His veto of an environmental bill that overwhelmingly passed the Legislature underscores California’s convoluted guidance on the plastic turf that some homeowners, schools and businesses use in place of grass in a state accustomed to drought.
Less than a decade ago then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law prohibiting cities and counties from banning synthetic grass. At the time, the state was in the middle of a crippling drought and fake lawns were thought to be helpful in saving water…(more)
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.
Fresh images for two new towers near San Francisco’s Caltrain station that could bring over 1,100 new homes to the area have been filed with the city.
Developer Tishman Speyer is behind the project at 655 Fourth St. between Townsend and Bluxome streets. The towers will both be over 400 feet tall. The 4th Street Tower, would be 38 floors tall and reach 405 feet; the Townsend Tower would be 40 stories tall and top out at 435 feet…
Construction of the podium building would require the demolition of three current buildings along with seven surface parking lots and landscaping. The site will be just steps from Caltrain and the Central Subway’s 4th/Brannan station as well as several minutes’ walk from the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park.
When complete, it would include 129 studio apartments, 539 one-bedroom units, 400 two-bedroom apartments and 37 three-bedroom homes. Of the building’s total 1,105 residential units, 391 would have balconies for private open space.
By James Salazar :sfexaminer – excerpt (includes audio track)
A critical lifeline for over 18,000 San Francisco households will soon come to an end.
Earlier this month, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank announced it would shutter roughly 20 pandemic-era pop-up pantries throughout the region by 2025 and roll back enrollment in its grocery delivery program, utilized by some 13,000 households.
The pop-ups, which opened in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, have become an essential service in a city where food insecurity impacts one in four San Franciscans…(more)
Letter in opposition to the Marina Green Project is posted here.
There may be a resolution coming later. Please sign onto this one or write your own and share with your neighbors who you think may be concerned about this matter.
The value of one of Downtown San Francisco’s largest luxury apartment buildings has been cut nearly in half, according to commercial real estate data provider Trepp.
NEMA, the glass-covered tower at 8 10th St., has seen its value drop from $543.6 million in 2018 to $279 million. Trepp notes that this decline means the value sits well below the loan balance, making the debt more expensive than the property itself.
The SF-Marin Food Bank announced in a sobering 8 a.m. press conference that, by 2025, a majority of the food-distribution services introduced during the pandemic will be closed or reduced, significantly affecting the growing number of hungry households in San Francisco.
Over the next two years, all 21 Pop-Up Pantries introduced during the pandemic will close. And, by January 2024, the Home Delivered Groceries program, serving seniors, families and people at their households will be reduced by 40 percent.
Currently, upwards of 18,000 households rely on the farmers market-style pop-ups each week. Around 13,000 San Francisco households receive weekly food deliveries…(more)
Chris Kaplan, owner of Marina Greens Gas House Cove Fuel Dock Operator for 50 years Comments Upon the City’s Proposal to Rebuild the East Harbor and Add a New Boat Harbor in Front of the Marina Greens Promenade.
City leaders are joining the Marina district’s ongoing fight against a plan to build a new harbor in front of San Francisco’s iconic Marina Green.
“On behalf of The City and County of San Francisco, I’m actually here to apologize,” San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said at a community meeting Wednesday night. Peskin called the Rec and Park department’s proposal “absolutely wrongheaded.”
Peskin also apologized for Rec and Park’s lack of transparency with the community. “It has been fixed from the get-go and it is the worst way of eroding trust in the government.”…
The supervisors shared Wednesday night that they intend to draft a resolution “to articulate clearly what the desire of the community is,” Safai said. Once that is introduced, it will go to the committee, and a public hearing will be held…
But ultimately, if push comes to shove, the supervisors can simply take the settlement money away from the project.
“There’s nothing in that settlement that compels us, binds us to build the West Harbor improvements,” Peskin said. “It’s a Rec and Park thing, it’s a Phil Ginsburg (general manager of Rec and Park) thing, it’s a mayor thing, but there’s nothing that requires us to do it.”… (more)
The deal was recommended by the Budget and Finance Committee on Wednesday but still requires approval by the Board of Supervisors.
At the root of Peskin’s proposal is his dismay over the quick turnover among the department’s district captains, many of whom took higher-level posts in the department’s expanding command staff.
In the police district that covers many of the high-tourist neighborhoods Peskin represents — including Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf — a district captain hasn’t spent more than three years on the job in more than a decade.
District captains manage specific geographical areas in The City, and usually keep in close contact with neighborhood leaders — including supervisors. Members of the command staff, such as assistant chiefs and commanders, have broader responsibilities…(more)
