The GrowSF Report: San Franciscans fed up in new poll
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of September 12, 2022:
- San Franciscans fed up in new poll
- YIMBYs gear up to sue San Francisco for breaking housing laws
- DA Jenkins on charging juveniles for ‘heinous’ crimes
- California’s poverty rate highest in the nation
San Franciscans fed up in new poll
Report cards are in for the SF Board of Supervisors, and it’s not looking pretty.
Only 12% of San Franciscans think the Board of Supervisors is going an excellent or good job. 88% of people think they need to do better, according to the SF Chronicle.
These results, polled from 1,650 respondents, remained consistent across ethnicity, gender, and age groups.
This is an abysmal result, and everyone can see how poorly served our city is by many of our current Supervisors. SF can be much better, but we must hold those in charge accountable. It’s time to vote for change; ballots arrive in mailboxes in 19 days — be sure to vote for Matt Dorsey in District 6 and Joel Engardio in District 4.
YIMBYs gear up to sue San Francisco for breaking housing laws
San Francisco city government has consistently refused to follow state laws to allow housing to be built. The State of California has issued threats, but lacks an enforcement mechanism.
Sonja Trauss, the Executive Director of YIMBY Law, a pro-housing legal group, thinks she has a solution: sue the city if they don’t follow the law. Yes, even the San Francisco Board of Supervisors isn’t above the law!
Trauss is raising money for the “Sue San Francisco Fund”, and has already raised $300K out of a $1M budget.
DA Jenkins on charging juveniles for ‘heinous’ crimes
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins introduced a new policy around charging children as adults: only 16- and 17-year old defendants who are accused of committing the most heinous and egregious crimes that “shock the conscience of the community” may be considered for adult charges. These crimes include attempted murder, forcible sexual assault, kidnapping, torture and aggravated mayhem
The justification for this policy lay in the belief that more time is needed to rehabilitate individuals who commit the worst, most violent crimes, and a conviction through juvenile court results in release into a re-entry program by the age of 23.
California’s poverty rate highest in the nation
The US Census Bureau just released updated statistics on poverty — California is, yet again, the state with the highest poverty rate.
Poverty rate is directly related to the cost of living, the cost of housing, and the availability of homes. As we know, both San Francisco and California have a crippling housing shortage, caused by decades of anti-growth policies. We have, quite literally, done this to ourselves.
Home builders would like to build more homes in San Francisco, but the city’s political climate, and all of the hurdles our leadership throws up, makes home builders give up and build elsewhere.
If we want to lower our poverty rate, we need to build homes - apartments, condos, single family homes - all of them. We can only do that if we get the politicians out of the way, and let people build.
Your Action Plan - Elections are Coming!
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Support Prop D to build Affordable Homes Now
Remember to vote Yes on D and No on E this November. The Board of Supervisors is trying to torpedo our pro-housing ballot measure by running their own anti-housing measure, Prop E.
Yes on D - Definitely build housing, No on E - Everything’s wrong with it
Matt Dorsey for Supervisor - One step at a time
GrowSF has endorsed Matt Dorsey for Supervisor of District 6! We think he is the right person for the job, with a commitment to housing, growth, and making the city work for all. Learn more about Supervisor Dorsey, and why we are supporting him, in our voter guide (coming soon).
Celebrate San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city. Here’s what makes it great:
Mc Allen keeps people moving
Mc Allen loves his job as a Muni bus driver, and he loves talking to his passengers even more.
Allen, a poet and renaissance man, knew he wanted to become a Muni driver after reading the SF Chronicle’s “Total Muni” column, where three local journalists rode every Muni line in a single day (it took 18 hours!). He repeated the stunt with his two kids and was immediately hooked.
As a driver, his favorite line is the 44-O’Shaughnessy, especially as it cruises effortlessly by Glen Canyon. But his favorite to ride is the 15-Bayview Hunters Point Express, which connects the southeast part of the city to Downtown via Allen’s own neighborhood, Dogpatch.
“The 15 does that, and it does it really well,” Allen said. “I glory in it every time I ride.”
Koalas are picky eaters
Turns out koalas are very picky about what they eat, but luckily San Francisco is home to many species of eucalyptus that they enjoy. The koalas food is picked right in our parks by one of the zoo’s horticulture teams.
Should we remove the central freeway?
Highways are like huge scars across the urban landscape: separating communities and taking space away from people. Every time a highway has come down - the Embarcadero and Octavia street, to name two instances - beautiful spaces have emerged.
Some committed SF residents are forcing the city to reconsider the Central Freeway, and drawing a lot of support.
New Jewish bakery from Tartine & Four Barrel talents
Coming soon to Hayes Valley: a new Jewish bakery called Loquat at 198 Gough St.
The cafe will serve baked goods inspired by the Jewish diaspora and Levantine flavors, from labne cheesecakes topped with roasted figs to Turkish coffee cream pie. Cups of Four Barrel espresso will arrive with a complimentary treat like house-made halvah or candied citrus.
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Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
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