Category: News

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The San Francisco Influence List: People who are directing the city’s future

By Chronicle staff : sfchronicle – excerpt

San Francisco is changing. These are people whose decisions will shape that change — for better or worse. You might not know them all. But you should.

Since the pandemic, San Francisco has been thrust into the global spotlight for its myriad problems: homelessness, the fentanyl epidemic, the affordability crisis and the potential for an economic “doom loop.” These challenges have forced a place known for historic cataclysms and rebirths into one of its most difficult transformations.

The election in November comes at a critical time: Residents are eager for solutions, and the decisions being made have the potential to dramatically alter what it’s like to live in San Francisco. It’s important that you, our readers, understand how things grow from idea to reality, so we are identifying the people directing that process. You might or might not like what they’re doing, but you should know who they are.

Enter the San Francisco Chronicle’s first Influence List…

Kanishka Cheng : Founder and CEO of Together SF Action
Jennifer Friedenbach : Executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness
Rudy Corpuz : Executive director of United Playaz
Sean Elsbernd : Mayor London Breed’s chief of staff
Chris Larson : Chairman and Co-founder of Ripple
Sheryl Davis : Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission
Phil Ginsberg : General manager of the SF Rec and Park Department
John Elberling : President of TODCO
Laura Crescimano : Principal of SITELAB Studio
Enrique Landa : Managing Partner of Associate Capital
Rudy Gonzalez : Secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
Larry Baer : President and Chief Exceutive of hte SF Giants
Malcolm Yeung : Executive director of Chinatown Community Development Center
Lena Millier : Founder dn CEO of Urban Alchemy
Joe Derisi : President of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco
Mira Murati : Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI
Greg Perloff : Co-founder of Another Planet Enertertainment
Pim Techamuanvivit : Chef-owner of Kin Khao and Nari
Brandon Jew : Chef-owner of Mr. Jiu’s
D’arcy Drollinger : San Francisco drag laureate

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How earthquake preparation has changed since 1906

By Rob Nesbit : kron4 – excerpt

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Thursday marked the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco, killing 3,000 people. It’s been more than a century since then and a lot of lessons have been learned when it comes to being prepared for a quake.

Before 1906, building codes were lax because of profits. For instance, wood was used more to save money. That doesn’t happen today, but there’s still concerns for safety.

Building codes have been updated, but when Dave Osgood from the Coalition For San Francisco Neighborhoods researched data on 180 of the city’s tallest buildings he found concerns.

“There are 43 tall buildings with the same kind of foundation that the Millennium Tower had before it started leaning and had to be propped up,” Osgood said.

The number one priority in cases like this is safety.

Emily Guglielmo, president of the Structural Engineers Assoc. of California, says that modern buildings codes do a good job of saving lives in the event of an earthquake. But she also said there’s room for improvement when it comes to making sure buildings are usable after shaking.

…. (more)

Last time we worked on seismic upgrades for our building, we were told that the upgrade that brought us up to code for a public space, is only guaranteed to save lives. Not guaranteed to be safe after a big earthquake.

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Dissecting Mission Local’s reporting on big money donors

By Yujie Zhou :missionlocal – excerpt

Neighbors for a Better San Francisco and TogetherSF are gonna go for Farrell. GrowSF and Abundant SF will go for Breed,” Joe Rivano Barros, told the audience at Manny’s.

That was the prediction for November’s looming election offered by Mission Local’s senior editor at a Tuesday night debrief on big money in San Francisco politics.

Mission Local has been covering the groups that have collectively launched a more conservative-leaning movement to oust progressives from elected office in San Francisco — and their spending. “We’re gonna see a big divide, a big rift in November,” said Rivano Barros. Also on the stage were Will Jarrett, Mission Local’s former data reporter, and managing editor Joe Eskenazi. All three have been contributors to Mission Local’s BigMoneySF series…

The tech- and real-estate-backed groups who have put millions into city elections do not only diverge on mayoral candidates but also differ more generally: Neighbors for a Better San Francisco has geared towards public safety, while GrowSF and Abundant SF are more urbanist and YIMBY, focused on market-rate housing, bike lanes, keeping the great highway and JFK Driver car-f-ree, according to Rivano Barros…

As for the progressive-leaning candidates, one reflection Rivano Barros has heard: “They’ve got to stop just talking about billionaires controlling this.” At some point, you have to offer voters a reason to vote for you, not just reasons to vote against your competitors: “There was a question mark there [in the March election] about what progressives were proffering.”

“If you allow your opponent to define who you are and they have ten times the money you do,” added Eskenazi, “you will lose.”.… (more)

RELATED:

BigMoneySF: Explore the major players paying out to remake San Francisco

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London Breed’s predecessor Mark Farrell is running for mayor. Here’s what he’d do if he wins

By J.D. Morris : sfchronicle – excerpt


Mayor Mark Farrell swearing in officers at a CSFN meeting at the Northern Police Station. Photo by Zrants

Mark Farrell, the former San Francisco supervisor who briefly served as the city’s appointed mayor in 2018, is officially running against Mayor London Breed in November, increasing the competition Breed faces from other moderates who think she has failed to lead the city well enough to earn another term.

Farrell, who ended months of speculation about whether he would jump into the race, unveiled policy proposals Tuesday to try to set himself apart from Breed and two other high-profile candidates. The 49-year-old venture capitalist wants to replace the police chief, create a new 24/7 intake center to connect homeless people with shelter and services, and reopen all of Market Street to cars to make it easier for people to visit the city’s struggling downtown, among other plans…

To counter the trends downtown, Farrell thinks the city should steer sales tax generated in the Tenderloin and Mid-Market areas into public safety services in the same neighborhoods. And he’d like to let private cars once again drive on Market Street downtown, which would reverse a ban put in place four years ago…

“The MTA should be there to serve the residents of San Francisco, not make our lives more difficult.” I believe in a transit-first policy. I’ve always supported the goals of transit first inside of City Hall, but the SFMTA has literally gone off the rails.”

“I simply reject the idea that San Francisco cannot recover economically post-COVID,” he said. “I’ve traveled across the U.S. and I’ve traveled abroad over the past few years post-pandemic for work. Other cities are thriving. They were proactive, they (had) plans in place, they worked together with their business community and they are thriving. San Francisco is not.”…(more)

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The housing crisis Scott Wiener created

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

This 50 story tower planned for 2700 Sloat  next to a half-empty brand new housing complex is being blamed on Scott Wiener. He is up for re-election and opposed by three people so far:  Cynthia Cravens (D), Yvette Corkrean (R), and Jingchao Xiong (recent immigrant form China) 

Demolitions. Displacement. And zero new affordable housing. That’s the bill the state senator got passed, and the supes have to deal with it this week.

On KQED news Sunday night, a reporter announced that “housing advocates” in San Francisco were pushing the Board of Supes to approve the mayor’s housing legislation this week.

The reporter quoted one person, from Habitat for Humanity, which is a fine organization but has never been involved in local housing politics and isn’t a member of the Council of Community Housing Organizations, which has serious problems with the bill.

Nobody from CCHO, from the Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition, or from the Anti-Displacement Coalition, made the cut…

In all of the news media coverage about the issue, there’s been little discussion about the role Wiener has played in essentially screwing his own city. But the Wiener bill, and the Newsom administration, with the apparent support of Breed, are pushing toward the point where developers will have what’s called the “builder’s remedy,” which means anyone can build anything they want, including demolishing existing rent-controlled housing, without any public input.

Breed, with the support of almost all of the local news media, is trying to blame the supes for delaying or seeking to amend her legislation. And if the supes don’t go along with everything the state is asking for, the Yimbys and the mayor will blame them when a 50-story tower that Wiener and the Breed Administration say they oppose starts construction near Ocean Beach…(more)

This is literally a case of convicted felons moving into San Francisco to take over our beachside community. (Details on sonsf.org)

KQED has lost its local charm and the respect from the community they seek to serve. They bought the “build the perfect place” Kool-Aide and spent a bundle on their new digs. Their funding and programming are suffering. Too bad they did not take a serious stab at a real discussion about the state bills that are pushing homeowners and many others to new levels of anger and disgust with Sacramento politicians. When they open their mouths words come out but the meaning is not there.

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The Power of Public Banking

Watch our new video: Unlocking the Power of Public Banking!

We’re excited to share a new video that will shape the future of your community and pave the way for economic prosperity. As passionate advocates in this ongoing journey, our latest explainer video shows the transformative potential of public banks and how they prioritize people over profits and drive community-focused projects. It’s a big step forward in our ongoing quest to champion public banking for a future that’s all about fairness and growth.

Unlocking the Power of Public Banking: Public banks are a financially secure solution, dedicated to funding critical community projects like local revitalization efforts, transit systems, green infrastructure, and affordable housing. Unlike traditional banks, public banks channel banking revenue back into our communities, not shareholder profits.

Your Community, Your Choice: The democratic essence of public banks will empower us to define our community’s future and needs, as these banks operate as public utilities rather than profit-driven entities. Community members have a say in what gets funded, impacting everything from school improvements to renewable energy projects.

Supporting Sustainability and Resilience: Public bank loans are pivotal in advancing climate justice by reducing costs associated with energy-efficient housing and sustainable transportation. By partnering with community banks and credit unions, public banks level the playing field against Wall Street megabanks, supporting local small business growth.

Financial First Responders in Tough Times: In times of crisis, public banks emerge as financial first responders, swiftly financing reconstruction efforts after disasters. These public servants understand their community’s unique needs, ensuring a faster recovery and a resilient future.

 

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Former SFMTA director to run for supervisor seat held by Peskin

By Michael Cabanatuan : sfchronicle – excerpt

Former Municipal Transportation Agency board member Sharon Lai is expected to announce her candidacy Friday for the Board of Supervisors’ seat held by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who is termed out. Lai plans to share her plans at a rally in Chinatown, where she’s supported by a number of community leaders. In addition to Chinatown, District 3 also includes North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Financial District, Union Square and Nob Hill.

Lai, an immigrant from Hong Kong and a mother of two, said addressing public safety will be at the heart of her campaign for the November 2024 election. As a SFMTA director, Lai pressed for more collaboration between Muni and the San Francisco Police Department, which she said led to a tripling of the transit system’s public safety budget. A victim of gender-based assault, she said those experiences shaped her agenda and how she’ll approach San Francisco politics.

“I am unwavering in my commitment to creating a safer and stronger San Francisco for everyone,” she said…(more)

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San Francisco Merchants Hold Small Business ‘Funeral’ To Protest Geary St. Transit Plan

By George Kelly : sfstandard – excerpt

Photo by zrants

The mourners gathered Monday morning outside the former Thom’s Natural Foods in San Francisco’s Richmond District, watching as four black-clad, white-gloved men chanted and carried a black-draped coffin down Geary Boulevard.

The casket was adorned with notes listing Thom’s and other dearly departed businesses: Mike’s Chinese Restaurant, Silver Cut Hair Salon, Safe Harbor CPA, M.V. Code coding school, La Vie Vietnamese Restaurant, Mr. B.’s Sewing Machines.

The pallbearers chanted, “Geary Boulevard needs some help! Mayor Breed, we need your help! Jeff Tumlin, stop working against us!

“We’re gathered in memory of our beloved small businesses on Geary Boulevard,” former San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer told the group as the procession came to a stop outside Thom’s between two chairs with signs for San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director of Transit Jeffrey Tumlin. Neither official was present

“We know that many of them could not recover after Covid,” Fewer said of the closed shops. “We are also here to honor the existing small businesses that are trying to build up their business to pre-pandemic levels, and they are not there.”…

Supervisor Ahsha Safaí said Breed and others need to listen to the business owners.

“The mayor needs to listen. The mayor needs to be present. She needs to step up, and she needs to show leadership. That’s what being mayor means,” said Safai, who is challenging Breed in the 2024 election. “Not hiding behind decisions of five appointed commissioners that she controls, and the director that she controls. The power rests with the mayor in this decision. We need leadership in this city right now.”...(more)

Traffic puts eyes on the street. Removing traffic and parking killed the downtown and makes it feel empty and not safe.

 

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Breed says she wants even more power

By Savannah Dewberry : 48hills – excerpt

Art by sfbluecomics

On national podcast, she says she missed the pandemic days when she emergency authority and calls for limits on what supes can do.

Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter who hosts “Lovett or Leave It,” one of the most popular political podcasts in the country, parachuted into San Francisco last week to do a live show that featured Mayor London Breed demanding even more power for one of the strongest mayors in California.

Lovett demonstrated at total lack of understanding of the state’s housing crisis, and gave Breed a platform to send a mangled political message to the liberals who listen to the podcast.

Some of the material is comedy, and it’s funny, and Lovett is a great communicator. But the central focus of the discussion was housing, and while what Breed said isn’t surprising, really, it fit into a dangerous narrative for DC insiders…(more)

Power to do what? There is not a whole lot more that the Mayor could control. She should know that control comes with consequences. The higher you get, the further you fall when the blame hits you.