Mexican Museum site caught in shadow fight

A proposed 47-story condominium tower -- which also would be the long-awaited permanent home of the Mexican Museum -- faces the prospect of a lawsuit from residents of the Four Seasons on Market Street who want to stop it from casting a pall on sunny Union Square. The 510-foot tower would be built at 706 Mission St. by developer Millennium Partners. At that height, it would drop shadows on the ...

Parking scofflaws gaming DMV

Faced with the prospect of a four-figure fine, motorists will probably think twice about illegally using a disabled parking placard in San Francisco -- unless they know how to game the system. But to the chagrin of city officials, drivers can actually clear that $1,000-plus citation by ponying up just enough cash to buy a large pizza, due to a processing glitch at the Department of Motor ...

Brick and Mortar given heavy restrictions timeline for needed fixes

The music venue Brick and Mortar Music Hall will operate under heavy restrictions as it works toward needed upgrades, the Entertainment Commission ruled this week. The restrictions stem from nearly two years of complaints by neighbors of the venue on Mission Street near Duboce Avenue who say they have heard noise from the concert hall since it opened. Following an hourlong discussion, the ...

$4M settlement approved for victims of burst pipe

San Francisco is poised to pay up to $4 million in damage claims related to the Feb. 27 water main rupture that damaged 25 homes and several cars in the West Portal neighborhood. Meanwhile, city repairs to the neighborhood's infrastructure remain ongoing following the break at 15th Avenue and Wawona Street. Anticipating a number of costly damage claims -- 27 have been filed to date with ...

BART unions tussling over missed work

With employees logging an average of 40 unscheduled absences annually, reforming work rules will be a key focus for BART during ongoing labor negotiations. BART management and its five unions, which collectively represent 3,200 workers, are engaged in contentious contract talks, with the current pact expiring June 30. However, talks so far have yielded little progress, and union groups say they ...