SF Gate's Year in Pictures

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The Pilot Responsible

Charges were filed against the pilot involved in the oil spill. And his license, which has already been suspended, may be revoked.

An investigation by the Board of Pilot Commissioners said that Cota should not have sailed in a thick fog, did not take advantage of the Coast Guard vessel traffic service, did not properly instruct the ship's lookout, failed to make proper use of a tug that was accompanying the ship, and ordered full speed ahead just before he hit the bridge.

Well, now that we've found the right person to blame, I feel so much better about 58,000 gallons of oil in the Bay.

Beachwood

The Beachwood suit may end up costing Half Moon Bay more than $36 million.

I don't know if I quite follow the whole lawsuit. It's stunningly complicated.

In 2005 the city won the legal battle over the undeveloped development, Beachwood, which said the area was unsuitable for residential development due to its being a wetland in the California Coastal zone.

But the most recent legal decision says that the city is the one that created these conditions in the first place as part of flood control.

Now the city owes money to the developer and to owners of homes back in 1999 when the city enacted a sewer expansion, which created the wetland conditions and caused flooding.

City officials say they simply do not have the money to pay the judgment. Laws exist that would enable the city to disband - similar to a bankruptcy - and revert to an unincorporated entity of San Mateo County, said Gordon. But he doesn't expect such an unprecedented collapse.

"It's never happened in San Mateo County," Gordon said. "If it has happened elsewhere in the state, I'm not familiar with it."

That'll be good for development, I'm sure.

San Francisco Wants to Ban Burning on Bad Air Days

A proposal being examined in the Bay Area Quality Management District will be open for public comment in the coming months.

On moderately dirty nights, burning in fireplaces and old stoves, but not in EPA certified stoves.

On the 20-30 severly dirty nights, all wood burning would be banned.

Wood smoke in winter accounts for as much as a third of the region's fine particle air pollution, the district estimates. The soot can irritate healthy people and harm children, the elderly and those with lung and heart problems.

There's a reason people stopped burning wood a long time ago. Of course they decided to burn coal instead, so...

"I don't want some fireplace Nazis telling me I can't burn," Bruce Griffing said.

Tom Foley, who has asthma, yearns for a ban to spare him from a neighbor's fireplace smoke that leaves him coughing and choking.

fireplace Nazi?

Northern California Gets It's Fair Share

A 23 county Northern California trade coalition from Kern County to Sacramento to the Bay Area has been formed to demand their fair share of the $2.1 billion from Proposition 1B.

Los Angeles originally demanded 85% of the funds. Because, you know, if you have 1/3 of the population that totally makes sense.

Leaders in Southern California get their way on most issues, partly because of their dominant numbers in the Legislature and partly because the rest of the state hasn't been as unified or cohesive.

Bay Area officials would go one way. Those in the Sacramento area go another. San Joaquin Valley representative would head in a third direction.

That has resulted in more dollars and influence for Southern California.

It's like in 3rd grade when the boys would only nominate one person for president and the girls would nominate 3 or 4. Haven't we learned since then? The important thing isn't who wins, it's that LA loses.

The Oil Spill

The four Pacifica beaches will be re-opened. No oil was found and the oiled birds (above) were released.

But, a Congressional panel is looking for answers.

"I wasn't satisfied with the answers or the path that we were on," Pelosi said after the three-hour hearing in the Presidio held by the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

So far I haven't been happy with any answers either. You ran into the bridge? I mean, it's kind of big.

Another Brick in the Wall

Not exactly local, but still...

West Contra Costa schools have some of the worst facilities in the country.

"There are too many dark areas where lights do not work, too many urinals that can not be flushed, too many vents that are dirty, too many walls that have been chipped, peeling or dingy paint, and a reported problem with rodents in the kitchen contaminating food," the report says.

"What's really around the school is years of caked-on griminess," said Gilbert Rodriguez, who oversees the after-school program. "On a cleaning level, nothing seems to be done. The bathrooms are horrendous."

I remember school being hard enough, without having to deal with mice or non-flushing toilets.

Don't Steal that Sign

KGO traffic reporter, Joe McConnell, was fined for stealing a Burlingame City Council candidate's election yard sign.

Apparently, being caught on videotape cost him $375.75. Not $375.00.

I guess he didn't want to always be a traffice reporter

Up in the City

they keep on getting stranger. Tap dancing across the Golden Gate this week.