What You Need To Know

Here’s what happened around the city for the week of November 28, 2021.

• Hayes Valley is booming
• The air wasn’t great — and it wasn’t a wildfire!
• Understand SF’s $13B budget
• Ballot arguments submitted for the School Board Recall [PDF]

Hayes Valley is Booming Again

Covid hit SF hard, and we’re still a long way from a full recovery… but there are signs of hope! The Chronicle reports Hayes Valley is seeing a resurgence, “Residents credit public health improvements, car-free Hayes Street on weekends, the return of art performances in Civic Center, and a general trend of residential neighborhoods bouncing back faster than downtown”.

Bad Air Quality in SF (It’s Not a Wildfire)

You probably noticed the dark, dense air this past week. Was it Karl the Fog? Nope. Was it a nearby wildfire? Nope. The Examiner summarizes, “The smoggy air was caused by a temperature inversion, where warm air is held above cooler air, trapping wood smoke and vehicle exhaust, and other particulate matter close to the ground.”

While we’re thankful this air quality isn’t caused by a wildfire, it’s a reminder that we need to reduce our carbon emissions by reducing our use of gas and other fossil fuels.

SF’s Budget in 4 Charts, by The San Francisco Standard

San Francisco’s budget has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, from over $6B to over $13B per year! Where is all of that money going? The San Francisco Standard breaks it down with some cool interactive charts.

​​Five Former School Board Members Support Recalling Current Board

Five former school board members — Jill Wynns, Eddie Chin, Fred Rodriguez, Dan Kelly, and Carlota Del Portillo — signed a joint ballot argument in favor of recalling three current school board commissioners.

“The current Board ignored the plight of families during the pandemic and instead created foolish distractions,” they wrote.

The following officials also submitted written arguments in favor of recalling Alison Collins, Gabriela Lopez, and Faauuga Moliga:

• Mayor London Breed
• State Senator Scott Wiener
• Former California Democratic Party Chair John Burton
• Former president of the Board of Supervisors Matt Gonzalez

A total of 32 ballot arguments supporting the February 15, 2022 recall election will appear in the printed voter guide mailed to every registered voter by the Department of Elections. Read all the arguments here.

Your Action Plan

Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:

Food Truck Social hour on the Great Walkway

There are now food trucks out on the Great Highway while it’s closed to cars on the weekends. Viva Vegan, a plant-based burger truck, will be out at Judah St and California Kahve will be out with espresso and matcha at Taraval.

Join us for a social hour Saturday, December 4 @ 1pm

We’ll be having a low-key social hour with our friends at Streets for People, Great Highway Park and KidSafeSF today! Details below - hope to see you there!

Where: California Kahve at Great Highway/Taraval
When: 1pm until about 2:30

Adopt a Drain and Help Your Community

When we get heavy rain, leaves and other debris can clog up storm drains and cause flooding. This makes it hard for pedestrians, bikes, and even cars to get through an intersection.

San Francisco has an Adopt a Drain program so you can do your part and take care of a storm drain near you. We all need to work together to make SF great.

What the Heck Is an Assessor-Recorder?

They assess property values and record marriages, but there’s so much more potential for San Francisco’s most obscure elected office. GrowSF’s Joel Engardio interviews Assessor-Recorded Joaquin Torres for our Town Hall podcast. Listen to find out what makes this position exciting and relevant for San Francisco’s future. And take a deeper dive into the office by reading this profile of Carmen Chu, our last Assessor-Recorder.

Fun in SF

Check out some of our favorite fun activities happening in SF right now:

Ruth Asawa tour

Asawa’s publicly accessible projects in her home city of San Francisco are being explored in a new, free online audio tour released by her estate. See her works around town using the audio tour on her website as your guide: ruthasawa.com/ruth-asawas-public-art-tour/

Holiday-Themed Projection on Downtown SF Buildings

“Animated ice castles, poinsettias, and polar bears are coming to the sides of four downtown buildings in December, as ‘the largest holiday projection mapping holiday in the U.S.’ rings in the season.”

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Topical Tweets

Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:

It’s finally happening! It only took a million years but Van Ness BRT is about to launch!

Update: SF COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading in the United States — with the first case detected here in San Francisco. Get your vaccine booster today!

Vaccines are now available to anyone 5 years and up! Click here to search for vaccination sites and to book an appointment.

All adults may receive a booster shot:

• Six months after your second shot of Pfizer or Moderna
• Two months after your Johnson & Johnson shot

Note: Recipients of one vaccine may choose a different vaccine for their booster. For example, if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot, you may choose J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer for your booster.

Current stats

• Vaccination Rate: 89% of SF residents over 5 have received at least 1 dose. 82% have been fully vaccinated.
• Eligibility: All SF residents 5 and older are eligible to be vaccinated!