City Insight
It’s Over 100 Today. Cooling Centers in the Bay Area
City Insight It’s going to be super hot today with temperatures in much of the Bay Area reaching past 100. Here’s a list of some of the cooling centers in the Bay Area thanks to KRON4 and CBS. Please note that face coverings and social distancing are required at all cooling centers. Bay Area Cooling more...
Oakland Has a New Rapid Bus Line (And It’s Free For 90 Days)
City Insight, Freebies Thank you KPIX5 for letting us know that the brand new AC Transit ‘Tempo’ rapid bus system finally opened for riders this week after four years of construction. Tempot, an express bus line through Oakland, debuted on Sunday. The system cost $232 million to set up and serves 46 new platform more...
The 22 Fillmore Is About to Get Some Big Changes
City Insight The first phase of SFMTA’s 16th Street Improvement Project from Potrero to 3rd Street is nearly complete. And soon, the 22 Fillmore will have a brand new route, going to Mission Bay instead of Dogpatch. This means new signalized intersections, new transit islands and transit bulbs for safer and more efficient bus more...
“Asking Rents” in SF Down Nearly 20% From Peak
City Insight, Housing Thanks to Socketsite for letting us know that “asking rents” (i.e. the rent that landlords are hoping to get in their advertisements) in San Francisco are down nearly 20% from their 2015-era peak and still appearing to drop. While the current weighted average of $3,600 a month still isn’t “cheap,” it’s more...
“The Rock” Turns 86 Today: Alcatraz’s Anniversary
City Insight Alcatraz, the former federal island prison that once held the likes of gangster Al Capone, offers national park visitors a close-up look at a maximum-security, minimum-privilege life. COVID Update: Alcatraz Island is currently open for outdoor-only day tour visits. (The interior of the prison is currently closed to the public). Boats more...
SF Renters May Finally Have More Negotiating Power
City Insight, Housing Thanks to KPIX for letting us know that the COVID rental market has shifted things in the Bay Area and that the rental market has “come back to earth.” “The balance of power has absolutely shifted” – Jeff Tucker, economist, Zillow According to Zillow, current lease holders and renters have more leverage more...
SF Jury Trials in Federal Courts Postponed Until October
City Insight Thanks to the SF Chronicle for letting us know that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases has prompted the San Francisco federal court to postpone jury trials until October. Jury trials in civil cases have also been postponed. But, if both sides agree, judges can conduct trials remotely without a jury. While more...
SF’s “Sinking” Millennium Tower Finally Has a Fix
City Insight Thanks to SFGATE for letting us know that after sinking 18 inches, SF’s 58-story Millennium Tower finally has a fix. At 645 feet tall, the Millennium Tower was the tallest residential laughing stock in San Francisco. After sinking 18 inches and leaning 14 inches, cracking and popping. Its permits and approvals more...
SF’s New “Homelessness Recovery Plan” Aims to Help 6,000
City Insight Mayor London N. Breed announced last Tuesday a plan to support investments in housing and shelter as part of a broader Homelessness Recovery Plan that will help the City create more housing and shelter for homeless residents as San Francisco endures and eventually emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full more...
New Skateboarding “Speed Bumps” Added to Dolores Street
City Insight Thank you KRON4 and SFGATE for letting us know that the annual “Hill Bomb” skateboarding event raised concerns about public safety and led the SFMTA to install speed bumps at the foot of Dolores Street hill to try to stop skateboarders. Update: SF Examiner reports that a 23-year-old bicyclist was killed more...
Breakdown of SF’s Rental Market by Neighborhood
City Insight, Housing Thanks to SFGATE for letting us know how the plunge in the San Francisco rental market breaks down by neighborhood. Zumper National Rent Report for July 2020 shows that one-bedroom rents are down 11.8% across the city, (June 2019 to June 2020) beating the previous month’s record of largest decline ever more...
SF’s Record-Breaking Rent Drop. Prices Down 11.8% from 2019
City Insight, Housing Thanks to ABC7 for letting us know that San Francisco rents are continuing to drop by a record pace as companies embrace remote work. According to Zumper, Rents for one-bedroom apartments in San Francisco have dropped by 11.8% since June 2019. That’s the largest year-over-year decline, beating last month’s record. Read the more...
Free Museum Days for 200,000 SF Residents This Summer
City Insight, Museums / Cultural Institutions, What's Closed / What's Open The city of San Francisco is launching the second year of the Museums for All program to provide free summer admission to 15+ local museums and cultural institutions for all San Francisco residents who receive public benefits. Last year 25,000 people participated in the program When are museums opening? Museums are more...
1930s UCSF Murals In Danger Unless $8 Million Is Raised
City Insight, Murals In the wake of COVID-19 and financial challenges, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that sadly the UCSF New Deal murals could be destroyed. A series of celebrated New Deal-era murals on the UCSF Parnassus campus, painted in the 1930s by Diego Rivera collaborator Bernard Zakheim could be destroyed unless $8 million more...
Defund The Police? Here’s How Much SF & Oakland Spend on Police
Causes, City Insight, Police Reform Thanks to SF Gate for their research and letting us know how much several prominent Bay Area cities spend on their police departments. A few things to start with is that every city and budget can vary wildly and can’t often be compared apples to apples. Also for context, most people who more...
