By RACHEL GORDON, San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco will once again be the butt of national ridicule -- or a beacon of freedom of expression -- depending on your point of view. The latest issue? Public nudity.

Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced legislation Tuesday that would require nudists to put something under their bottoms if they take a seat in public and to cover up when they're in a restaurant.

SAN FRANCISCO - Tens of thousands of convicted felons and parole violators in California will be diverted from state prison to county supervision by late 2012, sending local criminal justice officials scrambling to meet added demands on their jails, probation offices, courts and social services -- all without assurance of adequate funding.

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco led the nation when it barred the use of plastic bags at large supermarkets and chain drugstores three years ago. Now it may expand that ban to all retailers, including hardware stores, bookshops, clothing boutiques and department stores.

SAN FRANCISCO - City officials are about to lose the ability to decide which criminal suspects who may also be undocumented immigrants should be reported to federal officials, the San Francisco Chronicle has learned.

SAN FRANCISCO - There are plenty of undesirable things in San Francisco's sewers. But one, in particular, has grabbed the attention of city officials: FOG.

Not to be confused with the city's weather element, this FOG is a sewer-industry acronym for fats, oils and grease.

The stuff clogs sewer pipes, produces a nose-holding stench, and attracts rats and roaches.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- More than 13 years after he went missing from his California home, George the cat is back."I was blown away," Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. "Such a big chunk of time has passed."

SAN FRANCISCO -- A steel net stretched 20 feet below the Golden Gate Bridge's pedestrian walkways to catch jumpers before they hit the water has emerged as the most popular design idea for a suicide barrier.

The holiday travel season kicked off smoothly Wednesday and is expected to crest this weekend, although high gas prices are making more people think twice about leaving home between now and the end