Rahm Emanuel faces tough tasks as Chicago mayor

Emanuel, who overwhelmed the race with truckloads of money and friends in high places from Washington to Hollywood, will take control of a city in deep financial trouble with problems ranging from an understaffed Police Department to underperforming schools.

On Tuesday, Emanuel won 55 percent of the vote, easily outdistancing several rivals. He succeeds Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is retiring after 22 years in office as the longest-serving mayor in Chicago's history.

The city Emanuel inherits, though perhaps more beautiful than ever after years of extensive urban improvements, is in financial straits that it hasn't seen since before Daley's father, Mayor Richard J. Daley, came to power in the 1950s.

"Not since the Great Depression have the finances of the city been this precarious," said Dominic Pacyga, a historian and author of "Chicago: A Biography." The city's next budget deficit could again exceed $500 million, mostly the result of reduced tax revenue from the recession, and could reach $1 billion if the city properly funds its pension system.

Emanuel, who takes office May 16, also faces a fractious political landscape.

He'll have to find new leadership for the struggling public school system, as two top interim executives plan to leave. He'll also need a new police chief, having said he would not renew Police Superintendent Jody Weis' contract. Members of the City Council, including a number elected Tuesday, have made clear they will demand more authority after years of domination by Daley.

In 25 years of public life, Emanuel has earned a reputation as a skilled politician and as a political operative, serving in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and as a congressman from Chicago. But the mayor's office will test his mettle as an executive.

This article appeared on page A - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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Oakland city attorney finalist for Alameda manager

Russo's potential move across the Oakland-Alameda estuary comes after months of feuding with Mayor Jean Quan and some council members, who have blamed him for thwarting proposed cannabis cultivation regulations.

Quan's mayoral adviser has also challenged Russo over proposed injunctions to limit the movements of accused gang members. His departure could sink the effort, which is supported by the Oakland Police Department.

Russo declined to comment Friday about the possible move, but he has clearly been unhappy with the political situation in Oakland. The acrimonious relationship he had with elected officials led to rumors, often spread by critics, that Russo planned to leave.

Although he has expressed frustration, Russo has denied he was looking for another job. He is the second city official to seek another job after butting heads with city officials. Police Chief Anthony Batts was recently passed over for the chief's job in San Jose and decided to stay in Oakland after Quan promised her support.

Alameda opened up the application process on Feb. 1, according to two council members. Last Saturday, they interviewed six people and whittled the finalists down to three. A citizens committee will be appointed to interview the candidates, and a final decision is expected in March.

Russo, whose annual salary in Oakland is about $214,000, would probably get a pay raise. Alameda's most recent interim and acting city managers made about $250,000, including benefits, and that could go up.

The job in Alameda would thrust Russo into the contentious issue of developing the former Alameda Naval Air Station, now known as Alameda Point. The property was expected to be a boon to the city after the base closed in 1997, but it has languished unused and remains federal property.

The new city manager in Alameda would also have to hire both a police and fire chief, positions currently being held down on an interim basis.

"We have a lot of pressing issues," Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore said Friday.

Russo donated $1,750 in the last election to a new council majority of Gilmore and council members Lena Tam and Rob Bonta according to campaign finance records. The three have the power to select the next city attorney.

In Oakland, the divides involving Russo have ostensibly been about two issues: cannabis cultivation regulations, which have been pushed by the council, and gang injunctions, which have been pushed by Russo.

Russo declined to sign a City Council ordinance that would have set regulations for large-scale pot growing. Russo, who supports legalization of marijuana, refused to represent the council on the issue after the Alameda County district attorney and the U.S. Attorney's Office each sent letters to the city saying the ordinance is illegal.

In the aftermath, Quan and council members Rebecca Kaplan, Desley Brooks and Nancy Nadel each criticized Russo, saying he baited federal rebuke by asking for legal advice. His office says he acted at the council's direction.

The issue of gang injunctions, which would, among other things, restrict the movements of gang members within "safety zones," has created the most controversy.

The biggest critic has been Quan's adviser and Councilwoman Jane Brunner's employer, Dan Siegel, who has sought to represent all the accused gang members. The cases are now being handled by Siegel's son, Michael, another employee of Siegel's firm.

Russo said the City Charter makes him the sole attorney for the mayor and the council. Siegel and Quan have so far refused to release two documents relating to disputed issues. They cited attorney-client privilege - a right that Russo says the mayor can have only with the city attorney.

E-mail Matthai Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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CITY INSIDER / Facebook app speeds access to city services

Lee's administration is rolling out a Facebook application today that will allow residents to report graffiti, request pothole repair and ask for just about anything else the city handles, except, perhaps, a cure for the homeless problem.

Officials are billing it as a first-in-the-nation Facebook app designed to provide city services. It's basically another arm of the 311 Customer Service Center.

Whether the application differs dramatically for users from the current 311 website is a matter of interpretation. It certainly appears to be a quicker and smoother process.

The current website allows you to report graffiti and the rest, but you have to click through multiple pages (at least five to report graffiti). Those "redirects," in tech jargon, can cause people to become frustrated and give up. The Facebook app allows residents to select the service they're requesting, provide brief details, attach photos and submit the request all from a single page.

The app also automatically allows users to import contact information from their Facebook profiles into the 311 system and track progress online.

Users can remain anonymous or use the application if they don't have a Facebook account.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that the city Facebook profile already has more than 258,000 fans. The app allows the city to tap into that base rather than relying on residents to take it upon themselves to search out the 311 website, officials said.

"We know we have a built-in audience on Facebook," said Ron Vinson, director of media for the Department of Technology. "We're basically bringing the application to where people are."

Lee, who before being sworn in as mayor acknowledged "I'm not even a Facebook guy," said the application is "a great opportunity to give residents an easy and efficient way to report the services they need."

- John Cotй

A crowded race: Board of Supervisors President David Chiu is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor today at an 11 a.m. campaign kickoff on the steps of City Hall.

Representing Chinatown, North Beach, Nob Hill and the adjacent neighborhoods in District Three, Chiu landed on the political fast track shortly after his election in 2008 when his colleagues picked him for the top job on the board.

Chiu, first elected to office with the strong backing of San Francisco's left-of-center progressives, won a second term as board president in January, but this time with the crucial support from the moderate faction.

He was derided by some in the progressive bloc for his decision to back City Administrator Ed Lee for interim mayor, the pick of departing mayor Gavin Newsom and the board's moderates.

Chiu, 40, said he still considers himself a progressive - but one who is willing to reach across the aisle. And it is from that position that he is launching his run for mayor. "San Francisco is a great city, but we all believe we can do better," he told the City Insider. "I think we need leadership that can bring people together and actually get things done."

If elected, he promises to run an administration focused on community-based budgeting, planning and policing. Among his top priorities, he said, would be creating jobs and building a world-class transportation system.

Prior to becoming a supervisor, Chiu, a Harvard-trained lawyer, had a stint as a San Francisco prosecutor and as a staff attorney for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. He also co-founded and managed a small company that helps nonprofits and political groups organize and deliver their message online, and he served on the city's Small Business Commission.

He joins an increasingly crowded field of mayoral hopefuls: former Supervisors Bevan Dufty and Michela Alioto-Pier, City Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, state Sen. Leland Yee, former Supervisor Tony Hall and political newcomer Joanna Rees, a venture capitalist.

- Rachel Gordon

This week's news

Monday: The Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee will have an informational hearing on the city's local hiring ordinance at its 1 p.m. meeting.

Tuesday: The Municipal Transportation Agency will consider asking a taxi committee to discuss creating a pilot program to allow more taxis to operate during the busiest hours at its 1 p.m. meeting.

E-mail the City Insider team at cityinsider@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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RIA Novosti becomes YouTube’s official partner

Russia’s news and information agency RIA Novosti has become YouTube’s official partner.

“We hope this cooperation will be of interest both for the audience and the agency,” YouTube’s specialist in charge of work with clients Yury Khazanov, said.

RIA Novosti is the first Russian news agency to be granted the status of YouTube’s premium partner.

MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti)

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James Franco, Lindsay Lohan pose for Terry Richardson photo shoot

James Franco and Terry Richardson: a match made in omnipresent-art-hipster heaven. We hear that on Saturday night, Richardson did a photo shoot with Franco and Lindsay Lohan. "It's like Warhol co-branding with Haring and Basquiat," said an art-world insider of the connections that Franco is cultivating. We're intrigued — but where's LiLo in that analogy?

In any case, after the Friday opening of his "Unfinished" exhibit (a collaboration with Gus Van Sant) at Gagosian in LA, Franco headed to a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont. There he hung out with a crowd that included both family members, like grandmother Mitzi Verne, and R.E.M. members like Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. As Franco sat on a couch in the living room of the bungalow, Stipe (who was wearing a waitress-style nametag reading "Michael Stipe") took pictures of the back of Franco's head.

Also at the party were Harmony Korine, MoMA PS 1 director Klaus Biesenbach and "We Live in Public" filmmaker Ondi Timoner, whom Franco was overheard praising at the party. Timoner reportedly wants Franco to play photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg as Patti Smith) in an upcoming movie.

And once Franco's crazy Oscar frenzy dies down, there's still no rest for the weary: We hear that he's heading back East immediately afterwards to finish a paper on Byron that's due for a class at Yale.

Like? Napster founder skirts around Facebook issue

Sean Parker, the Spotify investor and "Social Network" character, wins the "Roberto Benigni" award for most exuberant performance at an Oscar party: Every few minutes, his laughter could be heard over the din of the crowd at the Weinstein Company's pre-Oscar fete, where J.Lo and Cameron Diaz partied alongside Ron Burkle and Jeff Bezos. Parker was one of the boldfaced names wedged into the party's very VIP corner — and while nearby a cigar-savoring Leo DiCaprio pressed up against Bar Rafaeli, we grilled Parker on his Oscar allegiances.

After all, the Weinsteins put out "The King's Speech": did Parker's presence mean he supported their movie over "The Social Network"? Parker (portrayed by Justin Timberlake in the latter film) guffawed but wouldn't take the bait. "I'm going to evaluate ['The Social Network'] as a work of art and it was a great work of art," he said.

We last saw Parker riding one of his bros horsey-style in the parking garage, saying he was off to party at his "good, good friend" Darren Aronofsky's place.

Ladies and gentlemen, Gov. Jerry Brown

The Governator is gone. Long live Governor Moonbeam — again. Governor Jerry Brown, just elected to his third (nonconsecutive) term as California governor, was the star of the annual picnic luncheon that IAC honcho Barry Diller and his designer wife Diane von Furstenberg threw at their Beverly Hills home right before the Oscars.

The couple pitched a clear tent to deal with the chilly, inclement weather and had rugs covering the grass. Brown walked through the tent "like a star," one luncheongoer said: "Everyone wanted to greet him." Also in attendance was a solo Oprah Winfrey, who was "very warm and friendly" and huddled with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and current Sony chief Howard Stringer.

Portman gets protective of baby

"Black Swan" was pretty freaky, but apparently ballet psychodrama isn't as bad as facing the press. The pregnant Natalie Portman looked like she was experiencing some serious stage fright as she prepared to walk the carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon: Her face was a mask of tension as she and her handlers approached the scrum of photographers screaming her name. Guess those protective maternal instincts have kicked in big-time. Walking a few steps behind was fianc Benjamin Millepied, who seemed to be carrying her coat.

Contact Gatecrasher: Frank DiGiacomo: fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith: cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer: mfischer@nydailynews.com

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Group expert can testify in Ariz. sweat lodge case

Prosecutors will be allowed to call an expert to testify about why dozens of people felt that they couldn't leave a sweat lodge ceremony that turned deadly.

Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow made the ruling Monday, a day before opening statements begin in James Arthur Ray's manslaughter case.

Darrow says Rick Ross can testify about large group awareness as long as prosecutors provide an appropriate foundation.

The judge says defense attorneys can cross-examine Ross on his cult deprogramming practices but not bring up his criminal history.

Darrow also is allowing prosecutors to play parts of an audio recording of Ray's October 2009 "Spiritual Warrior" event that culminated with the sweat lodge ceremony.

Three people who were among the more than 50 in the heated enclosure died.

Ray has pleaded not guilty.

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Oscars 2011: Hathaway, Franco's youth out of place

Partway through the Oscar telecast Sunday night, a well-dressed man and woman informed the worldwide audience that ABC has cut a deal to continue telecasting the Academy Awards through 2020.

But they didn't mean we'll get shows for the next nine years. They meant that at the pace it was moving, Sunday night's show might not finish until 2020.

Oh, don't worry. ABC will break Monday morning and again Tuesday night for the Charlie Sheen interviews.

You know a show had excitement issues when the liveliest microphone moment of the night came from an overcaffeinated NYU film student named Luke Matheny who thanked "the state of Delaware."

GET THE COMPLETE LIST OF OSCAR WINNERS

Runners-up for top microphone moment included cohost Anne Hathaway saying that one of the perks of her gig was "getting to breathe the same air" as Oprah.

Who knew that Oprah has her own air?

Hathaway seemed to spend much of the evening either changing dresses or trying to convert nervous energy into endearing folksiness.

She did fine with the dresses. She'd have had a much better shot at the endearing part if she'd been armed with better material. A song about Hugh Jackman pulling out of a proposed duet performance, for instance, had all the broad, relatable appeal of a song about her caterer delivering the wrong sushi wrap.

She also didn't get a lot of help from her cohost, James Franco, who sometimes looked as if reading the cue cards was the only thing keeping him awake.

Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges, in presenting the Best Actress and Actor awards, actually livened up the stage. (AP)

The bigger problem, though, was that they were apparently hired to bring hip looseness to a show that has little or no interest in abandoning its traditional, formal, old-school style.

This made Hathaway and Franco a little like tourists who dance and mug in front of the guards at Buckingham Palace, trying to make them crack a smile. Maybe it's not impossible, but good luck.

It didn't help the Oscars that just two weeks ago the Grammys went the other way, burying the awards and honors part under a barrage of entertainment.

The Oscars aren't going there. This evening is about giving face time to everyone in the biz and giving the winners a chance to thank everyone with whom they worked since third grade.

Almost three hours into the show, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock weren't merely announcing the best actress and actor nominees, but paying individual homage to each.

That's clearly what Hollywood wants, and since Hollywood is picking up the tab for the party, that's what we'll get.

It just didn't make for a lively evening, particularly in a year with no "Titanic" or "Avatar." That is, millions of potential viewers had no horse in the race and thus minimal incentive to hang in for the finish.

For the record, Anne settled down a bit by the end and James stayed awake.

GET THE COMPLETE LIST OF OSCAR WINNERS

NYU student Luke Matheny, who won for his documentary 'God of Love,' started his acceptance speech with 'I should have cut my hair.' (Sayles/AP)

dhinckley@nydailynews.com

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