Heal the Bay released its annual “report card” that ranks more than 650 California beaches. The report rates cleanliness on an A to F scale based on weekly levels of bacterial pollution tracked from April to October 2011. The better the grade, the less likely you are to get sick from taking a dip in the ocean. The good news: San Francisco County beaches received passing grades and even improved from ......

1 Cent: The amount an ounce of soda will be taxed if the measure is approved 52: Percentage of Richmond children considered obese or overweight 58: Percentage of Richmond adults considered to be obese or overweight 11: Percentage of Richmond deaths that can be attributed to obesity $404,000,000: Annual health care costs attributed to obesity in Contra Costa Country 67: Percentage of Richmond teens who drink one or more sweetened ......

Someone has been dumping on Bernal Heights. The Department of Public Works will hold a community meeting May 15 to discuss several incidents of illegal dumping during which large amounts of construction debris and tons of green waste were deposited in the hilly neighborhood. On Monday, DPW cleaned up 6.3 tons of debris, some of which had been set on fire and had to be extinguished by firefighters. DPW has ......

Many scoffed at San Francisco’s “soda ban”, which bars sugary drinks from vending machines on city property, but a report released today by the Institute of Medicine found that such regulations could help combat obesity. The study debunks the idea that overweight individuals simply lack the self-control to resist a bacon sundae. Instead, it argues that the United States promotes obesity by offering few options for a healthy lifestyle. The 478-page report ......

A proposal to build two new hospitals in San Francisco passed an important hurdle Thursday when it was approved by the city's Planning Commission. California Pacific Medical Center is proposing a $2.5 billion project that includes five new buildings, including a 555-bed hospital on Cathedral Hill and an 80-bed facility to replace the existing 200-plus-bed St. Luke's Hospital in the city's Mission District. Mayor Ed Lee and CPMC officials negotiated for about a year before reaching ......