You may have seen Waymo’s sleek white Jaguar sedans or Cruise’s cutesy orange-and-white cars rolling around San Francisco with no driver in the front seat. The city is the unofficial birthplace of the robotaxi revolution, with hundreds of completely autonomous vehicles crawling around the streets.

San Francisco’s two main robotaxi companies are General Motors-backed Cruise and Google-run Waymo, whose fleets have reached into the hundreds in the city and have popped up in cities across the country, too.

At first, the robotaxi expansion felt like a quintessential San Francisco tech moment: Starting in early 2022, Cruise started taking passengers on driverless rides. Eager techies embraced the moment, and some safe streets advocates championed the vehicles for providing a slower, law-abiding road option, claiming that the cars could never drive drunk.

A Cruise AV turns the corner of Eighth and Brannan streets in San Francisco on July 19, 2023. Cruise’s self-driving cars are one of the current autonomous vehicles that offer robotaxi services in San Francisco. | Source: Isaac Ceja/The Standard

The self-driving car companies flew through regulatory hurdles, winning the state’s approval to operate on San Francisco streets with relative ease. In California, robotaxi companies are jointly regulated by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission, meaning city officials have minimal control over service expansions. 

But the road to expansion has proved bumpy at times. Cruise and Waymo cars have been involved in a number of traffic incidents throughout San Francisco streets—ranging from a wayward robotaxi rolling into wet cement to more serious incidents involving emergency vehicles. 

Videos of Cruise and Waymo cars stalled on San Francisco streets have gone viral; police and firefighters have had to smash robotaxi windows to get them to move out of emergency scenes; and some activists have even taken to placing traffic cones on the robotaxis’ hoods, to literally stop them from moving. One individual was recently spotted raging against the machines with a hammer.

Local labor organizers from Service Employees International Union and accessibility leaders hold a press conference in support of autonomous vehicles on Aug. 10. | Source: Jeremy Chen/The Standard

The tensions reached boiling point at a California Public Utilities Commission hearing on Aug. 10—largely viewed as the most significant green light for unlimited driverless expansion in San Francisco.

Despite protests and hours of impassioned public comment, the expansion passed. Cruise and Waymo got the go-ahead from state regulators and, at first, the self-driving car companies seemed ecstatic about the decision. 

But in the following weeks, increasingly high-profile incidents began to crop up, forcing the robotaxi companies into a de facto tug-of-war with city officials as the companies frantically tried to improve car performance and officials attempted to throw up more roadblocks. 

READ MORE: San Francisco Robotaxis: Petition To Re-Do Expansion Vote Filed

A pedestrian crosses Ninth Street as a driverless Waymo robotaxi approaches them in San Francisco on Aug. 15. | Source: Jeremy Chen/The Standard

In spite of robotaxis’ highly publicized incidents, Waymo continues to expand its fleet operations in San Francisco and recently started charging users for rides. Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt promised to expand the company’s fleets to a dozen different cities in the next few years and, on Thursday, unveiled the company’s wheelchair-accessible Origin cars. 

Whether San Franciscans embrace or reject robotaxis, it appears driverless cars are here to stay. Buckle up—the ride is sure to take some interesting turns.

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San Francisco is one of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. The City by the Bay received the dubious honor based on a cost-of-living survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a research group. The analysis takes into account hundreds of factors, including the price of goods and services, as well as the cost of utilities, car payments, and housing.

The average cost of living in San Francisco in numbers

To understand how expensive San Francisco is, consider these facts:

• In 2022, the cost of housing in the greater San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area was 113% and utilities 67.5% higher than the state average, according to federal data.

• The overall price of goods in San Francisco, including clothing and groceries, education, medical expenses, recreational and transportation services, was 19.8% above the national average, according to the same report.

• The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is $3,020, according to Zumper data as of October 2022. Despite being cheaper than before the pandemic, San Francisco is still the third most expensive city to rent in the US

The cost of living in San Francisco compared to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and the rest of the world

In 2022, San Francisco was the 8th most expensive city in the world, slightly more expensive than Paris, Copenhagen and Sydney but cheaper than Los Angeles, which ranks fourth with Hong Kong. New York and Singapore are the most expensive cities in the world. Tel Aviv is in third place, Zurich and Geneva in sixth and seventh.

Seattle doesn’t make the top 10 most expensive cities list; According to Forbes, the cost of living there is 22% lower than in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Financial District rises above a residential street in San Francisco, California.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

History repeats itself: San Francisco has always been an expensive city

San Francisco’s boomtown origins mean its history of fierce competition and price gouging stretches back almost 200 years. In fact, San Francisco was even more expensive relative to income during the gold rush than it is today or during its dot-com boom.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, a dozen eggs bought in a San Francisco store in 1849 cost the equivalent of $90 today. This year, individual hotel rooms were rented out to professional gamblers for the equivalent of $300,000 a month.

San Francisco has a long history of what many would describe as opportunistic housing practices. After the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated the city, the landlords of the houses that were not destroyed raised rents for tenants and even forced those who earned good wages into refugee camps, according to SFist and a July newspaper clipping 1906 from the San Francisco Call.

Since the precious metals booms contributed to high prices back then, the tech industry could be contributing to the high cost of living today.

Alexander Fromm Lurie, a San Francisco real estate consultant at Compass, points out that the region’s tech jobs, which according to Bloomberg account for over 30% of San Francisco’s personal wages, are largely to blame. “The Bay Area has one of the strongest economies in the world, which attracts talent and injects an abundance of funds into the region,” Lurie wrote in an email. Add to that high salaries — according to Bloomberg, the average tech earns $165,000 a year — resulting in “high housing costs,” Lurie explains.

But not even every technician can shop here. According to the California Association of Realtors, it takes a San Francisco man nearly $400,000 to buy a middle-income home.

The Painted Lady at Alamo Square in San Francisco, California.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

It’s a buyer’s market – for now

Though home prices are well above the national average, San Francisco is no longer the country’s most priceless housing market, according to a March 2022 report. Lurie explains that the market is cooling off after a decade of massive property appreciation following the 2008 recession. “There are some spectacular prices for buyers right now,” he writes. A national real estate report by RE/MAX estimates that home prices are down 5.1% year over year.

A recent survey of real estate agents shows that San Francisco isn’t the seller’s market it was a short time ago. According to real estate company HomeLight, in the fourth quarter of 2022, only 30% of agents said their market was a seller’s market. Just six months earlier, 95% of respondents said they were in a seller’s market.

But Lurie doesn’t expect relatively low home prices to last long. “I believe that within a few years we will see the San Francisco housing market recover significantly from its current levels.”

This story was edited by Hearst National Editor Kristina Moy; You can contact her at kristina.moy@hearst.com.

The post The excessive price of residing in San Francisco defined appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco is one of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. The City by the Bay got the dubious honor based on a cost of living survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a research group. The analysis considers hundreds of factors, including the price of goods and services, and the cost of utilities, car payments and housing.

The average cost of living in San Francisco, by the numbers

To comprehend just how expensive San Francisco is, consider these facts:

• In 2022, housing costs were 113% higher and utilities costs were 67.5% higher in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area than the national average, according to federal data.

• The overall price of goods in San Francisco, including apparel and food, education, medical expenses, recreation and transportation services, was 19.8% higher than the national average, according to the same report.

• The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is $3,020, according to October 2022 data from Zumper. Although this is less expensive than it was pre-pandemic, San Francisco is still the third most expensive city for renters in the US

The cost of living in San Francisco versus New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and the rest of the world

In 2022, San Francisco was the eighth most expensive city in the world, slightly more expensive than Paris, Copenhagen and Sydney, but less expensive than Los Angeles, which is tied with Hong Kong at number four. New York and Singapore are tied for the most expensive cities in the world. Tel Aviv comes in third, and Zurich and Geneva are numbers six and seven, respectively.

Seattle does not make the list of the 10 most expensive cities; the cost of living there is 22% lower than San Francisco’s, according to Forbes.

San Francisco’s financial district looms over a residential street in San Francisco, Calif.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

History repeats: San Francisco has always been an expensive city

San Francisco’s origins as a boom town mean its history of steep competition and price gouging goes back almost 200 years. In fact, during the Gold Rush, relative to incomes, San Francisco was even more expensive than it is today or during its dot-com boom.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, a dozen eggs bought from a San Francisco store in 1849 cost the equivalent of $90 today. That year, individual hotel rooms were rented to professional gamblers for the equivalent of $300,000 per month.

San Francisco has a long history of what many would call opportunist housing practices. Following the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated the city, landlords of the homes that were not destroyed, raised rents on tenants and forced even those making good wages into refugee camps, according to SFist and a July 1906 newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Call.

As the booms in precious metals contributed to high prices back in the day, the tech industry may be a contemporary contributor to the high cost of living.

Alexander Fromm Lurie, a San Francisco real estate advisor with Compass, points to the region’s tech jobs, which Bloomberg says make up over 30% of San Francisco’s private wages, as being largely responsible. “The Bay Area has among the strongest economies in the world, which attracts talent and infuses an abundance of money in the region,” Lurie writes in an email. With that, comes high salaries — according to Bloomberg, the average tech worker makes $165,000 a year — which results in “high housing costs,” Lurie explains.

But not even every tech worker can buy here. According to data from the California Association of Realtors, a San Franciscan needs to make nearly $400,000 to buy a median-income house.

The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square in San Francisco, Calif.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

It’s a buyer’s market — for now

Despite home prices remaining well above the national average, San Francisco is no longer the most unaffordable housing market in the country, according to a March 2022 report. Lurie explains that the market is cooling after a decade of massive housing appreciation that followed the 2008 recession. “There are some spectacular prices for buyers at the moment,” he writes. A national housing report by RE/MAX estimates that home prices are down 5.1% compared to the previous year.

A recent survey of real estate agents shows San Francisco is no longer the seller’s market it recently was. According to real estate company HomeLight, only 30% of agents said their market was a seller’s market in the fourth quarter of 2022. Just six months earlier, 95% of respondents said they were in a seller’s market.

But Lurie doesn’t expect the relatively low home prices to last long. “I believe that within a few short years we will see the San Francisco housing market rebound significantly from their current levels.”

This story was edited by Hearst National Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at kristina.moy@hearst.com.

The post The excessive value of residing in San Francisco defined appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

If you feel like 2022 is only 2020, you’re just kind of right. While some of the signature astrologies that defined that fateful year are re-emerging, many astrology experts believe 2022 will also have its fair share of hopeful and helpful transits that set it apart from the last two years.

Andi Renee, store manager for The Raven’s Wing Magical Co. and resident astrologer who hosts monthly astro-wellness salons, says there’s a lot to look forward to, especially this spring. “After a lonely winter, it looks like a bright spring that opens the heart,” he says, not least thanks to the entry of Jupiter into one of his homeland signs.

This hopeful, mind-expanding transit can help us cope with some of the more difficult astrologies of the year, such as when fiery Mars goes retrograde this fall or San Francisco sees its first Pluto return. On a once-in-a-generation event that saw historians and astrologers draw parallel connections to four Taurus-Scorpio eclipses, read on to learn the defining astrology the bay should look out for this year.

Jupiter in Pisces

28.12.2021-10.05.2022

For the past two years, Jupiter has ground into Saturn-ruled Capricorn and Aquarius at business meetings and social justice rallies. So it was a little tense … While the Saturnian issues of restriction and power are still in play in 2022, the magnanimous “godmother of the air” is allowed to put on a tropical shirt and take a little break in Pisces, where Renee and other astrologers say that it will bless us with hope, expanded awareness, easy connection, art and spirituality.

For the general vibe, this transit is the perfect day out at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass or a free VIP ticket to Outside Lands. On a personal level, think back to the 2021 Gemini season when Jupiter briefly created a lucky feast in Pisces. What then felt hopeful and expansive to you could have a dual effect in 2022 when Jupiter also returns to Pisces by the end of the year.

On April 12th, Neptune, the mushroom type of the solar system, meets with Jupiter in Pisces for a reunion the world has not seen since 1856. It was around this time, as many astrologers note, that the spiritistic movement gained momentum. As the fun giants “catch up” this time on music and mind-altering substances, Renee suggests that Earthlings may feel an increased interest in transcendent, heart-opening, and mind-expanding experiences.

“It would be a great time to have a cult,” Renee jokingly warns. While it is a good time to make art and explore the ancient spiritual wisdom of your ancestors, he also says that this transit is ripe for deception and deception. Look out for spirituality gatekeepers, “guru” ads on Instagram, and anyone who claims they have THE only magic pill. There is nothing worse than a bad trip that spoils a beautiful festival.

The Pluto of the United States (and San Francisco) returns in Capricorn

February 2nd

For the first time, Pluto, the planet of transformation and named after the god of the underworld, returns to the place where it stood in the sky when the United States was founded on July 4, 1776. And since San Francisco is only a month younger, the city by the bay is also seeing its first Pluto return this year. Because it takes Pluto so long to cross the zodiac, astrologers trace the return of Pluto for societies and countries – and of course there are many historical synchronicities.

Astrology writer Stephanie Warner, for example, notes that many historians calculate the average age of an empire at around 250 years, which is almost exactly the time it takes Pluto to complete a revolution. Pluto’s return doesn’t always bring empire demise, but it often coincides with major turning points that define an era. For example, astrologer Ray Grasse points out that Britain’s second return of Pluto coincided with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Golden Age and the introduction of the slave trade.

Renee says we have already seen the effects of his return because Pluto is moving so slowly. “In recent years we have seen it especially in relation to questions of power, who has access to it and who is excluded,” he says.

Capricorn is related to government, money, and social services. Renee notes that Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, a year of severe economic recession and the first black President of the United States. “That was a great moment,” he says. “Another type of person was in power – and then came the backlash with Trump. The return of Pluto is about: trying to stay in power and expose those who are invested in maintaining the status quo. ”Since Capricorn is about building things that last, strikes Renee suggests addressing this once in a lifetime moment by examining how San Francisco – and the United States in the broader sense – was founded. “What is hidden in the foundation that we didn’t know was built there? What cracks does the foundation have? What has to be torn down and started again? ”

Conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Aquarius

4. April

You could dust off this meme in early April when Mars and Saturn meet in Aquarius. The last time that fateful association happened was in March 2020, coinciding with bans and social distancing on behalf of the community maintenance (very Aquarius-themed). In her forecast for 2022, the astrologer Chani Nicholas predicts “restrictions, limits and restrictions that we must adhere to”. But it also says that with this particular astrological signature, we may “come full circle” for a while. Here is hoped.

Jupiter in Aries

May 10th Oct. 27th

If Jupiter in Pisces is like a weekend in Esalen, Jupiter in Aries is the “brainstorm meeting” the following Monday morning. Brave, inspired, enterprising and more than a little hasty, Renee says this transit is a good time to start something new. Finally, after immersing yourself in the primal baths of fish while having exhilarating conversations with naked strangers, you may be craving for inspired action. But be careful with false starts and misfires.

“Jupiter in Aries is a bit of ‘shoot first and think later,'” says Renee.

What Jupiter lacks in follow-through in Aries, however, makes up for in sheer enthusiasm and optimism – something we all need around halfway through the third year of a pandemic.

Mars in Aries squares Saturn

August 7, 2022

While the Aries-heavy astrology of summer is geared towards igniting your inner fire, Renee warns of possible explosions during the first week of August. Then Mars (which you may remember from last summer’s affair with Venus) appears with fireworks around the Aries campfire and confronts Saturn, the police of the solar system.

“I’m worried about war or spontaneous violence,” says Renee. I swallow. But in the same breath he continues, “But you know, it’s also a great time to start a training routine. … It’s a lot of energy. So how do you find a healthy outlet for this? ”

Mars retrograde into Gemini

Oct. 30th-Jan. 12, 2023

After the summer sparring, Mars moves to Gemini, where Renee says he’s prone to being a little scattered and distracted. Add a step backwards to the mix and it’s a recipe for a pile-up on the Bay Bridge during rush hour caused by texting while driving. “Mars is all about our drive and our will to do things. So when it’s falling, it’s like stepping on the brakes, ”says Renee. “We might feel frustrated and exhausted as if our actions aren’t working.”

Astrologers agree that this will be one of the hardest parts of 2022. So how do you deal with it? In order not to get angry, Renee advises using the twin energies to write freely through anger and – here is the key – not to share it. “Write it down and burn it instead,” he suggests.

Total lunar eclipse in Taurus

November 7th and 8th

November 2021 ushered in a new series of eclipses along the Taurus-Scorpio axis and by the time we reach the total lunar eclipse a year later, we will have experienced four of these cosmic blackouts. On a global scale, eclipses along the Taurus-Scorpio axis can shift focus to our relationship with Earth and other structures essential to our survival.

Astrologers often describe eclipses as an unfolding story. The November solar eclipse marks the approximate halfway point when things are always particularly chaotic and confusing and the odds are against us.

To further complicate the narrative, Renee notes that the mid-term elections coincide with this cosmic event. “Yikes. It’s getting tense, ”he warns. But … you already knew that.

Before despair, the Scorpio season is always about finding transformation in the dark and this time we are aided by Jupiter making the reflux through Pisces, teaching us again that generosity and love conquer everything.

Amy Copperman is an Oakland writer and artist. Follow her on Instagram.

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