This measure appeared on the November 2010 San Francisco ballot. What it does This measure creates a pilot program that would open all San Francisco polling places on the Saturday before the 2011 General Election to test the effectiveness of Saturday voting. This measure would not eliminate existing Tuesday voting or vote-by-mail. The pilot project would not be funded by tax dollars, but instead…

This measure appeared on the November 2010 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition J is an ordinance that makes three changes affecting San Francisco's "transient occupancy tax" (hotel tax): Imposes a 2 percentage point increase on San Francisco's hotel tax from Jan. 1, 2011, through Jan. 1, 2014. The current rate is 14 percent plus a 1 percent to 1.5 percent Tourism Improvement…

This measure appeared on the November 2010 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition K is an ordinance that clarifies the application of San Francisco's hotel tax in two ways: It clarifies that the hotel tax is charged on the full retail rate of the hotel room. For example, if the hotel room costs $100 per night to the traveler, the 14 percent tax…

This measure appeared on the November 2010 San Francisco ballot. Proponents of Proposition L are concerned about people engaging in negative behavior on the street. Opponents are concerned that Proposition L will criminalize innocent behavior. Photos by flickr user Franco Folini (left) and Colleen McHugh (right). What it does Proposition L is an ordinance that prohibits sitting or lying on public sidewalks, or on objects…

Prop. M would require the police chief and Police Commission to develop and implement an official community policing policy for San Francisco. Community policing is a strategy to increase interaction between police officers and community residents to proactively address neighborhood safety and livability.

This measure appeared on the November 2010 San Francisco ballot. What it does The City and County of San Francisco charges a tax on the transfer of each property, whether residential or commercial, within the city's boundaries. Under current law, the tax is equal to a percentage of the property's sale price and ranges from 0.5 percent to 1.50 percent of that amount. The…

Includes SPUR's analysis of 15 city propositions on the November 2010 ballot.

When I was growing up, anti-urbanists spoke about concrete as if it were the material of the devil: "concrete jungle" or "ribbons of concrete" or "cold as concrete." But a few architects were able to celebrate the material's plasticity and create new kinds of spaces that were warm and even inviting. In the Bay Area, there are a number of fine midcentury landmarks worth exploring.