Features

SF leaders unveil new
anti-hate poster campaign 

SAN FRANCISCO – A coalition of San Francisco leaders unveiled a new anti-hate poster campaign Monday on the steps of the city's Hall of Justice. 

“With war heating up in the Middle East,” said District Attorney Terence Hallinan, “we're launching a pre-emptive strike against any backlash against Arab Americans, Muslims and people of color.” 

He noted that after the Sept. 11 attacks, reports of such hate crimes in a city that is generally known for diversity and tolerance shot up dramatically – to 28 in the following month and then gradually subsiding to two in January and none last month.  

“The one thing San Francisco will not tolerate is intolerance,” Hallinan said. 

The new posters, created with the help of Muslim and South Asian representatives, are set to go up in bus shelters and inside buses around the city. They show an array of American faces including a turbaned Sikh man and a young Muslim woman with a traditional head covering that are surrounded by the message, “We are not the enemy... We are your community.” 

Workers spread germs at Napa Taco Bell 

NAPA — Taco Bell workers spread germs that caused a rash of food poisonings among customers in May, according to a recently completed investigation. 

All workers must now wear gloves and use utensils to handle food. A manager also must watch when employees change gloves and wash their hands. 

The county Department of Environmental Management required the measures as part of its investigation into 94 food-poisoning complaints about Taco Bell’s Jefferson Street restaurant. 

The final investigative report confirmed that workers spread a virus that causes stomach flu-like symptoms through food handling. 

Ruben Oropeza, head code enforcer for environmental management, said Taco Bell made all of the recommended changes and more. 

“My inspector said, ‘This is the cleanest place in town,’ and even ate there after a follow-up inspection,” Oropeza said. 

Brisbane woman collects
$30.5 million from Super Lotto 

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – The Brisbane woman who bought one of the four winning tickets in Saturday's $122 million Super Lotto Plus drawing came forward Monday to claim her share of the jackpot. 

Cindy Blair says she'll use the money to “travel, travel, travel,” according to lottery spokesman Louis Rios. 

“She wants to go to Europe,” Rios said, “but she hasn't made up her mind where in Europe she wants to go.” 

Rios said Blair is a young grandmother in her 40s, and she plans to buy a new house for her daughter, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California. She is the sole holder of the winning ticket that she bought at Julie's Brisbane Liquors & Delicatessen at 45 Visitacion Ave. in Brisbane. 

Blair, who has lived in Brisbane for about two years, bought $20 worth of lottery tickets leading up to Saturday's jackpot, Rios said. 

Blair's split of the winnings works out to $30.5 million, which she will receive in 26 annual payments, the first of which will show up in two to three weeks. Her first check will be written out in the amount of $763,000 and the installments will increase every year until the last check arrives in the amount of $1.55 million. 

Saturday's Super Lotto Plus jackpot was the third largest ever, behind the $193 million paid out in February of this year and the $141 paid out in June 2001. 

Blair is unmarried, but she does have a boyfriend who was at her side when she arrived at the state lottery's San Francisco district office in South San Francisco. 

Blair works as the manager of a printing facility. She said she plans to quit her job.