As we've noted recently, the San Francisco Bay Guardian has been going after the assets of SF Weekly as it tries to collect the millions of dollars it was awarded in 2008's predatory-pricing trial against the Weekly and parent company Village Voice Media. This week, the Guardian upped the ante, asking a court for permission to seize all property belonging not just to the Weekly but to all of VVM. An attorney for the Guardian tells the San Francisco Chronicle that it has been tough collecting anything since SF Weekly doesn't actually have much property, which is why they are now going after the rest of the company. But VVM continues to maintain it doesn't owe the Guardian anything until it has fully exhausted its appeals. The ruling on this could come down as early as today. READ MORE from The Stranger.

Continue ReadingBay Guardian Hopes to Expand Collection Efforts to Other VVM Papers

The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that it was granted its motion to intercept the income of the SF Weekly in a court hearing last week. The Guardian says it will seize the rent that the SF Weekly's subtenant pays to the paper. This comes on the heels of the Guardian's recent seizure and auction of two vehicles owned by the Weekly, and it is all part of the Guardian's attempt to collect the multi-million-dollar judgment it was awarded in the predatory pricing trial against the Weekly and its parent company New Times, now known as Village Voice Media. VVM maintains that it won't owe the Guardian any money until its appeals are completed.

Continue ReadingBay Guardian Continues its Seizure of SF Weekly’s Assets

Jason Sheehan's Cooking Dirty has been named one of TIME's Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2009. "It's a paradox of the post-Bourdain era: chef memoirs are trendy, but none of the chefs writing them have the freakish combination of cooking and writing talent that made Anthony Bourdain a star," Lev Grossman writes. "But Jason Sheehan comes damn close, and he gives the genre his own distinctive seasoning." Sheehan recently made the move from Westword to the Seattle Weekly.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Food Writer’s Book Makes TIME’s Year-End Top 10 List

Longworth, who is the co-founder of Cinematical.com and former editor SpoutBlog, will replace Scott Foundas, who last month announced he was leaving the Weekly to become the associate program director of The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Longworth will begin her tenure at the Weekly on Jan. 18. In other Weekly news, the paper has hired a new staff reporter: Gene Maddaus, formerly of the Daily Breeze.

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly Hires Karina Longworth as New Film Editor

Earlier this year, the Denver alt-weekly Westword made waves when it began accepting applications for a critic to review medical marijuana dispensaries. Now its sister paper OC Weekly has also gone to pot -- the paper is hiring a freelance medical marijuana writer. "The ideal candidate will be a skilled, experienced writer and reporter who is well-versed in the history and politics of California's medical-pot laws -- from Proposition 215 to Senate Bill 420 to any municipal ordinances," editor Ted Kissell writes in a blog post.

Continue ReadingAnother Alt-Weekly Looking for Someone to Write About Pot

In addition to his part-time work at LEO, Ron Jasin has over the past few years created gig posters for Shellac, My Morning Jacket, the Monsters of Folk, Band of Horses, and Connor Oberst. "This started out from staying up all night making flyers at Kinko's," he tells Louisville Mojo. "I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do for a living. In the end, I'm just a fan of the music like everybody else."

Continue ReadingLEO Weekly Art Director Also Designs Posters for Marquee Indie Shows

Gustavo Arellano reports that an unnamed Mexican restaurant in Dana Point has grabbed the logo for his column and is running it in ads that appear in the Dana Point Times -- a local competitor to OC Weekly. While he points out that it is not the first time someone has swiped the Mark Dancey-designed logo, Arellano says he was surprised to find the thievery so close to home. Did the restaurant and the paper "really think they'd get away with using my column's logo and making money off of it without me eventually finding out and throwing barbs back at them?," he asks. "Especially considering it's a Mexican restaurant?"

Continue ReadingRestaurant Steals ‘Ask a Mexican’ Logo for Ad

The San Francisco Bay Guardian last week auctioned off two vehicles owned by the SF Weekly as it tries to collect the multi-million-dollar judgment it was awarded in the predatory pricing trial against the Weekly and its parent company New Times, now known as Village Voice Media. The Guardian, which seized the vehicles in November, says the move "prove[s] wrong the predictions of New Times executives that the Guardian would never collect a cent on its judgment." VVM maintains that it won't owe the Guardian any money until its appeals are completed.

Continue ReadingBay Guardian Seizes and Auctions Off SF Weekly Vehicles