Today, it is nearly impossible to imagine San Francisco's Telegraph Hill without its landmark Coit Tower. But when the San Francisco Arts Commission approved the tower project in the early 1930s, public opinion was sharply divided. For 80 years, the city's arts commission has been at the center of a lively and often stormy debate over taxpayer-funded art. This commission's pivotal role in shaping public art and design is the subject of a new book, "San Francisco: Arts for the City." We'll talk to the author and to the current director of the commission.

Is the curbside garbage can headed for the dustbin of history? The city of Palo Alto has launched a pilot project that eliminates curbside garbage bins, using only compost and recycling bins. The aim of the project is to achieve zero landfill waste, a goal San Francisco and other Bay Area cities also hope to reach. We talk about what consumers can do to reduce waste and keep their compostable and recyclable trash out of the landfill.

A federal judge has ruled that Stockton is eligible for bankruptcy protection, making it the largest city in the United States to enter bankruptcy. The judge rejected claims by the city's creditors that Stockton isn't really broke and that it should have cut its pension payments instead of reneging on other debts. The judge said the question of how bankruptcy will affect Stockton's large pension obligations will be a central issue in the case going forward, and it will be closely watched by other struggling California cities. We will discuss the bankruptcy case and what it will mean for Stockton.

More than 30 large bolts on a section of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge broke after workers tightened them. Bridge officials said on Wednesday that the bolts, ranging from nine to 25 feet in length, are located on the eastern foundation of the new self-anchored suspension bridge. We talk with Steve Heminger, head of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, about what the discovery means for the safety of the new $6.4 billion span -- and for its scheduled opening Labor Day weekend.