Economist.com Cities Guide: San Francisco Briefing - February 2006

News this month

In due force

Reports that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) nurtures a culture of brutality have sparked a serious row in the city. In a series of articles published this winter, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the 2,000-member SFPD often turns a blind eye to officers who use excessive force. Though a core group of some 100 officers account for 25% of citizen complaints, the newspaper claims, the SFPD has not punished these officers and has even allowed some to rise in the ranks.

The response from police officers has been fierce. The head of the police union, Gary Delagnes, charged the Chronicle with sensational “cop bashing”. Heather Fong, the police chief, threatened legal action against the Chronicle, saying that the newspaper’s misidentification of a police officer on the front page of its special report exemplified faulty information throughout. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom, San Francisco’s mayor, expressed alarm and said he would ensure the SFPD develops a computerised system to track problem officers as soon as possible. Some hailed the mayor’s response; others were less enthusiastic. Mr Delagnes carped that Mr Newsom’s initiative showed “complete and total lack of respect for the rank and file”.

Golden parachutes

California’s universities may be starved for funds, but their top executives and star faculty have been far from deprived. In a state-senate hearing on February 8th, the president of the ten-campus University of California (UC), Robert Dynes, said that UC may have violated school policy by granting generous pay packages for some executives and staff. Mr Dynes apologised for failing to disclose the payouts and said that internal investigations were underway. He allowed the payments, he explained, because of the pressure to hire and retain America's best academics.

The senate education committee called the hearings after a series of articles in the San Francisco Chronicle last autumn revealed that UC has secretly handed out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, benefits and other perks to select administrators and faculty. A former UC Davis vice chancellor, after threatening to sue for discrimination, received more than $400,000 in a two-year contract for a job without regular duties. In another case, a former provost under investigation for improper hiring was paid more than $300,000 to take a 15-month leave. Revelations of such payouts have come at a time when campuses have been raising student fees in response to state budget cuts. More hearings are to come, and a proposed bill would force UC to be more open about its pay practices.

Hacker nightmare

The FBI and the California attorney general are investigating a local debit-card heist. An international counterfeit ring apparently hacked into a northern California retail store’s computer system in December and stole debit-card numbers belonging to as many as 200,000 people. These numbers were then used to create counterfeit debit cards sold on the international black market. Revelations of the scam emerged slowly over the past month: some victims found they could not use their debit cards at ATM machines, while others were notified that thousands of dollars were charged to their accounts by people in Russia or Ukraine.

Fraudulent charges related to the theft have also been reported in Britain, France, Spain and China. In early February, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and other banks sent replacement cards to customers whose personal information may have been stolen.

Investigators declined to name the retailer with the breached computer system, but newspapers have fingered a Sacramento-area office-supply store called Office Max as the likely site. Officials are considering whether the store violated any laws by failing to safeguard its electronic data or to promptly notify customers of the theft.

California's favourite grape

California has an official state bird, flower, fish and fossil. Now a state senator from San Francisco wants California to crown Zinfandel the official state wine. Carole Migden, whose district includes Sonoma County, one of California’s top winemaking regions, introduced a bill in February to honour Zinfandel, a varietal known for its spice and fruitiness. She said the grape deserves this attention because it was brought to California by pioneers during the Gold Rush. Ms Migden’s move was hailed by Zinfandel devotees, who say that it is integral to California’s winegrowing history; about 600 of California’s 800 winemakers bottle Zinfandel.

But the proposal is expected to face opposition from winemakers who specialise in other varietals. Some have already complained that it is not fair for the state to honour one above others, especially given that Cabernet Sauvignon reigns in Napa Valley and Pinot Noir put Santa Barbara county on the map. What is more, Zinfandel comes in fourth—behind seedless grapes, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon—in the number of grapes crushed each year.

The last dance

International acclaim, it seems, does not a budget make. More than 40 years after its founding, the Oakland Ballet announced in late January that financial troubles were forcing it to disband. The storied ballet company began as a community troupe in 1965, but quickly became one of America’s more important companies. Ronn Guidi, the ballet’s founding director, scored critical hits by working with legendary choreographers such as Leonide Massine and Agnes de Mille. He also dusted off forgotten American ballets and works originally staged by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes.

Mr Guidi left the company on shaky ground in 2000. So dire was the ballet's status that his replacement, Karen Brown, scrapped the 2004 season to pay back debts and raise $500,000. A comeback season in 2005 drew rave reviews—and a meagre audience. Disappointing ticket sales ($129,000 below target in November) were compounded by the city’s decision to close the company’s theatre, and on January 31st, Ms Brown announced that the 2005 season would be Oakland Ballet's last.

Catch if you can

February 2006

“Gem of the Ocean”

Until March 12th 2006

In the early 1980s August Wilson set out on the ambitious task of chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th century. He aimed to depict black life in a cycle of ten plays, each set in a different decade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was born. It took Wilson more than 20 years to complete the cycle, but by the time he died in 2005 his work had won him two Pulitzer prizes and placed him in the pantheon of great American playwrights.

This winter, the American Conservatory Theatre presents one of Wilson’s last plays, “Gem of the Ocean”, written in 2003. Though the play is the ninth in the cycle, its setting in 1904 makes it the earliest of the series. Characters struggle to find their way in the post-Civil War era, with bigotry and subjugation as rampant as ever. Aunt Ester Tyler, a former slave who enjoys the clairvoyance of a 287-year-old, helps a young man and possible murderer named Citizen find redemption. This Bay Area premiere of “Gem of the Ocean” is nimbly directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, a seasoned actor and director who appeared as the antagonistic constable, Caesar, in the show's 2004 production on Broadway.

Geary Theatre, 415 Geary St, San Francisco. Tel: +1 (415) 749-2228. For more information visit the theatre’s website.

More from the San Francisco cultural calendar