The GrowSF Report: Help victims of Hayes Valley Fire
The GrowSF Report: Help victims of Hayes Valley Fire
PLUS: Waymo & Cruise get permits to operate 24/7 paid service
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of August 7, 2023:
- Help the victims of Hayes Valley Fire
- Waymo & Cruise get permits to operate 24/7 paid service
- That mid-market Ikea is finally opening
- Learn what the city’s top officials get paid
- Human-driven Semi crashes into autonomous car
Help the victims of Hayes Valley Fire
Last week a four alarm fire at Octavia and Oak in Hayes Valley displaced six people from their homes. The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association is raising money to help them find temporary accommodation and pay for food & clothes until their insurance and city assistance payments arrive.
100% of the donations will go to those affected.
If you can, please help our neighbors in need by donating.
Waymo & Cruise get permits to operate 24/7 paid service
The future is here! On Thursday, August 10, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to allow Waymo and Cruise to operate paid rides across the city 24/7, writes Matthew Kupfer and Ida Mojadad for The Standard. The meeting took over seven hours to hear comments from hundreds of members of the public.
The CPUC is a state agency that has authority over the roads in all parts of California, so (luckily) our anti-change Supervisors couldn’t weigh in to stop this incredible new technology.
P.S. Ever wondered what it’s like to ride in a driverless car? GrowSF co-founder Steven Buss filmed a full 10-minute ride, which you can watch in its full, unedited form below 👇
That mid-market Ikea is finally opening
Välkommen Ikea!
If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on some Swedish meatballs and a $10 table, your wait is nearly over. Carolyn Said writes in the Chronicle that Ikea will officially open on August 23!
City leaders hope the new Ikea will bring some much needed foot traffic (and the security that goes along with it) to the distressed mid-market area.
(Personally, we’re excited for the pickled herring 🐟 👀)
Learn what the city’s top officials get paid
San Francisco government’s 36,490 employees took home over $4.56 billion in pay in FY 2023, accordingly to newly released data reported by Noah Baustin in The Standard. The two highest paid employees were both money managers in San Francisco’s Department of Employee Retirement Services, but the number three and four were officers in the SF Police and Sheriff Departments, both with salaries buoyed with overtime pay, a trend reflected in the 12% payroll increase for the police department, due to a major spike in overtime pay.
Employee pay has increased steadily over the years, jumping by 27% between 2018 and 2023. This trend is expected to continue, even as the city tax base erodes significantly.
Fair pay to our elected officials and hired city workers is something we support, but we also need to be realistic about what the city can bear. The city needs to pursue ways to spend not just less, but to spend better; hiring more officers, so that we are paying less in overtime, is one example of a smart move.
Human-driven Semi crashes into autonomous car
Mirroring recent similar incidents, anti-tech activists were quick to falsely blame the Cruise car which collided with a human-driven semi-truck, but the truck driver was actually at fault. The false allegations were amplified by Mission Local.
When details emerged, they showed that the semi driver attempted an illegal left turn from the right lane. The Cruise car made a complete stop as soon as it detected the truck driver’s illegal and dangerous maneuver, limiting damage and ensuring no one was hurt.
Autonomous cars are orders of magnitude safer than human drivers. They do not get drunk, they do not react emotionally, they do not get road rage. They have instantaneous reaction times, and a bevy of sensors that humans do not have. For safer streets, we must embrace these cars.
You can read more about the incident at The Standard.
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The Spirit of San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city and the Bay Area. Here’s what makes it great. Brought to you by The Bold Italic.
What we’re doing this week
It’s tomato week
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association is featuring a new summer promotion on tomatoes. Restaurants throughout San Francisco will offer special tomato focused dishes from August 7th-13th. Participating restaurants include One Market, The Barrel Room, Waterbar, and Wildseed, among many others. If you like tomatoes and tomato-inspired dishes, check out the full list of participants:
What we’re writing about
The Bold Italic can now accept tax-deductible donations
And we’ve got a new logo, too. The Bold Italic — a longtime San Francisco online magazine that celebrates the Bay Area — has officially relaunched with a new editor in chief, new look, and nonprofit status. Support us today, and we do accept stock and Donor Advised Fund donations.
Inside the Church of 8 Wheels, we worship good vibes only
Patterned lights grace the old walls and ceiling and elastic-seeming shapes run along stained glass windows. A fairly packed house, people fly along the floor, peeling and stepping their eight wheels along the laminated surface. Everyone can hear funk booming from speakers as their skates light up green, red and blue.
It’s clearly another fun night at the Church of Eight Wheels.
I went to the Eras Tour as a 33 year old
“Part of me expected to be one of the older people there. Certainly, two of the people who gave me bracelets were significantly younger than me, but others were my age or older. I went to the concert expecting to stick out in a sea of women in their late teens and early 20s. But Taylor Swift is the great unifier.” Santiago Melli-Huber describes his experience as an aging Swiftie.
Get all-day Mexican brunch at this new SF spot
Nothing celebrates the Misson’s Latin soul like its food, from Sonoran hot dog or fruit carts lining the streets to the wealth of taquerias and Mexican markets.
Among our newer Mexican eateries, many are hearty, hefty, classic. That’s what makes new, female-run El Mil Amores refreshing. It’s Mexican owned and legit, authentic food but with fresh, current touches.
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