Cover: Peter Ban
Peter Baez was the first to help the city set up its medical marijuana clinic. But these days city officials and cops are treating him like a street-level drug dealer. The sad story of Peter Baez's fall from grace.

News: Elective Surgery
Metro's brutally honest analysis of the year's most perplexing people and propositions. And for those who are still undecided, advice on how to punch those long ballots.

Green Over Gray: In the governor's primary, vote for Hamburg.

Indecent Propositions: In the 1998 election, the real contest is John Q. Public vs. the 'intiative industry.'

People Who Need Voters: Coming to terms with the candidates.

Judging the Judges: Local Superior Court contests are open-and-shut cases.

Sunburn at Agnews: Measure D is Santa Clara's chance to save a gem for generations.

Win, Place and Show: A betting person's guide to the election.

Voter Cheat Sheet: A quick run-down of Metro's endorsements.

Public Eye: Andy Diaz hopes 87th time's a charm.

Homeless and I Vote: Mayoral candidates court the shelter set.

The Fine Art of Turning Inside Out
'Tis the season for Metro's guide to summer indulgences, with outdoor concerts, theater and our best picks for relaxing daytrips. There's also day-by-day calendar of summer events that you'll want to bookmark for the long and luxurious days ahead.

Creatures of Habit: Candy From a Stranger album obscures Soul Asylum's vision.

The First Days of Disco: Hip-O's Disco 54 and Funkin' on the Floor collections resurrect the genre's glory days.

Uncut Salsa: Orquesta Gitano fuses salsa styles.

Audiofile: Reviews of the latest CDs by Statue Man, ManMade God and Pizzicato Five.

Film and Loathing in Cannes: Our man in the south of France tracks the highs and lows of the annual film festival orgy in Cannes.

A Modern Kiev Man: Capitalism dogs Ukrainian man in A Friend of the Deceased.

High Rollers: Terry Gilliam gives soul to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Summer Squash: Computerized Godzilla mashes Manhattan.

Bringing the Dead to Life: Local playwright Michael Norman Mann turns Grateful Dead tunes into musical.

Elixirs of the Greeks: Evvia captures the charismatic appeal of a Greek taverna.