We’reTexas

In San Francisco and voted straight D. Living in Texas my vote never mattered - really wish I were there this year to contribute. Big measures here were Prop 15 (repealing Prop 13 for commercial - for), Prop 22 (keeping Uber drivers independent contractors - for) and locally Prop H (streamlining commercial permitting - absolutely for).

We need this to be this week’s SNL cold opener, with Danny Devito as deranged Giuliani. How do we get Lorne Michaels on the horn?

Because it’s really, really nice. -Dude who moved from TX to the Bay a few years ago.

Test

Windsor Court or the Roosevelt? Was in NO last week and it’s still substantially shut down (and I live in SF for reference). That was mostly because most places weren’t bothering with outdoor stuff until the weather cools down, so there should hopefully be more activity soon. Indoor dining capacity increased as well.

That’s fair. I should have provided some detail, but I was simply illustrating my point that public health officials have frequently acted without regard for broader consequences and without check by elected officials. I don’t think anyone would argue health equity isn’t important, but I don’t think now is the time to solve decades of systematic inequities while small businesses are on the brink (and my understanding is the new metric could have been much more forceful). For example, the poorest neighborhoods in Alameda County are at about the 3x the county rate - that could seriously impede reopening and I’m not sure at what benefit to hit the 5% mark. And my only point here is that it’s possible to have an actual discussion over this while recognizing that the virus is not an Obama hoax.

See, I largely agree with this sentiment. Public health officials are effectively governing in many areas without any thought to the broader impact of their actions as elected officials defer to them on tough decisions. I live in the Bay Area, which is especially draconian. (I shit you not that the CA reopening plan now has a health equity metric to address racial and socioeconomic disparities - even Berkeley opposed it). But being upset with the governance doesn’t mean that this isn’t a serious public health issue.

I’ve been mulling over this for a while and, as a corporate attorney, I think this is one of the most ridiculous things he has ever said. A few thoughts: - Generally, this proposed arrangement often brings up acronyms like “FCPA” and “OFAC”. - The US has an extensive regulatory apparatus governing corporate activity and securities transactions to protect the public. Nominal fees are often charged, as in the case of securities offerings or HSR filings, to support the strain on the applicable regulatory authority. The idea that the government should be entitled to the value of corporate activity for enabling it is just completely discordant with every principle of our state. It literally is corruption. - Holy fuck - could you even imagine how Fox News would react if Obama proposed something like this?

Yes, and will also add that the 60% of forest land in CA is federal land and that a significant number of fires start not in forests but in grasslands. The west is naturally conducive to fires - it’s climate change (and to a degree poor forest management) that have resulted in worse fires in recent years.

OK Donald.

Did it seriously take Mark Felt to die for you to believe Watergate?

^^^Herb Caen is triggered in his grave

Apparently my formerly liberal sister is now a conspiracy theorist. She’s very impressionable and seems to have picked it up from her Trumpkin boyfriend. I was vaguely aware of this but never laid any attention. What in the actual fuck? She sent me a series of Instagram videos about Pizzagate from some dude called @iwendster, who appears to be a popular Q evangelist. I actually indulged her and watched them and actually tried to sort of some sort of logical argument and...what in the actual fuck? I’m at an actual loss for words. And Texags has an actual, serious Qanon thread? Well, guess I’m not surprised about that one.

Idk, I love being in SF right now. Whether I’d visit depends on how familiar I am with the city. First timers - not at all. But if you know the city well then experiencing things like Swan patio dining is a spectacle unto itself. Like you mentioned, it’s a good stop before heading north (though wine country towns are pretty locked down as well).

No. Tip’s is going to begin broadcasting shows soon. Please donate - the clubs really need the help and are the soul of the city.

#cartlife at Parkway along with some beers on Bayou St John

Mosca’s. Creole-Italian is the foundation of the New Orleanian concept of the neighborhood restaurant. These are small businesses that I really worry about, not necessarily because they may struggle, but because they may decide it’s a good time for the family to throw in the towel. Liuzza’s, for, example. On Bienville, mind you - I like by the Track, but Bienville is just a pure distillation of Irish-Italian ‘Yat New Orleans (“The Pope in Avignon!”, as John Goodman remarked in Treme). We were in town for Mardi Gras and had the bulk of Monday to kill before our flight, so we dropped by Liuzza’s shortly before they opened. We were sitting outside when the owner opened the door and asked, in his great Mid-City accent, “Ya hungry? Ya thirsty? Well, c’mon in!” Within minutes we we inundated with red beans, shrimp remoulade, garlic bread, and of course the big frosted mugs of Abita Amber. Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint were on repeat, because this is the kind of place where they must be on repeat. I fear it will be some time before we return, and I fear that New Orleans will be very different. This August will be the 15th anniversary of the federal flood, btw.

Yep, this is the other side of it that I didn’t appreciate. I’ve heard a lot of owners discuss how they felt completely out of place effectively making public health decisions and were putting their employees, families, and customers at risk. Take out wasn’t worth it.

Ellis Marsalis, d.b.a. - NO is getting hit hard.

When all of this is said and done we will have seen a lot of bizarre things, but I think one of the weirdest things we’ll remember is that Commander’s Palace was on uber eats and did a takeaway jazz brunch. https://wgno.com/news/commanders-palace-offering-takeout-for-the-first-time/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Newsom just issued a shelter in place order for the state. After four days of this in SF, I’d say that it’s gotten significantly more people out on the streets and parks for walks than usual (and at all times of day), though with bars and restaurants closed there’s overall net less close interaction. I was at a park by my place with my dog and it was more packed than it was for fleet week - I overheard a ton of people say it was their first time to check it out. That’s fine, I suppose, as social distancing was implicit - the boomers have cocktail block parties outside their condos were not.

Doubt it, Chesa’s policy is to ignore it in normal times, doubt anything happens now. Strangely, the cable cars were still packed with tourists for most of the day. The order is a misdemeanor and won’t really be enforced so not a huge deal (the entire city has been WFH for a week and everyone got on board social distancing quickly), but I do really worry about small businesses. No cash flow in the Bay is going to hurt quickly.

Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense to shut down “non-essential” movement but then basically say it’s OK to be outside.