A federal judge said she needs more evidence that San Francisco is complying with her injunction preventing moving unhoused people.

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — San Francisco homeless residents lost their bid to ensure that city officials comply with a federal judge’s block on encampment sweeps, but the judge on Thursday also demanded more transparency from the city.

U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu denied without prejudice a request by plaintiffs living unsheltered in San Francisco that she appoint a special master to help enforce the injunction Ryu ordered. But she ordered the city to file a declaration on staff training within two weeks, and to meet with Magistrate Judge Lisa Cisneros to discuss improving how police officers communicate with unhoused people. The plaintiffs must file a supplemental brief within one month.

Ryu ruled this past December that San Francisco officials cannot threaten enforcement of “sit/lie” or public sleeping laws against involuntarily homeless individuals, meaning people who do not have access to shelter or permanent housing.

The plaintiffs say the city regularly fines and removes them from public property, often seizing or destroying their property, violating their Fourth and Eighth Amendment rights. They also accused the city of sweeping encampments after the injunction was ordered, during the atmospheric river storms that drenched the state during this year’s winter.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks at a rally outside the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

City officials appealed Ryu’s injunction to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and argued in court Wednesday that the ruling was too vague to know which parts of city ordinances could be enforced.

Mayor London Breed, backed by county supervisors and coalitions of wealthy donors, told a crowd assembled outside the appellate court that the city is prepared to take the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. 

The crux of the case rests on precedent set in Martin v. Boise, barring cities without enough shelter beds from moving unhoused people — and the fact that San Francisco does not have enough shelter for all unhoused people, as Ryu determined in January. The plaintiffs point to a waitlist of at least 400 people, while the city has said it offers unhoused people shelter before conducting encampment sweeps. 

In federal court Thursday, Ryu expressed concern that some police officers who interact with unhoused residents may not be trained on the injunction and rules for when they can and cannot move people. 

The judge also chastised the plaintiffs for not clearly explaining how, by law, the city had violated her order.

“You’ve left me here to guess, or try to figure out what you’re arguing,” she said. “There’s a lot of assumptions that are being made in the plaintiffs’ side of the papers. These are all legal questions that need to be teased out.”

Attorney Kevin Wu, representing the plaintiffs, said they have reason to think the city is not following rules about keeping records, such as activating body cameras or recording property confiscations, which will complicate their discovery process. 

“They do give us concerns that we don’t have enough at our disposal to monitor the city’s actions in real time, and prevent any irreparable harm that may be befalling plaintiffs,” he said.

“You have to first show me that there’s a problem,” Ryu told Wu. “You didn’t do the work I need from you to be able to render a decision.”

Ryu told the city that the record shows there is ambiguity around people’s rights, and misunderstandings that cops could prevent. 

“Is San Francisco open to coming up with clearer communication about people’s rights,” she asked, “so that homeless individuals who encounter police have a better understanding of what’s going on?”

After saying the city does not believe the plaintiffs gave evidence of non-compliance, Wang agreed that officials are open to improving communication with the public.  

Ryu said she is also concerned about declarations submitted as proof that city officials destroyed people’s property without cause.

“Some of them felt like pretty clear violations,” Ryu said, noting one description from an unsheltered woman who said a worker took her jewelry, put it in their pocket and told her that it belonged to the city. She noted the city hadn’t submitted evidence of having trained all workers who interact with unhoused people on what they may and may not do. 

Miguel Gradilla, an attorney for San Francisco, said most workers engaging with unhoused people discuss their property rights every day, but was not sure how many public works staffers may be trained on the rules for handling people’s property. 

Before ending Thursday’s hearing the judge also recommended better communication on both sides.

“My sense from the filings is that communication is not great,” Ryu said. “But that’s your choice on how you want to litigate the case.”

The case is slated for a bench trial starting in April 2024.

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Detroit, 2009. National and international headlines proclaimed the demise of a once great city, from its economy (“How Detroit Went Bottom-Up”) to the depletion of its population (“How Detroit, the Motor City, Turned into a Ghost Town”) to its housing market (“How Low Can Homes Go? Try $0”) and its crumbling infrastructure (“Feral Detroit: Nature is Reclaiming the Motor City”). The city would file for bankruptcy four years later. “For decades it seemed like everything had been taken from us,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “Companies were moving out, car factories were moving out, gas stations and movie theaters were moving out, and people were moving out.”

The city’s black-majority neighborhoods were plagued by vacancy rates, some 70,000 in number, but Detroit’s handful of black developers failed to find appeal. “Two to four of us tried it,” says Clifford Brown, a longtime real estate entrepreneur and Detroit resident, “and all the deals we looked at were partnerships. We did not drive the developments ourselves and were unable to secure access to capital.”

In a city where 85 percent of the population identified as Black, there was an abundance of talented Black professionals—real estate agents, architects, lawyers, bankers, urban planners, carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. Nevertheless, there were hardly any black developers. This was and is consistent with the rest of the United States, where only 5 percent of real estate developers identify as Black.

The biggest barrier to entry for black real estate entrepreneurs has always been lack of access to capital. This is a problem for numerous reasons. It’s widening the racial wealth divide for another generation of young Black men and women. In an increasingly heated real estate market, it opens the city’s communities to development by outsiders who have no knowledge, loyalty, or love for them. After all, it means many of the people who believed in Detroit during its toughest years may not share in the fruits of its comeback. In his State of the City 2022 address, Mayor Duggan squarely asked, “Will Black entrepreneurs benefit fairly from Detroit’s recovery?”

To ensure this, JPMorgan Chase works closely with local Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), including Capital Impact Partners and Invest Detroit. These partnerships provide the resources, expertise and inspiration to help a new generation of black developers rebuild Detroit.

In 2014, JPMorgan Chase made a landmark $100 million pledge (which has since doubled to $200 million) to fund the city’s economic recovery. But first, it listened to Detroiters—community partners, civic leaders, local experts, and residents. “We learned early on the importance of equity within the community – from allowing residents to build their own neighborhoods to supporting developers who reflect the city’s population,” said Pierre Batton, program officer for global philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, based in Detroit.

Today, Detroit’s residential and commercial districts are gradually coming back to life. What’s happening with the help of Capital Impact and Invest Detroit is the opposite of gentrification: developers—increasingly black developers—are revitalizing communities, not for wealthy newcomers, but for the people who live in them.

To support these developers, Capital Impact partnered with JPMorgan Chase to launch the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), an annual training program, in 2018. EDI’s mentors and advisors, including Clifford Brown, educate BIPOC developers through the early and mid-career stages of project development and finance, help demystify the market for them and, crucially, give them access to low-cost after graduation to raise capital. Capital Impact leveraged JPMorgan Chase’s support of more than $32.5 million in dedicated loan funds for Capital Impact’s national program. In 2017, as part of its ongoing investments in Detroit’s recovery, JPMorgan Chase committed $500,000 to the EDI over a two-year period. The company continues to support the program, not only in Detroit, but also in the metro areas to which it has expanded: Washington, DC, San Francisco and Dallas.

In four years, more than 200 developers have been trained by EDI or are currently involved in its programming. The Detroit program alone has more than 100 alumni.

“We’re already seeing graduates progressing and doing their second, third, and fourth projects,” says Batton.

Graduates of the program bring specific values ​​and goals to their ventures. “They not only want to grow as developers,” says Jeff Mosley, Capital Impact’s national program director for EDI, “but also create housing that meets the needs of their communities – so that their work has social relevance. ”

This is evident in EDI alumnus Marcus Jones’ $1.3 million development project, funded by Invest Detroit and JPMorgan Chase through the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, in a long-abandoned commercial building in the borough of Livernois-McNichols.

The project Jones undertook with his partner and Detroit roommate, Akunna Olumba, shows exactly why local developers are so important to Detroit’s recovery. The construction team was more than 98 percent based in Detroit. The subcontractors—welders, plumbers, and electricians—were 90 percent black. The 6,000-square-foot restaurant, Detroit Pizza Bar, opened in 2022 and 97 percent of its employees live within a two-mile radius. “We knew that not having a car, license or insurance to drive often prevents people from accessing a quality job,” says Jones.

The restaurant’s energy costs are partially offset by solar panels and high-efficiency appliances; Operating costs are partially offset by tax breaks from the City of Detroit. “Invest Detroit really believed in us,” says Jones, “and they convinced the city to have our back as well.” The rooftop overlooks a new $7 million overhaul of the McNichols streetscape.

The picture in Detroit is brightening. The city’s housing market is stabilizing, with more than 50 percent of units owner-occupied, up 7 percent from 2019, and black developers like Brown and Jones are playing an increasingly prominent role. Near the end of his State of the City 2022 address, Mayor Duggan celebrated 33 black developers in Detroit who have collectively invested more than $500 million in residential, mixed-use and commercial properties across the city. “Black developers with black ownership are rebuilding this city,” he explained.

To date, Clifford Brown has completed projects in four different Detroit neighborhoods and continues to invest in real estate across the city. He recently broke ground on the Brooke on Bagley, a $23 million development that will include 78 apartments — 80 percent of which are designated rent-restricted — and 2,105 square feet of retail space. “I would argue that Detroit is probably the best place in the US for color developers to start,” he says. “Obviously there are amazing opportunities elsewhere. The challenge is that you don’t have Capital Impact and Invest Detroit. I spent six months trying to make a $23 million deal work. I called Capital Impact Partners and within two weeks they said, ‘We’re going to be a senior lender.’”

In an increasingly affluent Detroit, there are significantly more black real estate entrepreneurs than in 2009, and there is a growing training and funding infrastructure to help them succeed. “We’re creating equitable and inclusive opportunities that didn’t exist before for black developers, architects, designers and craftspeople,” Batton says. “Now we will just keep gaining momentum.

The post Serving to Guarantee Minority Builders Take part in Detroit’s Financial Comeback appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Though keeping our domestic spaces warm this winter is essential, so is the even flow of fresh air. These products guarantee that this can occur in the healthiest ways possible.

Courtesy LG

LG Art Cool Premier Wall Mount Split System with LGRED
LG

With one of the highest SEER ratings in the industry, the LG Art Cool Premier Wall Mount Split System with LGRED offers AEC professionals a design-forward solution that doesn’t compromise on energy efficiency. This inverter variable split system seamlessly connects with the LG ThinQ app providing remote cooling and heating controls.

(Courtesy Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US)

PKFY-NLMU Wall Mounted Indoor Unit
Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS)

Perfect for tight spaces, the PKFY-NLMU Wall-Mounted Indoor Unit by Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US is whisper-quiet, running at just 22 dB(A). Connected to the CITY MULTI®R2-Series, Y-Series, WY-Series, WR2-Series, and S-Series VRF zoning systems, the unit uses the least amount of energy needed to maintain an area’s desired set point.

(courtesy Bosch)

CDi Series: SM Rev C
Bosch

Bosch’s leading geothermal solution, the CDi Series: SM Rev C residential water source heat pump meets the highest ENERGY STAR standards. Available in two sizes, the system incorporates a two-stage scroll compressor, an ECM constant air monitor for superior comfort, and connects to Bosch’s EasyStart diagnostics app.

(courtesy 3M)

Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Healthy Living 2200 filters
3M

The Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Healthy Living 2200 Filter by 3M is perfect for keeping a wide array of HVAC units hygienic and hypoallergenic. The insert captures microscopic particles like pet dander, smoke, bacteria, viruses, and odors but also larger fragments like mold spores, dust, and pollen.

Courtesy Carrier

infinity
carriers

Third-party testing has demonstrated that Carrier’s new and improved Infinity air purifier can inactivate 99% of the murine coronavirus. Its MERV 15 rated filter treats the airflow flowing through most HVAC systems by creating a cloud of electrically charged ions that attach, pull apart, and eliminate airborne dust, pollen, viruses, and germs.

(Courtesy Uponor North America)

Stainless Steel Manifold
Uponor North America

The brand new Stainless-Steel Manifold application by Uponor North America is a corrosion-resistant alternative for cooling and heating application. Available in two sizes, the manifold comes preassembled for faster install. Both variants include full-port ball valves with temperature gauges and integrated flow meters.

The post Enhanced HVAC options be sure that interiors keep protected and hygienic appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco has guaranteed paid sick leave to all workers in the city for nearly 15 years. Now she wants to make sure the city’s 10,000 or so domestic workers have a real shot at receiving the benefit.

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed an ordinance creating a transferable benefits system that would allow workers to combine hours from multiple employers to count towards their sick pay.

What will likely be a mobile app is being developed to count hours and due dates and help workers and those who hire them make their arrangements, according to Hillary Ronen, the supervisor who introduced the new rule along with California’s Domestic workers has written coalition.

“Under current law, all San Francisco workers are entitled to paid sick leave based on hours worked,” Ronen told her fellow board members before voting 11-0 to approve the measure. “Although they have the right to paid sick leave, in reality very few domestic workers have access to this benefit.”

San Francisco law, which went into effect in February 2007, requires employers to provide employees with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. But the hours worked for different jobs could not be included in a single count, so working 15 hours for one household and 15 hours for another would not result in an hour’s sick time.

Domestic workers can work for up to 20 different employers each month, making accumulated paid sick leave unattainable. Additionally, the people who hire housekeepers, caregivers and landscapers may not even be aware of sick leave policies or how they operate.

The difficulties were particularly acute with COVID-19so many Low earners continued to work even while they were sick because they needed the paycheck, according to work advocates.

The new regulation was welcomed Wednesday by Mujeres Unidas y Activas, or MUA, a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women based in San Francisco.

“We hope that San Francisco’s portable power system will serve as a model for other cities in the Bay Area and for the rest of the state,” the group said. “Making bailout accessible is not just a matter of equity, it’s also part of our vision for the future of the domestic work industry.”

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The post San Francisco to make sure home staff receives a commission sick time appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

While it’s important to keep our living spaces warm this winter, it’s also important that the fresh air flows evenly. These products guarantee that this can be done in the healthiest possible way.

Courtesy of LG

LG Art Cool Premier split system for wall mounting with LGRED
LG

With one of the highest SEER ratings in the industry, the LG Art Cool Premier Wall Mount Split System with LGRED AEC professionals offers a design-forward solution that doesn’t compromise on energy efficiency. This variable split system of the inverter is seamlessly connected to the LG ThinQ app and offers remote control for cooling and heating.

(Courtesy Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US)

PKFY-NLMU wall-mounted indoor unit
Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS)

The PKFY-NLMU wall-mounted indoor unit from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US is perfect for tight spaces and whisper-quiet at just 22 dB (A). The device is connected to the VRF zone systems of the CITY MULTI®R2-series, Y-series, WY-series, WR2-series and S-series and uses the least energy to maintain the desired setpoint of an area.

(Courtesy of Bosch)

CDi series: SM Rev C.
Bosch

The leading geothermal solution from Bosch, the CDi series: SM Rev C heat pump for residential water sources, meets the highest ENERGY STAR standards. The system is available in two sizes and has a two-stage scroll compressor, an ECM constant air monitor for outstanding convenience and a connection to the EasyStart diagnosis app from Bosch.

(Courtesy of 3M)

Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Healthy Living 2200 Filters
3M

3M’s Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Healthy Living 2200 Filter is perfect for keeping a wide variety of HVAC equipment hygienic and hypoallergenic. The insert captures microscopic particles such as flakes of skin, smoke, bacteria, viruses and odors, but also larger fragments such as mold spores, dust and pollen.

Courtesy of Carrier

infinity
carrier

Third-party testing has shown that Carrier’s new and improved Infinity Air Purifier can inactivate 99% of the murine coronavirus. The MERV 15 filter treats the airflow that passes through most HVAC systems by creating a cloud of electrically charged ions that attach, pull apart, and remove airborne dust, pollen, viruses, and germs.

(Courtesy Uponor North America)

Stainless steel manifold
Uponor North America

Uponor North America’s brand new stainless steel manifold application is a corrosion resistant alternative for cooling and heating applications. The manifold is available in two sizes and comes pre-assembled for faster installation. Both variants include ball valves with full connection, temperature measuring devices and integrated flow meters.

The post Enhanced HVAC options make sure that interiors keep protected and hygienic appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.