PIX Now Afternoon Edition 20.3.24

PIX Now Afternoon Edition 20.3.24

07:06

San Francisco City Council is now resorting to a crime-fighting method that was only approved when residents voted on Bill E in early March.

Installation of 400 automatic license plate readers (ALPR) at 100 intersections across San Francisco is set to begin. The cameras are designed to combat theft, violent crime and illegal sideshows.

While San Francisco Mayor London Breed signed the law for the cameras In January, that plan couldn't move forward until San Francisco voters passed Proposition E, which allows police to make greater use of technology.

The city said the cameras would help locate suspects, witnesses and missing people, but would not have facial recognition software.

SFPD Chief Bill Scott called it a turning point at a press conference promoting ALPRs in the Sunset District.

“The City and County of San Francisco is the technology capital of the world. And now our officers have the technology they need to better address the crime problems in our city,” Scott said.

“Automatic license plate readers can play an invaluable role in helping us track down and bring to justice some of the perpetrators of these crimes,” Breed added.

The cameras are now gradually being installed at intersections and other locations throughout the city. Police expect all 400 cameras to be installed and operational within the next three months.

Part of the project's funding comes from last year's state grant to combat organized shoplifting. The city received $17.3 million.

The introduction of license plate readers will take place The city is preparing to install dozens of speed cameras at some of San Francisco's most dangerous intersections.

The speed cameras are part of a pilot program under a new statewide law. The Department of Transportation has identified the 33 locations for the cameras.

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Dave Pehling

Dave Pehling is senior website editor for CBS Bay Area. He began his journalism career as a freelance music writer in the late 1990s and eventually worked as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He began his position at CBS Bay Area in 2015.

The post San Francisco strikes forward with set up of automated license-plate readers throughout town appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco city officials are pushing forward with one of the crime-fighting tactics that wasn't allowed until residents voted to approve Prop E in early March.

Installation of 400 Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) at 100 intersections across San Francisco is set to begin. The cameras are intended to combat theft, violent crime and illegal sideshows.

While San Francisco Mayor London Breed signed the cameras into law In January, that plan failed to materialize until San Francisco voters passed Prop E, which allows police to make greater use of technology.

The city said the cameras would help search for suspects, witnesses and missing people, but would not include facial recognition software.

SFPD Chief Bill Scott called it a game changer at a press event promoting ALPRs in the Sunset District.

“The City and County of San Francisco is the technology capital of the world. And now our officers have the technology they need to better address the crime challenges in our city,” Scott said.

“Automated license plate readers can play an invaluable role in tracking down and holding accountable some of the perpetrators of these crimes,” Breed added.

The cameras will now be continuously placed at intersections and locations throughout the city. Police expect all 400 cameras to be installed and operational within the next three months.

Part of the project's funding comes from last year's state grant to combat organized retail theft. The city received $17.3 million.

The license plate readers are being rolled out The city is preparing to install dozens of speed cameras at some of San Francisco's most dangerous intersections.

The speed cameras are part of a pilot program under a new statewide law. Public transit officials have identified the 33 locations for the cameras.

More from CBS News

Read more

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DALY CITY (KPIX 5) — It’s pretty difficult these days to find an open public restroom. But there’s a movement now to exchange all of the fixtures. When that’s done, it’s believed that these restrooms will be much safer.

Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City, which stretches for nearly 40 acres, has 98 businesses, is going all-touchless in its public restrooms.

“They don’t have to touch anything! Either toilets, either faucets or soap dispensers, nothing,” said Westlake Kimco Reality Facilities Engineer Marlon Bautista.

The new demand for touchless fixtures couldn’t have come sooner, says plumbing contractor Paul Rowe. “Any business is going to be worried because we have no idea what’s going to happen,” said Rowe. “But, I did feel comfortable being a plumbing contractor that we were going to have work.”

Paul’s company has re-focused, finding new work with proximity sensor fixtures because dozens of handle faucets are coming out. Proximity sensor faucets have special battery-powered control modules that should last for two years, depending on usage.

It’s not just Westlake Shopping Center making the move. Rowe believes the switch is going nationwide. “Our supplier has had a hard time providing us with the quantity of that we need and I think that’s because the whole nation needs these touchless sensor fixtures. The supply is going to have to catch up with demand.”

Soap, paper towels, and everything else are all going automated.

A lot of folks are shopping for food or getting take-out at Westlake, but the facilities engineer says public restrooms will remain closed until the upgrades are completed, and that depends on how soon the additional proximity sensor fixtures arrive.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — As we keep fine-tuning the temperatures as we get closer to the weekend, many cities inland will exceed 100 degrees with excessive heat lasting several days. The immediate coast will stay relatively comfortable in the 60s-70s.

The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Watch Monday afternoon for the region from Friday through Sunday.

Temperatures will warm gradually through the upcoming week, according to ABC7 News meteorologist Drew Tuma. The heat will be most impactful this weekend as temperatures are expected to peak during those three days.

Temperatures are expected to range from the 90s to the mid 100s.

MORE: Earth reaches hottest day ever recorded 4 days in a row

By Saturday, the hottest cities will be more than 100 degrees with a similar day on Sunday.

The Coast will stay relatively comfortable, in the 60s and 70s.

Daytime relative humidity will be in the low teens inland, creating elevated fire danger.

The National Weather Service said to never leave children and pets in vehicles, and stay hydrated.

Watch the latest AccuWeather forecast and take a look at recent weather stories and videos.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

The post San Francisco Bay Space heating up forward of triple-digit temperatures this weekend; Extreme Warmth Watch issued appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Meanwhile, there were 468 people on the city’s online waitlist for shelter on Wednesday, less than a week from the event’s launch. The city has about 3,000 shelter beds in its system, which is currently at 91% capacity.

“One of the issues, in this case, is the lack of transparency from the city in terms of what its plans are and how it handles encampment resolution, which can lead to a lot of issues with enforcement of the ordinances they are supposed to be following,” said John Do, an attorney with the ACLU, which is representing plaintiffs in the homelessness lawsuit against San Francisco.

People like Taj and Matt, an unhoused couple living in the South of Market neighborhood, appear to be caught in the city’s impossible juggle.

About a week ago, the two slept on Merlin Street under the 80 freeway overpass in San Francisco when a cadre of city workers woke them up and told them to move.

A Public Works employee told them they needed to clear the area for a big event coming up where President Joe Biden and other heads of state from nearly 20 countries would be coming to town, according to Matt.

They didn’t have any other place to go. So now, Taj says, the couple stays “anywhere we don’t get harassed or our stuff stolen.”

On Wednesday morning, they were in SoMA and asked to shoo again.

“They didn’t offer anything,” said Taj on Wednesday from a SoMa bus stop. “It’s bad enough we are in this position. You know how bad we want to be inside?”

KQED reporter Vanessa Rancaño contributed to this story. 

The post San Francisco Is Clearing Homeless Encampments Forward of APEC appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

At a White House press conference on Monday, a reporter raised her hand and asked National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan a question about the APEC summit being held in San Francisco this week, where President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and a host of other world leaders.

“San Francisco has cleaned up their streets ahead of President Biden and President Xi’s meeting,” the reporter said. “They’ve moved homeless to other parts of the city, cleared tent cities and trash off the street. Is the president embarrassed that an American city needs to go through a total makeover to be presentable for his out-of-town guests?”

Sullivan deflected the question, but as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering swings into full gear, San Franciscans themselves are noting a timely improvement in the condition of the city’s streets—and wondering how it was accomplished and whether it will last once the summit ends Friday.  

RELATED: San Francisco Cleaned Up for APEC: See Before and After Photos

In particular, there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of tents and drug activity along Van Ness Avenue, United Nations Plaza and the area around the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, which has long been the epicenter of the city’s drug crisis. 

Press left and right to compare

A large group of people congregate along Mission and Seventh streets, adjacent to the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, on May 23, left, and the same location, where a chain-link fence has been installed and the area cleared of people, is pictured on Monday. | Benjamin Fanjoy for The Standard; Justin Katigbak/The Standard

“Some of the spots have been out there for 20 to 30 years, and they’re just not there,” said local activist and nonprofit founder Del Seymour. “They’re coming out doing all of this only for APEC. … I’ve got to be fair and give the city a chance to see if we can continue this.”

Shelter Beds Added, but No Change to Regular Pace of Encampment Clearing 

The U.S. Secret Service is restricting access to a 12-square-block radius in the South of Market neighborhood around the Moscone Center, the main venue for the event, and the California Highway Patrol and several other Bay Area counties are deploying over 1,000 additional law enforcement officers to the city to bolster security. 

The city opened 30 beds at its annual winter shelter facility in South of Market on Friday and is “inflating” many of its existing shelter facilities to accommodate roughly 300 more people. It’s unclear when all of the additional beds will become available. 

San Francisco has roughly 7,750 homeless people, according to the most recent point-in-time count, with 56% unsheltered. A waitlist for shelter beds was 487 people long on Monday as the city has struggled to connect with applicants by the time a bed becomes available.

Dre Blake, second to right, and Darrell Sharef, far right, stand by as a Department of Public Works employee washes the sidewalk on Van Ness Avenue. Blake told The Standard he’s on a waitlist for housing but prefers living on the streets over shelter because of past negative experiences at shelters. | Source: David Sjostedt/The Standard

The city’s homeless shelters saw a slight uptick in occupancy as of Monday afternoon—reaching 92% capacity after months of hovering at 90%.

Representatives from the city’s homelessness department denied they added shelter beds because of APEC. However, advocates for homeless people were quick to note the beds came online “just in time” for the city’s moment in the global spotlight. 

Though the addition of shelter beds is recent, the city has been stepping up arrests for drug dealing and other offenses for months. 

Over the summer, the San Francisco Police Department received reinforcements from the California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard to tackle drug-related issues, and the daily population of the city’s jails rose to over 1,100 people for the first time since before the pandemic. The rise in detainees forced the sheriff to reopen a disused facility to accommodate the influx. 

In the weeks leading up to APEC, records show the city maintained its regular pace of clearing two encampments per day, Monday through Friday. However, emails between San Francisco officials show the city made a concerted effort to address homeless encampments in particular areas before APEC. 

Press left and right to compare

A tent, personal belongings and people are clustered outside the Asian Art Museum near United Nations Plaza in San Francisco on May 11, left, and the same location is seen without people on Monday. | Jason Henry for The Standard; Justin Katigbak/The Standard

In an email dated Sept. 25, Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll requested a 24/7 homeless shelter facility in time for the conference. Marion Sanders, chief deputy director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, responded to Carroll by promising to have a “clear plan of action” for the event.

In another email dated Oct. 23, a manager for the Healthy Streets Operations Center recommended delaying clearing two encampments in the Tenderloin until the week before APEC.

“One thought I have is to put in Leavenworth … then Eddy and Mason on Wednesday, but thinking it may be better to do this the week before APEC,” the manager said in the email.

Van Ness Avenue a Focus of Concern

Other emails show city officials expressed particular concern about encampments along Van Ness Avenue, which runs behind City Hall—a venue for multiple APEC-related gatherings, including a fancy party thrown by Mayor London Breed and East West Bank Chairman Dominic Ng on Sunday. City Hall will host another party for journalists covering APEC on Thursday.

Van Ness was listed as one of six priority areas to address before the conference, according to an email first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle from the superintendent of Street Environmental Services, Christopher McDaniels. The department told the publication the areas were considered priorities regardless of the event.

Members of the Board of Supervisors have been pushing for the city to act before APEC.

Press left and right to compare

A police vehicle is parked next to a homeless encampment on a sidewalk along Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco on Sept. 26, left, and the same location has planter boxes installed to discourage encampments on Monday, right. | Benjamin Fanjoy for The Standard; Justin Katigbak/The Standard

“We understand the importance of presenting our city in the best possible light for international delegates,” a legislative aide to Supervisor Catherine Stefani wrote in an email to a constituent on Oct. 3. “Ahead of the event, our office has been actively advocating for improved conditions along Van Ness Avenue.”

City workers cleared two encampments on Van Ness the week before the conference. But it was not their first trip to the street: City workers visited the street 23 times to clear encampments over a six-month span starting in April, according to the Department of Emergency Management. 

In October, the San Francisco Police Department authorized its officers to enforce anti-camping laws in response to new guidance from the City Attorney’s Office, which is engaged in a high-stakes lawsuit over the city’s encampment clearings. 

A Department of Public Works employee stands beside a truck filled with the belongings of unhoused people. | Source: David Sjostedt/The Standard

During its most recent visit on Tuesday, the city at least temporarily swayed people from rebuilding their encampments on Van Ness. 

Darrell Sharef, a 34-year-old homeless man, said he was going to try to “hustle” enough money to afford a hotel room after the city disbanded his encampment. 

“This is the everyday lifestyle,” he said. 

Another man named Dre Blake said he turned down the city’s offer of shelter because he previously had negative experiences at the facilities.

“It’s just like the streets in there,” Blake said. “Nothing really changes. It’s not like I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore.” 

Press left and right to compare

A group of people sit on the ground at Mission at Seventh streets in San Francisco on May 16, left, and two pedestrians pass the same location cleared of loitering people as seen on Monday. | Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; Justin Katigbak/The Standard

As of Monday, the encampments had not returned. Daniel Rivera, another homeless man, said the people living along Van Ness had scattered across the city. He said the city told him and other homeless people to “clean up” due to APEC.

“It’s like getting dressed up for a party,” Rivera said. 

Many weren’t pleased the city asked them to move. For some, past experiences with the city, particularly during encampment clearings, have left them distrustful of government services.

“This is a category five hurricane hitting your spot, and you’re left with nothing,” said Nobel Mitchell, an unhoused man.

Nobel Mitchell salvages his belongings as San Francisco city workers conduct an encampment clearing. Mitchell, who is unhoused, said he’s been set back by previous encampment clearings, during which city workers destroyed his property. | Source: David Sjostedt/The Standard

Some advocates for the homeless expressed concern about the well-being of unhoused people who may have been displaced due to the APEC event. 

Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, noted the issues homeless people face don’t disappear even if those people have been moved out of the public’s line of sight. 

“There’s a lot of money coming into this conference, and none of that is being set aside for unhoused people who are being displaced,” Friedenbach said. “They’re just moving people around.”

The post San Francisco ‘Cleaned Up’ Streets Forward of APEC. How? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Ferris wheel that’s been spinning next to Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse for three years is relocating to the more heavily touristed Fisherman’s Wharf, and will reopen in two weeks.

The company that operates the ride, SkyView Partners, announced on its website that the final rides in Golden Gate Park were on Sunday, October 22, and the wheel will now move and start turning again November 10. Anyone with tickets for the coming two weeks can redeem them when it reopens.

SFGate reported the news today, a month after we first heard that SF Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin was pushing to get the ride moved to the Wharf, which is in his district.

City Hall followers and SFist readers may recall how Peskin was a vocal foe of the Ferris wheel before it first opened, arguing that the Parks Alliance, which had arranged for the ride’s arrival for Golden Gate Park’s sesquicentennial celebrations, had overstepped, and that the city wasn’t reaping enough financial benefit from the wheel operators.

When the Ferris wheel’s permit was coming up for an extension in 2021, Peskin and Supervisor Connie Chan pushed back again, citing complaints from neighbors and environmental groups, and suggesting that proper approvals had never been received from two thirds of the Board, as required under the City Charter.

“We are trying to get it out of the park, where it never belonged, and to the wharf, where it is a perfect fit,” Peskin said last month.

And so it shall be.

Kat Anderson, president of the Rec and Parks Commission, told the Chronicle last month, “If [the observation wheel] moves, it will attract visitors and provide a fresh view of our beautiful city.”

It’s still not clear who is footing the bill for the disassembly, move, and reassembly of the wheel. And under the terms of the wheel’s extended permit, the city is only getting 3% of revenues from it.

The wheel will now live, presumably through 2025, in the triangle parking lot next to Boudin Bakery, and it will be open just before 20,000+ attendees of the APEC summit arrive in town.

Previously: Supervisor Peskin Proposes Moving the Golden Gate Ferris Wheel to His District, at Fisherman’s Wharf

The post Golden Gate Park Ferris Wheel Transferring to Fisherman’s Wharf Forward of APEC Summit appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

By Shawn Cohen, In San Francisco, For Dailymail.Com

23:14 10 Nov 2023, updated 23:14 10 Nov 2023

• San Francisco officials descended on homeless hotspots across the city on Wednesday to clear the area of people as a sanitation crew tossed mattresses, tents, chairs, and other street items into a garbage truck
• The city is attempting to conceal its rampant homelessness crisis as it prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade summit from Saturday November 11 to November 17 
• DailyMail.com witnessed cops pushing homeless residents out, and sanitation workers conducting cleaning efforts in SoMa and Tenderloin ahead of the conference, which is expected to bring in over $50M in revenue

Drastic measures are being taken in San Francisco to ensure world dignitaries don’t have to interact with the homeless during the APEC trade summit, everything from clearing encampments to deploying ‘night ambassadors’ to keep vagrants out of the area, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The Chinese government, meanwhile, is posting 100 private security guards around the luxury St. Regis hotel where their diplomats and business executives are staying, supplementing security in a city their media has likened to ‘hell.’

The unprecedented measures are designed to present a clean and shiny image during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the city’s biggest gathering of global leaders since 1945, and prevent the sorts of street spectacles that have battered the city’s reputation.

The city expects the conference, which kicks off Saturday and will run through November 17, to draw more than 20,000 people and generate upwards of $50million in revenue. 

DailyMail.com witnessed police officers telling homeless residents to leave the area for a week, as part of the city’s attempt to hide its growing homelessness crisis ahead of the APEC conference City workers clean the streets and remove tents and items belonging to homeless residents ahead of the APEC summit Waste management dump trucks could be seen carrying old street mattresses, tents, chairs, and other assorted belongings after removing them from the streets A homeless man is seen pushing a wheelchair loaded with his belongings while walking past the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco, as city officials take drastic measures to hide the city’s dark reality during the APEC trade summit The unprecedented measures are designed to present a clean and shiny image during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the city’s biggest gathering of global leaders since 1945, and prevent the sorts of street spectacles that have battered the city’s reputation

In a bid to ensure it goes off without a hitch, roads are being closed and traffic detoured, while protective steel barriers are being erected in the city’s SoMa District, where the conference is being held.

A short walk away in the Tenderloin District, workers on Wednesday afternoon descended on Jessie Alley, a homeless hotspot, forcing about two dozen people to step aside as a sanitation crew tossed their mattresses, tents, chairs, and other assorted belongings into a garbage truck. 

After it drove away, workers hosed down the street, washing away human feces, urine, and crack pipes. Aid workers, meanwhile, offered services and shelter, which most refused.

Donna Hilliard, executive director of Code Tenderloin, a homeless aid organization that is assisting the efforts, told DailyMail.com the city has also dispatched a four-member ‘night ambassador team’ to target homeless people

Cops, meanwhile, made a special request that they avoid the area through next week.

‘The police just told me that there’s a major conference, that the president is coming, and asked if we could stay away for a week,’ Jamal Barnes, a 50-year-old homeless man, told DailyMail.com.

Barnes, a crack addict, said he’s been on the streets since being shot in the stomach in 2016, requiring a colostomy bag. 

After being rousted Wednesday, he returned to the alley minutes after crews left, carrying an old stereo speaker that he used as a seat.

‘They took everything, my tent, my cell phone,’ Barnes scoffed, wearing no shirt under his hoodie, dirty jeans, and untied sneakers.

‘I’ve got to start all over. I could have cursed them out, but it ain’t do me no good,’ he added. 

Another local, identified only as Michael, 63, refused a trip to a shelter, fearing he’d be separated from his wife if he went.

San Francisco is on track to set a record for fatal drug overdoses this year – 54 people died in the city from unintentional overdoses in September alone City employees and police officers offered services and shelter to residents living on the street – which most refused City, state, and federal authorities have been throwing money and resources at the liberal city’s drug epidemic since June to try and control the growing lawlessness that is plaguing the country’s sixth most expensive city Workers with the sanitation department also hosed down the street, washing away human feces, urine, and crack pipes

‘We’ve got nowhere to go and they’re trying to push us to areas we don’t want to go,’ he told DailyMail.com. ‘It’s like they’re trying to throw away human beings.’

The city has uprooted a total of seven hotspots in the neighborhood in the past several weeks, ahead of the conference. 

One of the aide workers told DailyMail.com that the next target was Natoma Alley, where occupants would be given referrals for services along with warnings that the area would soon be cleared out.

Donna Hilliard, executive director of Code Tenderloin, a homeless aid organization that is assisting the efforts, told DailyMail.com about another program targeting homeless people who enter the conference area. 

The group will dispatch a four-member ‘night ambassador team’ to work late shifts during APEC, from 7pm to 3am Saturday and 6 to midnight Monday through Friday, approaching individuals. 

They’ll have a van to shuttle individuals to services, whether it’s a shelter bed, hospital, or sobering center, she noted.

Hilliard said she’s well aware that with media flooding into San Francisco, a single negative episode on the street could garner international attention and that the team hopes to head off potential problems involving homeless people suffering drug and mental health issues.

The beleaguered California city has already been labeled a ‘total failure’ by some China-based outlets as the city gears up for the event, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with President Biden.

Dozens of Chinese delegates, many wearing crisp dark business suits, were gathered Thursday checking into the upscale St Regis hotel Guards, wearing dark blue uniforms and patches reading National Protective Service Private Security, were seen standing outside the hotel as the international guests arrivedA private security guard dressed in uniform is seen near the St. Regis Hotel The Chinese government has deployed 100 private security guards around the luxury St. Regis hotel where their diplomats and business executives are staying ‘Diplomatic pouches’ belonging to Chinese ambassadors were seen being unloaded by members of the Chinese security detail at the St Regis Hotel It was similar around the corner at the Hyatt Regency, as other internationals checked in

Other headlines include the phrases ‘garbage city,’ ‘ruined city’ and ‘fallen city.’ Another headline from the Chinese Phoenix said the city had fallen into a ‘death cycle.’

‘San Francisco was once a jewel on the West Coast of the United States, but as the Democrats advanced their radical agenda.

‘Now it has become a mecca of crime, the streets are in disarray, and it is rapidly slipping towards the status of a ghost town.’

Chinese delegates and business executives began to arrive earlier this week, flying into the city and transported directly to the posh St. Regis San Francisco, just a couple blocks from APEC’s host Moscone Convention Center.

On Friday morning, San Francisco resident Christine Johnson, 55, stood outside the Moscone Center urging visitors to step outside the security bubble to see the homeless problem that’s been temporarily swept away.

She waved a green placard reading, ‘PLEASE VISIT THE TENDERLOIN TO SEE WHAT CHINA’S PHENTONOL IS DOING TO PEOPLE.’

A few minutes later, one homeless man in a wheelchair rolled past the center, alongside barricades. 

The man, James A., 45, said he was paralyzed from nerve damage and addicted to crystal meth. He was oblivious to the fact the APEC conference was due to start the following day, and that the city was making efforts to keep the area clear.

‘I’m just going to the park to sleep for an hour,’ James, shoeless and draped in dirty clothes and a red, white and blue blanket, told DailyMail.com, as he headed toward Tenderloin.

‘We’re living on the streets because we need to live on the streets, sometimes,’ he said. 

In a bid to ensure it goes off without a hitch, roads are being closed and traffic detoured Protective steel barriers and other crowd control materials and structures were seen being assembled across large areas of the city Pictured above, city workers erect security fencing close to the St Regis Hotel A man living at St. Regis, speaking with DailyMail.com, marveled at the steel fence being extended around the hotel Thursday and stretching toward the convention center

Guards, wearing dark blue uniforms and patches reading National Protective Service Private Security, have been stationed outside and around the perimeter of the hotel as the international guests arrived. 

Two of the guards, who wouldn’t share their names, told DailyMail.com that the Chinese government hired their San Francisco-based company to provide extra security for their delegates.

‘We’re working with the government right now, both the Chinese and the U.S.,’ a manager identifying himself as Imam Sheikh told DailyMail.com on Thursday. 

He said they had 10 officers working there for the day and that 100 would be there for the conference. 

‘If something happens, we follow the instructions that the Chinese government and the U.S. gives,’ he said.

‘We’re focused on whatever is suspicious,’ another guard told DailyMail.com when asked to explain their marching orders. 

‘If somebody’s being disruptive, like a homeless guy trying to get in, or a protester, we will report it to police or our boss. They are not allowed to go inside.’

Dozens of Chinese delegates, many wearing crisp dark business suits, were gathered Thursday in the lobby and adjoining hotel lounge, chatting and flipping through work papers. 

At lunchtime, plastic boxes of takeout meals were distributed to the guests. Most remained in the hotel for the day. Those who headed out stuck around the area, now lined by barricades.

Bomb Squad agents and security guards were stationed around the St Regis Hotel in the days leading up to the event Two private security guards (not pictured) who did not want to be identified, told DailyMail.com that the Chinese government hired their San Francisco-based company to provide extra security for their delegates Final preparations were underway on Friday for the APEC conference kicking off in San Francisco on November 11 On Friday morning, San Francisco resident Christine Johnson, 55, stood outside the Moscone Center holding a sign urging visitors to step outside the security bubble to see the homeless problem that’s been temporarily swept away

It was similar around the corner at the Hyatt Regency, as other internationals checked in.

‘Ninety percent of people here are reluctant to go out and explore the city,’ a female restaurant staffer told DailyMail.com. 

‘They can easily walk up the street, but not in the other direction where there’s a lot of crackheads.

‘There’s a lot of restaurants out there, but people are saying they don’t want to go out because it’s not safe,’ she added. ‘They’re just using Yelp and ordering takeout.

‘I know the city is trying to show off that it’s clean,’ she said. ‘But these people have seen what’s happening with the homeless here on Facebook, on Twitter and Instagram. There’s a lot of zombies outside. I tell people to be careful going out there.’

A city parking control officer was promoting the city as he stood near the St. Regis, cheerfully greeting visitors as he directed cars not to turn in front of the hotel.

‘The city wants everything looking great,’ the officer told DailyMail.com. ‘They want this whole place looking great, official, especially with these Chinese dignitaries up here and other individuals coming into town.’

He decried the widespread building vacancies, tent cities and open drug markets, and said he was glad the city could get some positive attention with the downtown spruced up for APEC. 

Jamal Barnes, a 50-year-old homeless man who has been on the streets since 2016, told DailyMail.com he was asked to leave the area, but returned to the alley minutes after crews left, carrying an old stereo speaker that he used as a seat One homeless man in a wheelchair, identified only as James A, told DailyMail.com Friday (pictured) that he was oblivious to the fact the APEC conference was due to start the following day and that the city was making efforts to keep the area clear James, a crystal meth addict who was paralyzed from nerve damage, rolled past the center, alongside barricades on Friday said he was now headed to the park ‘to sleep for an hour’

‘Right now, we’ve got to get this place all taken care of because we want people to have a great impression of San Francisco,’ he said. 

‘We’re doing the best we can to give a great image. All the Asian countries, all the countries on the Pacific Rim, we want your business. We need your business.’

A man living at St. Regis, speaking with DailyMail.com, marveled at the steel fence being extended around the hotel Thursday and stretching toward the convention center.

‘It will be pristine inside that fence,’ he enthused. ‘The schmuck that goes to the Moscone Center and walks over here, do you think he’ll see anything? No. He won’t see s**t. 

‘If he goes to the Four Seasons or the Marriott, he won’t see s**t because they’re cleaning the area up. The city should put its best foot forward. We need tourism. We need people coming back here.’

Steven Rice, a program manager with Code Tenderloin, was more concerned with finding lasting solutions to the city’s homeless crisis than with the APEC-related focus on image.

Steven Rice, a program manager with Code Tenderloin, was more concerned with finding lasting solutions to the city’s homeless crisis

‘We shouldn’t need a reason to help people,’ Rice said as crews cleared Jessie Alley, a couple blocks from his office. 

‘APEC is not going to be here forever. We don’t want this to be a temporary situation. This is our opportunity to let them (unhoused people) know a more permanent solution is down the road for them.’

The St. Regis resident told DailyMail.com that he’s not optimistic.

‘This is like a partial Band-Aid. It will fall off in a week,’ he said.

San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that an official in the city’s Public Works Department listed the seven target areas in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods in an email to city officials Sept. 25.

‘With APEC coming, I am concerned about historical encampments that are close to priority areas,’ Christopher McDaniels, superintendent of Street Environmental Services, wrote in the email, the publication reported.

Later that same day, McDaniels’ boss, Deputy Director of Operations DiJaida Durden, replied by noting that an encampment on Van Ness Avenue had ‘popped up in the last two weeks,’ the paper added.

‘Are any of these locations on schedule?’ Durden reportedly asked. APEC ‘is coming and we need to stay on top of the growing encampments; do we have a plan?’

The city was opening a 30-bed shelter on Friday at Natoma and Eighth streets, and working to add 300 beds to existing shelters within the next few months, the paper reported.

A worker cleans the sidewalk outside the Moscone Convention Center where the conference will take place

San Francisco is on track to set a record for fatal drug overdoses this year – 54 people died in the city from unintentional overdoses in September alone.

City, state and federal authorities have been throwing money and resources at the liberal city’s drug epidemic since June to try and control the growing lawlessness that is plaguing the country’s sixth most expensive city. Efforts from politicians and leaders have escalated in light of the summit, which will welcome 21 of the world’s most prominent economies’ leaders.

Eight government agencies – including park rangers, Public Works employees and nonprofit Urban Alchemy workers – have put manpower into controlling the mess of illegal activity in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Standard.

Residents of San Francisco are concerned for their safety and security in the crime-ridden city and a flock of businesses are slamming their doors shut for good in the seemingly hopeless area.

In April, Whole Foods announced it was closing all their locations, with Anthropologie and Office Depot having also made the same decisions leading some analysts to predict that the city has entered a ‘doom-loop’ of permanent decline.

Restaurants on one of San Francisco’s most storied streets are closing at an alarming rate – and owners are saying it’s due to the city’s spiraling crime.

In June of this year – a group of fed-up San Francisco residents cobbled together $25,000 to buy garden planters, typically used to feed livestock, to line streets in the city’s troubled Mission District in order deter homeless people from setting up camps there.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A $4 million marketing campaign touting San Francisco’s resilience, innovation and moxie launches Thursday as the embattled city prepares to host a high-profile global economic summit next month that could boost its image or pile on to its woes.

Business leaders behind the privately funded “It All Starts Here” campaign say they plan to blanket the city with billboards and ads featuring what makes San Francisco great — think the iPhone and Pixar Animation Studios — as tens of thousands converge on the city for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit.

President Joe Biden and other heads of state, hundreds of foreign journalists and more than 1,000 business executives from around the globe are expected to attend the summit Nov. 11 to 17.

“Birthplace of the waterbed. And the summer of love,” reads one ad. “The martini. The mai tai. And the Uber ride back home,” reads another. The campaign logo echoes the famous crisscross Haight and Ashbury street signs.

There’s also a spirited two-minute video set to the song “California Dreamin’.” The video opens with fog and mountains, Pacific Ocean waves crashing into majestic cliffs and the Golden Gate Bridge before mixing in historic images of streetcars, beatniks, retailer Gap, Apple and Google. San Francisco is sandwiched between Silicon Valley and Northern California wine country.

The summit comes at a critical time for San Francisco’s bruised image. While there are signs of recovery — an IKEA opened downtown — the city has been hit hard by news of major retailers leaving as street conditions deteriorated over public drug use, homelessness and theft.

“Unfortunately, when you hear about San Francisco, you hear about a lot of negative things,” said Priya David Clemens, spokesperson for the host committee. “And APEC is an opportunity for people to come from all around the Pacific Rim, see this city, and go back and tell their friends and family, ‘Hey, San Francisco’s a great place to do business’ and to come back and visit for pleasure.”

Civic and business leaders, government officials and the tourism and conference industry are anxious to counter the narrative that San Francisco is dying or dead as it might become a self-fulfilling prophecy in today’s era of snap judgments spread through a viral social media ecosystem built in the city’s backyard.

Conditions are not as dire as headlines make out, said Larry Baer, board co-chair of Advance SF, the business group overseeing the campaign. Baer, who is also president and CEO of the San Francisco Giants, said the ads are also aimed at reminding residents of the city’s accomplishments.

“It’s urging a change in the narrative,” said Baer, a San Francisco native. The city is “like other big cities, with modern day challenges, but also with really a unique sparkle to it.”

“We’re not going to have as quick a change perhaps as we want, but I believe … there’s improvement,” he said.

In September, San Francisco successfully hosted 40,000 attendees of an annual Salesforce conference. City native Marc Benioff, the software company’s CEO and chair, raved about how clean and safe streets were around the convention center.

The new ads take some liberties. Apple has its headquarters in Cupertino and Pixar’s is in Emeryville, neither of which are San Francisco. The martini may have been invented San Francisco, or in neighboring Martinez. The mai tai was created in 1944 at a Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland across the bay.

The modern waterbed, however, was created in San Francisco, by a design student at San Francisco State University.

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In the Global Week Ahead, geopolitics remains at the forefront of stock trader minds.

This result comes after war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The mood inside stock and bond markets is jittery at best.

This trading week might offer some reassurance — that both households and businesses are holding up — in an uncertain macro environment.

Why?

a. Some of the world’s biggest multinational companies report earnings. They provide stock traders their detailed Q3 updates, and forward outlooks.

b. A variety of macro data prints offer a look at growth, wages and consumer spending, in the United States, China and the United Kingdom.

Next are Reuters five world market themes, reordered for equity traders—

A number of major U.S. companies report results, revving up a third-quarter earnings season expected to show a pickup in profit growth after a tepid first half.

Tesla (TSLA – Free Report) kicks off earnings for the mega-caps on Oct. 18th. These companies’ shares have been key drivers of the equity rally in 2023.

Bank of America (BAC – Free Report) and Goldman Sachs (GS – Free Report) both report Oct. 17th.

Other heavy hitters include healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ – Free Report) on Oct. 17, Netflix (NFLX – Free Report) on Oct. 18th and Philip Morris International (PM – Free Report) on Oct. 19th.

In economic data, U.S. retail sales for September, due on Tuesday, will provide a key look into the health of the consumer.

Investors are keen to determine if the economy can avoid a hard landing. U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in August as a surge in gasoline prices boosted receipts at service stations.

(2) A number of Europe’s major banks report earnings this week.

Storm clouds are brewing over European banking stocks as the boost from higher interest rates fades and recession risks rise, but some big investors are hanging on to shares.

Banks have long underperformed the region’s main stock market. And just ahead of quarterly earnings next week, European bank shares (.SX7P) are sporting a dividend yield of almost 8%, making them cheaper on this basis than during the 2008 global financial crisis.

Banks have had a major boost from hiking their loan costs in line with central bank rates.

Analyst forecasts collated by European asset manager Amundi show European banks are expected to grow adjusted earnings by +25% this year, followed by a +6% gain in 2024.

(3) Poland has elected a center-left coalition gov’t, ousting the ruling nationalists.

Voters on Sunday have decided, in numbers not seen even in 1989. Poland’s ruling nationalists appeared on Monday Oct. 16th to have lost their parliamentary majority in the nation’s most pivotal election in decades, potentially opening the way for opposition parties to seize power in what would be a huge political shift.

Poland has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over the rule of law, media freedom, migration and LGBT rights since Law and Justice (PiS) swept to power in 2015, but opposition parties have vowed to mend ties with Brussels and scrap reforms that critics say undermine democratic standards.

An Ipsos exit poll published early on Monday, Oct. 16th gave PiS 36.6% of the vote, which would translate into 198 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house of parliament.

Opposition parties, led by the former European Council president Donald Tusk’s liberal grouping Civic Coalition (KO), were projected to win a combined 248 seats, with the KO seen winning 31.0% of ballots cast.

Victory for the opposition in a vote seen by analysts as the most significant election for Europe in years could potentially redefine the relationship between Brussels and the largest EU member state in central and eastern Europe.

The election cycle is also heating up elsewhere in emerging markets:

a. Ecuadorians also voted on Sunday Oct. 15th for a new president.

Business scion Daniel Noboa will fulfill a long-held family ambition when he takes office as Ecuador’s president, after winning election on Sunday on promises to create jobs and bring crime gangs under control.

Noboa, 35, who quit a job at his family’s sprawling conglomerate when he was elected to the national legislature in 2021, won more than 52% of the vote, beating leftist challenger Luisa Gonzalez, who had about 48%, with the initial tally nearly complete.

b. Argentinians head to the polls on Oct. 22nd.

(4) Is the worst over for the mainland China economy? Or is there a real estate crisis brewing?

The clock is ticking loudly for China’s biggest private property developer.

Country Garden (2007.HK) has until Tuesday to meet coupon payments or have all its nearly $11 billion in offshore debt deemed in default.

It’s not alone. Companies accounting for 40% of Chinese home sales have defaulted since 2021, when a liquidity crisis hit the sector, which accounts for about a quarter of the economy.

Beijing has rolled out a raft of measures recently, but with little impact on home sales.

There have been reports the government is looking to increase its budget deficit to meet this year’s 5% growth target.

Recent data already suggests the worst may be over for parts of the economy. Wednesday could bring confirmation, with the release of GDP, industrial output and retail sales figures.

(5) The Bank of England (BoE) struggles to set a course against high inflation.

Poor Old Lady of Threadneedle Street. The Bank of England (BoE) has been constantly wrongfooted by inflation data for months.

For most of the year, it’s come in above expectations and well above the central bank’s own forecasts. Suddenly in August, it slowed more than expected. Many believe the data pushed the BoE to leave rates unchanged at its last meeting.

That said, inflation is still over three times the BoE’s 2% target and growth isn’t exactly stellar. Meanwhile, at the last count, the labor market was starting to cool, but basic pay grew at its fastest rate on record — making the BoE’s juggling act even tougher.

More surprises on Oct. 17th and 18th, when employment and inflation data land, respectively, could set an awkward scene for the BoE’s November meeting a little over two weeks later.

Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) Stocks

This is a $111 stock with a $11.1B market cap in the Medical-Drugs industry. I see a Zacks Value score of A, a Zacks Growth score of B and a Zacks Momentum score of C.

Neurocrine Biosciences is a neuroscience-based company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric, neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases and disorders.

The company’s neuroscience, endocrine and immunology disciplines provide a unique biological understanding of the molecular interaction between central nervous, immune and endocrine systems for the development of therapeutic interventions for anxiety, depression, insomnia, stroke, malignant brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, obesity and diabetes.

(2) Williams Sonoma (WSM – Free Report) : This is a $162 stock with a $10.4B market cap in the Retail – Home Furnishing industry. I see a Zacks Value score of A, a Zacks Growth score of B, and a Zacks Momentum score of B.

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a multi-channel specialty retailer of premium quality home products. Incorporated in 1973, the company has five brands and each of the brands are operating segments.

• Pottery Barn (accounting for 41% of fiscal 2022 total revenues) is the largest brand of the company and offers premium quality furniture, lighting, tabletop, outdoor and decorative accessories.
• West Elm (26.3%) produces personalized products designed by the company’s team of artists and designers.
• Williams-Sonoma (14.8%) offers cookware, tools, cutlery, electrics, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture and cookbooks.
• Pottery Barn Kids and Teen (13.1%) deals with products used for putting up nurseries, bedrooms and play spaces. It also caters to the teenage population with furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accents for teen bedrooms, dorm rooms, study spaces and lounges.
• Other segment (4.8%) primarily consists of international franchise operations, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham. Rejuvenation offers premium quality products which are inspired from history and are manufactured in facilities in Portland, OR. Mark and Graham is known for personalized gift items. The brand manufactures women’s and men’s accessories, home décor as well as seasonal items.

Cash and cash equivalents were $514.4 million as of Jul 30, 2023 compared with $124.9 million reported a year ago and $367.3 million at the end of fiscal 2022. Net cash from operating activities totaled $715 million in the first six months of fiscal 2023 compared with $383.6 million a year ago. At the fiscal second quarter-end, the company stated that it had no debt, thereby maintaining its strong financial position.

Williams-Sonoma rewarded shareholders in dividends (worth $116.6 million) and share repurchases (worth $310 million) in first-half 2023.

(Note:  Zacks identifies fiscal years by the month in which the fiscal year ends, while WSM identifies their fiscal year by the calendar year in which it begins; so comparable figures for any given fiscal year, as published by WSM, will refer to this same fiscal year as being the year before the same year, as identified by Zacks).

(3) EMCOR Group (EME – Free Report) : This is a $207 stock with a $10B market cap in the Building Products industry. I see a Zacks Value score of C, a Zacks Growth score of B, and a Zacks Momentum score of F.

EMCOR Group is one of the leading providers of mechanical and electrical construction, industrial and energy infrastructure, as well as building services for a diverse range of businesses. The company serves commercial, industrial, utility and institutional clients.

The company currently operates under the following reportable segments:

United States Electrical Construction and Facilities Services (contributing 22% to total revenues for 2022) – This comprises systems for premises electrical and lighting systems; electrical power transmission and distribution; roadway and transit lighting; fiber optic lines; voice and data communication; as well as low-voltage systems, such as fire alarm, security and process control.

United States Mechanical Construction and Facilities Services (39.1%) – This involves systems for fire protection; heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and clean-room process ventilation; water and wastewater treatment and central plant heating and cooling; plumbing, process and high-purity piping; millwrighting; steel fabrication, erection and welding; as well as controls and filtration.

United States Building Services (24.6%) – This segment provides various types of support services related to operation and maintenance of clients’ facilities in the U.S. These include commercial and government site-based operations and maintenance; military base operations support services; infrastructure and building projects for federal, state and local governmental agencies.

United States Industrial Services (10%) – This segment comprises industrial maintenance and services that are needed for refineries and petrochemical plants such as designing, manufacturing, repairing and hydro blast cleaning of shell and tube heat exchangers and related equipment; overhaul and maintenance of critical process units in refineries and petrochemical plants.

United Kingdom Building Services (4.3%) – This segment provides support services related to operation and maintenance of commercial and government client facilities in the U.K.

Key Global Macro

Mid-week on Wednesday is a major day for global-macro prints.

On Monday, there is a Eurogroup meeting.

On Tuesday, U.S. Retail Sales come out for SEP. Ex-Auto should be up +0.2% m/m. The broader retail sales measure should be up +0.3% m/m in SEP, after rising +0.6% m/m in AUG. Still solid, just not as strong as seasonal AUG summer data.

U.S. Capacity Utilization for SEP is out. The prior reading is a solid 79.7%.

On Wednesday, Mainland China’s Q3 real GDP growth rate comes out. Look for +4.4% y/y print, following a prior +6.3% y/y effort.

Mainland China’s fixed asset investment for SEP should be up +3.2%, in line with the prior reading.

Mainland China’s retail sales for SEP should be up +4.5% y/y, also in line.

The important Eurozone HICP consumer inflation measure comes out. A stable +4.3% y/y rate thru SEP is expected.

U.S. building permits for SEP come out. The prior read is 1.54M.

U.S. housing starts for SEP also come out. The prior read is 1.28M.

On Thursday, U.S. existing home sales for SEP come out. The prior is 4.0M.

On Friday, there is People’s Bank of China (PBoC) interest rate decision.

Conclusion

Let’s close matters up with a house backdrop on Q3 earnings, done on Oct. 11th.

Here are the Zacks Research Director Sheraz Mian’s key earnings points:

(1) Estimates for 2023 Q3 held up much better than had been the case in the comparable periods of other recent quarters.

In fact, Q3 earnings estimates in the aggregate were barely down since the start of the period, with estimates modestly up when negative revisions to the Energy or Finance sector estimates are excluded.

(2) For 2023 Q3, total S&P500 earnings are currently expected to be down -2.1% from the same period last year on +0.7% higher revenues.

That will be the 4th back-to-back quarter of declining earnings for the index.

(3) Exclude a drag from the Energy sector. Those earnings are expected to decline -36.8% in Q3.

Earnings for the other 15 Zacks sectors in the S&P500 index could be up +2.7% on +3.2% higher revenues.

Have a successful trading and investing week.

Warm Regards,

John Blank

Zacks Chief Equity Strategist and Economist

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