S.F. to offer George Lucas prime lot for his museum

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San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee plans to officially offer George Lucas a prime lot near the Bay Bridge as the site for a museum to house the "Star Wars" creator's collection of illustrative art and Hollywood memorabilia.

"It's the best site we could find both in terms of location and for winning the needed approvals in a timely fashion," said one source close to the talks.

Known as Seawall Lot 330, the site is across the Embarcadero from Piers 30-32, where just a month ago the Golden State Warriors were planning to build their 18,000-seat arena. The team is now looking at Mission Bay, having concluded that the political hurdles of the waterfront site were too high.

The team was figuring on building a hotel and condos on Seawall Lot 330 to help pay for the arena, but chances were good that the project would go before voters because it would have exceeded the area's height limits. That wouldn't be a problem with the Lucas museum.

The Port of San Francisco owns the empty lot, appraised two years ago at $30 million, and would lease or sell it outright to Lucas.

Lucas has offered to spend $700 million of his own money on the museum. If he's feeling ambitious, the mayor is open to letting him try to build his museum on Piers 30-32.

"But that could take a lot of time and money," said our source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

Lucas has been looking around for a site since the Presidio Trust vetoed his plans for a museum across from Crissy Field earlier this year. The Presidio has offered an alternative near the Letterman Digital Arts Center, but Lee's biggest worry is Chicago, which has invited Lucas to build his museum near Soldier Field.

Other sites that the city and Lucas' team have looked at include Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 8 Washington St. and two privately owned lots in the Mid-Market area.

Lee's offer letter to Lucas is expected to go out Thursday.

College try: First it was a resolution calling on community college accrediting officials to delay their action that would effectively close City College of San Francisco. Now, state Assemblyman Phil Ting is trying to take the fight out of them by going after their wallets.

Ting has quietly inserted language into the Assembly's proposed budget bill that would block the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges from raising dues next year on all 112 member colleges by 5 percent, or an average of $1,000 each. The commission says the extra money is needed to pay for the legal costs it has incurred battling over City College in court.

"We don't think taxpayers should be subsidizing irresponsible litigation," said Ting, D-San Francisco.

Commission spokeswoman Eliza Chan called it "really unfortunate" that her agency, a nonprofit supported by the colleges it rates, has had to shell out for a legal defense in the CCSF fight.

"But we want to point out that the lawsuits were brought on by third parties," Chan said. "We were not the ones who initiated the lawsuits."

Ting, however, argues that the commission is being sued only because it overstepped its authority in trying to rescind CCSF's accreditation.

"Their job is to ensure community colleges are in complete compliance with their accreditation, and City College at this point has completed 95 percent of the work they need to do to be in compliance," Ting said. "I can only assume that if they reject (City College's appeal), it's not that they have the best interest of the students in mind - but they have some alternative agenda."

Biden bucks: Vice President Joe Biden rolls into San Francisco on Wednesday for a pair of up-close fundraisers to benefit Democratic candidates in the midterm elections - and, boy, does the price drop when it's the No. 2 guy.

The first reception is an afternoon affair at the Sea Cliff home of billionaire eco-warrior Tom Steyer, where tickets start at $500, increase to $2,500 for a photo with Biden and top out at $5,000 for a photo of you and your friends with the VP.

From there, Biden heads to the Fairmont Hotel penthouse for an early dinner with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and about 40 guests who are paying $10,000 each.

It's a far cry from the $32,400-a-guest sellouts that President Obama commands.

Or maybe we should say the sellouts that President Obama used to command.

Insiders tell us the midterm congressional elections don't generate near as much interest - or money - as when Obama was running for re-election.

Pink passion: Anthony Robinson definitely has a thing about pink underwear.

The 55-year-old Robinson, known around Union Square as the "underwear burglar," allegedly hit the Victoria's Secret Pink store on Powell Street three times in February before police caught him. Robinson was booked on suspicion of burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia and for outstanding robbery warrants, police say.

Robinson soon got out, and now he's suspected of hitting the same store three more times - including May 21, when he allegedly grabbed 19 pairs of undergarments (15 bras and four panties) worth $444.

The store manager recognized Robinson from his many previous visits and alerted security, who detained him for police.

Now he's back modeling the very latest in jail jumpsuits.