August 20, 2019
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San Francisco’s average temperature has risen 1.6 C since 2018. For the past two decades, scientists have warned that a rise of 2 C would trigger a host of catastrophic changes for the environment. Seventy-one American counties have already breached that threshold.
“There are some campaigns that let things slip up, but taking money from people who have business before you isn’t just a slip-up, it’s a violation.”
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained evidence that Mayor London Breed’s 2018 mayoral campaign is under investigation for violations tied to the acceptance of contributions from nine individuals whose companies had obtained city contracts that Breed had a role in approving. The campaign probe was initiated by a complaint files in September. It could be years before the investigation concludes. San Francisco Chronicle
In other campaign financing news, San Francisco-based Juul spent $4.3 million since May promoting its ballot measure to undo City Hall’s ban on the sale of e-cigarettes. The measure’s opponents have spent a combined $103,000. San Francisco Chronicle
About a week after being released ahead of his trial for assaulting a woman outside her condo, a man believed to be homeless surrendered himself to authorities on an arrest warrant for a second assault. A woman who saw footage of the more recent assault contacted police to accuse the man, Austin James Vincent, of assaulting her with a knife in February. Opponents of a homeless shelter to be built next door to where the assault happened capitalized on the footage to protest the shelter.
“Even once the city denies an application due to a false claim of residency, applicants sometimes apply again and again.”
Operators of short-term rentals — homes rented out for 30 days or less — are gaming the system by falsely applying as “primary residents” because it takes the Office of Short-Term Rentals a long time to catch them. Nearly half of short-term rental applications are being denied for what appear to be false residency claims, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit uncovered.
On Friday, Mayor London Breed announced that The City hired 15 new school crossing guards to help ensure safety at The City’s 154 school intersections. City officials hope the new hires will address a shortage in school crossing guards highlighted at an April hearing. While San Francisco has hired 140 guards since 2015, 130 have left. The job’s high turnover rate has been attributed to low pay, no benefits and split-shifts. San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco's 2-year budget provides $10 million for a pilot program to help retain teachers at the city’s under-resourced schools. The money would fund stipends more than 1,000 teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District, nearly all of whom work in the Mission, the Bayview and San Francisco’s other southeastern neighborhoods. Teachers at the schools will receive $3,000 more annually, according to the mayor's office. San Francisco Examiner | SFBay
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requested copies of city laws related to affordable housing development. The probe may relate to the Neighborhood Preference Program, a policy requiring that City Hall earmark 40% of all affordable housing units for residents already in or near the supervisorial district of a new building.
The Office of Mayor London Breed is reviewing the request.
Ever wonder how BART compares to the PARIS METRO or any other big city's transit system SFGate overlaid the maps of 10 big-time transit systems across the world over BART’s. A slideshow depicts how each system’s network of stations differs from the Bay Area’s.
Gavin Newsom, the current governor and former mayor of San Francisco, made a head-scratching claim that the bulk of the city's homeless population came from Texas. Politifact found that the biennial Point-in-Time homeless count contradicted his statement, as most of those surveyed in the count said they lived in San Francisco before becoming homeless. The fact-checker dubbed Newsom’s claim ridiculous.
Presidio Heights
"Presidio Wall Playground" and "West Pacific Playground" are the finalists selected in the renaming of Julius Kahn Playground. Kahn, a 12-term congressman in the early 1900s, played a part in extending the racist Chinese Exclusion Act. The Recreation and Park Commission will ultimately decide the new name.
Financial District
The Transamerica Pyramid, The City’s second-tallest building and sharpest icon, is on sale for the first time. The 853-foot tower was built by insurance conglomerate Transamerica Corp. in 1972. Today, it’s primarily leased to financial companies. The tower and two adjacent buildings could fetch $600 million.
Parkmerced
A gauzy view of San Francisco State University will turn black when FogCam, the oldest continually operating webcam known, is switched off at the end of August after 25 years. Set up in 1994 by Department of Instructional Technologies student Jeff Schwartz as a class project, the webcam has been moved around over the years. “The university tolerates us, but they don't really endorse us, and so we have to find secure locations on our own,” Schwartz said.
Bayview
“We are out here representing Jeff’s mission, his vision and what he wanted to do for the community, which is to bring this community together and uplift this community.”
The late public defender Jeff Adachi was honored at youth educational program BMAGIC’s 16th annual back-to-school resource fair in Bayview-Hunters Point on Saturday. Adachi co-founded the program.
Mission Bay
In July, the San Francisco Fire Department conducted an emergency vehicle response test that simulated a one-alarm fire at Chase Center and found one ambulance took 24 minutes arrive on scene from downtown, more than double the average response time for similar calls in The City. Fire engines and other response vehicles arrived more quickly, but they were located four minutes away at Fire Station Four.
Chinatown
“It can’t just be represented by just one person. To do that would be taking away all the contributions of the rest of our community.”
Last week, opponents of a proposal to name the forthcoming Central Subway’s Chinatown station after the late activist Rose Pak held a rally ahead of a vote to formally name the station.
Tenderloin
“We are thrilled to put these legal matters behind us, and continue doing what we do best: provide Bay Area residents and visitors with world class entertainment.”
The owners of SHN and The Curran reached a settlement ending five years of litigation relating to restrictions on booking shows. Curran owner Carole Shorenstein Hays relinquished her financial stake in the Golden Gate and Orpheum theaters.
Bayview
Small business owners are opposing plans for a homeless center on Evans Avenue. "We've all had experience with crimes of all nature, arson, theft, drugs, and prostitution. It runs rampant when encampments are set in place,” Ray Leong, who is leading the campaign, said.
Joe Eskenazi: Paneez Kosarian Could’ve Used Her Platform For Good. Instead, She Cast Every Homeless Person As A Mentally Ill, Drug-Addicted Menace
Carl Nolte, Native Son: There Really Is A Place Where Old Buses Are Admired And Respected — And It’s In Fremont
Willie Brown, Willie’s World: Don’t Underestimate Trump’s Supporters. They Can Re-Elect Him Just For The Fun Of It
Heather Knight, On San Francisco: ‘They’re Getting It Done’: What San Francisco Can Learn From Seattle On Housing, Homelessness
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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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