By C.W. NEVIUS, San Francisco Chronicle

Brad and Janell live in the bushes near in Golden Gate Park. In the last two years, they have heard the pitch from the Homeless Outreach Team, they've been rousted by the dawn patrol, and they've huddled under a tree during drenching rain and numbing cold.

SAN FRANCISCO - And they won't leave.

Even if it means a roof over their heads or a bed to sleep in every night.

SAN FRANCISCO - When the balloon boy story broke last week -- about the 6-year-old who was supposed to be helplessly soaring through Colorado in a balloon -- there were lots of reactions.

But Marin County, Calif. contractor Dan Nowell had the most unusual.

Been there. Done that.

The celebrated marijuana controversy surrounding Olympic superstar swimmer Michael Phelps has turned out to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank.

When he was a contestant on the reality show "Survivor," Yul Kwon cruised through the rain forests of the Cook Islands with ease. In fact, as the CBS show's motto says, he was able to "Outwit, Outplay and Outlast" the other contestants to win the $1 million grand prize.But navigating the jungle of San Francisco politics is proving to be a tougher challenge.