SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The Marina Green — 74 acres that so many people love and cherish.

“That openness is a treasure that we have today,” said Dan Clarke, a concerned neighbor.

But that could change with a new project called “The Marina Improvement and Remediation Project.”

It could mean expanding the harbor footprint along Marina Green.

According to project supporters, this is what the Marina looks like today.

A rendering of what the Marina horizon looks like today is pictured.

A rendering of what the Marina horizon looks like today is pictured.

And what it could look like if the project proposal got the green light.

A rendering of what a new design of the Marina horizon could look like is pictured.

A rendering of what a new design of the Marina horizon could look like is pictured.

Here’s the issue: right beside the Marina Green is Gashouse Cove, an area that requires serious cleanup.

Laura Thompson is with “Keep the Waterfront Open.”

“PG&E is providing $190 million to close up that gas toxins that are coming up through the Gashouse Cove which is over by Fort Mason. That is the intent of the settlement to clean up that gas plant and toxins up,” said Thompson.

Many community members are upset.

MORE: SF civic pride campaign kicks off, rallies residents to support city

They say the SF Recreation and Park Department isn’t doing the cleanup and instead are pushing forward a controversial plan.

“Instead RPD, to use that money to clean up a minimal amount of the toxins and instead build a brand new big boat harbor in front of the last remaining waterfront area in front of the Marina Green,” said Thompson.

Frustrated community members protested today at SF City Hall right before the Recreation and Park Commission meeting, saying they want to maintain the Marina Green and its open waterfront.

“It’s a beautiful unique spot within San Francisco. People from all over the community use this place. To put a boat parking lot in front of Marina Green–it serves so few people when so many can get the advantages of this spot,” said Erin Roach with “Keep The Waterfront Open.”

MORE: Here’s where in Fisherman’s Wharf the GGP Ferris wheel would be relocated if approved

Outside City Hall, demonstrators carried signs that said, “No new boat harbor” and “Marina Green for the people.”

Inside meeting chambers, Recreation and Park Commissioners heard the proposal and nearly five dozen public comments.

The majority of the neighbors say “no-way” and that the plan is a “no-go”

Some even gave a thumbs down sign during the project presentation.

“People don’t want a harbor in front of the Marina Green,” said one speaker during public comment.

MORE: What San Francisco and Oakland are doing to increase their tree canopy in most vulnerable areas

“It is outrageous that I have to be here to plead that you not build a new harbor in front of the Marina Green,” said another speaker.

As part of the proposed plan, more than 200 boats would be relocated and moored along Marina Green.

Neighbors say that would block bay views.

Proponents of the plan say the plan would make the waterfront at Gashouse Cove more accessible.

MORE: SF’s wave-activated organ plays sounds of the sea

“We are for going ahead with the EIR. It will give lots of people a lot of opportunity to get on the water in the future,” said one speaker during public comment.

In the end, the Recreation and Park Commission unanimously voted to move forward with an environmental review study.

According to the Department of Recreation and Parks, commissioners added an amendment that the work include a financial feasibility study of the Marina with the objective of minimizing the number of slips in the West Harbor and identifying opportunities to add additional slips in the East Harbor.

The Department released this statement late Thursday afternoon:

The Marina Improvement and Remediation Project is an opportunity to clean up environmental pollution at the SF Marina while increasing public access and expanding recreation both in water and on land. This joint project with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and PG&E is governed by a 2021 settlement agreement approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Today’s action by the Recreation and Park Commission authorizes us to proceed with planning and design for environmental review under CEQA. This work will include a financial feasibility study of the Marina with the objective of minimizing the number of slips in the West Harbor and identifying opportunities to add additional slips in the East Harbor. The environmental review process is expected to take 18-24 months and includes an Environmental Impact Report, which will be prepared by the Planning Department. Once the review is complete, we will bring a proposed project back to the Commission for approval with the adoption of CEQA findings; the project will consider both community feedback and the purpose of the settlement to ensure an environmentally and financially sustainable marina.

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

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By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on September 18, 2023

Woda Cooper official Denis Blackburn at a Nags Head Commissioners meeting last year. The company’s proposed 54-unit project was rejected there.

Two weeks after its proposal was unanimously rejected by the Manteo Board of Commissioners, the Dare County Commissioners will be looking for a way to move forward on a planned Woda Cooper housing development when they meet on Tuesday, Sept. 19, in special session.

The latest in a growing string of housing setbacks for the county came on Sept. 6 when the Manteo Commissioners voted against allowing the proposed 46-unit development at the end of Bowsertown Road to be connected to the town’s wastewater system. That marked the second time in the past few years that the Manteo Board has rejected such a hookup, although the first project was much larger, at a planned 120 units.

After the Sept. 6 verdict in Manteo, Dare County Manager Bobby Outten told the Voice that “we’re disappointed in the Manteo decision, but we’re going to continue to work to bring workforce or essential housing to the county.”

In a brief email to the Voice, Outten said the idea of the Sept. 19 Dare Commissioners meeting is “to find a way to move forward, not necessarily in Manteo.”

Thus far, county efforts to build what they call workforce or essential housing has run into a wall of opposition at the local level—with municipal commissioners, reflecting the view of many constituents, soundly rejecting several proposals involving the county’s development partners, Woda Cooper and Coastal Affordable Housing, LLC.

In August 2022, the Kill Devil Hills Commissioners defeated an effort to rezone the 44-acre Baum tract to potentially pave the way for a high-density multifamily housing site envisioned by Coastal Affordable Housing and the county. And early this year, the Nags Head Commissioners, responding to significant community opposition, opted to rezone an area that would have potentially housed a 54-unit Woda Cooper housing development.

In unincorporated Wanchese, which is governed by the Dare County Board of Commissioners, that board’s May 1 approval of a 60-unit cluster home development occurred in the face of impassioned efforts from a community that turned out in force at a series of meetings to register their staunch opposition.

And even after greenlighting the cluster home project, the Dare Commissioners, acknowledging that intense level of opposition, voted to remove 22 districts from the cluster home ordinance that had paved the way for the Wanchese project.

As the county tries on Sept. 19 to come up with a way to bring the Woda Cooper housing plan to fruition, it is seeking a thus far elusive victory on the housing front. And for his part, Outten hopes that one success will lead to others.

“It’s much like beach nourishment was back in the early 90’s,” he told the Voice earlier this year. “Everybody was reluctant until we finally did it and found that it was beneficial, wasn’t harmful, and was a good thing.”

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS: BIDDER PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUEST:

Barnhill Contracting Company has been selected as the Construction Manager @ Risk by Dare County and is seeking to pre-qualify construction trade contractors to submit bids for the furnishing labor, materials, equipment, and tools for the Manteo Youth Center located in Manteo, NC. Please note: Only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The scope of the project encompasses approximately 4,300 sqft of new construction on a .72-acre site located at 101 Fernando St, Manteo, NC 27954. The project is a single-story structure with Cold Formed Steel framed bearing walls supporting a Standing Seam Metal Roof over Wood Trusses and Rafters housing administrative, assembly, kitchen, and support spaces.  Principal trade and specialty contractors are solicited for the following Bid Packages: BP0100 – General Trades / Temp Fencing; BP0105 – Final Cleaning; BP0205 – Demolition & Abatement; BP0390 – Turnkey Concrete; BP0400 – Turnkey Masonry; BP0500 – Structural Steel / Misc Steel / Stairs & Rails / Canopies/ Awning; BP0602 – Rough Carpentry / Wood Trusses / Composite Siding; BP0740 – Roofing; BP0790 – Caulking / Sealants /Waterproofing; BP0800 – Doors, Frames, & Hardware; BP0840 – Glass & Glazing / Storefront / Louvers / Shutters; BP0925 – Drywall/Framing; BP960 – Resilient Flooring, Carpet, Base, & Epoxy; BP0980 – Acoustical Ceilings; BP0990 – Painting And Wallcoverings; BP1005 – Specialties / Markerboards; BP1010 – Signage; BP1230 – Finish Carpentry and Casework; BP1250 – Window Treatments; BP2100 – Fire Protection; BP2200 – Plumbing; BP2300 – HVAC; BP2600 – Turnkey Electrical; BP3100 – Earthwork / Asphalt Paving / Site Utilities; BP3213 – Site Concrete; BP3231 – Fences & Gates; BP3290 – Landscaping. Packages may be added and/or deleted at the discretion of the Construction Manager. Historically underutilized business firms are encouraged to complete participation submittals.  Interested contractors should submit their completed prequalification submittals, by September 29, 2023, to Meredith Terrell at mterrell@barnhillcontracting.com or hardcopies can be mailed to Barnhill Contracting Company PO Box 31765 Raleigh, NC 27622 (4325 Pleasant Valley Road, NC 27612). PREQUALIFICATION FORMS CAN BE OBTAINED from our online plan room, by clicking on the “Dare County – Youth Center – CD Budget & Prequalification” project under the Public Jobs tab or by contacting Meredith Terrell by email or phone at 919-781-7210. Please note: Once Bid Documents become available, they will be posted to our plan room website shown above, however only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. Target bid period: Mid-October to Mid-November.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS: BIDDER PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUEST:

Barnhill Contracting Company has been selected as the Construction Manager @ Risk by Dare County and is seeking to pre-qualify construction trade contractors to submit bids for the furnishing labor, materials, equipment, and tools for the EMS Station #8 located in Manns Harbor, NC. Please note: Only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The scope of the project encompasses approximately 6,200 sqft of new construction on a 3.4-acre site located at 6677 Highway 64/264, Manns Harbor, NC 27953. The project is a single-story structure with masonry bearing walls supporting a Standing Seam Metal Roof over Light Gauge Trusses housing administrative, living and support spaces along with 2 apparatus bays.  Principal trade and specialty contractors are solicited for the following Bid Packages: BP0100 – General Trades / Temp Fencing; BP0105 – Final Cleaning; BP0390 – Turnkey Concrete; BP0400 – Turnkey Masonry; BP0500 – Structural Steel / Misc Steel / Stairs & Rails / Canopies / Awning; BP0505 – Light Gauge Metal Trusses; BP0740 – Roofing; BP0750 – Composite Siding / Metal Wall Panels; BP0790 – Caulking / Sealants / Waterproofing; BP0800 – Doors, Frames, & Hardware; BP0836 – Overhead Doors; BP0840 – Glass & Glazing / Storefront / Louvers / Shutters; BP0925 – Drywall/Framing; BP960 – Resilient Flooring, Carpet, Base, & Epoxy; BP0980 – Acoustical Ceilings; BP0990 – Painting And Wallcoverings; BP1005 – Specialties / Markerboards; BP1010 – Signage; BP1050 – Lockers; BP1230 – Finish Carpentry and Casework; BP1250 – Window Treatments; BP2100 – Fire Protection; BP2200 – Plumbing; BP2300 – HVAC; BP2600 – Turnkey Electrical; BP3100 – Earthwork / Asphalt Paving / Site Utilities; BP3213 – Site Concrete; BP3231 – Fences & Gates; BP3290 – Landscaping. Packages may be added and/or deleted at the discretion of the Construction Manager. Historically underutilized business firms are encouraged to complete participation submittals.  Interested contractors should submit their completed prequalification submittals, by September 29, 2023 to Meredith Terrell at mterrell@barnhillcontracting.com or hardcopies can be mailed to Barnhill Contracting Company PO Box 31765 Raleigh, NC 27622 (4325 Pleasant Valley Road, NC 27612). PREQUALIFICATION FORMS CAN BE OBTAINED from our online plan room, by clicking on the “Dare County – EMS 8 – CD Budget & Prequalification” project under the Public Jobs tab or by contacting Meredith Terrell by email or phone at 919-781-7210. Please note: Once Bid Documents become available, they will be posted to our plan room website shown above, however only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. Target bid period: Mid-October to Mid-November.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS: BIDDER PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUEST:

Barnhill Contracting Company has been selected as the Construction Manager @ Risk by Dare County and is seeking to pre-qualify construction trade contractors to submit bids for the furnishing labor, materials, equipment, and tools for the EMS Station #9 located in Kitty Hawk, NC. Please note: Only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The scope of the project encompasses approximately 7,600 sqft of new construction on a 1.13-acre site located at 4907 Putter Lane, Kitty Hawk, NC27949. The project is a single-story structure with masonry bearing walls supporting a Standing Seam Metal Roof over Light Gauge Trusses housing administrative, living and support spaces along with 3 apparatus bays.  Principal trade and specialty contractors are solicited for the following Bid Packages: BP0100 – General Trades / Temp Fencing; BP0105 – Final Cleaning; BP0390 – Turnkey Concrete; BP0400 – Turnkey Masonry; BP0500 – Structural Steel / Misc Steel / Stairs & Rails / Canopies / Awning; BP0505 – Light Gauge Metal Trusses; BP0740 – Roofing; BP0750 – Composite Siding / Metal Wall Panels; BP0790 – Caulking / Sealants / Waterproofing; BP0800 – Doors, Frames, & Hardware; BP0836 – Overhead Doors; BP0840 – Glass & Glazing / Storefront / Louvers / Shutters; BP0925 – Drywall/Framing; BP960 – Resilient Flooring, Carpet, Base, & Epoxy; BP0980 – Acoustical Ceilings; BP0990 – Painting And Wallcoverings; BP1005 – Specialties / Markerboards; BP1010 – Signage; BP1050 – Lockers; BP1230 – Finish Carpentry and Casework; BP1250 – Window Treatments; BP2100 – Fire Protection; BP2200 – Plumbing; BP2300 – HVAC; BP2600 – Turnkey Electrical; BP3100 – Earthwork / Asphalt Paving / Site Utilities; BP3213 – Site Concrete; BP3231 – Fences & Gates; BP3290 – Landscaping.  Packages may be added and/or deleted at the discretion of the Construction Manager. Historically underutilized business firms are encouraged to complete participation submittals.  Interested contractors should submit their completed prequalification submittals, by September 29, 2023, to Meredith Terrell at mterrell@barnhillcontracting.com or hardcopies can be mailed to Barnhill Contracting Company PO Box 31765 Raleigh, NC 27622 (4325 Pleasant Valley Road, NC 27612). PREQUALIFICATION FORMS CAN BE OBTAINED from our online plan room, by clicking on the “Dare County – EMS 9 – CD Budget & Prequalification” project under the Public Jobs tab or by contacting Meredith Terrell by email or phone at 919-781-7210. Please note: Once Bid Documents become available, they will be posted to our plan room website shown above, however only subcontractors who have been prequalified by Barnhill Contracting Company will be able to submit a Bid. Target bid period: Mid-October to Mid-November.

The post The Outer Banks Voice – Dare County to strive once more on Woda Cooper housing proposal appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The San Francisco 49ers have arguably the best roster in the NFL. They’re lined on both sides of the ball with All-Pros and players with the biggest contracts in their positions in the NFL as the team prepares for another try at the Super Bowl.

But even the best teams have some gaps that need to be filled. San Francisco addressed what is arguably its greatest need very early on in free agency. After being knocked out by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers made significant improvements to central defense and signed Javon Hargrave.

Having been the No. 1 defense in the 2022 season, it’s certainly surprising that all of their needs are on that side of the ball. Even with the addition of Hargrave, the defense could use a little more punch in the pass rushing area.

The 49ers had 44 sacks last season, but 18.5 of those came from Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. The team’s second and third, Samson Ekubam and Charles Omenihu, both left free hands, leaving a large gap in defense.

Sophomore defensive end Drake Jackson will certainly have a bigger role, but adding another established veteran would be a good idea. Getting players below the salary cap could prove difficult, but one player that should be on the 49ers’ radar is the Minnesota Vikings’ Za’Darius Smith.

The question is when, not if, Smith will move on this offseason. He has already written a message thanking Minnesota and his fans as he is ready to move on. Smith’s request for release was denied as the team made trade offers for him.

After averaging 10.0 sacks last season, Smith is one of the most likely players in the league to be traded leading up to training camp. What could a trade between the 49ers and the Vikings look like?

A proposed trade package would have San Francisco send a fourth-round pick to Minnesota for 2024 in exchange for the veteran pass-rusher. The Vikings have taken pay cuts throughout the offseason, fired wide receiver Adam Thielen and are also looking to leave running back Dalvin Cook.

Smith could be the next player to move as swapping with him would save the team $12.16 million off the salary cap. That’s money that could be spent elsewhere in the roster to improve the team.

As for the 49ers, they get an excellent pass rusher as a bookend for Bosa. Smith would make sure Jackson isn’t ready for an expanded role, providing the team with a reliable presence to take the pressure off the incumbent DPOY.

The post This 49ers-Vikings commerce proposal sends Za’Darius Smith to San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

At least three towering commercial campuses have been proposed to transform an area near the Caltrain station in South San Francisco.

A 17-story tower with lab, office and retail space is planned for 121 E. Grand Ave., while a campus with both a 10-story building and eight-story building plus an eight-story parking garage is proposed across the street at 100 E. Grand Ave.

Additionally, a biotech proposal for an adjacent site at 120 E. Grand Ave. is being reviewed. That campus would be 430,000 square feet, according to the city.

The 17 story tower would comprise roughly 940,000 square feet, rising close to 300 feet tall. Parking for 1,394 vehicles would be included in the lower portion of the building.

The ground floor would potentially house a cafe, restaurant, convenience store and other services, with an additional cafe and restaurant on the second floor, according to a city report. The building would be built in an L shape around an outdoor courtyard, the plans indicate.

If approved, the developer will pay close to $23 million to the city, largely for improvements in the area including near the Caltrain station and transportation infrastructure east of Highway 101. An estimated $58.6 million in impact fees would also be due from the developer. A large portion of those fees would go to the city’s affordable housing fund.

The project is proposed as 100% electric, adding a cost of $7.2 million, according to the developer’s estimates.

It would replace the existing Comfort Inn and Suites, a three story hotel with 169 rooms.

The developer is San Diego-based Phase 3 Real Estate Partners, the same developer behind the Genesis towers, which include the city’s tallest structure, a 21 story, 317 foot tower completed in 2018.

For the 100 E. Grand Ave. development, the two buildings would comprise roughly 550,000 square feet, according to the city. The campus would replace a 70,000-square-foot warehouse.

The 120 E. Grand Ave. project, meanwhile, would replace a warehouse that is home to custom foods co-packer Max’s Bakery and Kitchen.

All three projects are still under review by the city and will require various approvals. The Planning Commission will review the 121 E. Grand Ave. project at a 7 pm Aug 18 meeting.

The projects join a slate of other developments in various stages of planning or construction, slated to, together, add 13 million square feet of research and development and office space to the area east of Highway 101 in the next 20 years.

The post New tower proposal close to South San Francisco Caltrain | Native Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

At least three towering commercial campuses have been proposed to transform an area near the Caltrain station in South San Francisco.

A 17-story tower with lab, office and retail space is planned for 121 E. Grand Ave., while a campus with both a 10-story building and eight-story building plus an eight-story parking garage is proposed across the street at 100 E. Grand Ave.

Additionally, a biotech proposal for an adjacent site at 120 E. Grand Ave. is being reviewed. That campus would be 430,000 square feet, according to the city.

The 17 story tower would comprise roughly 940,000 square feet, rising close to 300 feet tall. Parking for 1,394 vehicles would be included in the lower portion of the building.

The ground floor would potentially house a cafe, restaurant, convenience store and other services, with an additional cafe and restaurant on the second floor, according to a city report. The building would be built in an L shape around an outdoor courtyard, the plans indicate.

If approved, the developer will pay close to $23 million to the city, largely for improvements in the area including near the Caltrain station and transportation infrastructure east of Highway 101. An estimated $58.6 million in impact fees would also be due from the developer. A large portion of those fees would go to the city’s affordable housing fund.

The project is proposed as 100% electric, adding a cost of $7.2 million, according to the developer’s estimates.

It would replace the existing Comfort Inn and Suites, a three story hotel with 169 rooms.

The developer is San Diego-based Phase 3 Real Estate Partners, the same developer behind the Genesis towers, which include the city’s tallest structure, a 21 story, 317 foot tower completed in 2018.

For the 100 E. Grand Ave. development, the two buildings would comprise roughly 550,000 square feet, according to the city. The campus would replace a 70,000-square-foot warehouse.

The 120 E. Grand Ave. project, meanwhile, would replace a warehouse that is home to custom foods co-packer Max’s Bakery and Kitchen.

All three projects are still under review by the city and will require various approvals. The Planning Commission will review the 121 E. Grand Ave. project at a 7 pm Aug 18 meeting.

The projects join a slate of other developments in various stages of planning or construction, slated to, together, add 13 million square feet of research and development and office space to the area east of Highway 101 in the next 20 years.

The post New tower proposal close to South San Francisco Caltrain | Native Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

With a ballooning budget for child care services, South San Francisco officials last week adopted a comprehensive plan for how they intend to ramp up subsidies to provide day care, transitional kindergarten, after school care and other services to aid working parents.

In addition to state and federal funds, the city has more than $11 million of its own money for the effort, and expects millions more in coming years as a result of fees paid by developers building in the city. Since 2001, the city has been charging the fees, which have been used to construct two child care facilities, update playground facilities and provide grants to child care providers.

“South San Francisco was the first city in San Mateo County to implement child care development fees … and we are, yes, the first city in San Mateo County to complete a child care master plan,” Kathleen White, a consultant who prepared the document , said.

The plan outlines a wide range of goals, but key among them is addressing local staffing shortages in the industry, which are currently preventing expansion of the city’s efforts regardless of funding, according to the report.

“The shortfall in this early childhood education sector is actually preventing growth for programs whether you have facilities or rooms or the funding,” White said. “We had a workforce problem before COVID. COVID exacerbated this workforce problem, and now we’ve got quite a bit of new money coming in for expansion, so it’s kind of a perfect storm for a workforce shortfall.”

The document attributes the shortage to the county’s high cost of living combined with health concerns amid the pandemic. It recommends expanding the local pipeline to the industry, and sets out a “realistic and achievable goal” of at least 10% of high school graduates in the city to pursue local education paths. Workforce development and increasing pay in the industry are also noted as solutions.

Another key goal is continuing to use city funds to build child care facilities as well as coax developers to include them in new buildings as a community benefit.

“While we do have impact fees right now, we really need more developer participation around providing facilities and space,” White said. “There are a lot of cranes up in South San Francisco, really every crane should represent a child care opportunity.”

Other recommendations include expanding subsidies for infant preschool spaces, expand transitional kindergarten, close gaps in preschool service to neighborhoods west of El Camino Real and support the South San Francisco Unified School District in obtaining child care funding.

According to plan, there are approximately 9,500 families in the city with children aged 12 and under or that are expecting children in the next year. The city conducted a survey of 1,111 people, targeting residents in that group.

It found 85% of responders worked full time, and 74% reported child care costs as an issue. After-school child care was reported as the most difficult type of child care to find by 54% of respondents.

Additionally, the plan cites a national survey conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2021 that found 75% of working parents had young children staying home with a parent during work hours amid the pandemic, and 50% of parents that had not yet returned to the workforce following said child care was the reason why.

“This is a very personal issue … I probably wouldn’t be able to live here if it weren’t for the subsidized child care that we provide,” said Mayor Mark Nagales, who said he had seen child care cost in the city for as much as $2,400 per month for three-day-a-week care for a toddler.

“That’s basically a rent payment,” he said. “I have two kids that use the [city’s] child care, I pay $700 per month… It’s helped me and my family tremendously.”

Vice Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas said child care was also a gender equity issue, as the task often falls on women, which can prevent them from entering the workforce.

“If we really do believe children are the future of our city, child care should be one of our priorities,” she said.

The child care plan is intended for use through 2030, and is part of the city’s general plan, which is in the process of a comprehensive overhaul. White emphasized the need for City Council action to implement identified policies.

“To me this plan is a starting point, there’s a lot of ideas here, a lot of recommendations. … The next steps are going to be determined by city leaders,” White said. “My only caution is that 2030 is right around the corner, so I wouldn’t delay.”

The post South San Francisco adopts baby care proposal | Native Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Jeff Chiu/AP

Oakland Athletics’ Yusmeiro Petit, bottom center, pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, July 3, 2021.

By Casey Harrison (contact)

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 4:34pm

A subcommittee for a cross-jurisdictional body that governs the San Francisco Bay voted today against removing port authority protections for a proposed site for a multibillion-dollar commercial district that includes a proposed waterfront stadium for the Oakland Athletics, a setback that could help the baseball team ultimately relocate to Las Vegas.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s Seaport Planning Advisory Committee voted 6-3 against removing port priority use at the proposed Howard Terminal site, which would transfer maritime use of the site from the port authority to proposed $12 billion development which would also include a 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark for the A’s.

The commission, however, will hold a final vote on the matter June 2, likely determining the fate of the project. A’s President Dave Kaval said the development can’t move forward without approval.

“It’s very disappointing that an unelected body would choose a parking lot over a privately-financed ballpark and development including housing, which is sorely needed in the Bay Area,” Kaval said. “But that’s exactly what they did. And those are some of the challenges of doing business in California in the Bay Area.”

“The site has to be removed from the sea port plan for the project to move forward. And their recommendation was don’t allow a ballpark and the development to be built there (sic).”

Justin Berton, a spokesman for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement the mayor agrees with the subcommittee’s decision.

“We believe the Port of Oakland and its leadership knows its best capacity, and we agree with their detailed analysis that shows they can continue to thrive and grow port activities well into the future, as well as support a transformational, world-class development that will open 18 acres of public parks along the waterfront and create more affordable housing and thousands of great union jobs for the region” the statement said.

The A’s remain on what Kaval is calling a “parallel path” in negotiating with partners in both Oakland and the Las Vegas valley to build a new stadium to replace the outdated RingCenter Coliseum. The team has played there since 1968, and it is considered by many to be among the worst stadiums in the big leagues.

Kaval said the organization within the last week have submitted another offer to purchase a site for a similarly-sized stadium here in Las Vegas. He did not specify where, stating only the bid was made to a private entity.

Kaval, however, did hint that should the team move to the valley, it is “focused like a laser beam” on building a stadium along the resort corridor, and that the team has made several offers at various sites.

“We have these handful of sites in and around the resort corridor, and we’re working very diligently both with resort operators/casinos as well as landowners to kind of get to a final site,” Kaval said. “We think that provides the best balance for locals and tourists, and that’s going to be critically important.”

Kaval said the nature of talks in both Oakland and Las Vegas are “moving quickly” and that he hopes to announce the location of a new ballpark sometime this summer.

“(We’re) hopeful that we can get to the point where the different parties would be comfortable, maybe even announcing it,” Kaval said. “I think that’d be a big moment to announce the site and show people what the vision of that is.”

Major League Baseball in May gave the A’s the green light to seek a new home and permission to speak with entities in other cities about possible relocation after deeming the Coliseum unfit to play. The team’s lease with the stadium expires in 2024, while Kaval and other team executives have made several trips to Las Vegas since.

On Feb. 17, Oakland City Council voted 7-2 to certify the environmental impact report for the Howard Terminal plan, at the time clearing a key hurdle for the city to keep the team in the Bay Area. Kaval said at the time the vote was a “necessary step” to continue negotiations, while also working on securing a spot in Southern Nevada.

The A’s have narrowed down a list of “about three or four” stadium sites in Las Vegas, Kaval said in February. Media reports in December indicated the A’s submitted a bid to build a stadium at the site of the Tropicana hotel, which is owned by Bally’s Corp.

“All of that is happening at a deliberate pace, a pace that balances the need to make progress with the importance of being thoughtful and smart,” Kaval said.

The post A’s stadium proposal in Oakland has setback, talks ‘shifting rapidly’ in Vegas appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Most employees in San Francisco (and across California) receive one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work. The San Francisco Board of Directors is now considering an ordinance that would expand the availability of paid sick leave for domestic workers through the establishment of a “portable” paid sick leave system.

The ordinance “Equal Access for Domestic Workers to Paid Sick Leave through a Portable System” would oblige every domestic worker employer, including individual households, to provide their workers with paid time off through a portable benefit system.

According to the current version of the proposed regulation, a domestic worker is a person who provides work or services in a dormitory and looks after a child; serve as a companion or provide other non-medical care or services to an ill, convalescent, disabled, or elderly person; Cleaning, cooking, providing food or butler service, gardening, personal organization, or other personal or domestic services at home. A domestic worker also includes a natural person who lives at the personal place of residence of the hiring institution as part of their employment relationship or contract.

A “hiring entity” is defined as any person who, directly or indirectly, or through an agent or other person, including through the services of a temporary employment agency or recruitment agency, contracts or employs a domestic worker.

According to the proposal, a hiring agency provides paid sickness benefits regardless of the domestic worker’s job grade. The domestic worker would then acquire a paid sick leave entitlement in a manner similar to that of other workers, i.e. at least one hour of net wage at the worker’s regular wage rate for every 30 hours worked for the hiring company.

The paid sick leave entitlement would accrue in units of the hour, but the funds would not be transferred from the hiring facility to the domestic worker until the domestic worker applies for the paid sick leave allowance. The hiring agency would be responsible for any tax withholding or tax reporting obligations for the contribution at the time of transferring the sick pay. Hiring companies may not interfere with or refuse to exercise any right protected by this new regulation, nor may they take adverse measures against domestic workers who are exercising their right protected under this new regulation.

If passed, the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development would be tasked with developing and managing the portable paid sick leave system to minimize the administrative burden for the hiring facility and domestic workers. The system tracks the hours worked by each insured worker for a hiring institution and net wage rates, and calculates the accrued entitlement to paid sickness benefits. The system also coordinates the transfer of funds from one or more entities from which the right to paid vacation was acquired.

If passed, the regulation would only come into force in 2022.

© 2021National Law Review, Volume XI, Number 337

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Debate over development in the Cleveland National Forest is raging again, the latest in a long history of struggles about land use in an area that stretches across San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties.

A proposal that will eventually go before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is inflaming tensions between supporters of denser construction and conservationists, who for more than 100 years have viewed the Cleveland forest as the last frontier in preserving open space in the region.

The measure would amend the county’s general plan to allow more building on thousands of privately held acres within the national forest. The number of dwellings permitted on these properties would increase from about 4,300 to roughly 6,250. Under a citizens’ initiative that expired in 2010, the minimum lot size for a private parcel in the forest was 40 acres. No changes have been approved since.

“Planning the future landscape of rural East County is often a balancing act involving economic growth, community needs and the preservation of our backcountry character,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose District 2 includes much of the region in question, said in a statement. “I’ll weigh these factors, along with any other input I get, before making a decision.”

Over the decades, urban sprawl in the county has bulldozed natural landscapes and reduced habitat for many plants and animals. It has also provided affordable homes for families and allowed people to enjoy rural living a relatively short drive away from grocery stores, hospitals and town centers.

Long before government restrictions came into place, fur traders, loggers, ranchers and miners dramatically affected the backcountry. Wildfires were attributed to overgrazed lands, and mining of gold and other precious metals threatened to pollute rivers and creeks.

By the late 1880s, government officials recognized the need to better manage the forest, specifically to safeguard sources of drinking water there. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt consolidated existing protected lands and created the Cleveland National Forest.

Once spanning nearly 2 million acres, the forest now covers about 440,000 acres, stretching in a patchwork from state Route 94 in San Diego to state Route 91 in Orange County. Regulations allow for a variety of recreational uses in designated areas, including hiking, camping and off-roading. The forest also hosts a number of commercial uses, such as cellphone towers and electric utility lines.

But for the most part, the territory is left as open space and natural habitat.

In the early 1990s, a group of backcountry environmentalists successfully spearheaded the Forest Conservation Initiative, which limited development on more than 71,000 acres of privately held land within the national forest.

When the measure sunset in 2010, elected county officials had been dealing for more than a decade with disgruntled residents who wanted the option to subdivide their parcels so they could build more structures on them. In response, county leaders are moving forward with a proposal to update the zoning for private lands within the forest.

With more than half of the plan’s envisioned higher density concentrated just east of the unincorporated town of Alpine, efforts have in part responded to residents who feel squeezed by urban development on the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians reservation.

As the reservation has built out its casino, nearby homeowners have lamented the loss of a once-quiet lifestyle. Perhaps ironically, many residents now believe their best hope to escape the lights, noise and ongoing construction in the area may be to allow increased density so they can offload land to commercial developers.

Leaders of the tribe declined to comment for this story.

Two characters central to this rezoning fight, Duncan McFetridge and Larry Freeland, offer unique perspectives on differing priorities in the backcountry. Both moved to East County decades ago, attracted by the area’s natural beauty. Now the land-use proposal has set them on divergent paths.

Duncan McFetridge, a woodworker in Descanso, is a major voice for backcountry conservation.

— Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune

DUNCAN MCFETRIDGE

When Duncan McFetridge moved to rural East County about 30 years ago, he had little idea that he’d become one of the region’s foremost advocates for open space.

Over the years, the carpenter by trade and lifelong student of philosophy has taken on many of the county’s most powerful government planning agencies, launching two nonprofits and winning a series of legal battles that have curbed urban sprawl.

Kicking off this second career as a conservationist, McFetridge championed a ballot measure in the early ’90s called the Forest Conservation Initiative, which dramatically curtailed development on private lands within the Cleveland National Forest.

In a move that would presage his dedication to hard-nosed environmentalism, he took out a mortgage on his bucolic Descanso home to help fund the effort. In later campaigns, he would spend as much as half a million dollars from an inheritance to try to contain urban development.

“I’m in love with the beautiful,” said McFetridge, sitting in his dining room-office with walls seemingly made of books. “Money, for whatever reason, it’s meaningless to me.

“Other foundations all focus on fundraising. While they’re out fighting for grants, guess what we’re doing here? We’re literally on the battlefield.”

The Forest Conservation Initiative’s stipulations sunset in 2010, and county officials have since proposed upzoning certain areas inside the national forest. The change would mark the end of an era for those who’ve toiled to limit development in the backcountry.

“The forest initiative was the best thing that ever happened,” said Jeff Rozendal, initially a Descanso and now San Diego-based chimney sweep who partnered with McFetridge on the initiative and other campaigns. “It’s the only thing that has worked. You keep politicians out of it, and you’ve got a chance to preserve things.”

McFetridge and his allies waged two other campaigns related to preservation of the forest, but those measures failed at the ballot box.

Today, he vows to fight the county’s upzoning plan to the end. Asked if he would file a lawsuit to block the proposed density increases, the Descanso woodworker responded without hesitation in a high-pitched tone: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.”

He’d have to scrape together the funds. His nonprofits typically generate less than $50,000 a year in revenue, with his and one other paid staff member’s modest salaries often getting cannibalized by the groups’ expenses.

“I’m adorned, as the Chinese say, with poverty,” McFetridge said, sipping well water out of a wine glass.

The usually lean years have alternated with big fundraising efforts for specific campaigns, such as in the early 2000s when he and others pushed in vain for a ballot measure that would’ve create a so-called “urban-growth boundary.”

McFetridge said this model of operating on a shoestring budget hasn’t held him back. Rather, he said, refusing to take money from government agencies helps preserve the ideological pureness of his campaigns.

“All these groups beg for grants, and then they have ties,” he said. “And I found out very quickly that money is rotten here. I see it everywhere. Everyone gets compromised. So I said f— you people. I’m going to be free.”

At 75 with a white beard and a ponytail, he flutters about his property talking metaphysically about everything from the Buddha-like state of his Guinea hens to an impressive sculpture of a frog he carved from an enormous boulder on a hill in his backyard.

He adores his forest, but he remarks that he’s also a “connoisseur of cities.” He especially admires Paris, Seattle and San Francisco. He thinks the city of San Diego has potential, but he’s rather blunt with his assessment of its current state.

“Plato says the most beautiful thing on the face of this earth is a well-run city because it is the work of the city to educate the citizens,” he said. “Here we take a city and make it a market place to make the citizens worse.”

This all translates back to his distrust of many local government officials. Specifically, he fears the county’s plan for upzoning private lands within the national forest is harbinger for much unseen development to come.

Under the current proposal, more than half of the increased density allowed would be contained in an area east of Alpine. As the Viejas tribe has built out a casino and mall, local residents have asked that their properties be rezoned to conform to this adjacent urbanization.

McFetridge said he has sympathy for some residents who have seen their rural setting succumb to increased traffic and noise from ongoing construction. But he worries the county’s proposal sets a dangerous precedent for future upzoning throughout the backcountry.

If the proposal goes through, zoning in the area outside of Alpine wouldn’t be set in stone. Under a yet-to-be-funded study, county planners are expected to assess whether further density would be needed in the area to help pay for basic services such as new roads and water and sewer pipes.

Asked how significant the county’s plan would be for San Diego’s woodland areas, McFetridge responded rather solemnly with a laconic summation: “Urbanization is in conflict with forest values.”

Forest at the forefront

Leading the push against a proposal to increase development in parts of the Cleveland National Forest is just the latest crusade for Descanso resident Duncan McFetridge and two nonprofit groups he co-founded.

Save Our Forest and Ranchlands and the Cleveland National Forest Foundation are hardly household names in San Diego County. But during the past two decades, they have played a central role in controversies ranging from backcountry conservation to climate change to the environmental effects of widening Interstate 5.

Here’s a look at the issues they’ve taken on:

1990: Save Our Forest and Ranchlands, or SOFAR, was launched by McFetridge and nearly a dozen of his like-minded neighbors. The group’s mission is to prevent efforts by San Diego County to allow development on land in and around the Cleveland National Forest.

1992: SOFAR blocked in court a county zoning update for the Central Mountain area of East County, which is within the Cleveland National Forest and Cuyamaca State Park. A developer had proposed to build a 125-home community on more than 700 acres known as Roberts Ranch. Eventually, the forest service bought the ranch land.

1993: A citizen-approved ballot measure called the Forest Conservation Initiative, drafted by McFetridge and SOFAR, changed the minimum lot size on private lands within the Cleveland forest but outside of backcountry towns from as little as four acres to 40. McFetridge took out a mortgage on his home to pay for signature gatherers.

1995: McFetridge and others created the Cleveland National Forest Foundation, which aims to preserve open space in the forest.

1996: SOFAR prevailed in a lawsuit that forced the county to implement minimum lot sizes on nearly 200,000 acres of agricultural preserve lands. Following the ruling, the group continued to wrangle with the county for several years over the proper density for those lands.

1997: SOFAR stopped two developments in court, including a project that could have cut off the last mountain-lion corridors connecting the Santa Rosa Mountain Range in Orange County and Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. With support from other groups, SOFAR also halted a sizable RV park planned for Descanso.

1998: SOFAR failed to win passage of a ballot measure called the Rural Heritage and Watershed Initiative, which would have created an urban-growth boundary and increased minimum lot sizes in some unincorporated areas to 40 or 80 acres.

2002: SOFAR reached an agreement with the county for zoning on roughly 200,000 acres of agricultural preserve lands that called for a 40-acre minimum lot size. The state attorney general at the time, Bill Lockyer, had joined the lawsuit in support of SOFAR.

2004: For the second time, SOFAR failed to get voters to approve a ballot measure restricting development on thousands of acres of unincorporated land. The Rural Lands Initiative would have imposed minimum lot sizes of 40, 80 or 160 acres on nearly 700,000 acres in the county.

2007: After threatening litigation, SOFAR reached a settlement agreement with the city of San Diego over its Downtown Mobility Plan, which lays out the transportation plan for the city’s urban core. McFetridge and others argued that the plan needed to focus more heavily on transit, bicycle and pedestrian options.

2011: The Forest Conservation Initiative sunset, prompting county officials to begin looking at updating land-use designations for more than 71,000 acres of private lands within the Cleveland National Forest.

2012: The Cleveland National Forest Foundation prevailed in a lawsuit against the San Diego Association of Governments concerning the municipal planning agency’s regional transportation plan for the county. The foundation said the agency failed to properly account for state-mandated reductions to greenhouse gases. The case is now pending at the California Supreme Court and is expected to have broad implications.

2013: The foundation sued Caltrans over its proposed expansion of the Interstate 5 corridor from La Jolla to Camp Pendleton, which would add four new express lanes. The case is expected to yield a settlement this year.

2016: The foundation has threatened to sue the county over its proposed upzoning of thousands of acres of private lands within the Cleveland National Forest.

Larry Freeland, who lives across from Viejas Casino east of Alpine, supports the up-zoning proposal.

— Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune

LARRY FREELAND

When Larry Freeland bought a small patch of land just east of Alpine about 37 years ago, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians’ reservation down the road didn’t make much noise.

A decade later, the native tribe put in a bingo parlor, and traffic quickly started to pick up along the road that Freeland lives on.

Today, the Viejas reservation features a large casino, an outlet mall, an outdoor food court and several 24-hour parking lots. Cars and buses routinely roar up and down the once-quite country road just north of Interstate 8.

“You got car alarms going all night long and people who sit in their cars and turn their bump-bump music up,” the 62-year-old said. “I mean, it’s not a residential area anymore. It really isn’t.”

Freeland’s not your typical cranky homeowner frustrated with loud neighbors. In fact, he’s not bitter with the tribe at all. He even said he voted for the statewide ballot proposition in 2000 that allowed Indian gaming to expand.

“They were wrongly treated in history, so I supported them,” he said. “What can you do?”

Still, Freeland and others in the area are desperate to change their situation. Since the 1990s, the county of San Diego has faced pressure from landowners like him to allow greater development that would fit with the commercial growth on the reservation.

“It would hedge our bet in the future about being able to get a reasonable price for the property,” said Jim Phillips, a 61-year-old homeowner who lives across the street from the casino’s parking lots. “The property is no longer desirable for someone to live and raise a family.”

For a long time, the county’s hands were tied. The folks east of Alpine live within the boundary of the Cleveland National Forest, where a citizen’s initiative had for nearly a decade capped development to one lot for at least every 40 acres.

With long hair and a graying handlebar mustache, Freeland’s blue eyes sparkle from under a cowboy hat as he explains how he would’ve already fled the area if he could have found someone to buy his property for the right price.

“Worst-case scenario, now that the tribe’s this far out, I take a big loss and I get the heck out of here,” he said.

On roughly 4.5 acres, Freeland and his wife own a home as well as a western-style novelty shop called the Lost Trails Trading Post. The funky little store sells clothes, hats, old movie posters and other period-appropriate accoutrement. Next to the store, Freeland has built three 1820s-style tent cabins that are open for public viewing.

When Freeland’s not hawking cowboy merchandise or giving tours of his cabins, he’s working as an actor in small-budget western movies and television shows. Recently he played Wild Bill Hickok, he explains proudly, adding that he’s also performed with a Lakeside-based performance group called The Hole in the Wall Gang.

While the increased traffic from the casino and mall has brought him a few more customers, he’d have to expand his commercial business or sell to a developer to really capitalize on the growth — neither of which are a viable options unless the county updates the land use for the area.

“I had one guy very interested, but everyone wanted to see the final zoning,” he said. “Developers want to do something here.”

After the Forest Conservation Initiative sunset in 2010, the county proceeded with a plan to rezone thousands of acres within the forest. The proposal would specifically permit mixed-use commercial development east of the Viejas reservation and up to one residential lot per acre on lands south of I-8.

This could be a bonanza for homeowners in the region, especially those willing to sell to their property. For those who stay on, density could bring amenities such as municipal water and sewer lines from Alpine, another fire station and a high school.

“It gives us a little (security) if we ever want to sell in the future,” said Jim Thomson, 66, who moved to the area in 1999 and has six children. “Nobody wants to buy a house across from all this excitement.”

But it’s far from a done deal. The proposal has infuriated conservationists, who have threatened to challenge the zoning changes in court — fearing a slippery slope of development in years to come.

If Freeland can sell his property, he said he would consider moving up to Grass Valley in Northern California and retire near his two children. But he’s not ruling out enlarging his commercial enterprise here.

“The only way to protect myself, my property rights, my monetary investment, is to turn it commercial,” he said.

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SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco supervisor Rafael Mandelman proposed an ordinance Tuesday that would prohibit landlords from violating leases by depriving tenants of amenities such as storage, parking, bike storage or laundry.

The proposed regulation would require landlords to provide a just cause for the removal of existing facilities, Mandelman said, and would effectively extend the same remedies that apply to unlawful evictions to cases of illegal removal of housing services.

Mandelman said landlords removed such services when converting garages and common spaces into new rental units known as additional housing units, or ADUs.

SEE ALSO: 139-year-old home in San Francisco is moving to a new address

He said he drafted the ordinance after hearing an increase in such cases over the past few months reported to his office by tenants in District 8.

“Adding a new unit or two or more to existing buildings can be a great way to increase the number of homes in our neighborhoods, but adding new homes shouldn’t come at the expense of current tenants,” he said. “It’s not okay to take away storage rooms, parking lots, bike rooms, or laundry that people have relied on for years and that have the right to continue to enjoy being part of their home.”

SEE ALSO: Fireman dies after fighting a major fire in the SFO parking garage

Mandelman said his office reached out to the San Francisco Housing Rights Committee – a tenant rights organization – which was aware of similar cases in at least 10 other residential buildings in the San Francisco area.

“Landlords should build ADUs to create new rent-controlled homes, not to remove contracted housing services from existing tenants,” said Brad Hirn, a senior organizer of the group. “The problem becomes even more troubling when we see some of SF’s largest real estate investment firms using ADUs to segregate services and exacerbate long-term renters displacement.”

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