The first official Winter Spare the Air Alert of the season is in effect TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 1st. Burning wood, firelogs, pellets, or any other solid fuels in your fireplace, woodstove, or other wood-burning device is illegal. Visit   http://www.sparetheair.org/Make-a-Difference/Spare-the-Air-Every-Day/Winter.aspx for more information.

Mayor Gavin Newsom today released the year end The Mayor’s Challenge: Shape Up San Francisco report that highlights City’s comprehensive efforts to improve health and wellness and combat childhood obesity. Under the umbrella of Shape Up SF, a public-private partnership that includes the Department of Public Health, the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, and the San Francisco Unified School District, the City is taking serious steps to improve childhood health and address the root causes of obesity by providing healthier food and beverage choices and opportunities for exercise. Mayor Newsom also announced that he has submitted a veto letter to the Board of Supervisors rejecting the recently approved “Happy Meal” toy ban.

“No city in America does more to combat childhood obesity through comprehensive efforts to educate families and children and encourage exercise and healthier eating,” said Mayor Newsom. “Through Shape Up San Francisco, we’re targeting the root causes of obesity with serious strategies to give kids healthier food options and opportunities to be physically active.” Read more.

Urges all City residents to ‘Rethink Your Drink’ and go soda-free this summer.

Mayor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring this summer, through August 2010, as a Soda Free Summer , and encouraged all San Franciscans to opt for healthy alternatives to calorically sweetened beverages. For the past three years, the Soda Free Summer Campaign has sought to increase awareness about the health impacts of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, address the public health crisis of obesity, inactivity, and poor nutrition, and promote the Mayor’s fitness challenge Shape Up San Francisco .

“San Francisco has some of the best water in the world,” said Mayor Newsom. “Grab a reusable bottle, and fill it up. You’re being good to your body, your pocket book and the environment all at once.” Read more

Sale of $240 million in wastewater revenue bonds to improve sewage infrastructure, create jobs, and save city ratepayers $88 million over the next 30 years

Today, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the successful sale of $239,565,000 of bonds by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) to continue critical improvements to the City’s sewer system. As compared to the longer-term cost of borrowing assumptions, more than $88.3 million in savings will be realized over the life of the bonds sold. The bonds will fund wastewater capital improvement projects directed at increasing seismic and system reliability, reducing neighborhood flooding, and odor control improvements at facilities such as the 50-year-old aging Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant.  

“San Francisco’s continuing investment in our aging water and sewer infrastructure has provided employment for many at a time when construction jobs are scarce,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “The savings realized today will help stretch dollars further to fund even more critical improvements to protect public health and the environment.”

The savings gained from the bonds sold can be attributed to extremely favorable market conditions as well as improved bond credit ratings for the SFPUC issued by Standard and Poor’s (S&P). Bond credit ratings provide guidance to potential investors in debt securities such as bonds. Similar to a personal credit rating, as bond ratings increase the perceived risk to investors decreases, which results in lower borrowing costs. Moody’s and S&P are internationally recognized as two of the top credit rating providers in the world. S&P, on May 6, upgraded the SFPUC’s wastewater credit rating from A+ to AA-. Moody’s Investors Services changed the SFPUC’s rating from A2 to Aa3, following its April recalibration of municipal ratings to a global scale.

In this week's video update, Mayor Newsom discusses Bayer HealthCare's location of its US Innovation Center at Mission Bay, labor union concessions and ratifications to protect jobs and services, Governor Schwarzenegger's May Revised budget cuts and SF summer youth opportunities

Watch now on YouTube