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Axios San Francisco Thought Bubble

Axios San Francisco

Cases of COVID-19 are on the decline in San Francisco, but as the country enters its fourth year of living with the virus, a local health expert says people shouldn't get complacent.

Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Axios that federal discussions on annual COVID-19 vaccinations could help with increasing vaccination rates here and elsewhere.

Driving the news: The Food and Drug Administration released a briefing document this week ahead of a Thursday meeting to discuss the state of the pandemic, as well as whether COVID vaccines need to be modified again. 

The FDA, in the document, noted vaccines may be needed yearly as the virus continues to evolve. For higher-risk people, the FDA may suggest a twice-yearly shot.

Why it matters: Wachter says an annual booster is a "reasonable strategy given there are some people who have just stopped getting shots because they're confused." 

By the numbers: San Francisco has a seven-day rolling average of 74 new COVID-19 cases per day, as of Jan. 15, according to the city's health department.

On Dec. 15, 2022, the seven-day rolling average was 190 cases per day.

What they're saying: "The current state of COVID in San Francisco is pretty benign," Wachter said, adding the virus is at as "low a threat as we've seen maybe in the last year."

Wachter said that case rates are at a level at which he's resumed indoor dining, which he previously had avoided.

Meanwhile, adoption of the bivalent vaccine is low in San Francisco but still higher than it is nationwide.

36% of those eligible for the bivalent vaccine have received the booster in San Francisco, according to the city's health department.

Statewide, 23.5% of eligible Californians have received one, compared to 19.6% nationwide.

Of note: San Francisco announced last week it would permanently close the COVID-19 testing site at Alemany Boulevard at the end of the month amid declining demand, the SF Standard reports.

Be smart: Wachter said people should continue to assess risk and "not be unduly influenced by the fact that we're all sick and tired of this and would love to put this in the rearview mirror."

What's next: After the panel meeting on Thursday, the FDA will consider whether to change existing vaccine authorizations and the process to select strains to target, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.

San Francisco has reached "benign" state of COVID

But a local expert says people shouldn't get complacent.

Illustration of a covid particle reflected in a rearview mirror

Coronavirus

Cases of COVID-19 are on the decline in San Francisco, but as the country enters its fourth year of living with the virus, a local health expert says people shouldn&#x27;t get complacent.<ul><li>Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Axios that federal discussions on annual COVID-19 vaccinations could help with increasing vaccination rates here and elsewhere.</li></ul>

COVID

News

San Francisco is beginning to attract more workers after the pandemic-era exodus. 

But the city's chief economist warns that an economic slowdown this year could affect the city's overall recovery, which has already struggled due to high office vacancies. 

Why it matters: The rise in office vacancies means there are fewer people spending money downtown, San Francisco chief economist Ted Egan told Axios. 

That has significant implications for property and business tax revenues, as well as transit operations, he noted.

San Francisco is projecting a $728.3 million budget deficit from July through June 2025 due largely to those declining revenues amid the pandemic.

However, recent data showing a spike of workers moving to the San Francisco Bay Area is offering a spark of hope.

What's happening: The region saw the second-largest gain in worker population of any area in the U.S., Recode reported last week, citing data from a LinkedIn workforce report this month.

For every 100,000 people on LinkedIn, 83 moved to San Francisco in the last 12 months, according to LinkedIn. 

That data is limited in that it includes only people who update their LinkedIn profiles, but it's promising news for San Francisco, which had the steepest population drop of any large city in the U.S. between July 2020 and July 2021, according to census data.

Meanwhile, U.S. Postal Service data shows fewer people are leaving the city, according to Recode.

Yes, but: San Francisco's office vacancy rate hit a record high of 27.3% in December, according to real estate company CBRE.

And San Francisco's downtown has had the slowest pandemic-related recovery of the 62 largest cities across the U.S. and Canada, according to an analysis from the School of Cities at the University of Toronto.

Visits to downtown San Francisco are down 31% from fall 2019, based on mobile phone data obtained by the School of Cities.

What they're saying: "Our recovery has been slow but consistent," Egan said, noting the city's unemployment rate remains low at 2%.

But, but, but… He does expect an economic slowdown this year to affect San Francisco "somewhat worse than other places because of our reliance on tech." 

Egan said the city won't return to normal until "the buildings are reconfigured for a hybrid world and find new tenants, and the daily office worker population returns to something like pre-pandemic levels." 

Between the lines: Despite the struggles of downtown San Francisco, there have been some bright spots in the area.

Salesforce's annual takeover of downtown did its part in providing a jolt to tourism, resulting in a 91.5% hotel occupancy rate for the first two days of its October conference. 

In December, construction began on a renovation of the Transamerica Pyramid Center, which the developer has said could make it "the heart of San Francisco." 

What to watch: San Francisco Mayor London Breed told Bloomberg in October that she's trying to attract new industries to downtown and generally "reinvent, recreate and reinvest" in vacant commercial spaces.

San Francisco sees spike in incoming workers

Recent data showing a spike of workers moving to the San Francisco Bay area is offering a spark of hope.

An aerial view of Oracle Park and the surrounding area in March 2022. Photo: Lance King/Getty Images

City economy

San Francisco is beginning to attract more workers after the pandemic-era exodus. <ul><li>But the city&#x27;s chief economist warns that an economic slowdown this year could affect the city&#x27;s overall recovery, which has already struggled due to high office vacancies. </li></ul>Why it matters: The rise in office vacancies means there are fewer people spending money downtown, San Francisco chief economist Ted Egan told Axios.

Business

The iconic Ferry Building along the Embarcadero is set to undergo some renovations beginning later this year.

What's happening: The Ferry Building's design proposal includes the addition of enclosed spaces for new kitchens and indoor seating for up to three restaurants.

Two large waterfront restaurants and canopy structures with lighting and heating for outdoor dining are also part of the plan.

The project, overseen by leaseholder Hudson Pacific Properties, would ultimately extend the building toward the bay as well as the Embarcadero.

The big picture: The Ferry Building, like many businesses in the city, was hit hard by the pandemic, but recent restaurant openings in the building, like Señor Sisig, have helped to revitalize the marketplace. 

What to watch: Construction is expected to begin this year and will last about two years. 

But … The Ferry Building will continue to receive input from the community and other interested groups about the proposed designs.

Have a question about the project? Email ​​enhancements@ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

The Ferry Building is getting a face-lift

The iconic Ferry Building along the Embarcadero is set to undergo some renovations later this year.

A rendering of the revamped Ferry Building. Image: Courtesy of Ferry Building Marketplace

Construction

The iconic Ferry Building along the Embarcadero is set to undergo some renovations beginning later this year.What&#x27;s happening: The Ferry Building&#x27;s design <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="proposal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/enhancements/" data-vars-content-id="ca59e143-a869-4e90-804f-240dd7a3b3cd" data-vars-headline="The Ferry Building is getting a face-lift" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/enhancements/" target="_blank">proposal</a> includes the addition of enclosed spaces for new kitchens and indoor seating for up to three restaurants.

San Francisco's school board selected a new president this week, marking an ideological shift for the panel, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

What's happening: The San Francisco Board of Education voted 4-3 to elect Kevine Boggess to serve a one-year term.

Boggess, the previous vice president of the board, is replacing outgoing president Jenny Lam.

Commissioners Alida Fisher, Mark Sanchez and Matt Alexander supported Boggess' election. Together, the four commissioners make up the progressive faction of the board.

Lam, meanwhile, garnered support from Lisa Weissman-Ward and Lainie Motamedi, the two mayor-appointed commissioners, who have since been elected.

Why it matters: The school board determines policies for all public schools across the city, establishes educational goals and standards and sets the district's budget.

Between the lines: The Board of Education has been at the center of the controversy around the academically prestigious Lowell High School's lottery-based admissions process.

Those in favor of the lottery system argue it would help improve diversity and equity at the school.

In June, the board voted 4-3 to revert Lowell's admissions process back to a merit-based system.

Of note: Boggess, along with Fisher, Sanchez and Alexander, have signaled they would support reinstating the previous admissions system at Lowell, the San Francisco Examiner reports.

San Francisco school board's leadership shifts left

The San Francisco Board of Education voted 4-3 to elect Kevine Boggess to serve a one-year term.

Photo: Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Education

San Francisco&#x27;s school board selected a new president this week, marking an ideological shift for the panel, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="San Francisco Chronicle reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/s-f-school-board-progressive-majority-regains-17740067.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&amp;utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral" data-vars-content-id="da0ac200-5e15-4d98-b985-9c3fd7cdc6f4" data-vars-headline="San Francisco school board&#x27;s leadership shifts left" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/s-f-school-board-progressive-majority-regains-17740067.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&amp;utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle reports</a>.What&#x27;s happening: The San Francisco Board of Education voted 4-3 to elect Kevine Boggess to serve a one-year term.

Politics

Eight new pickleball courts are coming to Larsen Playground in West Portal.

What's happening: The city's Recreation and Park Commission last week unanimously voted to convert existing tennis and basketball courts into dedicated, permanent pickleball courts.

The conversion is estimated to cost up to $300,000.

Context: The city has a number of pickleball courts — including 59 outdoor courts and five indoor facilities — but just 11 dedicated courts. The additional eight courts will bring the total number of dedicated courts to 19.

To unlock the sport for a broader swath of San Franciscans, more dedicated courts are needed, Hans Carter of the San Francisco Pickleball Community previously told Axios.

What they're saying: Some pickleball players are excited about the courts, while others worry Larsen Playground will be too windy to play the sport, which uses a whiffle ball. 

"It's gonna be garbage," pickleball advocate Bill Lafferty told the SF Standard.

But Peg Stevenson of the Tennis Coalition of San Francisco said "it's a huge win" for the pickleball community. 

What's next: The courts are expected to be completed by early next year. 

During construction at Larsen Playground, pickleball players in the area can still play at Stern Grove.

San Francisco is getting more pickleball courts

Eight dedicated, permanent pickleball courts are coming to Larsen Playground in West Portal.

Mike Moffett plays pickleball at the courts near Louis Sutter Playground in McLaren Park. Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Sports

Eight new pickleball courts are coming to Larsen Playground in West Portal.What&#x27;s happening: The city&#x27;s Recreation and Park Commission last week unanimously voted to convert existing tennis and basketball courts into dedicated, permanent pickleball courts.

Megan Rose Dickey

Featured stories

San Francisco school board's leadership shifts left

San Francisco has reached "benign" state of COVID

San Francisco is getting more pickleball courts

San Francisco sees spike in incoming workers

The Ferry Building is getting a face-lift