June 6, 2019
Good Thursday!
“Over 30% of members of the Congress have declined to say if they’ve read it. This isn’t right.”
Today, the 442-page Mueller Report will be read aloud for 17 hours straight by local elected officials, legal experts and political personalities. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco); San Francisco supervisors Hillary Ronen, Rafael Mandelman and Matt Haney; San Francisco Democratic Party Chair David Campos; and activist Cleve Jones will read 30-minute segments. Manny’s, the Mission District cafe and all-things-politics hub, organized the event.
The City hired New York investment bank Jefferies to advise its potential purchase of Pacific Gas & Electric's local power lines, an opportunity that opened up once the company declared bankruptcy protection in January due to its involvement with the deadly Camp Fire. A city report issued last month concluded that owning and operating its own power system would benefit local residents and support The City's efforts to mitigate the climate crisis at the cost a few billion dollars. Reuters | San Francisco Chronicle
Two PG&E executives have left the company, the latest exits in a string of departures by leaders of California's largest utility. San Francisco Chronicle
“It’s an unacceptable percentage.”
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice handed down 272 recommendations to the San Francisco Police Department following a series of scandals and controversial police shootings that sparked protests. A recently released progress report shows that SFPD has implemented just 4% of those reforms in the last two years. One year remains to implement the remaining 96%. Despite the delay, Mayor London Breed praised the department’s progress. Mission Local
SFPD has been slow to comply with a new law requiring that California law enforcement agencies make public all internal records on shootings and misconduct upon request. To date, the department has released information for five cases, citing a high volume of requests that has created a backlog. But that could change soon, as Breed's two-year budget proposal included $7.4 million to help implement the program. San Francisco Examiner
The Giants beat the New York Mets on Tuesday, securing Bruce Bochy’s 1,000th regular-season win as their longtime manager, who will retire in September. “I love him to death,” Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner said. “It will be sad to see him go, but he’s done plenty in this game.” San Francisco Chronicle
The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry scored 47 points during game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at Oracle Arena. Without Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney, the Warriors lost 123-109. San Francisco Chronicle
Following a series of San Francisco Chronicle articles showing that juvenile crime has declined significantly while spending on youth corrections has increased, the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to close Juvenile Hall by late 2021. Although youth advocates outside the Board Chamber applauded the decision, Mayor London Breed said closing Juvenile Hall with the deadline was "not the most responsible thing to do without a real plan of action."
The Board of Supervisors voted to allow courts to force treatment on people who are mentally ill, have substance abuse issues and have had at least eight 72-hour emergency psychiatric holds in a 12-month period. The legislation implements S.B. 1045 citywide, permitting San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to launch the five-year pilot program.
On Monday, Michelin handed out honors to exceptional California restaurants. The San Francisco Bay Area and wine county are the only regions with three-starred restaurants. Eater San Francisco put together a map of all featured restaurants.
“I appreciate your commitment to helping me move San Francisco forward.”
On Tuesday, Mayor London Breed filed for reelection with the Department of Elections to run for a full four-year term. There are no real challengers in the race, according to experts. The last day to file to run is June 11. San Francisco Examiner
Last week, the Ethics Commission increased the public funding available for supervisor and mayoral candidates to keep up with rising campaign costs. The Board of Supervisors will vote on adopting the changes next month. 48hills
Transportation Roundup
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Airport Commission voted to name the San Francisco International Airport International Terminal’s departure hall after the late mayor Ed Lee. The decision fell short of the local Chinese community's request to name entire terminal after Lee. San Francisco Examiner
In a year with record pedestrian and bicyclist deaths, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors proposed empowering staff to enact street safety improvements without getting approval. San Francisco Examiner
Before a Skip e-scooter catching fire in Washington, D.C., made national headlines, the San Francisco Examiner uncovered through public record sleuthing that a Skip e-scooter burst into flames at the company’s San Francisco warehouse in December. San Francisco Examiner
As naming the forthcoming Central Subway’s Chinatown station after the late activist Rose Pak has been rife with controversy, the question of how to best commemorate her remains. SF Weekly
Staff and families of students at Buena Vista Horace Mann Community School are growing increasingly frustrated with the conditions at the K-8 institution. They’ve logged complaints of rodent droppings, holes in the walls and ceilings, and crumbling floors and ceilings to name a few.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign placed a billboard near the 4th and Townsend Caltrain station calling for big tech companies to be broken up — a strategically selected site where tech industry workers will see it.
The Golden State Warriors announced the restaurants that will open at Thrive City, the 11-acre plaza surrounding Chase Center. They include a yet-to-be-named food hall designed by international restaurateur Michael Mina; Gott’s Roadside; Nachoria; Mission Bay Wine Bar at Thrive City; and Belly and Sweet Belly.
Housing and commercial building The Beacon has added a roaming security droid to monitor the public sidewalk surrounding the building.
A panel of engineering experts did not approve reopening the Transbay Transit Center during a meeting between officials on Tuesday, stating that more information was needed to make a determination. The decision dashes plans to reopen the $2.2 billion transportation hub this month.
Police are investigating whether an attack on two men outside a bar near the California Democratic Party convention was a hate crime. Officers detained a suspect.
Podshare, a startup company that rents out bunk beds, launched its first San Francisco location. A bunk and access to communal space costs $60 a night, or $1,200 per month. For comparison, single bedroom or studio apartments in the Tenderloin cost between $2,695 and $965 per month, the latter being for single room occupancy units.
The Mezzanine announced that its building owners reneged on an agreement to extend the 16-year-old music venue’s lease, forcing it to close in October instead of January 2020. The business owners are in discussions with Another Planet Entertainment to discuss a future partnership.
Heather Knight, On San Francisco: When It comes to San Francisco's Feral Cat Policy, the Claws Are Out
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