The GrowSF Report: School closures, budget cuts, and leadership questions haunt SFUSD
The GrowSF Report: School closures, budget cuts, and leadership questions haunt SFUSD
PLUS: EPA lawsuit could push 8,000 San Franciscans into poverty
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of September 22, 2024:
- School closures, budget cuts, and leadership questions haunt SFUSD
- EPA lawsuit could raise SF utility bills 10x
- Emails reveal safety concerns as Mid-Market struggles to rebound
- Waymo robotaxis vandalized in Mission District tagging spree
- BART, Caltrain, and SFMTA face combined $700M budget deficit; service cuts looming
- Valencia’s center bike lane is getting replaced
Recent & upcoming openings:
Union Square welcomes high-end Korean BBQ — ABSteak
School closures, budget cuts, and leadership questions haunt SFUSD
The San Francisco School Board is in crisis mode, scheduling a rare emergency meeting last weekend with all eyes on Superintendent Matt Wayne, who faces growing pressure over the district’s financial troubles and looming school closures. Many wonder if his leadership is about to come to an end.
The timing couldn't be worse: Superintendent Wayne is expected to announce a proposal to close 10 schools in the coming weeks following a month-long delay. The district is also grappling with declining enrollment, half-empty buildings, and a $400 million budget shortfall.
Tensions are rising, and it’s clear that the challenges facing San Francisco’s public schools won’t be resolved quickly or easily.
In the upcoming election, we recommend voting for Parag Gupta, Supryia Ray, John Jersin, and Jaime Huling because they have what it takes to balance the budget and end the crisis in our school district.
City freezes Dream Keeper funds after more ethics violations surface
Looks like San Francisco’s nonprofit sector is serving up scandal again, this time with a side of steak and luxury flights. Collective Impact—a nonprofit tied to City Hall—is under fire after failing to mention that its leader James Spingola has been living with Sheryl Davis, the same city official who approved $1.5 million in contracts for his group.
Until she resigned, Davis had been doling out funds from a $45 million lump sum kept by Dream Keeper Initiative, which Mayor London Breed launched 4 years ago to combat systemic racism against Black San Franciscans. So now the scandal deepens because another group—Both Sides of the Conversation—has apparently taken Dream Keeper funds for steak dinners, first-class flights, and luxury chauffeur services. City officials have hit the brakes on all future payouts.
“From an ethical perspective, it is very difficult to defend this,” Santa Clara University ethics expert Joan Harrington told the SF Standard.
We need to take a closer look at how public funds are being spent under programs like the Dream Keeper Initiative. With November just around the corner, this scandal could likely shake up the mayoral race and raise serious questions about accountability in City Hall.
EPA lawsuit could raise SF utility bills 10x
If you think living in San Francisco is expensive, just wait: a lawsuit by the Environmental Protection Agency could force the city "to make at least $10 billion in capital expenditures that would cause water and sewer bills to skyrocket [from $851] to nearly $9,000 annually per ratepayer."
The lawsuit involves wastewater runoff. In a nutshell, during big rainstorms San Francisco's wastewater filtering system can get overwhelmed, and untreated sewage can flow into the sea. The city has invested billions to fix the problem, but the EPA says that isn't enough: it wants to make the city responsible for the quality of surrounding bodies of water generally, rather than just holding the city responsible for its own emissions. The city argues that isn't fair, noting that pollution may come from other sources (including the 100 other cities around the Bay).
It may sound academic, but the outcome will have real consequences: the SFPUC has estimated that the increased water bills could push over 8,000 San Franciscans into poverty. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on October 16.
Emails reveal safety concerns as Mid-Market struggles to rebound
Our oft-troubled Mid-Market neighborhood has seen some bright spots lately, with festivals like More Than 2 Blocks of Art, an F train jazz party, and the recent Civic Center outdoor concerts. But a different story unfolds at night: Drug users and dealers still remain a cornerstone of the area’s ongoing struggles.
A recent spate of emails reveal that local businesses like IKEA and Everwine are struggling with blocked garages, public drug use, and unsafe conditions, putting pressure on city officials to do more to secure the neighborhood and support businesses that are trying to make a difference.
“As you can imagine, this is unacceptable and we can’t continue to allow for this to take place,” wrote IKEA’s operations manager, Ricardo Tapia, in an email that the SF Standard obtained.
Change takes time, but we need the city to act faster before the progress in Mid-Market is lost. Without swift action, this neighborhood’s revival could be overshadowed by the very problems that have defined it for years.
Waymo robotaxis vandalized in Mission District tagging spree
It was a rough night for Waymo in the Mission District last weekend. Three robotaxis were vandalized by a group of masked criminals, with one captured on video — a passenger and his dog were trapped inside the robotaxi while vandals attacked the car.
This isn’t the first time vandals have taken aim at SF robotaxis. Earlier this year, violent hooligans set a Waymo vehicle on fire during Lunar New Year festivities in Chinatown. And in 2023, the anarchist group Safe Street Rebel disabled Cruise cars by illegally placing traffic cones in the street and even on top of Cruise robotaxis. As we’ve come to expect with antisocial behavior, no arrests have been made.
We need the City and police to take these crimes seriously. Passengers are being unlawfully detained while criminals attack their vehicles, and that is plainly unacceptable.
In some good news, though, Waymo has been expanding its operations not only within San Francisco but also the San Francisco Peninsula, where Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma have been added to its service area. Meanwhile, Zoox, Amazon’s robotaxi subsidiary, is also making moves in San Francisco. Even Cruise is making a cautious return to SF streets.
Ultimately, criminals cannot and will not hold the rest of us hostage to their anti-progress agenda.
Valencia’s center bike lane is getting replaced
Big changes are finally on their way to Valencia Street, where a much-talked-about center bike lane is getting a redesign — and relocation out of the middle of the road. After months of debate, the bike lane will move back to the curbside, featuring a new “parking-protected” design between 15th and 23rd streets, meaning cyclists won’t be directly next to moving cars.
SFMTA received a mixed reaction when they presented their plan at a community meeting on Monday. Some felt that the new curbside lane could introduce new conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians, especially near “floating parklets” that would allow cyclists to ride in between dining areas and the curb. Others, including local businesses, appreciated the move, as the center lane had been blamed for declining foot traffic and safety issues.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Union Square welcomes high-end Korean BBQ — ABSteak
Chef Akira Back is bringing ABSteak—which is also in LA and internationally—to San Francisco on October 8. This 6,500-square-foot Korean steakhouse will offer a high-end take on Korean BBQ, featuring smokeless tabletop grills with Japanese binchotan charcoal, where diners can cook their own premium meats like wagyu and dry-aged beef. The menu also includes luxurious dishes such as AB Wagyu Pizza and soy-marinated raw crab, with a focus on interactive grilling and traditional Korean flavors.
WHERE: 124 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA
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
“Closer Than Yesterday” premiere
Closer Than Yesterday” follows two young San Francisco Ballet dancers behind the scenes as they compete on the world stage at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. As they navigate setbacks and comebacks, they’re coached by former San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer Tiit Helimets.
This screening is followed by a Q&A with director Lisa Le Lievre, dancer Carmela Mayo, and producer/coach Tiit Helimets moderated by Katja Björner.
WHEN: Friday, October 4 @ 8:00PM
WHERE: LucasFilm Premier Theater
Castro Street Fair
The Castro Street Fair is an annual festival held in San Francisco's Castro District, typically on the first Sunday of October. And we love it, and we’ll see you there — this was our experience last year.
It was founded in 1974 by Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in California, to celebrate the vibrant LGBTQ+ community in the area. The fair features live entertainment, food vendors, arts and crafts, and community outreach booths.
WHEN: Sunday, October 6, from 11 AM to 6 PM
WHERE: Castro District, San Francisco (centered around Castro and Market Streets)
What we’re writing about
The Great Highway came alive with Taraval Night Market
Whenever we invite friends to the Outer Sunset, we often hear the same complaints: It’s too far, there’s nothing to do out there, and the beach is too cold. But Ocean Beach residents know how to throw a good party. While the Irving and Chinatown night markets attract large crowds from across the city, including out-of-town tourists, the Great Highway felt like a gathering of neighbors.
Cleve Jones marks 70th birthday by raising funds for the causes he built
Cleve Jones is celebrating his 70th birthday with an epic party on October 11, which coincides with National Coming Out Day. Among his reasons to celebrate include simply making it this far — Jones is one of the longest-living survivors of AIDS, having learned his positive status in 1979. We talked to him about his experience as a political influencer and the upcoming party, which will feature performances by Our Lady J, Chris Housman, Anthony Wayne, and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, with DJ Phil B spinning tunes.
25 years later, How Weird Street Faire still embraces burner and raver culture
With its unexpected postponement at the last minute due to rain this past May, Saturday’s rescheduled How Weird Street Faire sorta kicked off autumn street fair season here in San Francisco —
If this coming weekend’s Folsom Street Fair is your older leather daddy, and next Sunday’s Castro Street Fair is your rich gay uncle, then How Weird, with its colorful costumes and loud sound systems blasting several types of electronic music, is definitely your raver girl little sister.
Party for the Parks mixes wind, wine, and good company at China Basin
China Basin Park was the setting for this year’s Party for the Parks, an event that combines San Francisco’s love for green spaces with its love for — well, a good party.
The festivities on Saturday delivered the kind of scenic backdrop that will no doubt make it a go-to spot for future picnics. China Basin Park is a small space, but it packs a punch when it comes to views. Unfortunately, we had to enjoy a lot of it indoors; a brisk wind cut short party plans to catch a waterfront sunset.
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