State Capitol tilts north and further to the left
John Diaz
It did not take a clairvoyant to feel the air of possibility around San Francisco City Hall on Jan. 8, 2004. The inaugurations of Gavin Newsom, 36, as mayor and Kamala Harris, 39, as district attorney marked not only a...

SF Chronicle news quiz, Dec. 5
Marshall Kilduff
1. In college football, what does it mean if teams "travel well"? A: Win on the road B: Pay out-of-town expenses on time C: Bring along a lot of free-spending fans D: Don't trash hotel rooms or buses 2. What is Chief...

'Don't ask, don't tell' on the way out
Debra J. Saunders
One gay service member noted that a repeal would "take a knife out of my back." Amen to that. They have our back; we should remove the knife pointing at theirs. Besides, I have to agree with the gay service member who...

Who will demand reductions in public employee benefits?
Joe Nation
Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research has issued two recent reports on the condition of public employee pension funds in California. The first identified a $425 billion funding shortfall for three state...

De Marillac Academy, an oasis in SF's Tenderloin
"It's all about the kids," says Mike Daniels, who runs De Marillac Academy on Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin. He brings community members together to create a safe space for his students and their families in the...

Sarah Palin and politics of anger ahead for 2012
Robert Reich, (c) 2010 Robert Reich
No prospective Republican candidate so sharply embodies the anger of America's middle class as does Sarah Palin. And none is channeling that anger nearly as effectively - even though her prescription will make things...

Egypt is latest to kick sand in U.S.' face
Joel Brinkley
President Hosni Mubarak stole the Egyptian elections once again. On election day last Sunday, Mubarak's minions stuffed ballot boxes, beat up and shot at opposition members, and fired tear gas at voters. But the most...

What's hot on SFGate.com, week of Nov. 29
Vlae Kershner
These SFGate.com articles and photo collections got the most page views in the week ended Friday at 11 a.m.: Articles -- Sex offender accused of raping girl, 2, in store -- Google's doodlers humanize technology -- 10...

Parting shots / From The Chronicle Editorial Board
GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK Qatar The tiny but oil-rich desert nation beats out the United States in competition to host soccer's 2022 World Cup. Don't worry about the heat - Qatar promises outdoor air conditioning. Hillary...