or his compositions, really caught your attention initially?

VDP To me, he’s somebody who has the ability to keep reinventing himself. I think this is his first invention, but I suspect that he will make many more. So, you know, I have great respect for him. And, he’s modest. That’s a very desirable rarity. [Also], it’s what he has done with the song form. I feel like I’m in flight formation with him. We both approach that same chamber music sensibility. He likes all kinds of instruments, and I think that shows. And there’s no big taboo about eclecticism. He’s got a big sense of adventure, and I think there are a lot of people that have that now, that I respect.

Yesterday, Rufus Wainwright was over here. I’ve met a young kid, much younger, called Gabriel Kahane, who’s also done a lot of exploration. [I’ve worked] for Joanna Newsom… and a guy by the name of Sondre Lerche: I did an arrangement for him last month. And then, Efterklang, a group you can’t pronounce over here, but they’re very fine. So I kind of gravitate toward people of a new generation, who really aren’t afraid of acoustics, and to mash them up with electronica sometimes. You know, I think it just shows a great deal of inquiry and freethinking, and I like that.

SFBG Your music has an omnivorous quality to it, eating up everything in its path, appropriating the highbrow, the lowbrow, and a lot in between. Are there some people you’ve heard recently who you admire for having a similar perspective?

VDP I think every artist has a primary obligation, and that is to be true to the self. Anything of artistic merit is self-revelatory. It reveals the self; that’s what it does. I’ve heard a whole bunch of stuff. I didn’t just grow up listening to music post-Elvis Presley. I’ve listened to music from the ages, and that’s reflected in who I am. But, the work I’ve done as a recording artist has been a training ground for me, and it has trained me how to serve others, and I’m happy in both those worlds.

Right now, I’m writing an arrangement for Kimbra. She’s 23, and one of the smartest musicians I’ve ever met. That music, it must be seamless, and serve her, and my role in that must be invisible, and yet somehow very pivotal to how she sounds. It’s decidedly an arena that I don’t appear in, myself, in my own works. It’s… techno. Super laptop info comes out of that woman, and I’m so happy with it. I love it all. I love every bit of it. My favorite songwriter is entirely different from me. His name is Paolo Conte. He is, to me, the greatest songwriter of my time, and he’s Italian. I don’t speak a word of Italian, but somehow, I get it.


SFBG
You mentioned the collaborative aspect with Kimbra. When it comes to arranging or producing music for other people, do you ever experience tension between accentuating someone’s work, and imposing a certain brand on it? Do you try to approach your collaborations with a consistent balance between those two?

VDP I don’t come to the conclusion that I’ve imprinted, or put my brand, on anyone else. I think, at best, I’ve magnified who they were, or perhaps sharpened the image they were trying to present. I think that’s the job of an arranger. It’s a matter of immersion in the work. I don’t like to call it collaboration. I think that arranging frames a work, if anything. At best, it brings a proscenium to the work, without imposing any further brand. I like that idea, of recognizing each artist as a maverick, somehow unbranded, and maintaining that. That’s a hard job.

It’s like working for a director who says, “this picture needs a lot of music,” rather than a director who says, “it’s about the flutes in bar 43.” It’s almost like being given complete freedom, and suffering the burden that puts on you. I mean, to be given liberty to arrange is, like, somebody’s handing you a hand in a birthing process, almost. It’s like, “here’s my baby.” So that’s the way I feel about it. Some people think they know when I’ve been in the room with a songwriter. But, I don’t think that’s because I have a brand. I think that’s because there’s very little work being done in arranging, anymore. And, the reason for that is that there aren’t that many people that can afford a few strings. I think that’s the truth.

SFBG Are there any arrangements you’ve done for musicians in the past, where you really saw your sensibility gelling with theirs, and something really nice resulting from that?

VDP Well, I loved working for Ry Cooder on his first record. That was pioneering work, you know, to put a mandolin (that’s a very soft instrument) in a room full of brass and strings, and so forth, and to have it heard. That was when we were just learning those possibilities in recording existed. So, I’m real happy with that. I’m happy that I worked for five weeks on arranging an album for Inara George [An Invitation, 2008], and it took us nine hours to record it. And then, once again, she gave me a voice and a guitar, and then when I did the orchestra, she threw the guitar away.

One person, I think a dear heart from the San Francisco Chronicle, thought it was a very confusing… he said, listening to a Van Dyke Parks arrangement is like being, oh, tossed out to sea. Because, it was highly syncopated. I forget who insulted me, [Aidin Vaziri, for the record] but he forgot to pay attention to the artist, Inara. So, win some, lose some. Make some up in double-headers. You know, to me, it’s the most glorious way I could spend a life, and I have no complaints. I’ve been very fortunate. I know so many people, far more talented than I am, who haven’t had the opportunity to hear what they write, and, my heart… I can’t express my gratitude for this, and for the opportunity to end up someplace like with the Awesöme Orchestra.

There’s a group in Holland. Actually, it’s a nation filled with small groups like this: volunteer, young groups from teens to 30s, and really able players. It’s called the Ricciotti Ensemble, and they’ve done several of my arrangements, and they are totally off the wall, out of the park, inventive. And, you know, to be among the people they have played… they’ve played Zappa, they’ve played Stravinsky, and they’ve played me. Just to say, you know, I could never go back and recover or change a note that I’ve written, that is splayed publicly, but you know, it just makes me feel more like moving forward, and pursuing this thing called arranging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFxdAkfjeVg

SFBG You were just in Australia. Are you familiar with an outfit called the Avalanches, by chance?

VDP Oh, yes! I love them. Darren Seltmann: I’ve had some good social time with him down there. Very bright, wonderful people. Why did you bring them up?

SFBG I’ve always noticed a little parallel between your work and theirs. There’s a panoramic way that their music moves, and the way it shifts between music you’d classify as highbrow and lowbrow… this really democratic approach to different forms of music. I think electronic, sample-based music in general has a way of facilitating the impulse to use everything, but on the other hand, you have a focus on rapid production, and doing things quickly, and maybe not arranging things as meticulously…

VDP I’m very honored that you would even make that comparison, as I think a lot of them. But, I’ll tell you: there’s a case in point. Two great arrangements that I’ve done that I’m really happy with, and somehow, in spite of myself, I just sailed right through them: one was a trio for Sam Phillips, called “Wasting My Time.” Three cellos… I added three cellos to her basic track. Then, she threw out the basic track, and all you can hear is three cellos. Never done a better job. Another one, for a fellow by the name of Peter Case… He did a song once, called “Small Town Spree,” a quartet. Somehow or another, hot as a whore’s dream, this thing really sailed.

I can’t say that about all the work I’ve done. There’ve been some pieces of smaller consequence to me, that’ve been giant orchestrations. But, somehow or another, if you weigh an arrangement as if, instead of thinking of it as simple or complex, but if you think of an arrangement as an instrument to bring out some truth, and also to somehow add plausibility to the emotional content in the song, that, to me, that’s something of value. Don’t put it in terms of, complexity as just to be able to use every instrument as economically as possible, to get to the target, which is, of course, the heart of some casual observer.

SFBG Is there anyone you dream of arranging for, or think you’d work especially well with?

VDP There’s nobody that I’d exclude. I did enjoy the Skrillex situation. I enjoy the improbabilities. There’s some Brazilian artists that I would like to work for. I just… they called me the curator of a record called Bamboula by Tom McDermott (2013), and I introduced him to Jules Selwan. He’s really my favorite New Orleans pianist, and I’d like to adorn his work orchestrally. But there are many directions to go in, and a lot of things in discussion, and among them, theater. I have an unfulfilled fascination with musical theater. Not like any theater that I’ve heard, really, but I’m pursuing that. Hey, the rent’s paid this month. What could be wrong?

SFBG About Songs Cycled, and some of your newer material: I was reading an interview you did after working on Ys (2006), by Joanna Newsom. Back then you maybe seemed surprised that she’d have pursued you based on a real fascination with Song Cycle in particular. Now, in 2014, your debut album enjoys its best reputation maybe ever; you have two new issues of SMiLE by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys; and now there’s this new record: your first of new material since the late ’80s, being discussed as a companion piece to your debut. Would you say you might have more confidence in your early material, or its reception, than you did 10 years ago?

VDP Well, no. I don’t think I have any more confidence. I think I’m more decidedly deer-in-the-headlights than ever before. I’m 71 years old, and I think a lot of reporters would ask…it’s the nature of their event in journalism…“What’s new?” they say. Well, I like what’s old, too, and nobody asks what’s old. But, I’m here to tell you: what’s old begins with me. [Laughs.]

There is an element in what I do…I’m trying to prove to myself that I can do everything I could do, with the athleticism of my youth. For me to move my fingers… and I do move my fingers, unlike a lot of pianists who are famous. I actually move my fingers. It is athletic. This year, I had hand surgery for trigger finger. I was on a table for two hours, in San Francisco. I came up to San Francisco to find the best doctor, and I got him. And I want to tell you something: it was a major event in my life, and so just going out and playing what’s old is obviously very novel, very frightening, and very confirming, too. As far as the record is concerned, the album I just put out last year… to me, a lot of that invention was born of things which have appeared post-9/11. These songs are darker, and I’m not so obsessed with keeping it light, but to admitting what is dark. I made every effort to make it beautiful, but this is not the world I wanted to come out of the ‘60s. I wanted a better world.

If King had lived, if Kennedy had lived, I really feel we would be in a less materialistic, less racially polarized, and economically polarized country. So, there is a tremendous obligation to move forward, and to get pushy with lyrics, and to shake people up, and I attempt to do that. I don’t think it should be obtuse. I still try to maintain a little bit of decorum, you know. I don’t want to get anybody mad But, I like to think we are moving forward, and that my work helps illuminate.

SFBG Would you say you feel a similar disillusionment with the state of affairs now, culturally and politically, to what you might have back then?

VDP Well, there’s an admission of dashed expectations. I have come to learn that people are born to disappoint, and so often meet that expectation. For example, I did a song, and I was criticized for it, for revisiting a song called “The All Golden,” I did on my first record. I stripped it down on this album. But, I think an underpinning consideration to this recent work is, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And I think in many ways, certainly sociopolitically, we have descended.

I think that we’re still a democracy, but we’re a wounded democracy in the face of the plutocracy: the incredible wealth that is centralized among so few. It’s funny, my answers to any question you might have seem tremendously, maybe, mannered or arrogant in a way. You have to accept that I believe that the song form is that important, and that is job one: to make songs that matter. One time, I wrote a song called “Out of Love.” It was an affectionate salute to my wife. She said, “when are you gonna write a love song?” [Laughs.] So, I have come as close as I could to love songs… but now, you see, there’s something else that I have to prioritize, because time is my only enemy. There’s only so much time.

SFBG You mentioned the importance of the song form. Do you feel like there are lots of missed opportunities to aspire to something bigger in modern music artistically, politically, etc.?

VDP I’ll tell you something. I like all kinds of songs. They don’t have to meet my expectations. I try to keep an open heart about what I hear. Honestly, I listen to a lot of music that cannot be branded first-world-pop-culture. I don’t really pay too much attention to folks who theorize from positions of privilege. I don’t listen to a lot of rock ’n’ roll. When I’m in Czechoslovakia, the last thing I want to do is hear a guitar solo by a man who maybe loves Mick Jagger. This is not the world I inhabit, musically. But the worst music, to me, beats the best bomb. The dumbest music is better than the smartest bomb. And, when I start to feel critical of some musician, I try to remind myself: “At least these people are not in munition. They’re not making bombs.” And I try to be merciful. I have a great respect for all kinds of music, as long as it’s well designed.

SFBG Is there any advice you’d like to offer to young people making music right now?

VDP Yeah, I would. Always remember, your best work is ahead of you. It must be. Don’t seek immediate praise. Don’t be crippled by condemnation. It may teach something. So basically, the fundamentals apply: be true to yourself. That’s been enough for me. It hasn’t made me a corporate wonder, but it’s satisfied our family, and it’s easier than the alternative, as telling the truth is easier than trying to remember which lie you told. I’m very happy with the result so far. I’m just petrified about what mayhem could take place on Sunday. To me, live performance is very much like that. The stakes are high. It is, to me, like aerial ballet, without a net, and it’s not safe. There’s nothing safe about it. But, I’m a tough old bird; I can take it.

Sun/26: Van Dyke Parks with Matt Montgomery and Awesome Orchestra
4pm, $15-45
Malonga Casquelord Center
1428 Alice, Oak.
(510) 238-7526
www.mccatheater.com

POW!’s Byron Blum on staying put

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When John Dwyer announced that he was leaving San Francisco for LA a few weeks ago, he caused a bit of blogosphere melodrama, to say the least. One thing that wasn’t controversial: His vocal support of the young’uns in POW!, whose album is out on Dwyer’s own Castle Face Records. With the record out this week, we caught up with Blum to hear about the passing of the baton.

I set my laptop on the wobbly table outside of Mojo Bicycle Café and make a sheepish remark about having a computer in tow for an interview I assumed would involve a plethora of tech industry shit talking. I was meeting Byron Blum, guitarist and vocalist of POW!, an SF garage trio with a ratty, fuzzy sound and a new album that pummels our city’s digital infiltration. 

“Oh, are we gonna talk about tech?” asks Blum, straight-faced with an air of disappointment in his voice. I laugh awkwardly and nod my head yes. He hands me a tortilla chip in agreement. We bond over the street we both call home, noting the usual Divisadero characters and talking favorite spots before launching into grievances about the changing landscape.

“All the quick fixes showing up around the city—the cranes everywhere, the condos—redevelopment that’s so disposable looking. Fuck this,” he says from behind round sunglasses. “Our neighborhood is so timeless, so beautiful, so San Francisco. These convenient solutions are not sustainable. I get bummed out.”

A quick listen to POW!’s debut full-length, High-Tech Boom, and it’s obvious the landscape isn’t all that’s getting Blum and his bandmates down. The album was released mere days ago on John Dwyer’s Castle Face Records, but conversations around the punchy, aggravated lyrics have been hot for weeks.  Lines like, “There’s a new breed creeping into town/they’re starting up and taking over…” and “I’m seeing red as they take away our bread” aren’t shy to point fingers at the deep-pocketed “noobs” — as coined by Dwyer in his own strongly worded press release promoting the band’s new tracks.

The audible volatility of High-Tech Boom feels spot on with the pissed-off vibes breeding in the Bay: The guitar encourages sly rebellion, the drums rabid and tense; the synth sneers and stirs. These songs birthed from a place of anger and aggression — seeing his friends displaced and then replaced with entitled strangers left Blum feeling obligated to write about the changes.

http://vimeo.com/83528732
“As a songwriter, I want to have something important to say. I don’t want to just sing about cool shit,” Blum explains, clarifying that this doesn’t mean he wants to take sides in the debate or hand out advice. “I don’t have answers to what rent should be for the world. That’s not my department. I’m just writing about what’s happening in my environment. Naturally, I feel resentful after seeing what’s been happening to my friends. I wanted to be able to give something to them. “

Amidst all of this unrest, Blum seems chill, relaxed, and in general, happy with San Francisco. He attributes keeping it cool to his newfound “acceptance phase”: It is what it is, a notion he repeats when passing a fleet of corporate buses or gross construction. He repeats that it’s no one’s fault — which I take to mean he’s not blaming the individual, expensive toast-consuming, one-bedroom-renting computer cats in our hood — and reminds me that punishing those who find success isn’t fair either. Unfortunately, their success still jeopardizes that of others, and alongside Dwyer and Ty, a host of Blum’s artist friends have flown the roost in search of decent rent.

Blum isn’t packing his bags for SoCal…yet.

“I’m gonna stay until it feels right to go. I still feel like I have stuff to do here.”

POW! album release party
With Warm White, Mane
Thu/23
7:30pm, $5
Makeout Room, 3225 22nd St, SF
www.makeoutroom.com

 

Psychic Dream: January 22-28, 2014

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ARIES
March 21-April 19
It’s unwise to expect others to change more than do Aries. You don’t need to lead by example per se, but sitting around and waiting for others to do what you want while you don’t give an inch isn’t likely to work out either. Be an active part of the growth that you are so keen to have in your life this week.
­

TAURUS
April 20-May 20
When you’re sitting alone in a comfy chair it’s much easier to check in and listen to the voice of your gut instincts than it is when you’re around other people and embroiled in relationship dynamics. This week you are being challenged to be grounded enough to stay in touch with yourself, be damned any distractions.

GEMINI
May 21-June 21
Fear is a long armed monster that there’s no running, and there’s no hiding from. Do your best to understand your mental compulsions this week because they are on fire, Twin Star! Don’t let your resistance to feeling bad stop you from investigating what you are actually scared of and why.

CANCER
June 22-July 22
In your efforts to protect what you want you must be careful that you don’t you end up behaving badly. The ego is a tricky thing, Moonchild, because it can convince you that you’re troubles entitle you to just about anything. How you handle yourself in distress will be more defining, so strive to act right.

LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
The best way to create security in your life is to keep on changing, Leo. You may worry that you will outgrow your relationships or circumstances, but you needn’t fret; the good of your life will expand with you, and whatever gets left behind was already on its way out, anyways. More is more this week.

VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
You are in the throws of a meaningful transition, and it’s bigger than you are, Virgo. Don’t let your fears stop you from exploring your vulnerabilities with an open heart and mind this week. You are capable of healing some old wounds that have been slowing you down, so be brave and stay in it for the long haul.

LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
This is one of those times when you are at risk for being your own worst enemy, Libra. Instead of obsessing on the details of what is, or could go wrong, work on being present this week. Gratitude trumps fear, so strive to take stock of all you’ve got going for you, especially when the going gets rough.

SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Whether you have many trusted friends or only a few, it’s time to look at those relationships and let them reflect back to you something of yourself. Friendship is so important; its value can’t be overstated. Showering your friends with the love and validation they deserve will be healing for you this week.

SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Stand up for what you believe in and be true to yourself, Sag, just don’t imagine that they’re wont be consequences. This week your will may be in direct conflict with someone else’s, and you need to be honest with yourself if thems just the brakes, or if you’re overstepping some much needed boundaries.

CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Don’t resist the obvious flow of your life, even if you don’t like it where it seems to be taking you this week because the Universe is trying to push  you towards clarity. If you only try to avoid discomfort you’ll only end up confused and unhappy. Only by first accepting your situation can you start to change it.

AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
This weeks frustrations are the best teacher you could ask for, Aquarius. When you feel out of sorts it’s easy to also feel trapped in your circumstances, but is that really true? Take stock of everything in your life that you choose- and whatever doesn’t make it to the list you can start dealing with, STAT.

PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
Take the time to sit with your feelings, Pisces. There is integrity in knowing how you feel and owning it, as opposed to giving the people what you think they want. Whether you’re feeling like sunshine and roses or blue as can be, honor yourself and trust your friends enough to share where you’re at.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Psycic Dream: Jan. 15-21, 2014

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

When people act or react with anger it’s often just to cover up deeper insecurities or worries. This week you may find your mind running a mile a minute, Aries, and the track it’s on is fear-based. The worst thing you could do is project your disquiet out and be a bully. Ask for help instead of burning bridges.

 

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

In order to move forward in the way you need to, it’s wise for you to take a little step back this week. There’s so much happening in your life that you may have lost track of yourself somewhere along the way. Make sure your actions match your intentions; take a time-out and reconnect with The Taurus Within.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

If there are people in your life that you can count as true friends, people who know you and all of your personalities, then you’re a lucky duck, Gemini. What happens when you let people truly know you is hard to predict, but is worth investigating. Allow yourself to be transformed by intimacy with those you love.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

Look for the light everywhere, Moonchild. You are a sensitive soul and it can incline you to experiencing life from a very serious place. Happiness, pleasure and play are powerful agents of healing that you should invite into your life. Make the exchange of such delights your mission this week.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

Contrary to popular wisdom, all is not fair in love and war. No matter how high passions are running you are not entitled to do or say whatever comes to mind. Think about the consequences of your actions before you strike out, ‘cause they will work like a boomerang and come back to you quicker than you might think.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

When you tell the truth in an open-hearted and direct way it makes it easier for other people to hear what you’re trying to say, even if it’s upsetting. Connect to others with kindness, Virgo. You are at a great precipice and if you are brave enough, you can make meaningful strides in your relationships this week.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Sometimes not being in control is the best way to be. Things are going exactly as they are meant to, Libra, but they may not be as you’d have them. Take risks from your present state of circumstances and forget where you thought you “should” be by this time. Try to enjoy the organic unfolding of your life.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

It’s your job to live the way you think is right. Don’t hold external forces responsible for what you choose to do or choose to not do, Scorpio. Live your life for yourself, but keep in mind that it’ll be best lived if you share it with others. Invest in intimacy without dependencies this week.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Don’t get stuck in a rut, Sag. You’re on the brink of psyching yourself out by focusing on all the ways you feel stuck, and all the stuff that’s crappy. Don’t enslave yourself to the very things you wish to avoid with obsessive thinking! Break up your negative trains of thought this week by changing up your habits.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Reconnect with your ambitions and especially any goal lists that you’ve written in the eight months. There’s nothing better than trying really hard at something that means the world to you, and succeeding. You have come a long way and the way to get even further is to enjoy your current achievements.

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Try not to focus so much on the details, Aquarius. You’re dealing with some overwhelming emotions and it’s more important to nurture them than to analyze them. Sit in your feelings long enough to understand what you’re reacting to. Instead of trying to fix things, be kind to yourself and see what shifts.

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

There are things you really want to change, but it’ll require flexibility on your part, Pisces. The only rule to follow this week is to do what’s authentic. That doesn’t give you carte blanche to do whatever you want, but when you compromise, make sure you can do it with integrity.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com 

 

Psychic Dream: January 8-14, 2014

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

There is no “right” answer, Aries, only different choices that’ll yield different consequences. Don’t put pressure on yourself to figure out all the details this week. All you need to do is behave in ways that you can live with. When in doubt, strive to act with integrity and prosperity will follow.

­TAURUS

April 20-May 20

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Be daring enough to enter into a collaborative relationship with Fate, Taurus. Endeavor to make your life a creative expression of all of your interests, loves, and goals. Put yourself out there this week and see what flowers and where your life flows to next.

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

You’ve got to believe in yourself, Twin Star. There’s no amount of accolades in the world that’ll make this happen for you, you’ve gotta choose it on your own. Self-doubt threatens to corrode the muscle car of your virility this week, and it will take an act of self-loving will and a leap of faith to overcome it.

CANCER

June 22-July 22

It’s true that love heals all wounds, but it’s not a quick fix. Please use the regenerative powers of love and compassion as you deal with everything from getting a parking ticket to talking to your boss this week. The accumulative effects of such kindness to your self and others will be worth it.

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

Be proactive in creating what you want in your life and relationships. Only beware your own enthusiasm, Leo! In your excitement you risk trampling over people who move slower than you, or don’t share your vision this week. Take your time and consider all factors, especially those with a heartbeat.

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

It is scary letting go of control because you don’t know what’ll happen or how to prepare. Accept what you cannot do so that you can free up your energy to work with what you can. Resist the urge to make value judgments; try to assume that there’s a bigger and better plan than you can see right now.

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

The antidote to your fears this week is found through injecting patience and optimism into your outlook. There is no force so great that it’ll speed up time and no analysis so piercing that it’ll predict the future. Be gentle with yourself and the situations that are still developing around you, Libra.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

If you don’t know how to get where you want to go, or worse, if you don’t know where you want to be, then this week is going to test you. Strive to make choices out of love and hope in place of fear, Scorpio. Gravitate towards that which holds you up instead of your worries.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

In order to have the kind of relationships that you want you first need to be right with you. Pushing yourself to the limits of what you can do in a healthy way has it time and place, but it’s now and it’s not with the people you love. Acknowledge your boundaries so you can work within them and avoid needless grief.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

So here’s the rub about freedom- you are free to choose whatever you want, even if it sucks. The Universe is calling upon you to be intentional with yourself about what you are doing, and the underlying reasons why. This can be a magical time for you, but it’ll require an honest assessment of your participation.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

The truth is that most of us are afraid of success. If you had everything you wanted and no problems at all, even the long held ones, who would you be? Would you still be you? Investigate your attachments to the very stuff you claim not to want so that you can understand what you’re getting out of it.

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

When you act on the material plane others can see and validate what you’re doing. When you purse internal action it can look like inactivity or even passivity to others. Focus on the latter this week so you can prop up the former when the time is right. Be brave enough to do what’s right for you, Pisces.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Bits and bots

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marke@sfbg.com

CAREERS AND ED “When it comes to robots, there’s usually a kneejerk reaction about job loss. But the robotics field is also creating jobs. We haven’t had stagecoach drivers for a hundred years, but still the world has moved forward.” That’s Tim Smith, a robotics public relations expert — talk about robots creating new jobs — speaking to me over the phone from his Element PR home office in Bernal Heights, where he’s busy representing some of the most innovative robotics projects coming out of the Bay Area.

Smith has a gentle way (he’s no robot?) of putting the recent quantum-like advances in the robotics field into perspective — while also noting the limitations of the field. “One of the biggest challenges I face is overcoming the ‘creep factor’ that most people have when it comes to robots. There are different kinds of robots, different niches: industrial, military, personal. Most people, however, jump to a kind of malevolent science fiction combination of all three. And that’s understandable, considering how robots have been presented in the past.

“But really, personal robots are all around us. Thermostats are robots. Smoke alarms are robots,” Smith continues. “And despite people’s misgivings, they really do want the future, they do want science fiction. They want Rosie the Robot to do their laundry, clean the house. But right now, most personal robots do one thing extremely well. It’s when they’re asked to do two things that chaos breaks out. They need controlled environments. For instance, we have robots to clean your floors, but not one to clean your floors and wash your windows. Even Google’s driverless car needs to be in a certain kind of environment to function.

“So that’s what’s really held the industry from advancing. Meanwhile, though, on this side of that wall, there are some spectacular things being done to fine-tune and develop not just robots but the robotics field, including efforts to integrate robotics into daily life. You can see how far intelligent technology has come just by looking in your pocket.”

Smith took me on a tour of some of the Bay Area-based organizations and companies pushing those advances, including direct descendents of Willow Garage, the legendary Menlo Park robotics incubator started by Google developer Scott Hassan in 2006.

 

ROBOTSLAB BOX

Sure, math in high school was kind of a snoozefest. But what if your geometry class was taught by a box of robots? Yep, that might have you reaching for the protractor a bit more often.

RobotsLAB (www.robotslab.com) has created that box of robots, which is now in use in several schools. “The idea to create RobotsLAB BOX was born after spending hundreds of hours with educators, teachers, and administrators,” founder Elad Inbar told me by email. “The need for a population with basic STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is imperative, yet we’ve heard over and over again that students don’t understand why they need to learn math, or where math’s core concepts such as linear and quadratic equations are applicable to their lives.

“As a result, they underperform in evaluations and can give up on meaningful careers. But the RobotsLAB BOX robots are serving in the classroom as a bridge between the concrete world we live in and and abstract math concepts.

“There are four robots in the RobotsLAB BOX: a quadcopter, a robotic arm, a rover with a mustache, and a robotic ball. The students love them all. They help teach everything from the law of cosines to the sum of vectors.”

RobotsLAB BOX even offers a STEM kit that guides you through the basics of robotics. Wait, does that mean a robot will actually teach you to build itself?

 

OPEN SOURCE ROBOTICS FOUNDATION

The Bay Area-based ROS (Robotics Operating System, www.ros.org) organization is a collection of programmers dedicated to advancing robotics development and application through collaborative coding and invention.

The Open Source Robotics Foundation (www.osrf.org) is the nonprofit in charge of overseeing the development of ROS. Basically this means that it helps make robotics coding something shareable and open to all who are interested (and who can gain the technical chops). OSRF also does things like participate in last year’s headline making DARPA Challenge, the awesome-looking, government-sponsored festival and competition aiming to push robotics to the next level, where it completed a challenge to build an open-source robot simulation environment.

“If you want to enter the world of robotics software coding,” advises Brian Gerkey, OSRF CEO, “some familiarity with Linux is helpful. But the best advice is to just dive in. There are tons of resources at ROS for all levels of expertise and a vibrant community ready to help.

“One of the challenges facing robotics is the multi-disciplinary nature of the field — hardware, software, vision, navigation, manipulation — and lots of math. But there are lots of ways for a young person to get started — things like the FIRST Robotics competition and the growing Maker community come to mind.”

To advance the cause of personal robotics containing open-source software, Gerkey is participating in a panel at the Commonwealth Club on Feb. 26 called “Robots in Unconventional Workplaces” (www.commonwealthclub.org).

“Everyone has their own idea of what a robot looks like and what it does, but in many cases those expectations derive from movies, books, and television shows. One of my goals is to help people picture robots in scenarios they never dreamed possible.”

 

UNBOUNDED ROBOTICS

“The simplest way to describe our UBR-1 robot is that it’s akin to an iPhone without any third party apps,” says Unbounded Robotics (www.unboundedrobotics.org) CEO Melonee Wise of the one-year-old company’s latest protoype.

“The robot, like the phone, is incredibly capable and sophisticated, but the real value comes from what developers are able to add to the platform. For that reason, the practical applications are limited only by the imagination of the ROS developer community.”

Another way to describe the UBR-1 is: squeee.

The little shiny orange robot is so cute I want to have one just to look at when I get tired of Lil Bub pics. The introductory video, in which an “emergency stop” switch is activated to “prevent robot apocalypse” (“not guaranteed to prevent robot apocalypse”) is enough for me to welcome the coming robot apocalypse.

Now I just have to learn to program the darn thing.

 

Psychic Dream Astrology: Jan 1-6, 2014

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Happy New Year, Darlings!
 
ARIES
March 21-April 19
It’s sometimes hard to gauge the difference between nervous anxiety, which can hang around even when things are peachy, and your gut instincts telling you that something’s not right. Slow down enough to be able to read discern your feelings this week, even if you’d rather hold your breath and barrel forwards.
­

TAURUS
April 20-May 20
Be honest about how you feel, Taurus. This is not the week to be fooling yourself about your needs or where you’re at. The truth is that you can feed the needs of your heart or you can stuff your ego, but only one of these options will bring you lasting happiness. Be true to your insides no matter what this week.

GEMINI
May 21-June 21
The main liability of being smart and having vision is that you can think yourself into a many-layered funk without even realizing you’re doing it. You run the risk of not seeing the wonderfulness you have cultivated in your life, Gem. Gratitude cancels out fear, so go on a mission to be appreciative for all you’ve got.

CANCER
June 22-July 22
You are being asked to give something up that you seriously don’t want to yield. The question is why; are you holding on because of the joy that the person, attitude, or thing you’re attached to brings? Or are you just scared of evolution? Your greatest security will come from change this week, so don’t resist.

LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
Think about the foundations you’re standing on right now- your relationships, your finances, your emotional health, and your professional life. Do you like what you see? Start off the New Year by taking stock of what you’re built, and deciding what needs attention and how you plan on going about it.

VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Don’t fix anything! Feeling out of control and having things in your life feeling out of balance sucks, but this week you are not meant to correct what you don’t like, Virgo; you’re supposed to learn from it. Investigate the attitudes you hold towards yourself when things aren’t awesome, and don’t be a jerk.

LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
There is no joy greater than love, and no goal better that sharing it. This week it shouldn’t matter the risks, you are meant to prioritize your relationships and to do it in a way that supports healthy and constructive connections. Be willing to change in the name of love this week, Libra.

SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Be decisive and start the New Year off right by taking responsibility for your choices and how you execute them, Scorpio. Don’t let worry get in your way, because choices made out of fear tend to generate more fear. Strive towards what you desire and have faith in your ability to make it happen this week.

SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Just because you are going in the right direction and acting in all the right ways doesn’t mean that things are going to be easy. Don’t confuse the difficulties of change with things going wrong, Sagittarius. Work hard to create the life you want, even if it doesn’t come easy or quickly this week.

CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
If you embrace possibility with optimism you can always have weeks that feel as good as this one. You are meant to embrace change and to move enthusiastically in the direction of your greatest hopes. The limitations you’ve wrestled with in the past are behind you; it’s a new year with great prospects, Capricorn.

AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
The secret to your success is proper pacing, Aquarius. You are ready to forge successfully ahead but the speed at which you do so is the variable you need to be careful of. Anxiety may drive you to do everything, and right away, but this would be a mistake.  Adopt a speed that you can sustain without burning yourself out.

PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
The only thing getting in your way is fear, Pisces. You are in the right zone to execute your plans and have fun, but you’ll have to let go of your worries first. Don’t obsess on the future this week; act for the joy of acting, and trust in the creative potential of the things you care about.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Psychic Dream Astrology: Dec, 25-31, 2013

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

You are meant to adjust, Aries. There is no value in trying to keeps things the same, no matter how seductive that may feel to you right now. This week will go so much smoother if you don’t resist change; participate in the transformations that are happening within and around you this week.

­TAURUS

April 20-May 20

Trust your instincts, even if you have to get past your ideas about how things are ‘supposed’ to be. If all you’re focused on is preserving peace, you’ll miss out on great opportunities.  As we say goodbye to 2013 this is the right time to take stock of what you want to create and how you’re willing to go about it.

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

No matter how sad or stuck you feel, this is not the time to give up or give in. Your convictions are being tested so don’t let upsets derail you. How you cope with your feelings is as important as what you do this week. Let the things that block you spur you on to new heights and greater self-knowledge.

CANCER

June 22-July 22

Don’t engage in power struggles, Moonchild. No matter how much the holiday season tweaks your mood and mind, now is not the time to take the bait and play into drama. If you can’t take space from what irks you try to remember that if you can’t find anything constructive to say, don’t say anything at all.

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

It’s OK if your people don’t understand what you’re doing, ‘cause right now you just need to make sense to yourself. This is the right time to take risks and leaps of faith that fortify you, Leo. You don’t need things to be perfect, but you do need them to feel alive and like they are growing towards greater abundance. Dream big.

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

It’s all about your relationships this holiday week, Virgo. Be intentional about how you relate to others, because passivity is a misuse of your energy. Reach out to those you care about, mend broken fences and douse those you love with kindness; find home in the love you share with others.

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Don’t over think things, Libra! You are on the verge of whipping yourself into such a frenzy that you obsess over too many details, and then impulsively pull some crazy and self-destructive moves. Take responsibility for your actions by taking more loving care of your attitudes, and don’t forget to breathe.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

. Prioritize having clear and strong boundaries with folks this week. You are a deep feeler, and when you loose contact with your instincts things can quickly become a mess. You are likely to deepen your relationships or just expertly avoiding real intimacy over the holidays; choose wisely, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Sometimes you’ve got to let go to hold on. There’s no point in lamenting on how things used to be. The past is behind you and your present requires your heartfelt attention. Indulge in a ‘best of’ episode of whatever it is you’re stuck on and then put it down so you can move towards what you want to create next.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Don’t get penned in by your reactions, Capricorn. Things are going great for you in so many ways so take a minute to feel awesome about it! This week will require you to set some limits, and you can get all riled up about, but that’s just likely to make things worse for everyone. Say your piece and let it go.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Practice holding your hopes and intentions firmly in your mind, but not being attached to them. This requires willingness to let things play out in their own way and at their own pace, which ultimately requires faith. If you’re pushy this week you just might end up unwittingly pushing excellence away, pal.

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

Let yourself gravitate towards what brings you happiness, Pisces. You have worked hard and you need a break from toil to allow yourself to simply receive goodness. As 2013 comes to its close, reflect on how you have gotten in your own way this year and how you plan to step out of it.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

 

Psychic Dream Astrology: DEc. 18-24, 2013

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Psychic Dream Astrology

12.18-24.2013

 

ARIES

March 21-April 19

The challenge before you is not to make do of a crappy situation; it is to have healthy boundaries in a situation where you’re not guaranteed that they’ll help you. Be clear about what you have to offer, your needs and limits. It’s not as important how others react as much as that you were true to your self.

­

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

Relationships are complex organisms; they are not just about you and another individual- they are the dynamic product of what happens when each of your issues bump up against each other’s. The more clear and upfront you are about what you are in it for, the more you’ll get out of it, Taurus.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

Stay right here, right now, Gem. When you look at the future or reflect on the past, you’re doing it all from the present. There is so much that has yet to unfold, so please deepen your tolerance for being still. If you can focus on today, today, you’ll be happier in the now and better prepared for tomorrow.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

How you let go is super important, Moonchild. At the end of any kind of relationship we tend to behave out of fear, but the best way to act is with compassion and kindness. Strive to be generous of spirit both towards yourself and others this week, even if the truth of your situation is not pleasant.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

In order to live the life you want to be living you need to be able to put some things down. Saying ‘yes’ is a great policy until you’ve got too much on your plate and you have to cut back on things you enjoy and are committed to. Use discretion before taking anything new on this week, Leo.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Don’t fix a thing, Virgo! The problems in your world are there for a reason, and if you go forth and conquer you’ll not understand what was happening beneath the surface until it’s too late. It is unclear if it’s your situation or you that needs to change, and it’s only with vigorous contemplation that you’ll figure it out.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

If you persist on making your choices and cultivating your opinions based on what you think others will approve of you’ll end up with more confusion and muddled results, Libra. Check in with your intuition this week, even if that means you have to spend some quality time alone and unplugged for a few hours.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

The most delicate thing that you are in possession of is your heart. Your relationships may be a place that you bring your feelings, or you may use them as a way to distract from or control your innermost personal life. Take risks in the name of intimacy so you can feel the good stuff more deeply, Scorpio.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Only put yourself out there if you can stand beside your actions with integrity. If that’s not possible, then just wait. Patience may not be your strong suit but it’s what the Universe wants you working on this week. Connect with your deepest truths before you go rambling out there.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Worry is prayer at the alter of what you don’t want to have happen. Be kind to yourself and the people closest to you by being able to separate out your feelings (which may be sad or scared) and your fears (which may read as more of a Kafkaesque telenovella). Kindness and compassion are all you need.

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

The beautiful thing about decisiveness is that it allows for your full potential to burst through without distractions. This week your greatest power comes from making choices and following through with them, Aquarius. Don’t dilute your effectiveness by acting as though you haven’t made your choices.

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

If you feel out of control this week it’s because you are; you’re not meant to understand the ins and outs of every detail of your life, or even your own psyche. You are an ever-shifting animal and the best you can do for yourself is to be responsive to your needs as they change. There is hope in flexibility, Pisces.

 

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com 

National Park Service asks Presidio Trust to hit the breaks on museum proposals

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The battle over the cultural fate of the otherwise outdoors-oriented Presidio could hit the pause button once again after a high-level letter sent to the Presidio Trust recommended the governing board put a hold on the already slow-moving selection process for a new museum to replace the Sports Basement.

The questions so far have been: Is the proper use of the land one that would allow wealthy filmmaker George Lucas the opportunity to house his art, or would the space make more sense as an interactive museum dedicated to the natural history of the Presidio? Now, this question is being raised: Should any new museums be opening on the Presidio’s quasi-parkland before a larger vision for the Presidio is created?

The Dec. 12 letter from Frank Dean, general superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), recommended that the Trust wait for “several years” before deciding exactly which museum should occupy the choice piece of property on the city’s northwestern coast.

“We appreciate that the Trust Board has at least temporarily delayed reaching a decision on the future use of the Commissary site,” Dean wrote in the letter addressed to the Presidio Trust. “However, we must again express our strong recommendation, echoed by many others, that the Trust defer any decision for several years to allow the site to develop in a more comprehensive, thoughtful, integrated, and planned manner.”

Citing a lack of “programmatic and architectural fit,” the letter deemed all three proposals — The Presidio Exchange (PX), the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, and The Bridge/Sustainability Institute — unfit for imminent development.

But while both the Presidio Exchange and The Bridge plans were referenced philosophically, Dean name-checked the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum with specificity.  

“From the information that has been presented to the public to date,” Dean wrote, “we believe the program of the proposed Lucas Cultural Arts Museum has no genuine or substantive connection to the themes or programs of Crissy Field or the Main Post, or to other Presidio-connected themes that extend far beyond the boundaries of the outpost. While the programs of the proposed museum seem interesting, the museum’s offerings could be located anywhere; therefore, the museum does not merit one of the most important sites in the entire Presidio.”

The finalists for the museum site at mid-Crissy Field answer questions about their proposals (including filmmaker George Lucas).

It is a sentiment held not just by the GGNRA. Supporters of the more synergistic Presidio Exchange plans think the delay in decision will only strengthen the position of both their plans and those of The Bridge/Sustainability.

“I agree with the Trust’s stance,” said Becky Evans, local chair of the Sierra Club. “The Lucas plan fulfilled none of the requirements except for the one about economic feasibility. It didn’t fit in with the park or the surrounding area.”

“The [Presidio Exchange] has done an excellent job, in terms of in a few months preparing their proposal. But there is some value, I think, in waiting to see what the new open space will look like when the tunnels are finished and the bluff is in place,” she said.

But before supporters of the PX declare victory, note that the letter sent to the Presidio Trust was just a recommendation, not a declaration. The Trust could theoretically buck the advice, hand the Sports Basement keys to George Lucas’ group, and then wipe its hands clean of the project; after all, Lucas has offered to foot the bill for his entire project.

“[The recommendation] is not something that automatically makes them hold the process up,” said Alexandra Picavet, spokesperson for the GGNRA. “It’s up to the Trust to assign what weight they would give our recommendation. They could decide not to use it all.”

But, according to GGNRA Director of Communications Howard Levitt, even if the recommendation is ignored, the delay could last indefinitely: Even after a proposed plan is accepted by the Presidio Trust, it would still have to undergo a “follow-up environmental impact statement, done by EPA, [pursuant to] the National Environmental Policy Act, and so we’ll continue to be engaged in this thing going forward.” So, even after a plan is approved by the Trust, the EPA could still hold up the process moving forward.

Those in favor of the proposed moratorium, however, seem to think that the Presidio Trust (who had not yet responded for comment at the time of publication)will agree with the initial recommendation.

“The Park Service’s main responsibility is to protect the resources of the park,” said Evans. “And they’ve been walking, I think, a very fine line trying to do that without coming out specifically and saying, ‘Don’t pick Mr. Lucas.’ I mean, obviously it’s not an appropriate choice.”

Who and what the appropriate choice for the old Commissary ends up being, however, is still up for debate.

For now, it’s a Sports Basement; the only true winner from the GGNRA’s most recent recommendation. At least for now, it may get to stay. 

Psychic Dream Astrology: December 11-17, 2013

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ARIES
March 21-April 19
This is not the time to sit idly by as the world changes around you, be a part of things, Aries! Take it a step further and don’t just make a lateral moves, but strive to make real improvements. You’re unlikely to see meteoric results this week, but with a little patience you can improve things for the long haul.

TAURUS
April 20-May 20
If you believe that there’s not enough to go around, or that good things can’t or won’t happen for you, then you’re likely to look everywhere for evidence of that. Beware your own convictions, Taurus, or you may be unwittingly creating a bad vibes self-fulfilling prophesies for yourself.

GEMINI
May 21-June 21
Make friends with your ego, even though it can be a trickster; when it’s out of control it makes you feel that your needs and problems are more important than others’. A healthy ego can help you to stand up and motivate yourself to take on intimidating tasks, which you hecka need this week.

CANCER
June 22-July 22
Guilt is such a waste of time; better to take responsibility for what you’ve done and humbly commit to trying to do differently in the future. Degenerating into guilty feelings makes it hard to move on or make reparations where possible. Tackle your problems constructively, Cancer.

LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
This week you would be wise to think about sustainability. Are the things that you care about, the promises you’ve made, and the plans that you’ve laid, all realistic for you in the long haul? Don’t wait until there are problems for you to deal with; make sure the path you’re on can uphold the test of time.

VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
The weird thing about balance is that you can’t get rigid or you loose it; it requires consistent shifts in order to maintain it. This week you may find your equilibrium, and that’s a wonderful thing! The key is to not get so attached to it that you fail to see the need for flexibility and open mindedness, Virgo.

LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Avoid niceness at all costs, Libra! Well, you don’t need to be that dramatic, but your habit is to be nice instead of authentic, when the latter is what you should be striving for. You can be diplomatic when asserting the truth to others, but honesty is the real kindness, no watered down version will do.

SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
You’re so sensitive that you may be feeling overwhelmed by not only your life, but all the intense shifts in the people and places around you. That’s why you need a time-out, Scorpio. Take a break from figuring things out and recharge your batteries this week. There’s no point in moving forward in a muddled way.

SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Major change is afoot, Sag, and there’s no evading or controlling it. Don’t try to shape the course of things, but instead figure out where you’re life is flowing and try to go with it. The more you talk things out the better, so have kindly confrontations and share your process with trusted allies this week.

CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Worry all you like, Capricorn, but the truth is that sometimes things don’t work out because there’s something better waiting for you. How you emotionally and mentally handle life’s disappointments are more important than what you do about them this week. Stay open-minded and expect the best.

AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
If you spend the bulk of your time on the fun stuff this week you may slip yourself up, Aquarius. This is one of those times when you should focus on what needs to get done, or you’ll be overwhelmed and agitated. It doesn’t need to be all work and no play, but if you’re gonna err, do it on the side of responsibility.

PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
What would you think if I told you that everything is perfect as it is right now? All of the unpleasant stuff, and the things that are not as you wish they’d be have their value. Investigate the worth of all things this week. You are building foundations for your future self, so do it intentionally and don’t be scared to take your time.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Psychic Dream Astrology: December 4-10, 2013

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

Now is not the time to force your will on others, Aries, even if you truly believe it’s for their own good. You can be honest and direct about your opinions but it’s essential that you leave others alone after you’ve said your piece. Let people and situations reveal themselves to you, even if you don’t like what you see.

­TAURUS

April 20-May 20

You are not in control of your situation, Taurus, and that sucks. The best you can do is to adapt and remain flexible this week. If you participate in fights all you’ll do is drum up more drama. Things may change on their own, but only if you give them enough space to do so. Protect yourself without engaging in BS.

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

There’s a good way to channel your anger, and then there’s a more stupid way, and I’m sure you know the difference. This week let your passions compel you to do bigger and better things than you’ve been doing, and to invigorate your life. You’re going in the right direction so don’t screw it up, Twin Star.

CANCER

June 22-July 22

You can do everything perfectly and that doesn’t mean that you’ll get what you want. Don’t assume that things are what they seem! You may be suffering what appear to be disappointments, but they’re only hiccups. You’re on the right path and any setbacks you suffer this week are likely to have a larger purpose.

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

What’s the rush, Leo? When you don’t have all the information you need, the best you can do is to wait things out and go on a fact-finding mission. Don’t let your circumstances rush you into a decision that you’re not ready to make this week. Investigate, ruminate, and gestate, for best results.

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

As the world around you changes you have to change with it, or be changed by it, Virgo. The point is that there’s no avoiding the natural progression of things, even when it feels helluv unnatural. Lick your wounds and strive to make the best of it. You only stand to gain by being a part of things this week.

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

The blocks between you and your goals may seem insurmountable, but they’re not. More importantly, feeling crappy does not give you license to throw your ego around and in the face of others. Use your ego as a motivational force and move beyond where you feel stuck this week, Libra.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Strive towards balance, Scorpio. Make enough space for your feelings that you are authentically in touch with them, but don’t slip into feeling sorry for yourself or isolation. The more flexible you can be with yourself, the better equipped you’ll be for handling whatever your life throws at you.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Everything has its place, even if you can’t find it right now, Sag. Check in with yourself to see what parts of your life feel well situated, and what feels off. You need to take stock of your life. Endeavor to really appreciate the good that’s flowing before you can take care of anything else this week.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

You are being tested in your ability to appraise your options, Capricorn. You can choose something that appeases your vanity, or something that enlivens your personal life this week. Here’s a helpful hint; in the labyrinth of life, it’s always wisest to take the path that will bring you someplace new.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

You need a time out, Aquarius. There’s no rule saying that you need to participate when you don’t feel like it. All you need to do is honor your commitments and avoid creating additional troubles that you’ll later want to avoid. Unplug and rejuvenate before you make mountains outta molehills, pal.

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

It’s hard to know what’s right to do, and it’s even harder to know it when you are off your game. This week you need to stop second-guessing yourself; you don’t need to get it “right”, you only need to act with integrity. If you walk your talk and don’t let fear drive you, and you’ll get where you need to be.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com

Psychic Dream Astrology: Nov 27-Dec 3, 2013

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ARIES

March 21-April 19

The movie is not yet over, the fat lady has not yet sung. This week you shouldn’t assume that you know what will happen in your relationships, as they’re story is being co-created by you and the people you’re involved with, right now. Participate in a way you can feel good about, regardless of what anyone else does.

 

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

Don’t let your belief in scarcity rule your thinking this week! If you trust that you’re OK, that no matter what happens you can deal with it (even if you don’t wanna), then the way you handle your options shifts. You need to have faith in yourself in order to make decisions that are truly right for you, Taurus.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

Where are you at in the foundation-laying process, Twin Star? Instead of lamenting the progress you haven’t made, try taking stock of what you have achieved so far! You are solidly on your way to someplace better, but if you don’t celebrate or at least acknowledge your accomplishments, then that totally sucks for you.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

At the end of the day, you’ve got to be loyal to yourself above all others.  Sometimes that’s going to mean that you say ‘no’ to them, or that you disappoint them, but if you are doing in it efforts to say ‘yes’ to yourself, then it’s the right thing to do this week. Kindness and niceness do not always look the same.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

Don’t write anything in stone this week, Leo. You do not have all the information you need, so you’d be wise to put off any major decisions or wild proclamations. Be the Jessica Fletcher of your own life; ask questions, watch carefully and don’t make too many assumptions. The easy answer is not always the truth.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

When life hands you lemons you can make lemonade, but sometimes the lemons are so damn bitter that there’s not enough sugar in the world to make it drinkable! This week you don’t need to make the best of things, Virgo. You can feel whatever you’re feeling, just don’t try to force your bitter lemons on those around you.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

“Honesty is the best policy,” they say, but sometimes it’s hard to be honest with your self. Strive to get real about what you’re thinking and feeling, Libra. The only way to be free of your compulsions and fears is to face them. Accepting yourself is the first step to changing what’s not working for you.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

It’s time to let go, Scorpio. Things aren’t as you’d like them to be, and you know what needs to change. Take stock of what’s not working so that you can innovate the shifts you need in your life that will bring about improvements. Don’t fear the growing pains of transition; you’re totally ready.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Reach out to your peeps this week, Sag. You need some perspective, and you’re unlikely to get it by obsessing over things on your own. Let your support network have your back as you engage in a much-needed wrestling match with your many minds. If you can’t be real with the ones you love you’re doing something wrong.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Salvation comes this week through your willingness to stay emotionally present through what may be some hard conversations. Whether you need to sit yourself down to have a heart to heart or you need to do that with someone else, show up with an open mind and your emotional integrity at the fore.  

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Don’t try to solve the world’s problems this week, Aquarius. You may feel spurred on by your anxieties to focus on the future when what you really should be doing is coping with your present. Reconnect with your own vitality and strength, and let yourself figure out tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

Self-fulfilling prophecies are easy to concoct, but you shouldn’t be looking for proof of how crappy things are, Pisces! You can be honest and direct without dropping an anvil. Diplomacy doesn’t have to water you down. Don’t pick fights with people that have more power than you this week.

Want more in-depth, intuitive or astrological advice from Jessica? Schedule a one-one-one reading that can be done in person or by phone. Visit www.lovelanyadoo.com 

BART standoff continues as board modifies contract

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The BART Board of Directors voted 8-1 on Nov. 21, with conservative young Director Zakhary Mallett in dissent, to approve a hard-won contract with its unions, after removing Section 4.8, the paid family leave section that the district says was inserted by mistake.

The motion also directed management to negotiate a settlement over that issue with its unions, which have already approved the contract and now must decide whether they are willing to do so again without that provision or whether the possibility of another BART strike is once again looming.

The next day, BART’s largest unions, SEIU Local 1021 and ATU Local 1555, issued a joint statement: “We consider the Board’s actions to be unprecedented and illegitimate, and we’re considering our next steps, including possible legal action. The BART Board of Directors has disregarded the vote of more than 2,000 BART workers and has chosen to subvert the collective bargaining process, and we take their actions seriously.”

After meeting in closed session for about two hours, Vice President Joel Keller began the open session with a motion to remove Section 4.8 from the contract, approve the rest, and direct management to negotiate with the unions.

Mallett, the 25-year-old newbie who lives in unincorporated West Contra Costa County but whose District 7 includes part of San Francisco, spoke first: “Even before this hiccup, I was not in the position to support this contract. I find it too costly.”

But he was the only one to take that stance, with the rest of the directors calling the underlying contract a fair compromise, even if all said they couldn’t support the paid family leave provision that would add anywhere between $4 million and $44 million to a contract that was already going to cost the district an additional $67 million.

Director Gail Murray noted that the unions had given up raises for years when BART had budget deficits, and now that the district is running surpluses, it’s reasonable to give workers raises that amount to about 2 percent per year for four years.

“Our employees kept the system going…They’re the reason why we keep 40-year-old cars still running,” Murray said, later adding, “To say this contract is not a good contract is wrong.”

The rest of the board agreed, even while acknowledging it is more than they hoped to pay given the district’s capital needs and aggressive expansion plans.

“We’re probably paying more for this than we anticipated we would pay, and labor is probably giving up more than they want to, but that’s the nature of collective bargaining,” Keller said, who also began what turned into a chorus of criticism for how district negotiators signed off on a provision the board never agreed to.

“We ended on a sloppy note and that’s regrettable,” Keller said, pledging that if he’s elected president next month — an ascension that is customary for the vice president — he plans to launch a full investigation into what happened.

“I’m pained that we put ourselves in such adversarial positions with each other and that we lost the lives of two employees,” Director John McPartland said of the protracted labor negotiations and the fatalities that occurred while the unions were on strike Oct. 19. He called the contract “more than fair and equitable.”

Director James Fang, who represents western San Francisco, sounded the strongest criticisms of BART management and negotiators. “Yes, it was a mistake, but nobody has come forward and said ‘there was a mistake and I’m responsible,” Fang said, later adding, “The ones who signed this must be held to account.”

Fang then went further, albeit without specifics, when he said, “Every bit of management advice we’ve received has not worked out to the district’s best interests.”

Director Robert Raburn echoed Fang’s calls for accountability: “I’m still not clear on how that [contract provision] arrived and it hasn’t been accounted for by anyone at the district who said ‘I am responsible.'”

But he also said that the provision was clearly an error and not something arrived at through the negotiations: “Both parties agreed on a $67 million package and we should keep that intact because it’s fair.”

Reached by the Guardian while union leadership was conferring to plan next steps, SEIU Local 1021 Political Director Chris Daly told us, “We are about as up in the air as we’ve ever been.”

He called it “unlikely” that union leadership would simply submit the board-revised contract to an up-or-down vote by union membership, saying that he doesn’t think it would be approved.

And Daly echoed the concerns expressed by several BART directors about how this mistake happened and why nobody has taken responsibility or been held accountable: “If I were on that board, I’d have the general manager’s head, there’s no two ways about it.” (Steven T. Jones)

SF General reduces psych care

A 22-bed psychiatric unit at San Francisco General Hospital will be taken out of service, and reopened only if the facility experiences a high caseload of patients exhibiting the worst signs of psychiatric crisis.

As of Nov. 19, five patients were receiving care in that unit, 7B, according to spokesperson Rachael Kagan. None had symptoms that rose to the level of requiring acute care. Instead, they were classified as sub-acute patients, a distinction that essentially means they didn’t present an immediate threat to themselves or others.

But under a new policy that will take effect after they have been released, all 22 beds in 7B will be closed — unless they are needed for acute patients who do reach that critical threshold. The unit will be staffed only if patients can’t be accommodated in the hospital’s other acute psych unit, which has 21 beds.

The decision was made in response to a changing financial picture under federal health care reform, Kagan explained.

“There is a big push … to ensure hospitals are only providing acute care,” Kagan said, and this trend is driving efforts to reduce sub-acute patients. “It fiscally makes more sense,” she added, because insurers pay higher rates for acute care than for lower levels of treatment.

Yet some hospital staff members are nervous about the implications of this shift, because it means fewer patients will be able to access psychiatric care at SF General unless they represent a danger to themselves and/or the general public — at a time when demand for these services is on the rise.

“To us, it’s a matter of priority for the city,” said Brenda Barros, an employee at SF General who is active with hospital union SEIU 1021. “Do you want to take care of these people, or don’t you?”

Some staff members are doubtful that 7B will reopen. An internal SF General memo issued Nov. 18 informed the 7B staff: “Our census will be gradually reduced until we won’t have any more patients. Then 7B will be closed.” The memo added, “this came from [SF General CEO] Sue Currin due to budgetary constraints.”

However, a second internal memo went out the following day, to “clarify” the first one. In that message, Nursing Director Kathy Ballou wrote: “We are not closing psych beds or any beds.” Instead, beds in 7B would be closed unless “we get acute patients needing that level of care,” she wrote. “As in other hospitals, we are accountable to our operating budget.”

Further complicating matters, said Barros, is that patients can fluctuate rapidly between needing acute care and a lower level of attention. “They absolutely can swing back and forth.” She added that patients initially requiring a lower level of care could experience worsening conditions if they’re unable to secure an appointment in time to get help, and delays are very common.

Kagan emphasized that the unit wasn’t being closed down, but did confirm that sub-acute patients would no longer be able to receive treatment in 7B. Instead, those patients will be placed with various service providers throughout the city, she said. “The goal is to move the patients to their appropriate placement.”

Meanwhile, this shift coincides with an overall rise in citywide demand for psychiatric services. According to a report delivered to the Police Commission earlier this year, SF General had 6,293 patient admissions for psychiatric holds in 2012, a sharp increase from 5,837 in 2009.

While there were deep cuts to the city’s Department of Public Health during the economic downturn, Mayor Ed Lee has recently trumpeted a boost to city coffers thanks to growing economic activity. But if the city’s financial health has improved, it seems odd that its safety-net hospital would be put into the position of reducing psych care due to budgetary pressures when that kind of care is sorely needed.

For Barros, it’s a matter of whether or not city officials will decide to allocate more funding for mental health services. “If they don’t have enough money in Public Health,” she said, “then they need to put more into Public Health.” (Rebecca Bowe)

BART board approves labor contract, minus the district’s “mistake” UPDATED

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The BART Board of Directors has voted 8-1, with conservative young Director Zakhary Mallett in dissent, to approve a hard-won contract with its unions, after removing Section 4.8, the paid family leave section that the district says was inserted by mistake. The motion also directed management to negotiate a settlement over that issue with its unions, which have already approved the contracts and now must decide whether they are willing to do so again without that provision or whether the possibility of another BART strikes is once again looming.

Shortly after the meeting, SEIU Local 1021 Executive Director Pete Castelli issued the statement saying, “We’re disappointed that the BART Board of Directors had decided not to fulfill their commitment to the workers and the riders by approving contracts without the provision on family medical leave. The unions have voted on and ratified these contracts in their entirety.”

He accused the district of over-inflating the cost estimates of the family leave provision and said the unions were willing to discuss it, but the district instead chose “to prolong the process and hold the fate of the riders, the workers, and the Bay Area in the balance.”

“Right now we are considering all options, meeting with workers who have ratified this contract, and working to find a way to reach a resolution to BART management’s alleged mistake in the agreement it made with its workers,” he said.

After meeting in closed session for about two hours this morning, the BART board opened the meeting up around 11:45am to discuss and vote on the contract. Vice President Joel Keller opened with a motion to remove Section 4.8 from the contract, approve the rest, and direct management to negotiate with the unions.

Mallett, the 25-year-old newbie who lives in unincorporated West Contra Costa County but whose Dist. 7 includes part of San Francisco, spoke first: “Even before this hiccup, I was not in the position to support this contract. I find it too costly.”

But he was the only one to take that stance, with the rest of the directors calling the underlying contract a fair compromise, even if all said they couldn’t support the paid family leave provision that would add anywhere between $4 million and $44 million to a contract that was already going to cost the district an additional $67 million.

Director Gail Murray even chided Mallett’s certitude given his age and inexperience, noting that the union had given up raises for years when BART had budget deficits, and now that the district is running surpluses, it’s reasonable to give workers raises that amount to about 2 percent per year for four years, particularly given the union also gave on their benefit packages.

“Our employees kept the system going…They’re the reason why we keep 40-year-old cars still running,” Murray said, later adding, “To say this contract is not a good contract is wrong.”

The rest of the board agreed, even why acknowledging it is more than they hoped to pay given the district capital needs and aggressive expansion plans.

“We’re probably paying more for this than we anticipated we would pay, and labor is probably going up more than they want to, but that’s the nature of collective bargaining,” Keller said, who also began what turned into a chorus of criticism for how district negotiators signed off on a provision the board never agreed to.

“We ended on a sloppy note and that’s regretable,” Keller said, pledging that if he’s elected president next month — an ascension that is customary for the vice president — he plans to lauch a full investigation into what happened.

“I’m pained that we put ourselves in such adversarial positions with each other and that we lost the lives of two employees,” Director John McPartland said of the protracted labor negotiations and the fatalities that occurred while the unions were on strike Oct. 19. He called the contract “more than fair and equitible.”

Director James Fang, who represents western San Francisco, sounded the strongest criticisms of BART management and negotiators. “Yes, it was a mistake, but nobody has come forward and said ‘there was a mistake and I’m responsible,” Fang said, later adding, “The ones who signed this must be held to account.”

Fang then went further, albeit without specifics, when he said, “Every bit of management advice we’ve received has not worked out to the district’s best interests.” Given the looming investigations by the California Legislature and National Transportation Safety Board of BART culpability in the Oct. 19 deaths — the result of management preparing to break the strike by training replacement drivers and contesting longstanding demands by state regulators to make safety improvements that likely would have prevented the tragedy — Fang’s comment could ultimately prove to be a huge understatement.

Director Robert Raburn echoed Fang’s calls for accountability: “I’m still not clear on how that [contract provision] arrived and it hasn’t been accounted for by anyone at the district who said ‘I am responsible.’”

But he also said that the provision was clearly an error and not something arrived at through the negotiations: “Both parties agreed on a $67 million package and we should keep that intact because it’s fair.”

Reached by the Guardian this afternoon while union leadership was conferring to plan next steps, SEIU Local 1021 Political Director Chris Daly told us, “We are about as up in the air as we’ll ever been.”

As a first step, he said the unions are consulting with their attorneys on the legality of today’s vote. “We think the action might be an unfair labor practice and illegal under labor law,” Daly said.

He also called it “unlikely” that union leadership would simply submit the board-revised contract to an up-or-down vote by union membership, saying that he doesn’t think it would be approved.

And Daly echoed the concerns expressed by several BART directors about how this mistake happened and why nobody has taken responsibility or been held accountable: “If I were on that board, I’d have the general manager’s head, there’s no two ways about it.”  

UPDATE 11/22: Today BART’s largest unions, SEIU 1021 and ATU 1555, issued the following joint statement on the BART Board’s recent vote regarding whether to ratify the labor contracts:

“We consider the Board’s actions to be unprecedented and illegitimate, and we’re considering our next steps, including possible legal action.

“The BART Board of Directors has disregarded the vote of more than two thousand BART workers and has chosen to subvert the collective bargaining process, and we take their actions seriously.”

Psychic Dream Astrology: November 20-26, 2013

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ARIES
March 21-April 19
Collaborate instead of instigate this week, Aries. Your relationships are not in your control. There is no way to ensure that the people around you want the same things you do, or see the value in your plans. It may just turn out that others ideas are the perfect compliment to yours.
­

TAURUS
April 20-May 20
Peacefulness does not come to those passively waiting around for it. Creating and maintaining peace is hard work. In your efforts to experience calm and tranquility you must be honest with yourself about what you need, Taurus. This week is all about getting real with your self, even if that means traveling through a passage of pain.

GEMINI
May 21-June 21
Not all selfish acts are bad; you must put yourself first in order to you’re your life what you want it to be. It’s when you take the time, energy or stuff that doesn’t belong to you that you’re getting into bad-vibes selfishness. Do you this week without overstepping the boundaries of what’s yours, Gemini.

CANCER
June 22-July 22
If it doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, Moonchild. Your willingness and ability to trust in your own point of view is being tested this week. The path of least resistance may be paved with other peoples desires, at that’s not always OK. Be true to yourself, even if that requires you to make some waves.

LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
Now that you’re seeing clearer, it’s time to determine your limits so that you can let others know what to do with your truth. Even if you are perfectly honest, that doesn’t mean that others will be, or that they’ll respond kindly to whatever it is that’s real for you. Ask so that you can receive this week.

VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
You’re not in control, that much is clear. Events are playing out differently than you’d have them, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Stop trying to assign blame for the things that aren’t working in your life and start coping with the feelings that you’re experiencing. Repeat after me: TLC trumps OCD.

LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
You are careening towards an inevitable end, Libra. You have already laid the foundations, and this week you will see some rewards, or at the very least, consequences. If things aren’t going to your liking you need to do some soul searching. Manage your circumstances by owning them this week.

SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
You need a break, Scorpio. Taking a step back from your life will allow you to better understand what’s working (or not) and why. If you keep on reacting to the shifting tides you may find yourself frustrated and unhappy by weeks end. Tend to your insides to support your outsides this week.

SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
No matter how compelling it may be, you would be wise to not focus on your worries this week, Sag. You are meant to go in an extraordinary direction, and that takes some blind faith and lots of checking in with yourself. Stay true to your heart, and bring your head along for the ride; not the other way around.

CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
If you stay aligned with your emotional integrity this week, you will be able to respond to all of your life’s twists and turns with grace. You don’t have to do the “right” thing, Cappy; only do what’s right for you. While so much is out of control in your life, focus on the stuff you have jurisdiction over: your own responses.

AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
It can be hard to trust yourself when there are so many voices with valuable input. If you find too many contradicting perspectives are hammering at your head, take the time to hole up and take a time out, Aquarius. Make space for your own instincts to emerge so you can follow-through on them, pal.

PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
Sometimes you need to risk peace in order to maintain it, Pisces. Stand up for what you believe to be right, whether it’s a cause, a person or your own self. You may piss some people off if you do, remember that there is a meaningful difference between harming others and not giving them what they want.

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