OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland’s City Council on Monday passed a carefully crafted resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war after hours of hearing impassioned rhetoric about the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza.

The council in the California Bay Area city voted 8-0 in favor of a motion supporting a congressional resolution for a permanent ceasefire, along with the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and a restoration of basic services, as well as “respect for international law” and the release of all hostages.

Before the vote, the council voted 6-2 to reject proposed amendments by member Dan Kalb that specifically condemned killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, whose Oct. 7 attacks in Israel prompted the war that has devastated Gaza.

The motion was met by boos and angry shouts from the packed chamber.

Kalb later went on to vote with the majority, noting that the unchanged resolution also didn’t mention Israel.

In fact, councilmember Caroll Fife, who brought the resolution, said it went through four drafts and “intentionally attempted to de-politicize” the issue by “lifting up what we support and not what condemn.”

She said the issue of a cease-fire was “deeply, deeply concerning” to Oakland residents and called for a moment of silence for the lives lost on both sides of the conflict.

“I want Jewish children to live as much as I want Palestinian children to live,” she said.

The deaths of thousands of children, most of them in Gaza, weighed heavily on councilmembers.

“The number of children who have been killed just since Oct. 7 surpassed the number of children who have been killed in global conflicts over the past four years,” council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said.

“I was absolutely mortified by seeing dead babies” on social media,” and a ceasfire would be crucial for stopping the killing, councilmember Kevin Jenkins said.

Harsher language was used by most of the dozens of speakers, including Jewish anti-Zionist activists, who argued for passage of the measure. They accused Israel of colonization of Palestine and of apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

“We’ve seen the targeting and massacring of civilians, of health care facilities, of hospitals and ambulances,” said one speaker, who identified herself as a recent medical school graduate. “Silence in the face of oppression and genocide, I don’t think, is an acceptable response.”

Others argued that Oakland taxpayers shouldn’t be funding weapons for Israel when the money could be used for problems within the city, such as housing the homeless.

Similar resolutions have passed in three cities in Michigan, where a large percentage of Arab Americans live, as well as in Atlanta; Akron, Ohio; Wilmington, Delaware; and Providence, Rhode Island.

A temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which Qatar helped broker, is currently in place.

U.S. cities have been adopting resolutions regarding the conflict even though they have no legal role or formal say in the process, said David Glazier, who teaches constitutional law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

“It raises an interesting question on where they are getting this mandate to speak for the people in their city when nobody elected a city council person because of their stance on Middle East peace,” he said.

In the nearby city of Richmond, an approved resolution calling for a cease-fire and accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing prompted more than five hours of heated debate in October. The city of Ypsilanti, near Detroit, approved a peace resolution but rescinded it amid backlash.

Oakland’s resolution demands “an immediate ceasefire; release of all hostages, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza; the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to Gaza; and the respect for international law; and calls for a resolution that protects the security of all innocent civilians.”

Cities across the United States have increasingly been speaking up on matters that have long been relegated to diplomatic spheres, even working with local elected leaders abroad on what has been coined city-to-city diplomacy to tackle everything from housing refugees and asylum seekers to dealing with climate change.

Now, city councils are just the latest arena where intense debates over the war and the United States’ support for Israel are playing out. Protesters calling for a cease-fire recently shut down traffic on a major bridge into San Francisco during an international economic summit, and the California Democratic Party recently cancelled some events at its fall convention due to demonstrations.

In some cases, the tension has turned violent. A pro-Palestinian protester was charged with involuntary manslaughter this month after a Jewish man died from head injuries following dueling protests in Southern California. He pleaded not guilty. In Vermont, a man has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the non-fatal shooting of three Palestinian men studying in the United States.

Oakland’s action comes as Hamas has released some hostages captured in the Oct. 7 attack, while Israel has released some imprisoned Palestinians. Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released, but that it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending the group’s 16-year rule over Gaza, which would likely mean expanding the Israeli military’s ground offensive.

The war started after Hamas broke through Israel’s high-tech “Iron Wall” on Oct. 7 and launched an attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. Hamas also took nearly 240 Israelis hostage.

More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.

Jablon reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Julie Watson in San Diego contributed.

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Call it the pretty stepsister of safe outdoor spaces.

In the homeless services world, so-called safe outdoor spaces have become popular with cities nationwide. These spaces usually are comprised of pallet shelters or tiny homes, but Denver has even used ice fishing tents. In Denver, Colorado Village Collaborative runs safe outdoor spaces in Denver. The Salvation Army runs some pallet shelter communities in Aurora.

Safe outdoor spaces have been criticized for resembling concentration camps. Denver Mayor Mike Johnson said Wednesday he intends to place seven to 10 micro-communities at sites around Denver. Each site would consist of tiny homes or pallet shelters, said the mayor’s homeless czar, Cole Chandler. Johnson hired Chandler away from the state. Before that, Chandler worked for Colorado Village Collaborative.

A non-profit called Dignity Moves recently reached out to the author of this story about their operation. They build modular housing for people experiencing homelessness that has a lifespan of 20 years, according to Dignity Moves CEO Elizabeth Funk. The sites have plumbing, which is something Johnston is requiring at sites proposed for Denver’s micro-communities, too.

DignityMoves creates housing at a cost of about $50,000 per unit, which they say is much lower than the cost of creating a permanent supportive housing unit in Los Angeles, which can cost $1 million per unit. It’s still considerably more than an ice fishing tent at a safe outdoor space, which can provide shelter and services for $10,000 annually, according to officials.

Mayor looking for micro-community managers

The author of this story asked Funk how she would pitch Dignity Moves’ services to the Denver mayor, who announced Wednesday the city has put out requests for proposals from agencies looking to provide services at the micro-communities. They also have put out RFPs for builders of the micro-communities, saying there are opportunities for small construction firms as well as large ones.

The architectural styles of various micro-communities built by DignityMoves are meant to blend in with other housing in the area.Photo byDignityMoves

Funk replied: “It’s important to note that the $50,000 allocated for a housing unit is just a fraction of the total project budget. The cost accounts for not only the unit itself but also the requisite supportive services, which can be as high as $30,000 per person per year. The durability and lifespan of our housing units, lasting up to 20 years, make them a valuable investment that spreads costs over an extended period. Our focus is not solely on the housing units but on creating comprehensive, sustainable solutions that truly address the complexities of homelessness. We are enthusiastic about expanding our presence to Denver and other cities, driven by our commitment to making a meaningful impact on homelessness nationwide.”

Some homeless people don’t need help forever

One of the arguments made by Dignity Moves is that not everyone who experiences homelessness needs permanent supportive housing, which can be expensive. “Early on in my exploration of homelessness, a series of realizations propelled me to take action,” Funk said. “One of the pivotal revelations was that the majority of individuals who initially find themselves homeless do not necessarily suffer from severe mental health issues or drug addictions. In fact, fewer than 10% fall into this category.”

In Denver, about a quarter of homeless people identify as having a substance abuse problem, according to the 2022 Point in Time count.

DignityMoves points out that many homeless people “held jobs and were self-sufficient until unforeseen circumstances led to their homelessness,” Funk said. “These individuals are not seeking permanent supportive housing; rather, they require a safe place to rest, recharge, and regain their footing.”

However, the author of this story has seen people placed in permanent supportive housing who were not toilet trained, could not care for themselves, or even eat, and did not take their mental health medications. For these people, even permanent supportive housing is not enough help.

Inside a DignityMoves home.Photo byDignity Moves

Moving people out of homelessness quickly

Funk said it’s important to move quickly when people become homeless. “Prolonged exposure to homelessness, often spanning years, significantly diminishes their chances of reclaiming self-sufficiency due to the traumas and hardships they endure,” Funk said in an email. “Our mission is precisely to intervene at this crucial juncture, offering a path back to self-sufficiency for those who would otherwise be trapped in a cycle of dependence. It’s important to recognize that a substantial proportion of individuals experiencing homelessness are employed; some of our partner programs facilitate transportation to job sites, where individuals work full-time before returning to shelters or encampments. This underscores the need for an approach that aligns with the reality of the situation, recognizing that not all homelessness stems from chronic mental health issues or addiction.”

Johnston’s plan also calls for swift action. He plans to house 1,000 people by the end of this year. However, some homeless activists say safe outdoor spaces aren’t real housing. DignityMoves provides a sort of hybrid model between safe outdoor spaces and permanent supportive housing.

Is the homeless-industrial complex real?

Dignity Moves was founded by a group of Silicon Valley executives. The author of this story asked Funk whether there truly is a homeless-industrial complex in this country.

“In California, particularly, the cost per unit for permit-supportive housing has escalated significantly, with recent constructions in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles surpassing the million-dollar mark per unit,” Funk replied. “This situation has given rise to concerns about an emerging industrial complex focused on these ventures. DignityMoves aims to challenge this complex, as we believe that it is unnecessary to allocate such exorbitant funds, approximately a million dollars per unit, for each homeless individual. As a taxpayer, I find this approach untenable. Our mission is to reorient the narrative and advocate for the prominence of interim housing solutions, which we believe should often supplant expensive permanent supportive housing.”

Funk described the economics of homeless housing. “There are varied perspectives to consider when discussing the economics and motivations behind the construction of permit-supportive housing,” Funk said in the email. “Firstly, it is worth acknowledging that many of the organizations and developers involved in building such housing are not driven solely by financial gain. A significant portion of them operate as non-profit entities, genuinely striving to make a positive impact. While it’s true that certain parties may profit from the construction of high-priced housing units aimed at addressing homelessness, such as construction firms and unions, there is also an element of financial interest from entities like Wall Street due to the profitability of tax credits and financing associated with these projects.”

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Sharon Ranals

The South San Francisco City Council has appointed Sharon Ranals as the city’s permanent manager, having served as an interim member since late December 2022.

She previously served as the city’s director of parks and recreation. The only other woman to hold a similar post in the city was Patricia-Eve Martel, who was deputy city manager in the 1990s and served as acting city manager from February 1993 to December 1994.

“What an exciting time for our city and how appropriate that we announce the permanent hiring of a female city manager during Women’s History Month,” South San Francisco Mayor Flor Nicolas said in a press release. “Having been in town for more than 40 years, she brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to the position and inspires future generations of women leaders.”

Ranals secured grants and undertook several significant projects and programs, including the construction of the Centennial Way and the Joseph Fernekes Recreation Building in Orange Memorial Park. As Parks and Recreation Director, Sharon led an award-winning team of more than 400 full- and part-time city employees responsible for park maintenance and operations, recreational programs, services for seniors including senior center operations, pre-K and after-school programs at six school campuses and Building maintenance for all municipal facilities.

Ranals will show their involvement in the planning of the new Community Civic Campus, the implementation of ballfield and park improvements, the general plan update, renovations at the Oyster Point Marina, city beautification and efforts to combat graffiti and illegal dumping, among a host of others problems continue.

Ranals holds a bachelor’s degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a master’s degree in public administration from San Francisco State University.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) — A San Francisco affordable housing project is moving forward after a developer gave the city a piece of property in the Mission District.

The deal that resulted in the city’s acquisition of 1979 Mission Street was finalized Friday and is part of housing developer Crescent Heights’ affordable housing requirement for its 10 South Van Ness Ave. project, according to Mayor London Breed’s office.

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The Board of Supervisors approved the South Van Ness Avenue project, which will result in 966 market-rate units, in 2020 along with a requirement that the developer provide a property large enough to accommodate 330 affordable units, according to the mayor’s office.

Over the next year, the city will work with Supervisor Hillary Ronen’s office and other community groups through the Calle 12 Cultural District to draft a plan for the property, which is near the 16th Street BART station.

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“Since 2018, six new affordable housing developments have opened in the Mission, including 509 homes for families and 140 homes for seniors, with another housing development currently under construction that will provide an additional 130 homes for families.

Two other affordable housing projects are currently in the predevelopment stage,” according to the mayor’s office.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN / CBS SF) – San Francisco city officials announced $ 54.7 million in government funding to convert a residential hotel in the South of the Market neighborhood into permanent housing for people emerging from homelessness get out.

Funding comes from the California Department of Housing and Community Development through the government’s Homekey project.

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The plan to convert the newly acquired building at 1321 Mission St. into permanent housing is part of a larger plan by Mayor London Breed to overhaul and expand the city’s permanent housing sites. Supportive living combines coordinated services with affordable housing for people with mental or physical health problems.

“As we move forward with our homelessness restoration plan, we must use all the opportunities and resources we have to ensure that all people get the housing and support they need,” Breed said in a statement. “I would like to thank Governor Newsom for pushing Project Homekey forward and for guidelines to support our homeless residents during one of the most difficult times in our state’s history.”

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The new financing comes after the city received US $ 76.9 million last year through the Homekey project for the purchase and operation of two other newly converted permanent residential complexes, the Hotel Diva and the Granada Hotel. More than 360 new units will be created at the sites overseen by the San Francisco Department of Homeless and Supportive Housing, city officials said.

In addition, the city plans to acquire and convert three more permanent housing support properties, with the potential to add 237 additional units.

“The mayor and governor believe housing is the solution to homelessness,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “It is vitally important that we provide more housing, shelter, prevention and distraction for those who are homeless in our community.”

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© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The parklets that popped up across San Francisco at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for al fresco dining and shopping are here to stay.

Overseers voted Tuesday for a revised version of the Shared Spaces Regulation, which will allow companies to work permanently outside in spaces built on sidewalks and parking lots.

Legislation, endorsed by supervisors Ahsha Safaí, Rafael Mandelman, Catherine Stefani, and Matt Haney, governs the program and regulates everything from approval fees to application and approval processes.

According to the ordinance, fees will only be introduced after two years. After this period, retail chains will have to pay a fee of up to $ 3,000 per year for a single parking space, while small businesses can apply for a fee waiver, according to KTVU.

I am excited to see our shared space legislation being passed unanimously by the board, which means the parklets and outdoor dining we love so much will now be permanent in San Francisco! pic.twitter.com/jNgeKLZW2V

– London Breed (@LondonBreed) July 14, 2021

“Shared spaces have brought life and tension back to our neighborhoods in an incredibly challenging time. It was wonderful to see friends and families enjoy their community and support their local businesses, ”Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “By taking the steps necessary to make Shared Spaces permanent, we are providing another lifeline for local businesses to thrive and creating a clear path to rebuilding our economy as San Francisco recovers from COVID-19.”

Managers spoke at length about concerns about vandalism and illegal activity that can occur in parklets overnight, and in response, Safaí introduced an amendment to the regulation that allows companies to close parklets from midnight to 7 a.m., KTVU said. The regulatory authorities approved the change.

“We are pleased that the Shared Spaces Legislation has been passed by the Board today, with some important changes submitted by Supervisor Safaí that will make this program work for restaurants, their employees and our community,” said Laurie Thomas, Executive Director by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and owner of Rose’s Cafe. “We thank Mayor Breed for her unwavering leadership in this groundbreaking policy, the members of the board of directors who supported this, the city officials and their staff for the hard work to bring this together, and the residents and lawyers who worked on it, theirs To share perspectives. “

Sharky Laguana, president of the San Francisco Small Business Commission, called the decision to keep parklets the biggest land use change in San Francisco since the 1906 earthquake. “I’m extremely happy,” Laguana wrote on Twitter. “We have a permanent Shared Spaces program. Outdoor dining is here to stay.”

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May 7, 2021Updated May 7, 2021 2:55 PM

File photo of a sign for Splunk’s main office in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco.

Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images

Last fall, San Francisco-based data analytics firm Splunk announced it wouldn’t be returning to the office until September 2021. Then CEO Douglas Merritt moved to Austin, Texas.

The letter was on the wall, but Splunk has just announced that the tech company will allow most of its employees to work remotely on a permanent basis, as first reported by the San Francisco Business Times. It also has nearly 100,000 square feet of office space listed for sublet at its headquarters at 250 Brannan St. in SoMa.

Despite the move to remote working, Kristin Robinson, Splunk’s chief people officer, told the Business Times that the company will keep an office in San Francisco. “Almost 100% of the roles we have in the company will have the flexibility to work the way they want,” said Robinson. “What we don’t yet know is how many people come into the office one day a week and how many people want to be there five days a week. We don’t necessarily know these numbers yet … but we have very few jobs that need to be done in an office. “

Splunk has 2,336 employees in the Bay Area, according to LinkedIn.

The supply of sublet space on the commercial real estate market is growing steadily. Many other prominent tech firms have released space in the sublet market – well-known names include Salesforce and Twitter – and sf.citi reported that 16.3 million square feet of office space is currently vacant in San Francisco.

Just this week, Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, announced that it would permanently close its offices in San Francisco.

Tessa is a local editor for SFGATE. Before joining the team in 2019, she specialized in food, drink and lifestyle content for numerous publications including Liquor.com, The Bold Italic, 7×7 and more. Contact her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com.

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October 19, 2021

The acquisition of new units of permanent support housing builds on Mayor Breed’s homelessness restoration plan

San Francisco, California – The Supervisory Board today approved the purchase of two new buildings for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). The two buildings at 3061 16th Street and 1321 Mission Street are targeted by Mayor Breed to add 1,500 PSH units, add 185 new PSH units or lease 714 PSH units by July 2022.

“As we continue to address our city’s homelessness crisis, we must use the resources available to give the people the help they so desperately need,” said Mayor Breed. “During this critical time in our recovery, we need to broaden our homelessness response and build on the progress we have made in shelting thousands of unsecured people during the pandemic. I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for taking this decisive step forward “to create living space for the most endangered communities in our city.”

The two locations, identified based on geographic diversity and accessibility to resources, will provide residents with professional property management and on-site support services.

For more information on the proposed acquisitions, see the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing website: hsh.sfgov.org/get-involved/notices/

“We’re excited to purchase the property at 3061 16th Street. This building is a beautiful and safe place where formally homeless transitional youth can recover from a traumatic life,” said Hillary Ronen, District 9 supervisor. ” It is almost impossible to get well on the street. Now 25 homeless youths have a significant chance of recovery and success. ”

“This is a very exciting time for the city,” said Shireen McSpadden, director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “With new resources in the household, we can make a difference across the city and expand our efforts to incorporate geographic diversity into housing while moving our most vulnerable residents to permanent housing. This is a citywide challenge and effort that we are working together to solve. “

The acquisitions of 185 new PSH units build on Mayor Breed’s homelessness restoration plan by helping the city provide more housing and shelter for homeless residents as San Francisco emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through Mayor Breed’s plan, the city will expand the capacity of the homeless response system and provide 6,000 places for people affected by homelessness through coordinated entry, including 4,500 places in PSH. This includes purchasing or renting 1,500 new PSH units over the next two years, the largest one-time expansion to the city in 20 years.

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Welcome to pm Intel, your bite-sized roundup of Bay Area food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, leave them here.

• The San Francisco board of directors met on Thursday June 10th to discuss introducing a permanent cap on which third-party delivery apps – like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats – can charge restaurants, and it goes on, with a vote expected next week. The law would put a permanent fee cap of 15 percent, a measure temporarily passed in 2020, while allowing restaurants to sign a separate marketing agreement with businesses for other services. However, the manager behind the proposal, Aaron Peskin, was absent from the meeting – on the same day he announced that he was going into alcohol treatment after complaints about his behavior and allegations that he was under the influence during recent board meetings. Peskin, the longest-serving member of the board, has also added changes and delayed the permanent rollout of parklets, which was discussed earlier this week and will be voted on June 22nd. [SF Chronicle]
• The chefs behind the pan-African ghost kitchen, The Bussdown in Oakland, are working on a new concept with a series of monthly supper club dinners starting on Sunday June 27th. OKO, by chefs Solomon Johnson and Mike Woods, will serve an eight-course tasting menu highlighting the African and Afro-Latin American diaspora in a loft in Oakland’s Melrose neighborhood, before moving on to the monthly series on the way to Napa, Los Angeles and Washington, DC (so far) does. . Johnson and Woods have plans beyond the Supper Club – they plan to open OKO as a fine-dining restaurant in 2022. The first dinner will have two seats for 25 guests each at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., with tickets starting at $ 165 per person. Tickets can be purchased through Tock.
• Cafe Ohlone, the world’s first and only Ohlone restaurant, lost its former place in Berkeley last July when the bookstore it was located in closed, but a full-service restaurant is now occupying the campus UC Berkeley take shape. During a webinar on Thursday with Professor Kent Lightfoot of UC Berkeley, owners Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino confirmed that the new Café Ohlone is due to open in November 2021 at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, as reported for the first time by Berkeleyside. [Berkeleyside]
• Long headquartered in San Francisco but founded in Los Angeles, See’s Candies turned 100 this week after weathering the Great Depression, World War II, recession, and pandemic. The nostalgic confectionery company, now owned by investor Warren Buffet, celebrates its 100th anniversary with the recent debuts of new stores in Southern California and Las Vegas – a total of 251 stores in its 100 years in business. [Mercury News]

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Legislation introduced by Congregation member Adrin Nazarian (D-LA) that would change state laws regarding road closures and speed limits on local roads is moving through state legislature. The aim of AB 773 is to give cities the opportunity to make the “slow streets” created during the COVID-19 pandemic permanent. The bill will be heard by the Assembly’s Local Government Committee next Wednesday, May 5th.

Last spring, cities across California, from Sacramento to San Diego, introduced local variations of Slow Streets programs. Barricades, some better than others, have been erected on designated slow roads to slow traffic or to ban through traffic to create safe places for people to exercise, relax, exercise or just plain during the COVID crisis can be outside. With California appearing to be starting to get out of the crisis, many people who live on or near Slow Streets want the program to stay in place.

“The Los Angeles Slow Streets program has provided children, families and constituents in our city with the opportunity to play, exercise and socialize safely in their neighborhood during the pandemic. It should be expanded,” Nazarian said in one Press release when introducing the legislation.

“I am grateful that I spent a lot of time with my family this year taking advantage of the slow streets in our neighborhood and I am encouraged to offer this opportunity to so many others.”

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) reached out to volunteers who have been up and running the Slow Streets program to find out how to make Slow Streets permanent on the streets of Los Angeles. During the initial rollout here, advocates of unsafe driving on local roads complained to the city that the Slow Streets program was in violation of CVC 21101, which prohibits cities from closing roads unless very specific criteria are met. LADOT responded with a certain rollback of the program.

AB 773 would counter this by making it easier for cities to lower speed limits and even permanently block local roads if the block would make the streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized road users. Just because it’s legal to make a slow street permanent doesn’t mean that current programs will automatically become permanent. Cities promise a public process to identify suitable Slow Streets projects that are permanent and what types of safety improvements to add to those streets. This process is already underway in major cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“Slow streets have been an integral part of our communities for a year now,” writes Michael Schneider of Streets For All, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that promotes slow streets. “Congregation Nazarian’s bill will give Los Angeles even more control and flexibility as we strive to make the current slow roads permanent and expand the program even further.”

Right now, Los Angeles Slow Streets have a plastic bollard that may or may not have been partially destroyed by the weather or drivers, and a change to Google Maps as protection for Slow Streets. Other cities, including Oakland, where the programmed Slow Streets pioneered at the start of the pandemic, have more aggressive signage.

42nd and Linden Street, when Slow Streets was implemented in Spring 2020. Photo: Oakland DOT

In San Francisco, the Slow Streets program is run by the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA or Muni). The SFMTA has set up a website that explains the five-step process for what are known as permanent slow roads. You are currently in Step 3 – Identifying Persistent Slow Roads – and will next enter a phase of contact with the affected communities. In Oakland, the DOT announced in its regular assessment of Slow Streets that it would outline a plan for long-term improvements in its Slow Streets areas. In Los Angeles, LADOT reached out to Slow Streets volunteer coordinators to begin the public process in the densest neighborhoods of Slow Streets.

SFMTA’s timeline for permanent slow roads.

But for the cities hoping to turn quick projects into permanent neighborhood improvements, AB 733 can’t come soon enough.

“COVID-19 has forced us to find creative ways to get outside and enjoy our communities while staying closer to home,” said Los Angeles Supporter and Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“With Congregation Member Nazarian’s bill, we can keep our Slow Streets program intact and grow so that we can turn neighborhoods into accessible spaces and give people the space they need to relax healthily.”

Note: Damien Newton is volunteering as the Slow Street Coordinator for Mar Vista Slow Streets in Los Angeles.

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