The Grow SF Report, Vol. 17
What You Need To Know
The latest updates on SF government progress, policies, and priorities:
Bart bringing back late night service
Late-night BART is back (soon), baby!
Why Van Ness took so long
The SF Civil Grand Jury just released their report on why the Van Ness Ave bus lanes have taken so long. These kinda of delays are the reason why it’s so hard to get anything done in San Francisco, and are completely unacceptable for a city with our resources. We need to do better.
Executive Summary: The Van Ness Corridor Transit Improvement Project (Van Ness Project) and the delays it has incurred illustrate organizational shortcomings the City and County of San Francisco (the City) faces in delivering major public works projects. In particular:
Planning and design processes failed to capture the scope of the project adequately.
Contracting processes failed to instill accountability.
Ongoing project management failed to remediate problems efficiently and effectively.
These shortcomings created opportunities for mistakes years before breaking ground and throughout the construction process, and many of them were foreseeable and avoidable. The City should take action to address these shortcomings to prevent similar failures in future projects.
Target reduced hours
Walgreens has been closing stores across the city, and now Target has reduced their store hours in response to an increase in shoplifting. While Supervisor Safai has sent a letter of inquiry to the DA and Police Chief, other Supervisors have been silent on the matter.
Update: SF COVID-19 Vaccinations
San Francisco has become the first major city in the United States to reach “herd immunity”. Great job everyone!
Vaccination Rate: 82% of SF residents over 12 have received at least 1 dose. 75% have been fully vaccinated.
Eligibility: All SF residents 12 and older are eligible to be vaccinated!
Vaccine Sites: Find a vaccine site near you.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Support Affordable Housing in the Sunset
Come to SF YIMBY’s rally for affordable housing in the Sunset, this Sunday at 1pm at the Sunset Rec Center. RSVP here.
School Board Recall Needs Donations
The best way to help with the school board recall is to make a donation or print the petition for you and your friends to sign.
The SF Chronicle reported support for recall is at 60 percent. But it has to make it on the ballot first!
Volunteers (mostly parents) have collected over 26,000 signatures, but they’re only halfway done and a September 7 deadline is looming. Now, the only way to make the deadline is to pay professional signature gatherers every day of the week.
Why recall? Here’s the point-by-point case against Alison Collins, Faauuga Moliga, and Gabriela Lopez.
The Future of Pride Is Here!
The power of storytelling is as strong as ever in changing hearts and minds. But which stories and voices still need to be heard and elevated?
Angelic Williams (founder of the MyUmbrella app) moderated a conversation with LGBTQ writers who are telling today’s most powerful stories. This event was sponsored by Team Q of the United Democratic Club.
Fun in SF
Check out some of our favorite fun activities happening in SF right now:
New Bar Opened by SF Native
Have you ever dreamed about opening a bar? SF native Chen-Chen Huo just opened Trade Routes on Polk St. The place looks incredible. We can’t wait to check it out.
Bee Sculpture at the de Young
Pierre Huyghe's 'Exomind' is open again in its permanent home in the de Young Sculpture Garden. Looks creepy, but cool.
Comedy on Thursday evenings at District
See comedians featured on Conan, James Corden, SF Sketchfest, Comedy Central's Clusterfest, and more Thursdays at District wine bar in Soma.
Sunday Jazz at Manny’s
Manny's is proud to host free live jazz every Sunday curated by the incredible Jazz Mafia. Head in on Sunday afternoon from 3-6 PM to enjoy a nice glass of wine, chill vibes, and support Bay Area musicians performing their art for your listening pleasure.
Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
The Golden Gate Bridge was trending on Twitter a few days ago. Here are some of our favorite photos:
