The GrowSF Report: Restaurant fees illegal on July 1
PLUS: SFUSD faces budget cuts & difficult decisions
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of Monday, April 29, 2024:
- Restaurant service charges to become illegal on July 1
- SFUSD faces budget cuts & difficult decisions
- A reimagined Stonestown moves forward
- UCSF expands, adding hospital beds and homes
Recent & upcoming openings:
- Rosemary fried chicken comes to the Fillmore
- Cafe de Casa opens on Fisherman’s Wharf
Restaurant service charges to become illegal on July 1
The California Attorney General’s office confirmed this week that restaurant service charges will soon be illegal. There was much speculation and concern among restaurants about a bill to eliminate hidden “junk fees.” Starting July 1, upcharges and fees on restaurant bills are now illegal, even if they’re disclosed on the menu.
“SB 478 applies to restaurants, just like it applies to businesses across California,” a Department of Justice spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement Tuesday. “The law is about making sure consumers know what they are going to pay and requires that the posted price include the full amount that a consumer must pay for that good or service.”
— Elena Kadvany in The Chronicle
Restaurant owners say they will have to raise menu prices or cut jobs. “This is radically changing long-acting ways of doing business,” Golden Gate Restaurant Association Executive Director Laurie Thomas said to the Chronicle. We disagree with that view.
Restaurants should charge what things actually cost, and not hide behind hidden fees. This move is good for diners and should be revenue neutral for restaurants.
SFUSD faces budget cuts & difficult decisions
Faced with declining enrollment and decades of mismanagement, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) may be forced to close and combine some schools. A recent Fiscal Health Risk Analysis reveals that SFUSD has a high risk of insolvency (as soon as July 2025!) if it does not make budget cuts.
For every student who leaves SFUSD, the district loses approximately $14,650. In addition, schools will lose pandemic relief funds this fall. This double-whammy loss of funding means that SFUSD will have to make some hard decisions. “We could be serving 14,000 more students, but that’s not what the future holds for us,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said to Allyson Aleksey at the Examiner. To help assess next steps, the district is hosting a series of community sessions to gather input on potential closures.
We will analyze what every School Board candidate thinks about these trade-offs ahead of the November election, so stay tuned for our endorsements!
A reimagined Stonestown moves forward
Plans to reimagine parking lots at Stonestown into a transit-rich, housing-dense walkable community are moving forward. Following negotiations between the developer and the city, 3,500 new homes will be built, 20% of which will be subsidized at below-market rates; and the city will receive three parcels of land to build more subsidized housing. The project will offer a senior village, a child care center, and six acres of parks.
West side residents are excited to see the project finally move forward. “I love the plan. I love that they increased the amount of housing,” said Kath Tsakalakis to The Chronicle. “Obviously the city desperately needs housing and it’s the perfect place to increase density.”
The project has one more hurdle, however: it must go before the Planning Commission on May 9th. Thank you for voicing your support on this project!
UCSF expands, adding hospital beds and homes
One of San Francisco’s largest landowners and its second largest employer is growing in a big way!
The University of California San Francisco broke ground on a $4.3 billion expansion at its Parnassus Heights campus, dubbed the “UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital.” Slated to be completed by 2030, the project will add a new hospital to the UCSF portfolio, increasing the number of beds of UCSF’s medical centers by 37%, and bringing additional jobs to the area. UCSF has also committed to adding 1,263 homes for UCSF workers, faculty and students, and contributing $20m for public transportation improvements.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Rosemary fried chicken comes to the Fillmore
WHERE: 1375 Fillmore St
WHEN: Tuesday-Thursday, 4-9pm; Friday & Saturday, 4-10pm
Chef Fernay McPherson has opened a brick-and-mortar in the neighborhood she grew up in, according to Omar Mamoon at the Standard. Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement offers mouth-watering fried chicken marinated in hot sauce and secret spices. There are several sides to choose from, including mac and cheese. The cornbread is included! San Francisco will now boast a new (somewhat) late-night comfort food destination, and we’re excited about that.
Cafe de Casa opens on Fisherman’s Wharf
WHERE: 685 Beach St
WHEN: Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm; Sunday, 8am-5pm
Cafe de Casa just opened its third location in the city at iconic Fisherman’s Wharf. You can get strong coffee and traditional Brazilian food like Pão na Chapa, pastéis and acai bowls. They also offer yummy dessert options like coconut bread. And a plus, they have gluten free options!
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Mark your calendar for our May 20th Mayoral Debate with TogetherSF
San Francisco votes for mayor this November—who we choose will have a major impact not only on the next four years, but San Francisco’s future for years to come. That’s why we’re putting the mayoral candidates in the hot seat at the TogetherSF x GrowSF Mayoral Debate ‘24. RSVP to watch our first-ever, can’t-miss mayoral debate via livestream on Monday, May 20th at 6pm.
Join us for our next Happy Hour on May 23rd
Join us for the May edition of our monthly happy hour! We hope to have some special guests, more info on that soon. We’ll be back at ANINA in Hayes Valley on Thursday, May 23rd and hope to see you there!
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
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo in San Francisco is a vibrant and festive celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. The city comes alive with colorful parades, music, dance performances, and delicious Mexican cuisine. Many restaurants and bars offer special menus and drink specials for the occasion. Here are some ways to celebrate.
What we’re writing about
Thousands bid adieu to legacy BART trains
A line of people coiled fifteen hundred feet from the up escalator at Oakland’s MacArthur BART station on April 20th. The reward: A ride that wouldn’t have amused any of us the last 52 years. But today, we arrived en masse to ride from MacArthur station to Fremont on the last public run on the last of the legacy BART cars.
From sci-fi to reality: ‘Eternal You’ shows AI’s impact on death and grief
If you could talk to the dead, would you? What if those dead were simulations generated by AI systems and the digital remnants of the deceased?
We’re asked this by Eternal You, which premiered at the SF Film Festival this week. I’ve heard it called a horrifying documentary and a blueprint for death capitalism: We monetize everything nowadays, so why not spend money resurrecting a loved one? It sounds haunting but the future is already here.
North Beach soirée served up the San Francisco style I’ve been missing
Food lovers, drag queens and hobnobbers amassed not long ago at the historic Savoy Tivoli in North Beach, where free bites and huge smiles floated amid a veritable sea of boho-chic caftans and campy prints. We seldom witness this much local influence just hanging out in a neighborhood restaurant party, other than The Stud opening. And just like that: tablehopper turned 18.
San Francisco’s oldest movie theater: The Roxie
“The Roxie has had more lives than a cat,” says Lex Sloan, the executive director of the nonprofit that owns and runs the cinema. “It has nearly died many times.” And it has also had many names.
The Roxie is one of the oldest continuously operating movie theaters in the United States. It was founded in 1909 under the name The Poppy by a jeweler with a handle out of Raymond Chandler. Today, the Roxie Theater continues to operate as a vital part of San Francisco’s cultural landscape. It remains committed to showcasing a diverse range of films and events that reflect the spirit of the city.
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