September 17, 2019
Good morning, San Francisco. The columnists are extra insightful this issue. Be sure to read Joe Eskenazi's article on the board-and-care facility fiasco. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign-up here.)
Yesterday, perhaps in advance of President Donald Trump visiting San Francisco today, the White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a report called the State of Homelessness in America. It urges California and other states to deregulate their housing industries as a means for enabling the construction of more affordable homes
The council’s chairman said “homelessness would fall by 54 percent in San Francisco. It would fall by 40 percent in Los Angeles” if California abandoned its housing policies. Sacramento Bee | KQED
“I think one of the things that people don’t realize is the extent to which there are so many routes that money takes to reach policy makers.”
Friends of Ethics, a watchdog group supporting the anti-dark money Proposition F, released a study of all reported lobbyist spending for the first six months of 2019. Of the $12 million spent in that period, half went to influencing development decisions. The transparency advocacy group expects lobbyists to spend at least double in the second half of the year because of the November election. 48hills
After student and employee outcry, City College of San Francisco will review raises of more than $100,000 for top administrators given on the heels of a $32 million budget deficit. San Francisco Chronicle
It’s almost wildfire season again. Last year, San Francisco had 87 days of “moderate” or poor air quality and 278 days of “good” air quality, according to air quality data compiled by CPAP.com, a company that sells treatments for sleep apnea. Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution sensor network data was used for the analysis. For comparison, the San Francisco Bay Area had 218 moderate or poor days. Curbed San Francisco
Ahead of the wildfire season, a San Francisco Department of Public Health official warned that N95 masks are no substitute for interior spaces with clean air. SFGate
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s on-time performance report shows the light rail lines have not reached their destinations as scheduled 50% of the time this year. When including buses, Muni’s on-time performance is 54%. Curbed San Francisco
Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee secured $960,000 to complete a study for building a subway connecting West Portal to Parkmerced. San Francisco Examiner
“Wow, that is practically the end of the runway!”
It was supposed to be like any other flight at San Francisco International Airport. In 2017, a pilot accidentally input “10 Left” instead of “01 Left” into the cockpit computer, which directed the commercial airliner to calculate the wrong thrust and flap settings. It nearly caused the plane to take off without enough runway, a Federal Aviation Administration report revealed. Similar events happened 25 times last year. The FAA recommended the airport rename the runway. San Francisco Chronicle
A 20-day repair project of an SFO runway is 48 hours ahead of schedule, officials announced Thursday. San Francisco Chronicle
A bill passed Thursday will allow the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments to put tax measures or bonds on the ballot in the nine Bay Area counties. Proposed by Assemblyman David Chiu, the bill’s passage combats the housing crisis by enabling the two government agencies to raise funds for affordable housing tax credits and subsidies, land-use or zoning plans, tenant services and assistance for cities to buy land. San Francisco Chronicle
Early Saturday morning, state Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill to extend alcohol sales at bars, restaurants and nightclubs to 3 a.m. in in 10 cities, including San Francisco, was defeated in the state Assembly. San Francisco Examiner
Marina
A three-week participatory art installation sponsored by the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture will convert a parking lot into a public art roller rink. It's is 100 feet long, 50 feet wide and composed of wildly colorful vinyl panels. Called “Actions Vent Ascending Frequencies,” the rink is free to skate. Rentals cost $5. San Francisco Chronicle
Ocean View-Merced Heights-Ingleside
“As the doors open and services are provided, this community is finally seeing its neighborhood develop in a way that meets the needs of its residents.”
Mayor London Breed and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai participated in a ribbon-cutting for The Hub, a center where job-seekers can obtain a variety of assistance provided by the nonprofit Inner City Youth. Safai secured $200,000 for the project. San Francisco Examiner | ABC
Tenderloin
In the wake of a vehicle collision that left one boy severely injured, District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney proposed making some of the Tenderloin’s streets car-free as a measure to prevent traffic fatalities. Which streets would be included temporarily or permanently is unknown. San Francisco Examiner
Tenderloin-South of Market
“The residents I represent are demanding change and so am I.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney is forming a task force to tackle street-level drug dealing in the Tenderloin and South of Market. The supervisor has secured $200,000 in funding for the 12-member body. Its first report will be due in March 2020. San Francisco Examiner
Treasure Island
District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney introduced a resolution urging the Treasure Island Development Authority to provide tenant protections to island residents who moved there after 2011 when the development and disposition agreement for the 8,000-unit housing development project was created. San Francisco Examiner
Potrero Hill
“If they felt it was so unsafe, they should have just closed it down.”
Department of Public Health officials claim they left more than 20 beds empty at its long-term care facility at San Francisco General Hospital because of staff negligence and errors. Nurses at the facility dispute the allegation, citing the department’s plans to change the facility into a temporary respite center. San Francisco Chronicle
Visitacion Valley
Universal Paragon, the builder that owns both the Baylands in Brisbane and the Schlage Lock project sites, plans to merge them to create a new neighborhood straddling two San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Together, nearly 4,000 homes would be built. San Francisco Chronicle
Denise Sullivan, S.F. Lives: Kathy Peck Spares Musicians And Their Fans From Hearing Loss
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, On Guard: Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence May Pull Out Of Folsom Street Fair
Joe Eskenazi: San Francisco Health Department Chose To Deny Services To The Mentally Ill. This Was A Management Decision. Fixing It Can Be, Too
Carl Nolte, Native Son: Yes, She’s A Fisherman’s Wharf Tourist Attraction. But Her Story Could Make You Cry
Willie Brown, Willie’s World: Pundits Laugh At Andrew Yang. Regular People Don’t
Phil Matier: San Francisco Ranks High In Property Crime While It Ranks Low In Arrests
Heather Knight, On San Francisco: Scared For Her Own Safety, San Francisco Mother Whose Son Was Slain Gets Caught In Housing Nightmare
What I'm Reading: "Kamala Harris Was Ready to Brawl From the Beginning" from the New York Times
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This edition was curated and written by Alex Mullaney and edited by David Mamaril Horowitz.The newsletter is designed by Marquee and published on Proof.
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