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San Francisco Examiner
Gender-identity law brings state in line with SFUSD
The first-of-its-kind gender-identity law California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed earlier this month brings state policy in line with San Francisco’s — and The City’s school district had previously received flak from some of the new law’s most vocal critics. Newsom signed into law on July 15 Assembly Bill 1955 — aka the SAFETY Act — which bars public-school districts from requiring staff to notify parents if their children change their preferred pronouns or gender identities. California is the first state to pass such a law. ...
SF officials say bulk of city IT systems spared in global tech outage
San Francisco officials said The City’s information-technology systems were spared from an overnight, global cybersecurity-services outage that grounded numerous airline flights. A faulty system update from the U.S. cybersecurity company CrowdStrike issued overnight and caused global outages to a range of online systems Friday. The effects were most prominent in Microsoft Windows computers. Officials from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said The City’s IT systems were not affected...
Matt Dorsey: 'Recovery Housing First' offers urgent alternative
When the California State Legislature first enacted our statewide “Housing First” policy in 2016 to address homelessness, it defied federal guidance from the Obama Administration that strongly encouraged state and local governments to adopt a Housing First strategy that “addresses the housing needs of people at all stages of recovery” from addiction and alcoholism. Instead, California effectively prohibited state funding for recovery-oriented housing. In fact, the legislature’s absolutist approach —...
BART's new fare gates are finally being built in San Francisco
BART’s new fare-evasion gates are now being built at The City’s Civic Center station, with construction elsewhere delayed to later this year. The rail agency started replacing the existing fare gates on the concourse level of the Civic Center BART station Thursday with its “Next Generation Fare Gates.” The 24th Street Mission BART station is next up on the agency’s list once the work at Civic Center is completed. After...
Wiener calls Musk’s reason for moving X from SF ‘vile,’ ‘despicable’
State Sen. Scott Wiener called Elon Musk’s stated reason for moving his companies X and SpaceX out of California “outrageous” and “vile.” Musk announced Tuesday his intention to move the two companies to Texas in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom having signed Assembly Bill 1955 the day before. That law bars public schools from telling parents about their children’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression without the kids’ consent. ...
Opioid crisis’ ‘fourth wave’ concerns SF public-health experts
San Francisco health officials continue to grapple with an opioid crisis amid rising national concern about overdoses linked to a combination of fentanyl and stimulants. Multiple published studies show that stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine are increasingly being detected alongside opioids in fatal drug overdoses. “Stimulants make sense in the end cycle of the opioid problem,” said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, an addiction-medicine professor at UCSF. “We have to remember that...
Stefani endorses Farrell, Breed in mayor’s race
Supervisor Catherine Stefani became the first prominent San Francisco politician to hedge their bets in the 2024 mayoral election. Stefani endorsed former interim Mayor Mark Farrell on Thursday, long after she had already endorsed incumbent Mayor London Breed’s bid for reelection. “I have worked alongside Mark for over a decade and I know he cares deeply about San Francisco; I trust him to make the tough choices needed to tackle...
Chinatown merchants say parking restrictions hurt businesses
Several San Francisco Chinatown merchants and advocates say increased parking restrictions across the neighborhood are significantly hurting businesses — and their frustrations have been compounded by what they describe as a lack of communication and action by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the bureau that oversees The City’s transit infrastructure. Of course, parking in Chinatown has historically never been easy, which is why many visitors either take public transportation to the neighborhood or park in the garages such as the one at Portsmouth Square. ...
Cal Academy of Sciences, union negotiating first labor contract
Cal Academy Workers United, the year-old union representing California Academy of Sciences staff, is currently negotiating its first contract with museum leadership following staff layoffs and cuts to educational programming earlier this year. The two sides return to the bargaining table Thursday, and union members say those decisions have impacted some of the museum’s most popular offerings for children as well as teacher training programs that benefit San Francisco students. ...
Major changes coming to West Portal station this fall
The West Portal Muni station and its surrounding area will look much different this fall, with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency set to implement numerous additional traffic restrictions and safety improvements. The SFMTA’s board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a slate of new traffic-calming measures, vehicle restrictions, transit lanes and a redesigned station entrance. Staff said some of the changes were in the works before a crash near the station in March killed a family of four, while others were born out...
SF tenant advocates see win in Biden push for cap on rent increases
With calls for stronger renter protections growing louder in San Francisco, local tenant advocates are applauding this week’s announcement from President Joe Biden proposing federal legislation that aims to set a national cap on rent increases. Given existing renter protections at both The City and state level, the proposal is expected to offer additional protections to only a relatively small subset of renters in San Francisco. Nevertheless, winning the presidential...
Is SF affordable housing now as easy as 1234 Great Highway?
Affordable-housing advocates and San Francisco officials say they are cautiously optimistic the next major housing proposal in the Sunset district will avoid an all-too-familiar and all-too-tumultuous roller-coaster ride on its way to fruition. After years of resistance from aggrieved neighbors, an affordable housing project on Irving Street has finally broken ground this summer. Next up, The City is funding a plan to convert what is now a Motel 6 at...
Former La Cocina marketplace vendor is back with her own restaurant
A longstanding La Cocina food-hall vendor is back with her own brick-and-mortar restaurant nearby almost a year after the marketplace closed. Estrella Gonzalez opened Estrellita’s Snacks at 483 Ellis St. on Tuesday, selling pupusas and tamales just a few blocks away from the marketplace’s former home at 101 Hyde St. La Cocina is a local nonprofit that acts as an incubator for small food businesses operated by women and people...
SF Jewish Film Festival centers diverse perspectives on Israel-Palestine
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival has long been a forum for expression of various points of view, including cinematic themes one might not necessarily consider pro-Israel, such as films about Palestinians. But when the film festival is held for the 44th time from July 18 to Aug. 4, it will present films about Palestinians in the politically and emotionally charged atmosphere that has prevailed since Oct. 7. On that...
Power, politics and process: Ronen resignation heightens retirement-benefits battle
A political power struggle in San Francisco City Hall escalated Tuesday when Supervisor Hillary Ronen abruptly resigned from her position as chair of the board’s Rules Committee. Ronen accused Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin of “undermining the credibility” of the board by scheduling special meetings to overturn the Rules Committee’s Monday decision to effectively block a charter amendment from appearing on the November ballot. Her announcement came as the...
Elon Musk says X leaving SF after Newsom signs gender-identity law
Elon Musk announced Tuesday he’s moving X’s headquarters from San Francisco to Austin, Texas. The tech billionaire, who bought the social-media platform then known as Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022, said in a post on X that the move was partially in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a bill that bars school districts from informing parents of their children’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression without the child’s consent. ...
Michelin-starred restaurateurs taking over Ferry Building’s Slanted Door space
A new tenant will set up shop at the Ferry Building to take over the Slanted Door’s former outpost in San Francisco’s iconic waterfront building, building officials announced Tuesday. The team behind Sorrel, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Pacific Heights, will open its next eatery at the Ferry Building Marketplace early in 2025 after it signed a 15-year lease. The Slanted Door, which shuttered at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, decamped from the Ferry Building two months ago, citing high costs associated with renovating the...
SF still losing tech jobs, but is a rebound on the horizon?
When it comes to employment levels, San Francisco’s tech industry might not have reached rock bottom yet — but it could be getting closer. The combined tech workforce of San Francisco and San Mateo counties is now smaller than it was at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has continued to shrink in recent months. Tech companies have done little hiring lately, and trends in the industry and in the economy at large could keep hiring depressed for the time being. ...
Tesla still hasn't talked to state robotaxi regulators
Tesla still lacks approval to operate autonomous vehicles in California amid CEO Elon Musk seemingly confirming reports saying the company had postponed its highly anticipated robotaxi launch. Some industry experts aren’t holding their breath for the rescheduled date, either. Both the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Motor Vehicles told The Examiner on Monday that Tesla has not applied for a driverless-testing permit or a deployment permit. ...
SF overdose deaths down in first half of ’24
Drug-overdose deaths in San Francisco fell 27% in June, with The City recording fewer fatalities through the first six months of 2024 than the same time last year, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. But San Francisco’s six-month total is its second-highest since The City began recording that information in 2020, putting it on pace to record more overdose deaths than in any year but 2023. There...
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