Axios San Francisco

March 06, 2023
Yo, it's Monday.
- Today's weather: High of 53, low of 42.
Today's newsletter is 772 words β a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Grazing goats work to prevent SF fires
Grazing goats at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's yard near Masonic and Euclid avenues. Photo courtesy of City Grazing
Fire season isn't here yet, but a herd of goats is helping San Francisco prepare for it.
Why it matters: Goat grazing is one of the easiest ways to address the overgrowth that can lead to fires, as goats can eat weeds and a range of invasive brush that other animals cannot, Genevieve Church, executive director of nonprofit City Grazing, told Axios.
Driving the news: San Francisco's school district has recently turned to City Grazing to help with its fire prevention efforts.
- The goats finished up at June Jordan School for Equity in the Excelsior last month and are currently at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, which shares its land with Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School in the Bayview, Church said.
- The goats are heading to at least two elementary schools later this year.
What they're saying: "It's fun to put animals intentionally into school campuses in urban settings," said Church, who noted that bringing goats to schools enables kids to learn about sustainability.
- Meanwhile, goat grazing is an economical and environmentally friendly option to manage the land, a spokesperson for San Francisco Unified School District told Axios via email.
- Goats, for example, eat the brush and weeds and then excrete nutrients back into the soil.
State of play: In 2022, City Grazing's roughly 125 goats grazed 53 acres of land across 46 sites in the city.
- In addition to SFUSD, City Grazing works with a number of agencies and companies throughout San Francisco, including the city's public utilities commission, parks department, trash servicer Recology and the University of San Francisco.
What to watch: City Grazing is developing an educational program to support teachers who may want to further educate their students about the benefits of goat grazing.
- The goal is to "inspire kids to work sustainability into their thought processes, in everything," Church said. "It's key to us continuing as a species."
The bottom line: During the pandemic, City Grazing inadvertently helped to create public gathering spaces around goat grazing, Church said.
- "Watching goats eat is incredibly soothing when you're watching the world fall apart and can't really go anywhere," she said.
Is a new job in your future?
πΌ Check out who's hiring around the city.
- Communications Officer, Digital Media at Walton Family Foundation.
- Global Sales Director at Visa.
- Senior Benefits Manager at Discord.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
2. Sen. Wiener takes first step toward D.C.
State Sen. Scott Wiener. Photo: Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
State Sen. Scott Wiener has made perhaps his biggest signal yet that his sights are set on Washington, D.C.
What's happening: Wiener, who represents San Francisco in our state Capitol, has formed an exploratory committee to run for the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
- The committee allows Wiener to fundraise for a potential run in 2024, something he says he'll do only if Pelosi decides to step down.
What they're saying: Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Pelosi, told Axios in a statement that San Francisco's congresswoman plans to carry out her current term and has filed for reelection next November.
Yes, but: That doesn't mean Pelosi will 100% run again.
Details: Candidates will need to officially declare by December, and the primary for Pelosi's House seat will be next March.
What we're watching: The Chronicle listed two other potential candidates should Pelosi retire β former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim and Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi, who's served as a state and national Democratic Party official.
3. The Wiggle: Navigating the news
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
π’ Salesforce has listed six floors for sublease in its namesake skyscraper, Salesforce Tower. In total, the company is now trying to shed more than 1 million square feet of office space in the city. (SF Business Times)
π Plans for the affordable housing project on Haight Street also include a small food hall on the ground floor with space for four vendors. (Eater SF)
π¦ π¦ A pair of bald eagles are nesting atop a eucalyptus tree on Corica Park Golf Course in Alameda β the first time that's happened in the area for some 50 years. (SFGATE)
4. Our (un)official smell
Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
New Mexico is trying to adopt an official state aroma, which prompted us to wonder what San Francisco's might be.
- Megan suggested eucalyptus. Nick thought it should be weed.
Here's what you, our creative readers, had to say:
πΈ "Jasmine. Walking around on a cool night when the jasmine is in bloom is a pleasure no other city can offer." βChris E.
π¦ "Dungeness crab, cooking." βDavid F.
β "The smell should be coffee roasting." βFrank
π "The burning-wood aroma of the cable-car brakes.β βJanet D.
π "SFβs aroma? Urine, hands down." βJohn D.
Yes, but: The top vote getter was β¦ drumroll please β¦ sourdough bread! π
Thanks so much for all your responses.
- Next time, though, we might follow the advice of reader Darryl F.: "If you want to determine the smell of San Francisco β¦ do a scentsus."
π©πΎβπ€βπ©πΌ Megan is happy her partner is back home from San Diego.
ποΈββοΈ Nick is starting to dream about his upcoming round at Pebble Beach.
This newsletter was edited by Rachel La Corte and copy edited by Khalid Adad and Yasmeen Altaji.
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