The Grow SF Report, Vol. 29
The Grow SF Report, Vol. 29
The latest updates on SF government progress, policies, and priorities
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city this week:
David Chiu appointed to City Attorney, triggers election
We’ve been tracking rumors of David Chiu moving from the State Assembly to San Francisco City Attorney for months, and it finally happened!
On Tuesday, Mayor Breed appointed Dennis Herrera to the lead the Public Utilities Commission and on Wednesday Mayor Breed appointed David Chiu to fill his role as City Attorney.
City Hall insiders expect Chiu to resign his Assembly seat in late October which will trigger a special election for Assembly District 17.
There are already four contenders in the race. Our friend Bilal Mahmood, who you may know from the Grow SF Town Hall Podcast, has just thrown his hat into the ring! The others are David Campos (former Supervisor and current Chief of Staff to Chesa Boudin), Supervisor Matt Haney, and Thea Selby.
Make sure you and your friends are subscribed to the Grow SF Newsletter so you can keep track of this race. Election day will be here sooner than you expect, and we’ll be with you every step of the way keeping you informed.
S.F. supervisors approve contracts to replace parking meters and Muni trains
SFMTA officials said replacing parking meters and procuring 30 more light rail vehicles would save the agency money in the long run. The agency will save $6 million in operating costs for the parking meters and “over $100 million” on the new trains, according to SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin.
Millennium Tower plumbing problems
The leaning tower can’t seem to catch a break (but renters sure are!). Sewage pipes from toilets and drains need to slope downhill (for obvious reasons) but the tower is leaning so much these days that some of those lines are starting to level off. It’s nothing that isn’t fixable, but it’s yet another costly setback for the building and its residents.
Mo’ Money, mo’ festivals
Mayor London Breed and City Administrator Carmen Chu announced “more than $12 million in grants to support in-person community parades and festivals” this past Monday. These grants are essential in rebuilding San Francisco’s suffering tourist industry, and they’ll be a nice respite for our city’s increasingly exasperated residents.
Tourism is the city’s largest industry, and without the tax revenue it brings the city will have to make some serious budget cuts. This is money well spent.
Nearly 200 police staff want religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandate
In what must be a mass religious conversion, nearly 200 police staff are seeking a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate. According the to San Francisco Chronicle, this is the “highest number of waiver requests from any city department, by far.”
Roughly 91% of city staff and 88% of San Franciscans over 12 are vaccinated. Grow SF is beyond disappointed that those pledged to protect and serve are refusing to do the most basic act in service of others. It’s irresponsible and selfish behavior, and any cops who put their personal preferences ahead of the public’s needs should have no place on the force.
Is Chesa hiding the truth, or is the whole system not being transparent?
For months people have been debating if crime is up or down. Even in this newsletter you’ve seen conflicting reports (and admission that even we aren’t sure!). But there’s a reason to distrust the data and the reporting.
As Anna Tong, a freelance journalist, writes in the Chronicle: “San Francisco’s criminal justice system is a black box. And a major reason why is because our criminal records request system is shamefully inadequate. We are the tech capital of the world, yet our system is stuck in a pre-internet time warp.”
SF Judge calls Chesa disorganized, incompetent
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan blasted District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s office for mismanagement. “I cannot express in any more certain terms my disapproval of the manner in which the Office of the District Attorney is being managed,” said Judge Chan.
Judge Chan went on, saying that Boudin put his politics ahead of the “fundamentals of competent, professional prosecution” and “I hope that people in the District Attorney’s Office will shift their focus from some of the bigger issues and concern themselves with the unglamorous yet necessary work of public prosecution,” Chan continued. “It’s time to really take care of business at home instead of thinking about the national or state stage.”
Read the full story at the SF Examiner.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Support the Housing Project Above Grubstake
Support 21 new homes and the preservation of a critical chapter of LGBTQI+ history on the Polk Street corridor.
The project has secured its planning approvals, but some next-door residents have filed a meritless appeal. We need your help to build homes and save a small business!
Sign the petition today, and you can also provide public testimony in support of the project at the virtual Board of Supervisor hearing on Tuesday, October 5, at 3:00 pm.
Fun in SF
Check out some of our favorite fun activities happening in SF right now:
The Randall Museum is reopening this Saturday
The Randall museum is a fun nature and science museum in Corona Heights Park.
The museum’s mission is to “provide a hands-on community learning center with no entry fee where children and adults can explore STEM, nature, and the arts through engaging exhibits, activities, and classes.”
Buy your tickets now for the reopening party this Friday, October 1! It’s an adults-only event with food, beer, wine, and cocktails so leave the kiddos at home. They’re featuring 45 art works and will run a silent auction to help raise money for the museum.
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Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
SFMTA Direct Jeffrey Tumlin wants your input about where new bike lanes should go.
In a better timeline, we’d have BART to wine country and all the way down the Peninsula. Alas, local control means we don’t live in the best of times. Take a look at what could have been, and what may, someday, be!
Update: SF COVID-19 Vaccinations
With the delta variant spreading, it’s important that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated.
Delta variant update
If you received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine and are worried about the Delta variant, San Francisco’s Department of Public Health Adult Immunization & Travel Clinic (AITC) and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) are offering supplemental mRNA shots.
Current stats
Vaccination Rate: 88% of SF residents over 12 have received at least 1 dose. 82% have been fully vaccinated.
Eligibility: All SF residents 12 and older are eligible to be vaccinated!
Vaccine Sites: Find a vaccine site near you.