New Tax On Booze Could Be Headed Our Way

I guess the city believes I should dump another $500 in their coffers.  Way back on July 15th (we're really current with the news here), the California Music and Culture Association basted out an email to their members warning of a new tax on booze:

SAY NO TO THE ALCOHOL FEE!
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors in considering an alcohol fee that would tack $0.076 on to every ounce of alcohol in a beverage. After hearing a presentation and public comment on the item, the Small Business Commission successfully requested that ordinance sponsor Supervisor John Avalos hold the legislation until an economic impact study is conducted.

CMAC opposes the proposed fee. Restaurants, hotels and bars and their employees have been among the hardest hit by the economic crisis and simply cannot afford to absorb the costs brought on by new fees. Click here for more information on the fee and email us at government@cmacsf.org to learn about how to get involved.

Save the date: The Small Business Commission will likely hear the legislation again on Monday, August 9. Depending on their decision, the legislation is anticipated to be heard at the Board's Budget and Finance Committee in early September after the Board's August recess. 

Before you go raid a Foot Locker screaming “I'm not paying 91 cents extra a PBR!!,” remember it is only 7.6 cents on every cent of alcohol.  Considering how low the alcohol percentage in a PBR is, it only amounts to 5 to 10 cents per drink.  Of course, it's already being labeled as a job killer:

So why does the Board of Supervisors want to destroy America?  KTVU reports:

A San Francisco Supervisors committee is considering a proposal to charge a new fee on alcoholic beverages to help cover the costs of alcohol related health care.

Seems reasonable enough to me, especially because I've argued in favor of this sort of tax in the past.  However, CMCA says many smaller venues already run on a low profit margin and because the tax is going to be levied on distributors, they actually expect the price to venue to be higher than 5-10 cents a drink.  The effect of such a tax? Those smaller venues won't be able to eat the cost of the tax, they'll go out of business and we're going to drink in Oakland to save money.  From the KTVU article:

“The customer is going to choose to drink in Oakland or Sonoma or Napa or wherever, but why here?” asks Ron Silberstein, owner of the Thirsty Bear Brewery. “How special is San Francisco at the end of the day when we're all scrimping and saving?”

Why would we drink here in the face of such a tax?  Because, at the end of the day, no one is going to go to Oakland every time he/she/it wants to get wasted.

(photo by natalie)

In One Hole and Out the Other

Earlier today, I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and my 3rd burrito in 16 hours only to find that someone stole both my neighbor's and my crappy, decaying doormats.  Slightly annoyed at the fact I will no longer be able to wipe the dog shit off my kicks onto an ugly print of flowers, I decided to mention my plight to my friend Ben.  “Whatever, this is what my buddy has to put up with in the Tendernob.”

Stay Brown

Reader Aimee Ellis spotted this yesterday:

WHAAAAAAAAA? Have you already seen this car around town? Pretty HILARIOUS.

On her personal internet weblog, she adds:

I’m speechless. Yes- the back of the car says “STAY BROWN LA MISSION”. I have a few questions for the driver of this car if anyone knows who it is:
1) Is this an announcement you are making as the owner of this fine vehicle?
2) If this was not done on your own accord, do you know WHAT the hell you did that resulted in this being tagged onto your car?
3) If this was in fact retaliatory do you feel that you have now learned your lesson?
4) Did your co-workers / neighbors / friends see your car, and if so did they laugh at you?

Dunno.  Cannot imagine that anyone who owns a “Smart Car” would voluntarily spray “STAY BROWN” all over their hatch.  Seems like this is a Noe Valley vehicle that parked on the wrong side of Mission St. on a trip to Range.  Either that or we are just being viral marketed too.

This Weekend in Street Art: Banksy Gets Modified

Reader Neb checked out the OUT SIDE ART Block Party yesterday and was not impressed:

Your $5 donation, although for a good cause, is purely profiting of Banksy, whose work was locked away behind bars.  Ironic.

The only way to get past the fence was if you were “Artists and Staff.”  Therefore this was the best shot of the work Neb could get:

Artist DYNO uploaded a few shots of his and other's work to his tumblr.  You can read all about his experience here:

Person Beat, Robbed on Thursday at 2:30pm Near Dolores Park

This account of being attacked was passed onto the Mission Dolores Safe Clean Green email list (the author was not attributed).  While the person's advice is 'fucking lame', it's still pretty alarming that people are being beat unconscious that close to Valencia.  Stay safe, everyone:

I was attacked yesterday while walking home on 19th street between Valencia and Guerrero around 2:30 pm, about half a block from my home. I was apparently followed, snuck up on from behind and beaten in the side of the head, then dragged down the sidewalk by my legs. I have a concussion and some bruises and scrapes, but no permanent damage (of the physical kind, at least). The attacker then went through my pockets and took my iphone before running away. It was broad daylight and there were people everywhere. I had not taken any alleys or side streets on my way home from the 16th street BART station. The suspect was apprehended (rare for this kind of crime) but I can't really discuss too many other details because the case is evolving.
I just wanted to pass on some information that the detective shared with me about street crime in the Mission as of late:

There has been a rash of street robberies in the past month or so, usually involving one or two men, some with handguns. They usually target people walking alone and rob them of their smart phones and wallets. Usually they strike late at night to early in the morning, especially on weekends when people often walk home inebriated and thus easier prey. Women walking alone are particularly vulnerable.

My case was unusual in that it happened in the middle of a workday with people around, but the police told me the criminals are getting more brazen.

Please, be mindful of your surroundings, even if you live in the “safest” part of the Mission, even during the day. Don't walk with your smartphone in your hand. Have your bags around your body. Don't walk home alone from the bars. If someone accosts you, scream like hell, but don't fight them- give them what they want and call the police. If you witness something happening to someone else, make yourself available to the police as a witness.