Dog Mauling Case Pits S.F. Mayor Against Hallinan
2001-03-05 04:00:00 PDT San Francisco -- The feud between Mayor Willie Brown and District Attorney Terence Hallinan has kicked up again -- and this time it's over the infamous dog mauling case that's been making headlines for the past month.
The dustup started late Friday when the city learned that officials up at Pelican Bay Prison were having second thoughts about holding a key evidentiary hearing there this week.
The hearing is being held to determine what, if any, of the items seized in the maximum security cell searches of Paul "Cornfed" Schneider and Dale Bretches can be used in the case.
And apparently, the hearing has to be "open" -- meaning accessable to both the convicts and the press.
And therein lies the rub.
"Apparently, the warden up at Pelican Bay couldn't handle 80 TV cameras," Mayor Brown said, "And San Quentin said 'No,' too."
D.A. Hallinan -- who is very eager to get going on the case -- said fine, if the prison can't handle it, let's have the hearing down here in San Francisco.
But the mayor said it would be too expensive.
"These are some very bad guys. We'd have to post SWAT teams. Helicopters. Beefed up security at the hall -- it would cost as much as having the president here. And the Department of Corrections wouldn't help," Brown said.
Instead, Brown suggested the hearing be held at Folsom Prison, Vacaville Prison or at a Del Norte County courtroom closer to Pelican Bay -- and said as much to the judge hearing the case.
All of which has got D.A. Hallinan's dander up -- especially if it means a delay in the case.
"Look, we want to get this thing charged and we can't until we get this evidence," Hallinan said.
"I can't and won't concede that San Francisco doesn't have the security to handle these guys," Hallinan said, adding that he was going to have "twenty armed D.A. investigators at the hearing Monday to tell the judge we can handle it ourselves if need be."
As usual with the mayor and the D.A., there's a bit of personality clashing going on here. Off the record, those close to the mayor think Hallinan is starting to feel the pressure of the case. Those close to Hallinan are saying the real reason the mayor doesn't want the hearing here is because it will overshadow his crime summit, which is to be held this week, to which the mayor responds:
"You gotta be kidding -- a jaywalker could overshadow my crime summit."
Whatever the case, the hearing on where the hearing will be is today.
'GREAT EXPECTATIONS': That's what they're calling San Francisco's plans for the new Transbay Terminal. And it's a pretty apt title because with an estimated sticker price of $900 million, it's going to cost "the Dickens."
One look at the glossy new 20-page "Transbay Terminal Improvement Plan" being circulated among legislators and policy wonks in Sacramento and there's no doubt about it -- planners are definitely thinking big.
As project manager Maria Ayerdi tells us, "You have to dream big and think big -- that's the way you get things done."
For starters, the plan calls for doubling the commuter bus capacity for the downtown terminal, with a goal of moving 35,000 riders every day.
The price tag doesn't even include the basement train station to accommodate the proposed underground extension of the Caltrain commuter rail from Fourth and Townsend. The cost: an additional $765 million.
And get this -- they're also looking at building an entirely new railway line to go under the bay. That line would hook up with the bullet trains and commuter trains in the East Bay, thereby linking San Francisco directly with train service from around the rest of the state and country.
No cost estimate on this yet.
But hey, since we're going to bring in trains from all over the country, why not build a 1,000-room hotel next door?
The city also wants to turn the parking lots that surround the current terminal into housing.
"The whole idea is to be ready for 2020 and beyond," Ayerdi says.
And they're not wasting time. The city is teaming up with five surrounding counties to add to their muscle in Sacramento.
And to add to the pitch that this is not an "only for San Francisco" project, they've asked East Bay Assemblywoman Dion Aroner to carry the legislation for the land transfer.
State Sen. Don Perata has agreed to carry the money request -- although he's telling us that he won't commit himself to anything until he sees the final price tag.
As for where the money will come from?
Well, one big chunk will probably be an extension of the $1 surcharge we're all paying on the Bay Bridge toll.
"But I want to clarify," Ayerdi said, "we have other sources of money in mind, so the toll wouldn't be the only source."
With "great expectations" like these -- and prices like these -- let's hope not.
HOUSE HUNTING: Yes, that was Supervisor Gavin Newsom doing a bit of house hunting the other day in Pacific Heights.
That doesn't mean Newsom is ruling out a mayoral run down the line, but the fact is this new Tom Ammiano-dominated Board of Supervisors is driving him right up the wall.
And although the 12th District primary isn't for another year, Newsom is feeling the heat from friends to make a quick announcement.
Not that this will be a cakewalk for Newsom. Superior Court Judge Lillian Sing announced Friday that she was taking a year's leave to run for the Assembly seat, and fellow Supervisor Leland Yee is also eyeing a run.
But for the moment, all eyes are on Newsom to see what he does.