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San Francisco leaders foresee challenges hitting housing goals
View of Sutro Tower from the Sunset neighborhood. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
San Francisco is on track to meet Tuesday’s deadline to submit a state-mandated plan to build more housing, but some leaders are concerned about how the city will hit its goals without adequate funding and specific plans to address infrastructure needs.
Driving the news: The Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved the city's housing element, a plan that requires SF to create a little more than 82,000 new housing units over the next eight years.
Niners' Super Bowl quest
Tight end George Kittle during the Niners' 19-12 win last week against the Cowboys. Photo: Michael Owens/Getty Images
The San Francisco 49ers are one win away from their second Super Bowl appearance in four years. But to get there, they'll have to take down one of the NFL's most impressive teams.
What's happening: The Niners head to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday to face the Eagles in the NFC championship game.
San Francisco school board's leadership shifts left
Photo: Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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.
San Francisco has reached "benign" state of COVID
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
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.
San Francisco is getting more pickleball courts
Mike Moffett plays pickleball at the courts near Louis Sutter Playground in McLaren Park. Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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.
San Francisco sees spike in incoming workers
An aerial view of Oracle Park and the surrounding area in March 2022. Photo: Lance King/Getty Images
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.
San Francisco starts counting its storm costs
Flooding last week on The Great Highway. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
With clear skies for the foreseeable future, San Francisco officials are assessing damages from the recent string of storms and questioning whether responses from the city were adequate.
What's happening: The Department of Emergency Management's initial estimate of damages released this week totaled $46 million. That includes damages to public and private property in San Francisco, as well as city-owned property outside of the county, including the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System.
The Ferry Building is getting a face-lift
A rendering of the revamped Ferry Building. Image: Courtesy of Ferry Building Marketplace
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.
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