San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen (D) is demanding that more police be hired to fight rampant crime in her district — after she joined the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 in its demand to “defund the police.” Ronen, who represents the city’s Mission district and Bernal Heights, not only backed “defund the police” at the time, but claimed that she had been doing so for many years, before it became politically fashionable on the left: Of course not but hard to summarize 5 hours of public comment in a tweet! I have been trying to defund SFPD to fund all the critically underfunded services in SF for years. I’m with you and appreciate your activism. — Hillary Ronen (@HillaryRonen) July 9, 2020 I want to make it clear that I believe strongly in defunding the police and reducing the number of officers on our force. For decades we’ve had an imbalance in our city’s budget, with hundreds of millions of dollars going to SFPD to have them do work they are not qualified to … [Read more...] about San Francisco Supervisor Demands More Cops After Backing ‘Defund the Police’
San francisco to san jose
About 3,900 San Francisco buildings are made in the same way as Turkish ones flattened in the earthquake
San Francisco has an estimated 3,900 buildings that have the same vulnerability as many of the structures in Turkey and Syria that collapsed during the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The buildings, which are mostly commercial but also include residential structures, are made of non-ductile concrete, said Brian Strong, who heads a city planning office that is developing a yet-to-be-finalized retrofit program to boost the safety of concrete buildings. Neighborhoods with the largest concentration of non-ductile concrete buildings include the downtown area, South of Market and the Tenderloin, said Strong, who runs the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning. “There should not be the kind of reaction that there has been over the last week of ‘Well, (Turkey is) a developing country, we have better codes, we have better construction practices, we could never get an earthquake that large.’ None of that is true. We have all of the same issues that they have there,” said David … [Read more...] about About 3,900 San Francisco buildings are made in the same way as Turkish ones flattened in the earthquake
More fallout from Laguna Honda troubles: Huge S.F. affordable housing project onsite delayed
As far as San Francisco housing projects go, the apartment complex proposed for a Laguna Honda Hospital parking lot seemed to have everything going in its favor. The plan had community support: Neighbors who had helped kill a similar project proposed across the street were not lining up to oppose the more than 250 badly needed affordable homes for seniors that were being planned at the Laguna Honda site. Political leaders, including Mayor London Breed and the local supervisor, also wanted the homes to be built. The city selected a well-known and respected affordable developer, Mercy Housing, to construct the complex, which would bring a mix of independent and assisted senior living units to the same campus as a city-run nursing home. But the project is now delayed due to circumstances unrelated to the proposed apartment complex. City officials and Mercy Housing say they’ve halted work on the project because of Laguna Honda’s ongoing certification problems . Federal … [Read more...] about More fallout from Laguna Honda troubles: Huge S.F. affordable housing project onsite delayed
Oakland’s new prosecutor tests voters’ views of crime and punishment
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 OAKLAND, Calif. - For more than a decade, the district attorney for Alameda County, where this city is the center of gravity, prosecuted crime the old-fashioned way, with stiff sentences and the reliable support of law-enforcement unions at election time. That changed sharply in November. Nancy O'Malley, the incumbent, declined to seek reelection amid the strengthening national push to reexamine who is punished and for how long. In her place, voters chose Pamela Price, a civil rights lawyer, who four years and a pandemic earlier had lost her challenge to O'Malley. Now, a woman who made a living taking on the local justice system is running it. "They elected me with a mandate," Price, the first Black woman to serve as Oakland district attorney, said in an interview. "And, to me, the right prosecutor for the moment is one who is not wedded to the status quo." Price … [Read more...] about Oakland’s new prosecutor tests voters’ views of crime and punishment
Pop Up Goes the Retail Scene as Store Vacancies Rise
As traditional retail stores close and vacancies mount, landlords across the country appear newly receptive to leases as short as a week, eschewing the typical 10-year time frame, even in locations that once shunned limited stays. The upswing in pop-up stores, as the short-term placements are called, is playing out in all sorts of ways, and in all sorts of places — including dark malls, former grocery stores and shuttered art galleries, according to real estate brokers, landlords and tenants. For retailers, the stores can offer lower rents and far less commitment. For the landlords, the reason is just as clear: A short-term tenant is better than no tenant at all. “Landlords have their backs against the wall right now,” said Samantha Elias, the co-founder of the Vintage Twin, a secondhand clothing company whose stores frequently pop up in Manhattan. “I tell them that some money is better than no money, and I promise not to bother you.” The rise in pop-up stores is adding … [Read more...] about Pop Up Goes the Retail Scene as Store Vacancies Rise
REPORT: Stalker Arrested At Kelly Clarkson’s Home After Violating Restraining Order
San Fernando police reportedly arrested Huguette Nicole Young on Wednesday night after she violated a restraining order for the twelfth time by lurking outside Kelly Clarkson’s home. Clarkson previously obtained a temporary restraining order , as well as a permanent restraining order against Young, who seems to habitually trespass on her property at 8:59 p.m., according to TMZ . There has been no official explanation as to the significance of that timing. Clarkson’s security team noticed Young on the property of her San Fernando Valley residence and phoned 911 for assistance, according to TMZ. A stalker who just won’t quit has gotten arrested again https://t.co/o33hV2oTQC — TMZ (@TMZ) January 26, 2023 Police responded to the call and immediately arrested Young on scene. Sources close to Clarkson revealed that the famous country singer is so concerned about Young’s refusal to abide by the court-ordered rules to stay off her property that she no longer permits her … [Read more...] about REPORT: Stalker Arrested At Kelly Clarkson’s Home After Violating Restraining Order