SF supervisor wants to ban problematic landlords from buying rentals

1 big thing: Tenant-landlord relations

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2. Holiday dinner pre-order options

3. The Wiggle: Navigating the news

4. ⚾️ Why Shohei Ohtani should come to SF

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❄️ Shawna is checking out Great America Winterfest tomorrow for the first time!

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New Muni app looks to provide better real-time predictions

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✨ Shawna is contemplating driving to San Carlos to see Eucalyptus Avenue's magical neighborhood of lights.

San Francisco Bay Area faces senior care crunch

1 big thing: Senior care crunch 

What we read at San Francisco Public Library in 2023

2. What we read at the library in 2023

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4. The worst gifts you've received

5. Photo to go: We got an ugly BART sweater!

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Today's weather: Mostly sunny. High of 62, low of 50.

Today's newsletter is 854 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🐶 Megan is blown away by Muttville trying to get 100 dogs to their forever homes for the holidays.

📷 Shawna has lots of photos to go through from her visit to WinterFest 2023. Plan your visit before the attraction closes Dec. 31!

This newsletter was edited by Rachel La Corte and copy edited by Khalid Adad and Yasmeen Altaji.

San Francisco's restaurant worker wage growth on decline

1 big thing: Restaurant workers' wages

Where to see Hanukkah lightings in San Francisco

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San Francisco’s old-school battery-powered buses

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😔 Megan is bummed to hear about the passing of Jerry Goldstein, the co-creator of the Tom and Jerry Christmas house. 

👖 Shawna is satisfied with her Black Friday clothing haul.

This newsletter was edited by Rachel La Corte and copy edited by Brad Bonhall and Yasmeen Altaji.

1 big thing: On guard for xylazine influx

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SF State teachers plan to strike Tuesday

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The San Francisco Public Library has released its list of all-star titles — the books most frequently circulated in 2023.

Driving the news: The fiction titles that claimed spots on top print, e-book and audiobook circulations were "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus, and Pulitzer Prize-winning "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver.

Details: Memoirs dominated favorite nonfiction titles — led by Prince Harry's "Spare" and  "I'm Glad My Mom Died," the memoir by former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy.

Titles that were already released or currently in production as movies or TV series topped the popular young adult fiction list, including "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas and "The Summer I Turned Pretty" by Jenny Han.

Among younger readers, "Dog Man" cartoonist Dav Pilkey took up six spots on the most popular children's books, alongside J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever" by Jeff Kinney.

The big picture: SFPL celebrates 40 years of its adult literacy program Project Read this month. 

The program, which provides one-on-one tutoring, has served more than 7,000 adult learners in the local community since its establishment in 1983.

It's proof of the "transformative power of literacy to advance personal growth," city librarian Michael Lambert said in a press release.

Of note: In San Francisco, roughly 80,000 adults — or one in five — have some difficulty with basic reading and writing, according to SFPL.

Below are some of 2023's top titles. You can find the full list on SFPL's website.

"When No One Is Watching" by Alyssa Cole

"Lessons in Chemistry"  by Bonnie Garmus

"Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese

"When We Were Sisters" by Fatimah Asghar

"The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" by Michelle Obama

"This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life" by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods

"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy

"Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls" by T Kira Madden

"Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin and "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus claimed top spots.

Shawna Sherman, librarian for the African American Center at the San Francisco Public Library, works inside the institution on April 20, 2021. Photo: Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Books

The San Francisco Public Library has released its list of all-star titles — the books most frequently circulated in 2023.Driving the news: The fiction titles that claimed spots on top print, e-book and audiobook circulations were &quot;Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow&quot; by Gabrielle Zevin, &quot;Lessons in Chemistry&quot; by Bonnie Garmus, and Pulitzer Prize-winning &quot;Demon Copperhead&quot; by Barbara Kingsolver.

News

Culture

California's Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning health care facilities and providers in the state to brace themselves against the rise of a powerful sedative in the U.S. illegal drug supply.

Why it matters: Xylazine is a veterinary sedative not intended for humans, but fatal overdoses involving the drug, which CDPH says is almost exclusively combined with fentanyl, have surged nationwide in recent years.

State of play: CDPH has issued a letter to medical personnel outlining the risks and signs of exposure as well as patient care recommendations, including how to manage symptoms of withdrawals and treat xylazine-associated wounds.

"Xylazine is a new and emerging issue in California," CDPH said in a recent news release. "However, the drug supply is unpredictable, and state officials are concerned that xylazine may eventually become more common in California."

Use of xylazine can cause drowsiness, amnesia and serious skin wounds in humans — and in some circumstances slow breathing, heart rate and blood pressure to dangerously low levels, according to CDPH.

Details: Known as "tranq" or "zombie drug," xylazine is often mixed with illicit fentanyl without the knowledge of those who use these drugs.

Taking xylazine with other central nervous system depressants, like alcohol or benzodiazepines such as Xanax, can also boost the risk of life-threatening overdose, the National Institute of Health notes.

A September study from the drug testing lab Millenium Health found that use of multiple substances is significantly higher among those who test positive for both fentanyl and xylazine compared to just fentanyl.

In San Francisco last year, all 15 cases of xylazine detected in accidental overdoses ​​also contained fentanyl, per a July analysis from the city's medical examiner.

Yes, but: It's been largely difficult to track the drug's spread in real time.

The big picture: The East Coast has the highest rates of xylazine detection at the moment, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in an intelligence report last year that it appears to be moving westward from the Northeast — similar to fentanyl's path.

Health advocates and researchers have called on the government to prioritize a stronger surveillance system.

What to watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week a proposal for new legislation that would increase criminal penalties for illicit uses of xylazine.

CDPH has also developed flyers and fact sheets to share with local agencies and community-based organizations to bolster awareness of the drug's threat.

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California prepares for xylazine influx in illegal drug supply

Xylazine is a powerful veterinary sedative that has contributed to the surge in fatal overdoses in recent years.

Test strips, used to detect the presence of fentanyl and xylazine in different kinds of drugs, lie next to a bag of heroin at St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction in New York City on May 25. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Drug overdoses

California&#x27;s Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning health care facilities and providers in the state to brace themselves against the rise of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="powerful sedative in the U.S. illegal drug supply" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/30/xylazine-death-rates-overdose-fentanyl" data-vars-content-id="46be7574-5af3-4893-a9b2-44167e20f89d" data-vars-headline="California prepares for xylazine influx in illegal drug supply" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/30/xylazine-death-rates-overdose-fentanyl" target="_self">powerful sedative in the U.S. illegal drug supply</a>.Why it matters: Xylazine is a veterinary sedative not intended for humans, but fatal overdoses involving the drug, which CDPH says is almost exclusively combined with fentanyl, have surged nationwide in recent years.

Health

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) released a new Muni app this week aimed at helping riders plan trips with service alerts and real-time transit predictions.

Driving the news: The app offers live maps and detailed routes via multiple modes of transportation, including rail, BART, Muni Metro, bus and cable car.

It also includes points of interest such as local attractions, public facilities and medical centers.

Named MuniMobile 2, it's available on iOS and Android and, like its original version, will offer mobile ticketing accessible on smartphones.

The original MuniMobile will be phased out and shut down on Jan. 15, 2024.

Of note: Customers will need to create new accounts on the app since they are not transferable.

People with active tickets on the original app can use them until they expire or Jan. 15, whichever comes first.

The launch of MuniMobile 2, however, means customers will no longer be able to buy tickets on the original app.

You'll still need the Clipper Card to use the BART system, though. MuniMobile 2 includes BART as an option for route planning purposes but not fare purchases.

The big picture: The redesign, which officials say enhances the integration of services, is part of SFMTA's $25.4 million effort to bolster access to real-time accurate and contextual bus information throughout a transit route.

Officials hope the new system will boost public confidence in Muni and make it more competitive, San Francisco Examiner reports.

MuniMobile 2 offers live maps and detailed routes via multiple modes of transportation.

Public transport

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) released <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a new Muni app" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfmta.com/blog/new-munimobile-app-available-today" data-vars-content-id="a6199ae4-8456-4899-9e97-22846fe4f5f3" data-vars-headline="New Muni app looks to provide better real-time predictions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfmta.com/blog/new-munimobile-app-available-today" target="_blank">a new Muni app</a> this week aimed at helping riders plan trips with service alerts and real-time transit predictions.Driving the news: The app offers live maps and detailed routes via multiple modes of transportation, including rail, BART, Muni Metro, bus and cable car.

Transit

San Francisco could soon consider a measure that would ban landlords who have a track record of threatening or endangering tenants from buying or operating rental properties.

Why it matters: The move follows the recent sale of an 18-unit residential building near Alamo Square Park to a landlord who was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in 2011 to soliciting arson at a residential hotel he'd owned in Oakland.

Driving the news: Supervisor Dean Preston (District 5) told the San Francisco Chronicle in an exclusive this week that he is taking steps to draft a proposal and has directed the city attorney's office to examine its feasibility.

Details: The proposal would set clear standards and target the most severe forms of criminal conduct, according to Preston.

"We're very much focused on the most extreme and indisputably ill-equipped people who just cannot be trusted with rental property," he told the Chronicle. "I think the clearest example of that are people that have been convicted of a crime involving a threat to their tenants."

Possible avenues for legally preventing an acquisition include intervening under the city's Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, which allows nonprofits first offer on multifamily properties, or enforcing regulations for building operators post-acquisition.

The big picture: California law bars landlords from evicting tenants without "just cause." Other prohibited harassment behaviors under state law range from turning off utilities without prior notice to replacing locks.

It's also against the law for landlords to retaliate against tenants who exercise their rights by requesting repairs or challenging the lawfulness of a rent increase.

San Francisco voters did pass a proposition in 2008 to ban landlords from using specific actions to harass tenants, such as abusing the right of entry to a unit or threatening a tenant — though it caught flak for being too subjective.

Of note: The San Francisco Apartment Association did not respond to a request for comment but has previously sued the city over a law that defines as harassment any rent increase intended to "defraud, intimidate or coerce" a tenant into vacating.

Many landlords condemned the measure as extreme when Supervisor Hillary Ronen introduced it in 2018. A California appeals court upheld it last year.

Yes, but: Multiple groups have dedicated services for helping tenants combat abusive behaviors.

Tenant Law Group, headquartered in San Francisco, specializes in cases defending tenants' rights, while the San Francisco Bar Association provides a program assisting low-income tenants in negotiations with landlords.

The law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, which has a Northern California office in Monterey, offers legal representation for people who have been sexually abused by a landlord in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Tenants Union has also provided counseling on tenant rights since 1971.

The proposal would target the most severe forms of criminal conduct, according to Supervisor Dean Preston.

A for-rent sign on June 9 in San Francisco. Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

San Francisco could soon consider a measure that would ban landlords who have a track record of threatening or endangering tenants from buying or operating rental properties.Why it matters: The move <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="follows the recent sale" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/s-f-real-estate-nonprofit-private-developer-spar-18507068.php" data-vars-content-id="dd57af0f-cb84-40b2-b948-bd941c672a59" data-vars-headline="SF supervisor wants to ban problematic landlords from buying rentals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/s-f-real-estate-nonprofit-private-developer-spar-18507068.php" target="_blank">follows the recent sale</a> of an 18-unit residential building near Alamo Square Park to a landlord who was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in 2011 to soliciting arson at a residential hotel he&#x27;d owned in Oakland.

Real Estate

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Axios What's Next

Data: Square; Note: Earnings include base wages, tips and overtime; Chart: Axios Visuals

Restaurant workers' wage growth has slipped considerably since the peak of COVID-19, falling below even pre-pandemic rates, a new report finds.

State of play: Year-over-year wage growth for restaurant workers in the San Francisco metro area rose slightly to 4.6% in October, from 3.6% in September. But that's down from a peak of 9.1% in April 2018, though growth crossed the 8% mark in 2020 and 2022.

The data comes by way of Square's new third-quarter restaurant industry report, and includes base wages, tips and overtime.

The big picture: Nationally, restaurant workers' wages grew 4.9% year over year nationwide in October.

That's slowed from peak growth of 10.5% in December 2021, when the average base wage was $12.60 and average hourly earnings totaled $15.85.

Why it matters: Restaurant workers in the Bay have long struggled to keep pace with the region's high costs of living. The pandemic fueled a wave of resignations in the sector as restaurants sought to retain and recruit employees.

In San Francisco, the number of people who work in food services or food handling dropped 55% from 2019 to 2022, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis of census data.

In a bid to ensure more equitable pay across staff, several restaurants in the city are trying to move away from tipping and instead raise prices or add a flat surcharge to final bills.

Some food services employees in the Bay have also turned to strikes to win raises and better benefits.

Of note: The city raised the minimum wage from $16.99 to $18.07 in July — the largest increase in eight years.

Minimum wage for food workers in California will also increase to $20 per hour starting in April under legislation signed into law in September.

Driving the news: Restaurants' costs are up in part because of inflation, and consumers are often reluctant to pay higher prices because they're also getting hit with higher costs elsewhere.

Discretionary spending on dining out is often the first thing to go when times get a little tougher — and tips may be shrinking, especially amid a growing sense of "tipping fatigue."

Be smart: Wage growth is best considered alongside inflation, which was 3.2% in October. If your salary didn't increase beyond that, your wage didn't really grow at all.

Of course, everybody experiences inflation differently.

Between the lines: Some of what's happening here is also being driven by the fact that most of America's downtowns still haven't fully recovered from the pandemic — meaning there are fewer people visiting bars and restaurants in many cities, and thus fewer bills and tips.

Restaurant workers in the Bay Area have long struggled to keep pace with the region's high costs of living.

Restaurants

Restaurant workers&#x27; wage growth has slipped considerably since the peak of COVID-19, falling below even pre-pandemic rates, a new report finds.State of play: Year-over-year wage growth for restaurant workers in the San Francisco metro area rose slightly to 4.6% in October, from 3.6% in September. But that&#x27;s down from a peak of 9.1% in April 2018, though growth crossed the 8% mark in 2020 and 2022.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Shawna Chen

Stories

What we read at San Francisco Public Library in 2023

SF supervisor wants to ban problematic landlords from buying rentals

San Francisco's restaurant worker wage growth on decline

New Muni app looks to provide better real-time predictions

California prepares for xylazine influx in illegal drug supply

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