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San Francisco Theater Feud With Metropolis Could Kill 74 Houses Plan

Daily SF News — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:01:58 +0000

A feud between a property developer and a city official may squash housing plans for a dilapidated old San Francisco movie theater.

The conflict centers on a local supervisor’s plan to designate the Alexandria Theater as a historic landmark, which the property owner says will cause development costs to skyrocket, making it impossible to complete the project—and leaving the theater in its blighted condition.

Development plans for the theater have fallen through before. Now the city and restoration advocates are seething at the thought of the failure of another project that could transform the theater into much-needed San Francisco housing if completed.

‘No Viable Use for This Property‘

Developer and owner TimeSpace Alexandria plans to build 74 homes inside the former theater with retail space on the ground floor. The owner would also restore the theater’s iconic sign, marquee and entryway. TimeSpace has yet to file an official planning application with the city but sent early-stage plans to Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the area, in April.

Supervisor Connie Chan speaks on McAllister Street in front of San Francisco Superior Courthouse in 2022. | Source: Ekevara Kitpowsong

The Board of Supervisors called on the theater owner to keep the building’s “physical structure” and “generally all of its particular exterior features, including the features described as the blade sign, the marquee, the chandelier, and the murals” through a resolution in March; however, it is not legally binding.

A mural inside one of the auditoriums at the Alexandria Theater in February 2004. | Source: Courtesy of Phatongroup/WNP

Spearheading the historic landmark ruling, Chan also criticized the owner’s plans for not including enough affordable housing in a letter to the developer’s attorney—the project currently lists nine of the 74 homes as affordable.

Nick Colla, the attorney representing the owner, said landmark status would require the owners to restore much of the theater to its original condition, making it difficult and costly to make the extensive changes needed to build the housing.

“Moving forward with landmarking will ensure no viable use for this property,” Colla said.

The Planning Department has rebuffed Colla’s concerns.

The department’s chief of staff, Dan Sider. said the concerns are premature and a final decision to make the building a historic landmark would need to be signed off by his department; this hasn’t happened yet.

‘Let’s Get It Done‘

The shuttered Alexandria Theater has long been an eyesore for the Richmond District. Located at Geary Boulevard and 18th Avenue, it has sat vacant since shutting down in 2004 and without upkeep, its condition has deteriorated, attracting graffiti, dumping and overall blight.

Graffiti is seen on the closed Alexandria Theater on Geary Boulevard on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. | Source: Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

“The Alexandria Theater property owners have not been good neighbors to the Richmond, leaving the theater as a blight to our neighborhood and [having] very little care for the theater’s treasured history,” Chan said in an email.

The city’s planning department issued a citation to the owners on Feb. 27 for the “general negligence of maintaining and upkeeping” of the theater. The citation calls for the developer to provide security and regular maintenance of the parking lot and the theater building to prevent any vandalism of the theater interior until its redevelopment is complete.

Boarded-up ticket windows and front entrance are seen at the closed Alexandria Theater on Geary Boulevard are seen on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. | Source: Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

“[The owner] clearly reneged on their basic responsibilities to the neighborhood and to the city to maintain the building in a safe fashion,” Sider said.

Woody LaBounty, head of San Francisco Heritage, a nonprofit that seeks to preserve San Francisco’s unique architecture, said his organization has pushed for the theater’s redevelopment for at least 15 years. The local historian said he’s tired of seeing the Alexandria Theater in a state of disrepair and wants to see it redeveloped.

Woody LaBounty, a Richmond district resident and San Francisco historian, poses for a portrait outside the historic Alexandria Theatre on Jan. 23, 2023. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard

“Everybody wants them to succeed,” LaBounty said. “We want that place to be revitalized. Let’s get it done.”

Best-Laid Plans

The history of best-laid plans for the Alexandria Theater falling short stretches back to 2013.

On top of getting approval to build condos on the theater’s old parking lot, the current owners also cleared plans in 2019 with the city to turn the theater into a swimming center with office space and after-school programs. While the condos were built, the other plans never materialized.

LaBounty criticized TimeSpace for not following through on the swim center after the condos were completed. The condo project was not contingent on restoring the theater, according to Sider.

“The whole idea was housing in the back, and swim center in the front,” LaBounty said. “At what point are we supposed to believe that the owners don’t have the money to build it because it’s a historic landmark? The owners have had two approved projects, and they haven’t done anything.”

But Colla shot back over email, blaming the city for a two-year timeline to get approvals for work on the theater building. Shortly after plans were greenlighted in June 2019, the pandemic’s arrival further upended development plans, he said.

Plans from 2013 to build a full-service restaurant on the second floor and retail space on the ground floor also fell through. The theater belonged to a different owner at the time.

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San Francisco Police Division suggest utilizing robots to KILL suspects

Daily SF News — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 01:24:07 +0000

The new policy proposal will be debated next week by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee
The board will define how the SFPD is allowed to use its military-style weapons
Already, the draft policy has been scrutinized by supervisor’s Aaron Peskin, Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, who make up the committee
The policy states that they will use robots as a deadly force option ‘when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent’
In 2016, the Dallas police force strapped plastic explosives to a robot and used it to blow up a shooter who had killed five officers – the first instance in US history

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is proposing to use robots to kill suspects in ‘rare’ circumstances – with the force’s 12 bots set to assist officers with deadly force and ‘ground support’.

The new policy proposal is to be debated next week by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee and will define how the SFPD is allowed to use its military-style weapons.

One way the machines can cause deadly harm is by attaching a PAN disruptor device – which uses shotgun shells – to the robot. This can then fire bullets at the suspect.

Another method would be strapping explosives to a robot and then using it to blow up a suspect – which was a technique used in Dallas in 2016.

The draft policy has been scrutinized over the past several weeks by supervisor’s Aaron Peskin, Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, who make up the committee.

Peskin, the chair of the committee, initially attempted to limit the SFPD’s authority over the robot’s.

‘Robots shall not be used as a Use of Force against any person,’ Peskin wrote.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is proposing to use robots to kill suspects in ‘rare’ circumstances. They currently have 12 robots in their artillery including bomb detecting robots like this one from Long Beach California The new policy proposal is to be debated next week by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee and will define how the SFPD is allowed to use its military-style weapons

This was struck out by the police department who replaced it with language that codifies the department’s authority to use lethal force using robots.

‘Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to SFPD.’

Robot use-of-force has never been approved in San Francisco, nor has it been prohibited.

A version of the draft policy was unanimously accepted by the rules committee last week and will come before the full board on November 29.

‘The original policy they submitted was actually silent on whether robots could deploy lethal force,’ said Peskin to mission local.

He added that he decided to approve the SFPD’s caveated guidelines because the department had made the case that ‘there could be scenarios where deployment of lethal force was the only option.’

Advocates and lawyers who opposed the militarization of police said that they are less convinced that the policy should be green lit.

‘We are living in a dystopian future, where we debate whether the police may use robots to execute citizens without a trial, jury, or judge,’ said Tifanei Moyer, senior staff attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Moyer leads the organization’s work on police misconduct and militarization.

‘This is not normal, no legal professional or ordinary resident should carry on as if it is normal,’ she added.

The draft policy has been scrutinized over the past several weeks by supervisor’s Aaron Peskin, Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, who make up the committee A bomb squad robot can be seen investigating a suspicious bag. If the policy goes ahead it will mean they may be used when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweigh any other force option

The SFPD has 17 robots, 12 of which are fully functional but have never been used to attack people.

The robots are remote-controlled and are typically used to investigate and defuse potential bombs or to survey areas too difficult or dangerous for officers to access.

The uses of the technology as described in the new draft policy include ‘training and simulations, criminal apprehensions, critical incidents, exigent circumstances, executing a warrant or during suspicious device assessments.’

In 2016, the Dallas police force strapped plastic explosives to a robot and used it to blow up a shooter who had killed five officers, in the first U.S. instance of a police robot killing a suspect.

One of the SFPD’s robots, the Remotec F5A, is the same model as the one used by Dallas police.

At the time Dallas police chief David Brown told reporters that they had no other option.

‘We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was,’ he told the Guardian.

Police detonated the explosive, which destroyed a wall in the building and killed the suspect, leaving the $151,000 robot with only minor damage to its arm.

More recently in Oakland, a policy on lethal robots came before the city’s police department’s civilian oversight council.

In 2016, the Dallas police force strapped plastic explosives to a robot and used it to blow up a shooter who had killed five officers, in the first U.S. instance of a police robot killing a suspect One of the SFPD’s robots, the Remotec F5A, is the same model as the one used by Dallas police at the time of the incident in 2016

One device they discussed was the PAN disruptor, a device that can be attached to a remote-controlled robot and uses a blank shotgun shell to disable a bomb by blasting it with pressurized water.

Oakland police acknowledged that, in emergencies, they could arm it with live rounds. The SFPD also has multiple PAN disruptors that can be attached to robots and fire shotgun shells.

Last month, Oakland police ultimately backed down and removed language that would have allowed them to kill using robots. They said they hope to pursue the option in the future.

Rueca said that the San Francisco Police Department ‘does not have any sort of specific plan in place’ for how lethal force would be used.

Cities across California are currently drafting new policies on the use of military weapons by local police forces, thanks to a state law called AB 481, which passed last year.

Figuring out the force options of robots is one small part of the law’s remit.

The law mandates that every police force in California must annually report its stock of all military-style weapons, their cost, how they can be used, and how they were deployed in the prior year.

The law gives local authorities, in San Francisco’s case, the Board of Supervisors, the ability to annually reject or accept the rules governing how the weapons are used.

The Board will also be required to sign off on any new military-style equipment before purchase, although the police will be able to replace any existing equipment up to a value of $10 million without approval.

Once the rules are settled, the process will begin again with the Sheriff’s Department, which will need to create its own policy to stay in compliance with the AB 481 state law Drones have also been a point of contention when used by the Police Department but have been a useful technology for stations across the country over the years

The robots identified in the draft policy include various remotely piloted robots designed for manipulating heavy objects, breaching walls, ordnance disposal, scouting, and surveillance. They include: Remotec models F5A, 6A, and RONS; QinetiQ Talon and Dragon Runner; IRobot FirstLook; and ReconRobotics Recon Scout ThrowBot.

None of these units are designed to carry firearms, but at least some of them are capable of being used to kill.

Another point of contention with advocates is that the SFPD has not included personnel training or maintenance times in their valuation of the cost of their military-style weapons.

This appears to be required by AB 481, which states that costs must include ‘acquisition, personnel, training, transportation, maintenance, storage, upgrade, and other ongoing costs’ of the weapons.

Once the rules are settled, the process will begin again with the Sheriff’s Department, which will need to create its own policy to stay in compliance with AB 481.

‘The great news about this thing is that it can be evolved,’ said Peskin, adding that policy must be scrutinized and approved every year if the SFPD wants to keep using its weapons.

‘And I think we are starting off in a good place.’

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Morgan Jones returns to King County to mercy kill and bury zombie son Duane

Daily SF News — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 22:28:02 +0000

“Sorry it took so long,” Morgan said [Lennie James] when he heard a growl coming from his old home in King County, Georgia
Morgan left his son Duane chained in the attic after being bitten and returned at great risk to kill and bury him
Grace and Mo surprised him there, and Morgan later agreed to join Dwight and Sherry in their war against Padre after Grace was bitten

Morgan Jones risked everything to return to King County, Georgia to kill and bury his zombie son, Duane, on Sunday’s episode of Fear The Walking Dead on AMC.

“Sorry it took so long,” Morgan said [Lennie James] when he heard a growl coming from his house.

The Season 8 episode, titled “King County,” began with Morgan walking through King County, returning to his old house, and breaking down crying.

“I’m sorry, Duane,” Morgan said.

Suddenly Grace [Karen David] pulled up in a truck.

Final Season: Morgan Jones risked everything to return to King County, Georgia to kill and bury his zombie son, Duane, on Sunday’s episode of Fear The Walking Dead on AMC

‘How did you find me?’ Said Morgan.

“You asked me to come,” Grace said.

Morgan said no one knew he came here.

Mon [Zoey Merchant] She then emerged from the back of the truck she was hiding in and admitted she was the one who sent the SOS message, knowing full well that King County meant something to Morgan.

“Does this have anything to do with Jenny and Duane?” asked Mo.

Morgan said it was his wife and son and that he had come to bring his son to rest after leaving him chained in the attic of his home after being bitten.

Mo told them that Daniel helped her get away from Padre.

“Daniel is still alive?” Morgan said.

Zombie Son: Duane was locked in the attic by Morgan after being bitten. Family reunion: Grace [Karen David] and Mon [Zoey Merchant] Met Morgan at King County Old House: Morgan went to his old house in Georgia where he was living with his family when the zombie apocalypse broke out. Message sender: Mo admitted she was the one who sent the SOS message, knowing full well that King County meant something to Morgan

“He’s building an army to take Padre down,” Mo said. “We can help him with that.”

Morgan said he would do it, but first he had to kill Duane, who turned into a walker after his wife Jenny became infected and bit him.

“I left my boy to be one of them,” Morgan said.

A flare rose into the air and Dwight [Austin Amelio] and sherry [Christine Evangelista] approached on horseback and told Morgan they would take him back to Padre.

“Padre has your son and he’s using him against you,” Morgan said.

“He’s damn right about that,” said Sherry.

“You sold us seven years ago to save your child,” Dwight said. “We’re just getting revenge.”

Together again: Dwight [Austin Amelio] and sherry [Christine Evangelista] Morgan said they would take him back to Padre

Then, when Dwight saw Mo and Grace, he decided to help them escape instead.

Dwight told him that they were also followed by two guards that they had to take care of, but Morgan said he had to do something first. Morgan, Mo and Grace ran into an abandoned house and Morgan told Grace to get a gun that was up by the window.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me how you know where everything is in this house,” Grace said.

Morgan said he used to live in the house. As the walkers streamed outside, Grace told them they had to go. Morgan declined.

“I need to get my boy to rest,” Morgan said.

Dwight radioed from outside that they knew they were hiding inside the house. Morgan said he came back to bury his son.

“I’m sorry Morgan, but we have to think of our son, too,” Sherry said.

Dwight’s soldiers fired a flare into the air to lure more walkers to the house. Then Mo called Morgan upstairs and showed him that the walls of the room were covered in writing.

Feeding Frenzy: Walkers were outside in the midst of a feeding frenzy. Plans changed: when Dwight then saw Mo and Grace, he decided to help them escape instead

“I don’t remember ever coming back here after Duane died,” Morgan said.

Mo found Morgan’s family photo album and flipped through it while Morgan picked up a rifle Rick Grimes had given him.

“What have we been doing for the last seven years?” Grace said.

“We did what we felt was necessary,” Morgan said.

“I’m sorry we wasted all this time, Morgan,” Grace said.

Dwight told Morgan they had five minutes to surrender or they would send walkers to set them on fire.

“This is your second chance, dad,” said Mo.

“Rick, he gave you this gun for a reason,” Grace said. ‘Use it.’

Difficult Situation: Morgan struggled with Dwight and his commitment to his zombie son, Duane

Grace kissed Morgan.

“I’m so sorry we wasted so much time,” Grace said.

“Me too,” Morgan said.

Then Morgan opened the door and everyone started killing strays in their path. Then he saw his walker outside and froze. Dwight and Sherry rode up and said Padre needed to know why he was really there and insisted on going inside to see if Morgan was telling the truth.

A Padre soldier traveling with Dwight told them that Shrike wanted answers.

“If he doesn’t tell you why he’s there, kill him,” Shrike [Maya Eshet] said over the walkie-talkie.

Morgan grabbed the soldier’s gun and aimed it at his own head.

“Do it,” Morgan said.

Hard line: “If he doesn’t tell you why he’s there, kill him”, Shrike [Maya Eshet] said over the walkie-talkie

Dwight and Sherry intervened and knocked out the Padre soldiers. Grace hugged Morgan.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Morgan said.

“I’m not just going to stand here and watch you get killed in cold blood, Morgan,” Dwight said.

Morgan said that Padre would kill her son.

“Not if we have anything to do with it,” Dwight said.

Shrike called for them to answer and Dwight answered. Shrike demanded to speak to her soldier named Oriole.

“You can talk to him after I talk to my son,” Dwight said.

Then Shrike put the microphone in front of Finch [Gavin Warren]. Dwight asked him how he was feeling.

“I think the treatment worked,” Finch said.

Dwight told him to do the chimney sweep he taught him in class. Finch knocked Shrike unconscious. Dwight informed Finch that there was a morning supply boat that would be leaving the Padre compound in 20 minutes and that he should sneak aboard and that he would meet him on the mainland.

Chimney Sweep: Dwight told him to do the chimney sweep he taught him in class and Finch knocked Shrike unconscious

“Look Morgan, whatever happened here, all I know is that you have a chance to change things for Mo,” Dwight said.

Morgan radioed Mo and she told him that one of the torches had set her house on fire.

“Listen baby, I’m coming for you,” Morgan said.

Morgan killed the walkers in front of the burning house and then told Mo to go to the attic. Mo heard a walker in the attic and saw a chained boy walking. Mo then fell through the floor and was trapped. Morgan climbed the stairs and saw that his son, now a zombie, was trying to attack Mo. Morgan pulled the trigger and killed Duane.

Morgan buried him the next day. Morgan then told Grace to help Madison and Daniel take over Padre.

“We reunite every child that still has a parent,” Morgan said. “We do what we say, we’ll spend as much time together as we can.”

Mo took Morgan’s charred family photo album and told him he needed something to remember his family from when they were normal. Suddenly, a walker jumped out of the ashes and grabbed Mo. Grace and Morgan jump in and kill the walker, but Grace is bitten during the fight.

Meanwhile, Sherry and Dwight waited for Finch to appear ashore. When he did, they hugged him. Morgan then pulled up in a truck and killed two Padre soldiers.

Complete determination: Morgan was determined to bury his son. Headshot: A walker was killed by Morgan with a sharp blow to the head. Familiar Territory: Morgan was back in King County, where the story of Rick Grimes in the original series The Walking Dead began

“I need your help with Grace,” Morgan said. “She was bitten. The treatment June used on your boy. It works?’

Sherry said that was the case. They all boarded a transport boat to take Grace to June. Morgan told Grace to hold on.

“Wait a minute, June will be fine,” Morgan said to Grace.

“You don’t know,” Grace said.

“No matter what, we have to live,” Morgan said.

Fear The Walking Dead will return on AMC next Sunday.

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Will Working from Dwelling Kill the Metropolis?

Daily SF News — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 17:37:05 +0000

Intel recently announced it was selling its sprawling four-building San Jose campus — home to 8,700 employees. It’s part of a larger phenomenon documented in September in a paper titled “Work from Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse” published by the venerable nonprofit research organization National Bureau of Economic Research (or NBER).

The paper, authored by Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, a real estate/finance professor at Columbia University Business School, concludes that the pandemic “had a major impact on both current and projected future cash flows for office buildings,” and forecasts that New York City alone is facing a 39% decline. Decline in office values - “a $453 billion worth destruction”.

The loss has wide-ranging implications, starting with how the work-from-home revolution hurts other parts of the inner-city economy and ultimately reduces the tax revenues cities collect. As recently as August, restaurant visits in San Francisco and New York were down from pre-pandemic levels — 41% and 37% respectively — according to online reservations service OpenTable (cited in NBER’s paper).

In January, the Washington Post editors even came up with a catchy name for the larger problem: “Dead inner cities … office workers are still missing from the field.”

They pointed out that office occupancy in New York, Los Angeles and DC was down more than 40% from 2019 levels, according to business tax revenue. “The losses were largely attributed to private companies’ remote work policies.”

“But the pain doesn’t end here. As city economist Ted Egan noted at the committee meeting, the office space industry contributes about 72% of San Francisco’s GDP, meaning that ‘if something happens to the office sector, it impacts virtually every aspect of the city’s economy.’”

And the NBER paper extrapolates to the ultimate danger. Plugging the holes in the tax base will require either increasing taxes or cutting public services, neither of which is an attractive option. The report warns that because it’s much easier to work from home now, it’s also a lot easier for people to move out of cities if they’re unhappy with a city’s tax rate — or its crime rate. So if cities are forced to address one or the other, “it risks activating a fiscal doom loop.”

Indeed, the New York Times pointed out this week that most major American cities are already “facing a daunting future as middle-class taxpayers join an exodus to the suburbs and choose remote work at the expense of empty offices and… vacant retail stores, bleak inner cities are leaving space and a deteriorating tax base.”

“Downtown is at a crossroads,” the Washington Post editorial board recently warned.

The suburbs rock

William Frey, a demographer and senior fellow at Brookings, told the New York Times that from 2015 to 2019 there was a constant level of migration to the suburbs — but then that migration sharply increased in the first year of the pandemic (largely due to out-migration of people). cities). And those who headed to the suburbs tended to be the top earners — from the tech, finance and real estate industries — taking their income and property taxes with them.

Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom told the Times that every big city is seeing professionals moving to the suburbs. Once settled in their suburban homes, they can enjoy the extra space and convenience of their workdays from home while still being within commuting distance for their “hybrid” work schedules.

But Bloom actually believes “this is especially good for cities — younger, hipper, lower-income people, essential service workers, personal retail workers are all more able to afford city-centre accommodation.

“Bankers, techies and other graduates are moving to the suburbs. This will make cities younger, more diverse and less gentrified.”

It’s a trend reflected in several statistics. In a recent executive briefing, Bloom cited Zillows figures on a large increase in rents and property values in the suburbs that started around early 2021 and did not stagnate through the end of 2022. Public transit trips still haven’t recovered from an 80% drop in 2020. Bloom cites figures from the National Transit Database showing they’re still about a third below their pre-pandemic levels. Cities even avoid retail taxes on their purchases (which they now do in the suburbs). Bloom estimates that this revenue flows from San Francisco to the surrounding counties

So where is it going? Joel Kotkin, executive director of Houston’s Urban Reform Institute, recently published an article warning that America’s great cities are “on the road to decay.” In America’s largest cities, 17.4% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to data from the US Census Bureau (cited in a recent Forbes article). While cities were once “engines of upward mobility,” Kotkin writes that they are struggling to distribute those gains, adding, “Perhaps it is not surprising that migrants and minorities in America’s suburbs, sprawling Sunbelt cities and smaller towns pull.”

Kotkin argues that cities simply are unable to compete with the suburbs, suburbs, and so-called “garden cities” that exist on the fringes of city cores. Not only do they offer shorter, energy-efficient commutes, but they are also “increasingly places with their own thriving city centers and cultural institutions.” (Although Kotkin hints towards the end of his article that cities, although losing their supremacy, could still “see a resurgence shakily based on tourism,” noting that “both New York and Chicago are planning to build big casinos — the kind of Hail Mary Pass that has seldom delivered solid economic results.”)

“While urban areas may revive, they will no longer be the unrivaled centers of population, economic power and innovation. The game has changed and cities must learn to adapt in order to survive. Because if they don’t, the fate of ancient Rome awaits them.”

Can offices become apartments?

Maybe there is a solution. In January, while the Washington Post editorial board raised the prospect of “ghost inner cities that could lead to increased crime and homelessness,” they also noted that “there is growing interest from developers and investors who are part of the office-to-apartment -want to be a revolution. And two months later, the newspaper’s board of directors revived the idea in another editorial. It notes that cities like Atlanta and Washington DC are already on board with the idea, even announcing specific targets for the number of new residents or offering tax incentives for office-to-apartment conversions.

According to the Economist, New York City is already considering tax breaks for landlords converting offices into homes, as well as less restrictive zoning laws. And there’s already a new $250 million redevelopment project underway in New York City to convert a 22-story office building into a 1,300-unit apartment building, reports the Commercial Observer — one of the largest deals of its kind in America.

In early March, Axios reported that Washington DC already had 383 new housing units under construction, another 2,105 more were planned in upcoming projects, and “a few more projects are still under wraps.”

City promised tax breaks if 15% of units were affordable housing…

In New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque transformed a lumber yard into the hip Sawmill Market Food Hall, a social hub with shared dining tables, in 2019.

While hope is there, cities still face a glut of unconverted office buildings. And aside from rising mortgage interest rates, the Post editors note that developers face an even greater perverse incentive: “The easy-to-convert buildings — those that are vacant and on lots with lots of light and alleyways — are already largely exhausted… What remains are difficult properties that need significant overhaul or demolition.”

In January, The Economist spoke to Dylan Burzinski, an equity research analyst at commercial real estate analysis firm Green Street, who calculated that of Manhattan’s 420 million office space, only 20 million square feet could be converted to housing. (“Apartments with no windows or apartments without a kitchen? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”)

Though instead of windows, some developers might try to offer access to a sunlit courtyard, according to Gary Cohen, head of development firm Willco. In a recent interview with Axios, Cohen admitted that updating older buildings is getting expensive.

But despite the need to upgrade the plumbing, rebuilds are still cheaper than starting from scratch – and are still cheaper in general. The Post’s editorial board urges leadership and creativity, calling it “a golden opportunity to redesign inner cities for the future.”

Or, as they wrote in January, “America’s cities are ripe for new skylines and fresh streetscapes. The best leaders will soon get started…

“Rapid erection of cranes and scaffolding is critical to success. City leaders need to start thinking like this.”

Group Created with Sketch.

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SFO’s Finest Eating places + Methods to Kill Time This Vacation Season

Daily SF News — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 04:46:27 +0000

Here comes the holidays and with them the hair-raising, elbow-throwing, hurry-and-wait drama of airport travel. Our advice? Don’t head into the hell of delayed flights without a game plan.

Fortunately for Bay Area travelers, San Francisco International Airport leads the way when it comes to airports, according to the Wall Street Journal, which just named SFO the best airport in the country. SFO’s good deeds include its commitment to sustainability (the airport was the first in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification); a celebration of local heritage (with rotating exhibits highlighting LGBTQ+, Indigenous and Latino communities); an incredible art collection; and last but not least, partnerships with some popular Bay Area restaurants.

Despite the current hiatus at SFO’s pre-pandemic gourmet hotspot, Manufactory Food Hall, there’s still plenty of good food between the gates. Add in a few unexpected ways to pass the time (semi-secret cinema, anyone?) and your wait will be over before you know it… at least until they announce another delay.

Here’s how to make the most of your time spent at SFO this holiday season.

Best food at SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1

(Courtesy of @flysfo)

Ritual Coffee’s new outpost at SFO.

ritual coffee

Wake up for that ungodly early flight at the new SFO location of SoMa coffee roastery favorite Ritual. The café combines its popular coffee and espresso drinks with pastries, fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps right next to the B Gates security checkpoint in Terminal 1. // ritualcoffee.com

Where: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, near the B Gates security checkpoint

If: 6 a.m. to 1 p.mWednesday to Monday

starbird

Find out why Starbird’s fried chicken sandwich at its SFO outpost was once voted the best on the bay. If you don’t like sandwiches, try the Nashville Hot Tender or a crispy chicken chop salad made with roasted corn, avocado and pepitas. If you’re short on time, order ahead and pick it up on the way to your gate.// starbirdchicken.com

Where: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, near Gate B13

If: Daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m

Amy’s drive thru

Bay Area native Amy’s, the queen of the frozen food aisle, brings her brand of plant-based nouns from SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal. The organic, non-GMO menu is very diverse, with options like breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal in the morning, and veggie burgers, three types of mac ‘n’ cheese, and chili cheese fries served throughout the day. // amysdrivethru.com

Where: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, near Gate B6

If: Daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m

The little chihuahua

The popular SF Taqueria Little Chihuahua packs burritos daily in Terminal 1. The local chain is known for its variety of healthy fillings, including options like fried plantains and black beans, garlic shrimp, and al pastor served in a bowl, a burrito, or in two tacos Early morning chilaquiles and “todo dia” breakfast tacos will get your engine pumping. // thelittlechihuahua.com

Where: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Gate B3

If: Sunday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m

Drake’s flyaway

Sure, it’s not quite the open-air experience you’re used to from Drake’s Dealership in Oakland, but Drake’s Flyaway still offers craft beer lovers a chance to sample their way through some of the brewery’s most popular year-round releases. Besides, what else do you have to do while waiting for your plane to pull into the gate? Sip on an IPA and pair it with pizza, salad, sandwiches and breakfast dishes. // flysfo.com

Where: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Gate B20

If: 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m

Eating and chilling in Terminals 2 + 3 of SFO

(Courtesy of @flysfo)

The SkyTerrace in the SFO.

Bun Mee

Fancy a hard hitting sandwich to fuel you up before your flight? Head to Bun Mee for soft-inside, crispy-outside baguettes filled with everything from five spice chicken to Sloppy Joe-style red curry ground beef. They also have savory bowls, salads, and appetizers like Momma Tran’s crispy ground beef and ear mushroom spring rolls. With two SFO locations, no matter where you fly to, you’re likely to be close by. // bunmee.co

Where: Terminal 3 between Gates F11 to F22 + Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Gate B3

If: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Ladle & Leaf

Gone are the days when you couldn’t find anything healthy to eat at the airport. East Bay-based Ladle & Leaf works with local farmers and ranchers to create healthy salads, cereal bowls, sandwiches and soups. Indulge in a quinoa, feta, and avocado bowl or Brussels sprouts Caesar and actually feel good about yourself when you arrive at your destination (minus the jet lag—even plants can’t fix that). // ladeblatt.com

Where: Terminal 3, near gates F11 to F22

If: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Yoga Rooms

You may have been disappointed to learn that the legendary yoga room in the international terminal has been closed during the pandemic. Now, more than two years later, not only has this space reopened, but the airport has added a second studio to help you navigate your way through your flight delay. Find them with mats, blocks and foam rollers in Terminals 2 and 3. // flysfo.com

Where: Terminals 2 + 3, near the security checkpoints

If: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m

sky terrace

Breathe in the fresh air on the SkyTerrace as you watch the pilots maneuver their giant flying machines across the runway. Grab a snack on the way up—food and drinks are allowed—and don’t forget to stop by the SFO Museum’s small exhibition space, which currently houses artifacts from the 1954 San Francisco International Airport Terminal. No boarding pass is required to enter; free. // flysfo.com

Where: Terminal 2, 4th floor before security

If: Friday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m

Where to eat + kill time at the SFO International Terminals

(Courtesy of @gottsroadside)

Get burgers and more at Gott’s Roadside in the International Terminal.

1300 on Fillmore

Jazz District favorite 1300 on Fillmore brought its southern-inspired dishes to SFO in 2017 with a menu full of comforting favorites. Take a seat at a table or at the marble-topped bar and order a delicious fried chicken and bacon salad, pulled pork sandwich or shrimp hushpuppies. Don’t forget cocktails. They have a full bar ready to ease your flight delay problems. //flysfo.com

Where: International Terminal G, near Gate G13

If: Wednesday to Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m

God’s roadside

Get a taste of something local before flying abroad. Gott’s Roadside SFO station has many of the same handheld foods you’ll find at their full-service locations, including Niman Ranch Franks and burgers, Baja fish tacos, and chicken cutlet sandwiches. At the full bar, you’ll find enough Northern California beer and wine to keep you busy until they finally let you on board. // gots.com

Where: International Terminal A, near Gate A13

If: Daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m

Turpen Aviation Museum and Library

You don’t have to share your father’s love of aviation to enjoy SFO’s Aviation Museum and Library. Located in front of security on the departures level of the international terminal, the tranquil two-story facility encapsulates the airport’s original 1930’s Spanish-style waiting room. Explore its archives, browse its books and exhibitions, or simply take a seat and enjoy a few minutes of quiet before the boarding chaos begins. No boarding pass is required to enter; free. // sfomuseum.org

Where: Departures Level, Main Concourse of the International Terminal

If: 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily

Video art gallery

Save your digital content for the flight. In the SFO’s black box cinema, the Video Arts Gallery, you can lose yourself in short documentaries, animations and experimental films by innovative contemporary artists and filmmakers. November’s films celebrate Native American Heritage Month with short films by Navajo, Gwich’in and other Indigenous filmmakers. // sfomuseum.org

Where: International Terminal, Departures level before security

If: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

outdoor terrace

Feel the fog on your face one last time before embarking on a long-haul flight? Walk up to the lush garden and observation deck of the International Terminal. This open-air space offers 180-degree views of the airfield and comfortable seating.

Where: International Terminal G

If: Daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m

The post SFO’s Finest Eating places + Methods to Kill Time This Vacation Season appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Massive CA Earthquake Could Kill Hundreds; ‘It May Occur Tomorrow’

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 02:41:59 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The “big one,” a powerful earthquake that could devastate California at any moment, will likely kill thousands of people and topple buildings, crumble bridges and roads, sever water lines and ignite numerous fires.

And “it could happen tomorrow,” earthquake engineering expert Keith Porter told USA Today.

“We don’t know when,” he told the newspaper. But “it will happen.”

Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The US Geological Survey estimates that it’s far more likely than not that an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7 will hit Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area in the next 30 years: 60 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

The agency gives it about a coin-flip chance that the two regions will see an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.

Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Experts are working hard now to mitigate the devastation of those disasters before they happen, especially since they know what to expect based on three devastating earthquakes that rocked the state in 1868, 1906 and 1989.

1868 Hayward Fault Earthquake

On Oct. 21, 1868, a powerful earthquake shook the fog-shrouded San Francisco Bay Area for more than 40 seconds.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake happened on the Hayward Fault and was one of the most destructive in the state’s history, topping brick buildings, walls and chimneys in Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa and San Jose. Napa and Hollister also saw serious damage.

Frightened people saw the ground move in waves and ran from homes. Cattle and fire engine horses panicked and bolted.

Shaking was felt as far away as Nevada. Aftershocks rattled the Bay Area for weeks after the initial jolt.

Even though the region was only sparsely populated — San Francisco had a population of just 150,000 at the time — about 30 people died in the quake. Even today, it ranks as one of the most destructive earthquakes in California history.

Towns in the East Bay sustained the most severe damage. Almost every building in Hayward, which had about 500 residents at the time, was destroyed or severely damaged.

San Leandro, with about 400 residents, saw many buildings destroyed. The second floor of the Alameda County Courthouse collapsed.

San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

On the morning of April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake shook San Francisco. The magnitude 7.8 quake, which lasted less than a minute, ignited several fires around the city that burned for three days.

Nearly 500 city blocks were destroyed.

“Despite a quick response from San Francisco’s large military population, the city was devastated,” according to The Center for Legislative Archives.

An estimated 3,000 people died in the earthquake and ensuing fires. About 400,000 people — around half the city’s residents — were left homeless.

Survivors faced weeks of difficulty and hardship, sleeping in tents in city parks and at the Presidio, standing in massive lines waiting for food, and cooking in the street to avoid setting off even more fires.

1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

On Oct. 17, 1989, 83 years after the San Francisco quake, a 20-second tremor rumbled through the San Andreas fault, roughly 56 miles south of San Francisco and 10 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, near Mt. Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake killed 63 people and left more than 3,700 others hurt. More than 12,000 people were left homeless amid an estimated $10 billion in damage and economic interruption.

In all, more than 18,000 houses and 2,500 businesses were damaged. Another 963 homes and 147 businesses were destroyed.

“The most notable damage included the collapse of the elevated Cypress Structure section of Interstate 880 in Oakland, the collapse of a section of roadbed on the Bay Bridge, and extensive damage to downtown Santa Cruz and San Francisco’s Marina District,” according to the California Department of Conservation.

The Bay Bridge was unusable for a month. The World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s was postponed.

The magnitude 6.9 quake was felt as far away as San Diego and western Nevada, and was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 aftershock that happened less than three minutes after the main earthquake.

In the week following Loma Prieta, 20 aftershocks of a magnitude 4.0 or greater were recorded.

The ‘Big One’ Is Coming

The Hayward Fault “will rupture violently again, and perhaps soon,” the geological survey warns. Studies showed that similar Hayward Fault quakes repeatedly jolted the region in the past, and the fault could be ready to generate another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 to 7.0.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake on the Hayward Fault in the East Bay could result in $65 billion in damage, state conservation officials said.

“Revisiting the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake serves as an important reminder to all residents of California that the geologic processes responsible for creating the beautiful natural landscape we enjoy can sometimes occur suddenly and violently, so it’s important to be prepared,” the state said.

And that’s just the Hayward Fault.

Residents in northern California, Washington, Oregon or British Columbia live in what’s known as the Cascadia subduction zone, where the geologic forces that helped shape the region remain active. Cascadia is known as a “region of earthquakes,” because of a massive, 700-mile fault that lies in wait just offshore.

The set of tectonic plates to the west is sliding beneath the North American Plate. Plate movements are irregular — and they aren’t smooth, according to a 2013 report by the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup.

The plates are stuck, and stress builds until finally the fault suddenly breaks. It last happened 322 years ago, triggering a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, followed within minutes by a large tsunami.

“Stresses have now been building along the Cascadia subduction zone for more than 300 years, and the communities of Cascadia can be certain that another great quake will again shake the region,” the group said.

The quake would be akin to the massive tremor and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011. The Great Tohoku earthquake, as it became known, killed more than 15,000 people and destroyed or damaged more than 330,000 buildings. It left an estimated $199 billion in damage in its wake.

And in Southern California, the geological survey warned that big earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault are not only inevitable, they’re “extremely common” in geological terms.

In a report on so-called hypothetical “ShakeOut Scenarios,” the geological survey said the southern San Andreas Fault generates large earthquakes on average every 150 years.

The last earthquake similar to that of a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern tip of the fault happened more than 300 years ago.

Should such a quake happen again, the geological survey identified several major areas of loss. That includes older buildings that were built using outdated standards, damaged infrastructure — particularly to water systems — and ensuing business disruptions; and resulting fires.

And in San Diego, the local chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute found in a 2020 report that as many as 8,100 buildings are vulnerable to earthquakes.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake could destroy 8,000 buildings and damage more than 100,000 others. An estimated 36,000 households would be left homeless, and the region could see $38 billion in building and infrastructure damage.

“Due to the location of the fault rupture zone, coastal communities may be cut off from nearly all lifeline utility and infrastructure services,” the report said. “Water, wastewater, and gas line services west of the fault rupture zone are estimated to be out for months.”

Furthermore, transportation lines along the Interstate 5 corridor could be severely impeded due to crumbling roads and bridges.

“We’re expecting a large fault rupture, almost six feet, a lot of liquefaction impacts, which basically is softening of the soil that causes a lot of impact to underground infrastructure like water distribution pipes,” Heidi Tremayne, executive director of the institute , told KPBS. “We’re worried that coastal communities could really be lacking some basic services for many months after an earthquake of this magnitude.”

Mitigating Disasters

Keith Porter, the earthquake engineering expert, told USA Today that areas affected by a major earthquake would see widespread cell service and power outages, water shortages, and massive fires.

Electricity could be gone for weeks. Thousands of people could become trapped in elevators, as first responders are busy helping elsewhere. This is particularly problematic at health care facilities such as hospitals, where stuck elevators could trap or prevent patients from changing floors, becoming a life-threatening scenario.

“That means people are dead in those elevators,” Porter said.

Survivors would need help from firefighters with special training and tools to escape.

Authorities have launched mitigation efforts, including by creating the Seismic Hazards Zoning Program to help with preparations and minimize death and property damage.

A year after the Loma Prieta earthquake, state lawmakers enacted legislation directing the California Geological Survey to map out areas most vulnerable to liquefaction, landslides and severe ground shaking.

Non-reinforced masonry, or “URM,” buildings are especially vulnerable to earthquakes, experts said, as they are inherently brittle and lack strength to withstand lengthwise stress as well as being pushed or pulled. The buildings are “prone to collapse even in earthquakes of moderate size,” the geological survey said.

Many non-ductile, reinforced-concrete moment-frame, or NDRC, buildings are also vulnerable. Experts recommend retrofitting “URM buildings” and many NDRC buildings using modern engineering techniques.

Additionally, hospitals and other facilities where disrupted service could threaten lives should consider implementing guidelines for restoring service after an earthquake, without inspection, experts recommend. Sensors should also be added to elevators so they stop and open doors at the nearest floor when strong shaking is detected.

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The post Massive CA Earthquake Could Kill Hundreds; ‘It May Occur Tomorrow’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco will enable police to deploy robots that kill

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:28:21 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Supervisors in San Francisco voted Tuesday to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations — following an emotionally charged debate that reflected divisions on the politically liberal board over support for law enforcement .

The vote was 8-3, with the majority agreeing to grant police the option despite strong objections from civil liberties and other police oversight groups. Opponents said the authority would lead to the further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities.

Supervisor Connie Chan, a member of the committee that forwarded the proposal to the full board, said she understood concerns about use of force but that “according to state law, we are required to approve the use of these equipments. So here we are, and it’s definitely not an easy discussion.”

The San Francisco Police Department said it does not have pre-armed robots and has no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a statement.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

Supervisors amended the proposal Tuesday to specify that officers could use robots only after using alternative force or de-escalation tactics, or concluding they would not be able to subdue the suspect through those alternative means. Only a limited number of high-ranking officers could authorize use of robots as a deadly force option.

San Francisco police currently have a dozen functioning ground robots used to assess bombs or provide eyes in low visibility situations, the department says. They were acquired between 2010 and 2017, and not once have they been used to deliver an explosive device, police officials said.

But explicit authorization was required after a new California law went into effect this year requiring police and sheriffs departments to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.

The state law was authored last year by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu while he was an assembly member. It is aimed at giving the public a forum and voice in the acquisition and use of military-grade weapons that have a negative effect on communities, according to the legislation.

A federal program has long dispensed grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, armored vehicles and other surplus military equipment to help local law enforcement.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed an order reviving the Pentagon program after his predecessor, Barack Obama, curtailed it in 2015, triggered in part by outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

San Francisco police said late Tuesday that no robots were obtained from military surplus, but some were purchased with federal grant money.

Like many places around the US, San Francisco is trying to balance public safety with treasured civilian rights such as privacy and the ability to live free of excessive police oversight. In September, supervisors agreed to a trial run allowing police to access in real time private surveillance camera feeds in certain circumstances.

Debate on Tuesday ran more than two hours with members on both sides accusing the other of reckless fear mongering.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who voted in favor of the policy authorization, said he was troubled by rhetoric painting the police department as untrustworthy and dangerous.

“I think there’s larger questions raised when progressives and progressive policies start looking to the public like they are anti-police,” he said. “I think that is bad for progressives. I think it’s bad for this Board of Supervisors. I think it’s bad for Democrats nationally.”

Board President Shamann Walton, who voted against the proposal, pushed back, saying it made him not anti-police, but “pro people of color.”

“We continuously are being asked to do things in the name of increasing weaponry and opportunities for negative interaction between the police department and people of color,” he said. “This is just one of those things.”

The San Francisco Public Defender’s office sent a letter Monday to the board saying that granting police “the ability to kill community members remotely” goes against the city’s progressive values. The office wanted the board to reinstate language barring police from using robots against any person in an act of force.

On the other side of the San Francisco Bay, the Oakland Police Department dropped a similar proposal after public backlash.

The first time a robot was used to deliver explosives in the US was in 2016, when Dallas police sent in an armed robot that killed a holed-up sniper who had killed five officers in an ambush.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco will enable police to deploy robots that kill appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco debates letting police deploy robots that kill

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:09:03 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Supervisors in San Francisco held a heated debate Tuesday over whether to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations, with both sides accusing the other of reckless fearmongering.

Police oversight groups are urging the 11-member Board of Supervisors to reject the idea, saying it would lead to further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities. They said the parameters under which use would be allowed are too vague.

The San Francisco Police Department said it does not have pre-armed robots and has no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a statement.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

The proposed policy does not lay out specifics for how the weapons can and cannot be equipped, leaving open the option to arm them. “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available to SFPD,” it says.

The city’s board members are staunch Democrats who favor gun control, reproductive freedoms and civil rights protections, but they are deeply divided on support for law enforcement.

Several supervisors said it shocked them that a city accustomed to protesting the use of military drones would entertain the idea of allowing a robot to possibly kill a person. But others said police were making a reasonable request and were only carving out permission in case of catastrophe.

“Everything that was said in this hearing, I don’t see how a robot being armed with certain weaponry would save lives,” said Shamann Walton, president of the Board of Supervisors.

The vote comes under a new California law that requires police and sheriffs departments to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use. San Francisco police currently have a dozen functioning ground robots used to assess bombs or provide eyes in low visibility situations, the department says. They were acquired between 2010 and 2017.

The state law was authored last year by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu while he was an assembly member. It is aimed at giving the public a forum and voice in the acquisition and use of military-grade weapons that have a negative effect on communities, according to the legislation.

San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a question about how the robots were acquired, but a federal program has dispensed grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, armored vehicles and other surplus military equipment to help local law enforcement.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed an order reviving the Pentagon program after his predecessor, Barack Obama, curtailed it in 2015, triggered in part by outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

The first time a robot was used to deliver explosives in the US was in 2016, when Dallas police sent in an armed robot that killed a holed-up sniper who had killed five officers in an ambush.

Like many places around the US, San Francisco is trying to balance public safety with treasured civilian rights such as privacy and the ability to live free of excessive police oversight. In September, supervisors agreed to a trial run allowing police to access in real time private surveillance camera feeds in certain circumstances.

The San Francisco Public Defender’s office sent a letter Monday to the board saying that granting police “the ability to kill community members remotely” goes against the city’s progressive values. The office would like the board to reinstate language barring police from using robots against any person in an act of force.

On the other side of the San Francisco Bay, the Oakland Police Department dropped a similar proposal after public backlash.

The post San Francisco debates letting police deploy robots that kill appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco will enable police to deploy robots that kill

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 00:25:18 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Supervisors in San Francisco voted Tuesday to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations — following an emotionally charged debate that reflected divisions on the politically liberal board over support for law enforcement.

The vote was 8-3, with the majority agreeing to grant police the option despite strong objections from civil liberties and other police oversight groups. Opponents said the authority would lead to the further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities.

Supervisor Connie Chan, a member of the committee that forwarded the proposal to the full board, said she understood concerns about use of force but that “according to state law, we are required to approve the use of these equipments. So here we are, and it’s definitely not an easy discussion.”

The San Francisco Police Department said it does not have pre-armed robots and has no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a statement.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

Supervisors amended the proposal Tuesday to specify that officers could use robots only after using alternative force or de-escalation tactics, or concluding they would not be able to subdue the suspect through those alternative means. Only a limited number of high-ranking officers could authorize use of robots as a deadly force option.

San Francisco police currently have a dozen functioning ground robots used to assess bombs or provide eyes in low visibility situations, the department says. They were acquired between 2010 and 2017, and not once have they been used to deliver an explosive device, police officials said.

But explicit authorization was required after a new California law went into effect this year requiring police and sheriffs departments to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.

The state law was authored last year by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu while he was an assembly member. It is aimed at giving the public a forum and voice in the acquisition and use of military-grade weapons that have a negative effect on communities, according to the legislation.

A federal program has long dispensed grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, armored vehicles and other surplus military equipment to help local law enforcement.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed an order reviving the Pentagon program after his predecessor, Barack Obama, curtailed it in 2015, triggered in part by outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

San Francisco police said late Tuesday that no robots were obtained from military surplus, but some were purchased with federal grant money.

Like many places around the US, San Francisco is trying to balance public safety with treasured civilian rights such as privacy and the ability to live free of excessive police oversight. In September, supervisors agreed to a trial run allowing police to access in real time private surveillance camera feeds in certain circumstances.

Debate on Tuesday ran more than two hours with members on both sides accusing the other of reckless fear mongering.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who voted in favor of the policy authorization, said he was troubled by rhetoric painting the police department as untrustworthy and dangerous.

“I think there’s larger questions raised when progressives and progressive policies start looking to the public like they are anti-police,” he said. “I think that is bad for progressives. I think it’s bad for this Board of Supervisors. I think it’s bad for Democrats nationally.”

Board President Shamann Walton, who voted against the proposal, pushed back, saying it made him not anti-police, but “pro people of color.”

“We continuously are being asked to do things in the name of increasing weaponry and opportunities for negative interaction between the police department and people of color,” he said. “This is just one of those things.”

The San Francisco Public Defender’s office sent a letter Monday to the board saying that granting police “the ability to kill community members remotely” goes against the city’s progressive values. The office wanted the board to reinstate language barring police from using robots against any person in an act of force.

On the other side of the San Francisco Bay, the Oakland Police Department dropped a similar proposal after public backlash.

The first time a robot was used to deliver explosives in the US was in 2016, when Dallas police sent in an armed robot that killed a holed-up sniper who had killed five officers in an ambush.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Follow @ktar923

The post San Francisco will enable police to deploy robots that kill appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco will enable police to deploy robots that kill

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 08:54:10 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Supervisors in San Francisco voted Tuesday to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations — following an emotionally charged debate that reflected divisions on the politically liberal board over support for law enforcement.

The vote was 8-3, with the majority agreeing to grant police the option despite strong objections from civil liberties and other police oversight groups. Opponents said the authority would lead to the further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities.

SF police ‘killer robots’ motion passes

Supervisor Connie Chan, a member of the committee that forwarded the proposal to the full board, said she understood concerns about use of force but that “according to state law, we are required to approve the use of these equipments. So here we are, and it’s definitely not an easy discussion.”

The San Francisco Police Department said it does not have pre-armed robots and has no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a statement.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

Supervisors amended the proposal Tuesday to specify that officers could use robots only after using alternative force or de-escalation tactics, or concluding they would not be able to subdue the suspect through those alternative means. Only a limited number of high-ranking officers could authorize use of robots as a deadly force option.

San Francisco police currently have a dozen functioning ground robots used to assess bombs or provide eyes in low visibility situations, the department says. They were acquired between 2010 and 2017, and not once have they been used to deliver an explosive device, police officials said.

But explicit authorization was required after a new California law went into effect this year requiring police and sheriffs departments to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.

The state law was authored last year by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu while he was an assembly member. It is aimed at giving the public a forum and voice in the acquisition and use of military-grade weapons that have a negative effect on communities, according to the legislation.

A federal program has long dispensed grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, armored vehicles and other surplus military equipment to help local law enforcement.

Air marshals rerouted to southern border amid migrant surge

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed an order reviving the Pentagon program after his predecessor, Barack Obama, curtailed it in 2015, triggered in part by outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

San Francisco police said late Tuesday that no robots were obtained from military surplus, but some were purchased with federal grant money.

Like many places around the US, San Francisco is trying to balance public safety with treasured civilian rights such as privacy and the ability to live free of excessive police oversight. In September, supervisors agreed to a trial run allowing police to access in real time private surveillance camera feeds in certain circumstances.

Debate on Tuesday ran more than two hours with members on both sides accusing the other of reckless fear mongering.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who voted in favor of the policy authorization, said he was troubled by rhetoric painting the police department as untrustworthy and dangerous.

“I think there’s larger questions raised when progressives and progressive policies start looking to the public like they are anti-police,” he said. “I think that is bad for progressives. I think it’s bad for this Board of Supervisors. I think it’s bad for Democrats nationally.”

Board President Shamann Walton, who voted against the proposal, pushed back, saying it made him not anti-police, but “pro people of color.”

“We continuously are being asked to do things in the name of increasing weaponry and opportunities for negative interaction between the police department and people of color,” he said. “This is just one of those things.”

The San Francisco Public Defender’s office sent a letter Monday to the board saying that granting police “the ability to kill community members remotely” goes against the city’s progressive values. The office wanted the board to reinstate language barring police from using robots against any person in an act of force.

On the other side of the San Francisco Bay, the Oakland Police Department dropped a similar proposal after public backlash.

The first time a robot was used to deliver explosives in the US was in 2016, when Dallas police sent in an armed robot that killed a holed-up sniper who had killed five officers in an ambush.

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